Monday, July 29, 2013

Maligayang kaarawan!

July 28, 2013
A year older but wiser and happier!

Flowers bought from the wet market a day before, arranged in a vase to bloom for a few days.
A quick call to my family in the Philippines where they sang the happy birthday song over the phone.
Went for Sarah's ballet class in the morning then had a good lunch at E&O hotel's Sarkies.
A simple cake from the neighborhood bakeshop, for the ​traditional candle blowing, truly more for the kids' enjoyment.
Dreamworks' Turbo movie and dinner at Shanghai Dumplings caps the day.

Maligayang kaarawan Marz!


Friday, July 26, 2013

Sarah - 2 years Q2 update

Sarah on a rental bike at Straits Quay

I'm starting this as the fun and sometimes frustrating parts of the toddler years are here.  These updates will be a nice read once we're old and gray.


Independent smarty pants.
"Sarah do, Sarah do!"  "Sarah's big girl." "No helping, no helping." "No, no, no, no, no, no." with matching finger wagging and tongue clicking.

Food.
Intake has been erratic with good days eating really well and not-my-favorite days of very little solids. Standard fares are chicken hotdogs, egg omelette, mac & cheese (using Kraft's Cheez Whiz), grapes, yellow kiwi, mangoes, raisins, Skyflakes crackers, noodles with minced veggies, apom (thin pancakes) & wantan mee from the hawker stands.  She's not into sweets, she cannot finish a candy or lollipop but likes chocolates, especially Royce' when we can get our hands on those yummy treats.

Potty training.
She doesn't need diapers in the day but still wears them during afternoon naps & bedtime.  Goes running on her own to the potty seat for wee wee.  Quick trips like going to the wet market and to her music & ballet classes are diaper free too.  Poo poo time is done upright, no progress in transitioning to the potty seat.  In her own time, that's what we say.

Sleeping habits.
A 2-hour afternoon nap is usual, but sometimes can be a short 1-hour or if lucky a long 3-hour shuteye. Stays up late, sometimes nearly midnight!  (I think she fights off sleep just to spend more time with me.) Sleep through the night is always broken with calls for 'milk', I give just plain water though.  Most days she'd wake up as Ravi and I prepares for work, on certain mornings she sleeps through anywhere from 30 more minutes to an hour after we've left.

Musically inclined, yey!
Taking after her lola and mama, my baby little girl sings a lot.  Quite a performer too, picks up a 'mike' from her toys, stands up on the coffee table/tv console/stool/any elevation and sings her heart out....loud!  Sings a lot of nursery rhymes, the basic alphabet and phonic songs and recently Do Re Mi from the Sound of Music. Some lyrics are still a bit of a babble but the tune is right in there.  Lots of dancing as well, mostly ballet moves of tip toeing and twirling.

Entertainment.
Playing piko or hopscotch, writing with chalk on the hallways/elevator, playing on the slides and monkey bars at the kiddie playground, swimming when the water's not cold, blowing bubbles, biking, gluing leaves/paper/sparkles, writing & colouring on the walls/bedsheets/tables/chair/arms and legs/any other reachable surfaces.  Favorite tv shows are Pocoyo and Taiyo Bus, with a few Disney Junior shows here and there.  Brainy Baby and Barbie are staple dvds.

Scared of...
Monsters, medicine, lighting and thunder, Mama leaving her to go to the office.

It's more fun to be around my little girl, less tantrums as before.
Don't grow up too fast, my Sarah (I sound like a broken record!)


Friday, July 19, 2013

She's growing too fast!

Since June,  Sarah has been attending 2 classes - Kinderbeat (music/piano) and Tutu Tots (toddler ballet).  At the start of the classes, the teachers asked the parents to guide our own kids to follow the steps.  Early on, Sarah was fine with it but on subsequent classes when she kinda knows what to do, she turned to me and said, "Mama, sit down.  No touching, no holding!  Sarah do, ok?"  She does not want a stage mother at all!

At the homefront, she'd choose her fancy shoes (even if we're just going to the playground or to the wet market) and would insist on putting her shoes on by herself, saying the all too common words "Sarah do ok?".

Or, when I cuddle her and say "Sarah, my baby", she'd look me in the eye and say, "Sarah's big girl now ok?!" 

Notice she ends her sentences with ok most of the time? Cute! :)

It's great to see my sweet Sarah showing independence at 2.5 years old.  Of course that's a trait that I want her to have in life but I never expected it too early on.  My baby is growing much too fast, sniff sniff.


Taken at Legoland Malaysia last May

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Kids play at Penang Youth park

Fun afternoon at the Youth Park with my siblings.
With swings and slides, what else can the toddlers ask for?!

Swing, swing, swing.
Sofi's not afraid of the slide, look at her go!
The two monkeys :)
I miss this boy, he is my first baby.
The favorite uncle, Tito Rap!
Tube slide!
What's this Sofi?! =)
Sarah on the horsie :)
Grow up to be good friends Sarah and Sofi.

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

A day at the Butterfly Farm

Penang's Butterfly Farm at the north end of the island is a place of child-like wonder.  We  regularly take the kids there several times a year to check out the winged creatures.  Visiting the farm never gets old.

Admission rates are lower for locals.  Locals who present their national IDs pay only RM18 (adults) and RM10 (children 4-12 years old).  The rest pay the normal fee of RM27 (adults) and RM15 (children).  I don't get why there's a different fee for locals and non-locals.  I'll have a separate post on that next time.

Anyway, I took my siblings to the Butterfly Farm and we all had a fun 2-hour stay. Sarah, Sofi and Rap were surprisingly scared, especially when a few butterflies would flutter about and land on them.

There were several butterfly feeding spots around the farm where we watched up close as the butterflies suck out the nectar from sliced pineapples and bunga raya (we call it gumamela in the Philippines).  Millipedes, iguana, turtles, ducks and a fish pond are also spread out in the farm for a bit of variety.  There is a small air-conditioned room to cool down, where Miniscule mini-movies are continuously playing.

This was a fun trip to add to my family's memory bank. We'll be back sooner than you think butterflies!
A fun day at the Butterfly Farm.
The stars of the farm - butterflies!
Sarah and Sofi were frightened of the butterflies!
Even Rap was scared!  The butterfly landed on his tummy area.
Taken by Rap.
Shot by Tito Rap.  Only the adults smiled for the camera haha
Sofi, Jing, Abet, Rap, Sarah, Marz
Abet with one butterfly and inside the exhibit.
Tito Rap enjoyed browsing around the exhibit too.
Sarah busy inspecting the eggs and larvae.
Who do you think wins the best pose by the giant beetle?!
 

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Resorts World Sentosa weekend

SEA Aquarium + Garrett Popcorn + Candylicious
May 11, 2013 (Sunday)

The SEA Aquarium, touted as the world's biggest, was impressive with it's huge collection of marine animals.  The layout and air conditioning chalked up good points too.

Being a Sunday, it was pretty crowded.  Getting good pictures of the sea creatures with a couple of running-all-over-the-place toddlers means no pictures at all hahaha   

We stayed the longest at the Open Ocean area, where the two toddlers napped while the adults got some leg rest.

Sophia and Sarah by the baby jellyfish.

the Open Ocean
Somebody's nap time was imminent. 
Tito Wap, as what the kiddos call him
Crowded much!
Enjoying each other :)
Sofi wins best photo with the sharks! :)
Hopping at the wold map outside the Aquarium

The requisite stop at Garrett Popcorn.  They ran out of Macadamia Caramel Crisps, so we chose Almond Caramel Crisps instead.
Candy store stop.
The girls loved the candy store. Well, who wouldn't?! :)