Celebrating Life's Little Moments

Proud To Be A Harvest Kid!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Yesterday marked significance in every sense – our church is finally back at Suntec Convention Hall and Aaric went to Harvest Kidz (3 years old) for the very first time! I’m feeling super excited cos he enjoyed himself and this time round, I don’t have to ‘eyeball’ him all the time, you know what I mean.

Back when he was younger, slightly before he turned 2 years old, I brought him and man, it was tiring! I have to keep sticking to him, be with him and it doesn’t help that he was much more active and vocal of children his age, so… even if he didn’t do anything wrong, there were some caregivers so overly-protective of their child that I find myself having to say no this, no that, to him all the time. It zapped me of every ounce of energy.

Fast forward to July 2013. I thought since he’s in school and enjoys it, he will probably feel the same if I bring him to children’s church. And thank God, he saw his schoolmate and it became a tad better transiting in a new environment.

Children’s Church has also gotten a facelift and is now Harvest Kidz – the whole place is so vibrant and lively, even I like it!

Proud to be a Harvest Kid!

There’s Bible story-telling and the various activity stations. Knowing that their attention span isn’t very long; the time span of each activity was just nice and it got all the kids excited! At one of the stations, he almost couldn’t wait for his turn to do a fishing game but he was taught to have patience, to learn to queue and wait, which I thought was great cos this boy of mine likes and wants everything NOW.

We saw many familiar faces of those who were in the nursery when Aaric was growing up and that’s the awesome thing – growing up and being planted, loving God. I’m so looking forward to the day that he can sit through independently!

On an ending note, he got to bring home an artwork too and was fantastically proud of it.

Happy Father’s Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:27:00 +0000

On this special Sunday, we wish the man of our lives a Happy Daddy’s Day!

We love you to the moon and back!

XOXO,

Mommy, Aaric & Aarilyn

Hello, June

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:41:00 +0000

And so, days whizzed past and now my baby is coming to 3 months old!

Looking back, how did I feel going through the whole cycle of looking after an infant all over again?

Truth be told: I wasn’t feeling hey-I-have-an-adorable-baby-and-mommyhood-is-perfect-and-everything-is-gonna-be-easy-peasy. When everyone’s telling me how adorable my baby is, I’d give a smile, say thank you and simply stop at that. My mind and body couldn’t quite ‘click’ with the excitement there and then.

Everyday, I’m chanting in my heart and hoping that the night she sleeps through come real soon. Everyday, I go through an endless cycle of feeding –> expressing milk –> hoping earnestly that my baby will take a long nap, and on top of that, manage a toddler who has boundless energy. Was sleep-deprived but didn’t feel it so bad, managed expectations, I believe. Taking a nap was far beyond possible. During the confinement period, I just want to quickly made it past the one-month mark. (nay, and it isn’t because of the confinement blues)

The 2nd month came, and I see some light, when my baby finally settled into a ROUTINE! Oh yes, it gives any parent some sort of sanity - I knew almost exactly when’s a good time for me to enjoy a non-disturbed breakfast. While I was very adamant on putting my 1st baby on a routine, I was going quite easy this time round. God is absolutely good, and my baby girl is really an easy baby. All she wants is a good feed and good sleep. I don’t have to do anything much in particular – no need to pat baby to sleep, no need for dream feed. Between 5 – 6 weeks’ old, she slept through!

Though one feisty girl when it comes to crying, she’s really a sweet little being.

Leaving you with pictures of her while I’m going back to check in on her and kiss those cheeks…

Back, Blogging World! Back With A Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Hello, there! Well, even if no one reads or ain’t as actively checking out this dormant space, I’m back just for myself. I think most ladies (mommies especially) have this ability to talk to ourselves. At least I can. ;)

Too many stuff transpired since last August (the last entry on this blog) – shifted out from our old place, went through my second pregnancy, Aaric went to school at the start of this year, and now, I’m back with a new baby! Looking back, the toughest period was packing an entire 5-room flat into boxes while being very pregnant and making the move. The greatest transition for me, ever. Again, must be those hormones at work.

That aside, we welcomed Baby No. 2 into our family on March 21! She is one very sweet and rosy-cheeked baby, right from Day 1. You have to see it to believe it.

This is she. Aarilyn Tan. And the meaning of her name? With song. Like her brother, pretty good appetite she has for a 2 month-old but I’m not complaining.

Shall be back with more updates! Stay tuned!

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Checking Out (For A While…)

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 04:36:00 +0000

Back here for a little update. Well, there must be some reasons for my ‘disappearance’ ya?

It all started with me feeling ‘repelled’ to the world of Facebook. Alright, that word is a tad too strong. Not repelled, but started off being sick and tired and so on. To cut the long story short, I simply disabled lotsa Facebook notifications, almost all. Came to a place that I couldn’t bear the notifications that kept coming in. We sometimes, unknowingly, communicate with our gadgets more than we communicate to those who are dear to us, to those living under the same roof as us. And so, I started drawing away more from my gadgets when I’m home. There’s more to life than these, seriously. (But ahem, I still love Instagram. ;) )

I think closer friends will know that I ain’t a very public person. You won’t see me updating my Facebook status all the time – once in a while, yes. And yes, I’m almost dormant on Twitter. Haha! You see, the updating of status doesn’t quite stop there. You update, and you keep checking to see how many people commented or how many ‘likes’ that status garnered.

So for now, I’ll be checking out from all these for a while. Be back though (with blog updates), I promise! :)

Praying that your days will still be as beautiful, if not more. :)

Brag Post: Mommas Are (Almost) Everything!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:27:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to downplay the importance of the role of being a father. In fact, I think the father plays a very important parenting role.

Read on to know why I said what I did…

Received an invitation for a birthday party recently and to my horror, I realized I needa start planning for the boy’s birthday! You know - the theme, that cake, oh, how about the venue and other nitty-gritty stuff that can drive you up the wall at times. Last year, Murphy was so bent on visiting me and what could went wrong, went wrong. *sulks* My balloon supplier had to go into labour at the very last minute and told me I have to find other sources. So I had to dash to some party supply shop with a babe in tow. Totally not fun with a baby who can’t-walk-yet-but-doesn’t-want-to-be-in-a-stroller kind of situation.

So, Mommas are party-planners.

Ditto. We brainstorm the venues. We think about the kind of cake / cupcakes. Ah, and we want to tie in a theme. We think about the kind of activities / games / party packs appropriate for our kids’ age-group. Oh, and self-design that invitation card?

Mommas can cook and bake.

Prior to having kids, I do not cook and I mean proper 1-soup-3-dishes kind of meals. Now, I prepare all of my boy’s meals and am pretty amazed I can come up with new recipes from time to time.

And then, we explore having baking sessions with our kids? Like cookies, cupcakes and muffins. Pretty stuff, I like. I surprised myself that I bother to surf and find recipes and am actually interested in it. Being a Mom brings out the best (in this case) in us.

Mommas are good with craft too.

I am part of this SMB group and boy, so many of them are so awesome with their craft! You name it, they know it. For me, ahem, I will aspire to be better in this area. I’m seriously inspired by many of them! My best art pieces is still calligraphy – cos I can’t draw and I don’t paint well. Thank God the Husband is an art student – he can inject some creative flair into the little boy!

Mommas are the story-tellers in the house.

Yeah, bedtime stories. Need no further explanation. Oh, and we often have to come up with imaginative storylines?

Mommas are the teachers.

Teach, we must. Master of all subjects, we shall be. (in Master Yoda’s kind of tone)

******

And these are just some of the roles of a Mom.

So, do you have your list to add on too? :)

“Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.” - Mildred B. Vermont

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Wordless Wednesday: Probably His Current Ambitions …

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:47:00 +0000

I’ve tons of drafts all mid-way through and I’m not proud of it. Thoughts and words got lost halfway, some evoked lots of provocation and to add on, I hit the writer’s block countless of times. At work, the past 2 weeks was just busy, so much so that I switched off mentally once I got home.

That aside, time for a peekture or two, maybe more!

#1: Busker (minus the asking for money part)

He was admiring himself in the mirror while strumming and humming a song. I believed he was pleased with what he saw.

Too cute! Right?

#2: Bus Driver

This little dude is pretty obsess with anything ‘bus’ right now. “Big bus, big bus”, he exclaims, and this can go on and on and on.

The other day we were at the playground and he’s stuck to this steering wheel more than any other thing.

Yeah, and we had a hard time getting him to come down. When we finally succeeded, he was in much whines and tears. :(

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Talkative Thursday: Yakkity-Yak!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:45:00 +0000

If the boy can write, I’d have gotten him to do up this post instead. Fact of the matter is, he loves to talk. Sigh, between me and the Husband, he must have inherited this trait from yours truly.

I talk to him a lot since the day he was born, y’see. From single words, to more words, to many more words, to some sort of sentences these days – should be a series of words he’s trying to link up. If not, he’ll suddenly break out in a song.

What’s even more exciting (though I’m not celebrating this part), on some days when he’s roused from his sleep at night and realized that both his Papa and Momma were not around sleeping, he will open the bedroom door automatically and ran out to look for us. I’m not too uptight about this yet cos I should think it’s a phase since this boy slept through the night since young. Sometimes, he will join us on the sofa and just squeezed in between us, sometimes he will run to his guitar and strum a little. Also, it’s not hard to get him back to bed after a mere 15 minutes or so.

While most kids started well (and fast!) in the development of their motor skills, Aaric was a little slower. He only started walking on his own like past 15 months old. I remember I brought him to a wedding dinner and got lots of ‘why isn’t he walking yet’.. ‘oh, a little slow huh’… Well, I know and you could be more tactful. To say I wasn’t bothered at all will be a lie.

However, his linguistic skills is pretty amazing. He knows a lot of words as young as 12 months old - both English and Mandarin, and can pronounce those words well. Now, he blurts out new words every now and then, and mimicks our speech.

Every child is an individual and they will grow at their own pace.

All we have to remember and do – CELEBRATE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS!!!

p/s: See this photo below, this isn’t an outdated photo, just count how many teeny weeny teeth he have! Six only y’know! The rest is taking their own sweet time to come forth. I think MOST kids who are younger than him, have more teeth. =P

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Wordless Wednesday: Play Is A Necessity

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:29:00 +0000

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

– Kay Redfield Jamison

I indulge in silly games with my boy. Silly games that got us all laughing in a crazy and tickling manner. These silly games don’t need tools and toys, just me and the Husband many often times.

Boy, Momma wants you to know that I treasure every moment of playing silly stuff with you. To others I may look silly, but I know to you, I made your day. And that’s enough, really.

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To My Wonderful Mate – Happy Father’s Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:43:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday: A Little Dirt Won’t Hurt

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Boys and mess goes together. :)

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“Wait Wah”… So He Says

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:18:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but all parents these days (I believe) are making a conscious effort to speak the right language to their kids. By right language, I mean, no singlish at the very least. Since Day 1 I became a Mom, I didn’t use words like “mum-mum” (eat), “pong-pong” (bathe), “gai-gai” (go out). Seriously, how did those words came about? Hmm…

Last week, just like any other day, I was cooking the babe’s meals in the kitchen. He came up to me and kept asking for “staw-bee” (strawberry). When I first heard him say that word, I couldn’t make up what it was, it sounded so much like “stop it”… I wanted to laugh. Laugh because this boy really knows how to say “stop it”, but why keep telling me to stop it. This went on for about 2 – 3 days when I finally understood what he was referring to.

You see, he had a recent addiction for strawberries. The moment he wakes up, he asks for strawberries. When he comes home, he asks for strawberries. Before his meals, he asks for strawberries. Before drinking his milk, he asks for strawberries. It came to a point that he was literally bugging and chanting “staw-bee” non-stop! As I was busy with the chores at hand, I told him to wait, Mommy will give it to him once I’m done. This went on for a few rounds. And then, it happened…

I let out an innocent “Wait ah, Mommy will give it to you”… My boy understands the word “wait” and can articulate it perfectly. Bet you can guess what he said… “wait wah (if you know hanyu pinyin, imagine him saying ‘wah’ like this – wáh/wah²). At that moment, I almost flipped! Y’know, it’s one word he don’t have to learn so easily! And he kept going on “wait wah”, “wait wah”… major sigh!

Up till today, he still remembers this word-that-ain’t-a-proper-word, cos I caught him saying it again this morning.

I definitely hope it will vanish in his world of words since there is no meaning to it at all.

Lil’ Drummer Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000

He was already very much in love with the guitar previously. Whenever he joins me for cell group; he hogs the front seat - the seat right in front of the guitarist. I guess in a way or another, most church-going kids get exposed to these instruments at a real young age.

Of late, he became much obsessed even with drums; and it started because of this…

How not to be when he had the opportunity to play ‘da thing that the big guys play? He was overjoyed by that one experience. :)

Check out a video clip below of his first drumming rendition! He ended it well by saying, ‘No more’!

This 19-month-old can now “sing” a few songs – not in full sentences of course, just mostly the first and last word of each line, but tempo and timing perfect to a T! And... one of his very first songs – the National Anthem! True blue Singaporean indeed.

Shopping; The Easier Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Before I enter motherhood, I already took to online shopping. I love it, in fact. Those days, my loots were mainly clothes. No prizes for guessing it right. There would be parcels in the mail every week. The minute I say I gotta check the mailbox, the Husband will know for sure what’s up my sleeves – yeah, anticipating the arrival of my shopping loots.

When I was expecting Aaric, I stopped shopping for clothes for myself (as I couldn’t foretell what I could wear and what I couldn’t). From then till now, my attention took a turn for other stuffs, and I must say, online shopping is not just easier, but many a times, more economical!

Some of the stuffs I vividly remember:

- Got a Safety-1st bathtub (with netting) for $5

- A never-used before breastpump at a discounted price like $150++

- A large bumper playmat for $120 (local retail stores - selling at $200+)

- Thermos foogo food jar for $26 from Amazon (local retail stores - selling between $35 – 50)

- Beco carrier for $180 (local retail stores - selling at $250+)

Big items aside, for the smaller, daily necessities kind-of-items:

- Gaia products for almost 50% cheaper than local retail stores; or a good 40% at least (!!!)

- Multi-vitamins (I bought a jumbo bottle for $38; local retail stores are selling at $55)

I was out shopping with the Husband on Sunday and saw a so-called promotion for ‘Really Raw Honey’ (something which I’ve been wanting to get but kept forgetting) at $22 for 223g – a really small bottle of honey. The salesgirl went on to say why getting the big 5 lbs jar is more worth it – $131.

OMGoodness, I knew I can get a better deal.

So, I turned to my online means that very night. And… bought my jar of ‘Really Raw Honey’ at only $15.85 for 1 lb (453g). Do the math and know which is really more worth it.

Now, tell me how not to love online-shopping? ;)

Dessert Time: Mango Float

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Well, I was surfing the usual food blogs and chanced upon this yummy dessert. Caught my eye almost immediately since it’s a non-baked one and the ingredients needed are kinda easy to get off the shelves in the supermart.

Posted this on my Instagram…

You get the idea, layers of mangoes, cream, crust and freeze it overnight! Tadah, you’ll get this!

So now, here’s how to go about doing it.

What you will need:

- 2 mixing bowls

- 1 medium-sized square baking tin / or other substitutes (will elaborate on this later on, refer to side note)

Ingredients:

- 4 mangoes (ripe ones, please!)

- 1 packet of cream crackers / skyflakes / graham crackers (brand used: good ol’ Hup Seng)

- 1 can of condensed milk (brand used: Milkmaid)

- 200ml whipping cream

- 1 can of Nestle cream (found in baking section in supermarts)

- 1 bottle of thickened cream (brand used: Bulla)

1. Diced / sliced the mangoes; set it aside.

2. Whip the whipping cream till thick and frothy in a mixing bowl.

(I didn’t get the desired texture, but still went well…)

3. In another mixing bowl, pour in the condensed milk, thickened cream and Nestle cream. Mix well.

4. Combine the 2 mixture and mix well.

And now, layering starts!

1. Lay the cream crackers in the square tin as a base.

2. Put in the mangoes. I put a lot till it covers the entire layer.

3. Add the cream mixture you’ve prepared till mangoes are well-drizzled with the mixture.

4. Repeat the layering steps 1 – 3 till the you reach the top of the tin.

5. Cover with foil and freeze it overnight. (freezer compartment, ok?)

I managed a total of 3 layers.

Note:

Do not worry if your mixture feels a little ‘runny’.

The cream crackers may ‘soak up’ the mixture. Everything will be a-ok when you freeze it.

Side Note:

If you are sharing this with your family and friends, and can finish it in 1 setting, fantastic! Just defrost it 30 minutes before you wanna serve, so that it’s easy to slice it.

If not, you may wish to use smaller containers / tins when preparing it for freezing. Just defrost one and it’s ready for consumption.

The slicing-and-taking-that-one-slice out of the tin is challenging.

Didn’t managed any step-by-step pictures as it's my first time trying this out and the above picture doesn't give full credit to the taste!

But nonetheless, try this yourself and have fun in your kitchen!

HCP Delights - Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:03:00 +0000

You know how whipping up dishes are easy-peasy for some people and on the other hand, it just doesn’t feel so straightforward for others? I happened to fall into the category that I don’t have too much a flair for it.

However, a good start is… I really kinda enjoy cooking!

Here’s a recipe to share!

Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

- 8 x Mid-Joint Wings (I happened to like this part the most)

- 200ml Coca-Cola (normal ones; do not use Diet Coke / Coke Zero)

- 200ml water

- 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Marinade (adjust accordingly if quantity increase):

- 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce

- 1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

*you do not have to put cornflour to marinade the chicken wings as Coca-Cola is a natural tenderizer!

- Marinade the chicken wings and set it aside for 15-30 minutes.

- Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in HCP.

- Brown chicken on both sides.

- Pour in 200ml water + 200ml Coca-Cola + leftover marinade and let it simmer.

-Simmered till sauce becomes thick and sticky.

- Turn the chicken wings once manually or you can chose to flip the HCP.

I locked the HCP while simmering to quicken the process.

Total simmer time should take approximately 20 minutes.

******

The first time the Husband tasted this, he didn’t even know it was Coca-Cola. Yums!

Enjoy!

The Unpublished Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:23:00 +0000

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” – Eudora Weity

Taking lots of photos is one of the many things my friends (who are parents) have told me. Babies grow up faster than we imagine. Aaric is now at a stage that he loves to talk. Baby no more. You’d probably won’t ever catch him just sitting quietly and self-entertaining. For him, where there’s people, it’s playtime.

It’s one of those nights that got me looking through the old albums. I missed him looking so babyish.

“Smile!” At a mere 8 days old.

1.5 months old. First time going to church and fellowship!

2 months old. My first day back at work, he knocked out once we got home. Plonked on the sofa and slept.

2.5 months old. The very tired ‘Baby Jesus’ who took part in the Christmas production that year.

“Thou shall not snatch my pacifier!”

Spot a bit of his dimple!

The little man.

“Dressing up means going out! Yay!”

No longer so babyish. But this boy sure knows how to melt people’s hearts.

I love it that he loves to talk. I love it that he gives kisses and hugs generously. I love it that he calls us so affectionately.

The Happycall Craze, Or Rave… / HCP Delights: Milo Marble Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:12:00 +0000

I bet you need no further introduction to this pan – very well-known as a double-sided pressure pan or a baking pan. It took me a long time before I plonked down good money for this purchase. Was very hesitant at first as there were too many fake pans being sold and in the end, got it off Gmarket which ships in directly from Korea at less than SGD $70 (inclusive of shipping). Remember to check for authenticity before buying – you may refer to this article for things to look out for.

I got the pan that is slightly bigger – also known as the multi-purpose pan. Pretty perfect to do some baking! In fact, the depth of the pan is good for doing so.

Anyhow, I attempted my first marble cake from scratch! My first bake after my Home Econs’ days!

Ingredients:

- 250g Salted Butter

- 200g to 250g Extra Fine Sugar; I used Castor Sugar

- 250g Self-Raising Flour

- 6 Eggs

- Milo Powder (amount as desired)

Preparing the mix:

- Mix the salted butter and sugar together

- Pour in the eggs’ mixture bit by bit

- Add the self-raising flour

******

Poured in the mixture; stir in the Milo powder… (keeping my fingers very crossed that the cake will ‘rise’)

Put over low heat, approximately 8 – 10 minutes. Time to flip over!

Baking made easy! To me, doing the mix was more tedious as I have no cake mixer.

I used Milo cos the Husband is one Milo/Nutella fan and ain’t a Marble Cake lover. This is to entice him to try my cake!

And if you have a less ‘fattening’ recipe, please share with me! :)

Outfit For The Day: Santa Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Alrighty, these were shots taken last year during Christmas at our office luncheon! How very cute right!

Many asked where I got the outfit and thought it cost a lot… Well, it doesn’t. And I seriously didn’t buy for the purpose of dressing him up for the party. It was purely a just-for-fun outfit.

(1-piece suit: H&M, Santa hat included; Socks: Model’s own)

Aaric’s World Of Words

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This little chatterbox of mine really likes to talk. Since the time he blabbered some words with understanding, there is no stopping him.

Every morning he wakes up, he shouts, “ball ball” and points to the door. And randomly, he will start to shout any word that runs through his mind… “dog! duck! ball! ick (means kick)! mama! mama!” Just this morning, he woke up at 6-ish in the morning, sat our on bed and began to read a book. Can you beat that? He rattled on and on… “bear bear, ball ball, ba-by”… I glanced at him with my eyes barely open and continued sleeping… *yawns*

And so, this is pretty much how he sees things now (my guess)…

All of the below are classified in the same category because they’re round and no prizes for guessing it right – all these to Aaric is “ball ball”!

However, when it comes to ‘banana’, he has no problem with that word at all. He goes ‘nana, nana’.

And this next category to Aaric are all ‘dogs’… You can guess why.

It’s amazing (and amusing!) to see how much he’s learning these days! He has mastered the ability to say ‘no no’ rather well, especially during mealtimes. A spoonfuls of his own food and he goes ‘no no’ coupled with hand action then points to our drinks and food, wants to take his own spoon, scoop the food, etc. And so, feeding him is taking a v-e-r-y much longer time these days.

Just for records’ sake before this Mommy here forgets, Aaric’s world of words till date. See if you managed to catch him saying these in future!

Words he say: Ball, bear, dog, door, duck, mama, da-di, ba-by, ick (kick), ite (kite), dar (star), no no, no more, nana (banana)…

Actions/sounds he make: fish, butterfly, elephant, flying kiss, pig, leopard/tiger/lion all with the same kind of roar, clap hands, lift up hands to worship, playing the drum, dust his hands to symbolize dirty (taught by grandma)…

All I can remember as of now and I’m getting sleepy. So till then, next episode of Aaric’s World of Words will be back (soon, I hope)! :)

Nothing Short Of Awesome…

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

And by that, I meant, life has been nothing short of being awesomely… busy. That said, not in a bad way, of cos.

Time for me to brush off the cobwebs and dust that has gathered. Haha! The boy’s food is cooking so I’m gonna do a quick update before we’re out for the day.

Favorite month of the year is here. Sweet December, I’d call it. The Christmas tree is up, the Christmas shopping is ALMOST done – left with a handful of harder-to-tackle gifts. Toffee nut lattes make the best drink this season. Everywhere we go, the boy would shout ‘ball ball’ while pointing at those Christmas baubles. I can tell he like Christmas.

I’m still waiting patiently for the boy to start walking but slowly and surely, I believe. He’s developing amazingly in his speech though, knowing quite a couple of words by now – dog, duck, door, ball, bird, no more, yay... to name a few. He gives the most heartwarming goodbye coupled with his flying kiss, gives very enthusiastic yays with handclaps, lifts his hands to worship while watching praise and worship videos, tries to imitate the sound a sheep makes, knows how to sign fish and butterfly (though it kinda look the same, haha!), shares his biscuit with Daddy & Mommy and makes sure it touches our mouths, points to the picture of our church building and lift up his hands (cos we taught him going to church is to worship God). It’s a joy just to watch him.

So have loads of fun and days filled with love! December’s made up of lovely gatherings. Enjoy this season, y’all!

Straws Are For Playing (One Of His Many Antics…)

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:22:00 +0000

Aaric loves new things – and it doesn’t necessarily be a toy. I came to a conclusion of not buying too many proper toys (as in real toys, you know what I mean) previously cos he gets bored of them so easily! Simply a waste of money!

Let me list down a few of his likes… Plates, bowls, cups, spoons, keys… and the list continues. He especially likes playing with straws. I guess it came about because he often sees us drinking from the straws.

I can imagine many parents staring from afar and wonder why on earth would anyone let their child play with straws. But… I needa keep this boy of mine very entertained during our mealtimes!

Proud owner of a black straw

A series of funny actions he does with his straw. Cute right!

Seriously, who taught him all these?!

Baby, while what you did was cute, it definitely wasn’t hunky for sure. :P

(ps: read the caption on his clothes… )

Today, You’re 11…

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Dear Boy,

It’s been a pretty long while since Mommy wrote to you. You’re 11 months old now, and soon, we’ll celebrate your big 1. It’s been heartening to see the way you’ve grown, Dad-Dad and Mommy is so, so, so PROUD of you. Everywhere you go, you bring much joy and laughter, simply because you’re so friendly and so easy to engage. We know we’re biased, but you’re the cutest little thing.

These days, you’ve gained understanding of a few words and you’d respond whenever you hear these words being mentioned - clap hands, 拍手, hi, bye, wave your hands, shake your head, 舌头, well done and even a shout of ‘yay’. A kind of dance, you’d often do, which your Yi-Yi coined it as the penguin dance. You’d flapped your hands and do a lil’ shake-it-all-about, very comical to watch indeed.

Bathtimes are your favourite regardless of how exhausted you are, splishin’ and splashin’ and sploshin’ away. Today must be an exception. You had a total meltdown. All play and no naps isn’t quite a good combination afterall.

Mommy loves bedtime the most – the little bedtime games just so we can hear that contagious laughter of yours; a much-needed daily antidote to drive all our blues away.

Though a little petite for boys your age, an alarming appetite you indeed have. I’m not complaining cos I love to see the way you eat so heartily. Cooking for you is Mommy’s pleasure.

My wish for you is still the same, to be the happiest baby and a healthy boy in every single aspect – physically, emotionally, mentally.

From your greatest fans,

Dad-Dad & Mommy

Musings From A Mobile Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0000

I hold two phones – a BlackBerry and an iPhone. And I love the iPhone for the superduperawholelotta apps – especially photography ones. So it’s no wonder why I have a huge stash of photos in that 32GB of space.

Now, blogger should so have an app for us to blog directly from the phone. *grumbles* Anyway, if that ever happens, I think I’m gonna get lazier, cos I’ll have a lot of “let-the-pictures-do-the-talk-kind-of-brainless-posts”.

Photos from the iPhone!

Just checking in and doing a quick update. Who can resist cute pictures right?

Till the next post, I wish you happy days filled with sunshine and love!

Rollin’ And Bouncin’ Good Times

noreply@blogger.com (Lixia) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:21:00 +0000

One of his current favourites – squishy toy balls. I guess he likes the fact that they are just nice for his hands, colourful, bouncy.

The Husband and I like to throw the ball towards him and one of us will use his tiny hands to pretend catching the ball. Gets him in loud chuckles all the time. Shall try to video it in future!

One thing I do try to do – rotate his toys. I realized that he loses interest whenever I give him a toy for “too long”. By that, I meant the same toys for a few days. So, rotation of toys preserves the novelty a little! Y’know, at this age, they don’t really play with toys; they play with whatever we touch. I guess it intrigues them more.

And so, I did this before, sort of get some into a panic attack.

Chill, it’s an empty packet drink and he doesn’t suck up anything from this straw.

The boy and his (toy) balls!

Getting a bit bored… plunged for the camera the next split second!

Got these squishy balls at Carrefour, 6-in-a-pack for $9! Not that cheap ya! I thought stuff like these used to be much cheaper? Hmm…