Wednesday, August 12, 2009

10 months old

His first word was "dada" at 7 months old. There are no words to describe the delight on Alvin's face each time Aaren called out to him.I admit I was green with envy for I wanted to hear "mama" so badly... As the saying goes, the fruits of patience are always much sweeter! Before he turned 8 months old, he could distinguish between the both of us and address us appropriately. He was very cranky one fine day and he wanted me to carry him... I was busy with household chores. All of a sudden I hear the magic word. A word every mother anticipates. A word soooo sweet and so meaningful- "mama". At first I thought I was just imagining it cuz I wanted to hear it so bad but he repeated it again and looked up at me from his playpen.

I had tears welled up in my eyes. I stopped whatever it was that I was doing and went straight to hold him. No matter how many times he calls out, and though it's been two months and I m used to hearing it, it holds a special place. I can't go on to explain what it feels like but I am sure any mother will understand.

He has been on solids. Prefers drinking from a cup instead of bottles. Is able to drink from a straw and feeds himself finger foods. Other words besides mama and dada are ball, bird, book, boat, cat (he says kach)he recognizes and turns to look at objects when we ask him where they are. Such as clock, helicopter, watch, ball, bird...
He claps and shakes his head on rythm when he hears songs he likes from the baby signing time cd or on playhouse disney.

He loves books and going thru flashcards. His favourite shows include little Einstin's and Mickey mouse clubhouse and the baby signing time series which he has been watching since he was 4 months old.

He sits confidently and crawling has become his forte. The tv console, the sofa, the railings are stuff he holds on to to support himself while standing.He likes bird watching with me from the balcony and likes popping bubbles.he can open drawers in the kitchen and well there is a long list of stuff every 10 month old baby can do so i aint going to go on about it...but i feel proud and take joy in the simplest things he does even if it means that i have a huge mess to clean up later on...
He is after all a baby who is curious and eager to learn about his surroundings and objects he comes across daily.

Thats my baby boy...the one who is turning 10 months old in 2 days!

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Check this out

Alvin was in the newspaper!

Click here

Monday, August 03, 2009

To Singapore & back...

Aaren boarded his first flight SQ 351 to Singapore in Copenhagen on the morning of 4th of July.I was worried, almost petrified about the outcome. How will he react? Was he going to shout and scream and give Alvin and me a hard time? Was he going to be in pain when we took off and landed? 13 hours... How was I going to manage?
Having flown numerous times before, all I could recall of kids on planes were them wailing their lungs out.I prepped myself by reading and talking to friends. Shared my worries with Alvin. He kept reassuring me that it's going to be fine. Aaren would handle it well...

Yet we went out to get him new toys that would entertain him onboard, ensured my phone was charged well for it contained his favourite flashcards, milk, bottles, extra clothings, diapers and well everything a baby needs.
We drove to Malmo S and took a train from there to CPH airport.His first train ride! Checked in our luggage and went straight to the gate for boarding. That's cuz the check in took a long time. The baggage weighing scales were not working and there were some technical problems.we got into the plane and the stewardess brought the infant seat belt for Aaren and helped me fix it. Aaren hates being restrained... So when we put it on he couldn't move about freely and then he cried a bit. Once the plane started moving, he was interested in looking out of the window and so it went well except for a lil agitation here and there we pulled thru and we touched down in Singapore! Homeland!!!
I could hardly wait to exi
t and meet my parents... And I knew how excited they must be to see Aaren.so when Alvin was collecting the baggage, I caught a glimpse of my parents on the other side of the glass waving at us. Without thinking, I dashed out... Oops with all our passPorts...

My sis and mum had been fighting over who will be the first to carry him and they both tried catching his attention. To everyones dismay, he started screaming and crying. Shocked as I was, i was plagued with worry for i have never seen him cry this way ever since he was born.no matter what I did he won't stop. We came home, I fed him, gave him his shower, changed him and tried to put him to sleep. All this while he was still hysterical. Finally he fell asleep. After 3 hours when he woke, my mum, dad and sis were waiting by his side.

Slowly he looked around the room and then fixed his eyes on each member of my family and smiled. He leaped towards my dad and offered to be carried. Everyone took turns and soon he was comfy in the new environment.

3 weeks is a short time especially with loved ones. I had planned a few outings for Aaren and the family.The zoo, A day at the beach, marina barrage for waterplay, visiting relatives, aaren's mundan ceremony, our wedding anniversary dinner, a family photo session at the studio...temple visits... Etc
I'm glad we managed to do everything as planned :)

He adapted well to the weather and new faces of family members. He took to tasting everything... From chutneys to curries, durians to duku, samosas to pakoras...
He had a great time being loved and pampered by his grandparents.
Learnt to say words like book, bird, ball etc took his very first steps.... Turned 9 months old... Had his mundan function, his very first professional photoshoot.first shot at drinking from a straw and surprisingly he succeeded at it.

Met all his relatives even distant ones. Collected loads of angpows and presents.
He also had his very first fall and numerous others followed...Went out everyday and he still wanted more! Nani and nana spent all their time on him, feeding, bathing,changing, playing,loving... It's true... Grandparents love in their own unique ways and i've seen his accelerated development when he was with them...

He had many firsts...And soon came time to part.My mum started feeling it a few days before so many a times I saw her in tears *sigh*
I was calm and collected all the way til Malmo... And it hit me then, tears came automatically... I miss u mummy daddy and small fry! I had a great time back home! Thank you for making it a memorable one for us too!