Don’t know which is more amusing.

DiDi’s gluttony

or

GeGe’s comment, “Record it down. Put it on the blog.

BLOG – IT – DOWN!”

 *****

It’s been a thing with the Man.

Whenever, I said something profound, funny, hilarious, ridiculous, bold, loud, deep, philosophical, crazy …  my hubby will irritate me by saying, “Blog it down man! Blog it down!”

Now his little shadow has caught the bug. 

Men!

Met Grace this evening.

For the very first time.

But felt as if I’ve known her a lifetime.

Actually, we’ve only met in cyberspace and had only known each other for about a year.

She bought yiHang a Thomas the Tank Engine’s book. And for me, this effervescent health formula which came in really handy as I am falling sick. I’ve taken two tablets and loving it. But must stinge since its not available locally.

Gotcha! Grace. That photo was a photoshop-ed!I forgot my camera. Sigh!

Luckily Grace brought her camera. So here’s the photo of the four of us. 

Yihang bitten by …

 Click here to find out.

Yeap.

None other than his beloved fat and bad-tempered brother.

*****

yiHang loves to hug grapple his little brother.

yiXiang, on the other hand, simply loath to be squashed.

And this unfortunate afternoon, the irritated toddler chooses to bite to bring his point across.

*****

When I came home, I was pretty amused to see yiHang with a yellow cartoon plaster over his nose. But when I removed the plaster, I was shocked to see the swell and blood clot.

I reprimanded yiXiang. The toddler understood that he had done something wrong. Usually, he would cling on to me when he sees me back from work going, “Mama Mama, Nan Nan Nan Nan,” asking to nurse. Today he was exceptionally quiet. He even avoided my angry gaze.

*****

yiHang’s sweet nature is indeed commendable. He’s compromising, giving and forgiving. Gracie bought him a book – his favourite Thomas the Tank engine.

“A book for you. Nothing for naughty YiXiang,” says Mummy.

“Never mind, I can share the book with DiDi,” responded the boy.

And that made my day.

Rushed home from school and brought YiXiang for his MMR jab at the polyclinic. When we reached, we realise that we’ve been almost an hour early. My sis has so kindly chauffeured us to and fro. We had snacks to kill time.

Ge Ge (哥哥) was worried for Di Di (弟弟)

 “They will use injection for babies rite? Not those big ones for adults rite? Babies must use babies one. If not so pain rite?”

YiXiang had his weight taken. As expected, above the 50th percentile. But he did pretty well for height, at about the 75^th percentile. This explains why the elongated toddler do not look so chubby anymore.

He was dancing and singing and doing the GongXi! GongXi! just before the jab – completely unaware of what was held in store for him. We were worried that he might struggle so I carried him tight and held his head while my sis grabbed his legs.

*JAB*

No cries!

He did not even flinch!

yiHang was a bit disappointed as he was ‘looking forward’ to hear his little brother screams. And just a moment ago, he was concern over the size of syringe they will use for his little brother. So contradicting.

***** Very Interesting Conversation*****

Nurse : (Hand me Panadol capsules). Give him one tablet if baby developes fever.

Mummy : HUH!? Capsules? How can he swallow?

Nurse : Crush it between two teaspoons and mix with a little bit of warm water.

Mummy: Err! Why not the syrup Panadol?

Nurse: He’s taking MMR rite?!.

Mummy : (BLUR!) Oh! So if MMR must take capsule Panaodol and not the syrup one. Strange.

Nurse : Because the MMR is already free.

Mummy (getting the idea) Oh! So it’s a COST CUTTING measure and not an issue over effectiveness lah! I still have syrup Panadol at home.

Nurse : So you still need the capsules?

Mummy : Err..no need lah ….save it. Cut Cost! Cut Cost! 

 (With all these cost cutting measures, let’s see how much bonus ‘they’ are gonna give us this year!)

*****

They boys spent the evening playing puzzles. It’s always nice to be able to laze around a little and watch the kids play.

The past months we’ve been busy obtaining and comparing renovation quotations, seeing designers, browsing magazines for ideas and scouting for big items like wardrobes and sofas to small ones like sinks and taps. The nights were burnt filtering through posts from renovation forums in search of value for money deals and getting feedbacks. Weekends were spent shopping for stuffs. Renovation will start right after Chinese New Year.

Last Saturday, we spent a good 5 hours at IMM. yiHang tagged along but we had to leave yiXiang at home with the company of kakak. These trips are usually boring for our active 5-year old thus he would bring a toy or a book along. Fortunately, there was a really big indoor playground at IMM. yiHang had a great time jumping, leaping, spinning and climbing while we went about with our business.

Sunday. The new year is always marked by the bunz great-grandmother’s birthday celebration. She is 85 this year. It’s a simple affair but a great opportunity for all family members to gather. They boys had a great time with their aunts, uncles and their very first little cousin, baby Gerald. 

We had to drop the kids home after lunch as we had more errands to run.

School has started and operating at the ‘full swing’ mode already.

I’ve also registered for a module for my studies and the class starts tomorrow.

Renovation. Toddler. Boy. Work. Studies.

My hands are full.

Again.

But somehow, I felt more relaxed.

Happier.

Looking back, I’ve no regrets.

 

YiXiang is 15 months already.

• Babbles a lot
• Able to call Mama, Papa, Kakak, Ge Ge, YiYi, Kong Kong, Ye Ye and says Mum Mum when he asks for food
• Use hand gestures to indicate that he is ‘scared’ (places his hands over his chest), ‘full’ (rubs his tummy), ‘good’ with his index finger instead of his thumb to let us know that the food is delicious. Nods to indicate “OK” and shakes his head vigorously to indicate “NO”
• Not so fat anymore. He’s only about 10kg.
• Loves music and would dance to the beat
• Loves to eat
• Enjoys swimming though he always develop an ear infection after every dip. According to the pediatrician, this is due to his sensitive nose.
• Kicks, hits and scratches when he’s angry

And just this week, he is able to tell us when he needs to wee-wee! He would go ‘iShh.. ‘iShh .. while clasping on his you-know-what! 

We started toilet training him as early as 3 – 4 months old. He has been using the toilet bowl every morning to pass motion since then. Though at that time he was not able to communicate to us his needs, he would wee-wee when we bring him to the toilet and prompt him. Unfortunately, he was on disposable diapers 24-7 for almost a whole month because of his diarrhea and somehow forgotten how to ‘tell’ us that he needs to pee.

Beginning this year, I stressed to Lilik, our domestic help that we need to toilet train yiXiang again. We took his disposable diapers off during the day and bring him to toilet frequently. It was rather disheartening initially. We would bring him to toilet and prompt him for a good 2-3 minutes. Nothing! And the moment we put on his pants – he wets them.

To our utmost surprise, after two weeks of pulling a stern face whenever he wets his pants and countless failed attempts of prompting him to wee-wee, he suddenly began telling us when he needs to go. “iShi … iShi” he would say.

Oh! And his kiasu Ge Ge has been teaching him the Gong Xi! Gong Xi hand gesture.

 

Each of the boys has a file.

What’s in the box?

• POSB saving books
• Baby Bonus stuffs
• Health Booklets
• Birth Certificates
• Clinic Appointment cards with pediatricians’ contacts and Emergency numbers. (which are kept inside an envelope attached at the back cover of their health booklets)
• Pens
• And all other stuff relating to them – like the hospital bills when I delivered them!

The box files can really come in handy when they go for medical appointments – especially unscheduled ones that happen in the wee hours of the day!

Before you think that this is a good idea … I’ll let you into this  

 

Well, actually I love to label and categorise stuffs – which drive my hubby up the wall!

Its an OBSESSION!

There is a file for myself, for hubby, for our domestic help, for shares, for bills, for warrantees, for cars, for HDBs, for sales of our flat, for purchase of the new flat, for my certificates, for hubby’s certificates, for my insurance, for hubby’s insurance, for the kids insurance, etc … etc, … etc !

I also label drawers and boxes, shelves and racks!!

I am UNSTOPPABLE!

 

January

Started HunnyBunz

Janice back to work after the long maternity

Janice’s  Birthday

The Bunz’ first trip to Chinatown

 

February

yiXiang’s first hair shave

brown-ed!

“No Sweat, Just Love”, article featuring yiHang’s story in Today’s Parents.

Turning point in Janice’s career. Took 6 months off work and stepped down from school management (EXCO). 

March

Janice started no-pay leave

Packed with activities : Bark rubbing at Botanic Gardens, Play date with Joy, Beach with grandparents, painting at home, etc

April

yiHang turns 4

yiXiang hospitalized for Roseola

yiHang lost his front incisor

May

YeYe’s retirement

Turning point in Tian How’s career – left civil service after a good 7 years since graduation to join the private sector

Our short stint as stay-home-mom and stay-home-dad, with our domestic help back to her hometown for holiday.

Our trip to KL, Malaysia

June

Tian How started work

Our 5^th wedding anniversary

YiXiang down with diarrhea

Janice participated in MOE Excel Fest

July

 “No Sweat”, yiHang media appearance in Straits Times, Mind Your Body 

Attended the first Alopecia Support Group

First Flag Day

Picnic breakfast with Tess and William.

Met WT, who is also affected by HED.

Met the Lewis family from Perth. Tristan is affected by HED.

Janice continues her Master’s degree after stopping for almost a year!

August:

Rented a toy swing and slide for the kids

National Day celebration in a primary school

Fire works display

Tian How’s reservist

Gu Gu left for the States

Tian How’s Birthday

Janice’s wrote her first freelance article “Attachment Parenting” for Today’s Parents

yiHang started his swimming lessons with Aqauducks

September

yiXiang turns one

Lantern Festival celebration.

Janice back to work. Got a transfer to a new school which is also the choice school for her HunnyBunz. Let’s just say, it’s a well calculated move!

YiXiang took his first step.

October

Janice volunteers in yiHang’s school for Halloween

Janice’s second article “Doors of Hope” for Today’s Parents– a story about Haznita and her boy, Daniel who is affected by Aarskog Syndrome.

November

Bought our dream home – by impulse! Thanks Dad, for the BIG present.

Janice’s last article for the year “Holiday Activities” for Today’s Parents.

School Holiday – jammed packed with programmes

December

Sold our love nest! Within a week!

Christmas

yiHang lost in Suntec City!

Sentosa and Star Cruise

Sa Chek Kong & Sa Chim Po’s from Perth visit us.

yiHang featured again in Straits Times, Mind you Body. Just an update on how the first article has impact our lives.

 

Geeze! That is just so much we can pack in a year!

 

For the very first time since the blog was set up,

HunnyBunz dissappeared from the Last Updated Blogs list.

And it was just a week since I last updated.

Actually, I am happy.

*****

During my confinement in October 2004, I set up our first family website. The webpage was meant for yiXiang’s birth announcement. We also took the opportunity to share with friends and relatives yiHang’s condition. For the first time, I sat down for days on ends and wrote about our journey parenting our special child. Every word carefully chosen. Every phrase carefully crafted.

I wanted to develop the site further to share our parenting journey and our experiences. I stumbled upon a mommy’s blog. (Can’t remember who’s!) That was the first time I knew about blogs or more precisely, parenting blogs. I tried signing up for an account with livejournal but at that time, you need a recommendation to do so. Heck!

Then I followed a link in one of Wendy’s post in Asia Parents and came to Parentsphere. Really love this personalised template.  

Many have asked why I choose Parentsphere.

• It allows me great control over the look and feel of my blog. All the scripts are there for me to tweak. PS Tips give ideas and instructions on how to change the background, template, etc.
• Its local. Eh! Must support local talents lah!
• Peter, the founder of Parentsphere and his wife Wendy are blogging parents too. Thus they knew the needs of blogging mommies and daddies best. (You know, along the line of the ESSO advert, ‘…cuz we are drivers too..)
• Quick response time with personalised service. Peter is just a phone call away. Thus any problems, call him!
• I love the Parentsphere community which comprises of mostly local parents whom we meet some during the Parentsphere gathering last August.
• “Local one!? Will ‘close shop’ or not?”. That WAS a valid concern. See – past tense – ‘WAS’. Parentsphere IS growing. There were just a few familiar faces in the Parnetsphere community when I joined in January 2005 and it has really grown since.

  Nope. I don’t get a single cent promoting Parentsphere. Just wanted to share my positive experiences with Parentsphere  

  *****

  HunnyBunz has 213 Entries

  And counting

  

Yet another event that yiHang was looking forward to.

A night’s stay at Grand Hyatt, compliments from Ta Gu (大姑)

Actually, it was two nights stay.

But we got two rooms instead.

The other room went to YiYi (姨姨) and Uncle Vernon.

 

We checked in around 2pm.

Apart from the luxury of generous space, the room came complete with broadband access and a 37” LCD TV with DVD player.

WOW!

We walked to Takashimaya where we had coffee at Coffee Club, browsed Kinokuniya followed by dinner at yiHang’s favourite restaurant, Crystal Jade, La Mian Xiao Long Bao. Shopped a little before we headed back to the hotel.

 

The kids had great fun swimming in the bath tub.

Kong Kong (公公) and Por Por (婆婆) joined us for supper after their meditation class. Uncle Clarence, Aunt Yvonne and Baby Nic popped by after their shopping at Orchard. We had supper at the coffee house. And the boys had fun jumping on the bed too.

What a great company!

The bunz finally fell soundly asleep close to midnight. Leaving hubby and I some couple time to chat a little and watched a VCD.

Four of us snuggled in the big soft bed under the warm and comfortable covers.

“Sleeping in hotel is so nice,” was the first thing the boy said when he woke up.

 

Breakfast, brunch and more shopping before we checked out at around noon today.

 

Wine

Ham

Presents

Christmas Dinner

New Year’s Party

Joy

Laughter

Mark the end of one eventful year

And the beginning of another

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

from the HunnyBunz