Counting down to turning One

Typically, March and April are always months of celebrations. My birthday, wedding anniversary, The Husband's birthday. Since last year, there has been another insertion.

Next Friday, Anya will turn one. Not wanting to exhaust both the birthday girl and ourselves, we plan to have a small-scale bash next Saturday. Only immediate family members and a handful of close friends from church are joining us in the celebration.

Funny how small-scale can still be daunting when you are a full-time mom, given I can only do most of the planning during her nap times. Just now, I had to confirm the cake order with the bakery via the phone with Anya screaming in the background. Now that I have confirm most of the things on my checklist (cake, catering, guest list etc), it is time to tackle the cleaning house part. Bleah...

Anniversary

 
Exactly six years ago, The Husband and I put down our signatures to be legally married to each other.Over the past few years, we mulled over which date to celebrate. The day we were legally married? Or the day we held our customary wedding? We settled for the legally married date. So here we are!

Happy 6th anniversary, my dear! 

Anya's First Words

"Daddy" and "Jiejie" (which mean "big sister" in mandarin)

These are two words that Anya can utter now and I cannot be sure which of them came first. Simply because I was not sure she was saying what she meant since I took a while to make sense of her pronunciation.

Not surprising, coming from me. I never understood what small children, toddlers and pre-tods are talking about. Many a times when I strike a conversation with one who is 3 years old or below, I find myself nodding my head and making safe "Uhhmmm" and "Ahhh" affirmatives just to smoke through. At the end of the conversation, I will move over to the parent near by and whisper "What did he/she just said to me?". Unfortunately, very soon, I have to be the one doing the translation for my own daughter and I have hardly acquired the skills.

Meanwhile, in the eyes of Anya, The Husband gets to be addressed as "Daddy / Dardi / Dadi", The Furkid gets to be addressed as "Jie jie / Kiekie" while I am "Eeeahhh!".

My 30th Birthday

Last Wednesday, I turned 30.It was a simple day spent with my dearest and most beloved family of four (if you include The Furkid).

The afternoon was spent at Botanic Gardens. It was a wish fulfilled as I always talked about bringing both Anya and Muff to a picnic, and we did it! Although there was a scare nearing the end of it when Muff was foaming at her mouth, likely due to over-heating as she got really excited to out in the park after such a long long while. We poured whatever leftover water we carried with us to cool her down before The Husband carried the poor dog all the way back to the restrooms where more water rained down onto her. Thankfully, she was okay by the time we got home though it was really scary to see her eyes turned glassy while foam kept oozing out of her mouth. 

 

Other than the little scare, the picnic went really well. We packed just the right amount of food, the weather held up, and we had a lot of fun feeding the fishes and birds. Dinner was a fuss-free and quiet affair at Ma Maison (The Central). I have long heard of nothing but nice things about them and was glad that they did not fail to live up to my expectations. The service was impeccable and yet cosy. They had an ongoing family promotion where the dad gets a beer, the mom gets a small dessert and the child gets a toy, all complimentary! Funny though, cos The Husband is not big on alcohol (thus changed the beer to OJ) while I wasn't big on vanilla ice-cream (so The Husband ate most of it while I gave Anya a few teeny weeny mouths of it). Still we thought it was a really good deal and it felt good to know that there are restaurants out there that still value and want to woo families with small children.

Oh, and may I also mention that I made a trip to the hair salon on Tuesday (the day before I turned 30) as a fulfillment of my rituals. Heh!

Update: Dog Woes

It is yet to be resolved. And apparently, according to my in-laws who live in the same block, there are a few of them although I always see only one dog.

Feeling blue because the suggestions given by Noah's Ark and ASD were unanimous. Seek help from dog catchers. Apparently they cost $250 per trip, and it is unlikely they will succeed since these strays are hiding in forested area. Morever, even they get caught, they will be handed over to SPCA where they will be put to sleep. SO, it seem like a win-lose siuation whichever way.

Also, the conversation with the guy manning ASD's hotline left a bad taste in my mouth. Upon hearing my predicament, he sorta laughed and said, "Put on earplugs and live with it. It is part of the landscape, nothing much you can do."

I counteracted by saying "It has happened for weeks. We have a baby who gets awaken by the barks too. And the dogs usually bark from 2am all the way to 5am."

His insensitive reply? "All the more you live with it. Babies cry in the middle of the night too what."

I hope he realized it wasn't funny and he was not making any sense. Anyway, it was after I reiterated that the problem has become very real, that we are dog lovers and dog owners ourselves, and we would not have seek help if not for the fact that our lives are very much disrupted that he suggested dog catchers. Even that, there was something in the tone of his voice that made me felt sick.

Twice in the past few years I was snubbed when I asked them for help. Both times, I did it out of love for the dogs, yet they seemed to treat me like a dog-hater. I almost feel like tearing apart the ASD calender beside me now. Grrrrr!

I think I am getting so worked up because of the lack of sleep. Sigh, praying hard that I can find a win-win solution. :(

Shoe rack no more!

For now.

Instead, the shoes / slippers that we use on a daily basis are lined up along the corridor.

Scratch that. I really mean my slippers when I typed "daily basis". All of The Husband's footwear possession are there while the rest of my shoes are stored away in a cabinet.

We have to do away with the rack for now because Anya's is in the make-believe carpenter phase. Whenever I disappear into the kitchen for a minute or two, she would happily crawl to the corridor, zoom in on the rack and starts to dissemble it. I cringe whenever this happen. Between The Husband and I, we are planning to get a set of Mega Bloks for her birthday so that she can do all the constructing and destroying that pleases her, but meanwhile, the dirt-infested rack has to go until the day she knows better than to meddle with it.

A playdate with Baby Tristan

The girlfriend and I arranged a last-minute visit at her place. It has been ages since we last met up (Anya could not even sit up then, and baby T was still a snooze-around-the-clock baby in this bassinet). Being both first time mothers and having a friendship that has withstand more than 20 years (already?!!), we had a lot to catch up on. We exchange practical tips, our kiddos' growth rate, baby-related product reviews, recipes, and bare our souls concerning struggles in our motherhood (hers being a working mum, mine being a full-time mum). How irony.. Heh.

Baby T was down for his nap when I arrived with Anya. But it was not before long that Anya had a tiny boo-boo, wailed dramatically and woke the poor boy up. Can't blame him for upping Anya in his wailing drama. Thankfully, both subsided quickly and got very interested in each other. Given their tender age, it is understandable that they are clueless in engaging real play with each other. Instead, they pushed toys at each other which quickly evolved to sparring with each other, tugging hair and pulling legs. The girlfriend and I found ourselves refereeing between them in case they unwittingly hurt each other.

Here's some pictures on the little tots. Gotta say, baby T got the most adorable doe eyes though I always wondered to the girlfriend where he got them from since both his parents has small eyes. :P

Rites and rituals of turning big Three.

In a matter of less than a week, I will turn 30. Gone will be my golden age of womanhood. Typically, I do not fuss over my own birthdays, i think (maybe I should ask The Husband what he thinks :P). However, given the numerical significance this year, the special date has been occupying my mind since the start of 2011. And as it happens, I realised that turning 30 has certain rites of passage to go through - at least for me.

Going for facial: 

From my recollection, the last time I went for a facial was almost decade ago before my brother got married. And I had gone for it because my mom told me to do so. I was never a facial cum massage cum manicure/pedicure type of girl. I am what the old folks will call one with a prickly bum who can not sit/lie still and do nothing (nor doze off) for the whole of 1-2 hours while the professionals do whatever they have to do to me. Doing hair is an exception since I can still eat, read and fiddle with my mobile. 

As the years of being twenty-something nears its end, I keep hearing those words of threat that my mom used to tell me in my head, "Don't take care now, when you get old, don't regret!". Therefore, two weeks ago, I went for a facial and was pronounced "relatively good skin with a forest of stubborn blackheads and very fidgety" by my Fancl beautician.

Modifying my fashion sense:

Actually, the cause of this modification has to do with turning 30 and becoming a mom. Transition is along the line of from Zara TRF to Zara woman, from Far East Plaza to Isetan, from dressing like a hippy undergraduate to a sensible mum (and NOT mum-sy, i hope!) and from straight sleek hair with blunt-cut bangs to soft curls. The last part was a flop. I come to dislike my new hairstyle and find myself enviously going through photos of the old version of me every now and then. So, it seems that straight hair with bangs will be back soon. 

Recounting the days of being twenty-something:

I have been recounting the glorious days of being twenty-something, looking through the happy and sad moments, the significant events of the past decade. Interestingly, whenever I do so, the embarrassing 21st birthday celebration moment would pop up unwillingly. To cut the story short, I was plagued with itchy & swollen eyes when I was cutting my birthday cake, which resulted in an emergency trip to a 24-hour clinic with a diagnosis of allergy to aspirin. And I had to explain to all the concerned relatives and friends (who called later) the diagnosis and that reason I had down two aspirins was because I was having my period.

Counting down the days of being twenty-something:

This involves mopping around, a lot of sighing and constant reference to the calendar.

Last but not least, re-registration of NRIC:

This ritual involves all Singaporeans who (due to reasons such as losing their ICs, changing their names, underwent cosmetic surgery such that they look like a totally different person etc) had never re-register their National Registration Identity Card since our tender age of twelve. A couple of weeks ago, I received the notice in the mail from ICA. This has to be the only ritual that I have been looking forward to because it means that I can finally ditch the old NRIC where the 12-year-old me looked like a small-eyed goldfish with a high forehead and a pair of swollen lips, no thanks to the unskilled photographer from a photo studio near my old house. 

Yesterday, I laboriously and carefully put on my make-up and proceed to take many of self-shots in front of a white blank wall while the furkid and daughter did their best to distract my important task at hand. After coming close to a hundred shots, I think I finally had a passable one.

So, now I just need to do the online application on ICA's website and I think I am done with all the rites and rituals. Welcome, the 30 year-old me!

P.S. I have come to be aware of what a vain pot I can be after reading through this post!

Dog Woes

We are plagued with dog woes lately. And the source is not The Furkid, but rather, a stray that has decided to make the small forested area right across my flat its dwelling.

Come to think of it, it will be easier to solve if it is The Furkid. Wielding out the cane will quieten any barking/whining from her. Before you think we are abusive pet owners and is reaching for your phone to call SPCA -  we hardly cane her lah. Just a handful of times in the course of her 4 years of life with us when she was very naughty, and always sparingly on her thigh. And it was always done because all other ways of corrective measures have been used to no avail and with our hearts aching.

Anyway, back to the stray. This handsome stray dog (not sure about its gender, actually) has been residing in a large plot of forested area about 300m away from my estate. Since 6 months or so ago, that forested area has been cleared to make way for condominium development. Unfortunate for the dog as it has to go in search of a new habitat. Then the misfortune fell upon us as the dog chose to live right across the road from our flat.

Here is why it is a misfortune for us:
The dog barks in the middle of the night. ALOT. And loud enough to wake up our entire household, including Furkid and Anya, even when all windows and curtains are closed. It started a few months ago and I knew The Furkid was disturbed because it growled and whined during the first few times. These days, she has learned to ignore it.

Being animal lovers, The Husband and I have tolerated the barking and kept our fingers crossed, in hope that the dog will move off to somewhere more desolate soon or somehow cease barking at night. To our dismay, it got worse instead. The occurrences used to be once or twice a week; sometimes we get one or two straight weeks without disturbance. Out of the past one week, it happened in five nights. Usually it starts barking at around 2am and continue on till almost dawn. As a result, we are sleep-deprived and are prompted to take some form of action.

Now, I still maintain that we are animal lovers, especially dogs. So of course I am not going to run down with a chopper at 2am tonight. Actually, I can think of only one option presently - seek help from a non-profit  organization that cares for stray and abandoned dogs and cats. At this point, I have eliminated ASD Singapore (their hands are full since a couple of years ago when we had fostered an abandoned Jack Russell and asked them for help), SPCA (they do euthanasia!), Noah's Ark CARES (Website under construction, can't seem to find the info I needed from their blog site that I was redirected to). From the links that was given in SPCA's website, I spotted Animal Lovers League. I have just emailed them.

Prayerfully, they will be the glimmer of hope that we need.

Sleepy baby.

A typical weekday morning for Anya starts at around 9am. She will play in her cot until I fetch her for her breakfast at 930am. After breakfast, it will be playtime and some cuddling time with Mommy until 1130am whereby she will have her bath and then go down for her first nap.

This morning was one of those mornings that deviated from her routine. She woke up at 7am and refused to go back to sleep. By 930am, she has had her breakfast, and was playing in her play-barn. When 11am came, she was already rubbing her eyes and whining like a cat.

I decided to bring forward her bath. At the changing table where she was getting dressed, I noticed that her nails needed trimming. I whipped out her nail scissors and got down to work. I was moving onto her other hand when I became aware of her rhythmic breathing.

Yep, she conked. Half-naked on the changing table.

Double-checked to ensure that she was sound asleep, I tiptoed out to fetch my phone to take a snapshot before continuing the nail-trimming business. The rest of the works of getting her dressed, giving her a drink and putting her down in her playpen (her daybed) was all done with her pretty much in slumbers.
 
On the contrary, trimming The Furkid's nails can be a nerve-wrecking and traumatizing experience for both her and us. As what The Husband replied when I mms-ed him Anya's snapshot, "How I (we) wish the same thing happens when The Furkid gets her nails trimmed."

Dog and Pre-toddler living together

Now that Anya is mobile, there has been new interesting sights around in the flat - involving her and The Furkid.

On a typical day, it involves Anya scooting towards an unsuspecting Muff, fast asleep or spacing, and joyfully slapping her little palm onto Muff's belly, scaring the daylight out of her (Muff, not Anya's). That is why The Furkid's favorite naptime is when Anya is down on a nap too as there will not be any scary jolts out of her sleep. In replacement, she gets loving belly rubs and nuzzles from Mommy without disturbances from pesky Stinky Poo.

Muffin: "Danger looming near."

Ahhh...! Bliss is when you can doze off without disturbances

Digress abit here, when it comes to Muffin, we refer Anya as 'Stinky Poo'. Not a very flattering pet name (woo.. a pun!) but there is a meaningful story behind it! When Anya first came home from the hospital, Muffin showed signs of jealousy. ALOT. She refused to come near me whenever I was nursing Anya and would exit out of the room that Anya was in. We read on books that a way for pet dogs to familiarize and warm up new babies was to let the dog smell the baby's clothes and soiled diaper. So, being eager for Muff to welcome Anya into our family, we would bring soiled diapers up to the poor dog at every given opportunity. The first few times, the unsuspecting dog sniffed eagerly at the diaper. After a couple of sniffs, she turned away and started sneezing viciously, as if trying very hard to get the stench out of her systems, then she bolted off in the other direction. After those first few times, she would run off whenever The Husband came up to her with the offending item in his hand. Thus, the nick "stinky poo" as rightfully, Anya's *ahem* poops were the first impressions that Muff had of her.

Back to current time. Between the two of them, Anya has always being the one to show interest in her counterpart. The only times when it is the other way round is when Anya has food in her hand. That is when The Furkid will be at Anya's heels, eagerly waiting to pounce on dropped crumbs. Anya, on the other hand, will be thrilled with Muff's sudden reciprocal of interest and will invariably offer her teething rusk / whatever leftover food in her hand at some point in time.Occasionally, when The Furkid is feeling generous, she would tread up to Anya and give her a good slobbery wet kiss, causing her to squeal in delight.

The Kitchen: Out-of-bounds for Anya; Safe haven for Muff

 

Supply meets Demand

Such is the interdependent relationship that they share - a source of amusement for one and a source of snack for the other. Here's some of their little antics lately:

Make a bed for Muff

Muff taking off with Anya's little football

Merry Muffin-go-round

Gathering Old Friends

It was a gathering that was arranged one and a half months in advance because it seemed one or more of us could not make it on the other weekends prior to this one. This was the bunch of girlfriends who were my 'sisters' and emcee (except for one who was away) for my wedding. It was worth looking forward to as we catch up with one another properly since one of our friend, Jomei, underwent surgery and treatment for cervix cancer.

This was a gathering of triple celebration as we celebrated Ta and Jomei's birthdays and also the latter's recovery. The Husband was so nice to help serve water, bring plates and forks etc. while disappearing for an hour in between with Anya and The Furkid to the in-laws so that I could have some uninterrupted time with the girls.On a side note though, we say "Yikes!" to Crystal Jade's mango sponge cake. Sponge is too sweet and the mango were super sour. The best classic mango sponge cake award still goes to Bengawan Solo, I think.

Lots of laughter and insightful updates on each other lives (oh! and one blood-chilling story about some undergrad's exchange experience), we were psyched to make it a monthly/bi-monthly thing. We even made arrangement on the spot for March's gathering! Counting down to the date! :)

Girl Power unite!

For good health and better tomorrows~

For women only!

Yes, we are the privileged lot who can pledge here for GE to make a donation of $1 per pledge to Breast Cancer Foundation. And it's fun too, to think of why it is GREAT to be a Woman! Do it before 8th March! :)