Conversations with Kaitlin

These days, we've been able to have short conversations with Kaitlin and most of the time they are pretty funny or she just says the cutest things I feel like squishing her cheeks (don't judge!)

Shorts
K: (asks Daddy) You want to wear shorts (referring to my shorts)?
D: No, I'm not fat enough. I cannot wear.
K: (thinks for awhile) You fat enough!

That's my girl alright! Siding her mommy :D

Pi Gu
K: I have pi gu, Mommy have pi gu, Daddy have pi gu, everybody have pi gu
Me: Okay...so what has the biggest pi gu?
K: Mommy biggest

Clubbing
Me: You want to go clubbing?
K: No
Me: You go before?
K: Yes
Me: Yes?! Who bring you?
K: Uh..Auntie!
*starts dancing and jumping away*

Oh trust me, we have not exposed her to the clubbing scene in any way at all!

January [ in pictures ]

A new year, a new start but to be honest I don't feel like much has changed since 2013. The entire month felt pretty busy and sort of like we were rushing through it.

First, Kaitlin moved up to Nursery 1. Definitely an important milestone to us. It kind of felt like she's a big girl now, and no more the baby of the school. Well, I'm happy to say that she adjusted pretty fast. It wasn't easy, so I'm really happy that the crying didn't last long. Kids do really adapt well, so I believe give them the space, and encourage and reassure them without giving in and that will help them be more confident and adjust faster.

While that was happening, we also celebrated Daddy Li's birthday! Birthdays, monthsaries, anniversaries etc are all important days to me. I like to celebrate them no matter how old or how long we've been together, so of course it had to be planned well. The only thing is...I have yet to get him his present. He was supposed to get a set of weights and we actually walked around Queensway Shopping Centre a few times and decided to get then went for dinner and he suddenly said he doesn't want me to waste the money and I'm like -.- so yes, I still have to get him a present, afterall he really deserves it.

Luckily, we managed to catcher a breather in the middle of the month and started spring cleaning slowly. I know, so early by the time CNY comes it will be dusty again. But cos there's so many things in the house, we kinda had to start early. I decluttered a little, and even till today I decluttered and packed some of my clothes (not nicely...but at least back into the wardrobe from where it was on the hanging rack for the longest time).

So fast forward, CNY came and gone. The usual reunion dinner over at the in-laws and dinner at an auntie's house where we met more relatives. Best part, was having our friends over and them hanging out with Kaitlin. Oh yes! We also went to the pool on two of the days and finally got Kaitlin to use her float and get back in the water!! Woohoo! For a really really long period of time, Kaitlin just didn't want to go into the water or use her float. I guess cos we hadn't been to the pool for a while, and then when we did she was not used to it so she didn't go in but has been playing by the side all this while. So her going into the pool, feeling afraid for awhile, and then kicking and laughing later was pure awesome. Not to forget, she was talking about how she wanted to go to the pool "tonight" and "tomorrow".

Typing the above makes me wonder how did we even get through the busy month. I'm kind of glad January is over and am looking forward to the new month (it's already 3 days into Feb!) but I'm also regretting that I didn't make full use of Jan. Well, too late for regrets so I'm definitely diving into Feb and I hope I don't get distracted midway and lose my momentum.

Here's to a Fabulous February! P.S. 10 more days till one of my favourite days - Valentine's Day! Don't judge, I'm a sucker for romance.

December [ in pictures ]

December felt like such a rushed month. I admit that I had wanted to complete quite a number of things on my to-do list, but sadly I have not even started on more than half of it. What a bleak way to end of 2013, but it is what it is, so I shall just do whatever I have yet to finish in 2014.

December also felt like a month of celebrations. Looking back, I'm glad to have been able to meet with close friends before the year came to an end. So very thankful to have them in my life, and it was just what I needed to make 2013 end off on great note.

Besides that, I got to spend a little more time with Daddy Li because of Christmas and New Year's. It was nice to have him around abit more and I shall be selfish and childish to admit that I wish he would be around more. Don't be quick to judge me alright. It's just what I would prefer, but of course it is not going to happen. I mean who would not want their other half, and the father of their child to be around more to spend family time together. In a perfect world, everyone would want that right! So while that isn't going to happen anytime soon, I am thankful to have been able to have him around a wee bit more.

We are into the new year already, and I shall leave whatever I have left to reflect and say about 2013 and going on to 2014 for another post. Something different this year is that Daddy Li and I have yet to make any resolutions for the new year. I'm still thinking if I want to or not, cos honestly who really looks back on their resolutions and have achieved at least half of them, or who even remembers what they are? I'm sure there are those who do achieve whatever they have set out to do, but I'm pretty sure majority of us give up or forget about it halfway through. I definitely want to set resolutions but if I'm not gonna bother about them halfway through (I know myself, sigh) then that's abit pointless. But oh well, we'll see. So far, 2014 has started out pretty slow for me. Hoping to get some sort of drive and enthusiasm for the new year within the next week or so. For now..it's birthday planning for the husband who's birthday falls on Monday!

Thankful for...

It's Thanksgiving today, and honestly we don't celebrate it but I like to take this time to look back on the year and count my blessings. Of course, I strongly believe that being thankful for someone or something shouldn't happen only once a year but the fact is that we are all so caught up with everyday life that sometimes we overlook just how lucky we are. So I guess, in a way this is sort of a reminder to stop hating on life, and to really learn to be thankful for what we have.

I'm thankful for the same group of people that have been a constant in my life. Kaitlin and the husband, and of course my friends. I'm even more thankful for friends who I've not talked to for quite sometime, but are still able to maintain contact with.

I feel very blessed to be able to spend another year staying home to look after Kaitlin. It's a rare thing for someone my age to be doing, but I personally feel that it's the best way to bring up my child. I'm not saying I'm the best mom in the world or that I'm a MOM 101 guru, but I feel that nothing beats watching your child grow up everyday with your own eyes, and under your own care. This brings me to the point of how I'm thankful for Daddy Li's understanding and support in my decision.

Without doubt, I'm thankful for Kaitlin. So very thankful for her existence, her smiles and the joy that she brings us. Every kid cries and screams, and honestly no one likes it, and I even lose my patience at times..but in a sadistic kind of way I'm thankful for her tantrums and her stubborness. It reminds me so much of myself as a kid (I guess it's karma), but it has taught me so many things. Besides all the general baby/toddler caring aside, Kaitlin has made me learn to be a more patient person (I'm still impatient in general, but it's better!), to be more tolerant, to understand that things don't always go my way and that I've to just suck it up. It has taught me that even with your have a grand plan that you think is foolproof, it won't always work when your throw a kid into the equation and when that happens you just have to be flexible, deal with it and move on.

This year I'm thankful for my relationship with Daddy Li and our family. Daddy Li finally got out of army and is working and I'm just so thankful that we got through those two years of him in army with little fights and arguments and lots of 'give and takes' instead.

Well, that was pretty wordy and still I'm thankful for so many more things...but I think the rest I'll just make known to myself.

I think Thanksgiving is a great day to tell your loved ones just how thankful you are for them. It doesn't have to be on Thanksgiving day, it can be any other day or everyday, but if you haven't done so in awhile..why not take this opportunity to :)

Healthy Family = Happy Family!

Sorry for the lack of updates! The past week I've just been feeling really lazy and unmotivated, partly due to some personal reasons. I know this isn't a good thing, but yes, I'll try to get my drive back!

We've been out and about quite alot these few weeks. Been spending more time outdoors and trying to get the whole family to be more healthy. I don't know why, but recently I've really enjoyed going to the pool or to the botanics just to spend time with Daddy Li and Kaitlin. Don't get me wrong, I still love shopping very much, but being outdoors with the family and seeing everyone have a good time is just as fun as well.

So anyway! I've decided to share how we've been trying to be more healthy, and if you're thinking of having a healthier lifestyle for your and your family maybe you can try what we do as well. Just a disclaimer! I didn't purposely want us to be more healthy or anything like that, it was more of a natural thing that happened and we've been enjoying it alot.

1. Explore Outdoor Spots

We've been going to Botanics very often seeing that it's the nearest park/garden to us. We usually hang out at the side that's closet to Food For Thought and Gleneagles cos that's the side that's most accessible to us. However, recently we decided to be more adventurous and check out the other end of Botanics as well as the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. We've brought K's car out with us so she can ride in it and explore Botanics. Not forgetting bringing along bubbles to play with, and buying bread and fish food to feed the ducks, swans, fish and turtles. K loves feeding them!

We've also gone to ECP twice this year. I know twice doesn't seem alot, but when you don't have a car and you live such a distance away, it can be quite troublesome to travel all the way there with a toddler. We usually rent the family bike to ride around and then take walks with Kaitlin. It's especially nice to when there's a breeze and all. Fresh air is way better than AC!

Of course if Botanics or ECP is too far for you and your family to travel to, you can always hang out at:

Hort Park
Fort Canning
Marina Barrage
Labrador Park
West Coast Park

In fact, you can check this site out for a list of parks and more.

2. Outdoor Playgrounds > Indoor Playgrounds
I love bringing Kaitlin to playgrounds. I find it the best way that she can play all she wants and really just go crazy running and jumping everywhere. It's also my no. 1 solution in getting her to have a long and proper nap. Hehe, so sneaky right. But really, toddlers have so much energy that I've to admit sometimes even I get tired out. That just goes to show how unhealthy I am.

Well anyway! Besides bringing Kaitlin to indoor playgrounds, we've brought her to outdoor playgrounds as well, like Jacob Ballas and the playgrounds at Vivo City and at Thomson. For a list of malls with playgrounds, click here. There are also lots of outdoor playgrounds around the heartland areas, but if you prefer the ones with water play you can also check out the ones at the Zoo and Jurong Bird Park, or even Port Of Lost Wonder at Sentosa.

3. Exercise
Daddy Li and I have been going for runs. I don't exactly run far and long like Daddy Li, but it's really better than just sitting around and waiting for my fats to accumulate.

We've also been going to the pool alot. It's almost become a weekly weekend affair for us. We don't really swim much but it's more just to get out to enjoy the good weather and have fun with Kaitlin.

4. Eating Fruits
We've been eating more fruits recently. Esp since we recently went to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market to check it out, we ended up buying lots of fruits back cos they sell in bulk, and of course that meant that we had to finish up the fruits whether we liked it or not.

It's always good to eat fruits and veggies in a variety of colours.

Red - strawberries, raspberries, apples, cherries, cranberries, watermelons
Orange - oranges, apricots, papayas, cantaloupes, persimmons
Yellow - mangoes, lemons, pineapples, grapefruits
Green - apples, kiwis, pears, avocados, honeydew
Blue/Purple - blueberries, grapes, plums, figs
White - bananas, peaches, lychees, longans

Besides eating them as it is, we've also been blending them into juices or smoothies and also making them into ice pops!

So that's basically how we've been slightly healthier and having lots of fun and memorable times together! Hopefully that inspired you to start making tiny changes for a healthier lifestyle :)

June [ in pictures ]

As usual, another month has gone by just like that! This month I got to spend a little more time with Kaitlin due to the haze and HFMD cases in her class so we kept her at home. 3 students caught it, and I'm so glad that K didn't catch those nasty germs cos it would be horrible. Though, we've all be down with a terrible cold. Keeps going and coming back for me D: Just want it to be gone once and for all!

Speaking of the haze, it really dawned on to me how much we take simple things in life for granted like our air. Don't worry I'm not gonna start talking about how we should all do our part and all..it just led me to think about how I've taken certain things in my life and in the past for granted. You know..reflecting about life, and then looking at others around me. I'll always remember what my dad said whenever I used to hate life so much cos of our family problems, that there are others out there that are worse off than most of us are. So really we should stop moping about life, and think about others for a second. I was really disgusted to see Singaporeans trying to make a profit from selling masks during the haze and even Hello Kitty! Like seriously?! No wonder another country thinks we are behaving like kids. Like seriously, these people are behaving worse than that. Where's the sense of humanity?

Oh yes, about Hello Kitty! I managed to collect all except the Singing Bone, which I'm sure everyone is aware of how ridiculous the sales of it turned out. A little sad, but hey whatever I just told myself that I'll just go to Hello Kitty Land and buy everything there to make myself feel better hehe.

This month we also brought K to her first ever movie - Monsters University! She sat through the first 20-30minutes and enjoyed it and then after that she was just completely restless and kept moving here and there. I bet it's the popcorn! Cos it's sweet and caused her to be active. Yes, she had popcorn, thanks to Daddy Li. I just decided to close one eye about it, afterall she's almost two and they feed her honey stars in school..so you know I can't control what she eats forever!

July is a tough month to get through, and I only hope that we all get through it with minimal problems. Lots to do as well! Totally dreading July, but hey hey I'm looking forward to get July over and done with and welcome August with open arms cos it's my birthday month whoop whoop!

Hope you all had an enjoyable time with your kids during the June Holidays, and that July will be an even better month :)

Our Second Wedding Anniversary - Part Three!

Continuing on from my previous posts (Part One & Part Two) about how we celebrated our wedding anniversary, here's the last part where Daddy Li brought me out for dinner!

We dined at Au Chocolat, located at MBS. The place is really lovely. Their interior is so whimsy and welcoming, great for a meal out with the family or friends. We got the booth seat as well so that's a double yay!

It was difficult to choose what to order as they had quite an extensive menu and honestly everything seemed to be worth trying. This despite the fact that I was really hungry (yes, me, hungry again #gluttonforlife).

We eventually settled to order three dishes first, and to only order more if we still aren't full. Didn't want to make a mistake and be greedy pigs, plus we weren't sure if the food was gonna be that good.

Not forgetting, we had to get the Hot Fudge. How can you say no the words "fudge"?! I opted for a warm drink cos it happened to be raining that night, and I was fuh-reezing, and it was the best choice ever. It was so rich, but not until you find yourself downing glasses of water after.

I didn't fancy the handmade Mini Crab Cakes Slider we ordered. I was actually quite excited to try it cos I'm always on the search for a good crab cake plus it was recommended on the menu. This one was really dry, and I felt it would have better on it's own than in the form of a slider. In fact, we ate ours separately. That is the crab cakes on their own separate from the rest of the burger.

We also ordered the Parma Ham Crepe with rock melon and swiss gruyere cheese. Parma ham is always yummy, and when paired with rock melon it's divine. With that said, it was good, but not something that's a must-try.

The star of the night was without a doubt the Duck Confit with potato mash, white wine poached pear and tangy chocolate orange sauce. First off, the duck was cooked to perfection. Crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. The potato mash was smooth and creamy. We let Kaitlin try the mashed potato and she loved it! I know the thought of a chocolate orange sauce might make you think twice about ordering this dish, but let me tell you that it's the best part of the dish other than the duck of course.

The Duck Confit is a dish that you must definitely order. I've also heard good things about their Truffle Fries, but we didn't order it cos we didn't want to end up having that horrible bloated feeling after. Would definitely try it on our next visit!

Service wise, it was quite hard to get the attention of the waiters as they weren't very attentive. Another reason was also cos we were tucked away in a corner so you can't really blame them. Other than that, it was a good experience. I personally feel that Au Chocolat is family friendly place. Booth seats are always great for kids I feel and they've got such a wide variety of items on the menu it'll be easy to order for even the fussiest eater. Taste wise, though there were some misses I'm still very interested to try out the rest of the menu especially since their Duck Confit left me with a lasting impression. What's more I'm sure the decadent desserts are sure to make the kids sit through the meal!

If the Duck Confit's making you want to head down for some..here are the details:

Au Chocolat

Add: 2 Bayfront Avenue, #01-03 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Tel: 6688 7227

Opening Hours: Daily 11:00 - 00:00

***

I had a wonderful time celebrating our anniversary with Daddy Li and babygirl. I really wouldn't have it any other way. Though I'm unable to be experiencing and "living the life" as most of my other peers are currently, I still very happy that these two are a part of my life ever since two years ago. I find my life having much more meaning than it used to be. I don't know what life would be like now if K didn't come into our lives, and if we didn't get married. Sure, it's not the usual way of how things should have been, our lives kind of hit the fast-forward button..at times I wonder what could have been, or what I could be doing now, or even how I might be missing out..but the thing is I always end up with the same conclusion that everything happens for a reason and that I wouldn't want to exchange my current life for anything else. Just being able to spend quality time and care for Daddy Li and K makes me feel very contented already.

Thanks you hubxz for the wonderful past two years. We definitely had disagreements and fights, but I believe that just makes us our relationship stronger (you better believe it too or else...!) I do hope we have many more years together..like the old couple from UP cos I don't know about you but I love you very very much like from here to around the world and back! Here's to many more body slams, chin-ing, scaring each other, teasing..and of course not forgetting my favourite snuggle cuddle time hehe! Love you lots hubster <3

May [ in pictures ]

It's three days into June, and I'm a little late for my usual round up of Instagram pics for the past month but better late than never! If you are interested, you can follow me @beaverwoo!

In case it has yet to dawn on you, we are half way into the year already! Wait what? Half a year gone by..and what progress have I made..and what goals have I achieved? Big uh-oh there. I feel that this year has really gone by fast. Faster than other years.

May has felt like a busy month..but yet I can't pinpoint what I was so busy with -.- I guess that just means that the past month has been very unproductive and full of procrastination :( Now I feel like I need to catch-up..but honestly I'm still feeling really lazy :( I seriously need to find some sort of motivation and give myself a serious pep talk.

Well, May has been fun. We celebrated our wedding anniversary, visited Gardens By The Bay to see the tulips and I got to hang with my friends a little. In a mommy's world, when you can meet your friends for even half an hour, it's bloody awesome. It's also been a rocky month I feel, well that's just me thinking too much into things..but yes..hoping the next month will be a better one and that things will improve. Also, I fell ill twice. What is this?! I feel like my body's weaker than Kaitlin's.

June is gonna be a BUSY month. This week alone, there's so much things going on that I've to constantly refer to my planner to remind myself what I've got. It's also gonna be a little more tiring than usual and quite bleak cos Daddy Li has quite a number of duties which means he won't be home D: This isn't very good since Kaitlin has been pretty close to her dad recently and I honestly think she sees him as the greatest man on Earth. Right..she totally forgot who supplies her milk and attends to her every night and is left with eye bags the size of Russia. Well, back to the point..I seriously hope I have the energy and mood to keep up with this month..don't want end up falling sick again (even though yes I'm currently ill again after recovering for like less than a week!) and I definitely don't want to turn into one angry pink hulk. Why pink? Cos it's my favourite colour..green is just so bleagh.

Well, I hope May was fantastic for you, and your June will be a better month than mine! If it's gonna be a crazy month, not to worry..you're not alone :)

Our Second Wedding Anniversary - Part One!

Our second wedding anniversary has come and gone, but I still have to blog about it! How can I not? Two years is quite amazing, but of course not as amazing as being with someone for twenty years or even fifty, but well I feel every year counts, and ever moment should be treasured.

I decided to bring Daddy Li for an early anniversary dinner since he would be bringing me out on our actual anniversary date. Of course, we had to include Kaitlin as well so I decided to bring us to a family place cos that way there is less pressure if she makes noise, and the other patrons would naturally understand our situation.

Ristorante Da Valentino it was! It's located at The Grandstand (former Turf City) so we decided to check out PasarBella before dinner. It's such a lovely place but produce there can get seriously overpriced.

Here's us outside the restaurant!

We were so super famished that we couldn't wait for the food to arrive. Thankfully, they served us some bread first. I love it when restaurants serve bread rolls with butter or like olive oil! It makes me super happy and I feel so at home there..I know I sound weird..but warm bread rolls are the best :D

Food arrived!! Seriously it was quite hard to choose what to have cos everything sounded so yummy, or maybe it was cos we were hungry that's why. 

We got a Carnivore pizza to share and it was so good! Daddy Li thinks the white-based pizza at Etna is better, but hey hey to me both taste great. Way better than Pizza Hat, so that's good enough for me.

We also ordered a squid ink pasta with salmon and shrooms in cream sauce. I don't really take well to cream sauce cos I will feel all nauseous, but it had salmon and shrooms in it (my fave) and it was the day's special so we just got it. I felt that the pasta portion was a tad small but lucky we ordered a pizza so it was just nice for us. Nevertheless, it was cooked to perfection. Writing this now makes me really want to go back for more!!

For dessert, we tried their tiramisu! Actually all their desserts looked so yummy but we didn't want to be greedy pigs and end up wasting food so we chose one..and it was really good. Love how creamy and rich it was.

Kaitlin got to have some minced meat from the pizza and salmon from the pasta as well! She also finished the dinner I prepared for her from home. She was on excellent behaviour mode..and for some reason she got really excited halfway through our meal!



She started playing with the napkin and then proceeded to play with the cutlery. It was really quite hilarious to watch. The waiters were all really friendly as well, and some entertained her for few seconds here and there.

Attempted to take a famfam picture of ourselves before we left but quite fail..luckily a waited spotted and offered to help us take the picture below:

Speaking of the waiters, I have to say the service at Ristorante Da Valentino was excellent. Every waiter that served us was warm and friendly. We felt so at home there that I would highly recommended it as a great family restaurant to check out.

Here are the details of the restaurant if you are interested:

Ristorante Da Valentino

Add: 200 Turf Club Road, #01-19 The Grandstand

Tel: 6462 0555

Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 12:00 - 14:30, 18:00 - 22:30

Tulipmania at Gardens By The Bay

Last weekend we got our butts up early and headed to Gardens by The Bay for Tulipmania. It has already ended, but I still thought it would be nice to blog about it anyway..Afterall it's not everyday that you see tulips right + tulips are my favourite flower!

Sadly, I didn't get to take much pictures of the pretty flowers, cos well you know I do have to look after Kaitlin + there were lots of other people squeezing here and there + other professional photographers planting their tripod stands -.-



Kaitlin being a girl..and checking out the clogs. Won't be surprised if she is a shoe addict next time! Speaking of shoes...check out Kaitlin's new kicks! Love the Nike shoes, and I just had to get them when I saw it. Daddy Li and I agreed it was a great buy. As I mentioned before, Kaitlin is rather picky with her shoes, and usually would prefer wearing her older shoes cos it's more comfy, but once she saw this she loved it! Not exaggerating at all okay, cos she wanted to wear it once she saw it and was running around the house wearing it!

Ok, enough digressing..we arrived around 11am and it was already quite packed but way lesser than in the afternoon. Thank goodness for being kiasu!

Yes! My little babygirl can do the peace/twist sign! How awesome is that?! Okay, I may be a little bias here..but I honestly don't know if toddlers at the age of 20 months old are supposed to be able to do it already, but I thought it was pretty cool!

K wasn't really into the flowers, but more interested in roaming about. Even then, I still took the chance to try to carry her to look at the flowers and smell + touch some of them as well. I'm really hoping she will be more into outdoor learning in future, so we can learn the fun way instead of always burying our heads into them books. Yes our heads, cos really, when the kid studies, the mom studies as well! I've already thought up ideas of buying annual passes to Gardens By The Bay, S.E.A aquarium and the Zoo when she is like 4 years old and more willing to learn and all. So exciting I can't wait!!

Back to the flowers!!

So pretty right! Seriously my photos don't do the flowers any justice..you should totally take a look at this guy's photos!

We cut our visit short cos Kaitlin was starting to get a little restless which means she's tired. So we left, and decided to rest a while outside. Daddy Li folded the tulip for her..and of course..this girl got too excited about it and within seconds it got destroyed!

Kaitlin napped and we went to have lunch at DTF, but it was so noisy that K woke up soon after. Nevermind then cos she could join us for some nom nom!

That's her when she just woke up and hence was a tad grumpy!

Didn't take pics of our lunch cos we were famished, and frankly I was busy handling Kaitlin. After lunch, I went to get some macarons from TWG. Was gonna take a pic of them, but K spotted them and wanted them..and then she promptly squished my macarons :( In any case, you have got the try the Vanilla Bourbon Tea and Kaya one! It's in such a pretty blue colour, and it tasted so so yummy. I need more of those!!

We went back to Gardens By The Bay after and re-entered the Flower Dome since we had not finish looking around, and just cos I wanted to see the tulips again!

We went over to the Cloud Forest after, and oh my...it was super duper cold!!! The waterfall was quite wow. Of course it would have been way cooler to see a natural waterfall, but since we are in Singapore I guess we got to make do with this.

Not much pictures of the cloud forest. It's quite cool to walk all the way down from the top, but also quite scary at the same time since I've a fear of heights. Well, Kaitlin was not afraid at all! This girl was running around and dragged me to go back with her to the walkabout area where you can see everything below your feet.

I wanted to see Kaitlin's reaction so I told Kaitlin that Mommy was getting afraid and if we could go back, and this girl was such an angel! She held me hand and we walked back :D #happymom

If I had to choose one to visit between the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, it would be the former. I liked that the Flower Dome was more vibrant and mainly cos of the tulips on display!

If you are thinking of heading down to Gardens By The Bay, I suggest that you head there early and avoid weekends if possible. We didn't have a choice cos we were only free on the weekends, but lucky we went in the morning so it was way less crowded than in the afternoon. Another tip is to book your tickets online. Super fuss-free and you can skip the queue which can get really long as we saw.

Mothers' Day 2013

Happy Belated Mothers' Day to all the mommies out there :) Sometimes I feel it should be Mothers' Day everyday..or at least once a week don't you think!

Mothers' Day this year was quite different as I hoped for it be. Well, I won't lie, I definitely thought I could possibly rest in a little more and relax on this day, but well we all know a mother is on call 24/7. Kaitlin was being a mischievous one and wasn't exactly on her best behaviour, but well that's kids for you right.

Nevertheless, it was still great to be able to spend time with Kaitlin and Daddy Li. Daddy Li brought us for brunch at PS. Cafe.

It was a yummy one, and here comes the confession. We gave Kaitlin her first taste of fries D: She saw us nomming away on the truffle fries, and of course didn't want to miss out on the action, so well we just decided that just for today..she shall have some fries. Yikes! Before you start judging, it ain't easy to say 'No' to a toddler, without a meltdown following after, and we really didn't want such a situation happening. Afterall, it's the weekends, so I think an occasional treat is fine.

We also got the PS. Breakfast Stack to share. It was a little too "vegetarian" for us, cos there was no meat at all..should have like some bacon or sausages. But anyway! The portobello mushroom was lovely. It was so juicy and so full of flavour, and the poached egg was cooked to perfection.

At night, I got a handwritten note from Kaitlin with the help of Daddy of course. She of course wanted to "personalize" her note which explains the lines everywhere, but well I like it that way :))

Prior to our Sunday celebration, I also received presents from Kaitlin on Friday. Gotta thank her teachers for it as well. My first mommy day presents, definitely keeping them cos I'm a sentimental person like that :)



On Saturday, Daddy Li also cooked me my favourite steak with mushroom sauce. Love it. Super good and I wish I could have more. I know I sound like a glutton, but hey hey you can't have enough of food that's cooked with love right! Thanks hubxz <3



So well, that's how Mothers' Day went for me..still on duty, and well..frankly if I left Kaitlin all to Daddy Li, I would have most definitely been worrying all day cos I'm such a worry wart, and needless to say I would have missed her lots.

Now that I'm writing this post, I can finally reflect on life as a mother this past one and a half years. All I can say is, it was very different from what I expected. I definitely knew that being a mother will never be easy, and there will be crying babies and hair-pulling moments, but just knowing and experiencing it first hand is a vast difference.

I'll go a further step to admit that I do complain about Kaitlin's bad behaviour or the lack of time I have for sleep and freedom, but I still love that girl so very much. I'm not a perfect mother, and looking after kids ain't a bed of roses. On Saturday, I even had a meltdown and cried really bad cos of so many different reasons relating to Motherhood. The whole journey from being pregnant to giving birth, and bringing up a baby was never easy. Daddy Li suggested switching Kaitlin to full day school, so I could have a break and rest or do whatever I wanted. I immediately said no and cried even harder. That's not what I wanted. I so very much want to be a part of Kaitlin's life and growing journey. I want to be there for her whenever I can, to be there for her, support her and comfort her. To be the bad guy that disciplines her when she's done something wrong, and to also be the one to encourage and praise her along the way.

I told him point blank that yes I am tired, yes it's not easy, and I get angry or frustrated, but since I've decided to give birth to her and bring her into this world, it is my responsibility to look after her. Not that it is said that it is our responsibility to do so, but I very much believe that it is. Why give birth to a child if you don't have the intention to look after him or her and want to outsource someone else to do it. Of course, I do understand that in certain situations, some people don't have a choice. But given a choice, I do think parents should be there for their children whenever they can.

From the very first time that I carried her while still in the operating theatre, I could only think of how  she would be a part of my life for real now, and that I will do whatever I can to give her the best and shower with all the love and concern I can. I knew that no matter what I would protect her with all my life. No matter what happens, if she hates me or thinks I'm a nag and bothersome in the future, I'll still be her mother, and will always love her.

So till today, I've not had a full sleep for more than two hours, I've not been able to go about most of my usual activities as in the past like going to beach to tan, or having a fun night out..but I do get smiles, hugs and kisses from the little one. Sometimes watching her sleep can even be the highlight of my day.

Motherhood is life changing, it's scary (especially if you are a first timer, and being the first amongst your friends to give birth and don't know who to turn to for help or advice), it's tiring, it's smelly (poop cleaning and sometimes you don't even get to shower), it tests your patience (tantrums and bad behaviour), but it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, that and getting married.

I love you so so so very much babygirl. Thank you so much for coming into my world, and letting me be a part of yours.



Linking up with Tuesday Thoughts

April [ in pictures ]

How is it already going to be May and soon half a year would have gone by?! I shall take the fact that time seems to have flown by to be a good thing.

April was a month of firsts! It was the first time sending Kaitlin off to school. Also the first time that I'm away from her for a period of time. I couldn't stop worrying about her, and I questioned my decision of why I even wanted to let her start school. I also went through a period of self-doubt about myself as a mother.

It was also the first time that we sent Kaitlin for enrichment class. I had wanted to her to start her enrichment class much earlier, but of course there was a long waiting line, and it had to start on the same week that Kaitlin started school! To our pleasant surprise, she was great during her first enrichment class.

With all the new adjustments, it's the first time that Kaitlin has started throwing really bad tantrums like screaming, hitting and going on the floor kicking here and there! Perhaps a case of the terrible two  that might have started off a little early or her way of adjusting to everything new this month. I had a fair share of dealing with her tantrums all on my own, and yet again wondered if all these arrangements were right for her. I understand how Kaitlin feels, and have read on how we should deal with it, but sometimes it's easier said than done, especially when I'm actually quite a bad-tempered and impatient person. Well, as Daddy Li says the earlier it starts the earlier it ends, so let's hope that we will be able to guide her the right way and everything will be back to normal soon. Been trying to not yell/scold her if necessary and not get angry with her but try to stay positive and all and it's been working so far! Except for today though, I scolded her cos she was being difficult during her mealtimes. It's only cos I am really really tired! Before you start judging, it's not easy being a mom okay! We are humans too! On top of looking after ourselves, we got a house, a husband and a child to take care of.

School wise, I'm happy to report that Kaitlin has made significant progress. She's been adjusting well to school and class. Still cries when I drop her off, and occasionally cries during class time but a major improvement in my opinion. It's only been slightly less than a month since she has started and she's only 19 months old, so big claps for her!

April was a month of us falling ill. Well, Kaitlin and me mainly. She fell ill (first time she even fell ill cos of a jab and first time she had fever!) after her jabs, got better but got ill again after she started school. She passed it to me..and I'm still not well. Now all that's left is a sore throat :(

We also did a few homelearning activities this month and I might blog about them soon! Also, I've finally moved my blog to a new domain: www.hellolittlesunshine.com Please support and show your love!

This month, I'm thankful for Daddy Li. Not that I'm not thankful for him at all, just that this month, I'm particularly appreciative of him. Thankful that I could share with him about how I felt dropping the first few days when I dropped Kaitlin off at school. How I felt sad, and how my heart ached hearing her cry and how I couldn't stop worrying about her. He would encourage me by saying things like "It's got to be done, since the decision has already been made just go along with it" and telling me that it's either she cries now or later. I'm glad that I was able to share with him how I questioned myself if I made the right decision or not. Usually our serious conversations would end up in us getting frustrated with each other and end there, but this time it was different and I'm happy that the communication between us has improved. Recently, he hasn't been able to come home and it's been a little more tiring and I've been down as a result, but well absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I hope that this makes us learn to appreciate each other better. Thank you for everything hubxz!

It was definitely a busy April and I'm feeling so tired out. I can't wait for May to come cos hey hey it's a public holiday tmr! Ironically, it's Labour Day but in mommy land there is no Labour Day, we are on call 24/7 D: I'm just hoping that with Daddy Li around I can chill a little!

I hope May will be a smooth-sailing month esp with less tantrums from the little one. I'm also looking forward to May cos we will be celebrating our wedding anniversary :))