A Journey with Claire & David

Foresight

2011-07-18T22:39:00.005+08:00

Over the weekend, we went to the now defunct railway tracks to reminisce the good old glorious days of Thomas' and Percy's friends.

Some 400 metres into our choo-chooing pretense, my daddy found a clearing and a bridge to civilization - a shopping centre. He wisely told us to cross the bridge and wait for him at the shopping centre while he retraced 1km in the sweltering humid topical rainforest back to our car.

So, thanks to our selfless Daddy, this trip remains a enjoyable one for David "Thomas" and Claire "Percy" Wong.

Dinosaur rap

2011-07-18T22:36:00.000+08:00

While my mummy was interested in the life-cycle of a butterfly, my daddy was amused by my dinosaur rap. He thinks that it is pretty cool.

Hungry caterpillar

2011-07-17T22:39:00.001+08:00

My mummy made me teach her how to sing this song and I obliged.

I can't remember how many times I've sung this song today.....but you can imagine that this is one of the first few.

Corrective Work Order

2011-07-05T00:20:00.004+08:00

Last week I got into trouble. Big trouble.

So big that Mummy sent me to stand at the naughty corner for an unprecedented thirty minutes. So big that I have to do correct work order after that.

And Daddy spent two weekends making it right.

I will stick to drawing my hands and legs next time. They look nicer anyway.

Childhood lessons

2011-06-10T23:00:00.000+08:00

Do you know the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf?

Papa: Along came a big bad wolf and he said, "Little pig, little pig, let me in." "No!" said the first little pig. "You are the big bad wolf. I will not let you in." "Then, I'll puff. And I'll huff. And I'll blow the house down!"

David, what must you do when a stranger knocks and asks you to open the door?

David: Take the key and open the door.

Papa: No!! You cannot do that. You cannot open the door to strangers. David, listen to the story well.
The second pig finished building his house and was enjoying his lunch inside it when he heard a knock on the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me in." "No!" said the second little pig. "You are the big bad wolf. I will not let you in." "Then, I'll huff. And I'll puff. And I'll blow the house down!"

So, David, what must you do when a stranger knock on the door and asks you to open it?

David: Take the key and give it to him.

Papa: No!! You cannot do that. You cannot give our keys to strangers. When there is a stranger at the door, tell Claire. She will know what to do.

Let me continue the story. So, now the third little pig finished building his house and was baking in his house when he heard a knock on the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me in." "No!" said the third little pig. "You are the big bad wolf. I will not let you in." "Then, I'll huff. And I'll puff. And I'll blow the house down!"

David, do you now know what to do when a stranger knocks on the door?

David: Take the key and ask Claire to open the door.

A tale of two cities

2011-06-02T23:20:00.001+08:00

The nights have been really muggy in the last weeks. And the A/C in the kids' room have been down. Fortunately, they have found their solution.

Their new bed.

And ours....

Sweet dreams, children.

Love, Dad.

Easter wishes

2011-04-26T22:42:00.000+08:00

Today is Tuesday. It was a pretty regular Tuesday, until I went home. Here's what waiting for me at home! And it's a surprise from my godpa!

Thank you, godpa!

Time with David

2011-04-15T23:16:00.008+08:00

My mummy says that David probably spend the most time with me. On weekdays, we're together at home and at Ah Ma's house. We're only apart when I'm at school. On weekends, we're also together.

What do we do together? Well, busloads full of things. We spend a lot of time playing, singing, quarreling, dancing, reading, arguing, drawing, cooking, colouring, fighting, building, fishing, snacking...

My mummy thinks that he is picking up things and habits from me too. Both good and bad. And I'm only going to tell you the good things.

1. David knows his numbers and most of his alphabets.
2. David jumps very well on the trampoline.
3. David can wear his own shoes and shorts. He needs some help with his shirts though...
4. David sings and dances very well.
5. David wants to be a princess when he grows up, just like me!
6. David reads lots of books, but he sometimes is frightened when we reach the scary parts..just like me!
7. David tries to keep our toys together.
8. David eats on his own if Ah Ma and mummy are serving his favourite food.
9. David knows the days of the week in a song.
10. David can spell his name...with some help.

My sister and I

2011-04-12T18:47:00.000+08:00

Claire is my jie-jie. Although we sometimes disagree, we always make up. It never last long. We love doing things together and going for adventures together.

Our favourites

2011-04-11T21:40:00.000+08:00

David turned two last December. He has a picture of Barney riding a bicycle on his cake! Barney is his favourite. Although it is a small celebration, I had fun. I am sure David had fun too.

You are my favourite little brother, David. I love you!

Yakuza やくざ

2011-04-11T00:22:00.000+08:00

David likes body paint. He draws on his arms and legs all the time.

Sometimes, he has an accomplice....me.

Many moons

2011-04-08T21:49:00.010+08:00

Sorry friends for the silence. But my daddy and mummy have been too busy to help.

But no fear. David's here. Let me summarise what we have been up to.

Claire turned four! We had a celebration in Claire's school with all the big girls and boys. It was great fun and I even tried to help her with her candles.

What else did we do? hmm...we also went for a beach holiday.

Claire and I love busy beach holidays. We slapped on sunblock, made sandcastles, played with the waves, put more sunblock, picked up shells, found hermit crabs, more sunblock, unabashedly washed off the sand in the pool.

Then, lunch and ehh...a nap.

Followed by more swimming and running on the resort grounds. And the result?

Two totally happy and sun-kissed Claire and David....and two totally beaten Daddy and Mummy.

and check out the aftermath....we brought the beach home.

中秋节快乐!

2010-09-27T00:41:00.002+08:00

All wet!

2010-09-12T00:13:00.000+08:00

David wants to do everything. Including chores. I wonder how long he will keep this up.

Sports part 2

2010-09-11T23:17:00.001+08:00

I really enjoyed cycling with Daddy. It was so fun that I agreed today to take Claire for a ride.

But soon I realised that it was hard work.
Heellpp!!

Sports

2010-09-01T00:26:00.000+08:00

My current favourite sport is cycling. Well, after jumping on the trampoline. What makes cycling better is my new helmet, which Uncle S used to wear when he was just a small boy. I'm too big for my old helmet, so I am sharing it with David.

Last weekend, we had a great day out at the beach. David and I were racing. Unlike what you may think, I had difficulty keeping up with him. When we stopped to rest, he would demand "Go!". This made his pillion rider and I very, very tired. But I tried my best. My mummy says that it is important that I have tried my best.

When we're both exhausted from cycling, we dug on the beach. I planted a tiny branch which fell from the tree. David just dug.

Did we have fun playing together? Well, have another look...

Happy Family

2010-07-19T00:33:00.002+08:00

Claire drew this. My papa is very proud of her. So am I.

Copy me

2010-07-03T23:40:00.000+08:00

Everyday, there is a blue school bus that brings Claire to school. And everyday, I will try to get on, but I am never allowed to.

When can I finally take the school bus with Claire, I wonder? Will carrying her bag help? How about following her every action?

Des vacances françaises mémorables

2010-07-01T00:32:00.002+08:00

My mama suspects it is not typical to bring young kiddos to France for a vacation. In this trip, there were no museums, no shopping for Louis Vuitton, no Michelin star restaurants and no chateau hopping, but yes to hurried meals, yes to carousel, yes to very early morning walks with jet-lagged David and Claire.

Did we enjoy ourselves? David and I did. I think my papa and mama too, except that they probably need another holiday to recover from this one.

But we did see some famous sights. We were at Champs de Mar but were more interested in playing in the big park and by the small pond nearby than Eiffel Tower itself. Can you tell where we were? Not I.

My papa and I also went to Les Invalides. Yes, only the two of us. Isn't that a special treat? David and my mama were still sleeping in the wee hours of that morning. I woke up early that morning and my papa didn't want our neighbours to knock on our door they did the morning before when David woke up at 3am and cried for two hours.

It was more enjoyable when we moved from the hotel to the countryside. There was a trampoline, a swing, open spaces to run, chickens and a rabbit to feed. We also have our little corner with toys and books.

What's more, David and I got to eat some decent food at last. No more hard baguettes, biscuits or steaks, but delicious porridge and rice with seaweed.

What did we there? Jump on the trampoline, pick stones, play house, gardening and feeding chickens.

For me, it was an unforgettable vacation. And, my mama agrees.

Lunch break

2010-06-28T23:59:00.000+08:00

David gives a whole new meaning to the term, lunch break.

Medal

2010-06-15T00:07:00.011+08:00

Claire went to school the other day and came back with a medal. Isn't that great? My mama says that when I am bigger, I can go to school too. Then, I can have a medal too.

My papa says that Claire earned her medal from her good work during Sports Day.

First, she has to run with two rubber balls under her arms. Claire looked so relaxed. Must be quite a breeze.
Then, she has to skip through colourful hola hoops. This is definitely not my cup of tea. More likely, I will trip and fall, but look at my Jie-jie!

Then, Claire has to balance some ping pong balls in soup spoons, and
.. bean bags on her head!

Finally, after a long and tiring day, Claire received her medal from her teacher. Good job, Jie jie! I am very proud of you!

Buses

2010-03-17T14:24:00.003+08:00

Buses are big. Buses are noisy. Buses bring us places.

Both Claire and I love buses, but we rarely get to ride in them. When we do, we love to peer out of the window, watching cars, motorbikes, taxis and other buses zip by.

On Monday, Ah-Ma brought us on a bus ride.

Where did we go? It depends who you asked.

If you asked Claire, Claire will say, "We went to a huge playground!"

If you asked me, I'll tell you, "A nice air-con place to sleep."

Almost kampong

2010-01-25T23:38:00.007+08:00

Daddy brought us out for dinner. He promised it will be fun. He also told us to wear long pants in case we fall and scratch our knees. Look at how thrilled David was!
Hey, David! Wait up and hold my hand!
It's not just David who was excited. I was too. I tried hard to pump on the swing myself, but could not do it well. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. As for David, he had many gos on the slide.

For dinner, David had his usual home-cooked porridge, which attracted lots of flies. Daddy and mummy were too busy swatting flies to take any pictures. I had my big-girl dinner: fat french fries with tomato sauce. Mummy tried to entice my Chinese palate to have some fish and chips and lasagna, but to very little success.

I think this is a fantastic dinner venue, but my mummy says that the next time we come, only adults will eat the junk food.

Conversation with daddy

2010-01-25T22:45:00.004+08:00

My daddy surprised me yesterday by coming to pick me up from school. It is the 2nd time this week. I had this conversation with him in the car. It really tickled my mama.

Claire: Why are you here (again)?

Daddy: I finish work early, so I have time.

Claire: But I can take the school bus home. I am a big girl now.

Daddy: But I want to come and pick you up from school.

Claire: Mmm, ok. But can you only come maybe one time a week?

David at one

2010-01-19T23:09:00.002+08:00

At one, David weighs 9.9kg and is 78cm. At birth, he was just 3.53kg and is 50cm. Boy, has he grown!

He has also progressed in other ways. Here's what he can do:

1. wave and say bye-bye

2. give a flying kiss (well, sometimes his kiss comes from his ears)

3. clap his hands

4. do the hand actions to Twinkle, Twinkel

5. break into a dance when I sing - this is my favourite :)

6. call Claire (and sometimes "Jie"), papa and mama

4. wobble many steps

5. objects very, very loudly when I try to snatch things away from him. (This is my least favourite because I always get into trouble when this happens.)

But, I am still very proud of you, David! I am sure papa and mama are too!

David's lunar birthday

2010-01-19T22:36:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, we celebrated David's first lunar birthday. My Ah-Ma prepared many things for him to choose, just like what I did then.

First, he chose the $50 note.

Then, he reached for the red eggs.
He toggled between chicken, apples and oranges. He couldn't decide which looks more delicious.

Finally, he consulted the abacus.

My papa thinks that David is a practical boy. Don't you agree?

Stop sucking thumb stars

2010-01-10T01:10:00.001+08:00

I have a very bad habit which my papa and mama have been trying very hard to get me to kick.

I suck my thumb. And I suck it so hard that I have a hard blister on it.

So my mama told me that for every night that I didn’t suck my thumb, I get a star. And when I have collected ten stars, I get to buy something of my choice. I made a card, with my mama’s help, to paste all my stop-sucking-thumb stars.

See this heart-shaped Mickey Mouse balloon? This is what I got for my first ten stars!

Survived

2010-01-10T00:34:00.006+08:00

This is my first week at my new school. It is a school for big boys and girls. This is how it looks like.
It is far from home, so I have to take a school bus to school. My mama was worried that the ride will be too tiring for me.

In my last play-school, I took a very long time to settle in despite a successful first day. And my mama was worried that it will happen again.

My mama was worried that I don’t like my new school. My papa told me that she was so worried that she didn’t sleep well for nights.

My mama survived my first week of school. As for me, I enjoyed it tremendously.

My friend

2009-12-31T19:38:00.004+08:00

E is my friend. I enjoy playing with her. Hopefully, we can meet and play more often next time.

David is one!

2009-12-31T14:10:00.002+08:00

David is one! We threw a small party for him just after Christmas.

My papa and mama cooked my favourite oven-grilled chicken, grilled prawns, roasted pumpkin and cheesy mushrooms. There was ham of course! All these were yummy, but sadly the birthday boy had none of these. He had his usual one pot porridge. But I think he understood that he will be able to eat all these when he is bigger and has more teeth.

These are friends who were at the party. The papas and mamas tried to get us to pose for a picture and this is the best shot. Well, all of us are looking at the camera.
We had fun, and hopefully our friends did too.

Our growing family

2009-12-31T13:43:00.006+08:00

Our family is growing. It started with just my papa and mama. Then, there was Claire. And just Claire for another two Christmases. Now, we have David.

Merry Christmas everyone!

December favourite

2009-12-31T12:25:00.009+08:00

There are many things happening in December. Let me start by telling you about our current favourite activity: sitting in my papa's chair and being wheeled around the house.

My papa says that Claire-claire has to hold David tight under his armpits so that he doesn't fall off. Well, Claire-claire tries my best to do that, though sometimes I end up holding him around his neck!

Only one successful attempt

2009-12-29T22:40:00.006+08:00

My mama tries to get David to use the potty. She thinks potty-training David will be easy since David first poo-pooed in the potty when he was barely three months old.

But, my mama is wrong. That was her only successful attempt.

Most times, well.....

Family holiday

2009-12-02T22:56:00.009+08:00

My papa and my mama brought us for a week-long holiday last month. We wanted to do many things. And we did.

David and I took hot baths together (opps! Strictly no pictures. My mama's orders). We rode on rocking horses and kiddy rides together.

When we're tired of playing, we slept in our trusty bright orange stroller.

Papa, mama and I took turns to be photographer (well, papa and mama, most times). My mama and papa also took turns to carry David in our fave blue sling, took turns to eat.

We went places together, in the taxi, "捷运MRT" and bus for a local flavour.

We braved the rain and the clouds. We caught some sights.

Most important, we wanted to spend time together as a family. And we did.

Look-alike Meter Part 2

2009-11-01T23:41:00.002+08:00

Do you remember my first look-alike meter? David has his done too. He looks more like my papa than I did back then.

This is what the meter says of Claire-claire now...any suprise?

Well, Claire-claire thinks this is not surprising since my mama and my papa look more and more like each other these days. What say you?

A Farmer

2009-10-30T22:40:00.004+08:00

A week ago, my mama bought a vegetable growing kit. It has a pot, a small shovel and a pack of black seeds. Do you know what we have to do? First, we plant the seeds. Then, we have to water them every day. And we have to tell them to grow taller each day.

See how much they have grown in just one week...

Good job, plant! Here's more water for you. Drink up! Do you know why my plant only drinks water? Doesn't it get hungry?

Bigger and bigger

2009-10-21T00:24:00.005+08:00

David is growing bigger and bigger. See what he can do now!

Claire-claire is very proud of you!

Storyteller Claire

2009-10-20T23:52:00.006+08:00

Vvrroom!

2009-10-20T23:43:00.005+08:00

Everyone, fasten your seat belt please! We're moving off!

My current favourite number

2009-10-20T23:20:00.007+08:00

Three is my current favourite number. It's because Claire-claire is three years old. Well, I have been three years old for almost three weeks now.

Claire-claire likes being three.

Novice rider

2009-09-06T22:31:00.004+08:00

Do you remember my clownmobile? David is trying to ride on it too.

He was having fun until...

Drawing

2009-08-25T17:20:00.001+08:00

Claire-claire has a drawing to show you.

Can you guess what it is?

Kite flying

2009-08-15T15:11:00.001+08:00

Claire-claire found out that kites don't fly when we call out, "Kite! Fly!" Kites don't fly when Claire-claire throws them up. And certainly kites don't fly when Claire-claire runs, pulling them behind me. After 3 spoilt kites, I have not seen mine fly.
Claire-claire hopes I can fly my kite at the Kite Festival.

Getting along

2009-08-14T00:42:00.003+08:00

Claire-claire likes to disturb David when he is sleeping.
David likes to pull my hair.
Claire-claire likes to play with David's toys.
David likes to eat my books.

Despite all these, we try to get along...

Baptism

2009-07-20T00:11:00.006+08:00

David was baptised last Sunday. We become children of God when we are baptised.

David was dressed in white, symbolising purity. My mama made me wear a lovely white dress to match David. My mama thinks we looked angelic!

There were many babies in church, but David was very well-behaved. He slept through most of it and only woke up twice: when Fr Mike made the sign of the cross on his chest with chrism oil...

and when he was baptised with water.

And who is David's Godpa? Here he is!

Eating rice cereal

2009-07-19T23:55:00.005+08:00

Can rice cereal be as delicious as David makes it look?

Maybe Claire-claire will try some.

Adult food

2009-07-08T00:07:00.004+08:00

David thinks he is a big boy. He has been looking at the food we are eating with much interest. So, Ah Ma tried to feed him some potato and carrots last week. But, David is a small baby and has not learnt how to eat from a spoon.

Today, Ah Ma give him some rice cereal. Gosh! David has learnt the trick of swallowing food. He thoroughly enjoyed it and cried when he finished it. It's ok, David. Claire-claire will ask Ah Ma to make more rice cereal for you tomorrow.

David is 6 months old

2009-06-30T11:50:00.001+08:00

David is 6 months old. He is my favourite little brother. Claire-claire loves to hug and kiss him, even though he doesn't seem to enjoy my super hugs.

David knows that his name is David. He smiles when we call him "David". He knows that I am his big sister. When my papa and my mama are not around, he knows that big sister Claire will take care of him. He knows how to roll over and how to reach out for things.

He also uses many hankerchiefs every day because he cries alot and drools alot. But Claire-claire still loves him.

Look at that!

2009-06-29T00:46:00.003+08:00

David, look at that! It's the big wheel! My papa tries to drive pass it every weekend. Claire-claire is very happy to show David the big wheel.

Here's a picture of David and I, posing in front of the wheel.

Our first concert

2009-06-29T00:10:00.004+08:00

We attended our first concert at the Esplanade last weekend. It was a string quartet: two playing the violin, one playing the viola and one playing the cello. Both David and I enjoyed it. Look at how mesmerised we both are, though only for a very short while.

After the third piece, David was hungry and started fussing. So we had to leave. Well, Claire-claire is not complaining. It was dinner time after all.

Beautiful butterfly

2009-06-09T00:07:00.004+08:00

Look at the beautiful butterfly on my hand! Please don't fly away.

Sharing hair clips

2009-06-08T23:56:00.005+08:00

My mama always use clips to keep my hair away from my face. Today, Claire-claire wants to share them with David.

Don't they look good on him?

Rhymes!

2009-05-27T23:12:00.001+08:00

Claire-claire's 老师 has been teaching Claire-claire rhymes! This is my ma-ma's favourite.

Do you like it?

Cold Storage Kids' Run

2009-05-26T06:28:00.007+08:00

The race day finally arrived. Claire-claire is not sure if Claire-claire liked it.

It was sunny, humid and overcrowded with papas, mamas and many boys and girls. The music was loud and unnerving. Claire-claire just wanted to be carried throughout the race.

Near the finishing line, Claire-claire finally found her running legs.

My first mocktail

2009-05-01T00:08:00.003+08:00

Claire-claire had my first mocktail. It is a mix of guava juice, apple juice and mint. My papa said that it tasted like cough mixture. My papa must have had a different cough mixture; mine doesn't taste like this.

Check out the cool green hue it left on my tongue (and my mama says, insides too)!

I like this place

2009-04-30T21:00:00.001+08:00

My papa and my mama brought us to a really fun place last week.

Claire-claire like this place. There is seaweed and ice-cream at every meal. There is also the sea, the sand and the pool just outside our room. And no afternoon naps! It's play, play and more play from morning to night.

What about David? Well, he enjoyed the sometimes cool sea breeze on the deck chair. Like all beach bums, he fell asleep soon after.

Sometimes, David also takes a break from the sun...

Claire-claire wants to be back again soon.

I like this place.

David turns over

2009-04-23T16:37:00.005+08:00

This is David's first few attempts at turning over.

Mug shots

2009-04-14T23:49:00.003+08:00

Can you tell who this is? This is the picture on my current passport. My papa says that it looks more like David than me. So, Claire-claire is getting my passport photo updated!

My papa can't get me to give him a proper and serious passport pose.
But, don't you think these are much better than this?

Rise and Shine

2009-04-05T08:00:00.001+08:00

Good morning! Claire-claire and David are so happy to see you!

Look-alike

2009-04-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

My mama really thinks we look alike.

My bicycle

2009-04-04T22:44:00.003+08:00

My papa bought me a blue bicycle last week. Claire-claire chose it myself. Blue is Claire-claire's second favourite colour after yellow. But there was no yellow bicycle at the shop. Only red and blue.

Claire-claire had been trying to ride it all week at home. Claire-claire kept practicing pedaling hard but was just not moving. My papa told Claire-claire that pedalling backwards doesn't help. He also said we need a big open space to learn.

This afternoon, my papa finally found time to bring Claire-claire to the park. We're all so excited that my mama took this picture.

Did Claire-claire learn to ride a bicycle? Well, maybe later. Claire-claire got distracted at the playground instead. My papa says carrying my bicycle around is hard work.

Friday everyday

2009-03-31T01:07:00.003+08:00

My mama says that David is a difficult little boy on Mondays. Perhaps all that weekend "gai-gai's" are contributing to David's Monday blues. He cries alot and refuses to sleep in his rocking chair. My mama has to carry him to sleep. This is David on Mondays.

On Tuesdays, things get just a wee bit better.

David is much happier on Wednesdays. So is my mama. She can leave him lying alone on the bed or in his favourite green rocking chair for awhile.

By Thursday, David gets used to the stay-at-home routine. So, he is more cooperative and well-behaved.

David is on his best behaviour on Fridays. Of course, this is when my mama is the happiest. She can leave him in his favourite green chair for hours!

Boy, can't it be Friday everyday? Claire-claire is happy when my mama is happy.

Kids' Run

2009-03-27T14:34:00.003+08:00

My mama thinks that Claire-claire runs very fast. She says she can't keep up with me, and sometimes neither can my papa. She was very excited this morning when she saw the Cold Storage Kids' Run advertisement in the newspaper. She asked if Claire-claire wants to go.

My papa says that Claire-claire will have to wear my my runner's T shirt, my Oscar the Grouch running shoes (if they're not too small by then) and a number bib. There will be lots of boys and girls running too. And maybe balloons too. And maybe ice-cream too.

Wow! Balloons and ice-cream are definitely worth going for. Ok then, Claire-claire will go for this run and let's start counting down!

At the beach

2009-03-23T00:00:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday morning, my papa brought us to the beach. There were lots of big boys and girls learning how to row a boat there. My mama let me have a go in one of them. It's really fun, especially as Claire-claire has a new book about boats.

Not only were there boats to play in, there were aeroplanes to look at. Claire-claire put on my mama's sunglasses to see them better.

Then, my papa brought me nearer to sea to look at the waves. To keep my feet dry, Claire-claire had to run with my papa whenever the waves come too close. My mama thinks that this is an improvement for me as Claire-claire didn't make a fuss about the sand. About a year ago, Claire-claire had to be coaxed to step onto the sand.

After a long time there, it got too uncomfortable for David. And so, we made our way back.

Curious boy

2009-03-22T23:13:00.001+08:00

Claire-claire thinks that David is a curious boy. This is how he looks like most times.

Happy birthday, Ah Ma!

2009-03-22T22:37:00.004+08:00

We celebrated my Ah Ma's birthday's on Thursday.

Ah Ma's favourite colour is red, so Claire-claire made her a red birthday card and gave her a red present. Happy birthday, Ah Ma!

Basketball

2009-03-17T23:08:00.001+08:00

Basketball is like fun!

Is Claire-claire doing it right?

End of school term party

2009-03-17T11:00:00.002+08:00

Claire-claire had my first end of school term party last Saturday. So on Friday evening, we made agar-agar for Claire-claire's friends. Claire-claire helped to put in the fruits cocktail and checked that they set properly. My mama said that we have to keep it in the fridge so that they will be ready to eat tomorrow.

Finally, Saturday came. Unlike other days, Claire-claire had to dress up - as a doctor. My mama says that it is like a fancy dress party. When we were there, Claire-claire made my own party hat and pom-pom. See me hard at work.

Ready or not, here comes Claire!

Do you see all the yummy snacks? Claire-claire can't wait. But, Claire-claire had to collect my end-of-term certificate first. Thank you Teacher Sue!

Two's better than one

2009-03-16T19:14:00.004+08:00

David was recently caught sucking his fingers. Not just his thumb, but his pointer too.

My papa and my mama are worried. This is the last of my bad habits that they want David to pick up.

Growing up too fast

2009-03-07T23:38:00.001+08:00

My papa and my mama thinks that Claire-claire is growing up too fast.

Fruit & veggie stamps

2009-03-06T14:16:00.010+08:00

Claire-claire loves to eat fruits and veggies. I didn't know that they can be fun too!

First, Claire-claire chose my paint colours and squeezed them into containers. My mama added some water and asked me to blend them. Using fruits and veggie stamps, Claire-claire painted three colourful pictures.

My mama is happy that Claire-claire enjoyed this painting session and is even happier that Claire-claire learnt about shapes too.

Play ball soon?

2009-03-04T16:30:00.005+08:00

David is getting bigger. He is a 6 kg two month old boy. My ah-ma says that he is cuddly like a ball.

Does this mean David can play ball with Claire-claire soon?

Everything in between lo-hei and yam paste

2009-02-09T23:20:00.008+08:00

My yi-yi is back for Chinese New Year and we went out for dinner together at a teochew restaurant. It was a delicious dinner. Claire-claire will tell you about it.

Lo-hei came first. It is a very pretty dish with lots of colourful vegetables and crackers and pieces of fish. Never mind it being my first time, Claire-claire looks like an old hand at tossing the vegetables around. It's easy when it comes to playing with my food.

There was yummy braised duck, vegetables with "gou ji zi" (wolfberries), mushrooms and steamed pomfret. My papa says that Claire-claire is a pomfret connoisseur - Claire-claire only eats it when it is really fresh, sweet and soft.

Finally, my favourite dish of the evening - yam paste.

David, perhaps you can join me next time?

Hand-me-down

2009-02-05T16:39:00.005+08:00

My great-grandmother hand-made this shirt.

My papa wore this shirt. So did my 叔叔. And my 姑姑.

Claire-claire wore it too.
And now, it's David's turn.

Outlier

2009-02-03T00:08:00.004+08:00

My mama brought David to Dr Vanessa for his one-month old check-up today.
Here are the results.

My papa says that this is known as an outlier. Claire-claire is proud of David.

Gong Xi Fa Cai, everyone!

2009-02-02T12:08:00.008+08:00

This year, Claire-claire got to spend a lot of time with my papa, mama and David at home because David is not strong enough to go visiting. We finally made one visit on Saturday....to my auntie J and uncle S' house.

My mama was happy because Claire-claire got to wear the outfit she bought for the occasion.

How does Claire-claire look?

My mama's birthday

2009-01-29T17:50:00.005+08:00

My papa and I have been secretly planning my mama's birthday party for some time.

Like Spot in the story, Claire-claire made my mama a birthday card and baked her a birthday cake. My papa helped a little of course.

Claire-claire especially enjoyed sticking and removing the candles from the cake and singing the birthday song...

...and of course, eating the chocolate cake that Claire-claire baked.

We rock!

2009-01-25T23:34:00.004+08:00

Rocking with David is fun! Claire-claire hopes he is enjoying it as much as I do.

David's Chinese Name

2009-01-25T23:28:00.002+08:00

My papa and mama finally decided on David's Chinese name. It is 黄靖恒.
靖 means peaceful and tranquil while 恒 means perseverance (as in 恒心) or eternal (as in 永恒).

My papa and mama hope that David will be level-headed and has the courage to try and to take things to fruition.

As for me, Claire-claire just thinks that it is a nice name.

Baby Pimples

2009-01-19T17:08:00.002+08:00

David has a breakout of baby pimples. They're all over, what my mama calls, the T zone and some parts of his cheeks. Claire-claire hopes that they will go away soon.

Colouring

2009-01-17T11:53:00.002+08:00

Adding colours to Mickey Mouse and his friends is one of my favourite activities now. It is the most fun when Claire-claire does it together with my papa and mama.

First day at school

2009-01-03T23:50:00.003+08:00

It was Claire-claire's first day at school yesterday. My mama packed my school bag and got me ready for school early in the morning. My papa and ah-ma brought Claire-claire to school.

At school, Claire-claire tried to co-operate with the teachers by allowing them to check my temperature, my hands and feet. But, it was too much to bear when they wanted to check my mouth too!

When it's finally over, Claire-claire ran into the back of classroom to play with the building blocks. Claire-claire had so much fun in school that I didn't notice that papa and ah-ma were not there!

Claire-claire likes school. It is as fun as my papa, mama and ah-ma tell me. Claire-claire is happy that we're going there again next week.

My di-di & I

2009-01-03T23:37:00.003+08:00

My di-di finally arrived on 30 Dec 2008. He weighs 3.53kg and is 50cm long. Can you tell us apart?

Proud Jie-Jie

2009-01-03T23:17:00.003+08:00

Claire-claire is now a proud jie-jie!

And here's our new family portrait, taken with the big doggie which is a present from di-di.

一把小雨伞

2008-12-29T23:55:00.003+08:00

My yi-yi found Claire-claire a little umbrella today. This is my first umbrella. Claire-claire likes it very much. My pa-pa says there is even a little song to go with it.

Claire-claire wonders when he will teach it to me.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:00:00.003+08:00

Sssshhh.....

2008-11-16T22:56:00.003+08:00

Please keep quiet everyone, Claire-claire is trying to hear what di-di is doing....

Santa at school

2008-11-15T18:19:00.003+08:00

Santa came to school today. My mama said that Santa gives presents to boys and girls who have been good the whole year.

Yeah! Santa gave Claire-claire a present. He even posed for a photo with my papa and I.

Papa's new toy

2008-11-13T21:10:00.003+08:00

My papa has a new toy. It is red in colour, just like Elmo! The best part of it....my papa lets me play with it. It has a long white tail, which my papa told me to put at my ears. Claire-claire did just as my papa told me and boy, did Claire-claire get a surprise! Music!

Claire-claire likes my papa's new toy.

Hand Foot Mouth!

2008-11-08T22:46:00.003+08:00

It has been a boring weekend for Claire-claire. My mama and papa are not letting me out of the house till Claire-claire gets the all-clear from Dr Vanessa. This is because Claire-claire contracted hand-foot-mouth disease.

My mama was very sad when Dr Vanessa estimated at least twenty ulcers in Claire-claire's mouth on Tuesday. Claire-claire realised soon that this meant she could hardly drink milk, let alone eat my favourite food - fishballs and mushrooms. It was so painful that Claire-claire didn't even suck my thumb in the night!

Fortunately, Claire-claire recovered faster than expected. Today, Claire-claire ate all my porridge and even asked for an apple, a fig and an almond! My mama is quite pleased. My papa and mama told me that they are very proud that Claire-claire is a hardy and resillient little girl.

Hopefully, this means that Claire-claire can go out and play next weekend.

Claire-claire goes to playschool

2008-10-26T23:08:00.003+08:00

We have been playschool hunting.

My papa brought me to the first one the previous Saturday. Claire-claire didn't like it. Neither did my papa. Yesterday, my papa brought me to another playschool. This time, Claire-claire enjoyed it much more. We learnt about the letter "M", monkeys and 猴子and all things related to it. Claire-claire also did some artwork and my papa took a photo to show it to you...

At the end of the class, Claire-claire sang and danced and was comfortable enough to venture away from my papa.

Claire-claire wants to be back next week. My papa and mama are glad that Claire-claire likes this playschool. My mama is especially happy that the hunt is over.

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

2008-10-13T23:23:00.003+08:00

This is a garden built especially for little children like me. Here, my papa showed me a cave where bears stay, pity none were there that day. But, it's ok because Claire-claire was intrigued by the wet and noisy waterfall. Claire-claire had fun waving at my mama too!

After that, Claire-claire went to the tree house. There were tubes where Claire-claire can slide down on. They looked pretty daunting at first, but after observing the other children, Claire-claire did. Whheeeee!!!!

This water play area is another fun spot. You have to work the pumps before water gushes out. Claire-claire tried her hand at one of them and helped to water the grass around the area.

Claire-claire likes this garden. We will be back again!

Two Today

2008-09-29T22:13:00.003+08:00

Claire-claire is 2 years old today and is now 89cm and weighs 14.1kg. The growth chart says that Claire-claire is on the 90-95% percentile. See how much Claire-claire has grown!

At two years old, Claire-claire can do a lot more things than before.

1. Blow out candles (my first time today!)

2. Zip and un-zip bags
3. Go to the toilet to wee-wee on my own (but there are ocasional
accidents)
4. Remove and keep my shoes on top of the shoes cabinet

5. Blow and clean my nose/mouth with a tissue

6. Run and skip faster than my mama

7. Help set up dining table during meal times

8. Bounce and kick balls

9. Dance to the beat

10. Make sure my papa and mama eat their vitamins daily (though sometimes, Claire-claire tries to get them to take them twice daily)

11.Blow a whistle

12.Help water plants

13.Give my papa and mama a massage (this is their favourite)

14.Collect dirty clothes and put them in the laundry

15.Strap, buckle myself in my pram, child seat

16.Feed myself using a spoon without dirtying myself (too much)

17. Love, pat and kiss my papa and mama.
18. Share my toys (some) with Caden.
19. Turn on my favorite CD/VCD/DVD
20. Keep my toys, CD/VCD/DVD after use.
21. Browse through five books in a row every night.

In the linguistics department, Claire-claire has made some progress too.

1. Knows my animal sounds
2. Calls "papa". And "mama" only in dire straits
3. Says Ice-ss- (for ice-cream)
4. Recognise some alphabets: A,B,C,D,E,R and O (my favourites are B, E and O)

5. Can tell you that B is for bus, bubble, Barney and ball (Claire-claire calls it Oorr)
6. Says uh-oh when Claire-claire is some kind of trouble

7. Says erm...(Claire likes)...EErm..(Claire likes a lot)...EERRMM (Claire likes it very, very much.)

Superlatives

2008-09-25T22:55:00.003+08:00

After saying our goodbyes to our new animal friends, we started a long ride to a seaside town. Claire-claire didn't like it as it was boring and hot and the sun was mostly shining on my side of the car.

Things became better when we arrived at the seaside town. First, we celebrated our arrival with the creamiest honey comb ice-cream. Mmm..yummy..Next, we visited the playground and later, the miniature village where Claire-claire was intrigued by the train that went round and round.

The most memorable event of all was the chilly Indian Ocean wind. Before this, Claire-claire had no clue why my mama made me wore layers of clothes and kept telling me that it is cold outside. Until, we stopped by the beach after the rain one morning. Look at my wind swept hair! After this, Claire-claire became a convert to the liberal use of sweaters.

And the most fun thing we did was running in the large parks and playing with my new purple ball and sun-bathing in my thick woolies.

It is a new experience for Claire-claire to be in a cold place. Perhaps Claire-claire will remember this holiday when I'm a big girl.

The Little Farm-Hand

2008-09-25T11:35:00.003+08:00

My papa and mama brought Claire-claire to a farm. It belongs to Uncle David. This time, unlike my earlier rural adventure, was much colder. And we had to take an aeroplane to get there!

Claire-claire tried to be helpful on Uncle David's farm by supervising my mama as she feed Bob, the horse. Well, Bob is really big and tall, and Claire-claire is a little frightened of him.

The sheep and black alpaca were less intimidating, so Claire-claire was brave enough to feed them dried grass and even patted them! Claire-claire also had a chat with the friendly goats.
By the rabbits' turn, Claire-claire was a seasoned farm-hand and could feed them all by myself.

It's not all about animal feeding on the farm. Claire-claire also learnt how to use the fire hyrant.
And some tricks of wine bottling.
To round up a busy day, my papa cooked us a healthy and delicious dinner. Look at the big bowl of broccoli, meat balls and mushrooms; well, it was all gone at the end of the meal. Thanks, papa!

Claire-claire had an enjoyable time at the farm feeding the animals, kicking pebbles and running around. When it was time to go, Claire-claire felt a little sad, but thankfully more fun awaits. Tell you more about it soon.

Singing Barney Lantern

2008-09-24T23:27:00.003+08:00

A couple of weeks back, my Ah Ma bought me a Barney lantern. Claire-claire likes it very much because Claire-claire chose it.

At first, my mama did not like it because the Barney lantern sings very badly. Thankfully, my papa saved the day by turning off the bad singing permanently. Then, we're all happy again!

Two or Three?

2008-09-07T23:31:00.003+08:00

According to the lunar calendar, it's my birthday today. We shall not go into how old Claire-claire is according to the lunar calendar. It is very confusing. Even my papa was not sure whether Claire-claire ought to be two or three.

No matter, two or three, Claire-claire get to enjoy special birthday noodles made by mama. Yummy!!!

Longans on a swing

2008-09-04T00:23:00.003+08:00

Longans on a swing are a great treat on warm, sticky mornings. Thanks third grand uncle. Claire-claire enjoyed them very much.

Too big for diapers!

2008-08-24T00:40:00.003+08:00

Claire-claire and her papa and mama have been reading this book every other night for weeks. In the book, Ernie learns how to use a potty when he needs to.

Claire-claire is very proud of Ernie. In fact, Claire-claire is now learning to use hers too....

Go Japanese!

2008-08-18T19:37:00.003+08:00

You must have read about my experience with Italian food... My papa decided to introduce Claire-claire to another type of cuisine.

We went Japanese last Sunday, and to my papa's and mama's delight, Claire-claire love Japanese food, from chashyu ramen, to chawanmushi to unagi don!

Maybe we can visit Japan for a holiday.