Powerpoints Aren't Just for Work

Man am I glad it's Friday. Just emerged from a rather frantic few weeks at work, culminating in a major event on Wednesday. Had my longest day yet as a working mum, leaving the house on Wednesday at 7.30am (D dropped Jordy off that morning), and then rushing from work later that day (after issuing a post-event media release no less) to pick Jordy up at 5.10pm from childcare. Officially his longest day yet!

And what did he do when I dashed into his playschool, looking pretty beat up and with fading make-up? He ran towards me with a big chuckle and said, "AMAZY MUMMY!"

Did my heart do a double-lurch and almost leap out of my body in his toddler arms? You bet it did!

Anyway, I know I've been posting heaps of videos of late, but with my new phone, it makes it all so seamless I just can't resist. One of Jordy's favourite pasttimes for a while now has been looking at homemade powerpoint slides with me. I have my fabulous sister to thank for that. She did up a bunch of themed slides which her boys enjoyed, then thumb drived them to me one time. I've since added some content to the slides, especially the Food themed one (with all of Jordy's favourite things). Anyway, his undisputed favourite is the one on nature. Something about the elemental forces of nature call out to that boy of mine!

His other favourite is one on the family, oh and not forgetting the one on insects. What is it with boys and creepy crawlies? If you listen carefully, you'll be able to make out the crazy things he can say now ("centipede!").

Oh and we have yet another first happening tomorrow. Jordy's first sleepover at gong gong and mama's! Woo hoo! D and I are going to catch Toy Story 3 (hopefully... we haven't booked tickets yet) and go for dinner after. Jordy is so ready for this. He spends a lot of his day looking around the house saying "see gong gong!", "see mama!" or "no more gong gong!" "no more mama!". Ah well, the age of the grandparent is here! Haha...

And only two-odd weeks to Mama Maree's arrival! Can't wait!

The Reader and The Farm Boy

They've started a great little reading programme at Jordy's playschool, using materials from the National Geographic Windows on Literacy series. Apart from the fact that the books look like they originate in the 1980s (based on the high incidence of shoulder pads and bouffant hairdos in some of the photos), I think they're a great introduction to words and reading. I particular like how light they are!

Anyway, Jordy loves them too. He's been reading along with me for some time now, but lately has started reading the books to himself! I was a little too late in catching his attempt this evening. His first try was spot on! Anyway, just for fun:

Oh and he's also starting to singalong with me too. They've been singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm at school and he's trying with all his might to get the EIEIOs right. He gets it right, some of the time. Other times, it turns out like this:

Heh heh. I'm so glad he's enjoying his time at childcare. It makes being at work so much easier (and what a manic few weeks that has been!). Oh well, am hoping things will calm down a bit after our major event next week, then it's Bali in four weeks! Bring it on!

The Numbers Boy

Jordy absolutely loves his numbers these days. Finally managed to capture him in action!

The Amazing Jordy

The Amazing Jordy

Sometimes, it helps to have a little image overhaul to bring back the sizzle in a relationship. So, introducing Camel Diaries 2.0: new look courtesy of Blogger, content: same insightful stuff as always (hah! sorry, had to do some PR for myself).

Thought I'd upload a few videos taken from my new Motorola Milestone (I'm one of the tiny percentage of people out there who don't have an iPhone because wonderful D suprised me with an iPod Touch last year so I thought it would be a little wasteful to have an iTouch AND an iPhone. So Milestone it is - not bad functionality, extremely good price, and QWERTY keypad. Overall positive user experience so far).

Anyway, this is a Jordy post. He's saying all kinds of wonderful, surprising things these days. Just this week, he started saying "Amazing Jordy!". All his teachers at school have heard it, and some are calling him that, haha! He's kinda saying it in the video above, very hard to capture as it's usually quite out of the blue. Oh and just two days ago he started saying "tomorrow"!

So here's another video from a few weeks ago. When the HFMD quarantine was first lifted and we went to Vivo one morning and hung out at the open amphiteatre and playground. Jordy's getting very handy with a ball and is running very fast these days!

Throwing a ball and a tiny fall, which left him unruffled.

So, seeing as the Amazing Jordy is two months shy of his second birthday, I thought it time for another vocabulary audit. List is probably not exhaustive, but I'll try to list down everything I can remember. This is as much for the Jordy almanac, as it is for posterity's sake. Sorry if it appears a little indulgent but I think it's rather fascinating to chart language acquisition!

These are all the words he can say, from recollection (his receptive vocabulary is much larger than this):

Family and People
Mummy
Daddy
Mama Maree
Gong Gong
Mama
Uncle Nick
Auntie
Uncle
Sheepie
I love...

Everyday Items & Home
Spoon
Fork
Bowl
Cup
Plate
Chair
Bedroom
Towel
Wall
Baby (for Baby Einstein)
Bubble
Book
Bath
Bed
Cot
Ball
Goggles
Fan
Mote (for Remote)
Hat

Food
Apple
Orange
Bread
Juice
Water
Egg
Cake (!)
Nana (for Banana)
Grape
Masi (for Medicine, or Scotts Emulsion, his favourite thing in the morning, or anytime!)

Shapes
Square
Arrow
Heart
Ring
Cross



Animals
Bird
Duck
Cow
Cat
Dog
Pig
Horse
Lion
Zebra
Koala
Crocodile (in Chinese, er yu)
Fish
Ant
Bee
Baassie (for Butterfly)
Owl
Fly
Rabbit
Bear
Mouse
Panda

Nature
Sun
Moon
Stars
Raining
Lightning
Clouds
Sky
Beach
Sea
Sand
Snow
Mountain
Trees
Leaf
Rainbow
Tomorrow

Transport
Aeroplane
Bus
Car
Taxi
Boat
Train
Choo Choo
Beep Beep
Van
Truck


Numbers (he can recognise all the numbers from 1 to 11! 11 because that's the level we live on, so he's always pressing the number '11' button in the elevator)
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Eight
Nine
Ten

Colours
Red
Yellow
Blue
Green
Black
White
Purple
Orange

Self
Ears
Eyes
Hair
Teeth
Mouth
Knees
Toes
Hands
Pee pee
Poo poo
Spots (thanks, HFMD!)
Shoes
Socks
Shorts
Boy
Girl

Commands and Actions
Wait, wait!
Stop!
Down
Up
Hug
Kiss
Walk
Sit
Eat
Clap
Bye Bye
Hi...
Hello
Read
Swimming
Kick

Phrases
I love...
Amazing Jordy
All gone
All done
No more

Hmm, have run out of steam. There's actually quite a bit more, but I can't quite remember right now. Oh well, good job Jordy! Amazing how you've gone from tiny zygote to talking, running toddler with an attitude!

Ok, better go for now. Afternoon plans may include the zoo (depending on state of Jordy's drippy nose when he wakes, and my own not-so-sore throat but still rather blocked nose.) Oh joy!

Jordy Discovers Granddad's Hat!

Looking very dapper in singlet and hat

Today was the equivalent of a grey, wintry day - except it neither rained nor snowed. What I mean is Jordy and D were both feeling very under the weather (Jordy with an upper respiratory tract infection and cough that has lasted for almost a month now, and D with a suspected microplasma infection and who was on to his second round of antibiotics in less than a week respectively), and so we were instructed by our respective doctors to stay home and rest for the long weekend.

I stayed away from the office (though worked from home, like D) and had to think of things to entertain Jordy for a whole day indoors! It wasn't as bad as I expected in the end. We read lots of books in bed, played tickle monster a lot, spooned dry pasta into various bottles and containers, AND... Jordy (while D and I were typing away on our laptops) discovered his Granddad Adrian's hat from their last visit to Singapore. Deep in the recesses of our study closet!

Yeah baby!

It was the first time he'd truly played dress-up and we were so tickled and delighted to be there to capture him in action!

I'm talkin 'bout the man in the mirror...

You've been hit by, a smooooth criminal...

Why do I have the certain feeling that Jordy and I could dress up very convincingly as Diego and Dora next Halloween? Ola!

Jordy Eats With a Fork!

For some reason, this wouldn't load in Firefox, but was no problems in IE. Hmm... Anyway, it's meant to accompany the previous post. Enjoy!

Jordy Loves the Cold!

This bodes well for our upcoming trip to New Zealand. I'm trying to get Jordy used to the idea of cold, you see, and he is apparently rather tickled by my lovely cold cup of bubble tea.

We're bringing him to the doctor on Monday for his pneumoccocal booster jab, and I can't wait to see what he will weigh in at. My guess is he is over 11kg. Height is another issue altogether. It is frustratingly difficult to get a proper measurement, but my efforts have always yielded a figure around the 76cm mark. Ah well, we shall see!

In other Jordy-related news,

* NO, he is still not walking, though he is very, very fast when he is behind his push-toy walker thingy. We brought him to the airport on Sunday and he pushed himself around for about half an hour!

* YES, he is just about there when it comes to self-feeding. Hands, and not spoon of course. He usually does best at lunch, preferring still to be fed at dinner time (probably because that's when he has less energy and patience I suppose). Today, he fed himself one wedge of a tomato-zucchini frittata, one slice of wholemeal bread, 3/4 of a golden kiwi and 12 grapes (cut in halves). Everything has to be chopped up into Jordy-palm-sized pieces, and amazingly, he will feed himself the whole lot, thus freeing me up to have my own lunch alongside him. Very nice and civilised turn of events I must say.

* NO, he is still not saying many words. He now uses "CAR" to encapsulate everything good in his life. "Car" can mean anything from car, truck, bus, cold, cow, food. But he reserves "Bye" for motorcycles and bicycles. "Mum" means me or "Feed me mum, I'm in desperate need of nourishment."

* YES, he loves his new trike, and can hang out in it (when he's not too tired) for a good 45 minutes while I wheel him around the neighbourhood. He particularly loves it when I go up to a few of his neighbourhood doggie friends for an up-close-and-personal canine experience. Of special interest are the noses and ears of dogs.

Oops, huge thunderstorm happening right now, and Jordy isn't settling for his afternoon nap! Gotta go hang out with the boy and his favourite little sheepie. Later!

Happy 1st Birthday Jordy! We Made It!

Dear Jordy,

Happy Birthday to you, our wonderful not-so-little man. I'm on one hand amazed and excited, and on the other ever-so-slightly wistful, that we're all of us here, at this milestone in your life.

Looking at the modest little movie* Daddy and I made to honour this day, the photos and videos do capture some of the tiny, miraculous moments that have come to pass this first year of your being. But what they don't capture is how so subtly, our lives have acquired that much more resonance. As if you've come along and made what was once a perfectly adequate flower bed into a Van Gogh sunflower field. Yes, all the mad swirls of paint included!

Before you came along, I wondered how we would fare as parents, or more precisely, how I would fare as a mum. Your dad I knew, was MEANT to be a dad. If anyone was more suited to dadhood, well, I just hadn't met or heard of them I guess. But your ol' mum here? Well, that's a different matter, heh.

Where your dad has the patience and forebearance of a saint (nay, an aunty out to redeem her coupons: think here of an aunty who will wait serenely for hours to redeem a $2 item with 20 coupons and you get where I am coming from), your mum is err, let's just say a little more hot-headed and temperamental. I am quick to anger but quick to forgive!

Well, I was more than slightly worried about how I'd deal with things when you fussed or cried, and true enough, the first couple of weeks of your life did test me (though now in hindsight, as far as babies go, we pretty much struck jackpot! You never had colic, fussed occassionally in the evenings the first few weeks of your life, and first slept through at three months... but I didn't know then what I know now!). And your dad and I, well we worked as a team, and that team then grew to include you.

Well, if one thing I have learnt from your first year, is that, you, Jordy the Lordy of the House, have taught me how to be a mum; and I think you were a pretty good teacher at that. You taught me that one bad night does not a bad week make, that a child's laugh can heal most anything, that there is magic in sitting at a bus stop and looking at traffic go by, that success is family life writ large, and most importantly, that spaghetti sauce is just spaghetti sauce AND WILL WASH OUT OF MY HAIR SO GET OVER IT.

You, my friend, have taught me to let go of certain things and value what is important. And for that, I am ever grateful.

Well, there is still cake to be had and toys to be played with on this day, so I will end off this special birthday missive with a little blessing that your gong gong sent to the family to commemmorate your birth a year ago.

May each word hold true in your life.

Love,
Your Mum xxoo

Irish Blessing

I wish you not a path devoid of clouds,
Nor a life on a bed of roses,
Not that you might never need regret,
Nor that you should never feel pain.

No, that is not my wish for you.

My wish for you is:
That you might be brave in times of trial,
When others lay crosses upon your shoulders,
When mountains must be climbed,
And chasms are to be crossed;
When hope scarce can shine through.

That every gift God gave you might grow along with you,
And let you give the gift of joy to all that care for you.

That you may always have a friend who is worthy of the name,
Whom you can trust, and who helps in times of sadness.
Who will defy the storms of daily life at your side.

One more wish I have for you.
That in every hour of joy and pain you feel God close to you.
This is my hope for you now and forever.
This is my wish for you and all who care for you.

* This is our first attempt at a video using Windows Movie Maker. Very simple to use, and we're kinda proud of the product. Enjoy!

Turnip Fourth Wedding Anniversary

Happy fourth wedding anniversary to me and D! According to tradition (British that is), the fourth anniversary is the fruit and flower anniversary. That's rather lovely isn't it? Better than paper and cotton I reckon! Four years ago this day, we had a blast on a balmy evening in Sentosa. It wasn't our first wedding though. That honour went to a small ceremony several months before which took place in Glenfalloch Gardens in Dunedin.

It was wonderful having two weddings. Two dresses, two sets of music playlists, two cakes, two bouquets (though the second time I just held a gerberra), two parties in two hemispheres!


Sadly, we're missing out on our good friend Lichelle's wedding in the Philippines this weekend. We missed her first wedding in Barcelona. We just thought it would be too much travel too soon for the little Turnip. Ah well, from us to you Lichelle and Rafa, have a beautiful day. And a beautiful life ahead! Two weddings is so the way to go!

So we'll stay back this long National Day weekend in hazy Singapore, and hang out with Jordy as he officially turns one on Monday. What an achievement Jordy!

And on the subject of achievements, Jordy had his first taste of Vegemite this morning! I spread it on a brown rice cracker and his Kiwi side certainly came out. He was shaking his legs as he wolfed it down! This clip was taken right after the Vegemite moment. He had, by then, progressed on to a few Cheerios. Notice the contentment.

Anyway, presenting: How much is that doggy in the window? (Note: I am not known for the accuracy of song lyrics when I sing.)

Happy 11th Month Birthday, Jordy!

Birthday jaunt in the park. You had fun rolling your car all over the grass!

Dear Jordy,

Happy 11th month birthday! Life is getting more and more exciting in the Turnip household. It's almost like you are going into hyperdrive - and I don't mean just your crawling speed.

I'm talking about all the things you are learning to do! Every day, you'll do something to surprise me and make me clap and cheer you on. Like today, you managed to match the circle piece into your shape sorter more than twenty times! And each time, I'd cheer and clap you'd lean over and plant a kiss on my lips!

I didn't manage to capture you putting the circle block in its proper place 'cos I was too busy clapping! So this is a photo of one of your initial attempts!

So, the latest tricks you've got under your belt this past month include:

* Putting things inside containers, from blocks, to coloured rings, to cars, to soft toys, into all manner of pails, boxes, bowls, drawers etc.

* Your first words: "Mum-mum" for food, and me! and "Car" for cars, trucks, tractors and motorbikes! The last few days, you've been saying "Ca-ow" for your toy cow and sheep! You say "Pla" for plane and helicopter!

* Waving and clapping: Once you started you now don't stop. You favourite thing to clap at is when you are in the high chair and I bring your lunch over to you. I've also seen you clapping at the Baby Einstein puppets. Especially when the Wheels on the Bus comes on!

* Rolling your cars all over the house while crawling: This is one of your signature activities these days. You roll the cars on any surface, from the floor, to the carpets, over sofas, at a 90 degree angle on the fridge, into the bathroom (!), and today all over the grass at Keppel Marina!

* Kisses for everyone: You went from kissing all your animals on your Old MacDonald poster before naptime, to kissing any soft toy, your bath toys (!!),and me and daddy! It's the most wonderful thing in the world to get a Jordy smooch. You may look fierce to those who don't know you, but we know that you really are a softie... A loving, lovable softie :)

* Walking with your walker: I didn't manage to catch you on video when you were at your most boy-racer-ish, but you were hooning around today for a long time! Clever boy!

* And you're becoming a little bit more sophisticated when you dine! For example, I gave you asparagus for the first time today and you could not get enough of it. I had to ration your portion as I read that asparagus can give you a bloated tummy. So didn't want you to be uncomfortable, but boy, you would've finished off the lot if you had your way... And you're now eating grapes as is (I cut them up into quarters)! And little cubes of bread and cheese, and of course, you LOVE Cheerios.

Now Jordy, I know you may find this catalogue of tiny miracles slightly mundane. You're probably thinking, "What's the fuss about, mum? I'm just being me! Stop fluffing about!".

Well, there. You've said it like a little pro. You are being you, and I feel like a million bucks (sometimes, a tired, wrung-out million bucks) being able to witness your coming into your own.

This time next month, you'll be ONE! Agh! ONE!!! One. Whole. Year.

Is there a word for time seeming to fly, but yet grinding down to a halt some days? I'm not sure but that's what it's been like these past months. The days can pass slowly sometimes, but then suddenly, I look at you, like, really look at you, and then I can see how you've changed just from the day before.

It's perplexing and wonderful all in the same heartbeat.

Ok Mr J, at your present trajectory, you might even be reading this blog next year (spot the biased parent!), so I'm going to keep listing these little milestones. If anything, mummy is remembering how to spell and write grammatically. The hundredth reading of your favourite book "Diggers and Dumpers" does take its toll you know!

Love you lots and lots,

Your mum xxoo

Jordy the Magician

We'll let the video speak for itself. This is how he occupies himself these days! Mum and dad are much entertained.

A Round of Applause for the Gentleman in the Hot Seat Please!

OK, first up, to the people who read this blog regularly, my apologies for the rather long silence on my end! I've just been having too good a time these last few weeks with mum-in-law extraordinaire Maree who was in town from wintry Dunedin.

To make up for the unforgivable hiatus, please find below a video taken today of the Jordy clapping! Yes, for the first time! Not that I'm one to get too paranoid about reaching of milestones but he was slightly overdue on this one! Well, I guess he makes up for it in terms of his rapid progress with the little ol body of his. The stuff he gets up to now truly keeps me on my toes.



I'll post more on what we've been getting up to these past weeks, the major highlight of which was our family holiday to Bintan! For Bintan virgins, D and I were rather impressed overall with the place. Water was lovely, resort was pretty decent (service slow and kampong-like but hey, we were on holiday and I only used the phrase "This is unacceptable!" twice, haha!) and our villa, magnificent and just the right thing for all eleven of us! Yup you heard me right! D + me + Jordy + MIL + Mum + Sis + Her Husband + her three kids + Aunty Aida, her helper. Only person who was missing was my poor dad who was completely immersed in preparations for the Asian Youth Games. We missed the ukelele, dad!

Highlights of our first Turnip family beach holiday include:

*Lovely villa we stayed in, with its own private pool. We never even made it to the main pools at Bintan Lagoon.


* Going for joyrides in our buggy.


* Chilling out with the whole family. Puppets and Bananagram were the orders of the day.


* And the beach that was 200 metres away from our villa!


Note: All photos except for the last are courtesy of Mama Maree. The last amazing family shot is taken by brother-in-law and photographer-with-the-uncanny-eye, Les! Thanks so much :)

Jordy's Latest Magic Trick!

As you can see, we are now all rather hooked on video Chez Turnips. Especially now that I've finally figured how to use the darned camcorder (note to all: do not buy JVC Everio harddisk camcorder. Not intuitive.).

Anyway, back to the video. It's really amazing how you can spend hundreds of dollars on "developmental" and "age-appropriate toys" but what ends up being the firm favourite is an empty yogurt container. That, and any drink bottle and wet wipe pack.

A Belly-Full of Laughter

This is the first time I've ever posted a video anywhere. Hope it works!

ps: This is of Jordy watching Baby Einstein's Baby Noah this afternoon after a whole morning at the beach!