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.)

Jordy's First Birthday Party, A Prologue on Cake

Wow! I'm writing this after Jordy's first birthday party (his real birthday isn't till the 10th but we thought we'd celebrate a week early as it is a long weekend next week) and we all had a truly lovely time. Birthday boy included!

I'll post more on the birthday party itself in a later post, but I just wanted to capture how much fun we had making his cake. This, despite D's and my differing cake visions (which resulted in a bit of a marital row). Now bear in mind that previous cake decoration attempts were rather harmonious. I mean, just check out our A380 cake from 2005!

I'll elaborate. I basically spent most of yesterday baking - I made three tiers of a 9" round cake, and one loaf tin. With only one round silicone baking tin, that meant baking three times. Used a recipe I gleaned from the superb Betty Crocker cookbook (the retro one that comes in a large ring binder?) - it was the first time I've used Cake Flour instead of plain or self-raising and I think it made all the difference. And the recipe used a surprisingly small amount of butter and sugar so all the more I was for it.

Anyway, baking while looking after a very active baby does have its challenges. Jordy cooperated, sleeping exactly when he was supposed to, and playing nicely while I did the mixing of ingredients. So, what did I do while spending much of the day in the kitchen by a hot oven?

I had cake visions. See, I planned a three-tier round cake, with two little boxy cars made out of rectangles cut from the loaf. Two Volvos on a road if you will, with giant piped letters "Brrm Brrm" below.

So cue this morning, when I am beside myself with excitement at the prospect of making frosting and finally decorating the cake (all bakers know this is the fun part in the whole process). And along comes D with his alternative cake vision.

What the ?#@!, you may so rightly ask. Give the poor mum/baker/coolie her time in the decorating chair! Let her do it her way! But noooo, D came along with his own vision, of shaving the chocolate cake-loaf to resemble one ginormous car that would take up the whole cake, and that just messed with my head y'know?

But guess what? Yes, like an Aesop fable, this story does have a little moral, which is this: Keep an open mind, and the (cake) universe may just fall into place.

So. After whining for a bit, I told myself to let go and voila, two cake visions culminated into one huge, wonderful cake for Jordy's first birthday party!

Presenting you, a little photo-essay entitled: Cake, The Making of.

Firm foundations: Three 9" Round Tiers and a Chocolate Loaf

D sculpting a car out of the chocolate loaf

I requested a little urban hatchback and my wish was granted!

Next, ice the car in a sunny yellow, and notice the innovative use of the better half of an oreo for wheels!

We make a road out of chocolate pebbles and wafer crumbs, and pipe in windscreens, windows and door handles.

We decide at the last minute to make eyes and a face, and I'm told by my nephews that the car turned out looking a lot like Lightning McQueen (and I never saw the movie!)

Last step: Place the ubiquitous "1" candle on cake, place birthday boy in front of cake, cue birthday song on ukelele, and a festive occasion you shall have!

Weekend at the Fairmont

Enjoying the paper on the God-only-knows-how-many threadcount sheets.

Jordy recovered from his fever just in time to enjoy a weekend at the Fairmont. Poor D was down with a scratchy throat but had a good time anyway. What we missed out in terms of swimming in the lovely hotel pool we more than made up for in terms of eating! Argh. Have to go back to a more disciplined me come Monday.

The cot provided by the hotel was a big hit with Jordy, think it's something to do with the higher thread count cot sheets. And the cute Mickey Mouse toy and complimentary Kodomo baby bath and shower set was a hit with me!

King of the cot!

We spent most of our time hanging out in the room - we even brought Jordy's favourite toy of the moment, his walker. Which he proceeded to explore every crevice of the room with, and then, not content to merely walk within the four walls of our room, he proceeded to the great wide yonder.

It was like scenes from a dream unfolding - never-ending corridors, all plush and cool, perfect for our fledging walker to speed on. I asked D if it might be a bit like a bad dream, but he said, nah, it's more like a really good one for Jordy!

He started at the lift lobby, admiring himself in the mirror:

Ooooh. Shiny...

Then realised that the corridors just went on and on:

Woo hoo!

And on:

Whee!

It was like witnessing Odysseus returning home after the Trojan War. Or should that be Jordysseus?

After what seemed like a long time walking, Jordy decided to stop for a nice view with his dad.

Jordysseus pauses to take in the view of his kingdom (I'm tempted to make a bad pun on Ithaca, like, Itaka - Takashimaya, get it? Haw, haw, Sorry I know I have sealed my geekhood with this comment).

In all, a lovely, dare I say, restful weekend! Our Mr J loved the cot and slept right though, even through the booming National Day fireworks (he woke briefly at 10pm but I shan't complain)! Amazing.

And in the morning, we all got up around 6ish (rather Jordy got up and played then threw his sheep out of the cot and yelled for us), watched the sun come up over the city, had breakfast at McDonald's (EVIL. eeeeevil) and then went for a lovely walk by the waterfront. Returned just in time for Jordy's morning nap. Dad had a read of The Children's Book and a little snooze, and Mum carried on her rediscovery of the sublime splendour that is The Sandman (I'm doing my annual re-reading of all 75 issues you see).

All the previous times we've done our Fairmont weekends (thanks mum for your annual Christmas and Birthday presents!), it's just been as a quiet twosome, always going out for lovely meals, strolls, some shopping, endless trips to Cedele, a massage or two thrown in, lazing by the pool. I kinda wondered how it would all be with our new permanent flatmate thrown in, and I must say, he adapted rather well (maybe a bit too well!) to resort living. Can see us having a bit of a blast in years to come!

Halyey Westenra does Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin at World Games 2009

I just love this performance. NZ's own Hayley Westenra truly has an ethereal voice.

Oh, and thanks for everyone's concern! Jordy is now almost back to normal. After his fever abated yesterday morning, he developed a light rash. We went to the doctor for the third night in a row, and he advised us that it was quite common, and the rash was nothing to be concerned about. True enough, by this morning, the rash has all bt cleared up. Jordy is also back to 80% of his normal appetite (still rejecting golden kiwifruit but pretty much finished lunch and dinner) and we're spending the weekend at a luxurious room at the Fairmont Singapore! Fluffy hotel bedlinen here we come!

Fever in the Morning, Fever When You Hold Me Tight

Poor Jordy has been down with a fever since yesterday afternoon. It all started in the weekend, when he seemed rather listless while his mama and gong gong were babysitting him while D and I went to watch Harry Potter (excellent by the way!). He then refused most of his dinner (MOST unlike him) but still slept through till morning.

On Monday, we went to Polliwogs in the afternoon with Sandy and Olive, and Jordy was definitely not himself. Something was bothering him, he was drooling a fair bit, and just unable to settle down and play happily. Poor thing. He slept well that night though.

Tuesday, we had our usual playground date with Pearly and Dylan, Jordy was a little cranky, though he had fun zooming his cars around the jungle gym. He settled well in his afternoon nap, and when he awoke, greeted me with a monkey grin. When I picked him up from the cot, he felt like a little hot lump of coal. Took his temperature and it was 38.6! Freaked out a bit, as he's never had such a high temperature before. Decided to monitor his temperature and it climbed steadily.

When D came home, we decided to bring him to our neighbourhood GP, and when Jordy was seen by the doc at around 7.30pm, had a temperature of 39.4 degrees! Migoodness, he also showed his err, Samson-ite tendencies by struggling to break free of daddy's arms and not wanting to show the nice doc his tongue. Ah well, we were prescribed Brufen and Paracetamol, told to dress him in cooling clothes, give him regular tepid sponge baths and monitor his temperature.

Today, D worked from home, and Jordy woke up at 6am and took two short naps. In between, he played, but not with his usual verve. And he didn't get the hang of, just sit back and relax and read a book, so into his comfy chair he went and we let him watch THREE (!) Baby Einsteins today. If anything, it enabled him to just sit and rest, and not try beating his timelaps by walking around the house!

In the afternoon, I brought him for a drive and a short walk to return our library books, but by the time I returned home after an hour, his fever had spiked again to 39.4. So off we went to the lovely doc again (who didn't charge us, bless his soul) and were again told to just monitor him, as he still looked "feisty" (doc's word not mine! haha) and was well-hydrated (even though he only ate half his lunch and NONE of his dinner. merely has a few spoonfuls of yogurt and strawberry, and only about a cup of water all day... how?! oh and about 75% of his normal milk intake). If the fever goes past 40 degrees, doc's advice was to send him to KK where they can rule out, amongst other things, bacterial infection.

But doc's guess is that Jordy has a viral fever. More than one friend has warned me to watch out for Roseola, so I'm going to keep checking for any tell-tale rashes. And of course, with H1N1, Hand Foot Mouth, and all kinds of other scary things out there, I'm alternating between chilled out and trying-to-be-calm mum of feverish child, and oh-my-god-I-need-to-google-those-symptoms-first-timer-mum.

ACK! Anyway, tomorrow D needs to be at work so I'll be going solo with a poorly (but strong) baby so wish me luck!

The Ball Pit at Polliwogs and a Declaration

Jordy had his first ever play in the ball pit yesterday. The guy just dove right in and had a blast. Then about five minutes later decided it was a bit too much and wanted to crawl around the huge padded playground at Polliwogs instead!



He also managed to hold his own amongst the older kids who were running around maniacally (aside: oh god, is that what is in store for us?!). He politely side-swiped a much bigger boy who was trying to push him off the slide and only crawled away when he was good and ready. Good on you, Jordy!


Just realised I didn't manage to get pictures of him with the other babies. We met Constance and Isaac there, and a few of her mum and bub friends. Quite lovely to see so many other babies so close in age to Jordy. One thing for sure, on the nature vs nurture debate, I'm veering towards nature. There are some traits in Jordy which I just think are just HIM. He didn't learn this fierce streak of independence from me, he's got a very strong sense of self and is confident when playing. He's not a lap baby (i.e. baby who likes to sit on mum's lap) and prefers to wander off by himself. Actually, he sounds like his dad. Hmm, ok so maybe I don't have the nature vs nurture thing all wrapped up.

Anyway, it's just amazing watching his personality and preferences unfold. We were feeding him lunch at Coffee Bean yesterday and he was jumping up and down in his high chair when we laid out his bread on the high chair table, and proclaiming very excitedly when he saw the yogurt container. I mean, who taught him to do that?! He was so entertaining that an American guy in the table next to us (they were separated by a glass screen) came over after his meal and thanked Jordy for entertaining him all through lunch with his cuteness. He tried to interest Jordy in the glasses on top of his head but Jordy just stared at him and carried on chewing his teething ring.

Ah well, all these experiences this past year have provided much inspiration and fodder for a possible short story or book I think. I've always dreamt but never really had the courage to put pen to paper (or rather, finger to keyboard), but several conversations in the past weeks have given me quite a lot of encouragement and hope. Ah well, I may not be a J. K. Rowling writing Harry Potter from a cafe (and she was a single mom some more!), but I really need to knuckle down and DO SOMETHING.

Anyway, the first step is actually committing this in writing in a public space, i.e. this blog, which is probably only read by like five people (you know who you are!) but it's a start. So be ye the first to know, that I, Camel Mummy to Jordy, intend to finally start work on a draft of something-or-other. May take a few years but hey, to borrow an adage, the longest manuscript begins with a single word.

The Children's Book, by A S Byatt

I'm not sure I'll find a book to top this one for quite some time.

This is, put simply, my favourite book in recent memory - and not just because the cover is sumptuously beautiful!

Byatt's Possession is one of my favourite books of all time, but my attempts at reading her other works have been dismal. So with trepidation, I started on her latest offering The Children's Book. Needn't have feared as, though it was complex and difficult at times, the book was so well-thought out, so meticulously researched and perfectly plotted, that I felt the twin urges of speeding through it to find out what happens to the characters, and poring over every word and detail as the writing was so stunning.

Set in Edwardian England, the book is a masterful tapestry of the domestic and the epic - somehow managing to convey both the tiniest details of fin de siecle life and the meta forces that swirl around our flock of characters. And what sets The Children's Book apart from most other books I've read in recent years, what puts it in a different stratosphere, is Byatt's ability to galvanise all her analysis, her historical research, her wonderful use of well-known figures of the time into something altogether new. The power of her descriptive writing made me feel like I was right there at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, or in the dark shadows of a German puppet theatre. Of particular delight was her exploration of different fairy tales, how Grimm's Cinderella was the misshapen-twin-in-the-attic to Disney's technicolour offering to the world.

This book has something for everyone. It is also quite possibly, the BEST value-for-money read out there. And I cringe to think we spent the equivalent buying Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game, which as David put it, is Dan Brown in Barcelona.

So. Read it, read it, read it. Certainly some of the best few afternoons and evenings spent in my life :)

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 :)

Happy 10th Month Birthday, Jordy!

Your newest trick is to ball up your fist when I say "close!" and to show me your palms when I say "open!". Clever boy!

Dear Jordy,

I can't believe you're 10 months old today! You're turning more and more into the little communicator everyday. And I daresay you have a career ahead in management from the way you look at me when you're hungry and shout urgently in an increasingly audible tone, "mum-mum, MUM-MUM, MUUUM-MUUUM!" Which results in a scurry of activity on my part!

For the most part, you love posing for the camera. When you do, the result is usually rather nice, like the picture above. When you don't, things turn out like so:

"Hmmmmm? Just a sec mum, this cud is sooo chewy..."

Well, your 10th month birthday started out like most other days, you got up, daddy changed you then gave you your milk, then I gave you your cereal. After which you played on all your various favourite toys (or the Stations of the Jordy as I have come to term them). You go bash a bit on your walker, then you play peek-a-boo and spot-the-wheel with the car that Aunty Pearly and Dylan gave you, then it's taking out everything in your little red pail - blocks, teethers, rattles, assorted plastic bits from other toys - and seeing what happens when they bang against each other or the floor, then you say hi to your teddy bear and Percy the pig, then you crawl over to the music table and play deejays for a bit, and then it's on to the stroller where you embody man's primordial fascination with the wheel, then you come see mummy in the kitchen and play with your kitchen magnets, then you look so sweaty so mum gives you some water, and then I read you some books and then, it's time for a nap!

Phew! Just typing that made me rather tired.

Anyway, so after you woke up, I took you to the library to get a bunch of new books, and boy did we strike gold! It's the school holiday promotion and we got double our quota each of books, that means you got to borrow 8 books on your card, and I got to borrow 16! Here's what you helped mummy to pick out for you. Oh and I got five Baby Blues comics too. What a treat!

We HEART the library.

You were starving by the time we got back but thank goodness I had everything planned out so you got to have you favourite brown rice and fish mornay (we love Annabel Karmel right?) on your new IKEA plate! You finished the lot and still said "Mum-Mum, MUM-MUM" so I gave you some apple, mango and yogurt. Then you ended off by having three red grapes! Goodness. Daddy will need to work a second job to feed you, young man.

Badly taken picture of brown rice and fish mornay.

Anyway dear Jordy, I just wanted to say how fun it is hanging out with you*. I'm really, really glad I took the year off to take care of you and watch you sprout into the strapping lad you are now! It was, and is, hard work at times (you try changing four pooey diapers a day!) but I wouldn't trade it for anything**.

And now that you're almost walking, it's just going to get so much more fun (and frenetic)! We'll explore parks, feed ducks and fish in ponds, play on swings, hang out with your friends in all sorts of cool places, go to the pool, y'know, it'll just be like the Jack Johnson song, this city'll be our jungle gym! Oh and on that note, wanted to link into your friend Poppy's blog as she posted some wonderful pics of our day out to Keppel Marina and West Coast Park!

Hanging out with Olive and Poppy at Keppel Marina.

Anyway we're still halfway through your 10 month birthday so better go get ready for your playdate with Isaac and Jasmine, your Gymboree buddies! Of course, mummy will do the getting ready while you continue with your zzzzs.

OK bubs, just wanted to say a huge happy birthday to you, and can't wait for many, many more. And yes, you will be able to have cake on your first birthday. Don't you worry your (not-so-little) self about that!

Love,
Your mum


*most of the time, but not when you start screaming loudly in the Vivocity Tangs bedlinen section.

**except, MAYBE a spa holiday in Bali or a cruise to Alaska.

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!

A(n Almost) Mid-Year Book Revue

I can't believe it's almost June, and that it's been more than two months since I last posted a book review. Now that Jordy's nights are mostly settled, and he's pretty great at playing on his own on occasion, I've had more of a chance to get stuck into some good reading, even when he's not napping in the daytime! (Picture this: Just after breakfast, Jordy spends twenty minutes moving from toy to toy, babbling to each and chilling out, while mum enjoys a cup of tea and a short but intense read. HEAVEN! I don't know long this phase will last but I am relishing it while I can...)

Anyway, in between re-reading collections of Baby Blues and Get Fuzzy I borrow from the library, as well as the baby food bible by Annabel Karmel, here's a quick camel revue of what's kept me going cerebrally these past months:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Recommended to me by MIL extraordinaire, I couldn't put this book down. The blurb on the dust cover didn't sound too promising. Just wasn't something I would normally pick up, but I am SO GLAD I DID. The book retells the story of the Old Testament's Dinah, daughter of Jacob (brother of Esau and son of Isaac) and sister of Joseph (yes, he of the technicolour dreamcoat fame). In the bible, Dinah's story is almost a footnote; she is taken (in the Biblical sense) by an Egyptian prince, and her brothers avenge her honour. In The Red Tent, Diamant gives voice to many of the women in Genesis: Dinah, her mothers Leah and Rachel, her grandmother Rebecca, and Sarah before her. The themes of family, sisterhood, motherhood, loyalty, diaspora, autonomy and the self are all given voice by the different characters. The most compelling thing about the book was just the level of research Diamant had obviously done when describing the rituals, myths, beliefs and general day-to-day living of the characters. I've since found out this is a perennial book club favourite and I can see why. Loved it.

Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
I think this is the first autobiography I've ever read. If you don't count the Diary of Anne Frank and Boy by Roald Dahl. I started reading it when Adrian and Sally were staying with us (they had a copy) and was hooked from the first page. Excellent prose, and made me think very nostalgically of The West Wing. In fact, now that there is nothing to watch on TV anymore, I think it's time for our annual re-visit of all seven seasons. Bring it on!


Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
Jordy's Mothers' Day gift to me. Thank you, you psychic baby! Interconnected short stories by the true master of the fallible narrator, this absolutely did not disappoint. The trademark first person narrators were a leitmotif, along with the themes of recalibrated dreams, ambition and resulting determination, all set to a beautiful sonorous prose. The whole thing felt... autumnal. More so than The Remains of the Day if that's possible!


The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Slightly tougher to read than the others, but well worth it. Verbally dazzling prose - the most original writing I've come across in some time. Pretty much in the genre of American immigrant writing, the story revolves around the lives of the unfortunate protagonist Dominican-American Oscar, his sister, his mother and her father. It deals with the harrowing history of the Dominican Republic under dictator supreme Trujillo, and the resulting diaspora to the US. It transcends your typical immigrant story because of the fresh mode of telling (which, without giving away too much, makes use of a copious amount of footnotes!). I also love the fact that the narrator is a manic, LOTR-quoting yet hot-blooded male. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it in the end.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Wonderful. Visceral. Unputdownable. Can't believe I never read it till now. Developed a minor crush on Mr Bourdain halfway through the book, then made the mistake of googling him, and realising that he's since divorced his highschool sweetheart Nancy, and shacked up with a woman half his age. They have a young daughter too. But back to the book. Now I know never to order mussels from most restaurants, never order fish on a Monday, and I'm never looking at Hollandaise the same way again.

Just Another Kid by Torey Hayden
Yet another book I would not normally read. From recollection, this is from my cousin J (thanks so much). Never really felt in the mood to read it, then spotted it two days ago on the bookshelf next to my love/hate Gina Ford The Contented Little Baby Book (I'd filed it under parenting you see). Well, this booked knocked me out! By knock out, I mean, I was stealing away to read a page here and there over the last days and managed to finish it this morning while Jordy was conducting an experiment involving his buzzy bee and an empty yogurt container. Written by a special ed teacher and child psychologist, it's a memoir of a year she spent teaching six special needs kids somewhere in the US. Particularly interesting as the book is highly contextual (written in 1988) and three of the kids she teaches were sent to live with relatives in America from Belfast, where they were traumatised from living right in the midst of the troubles in Northern Ireland. Can't believe the amount of non-fiction I am getting through these days. S-t-r-a-n-g-e but true!

Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
I started this comic series at series 2 I know. But then, Page One had run out of Series 1 and D had gotten me a couple for my birthday and I so badly wanted them and you get the idea. Anyway, I LIKE! Can't wait to get stuck into it again (Thanks A for lending me the first series so I can get the proper back story).

What am I going to read next?

Think it's more Baby Blues tonight, and think I'll also read the graphic novel Waltz with Bashir. D said it was pretty powerful, then I might read a book D borrowed from his boss called The Impressionist, or maybe some Neil Gaiman: Fragile Things (Thanks Sandy!)?

Interlude: Baby Food Recipes

Been meaning to post an update on Jordy's gastronomic adventures through middle earth, but haven't really found the time nor energy. Our days are mostly filled with going to the park and playing in various sandpits around the island, so by evening time, I'm usually too sun-addled to do more than sit on the couch and watch TV. And what a few weeks of TV it has been with American Idol reaching fever pitch. Now that it's over, and I'm still recovering from Adam not winning (HOW, tell me HOW was that possible?!), I'm wondering what to fill the empty desert lands of summer TV programming with.

Ah but I digress. This is meant to be an update on Jordy's culinary journey, and boy is it getting more and more exotic and fun. The last two weeks saw the introduction of more sophisticated fare like strawberries and golden kiwis, and just last week, his first muffin! Homemade corn and cheese muffins! He wasn't sure of it at first, I suspect because he wasn't that hungry when I let him try it, but now, he's a convert!

So at exactly 9.5 months of age, this is an updated list of what he's ingested thus far (sorry to bore non-mum readers out there, but this record is really for posterity and who knows, Jordy might just find it interesting one day):

Fruits
Pear
Apple
Banana
Peach
Apricot
Prune
Honeydew
Papaya
Mango
Watermelon
Kiwifruit (golden)
Strawberry
Orange
Grapes
Raisins

Vegetables
Sweet potato
Carrots
Parsnips
Peas
Broccoli
Spinach
Leeks
Potato
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Avocado
Pumpkin
Tomato
Onion
Garlic
Red lentils
Celery
Corn
Butternut squash
Red pepper

Meat
Fish (Ling, blue cod, threadfin, tuna, garoupa)
Chicken
Beef

Dairy
Cheese (Cheddar - Mild and Tasty, Edam, Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
Yogurt (plain and Greek style)
Butter (unsalted)
Milk (full-fat)

Carbs
Pasta (spaghetti, alphabet)
Rice (white and brown)
Oats
Barley
Rice cereal (white and brown)
Bread (Sunshine enriched softmeal bread, both toasted and untoasted)

Snacks
Crackers (various flavours, various brands, a mixture of cheap and cheerful and riculously expensive organic stuff that is gobbled up way too quickly)
Rusks and toothie pegs

Condiments and spices
Cinnamon
Peppercorns
Bayleaf
Thyme
Parsley
Sage
Basil
Oregano
Balsamic vinegar
Vanilla

Oh, and those muffins I was telling you about? Adapted from a recipe I found on the Baby Whisperer forum. My adapted version is reproduced below:

Corn & Cheese Muffins (Makes 12 regular or 24 mini muffins)

380g pack of corn kernels (washed and drained)
1 1/2 cups plain yoghurt (360 ml)
1/4 cup olive oil (50ml)
1 large egg
100g grated cheese (mild cheddar or edam)
2 cups self-raising flour (225g)
1/4 cup milk, if required (50 ml)


Preheat oven to 200 C or 190 C for fan ovens. Put rack just below middle of oven.

Pulse corn in blender if muffins are for younger baby (I did).

Mix yoghurt, oil & egg well together. Add in corn and cheese.

Put flour in a big bowl. Pour in the liquid mixture and begin to fold together. If you think the mixture looks too dry add the extra milk and fold JUST enough to combine. (Do not over-mix it - lumps are OK!)

Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray. Using two spoons divide the mixture evenly between the pans.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden-brown and centres spring back when pressed. Let the muffins cool in the pans for 2-3 minutes before tipping out.

I then use what I need and freeze the rest for picnics in the week!

I'm going to try a variation of this recipe soon, changing the corn and cheese to banana and apple juice! Will post the results of the Jordy taste test once done!

A Mothers' Day Birthday

Look at the gorgeously colourful spread of fruit, courtesy of Carrie and Mano! Jordy seemed rather nonplussed until he tasted strawberries and kiwis for the first time. Ker-ching!

I love the fact that Jordy turned nine months on Mothers' Day. Mothers' Day marked the moment he has been traipsing on this earth for longer than he was swirling around in ye olde belly. So apt, eh?

Anyway we started the day with a most lovely picnic with Mano and Carrie at new favourite hangout Labrador Park. The skies were portentous and threatening, and even spat a few drops of rain as we entered the carpark. But we decided to stay on and play things by ear just in case it cleared up, and I'm so glad we did! The weather turned out perfect for a picnic and a walk in the end.

Hiiiii...

We encountered all manner of bugs, saw some big ships and waves, the dog was walked and the baby slept. It was kinda perfect.

It got even more perfect when D looked after Jordy while I went for my first facial SINCE JORDY WAS BORN. From going every few weeks to a nine-month hiatus. Let's just say my facial lady greeted me with a very diplomatic, "Wah, Dora, ni gai bian le hen duo" (i.e. Wow Dora, you've err, CHANGED!"). I decided to take it in the best possible spirit and just blob out while she did her thing. Loverly!

Then it was on to gong gong and mama's for a Mothers' Day family barbeque and Ramly-burger-esque feast in the backyard. Much meat was had and even a salad or two. Aunty Aida displayed her magical cooking abilities to full effect and we even had a family ukelele jam, while Jordy bounced up and down on dad's legs.

Sizzles and strums

Jordy was happy enough hanging out in the playpen, munching on his new teething feeder. Thanks to Carrie for getting it from Robinsons! He really likes sucking on cold grapes and just today, I tried out some chilled strawberry as well and he loved that too!

Kampong boys

Then it was time for the mums to gather round and be feted (or rather, to cut the most excellent ice cream mudpie from Island Creamery).

ps: Thank you to Jordy for getting me the best Mothers' Day present! Kazuo Ishiguro's new book, Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall. I'm about halfway through it already and it is FABULOUS.

Mothers (and one toddler) of the world unite!

The Five Stages of Jordy

Every Friday, Jordy and I head into town to meet D for lunch. You'd think Jordy would get used to all this cafe-ing by now. Well, now that he's found mobility, let's just say that he craves action a lot more. And when he gets bored, he lets you know pretty unequivocably.

To see the five stages of Jordy boredom in real time... Scroll down, fast.

Hmmm, straps are pretty solid...

Nothing to look at either...

Finish your coffee...finish your coffee

Ngngngn...why don't they finish already...

Arrggghhhhhhhhh!

Boys and Sandpits

Two boys, one truck = Recipe for disaster?

What is it with boys and dirt?

I decided this week to see if Jordy would enjoy a stint in the sandpit at Labrador Park and he loved it so much, I took him back the next afternoon! And coming along for the ride was Jordy's Gymboree buddy, Isaac.

Oooo, sandy...

Anyway, some finer points about sand:

* Sand is to baby as toffee is to apple: little granules stuck everywhere and in every single crevice.
* Sand is to dump truck as swimming pool is to Jordy: they just GO.
* Sand is to Jordy's mouth as KFC is to people-who-like-that-greasy-stuff (i.e. me): finger lickin' good
* Sand is to mums as err, sand is to mums: you have a love-hate relationship with it; you love that your kid loves it but you hate the mess it makes!
* Sand is to Jordy's diaper as box of chocolate is to Forrest Gump:you never know what you're gonna get!

Jordy's signature move - the side swipe.

Anyway I really hope sand is ok for babies as, err, it's a bit too late to worry now. Jordy's ingested a pretty decent amount of the grainy stuff, along with his afternoon tea. So far he hasn't seemed to mind it too much, and it's made his diaper, just that little heavier! Haha.

Poster boy for the "Eat Dirt" Campaign

And since we're on the topic of firsts, I am SO SO happy to announce that Jordy had his first drink of formula yesterday afternoon (80ml - not bad for his first attempt in a sippy cup)! That's right! You heard me, we are officially starting the weaning process people! Woo hoo! Here's to no longer being slave to the boob and to no longer feeding a sometime-feral child with teeth! Sorry Jordy, sprouting teeth is good for eating cake and lasagne, but not for mum's boobs. *Cuddle*

PS: Thanks to Isaac's mum Constance for the lovely pics :)

"What's all the fuss about?"