Godpa James Pays a Visit!

Taken just before Godpa tried to give Diet Coke to godson. Harumph.

Godpa James came to visit over the long weekend just passed. We had a lovely time (and hope James did too! heh heh) in spite of Jordy being crankier than usual due to the emergence of his eighth tooth!

Jordy's mama very kindly Jordysat on Saturday evening so the three of us went for a rather spectacular dinner at the new NUS Guildhouse at the Cluny Road campus. We each had a four-course meal, and I think I did rather well choosing a cholesterol-friendly option. From recollection I had

- Salmon carpaccio with mesculun salad
- Lobster and lemongrass broth
- Steamed sea bass on this yummy cabbage thingy with some kind of mashed sweet potato (the menu made it sound much nicer than my attempt here)
- Chocolate cake with morello cherries and vanilla gelato (my one major LDL splurge for the evening)

Healthy (but yummy) main course

The men both had ultra fatty-looking lamb shanks, yeeesh! I'm thankful I went with the sea bass! It was also an exceptionally cool night, so much so that we turned off the outdoor air-conditioner pointed right at us. Was also very nostalgic dining in a campus. I think we all wanted to go off somewhere to do another degree. The short walk back to the car made me realise how much I miss academic life! Though I could do without the rich kids (law students most likely) parading around in their strange clothes and sports cars. God, I sound so old just typing that! Ah well.

Like old times

We returned home to find mama finishing up the Keira Knightley-version of Pride and Prejudice, so sat down and watched the last 10 minutes (the best part in my opinion) with her. Despite the teething crankiness, Jordy slept through but woke up bright and early on Sunday.

Before heading out to town.

We braved town on a weekend and went to ION, had a pretty great lunch at Marmalade Pantry (except the coffee sucked according to the men). Then Jordy threw his first humungous mall tantrum (after I repeatedly refused to let him go near the escalator, which we wanted to touch and walk on) - he arched his back, then curled himself up when I tried to pick him up. In the end, I scooped him up somehow and walked as quickly as I could into nearest store with distractions, which serendipitously turned out to be a cuckoo clock shop of all things! Of course he loved it, and started smiling again. This episode made me freak out a little at this new phase of Jordiness, especially since he is NOT A SMALL CHILD and is a challenge to contain. Will take each day as it comes and say OM repeatedly.

(Aside: After talking to Sandy yesterday, we agree that our kids at least, are not mall kids. They'd much rather hang out in the park, walking around and looking at leaves, than sitting in a stroller looking at purchasable items and people milling around. I don't blame them, shopping doesn't become much fun until you have the means to buy whatever you want!)

The next morning we left bright and early for Sentosa, where D took Jordy for a swim in the sea, I got completely soaked trying to take a picture of them (idiotic splashy tourist next to me) and James had a kaya waffle. Haha! We then went for a l-o-n-g walk (Palawan to Tanjong Beach and back, about an hour) in the hopes of settling Jordy for his morning nap. He went to sleep only 55minutes in the walk, but that left us with some time to get drinks from Coffee Bean after.

Couple of Baywatch extras

We zoomed home after Sentosa to change and meet Dean for lunch at Samy's curry. Delicious, I threw cholesterol caution to the wind and tucked into briyani rice, chicken tikka, bagadil, fried fish, pappadoms, dhal, and veges. I figure the occasional anomaly in my new low-bad-fat/high-good-fat diet is only human, and humane.

Jordy had his lunch too, then wanted to walk repeatedly up and down the garden path. No metaphorical puns intended. That's literally all he wanted to do. Oh, and to squat down and scrutinise the occasional leaf or cigarette butt. One thing this new phase is teaching me is patience. Patience, and to put myself into Jordy's (small) shoes and realise that every day is a new discovery. Even the metal grates that cover drains are of interest to him, along with tiny caterpillars on leaves, and to my squeamishness today, a not-that-well-concealed grasshopper!

After such a lunch, it was a unanimous decision to head somewhere for a chilled dessert. Sped round the corner to Island Creamery, where I had a scoop of their excellent Blackforest and Jordy tried to take over Dean's nutella ice cream. This was only his second ice cream experience, the first being on the day of his birthday. He experienced a full-body shiver, and was the dictionary definition of happy. He even delighted in biting on the disposable ice cream spatula. Then it was back home to see Godpa James off!

Not great lighting, but hey, at least we're all facing the same way!

Well, hope Godpa James comes back to visit soon! In anycase, will be seeing him in November when I take off on my first Jordy-less weekend ever, with the three other yummy mummies, for a weekend of everything and anything in Bangkok. Thanks to our amazing husbands for affording us this opportunity, and of course to our wonderful bubs who teach us each day what is important in life (e.g. an all-mum weekend away to recharge, heh heh!).

Walk This Way (Talk This Way)

I think it's quite official. Jordy's walking!

And by walking, I mean he's gone from shuffling one or two steps unassisted, to today's whopper of an effort walking from the ipod to the piano. For those of you who have never been to our apartment, that's about 15 Jordy steps!

Most times, he still prefers to hold on to one of our hands, and, like so, can walk around rather confidently for a good 10 minutes.



To honour his new found feet, I brought him to Clarks for his first proper shoe fitting. He is a 5G. I got him a sturdy pair of cruising shoes, which looked breathable enough for Singapore weather as well as our year-end trip to New Zealand.



It really is lots of fun walking around with him. Think this ushers in a WHOLE new era Jordy-wise, not to mention metabolism-wise!

Happy 13th Month Birthday, Jordy!

Extremely tickled by bubbles

Dear Jordy,

Happy, Happy 13th Month Birthday! We had a lovely day today despite the crazy heat. Had a relatively quiet morning playing with your toys at home, then going for a walk around the neighbourhood before lunch. After your second nap, we met up with BFF Olive, who just got back from the UK! We were so happy to see that she is back to her perky self and you two had a low-key afternoon hanging out at West Coast Park.

Mum holds the dinkiest automatic "xiao ding dang" bubble blowing machine while you chuckle in glee

The past month has really zoomed by, and I suspect this will be the way of things moving forward. Here's a tiny snapshot of you at 13 months:

* You love waving at everyone, and clapping your hands when you are happy.

* Your favourite body part at the moment is your bellybutton, which you can point to when we ask you "Where's Jordy's bellybutton?". You come over to me and pull my top up and poke at my navel when I ask "Where's mummy's bellybutton?" You can also point out mummy's hair, nose and ears when asked, as well as your own toes!

* You love putting on shoes, as well as matching shoes together on the shoe rack.

* You can now semi-read along to one of your favourite books "Moo, Baa, La La La". At certain pages, you will make the matching sound, like "Bow wow wow" for dog and you're especially cute when you try to say the title.

* You walked holding on only to my right hand, for almost 10 minutes in the park today. You have taken six independent steps so far!

* Just today, you started doing the Red Indian (sorry I know this is a horrible term, but Native American just seemed too patronising) war cry motion like on the cartoons of old, covering your mouth with your hand going "wa wa wa". Quite cute really.

* I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I will just end off this sundry list by saying that you are very surprising company right now. We never know what new "skill" you will acquire when, and it's all so exciting, watching your individuality unfold.

With BFF Olive at McCafe. Don't worry, Jordy had organic crunchy snacky things, Olive ate half a corn cob, and only the mums had evil things. And even then, I only had a lemon tea because of recent high cholesterol scare. Sigh.

Can't wait for you to toddle alongside Daddy in the weekend. I must admit that's s the image I had in my mind when I first learnt you were going to be a Jordan and not an, err, Jane. My two men walking on the water's edge.

Well, Dad's just emerged from your bedroom, and given me the thumbs-up sign, which must mean you are in dreamland. Have wonderful Birthday dreams Jordy. We love you very much.

xxoo
Your Mum

The Return of the Turnips (Or, Weekend at Rasa Sentosa)

Jordy slept through the self-guided tour of the beautiful grounds where his parents got married

Just came back from an amazing long weekend at Rasa Sentosa.

The last time we were there was for our Singapore-leg of the wedding, almost exactly four years ago! We lived it up in the honeymoon suite (that had a huge balcony which could comfortably fit more than 20 people) and received the most wonderful service. Now, four years later, baby in tow, we returned and quietly marvelled at how our lives have changed since. No more nightlife, for one!

We had three rooms in total, The Turnips in one, gong gong and mama in one, and the Three Musketeer cousins (and parents of course!) in the other. The rooms overlooked the sea, and it was magical watching the merry lights from the ships and boats sparkle on the horizon at night.

Jordy was a major champ, sleeping soundly in the hotel playpen (first time in a bed with mesh walls. He was a bit perplexed at first but adapted quickly), feasting like a hobbit on a mix of home-brought fruit, jarred baby food and to my happiness, some fishball noodles from the foodcourt the first dinner, and most of the chicken and vegetable broth we ordered from room service for lunch the next day. It was quite a milestone (for mummy at least) watching him eat "outside" food for the first time.

The only down side was the early morning waking we had - he woke at 5ish (!) on both mornings much to our dismay. Needless to say, we were one of the first guests at the breakfast buffet each day, haha. Oh yes, and Jordy very much liked the pancakes, waffles, blueberry sauce and fruits from the breakfast line.

In-room dining Turnip style

We made full use of Rasa's great facilities, swimming every day, playing basketball in the games arcade, and Jordy just loved the toddler's playroom. He climbed up the slide and swooshed down, hung out in a police car, and practiced his walking by pushing said police car all over the place. In between that, he loved playing with his toys in our room, and pushing his walker all through the corridors! He amazed us by pushing his walker into a lift filled with guests, standing patiently while the lift descended, then casually pushing his walker out when the lift reached his floor. What can I say, this kid is made for resort living.

"Is there a problem?" Constable Jordy asked.

The other major thing from the weekend was how he's coping better and better when eating out. He hangs out in his high chair for much longer stretches of time now (plied with entertainment of course. Things that work include: favourite books of a vehicular nature, containers and lids, toys that move and make noise like toy phones, plastic animals etc, utensils, teething rings, Cheerios and Gerber Puffs, his Tolo man, and little cars).

He's also sleeping a little later these days, around 7.45 to 8pm as opposed to the 7pm lights out of the previous year! So it was such a novel thing to have dinner with the whole family, and not be thinking something was amiss because we'd missed Jordy's bedtime. Definitely taken a year for me to vaguely relax a bit about the whole sleeping thing, and even then, I still get antsy when he takes a long time to settle (like tonight, about 40 minutes), but the good nights definitely outnumber the not-so-good nights.

Dinner with the whanau

Anyway, had a really restful time at Rasa, and finished reading Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book there as well. Full review to come, but in a nutshell, my favourite Neil Gaiman novel to date! Enjoyed it even more than American Gods! Now I'm back to reading my first "local" fiction in a long time, Suchen Christine Lim's The Lies that Build a Marriage. Fairly excellent so far, thanks heaps to Phil and Sandy for giving it to me. Ok it's 9.36pm and I'm sleepy. Off to bed!

Last Weekend

Jordy contemplates the flicker of a flame in his gorgeous kimono onesie from Aunty Janice all the way from Kyoto - what you cannot see though, are the unbuttoned buttons near his thigh due to err, severe poppage from his Incredible-Hulk-Thighs

I can't believe it's September already! I've never been more conscious of the passing of time. I think it's because I've spent the last couple of nights going through photos from the past year, and trying to fill in postdated entries into Jordy's baby book - I know, I know, I have been remiss in my duties as chief chronicler of milestones reached - but you know, there are trikes to be ridden, and many grapes to peel!

So last weekend. Started bright and early when I went for a comprehensive health check-up (free with my insurance plan, yay!) and had an ECG done for the first time. Strange and full of gel. Then had a most lazy breakfast while doing annual rereading of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, specifically, The Amber Spyglass - both the breakfast and the book were first rate. I scanned the papers looking for a morning movie to catch - this I must add, was the inspired suggestion of most wonderful D, who was spending father-son guy time with Jordy. Timings were such that the only ones that I was vaguely interested in were a) District 9, b) The Proposal. Gritty, ground-breaking Sci-Fi vs harmles, rom-com fluff. I went with the fluff, and was very pleased with my decision. The Proposal was extremely easy on the eye and brain, as were Ryan Reynold's abs and Sandra Bullocks lovely clothes. I even teared at a few points in the movie! Oh, and I got to check out the brand new cinemas at Iluma, which were lovely. There was only one other person at the 1045am screening. HEAVEN.

Then, went home feeling completely refreshed, and opened the front door to be greeted by the HUGEST smile from the hugest baby. Jordy scuttled over and gave me a hug. What a moment. D looked a little tired but he said he enjoyed his morning. Let's hope so, 'cos I'm hoping to make this a monthly affair! The Time Traveller's Wife next I think! On a random note, I probably didn't choose the best analogy when I exclaimed to David how my perfect morning felt like a scene in David Lean's Brief Encounter, one of my favourite movies.

Aunty Janice came and spent the afternoon with us, which was lovely. And gave Jordy the loveliest kimono-onesie outfit from Kyoto, pictured above. We hung out at home, then all trooped out to Labrador Park (after aborted attempt at going to West Coast Park which was FULL TO THE BRIM with kite fliers and their hangers-on) for a walk. Or rather Jordy rode on his trike and looked at wind sculptures and giant radars while the adults walked.

On Sunday, we went for the loveliest family lunch at Halia Restaurant in the Botanic Gardens. It was Ah Ee Amy's 74th birthday, though she honestly does not look a year older than 65! Jordy wore his little Japanese suit, and was delightfully behaved. The food and service were impeccable. I especially loved my dessert, which was a banana custard crepe and toasted nuts with chocolate clotted cream poured over, as below. And the cake. THE CAKE! That deserves its own post. Suffice to say, we know what we are going to order for my mum's 60th now. No more namby pamby cupcakes. The cake will be gotten from Choc-a-bloc. Yessiree.

I had to quell the urge to drink the chocolate clotted cream straight from the little cup.

While the adults enjoyed our four course meal, Jordy indulged in his own degustation menu. Here you see him on course number 4.5, golden Zespri with a garnish of Midnight Beauty seedless black grapes. After he ate, he smiled at everyone and played with his toys and read his books. He's turning out rather delightfully!

"Garcon! Garcon! Zere ees a fly ein my froot. Ah never mind, I'll just eat it."

After lunch and cake, Mama Daisie managed to score a whole bag of old bread from a nearby kiosk (go Mama!) and the whole family proceeded to feed the turtles, scary catfish and koi in the pond. It was great fun, except the point where Jordy tried to eat the stale bread. Hmm!

Jordy thinks: "I don't get it, why are are we throwing away perfectly good food at those creatures who move so slowly? Shouldn't it be the fastest man/fish/turtle wins?"

After the feeding frenzy, we adjourned to Aunty Dawn's house where Jordy, though exhausted, proceeded to skip his afternoon nap, more interested instead in grabbing his poor cousin Tyan's head. Tyan was sleeping on the next mattress, perfectly minding his own business but would Jordy leave him alone? Nooo. So in the end we brought him downstairs and Dad tried to ergo him to Da Paulo to get coffee but that didn't work so he just stayed awake and played musical instruments with us.

What can I say? It's September, Jordy is almost 13 months old (and still not walking unassisted! Though a speed demon with his push toys), he's on the cusp of toddlerhood and he's definitely getting a mind of his own.

Mum says, bring it on!

Jordy says, "Car!"

"Hmm?"

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.