Family Day

Dearest Skyler,

At 3 am, you came out to the living room to look for us while carrying all our slippers including your own AND Baby Bear! How did you manage that! :D

Every time you show such concern about our putting on our slippers and your carrying them around you melt our hearts! :D

You've become very concerned about our slippers! You'll ensure that we have them on and when we go to bed, you'd arrange them nicely together. :D

It was Papa's work place's Family Day at Singapore Discovery Centre today. We decided to see if the long pants we'd bought some time ago could fit you and yes - it finally does! You look so grown up in it! And it makes you look taller than you are! :D

We managed to get there as they were distributing lunch. Initially, as it was raining, Papa thought that he would collect the food and we could go somewhere to eat so Mama and you needn't go under the rain albeit with an umbrella. However, Mama read from the flyers they'd pasted up that they had several things going on there that she brought you along. Thus, while Papa was queuing for the food, Mama and you queued for a balloon sculpture. The lady balloon person made a butterfly for you. However, the balloon wasn't very good. It exploded when put down on our bag while we were getting ready to eat.

While we were eating, we could watch some of the older kids trying out the mechanical bull riding. It was fairly challenging but most of the kor-kors managed to hang on for some time.

They also had some other activities that we observed before heading off to the main area.

At the main area, we queued to play a couple of games. At one of them, we had to throw a plastic fried egg onto a frying pan. It seemed quite impossible to do as not only did we have to have the egg land in the pan, it had to stay on it. To make things worse, the pan handle was attached to a spring which made the pan bounce quite vigorously when the egg landed in it thus making it bounce out. While we were there, we didn't see a single person succeed. Oh well ... they always say we can never trust carnival people. :p

We tried to get you to throw the egg and the che-che who was running the stall allowed you to walk all the way (on the table) close to the pan which had been attached to another table. You threw the egg but it didn't go very far as you are still learning how to throw. After that first throw, you didn't want to throw anymore. We tried to encourage you but you didn't so Papa took over. Papa didn't succeed in landing the egg. :p

While we'd been in the queue for the egg throwing game, you'd noticed the stall next to it where we had to land rings around plastic toy dinosaurs. You said that you wanted to try it so we queued for that too. However, when it came to our turn, you didn't dare throw the rings. Thus Papa had to do it. No success here either. :p

We then got a couple of red bean popsicles before Mama brought you to have a glitter tattoo done on your arm back at the lunch area. Mama had gone ahead as Papa had spotted that we'd won a lucky draw prize and he wanted to collect it first.

Mama brought you there and as the tattoo people had not appeared, you both waited in the queue for dough sculptures. The queue never moved! When the tattoo people came, we went to queue for that instead. We had them do a snowflake for you. :D

We then went to the Army Museum to walk around. They had a few toy tanks that could be ridden and you wanted to give it a try. You had to wait patiently until the bigger boys got off one of them. A nice aunty told her son to get off so you could ride. Thank you, Aunty!

Initially, Papa helped you to get around as you had to step on a pedal to get it to move and push and pull on levers to steer. Mama then suggested that we let you move on your own and you did so well! You moved forward, reversed, went left and right. Well done! :D

In the museum proper, you touched a real helicopter they had in the Object Theatre. There was supposed to be a video clip that we could watch but it was very loud so we left as you didn't like it. They did try to create some effects like having wind blow down on us when the video showed a helicopter flying overhead, etc. But all these just made you nervous.

We had to leave the theatre and we walked around the exhibits. Unfortunately, these weren't very interesting. :(

You fell asleep on the way back to the Discovery Centre. We decided to sit and wait for the lucky draw to be over. You slept through it. Lots of people had put their bags on the chairs even though lots of parents were carrying sleeping toddlers in their arms. This was very inconsiderate of them. The floor was clean enough to have put their bags there. Oh well!

As Mama was really tired, we asked one of the groups of people if they would let us have a chair and they did. And as Papa was still carrying you, we asked another group to free up a chair so that Papa sit down while you slept on Papa's lap.

You continued to sleep after everyone had left after the lucky draw when it'd ended. We were waiting to watch the iWerks 3D show on Sharks.

After you got up, Papa and you went to look for Mama. Mama was making a Bunga Mangga (Malay for Mango Flower) - a stick with crepe paper wrapped around it. It looked like a flower decoration. People use it for decoration during celebrations. Later on Mama made a rangoli (colourful decorative design made with ccoloured sand) on a paper plate for you.

We then walked around the exhibits in the Discovery Centre. It was ironical - this was supposed to be the main attraction but we only got to it last. We saw Little George the robot among other things. Sad to say, the place was a disappointment. The exhibits were quite unattractive.

We then headed to the theatre to wait for the Sharks movie to begin. We were issued 3D spectacles which we had to put on to enjoy the 3D effect. You did so for a while. Papa wondered for a while if you could appreciate the effect. This curiosity was put to rest when you reached out to try to touch the jellyfish. :D But you got a bit uncomfortable with it all after a while and repeatedly asked to leave the theatre but we wanted to stay to watch the rest of the show. You then removed your spectacles and avoided watching the rest of the movie.

We left after the end of the movie and spotted a jet fighter parked on the lawn next to the exit so we went to look at it close up and as usual, you wanted to touch it. :D

We then headed to Han's for dinner.

After we'd parked our car at home, we walked over to the pasar malam. We bought you a Hello Kitty backpack as you'd been asking for a bag of your own.

After that, we came home. You were so tired you were the one who declared that it was bedtime. But you still tried to do all sorts of things to drag out the going to bed process. :p

Papa and Mama love you!

Long Nap

Dearest Skyler,

You had a very long afternoon nap today, Lil' One - 3 hours! You must have been so tired!

Mama made a new telescope for you today. You'd been wanting one. It's quite cute seeing you use it. :D

We were invited to dinner at Uncle James and Aunty Christine’s. You so wanted to play with Dawn and their toys that you weren't interested in eating but you managed to eat most of your dinner with lots of persuasion. :p Kor-kor Luke and Che-che Joan had gone out and came back after we'd completed our meal so you got to play with them too. You got to play with their hamsters - you were so eager to carry the hamsters and kept on asking to hold them. :D You also kept on trying to play with Dawn by asking her to help you with stuff. :D You so want to play with others. Well, you can play with Baby Mei-mei soon. :D

After we got home, it was time for your bath and you showered yourself! You wanted to do it by yourself so Papa handed you the shower head and you totally managed to rinse the soap off yourself! Well done, Lil' One! :D You're so growing up! :D

Today also saw you having your own new pillow and bolster. Hopefully you'll get used to them. :p

Papa and Mama love you!

Day of Free Rides

Dearest Skyler,

You tried to wake us up this morning but Papa refused to so you went back to sleep. :p

After we did finally get up, we went to the Point for a dim sum lunch. We had our usual items and you ate most of it. But they'd run out of egg tarts so we had to go to the bakery to get it. Good thing they don't insist on our not eating food bought elsewhere on their premises.

While we were walking around, you got onto one of the kiddie rides. A nice Aunty gave you a kiddie ride with her one year old son. It was quite tragic/funny as you'd actually been afraid of the boy initially. His Mama had put him onto the seat next to you and you scrambled to get out. But you agreed to share the seat with him when Papa asked you to. The Aunty was all ready to not let her boy disturb you but when she knew that you were okay, she put him back in with you. And before we knew it, the Aunty had dropped a coin in and the ride started up. You looked nervous throughout the ride but you were okay with sharing the ride. :D You got a free ride! Turned out to the first for the day.

We then walked around the furniture store where you wanted to sleep! You were actually still quite sleepy. Poor Baby Girl!

After that we walked around the book store and bought some acrylic paint for you so that you could do some painting. We got a few tubes comprising the primary colours so that you could mix and match them.

As we were all sleepy by then, we came home for a nap. However, you refused to nap. Papa had to spend a bit of time with you after you persistently tried to get him up. But Papa still caught a few winks.

Later in the evening, we drove to IMM for dinner. We were looking for a ceiling fan for your room.

We had some yummy fish that we like before we walked around. Along the way, we spotted the animal rides that you like - the ones where you could sit astride it and 'drive' it around. You asked to sit on it after we'd completed our circuit of the shops. Thus, we brought you back there for a ride.

To our surprise, Papa's former student was running it. You ended up with a free ride as she refused to accept money from Papa. Mama sat on the ride with you as it was too big for you still. You insisted on the Panda so we waited for it to be available. After the ride ended, you wanted to ride another one but it was time to do other things so we thanked the nice che-che and headed off.

We got to the ground floor and Mama did some shopping. While she was in the stores, you insisted on visiting the giant bug display that they had. It was not open yet but they had a giant Rhinoceros beetle and ants. You kept on wanting to look at them. Everytime you saw that Mama had not gotten what she wanted, you would insist on going back out to look at them. This happened several times! You only stopped when Mama had chosen something and we could go.

We went into the Giant department store and bought longans as you liked them the last time. We were a bit disgusted with a few men who were standing around eating the lychees and leaving the shells lying around. There were signs there that stated that eating the goods was not allowed but they paid it no attention. It wouldn't have been as bad if they'd thrown away the shells properly but they just chucked them back - including the seeds they'd spit out! Yuck!

By the time we got home we could only get to bed past midnight.

Papa and Mama love you!

North Point

Dearest Skyler,

Papa had to attend a conference today so Mama and you spent the day together without Papa.

You took the opportunity to catch up on your sleep. You went back for two naps today. :D

In the late afternoon, Papa came home and wanted to nap but you wanted Papa to play with you. In the end, Mama distracted you by putting together the helicopter model while Papa napped.

We went down to Northpoint for dinner in the evening. We ate at the Sakae Sushi where you had many spoonfuls of rice. :D

We then shopped around a bit. At one of the shops, they gave us a bottle of water and you kept on practising drinking from the bottle and screwing the cap on and off. You kept on doing it again and again. :D

We then went to Swensen's for a drink before we headed home. You still kept on practising drinking from your bottle there. :D Is this the only way to get you to drink water?

You really enjoy going out, don't you? :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Haircut

Dearest Skyler,

You woke us up at 9 plus today. We all got up and had breakfast before we headed back to bed a couple of hours later.

After you got up, we cleared up a bit around the flat before we headed over to the Point for lunch. We ate at the foodcourt on the 7th floor.

After lunch, Papa had his haircut and Mama and you stood there to watch. Then it was your turn to have your fringe trimmed by Uncle Alvin, your hairdresser. You're such a pro at getting your hair trimmed now.

We shopped around a bit after that. We bought shirts for Baby Mei-mei and two new pairs of sandals for you. We walked around a bit more and you became so sleepy. You'd not really caught up with your sleep, Lil’ One. :(

You fell asleep once we got into the car. We went to Han's once again for dinner.

You slept through dinner once again. Poor Lil' Darling! So sorry that our schedule can't match your nap times. :(

We came home after dinner and Mama and Papa started clearing up around the flat. We're hoping that that place will be neater by the time Mei-mei comes. :p

You got bored watching TV and came to look for us to play with you. We ended up playing Giant Pickle where we were chasing each other around the place! You enjoyed yourself so much! :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Wake Up, Bunny

Dearest Skyler,

We woke you up at 6 plus to dash you off to Bubu and Moh-moh's this morning. Papa had to go for a meeting and Mama had a doctor's appointment with the Baby Doctor.

We got there very early and Moh-moh spent the whole morning playing with you. You both 'visited' a zoo, went shopping, etc. You didn't nap at all! Poor Moh-moh was so tired out by you. :p

Papa came to get you after his meeting and brought you to pick Mama up from the hospital.

After we'd met up with Mama, we drove down to Ngee Ann City for a dim sum lunch. You'd fallen asleep in the car as you had so little sleep and you'd spent so much of the morning playing! We let you nap for a short while after getting there but we had to wake you so that we could get a table before the lunch crowd came.

You ate a bit of food but you were really tired. Still, you were very enthusiastic in exploring the food we'd ordered.

Papa then went for a foot spa. Mama brought you to look at toys at the basement. You spotted an Elmo chair and became so possessive of it. You always kept an eye on it and no matter what Mama tried to show you, you would run back to it. Mama then brought you to look for Papa as you insisted on being carried and Mama can't do it so much as she's pregnant with Mei-mei and it's not safe for her to do so.

By the time you both found Papa, it was Mama's turn to experience the footspa.

Papa brought you to play with the toys in Takashimaya. You seem to be less wary of other kids. There was this big girl who just stuck herself in your place in front of a toy but you ignored her and carried on playing with the toy.

We then went to Best Denki to wait for Mama. While waiting, you got to bowl on the Nintendo Wii set! You scored a Spare with your first frame! :D

We then proceeded to McDonald's to get you a cup of Milo though you were so sleepy! You wanted to have a French Fry but we refused to let you eat such a thing at your age. Papa got you a Hot Fudge sundae instead. :p

We then went to Takashimaya to let Mama shop a bit. You were so naughty! You stood outside the store along the main footpath and refused to come back in! Papa was so angry that you were so disobedient and dangerous.

Papa scolded you and after you apologised, Papa brought you out to walk around. We then went back in and walked around the shelves until Mama was done.

We then headed to the basement to get a Carebear for Moh-moh as she's taken care of you so well. We got her one that we believe she doesn't have but we didn't know its name.

We then headed to Han's for dinner. You were so sleepy that you slept throughout dinner. Papa placed you on the bench and you slept through. You did try to awaken a few times but you couldn't. So poor thing! You'd so little sleep and we kept you out for so long.

We then got home and prepared you for bed. We'd also checked up on the name of the bear - it's Harmony! We hope that Moh-moh will like it. :p You definitely do! You keep on playing with it! You even want to bring it to bed with us! :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Tired Skyler

Dearest Skyler,

We went to church this morning. We almost didn't because you were so tired yesterday. There is no Sunday School for the next few weeks so you stayed in the main room and played with Che-ches Rebecca and Alyssa. You all drew, ate Pocky biscuits and stuck stickers in a sticker book.

After worship, we walked around a bit before heading off to Suntec City. We had lunch at Kenny Rogers where you had your corn and muffin.

You'd visited the fountain before that. They'd repaired it. We also visited the koi pond, the rabbits and hamsters.

We then shopped for clothes for you. You didn't want to initially but you were enticed by being able to try on clothes.

After getting you some clothes we went to the kids' area and collected a balloon for you from an art centre for kids. We also had a bit of candy floss.

We moved on to shop a bit at Carrefour where we tried to get fruits.

While we were moving around, you fell asleep in Papa's arms. We went to Fish and Co for dinner. You slept throughout in Papa's arms. The manager there was very nice. He gave us a new bowl of soup when he saw that we'd kept soup for you but you didn't get up and it'd become cold.

We came home after dinner. You were still sleepy then.

After we came home, Papa and you went to the swimming pool as you wanted to. There, you kept on walking across the playing pool. Also you loved being pulled across the learning pool. We ended up playing Baby Rabbit and Papa Rabbit. :D

After we came home, we tried to get you to bed as we were going over to Bubu and Moh-moh's early in the morning, however, you had a tummy ache and you couldn't sleep until it had been settled.

What a long and tiring day.

Papa and Mama love you!

Gong-gong's Back!

Dearest Skyler,

We woke up early this morning which was not good as we had a full day ahead of us. :p Anyway, we had breakfast before we went back to bed.

We woke up again later to leave for your gym session. We got there in time but Mama had to bring you in first as Papa had to look for a place to park.

It was Show Day today so both of us were allowed to be in there with you! You did everything! You're so comfortable with the skills! It's such a great place with a great operational concept! We’re so glad that we got you enrolled here. :D

We then had a cup of Milo before heading for a dim sum lunch. You ate a bit of food. You were a bit restless though.

We then shopped a bit. Papa bought a couple of shirts before we left.

We then came home for a nap. We slept for a long time! All of us were so tired!

After we got up, we intended to have dinner at Han's but Popo called just as we were arriving there and declared that she'd prepared dinner so we had to rush down to her place. There had been some miscommunication about dinner. Oh well ...

Gong-gong was there together with Bubu and Moh-moh. Gong-gong had returned from overseas for a few weeks. You were as thrilled as ever by him. :D

You played with them all before we headed home. We got back a bit late. Oh well ...

Papa and Mama love you!

Skyler is Loved

Dearest Skyler,

You ran a store today. You charged $3 for everything you had. Mama was so amused by that. :D You seem to totally understand the concept of buying and selling. You will always volunteer to help Papa pay the cashier when we are out buying stuff. :D We're not sure if we're giving you the wrong idea though as Papa uses his credit cards as much as possible. Will you understand cash?

We didn't go out this evening as we wanted you to go to bed early as you had gym tomorrow

Papa brought dinner home and after eating, we prepared for bed. You didn't really sleep any earlier though. :p

Darling, we really really love you! You cannot imagine how much we do. Sigh … :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Cactus

Dearest Skyler,

You managed to sleep through the night today. :D

Mama and you spent a fairly typical day together - playing, reading and drawing. You did several pieces of drawing today. The thing is, they're all very abstract to us. You're somewhat sure about what your work represents but if you don't explain it, we wouldn't be able to recognise it. :p

Papa came home in the evening and we decided to go out for dinner for a change. We drove down to the nearby Han's as we've come to like the fuss-free dining experience it provides.

We saw cactus plants outside a house. It's not common! Wow! We saw cacti in a housing area! :p

You seem to like the food at Han's. You finished the whole slice of peach by yourself. You've gotten very adept with a spoon, Lil' One. You fed yourself the peach completely on your own! :D You also ate several mouthfuls of Mama's and Papa's food.

After dinner, we came home and washed up and got ready for bed.

Papa and Mama love you!

Papier-mache

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up at 5 and asked to look for Mama. Papa gave you your Milo and changed your diaper. And you shared a bit of Mama's cheese toast.

After Papa had gone off to work. Mama tried to get you to go back to bed but you kept on asking for some more Milo before you would try to sleep. Thus, Mama prepared you more Milo but you still refused to sleep. You were even going to waste one whole cup this way. Mama was very upset with you as you were cranky and disobedient. You realised that and you headed straight to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

You got up at almost noon but you were still sleepy.

Mama and you spent part of the day draining out a few of our old eggs and made papier-mache. :D

In the afternoon, you were so sleepy again that Mama brought you back to bed for a nap. You slept for quite a while and Mama stayed with you in bed so that you wouldn't get up before you were ready.

Papa brought dinner home and we had our dinner quickly. You were more willing to let Papa eat today. :D

Papa and you played with your ball and you managed to throw the ball very accurately to Papa. Well done, Lil' One! But we've to work on your catching though. :p

You used Mama's loofah during your bath today. You were initially apprehensive of it but you got used to it and used it to scrub yourself. :D

Papa and Mama love you!

A Hot Day

Dearest Skyler,

You wanted to play in your room today. It was very hot but you insisted so Mama had no choice but to be with you there. It was terrible as you all were perspiring badly but … oh well … :p

Papa came home with dinner today but you didn't let Papa eat as you wanted Papa to spend a bit of time with you. You dragged Papa around and got Papa to play with you and everything. It was only after some time of pleading on Papa’s part that you finally relented and allowed Papa to eat. :p

Later that evening, you wanted to wear a crown because you had played with Mr Potato Head the whole day and you had put his teeth on his head and it looked like a crown. Thus, Mama and Papa made one for you. It wasn’t very good but at least it was something. :p

You also started singing the alphabet song and twinkle twinkle little star. You’re so cute when you did that! It’s great that you can actually remember a tune, Lil’ One! :D

We love you so much!

Hamsters

Dearest Skyler,

We woke up quite late today. It was way past 11 when you got up.

We went to Aunty Chris's for lunch. You didn't like the brown rice they’d prepared for you so you ate our saffron rice and egg. We think you're just not used to it as we've been feeding you our food for so long.

You also held and stroked their hamsters! We think it's the first time you've ever held an animal! :D

We borrowed their Mr Potato Head toy as you liked it. In fact, you kept talking about it since the last time we were there. Thank you, Aunty Chris! You so enjoy stacking things now and this Mr Potato Head is something like a stacking toy, right? :p

We came home for a short nap before we headed out again to visit Aunty Christina who had recently given birth to Baby Ruth. We met Godma Audrey there and you were so happy to see her. :D

Baby Ruth is so small! But Baby Mei-mei's probably going to be about that size when she's born. :p

You are so ready to play with other kids! You approached Kor-kor and Che-che this morning and tried to play with them and you played with the two che-ches at Aunty Christina’s this afternoon. You also played with Mei-mei Dawn. People say that children your age aren't ready to play with others until they're a bit older but you so want to play with other people - including us. Wonder what these 'experts' mean when they say that kids your age are only capable of‘parallel play’.

After that, we headed off to United Square as Papa was trying to get something. Mama and you walked around the toy store a while before we all went down to the foodcourt to eat something. You initially didn't want to try anything but when you saw what we'd ordered you so wanted it. :D It's so unhealthy though. :p

Papa brought you to visit the fountain after we'd eaten and then we did some grocery shopping before heading to Popo's.

We met Bubu and Moh-moh at Popo's. We'd brought Mr Potato Head along as you so enjoyed playing with it.

You went about the house playing by yourself and with Popo, Bubu and Moh-moh. You went upstairs as well to play.

After some time, we collected you and headed home as we were all tired.

Papa and Mama love you!

An Activity-Packed Outing

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up at 4 plus in the morning and insisted that you wanted to go out to the living room to play with your toys with Papa.

You also asked Mama if Papa was going to work before you went back to bed.

We all woke up later. You were still sleepy but you refused to nap. It took a while before you did so - Papa had to carry you, play with you, make you Milo, count sheep (on our bed sheet), with you, etc before you agreed to nap. :p

After we got up we drove over to the Point for a dim sum lunch once again.

We did a quick bit of shopping before heading to Sentosa for a jam-packed outing.

You slept all the way as you were still sleepy. We parked at our usual place. We tried to get tickets for the Songs of the Sea show but they had sold out all the tickets.

We went to the beach to have our picnic of biscuits, egg tarts and carrot juice. We also built 'sand castles', flew a kite and threw a frisbee.

We then took a tram to visit the Siloso beach. It was quite disappointing as we couldn't find what we'd hoped to. It was very crowded so we couldn't get onto the tram to get back to the beach station. We'd to walk all the way to the bus terminus to take a bus back. It was very crowded as well. You were so sleepy by then.

We missed the fireworks as it was late already. We decided against waiting for the next one as it was late and you were sleepy so we headed off. You slept immediately on being put into your seat.

We drove to the Han's near our place and had dinner. You ate quite a bit of the food. We've managed to find food that we like. :D

We came home after dinner and washed up.

What an activity packed outing! :D We hope you enjoyed yourself!

Papa and Mama love you!

Exercise Day

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up early this morning and wanted to go to the gym. It was much too early, Lil' One. The gym hadn't opened yet so you went back to sleep.

Later on, you woke Papa up. You drank your Milo and watched Jojo's Circus before going back to bed once more! Poor Lil' One! You had such fitful sleep!

As you'd woken up so many times, our sleep had been quite disrupted so we woke up late and rushed to the gym. Mama brought you in first as we were that late and Papa had to park our car.

When you got to the gym, you looked for Teacher Pearl! :D You really like her don't you? :D

Papa came just before the warm up session so Papa took over. Mama had to visit the doctor. You did everything today - hotdog surfing, assisted pull over, forward roll on the balancing beam, etc. You also enjoyed hanging on the highest bar. You kept on asking to be helped to it but you'll get scared and ask to be helped down. You did that repeatedly. :D

After the gym session ended, Papa brought you over to have Milo. Papa didn't get you the corn you wanted as it was time for lunch. Mama came back to meet us there.

We drove over to park at the open air car park and thankfully, we managed to get a lot fairly quickly.

We walked across the road and had a dim sum lunch. They'd run out of egg tarts and bao-baos! Oh well... We had a few of the other stuff that we usually eat so that wasn't so bad. :D

We then shopped a bit for clothes for you but we couldn't find anything that we wanted to buy so we headed off.

We walked through the book store to get back to our car and once we got there, you dragged Mama to the stairs and climbed up the stairs all by yourself! Papa caught up with both of you and by then you'd climbed the stairs again. Papa tried to get you to come down so Papa didn't realise that a crowd had formed behind him watching and wondering what was going on. :p You must have seen it there though. :p It dispersed soon enough when they realised nothing was happening. :p

You finally came down as we were leaving and we headed back to the car and home.

We all had a nap once we got back as we were all so sleepy.

We woke up quite late and we had to dash off to the swimming pool as you wanted to swim. It was later than usual when we got there but we still did our usual things. Oh something new is that you can tip toe through the Playing Pool. It's 0.8m deep but you can just keep your chin above water and walk across the pool! :D You so enjoyed the thrill of that that you kept on doing it! :D

After we'd showered, we went to Chong Pang to get dinner. It was so funny when you pointed out Chinese characters as we walked past them. You went, "Papa look! Chinese!" You were so cute!

We then drove home for dinner with Mama. It was already very late by then. Thus, we had dinner quickly and went to bed soon after.

Papa and Mama love you!

Friends & Family

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up fairly late today. To Mama's surprise, you slept again in the afternoon! You must have been so sleepy! While laying in bed, you told Mama that she is beautiful! :D

You both then invited Aunty Chris and the kids over to play. They so enjoyed playing with your toys and you very kindly shared them with them. You're so nice with other kids; you're gentle and polite! Well done, Lil' One! Must maintain this, okay?

Uncle Daniel came to have dinner with Mama and everyone was there together for a while. Soon after, everyone left! Aunty Chris and the kids went home while Uncle Daniel and Mama headed off for dinner.

Papa and you went to pick Grandma up after we got ready and we went to Tampines Mall for dinner at Swensen's. While we were having dinner, you watched the MRT trains come by. You were quite restless during dinner. Papa thinks it's because you were sleepy.

After dinner, we went shopping for something that Grandma wanted. After we got it, we brought Grandma home and we headed home ourselves.

We got back and you were having your bath when Mama came home. We prepared for bed after that.

Papa and Mama love you!

Happy Birthday, Dawn

Dearest Skyler,

You woke at about 6 this morning wondering where we were so you came out to the living room to look for us.

After Papa headed off to work, Mama brought you back to bed and you tried to get back to sleep but you couldn't. Thus, you both went back out to the living room to play for a while and you only got back to bed just before 9.

After you got up near noon, you refused to have your diaper changed and it took Mama some time to get you to do so and only with Barney's help. :p

You played with your skipping rope again today. You're so inspired by Pocoyo. :D In fact, yesterday, while you were watching Pocoyo, you even pulled out your Chinese drum set to play together with him. :p

In the evening, Papa came home and we went down to Aunty Chris and Uncle James's for dinner. It was Mei-mei Dawn's birthday! You carried her present all the way to their place and gave it to Dawn. :D What a good girl you are! :D

You then played with Kor-kor Luke and Dawn. They were playing with toy cars and you had some fun trying to figure out the fun in it. :p

We then had the noodles that Uncle James prepared and it was so yummy that you ate all the noodles and the dumplings. You even agreed to have one more dumpling. :D

After dinner, we stayed a while more before heading home and prepared for bed.

Papa and Mama love you!

An Afternoon with Grandma

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up at 3 plus in the morning again and demanded to look for Mama. You can't sleep on if Mama's not sleeping with you? :D

After you found Mama in the living room doing her work, you insisted on waiting for her before heading back to bed so poor tired Papa had to sit around with you until Mama was ready.

The next time you woke up was after 11. This was only because Mama had gotten out of bed to close the windows due to the rain.

Mama then quickly gave you breakfast and got stuff ready as Grandma had very kindly agreed to come over to care for you in the afternoon as Mama had to go in to school for a meeting.

You tired Grandma out once again! You didn't nap at all! You brought Grandma around and had her play with you. You even had her play with your Playdoh with you. You'd also asked her for ice cream! Grandma had no idea that we had ice cream so you showed her where it was and she gave you some. :p

Mama and Papa then came home with dinner and we all ate before Papa and you walked Grandma to the bus stop as she was heading home.

After seeing Grandma off, Papa and you came home to wash up, watch a bit of TV and prepared for bed. You were a lot sleepier tonight so you didn't fuss as much before falling asleep though you did sit up a few times before finally falling asleep.

You are really such a joy, Lil' One! You understand when you're being reprimanded and you usually try not to make us sad as a result. And you'll try to appease us when we're upset with you by trying to amuse us. You're so sweet! And the way you say, 'Don't worry!' when we're upset about something always makes us smile and it really does lessen our worry as it's so cute to hear someone your age reassure us like that. :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Sleepy Skyler

Dearest Skyler,

Papa was very careful in getting out of bed this morning as Papa didn't want to have you wake up. You'd actually gotten up asking where Mama was but after Papa'd told you that she was outside, you went back to sleep instead of asking to go out to look for her like you usually do. Anyway, you didn't wake up to see Papa off though you tossed around in bed for a short while.

You got up at 7 plus complaining that your mouth hurt. Mama checked but couldn't figure out what was causing the pain. We're so worried about the HFMD now. You don't have a fever so you probably don't have that.

You only woke up after 1 in the afternoon! :p You’d slept for so long! Good for you! :D

You'd watched the Pocoyo shows again today and you were reminded of the skipping rope so you asked for it and Mama let you have it. Mama tried to teach you how to use it and you're slowly figuring it out. :D

Mama also brought out an ink pad and helped you make hand prints. By the time you were done, you had made beautiful handprints of both your hands. And your hands were all covered in ink! :p

Papa came home with dinner a bit later than usual as Papa had stayed in to work later than he liked. You wanted to spend time with Papa so you refused to allow him to eat. You'd insisted that he spend every moment with you. :p It was only after a long while before you let Papa eat.

By the time it was bed time, we had to go through a whole new routine. You'll keep on asking for Milo before sleeping. Also, you'll want to have your diaper changed, for Papa to carry you, pretend to watch TV, etc. All in all, it's a very long process. :p

Papa and Mama love you!

Waking Up Early

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up very early again. You got up to look for Mama and Papa at 2 something but we managed to get you back to bed almost immediately.

When Papa was supposed to get up to get ready for bed, you got up again. Papa tried to get you to go back to sleep by remaining in bed with you but you still remained awake and got Papa up too. Hmm ... Are you waking up early so that you can spend a bit of time with Papa before he goes to work?

Papa prepared breakfast for Mama and you and also changed your diaper before he left.

Mama then watched a bit of Pocoyo with you before getting you back to bed.

Mama and you woke up again only past noon. :p Both of you then spent the afternoon playing with your toys, watching TV and reading a few books before going back to bed for another nap.

Papa brought dinner home and we had a bit of food. Papa felt so bad that instead of playing with you, he was doing the laundry. Oh well ... Papa tried to spend a bit of time with you after that but Papa was so tired that Papa fell asleep very quickly.

You didn't want to sleep so you played by yourself for a while even as Mama and Papa tried to sleep. Finally Papa got up to carry you for a while before you soothed yourself to sleep.

Sorry, Lil' One! Papa's really exhausted these days.

Papa and Mama love you!

Mother's Day

Dearest Skyler,

We woke up a bit later this morning as you were still quite tired. After we got up, as it was Mother's Day, we gave Mama her Mother's Day present - a music CD that she liked.

As we'd gotten up late, we went to church late. It was Family service today. We'd hoped to let you meet your friends but most of them didn't come. Oh well ... Maybe the HFMD situation is keeping people away. We stayed in the service for as long as you could take before we had to leave for Popo's as we were going to have lunch with Popo to celebrate Mother's Day with her - or in your case, Happy Popo's Day! :D In case you forgot, we had our Happy Grandma's Day meal on Wednesday when she came to stay over.

Bubu and Moh-moh were there for lunch too. You stayed in your chair until you completed your meal after we asked you to. Well done, Lil' One! After everyone had had their fill, you went upstairs to play with Popo and didn't come down for a long time. By the time you did so, it was time to go.

We dropped by Borders on the way home and as you'd fallen asleep in the car, Mama shopped for books and bodysuits for Baby Mei-mei on her own. Mama'd bought a book for you once again. :D You have tonnes of books, Lil' One!

We dropped by Han's once again for dinner. We had better food tonight. You ate a bit of the food and desserts.

After we got home, Papa and you quickly got changed and headed to the swimming pool. It was a lot less crowded tonight.

You changed your routine a bit but we still enjoyed ourselves tremendously. :D You still like to be pulled through the water. :D You were a lot more comfortable with the bubble pool tonight. You asked to go there and Papa thought that you would still be afraid of it but to Papa's surprise, you started playing with the bubbles. Well done!

There was once when you jumped into the pool and you went under a bit and you probably took in some water. You started coughing but that didn’t deter you from continuing to enjoy the pool. You're such a brave girl!

We headed home soon after. We then played a bit with your toys, drew a Mama’s Day card for Mama and then headed for bed.

Papa and Mama love you!

A Less Busy Saturday

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up at 4 plus in the morning to look for Mama. You refused to go back to sleep until you'd had your Milo. Thankfully, you did go back to bed after that.

Hmmm ... Why do you keep on waking up so early these days? What happened to your sleeping all the way to morning like you used to?

When you woke up again, we quickly got you changed and let you have your Milo before dashing off for your gym session. Mama didn't come along today as she's busy.

Papa had hoped to park at the open air carpark but it was too full so we went to park in the building itself. Thankfully you were very patient in waiting with Papa for a lot. We had to wait to get into the carpark in the building as well!

We got to the gym slightly late as we had to look for an empty lot, wait for the lift and have you checked by the teacher for symptoms of HFMD. By the time we got in, Teacher Pearl had completed the bells segment.

You participated in all the activities enthusiastically as usual. :D It was 'Enchanting Children' day and the adult companions were asked to say one thing about the children that was enchanting and Papa told everyone that what enchanted him most about you was your apparent care and concern for people around you. :D You really do seem so in your small little actions, Lil' One. Even Grandma has noticed it. :D

You still like to hang on the bar and swinging but dislike going onto the balancing beam. :p Teacher taught a few skills today but they were things you'd done before. But she tried to combine these basic skills into a set so you had to do them together rather than individually. You had teacher help you with a pull over. She wanted you all to kick yourselves over but as you all didn't have enough strength and coordination, it didn't happen. :p But she helped you through it anyway. She then helped you do the skill where you walked across the balance beam and ended with a forward roll on it. You managed to walk on the beam for a few steps without support! Well done, Lil' One! :D

After the gym session ended, we washed our hands and moved next door for a Happy Meal. Papa decided that it made more sense for you to have more variety than just a cup of Milo. Thus, you had a bit of the chicken sandwich, corn and Milo. You really enjoyed the corn. :D

You're still spitting food out of your mouth onto your clothing, the table, floor, etc. Can you please stop doing that? Please let Mama or Papa know if you don't want what's in your mouth so we can help you get rid of it, okay? :D

Papa wanted to bring you to the bookstore to look for books but as the carpark was still so full, Papa gave up and went to fill petrol in the car on the way home instead. You'd fallen asleep by the time we got to the petrol station so Papa left you in the car while he went in to pay. Papa kept praying that you wouldn't wake up while he was in there. Thank God you didn't. :p

We stopped off at the foodcourt near our place to get lunch before heading home to eat with Mama.

We had a nap after that and after we got up, we played a bit with your toys then headed out for dinner at the Han's along Thomson Road.

Papa had initially gone the wrong way but we did get there eventually. :p

We had a quick meal. We had some spaghetti that you seemed to enjoy. You ate quite a bit of it. :D You were as usual nowadays, unable to sit still in your own chair. However, it wasn't so bad today as there was enough space for you to move around without getting in people's way.

After dinner, we came home to wash up and prepare for bed. You're no longer as much of a TV addict anymore. Papa hasn't seen you sit in front of the TV for hours on end like you used to for some time.

To our surprise, you all of a sudden declared that it was bedtime! :D We gladly agreed and off we headed to bed.

There, you were a bit reluctant to sleep but you did so after a while. :p

Papa and Mama love you!

New MacDonald's Farm

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up very late today. You did not wake up in the middle of the night either. You must have been so exhausted from yesterday.

You took out your MegaBloks farm set and started building up the farm. It was so funny when you started calling the male farmer figure Max and the female Millie after the characters from the farmer show. It's so great to see you playing with this toy. We'd bought it so long ago and you hadn't been interested in it until now. Wow! The age recommendation on the toys really applies.

Papa came home with dinner and we had a quick dinner. After dinner, Papa simply had to have a nap as he was exhausted.

You continued playing with Mama while Papa slept. After Papa got up, Papa joined you both.

Papa tried a speed tree building thingy for the fun of it. It was part of your mega bloks set. You then asked Papa to stand up and you took over the speed tree building! How did you realise that Papa was doing that? :D That's so interesting!

After playing for a while, we went to bed.

Papa and Mama love you!

Playdate with Grandma

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up really early - at 4.45 in the morning! In fact, everybody was up! Papa had gotten up to get ready for work, then Grandma got up then you woke Mama to look for Papa!

Papa and Mama went to work and Grandma and you stayed home to play. You did everything with Grandma! You read, watched TV, played with your Pooh Bear toys, etc. Grandma was SO tired! You were very tired too as you'd slept so little.

Papa and Mama came home early in the afternoon and Grandma headed home. We then went down to the hospital for a checkup for Mei-mei.

You'd fallen asleep in the car so Mama headed up first while Papa waited for you to get up in the hospital car park.

When you got up, we went to join Mama to wait for her turn. While we were there, you asked for your Milo as is your habit. :D We had to wait for quite some time before it was Mama's turn. You were a very good girl throughout the time we waited. :D

We were with the Baby Doctor for a short while. She scanned Baby Mei-mei and measured a few parts of her body before we went to wait to pay. You asked for another cup of Milo then. You really drank a lot today! :p

After we paid, we headed home. We'd thought of going to the big bookstore but you were so sleepy by then as you'd slept so little the whole day.

We bought dinner home. We tried to get you to bed early but you refused to sleep so it took a long while before you did so. So much for you being tired and sleepy! :p

Papa and Mama love you!

Boats

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up very early today. Papa had the chance to prepare your Milo and change your diaper before heading off to work. Later on, you wanted to watch the Bottle Top Bill episode with the whale and Mama had a difficult time finding it as it was so long ago. How did you remember it, Lil' One? We'd recorded it a month ago!

It was a thundery day today and thus you had a hard time going to sleep. And you've become such a light sleeper! Everytime Mama gets out of bed, you'll wake up too no matter how sound asleep you are. And since Mama wants to make sure you get enough sleep, Mama tries to stay in bed with you even when she has things to do. :p

It's so cute that you've included Baby Bear as a part of our family. :D When you were allocating sections of some bread, you apportioned a section to Baby Bear too! And you always include Baby Bear in your grace-saying. :D

Mama and you painted the 'snow' bits that we had. They're actually packing peanuts but you called them snow when Papa brought them home the other day. :p

You gave Mama some difficulty in changing your diaper today. You kept on running off and Mama can't chase you now since Mei-mei is so big. :p It took Mama quite some time before she succeeded in coaxing you to get changed. :p

Grandma came over today and she's staying for the night.

We drove over to the SAF Yacht Club for dinner. We wanted to celebrate Mother's Day with Grandma. It was a very scenic night as usual. :D You also kept on wanting to look at the boats and didn't really eat much. Papa had to bring you for walks along the jetty as you didn't want to sit at the dining table. Once, you just broke out into song - your sang 'Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star' so loudly in front of the tent where the soldiers were stationed. You were cute but somewhat embarrassing … but more cute! :D

After dinner,we came home and did our usual before sleeping.

Papa and Mama love you!

Cannonball

Dearest Skyler,

You got Mama to put stickers on your hands and feet and also your fingernails today! You were so well decorated! :D

Papa brought you swimming in the evening. Papa thinks that he'll try to bring you to the pool twice a week if he can. What do you think? :p

You headed straight for the Learning Pool once we got there. And we would go through your new routine: have Papa pull you through the pool then you would climb out and have Papa hold your hands while you did cannonball jumps back into the pool followed by your being helped back across the pool where you would clamber out again only to come back in via the staircase. :D This ensured that Papa exercised all the time. :D

After we got home, you stood on Mama's legs and practised balancing. Hmmm ... Maybe you shouldn't do that, Lil' One. You might have lost your balance and hurt both yourself and Mama.

You then played with your Pooh Bear toys with Papa before bedtime. You really enjoy playing with these toys that Aunty Lin Lin gave! :D

Papa and Mama love you!

Tired Papa

Dearest Skyler,

Mama and you played with your playdoh today. You'd dragged it out of where we'd put it all by yourself!

Papa came home with dinner as usual. You had a bit of it. You really only eat food that's not your usual, Lil' One! Not only that, you're very fussy about what you do eat. Every time you don't like the taste, you spit it out immediately making Mama and Papa scramble to clear up the mess.

You wanted to do lots of things tonight but Papa was too tired to entertain you as much as you wanted. So sorry, Lil' One!

In the end we played with your new magnet and book set. It was a brand new book we'd just picked up over the weekend.

We tried to get you to bed a bit earlier but you refused! You fussed so much! You wanted Papa to play with your Pooh Bear toys with you but Papa just couldn't. Papa was so tired!

You fussed for a long time before you were comforted enough by Mama for you to fall asleep! Poor Baby Girl!

Papa and Mama love you!

Accidents

Dearest Skyler,

We decided to give church a miss today as the HFMD situation has not improved. We spent the day at home recovering from yesterday instead. :p

Papa went out to get lunch. Papa felt that it would be faster if you didn't come along as Papa would have to carry lots of things and wouldn't be able to carry you safely. But you were totally upset that Papa didn't bring you along and Mama had a hard time distracting you. Sorry, Mama, sorry, Lil’ One. :p

We had a nap in the afternoon and after we got up, Papa brought you swimming. This is the earliest that you've been to the pool in a long time. :D

When we got there, it was fairly crowded. This trip proved to be the most accident-filled for you as well. We'd brought along your beach ball as you wanted it but we didn't play with it at all. Papa didn't want to be distracted by it while in the pool since we didn't need it so Papa asked you to put it back on the bench with our things. You told Papa to wait while you went on your own. You ran all the way to the bench. When you tried to stop, you slipped and fell onto your buttocks. But you were very brave about it and you didn't react very much. Poor Darling! :(

While we were swimming in the Learning Pool, a group of big kor-kors and a che-che threw a ball that hit you in the head. At least they said “sorry”. :( Papa wasn't happy though that they were playing with a ball in that pool. They were not supposed to. But they were more careful after that so they were probably not completely bad. :p

After we'd showered, we went to Chong Pang to buy dinner. We walked past a Community Club and saw people line dancing and you wanted to watch. Papa brought you to the side of the hall and we watched them from the outside for a few seconds before you asked to go inside. It was so funny that you misheard Papa and kept on asking where the lions were as you'd thought that Papa had said “lion dance” rather than “line dance”. We left after a short while as we still needed to get dinner.

You didn't want to walk while buying food. Papa had to carry you throughout. You were so heavy. We had to wait a long time for the food. Papa finally convinced you to sit down at the stall to wait for the food to be ready. Phew!

We headed home to have dinner and you once again fell asleep in the car.

After we got to bed, you insisted that Papa play with your Pooh Bear toys with you. Papa wondered if you were trying to maximise your time with him as Papa had to work tomorrow. So, Papa gave in and went back out to play with you. We went back to bed after that and you finally dropped off to sleep.

Papa and Mama love you!

Busy Skyler

Dearest Skyler,

You woke up when you realised that we were not in bed with you this morning. We then quickly got dressed and rushed for your gym session. But we got stuck in a traffic jam so we were late.

Mama brought you in first as we were already late and Papa had to park the car. The teacher found that you had a blister on your foot but as you didn't have a fever the teacher let you in. There is a concern currently due to the HFMD that's going around. But we think that the blister is from your shoe. :p You're out-growing your shoes, Lil' One.

You totally did everything Teacher Pearl asked you all to. Papa came in after he'd parked the car and Mama had to leave as only one parent is allowed in there at one time. The last skill that Teacher taught that day was some kind of back flip on the bar. You volunteered to demonstrate the new skill. Your effort was all the more impressive because of the build up Teacher Pearl had given and the fact that the first person who volunteered didn't want to do it after getting onto the bar. Teacher had said that this skill was not usually done with your age group as most of the kids your age were uncomfortable with it. She then said that even for kids who had volunteered to do it, a few would back out once they were on the bar. You not only happily walked up to the bar after the first kid backed out, you had no reaction to it at all! So much so that Teacher rolled you around the bar twice! Everyone was so impressed that they applauded you. :D You're really an ‘oblivious to danger’ girl! After that, you kept on playing with the uneven bars ... You would walk across it then swing down before landing. Then it was the end of the session. You got star stickers today from your teacher.

We went for a dim sum lunch at a nearby Crystal Jade. We ordered all your favourites. You were quite sleepy by then as you'd awakened earlier than usual this morning and you'd gone to bed so late last night. Anyway, you did eat your egg tart but you didn't eat your bao. We think you're bored by it. You seem to want to eat only things that are different. Oh well ...

We went to Borders after lunch. Papa and you visited the fountain and you took a walk around it. :D After we went back into the store, you climbed the stairs once more. As you're so much better on the stairs now, Papa let you go up and come down on your own as Papa really didn't want to keep on going up and down. :p The only thing we do not allow you to do is climb the stairs on the outside i.e. on the edge of the staircase as you could fall off and seriously hurt yourself.

Mama picked up a few books for you and after we paid for them, we headed off.

You were so sleepy by then that you fell asleep once you got into your seat.

On the way to Suntec City, we dropped by the Esplanade to return your library books. As you were still sleeping, Papa dashed up to do it leaving Mama and you in the car.

When we got to Suntec City, Papa dropped Mama and you off at the koi pond as you wanted to feed the fish. Papa met you both there after he'd parked the car.

You fed the fish and turtles with the food we'd received from the Kids' Kampong. It was so yummy that most of the fish came to eat your food! :D The fish here are so huge compared to those at the hotel last night. Those were downright skinny! :p

After we'd washed our hands (a very important habit to have) we had a slice of cheese cake. It was the type that Mama currently likes. :D we had a fruit juice to go with it. It was so sour but you liked it nonetheless. :D

We visited the bunnies and hamsters and you were so happy to see them that you kept on saying hi to them and asking what they were doing here. :D

You wanted to visit the fountain but it was closed for servicing so all we did was walk around it on the perimeter and looked in.

We headed to Swensen's for a drink. Yes, Darling, we spend a lot of time eating and drinking. :D It's just that since we have the Cool Rewards card we might as well make use of it. :D

We then headed to a photo shop to get a photo frame that Mama wanted. On the way, we walked into an opening ceremony. A new shop was being opened. You got a bear tattoo glued to your arm. It was so cool! :D You also received a dog balloon sculpture. The Aunty who made the sculpture seemed quite limited - she seemed to be able to make only a dog and a sword. Oh well ... You also got a standard balloon. :D We then had a photo taken and printed for free. We decided to skip the candy floss and popcorn as we'd consumed so much sugar already.

We went ahead to buy the photo frame that could fit the photo that we'd taken at Sentosa some time ago. We'd gotten it printed in 8R so that we can put it up. That's why we needed the frame.

We then proceeded to Carrefour to buy some stuff. We finally decided to buy a toaster oven. To our surprise, the price of the oven we wanted dropped even further thus we immediately grabbed it. :p We also bought some more diapers for you.

All of us were tired by then as we'd walked around so much for so long.

After we'd made our purchases, we drove to Popo's for dinner. Bubu and Moh-moh were there too and you played with them all! You had fun climbing up the stairs to play in Popo's room and you played with your doll with Moh-moh.

By the time we headed home we were very tired. Thus, we put you to bed soon after we got back. What a busy day it had turned out to be.

Papa and Mama love you!

Skyler Can Give Recounts

Dearest Skyler,

You're so smart, Lil' One. You can so remember the names of things so well. It was so funny when 4th Yee-por was holding her stuffed toy strawberry by its stem and asked you what that was and you told her stem! She was only expecting you to say strawberry! :D

You've also taken to recounting to us the things you do. You'd been crying last night and to distract you, Papa had ridden your car up our corridor. You continued to cry so Papa parked your car in your room and went back to you. This morning, you recounted to Mama what happened and why your car was in your room. :D

While you were reading the Noah's Ark story book in your room with Mama, you suddenly exclaimed, "I know, I know! Baby Bear, you wait here." You then dashed out and brought back your Noah's Ark ship to your bedroom where everyone was. You're so cute!

Mama had also asked you what Baby Mei-mei's name was going to be and you said her name correctly! :D You're so amazing! You actually remember!

After Papa got home with dinner, you asked to have a bath. We didn't want to bathe you before dinner but you asked for a shower instead so Papa showered you as this was quicker.

After dinner, we drove over to Suntec City to look for stuff. You wanted to do all your usual things like watch the fountain, visit the rabbits, feed the fish and play with toys but we didn't have time for any of it as it was already late. Sorry, Lil' One.

You had actually fallen asleep in the car, so Mama went up to look around first while you slept a bit more. You woke soon after so Papa brought you up. We found out from Mama that all the stores she wanted to visit had shut for the night! Oh well ...

We thus headed for Carrefour with the intention of looking for your 'Milo' and diapers but they didn't have any in stock! Mama then wanted to buy a toaster oven but we couldn't decide if we really needed one so we didn't get it. In the end, we walked out without buying anything except durians! :p

It was very late by then and you were very tired and a bit cranky. You'd insisted on being carried most of the time and Papa was quite exhausted. We put you in your seat and you started crying in the car. You insisted that we carry you and when we didn't as we were already driving, you cried uncontrollably! :(

We decided that we had to stop somewhere and carry you as you were so sad. We drove over to Empress Place and parked. We brought you out and headed over the Cavenaugh Bridge to the Fullerton Hotel.

By then you'd calmed down. You were quite enthralled by the lights and the waters of the Singapore River. We walked past the fountain outside the hotel before heading in. You were intrigued by the automatic revolving door. :D

We headed to the basement and looked at the fish in the pool they had. There were lots of what looked like catfish in it. They were very hungry! They came looking for food from whoever stood nearby. Thus many of them came to you to say 'Hi'.

We then headed back to the car and home. What a long night it turned out to be.

Papa and Mama love you!

Labour Day

Dearest Skyler,

It was a public holiday today. It's Labour Day - a day the nation has set aside to reflect on how much the workers of our country have achieved and where we are now - just a brief idea of why we have this holiday. :p

We'd planned a busy day for ourselves. We headed for the beach at Pasir Ris. Before we got there, we came across a big signboard that showed something called the Aqua-Fauna centre. We decided to stop by to take a look. We managed to find it and discovered that it was together with this thing called Kids' Kampong. We went in to take a look.

They had set up a few features for kids to catch fish using nets and fishing rods. Kids could also feed fish and bunnies. That's what we did ... Feed the bunnies. :D Papa had to carry you and you managed to put the pellets right into the bunnies' mouths! :D We also visited the ducks and birds. :D

After that, we headed to the Pasir Ris beach. We went there to build sandcastles as you'd been asking for that for some time. It was very very hot so we left in a few minutes. We'd brought our picnic mat and your pail, shovels and moulds for your sandcastle. We packed up and headed to Grandma's when we couldn’t take the heat anymore.

We bought food up to Grandma's for lunch. You had a shower there and after lunch you jumped around a bit on Grandma's bed. You were so sleepy you fell asleep in Papa's arms later on. We had stayed there for some time and that was why you were so sleepy. Poor Darling!

After we left Grandma's, we headed to S'pore Expo; there was an MPH book fair. Mama bought books for you. You were so sleepy still, you didn't want to hang around so we went out to get you a Milo. We then went back to look for Mama. You were so sleepy that you fell asleep in Papa's arms and you couldn't get up. Thus, you slept all the while Papa was in the queue to make payment.

After we had paid, we went to get some refreshments. You had an egg tart. :D

After that, we went to Bedok hawker centre to get dinner. We'd wanted to do that for lunch but we hadn't had time. We brought it over to Tai-po's to eat.

We went to Tai-Po's place for a visit. 4th and 5th Yee-Po's stay there too. It took you awhile to warm up to them but you did. You played with their soft toy animals and wandered around their place. But you didn't eat much of dinner though.

We headed home after that. What a long day it had been!

Papa and Mama love you!