I'm nearly at the end of my third day of truly being tested as a stay-home mom; prior to Monday, E was around the whole time helping with the cooking and cleaning so it can't count.
I'm surprised by how quickly the day passes. Because Dylan takes a long time to finish his meals, it isn't long after breakfast that I have to start working on lunch already, and I wonder sometimes if he is hungry with meals so close after each other.
This morning, I tried finger-painting with him for the first time. First lesson to finger paiting: it is vital, before you get the cap off even one of the paint tubes, to have within arm's reach plenty of tissue paper and wet wipes on hand to deal with very likely messes, including when the tyke decides the glob of dark blue gunk on his hand is food and hair gel!
There are moments in the day when time slows down - especially when I wrestling with a grumpy toddler to try to get him to take a nap - but other than these awful will-testing moments I'm cherishing every minute. Still, it isn't easy, and I really take my hat off to SAHMs who are coping with more than 1 kid!
Right now, I have a few questions and I welcome anyone to offer suggestions for this inexperienced SAHM:
1) Dylan is starting to throw some serious tantrums. I'm talking about hour-long hair-raising body-stiffening screaming fits, refusing to stop so that mommy or daddy can have a word in edgewise type of tantrum. So we naturally are starting to wonder what the best way of disciplining him is. We tried putting him in a naughty-corner ala Supernanny style, but the tyke just gets right up crying his guts out and runs to me again.
2) How do you do to start introducing the potty? We bought a really basic one for $11, and I've been trying to get Dylan just to sit there when he is doing No.2 with his pants on. He doesn't seem to see the need though, and would just get up from the seat again.
3) At bedtime: is it alright for mommy to climb into the toddler bed with him to soothe him to sleep? What's the best way to wean a young toddler off cosying up to mommy and daddy at bedtime?
Ok.
Now that I have all of 3 days of cooking experience under my belt - I believe that the 2 boys in this house will soon start to appreciate my ever-improving culinary experiment! Will talk more about that later.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
Days 1 to 3 in Melbourne and Churchill
E beat me to it - breaking the first news and photos of our initial days here in Oz, so some of what I'm posting here is already old news. In a nutshell, it's been a fun first few days here with the Daddy, and we have all the photos to prove it!
Read more in Back in Oz.
My biggest worry coming over to Australia was what I should get from the grocer's and whether Dylan would eat my cooking. Thankfully, other than a definite preference for all things potato in the shape of little sticks people call "french fries" and "chips", our little one is eating well and drinking his milk.
How do I know? He's been poo-ing about twice daily, on average! All parents will know what I'm talking about - it's simple Math, really, what goes in must come out, nothing to baulk over. =)
Some things we've been scoffing down our throats -
Our first home-made breakfast on Day 2: Daddy's modified french toast - using ready-made pancakes!
Flat white at the Blue Train Cafe, Southbank
Dylan's perennial favorite, baby yoghurt, though here he's just staring straight into Daddy's camera:
A treat at Iimis Cafe - baby chino for just 50c! Essentially, it's just steamed milk with a marshmallow on the side - mostly foam from the steaming, and a little bit of warm milk and chocolate powder on top.
Yummy savory crepe-like dish-whose-name-I've-forgotten-though-the-taste-was-totally-memorable:
Dylan's first ever trip to the zoo was exciting for him! First encounters at the Melbourne Zoo included coming up close and personal with big cats - three handsome male lions, a snow leapord, a jaguar - lizards, wombats, giraffe, zebras and emus. Midway through our visit, after he saw a bunch of wombats all cosied up sleeping in their den, Dylan decided enough was quite enough and promptly fell asleep. So that's how he missed out on the elephant exhibit and a beautiful orang utan enclosure. Ah well.
At the zoo entrance.
Can't take my eyes off those beasts - what brutes! what beauty!
Erm... mommy, what were we supposed to see again?
Check out my impression of an emu - impressive, no?
So who do I look like more - mommy or daddy?
some giraffes and an emu
with daddy, oh, and a couple of zebras and a giraffe too.
After D's nap, was playtime at the zoo's kidzone!
We headed out to Churchill on Wednesday - a long drive, and I got a taste of what E's been talking about when he mentioned how rural it was out here. But it's populated enough to have a few decent joints and playground facilities for the little one! After lunch yesterday, off we went to another playground nearby in Tarralgon:
Love the looks on both the boys!
Read more in Back in Oz.
My biggest worry coming over to Australia was what I should get from the grocer's and whether Dylan would eat my cooking. Thankfully, other than a definite preference for all things potato in the shape of little sticks people call "french fries" and "chips", our little one is eating well and drinking his milk.
How do I know? He's been poo-ing about twice daily, on average! All parents will know what I'm talking about - it's simple Math, really, what goes in must come out, nothing to baulk over. =)
Some things we've been scoffing down our throats -
Our first home-made breakfast on Day 2: Daddy's modified french toast - using ready-made pancakes!
Flat white at the Blue Train Cafe, Southbank
Dylan's perennial favorite, baby yoghurt, though here he's just staring straight into Daddy's camera:
A treat at Iimis Cafe - baby chino for just 50c! Essentially, it's just steamed milk with a marshmallow on the side - mostly foam from the steaming, and a little bit of warm milk and chocolate powder on top.
Yummy savory crepe-like dish-whose-name-I've-forgotten-though-the-taste-was-totally-memorable:
Dylan's first ever trip to the zoo was exciting for him! First encounters at the Melbourne Zoo included coming up close and personal with big cats - three handsome male lions, a snow leapord, a jaguar - lizards, wombats, giraffe, zebras and emus. Midway through our visit, after he saw a bunch of wombats all cosied up sleeping in their den, Dylan decided enough was quite enough and promptly fell asleep. So that's how he missed out on the elephant exhibit and a beautiful orang utan enclosure. Ah well.
At the zoo entrance.
Can't take my eyes off those beasts - what brutes! what beauty!
Erm... mommy, what were we supposed to see again?
Check out my impression of an emu - impressive, no?
So who do I look like more - mommy or daddy?
some giraffes and an emu
with daddy, oh, and a couple of zebras and a giraffe too.
After D's nap, was playtime at the zoo's kidzone!
We headed out to Churchill on Wednesday - a long drive, and I got a taste of what E's been talking about when he mentioned how rural it was out here. But it's populated enough to have a few decent joints and playground facilities for the little one! After lunch yesterday, off we went to another playground nearby in Tarralgon:
Love the looks on both the boys!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Flying the Singapore Flyer
I'll be the first to admit.
When I found out that Singapore was going the way of London in building our own Ferris Wheel tourist trap, I groaned in disbelief. How unoriginal and kitschy can we get?
But then, that was before the baby arrived.
Before you know it, here I am, morphed into a parent looking for more stimulating experiences to offer a frisky and highly curious 18-month-old, and a way to allow the family to spend some quality time outdoors together.
That is the story of how we decided one morning to claim my Asia Miles for a family package to visit the Singapore Flyer. Really, taking a trip up the Singapore Flyer fits the bill perfectly, because:
1) It's round, and it turns. The boy loves everything that turns!
2) The glass-all-around capsule you get into kind of reminds you of stepping into a giant milk bottle. (ok, so I'm stretching the comparison a little.)
And most important of all,
3) It fulfills the boy's craving to climb great heights, without the commensurate danger of falling and hurting himself.
And, to be fair, the view is pretty spectacular.
More on our Singapore Flyer experience!
Here, the mommy and boy:
And the grandpa soaking in the Saturday morning sunshine and view of the Singapore skyline.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Family portrait
We're on a mission this week.
In view of our imminent 12 months ahead of home-cooked food made by yours truly, the husband and toddler are super keen to stuff our faces with as much local yummies as possible.
Just to give a quick snapshot of what this meant for us just this past weekend:
1) First meal: Kway Chap (braised pork innards, meat, tofu with flat rice noodles)
2) Lunch: Imperial Treasure 小笼包，拉缅
3）Dinner at WestLake with the Chen Family: Kong Bak Bau (braised pork belly in steamed bun), chili crab, fu yong dan (fried omelette), steamed tofu, roast chicken
4) Sunday Lunch: Rindo set at Waraku
5) Sunday Dinner: Seafood Hor Fun, Crab bee hoon, Crab in XO noodle soup, prawn paste chicken, Pai Guat Ong (sweet pork ribs), wolfberries in spinach soup, hot plate sambal sotong...
yumm...
I'm sorry to say that this will be a hard act for me to follow, having never been a stay-at-home mom/cook in my life. Need prayer - for more forgiving taste buds and better culinary skills on my part!
The nice thing about dinner on Saturday was having the Chen tribe altogether. We took the opportunity to take a family portrait at CY&A's place.
What a blessed family we are.
In view of our imminent 12 months ahead of home-cooked food made by yours truly, the husband and toddler are super keen to stuff our faces with as much local yummies as possible.
Just to give a quick snapshot of what this meant for us just this past weekend:
1) First meal: Kway Chap (braised pork innards, meat, tofu with flat rice noodles)
2) Lunch: Imperial Treasure 小笼包，拉缅
3）Dinner at WestLake with the Chen Family: Kong Bak Bau (braised pork belly in steamed bun), chili crab, fu yong dan (fried omelette), steamed tofu, roast chicken
4) Sunday Lunch: Rindo set at Waraku
5) Sunday Dinner: Seafood Hor Fun, Crab bee hoon, Crab in XO noodle soup, prawn paste chicken, Pai Guat Ong (sweet pork ribs), wolfberries in spinach soup, hot plate sambal sotong...
yumm...
I'm sorry to say that this will be a hard act for me to follow, having never been a stay-at-home mom/cook in my life. Need prayer - for more forgiving taste buds and better culinary skills on my part!
The nice thing about dinner on Saturday was having the Chen tribe altogether. We took the opportunity to take a family portrait at CY&A's place.
What a blessed family we are.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A family re-united.
It was a sweet, but surreal, family reunion.
Saturday afternoon, Dylan and I found ourselves rushing to the "Arrivals" boards in T3 only to find that we were in the wrong terminal. 15 minutes later, after rushing back to the car and driving to Terminal 2, the father of our son walks through the gate to a son smiling shyly at him and then excitedly running all over in the arrival hall.
Dylan's not been able to stop saying "Daddy" since.
Our happiness is also mixed with worry and some stress these few days, as the father in law was admitted into hospital the night before with some swelling in the gums. The swelling has gone down somewhat now, and the scans that are performed today will tell us more about why it occurred in the first place.
The grandma has been tired traveling to and from the hospital, spending her days with the grandpa, and we're making alternative childcare arrangements for these couple of days.
We are really thankful to my parents for making themselves always available to take care of a frisky 18-month-old, and my family too. Tomorrow, Dylan will get to spend his day with cousins Christy (5), Sara (3), Ryan (11-months), and cousin-once-removed Steffi (approx 6-months).
Saturday afternoon, Dylan and I found ourselves rushing to the "Arrivals" boards in T3 only to find that we were in the wrong terminal. 15 minutes later, after rushing back to the car and driving to Terminal 2, the father of our son walks through the gate to a son smiling shyly at him and then excitedly running all over in the arrival hall.
Dylan's not been able to stop saying "Daddy" since.
Our happiness is also mixed with worry and some stress these few days, as the father in law was admitted into hospital the night before with some swelling in the gums. The swelling has gone down somewhat now, and the scans that are performed today will tell us more about why it occurred in the first place.
The grandma has been tired traveling to and from the hospital, spending her days with the grandpa, and we're making alternative childcare arrangements for these couple of days.
We are really thankful to my parents for making themselves always available to take care of a frisky 18-month-old, and my family too. Tomorrow, Dylan will get to spend his day with cousins Christy (5), Sara (3), Ryan (11-months), and cousin-once-removed Steffi (approx 6-months).
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Commencement, and JK Rowling
On this day, in a few hours' time, over a thousand graduating doctoral and master students from the Harvard Graduate School of Education will be filing down Appian Way to receive their certificates.
Some who are parents will have their toddlers and infant-in-arms amble up the stage, with them, to the cheers of their attending family and friends.
And later in the day, still in their full Harvard crimson regalia, many of my friends will be joining the frenzy of other graduating students from other Harvard schools (and the press) to listen to JK Rowling, famed author of the Harry Potter wizard series, speak at The Yard.
"If Harvard Were Hogwarts"
As mortar boards are thrown in the air, and champaigne bottles are popped, little old me will be waking up to another new day.
Hopefully with less ado than this morning, when the little tyrant decided that 6am was plenty late to get up and join in the pre-dawn chorus of the birds outside the house.
Some who are parents will have their toddlers and infant-in-arms amble up the stage, with them, to the cheers of their attending family and friends.
And later in the day, still in their full Harvard crimson regalia, many of my friends will be joining the frenzy of other graduating students from other Harvard schools (and the press) to listen to JK Rowling, famed author of the Harry Potter wizard series, speak at The Yard.
"If Harvard Were Hogwarts"
As mortar boards are thrown in the air, and champaigne bottles are popped, little old me will be waking up to another new day.
Hopefully with less ado than this morning, when the little tyrant decided that 6am was plenty late to get up and join in the pre-dawn chorus of the birds outside the house.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Brushing Teeth
One of the first things I did last week was to get Dylan his first proper toothbrush.
And a tube of edible toothpaste - which ended up costing $13.80 for a small 75ml tube, and astounded me.
He's a little skittish about having me manoevre the brush, but enjoys handling it on his own.
So here are a couple of photos. In the second one the mommy is on the phone explaining to daddy what the little tyke is up to:
And an update: the little tyrant slept through the last two nights, and in fact last night remained in his own bed the whole way through without incident!
Hallelujah!
And a tube of edible toothpaste - which ended up costing $13.80 for a small 75ml tube, and astounded me.
He's a little skittish about having me manoevre the brush, but enjoys handling it on his own.
So here are a couple of photos. In the second one the mommy is on the phone explaining to daddy what the little tyke is up to:
And an update: the little tyrant slept through the last two nights, and in fact last night remained in his own bed the whole way through without incident!
Hallelujah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)