Mr. Fix-It

Since I've become preggos, I've been trying to teach Chubbs to play on his own, or rather to be less dependent on me to entertain him. Because when baby arrives, I'll definitely be more strapped for time, and I don't want him to feel that I'm suddenly paying him less attention. He's been coping well with the "weaning", and it's been so delightful for me to watch him play independently.

He's been watching and learning from Fuzzy and his Tai-Gong on how to use tools for a long time now. This afternoon, when I was resting my aching lower back in a chair, and he was playing with his toys, I noticed that he had fallen quieter than usual. I looked up and saw him taking apart an entire train, using a screw-driver, which he found to match the size of the screws. I watched him the whole time, as he took apart the train, and slowly tried to piece it back again. The entire process took almost 30-min. I couldn't resist discreetly snapping shots along the way.

Old Photos

Dug up some of Chubbs' very first photos from my old SIM card. Flipping through them really made me smile. He was such a precious baby; who's grown up so fast.

My first newborn- he's probably only a few hours old here.

His first lie-down in his cot at home.

Napping sweetly in his rocker; can't believe how chubby he was.

Leaning to crawl.

Transportation-Themed School Excursion

For their excursion this term, Chubbs' school planned a transportation-themed trip for them. It started with a coach ride to Tanah Merah MRT station, then they took the MRT to Changi Airport, rode the Skytrain in between terminals, and then a coach ride back to school after they've had lunch.

The kids were thrilled, beaming ear to ear. And I think it was a first for some of them to be riding a huge coach. Chubbs was so hyper the whole trip because he rarely gets the chance to be out with his teachers and all his friends. But it was a huge effort keeping up with him with my 7-months preggers tummy. As a result, he was running wild, 50-100m ahead of me half the time :(

He talked about his day for a long time before he fell asleep. It was such a good trip not only because he got to ride on many forms of transportation, but also because he had his classmates to enjoy the day with. I'd say a very successful day out for this kids, even though I felt dead beat upon reaching home. Really wished I could just sit and vegetate for a while; guess the pregnancy has started to take its toll on me.

Strapped in by a very ineffective seat-belt on the coach.

Waiting not-quite-so patiently for the MRT at Tanah Merah.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We brought Chubbs to Fusionopolis for the first time over the weekend for a fantastic play adapted from three Eric Carle stories, by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. They covered The Little Cloud, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and the popular classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

In a cool escalator "tunnel".

In the fancy sitting area outside the theatre. I love the design of this place.

Goofing around with Daddy before the show.

I must say that this was the best show we've brought Chubbs to, ever. The storylines were preserved, the whole performance was flawlessly executed, the narration was crystal clear and the puppeteers were extremely professional. I can't think of any aspect in which they could have improved on. I especially liked that the cast took the time to answer questions from the audience after the show, and explained how they created the puppets and used them in the performance.

The only thing that prevented us from thoroughly enjoying the act was the girls sitting in front of us who seemed to have had ants in their pants. The elder girl, who was eight or nine, was sitting on three booster seats stacked up, even though she was already very tall, and she was in the first row. Needless to say, our view was blocked. When she wasn't sitting on her throne, she would stand up, fidget, jump, the works. It was extremely inconsiderate, and the guardians didn't care.

The tickets for this show cost more than what we've paid for others, but I think it was very worth it. Chubbs enjoyed it tremendously, and sat enthralled the whole way. I will be looking out for more acts by Mermaid Theatre, and you should too.

Enjoying some tea and a cupcake after the performance.

Chubbs' Art

Chubbs' version of a garbage truck.

A rocket with flames, carrying, "Daddy, Mommy, baby and me."

A dinosaur.

Bintan 2011

We zipped out for a short trip to Bintan right before the school holidays ended for Chubbs. Thought it'll be a great experience for Chubbs, since he has never been on a ferry, and seldom gets a chance to be on a beach or splashing in the pool endlessly. Plus, it'll probably be the last trip out for the three of us before baby comes.

On the ferry, where Fuzzy got quite seasick. And Chubbs took a rare nap.

We booked ourselves in Bintan Lagoon Resort, and it was very nice on the day we arrived because there were very few people around. So we literally had the whole pool to ourselves. We realised then that Chubbs could swim with his water wings on! Very exciting for us parents to watch. He'd tread water or kick and move his hands, and actually gain distance. And was he mighty proud of himself too.

Swimming with Daddy, and then on his own.

Bathing Mommy.

The room was surprisingly spacious and well-thought out, with a play/ chill out area for the kids. Chubbs entertained himself with the pillows and the few toy vehicles that I brought along, calling it his construction site.

Happy with the play area in the room.

The next morning after a very full breakfast, we explored the beach. It was beautiful! And very kid friendly, since the waves were gentle and and the seabed stays flat for a long way out. Chubbs built sandcastles in the morning, and when we came back after a swim in the pool, we found that the tide had come in and created some shallow pools of water where Chubbs and I could sit and play with the water without having us be in the sea. It was great because the tide brought some fish and hermit crabs in too, and Chubbs had great fun chasing them around.

Building sandcastles.

Laying back and recharging with a snack before hitting the beach again.

Chasing fish with Daddy.

Chilling with Mommy in the "pool". You can see the waves breaking in the distance, but not where we were sitting. Perfect.

Clowning around before another disappointing dinner.

Busying himself with the sand and water, before it was time to check out.

Looking for fish and exploring the big rocks on the beach.

The rooms, beach and pool are great at Bintan Lagoon. But there's just one thing. The food borders on inedible. We ordered Chubbs spaghetti carbonara for dinner one night, and after taking a bite, said, "Mommy, can I just have plain rice?" Even Fuzzy who doesn't believe in wasting food, and eats almost anything, couldn't stomach it. It was microwaved, and the sauce was made with palm oil. And it cost most than $20. Fuzzy and I ordered nasi campur (rice with mixed dishes), a very Indonesian dish because we thought it was a safe bet. It was horrible. The beef was so tough, I could hardly poke the fork through, the chicken curry was absolutely tasteless and the battered fish tasted like chalk. The next night, we thought we'd try another restaurant, since the last dinner was so sad. Not much better, just more expensive. So we spent more than $150 for two dinners, eating absolute rubbish. We had been prepared to pay a lot for food since we had to contend with resort food, but we never thought it'd be so bad. So you have been warned, if you are a foodie, or appreciate tasty, well-cooked food, this is not the resort for you. Thankfully, I packed some pieces of Babybel cheese, snacks and lots of fruit in a cooler box, which became his staples for the trip.

The only upsides in this whole bad food experience, is that Fuzzy lost about 2kg from the trip alone, and Chubbs now thinks that the food that I cook tastes like manna from the heavens. He eats almost anything now, even the horrid lunches in school. And porridge too! So our current threat when he whines at meal times is, "Eat this, or I'll bring you back to the Bintan restaurant!"

Helping Daddy with the big luggage.

Napping sweetly in Daddy's arms on the ride home.