Sentosa by Monorail

We went to Sentosa by Monorail for the first time. Wow…it’s was a very interesting 10 minutes journey for Caden. He couldn’t stop saying that he is INSIDE the train even after we arrived at home.

Coincidentally, his favorite color (which is GREEN) comes up most of the time. He was inside a green monorail when we depart and he was also inside a green tram (that took us to Pahlawan Beach). Even the hand-soap was green in color. Furthermore, I bought him a miniature green monorail before we went home.

Caden was very happy that day. When he spoke to daddy on the phone, what he said was, “inside green…”. ^_^

"The face" of the day!

Not to be followed!!

Drinking Soy Milk on a jar??? *ck ck ck*

When Oma is in Jakarta...

...this is what I do to her car!

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PS: If you see this Oma, SORRY! ^_^

Happy!

So happy, surviving with just one egg egg egg (that's what he calls it) a day for the past 4 weeks.
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and it has to be a soft boiled one!!!

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*Mommy shaking head*

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PS: Actually he always ask for more, but I only give him once a day.

Dancing with my favorite partner...

With Ii Ali at home.

Nemo Costume

Today is the last day of Term 3, which means…it’s party day!!!

I made Caden came to school in a Nemo costume that I bought from USA.

He looks really cute in it!!! ^_^

More on Chinese...

Sometimes, he can say one whole sentence by himself (although not really that clear, though)

Family Picture

In front of our favorite restaurant, Din Tai Fung!

Knowing what I want @ 23 Months Old

I am not kidding!! He opened up the menu himself and point to his only and favorite dish ever!

FRIED RICE!!!
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There are 4 different types of it, but he could point to the one with the egg only without any hesitation.

the longest time he is sick

Caden has been coughing for 3 weeks. We went to the doctor last week, but the medicine that was given doesn’t make him any better.

In fact, there was rashes on his body! Oma scream when she saw it. It looks scary, like a ring type and big and everywhere. At first I thought it was diaper rash, but when I look again, it was on his back, too.

So we went again today. The rashes was gone! The doctor suspected that Caden might have gotten a type of bacteria called Mycoplasma that is very common among children. It is airborne; therefore, he could get it just about anywhere, even at the pool.

[Mycoplasma can create rashes on the body that disappear within a few hours]

Tough the doctor said that Caden is strong (since he doesn’t have to be on nebulizer and he is still running around everywhere), I hate the fact that he has been banned from swimming until he recovers. It has been almost a month since the last time he swam and I am actually looking forward to swim with him again.

We were given two options, to poke him and see if that is true or to just start the medication right away and see in 3 days if he is getting any better. If not, then we have to poke and get some blood sample from him.

I decided to do the later one! He has strength like a horse! I am not sure if we can put him down to get the blood sample. I am very sure he would give out his whole strength and energy to get out from there.

I hope I am making the right decision and he will be better in 3 days.

wailing...

This happen quite often nowadays! Wailing for no reason or just to get attention to get something that he wants.
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Terrible two has start and some said it will never completely end...even after he gets married! =p

continue with tennis...

...followed by a private lesson by Oma at our own Tennis Court.

Since none of Oma's 3 daughter like to play tennis, she is really hoping that Caden will be the one that can continue the legacy of tennis in her family.

First Experience: Tennis Lesson

Oma has been very anxious to put Caden into Tennis lesson since Caden was barely 1 year old. Now that he is actually eligible for it, Oma can’t resist to accompany Caden to his first ever Tennis lesson.

Though I think Caden is still a little bit too young for it, Oma insisted that the younger it is, the better the outcome.

So we have signed up to this Tennis class at Advantage School of Tennis in Turf City. What I like about this is, they have fairly small class and good teachers.

I have stopped his gym class for now. He has been there since he was 4 months old and I think it’s time to change to something new.

Mommy Mommy Mommy...

Since I came back one week ago, Caden has making sure that I will never leave his sight again. EVER!

Suster can’t really help that much anymore. Everything has to be done by Mommy!!!

Now, it’s always, ‘Mommy sit’, ‘Mommy play’, ‘Sleep Mommy’ (Sleep with Mommy), ‘Mommy read’, ‘Mommy sini’ (Mommy come), ‘Mommy see’ (see what I am doing), and thousands of Mommy with cries…

Suster is enjoying her lots of free time compare to when I was in US!

While I thought, “So this is what I get for leaving him for 2 whole weeks!”

To be honest, I prefer this rather than him rejected me (even only for a few days).

It’s been a week and there is no sign of this will go off. Though I am actually enjoying doing everything with him, I am too hoping that I can have that slight freedom to do my own things, too.

Maybe soon... 2 weeks has to be paid by another 2 weeks of Mommy...!! ^_^

Learning Chinese from young

Knowing that Chinese language is a very difficult language to be learnt [especially when both parents are about 97% blind about it], starting early in exposing Caden to the language is important.

Caden has been in his two-times-a-week Mandarin class for more than 6 months now and I should say that there are lots of improvement in his Chinese words and the understanding of the conversation in Chinese.

And since children's brain are not corrupted yet, they learn new language so much faster as easier than adults.

I have been in the same class with Caden all along, but I am still very much blurred about the language, whereas Caden shows lots of more understanding in it.

There was one day, about 2 months ago, when the teacher was talking in Chinese [which I obviously didn't understand at all]. Suddenly Caden was holding my two hands and moving them around. Before I had the chance to ask him, "what is it?", the teacher started singing 'Row Row Row Your Boat' in Chinese. I was indeed surprised on how well he had understand the language with only four hours class per week.

In the video clip above, it has shown that Caden understands and actually REMEMBERS (unlike me!!) Chinese words.

Favorite food

Since the day I was away for US, Caden didn’t eat his porridge at all (only formula, baby cereal, fresh milk, cheerios, and soft-boil-egg everyday).

Suster has tried everything! From making him a chicken porridge and put it in a plastic bowl (so that it looks just like the one we bought from Tiong Bahru Market) to force-feed him. But nothing works.

He is still drinking his milk quite a lot so I am not so worried about him being hungry. In fact, he gains weight steadily. I am just worried that he doesn’t get enough vitamins from the meat, veggies, fruits and carbs that he is suppose to take for a balance diet.

Today is special day for Caden. I brought him to two of his favorite restaurants on the same day; to Tiong Bahru Market for his favorite porridge in the morning for breakfast and to Din Tai Fung Paragon for his favorite fried rice for his dinner.

And while he was eating those food eagerly, Suster can't help wondering how Caden knew which one is restaurant's food and which one is not. [At one point, we make the home-cooked food very tasty, hoping he will eat it]

Toys Toys Toys

I have bought tons of toys for Caden and will giving it out wisely for the coming months ahead. The reason for it because the EXACTLY same toys here in Singapore are about 2.5 to 4 times more expensive compare to the US. It is so not worth it to buy toys in Singapore.

We of course has added Caden's Lego collections by buying quite a few of new Lego. Shown here is a Deluxe Train Set from Lego. We were at Lego Land at Downtown Disneyland (Los Angeles) and saw this huge box of train set with 50% off (ONE LEFT!). It cost us only about SGD$60. I bet if they sell it in Singapore (they don't carry it everywhere, even at the official Lego stores. I assume because it's too expensive to sell), the price would be around SGD$300.

I bought one Lego here early this year which cost me SGD$62, but it will only cost me SGD$30 in US. Super UNREASONABLE!

I also had bought this cleaning set for Caden. I was so interested in it as the toy vacuum model is exactly the same model as the real one we have at home. Caden loves to clean but all the cleaning sets that are sold in Toys R Us Singapore are pink in color.

Caden was so happy to be able to help Suster vacuum our carpet today.

Seeing him again after 2 whole weeks

I was home this morning. The original landing time should be at 5.30am which makes me just in time to catch Caden before his breakfast time. But because of strong winds, we landed almost 1 hour earlier.

We took our 8 huge suitcases from the carousel and went straight for for Maxi-Cab, which has so much more space for Paul and I and the suitcases.

[FYI, the contents of the suitcases are 85% Caden toys]

We arrived home at almost 6am. I went straight for shower and then unpacked a few things while waiting for Caden to be awake.

I heard him crying at around 6.30am. Though I know that if I want him to go back to sleep I shouldn’t be entering his room, I couldn’t help myself not to.

I carry him in the dark and felt so much relived that at last I am back home, where my heart was always be. Caden hugged me tight for a while and then looked at me and said “Mommy!!”. At that moment I knew that both of us have missed each other too much!

When Mommy is not around...

One week has passed...

A week has passed. Both mommy and Caden has doing very well. Although i miss him terribly, I am actually enjoying my time here in US. We went shopping alot, catch up with friends and family, and have a great time together.

Caden, too, seem to enjoy his regular routines everyday with Oma (my mom), suster and our maid. I’ve been told that he asked for me a few times, but he never cries uncontrollably for it. I am very glad.

He caught a little cough, though! And he transferred it to suster. *sigh* I have told mom and suster to monitor his cough, and when it gets worst, I told mom to bring him to his pediatrician. Luckily, I have written down his pediatrician numbers and paste it near the kitchen area.

One more week to go and it’s going to be another long week for me. I just hope that Caden would be okay at least for another week. I can’t wait to go swimming again with him.

Oh BTW, I thought this 2 weeks trip will make me a little fairer as I have been swimming a lot, thus, I look so much tanner now. But I think the other way has happened!! OH MY GOSH! It's so hot here, especially now when we are in Austin, Texas. Today is one of the worst day and people has been advised to stay at home. The weather went up to 40.5 degree Celsius. :(