Friday, January 14, 2011

my Little Picasso








my little Picasso is at my Mum's, terrorising his Kao-fu into painting with him :P
He does the painting, my brother does the cleaning up HEHEHE

Oh yes, he is left-handed.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Border Collies do it till the cows come home



This rug can be bought at $25.90 from IKEA if you are a member, otherwise it is $39.90. Either way, it is still way cheaper than the original $69. Good buy if you ask me!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bibbit

First, Kai needs to draw a "Bibbit".


But he got carried away with coloring and had to start over :P

add on some adhesive...


Pasting on the "fur"


My pro artist :D


Adam's rabbit (otherwise known as "Bibbit" to him)



Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Kai attends a Church wedding


this photo was taken when it was still 2010. Can someone pls stop the time!
My happy bubs is holding a bouquet of balloons. Thanks to Suping for letting Kai have her wedding props :P
We drove home with the balloons stuck out my Baby Mobile's sunroof ;D

Coincidentally, this is also the day my Chanel pearls snapped. Luckily, I brought them to the NAC boutqiue and they repaired it for me FOC, no questions asked.

Wish Suping & her Hubby wedded bliss :)
Andy, Veron, Adam.

Off to schooooo


2nd week update: My happy bubs lugging his own school bag to school early morning.
When I dropped him off at the gate, he was apprehensive. Then when I wanted to leave, he started clinging to me by pulling my t-shirt, holding my hand and making sure I was in sight.
Teacher Joyce had to carry him and distract him while I sneaked away.

Immediately after I felt like crying. I think I'm such an emotional softee. I seem to be the one suffering from seperation anxiety instead!

Yesterday, he learnt about body parts, outlined his hand on a vanguard and made a puppet with the cutout. He ate all his cornflakes for breakfast and I am so happy.
Can't believe my dear baby is all grown up now.
Tissues for the poor Mommy please!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Our new home update.




Our new pad is ready anytime now, just awaiting key collection. I'm sooooo excited!
The aircons/ wardrobes/ cabinets are all up the last time we went to see with some future neighbours.

The balcony is gonna be my favourite hangout place in the house.
I want some Balinese outdoor furniture, rattan ball light, bird-nest ferns, safari plants, and water feature with koi fishies plsss!

We went choosing wallpaper with Kai the other weekend, finally had some headstart in the deco.
We're gonna paint a rainbow in his bedroom!

Friday, January 7, 2011

My Darling's First Day at School

Today our darling son is finally well enough to go to school!

Woke up early morning, his hair still standing up and he's eating his muffin for breakfast.



"Mommy we're going to be late can you stop asking me to pose??....."



Off to school! Hand-in-hand with Daddy :)


Adam's personalised Tux name tag :D





Today's theme was Birthday Party, so they sang a Birthday Song, learnt what is a cake, candles, and party, and he colored a Birthday cake. With his name written on it. I feel so proud!



Thankfully, the class is bilingual and the teacher : student ratio is 2:5.
I must say at this moment, Andy & I are very happy about the curriculum and the conduct of the school/teachers. Learning Mandarin is a bonus because as we all know, it's a difficult language and the earlier we start, the better.
According to Psychologist Jean Piaget, the cognitive development of children at the pre-schooler age (2-7yrs) are mostly focused on language development, role-modeling, play-pretend.
Therefore, parents with kids this age group should not be overly anxious if their Playschools don't seem to be "teaching them enough through books and hardcore classroom learning".


In due time, Adam will be going to either St James Kindy or Marymount Kindy.
But right now, this will be our plan - to put Adam in a drop-off program with our shortlisting criteria as follows:
- Must be near our home (for safety reasons, no need to cross any major roads, and easy for Andy's mum to drop-off & pick-up)
- MCYS approved centre with qualified & committed teaching staff (This centre has staff working for years, ie. low turnover rate, which is important because children get attached to caregivers easily and build trust and learn from role-modeling at this age.)
- Cleanliness and hygiene standards
- Not too much rigid sit-down classroom setting
We're currently sticking to this plan until our new home is settled, and until we have our logistics arrangements sorted out.

And nope, there were no tears from my big boy. Not sure about next week though!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Glimmer of hope

I have a piece of good news to share - I found someone who's willing to adopt Alice!
Last night, I called SPCA's 24-hour emergency hotline (which was meant for injured/sick/distressed animals only) and told the staff about my dog and that I want her back.
Luckily, he was very happy to assist me and told me to go back the next morning (which was today morning).

So I met Alan at SPCA. Yes, my ex-bf Alan is going to adopt her.
He recently got married, and had since stopped asking about Alice, also it was not appropriate for me to contact him since he's married. But last night, Andy urged me to give it one last shot to save Alice so I did. Thank God, Alan called me back immediately and said Ok he will adopt her and let her stay with his wife's family. They stay in a landed property in Loyang, and they are retired couple whose kids are all grown-up, therefore Alice would make a good pet for them.

After redeeming her at SPCA, we brought Alice to the vet to do the necessary, and Keith was really kind. He agreed to help me give Alice a bath & blowdry, even though his appointments are always full and it is so last minute and I have no appointment made.
So vet done, grooming done.


This photo was taken this morning at the vet. My old dame has indeed come of age. Her muzzle and face is white now, and she looks scrawny.



Alice is ready to go to her new home.
Thanks to everyone for their concern, prayers, well wishes. I'm really grateful, and relieved that at least my Alice is going to a better home than what I can offer her, and also because Alan is someone Alice knows for a long time. Therefore I know that she is in very good hands indeed.

Monday, January 3, 2011

A dog named Alice










I had a Shetland Sheepdog, her name is Alice.
I adopted her almost a decade ago. This July, she would have been 10.
She has been with me through thick and thin, through singlehood, dating, marriage and finally my starting a family of my own.
She was a pampered pooch, sleeping on my bed and going on car rides with us.
She was gentle and had a great temperament, she would make the perfect dog, except she had skin problems.
We brought her to countless vets, from ARC to Namly to All Pets. We ran a battery of tests on her, blood tests, allergy tests, skin scrapings, samples, hormone tests.... but everytime, those tests came back Normal. While other people jump at the word "normal", for us, it just meant they couldn't find the root of Alice's problems.
The vets told us there was no cure for Alice. We could only do symptomatic treatment and hope that her skin problem doesnt come back.
But we didnt stop there - for Alice, I researched and fed her BARF, we tried Homeopathy, steroids, hormone replacements, antibiotics, even a vegetarian diet at one point ..... We tried everything we could, but still nothing worked for my Alice.


Alice moved with me to my in-law's house when I got married and Adam was born. She stayed with Maverick, our other dog, and everyone stayed under the same roof.
Bless my in-laws, though they had asked me to give Alice away, they didn't force me to when I declined.
When my family knew I was pregnant with Adam, they wanted me to give her away.
I was adamant on keeping her. It wasn't easy juggling work/school/baby/dogs (esp one unwell dog), but I did [keep her].
I am a strong believer that kids who grow up with dogs end up being better people in life.
So kept Alice I did, and Adam loves our 2 dogs. He knows them by name. In fact, he knew their names even before he knew how to call anyone of us in the household.



Adam, compared to my cousins' and friends' children who didn't have dogs, was on the contrary stronger than them, as in he seldom fell sick and even if he had the occasional flu or cough, he bounced back to health very fast, fit like a horse. Frequent travelling, climate & weather changes also didn't seem a problem.
Alice's skin problems didn't seem to bother him either when he was crawling and picking everything up from the floor to eat, including balls of dog fur at 7-8mths old.
Maybe he was already immune since Day 3 of his life at home.
Now that Adam is walking, I let him walk Alice downstairs when I am around, and it's always a funny sight, one Terror Tod with one Old Dame. My son & dog are walking proof to those ignorant Aunties that not all dogs bite and children CAN have dogs and still not be retarded.
My fav retort to those Aunties when they tell their charges "Dont go near, the woh-woh will bite" is - "Yah lor go away my dog will bite one" and there Adam is, bossing my dogs around, making those Aunties look stupid.
Therefore, having Alice coexist with Adam didn't bother us. Until recently.


For 3 weeks now, Adam is having progressively worsening Bronchitis.
He's coughing so badly, every cough brings up alot of secretions and several times he nearly got choked on his own phlegm. From a normal cough mixture from our regular PD, he was "upgraded" to Augmentin from another PD whose clinic is near our home and more convenient for me at that point because I was working night shifts then and barely had enough sleep.
Still, one week of Augmentin and 2 different types of cough/runny nose meds didn't cure.
So I brought him to yet another doctor which Aunt LY recommended, Nam Seng Clinic at Bukit Timah. I brought my Baby across the island to see the doctor and he said Adam's Bronchitis has worsened to a very dangerous stage. He even did a scope on Adam and asked me to see for myself, which I did, and his nasal cavities and throat were all lined with thick secretions and were inflamed.
The doctor gave us lots of advise, one of which is to remove the dogs otherwise Adam would develop more major illnesses such as Asthma and/or need to be hospitalised.





It was a painful decision to make, but if faced with such a dilemma in life - who would you choose?


I had no choice but to let Alice go. I asked everywhere, nobody was willing to take in a 10yr old dog with skin problems. People wanted young and healthy dogs, and I don't blame them.
Dog shelters I tried calling were also unable to take her, due to "space constraints". I don't blame them either - those young healthy dogs probably had better chances of being rehomed.
Andy tried posting in VW Forum but so far only one person PMed him but didn't call.
Bringing Alice to a vet to be "put to sleep" has never been one of my options, because I am not God and I am in no position to decide whether she lives or dies, and under what circumstances she dies.
So really, I am faced with no other choice. She has already been dealt with a death sentence by societal standards.


People always say "Having kids changes everything". Sure they do, but it had never crossed my mind to give up my dogs when we have a baby. So it must be a cruel irony that right now, I am faced with such a situation that God decided to let me make a choice - my son or my dog.

Right now, I can only feel great pain and sorrow because I have never wanted Alice to think that I would abandon her one day, but I did.
Some days, I come home exhausted from work, some days I work night shifts, some days I forget to feed her till the next morning. Her bowls are always empty because Mavy is a faster eater, and Alice now has to drink from the toilet pails.
She no longer shares our bed, and no longer leads a Diva life. But no matter how badly we treat her, she always loves us and forgives us.
There is nowhere in this world where she would rather be other than in our room, and we know it because room is where she always ends up being.

It is a painful decision for me to make.
No matter what happens, I hope that Alice will go on to be a happy dog in a better place, and may she suffer no more. If I ever meet her again, I will still love her all the same and I will still want her to be my dog.

She's a great dog that deserves no suffering and no pain.
Dear Alice, I have lost the battle I fought so hard for - for you to be with us till your last breath.
I hope that you can forgive us one last time.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Sick on New Year!

While most people ushered in 2011 counting down at parties, for us, it was homebound.
First, Adam is fighting Bronchitis with antibiotics and 2 other types of med, then it was my turn to fall sick with a very bad throat, giddiness and nausea.
I coughed so hard I nearly threw up.
Adam too. coughing & coughing. Even in his sleep. He coughs till he's awakened by the phlegm choking his airway. Very sleep deprived & not the least bit funny. This must be the worst New Year in history.
I was literally worried sick.

Anyway, I've recovered 90% by now, but poor Adam is still coughing even after 5 days of antibiotics. I'm bringing him to the doctor's again tomorrow, which also means, he's going to miss the first few days of school! :(
We were so looking forward to school and now I am so disappointed.

Hope my little soldier recovers soon enough so he can go make friends. I'll keep everyone posted on his first day.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

the morning after: Boxing Day out

Heylow everyone~ How was your Xmas?
Ours was spent with friends, Xmas Eve was dinner with my parents, Grandma & Aunt LY.
On Xmas Day, Andy, Adam & I attended a Xmas party at Jason & Erin's new pad @ Punggol Tree Lodge and in the morning, Adam opened his presents. He now has a full selection of Thomas The Train tracks and trains, thanks to our friends and clients!

then today is Boxing Day. I call it "The Morning After".
Not fans of crowds, we brought Adam to Animal Resort off Seletar Farmway for some quiet family activity.


There, he is free to run around and be up close and personal with animals, most of which he already knows from his Melissa & Doug magnets at home.



When we came, the animals got into a feeding frenzy. Luckily, Adam is not afraid of the screaming geese that come peck peck peck!









this chooks is fostering a gooseling on top of her brood of 2 chickies because the adult geese might trample on it!






My boys are... . . . Horsing around!


You know what Andy said? "Beh pio (read: 'horse bet' or 4D) tonight come!" :P



Adam is not afraid of a tall & huge horse! He offers horsie a blade of grass he plucked from the ground.



Beautiful stallion.




then there is a lone billy goat.


"Good day mate"



Along comes a Cassowary in the same enclosure as billy goat


and Adam runs away from the big bird. Haha!



Over at the Rabbit hut...
Wabbits are less scary.


"Wabbit"




That's all from our day out to the farm - Adam's first time visiting a farm, or any animal enclosure for the matter!
Being fans of outdoors-learning instead of classrooms and TV for our kid, we enjoyed ourselves loads!
The farm is seriously lacking a Border Collie to herd the animals in place :D

Monday, December 20, 2010

Stroller review: Maclaren Techno XT



After trolling the HK streets with my Combi Miracle Turn, I vowed never to buy those pansy prams with tiny wheels again.
I recently got myself the Maclaren Techno XT, and to my delight it is easy to open-fold with one hand, and most importantly, this stroller can really take a beating.
I bring it out alone to malls all the time, it can go up and down escalators with ease, and we even brought it along to our recent Bali trip.

Techno vs Quest (and other smaller Maclaren models)
Cons:
- Slightly heavier by approx 1kg
- Doesnt have a front safety bar (same throughout all Maclaren models but the bar can be bought at additional cost from Kaki Bukit)
- Handles are rubber and can get sticky with sweaty palms, but I overcame this issue by covering with Adam's outgrown newborn socks. Another idea I thought of: You can buy those badminton racket handle covers from sports shops.

Pros:
- Bigger chasis and frame
- Bigger wheels (good for grooves and crevices)
- Extendable canopy to offer full coverage with a window for viewing
- Full decline, suitable from birth onwards
- Doesnt topple backwards when your bags are hanging on handles because of the bigger frame

With this hard-working stroller, I am not sure if I will ever turn to my Bugaboo Cameleon again.
This is definitely value for my $$!



P.S. Flying off to HK again in Feb ... my wonderful parents suggested the trip, on my Birthday weekend. OOoooohhh Happy Birthday to me in advance! :D
But first things first, MERRY XMAS and HAPPY 2011 to everyone!

Bali Indonesia Dec 2010... Lifes a beach!

We are back!

Enjoyed loads of sun, sand, water, and seafood. Even our little riot enjoyed himself running around, swimming, and getting his tan. I dont wanna come back to reality!





















Adam was actually dancing outside the Hard Rock shop to the Rock 'n' Roll music!


and he danced his way back to our room :D
























My Kuta cowboys!













Having dinner by the beach watching sunset. This is the life :D






Julia Roberts was here.




Natural water spring temple.








Visited coffee plantation. Coffee from civet cat poop? No thanks for me! :P




Andy is roasting poop coffee beans :D



at Kuta Beach...


Our lil Rascal!


Came back with (small) presents for my gal friendssss :)))
Recharged and rejuvenated now.

Happy Holidays dear all!
Lotsa love,
Veron, Andy, Adam :)