Dong Dong Chiang!

We celebrated 圆宵节(last day of the Lunar New Year) over the weekend and with that, we say goodbye to 15 days of endless feasting and stuffing of faces with kueh bangkits.

One of my two favourite time of the year –Chinese New Year!  The other being Christmas.  Unlike Christmas which for me is a time to reflect on the closing of yet another year and give thanks for His blessings, Chinese New Year is all about feasting, family gatherings, lion dance, boisterous laughter, getting the house spring-cleaned, buying new clothes (and jammies -  very important tradition in the koh family) and more feasting! 

I didn’t really enjoy Chinese New Year last year – cos Jules was in the midst of a nursing strike – and I was naturally all stressed up seeing my 3 month old daughter not wanting to drink.  Thank God all that is behind us and this year, not only did I get to enjoy my New Year, I think our little pumpkin had a time of her life too! Dressing up in pretty cheongsams, partying from the eve of the New Year to Day 2, seeing all her cousins, yiyis and uncles who showered her with so much attention – all vying to win the ‘favourite uncle’ title, receiving lots of ang pows – what’s there not to like!  She also got to tossed yu-sheng with us (with her very own chopsticks no less) and was truly happy to have Mama and Papa spend the long weekend with her!  She was a trooper, going places with us on the first day and enduring long rides restrained in her car seat – let’s just say crayons, coloring pads and dried raisins are a life-saver!

Over the 15 days, she was happy to go for dinners with us, toss more yu-sheng and get up to mischief with her cousin Sophie who she absolutely adores (it is really very sweet to see her always wanting to hug Sophie).

Here’re some of my favourite shots taken over the festive holiday! Hope everyone is off to a wonderful year of the water snake!

Reunion Meals

1st Day of Chinese New Year!

Dong Dong Chiang! 

Dong Chiang Dong!! 

春

Spring is in the Air

After a year's hiatus - cos Jules was all but 2 months old when Chinese New Year came around last year - we found ourselves back to take in some of that Chinese New Year festivities with the little one in toll this year. 

Of course, she doesn't understand what Chinese New Year is, but I think she was just happy to be out with everyone on a Friday night and was rather fascinated by that long golden snake that lit up the streets of Chinatown! 

Here's some of my favourite shots from last evening's little excursion. 

Looking up at the golden snake

Outside the 年糕 shop

Trying to get her hands on those mandarins

I'm just glad I still do these things we my folks till today

The only thing that she recognised - a stall selling balloons

Hello Mr Snake

Us and or cheeky little monkey

Letters to Julianne #20

Dearest Julianne,

This is you. At 15 months.  Still quite a peanut but a very cute peanut at that with a personality that is on its way to earning you the nickname “chilli padi”.

I'm 15 months!

Yes, you are a “chilli padi” – don’t go around deceiving everyone with that sweet innocent smile – when you’ve started to throw naughty tantrums at home and screaming on the top of your voice when you don’t get what you want (usually, it’s the ice cold glass of ribena sitting next to your boring bowl of chicken porridge).  You do that whole screaming thing complete with feet stomping action – I don’t know where you learnt it from.  It’s terrible.  Papa and I think it’s time to give you your own naughty corner in the house and get down to disciplining you.      

You enjoy having your independence and have learnt to self feed with a fork your meals of pasta cos that's dry and easier for you to manage.  You'll get to feeding yourself porridge and macaroni soup soon enough.  You are also completely pleased with yourself when you successfully undress yourself and throw your own diaper into the bin and your dirty clothes into the laundry basket.  Yes - you have mastered the drill.  I only wished you could be just as independent when it came to your sleeping patterns and learn to fall asleep by yourself and not pointing to Papa and Mama's bed at 3am wanting to come over to snuggle with us.

Everyone at home is thrilled that you can now take instructions almost perfectly - especially Yiyi Sam and Por Por - cos that now means they can send you out to do things for them; like pull them a piece of tissue or take the remote control from the table.  You get lots of hugs and kisses in return for the little tasks you complete! 

Some cousin-loving going on there

You're picking things up at an incredible speed which makes us at home very mindful of the things we say or do because we don't want you picking up bad habits from us.  Everyday, I come home to stories of what you've been up to with Por Por and I can't help but be filled with Mama pride every time Por Por tells me about your little achievements throughout the day no matter how small it may be.  These days, we also spend about 5 minutes on the phone chit-chatting over lunch while Mama is at work.  I love hearing your jabbers over the phone, it's like you're trying to speak like how grown-ups speak - in fast, long unbroken sentences.  On that note, you are entering the parroting stage - imitating the words we say - and are incredibly chatty.  You can go on on a monologue for minutes, peppered with lots of funny facial expressions and punctuated with high and low pitch - I have to say it's very entertaining to watch.  Your comprehension amazes me really - it scares us sometimes the things you show you understand when we exchange conversations amongst ourselves.  Here's a video of you and your many expressions.    

In a months' time, we're sending you off to Montessori playschool for a couple of half-days a week.  We hope you'll learn to make friends and be a friend, learn to develop your creativity and pick up new skills that we may not have the resources to teach you as well at home.  Your Papa and I believe sending you out of the house will do you some good.  

Here are some of your favourites at 15 months:

Pastime: dancing to Hi-5 songs

Food: macaroni soup and aglio olio pasta

Vegetable: cauliflower and corn

Book: bear feels sick by karma wilson

Snack: dried raisins 

Time of the day: when we put on your sleep sack and plant you with lots of goodnight kisses

A sweet moment with Gong Gong

We have quite an exciting February awaiting us with Chinese New Year just round the corner!  Yes, that's when you get to put the "Gong Xi Gong Xi" action to some use! 

Happy 15th month Jujubee! You'll always be Mama's little baby even though you're growing up so fast.   

Lots of love, 

Mama

Twenty Twelve

Well it's still the new year (sort of - just 11 days old) so don't think it's too late to take a look back at my 2012.

While 2011 was the extraordinary year of conceiving and labouring in love before bringing Julianne into our world, 2012 was a year of embracing motherhood and all the sleepless nights, anxiousness, worries, laughter, joy, pride and love that came along with it.

2012 was certainty no walk in the park.  I struggled coping with Julianne's reflux especially during the months of February and March when she refused the bottle and would only nurse when she was sleepy or half asleep.  It was the single most stressful period of 2012.  Then April came and I was forced to deal with mummy guilt when I left her behind in the wonderful care of my mum and returned to work.  I remember spending Day 1 back at work weeping in the nursing  room missing my daughter so badly (sounds silly now that I think about it after being back at work for a good 8 months).  In between January and December, there were of course those sleepless nights when she was unwell, teething or going through some major development and as a result - fussy and needy - believing that since she can't sleep, then no one else in the room should be either.

Circa CNY 2012 - the peak of her reflux

In August, I also lost my grandfather to an infection that proved too strong for his 89 year old body.  His passing was sudden by my standards.  When my uncle passed on 12 New Year's eve ago, I saw him bravely fight his cancer relapse for 6 months before God called him Home.  In 2010, I saw Ah Ma growing more and more frail by the months as her kidney functions slowed down with each visit we paid her.  Yeye was different - he was 89.  Driving to work everyday, enjoying his shabu shabu beef, sushi and teochew porridge and travelling around the world - from Tibet to the Antartic.  His mind, lucid and alert enough to run the family business even at this age.  I always believed he had many more good years ahead of him but God had other plans.

So glad that at least Jules gotta see her great-grandfather ....
and made him smile just before he went for his operation

Thankfully, there were more things to cheer about in 2012 than there were painful memories.  In February, I welcomed my little nephew Ry into this world.  Today he's a chubby little munchkin and turing one soon!

Little Ry joins the gang

Then in July, I welcomed my sister and her family home after having them away in the States for 9 years!  That has got to be one of the highlights of the year.  I'm glad she's home to see Jules grow up, I'm glad she home for me to see Sophie grow up.

Home at last!

Throughout the year, there were of course those amazing Julianne-growing-up moments that words alone can't quite explain why they made up the sunshine and rainbows of my 2012.  All the joy and mummy-pride overflowing whenever she hit a developmental milestone - like when she first called "Mama" in May and when she took her first step in October.  Not forgetting all the laughter she brought to the home with her hilarious dance moves or stand-up monologue that she performs in front of her miserable 6 die-heart fans at home.

My little sunshine!!

2012 had its challenges but by the grace of God, I overcame them.  Humbled, polished and refined along the way.  2012 also had its many great moments - those that you wish time just stood still.  

I'm all ready to take on 2013 and all that it will bring.  I of course hope happy days will out number the stormy ones and pray that in both circumstances, I just never forget to be thankful for His grace, mercy, strength and love that brings me through year after year no matter what the circumstances may be.

I hope everyone's off to a fabulous 2013 and may the rest of your year with sprinkled with lots of blessings and love all round!  

Letters to Julianne #19

Dearest Julianne,

Happy New Year little pumpkin! Welcome to 2013!  I’m sure you thoroughly enjoyed your 2012 and Mama just wants you to know how proud I am of all that you’ve achieved in the year just past.  Mama thinks you deserve a medal!  But we didn’t have any medal so what did we do?  We wrapped up your 2012 but giving you a blast of a time in Melbourne and lots of fun celebrating your 2^nd Christmas!

I could try you really enjoyed your December.  The highlight of the month has got to be your very first overseas holiday to Melbourne! You loved every minute of it didn’t you – going out twice every day, enjoying the nice cool weather, running around the apartment like it was a playground, eating all the yummy breads, meeting people on the streets and flying random kisses and waving like they were celebrities, getting up close with Mocha the dog and attempting to feed him his chew ball.  The best part of it – you got Papa, Mama, Gong Gong , Por Por and Yiyi Sam by your side 24/7!  You were loving all the attention!  You did well so Papa and Mama are already planning our next holiday (with you of course)! 

Child on the lose in Melbourne

It was like our holiday never ended for you when we came home to more family outings, presents and parties.  Like I say every month, you have again grown so much and are developing so fast, I'm losing track of your new tricks. 

At 14 months, you can almost perfectly understand the things we tell you - from giving you simple instructions to sit down and take off your shoes, to telling you to go get change or remove your diaper, to asking you where things are and having you point them out to us (like when I ask you where the blueberries are and you start pointing to the fridge).  You also understand when we say 'smile' or 'cheese' and you return that with a megawatt cheeky smile, your face all cringed up.  You can imagine your photography-crazy Papa is the happiest knowing that you can understand that command.  It's completely adorable to see you interpret our instructions and everyone at home gets very tickled when you carry out your task perfectly! I love it that we now finally have some semblance of a 2 way communication!  You definitely understand more than you can say although in the past month, you have made some headway with your words.  There's 'ter' for water, 'bot' for bottle, 'dam' for sam ( referring to yiyi sam), 'ta' for da-yi (this one is a hit and miss, sometimes, everyone is 'ta').  You clearly have a mind of your own and know exactly what you want.  You can accurately nod for 'yes' while saying 'uhm' at the same time telling us that what we said or pointed out is correct and is what you want (like yes to ribena or orange juice).  

Cheese!

On the physical front, you have almost perfected your walking.  You can walk the entire park connector without tripping.  When we were in Melbourne, I had many people ask how old you were when they saw you walking.  They couldn't believe you were all but 13 months and walking so steadily.  This month, you have started climbing around the house and scarily climbing up to the bay window with the help of the pillows on the bed.  We have had to secure all the windows in the rooms to make sure no accidents happen.  You have also found enough strength within you to move your playpen around Por Por's room.  Now we all know why you remain a kampung chicken - because you burn up all that energy being a monkey around the house.  It's no reason you can't put on weight.  For the 10kg chicken that you are, you really have a lot of strength!  Por Por thinks its got to do with the fact that you're still exclusively breastfed today - something I hope to continue doing for a few more months.  

You are at a very playful and cheeky age and starting to enjoy playing with other little kids.  You adore Sophie and love forward to her giving you hugs and kisses.  Over Christmas, you danced with her, sat by the staircase and did you scribbling together - it was very sweet to watch.  In Melbourne when we were at the bookshop, you just went up to a little Aussie girl and started playing 'catching' with her around the sofa.  You even held her hand and gave her little gentle pats.  Very sweet.  I love that you know how to give cuddles and pats pats sometimes without us asking for them.  I love it even more that you know who family is.  When you see Gong Gong in the evening, you will hug him tied, lay your head on his shoulder and top it all with a pat pat.  It's no wonder Gong Gong finds you such a sweetheart.  You do the same to Da-yi and Uncle Jude.  It makes Da-yi very happy to be home to watch you grow up.  I hope you never lose this beautiful trait of yours - loving family.  

Dancing with Sophie

Meet my little Aussie friend

Its a brand new year Juju!  In the year ahead, there may be some tumbles and falls, but I promise I'll be there to catch you and make the boo-boo go away.  There'll also be lots of dancing and happy days and Mama and Papa will be there to laugh with you,  make silly faces with you and grow with you.  We will be sending you off to playschool in a few months for you to do some growing up on your own and that I think will be one of the highlights of your 2013.

Keep growing Julianne and continue to be that sweet sweet girl God has made you to be.  Happy happy 14th month! 

Sweet Jules on Christmas 2012

Lots of cuddles and hugs,

Mama 

Hello 2013!

While I gather my thoughts and reflections for 2012, here's starting the 1st post of the year with wishing everyone a blessed 2013!  

May everyday of your new year be filled with love, joy and peace and may God's manifold blessings be upon you and your loved ones!  

Hello 2013!!