Mummy-Baby Outing: Ikea Fun!

People often ask me what I do with Bubbles on the 2 weekdays a week I don't need to work. Taking her for outings is something I often make plans for.

I am now confident of taking her out on my own, having done so countless times since that very 1st Mummy-Baby outing. Till today, I still get awed comments from friends and even strangers who see me alone with her. However, I've realised that people generally fall into 2 camps: Those who think it is an admirably challenging task to be out alone with a baby, and those who don't think it is a big deal and see it as a perfectly normal thing for a mother to do. I am now somewhere in the middle on this.

For me, I think it is important for Bubbles to experience different places, see new things, and learn the first baby attempts at socialising with others. Thankfully, she thoroughly enjoys going out and would visibly show excitement when I put on her socks and shoes, and pop her in the stroller.

As tiring as it might be, every outing is also a learning and enjoyable experience for me. I learn more about my baby as I observe her taking in her surroundings and watching her responses to new things and people. I am thrilled when she is, and celebrate every magical moment with her. Sometimes in the midst of play, she would turn to look at me with a joyful smile, as if to say 'Mummy, did you see that? I'm having so much fun!', and my heart sings!
One of my favourite places to go is Ikea. Not for their SmÃ¥land because she's still too small for that. (You need to be at least 90cm tall). Instead, I take her to the little play area in the middle of the restaurant where there are rolly and fiddly things on the walls to play with, and stuff under glass panels on the floor to look at. She can be in there for about 15-20 minutes (including watching other kids), before I take her to THE place to go - where Ikea kids' stuff are actually on display.

She explores the swings, swirly cocoon chairs, tents, tunnels, and bunk beds. There's plenty to crawl into, peer over, shake around, peep at, push and prod. It gets even more fun when other kids get into the action. Once, she chuckled so loudly when doing a roly poly in a soft hanging swing that a few people stopped by to see me scoop up my laughing baby :)

The only thing about being out alone with baby, is that it is often difficult to get decent photos. These here aren't good because I was hovering around trying to make sure she didn't roll off and thump her head in excitement!

[I go to Ikea Alexandra but all other Ikea stores should be similar.]

Out with baby!

I just figured out how to use an iPhone app to create collages. The one I tried is called Photo Wall, if anyone is interested. It is not bad for a free app!

This collage is one I've done at a whim. It shows a few fun places I've taken Bubbles to. I'll be posting more about these outings over the next few weeks starting from tomorrow :)

Pony Tails

She decided that it is ok for me to tie her hair again.
What fun!

Nando's

My graduation lunch was actually held at Nando's. Many years ago. I remember the high ceilings, warm woody decor, and the deliciously spicy chicken.

Having their Peri Peri Chicken today still brings back sweet memories.

My new Starbucks mug

Filled with green tea latte. My afternoon companion

Little feet watching the kites in the sky

I love it when she does the "thumbs up" with her toes :)

Mala Stir-fry


Almost as good as the hotpot!

Remote Control Phone


Almost every kid I know goes through this 'telephone' stage.

Mine is right now. In her world, remote controls are in the same category as mobile phones.

I distinctly remember a certain Lil Missy doing the same many months ago ;)

of Apples, Teddy Bears and maybe Shoes

Bubbles can recognise Apples and Teddy Bears, and is suddenly able to say what they are. She has already been calling her teddy bear "Bear" for some time now, and has been saying "Apple" (she says Air Per - but you get it!) like 10000 times a day. However, I thought it was a fluke last Thursday when she identified both an apple and a teddy bear in her picture book.

I couldn't believe it so I took that picture book from my mum's place (where Bubbles goes twice a week) to see if it was for real. And it is!

I also showed her a photo of an apple from another book - this time a green one instead of red, and again she said: Air Per.

This evening at the supermarket, she excitedly shouted "Air Per!" when she saw a pile of apples in the fruit section, so I parked her in the shopping trolley next to the apples while I went to pick up other stuff. She was fully engrossed in watching other shoppers choose their apples and protested when it was time to tow the trolley (with her in it) away!

About Shoes. She has this thing about shoes - from the way she reminds us to put on shoes before we go out (with lots of eh eh sounds and pointing at the shoes on the floor) you would think we frequently left home without shoes. And when she sees a picture of shoes in her picture book, she puts her foot on the page. It is most hilarious!

I just can't help being thrilled by these milestones, insignificant as they may be in the larger scheme of things!

Another Coffee-Tea Mix

I am really into Coffee-Tea mixes these days. I have always liked the taste of beverage combinations. Long ago, during one of my temporary jobs before I graduated, I had a mix of Coffee, Tea, Milo and Horlicks every single day in the office. After all, the office pantry had all of these!

My tastebuds are probably very undiscerning in this area. I have not tried to but I don't think I will be able to tell the difference between an average Coffee/Tea from a premium one. Maybe that's good for my wallet :)
Anyway I recently discovered this Korean coffee series. They have different coffee flavours and this particular one is a Coffee-Tea mix that I don't mind. It is a tad too sweet but that's fine for a morning rush. I grab them at Shell stations when I go tank up on petrol.

The empty bottles, stripped of the labels and filled with rice, make excellent shakers for Bubbles to play with!

Who's teething?

Me!

Painful gums. Drippy nose.
3 nights of interrupted sleep.
Mummy needs her caffiene fix bad.

Frills

I feel happy wearing frills. Although it is sometimes too much for the office!

Daddy's Socks

I'm not sure about you, but socks in my house seem to easily get holey at the toes. One day, I took a pair of Roboman's holey socks and cut off the "feet".

They fit Bubbles perfectly as a pair of knee protectors :) I'm so pleased they work so well. No need for me to purchase fancy ones sold out there.

And as you can see, Bubbles thoroughly enjoys her daily walks with a Mickey walker handed down from a distant relative. She wears a mix of smiley and earnest expressions as she walks, and gives baby shrieks of excitement every now and then.

Pasta dinner

Our friend is leaving for London for a long-term stay, so we invited him and a few friends over for dinner.

I planned a really simple dinner of a trio of pastas with 3 different sauces, and a large smoked salmon salad. Unfortunately 2 guests caught a bad bug and had to cancel that afternoon. I cut it down to 2 pastas, and let everyone plonk on the sauces of their choice. We used ready made sauces and added our own meats, vegetables and herbs. I unfortunately didn't have the energy whip up something from scratch and honestly felt a tad guilty the whole evening about it!

Thankfully, it was a lovely conversational evening where I only had to sneak off for a bit to feed and put Bubbles to bed. Our guests also enjoyed the food (they had seconds and thirds!) and didn't seem to mind that I didn't entirely make the sauces myself.

Roboman thanked me that night for arranging dinner, and it made me feel really special. The evening reminded me that it is people, and not my cooking that matters. I suspect this is a lesson I'll have to remind myself again in the future!

Babies Embroidery!

Since becoming a mother, I have made friends with many other young mothers in a very short span of time. There's nothing like sharing a life-changing experience that bonds people - and motherhood certainly is one of those experiences.

I now have many little ones to shop for as well. 1st month celebrations and birthday parties seem to take up more space on my calendar. With hardly any time for shopping, I love to buy customised gifts from Babies Embroidery.

The nice lady who personally does the designing and sewing started doing this for friends and family. I was one of the lucky recipients of her handiwork. Her site is still very much in the works, and even the name of her shop is a temporary one - but for me, it doesn't matter because the stuff she churns out never fail to charm!

You can browse from the many designs she has done to choose what you want. Or, if you are like me - drop her an Email with a brief description of what you would like, and who it is for, and let her do the rest. I love it that she is able to do embroidered designs from scratch. If the kiddos I am gifting to know each other, I would choose different clothing items - T-shirt styles, Onesies, Bloomers etc so that they each truly have one-of-a-kind piece.

Do take a look!

Starting the weekend with a Bear

"Bear!" she says, before crawling to the shelf and pulling herself up to touch Baby Pooh.

I like Toys 'R' Us again :) Does anyone else remember the jiggle? I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid...lalalala I used to be able to sing the whole thing.

Have a great weekend!

This is the way we brush our hair

These days, I give Bubbles her hairbrush after each bath.

Brush your hair Bubbles!

And she'll do it dutifully with an enthusiasm only babies have.

It doesn't matter if it is occasionally the back of the brush that touches her head instead of the bristles. She'll still 'brush' purposefully and sometimes passes the hairbrush from one hand to the other to work on the hair on the other side of her head.

My little lady!

Ladies in Stripes

A friend and I turned up at work in stripey clothes today. We just needed to take a picture and another friend happily obliged by taking many photos at different angles!

Anyway, I wasn't sure about posting this but the fellow stripey friend said I should.

So there you go! :)

Half-day Date

Last Saturday, my parents came over to watch Bubbles and take her out to Toys R Us (I know!). Roboman and I had a wonderful half a day just being with each other.

The place we wanted to go for lunch (Sui) at Craig Road was unfortunately closed.

Still, it was lovely just wandering around the quaint Duxton area before heading some place else for a meal. I really enjoy looking at the architecture of old buildings in Singapore. We unfortunately don't have many left.

Both of us loathe crowds in general (I only brave them when I want to do shopping) so we soaked in the quietness of the area during our little walk, hand in hand.

I don't like fireworks, mama!

This photo was taken last month.
Her face is just full of baby curves. Love :)
That forehead is mine!

She cried when she heard the fireworks last night :( She went mama mama as tears streaked down her face with every *bang*. Maybe we shouldn't have dragged her out past her bedtime to troop to town!

The Cheeky Yawn

Sunday night on a long weekend feels good :) I'm sure others agree with me.

This is Bubbles thoroughly having fun at the playground. She loves to spin these cylindrical things that have different pictures on them.

I unconsciously yawned once. She gave me a cheeky look, threw her head back, opened her mouth as WIDE as possible, and did a loud Aaahhhhoon. This was followed by a burst of baby chuckles. She was pleased as punch with her yawn imitation. And I was pleased as punch that my iPhone's camera did not fail me.

A mischievious streak is most certainly starting to show!

Friday!

My work week is done and I feel good about the completed tasks.

Now to think about fun stuff to do with Bubbles this weekend. Will have to remember to avoid all places linked to the National Day celebrations! Like the Esplanade ;)

Have a great Friday and for the Singapore-based folks - enjoy the long weekend!

Ikea needs help!

Oh dear...


~~~~~
But of course this doesn't stop us enjoying one of our favourite stores!

Breakfast

My current favourite drink: Cham, or Yuanyang

The headache is still there.

Last day of my work week. I need to be efficient!

Headache

About once a month I get these terrible (tension) headaches that lasts 2-3 days. I'm on Day 2 now. Hope it goes away soon.

Reading with Mummy

With Bubbles more mobile now, it has been getting harder to get her to sit still as I read to her. Still, she never fails to clamour up to me when I ask her to 'sit on Mummy's lap' to listen to a story.

Bubbles always responds to the reading in her own way :) She has already torn up a few books in her enthusiasm to either flip the pages or do a taste/bite test. (This includes 2 Bibles - one her Dad's and another her Grandpa's, and a book from my childhood days!)

Thankfully, she also often attempts to mimic what I say, clap her hands, raise her arms in the air with excitement, pat the pictures, or bop up and down to the rhythm of my reading.

Although I really enjoy reading aloud, I am mindful that I have been exposing her mainly to the English language. I bought a number of Chinese books from an online seller but found to my dismay that without Hanyu Pinyin, I have great trouble recognising many of the words. I hope I can do better so Bubbles wouldn't have to struggle with the language the way I did in school.

Do shoot me a mail if you have good Chinese books to recommend! How else can I help her learn and enjoy Mandarin?

Shabby Chic Lunch


I forgot to photograph my food - Duck Confit Risotto. Yums

Ministry, Guilt, and Seasons Of Life

This article really speaks to me.

Do take time to read it if you are a mother :) May you be encouraged as I was.

Don't waste your guilt

Remember your primary mission field

Mothering IS plain hard work

A heart for the home

The Season is just a season

Alphabet Pasta Day

With cherry tomatoes, squash and salmon
 
She loves this!

It's Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend! Here's to a wonderful week ahead.

If you need to concentrate on a piece of work, try sticking out your tongue :)