Thursday 25 April 2013

Simply toys, creative playing

Ever since I came across the book "Simplicity Parenting" one year back, I have always believed that too many toys are no good for children, especially fancy battery-powered and brightly colored electronic toys.

Throughout the last two and half year, we have been very "stingy" with buying toys for Kah Yen. We visit "Roys R Us" not more than two times a year, and each time we have not spent more than S$50. She does not have a lot of toys at home, which is totally fine. I have noticed with the few toys we have, she can have more imaginative play, she is more focus when she is at play, and it is always fun to observe how she plays.

Here are some photos I have taken over time of her and her simply toys.

Soft toys

Children, no matter boys or girls, should never be deprived of soft toys. Soft toys are usually the first toys they have when they are still an infant lying in their cribs. Through soft toys, they develop their touch sensor, they learn about different animals, they develop their first "friendship", and they get to pretend to be grown-up mothers, doctors and teachers.

Don't buy too many soft toys though. Just stick to a few your children really like. Also note not all soft toys are suitable for young babies due to the loose fur materials.
 
Playing seesaw with her "friends" on our bolster
 
Animal figurines

Similar to soft toys, children love to pretend play with them. Animal figurines can also be played together with many other toys, such as building blocks, picnic sets.

Recently, Kah Yen likes to take out all her animal figurines and help them to either stand or sleep one by one, and she'd talk to them as she does it. She can be on it for a long time.


Animals ready to a-march together

Now time to take a nap on the green pasture

Building blocks

Building blocks of all shapes and sizes are the best toy you can ever get for your little ones. They are open-ended. They can be used to create anything that is in the children's mind. While playing with building blocks, young children develop their fine-motor skills, thinking skills, and most importantly, their imagination will soar!


"If I ran the zoo"

Lego

Lego is one of the best buys we had. Lego is similar to building blocks, slightly more limited but also can be used to create almost everything. Lego helps to build fine motor skills because it requires a hard grip.



Welcome to Kah Yen's tree house

Cooking/Picnic Set

Okay, these belong to the "cheap plastic toys" category. Some parents prefer to give their children real cooking sets from the kitchen (of course make sure the size and materials are suitable), but if you can't find any suitable ones, a set of the plastic ones is the next best option. We bought them really cheap and until this day Kah Yen still love to play with them.



What's for dinner?

Donkey's breakfast

Art & Craft materials 

With Art & Craft materials, there are so much room for imaginations and learning.

Since young, Kah Yen has been playing with magnetic drawing board, and when she is bigger, we give her crayons and finger painting materials. In fact, when we travel, we always make sure we have drawing board or crayons with us, they can keep Kah Yen occupied no matter where we are. Recently we have started to do craft activities with her too.


Lunch is done, time to draw something

The bunny family
Other good open-ended toys are playdough and dress-up clothes, we don't have them but I am on a misson to get some soon.

Here are some good articles about simply toys and creative playing. Stop buying too many plastic toys, too many battery powered toys, too many hi-tech educational gadgets. With simply toys, engage them and be an active participant in their play, it foster your children's development more than letting them be buried inside clustered toys.

Our Top 3 Favorite Simply Toys
Toys That Encourage Creative Play
Smartest toys can be the simplest

Tuesday 23 April 2013

A little girl with pigtails

I seldom have the chance to tie her hair because I am the first one to leave house for work every morning. But when I do during the weekends, she is as happy as this.



I absolutely love little girls with pigtails. Not to mention she has the softest hair I have ever seen with a gentle natural curl. It is a shame nowawadys we have to cut her hair every two or three months. Daddy is the one getting her ready to school every morning, and he has no idea how to tie her hair. Even if he does, he thinks it is totally inappropriate for a man to tie her daughter's hair. "It's a mother's job!" said him. Well... I was actually a little bit disappointed when I first heard this, I have always wanted him to be as close to our daughter as possible, to have the special bonding with her and be the man of her life till she grows up and meets her love. I have no doubt he loves her very much. He spends time to play with her everyday. He also shares the responsiblity of taking care of her basic needs.

But a person's personality also very much affects one's parenting style, some are more affectionate while others may be more serious, some are more physical than the others. My husband is not the very expressive type, expecially in public. If he finds it awkward to tie her hair now, will he also find it awkward to bring her out for dates when she is a young woman, to hold her hand and to hug her like what he is doing now? Oh I hope he will not be.

However, I know I should not place my own expectation of what kind of father he should be on him. I should just allow him to learn to love her in his own ways, and let their bonding develop naturally as the years go. As a man who loves God, I am pretty sure his love for our daughter will only grow stronger each day.

He is the one snap all these photos and put them on collage by the way.

Friday 19 April 2013

Coloring within the boundaries

Thanks to the childcare teachers for teaching Kah Yen to color within boundaries -  not really a milestone but it just goes to show that at this age she is constantly observing, learning and growing. And I love to capture those moments.

She colored the body and feet of this caterpillar all by herself. Look how proud she is of her work!




Wednesday 17 April 2013

(Pregnancy) It's final enjoyable

I am finally starting to enjoy my pregnancy.

What? How could you say that? Some people might be reacting this way. How can you possibly not enjoy your pregnancy right from the start? I know, I must have sounded like a mother with no heart and no feelings. Here is a baby God has placed in my womb and it's the best gift ever, and I am not enjoying it.

Don't get me wrong. Of course we were happy, excited and thankful when we first learnt about the pregnancy. We love children and we have always known we want more than one, or maybe more than two. However, I have to be honest, the first three months of my pregnancy is hardly enjoyable. The feeling of excitement was soon replaced by days of fatigue, feeling of sickness and loss of appetite. It was a tough three months.

Now that my body feels much stronger and my appetite is back to normal. And there are other positive changes to the body and the hormones too. I am finally starting to enjoy my pregnancy.

Firstly it's the growing belly. I was not showing much during the first three months, now I can finally see and feel the baby bump. I love the sensation of touching and stroking it, it is a wonderful way to connect to the baby, physically and emotionally. 

Secondly it's the movement of the baby. I can't exactly feel the baby kick yet, but I can feel the movement of the water when I sit or lie down still and try to breath deeply. It is likely bubbles blowing inside my belly. Babycenter has more fancy words to describe it " popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, or butterflies fluttering". No matter it's the the bubbles, or the popcorn, or the goldfish, or the butterflies, it is a wonderful feeling. During my first pregnancy I only felt the baby movement at around 5-6 months, this time I am feeling it much earlier.

Now that I can feel the baby's presence stronger, I am also trying to spend more time to connect with it. During the pockets of break time in office, I'd close my eyes and lean back on my chair for 5-10 minutes, that's the time I feel the movement the most. Sometimes I play soft music using my handphone for the baby to hear. Another good time to connect with the baby is during the bus rides, I listen to soft music, with hands touching my belly and with my mind thinking of the baby. These are our uninterrupted time together. Once I am home it is all about dinner, Kah Yen and housework, and by the end of the day I'd be too tired to spend any quality time with the baby, I dose off the minute my head touches the pillow.

I didn't read to the baby yet, but every evening I read aloud the children's bible to Kah Yen, I think this can be counted as reading to the baby too. I am sure he/she can hear us.

I didn't talk to the baby yet, simply because it is weired if I do it outside, and when I am at home, I have no extra time and energy. I am trying to have an earlier bedtime for myself so that I can spend 10-15 minutes before I sleep to talk to or pray for the baby. We did this almost every night during my first pregnancy.

I secretly hope time will slow down so that I can enjoy my second trimester a little longer.

Monday 15 April 2013

I am thankful today

Ever since the beginning of this year, I have been living in a state of Mummy guilt. I am guilty for the even less time I now have with Kah Yen, because of the distance of our new house. I have to leave house at around 7am in the morning, she doesn't get to see Mummy when she wakes up. I reaches home at 7pm, and when Kah Yen comes back, I am usually in a rush preparing for dinner, I don't have a minute for her till dinner is ready. I am guilty for pushing her bedtime to 930pm knowing that she may not get enough sleep. I am guilty for putting her at childcare center for a whole day. I am guilty she has to travel with Daddy to his workplace for we can't find a suitable childcare center nearby...... I feel totally defeated as a working mum.

Then day by day I see how my husband and Kah Yen try their best to adjust, how he offers help and assurance along the way, how she continues to thrive and grow, I know I should be thankful for what I already have, especially for the child that God has given me.

For she is such a happy and contented child.

She wakes up in the morning a happy child, even though she may not get enough sleep some days

She looks forward to going to school everyday, she likes all her teachers and friends in school

She never dreads the MRT journey because Daddy is with her

Just meeting her favorite cat downstairs can make her day

She always comes back home with a big smile on her face, and a big hug for Mummy

She is contented to play on her own while we get dinner on the table

Mealtime may not be her favorite, but she enjoys our presence. There are times she has stopped eating but doesn't want to come down because she wants to wait for Daddy and Mummy. There are times she suddenly starts singing while eating "Daddy Mummy I love you, you love me, we are a great big family!"

A short walk to the park or the playground after dinner is all we have for family time, but it's the highlight of her day

Every night we go through the same routine, dinner/park/shower/milk/teeth brushing/reading/praying/sleep, but the word "boredom" is never on her face

She won't go to bed without us reading her the bible and praying for her

She can go on to talk for days for a new spoon Daddy bought for her

She sometimes just walks to me randomly and says "Mummy, I am happy today."

......


I am truly thankful.


Tuesday 9 April 2013

Growing up with Kah Yen and more

If you are trying to figure out what does the title of this post mean, it means I am pregnant with number two.

I have thought of many ways to break the news here, the straight-to-the-point way like ‘Hi, there, I am pregnant!” or the more mysterious way like “The beginning of another unexpected journey…” or the more bookish way like “What to expect when I am expecting again?” None of them seems suitable. I guess I am just a shy person when it comes to sharing personal things.

The other reason is also because I have chose the Chinese way of keeping the pregnancy to ourselves till the 3-month mark. Hence I am already into my 4th month of pregnancy. The initial excitement has already passed.

So that explains why I was so tired in the month of January when we were preparing to move to our new house; and why I felt sick terribly for nearly 2 weeks because the minute I was pregnant, my immune system gave up on me to protect the precious fetus; and why I almost gave up on Blogging in the month of February due to the physical fatigue and emotional mood swings (mostly down) caused by the pregnancy hormone changes.

Thank God those days are over. I was lucky I did not have morning sickness for both my pregnancies. But still, the fatigue and loss of appetite was worse this time, due to age, lack of exercise, and also the stress of looking after Kah Yen. While during the first pregnancy, I was preparing for my first marathon and running regularly at least 10km a week. I was at a proud young age of 26. And I don’t do anything at home but eat and sleep!

Anyway, now that I am into my second trimester, I felt so much better.

Hope the journey will continue to be smooth from now onwards.

Monday 8 April 2013

When Kah Yen meets Elmo

It is the first time Kah Yen watched a Sesame street video we borrowed from library. It is the first time Kah Yen meets Elmo on the big screen.

She absolutely loved Elmo's high pitch voice and silly songs and dances.

It was a pleasure to watch Elmo with Kah Yen. Or rather, it was a pleasure to watch Kah Yen watch Elmo.




Thursday 4 April 2013

Pussy Cat Pussy Cat, where have you been?

Back in our old neighborhood, Kah Yen had always looked at cats from a distance. Like any other children, she found cats and other small animals fascinating, but we never allowed her to go near the cats, let alone touch them. The reason being the cats in our old neighborhood generally do not look very clean, some of them are so big they look threating!

Now that we have moved to our new neighborhood. There isn't any cat to be found, except one small yellow cat. Because it is the only one, we see each other very often, or rather Kah Yen sees it very often. Because she sees it very often, she starts to like it. And because Daddy allowed her to touch it, they have now become the best of friends.

These are photos of Kah Yen and the cat taken at different days, usually on the way to school or on the way back home. It has become a routine everytime Kah Yen sees it, Daddy and her will stop for a while for her to play with it, even during the morning rush hours.

She runs to it when she sees it and says "Hi" from a distance.


She bends down at its side to "Sayang" (touch) it.


She tries to strike a conversation with it.


She is super happy everytime she meets it.


The best thing is, she seems to be able to communicate to the cat, according to her own words. When the cat says "Miao", she says the cat is saying hi to her. When the cat moves its front paw, she says the cat is saying byebye to her. When I asked her "Are you sure?" She gave me an absolute yes. Such is the beauty of children's imaginations!

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Kah Yen's friends

When Kah Yen came back from school telling me who are her friends. I was really excited, the same excitement when she first started to walk or spoke her first words. This is definitely a big milestone in the social development of toddlers.

She had never attended any playgroup or playdates before she went to school. The only playmates are the two big brothers at our Nanny's place. She does not have any friends. Anyway, the concept of friends is also something too abstract for 1-2year olds.

When she started to attend school at 26-month old, I would occasionally ask her "Do you have any friends in school?" The answer was an absolute "Yes", but when I asked further who were her friends, she was not able to give me any names. Maybe she doesn't have any particular friend, to her all her classmates are her friends. Or maybe she did make some friends, she just can't remember their names yet at this age.

Then two months into school, one day when I was reading her a book about a bear and his friends going for a trip, she suddenly told me "My friends are Timothy and Isabel!"

Another day she came back and told me "Isabel didn't come today."

And another day, "Timothy played with water today."

...

As a new mother, how exciting it is to hear my 2+ old daughter talking to me about her friends and what they did in school! I hope this will be the start of many years to come, she'd continue to share with me about her friends and her day in Primary school, Secondary school and beyond.


Monday 1 April 2013

Daddy Day Care

I spent the whole of Saturday in office. Kah Yen went to Daddy day care. In Daddy day care, there is no cook, no cleaner, no planned program to follow, the only principal cum teacher is none other than Kah Yen's Daddy himself.

In Daddy day care, the principal may be exhausted by the end of the day. The student? Definitely had loads of fun.

They went for cycling first thing in the morning.


They gave themselves a pancake feast at Macdonalds.


They were ready for the next stop when the stomach was satisfied.


They headed to Kah Yen's favorate place - the library. They never forgot to have some fun even at the entrance.



Library was our favorate place too. Library is a place we can let her break loose without worrying she is idling or getting into trouble, for she will always be surrounded by books.


They had lunch and then enjoyed some kiddy rides. I asked Daddy if the kiddy ride was a treat because she ate her lunch well. "No," said Daddy, "It is to let her be exhausted so she can sleep the whole afternoon when we go back." The principal is smart!


The effect was quite the opposite though. She had so much fun she did not fall sleep till almost 5pm, which finally gave Daddy a much needed personal time.

I was stuck in the office till 9pm. By the time I reached home, she was already asleep. I missed her, but it was so assuring to know that she had enjoyed her day with Daddy.

More of Daddy day care in the future? I surely don't mind!