Gwendolyn's Latest Favourite Books

Not sure why, but recently, Gwendolyn has fallen in love with the Little Men and Little Miss series + Charlie and Lola...Mama was hunting high and low for them and only managed to find more variety at Kinokuniya! For such "foreign" books, which are generally more expensive, they aren't really stocked up at Popular, which is a predominantly middle to lower end books. Though Mama is more than willing to invest in books, these are just seriously over-priced. The small Little Men and Little Miss books are priced at $7.90 and Charlie & Lola are priced close to $15 for the sligtly bigger sized ones. Even Mama finds it unbelievable and been trying to look for compilation and other alternative publishers. Such a pain. But Mama does agree that these books are fun to read and very interesting indeed!

Gwendolyn's Creation

Everyone knows that Gwendolyn was once in love with Dora and Boots! Finally, she's taken some time to draw the Dora and Boots in her own hands...Papa and Mama finds that her drawing of Dora was really fantastic! No one would doubt that she was actually trying to draw Dora! Well done, Lyn Lyn!

Learning to Drink with a Straw

Geraldine's been observing how Papa, Mama and Jie Jie's been drinking with a straw from a carton...unlike her, kept drinking from a teat. Mama knew that she couldn't suck from a straw, upon request, Mama casually let her try sucking from a cup of coke light! Oooops...it seemed that Geraldine's got the hang of it and was so pleased with herself by asking for more! Mama knew that she shouldn't be drinking any carbonated drinks. Instead of offering her drink for a second time, Mama opted to dig out a straw-cup with plain water for her to explore...she was addicted to the straw-cup and sat down quietly to explore this newly acquired skill...

Geraldine - The Climber?

Believe it or not. Mama was caught by surprise to see Geraldine climbing on top of the toolbox all by herself! Hey, baby...you're not even 11 months yet! Can you behave more like a baby please?

X'mas Cards

Gwendolyn told Mama that she is missing her friends, who have already left her class and wanted to take the opportunity to send them a Christmas card to say "hello". Mama asked Ms Lissa for a list of addresses of her ex-classmates and brought back for Lyn Lyn to choose the cards for her dear friends! Mama's done up a sample wording for her and she wrote all the cards by herself! She's asked Mama for some stamps and sealed the envelope by herself, with Mama only helping her to write the address! She later went to the post box to post the cards all by herself! What's more? She even knows about looking for "Singapore local mail" and not the one for overseas mail! Amazing! Thanks to Ms Jam, her class-teacher, who taught them about sending letters via the post. If you can recall the invitation that Papa and Mama received for Lyn Lyn's art exhibition...all the kids were brought to send the invitation via the post as well! Well done!

Art Exhibition : Imagine, Create, Discover

Gwendolyn's art work at the Exhibition, held on 8 Nov 08. Unfortunately, we've missed the event, as we all went to Sunway Lagoon Resort instead! Mama promised Lyn Lyn that even though we may miss the actual day, but Papa and Mama can always look at her work on the following monday!

Exploring Her Surroundings

Geraldine is really try hard to explore her surroundings, especially her baby cot. In what way? She is exploring the possibility of pulling herself up by holding onto the bars...she is exploring the possibility in taking her diapers from the bag at one end of her baby cot and she's exploring the "goodies" at the other end of her baby cot, behind the bumper...There are occasions where she managed to remove some items from the tray at the other end of the baby cot and she ended up playing with the baby wipes or the "oil" for her tummy...

Diaper is one of the most interesting item for her to explore, as she's wearing one almost 24/7!

Eruption of 1st Tooth!

Finally, Papa and Mama noticed the eruption of Geraldine's first tooth! It appeared to be the lower incisor on the left. It was obviously erupting, with a little bit of white emerging from the swollen red gums! Poor baby...today, she's having a slight fever too, due to the teething...

Can you see the little red spot there...that's the swollen bit with a bit of white appearing!

What's more interesting was that she kept patting on Papa's arm and then used her hand to rub on her head, indicating to Papa that she's having a fever and not feeling well in the head! What's more? She pat on Papa's arm again, and then put her pointer finger into her mouth, to indicate to Papa that her gums were painful too! What a smart baby!

Sore gums, biting a frozen teether and running a slight fever

Little Shopaholic

After Gwendolyn played with the Big Ball Ball game, all of us went shopping at United Square, since we hardly come here. We went into a shop at the basement and Mama was looking at some Mickey Mouse toy for Lyn Lyn. When Mama and Lyn Lyn were busy choosing the toys, Geraldine couldn't help herself, but to start choosing her own baby stuff...not sure what she was after, but Papa was surprised that not only Mama and Lyn Lyn are shopaholic, but this little 7-month old baby is also one...see how angry she was, when Papa told her to go...

Just imagine when Geraldine grows up, both sisters will be shopping together and burning holes in Papa and Mama's pockets

Geraldine: I haven't finished yet...I don't want to go...leave me alone!

Big Ball Ball Game

Last weekend, Mama noticed from the newspapers that there are some special school holiday activities at United Square. One of them was for the child to go inside a huge ball and then roll on water! Somehow, last week was a busy weekend and we didn't have a chance to go. This weekend, Mama remembered something about United Square, but can't remember whether the activity was still available. Nevermind, we went to take a look and luckily, this Saturday's the last day of the activity. When Gwendolyn saw the activity, she was so excited and she couldn't wait for her turn to go and play. Papa and Mama lured her to have her lunch before joining the game, as she'll need a lot of energy to navigate with the ball!

We settled down at the noodle store next to the outdoor "pond". Lyn Lyn quickly finished 85% of her plate of char siu noodles, waited for Mama to finish hers, before proceeding to queue for her turn to play inside the ball! It costed $9 for a 10-minute game...rather expensive, but looks fun though!

Lyn Lyn eating quickly to gain enough energy to play the big ball ball game

Geraldine sharing wanton noodles with Mama too!

When it was Lyn Lyn's turn, she was so enthusiastic and quickly went inside the ball, waiting for the "uncle" to fill it up with air and off she went into the "pond"! She rolled, lean, crawled, doing whatever she could, to navigate around the "pond"! Papa and Mama could see that the 10-minute game was rather intensive and Lyn Lyn got a little tired during the game!

Lyn Lyn queuing for her turn to go inside the BIG ball!

Going inside the BIG ball ball and waiting for it to be inflated

1-2-3...off I dive into the water!

Wow...does it look like that Lyn Lyn was in a huge bubble?

Looks like Lyn Lyn used a lot of energy to navigate inside the BIG ball!

When the 10-minute game was over, she came up satisfied and loved the experience! It is always a joy to see how satisfied Lyn Lyn is, after every new activity!

Lyn Lyn : it was so much fun to play inside the BIG ball ball!

Geraldine Sampler

In this shor video, you can experience a variety of Geraldine: the way she smiles, the way she screams, the way she yamns, the way she looks for her toys, etc...quite a good sampler of a typical Geraldine when she's sleepy!

She'll normally scream, when she's sleepy!

Hepatitis B 3rd Dose

Even though no pictures were taken at this visit to the polyclinic, however, something amazing happened! When Geraldine took her Hep B 3rd dose jab, she didn't make a single bit of noise and didn't cry at all! Well done, Geraldine! Papa, Mama and Jie Jie were really proud of you! What's even more interesting? That same afternoon, Papa, Mama and Jie Jie went to Uncle John to take a flu jab to prepare for the HK trip in October...none of them could be scared of the jab, as Geraldine was soooooooo brave! Bravo, everyone!

Muscial Enlightenment

Geraldine can sit very well now. Hence, during Saturday or Sunday mornings, before Mama bathes her, Mama would sit her up in her baby cot for some "activities", normally playing with some toys...this time, Mama gave her the Fisher Price "piano", where previously, she was only kicking on it to make sounds. She was amazed when she learnt how to pat on the notes and make some sound out of it! See how happy she was with this discovery!

Patting with both hands was good!

My First Swimming Lesson

Finally, after much consideration, Gwendolyn is finally starting her first swimming lesson! Two weeks ago, Mama asked Lyn Lyn seriously, whether she wanted to learn swimming. She gave a firm nod and said she wants! Mama brought her down to the swimming pool on a Sunday morning, asking her to choose her own coach, since there were 3 of them teaching 3 different groups of children concurrently. Lyn Lyn, had her eyes set on one, told Mama firmly that she wanted that "Gor Gor" to teach her. Then, without being shy at all, she went over to that "Gor Gor" and told him that she wanted to learn swimming with him. That "Gor Gor" asked Mama to write down some contact information for him, so that he can give Mama a call after the lesson. Lyn Lyn was satisfied and went home with Mama. That afternoon, Mama got a call from "Collin"! He told Mama the per hour rate, proposed time for lesson and his experience. All was set to start on 17 August 2008, 8:45am.

Lyn Lyn was so excited the night before and made sure that she slept early and woke up early to prepare for her first swimming lesson! She was all prepared, with a Michael Phelps diet as well (since it was the Olympic period), had a lot to eat before the lesson, were all set to go!

Look at me, I'm drinking my kid's milo, preparing with enough energy to swim!

Without bringing her armbands along, Lyn Lyn went into the water and followed Collin Gor Gor's instructions. First, Collin Gor Gor asked her to try blowing bubbles, to test her out on whether she's afraid of going under the water and underwater breathing skills. Since Lyn Lyn isn't really scared of being under water, she was doing fine.

After that, Collin Gor Gor taught her how to do the frogleg, with 1, 2, 3 steps. This wasn't at all easy for her, as she was kind of stiff in holding her legs up afloat in the water...Mama can hear the repeated word "relax", where she may not even understand what she is required to do...

Anyways...after practising with leg movements, Collin Gor Gor brought her swimming around, practising the 3-step frogleg movememt and to introduce the flipper kick, with her, only holding onto the "noodle"! She was so excited about herself being able to "swim" without a floaty or armbands! For a first-timer, she's been doing really well!

Holding onto the "noodle", that same afternoon, we headed off to Toys R Us to buy one for her to practice

After a round of blowing bubbles, kicking, Collin Gor Gor helped her to learn about floating...she must be thinking about this being very funny...

After the 45-minute lesson, Lyn Lyn was so satisfied and happy about herself. Papa brought Geraldine down to the pool to see Lyn Lyn swim. After Lyn Lyn's lesson, Mama took Geraldine for a "walk" at the side of the pool, whilst Papa took over and swam with Lyn Lyn. Compared to the first time where Geraldine was first at the pool, being barely a month old, she's now much more confident and appreciate the fun of standing near the pool! Starting her on swimming soon? Think not until another few months!

Gwendolyn Feeding Geraldine

This little baby is rather interesting. As Mama was giving her a taste of rice and udon, prior to her baby cereal, she's grown to prefer something chewy than runny. Hence, when Mama introduced baby cereal, she didn't really like it. Gwendolyn, saw Mama trying it out with Geraldine, was keen to help. Look at Geraldine's facial expression, as if she's being fed s***.

Lyn Lyn...don't feed Mei Mei so much at one go...a little bit at a time!!!

Eating Udon @ Sushi Tei

Mama applied for the Sushi Tei membership card to entitle for 10% discount at every meal. She's received a phone call from the China Square Central branch that the card was ready for collection, hence we all went for lunch on 10 August 2008, to enjoy the complimentary vouchers! As always, Gwendolyn would ask to sit next to the conveyor belt to serve us food, which Geraldine, not steady enough to sit in the high chair, was seated on Mama's lap. She's getting more and more interested in food and Mama's decided to give her some udon, from Lyn Lyn's bowl, to test the water...surprise surprise! She liked it, and was enjoying that chewiness...For a baby who hasn't really started on rice cereal, she's considered fast in accepting solid food, such as udon!

Initially, Geraldine was rather skeptical about the new food that Mama was putting into her mouth!

When she started to chew on the tiny udon, she started to notice something different from her normal "milk" experience! See how she "chew on it"!

Trying to Climb!

Even though Geraldine is also very persistent like Gwendolyn, actually, she's not as strong-filled as Lyn Lyn. She'll try and test the water, but may not follow through to make sure she can do it...like here, she attempted to climb / crawl...but so far, she tried a little and then she'll stop...maybe more a relaxed person, as compared to Lyn Lyn?!

New Bouncing Toy

So far, Geraldine hasn't been a very brave and adventurous baby. Why? On Sunday, Mama suggested to bring out the present from Gong Gong's elder brother for Geraldine to try out. Since she's started playing with the walker, she might as well try out this bouncy toy at home...Papa fixed it to the door frame and Mama put Geraldine inside with Gwendolyn's help. Once Geraldine was in, she stood still and didn't move at all, wondering what this thing was all about. After sitting in there for a while, she suddenly tried moving and was rather shock to know that she's accidentally made a half-circle turn (from facing Papa in front, to facing Lyn Lyn behind). She was stunned for a while...and Lyn Lyn laughed, after seeing her sudden turn. With Lyn Lyn's laughter and hearing Mama's voice, she called for Mama's help and cried...she didn't like it. She was scared...

Caught by total surprise by the "sudden twist of fate"

Immediately, Mama has to "save" her from the bouncy toy - still complaining when Mama's trying to remove her from the seat!

Surprised and scared...sulking in Mama's arms, still trying to reflect on what happened and recover from the shock...poor baby!

Cruising Around in the Walker

Slightly before Geraldine turned 6 months, Papa and Mama decided to start her on walker. Why? As she seemed to be a bit bored and she likes to be in an upright position more than lying down. To make it easier for grandma, she had a trial run on the walker and she was over-joyed with the new experience and started exploring. Similar to most new "walkers", she started navigating backwards at the beginning and the next day, going sideways like a crab. However, the amazing thing is that, within a span of 5 days, she managed to grasp the skills to go forward! Ever since she noticed that she can roam around freely by herself, she's been doing a lot of exploration: cruising to the full-length mirror to look at herself and laugh...following grandma from kitchen to living room, from living room to bedroom, etc...wandering around to look for things to grab...you can tell that she really enjoys it!

So proud of herself being mobile

Gwendolyn deliberately trying to block her way...

Push Up?

New style by Geraldine, caught on camera...trying to lift her butt when lying on her tummy! Showing off how strong she is! When she's trying out all the different patterns, she'll make sure that she's turned herself 90 degrees from the normal sleeping position, so that her head and toes are each near to the baby cot bars to support whatever actions she's going to take! Baby instinct?