for the love of the game

mae's entry:

Aiden's fine motor skills have improved recently, thanks to his love for gaming.

I don't mean using the game console (although I'm sure that has helped) but his writing and drawing skills.

Aiden is in full-day kindy now, and doesn't get a peep of gaming in school, but they do channel his interest in Playstation/Wii/PSP games into "offline" activities that are, shall we say, healthier (I'm not going to go into the benefits or hazards of gaming). The daily arts and crafts sessions in school are normally a free-for-all, where kids are allowed to create anything they like, and so Aiden has begun to 'write' his own game-inspired stories in little hand-bound pages that form a 'book'.

Until recently, the stories that he's been 'writing' in school have been pages of rainbow-coloured squiggles. But lately, perhaps in the last couple of weeks, he's been coming home with more legible titles/words.

It started out amusingly enough with brand names, like Sony (our client will be proud), PSP, PS3, XBox, Wii. I joked to Andy, 'What ever happened to regular words in a kid's vocabulary, like "cat", "dog" or "cow"?'

From brand names, it progressed to "Loco Roco Part 2" (side note: there was a non-gaming drawing for me that he titled "Lipstik" that melted my heart.)

And just last week, he had written "Katamari" as one of the titles of his books and despite the naysayers that pooh-pooh gaming, I'm really proud that he can spell and write such a long word.

I'm not sure if it's because of the industry we work in, or that we love gaming ourselves, but we were more amused than disdainful when Aiden announced this evening that he wants to be a "Katamari-roller" when he grows up. (About a month ago, Aiden said he wanted to be "a game designer, like Daddy." Cue stirring music with rising crescendo in the background, with the proud father beaming.)

Next step: To have the boys move up from playing "Cooking Mama" (cooking simulation game) to actually cooking us some meals.

a laptop drawing

mae's entry:

Aiden has been drawing more and more lately. No surprise that most of his drawings feature an electronic gadget ever so often.

He drew a laptop last week - half the page had tiny boxes like a keyboard, and the other half (the screen) was quite plain except for some squiggles in the centre.

So I asked what was on the screen, expecting a fantastic story of an elephant, or some adventure since he's quite fond of making up rather imaginative stories. But instead, he explained, "Oh it says: 'Webpage cannot be loaded'. There's an error, Mummy. Perhaps we might need to close Chrome and try another browser."

It had me in stitches. It's not just the lingo (that he probably picked up from Andy & I) but that he did a drawing of an error with troubleshooting advice. I'm sure some other parent would find this incredibly tragic, but we love the inclination toward geekdom. Welcome to the club, Aiden.

mom, interrupted.

mae's entry:

As Aiden wolfed down a muffin today, I saw a sleeve-ful of crumbs.

He has recently started a habit in the last month of wiping his mouth on his sleeve, to my chagrin.

So I start with my Parent Voice That is Firm:
"Your sleeve is not a napkin. Please use a tissue to wipe your mouth. There are heaps of crumbs on your sleeves when I do the laundry. Clearly, you are..."

"...HUGGABLE!" Aiden interrupts with a wide crumb-encrusted grin.

I stop in mid-sentence. We sometimes play a game called "You are huggable" but this clearly wasn't playtime and I was using my Firm Voice no less.

And yet, I feel...myself...smile.

Aaarrghs. Parenting Mistake #392 is smiling when you're supposed to be disciplining.

Sheesh. Thrown for a loop by a 4-yr-old.

the wordsmith

mae's entry:

Aiden loves using big words to the point where Andy & I sometimes wonder where he picks them up since we don't use the words in everyday conversation (and we can't take credit for teaching him those words either.)

He sometimes doesn't use the words correctly (he's just 4 after all), but it does make for interesting conversation with him.

Here are some words which he's used recently:

1. Voyage

When we went on the Singapore Flyer (it's like the London Eye), Aiden said, "We're going on a voyage! We're going to the top of the world!"

2. Discard

He has a collection of CDs, and as he thumbed through the folder he picked one out, "It's scratched and I should discard it. But I still want it in my collection."

Ok - this one got me. If Andy or I need to throw something out, we'd say "ditch it", "bin it", "chuck it"...anything colloquial really. But we sure don't say "discard".

3. Betray

As we were heading out of the house yesterday, Aiden wanted to take some of his craft work to the car, but Andy asked him to leave it at home.

Aiden replied: "Daddy, I don't mean to betray you, but I just thought you might want to look at it in the car."

I guess he meant "disobey" but he got the essence of it I think. Andy and I definitely don't use "betray" in everyday conversation, so we have no idea where he picked this up from.

4. App

Short form for "Application" (i.e. software), and used in the context of apps for my iPhone.

Aiden saw the Apple/Mac logo as a decal on a car and said, "Look, there's an app on the car"!

I guess it would make sense that he thought App was short for Apple instead.

5. A synonym for big

We were in a toy store and of course the boys gravitate toward the large toys with bells and whistles and in this case, a pseudo laptop with a voice prompt and a microphone.

The friendly American female voice said: "Now say the biggest word you can think of!"

And Aiden gleefully responds: "ENORMOUS! GIGANTIC!"

So we explain that the question is asking for hardest, longest word one can think of, not a synonym for big.

And Aiden thinks a while before offering: "Circulatory system? Respiratory system?"

As he's been learning about the human body in school, it wasn't so surprising. But what did amuse me is that he had to add at the end that his favourite system is the urinary system, because he likes the kidneys (well, someone's gotta love them kidneys).

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And now for not so big words, but ones that surprise us nonetheless:

1. "Gimme some skiiin"

He put his hand out too (for some skin, dude), so I reciprocated and it had me in stitches.

I have no idea who replaced him with an American teen for those moments, but thankfully it just happened once last week and we haven't had a repeat performance since.

2. Of course

Aiden uses this in lieu of a plain "yes", most of the time as a way to launch into a lengthy response.

3. Loyal

There has been a lot of pretend play where Aiden rolls around a large inflatable ball around, like his favourite Playstation game, Katamari (the aim of the game is that the player roll up items in the path of the katamari ball, and these items stick to the ball).

So Aiden rolls up to Andy and says, "I'm stuck on you, I'm loyal."

We did explain the right meaning of loyal, but I did enjoy seeing the word 'loyal' in a new way, as though someone's stuck on you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And lest we forget Elliot, we do delight in the babytalk and mispronounced words that we know won't last for long.

1. Constable - i.e. Comfortable

2. "L" is pronounced as "W" in most words:

Eh- yut - Elliot

Gowilla -Gorilla

Pway-gwoun - Playground

3. "R" is pronounced as "W" most times:

Gwandma, Gwandpa, Gwanny Eh-yee - last one is Granny Ally

Bea-tuhs Wock Band - Beatles Rock Band

Can't weech it - a favourite phrase when he can't reach something that's intentionally put up high.

spot the sleeping child

When I went to wake the boys this morning, it took me a while to find Aiden... he was well camouflaged.

birthday suggestion

I was chatting to the boys a couple of days ago,

actually, mostly to Aiden, but Elliot was there

we were talking about it being the end of October, and soon it would be November.

And I said "Hey, Mummy's birthday is coming up...

"what do you think we should get for her present?"

"what would she like?"

and elliot piped up "COFFEE"

I said "you think we should get coffee for Mummy for her birthday?" and they both thought that was a good idea.

Sweet boys.

writing

Recently Aiden has learnt to write his name. He takes great care to get the shapes right - joining up the little parts of letters that didn't get closed properly.

a&e, b&w

aiden turns four

Aiden was almost too excited to sleep on the eve of his birthday. He had a really nice day opening all of his presents including a CD player from Ian & Mei and a bicycle from Mae and I. He's yet to really get confident on the bicycle - it's much taller/heavier than the Muji trike he's used to. Elliot didn't miss out, and was given a scooter by Ian & Mei.

tree climbers

One of the parks we frequent has this wonderful tree that's just right for climbing - lots of horizontal branches and smooth bark. Aiden loves seeing how high he can go, and of course, Elliot wants to be doing what his big brother is doing.

clever clogs

For National Day at Aiden & Elliot's school, they were asked to dress as their "Dream Occupation". Aiden wanted to be "a Baker, a Performer and a Teacher" which we narrowed to performer (Rock) complete with gel-filled hair and fake tattoos. Every Rockstar needs a Roadie, so Elliot got nominated for that role.

Both Aiden and Elliot are growing up so quickly. We haven't been great with keeping track of all of the milestones that they've been achieving. This blog is partially for their benefit in the future, so excuse me while I list a few of the things that they've been doing. We recently had Granny Ally for a visit, and on her last day, she left a couple of rubber-band-powered wooden boats that the boys have enjoyed playing with in the tub. Thanks to Granny Ally (and the boats), Elliot uttered his longest sentance yet. (Pointing at the boat) "Shark is swimming in the water". He's also recently learnt to count to 10 in Chinese, and Aiden can count to 100 in both Chinese and English - though he needs a little more help to get there in Chinese. At the moment they're both enjoying Lego, though I think Mae and I are getting equal enjoyment out of building things for the boys. Aiden is bringing drawings home daily from school, though recently they are taking the form of books. He also really loves building things with one of his teachers Ms Caroline, and come home with cereal-box sound systems complete with CD-tray and two-pin plug!

primary school woes

mae's entry:

I thought I was being overly "kiasu" (slang for antsy or afraid of losing out) by doing some reseach on which primary school to send Aiden to (Primary 1 starts the year kids turn 7). Aiden is 3.5 years old now, i.e. turning 4 this year.

So imagine my surprise and annoyance when I discovered that a school we were hoping to send Aiden to had:
(1) closed submissions for the Parent Volunteer Program for kids born in Aiden's year i.e. Primary 1 commencing in 2012!!!
(2) was NOT within a 2km radius as we had initially thought. We are *just* on the outskirts, say another 200-300m.

For those not familiar with the Singapore school admissions entry, here is the system of entry in descending order of hierarchy:

Phase 1: A sibling is attending the school of choice (aka The Hallowed Category)

We had the foresight to have 2 kids of the same gender precisely because of the admissions process. If Aiden gets into a good school now, this will benefit Elliot later.

Phase 2A: Parents who are an alumni of the school (aka the Old Boys Club)
Clearly not an option since Andy didn't attend school here. Someone suggested we get a divorce, I marry someone who attended a good school and get a divorce once Aiden is accepted. Funny, twisted, yet oddly methodical advice. But we're not *that* desperate, thank you.

Phase 2B: There are 3 possibilities (aka We Will Give You A Glimmer of Hope)
parents who are from a clan/church/association that's affiliated to the school

OR

a parent who is a community leader (they didn't specify what community...we do have a wonderful community of aphids that's flourishing. but if they count, we won't exterminate them)

OR

a parent who has volunteered at the school.

Phase 2C: The Category of Doom

This is if you're ineligible for any of the above categories.

But wait there's more:

Should the number of applicants in any phase exceed the number of places, there is balloting based on distance to the school - first, a 1km radius, then 2km radius, followed by those that live beyond the revered radius, aka the Land of Doom (please refer to the Category of Doom above)

It was some consolation that we found out the number of parents who signed up for the Parent Volunteer Programme in the abovementioned school exceeded the number of vacancies by two-fold, so balloting would take place, and we probably would not have gone through the programme knowing we didn't have a good chance of placement (since we live in the Land of Doom).

But it just showed that the admissions process is well underway for the better schools and NOW is the time to start planning.

i want to be a rock star

mae's entry:

Aiden announced that he wants to be a rock star because he doesn't want his hair cut - thanks to a throwaway statement by Andy *months* ago that rock stars have long hair.

This is how our conversation went:

Aiden: "Mummy, do you know something?"

Me: "mmm?"

Aiden: "I'm going to be a rock star. I don't need to cut my hair."

Me: "Is that right?"

Aiden: "Yes. And my rock star name will be....hmmm...Aqua Ooqua."

Me: "That's an interesting name."

Aiden: "Yes. What's my rock star name, can you remember?"

Me: "Aqua Ooqua."

Aiden: "Yes, that's right. And I will have a set at home and people will come and listen." (note: I'm sure his meaning of "set" here is a set of songs, as opposed to set design for stage).

By this time, I'm bemused by:
(1) his association of escaping his hair cut by becoming a rock star (thanks, Andy! grrr)

(2) his non-rock name.
He'll realise to his chagrin when he's 17 and reading this entry that his rock name is incredibly cute and worthy of a pet rock. But I don't want to widen his repertoire with heavy metal band names like "Black Sabbath" and "Megadeth". So I just smile.
(3) the notion of complete strangers turning up at our home to listen to him and for some reason I'm picturing myself serving them juice.

And Aiden is looking pensive now.

He ends off: "And I will wear black."

Yup, he's got it down pat.

aiden draws a family portrait

All of a sudden, Aiden has started drawing and writing recognisable letters. For a long time he was just scribbling, but now we have cute little smiley faces with stick bodies that he's drawn at playgroup. He hasn't mastered drawing all letters yet, but he's practicing hard and can consistently draw H, C, A, L and he can also draw a CD (actually it was the first thing he could draw).

things that make a parent proud

Parenting is full of surprises. We never quite know what to expect from our kids, the things they say and do often crack us up. But recently there have been a few little Proud Parent moments that we think should be recorded for posterity (or at least moments that stimulate our vanity).

• Elliot keenly playing on Robert's mini skateboard when we were staying with Ange and Sean. As a former skateboarder, I was enjoying him enjoying it so much.
• In a guitar store last weekend, Aiden correctly identified a "Flying V" guitar and Peavey Amplifier.
• For the first time last night, Aiden was drawing some recognisable letters - An uppercase H. He then made some huge H's that spanned the length of the page like a skinny ladder with only one rung. For his encore, he drew a C. So far he's favouring his left hand, but ofter switches between hands to draw.
• Elliot on the other hand (literally) is clearly a rightie. He's got pretty good control of the markers and can draw a really good CD.
• While out wandering in a mall with Elliot, he pointed up at the Starbucks cafe one floor up and said: "Latte, up there".

I guess all kids are exposed to their parent's interests (like coffee and guitars), but it feels a little narscistic that our world is theirs. If I may be a little philosopical for a moment, I guess that's why we have the teen years - where kids get to rebel against the things their parents like.

Elliot is due to start at playgroup this week. He's still got a bit of a cough, and there's been another case of HMFD at the school, so we'll see how it goes. In any case, we're pretty sure he's going to love it. Right now his favourite things are music and dancing (if there's music on, he'll go around the room, dragging everyone to their feet to dance with him).

Both boys are extremely cute & loving and we feel blessed to be their parents.

happy easter

We realised in a panic last night that we had to make a hat for Aiden's Easter celebration at his school today. Constructed from wire and duct tape, we finished it in the wee small hours of the morning. Unfortunately since Aiden was fast asleep during the construction, we couldn't fit it to him very well, so it kept slipping off during the day. Aiden has had a little fever on-and-off these few days, and that came back in the later morning. He's had the rest of the day recuperating at home, so hope he's feeling better by now. He's also recently doscovered my old PlayStation 2 and has been enjoying playing with that, changing disks and exploring the menus. As for Elliot, he's due to start school around his second birthday. Currently there is no space in Little Village for his age group, but we've been told that there will be a new class starting soon, and we're sure he'll love playing with the other kids.

conversation at 11pm

I was telling Mae about a conversation I had with Aiden last night when I was putting him down

andy says:
> conversation with aiden last night...
andy says:
> he put his hands over my nose
andy says:
>"smell Daddy"
mae says:
> :)
mae says:
> and?
andy says:
>"I touched my pee pee"
mae says:
>eeeeew
andy says:
>I said "no we don't do that"
andy says:
>"it's gross"
andy says:
>he said "I like it"
andy says:
>"it smells like rabbit"

bubblechibbas and tamakonk

Elliot loves to dance. Here's an extended clip of him dancing (sorry, no sound). I think it must be fun for him to move on the padded tiles we assembled on the floor of the kids room.

Aiden has recently been inventing titles for things that don't have a specific names. The round foam tiles in the video above are now called "Bubblechibbas". A miniature version of Bow Wow we bought for Elliot is now called "Tamakonk". It reminds me of the names I gave my pet rocks as a child: "Flora Dora" and "Adapateta".

Last week was a little rough with both of them house-bound with Hand Foot & Mouth disease (HMFD). Aside from a little lack of apetite, both came through it pretty well. We're grateful that there were no complications, as HMFD can be extremely serious.

aiden is reading!

Just found an old unpublished post. Appologies for this being out of sequence with the rest of the blog...

Aiden has been reading for a few months, but we haven't had a chance to shout about it because it's been so gradual.

It started around the time he was 2 and a half. He would spell his name, then his favourite animals (cat & dog), then logos (Sony & Yahoo, who are our clients). 

About 2 months ago, before Aiden's 3rd birthday (sorry - this was momentous at that point in time, but we never got down to blogging it), we pulled up into a gas station and as we stopped at a pump, Aiden said "Please...turn...engine...off...." and then, "Mummy, Mummy! We need to turn off the engine!" We were stunned - we looked at the pump and saw the sign, word for word, "Please turn engine off." For people who don't have kids - reading at 2-3yrs old, is uncommon, and for a 3-yr-old to read something out of context (i.e. not from a familiar story or nursery rhyme where there's a possibility that they're reciting, not reading) AND being able to understand what they've read, is pretty...cool.

He would read off signs in malls e.g. "Something new coming soon" and "More shops upstairs", and then last month, he read "Bears on Wheels" all on his own. I knew he was reading it himself and it wasn't from rote because it's not a book that we read often, plus he would pause a little between each word.

Then 2 weeks ago I excitedly told his class teacher and the principal that he was reading on his own and we were explaining to Aiden the silent "e" because he was trying to understand when we pronouce it and when we don't. But both were a little indifferent and blase - I found out later that the principal thought I was teaching Aiden phonic excercises and didn't hear/understand that he was really reading. (Sadly, I have no idea what a phonic exercise entails).

I think sometime teachers take the parent's boasting - yes, I was boasting - with a pinch of salt. (ok, hands up - those who think that parents can be delusional sometimes and see their kids' achievements through rose-tinted glasses). 

The teachers in school only truly understood Aiden's reading ability last week when he read a book on his own, and they were really excited. They did ask a few times if we had that book at home (and we didn't), I think to check if he was reciting or really reading. But this time, it was our turn to be a little blase since we'd known about his reading skills for a while!

andy is away

It's Day 2 of Andy having gone back to NZ.

Thankfully, Aiden & Elliot are still managing ok. I am, however, disappointed that the boys & I didn't go to NZ too, but after learning that the trip from Singapore to Invercargill took over 30hours, it was probably for the best for us and the boys that we didn't go.

Aiden has been mentioning occassionally that "Daddy is in New Zeeeeeealand" but doesn't seem too upset (yet). I think it's because I'm very matter-of-fact when I tell him that Andy's away, so the calm attitude is reassuring for him.

Elliot is still a little to young to know what's going on, but definitely know's Andy's voice - I put Andy on the phone earlier today and Elliot announced "Daddy...Daddy...Daddeeeeee!"

To distract the boys from noticing the usual Saturday routine was different i.e. without Andy, Grandpa Ian and I took the boys swimming. And we met Kim & Kate after that for lunch and a leisurely stroll along the quay to the Esplanade.

Some shots of today (it's a little dark, because it's an indoor swimming pool in what resembles the Batcave):

we love things that go vrooom

Aiden and Elliot going for a drive on those kiddy rides. They were pretty good sharing the wheel.

Elliot has been pretty good manoeuvering Aiden’s tricycle. In fact, Elliot has been getting a lot more use out of Aiden’s trike and - despite needing to go on his tippy toes - is now a pro at mounting and dismounting the trike.

thanks to granny ally

... for introducing the book "The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business". We've had the book for a long while now, but I'm sure it inspired a conversation we had this evening:

Aiden: Daddy, do poops go on heads?
Andy: Nope.
Aiden: Poops go in the potty.
Andy: Yes.
Aiden: I do believe you’re right.

aiden and elliot

photos, photos.

It's a little too late for a lengthy post today, Instead, I hope these photos will suffice.

Mei, Ian, Elliot and Aiden.

Elliot has started solids, and knows more-or-less what to do. We'v forgotten how messy it got with Aiden when he was learning to eat. Elliot seems a little more distracted when he eats, making feeding a frustrating affair.

A quiet read is always a pleasure.

monday is brought to you by...

the fly!!!

Aiden's rocking "Bono-style".

happy birthday aiden

Aiden turns two today. We had a mini celebration at his playgroup, and tonight he'll be opening all of his presents. Yay! Happy birthday wee man.

poley cow!

I'm not sure where Aiden picked up this gem, but he's been saying it quite frequently and watching for the giggles from us. We've also been playing his favourite game which is still "Where's Aiden". He hides (in plain sight) with a sheet or pillow over his head, then says "Where's Aiden". We then wander around pretending to look for him all over the place. We talk to ourselves as we do so "I wonder if he's gone shopping with Bow Wow..." to which he usually replies "yes". Last night we were playing the same game, he asked Mae and I to hide. Once we had, we started the game "Where's Mummy and Daddy?" to which he replied "That's a very good question!"

happy national day

For Singapore's National Day, Aiden's playgroup held a little celebration - some dancing and songs (in English and Chinese), and the kids got to dress up in their "dream occupation" costumes. We figured with his love of CD players, he'd be a natural for "Superstar DJ" so we made him a little DJ outfit.

We think Aiden might make a good DJ one day. As for Elliot, that's a difficult question. Perhaps from the picture below he'd make a good Supreme Ruler.

one two three

outings

Elliot is now 3-months old, and becoming more alert every day. He's a really good natured baby, and has us all charmed with his ready smiles.

This week, Aiden's playgroup had an outing to Jurong Bird Park where he had more fun playing in the rain than looking at the birds.

This nice shot of Aiden and Mae was taken on the Monorail en route.
He was most happy to find this wet step which was a perfect Aiden-sized seat.
He also enjoyed feeding these worms to the birds.

food for thought

Our good friend (and bridesmaid) Shiao recently opened an uber-cool cafe with her friends at Bugis Junction. Called "Food for Thought" it aims to offer stimulation for the mind as well as the palete.

We were there in the first week to sample the tasty food & support our friends.

Aiden and I were goofing-off, and here are the resulting photos.

here comes the sun

Aiden's favourite phrase of late has been "Here comes da SUN!" thanks to the Beatles, or rather a collection of lullaby renditions of their songs.



It's like baby musak without words, but so listenable because it's so familiar, and we get to sing along a la parent karaoke.

There's a whole series of Rockabye lullaby renditions of famous/contemporary bands, and we have the Coldplay CD too.

Aiden's chatter has grown increasingly imaginative and endearing (spoken like a smitten parent). He's taken to singing/reciting nursery rhymes and exploring more pretend/role play. Conversations can be wonderfully unpredictable:

Aiden: "Bow Wow having breakfast."
(Aiden then makes smacking sounds with his lips, as though he's eating. Bow Wow is his favourite stuffed dog, by the way.)

Mae: "Mmm, breakfast. What is he having?"
Aiden: "Chicken."
Mae: "Chicken? For breakfast? Uhmmm, ok. That chicken looks tasty."
Aiden: "And owanges. And stor-bweeees. And baby corn."
_________________________________________________

Aiden: " Smell."
(He gestures toward Mae's handphone.)

Andy: "You want to smell Mummy's phone?"
(Andy holds out my mobile. Aiden gives it a good sniff and crinkles his nose.)

Andy: "What's it smell like?"
Aiden: "Phone!"

too kewl for school

He's a cool cat. No more "za za ZA!", Aiden's latest saying is "Beastie beastie biding" You heard it here first. He's also been "mashing-up" nursery rhymes. He fluent enough to recite the entire nursery rhyme, but adds in his own words as he does so. An example:

"Incy-wincy Bunga Bunga Bunga, climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the Bunga Bunga Bunga out
up came the sun and diaper on the rain
and Incy wincy Bunga Bunga Bunga climbed up the spout again."

miles of smiles

Elliot has recently started giving the biggest smiles. Parents and Grandparents alike are smitten by his toothless grin. Seeing him smile makes all of the restless nights and stinky diapers fade to inconsequence.

We had a good weekend with Aiden and Elliot - out and about as usual. This giant green logo for a boutique is perfect for Aiden to chase his daddy around and vice versa.

first day of playgroup

(Photos courtesy of our friend and avid photographer Ai Leen)

Aiden went to playgroup today for the first time. After much searching, we found a neat preschool "Little village on the Grange" which has a really caring team of teachers. The school is like a mini United Nations with kids from Singapore and all over the world. Aiden's playgroup has 3 teachers to 7 boys (surprisingly, no girls!) so that means a lot of dedicated time with the teachers. It went a lot better than we expected and Aiden took to his new teachers quite quickly. Fingers crossed that he'll continue to enjoy the stimulation and socialising with little kids his age.

two weeks old

One can only imagine what he dreams about. Elliot is already two weeks old. Perhaps it's the sleep deprivation, but it seems to have really flown by. We have been trying to get out of the house on the weekends to avoid Mae getting cabin fever, so Elliot has had a couple of brief glimpses of the outside world. The major milestone for Elliot this week has been the improvement of his vision/eye control. The way he looks at us with such intensity when we hold him makes it feel like he's staring into your soul.Aiden was a little tired today... woke early and had a lot of playing to do. Sleepy sons make for good cuddles.

a for aiden

More and more words tumble out of Aiden's mouth each day. He wowed us yesterday reciting the whole alphabet, and he can sing along to some of his favourite CDs. He's been remarkably good with his wee brother, today he brought one of his CDs over to show the baby. That little effort to connect with his brother gave Mae and I the warm fuzzies.

It's also neat to see Mei and Ian with the new baby. They have been great with him and Aiden.

ian & mei's anniversary

Happy Anniversary in advance!

We celebrated my parents 36th anniversary today (2 days in advance) with them, Mason, Anita & the twins.

Had a delectable meal at Chef Chan's - his signature roast chicken didn't disappoint, neither did the tender peppered beef, the sauteed eggplant and the wasabi prawns. Uber yummilicious. Being pregnant just gave me more reason to eat; I clearly wasn't hungry by the time I went through my fourth prawn and third slice of chicken.

Bradley and Erica seemed quite keen to play with Aiden although Aiden was a little clueless. He did however beam from ear to ear when Bradley and he walked hand-in-hand - a Kodak moment that passed too soon before I could whip out our camera.

And Aiden impressed us with his longest sentence to date today:
Baa baa black sheep...yessser yessser, tree bags fool. (i.e. the 1st, 3rd and 4th lines of baa baa black sheep).

more chatter

Aiden's been picking up words and phrases much faster than we anticipate - and using them in context (as opposed to just listing them off-hand).

As any proud parent would, we're listing his new words & phrases to date:
1. armadillo
2. an-ti-fy-er ("ampliflier" - there's one stored in his room)
3. i see you! (this is when we play peekaboo or hide-and-seek)
4. keep this / put back (when it's time to put his books, toys and CDs back)
5. capsicum (to Andy's delight, Aiden holds the capsicum like one would a rugby ball, wrapped under the arm)
6. dink ("drink") water / milk
7. Aiden's / Mummy's / Daddy's + book / food / clothes (he likes identifying what's his and what's ours e.g he'll point and say "Aiden's book" followed by "Daddy's book", distinguishing the two)
8. chain CD (i.e. "change the CD, i don't like your choice of music" such a harsh critic at his age. sigh.)

not popped yet.

Our estimated due date is drawing to a close, with 1 1/2 hours to go it looks unlikely Mae will deliver today. We had another doctor's appointment today and the estimated weight of Snowpea is 3.6kg - almost exactly the weight Aiden was. If we make it to next week without any sign of Snowpea, the doctor will discuss whether snowpea will need to be induced.

like father, like son

I love this photo of Andy & Aiden squishing their noses against the kitchen door as they played peekaboo. Spot the family resemblance.