Oh, and Puppy has cut his right lateral incisor today.

Christmas has come and gone. Over the past week, thousands of people were stranded at Heathrow Airport due to flight cancellations from the fog. Even I, on one particularly bad afternoon, managed to miss the turning home, and ended up in Harlow rather than Brentwood! Poor Puppy had to sit in soiled nappies for 5 hours, and he wasn't pleased!




Christmas in the UK is still a very family orientated event. The past two Christmases have seen us celebrate it together, just the two of us, and Puppy of course. It is especially special for darling husband as it is his birthday, so it means making a bigger effort to ensure he has a good time.....only when growing up, my family tradition was going to Por Por's house for curry chicken, french loaf and iced fruit cocktail! So I've had to consult Aunty Delia yet again....


Preparing the turkey (it's supposed to be a small one!)






Pigs in Blankets








I didn't have the time to do proper mince pies this year, so I cheated with mince 'vol-au-vents' instead.....still nice though!




Everything put together

So, we've been back in the UK for 3 days now. The weather is as expected - cold and miserable. It's nice being back with darling husband, who missed us immensely. Puppy doesn't seem to have forgotten him - in fact, has been clinging onto daddy with dear life since returning. We've been rather organised for our standards this weekend - managed to go to Ikea to get our wardrobes and bookshelves, as well as get a Christmas tree. It has been a good weekend, apart from being jetlagged - I've been awake since 5am - and Manchester United losing 1-0 to West Ham (while Chelski spectacularly beat Everton!).

Puppy goes to nursery for his first 'settling in' session today - hope it goes well.

Puppy's new gumshield....made of cucumber.

My first real Christmas tree - a Nordman Fir.

Someone posted this on the Baby-Led Weaning forum that I'm on, entitled 'For People with Sons':

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant. (in my case, an 8 month old :))

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Puppy's development has been progressing by leaps and bounds this past week. Friday, 8 December - started clapping his hands; Saturday, 9 December - started smacking his lips. He's also pulling himself up to a stand position with ease now. This morning, he managed to do that while sitting perpendicular to the supporting cot rail. Yesterday, he managed to shuffle across the cot length to get a piece of biscuit placed out for him. He knocked the biscuit over into the cot, and bent down to get it, one hand gripping the cot rail. I never realised he had so much control over his movements! Apart from cruising and using less arm power to support himself while standing, he also likes rattling the cot rail and jumping up and down in it. I hope our cot in the UK is ready for all the abuse it's going to get in 3 days time! Saying all this, Puppy's not actually crawling, but still creeping along the floor - at speed - I'm not sure if he will crawl, or want to, if he can get along with creeping.

Speech-wise, he is saying 'ma ma mum mum' now, whenever he wants milk - I'm not sure if that's just a coincidence though. And in case Daddy is feeling left out, I can assure him that Puppy was practising saying his 'Pa' today, only he hasn't quite mastered it yet, and it comes out as 'Pwah, Prah'

Some photos from our holiday within a holiday in Genting Highlands, Malaysia last weekend:

Cable cars

Trying to look like a tourist

'Look Daddy! I can drive!'

Having fun at the playground

'Wonder what Malaysian cots taste like?'

'Please God, don't let me have a tummy ache!'

1st December 2006
Puppy started babbling. It was around 3.30pm Singapore time, and we were in the study contemplating what to do next.....and it came, rather suddenly......'buah, brah, wah, row, wow, bao'. Over the course of the afternoon, it became more of a 'pah, ra, wah'. It's all rather exciting. Someone said her son at 9 months still hadn't started babbling, probably because he was getting confused over being bilingual, so I'm obviously chuffed to bits that Puppy has started, at 7.5 months.

We've been in Singapore for the past 2 weeks now, visiting friends and relations. Puppy has been keeping us up at night, the past 4 nights with teething pains. His two upper incisors are pushing their way through at the moment, and I think he just cut the right one this morning. He's also been trying to stand, and started doing so independently about 3 days ago.

29 weeks - 9.345kg (20lb 9oz).

His first solid poo was also discovered today - thought I had a puppy in the house. Must be the Oatibix from yesterday. He demolished a pear all by himself this afternoon, so probably another solid poo for tomorrow.

Something that actually made my day!
And if you don't understand Mandarin, maybe Cantonese?

More food photos. Since the shortbread incident, where we demolished a pack of butter in 2 days, I decided to make some Italian biscotti (cantuccini) in the hope that it wouldn't make us feel that guilty after eating it.

Puppy is really trying to crawl now. He kinda lifts his bum in order to get his knees off the ground, then propel himself forward. I gestured him towards a toy last night, and he managed to move about a metre to get to it. Does this mean I can't let him out of my sight anymore? He's also got a fascination with TV cables and feet!

He ate his largest amount yet yesterday.
Breakfast - 1 1/2 tablespoons baby porridge + 3 scoops Aptamil
- Petit Filous
*all eaten*

Morning tea - Digestive biscuit (OK, this wasn't in the plan, but the lady at the parish hall offered it to him and he took it)

Lunch - Whole pear
*2/3 eaten*

Dinner - Sweet potato mash
*3 spoonfuls*

Also still breastfeeding loads.

Basically, he's eating so much that I've decided to invest in some long sleeved bibs rather than overwork our poor washing machine.



His stroller arrived today - can't wait to put it in use!

So, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa have passed. I was wanting a curry, but can't afford a takeaway. So, the next best option....make my own.

Pappadoms

Chicken Mughlai

Aloo Gobi

Final result.....yum yum

Debbie Gibson - For Better or Worse

Watching this on YouTube brought back memories. Anyone who knows me (well enough!) will know I have a serious case of Gibsonitis. This is the first single from her fifth album. I remember going to the mall the first day the album was released and then locking myself in my room, playing it over and over again. I haven't seen the video until now - she actually used to date Chris Bruno (the guy in the video) - he came with her to Singapore and fixed her piano when she performed that song at Boat Quay.....ahh, it's all coming back really vividly now......and I'm really sad for knowing all this :)

That Boy Rooney

OK, I know he hasn't scored since goodness knows when, but hey, he's still a footballing genius.

So, I discovered that there is a baby clinic at the GP surgery in our village. Seeing that we didn't fall under the catchment area of our previous surgery anymore, I decided to take Puppy to baby clinic, and at the same time register with the new GP. Turns out that the HV at the surgery is actually based at the baby clinic which I used to go to. We bumped into Pamela who was from the council and had a good old chat with her. She remembered us from when we first saw her, and absolutely loves Puppy. There was another lady with her little boy who was there before me, apparently she was lamenting on the fact that there weren't too many baby boys in the village (hers is 8 months old). I didn't get to talk to her much, but as I was filling out the registration forms to join the surgery, other mothers came in with their babies - all girls! We started chatting with Tracy who had come with Halle (turned 6 months on 20th October), and she told us about some baby groups in the area. All being well, we might join her at baby signing next Monday. There was also a 10 month old, and another very mobile crawler who came in - it was rather amusing half watching (half filling in form) all the babies play together. The older folks who were waiting for their doctor's appointment certainly seemed to enjoy themselves - one elderly gentleman even came up to Puppy and played with him. As usual, Puppy seemed to take in all around him. He even cried when one of the babies had to go.....awww...

More cooking - made shortbread today. Really simple, and turned out brilliant. No more need to get any Walkers shortbread.



Puppy is also 27 weeks today. He's really becoming rather hyperactive! I managed to confirm his place at the nursery, and he's going in for some settling sessions in December.

Singlish Security Lecture

When in Singapore, speak as the Singaporeans do.

At 6 months, opting for a Baby led weaning approach has certainly seemed the way to go, as well as taken lots of time that could have been wasted on pureeing and mashing.

On a typical day

This is how he greets his food...


And the aftermath.......*burp*

X Factor vs American Idol (chicken factory)

Was watching YouTube, looking for last night's X Factor liveshow, but found this instead!

It's nice to know that my council tax is going to good causes like setting up the Essex Cloth Nappy Network. It's even more heartening to know that my wages are used to buy teddy bears. What better way to spend my hard earned salary! Maybe I should make a request that I only want British made teddies.


Puppy is 6 months old today.

The washer fluid squirter thing on our car hasn't been working for over a week now. Not a big problem, only that if it hasn't rained for a few days, I end up with a really muddy windscreen. So I called Citroen and told them of the problem. They gave me an appointment to go in, and I said I would need a courtesy car if I left the car with them, to which they replied if I was willing to wait. I said yes, but would still rather have the courtesy car in case something went wrong and I ended up waiting for ages (they said it would take 45 minutes, hah!). They then said it would ?12.50 for the car. 'What?!', there's noway I'm paying for the courtesy car, and as my car is still under warranty, isn't it Citroen's responsibility to provide such a facility to their customers? Clearly not. So I relented and said I'd go for the waiting option. The appointment's next Thursday, and I have to be there for 8am. Hopefully it'll be sorted out before 9am. Somehow I'm not confident of that happening.

Bringing Puppy to London yesterday evening was no mean feat. I realised that at 8.8kg, he was on the verge of being the maximum handling weight for my baby carrier. It was a fun evening though, we met up with one of DH's friends and went to Wagamama's, which was enjoyable. I really should get out more :)

As per request of Pris, here's a picture of the Christmas cake - gotta put the icing on it though, but for now, it will sit in a cupboard somewhere and be 'fed' until Christmas.

I've also made a banana loaf this morning. Have not tried it yet, so *fingers crossed*. I've baked three cakes since moving into the new house two weeks ago.

Think I'm ready to join the WI yet?

Coming from a country colonised by the English, yet receptive of all things American, Singaporeans have come up with a truly unique identity. Ruby Pan's act on YouTube made me breakout in fits of laughter, something I suppose only the Singaporean of the 'jiak kan tang' variety can understand.



Also looks like Singapore has hopped onto the UK's PC gone mad bandwagon.....but America still rules :)

25 weeks and 3 days old.

Puppy is 8.8kg (19lb 9) today. There was a lady from the council who was displaying reusable nappies at the baby clinic. When asked if I had thought about reusable nappies, I replied that I was already using them. She was delighted with my answer, and over the course of my time at the clinic, Puppy decided to chat to her as well. Absolutely delightful.

Puppy's sprouting another tooth, and can't get enough of things to put in his mouth!

I was at Ikea today, looking at their wardrobe systems. I went really early, because the carpet protector guy from Safeclean discouraged me from stepping on the carpets for 4 hours after the carpet protection spray-on. So DH suggested I go to Ikea. Anyway, go to Ikea I did. Puppy was on fine form, first screeching, then deciding to have a moan at why I wasn't feeding him. So I picked out a chair, and he fed for 2 minutes before deciding he had had enough. Off we went, and going through a narrow pathway between some furniture and a vase full of palm leaves, Puppy decided to tug at the palm. The vase came crashing down, and to my horror, it wasn't an artificial plant. Soil and water spilt out. Luckily there weren't many people around, and the staff I reported the incident to didn't seem that concerned, so I suppose it wasn't that serious. Puppy was squealing with laughter from the incident. His mother, on the other hand, didn't find that at all amusing.

Puppy also tried some Hipp Creamy Porridge for lunch. It was 1 tablespoon Porridge to about 5 tablespoons of infant formula, and a sprinkling of baby rice. I used Milupa's Aptimal Forward this time, and Puppy wolfed it down. I think it's because there was quite a bit of sugar in the porridge (tasted like Nestum, which I loved as a child, and still do).

Attempts to make my first Christmas cake were both successful and unsuccesful. Success in view that it was actually rather delicious. Unsuccessful, in that we ended eating it rather than wait for Christmas before doing so, and the cake tin I put the cake mixture in was too big. I'll try making another one next week.

While getting the ingredients ready for the Christmas cake, I made a rather interesting discovery. Noone had ever told me this before, but black treacle, I found, tasted very similar, although much thicker and more concentrated (and yummier) than kecap manis. At 70p per 454g tin at Tesco and 79p at Waitrose, it was a right bargain. That led to a char kway teow version of 'char spaghetti', which was surprisingly good. I'm glad to say that this solves the problem of having to find sweet soya sauce for popiah, char kway teow, chai tao kway in the future.

It looks like Puppy prefers being able to be in control and hold his food, rather than having a spoon shoved in his mouth. Perhaps it's because he's teething and so likes having something to gnaw on. I don't know. In any case, he thoroughly enjoyed the cucumber sticks at lunch and the mango chunks at dinner. He found the mango so yummy that he even pulled DH's hand towards his mouth and lunged forward for each mouthful. I must say I enjoyed today's weaning attempts as much as he did, especially since it didn't involve making up sloppy messy purees.

Our second purchase for the house was a mirror cabinet for one of the ensuites. We bought it last week from Ikea, and finally, after a lot of huffing, puffing and squabbling, it got put up.....about 2 minutes ago. Kudos to DH, but I dread the forthcoming DIY jobs.

Wonder if I should invest in a gag gadget, or calming injections, so less huffing and puffing goes on? Then again, trying to put up a cabinet 20 minutes before having to leave for Mass is never a good idea *hint*.

Talking about Mass, the new parish is pretty small, but seems friendly enough. The congregation was rather well behaved, kids included, apart from a little 5 1/2 month old Puppy who kept cooing and squealing. It went down well with the ladies though.

PS: DH is objecting to the negative portrayal of a huffer and puffer - I'd like to stress that he actually did a remarkable job with the mirror cabinet, and has been working extremely hard with unpacking today, and I still love him very much.

24 weeks today - Puppy's really growing up. I just felt a tooth emerging from his lower gum earlier.

We went to the hospital today and the nice doctor confirmed that Puppy didn't have a swallowing problem. I suppose we knew that all along, but it was good to be sure. The doctor checked if he had a cavity on his upper palate, which he didn't. He is now 8.6kg, and all seems well.

I thought I'd try baby rice again, since Puppy hadn't had it in ages (weaning's a bit hit and miss at the moment). I decided to invest in some infant formula to mix the baby rice with. What a decision - standing in front of the baby formula aisle in the supermarket is mindblowing. I'm so glad I stuck with breastfeeding. I decided to just get a readymade packet of each of the major brands. I tried SMA Progress this afternoon - just 4-5 tablespoons of formula with 1/2 tablespoon of baby rice. Puppy seemed to take to it rather well.

Puppy's also managing to sit up.


We're also enjoying the new place, glad we have a bigger space to put our junk.


Now you see it


Now you don't

So, we've finally moved. Hurrah! Well, not so hurrah as there are loads of boxes left to be unpacked. DH has been wonderful, almost singlehandedly doing the unpacking while I entertain Puppy. We've managed to clear the kitchen and dining room of boxes so far. It would help if the packers actually labelled the all the boxes accurately, but I suppose they did as good a job as possible, considering the level of mess the old house was in.

Puppy has started sitting up, kinda lunging forward, but at least not toppling over immediately. There was also a little accident last evening. DH fell out of his car seat, flat onto his face. He suffered a nasty scratch on his nose and a fat lip as well as a gashed right knee. I'm sure he will have loads more scratches and gashes in the future, but seeing him cry the way he did wasn't very fun. The immense guilt was also unbearable. I'm just relieved he didn't fall on his back.

The movers are coming tomorrow to help us pack. The past week has been spent trying to sort out papers and tidy up a bit. I'm glad we paid the entra ?285 to have a full packing service - we couldn't have done it ourselves. I'm just really nervous with the whole thing, and hopefully by the time the movers leave tomorrow, I'll have calmed down. I know I'll feel better once everything is in boxes. Funnily, I'm not actually worried about the move, just the packing.

Will be back online hopefully in a couple of days.

This looks good, let's hope it actually is.

Well, Pope Benedict has addressed the issue in person. Not that the speech was anything to be sorry for.

Now, would whoever said this, issued this and did this (scroll down to graffitified Pope photo either apologise and/or say what you said/did wasn't really intended as such, or admit you're truly ignorant and forever hold your peace.



........Didn't think so.

First purchase for our new home.

And Puppy blissfully unaware that he is 22 weeks old today.

Glad I worship a God who I believe can see the funny side to things:

Whenever your children are out of control,
you can take comfort from the thought that
even God's omnipotence did not extend
to His own children.

After creating heaven and earth,
God created Adam and Eve.

And the first thing he said was
"DON'T!"

"Don't what? "
Adam replied.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit."
God said.

"Forbidden fruit?
We have forbidden fruit?
Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit !"

"No Way! "

"Yes way !"

"Do NOT eat the fruit! "
said God.

"Why? "

"Because I am your Father and I said so ! "
God replied,
wondering why He hadn't stopped
creation after making the elephants.


A few minutes later,

God saw His children having an apple break
and He was ticked!

"Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit? "
God asked.

"Uh huh,"
Adam replied.

"Then why did you? "
said the Father.


"I don't know,"
said Eve.

"She started it ! "
Adam said.

"Did not!"

"Did too! "

"DID NOT ! "

Having had it with the two of them,
God's punishment was that Adam and Eve
should have children of their own.


Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.


BUT THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY !


If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it,
don't be hard on yourself.

If God had trouble raising children,
what makes you think it would be
a piece of cake for you?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT!


1. You spend the first two years of their life
teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend
the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

2. Grandchildren are God's reward
for not killing your own children.

3. Mothers of teens now know why
some animals eat their young.

4. Children seldom misquote you.
In fact, they usually repeat word for word
what you shouldn't have said.


5. The main purpose of holding children's parties
is to remind yourself that there are children
more awful than your own.


6. We childproofed our homes,
but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your
nursing home one day.


AND FINALLY:

IF YOU ! HAVE A LOT OF TENSION
AND YOU GET A HEADACHE,
DO WHAT IT SAYS
ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE:


"TAKE TWO ASPIRIN"
AND "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN"!!!!!

Reports that there is Muslim anger towards a recent speech by the Pope sent me first to read it, and as I did so, into incredulity. As Puppy was wriggling around, I printed out the speech (provisional text) - there were 5 full pages of text. Of these 5 pages, the offensive material was contained in 3 paragraphs (40 lines, left justification, size 12 font, Times New Roman). Those 3 paragraphs recounted the Pope's recollection of a book he read, by Adel Theodore Khoury.

How a quote used early on as a starting point to illustrating faith and reason (and I suppose an underlying subtext to the objection of the use of violence in the name of religion) could be so taken out of context is beyond me. I accept that this is a sensitive topic, and indeed the Pope himself, well aware that this was so, went out of his way to emphasise that this was a quote. I wonder if all those protesting have read the speech, or simply accepted faithfully, and without use of reason. Talk about 'if you say jump, I'll say ''how high?''.

One more time. It was a speech on the topic of faith and reason, not whatever whoever wants to misconstrue it as. Read the text!

Plastered on the front page of The Sun today was this article about an asylum seeker who had infected several girls with the HIV virus. Moral of the story - don't sleep around!

Bought some Organix fruit puree from Tesco earlier. It was on offer - buy 2 packs for £2.00. In view that we are moving next week, I saw no point in making up my own purees, freezing them, only to have them all melt in the removal van. That didn't stop me from getting a couple of ice cube trays though, to prepare me for my future puree making sessions. Anyway, I tried Puppy with the summer fruits pot. He managed to eat 5 teeny mouthfuls of that stuff before giving up. Each mouthful was greeted with a grimace and frown. After that, he promptly created an avalanche from his behind. Nice one. I finished the remaining 95g of the pot. Yum! I wish I were a baby all over again ! We'll try another flavour tomorrow. Oh, and he also nibbled half heartedly on an oatcake.

Puppy is 5 months old today. Unbelievable how much he has changed and developed. Here's to the next 5 months and beyond. Daddy and mummy love you very much!

Puppy and I have been full of lurgy the past 2 days. I'm amazed at the amount of snot that can emerge from a baby's nose, and the severity of their sneezes! What's more bizarre is that while adults are full of self pity and lethargic while struck with lurgy, Puppies seem much livelier! He is a little more irritable, I have to admit, but all yesterday and so far today, he has wanted to do nothing but play. He refused to go to bed last night, and finally at midnight, DH had to take him out for a walk in the buggy. I was absolutely exhausted and grouchy by then.


Termite position


'Ill? Who says I'm ill?'

5 years on, and we still remember the events of 911 like they were only yesterday. I remember it well. For some reason, I was home early. I was living in the Vauxhall Road flat at that time with Hannah and Emma. I switched the television on, and it was all over the news. A plane had crashed into one of the WTC towers. As I watched, another plane flew right into the second tower. It was so unfathomable at that time, nobody had the foggiest clue what was going on. As the events unrolled the words 'terrorist attack' were used over and over again.

All I can say is this. Whatever the media says about George W. Bush, I actually like the man. It's never easy being the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. We get terrorists bombing us all over the place and mad dictators killing their own people, you can't expect him to just sit there and do nothing. Rightly or wrongly he went into Afghanistan and Iraq. Yes, there have been loads of casualties, but casualties happen in battles and wars. All this the media is harping on, why doesn't anybody acknowledge the amount of aid that the USA gives? So, everybody will criticize anyway. I say Mr Bush, pray for the right decisions to be made, and be strong. My thoughts and prayers during this time for all who lost their lives on this tragic day.

After yesterday's events and a night of cries for 'food! food!', I decided to try Puppy out with some baby rice.

Spoon - play!

Bored with big spoon (now flung conveniently on the floor) - try baby spoon

Hmm, where did all the baby rice go?

Bored of baby rice now

Let's have a rice thin.

Why does everyone say 'start with baby rice'? It's the stickiest, foulest product ever. Should have gone with my instincts and not bothered, since he already managed to eat an oatcake yesterday, but what to do with a packet of practically unused baby rice?

Looks like Puppy is ready to really have a go at solids now. We spent the day at DH's godmother's. First, he kept struggling when I tried breastfeeding him, although he's doing that a lot nowadays especially when there's lots of distraction. Then over lunch, he just kept wriggling. DH offered him a piece of Krackerwheat which he demolished. We then went off to evening mass at The Guardian Angels RC church. We went back to godmother's for dinner, and although I managed to feed Puppy quite substantially (I thought!) prior, he kept wriggling. Godmother kept suggesting we try him with some gorgonzola. I must say that just because someone looks like they want something doesn't mean they should have it or that it is necessarily good for them. Anyway when she finally asked why he wasn't allowed gorgonzola, I finally told her that he probably wasn't old enough to tackle 1) Mould on cheese; 2) Salt in cheese. She seemed to accept that explanation well enough because she never asked about gorgonzola after that. As a peace offering, I decided to vaguely wave half an oatcake in front of him, to which he promptly stuck his paw out. Half an oatcake soon became bits of oatcake. I offered the other half and pretty soon that too disappeared. It's rather interesting to see how he was actually crunching on that piece of dry oatcake although he doesn't possess any visible teeth!

21 weeks and 2 days. My puppy is growing up!

This is how domesticated I have become. I made my first lot of jam today. 'So what?', one may ask. This is a huge thing for me - jam?? I could buy a jar of that stuff for 89p in Sainsbury.Anyway, I had a punnet of greengages that needed eating, and I was afraid they would go off before we ploughed through them, considering we still had strawberries and raspberries in the fridge. 'Jam, hmm, should be easy enough to do' I thought. DH was away for the footie, and Puppy was actually behaving himself:



Cut fruit for jam.




Add sugar



Boil it up (cue Puppy, who decides now is the perfect moment to start complaining that I'm spending too much time stirring jam than playing with him).




Ready to go on toast - scrumlicious!




Later, work it off by pushing buggy a few laps round the block. *Pant*

21 weeks

Puppy is now 21 weeks. Meeting up with the other mothers yesterday revealed that he was rather advanced with his vocals, but not very good mobility-wise. Gwyneth is already trying to crawl and Mayumi can chew her own feet :) It was a nice little session, got to catch up with some of the mums and exchange updates. The only depressing bit was that I have officially entered the realm of Starbucks mumhood. Eeekk! Never though I'd be admitting to this! :-P

Puppy went in for his weight check today - 8.41kg (18lb 6), which puts him just under the 91st centile for his weight. I also got the health visitor to measure his length - 66.5cm (26.2inches - 75th centile). She said he was a 'textbook baby' :)




4 months and 23 days (20 weeks and 5 days)

This is a recount from a lady on an online forum that I'm on (in italics, typos included):

I have just heard this conversation from a family going past out house - it has really upset me for the lad involved

I am going to leave the language in as I think it is quite a relevent part of the converstion - and there wouldn't be many words left without it!

Dad, I can't ride this bike it goes to slow.
change fxxxing gear then
I can't they are stuck
just put your fxxxin legs into it
I am but it is really stiff
why you have to fxxxing spoil everything you little dick
I'm not I can't make it go faster
get on it and get going dick
*crying* I can't my legs hurt making it go
you're an fxxing mary your sister can ride it
I know that is why she goes slow dad
fxxing get in front you dick you have spoilt our trip out again your a fxxing mary we're all going home
*cue other kids 2?* can't we just walk dad
No we fxxing can't just cause your brother is a dick were off home
*carries on as family ride off into the sunset*

I feel so sorry for them I estimate the lad was around 7yo.

Another recount:

I was in Asda earlier and there was a family..mum, dad and two boys of about 5 &9.

the mum and dad were walking around chatting away complelty ignoring the two boys.
they knocked a load of tins off a shelf, knocked into various people, were swinging around the trolley etc etc.

anyway the mum and dad were just carrying on regardless other than the odd "will you stop you little B***D" "keep that up and i'll give you a clump"

well the eldest boy was pushing the trolley that was very full, younger boy was hanging onto the side. running up and down the aisle....then the whole trolley flips up and is literally on top of the younger boy.

my heart was in my mouth, i ran over to help lift the trolley (which was incredibly heavy) off of the lad, i was really worried it may have broken his leg. thankfully he got up so seemed ok but clealry in pain and crying.

Mum and dad continue to shop along the aisle!! don't even look up. when the odler lad runs and tries to tell them what happened mum says " i dont want to F**King hear it" he tries again to tell her "i said i don't want to hear it" the poor lad just walks back to the trolley.

In this day and age, where people are contracepting and aborting away future generations, there are also people who, already having the most precious gift - another life - see it fit to treat their children this way. Absolutely shameful. When our government talks about having R-E-S-P-E-C-T, perhaps it should cut both ways.

I'm not talking about letting children get away with murder. On the contrary, I'm quite in favour of discipline. What I object to, is using methods which totally undermine the child, make him feel absolutely worthless, and with his mind already screwed up, trigger another generation with this behaviour, either with his own children or with his relationships with other people.

Should it be our business if we don't agree with how parents treat their own children? Is it our responsibility to intervene? What should we do if we see children abused this way in broad daylight? How should we do it?

10 years ago today, I was in Changi Airport waiting to board the plane to the UK and embark on a life changing journey. I would be going to university. Little did I know then, that I would stay on, get married and have a child. All I wanted to do was experience a few years of life overseas, get that all important paper qualification and then return home and get a good job. Life, as they say, is unpredictable.

10 years ago, I bid farewell to my family, on my mother's birthday. I keep leaving on my mother's birthday.

Happy 66th Birthday Mama!

Just read that Steve Irwin died while filming in Australia. Ironically, the man, who rose to fame through his enounters with crocodiles, snakes, spiders, and other deadly species, died when a stingray's barb pierced his heart. I enjoyed seeing his TV programmes, he was a delightful and colourful character who just seemed really down to earth and passionate about what he did. May he RIP.

SUKA

DH and I have just returned from a lovely day out in London. It was SUKA's family fun day. We'd never been before, and simply went to see what it was like. Also I was craving food from home. It was a rather pleasant experience, typical Singaporean style, with loads of food, cheesy tunes blasting from the sound system and games for the children and family, with loads of prizes up for grabs. We didn't win the tickets to Singapore but we did manage to win a couple of bottles of sesame oil and chilli sauce, thanks to Yeo's.



After that, we decided to drop by at DH's godmother's on the way home. She was delighted to see the Puppy, having last seen him at his baptism, some 4 months ago. She's also booked us in for lunch next Sunday, which will surely be an enjoyable experience as she is a wonderful cook.