Flashback Friday #40

18 October 2011: It was an afternoon spent at Changi Airport again! As with the last trip to the airport, Blake and I went to all three terminals, and we played till Sean joined us after work to have dinner together. Before heading home, we spent some time at the playground in terminal 3!



Crawling around cos that's still the fastest way to move for him!During this time, Blake has yet to walk in multiple steps yet.






P.S. The next Flashback Friday is a surprise that I got from Blake when we were having some fun at terminal 3! It was a very, very pleasant surprise, so be sure to check back next Friday! J

Flashback Friday #39

13 October 2011: I brought Blake to the beach again. This time round, we spent time playing with sand! Hehe.

Initially, I didn't intend to let Blake go onto the sand. I solely planned to just let him sit on the plastic sheet I had brought along and just enjoy the sea breeze + view. But Blake slowly ventured out of the plastic sheet on his own, and there was no stopping him!

He enjoyed himself quite a bit, but I think he had a hard time moving around. During this period, he was still unable to walk unassisted, and crawling on the sand was painful for him, with all the sand and tiny stones.

Spent the afternoon there, before proceeding to the swimming club (mad love the club's location! Hehe.) to wash up and have dinner with Sean, who joined us after work.


First, a meal at McDonald's and playing at the playground!


Just before proceeding to the beach

Before venturing out onto the sandy beach

Flashback Friday #38

5 October 2011: Blake started to explore more during feeding time, and he ventured into pulling both his legs up from his baby chair, and setting them on the table. He only knows how to bring it up though. He had no idea how to put them back down, and it gets him a little frustrated when he's done with his feet on the table. Haha. It's a funny look for sure!

Flashback Friday #37

15 September 2011: Blake developed a slight fever after taking his vaccination. He was upset that we put the cooling patch on him, but was still in good spirits!




And in line with the new linky, Friday Five, here are my five tips on vaccination/caring for a sick baby:

1. Bring extra plaster to replace the one the doctor pasted after about 15 minutes. It's usually soaked with blood by then!

2. Have cooling gel patches ready for the onslaught of fever! The bigger the patch, the better. The longer it says it stays cool on the package, the better too!

3. If the cooling gel patch fail to stick on, like they are supposed to, use cute kiddy plasters to hold it down!


4. When feeding medication, use a syringe and put it at the back of your child's mouth, aiming for the side of the throat. Remember to squirt in a little at a go. Shooting it all at once might risk choking your child or having your child spit everything out!

5. Let your child sleep as much as he/she wants, but if they are up for food and play, give it to them! :D

Linking up with Mum in the Making:

Flasback Friday #35

13 September 2011: Blake enjoys brushing his teeth! I can't quite remember when we started giving him the toothbrush with some baby toothpaste, but he enjoys it a lot! Hehe.

Flashback Friday #34

For Blake's first birthday, we decided to hold the celebrations at a bungalow at National Service Resort and Country Club (NSRCC), very awesomely paid for by my dad, might I add J It was also a chance for us, as a little family, to have a mini getaway (like finally!).

9 September 2011: The day we checked in. My dad drove Blake and me down, and left after we have settled and found a little corner for Blake to do his own little thing.

It's actually made up of two sofa seats, with the cushions removed, firmly wedged between the glass panels, the bigger sofa seat, and a super heavy coffee table. Hehe.

After which, I took Blake out for a stroll in the area before heading for lunch. The cafe at the golf area was simply marvelous! Great food and service! J

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get Blake to sleep, while waiting for Sean to join us after work! Once Sean reached the bungalow, we headed out for dinner, and walked around the vicinity further to see if we missed anything. It has been a really long time since we last came here!

After taking some photos, we headed back to the bungalow. As it was Blake's actual date of birth, we had a mini celebration for Blake's first birthday, with cupcakes from Twelve Cupcakes!

I had bought them the day before, but some of them got squashed during the transferring from car to bungalow L

Thankfully, there were three that survived! But one melted a little too much after microwaving, so we were down to two for photo taking. Still taste awesome though! J

Watched more TV while Blake played in his corner and then, it was lights out!

10 September 2011: The day of his birthday celebration! I woke up early to receive the McDonald's breakfast I had ordered in advance, before heading home to feed our pets. Then I met up with my dad. He drove me to Aunty Yochana's where we collected Blake's birthday cake, and he drove me back to NSRCC. I know, I have a super awesome dad J

While I was out, the birthday boy had diarrhea, and Sean was busied the whole morning trying to calm him down and make him comfortable. Sean took him out for a morning walk (while I was out and about), and he calmed down. It's always good to have a super hands-on dad for a husband. Hehe. I'm so blessed to have awesome men, like Sean and my dad, in my life!

Specially made this candle party favors for Blake's first birthday - Ribbons and Tape

When I got back, things were calmed and I started preparing the place for the party that night. Sean also started work on the BBQ pit, cooking all the food before guests arrive, so that he will have enough time to wash up.

My babies! J

When guests started arriving, the birthday boy fell asleep, and woke up just in time to cut the cake! Haha.

Yup, it was a candle-themed birthday party!

The night ended with a walk around the vicinity with lighted lanterns, which I brought along. It was close to the Lantern Festival then. Hehe.

11 September 2011: The day we check-out. Packed everything the night before and sleep till it was just about time to check-out. Haha. We were all so tired! After checking out, we went back to the cafe at the golf side and had a delicious branch before heading home!

All in all, it was a great birthday celebration. So thankful for all the people who came down to celebrate with us, and all the beautiful gifts given to Blake! J

Overcoming the Fear of Swimming Pools Part II

Continuing from my earlier blog post, Overcoming the Fear of Swimming Pools Part I...

Following the first step of overcoming his fear of swimming pools, I decided to bring Blake to the swimming pool on a weekly basis to get him used to the idea of swimming and water play. Besides that, I also brought him to a couple of other places that had water play involved as well.

The first place outside the swimming club we went to for such an activity was the Rooftop Water Playground at Tampines 1.

When we first got there, Blake was very hesitant. He didn't dare to go near any of the water areas, choosing to play only at the dry playground.


After what seemed forever to me (I was ready to give up, pack up and head home), Blake started to venture into the wet areas. Point to note, always be patient when it comes to trying new things with your young ones. Some of them do take quite a while to adapt and get into the mood.




Despite the slow start in enjoying the water playground, Blake eventually warmed up and got really into playing! He had so much fun that day! He only dared to play at certain spots though, but that was good enough for me!


After the trip to the water playground, I went another step further and brought Blake to Wild Wild Wet the very next day. I mean, why wait? It seemed like he was finally going over the hurdle, just needed a little more push! Hehe.


Again, Blake was hesitant initially. I wasn't surprised. Wild Wild Wet was so much bigger, in comparison to water playground he had just gotten used to the day before. I reckon he took about half an hour before he started to enjoy all the rides that he could go on. By this time, I already knew I was pregnant with baby number two, and was in my first trimester, but I still did everything that Blake wanted to do - go on slides, climb to the highest point of the center structure etc. I was very determined to eliminate this phobia once and for all!


At the end of the day, I went home with a really tired, but happy boy. He had so much fun after much reassurance from me, knowing that I'm following him every step of the way, and that I'm always right next to him, holding his hands the whole way J

Subsequently, after our visit to Wild Wild Wet, Blake took shorter periods of time to get used to the idea of swimming and water play.

My baby boy went from this,




To this!








Based on my calculations, it probably took me 1½ to about 2 months to have Blake smiling and get all excited whenever he sees a swimming pool or water playground - that's when I know he was no longer afraid of going for a dip in the pool. Hehe.

Overcoming the Fear of Swimming Pools Part I

This is probably a super long awaited post, considering how I have been mentioning time and again about Blake overcoming his fear of swimming pools, and how he has enjoyed swimming and water play ever since.

Blake's first experience in the swimming pool was probably what got him to fear it in the first place. It was probably too cold for him, and he was too young to know any better. On top of that, we even had him go underwater a couple of times. Haha. Oh, things parents do to teach their children some lifelong skills.

So after dipping Blake underwater over two separate occasions, we decided to give the neck float a try (read about it here), thinking the neck float will give him some sense of security. Boy, were we wrong! After this episode, we decided to stop bringing Blake to the swimming pool.

The sudden thought of aiding Blake to overcome his fear of swimming pools came after we brought him on his first trip to the zoo.

Seeing how he saw other children enjoying themselves at the water playground, but he was too afraid to join in, made me feel that it's about time to do something about his phobia.




Running towards his safe haven, after spotting Sean sitting some distance away from the water playground.
It had been nearly 10 months since we last went near any swimming pools. It's about time, right? Besides, swimming is a relatively good sport to pick up, and almost all shopping centres have a water playground now. On top of everything else, I pretty much enjoy going to the swimming club to relax! Hehe. Yes, one selfish reason on my part.

So the first thing I thought of was to buy a nice float for Blake to sit on. We have to start from square one, with just his legs touching the water, and every other part of him above.

I brought Blake along to find the perfect float - one that was cute enough to attract him to, made of good material, and hopefully, can hold up to weights of 18-20kg. Reason for the last criteria? I had NO IDEA how long it will take me to get Blake to overcome his fear of swimming pools, so I'd rather buy a good sitting float which he can use for a long time, than to buy one after another as he grows.

Luck was on our side, and we managed to find it at our first search stop!


On March 1, 2012, I brought Blake to the swimming pool on my own for a trial. He was naturally frightened, and it took me a while to settle him down. But after sitting him in the float, and giving him a piece of fallen flower to hold onto, he became a little more comfortable. I walked him around the pool a few times before attempting to take photos of this memorable moment.

A really nice maid and the little girl she was with came over to play with Blake while I went to get my camera. It was very sweet of them to help me out. I had told them Blake was afraid of the water, and the maid started to drip water onto the float, which made Blake laugh! Hehe.

She was also very kind to help us take a few photos! She said some shots weren't very nice because Blake wasn't looking, so she just kept taking until she got a shot of Blake looking into the camera. Super sweet, right? Hehe.


After spending about half an hour walking around the swimming pool with Blake on the float, I attempted to sit him in the shallowest part of the swimming pool, but he was still terrified. So back into the float he went, and we walked around for another 30 minutes before heading to wash up.


Job well done!
I could tell that Blake was mighty pleased with himself that day too. Over dinner, he had a good appetite and was in an extremely good mood!




Daddy and Mommy's brave boy J
After this first attempt of getting rid of his phobia, I decided to bring Blake to the swimming pool at least once a week. I also went on to take him to a couple more places with water play to help speed the process up - will continue this journey I had with Blake in overcoming his fear of swimming pools in the next blog post J