I had always known that I will be a mother one day. I had no idea what taking care of a baby entailed, except that when he cries, you comfort him; when he poops, you clean him; and when he's hungry, you feed him! Then as the child grows, you take care of him differently - send him to school and try to nurture him into a fine young human by giving him lots of love and attention. Throw in a dash of parenting principles like encouragements, discipline... and you're set.

I WAS DEAD WRONG! Right until Joash was born, I didn't know how to hold a baby properly. I had scary visions of letting his head flop about on his puny neck and accidentally dropping him while bathing him.

After 2 years of being a mother, I have come to realise that these should have been the least of my worries cos they could be easily picked up from parenting books and practice. True enough, I mastered them within a week of Joash's birth.

What parenting books don't teach you, however, is how absolutely hilarious and crazy your days will become as your baby grows into a toddler. Babyhood days are easy - you comfort, clean, feed and play with the baby, sleep a lot less, suffer from sore nipples and a little postpartum blues, have a little time left for yourself, and that's it.

Toddlerhood..... now, that's a tough one. Nobody told me Joash was going to grow into a little puppy who would scamper around my legs and trip me up as I went about doing my chores, hang onto the edge of the table by his little chin to grab whatever he can reach, or try to pour water from a big jug himself. Without his daily walk, he would go berserk. When I'm busy in the kitchen, I have to keep him away from the hot stove with my legs, just like you would a curious little puppy.

Nobody told me I would almost never be able to do anything in peace anymore. When I read a book or magazine, 2 little grubby hands would float into my field of vision as Joash starts identifying pictures and characters. Guess what happens when I am watching the TV???

Nobody told me it would be years before I could have a leisurely meal again. When we eat out, I had to eat fast and fixed my eyes on him so that I could stop him from throwing his food about or sticking a fork down his throat!

Nobody told me that I would be an expert in stealth, doing everything in silence while Joash sleeps. I know how much pressure I need to use to close his door so that he wouldn't be awaken- and how not to inhale beforehand so that my sneeze comes out as a mere whisper...haha!

Nobody told me that I would almost always have a spectator in the bathroom, waiting patiently while I do my business and have my shower. Joash has taken upon himself to tell me what are the steps to take after his bath ("lotion, I want cream, Joash comb hair, ok, much better!"), order me to sit beside him while he eats and remind me to feed him his vitamins after his meals.

Nobody told me my previously quiet conversations with my husband would be interrupted with urgent calls of "MAMA, MAMA!!!" from Joash - just to pretend to eat a fake muffin from his little hand!

Lastly, nobody told me I would love this boy so much that I would go thru' this crazy cycle again if I have to.




Ok. now for some updates. I saw these cute little pastries at Bread Talk at Bugis while waiting for Jo's turn to see the doc. Yes, Joash caught a throat infection and high fever on Friday and I am grouchy from lack of sleep! I hope he will recover soon. Anyway, don't you find these ping pong bats adorable!



Cooked Unagi rice and cabbage soup with crab sticks salad for dinner on Wednesday. I am beginning to enjoy preparing home-cooked meals again..... after more than 2 years...... finally, I am fulfilling one of my goals for the year. Hb & I enjoyed the food very much. simple and nice.

Went to IMM for dinner on Thursday. I was so happy to see my fave Pai Ku Ramen on Ajisen's menu cos I thot they have changed their menu..... but my happiness was short-lived cos they were using the old menu....grrrrr...should let the customers know first what! So I told the waitress that I am not eating and walked out of the restaurant. Then we decided to have our dinner at Crystal Jade cos I liked their Xiao Long Bao but the same thing happens, they had ran out of XLB....sigh, I stood up and left. Finally, I decided to go for a safer choice, Fish & Co for my fave calamaris...... I told myself myself that I would really kick up a fuss if they would tell me that they had ran out of calamaris. But as you can tell from the pics, all went well and we had a yummy dinner.

To fulfill my craving for XLB, we had them for lunch at Crystal Jade on Saturday..... so satisfying! There were only 3 XLB here cos I was too happy slurping the juices out of these yummy little things and forgotten to take pics. I want some now!!!


Alright, that's all folks, I have to go and check on Joash and feed him his medicine. Good night!