Terrible 2s!

I think the era of the terrible two's has arrived!

Somewhat early for Madison, but our little princess seems capable of expressing her wants very clearly. And loudly too. So its an ongoing daily negotiation with her, although the grandparents tend to give in more readily.

Yesterday was a busy Sunday. Well, busy by pre-baby standards. No relaxed late morning brunch, cuppa coffee etc... we were all up by 7 am( as usual ). First stop, the Singapore Botanic Gardens for brekkie. The gardens is a really wonderful place to bring kids, with its lush greenery a break from the scorching Singapore sun, huge fish to feed, plenty of people ( and dog ) watching, fantastic Casa Verde cafe, close to us and its free!

So Chris, Madison and I had our breakfast, the fish in the pond had theirs, and by the time the sun was high in the sky we were ready to go home. All this before 930AM!

Feeling ambitious, we decided to take Madison to the zoo. A new section recently opened, the Rainforest Kids world. I'd heard raves about the wet water park so thought we should go check it out first. So... Madison had a quick bath by daddy, while I packed her lunch and the 2 adults managed to squeeze our shower between us.

AND no wonder the place was so raved about. It was FANTASTIC! The water play area made the Jacob gardens at the Botanic Gardens seem tiny! Madison didn't get to play in it yesterday but I think we will return another day better prepared. The large rubber play area had water CANNONS, water slides, ringing bells and a giant pail like contraption that was suspended, and repeatedly filled with water until it spilled its contents in a tsunami like fashion over the screaming kids.

The rest of the park had goats and miniature ponies for the kids to pet at various times of the day. There were at least 4 mini playground areas spread around the park. My only gripe was the lack of decent child friendly food, apart from the usual suspects of KFC and Ben & Jerry's.

Of course Madison was exhausted by the end of it and I barely had time to squeeze in her lunch before she crashed asleep in the car. So, thinking we could transfer her to a stroller while we ate lunch somewhere else, we continued out. Unfortunately the minute we were seated in Cedele, just about to place our orders her eyes fluttered open and my heart sank. Sigh. No leisurely lunch. Shortened nap... which meant she needed another one to tide her over to dinner.

But... Madison had fun, and she was happy... we'd spent a pretty fulfilling day as a family...never mind that dinner was another battle that day, the grandparents drove us up the wall and dinner was sweaty and quick.

And in a blink of an eye, its Monday, and order is restored. Or so we hope.

Remains of the day

It's been 2 weeks since the last post.

And a crazy 2 weeks at that.

The new domestic helper has finally arrived to my rescue, assisting in household chores and putting our ship back in shape. Chris has been rather busy at work and between the 2 clinics, setting up the 3rd, planning family meals and trying to keep in shape has left the household work pretty much at the back burner. We have been managing on the minimum since Nancy left us, with Chris doing the laundry before work, and me juggling the general cleaning over a few days to keep the apartment respectable.

We're fortunate that my parents have been rather supportive and Maria, their domestic help has been somewhat of a godsend. She has stepped up to the challenge and helped me through this sudden 'crisis'( as those who have had domestic help would appreciate )

Madison is growing up too, and now seems to understand simple commands and some reasoning. But as with toddlers, she requires repeated reminding of the consequences of her actions eg " wet the floor and you will fall" , " smelly poo, time to wash " and " fingers at drawers, clip clip --ie fingers get jammed ". Of course most of these are AFTER she has suffered the consequences herself!

It is now impossible to do anything much while she is awake so the rest of us take it in turns to occupy and watch her while trying to fit everything else in between. Of course it doesn't help that she is now becoming increasingly more resistant to napping, despite having a regular routine for the past year! It seems that she needs 1.5 naps a day, and taking the first is a real struggle but without it is even more of a challenge when she becomes grumpy and overtired. So the compromise is a shortened nap of 20minutes in the morning, prior to which has to be some form of activity eg stroller/car ride/ swing to keep her still and make her drowsy!

Geok is due in a month's time and she is getting into the final paces of preparation for motherhood. Unfortunately she has reached some obstacles in hiring her domestic help. Otherwise everything else seems hunky dory for her.

Oh... Madison is due for her last Prevenar shot this month....argh...

Madison is ONE!

Today is D day!

Exactly one year ago, when I woke at 3 AM I was going into labour and as I sit typing this out, I was already in KKH, in the throes of pain and agony as Madison was welcomed into the world. Of course it took awhile, and was only at noon that she arrived. Those were the days of blissful ignorance...

1 year... it is actually a celebration for the PARENTS who have learnt, matured and survived the first year of the first child. Of any child, actually... but.... it's all true. You do forget really quickly, must be the chronic sleep deprivation that you actually adapt to, and life does revolve somewhat around the child at this stage.. although that is improving and life does begin again after 1.

It's a pity Nancy fell short of her first, she was there to welcome Madison when she came home from KKH. Nancy was really my wing man throughout this first year, and she did very well looking after Madison...

Well.. life is about change..

Madison's party is in 2 days time and now I am starting to get the jitters over it.. will there be enough food? Will the guests get bored? Have I done enough preparations? I hope it doesn't rain.. the silly weather.. all last month it was sun shiny and HOT and now it periodically pours in the afternoons! Of course it doesn't help we are short of a domestic help RIGHT NOW.

But.. that is in 2 days time.. today it is all about our girl and us... I shall endevour to relax and enjoy spending time with her today!

Maid gone MIA!

I cannot believe how quickly my life has turned topsy turvy!

Things were actually chugging along well, we had all got into a groove with our routines. Nancy was doing well with Madison and I was starting to put in more hours at work. Chris' mum came to visit on the 9th March, to attend her birthday party on the 15th. The new Heal Balestier Clinic was due to be started on the 16th of March. Pa and Ma were away in Boston for a pathology conference.

Then BAM!

The night that Chris' mum arrives, after dinner at Bakerszin, Chris drops the bomb on me. The neighbours maid had messaged him about Nancy, and basically split the beans on her boyfriend! And that Nancy had just recently had a pregnancy scare on top of that! After speaking to the maid, we were both in a state of complete shock.

The next day I casually asked Nancy how she felt about the maid next door. Her answer seemed that they were friends. My heart sank. Trying to keep things as normal as possible, I waited till Madison had settled for her morning nap, then went off to work. There, I immediately contacted the maid agency to ask for advice. The agents' instruction was to bring Nancy in immediately.

Things went downhill from there. I went home, picked Madison and Nancy up, then went over to the Novena house to pick Maria up as a safety precaution. I didn't know what to expect from Nancy's reaction if she found out, and I certainly didn't want to be alone with her then.

The agent interogated Nancy and confiscated her mobile. Nancy admitted to the accusations and since she was in breach of her contract the agent basically decided that she had to be repatriated. From then on, things moved really quickly. All I had to do was to hand over her passport and pick her things up, close her bank account and that was it.

Suddenly, I was maidless. Then I had to give Madison lunch. And go to the bank. And pack Nancy's stuff. And in between all this work was calling! So work had to take a backseat. Decision made: 1. Feed Madison. 2. Afternoon nap 3. Pack Nancy's stuff. 4. Go to bank. Maria to babysit for now.

And Nancy had a TON of STUFF! It was incredible. I was unable to carry it all by myself from the house to the car, much less lug it to the agency at Bukit Timah plaza! So then I had to wait for Chris to finish work to take it over.

Anyway.. the parting was a little sad... Nancy apologized for her transgression.. I felt almost ready to just take her back.. but it was irreversible.. her air ticket was booked.

Now I am trying to cope maidless, and life hasn't been too bad overall... I am so grateful that Madison has settled into her routine and Maria could take over quite well. A few bumps over the past few days as we try to adjust to the new situation, but I trust, like hundreds of others before us, we will SURVIVE!

Almost 1 !

My dear daughter is ALMOST ONE!

It's so cliched, but I really cannot believe we all survived the first year. Intact. And sleeping better these days... there certainly is light at the end of the tunnel!

These days, Madison is all about exploring, walking and doing things... to the exclusion of wanting to sleep or sit down for her meals. Like all parents... we now have a major headache when it comes to mealtimes... the conundrum.. to let her " eat on the run" or to enforce table eating? For the moment we are hanging precariously to table eating, but so many times now I have had to " take a deep breath, keep calm !"

Why do they have to make eating such a challenge? I know we are meant to follow the child's signals and not offer food if they refuse, but what if this happens at the start of the meal? After 1 bite!!

Sleep is another issue... we are supposed to have sleep trained our girl, and most times it works well, except that I haven't dealt the final blow and still nurse her to sleep.. I know... BAD HABIT, and one that needs to be broken. I have started thinking about fulling weaning her off breastfeeding, and the main difficulty I face is how to get her to sleep without nursing! I have been talking to her about it and I think she understands when I put her in the cot awake and say "nap nap! " but then the battle to get out starts. I really hope not to have to go the controlled crying way, and am still hoping that she would just amaze me and decide to go off to sleep by herself!

On the other hand, there are lots of benefits to extended breastfeeding, from allergies to immunity and bonding. It has become second nature and extremely easy for me at this stage, except when I have to be somewhere else at nap time! The only downside to this are the 2 episodes of mastitis and Madison's recent biting that left me in pain for close to a week (last week). I can't decide. I think if I do want to wean now it will have to be cold turkey at naps.

On a brighter note, we are in the midst of planning her first birthday, and I have conceptualised a " picnic in the park " themed celebration at the Novena park. ( Whether it turns out is a completely different topic!)The plan is a barbeque with some catering, lots of toys and space for the kids to run around. The catch? Our unpredictable weather! After being rainless and hot for the past 2 months, it's suddenly raining every afternoon! The party is supposed to be from 4 to 8PM...

It's almost 330PM now.. Madison should be getting up from her nap pretty soon...

Dinner at Iggy's

We had a fabulous degustation dinner last night at Iggy's!

For those not in the know, Iggy's is reputed to be Singapore's best fine dining restaurant and rated highly by international foodies. They have maintained their standards across some time and their prices remain fairly high. Access is not easy too, as they require reservations and are quite often fully booked.

This year Ma really wanted to try Iggy's and so, for her and Geok's birthday celebration we booked dinner there for the 6 of us. It is a standard dinner menu, available via their website, and is a degustation type of meal. Wine is separate, and they are also famous for having a superb wine list, which is expected, considering that the owner, Ignatious Chan is actually a sommelier by training and not a chef. His team of sous chefs have been in the news recently and were highly praised by the local media too.

Dinner was meant to start at 8 PM but Chris and I were late, as we put Madison to bed first. When we got there, the first surprise was that the rest of them were seated in the kitchen! Turned out that Iggy's didn't receive Geok's email reservation and we did not have a table for the night. They were fully booked but offered us the chef's table at the kitchen instead.

It was a new experience. Instead of fine linen and dim lighting, we were in the bright harsh light of the sparkling clean dining area just outside the cooking kitchen. We were promptly served by the attentive staff, who proceeded to serve us table water and fill our wine glasses with the red that Pa had already chosen, a 1998 French wine ( I forget the name ). Freshly cooked bread was offered, along with olive oil and a balsamic vinegar dipping pot. The menu was already on the table setting and the waiter soon came and asked if we had any food preferences for the night. Geok, being pregnant, needed all her dishes well cooked and he promptly went behind to check. Apparently a few dishes needed some tweaking or replacing because they were not nice well cooked.

The amuse bouche was served soon after, a gazpacho sorbet on tomato jelly. Not bad, tangy and sharp on the tongue. Thereafter, seared kanpachi slices topped with konbu and ginger was plated. It was melt on the tongue with the slightly salty konbu.

The next dish was a salad of mixed greens and flowers with truffle shavings. Light on the palate. Lots of shaved truffle which was impressive. This was quickly followed by what we immediately termed " abalone wanton mee", a capellini with abalone in chicken broth. The pasta was firm, and the abalone tender, not chewy. Slightly salty for my taste but not bad. Did taste like wontan mee though, which maybe was what inspired the dish?

Next up was a braised kurobuta pork cheek topped with a carbonara sauce. Looking somewhat like a lasagna initially, but soon revealed itself to be melt in the mouth tender piece of pork. The sauce was smooth and creamy but again, the dish tasted a little too salty to me. Maybe I'm used to less salt in my diet.

This was followed with a piece of seared ocean trout sitting atop a bed of chopped creamy violet potato. Delicate and mild, in contrast to the pork. The potato was actually purple! The fish was definitely fresh, without any fishy smells or flavour. A piece of wagyu steak covered by the finest piece of rosti was served next. The steak was cooked medium rare and juices ran when cut. The sliver of rosti was a bitter contrast to the buttery steak.

At this stage I think we were getting : 1. tired ( it was close to 1030PM !) 2. increasingly full. I suppose these meals, albeit small in quantity are actually quite rich. The last mains was a dish made from cardoons, baked with a cheese sauce and topped with more truffles. Not bad but a little too filling for the last dish.

Finally, the long awaited dish: DESSERT!

Large white plates emerged from the kitchen, and on them was a quartet of flavours: a thin slice of chocolate mascarpone cake, to be accompanied by blueberry ice cream and berry jelly. Finally, as we were instructed, to be finished with a blood orange sorbet. If followed, the experience was actually quite amazing. The flavours did complement each other and the desert tasted better than if taken separately! As a finishing touch, we were served their signature Iggy's lemon tart. Which was meant to be a surprise taken as a bite: there were bubbly bits at the end as the sugar pops crackle in your mouth!

Compliments of the chef: Ma and Geok had a mini birthday dessert consisting of : 2 candles stuck on a cube of toast, vanilla ice cream ( that obviously had fresh vanilla in it ), strawberry shortcake ( in a shotglass) and a crispy pistachio biscuit.

It was already slightly after 11PM when we were finally done! A 3 hour feast for the tongue and stomach. Would we go back? I think the conclusion was : yes. But probably with a menu change. To try another experience that Iggy's could offer. Chris even said it was better than Tetsuya's in Sydney. I think pretty much on par. Service was better at Iggy's though.

My walking girl!

The time has arrived....my baby is walking!

Well... technically she is still trying to walk, but is now able to take 4 steps unaided.She stands unassisted quite well now, only that she has to gain more confidence in doing it regularly. Madison still prefers to be held by both hands while she walks, and it is something that happens from the time she opens her eyes every morning!

I think this has been going on for about a week already now....

Her babbling is starting to make more sense to us now, and even sounds close to the English language as we know it. She can point to familiar things now,and her favourites are: crane,bird, bus, balloon and ball.At least what I can remember!

Madison seems to enjoy going out alot more these days and I have started taking her out regularly swimming at our pool or at the club and to the sandpit at the Botanic Gardens ( Jacob Ballas Gardens). We spend quite an enjoyable hour there digging in the sand, then going over to the water fountains to splash around with other kids. Oh, and we have found the Palawan beach at Sentosa to be a great place as well, only that it takes a longer time to get to.

Our routine seems to have evolved over the past 2 months, ever since I started to wean her onto solids. Her naps have been simplified to 2, one in the morning around 9AM and one in the afternoon at around 130 to 2PM. The transition wasn't too bad, although she took some time to get the idea of sleeping longer in the afternoons. Breastfeeding has been cut to 3 or 4 feeds a day and the occasional bottle with her meals. She seems ok so far, although I think all mothers always worry about their precious bubs starving!

Time really flies and soon Geok will have her newborn and things start all over again...

At this stage I really cannot imagine doing this all over again, just when life for me has started again and I am enjoying my little girl!