Time to let you see the world!



 

 

After the expiry of our helper's contract two months ago, hubby and I decided not to get a replacement, with the hike in domestic worker fee, and a not-so-pleasant experience with them. We thus decided to send Qayla to childcare to see the world, after speaking with parent friends who gave lots of positive feedback and encouragement.

 

So the first of November saw Qayla Arissa into childcare for the very first day. Initially she was very excited to see so many children and the new environment, being the curious one she is. She joined the morning assembly with ease, and participated well in their sing-along session.

 

But when it was time to leave, she became aware that she will be left alone with strangers, and the crying begins. The teachers were very helpful and professionally whisked Qayla to handle her and I was asked to leave for the day. It was the extra mile when the centre supervisor sent me photo updates via whatsapp.

I had to admit I felt really emotional leaving her crying like that, I did not want to go to work. With a heavy heart, I left her, assuring myself that this was the best for all of us. It took me about two weeks to finally really be assured that she's left in the good hands of trained professionals, and that she will benefit from this arrangement in the long run.

Within a month in the childcare, she has adapted very well to her surroundings. She has learnt new songs to accompany her in car rides (and having me singing along no less), and has new words stored in her vocabulary. (She had me at 'wow!' when she said 'Q for Qayla! ;)) She has taken an interest in her books (after leaving them for quite some time in dust), and has learnt new good habits. Hubby and I have been receiving positive feedback from the teachers as well, quoting that she adapts very well and is very independant.

 

And her current hobby in school - collecting clips from the interest corners!

 



The decision to send her to childcare after two and a half years of full home care was a great move by hubby and me, I must say. Leaving her in the hands of trained full-time early childhood educators, has definitely benefit the little girl a lot in terms of mental, social and academic development.

Here's wishing my dear little girl a wonderful journey of learning!

Of Toys and Technology.

Play and entertainment has become an essential part of my little girl since she has now moved into her toddler stage. As a parent, it is our responsibility to expose and sift what she learns as this is the stage where she absorbs and takes in most of what she observes and do.

In an age where we are all absorbed with our smart phones and pads and tabs, curious little toddlers will, in a way or the other, replicate us and will want to get involved with these technologies as well, thus demanding us to purchase them their own set, or maybe hog them for long hours each day. In my opinion, these are good to entertainment for the child if they are on the go - car rides, train rides, in flights.

But I have seen many parents who rely solely on technology to keep their toddlers occupied, and I personally do not find this condusive at all. I have seen toddlers who are so absorbed in their gadget, that they were unconscious of their surroundings, and I think this could have negative consequences in the long run.


At home, I still prefer to entertain my toddler with conventional toys and books.

Once in a while, I will bring her out to the indoor children's playgrounds for her physical activities,

and recently, have introduced her to the library.

Visits to the supermarket are very fun and educational for her as she can learn the various things that are found there, and simple purchasing transactions involving money. This also introduces her to counting and maths.

Academics doesn't have to be so regimental and rigorous classroom way of  'one plus one equals two'. Especially at an age where their attention span is super short!

She has recently expanded her 'kitchen', and this is where I find it fun to play roles of cook, waitress and cashier with her. It's simple fun yet stimulates her mentally and physically.

Playing with dolls teaches her the meaning of empathy and love, and often, she will express her love with a kiss or hug. In a way, this is why she is very expressive. and while observing her play with other children sometimes, she always approaches with a smile.

In short, I still find traditional methods of play very beneficial for growing up toddlers. Back then, we didn't have much technology, but we turned out fine didn't we? ;)




*(This post is solely my personal opinion.)

Our very first parenthood seminar.

I dragged the Hubby and signed up early for a parenthood 'Preschool Seminar' organised by Young Parents magazine, held at the Singapore Marriot Hotel. It was very timely as it falls exactly on the day Qayla turns 18 months, and I, being a typical kiasu Singaporean parent, is anxious to enrol Qayla in a preschool in the nearest time possible.

The first speaker was the founder-director of a Preschool for Multiple Intelligences, Dr Khoo Kim Choo.

She touched on the very raw aspects of choosing the right preschool for our toddlers. I never realised there were so many factors which we have to consider. For eg there are about 4 types of curriculum that preschools now offer, and that is,

-Play-based

-Academic

-Montessori

-Multiple intelligences

We were explained on how each of these curriculum works, and then choosing which one suits our child's learning ability best. Hubby and I agreed that in Singapore, it is very important for a child to have multiple intelligences as multi-tasking is indeed an asset.

The next two speakers were my favourite in the seminar, which is Helen Marjan and Anita Wilks, who heads Lorna Whiston Study Centres, and they spoke about a topic which is close to my heart - 'Raise a Reader'. Coz I just love reading you know?

We were given a text to read, below.

Well, obviously Hubby and I could pronounce word by word of it, but, we didn't understand a thing! This exercise proves to us that, while we want our child to learn the phonics of a word, reading actually comprises of actually UNDERSTANDING what is being read. Many parents rush to get their child to know the phonics of words, that they tend to neglect in letting the child understand the words firsthand. While flashcards will only provide much help later on, introducing them to a child at a very young age isn't much help, and certainly, telling the child that reading is 'boring'.


We were then given much details on how we could motivate our child to be a reader, the ways to go about it, and the dos and don'ts while at it. I was getting really excited at this point to just rush off to the bookstore, get some books and start reading to Qayla!

While Hubby's more excited for the teabreak.



The next speaker spoke about the Montessori method that is applied by her school, the San Lorenzo Montessori. This Montessori method was devised by Maria Montessori in the 1800s, which 'revolves around training the child's physical senses and motor skills, through the use of specially designed materials and the prepared environment.' They believe that a child develops at their own pace, and much patience is needed in educating them.


So all in all, this seminar was a great start for the both of us to gain a little knowledge from the experts. It has definitely shed some light on some nagging questions Hubby and I had in making our decisions on what kind of school Qayla is best-suited to.

And yeap, we managed to grab some interesting and suitable books for Qayla when we went to the Fables book expo after the seminar itself!

Oh, these are handpicked and approved by the lil lady herself. ;)

In the womb.

A random conversation with someone I look up to spurred me to write this entry.

This entry might come too late, but I feel its never too late to share experiences which might help others in future.

Approximately two years ago, I conceived my very first baby. My husband and I have been trying for a baby for a year prior, so the news of my being pregnant was happily accepted by the both of us.

The moment I saw the positive sign on the pregnancy test kit, I told myself, 'This is it. Motherhood begins now.' Many first time mothers think that motherhood only begins after the delivery of the baby, but I feel motherhood begins the moment there is a life developing in your womb. The moment we know we are responsible for the well-being of a life is when we have to start giving selflessly. Like many other first-time moms, I was quite overwhelmed with anxiety and became quite thirsty for knowledge, reading up book after book, magazine after magazine on pregnancy and motherhood. The more I read up, the more I learn that good baby development in the womb is very important as it will have implications which might affect the baby for the rest of his/her life. I tried to eat as well as I can, dunking in lots of milk and eating as much vegetables (I'm not a fan) as I can as I know these are good for the baby. I took on my mother's advise to walk as much as I can and not let the pregnancy be an excuse to laze around on the couch all day long.

Along with all these, I also kept my emotions in check. I always made sure I feel happy and surround myself with positive people. Although I do get upset at times due to raging hormones, I always tell myself never to wallow in it for too long. It doesn't help that my husband wasn't too responsive of my cravings, coz he believed I musn't be pampered to much, so I went all out on my own to satisfy my own cravings eg dragging my bestest colleagues all the way to Adam Road to get nasi lemak after night shift. And sure, living in fast-paced Singapore doesn't spare us of stress, thus we must find ways to curb our problems fast and not let it affect us too much. I see for myself cases where expecting moms worry endlessly too much, that their baby is adversely affected.

So in short, a good pregnancy doesn't only mean eating the best foods, but also keeping our emotions and stress levels low. We must put aside our negative emotions for the well-being of the life in our womb.

Needless to say, I gave birth to a small yet perfectly healthy baby at exactly 38 weeks of my gestation. Her birth was a smooth and progressive ten hours, with her jaundice levels so low, there wasn't any worry about it at all. As she reaches her one and a half year mark, she has proven to everyone that she's one bubbly little girl who's always smiling, even to strangers!

Just look at her cheeky smile in this family shot. ;)

And, here's wishing a happy 18 months to my one and only Qayla Arissa. Ayah and Ibu loves you too much.

Qayla dances.

The Parenthood Fair.

It was all excitement for us when we visited the Parenthood Fair 2010 at the Expo last Sat, as we managed to take part in the Parent-Child Lookalike Contest!





Pardon for the poor quality photos as they were snapped with the Hubby's Blackberry, as our digicam weren't charged. Lesson learnt - charge up the cameras before every outing. =P

It was funny how the baby girl slept just before the compere interviewed us before the judges! She wouldn't budge a bit when I tried to wake her, and that got the audience laughing! And we did have some supporters too! We met Baby Arman and family at the fair and they lended us some cheers and support!



So when that's done, we made some great deal of purchases, one of them being the Avent Food Steamer and Blender, going at $150 instead of the retailed $199!

As the little one moves onto the weaning stage, preparing fresh and healthy food is my top priority for her now, and good food in the early stages is vital to later developments. This two in one steamer and processor makes it simple for working mummies like me to prepare meals conveniently, as it steams AND blends with just a flip! The package also includes a recipe book for ideas on preparing yummy meals for the little one to enjoy. Soo loving it!!

So, you were asking me the reasons why I love baby fairs? ;)

That weaning stage.

I have been eager to introduce semi solids to my baby girl since she was the age of 4 months, the age perfect for weaning. Now that she has reached six, there is definitely a wide variety of ready foods for infants out there in the market. There are a few trusted brands that I decided to try for my baby girl.

Yup, Heinz is a great choice as they have been around since so long, and I myself sample the foods before I feed my baby girl, and yes, I would have eaten them myself! And now, there is a wider variety and thus, more choices and tastes for the little ones to try.

Heinz Farley's Rusks are great for a breakfast snack for my little girl, and she enjoys it on its own mashed with warm water, or added into her daily milk feeds.

Heinz selection of pureed food is my baby girl's dinner, and there are so many tastes to choose, she will lick them off her spoon on every mouthful!

Heinz teething rusks is when she gets cranky because of her sore gums, she will be eased by biting into those hard biscuits.


And here is my baby girl happily enjoying her favourite biscuit snack - Heinz Biscotti in Green Apple flavour.

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Dilemmas of a working mother.

I have just rejoined the workforce for about a month now after a 4 month long paid hiatus. Thanks to the gahmen.

My little girl is 5 mths now, and she has really grown from a mere 2.54kg little bub at birth to all of 6.1kg now. She's had all her 6 vaccinations, and she's growing pretty healthy I must say, compared to some of her peers.

It was tough getting back to work, after bonding with her during my leave. Leaving her to a helper while I went out to work was a tough thing to do as I had no other choice. I hurry home everyday after work just so I could feel assured again when she's in my arms. Other times, she refuses to let go of me when I had to leave for work, and it just pains me. I envy mothers who gave up their working life to be a full-time homemaker, as I know it is a very big sacrifice to make. There are many times where I thought of resigning to be a homemaker myself, but after much consideration, I decided that I still need the resources of holding a job and a career.

I would love to be there through all of her milestones, through every single step she makes in her growing up years. Till now, every little thing she does still amazes me much.