Home Improvement

We've finally made some much needed and long overdue improvement to our home.

Change no. 1
Clearing of unwanted furniture:

There were two swivel chairs which were a legacy from Joshua's room before marriage. They were damaged (the levers don't work anymore) and actually quite uncomfortable to sit on. It was simply taking up space in our living room and ever since Joash gained access to the living room, that area had been a source of frustration for me.

And the reason? Joash loves to throw his toys in there and they'll get stuck under the wheels. Day in, day out, I had been picking up his toys from underneath that area. It sure gets tiresome. We've finally thrown them away last night and rearranged our phone wires so that it'll not be a hazard to our ever-active son. Now, there is a cleared and safe place for Joash to play in the living room.

Change no. 2
Storage for Joash's toys:

I'm grateful that since the day I had requested for hand-me-down toys for Joash, many people had blessed him over-time with new toys. We've also been investing the love gift from his birthday in some new developmental toys for him. Thus, there are more knickknacks lying around his room: Box here, books there, bulky toys leaning against the wall everywhere... It has become quite a hassle to clean up his room.

So today, we finally found time to go IKEA to get a shelf for his toys. Never did we realise the complicated procedures we had to go through in order to get it. First, we had to contact the staff, but the staff was no where in sight for a loooong time. Then we get the voucher for the item to pay at the cashier where we waited for another half an hour cos the queues were super long. And then we had to go to yet another counter to collect the item. The wait there was even more excruciatingly long. Moreover, we had to queue for the taxi too.

At home, the wood was so heavy (all 29kg of it!) that assembling that piece of furniture was such a chore. Joshua took 2 hours putting it together and I had to chip in to help out while Joash was taking his nap eventually. By the time it was completed, it was already 530pm. And we started the day at 930am!!! In the end, we had to give the November babies' bash a miss. So disappointing...

Joash seemed to be the only one enjoying himself while we waited.

The completed shelf

Change no. 3
New dish rack:

We used to have a huge dish rack which took up a lot of space. That left only a tiny little spot beside the sink for me to do my chopping. It has always been such a pain when the food overflows from the chopping board and lands onto the floor. After enduring two years of daily inconvenience, I've finally have had enough.

Tonight, we went to IMM for dinner and shop for a new though super expensive dish rack. I'm sure that the $218 is a worthy investment considering that it has a lifetime warranty against rust. Clearing the collected water at the bottom is so much easier too. And also, since we already have the steel pole in place, (thanks to the previous flat owner) there is absolutely no reason not to make full use of it. Now, it's going to be so much more pleasant preparing our meals. Hallelujah!

Our old dish rack

BEFORE

AFTER

Our new space-saving dish rack

Schedule

Since Joash's birth, I've not really followed any rigid schedules as I prefer flexibility. I only go by the wake-food-play-sleep routine. Thank God Joash has no problem eating or sleeping outside so I've been blessed enough not be a slave to my baby's routines. But we somehow have settled down to a sort of rhythm that seems rather predictable each day. Here's my so-called "schedule" now:

6am
Joash wakes up. Joshua will be the one greeting him good morning and feeding him breakfast since he has to prepare for work anyway. I'll wake up and take over when he leaves for work. My breakfast only consists of a glass of milk.

8am
Start of my work day. Joash will be left alone with his toys while I do my chores and cook my lunch + dinner for Joshua and I. I eat the same thing twice every day. That's how lazy I am. :P On normal days, I only need to check on Joash once in a while. But when he is fussy, I'll have to be more creative in keeping him contented by letting him play with something novel or continuing some part of my chores while carrying him. That's how I get my biceps... heh heh...

1030am
Joash's morning nap. The time can vary actually. I never put him to bed if he does not indicate that he is sleepy. There will be no fuss at all if I only let him nap when he is ready. 80% of the time, he'll just sleep after a short prayer if he is really tired. The rest of the time, he'll just protest for a couple of minutes before drifting off to dreamland. While he naps, I'll prepare his lunch and do the more intensive chores like ironing or mopping the floor or washing the toilet.

1100am
Joash usually naps about half an hour. After which, we'll both have lunch. He usually waits for me to finish my lunch while playing with the plastic fork and spoon (or the cooled teether). But when he becomes really fussy, I'll take my lunch into his room. (Definitely not my first choice but there are just such days...)

12pm
Then we'll have quality time together (reading, praying, playing with toys or simply have fun together) Sometimes we will go out in the afternoon to run errands or meet up with my friends who are fellow mothers.

2pm
Joash's afternoon nap. This is the probably the only time in the day that I'll have some rest. On fussy days, I will use this time to complete any unfinished chores. If we are still out, he might delay his nap-time since he is always so excited to meet people and see new things. He can sleep just about anywhere. (in the pram or on any safe flat surfaces like sofa or comforter)

230pm
Joash's tea-break which is milk.

230pm-5pm
This is the period when Joash may get a little cranky. On good days, we'll watch the "Your Baby Can Read" video and just hang out in his room. When he gets fussy, we'll go out for a walk. On worst days, I may have to carry him for hours before he is contented! (Thank God these days are not that frequent) During short segments of free time when Joash can play by himself, I'll prepare his dinner and heat up our dinner.

5pm
It's time to pack up his room. His room will be in constant mess the whole day with toys and books strewn everywhere. I am looking forward to the day when Joash can learn how to help me pack the room instead of competing with me who's faster: Me, clearing up his mess or him, taking out the toys again.

6pm
Joash has his before-dinner milk.

630pm
My husband returns from work and we'll all have our dinner together. On days when Joshua comes home late, I'll proceed without him.

730pm
Joshua will bathe Joash while I brush his teeth and wash the dishes. If Joshua's not home by then, I'll do everything. Sometimes, my husband will help me with the dishes out of love for his tired wife. *swoon*

8pm
Joash's bedtime. And I'll knock off too! (Yippee!!!)

Steering

Not only does Joash knows how to walk around with his "lion", he even knows how to steer it! (Even though the toy is meant only to go straight and not turn left or right, unless forcibly made to do so...) He is really one strong and athletic boy! The below video was taken on his birthday. *grin*

Stand up, stand up for Jesus!

Ok, just so that I remember. Joash has started to push himself up to a standing position these two weeks. He'll move into a squatting position and suddenly just "TA-DA!!!" and stands up with his arms out. Super cute! Today, he did it twice. Once during worship and another time to show-off to his Yeye when we visited my in-laws.

The first time I noticed this ability was when my friend came over with her son two weeks ago. He was "dancing" on his butt to the music. (meaning bouncing up and down, waving his arms and turning while seated... not sure how he can accomplish all that at the same time) So I held him up to a standing position to see if he could "dance" on his feet. Sure enough, he shook his bums a few times before tumbling down. He seemed to have gotten hooked on it so he tried standing up by himself to do it again and guess what? He succeeded! Too bad he lost interest in that activity by the time I took out my camera.

Seatbelt Covers

Since the carseat in my Dad-in-law's car (we get to drive his car on Sundays) is a really old hand-me-down, there aren't any seatbelt covers. Every time Joash falls asleep in it, his head will roll to one side and the seatbelt will leave a mark on his neck. Furthermore, he looks mighty uncomfortable in that position. So for a long time, I had been looking for suitable seatbelt covers that can serve as both protection for his neck and a form of cushion while he leans towards one side in his sleep.

Two weeks ago, we found a nice pair of blue Mashimaro ones at one of the pushcarts in Jurong Point. Joash looks so comfortable with it. In fact, we caught him chewing on one of the Mashimaros today! Thank God I washed them before use. :)

Doing business

Now that Joash is able to squat effortlessly, he has discovered that this particular posture is great for pooping. It is so funny to watch him do his big business in his diapers. *hysterical laughter* Watch and you'll see. *wink*

Horse racing on iGallop?

Standing Unassisted

Joash has been able to stand without support for a few weeks now but he still prefers crawling to trying to walk, not that I am complaining. *grin* I've heard from many that when their kids learn to walk, the toddlers refuse to sit in the pram anymore and tend to want to roam around by themselves, much to the chagrin of their parents who want to make their way to the destination quickly.

I believe Joash will walk much later and I'm not in a hurry cos it has been very easy to get around and run errands with him obediently in the pram. Heh heh... Here's a pic and video just to commemorate his new milestone.

Belated birthday celebration

Remember the postponed birthday celebrations? It has finally come to pass today. Yippee! It has been fun dressing Joash up as an angel in white and catching up with my SYFC friends who became parents within the same few years. The turn-out was really good despite the distance and the rainy weather. There were 7 adults and 7 babies under one roof. Thank you all so much for coming!!! A pity the ones who stay the closest to me can't make it due to illness. May God heal them speedily!

My cheeky little angel...

"Hey! Where is my wand? Let me grant you a wish."

Party Favours

All the preparations are done!

Birthday cake and ice jelly

Cutting the cake and eating it... Joash trying to reach for the candle

Some other nice photos taken...

Napping on his own

Success! Praise God! Today, Joash went down for naps by himself without any protest. I'm glad he has gotten the message so soon. This really makes life so much easier for me. *heave a sigh of relief* I hope this good behavior will continue...

Other random stuff...
Seeing that Joash loves to try putting his toys into any little nooks and crannies he can find, I've found a box and cut a hole in it for him to put things in. It had been a constant battle of wits to plug all conceivable holes with mattresses, cushions, furniture, towels, foam mats, boxes and bolsters so that I dun have to do gymnastics in order to retrieve his errant toys. Look! He seems to like his new "toy". heh heh...

Joash's tiny "library" corner with a "computer" and books :P

Happy 1st Birthday, Joash!

1030

Joash went for his one-year-old's pediatrician's visit for inoculation. He's now 8.9kg and 76cm tall, still at the 50 percentile. He is truly the average of the average in his physical growth!

At the clinic

1530

We then went over to my in-laws' place to hang out till dinner time. I put on him the angel's wings and he tried grabbing it, ending up going around in circles. It was hilarious! *grin* I actually got a video of it but I'm kinda too tired now to post it up here.

Our little angel boy...

1815

We went to the Omni theater's Sakura for his birthday celebration. He tasted a few food items there for the first time: Cha soba, pasta and egg sushi. Hmmmm... He took quite well to them. We simply bought a small birthday cake for Joash. However, it only looked pretty but tasted "blah". He was very intrigued by the candle's flame though. Despite our best efforts to teach him, he didn't know how to blow it out so I had to do it for him after we sang the birthday song. And nope, he couldn't have told us his birthday wish. But he babbled a lot and tried countless times to climb out of his highchair. Maybe he was trying to say, "I wanna explore the whole world!" My only prayer for him is to grow up to know and love God :) Other than that... yes, you can go anywhere on earth in the future if you want to, my dear Joash! *kisses*

New food for Joash

Joash: Wah! So pretty!!!

Joash: Hey! Where has the flickering light gone to?

Joash: My first birthday cake. Yum yum!

We're all in this together

One more thing... Today is the first day Joash did not drink any formula at all. Ta-da! I've completely replaced it with full cream milk. I had been gradually introducing to him cow's milk over the past week and he had no adverse reaction to it. No need to pack milk powder out anymore... Also, he had been drinking water (with two drops of Delrosa) from his Pigeon Mag Mag straw cup throughout the day for the first time! It took quite a while to wean him off spitting the water out immediately after sucking it up from the straw. Praise God that today's endeavor had been a success! :)

A Day at Fidgets

Joash and I finally went to Fidgets today, after many failed attempts to go previously, thanks to my friends for "jio-ing" me along. My dear chipmunk was indeed having a field day with such a big space to roam about. What a great place for an active boy like him! A pity that place is really hard to get to and the building is designed like a labyrinth! Couldn't seem to find a pram friendly way to reach the compound... *faint*

Joash and his young friends

(Cruising along the netted partitions)
Joash: Check out the web, dude!

Joash: Is this auto or manual?

Joash: Boku wa utsukushii desu ne! (I'm so beautiful!)

Joash: Let me strike a charming pose...