The Lion City

It's been almost a month since we've been back from our trip and boy, am I glad the jetlag's done and over with and our schedule is pretty much back to normal. Kayla came down with a cough and cold not long after we landed (I don't think it was swine-related.), was sick for a week, recovered and then fell sick again for close to another week. Thankfully, she's all better now. :)

The plane ride, this time around, was a little more traumatic than the last. Again, we hardly got any sleep and on our trip back, we decided to "drug" her, just so all of us could get some rest. And guess what, it didn't work. We waited and waited, and nothing happened. Well, at least we know now. :)

I was a little worried that the plane ride and change in schedule would derail her potty training. Surprisingly, she did really well, even in the tiny confines of the plane potty. And she probably had all of one accident throughout our stay in Singapore. The swine flu situation got everyone a little on edge about our return flight. And I'm eternally touched that a dear friend, Yuhying, drove all the way to my parents at 11pm (yep, 11pm) to pass us some masks out of love and concern.

Otherwise, the trip was pleasantly uneventful. Instead of cramming our days with loads of activities, we took it easy and just enjoyed catching up with family and friends. We celebrated Gong Gong's 60th birthday, went to the zoo, visited farms and ate to our hearts' and tummies' content.

Here's a video of our day at the zoo and some footage from our morning at the farm with Kayla's beloved Aunty Lynn. I'm having trouble retrieving the photos but I'll get to them...soon. :) Promise!

Little Miss Wisecrack

Yes, the munchkin is at it again... and again, I'm left speechless. Her verbal retorts are getting increasingly exasperating. And I truly understand what people mean when they say you've gotta "pick your battles."

Background: I'm officially tired of putting away her toys after playtime and reminded her again that she needs to clean up.
Me: Kayla, clean up your toys after you play or you're not going to have any more toys to play with.
Kayla: I'm the messy one. You're the clean-up one!
Me: What?!
Kayla (emphatically now): I'm the messy one. You're the clean-up one! Mommy clean up.

Background: She's been having a field day with her markers and left some streaks on her blouse.
Me: Kayla, look at your top. Mommy can't wash that off, you know.
Kayla: You've to use Oxiclean, Mommy.
Me (to self): This is what happens when your kid's been watching way too much TV.

Other updates:
1. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and you'll get either one of these answers: A Princess or A Fairy.
2. Her favorite color is *drumroll* PINK and absolutely no one else can like the same color.
3. Sharing is fun when someone shares their toys with her. Ask her if she'll share her toys and she'll tell you "Sharing is no fun, Mommy!"
4. To worm her way out of sleeping in her own room, she has resorted to telling us: she doesn't like her bed; she's not a big girl; it's not fun being a big girl!
5. She loves loves loves dresses. And the mirror's her new best friend.
6. She truly believes she transforms into a princess (or Tinkerbell) when she puts on her princess (or Tinkerbell) costume. And when she takes it off, she actually says: "The princess (or Tinkerbell) is becoming Kayla!"
7. She's starting to learn how to read and can actually recognize more words than I thought she could.
8. She gets annoyed when you say she's fat or chubby. She'd rather you call her a skinny beannie.

My brains are a wee bit fried now. More later... :)

All Pumped Up

After hearing rave reviews about the place from moms in the neighborhood, I finally found time to check out Pump It Up with Kayla. Filled with giant inflatables, this popular indoor play facility offers "Pop in Playtimes" where parents and kids can bounce, slide, climb and jump together.


It has become our fun thing-to-do on Fridays and Kayla loves it. We usually hang out there with cutie Ella and her mom (whom we got to know at the playground) before heading to lunch together at the nearby Marie Callendar's. The girls love each other and it's always nice getting to know and catching up with a fellow mom. Here's the best part: Kayla gets so tired bouncing all morning that she's usually all pooped out in the afternoon. :)

Heading Home

A couple more days and we'll be hopping on a plane back to Singapore. Getting ready for the trip has kept us busy the whole of last week and this time around, I'm going to make sure there's no last minute packing. :)

I'm happy to say Kayla's clothes are all taken care, and I'm hoping I'll get mine done tomorrow. But it isn't so much the packing I'm worried about. It's the plane ride. We're still haunted by the no-sleep 20-hour flight last year and I'm really praying hard that this time round, it'll be easier. We've armed ourselves with an arsenal of snacks (lollipops, Gerber stars, rice crackers) and I also bought a couple of little crafts to keep the lil princess occupied. We're just wondering if we should bring some Benadryl for backup! :)

It's going to be another busy next few days, since we're expecting visitors a day or two after we return (in other words, we've gotta get the house spick and span before we leave). And I'm hoping we won't return to a yard of withered plants. Mikey spent an afternoon fixing up the drip irrigation and it seems to be working alright (*fingers crossed*).

Now that she's older, Kayla's really excited about the trip, though I don't think she remembers anything about the plane ride. It'll be fun hanging out with Gong Gong and Po Po, instead of just talking to them via the computer. And I know she'll have a good time playing with her not-so-little cousin Darrell. :)

As for me, I'm just looking to recharge my batteries, chill out at home, hit every item on my to-eat list, and of course, catch up with my precious old pals. See ya real soooooon! :)

Our very own American Idol

From the minute she was born, Kayla convinced practically everyone (nurses included) that she has a set of huge pipes (nowhere near angelic, but definitely loud). Thankfully, those incessant, piercing cries have since been replaced by melodious tunes. Once Kayla figured out how to put a tune together, she's been learning song after song after song. Here are some snippets.

Spring-ing into Action

Now that the sun has returned, our schedule has been filled with tons of fun activities. We took Kayla for a Spring Farm Tour at Deer Hollow Farm (http://www.fodhf.org/) last month and she had a blast getting acquainted with the baby animals and their proud mamas.

The little munchkin also dived into her first swimming class two Saturday mornings ago, but her response has been somewhat mixed. For the most part she's fine. She just hates the backfloat and putting her head underwater...

Here are more videos! (If you haven't figured it out, I've finally downloaded all my videos onto the laptop, so over the next couple of days, I'll be uploading fresh ones as and when time and energy permits!)

The Speak Mandarin Campaign

It's been an uphill task trying to impart Mandarin to Kayla since I'm the only one who speaks and understands it at home. As much as possible, I've been trying to grow Kayla's Chinese vocabulary, one word at a time. It's still pretty dismal at this point, but it's getting better. She can count 1 to 10 in Mandarin and I'm proud to say her vocabulary has surpassed Mikey's. And for some strange reason, she speaks it with an accent, albeit a very endearing one.