Celebrating at Marina Bay Sand

At just two weeks shy of turning two years old, you have clearly left your babyhood in the dust.

Gone is the marshy mellow that would lay in my chest and sleep for hours. No longer can I keep you in the stroller or highchair for more than 15 minutes. nor can I make you eat all the wholesome and nutrious meals that I planned. You have definately come into your own. Facing out. Ready to take on the world.

But I am not ready to eat your birthday cake this fall and not remember how awesome these two years were. I want to file away these magical moments. I want to remember the sweet smell of milk on her breath and the lavender scent of your lotion I used after your bath.

Today marks the kick off of the string of celebrations we are going to have for your big day.
Your grandma popo kick start by checking us in to the Marina Bay Sands for a night together with your cousins!

A grandmother's love

My happy Marshy! This is the Pooh Bear cake you had requested for.

Since we are not celebrating your birthday in Singapore this year, we brought forward this celebration so as to make up for any cousin and Marshy loss time and to make sure you can blow out the candles together with your beloved cousins!

Amazing cousins.

Giving cousin Vanness a kiss!

Marshy really enjoyed her cake and herself that day. Thank you, popo and Yeema and cousin Val and Vanness for the wonderful celebration!

Ooops! We did it again.

Yes.We did it again. Ok ok. I did it again. I am the mastermind. We school hopped again sometime back. And this time, I enrolled you in My Gym. It has always been my yearly resolution to hit the gym weekly. At the same time this year I have a new resolution to NOT be in denial. Therefore it has been quite obvious that I 'll never have the time to go to the gym in my near future. So now every Friday, MArshy and I will go to the gym. Marshy's gym.

Till today, my sis still cannot understand why am I spending these funds to send Marshy for 'enriched' and 'scheduled' play when you are already playing constantly at home. Haha. well. Maybe it is the socialisation, or the sportsmanship that I want you to pick up. Maybe I want sports to be part of life. Anyway, whatever, let's just enjoy and soak it up!

It's kind of fun when you get to experience the different acrobatics/gymnatics stunts there. The teachers are really good in coaxing and helping the little people do all the exercises.

Sometimes when I watch you pull yourself up on the monkey bars, or doing a somersault with the help of your teachers, it made me cry inside. I am so proud of you. I didnt know it was possible to be proud of such a small little person. But I am.

I also don't know who decided that a mommy could blink and her squishy newborn would be a mobile toddler. Time is moving too fast. Watching you roll and flipped mademe realised you are changing at the speed of light. You don't slow down when you discover your world.

Favourite time of the session- Swing!

Swinging in the room of bubbles!

Saying Hi to the animals!

The days have disappeared into nights in a orangey haze. We have been out and about and even said hi to the animals at the zoo.

We went to the zoo in the hottest of days but coolest of winds. Marshy had a silly smile on her face the whole day. The big broad beaming kind.

Because Daddy is bringing her to the Zoo.

This is Marshy's third visit to the zoo but this time as a little toddler who finds magic in every little thing. You are a cheery and chirpy one. You hardly nary a whine when you were melting like a butter under the hot sun.

You are a brave little one. You took the bananas and apples and fed them to the elephants without hesitation. But you didnt like the slimy feel when the elephant tried to lick you!

My adventurous and daring Marshy in action!

The past-the-naptime-but-I-still-want-to-play-look on Marshy.

This is one of Marshy's favourite segment from the Animal Friends Show. Skipping with the dog. The next day, you took out a leash and wanted to skip with your toy puppy!

Besides the Animal Friend Show, we managed to catch 2 other shows out of the 4 shows that day.

Hello Sunshine!

July is looking good. There are swim dates, little gym dates, zoo date and a trip to look forward to. For these reasons, July is one to love.

I have always wish I could give you more pool time even though it is a tiring task to get you in a swim suit. I think it is a little like trying to put two weeks of clothes into a overnight bag. But anyway, this month we get to swim again and again! So I lathered you up in sunscreen, blow up the baby raft and wiggled you into the swim suit and headed to the pool.

As soon as you saw the waters, you were kicking your legs and flailing your arms. You went down to the pool without any hesitation, leaned back and soaked it in.

Still having your favourite shades.

You grined and giggled. Kicked your feet and splashed your arms. Just enjoying yourself thoroughly in the waters.

All these times, I have never swim with you before. I have always been the photographer. Watching you playing happily and getting excited outside the pool and trying to capture all these favourite moments. But you have started to wave at me and asked me to join you. "Mama, come! Mama, swim! Mama, Fun!"

I will, I will, darling. Even if it means to suck in my post baby belly as I do it.

This July

Today you turned twenty three months old. Just a month away from being TWO! This led me to think about how we are going to celebrate that. Last year, we had a big bash(BIG in my context as birthday celebrations are foreign territory to me). So what are we going to do this year?

Whatever we decide to do this year, I hope when you grow up and you'd remember all the hoopla and fuss we make over you and how I always make a great deal from your birthdays. Yes, it is a day where narcissism and an "all about me" attitude is not only allowed but encouraged.

So this year, a different plan. For my little Marshy who is turning into this wonderful little girl who I so so love.

Till now, I still get this achy feeling in my heart. That feeling that says I love this little girl more than I could ever imagined. That incredible love soaked heart of mine still leaps with an indescribable rhythm when she's in my arms.

Happy Twenty Three months !

Playdate Day

Marshy has been busy. Another wonderful playdate at the museum to be remembered. It seems so long ago but the happy memory lingers. Everything seemed illuminated at the museum that day. We had so much fun with Tory and Trudy and their mummies (missing Julius here because he was late due to his naptime)

This is my first time to the museum too. We are 2 curious mummy and daughter exploring the Singapore museum with wonderful company. We are supposed to be going for the Children's Interative Festival but we were one week late but neverthless, we still had fun. Fun is fun with the right company regardless of where you are.

I love the way you kids recognise each other although we dont meet that often and it melts my heart to see you girls hug and kiss spontaneously and play hand in hand in the most comfortable of ways.

Everyday should be a playdate day.

The three girlfriends holding hands.

Marshy posing for the camera

Sharing toys.

And holding hands.

Marshy takes writing very seriously.

Giving you the World

Hush Little Baby,

Dont say a word

Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird.

If that mocking bird won't sing,

Mams's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass

Mama's gonna get you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke

Mama gonna buy you a billy goat.

And if that billy goat won't pull,

Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town

This is your favourite lullaby. And I used to sing it to you blindly and thinking what a dumb and meaningless lullaby until one day. I started to understand and feel deeply for the song. This lullaby expresses the love and the need within the mother to provide for you and not wanting you to be deprived.

I want to give you the world.

Today I am going to let out a secret - YOu have a horrendous amount of toys. It was endless. If you spend 10 minutes playing on one toy, you cannot finish playing everyone of them in one day. My mom your grandma has given up nagging. I have gotten used to the looks of astonishment on visitors' faces and with most shaking their heads in disbelief and ime oblivious of the comments about me setting up a toy rental business.



Yeah this is daddy and mamma's joint efforts. Our common weakness since the day you were born. And I blame it to the fact that we are strong advocates of learning through play. And more play.

So check this out. Just a prelude-

A pirate ship we lugged back from Melbourne last year. It is something that I would like to have if I was a kid!

Marshy had so much fun with all her stuff friends in the pirate ship. SHe would orgainse picnics and get together with her bears and dolls!

Marshy riding on one of her many tricycles. All geared up with her haversack and giving Mickey Mouse a ride!

This is the face my heart beats for!

Marshy's another favourite-Hello Kitty fishing set. You are really good at catching the revolving fishes with the fishing rod your chubby hands!

Twenty Two months this Month

I am hating myself today. And I feel like the lousiest mummy ever exist, Marshy is turning 22 months old today yet this mummy is at work. And is missing her like crazy. The hours felt like eternal. And I am hating it.

I am sitting through a management meeting but thinging oif your cheekiest smile when you are doing your barney dance. You should be having your bath now while this tall Dutch man claded in a grey business suit was doing his presentation. I think about your soap slicked body and wet hair framing your face sitting in the baby tub, contented to soak in with your bath toys. Then every minute or so you would look up at me and say: mama! with a smile.

I raced home with a longing heart and felt like I missed so much of you. But I know you save the sweetest smile and loudest chuckles for me. But I miss you so much I want to cry. I know, this mama, so needy.


Marshy is always a girlie girl. Look at how you feed your bear of the day.

I love you, Marshy. The way you love your bear bear.

Babies really do grow up! I need to capture everything in pictures and writing and most importantly capture these moments in my heart so that the beauty of being your mommy at every stage of your development can stay with me forever.

Today, twenty two months old.

To many many more happy days, my sweetie pie!

Mama loves you to the moon and back.