Sun, Sand and Grill

It's the beginning of summer time finally. Daddy's colleague invited us to his place at Laguna beach. Turns out his place is near the beach so we can go there first before returning to do the BBQ. Check out these photos..I enjoyed the water play and sand castle very much! http://picasaweb.google.com/jazereen/SunSandAndGrill#

Here's a video clip of me with my feet buried under the sand hehehe...

An Afternoon at the Farm

Last Saturday after my afternoon nap, Daddy and Mommy brought me to a new place which I have never gone before. We went to the Tanaka Farms along University Rd at Irvine. This is an organic farm where they grow organic fruits and vegetables and they have their own fresh produce stand too. They also offer daily farm tours where they will drive us in their tractor-wagon and go round the farm once, making designated stops at certain parts of the farms to sample their vegetables. The highlight of our farm tour was strawberry picking. The strawberries are in season now (we are now at the end of Spring and going towards Summer) and there were lots waiting to be harvested.

We reached the farm and checked in for the tour. As I'm under 2 years old, I did not need to pay. Daddy and Mommy paid $13 each and they were given 2 plastic boxes to store the strawberries that they will be picking later on. Then we waited inside a tent along with other farm tourists for the tour guide to guide us to the wagon. While waiting, I walked up and down the haystack where they used as seats hehehe...



We boarded the wagon about 15 minutes later and were on our way. The wagon moved really slowly but it was fun sitting on the wooden plank seats. Our tour started with the peppers, broccoli and cauliflower patches. In the far end we could spot 3 scarecrows standing among the fields. They really looked like real people. I said Hi to them hahaha...


We made a stop at one point and they gave us green onions, yellow long beans and some carrots to try. The tour guide, Chelsea said that the vegetables are organic and we could eat them raw, straight off the farm without washing. I took a stalk of green onions and munch on it. Daddy and Mommy were surprised that I could eat it haha...maybe I was hungry. I also ate some of the long beans. They looked like the normal green beans that are sold in grocery stores but just that they appear yellow. I liked that and ate 2 or 3 of them. Daddy and Mommy tried some too. The carrots they gave us had long leaves at the top. I took one and munched on it. Not bad. Quite sweet.

The tour guide went on to explain that we should always try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. I don't think we eat that much sometimes.

Other vegetables that we tried are cilantro and sweet corn. I tried a little of the cilantro and thought the taste was too strong. I loved the sweet corn though. It was so sweet and juicy, definitely our favorite.



Our final stop was at the strawberry patch. The wagon stopped and we all get down to pick our strawberries. We were given 15 minutes to pick as much as we could to fill the boxes and eat as much as we wanted. The picking was fun, the sun was not too hot but the problem was that the grounds were a bit muddy at some parts. Our shoes became really dirty from walking on the mud. As Daddy and Mommy picked the strawberries, I walked along the path with them. They gave me some strawberries to try and I got my hands and chin area all stained with the red juices from the strawberries hehe...I looked like I had an accident!



It was soon time to board our wagon to go back to the area where we started. As the wagon passed the sunflower field, the tour guide told us she thought some of the sunflowers looked like 'Alice in Wonderland'. Those flowers were huge and some of them bent down because they were probably too heavy to stand up straight. If I were to stand among the flowers, I'll look so tiny among them.

At the end of the tour, we were all dirty at both hands and shoes but it was quite a fun experience that we thought of coming back again in July for the watermelon tour. So instead of picking strawberries, it will be picking big juicy watermelons - perfect for the hot summer days.

Before we left, Daddy and Mommy went to the produce stand to buy some sweet corn and onions. Mommy used the sweet corn and spareribs to boil soup for our dinner tonight and it tasted so good that I literally gobbled up my soup and rice!

More of the farm tour photos here

Las Vegas and Zion National Park

After I recovered from HFMD, Daddy and Mommy brought me to Las Vegas and Zion National Park for the Memorial Day long weekend. It was a 4D3N trip and we did a self-drive. We also shopped at the Las Vegas outlets and each of us bought something. Click here to view our photos.

HFMD!

I've got the HFMD from somebody in my daycare. Wasn't a good experience at all. Imagine having many ulcers in your mouth and gums and tongue...painful!! Besides that, I also had some blisters on my palms and feet. They did not itch and were not painful. PD advised me to stay away from day care until at least I felt better.

I couldn't eat at all for 2 days or so. I tried to but I just couldn't put the food into my mouth. I cried a lot and became skinny. Mommy stayed at home with me for the first 2 days and Daddy stayed home for the 3rd day. They were so afraid that I drink enough water and became dehydrated. Luckily on the 3rd day, I could eat a little porridge and was really hungry by then. I felt better after that.

Poor Mommy felt sores in her mouth and developed blisters on her palms after I recovered. She got the germs too. Hers was worse than mine and she could not eat for 3 days or so while we were in Las Vegas. She could not enjoy the buffet there and was grumpy and grouchy too. She was hungry and could not eat. Definitely not fun at all. After our trip, she felt better and have recovered since.

There is no medicine for HFMD but just to rest at home and stay hydrated as much as possible.

Portraits of Me

Mama was sifting through my photos on the computer when she found some that she forgot to post. Those were portrait photos of me taken at the daycare. They hired this company to take photos for each kid, and then try to sell them to the parents. Mama and Dad Dad did not buy any but they managed to get mine digitized.

Dad Dad said I look awkward when smiling...he called it "丑丑的笑".

My portraits taken at a fake backdrop


This one is my class photo. My favorite teacher is Ms Katy. She's the one on the right. She always read stories to me and sing and play games with me. And because she speaks Mandarin, she can teach me that too.

Check out my new photos

Lunch Time

My Hoodie Jacket

This is the way I feed myself...hehe...

New Stuff

1. Repeatedly says "Tjek Tjek Car" (Tjek Tjek = Uncle) while referring to a BMW Roadster model car that Uncle Briston gave him.

2. Points to his face when he sees the Proactive facial mask TV ad, referring to pimples on the face.

3. Points to his t-shirt/Daddy's t-shirt/Mama's t-shirt when he sees the WorldSoccerShop.com TV ad showing soccer jerseys.

4. Scoots around faster on his trike now but yet to really step on the pedals.

5. Attempts to pull up his own pants or shorts.

6. Knows words like eyes, feet, toes, nose, face, hair, ears, mouth and points to them when asked where are those.

7. Knows how to say "ye ye" (grandpa) but does not know what it means yet.

8. Learns how to make funny face after imitating Daddy and also from watching the "Funny Faces" segment in Yo Gabba Gabba!

9. Able to pronounce words like "chick", "cheese".

10. Knows how to say "bin bin", referring to the "bin bin mi guo" rice cracker snack.

11. Loves to eat sunmaid raisins, drink juices, cheerios. Once start eating, hardly stop!

12. Knows how to shake his head to indicate his displeasure, or to show that he does not want something.

Singapore Short Trip

On March 25, Mommy received bad news from Da Yi. My 婆婆 was in a critical condition and she passed away minutes after the first call that Da Yi placed to Mommy. Mommy was devastated. She was crying and trembling. I was asleep at that time. Daddy and Mommy decided that we should all go back to Singapore for a week to attend the wake, funeral and settle the things there. So they notified their bosses and took a week of bereavement leave. They booked the SQ flights and SuperShuttle to take us to LAX. They packed 2 large luggages and a large Nike carry on bag, my stroller, my Britax carseat and their own laptop bags and off we go on a 20plus hour flight back to Singapore. Before leaving the apartment, they also threw all the perisable foodstuff away, cancel my PD appointment, clear all the trash and activated the alarm system. Everything happened in a rush within that 1 and a half day of preparation and Mommy just told me that we are going back home to attend 婆婆 funeral and I'll be missing day care for a week. In fact they were worried that my runny nose will get worse or I'll develop a fever or something throughout the trip.

We flew from Los Angeles and transit in Tokyo. Then from Tokyo back to Singapore. It's been so long since I flew in an airplane, or rather, I could not remember what's it like anymore. I was just a 3 month old baby back then when I came over. During the flight, I was quite curious about things around me, fussed around a bit and wanted to walk here and there on the aisle from the front to the back of the plane. Luckily Daddy managed to get a seat for me on the flight, even though we did not buy another extra seat for me (hehehe...he had his way). I was delighted to find 1 4 years old girl named Tasa in the row in front of us who can play with me, so that I won't get too bored. Her mom's Swedish and her dad's a Singaporean Indian. She also has a cute baby sister and their mom traveling together. And as Daddy and Mommy chatted with her mom, it seems that they probably know each other through a common friend. Hmm...small world indeed.

When we landed in Singapore, it was already March 27 Sunday midnight. The air outside was hot and humid. Ah Gong, Ah Mah, Uncle Briston, Auntie Huiling and Uncle Rayson all came to pick us up from the airport. They were so happy to see us, especially me again hehehe...

We went straight to Toa Payoh for the wake. All the friends and relatives had already left but 外公， Da Yi, Xiao Yi, Uncle Jx, Uncle Michael, Uncle Haoming and my Grandaunt were there. We have not seen each other for a long long time. So even though we were back for 婆婆, the trip also became like a short vacation for us.

The wake and funeral went on well for the next few days. Mommy was exhausted as she had been on a emotional roller coaster ride. Daddy was with me most of the time. There were also many relatives who played with me so I'm fine. Ah Mah also brought me to see a doctor once coz I had throat infection and runny nose. After taking the medicine for a couple of days, I felt much better.

Everything in Singapore works ok for me except the weather. I perspired a lot during the day since I liked to run around all the time and when I was at home in CCK, I only wore a diaper most of the time LOL. And I have to take my shower like 2 or 3 times a day coz I'll get sweaty and sticky. Man, if only the weather is cooler....

After the funeral arrangements was settled, we still had a few days in Singapore before flying back. Uncle Briston drove us to different places and ate different types of food. Uncle Rayson was on school holidays so he also joined us most of the time. Ah Mah also went along with us for dinner after she knocked off from work. In short, we were like more like tourists than locals LOL.

We went to the Esplanade, Marina Barrage, Vivocity, ate steamboat at Beach Road, ate Ah Yat seafood, ate bak kut prawn noodles at Katong, took the MRT train from CCK to Bugis, went to Farmart and the goat farm at Kranji. We also went to our Punggol home to visit the tenants and Mommy took the opportunity to collect her new IC at the ICA building at Lavendar. On Saturday, Mommy also brought me to Cousin Isaac's 1st birthday celebration at Zhou's Kitchen restaurant at Far East Square. He's an active baby and always fidget around LOL. Da yi and Uncle Michael gave me a collection of toy cars and Xiao yi and Uncle Jx gave me a pack of Hello Panda biscuits and a Lego racer car. Haha....they knew I love cars!

On Monday morning, we had to fly back to US. We got up early in the morning and because it was a Monday, Ah Mah had to work and could not send us off at the airport. She was sad to see us leave but we'll be back at the end of the year again. Ah Gong drove us to the new Terminal 3. 外公， Da Yi and Xiao Yi also came to send us off. Mommy said she felt the goodbye this time wasn't so sad as last time, probably because we knew we'll be back again very soon at the end of the year :)

For more of 小岷岷, please click here to view my Singapore trip photos.

From BB to Boi

Now that I've passed the baby stage into toddlerhood, Mommy thinks that I'm too big for the nickname "lbb" as "bb" sounds like baby. So she calls me "Min Boi" hehe...the "min" is pronounced as Min3.

I've learnt some new things this week. I know how to say 'ji dan' meaning egg in Chinese. I also learnt to imitate the driving wheel action by stretching my arms forward and literally driving while making the "mmm" sound. When I ride my bike, I move by scooting forward with my feet. I'll say "go go go" when I go forward and "too too too" when I reverse. I also like to imitate the "Di di" sound when Mommy pressed the button on her car remote to unlock the doors. I get very excited when I am able to flip the light switch for the patio light and turn on and off the water tap. Mommy scolds me for wasting electricity and water. When I see photos or TV ads of cars, I'll say "Car". I can also identify Dad Dad and Mama from the photographs but when I see myself, I'll say "Dad Dad" hehehe....I still haven't learn how to say my own name yet. When Dad Dad asked me to smile, I'll smile for him...just like this:



I also like to play with Mommy's bag. I'll carry it then I'll say 'Bye!' and then I'll go to my bike and pretend to drive off. I'll even do a kiss goodbye sometimes hehehe...muaks!

The next big thing for me will be learning to use the potty. Now I only know to sit on it but don't know that it's used for peeing and pooping. Mommy is cracking her brains thinking how to train me hehe...

Yak-katy Yak-katy Yak

I am turning 19 months old soon. Time flies! The past month or so had quite rough for me. My health wasn't too good either. I had 2 times of ear infection and several fevers. And my cough and nose congestion didn't really fully recover. My pd said that this is common especially when I'm new to a daycare environment where there are germs around and also due to the winter flu season where one gets sick easily. Even Daddy and Mommy did not feel very well sometimes too.

This month I begin to speak a few real words that makes more sense to most people. Here's a list of my regular words:

1. Car
2. Ball
3. Book
4. Keys - car keys
5. Mama - mother/hungry
6. Dad Dad
7. Nan nan - milk/want something
8. Go go - go/hurry up
9. Na na - banana
10. Mum mum - food
11. Oh oh or Uh oh - when something's wrong
12. Hi - say hello

Those are the more significant ones. The rest of the words which I sometimes speak are:
13. Mak - grandma
14. Gok - grandpa
15. Jek - uncle
16. Woh woh - dog bark
17. Shh shh - urinate
18. Duck duck - duck
19. Nite nite - goodnite
20. Go gurt - yogurt

My favorite word so far is "Car". Whenever I see a car advertisement on TV or when I'm going towards the garage, I'll say car. I even say it the first thing when I wake up in the morning.

I also like to imitate the car's reverse sensor sound. I'll go "Too..too...too..." whenever Daddy or Mommy reverse their cars from the parking lot hehehe...

Sometimes I'll take their cellphones and say "Hi" and pretend to talk to someone on the phone. I'll speak my baby language which nobody understands. Daddy said the words sound like Japanese or Korean words kekeke...

My daycare center teachers also say I'm very talkative in class. I love to say "Hi" to almost everyone. I'm a friendly boy!

Today Daddy taught me to smile for the camera. So I showed him my 'colgate' teeth and grin. They started to laugh. Very funny meh? Hehehe....

Vacation

It's been a long time since my Mommy helped me to post anything here. We've all been busy lately...she started working and me going to the daycare and getting sick coz I have to adjust to a new environment. So the past month or so was kind of 'crazy' for us. Now that we are more settled down, Mommy said she's going to back-date and post some of our trip photos here. They always say pictures tell a thousand words. So she's not going to do much typing.

Here are some of our photos:

12/14/2008 to 12/18/2008 - Solvang, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park

New environment

As usual, I'm always excited to explore a new environment. This time, it's my new place in Irvine. It's newer than the old apartment but lacks a children's playground on the property. However, it's nearer to the freeway and shops are just a stone's throw away. The property is quite nice actually. It has private garage, granite countertops for kitchen, cultured marble tops for bathroom, in-home washer and dryer, walk-in closet, in-home alarm system, lush landscaping with beautiful Spanish Revival feel, saltwater pool and spa, outdoor fireplace courtyard, BBQ area, a clubhouse with full kitchen and plasma TV, business center and 24-hr fitness center.

Views from the patio



Daddy checking out the kitchen

From left to right: the washer/dryer, ceiling fan in bedroom, bathroom and closet

I like to run around the house and open up the cabinets or drawers. They always say I "chiu jian". But I'm curious mah, hehehe...

For the past few days, Mommy was busy unpacking our belongings and also we were busy going places too. That's because my grandparents, uncle and auntie are coming to visit us. We fetch them from LAX and also went to the Cabazon factory outlet to shop during the weekend and came back with loads of shopping bags. Daddy bought me a pack of 4 socks and a Brennan bear striped t-shirt from GAP outlet. He bought some polo shirts and jeans while Mommy got a red sweater top and a pair of flats to replace her worn out pair.

At first, I was rather shy when I met Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Briston and Auntie Huiling, but after a few hours or so, I became 'friends' with them. Maybe we are all family so there is no problem of unfamiliarity. Uncle Rayson is currently still in Singapore but he will join us in mid-December. That's when we start the actual vacation road trip to other places.

Birthday Mommy

Today's my mommy's birthday. We bought a small piece of chocolate coffee cake to celebrate. Daddy and I sang the birthday song. Mommy made her birthday wishes and we all blew the candle together. Then we shared the cake together. Less is more. Sweet!

Road to Recovery

It's Day 5 of my 'battle' with the bacteria. If you have followed my previous post, I went to the urgent care doctor and was prescribed 3ml of Amoxicillin. But after taking it for one day, my fever fluctuated and did not go down. Instead it went up to as high as 40 deg Celsius at some point (104 deg Fahrenheit)!! I was lethargic and I wanted Mommy to hug me. She noticed that I twitched a little for a few minutes. She got worried and told Daddy. Daddy rushed home early and brought me to my PD.

Dr. Lin examined the bottle of antibiotics and thought for a while. He told us that I should have taken 5ml instead of 3 for this medicine. No wonder I still feel sick...just because the dosage taken was not enough for it to be totally effective. Sigh...should have gone to see the PD directly that day.

So besides taking Tylenol and Motrin (another type of fever and pain reducer), I am now taking Amoxicillin 5ml. My fever has subsided and for the past 2 days I'm feeling much better. Will still need to continue on the antibiotics though.

But...there's another issue. I developed some small red spots on my body. Mommy suspected that it could be due to Amoxicillin. She searched on the web and found that there's a chance of getting this non-allergic rash from the 5th day that this medicine is taken. It should go away pretty soon but just gotta monitor for these few days.

Since Tuesday, I have not been eating well. They say I looked skinnier now. Sad...when I recover, I will definitely eat more.

Fall Sick

Last evening after dinner, Daddy discovered that I was running a temperature. So they immediately fed me the fever medicine before I went to bed. But at 2.30am or so, Daddy took my temperature again and I woke up and cried. I cried and did not fall asleep for quite some time. They could not figure out why I had a fever all of a sudden. Mommy thought I could be heaty after drinking her chicken soup or I could have caught a cold when she brought me out for a walk earlier that day.

This morning I woke up as usual and was not able to finish my morning milk feed. I was all fussy and wanted Mommy or Daddy to hug and carry me all the time. I did not want to sit or stand or lie down in bed. As the time went by, my fever got more serious. It reached as high as 39.something deg celsius. Daddy and Mommy decided to get me to an urgent care as soon as possible. Daddy rushed home to pick us up and drove us to an urgent care clinic at Foothill Ranch.

A nurse called my name and directed us to an exam room. She put me on a weighing scale and took my height measurement. Then she measured my pulse rate, heart rate and temperature. By then I was already not happy coz I was scared. I cried and wanted to hug Mommy. It took quite some effort to take my temperature as I moved my head and resisted. Finally she got it and it was quite high.

Next a doctor named Dr. Samuel Sunshine (cute name for a middle-aged man) came into the room. He asked Daddy and Mommy some questions about my medical history. Then he tried to use the stethoscope and pressed it only my chest to hear my breathing. Again, I resisted and cried. He took another device called the otoscope to look into my ear. I cried and screamed even louder. Mommy could not hold me still. Dr. Sunshine said that he will come back later and asked Daddy and Mommy to calm me down.

When he came back, he brought a toy stethoscope and otoscope with him to let me play. I knew what he was up to and refused to play with them. This time, Daddy held me still on his lap with his hands pressing my head to his chest while the doc checked my ears. I cried and screamed like nobody's business. Mommy felt so much heart pain when she heard my screams. They had no choice but to do this, so as to see if there is anything wrong with my ears internally.

Dr. Sunshine told them that my ear drums were quite red and possibly having an ear infection. He asked Mommy if I pull my ears sometimes. Mommy said yes, she saw me doing this a couple of times sometimes. Mommy asked him what caused this. He said that it may be due to bacteria or viruses in the trapped fluid from mucus in the nose growing into an infection in the middle ear. Children like me are more prone to such problems as our systems are not as matured as adults yet. He prescribed an antibiotic and Tylenol for me. The main goal is to keep my body temperature back to the normal range while fighting the off the infection. Guess I'll have to spend the remaining week taking the antibiotics dutifully :(

Boxes, boxes and more boxes

So Daddy and Mommy decided to move out of our current apartment in Mission Viejo to another one in Irvine by end of this month, where there are more Asian shops and eateries and bigger floor area for me to play and run around. We love the idea of a new place but think I'll miss this place as this is where I grew up over the past year.

Daddy started packing some stuff into boxes and put them in a corner in the dining room. As curious as I always will be, I will venture into that corner and pull and tug and rummage around hehehe...

Over the next few weeks, I think I will see more boxes and more sweat coming from Daddy as he packs and moves them up and down the stairs from the apartment to garage and vice versa.

3 Books and a Monster

Daddy bought me a set of 3 baby books from Costco yesterday. One teaches alphabets, one teaches numbers and the next on colors. These are some of the basic things that a toddler like me should start learning to build up vocabulary and knowledge.



These board books have colorful pictures and the covers are soft to touch. I love to flip through the pages. There are also many pictures of cute babies in them. And best of all they show a vacuum cleaner picture for the letter 'V'!

Hehe...Daddy and Mommy couldn't understand why I love to point at the picture of vacuum cleaner.

I'm actually quite interested in vacuum cleaners, especially the yellow one at home. I call it a 'monster'. When Mommy vacuums the carpet, I'd chase after the 'monster' even though I'm quite scared of the loud noise it makes and tries to touch every part of it. But Mommy told me that it's dirty coz of the dust and stuff so she will pull my hands off it everytime I do that. In fact the loud noise made me jump a couple of times when the machine got its power on...hehehe...

Vacuum cleaner a.k.a. 'Monster'

Yo...gert gert

I love yogurt. Sometimes I'll eat strawberry, peach flavor or banana flavor. But no matter what flavor I chose, I still like to take the cup from Mommy and play with it myself haha. I like to look at the Diego or Dora pictures outside. Sometimes I will also point to a yogurt picture in my ABC book and say "gert gert".

Cousin Isaac's First Swimming Experience

Realized that I seldom post entries about my little cousin back home. Here's one about him.

Cousin Isaac (a.k.a. 侯 BB) had his first swimming experience last Saturday. My 大姨 and 小姨 brought him to the newly opened Sengkang Swimming Complex. There are several fun colorful water slides and jacuzzi-type pools. Looks pretty fun to me!

As it was his first time in the pool, they pat water on his chest first to get him ready for the water temperature. 小姨 wrote in her blog that Isaac initially did not like it and started to cry (hehehe, I was the same too when I went to the pool for the first time). But eventually he got over it and started to play and splash water around. They even took a video clip of him in the pool swimming 'frog' style haha. Cute 的咯！

Sengkang Swimming Complex

So cold! I don't want!


(Left) The 侯 family - 大姨, Isaac and Uncle Michael
(Right) Yours truly in Feb 2008 - check out the same unhappy frowning look on our faces!

See? It's not so bad after all right?

I'm beginning to enjoy myself 了! 呵呵。。。

The complete blog entry can be found here.

Some updates

1) I understand 'Bye Bye' and 'Clap hands' now. I do the actions when Daddy or Mommy says the words.

2) I am able to walk up and down little steps without holding to Daddy or Mommy's hands, but still need help on bigger ones.

3) I can hold onto the staircase railings and climb up the steps myself slowly.

4) I sometimes walk on tip toes.

5) I experiment with climbing up the dining chair myself.

6) I hug my teddy bears and kiss them sometimes. Daddy and Mommy got jealous because I seldom kiss them hahaha...

7) I like to put a finger into my nostril.

8) I eat more rice now than porridge and sometimes share the same dishes as my parents. I like to eat fruits such as peaches, grapes, bananas, kiwi fruits, apples. I also like yogurt...as opposed to eating my main course.

9) I like to open up cupboards and cabinet doors and explore inside.

10) I can open the safety covers of the stove knob that are used as part of babyproofing. Mommy should write to Safety 1st (the brand that we bought) and tell them that they should hire me as a "QA tester" for their babyproofing products, since I can "hack" them.

11) I wear mainly 18 months old clothes and I'm 14 months and 1 week old now. However, I did not gain much weight and remain lean overall.

12) I like to snatch away the camera, Ipod Touch or other gadgets that Daddy and Mommy are taking. That's why it's so difficult for Mommy to take my pictures these days. I'll get angry if I cannot get my hands on them.

Don't I look cute wearing my new F1 pit stop crew PJ? *wink*