Please Touch Museum

Today was a beautiful day... sun shining... a little on the warm side, but we're happy that the sun is out!! We went to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. Very simple set-up but most definitely lots of fun - for both kids and adults. It's a centre that has different themed areas of play for the kids, like a barnyard, bus station, supermarket/bakery and etc. They also have magic shows, story-time and puppet shows all encouring learning and play. Here's the link to the website http://pleasetouchmuseum.org/






We started off with a magic show that focuses on the ABCs... very entertaining and educational too. Although Valerie may not be old enough to understand the ABCs yet, but she loved the ending - which was getting to pet a furry, white rabbit!!! (sorry, we were too loving the rabbit that we forgot to take pictures)





Valerie going on a Chocolate Milk slide!!























This is the barnyard section - with Valerie driving a tractor.... she's really into cars... and driving... you think she might be the next race car driver? I know there's one professional female race car driver here in US.



Help... Valerie is stealing the baby chicks!!! Quick, get her before she eats them for breakfast!


Ding Dong, is anyone home? Piglet deliveries.....

Atlantic city: A day in the beach

As usual, we slept till about 11am. The weather forecast for today was a high of 69F. Was hoping it would be hotter so that we can have a splashing hot time at the seaside. Sadly, the sun was shining but the wind was strong. We stayed in the hotel watching Backyardigans and had brunch and didn't get out of the hotel room till 2pm.

The beach was ok... warm when the sun's shining and it gets a little chilly when the clouds comes our way. But overall we still had a good time. Valerie and Paul playing in the sand, Valerie chasing after birds but when the birds turn her way, she would run the opposite direction.

We couldn't swim in the sea as it was so, so cold... But we did manage to get our feet wet and Valerie had a blasted time. We chased the waves that were coming to the shore. She didn't want to go.... she kept on running to the cold water... brrr....

After about an hour on the beach, we walked back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped for ice-cream at the boardwalk. While having ice-cream, Valerie wanted me to carry her (so I hand the ice-cream over to Paul) and after that she said "hold" to me and point towards the ice-cream. Hmmm.... she wanted me to carry her and hold the ice-cream as well. I then commented that if that's what she wanted, she could have ask Daddy to carry her. Lo and behold, she put her arms out (her sign for carry) and asked Paul to carry her and straight after that, said "hold" to Paul, making sure he was holding on to the ice-cream. What a character.

It's hard to describe the situation but we just giggled our way back to the hotel. Knowing that our little girl is having a mind of her own... and knows how to get her way most of the time!!

Valerie's vocab has increased tremendously the last month or so. She can have a conversation with you know (that is if you understand what she's saying) and even tell you what and what not do to!!! She can even order you around, asking you to "come", "go out", "take off" and etc. It's so much fun and also

2nd stop: Lancaster, PA

We flew from Las Vegas to Philadelphia on 12Sep and took a 1hr drive west to Cochranville. We stayed in a farmhouse, kinda like bed & breakfast but on a farm called Elver Valley Farm http://www.pafarmstay.com/elvervalley/index.html . The host Vera and Elvin were farmers and after retiring, they set up this place to welcome guests in their home.

Very beautiful place, fresh air, fresh flowers, fresh grass ... fresh fertilizers too...

Pic 1: Front view of them house we stay in. There's actually another doorway to the section of our room on the right. There's a living room and 2 bedrooms with private bathrooms. There's a door that separates us from the hosts' living room and kitchen. Vera and Elvin were very hospitable. We are allowed to use their living room space (which is where the LCD tv and internet is) and we have breakfast (Vera provides a home-cooked breakfast) in their kitchen.

Pic 2: A hand built playground by Elvin. Lots of swing, slides and rocking horses for Valerie to have fun in.

Pic 3: Valerie and Chip (Vera's son's dog). Chip didn't really like Valerie, he kept walking away when Valerie tries to go near him. He didn't growl though but just kinda distance himself, and Valerie keeps wanting to go to him and pick him up!!! I was so afraid he might snap at her. So finally I had to pet him to get him to stay in place and at the same time get Valerie to pet him too. That's how we got that pic!!

Pic 4: That's Vera and Valerie at the kitchen table, having breakfast. The door on the left of the TV is the door to our living quarters. There's a tv there too but we prefer the big screen in the main living room.

Pic 5: Valerie found her "pocket"!!! All her clothes do not have pockets until this pair of jeans came along. So while trying to keep her occupied in the airport, we would put coin and stuff in her pocket and get her to find it. From there onwards, she's been hanging out with her pocket like a pro - a model in making! hahahahaha The dad says, future Tommy or Guess jeans model.

Pic 6: Clothes dryer for the countryside.... The clothes line run from the back of the house to the tree on the top. Very very long line. We had to wash some clothes and we got to dry it up there. See the colourful flags hanggin? hee hee hee...

Overall, the first day in Lancaster county was relaxing. We slept till we were ready to wake up... which is when Valerie wakes up (quite late in fact as she was still in Phx time... 3hrs behind PA). Had an enjoyable breakfast (brunch actually) and just soaked in the freshness of the country. Taking a walk in Vera's garden... looking for fishes in the creek, sat in the swing gazebo, played in the playground... running around on the fresh, clean grass and smelled the fresh "air" from the goats. We even had time for a nap in the late afternoon. Woke up at about 6ish and went out for dinner at a Chinese buffet restaurant. Most American restaurants close at 5pm or 8pm. There aren't any chain restaurants, all are locally owned restaurants that do not care much about tourists that takes naps and stay up late. Hahahahahaha....

1st stop: Las Vegas

Our holiday started on 10Sep, and our first stop - Las Vegas for 3D 2N. Arrived pretty late on the 1st day... by the time we checked in and had dinner, it was time to go to bed!!! Were suppose to be staying at the Tuscany Inn and Suites for free.... but found out at check-in that we were booked from 9-11Sep instead of 10-12Sep. Had to hurriedly find another hotel. Thanks to my friend Akiko, we manage to find another hotel for a reasonable price not too far from the Strip. Sigh.... one less Coach bag....

2nd day was spent shopping at the outlet... didn't buy much cos we didn't want to lug all the stuff through our holiday and worrying that we may not be able to bring it back with us. So, just a couple of shirts and bags. Was hoping to get a pair of shoes but didn't see anything that I love. At this time, we have to be choosy. Only buy things I love, not only like. Hahhaahahaha....

We didn't take many photos... too busy shopping... and also kinda not in the mood for holiday yet. Still stressed from the packing!!

Wanted to bring Valerie to see the Dolphins at the Mirage, but they were closed. So had to settle for a picture with the statue instead.

Valerie was putting on her daddy's socks and shoes on... all on her own!

Valerie enjoying a Pocky or two. A biscuit stick covered with strawberry cream, mummy's all-time favourite too!

All packed and ready to go....

The boxes have finally left...3 weeks of early morning garage sales, a week of crazy packing, and multiple sleepless nights...

With all that gone and out of the way, we're now on our "final" holiday before going back to Singapore on 29 Sept.

Daddy... Mummy... Babiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Yes, she has finally called me mummy.... but for awhile it wasn't really exclusive as she calls even Paul mummy. But now, it's kinda exclusive. Yet I'm not very happy. Why you ask.... well, she's been calling and calling mummy non-stop!! Serves me right for asking too much, huh?! She'll call mummy whenever she wants something, don't want something, or maybe just from plain boredom!

A funny thing happened yesterday. Paul & I use the word BABI (pig in Malay) for each other when we wanna reprimand each other in a fun way. Example, Paul farts sitting next to me and I'll say that he was a Babi - which is calling him an "A**hole" for farting in my vicinity. Or if we've done something silly/mean, we'll call each other a Babi. We've been using this word for the longest time and I can't even remember when/why we started it, and only Derrick, Janice and us will know how/when to use this word. It's kinda like a joke among ourselves.

Anyways, as we were having dinner last night Paul did something silly (I can't even remember) and I called Babi. The next thing we heard, Valerie was saying it to him too!!! I nearly rolled on the floor for laughing too hard!!! HAhahahahaahahah..... words can't describe how shocked we were and how funny it was to hear her say it!! And today, Paul used it as a game with Valerie. He asked Valerie "who is Babi?" and Valerie said MUMMY!!!! OMG!!!! She'll be starved tomorrow! Hmph!! haahahahahahahah.....

Wok with Val

There are times when Valerie would be super, duper clingy and I would be having a hard time preparing dinner. She would try to squeeze herself between me and the sink, hoping I would not stand there preparing dinner. Or sometimes, she'll grab my pants/shorts or shirt until I would carry her. I was washing the vegetables that day and I thought I'd give her some to play with so that she would leave me alone. When I saw her having so much fun with the veges I couldn't help but take pictures and videos of her. And guess who gets to eat the veges on her plate!? Daddy of course!

Valerie at the Shopping Mall

Forgotten pictures....

These are just pictures that I took with my cellphone... can't even remember how old she was. Just cute ones that I would like to share with you.....

First pic: couldn't resist the big hat!! And I think there's a club call "Purple Hat Lady" club or something. But it's just a gathering of women who loves hat, especially purple!! Hahahaahaa

Second pic: Playing with Paul's sunglasses while in the car, and caught her with the camera when she was putting it on.

Third pic: Her first taste of Chocolate milk and first time using a straw.

Valerie the Houdini

Although not with tied hands and legs, guess where she got out off!!?? The PLAYPEN!

I put her in the playpen while I went to take a shower. There were times when she'll sit quietly in the playpen either watching TV or just playing with her toys. And of course, there'll be times when she'll be screaming her head off while in the playpen. This time she was screaming her head off and not long, I began to hear her scream getting louder and louder as though it was very near. I ignored that thinking it's probably just the aircond running therefore causing an "echo" or some form of distortion of her screams. The next thing I knew, Valerie was banging on my shower door while sobbing. I got the SHOCK out of my life! How in the hell did she get out of her playpen? The first thing that came into mind was "someone carried her out?", but it was only just the 2 of us at home. Paul was in Alaska. Then it dawned on me that she climbed out of the playpen on her own. I quickly changed and brought her to the Emergency Room. Although she showed no signs of having a concussion, but I just wanted to be sure. In fact, she went into the shower with me and even played with me. Guess the Kiasi syndrome kicked in. Went to the ER but I guess it was a futile effort. The doctor didn't even really checked her. He just got her to walk a short distance and told me she was fine. I keep insisting that she should be x-rayed but the doctor insisted that there wasn't a need. I kept asking Valerie whether she felt any pain, as we were teaching her the sign for pain, hoping that she'll give me some form of indication of where she was hurting. She keeps pointing to her right feet whenever I said the word pain, I looked at the doctor and he got my message, finally! We went to take an x-ray of her right leg only.... it's better than nothing. Results were normal...

So spent 2 hours at the ER....

Thank GOD she's ok... in fact, she was entertaining the people in the waiting room. She was running around, talking to people, laughing.... guess I over-reacted.

At The Little Gym

Here's a few movie videos of Valerie while she was at the gym. I've brought her to the Little Gym classes at 11 months with the initial goal to give her an opportunity to interact with other children around her age and to also kill some of her active cells. So far, it has helped develop her motor skills very well and she seem to have a good time there. We have made some new friends. It's a good outlet for me to observe how other parents interact with their child.

This video was taken during Ball time and Bubble time. See her reaction with the bubbles. In fact just yesterday, she's able to throw the ball through a hula hoop!!


This video shows how good she is with instruction. She's able to put things away when told to do so.

First time in the pool

Went to my friend Ming & Jack's house when Paul was away in Alaska and we spent some time in their pool. The swimsuit, a Gymboree (my fav!) came with a built in diaper therefore there wasn't a need to wear swim diapers (which spoils the whole look! don't you agree?)







These last 3 pictures are just wonderful. Ming did a fantastic job in capturing the essense of Valerie. The spunky child with some attitude!!

The 1st pic is Aaron (Ming's eldest son, 6yrs old) trying to kiss Valerie, or vice versa!! Hahahahaah

2nd & 3rd, I just loved these... It's very difficult to catch Valerie in that mood, especially with a camera. But she was having such a blast that day (thanks to Aaron & Sarah) that everything was so laughable!! hahahahaahaha.... It just lights up my day everytime I see these pictures.

Daddy away...

Paul was away in Alaska for almost 3 weeks in the beginning of June. As usual, it was just the 2 of us... planning trips to the mall, to visit friends, to exercise (both Valerie & I go to the gym) and to pig out either at restaurants or potlucks held at home.

Paul came back on 19 June, after a fews of waiting in Alaska. He was scheduled to be back on 16 June but was delayed because the plane he was coming back in malfunctioned, and wasn't fixed till 18 June. Valerie was a little hesitant when he first came back, although we tried to chat online with the webcam frequently. By the next day, Valerie was ok and back to playing happily with her daddy.

Just wanted to show you her new hairstyle. Hee hee hee.... Gave her 2 ponytails but didn't get a chance to take a picture before she pulled it off.

The best way to get something done is to begin.

It's been 1.5 months since I last blogged. Many weekends have come and gone... Valerie's grown alot, developed many new skills and gained a bigger vocabulary box. And I promised myself that I will update my blog today, write about everything that has happened, and get back on track with the latest. No more procastinating.

Prepare yourself for an extensive reading and pictures overload!! Hahahahaha

Having fun at the playground

Written on 27 May 2007

We found an indoor playground at Arrowhead Mall (the nearest mall from home - about 20mins drive) and Valerie loved it there! She especially love the slides although she's a little wary of sliding down herself. You can see her face just lights us as she slides down.

In this hell heat of Arizona, the city need to build more indoor playgrounds and pools for children. There's alot of outdoor parks, playgrounds and pools, but those are better for the winter months. In the summer, temperatures can go up.... today it's 42C and tomorrow it's forecasted to be 47C.

At the playground... being hentam!

Yes... my darling Valerie was being "hentam"... and Malay word for being "beaten up". We were at an indoor playground at the mall and the busybody went to touch a little girl's shoes. Before she could get her hands on it, the little girl were already screaming at Valerie and shoving her away. Seeing such aggressiveness, I quickly took Valerie to the opposite side of the playground, just to be safe. And as she was playing at this butterfly (picture below), that same little girl came towards Valerie started strangling her!!! OMG!!! I pulled the girl away as fast and as gently as I could (didn't want to hurt the girl as she's probably only 3 or 4yrs old)!!

Got the shock out of my life. It was so unexpected! The mother of the little girl kept apologising and explained that the girl does not have interactions with other children at home, therefore do not know how to behave. Thank goodness Valerie was ok... in fact, she didn't even cry. She was kinda stunned. I don't think there was much force or pain, otherwise Valerie would have cried, but it was the little girl's facial expression that shocked me more. There was such vengence, hostility in that face. I pray to GOD everyday that Valerie will keep that angelic face forever!

Seeing that scene.... I've enrolled Valerie in another kids class - Gymboree Music & Play!! Just to make sure she is exposed to other children and learns how to behave in public. hhaahahaa...

In truth, I believe it is the parent's guidance and discipline that matters most.

Daddy's little girl

Owe it to Paul to post this.

When Paul went to take a shower today, Valerie kept banging on the door calling "Da-da... Da-da..." So, officially, Da-da is exclusively to Paul.
And here I am waiting for my exclusive... When will it be?

These "feet" are made for walking

Almost a month ago I blogged about Valerie taking her first steps and walking a couple of steps at a time. Now, she's going full steam ahead!! She's walking most of the times, but would still fall once in awhile. Especially when she's tired or too excited(the brain must be working faster than her short, fat legs!!). I guess when she's lazy, she'll still crawl a little or her current new trick is to lay on the ground face down and throw a tantrum. Not going to give in, I kept reminding myself.

Besides walking, she's also learning alot of new things. She's been able to say a few words that are specific. We've been teaching her baby sign language.

These are some of the signs that she uses:

*more - as in more food

*thank you - but she adds a "kiss" in the end

*please - only when she wants to

*bathe - she loves doing this

*sleep - won't see this very often!! Hahahhaa...

*no more - it means either there's no more food, or she's dropped something

*pain - she'll do the sign but she hasn't learn how to point to the spot where it hurts yet

She's also been saying some these words:

*muum muum - that's her first word and it doesn't mean me. it means food. Sigh.

*cold - if u give her a cold drink or ice

*wou wou - for dog

Can't remember many of the words she's used. But she does talk alot!

She understands the meaning of these words:

*open/close

*put away - this is very handy when teaching her how to put her toys away

*in/out - especially when I'm folding the laundry

*shoes - she'll get her shoe from the rack and try to put it on herself. I think she has a shoe fetish, cos she tries on every shoes she sees. Even when they are way too big!!

*chair - I got her a chair of her own. it has a little lamp, clock and book on the side.

*sayang - she'll gently touch your hand when she hears this

*kiss kiss - obviously she'll be blowing kisses at you!!

I've probably missed out many more... the brain isn't functioning very well at this hour!! But i'll try to get some down when I remember. This will also help me to remember what she's able to do at this age.

This picture was taken 2 weeks ago at a squadron function. I love the dress! It's a denim dress with a piggy face in the front. Bought it at Gymboree... my favourite brand now. When I first saw it, I couldn't resist buying it but I didn't want to pay the full price. Therefore I waited. And I'm being rewarded for my patience as I finally got it for $20 (and that's already on sale).

This one is by Blueberri. They have very pretty dresses but are mostly cotton/polyster blend. Didn't really like this as the colour is a little washed out. Not bright enough. What do you think?