If you are still checking back on my blog for updates, I thank you. It has been a crazy two months or so, isn't it? I've a few saved blog posts which I haven't got round to posting. They are all half written. But I still strive to continue because it's my way to destress. And I'd love for my kids to read back on mommy's adventure before they came along, and all the letters I've written for them on my blog.
In a nutshell...
Isabelle is coming to 28 months, or 2y 4m old. She's growing up to be a sensible and loving older sister to baby Gabriel. She loves to greet him and ask "Gabriel, are you happy?" whenever she sees him. She loves to sing and belts out song after song on a daily basis. What really surprised us is her ability to change the lyrics of songs with her own. It's pretty astonishing. I secretly think she is a future composer. She loves music too. She dances and shakes her cute lil bum to songs. In fact when I try to join in, she will stop and tell me "Mommy, I don't want you to sing. Isabelle sing." Ouch. Ok fine, mummy will be your audience then.
Eating wise, she is definitely more picky now. I guess a typical two year old with a mind on her own. We've slowly started her on adult (ie sweet) snacks like biscuits, yoghurts, Yakult, waffles, ice cream, chocolate etc. Not all at once, or all in a day, but in moderation. Of course she would ask for more. She is our biscuit queen. She loves biscuits and cereal bars so much she can have them as her meal.
She is talking a lot more, and definitely able to articulate her thoughts and wants. I do think her vocabulary repertoire is possibly more than an average two year old. She is able to express negatives so if I say I'm sad, she will say "Mummy is not happy." or ask "Why is Gabriel not sleeping?" She learns by repeating after us so we have to be careful in what we say. And like most two year olds, she is starting to choose what she wants to wear. "No mommy, I don't like this. I want to wear my ballet skirt." It's mostly about her ballet skirt. She has worn her ballet skirt to sleep at night before.
Gabriel is coming to 4 months old, and boy is he a chunky monkey. Our plus sized baby. He is already bursting out of his 4-6m clothes. I am in shock. How on earth did we produce this massive baby is beyond us. But he is lovely. He has a sweet temperament, like his daddy. He smiles at us sweetly in the mornings when he is first awake. He drinks his milk with gusto and burps loudly like an old man. He fusses when he is sleepy and I will change his nappy and flip him over in his cot, to ready him for sleep in a prone position. He will wriggle and find a comfy position and fall asleep on his own. Oh my dream baby. I am ever so relieved for his self soothing skills that has enabled me to do housework, cook because unlike Isabelle, I don't need to carry and cradle him to sleep. He adores his older sister and often turns his head to face her when he sees her. He smiles and yearns to listen to more songs by Izzy. K always tells them they need to take care of, and love each other. It is pretty endearing to see their interactions.
About two months ago the whole world was turned upside down with this horrid Covid-19 virus. After a lot of deliberation and discussions with our family and close friends, we decided to take the decision for me to fly back to Singapore with the two kids. At that time, the situation in Singapore was under control and more stable, whereas it wasn't in the UK. Also we had to act fast because Singapore Airlines was suspending flights from London to Singapore (and vice versa). I had two very stressful weeks leading up to our flight. We were monitoring the news back home and they seemed to change everyday. We had to do a mandatory 14 day Stay Home Notice (SHN) with family, and then the next day they said all returnees from the US and UK had to stay in government arranged hotels. I was a nervous wreck. My whatsapp couldn't stop ringing with messages from concerned family and friends. I was not sure I could handle 14 days with two such young kids alone in a hotel room. Oh the tears and the worries. Suffice to say, I survived this mental endurance and we are now out of our SHN, although the country is virtually on a lockdown so we can't go out except for essentials. We do video calls with K daily.
I'll try to blog more about my SHN experience in my next post. Meanwhile, please stay healthy and stay safe.
In a nutshell...
Isabelle
Eating wise, she is definitely more picky now. I guess a typical two year old with a mind on her own. We've slowly started her on adult (ie sweet) snacks like biscuits, yoghurts, Yakult, waffles, ice cream, chocolate etc. Not all at once, or all in a day, but in moderation. Of course she would ask for more. She is our biscuit queen. She loves biscuits and cereal bars so much she can have them as her meal.
She is talking a lot more, and definitely able to articulate her thoughts and wants. I do think her vocabulary repertoire is possibly more than an average two year old. She is able to express negatives so if I say I'm sad, she will say "Mummy is not happy." or ask "Why is Gabriel not sleeping?" She learns by repeating after us so we have to be careful in what we say. And like most two year olds, she is starting to choose what she wants to wear. "No mommy, I don't like this. I want to wear my ballet skirt." It's mostly about her ballet skirt. She has worn her ballet skirt to sleep at night before.
Gabriel
Gabriel is coming to 4 months old, and boy is he a chunky monkey. Our plus sized baby. He is already bursting out of his 4-6m clothes. I am in shock. How on earth did we produce this massive baby is beyond us. But he is lovely. He has a sweet temperament, like his daddy. He smiles at us sweetly in the mornings when he is first awake. He drinks his milk with gusto and burps loudly like an old man. He fusses when he is sleepy and I will change his nappy and flip him over in his cot, to ready him for sleep in a prone position. He will wriggle and find a comfy position and fall asleep on his own. Oh my dream baby. I am ever so relieved for his self soothing skills that has enabled me to do housework, cook because unlike Isabelle, I don't need to carry and cradle him to sleep. He adores his older sister and often turns his head to face her when he sees her. He smiles and yearns to listen to more songs by Izzy. K always tells them they need to take care of, and love each other. It is pretty endearing to see their interactions.
About two months ago the whole world was turned upside down with this horrid Covid-19 virus. After a lot of deliberation and discussions with our family and close friends, we decided to take the decision for me to fly back to Singapore with the two kids. At that time, the situation in Singapore was under control and more stable, whereas it wasn't in the UK. Also we had to act fast because Singapore Airlines was suspending flights from London to Singapore (and vice versa). I had two very stressful weeks leading up to our flight. We were monitoring the news back home and they seemed to change everyday. We had to do a mandatory 14 day Stay Home Notice (SHN) with family, and then the next day they said all returnees from the US and UK had to stay in government arranged hotels. I was a nervous wreck. My whatsapp couldn't stop ringing with messages from concerned family and friends. I was not sure I could handle 14 days with two such young kids alone in a hotel room. Oh the tears and the worries. Suffice to say, I survived this mental endurance and we are now out of our SHN, although the country is virtually on a lockdown so we can't go out except for essentials. We do video calls with K daily.
I'll try to blog more about my SHN experience in my next post. Meanwhile, please stay healthy and stay safe.
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