The Bub in the Belly

Ryan has earned a little bit of a reputation in violin class for being stylishly dressed and is always getting compliments from his teacher and from his classmates' parents. This was his outfit for class last Saturday.
Shoes are from Stride Rite.


I curated this outfit based on how I thought all the elements would work together. Each element of the outfit is enhanced only because of another element - how the colours cooperate, how some elements take a backseat so that other elements stand out more, etc. Sometimes Richard chooses his outfits and sometimes I do, but Ryan does also have strong views about what he wants to wear and he does have veto power, so it's not all about Richard and me. In this case, Ryan approved the clothes and chose the shoes himself, which I thought was the perfect choice.


In other news, Ryan is working today, shooting another advertisement. I think it is going to be shot at the beach! As usual, can't say much because it's all hush-hush and I don't have much details anyway. We are (always) only told what we need to know - when and where to turn up and what to bring, if anything. Crossing our fingers that all goes well!

I was out for lunch today at MBFC and there was a lady singing jazzy Christmas songs in the underground mall, accompanied by two musicians. I was some distance away but I could hear and see them well enough. The shoppers were walking past the trio, occupied with their own conversations, but I was alone so I stopped and watched and listened for a while. It was lovely and I was transported to my happy place.

It was then that I realised that it had been a very long time since I had a moment of quiet. Not quiet as opposed to loud. I mean quiet as opposed to busy. Quiet in the sense that my mind wasn't thinking of the task I had before me nor the tasks that lay ahead of me. I wasn't planning, dreaming, analysing or ticking off the things I needed to do. I wasn't thinking at all. My brain powered down completely and I just stood there, oblivious to everyone else, the soothing Christmas melodies flooding and taking over.

Yes, I came away with inspiration for another project, but the point is that, for those brief minutes, I was breathing. It seemed almost alien to me, as if I hadn't been breathing for a long time.

Looking back now, I realise that the last few weeks have been pretty intense. I feel the way a student feels after a big exam or the way a runner feels after finishing a marathon. You don't think about it while undergoing the experience but once it's over, you realise that you've been surviving on adrenaline. No time to breathe.

Richard has had lots to deal with at the office and I've had my share of stuff. Plus I've been sick (I still am). It's been hard for me to kick the illness because my nights have not been completely restful - co-sleeping with two children and latching both of them while struggling to recover from my own illness is not a restful affair.

As for the daytime, well, if you know anything about us, you'd know that we never stand still. Apart from the usual stuff which we get up to, there have been additional things which we have been busy with. There's been a wedding in the family, a junior college reunion with old friends, a meetup with new friends, playdates and birthday celebrations with good friends, Christmas celebrations with schoolmates, various work appointments for Ryan (castings, fittings), short work trips for Richard, course assignments for me ... it's been a whirlwind of activity.

And now December is here!

I've prepared some Christmas gifts but, you know, as long as you don't get them all, you don't get to go past Go. With the remaining weekends to Christmas fast filling up with appointments, I'm starting to worry a little. I need to do some serious scheduling to make sure I fit everything in.

This coming weekend is chockful of appointments and we have a to-do list that is as long as my arm. The house needs a good spring cleaning and tidying up before Santa comes. We bought some new cupboards for Ryan's room and we've moved his little bed (which he never uses anyway) upstairs. The plan is for his room to be a dedicated playroom. However, I just have not had the chance to sort through his stuff and plan what goes where. I need a window when Ryan is not with me, and that is very rare.

We do have a small open window at the end of the year, a few days of nothing. When we have a stretch like that, we usually try to get away so that we can forget about all the to-do's and the must-do's, spend some quality time together as a family and, well, just breathe. Richard suggested that we drive back to Malaysia but we'll have to see whether Ryan's schedule is good for that or not. Yes, now we have to take into account his work commitments too. In fact, Ryan has a shoot on Monday and has been shortlisted for another shoot later this month. Exciting!

In other news, Nestlé is running the advertisement that Ryan did for them on Youtube! As in, it's one of those advertisements that come on when you click on videos that have advertising. Richard's niece, Jerica, was on Youtube the other day and saw it.

There was a cosy nook, with cushions and soft lights, for story telling (Christmas stories, of course).  There was a simple food and drinks stall as well - we skipped that! The stall that we were most interested in was the one selling cookbooks! Haha! Actually they were selling a special recipe book compiled by the school. The school asked the parents/students to contribute a family recipe each (with a photograph) for the book. Proceeds from the sale of the book also go to charity. I contributed a "tang yuan" recipe (glutinuous rice dumplings) with a photo of Ryan and me rolling the little dumplings. We picked up a copy.

The highlight of the event, at least for us, was Ryan's class singing "Jingle Bells" in Mandarin! Richard has the video of it on his phone and I'll get that uploaded soon. In the meantime, here are some photos!

This is Ryan's class. They are standing in a circle so not all are visible. Also, not all of his classmates are here. The fair was held in the evening, outside school hours and it is not compulsory to attend. The children are in their own clothes and not in their school uniform, as you can see. It was a very casual thing. The students in each class just steps up and sings a song and their audience is just their parents and class teachers. The other adults are roaming around the grounds with their own children.



This is the first time we've seen Ryan perform a song! He did great! All the children were wonderful and so so so cute!


It was a funny feeling for me, watching him perform. To see him confidently going through the moves and singing the lyrics - wow. He never practised the song at home, at all. It hit me that, now that he is in preschool, he really does have his own little life which is separate from me. His teachers, his classmates - they all have a part of him every day, a part which I don't. It's a feeling that I'm experiencing more and more, which makes me treasure the time that we spend together even more.

Ryan had to go for a fitting this evening for an advert that he is shooting on Monday. All went well and we went for a fast food dinner after that at McDonald's. The shoot has been postponed a couple of times, so hopefully it will really take place on Monday and we can focus on Christmas!

Yes, Christmas is near! I know I keep talking about it! I just love this time of year. I still have decorations to put up and gifts to prepare - it all adds to the merry mood!

In other news, Rachel is putting in lots of effort in learning to crawl now and I think she will be up and going very soon!

Rachel went to see Dr Ngiam this morning for her 6-month check up and vaccinations. She is 6.83 kg and 64.5 (almost 65) cm. Head circumference is 42 cm. Next vaccinations will be when she is one year old.

Dr Ngiam said to start Rachel on solids - cereal in the mornings for a while then add on porridge for dinner and, by the time she hits seven months old, she should be on three meals a day. I mentioned to him that I hope Rachel is not going to be as picky an eater as Ryan and Dr Ngiam said that it's good to be picky and selective. He said that, in any case, the important thing to note is not how much she eats but whether she gains enough weight. He said that some people eat a lot but don't grow much whereas some people eat very little but still grow well - it's a matter of how the body processes and utilises the food.

Haha! Actually, we were at the market for breakfast and to pick up some meat and vegetables for our kitchen. Yes, that's Ryan in the queue behind a stranger for the ATM in the last photo (I was queuing behind him).

I spent the rest of the afternoon studying while Richard cooked a soup for our lunch. I tried to put Ryan down for a nap but he steadfastly remained wide awake so we bit the bullet and set off for the playdate just before 5 pm.

The playdate was tons of fun for the children, as always. I do think that, everytime they get together, their friendship strengthens and they play better and easier together. Rachel was happy too. She was awake pretty much the entire time, unlike on the previous occasion we met up. 

I didn't take photos except for this one of Rachel. Chris handled the phototaking and gave us some prints on the spot. Chris and Alicia were wonderful hosts and they have a lovely place. We felt very at ease. The children were entertained non-stop and Alicia even prepared a vegetable-stamping activity for them - which ended up as a paint-the-vegetable activity instead, haha!


We ended the evening close to 11 pm and the moment we got home, I went back to studying. Only got to bed at about 3.30 am but my assignments are done! I can finally focus on Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas - here's our first Christmas tree shot taken at International Plaza after Shichida class on Sunday. Rachel is in the carrier, if you look very closely.


I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon cooking - something soothing and brainless after all that studying - and, in the evening, Ryan and I went to the playground while Richard and Rachel stayed home. Ryan has taken a fancy to climbing lately and it does scare me, although I think I have been able to hide my fear from him.


Here he is on the way home from the playground, looking very happy with his kick scooter and wearing the helmet that Ee Fann and Shann bought for him. Thanks very much for the helmet!

Yesterday was Shann's birthday. Alicia and I planned a surprise birthday dinner for her. Shann didn't suspect at all, so it was really fun.


Shann's hubby, Ee Fann, decided on Casa Verde at Gardens by the Bay. The place was relatively deserted on a weekday evening (plus the soggy weather helped to keep people away). It drizzled a little but, on the whole, the weather was kind and it didn't rain.


Chris bought the birthday cake - yam cake from Angie the Choice!


The kids really enjoyed being together. I had been telling Ryan that we were going to meet up with his pals on Wednesday and he told me it should be Friday (the last time we met up with them, it was Friday), so he was pretty pleased that he didn't have to wait another two days!


I only got in one photo of myself! Rachel spent most of the evening asleep with Richard in the carrier, so you can just see a tiny bit of her tutu skirt peeking out from the carrier.


Alicia made a lovely birthday card to go along with the birthday gift. Here she is with her lovely family.


Happiest of all were the kids, of course, but it was a good outing for the adults too. Wonderful night, great way to lift the mid-week blues!