West Coast Park

It was a bright and sunny Sunday. The weather wasn’t too hot or humid and it was definitely the perfect day for an outing at the park. The last time we took Chloe out to a park/beach was when we went cycling at East Coast Park and that feels like a gazillion years ago.....haha.

Like all great days, it has to start with a wholesome breakfast. And that’s exactly what we did - we first had breakfast at McDonalds West Coast Park. Chloe, just like other children, can barely contain her excitement when we got there…….there’s just something about McDonalds that captures the hearts of toddlers.

Clare took some wonderful photos of Chloe……..which I only saw when we got home later in the day. And they were really lovely photos. You could tell from the photos that Chloe was all relaxed and enjoying her breakfast………which included sipping her mom’s Iced Milo!! From the way Chloe looks and poses for some of these photos, it almost seems as though she enjoys being photographed….

After breakfast we headed straight for the park….. Clare had intentionally brought along a scoop so that Chloe could play with sand….. there were also the usual slides, swings and see-saws. The photos below pretty much speak for themselves in terms of expressing how much Chloe enjoyed herself at the park……

"Hi there, wanna scoop sand together?"

"Bye bye West Coast Park..... I'll be back soon !"

Chloe's latest updates

It has been ages since we last updated Chloe's blog......Daddy & Mummy both deserve a spanking! Anyway, we hope that our "loyal" blog visitors have not forsaken us. For friends who have been asking about Chloe, here are some quick updates and latest photos of Chloe so that you can visualise how tall she has grown and whether she looks more like daddy or mummy as she blooms *blink*

It's been 1 and a half month since Chloe started school. She has settled well in her class and no longer wails or clings on to us whenever we drop her at school. She's now familiar with the daily school routine and is able to participate in all activities. She is also getting more vocal these days. She could count from 1 to 6 but always get stuck at seven. She could also go ABCD herself and that’s about it but when we recite the alphabet, she can mimic. According to her teachers, she enjoys music & movement lesson the most and will go humming away with lots of hand signs. Chloe's recent favourite phrase is definitely "I want more". She is always asking for more..........more food (like cheese, bread, snacks etc), more barney rides, more playtime etc. Other favourite words include"Go to Scoo" (that's how she pronounces school..haha), "I want Papa"....yes she's very close to her daddy now......I've been acting as the disciplinarian especially of late when Chloe has her fair share of terrible tantrums. She is starting to show the rebel in her. Oh no.....signs of the "terrible two" approaching!!

On a lighter note, Chloe's chinese teacher told me that Chloe now recognises her chinese name(陈姿颖). What the teachers do each day is that they will mark the children's attendance and upon hearing their names being called, the little ones are suppose to raise their hand and call out either "Present" for the english class, or Dao "到 " in mandarin for present. Since Chloe was born, we have being calling her by her English name and therefore she is really clueless about her chinese name. Now that she has learnt to respond with "到" whilst raising her hand upon her chinese teacher calling out her name, I can't help but keep getting her to do so when we're at home!! The cute smiley face with her little hand in the air and a gentle '到' reply from her really makes my day. *Big Smile*

Just a quick update of little Chloe! And here are some of her latest photos^;^

1) Barney rides in Paragon:




Swaying to the music.

2) Chloe posing for the camera:






3) Gathering with Daddy/Mummy's friends at Uncle Richard & Auntie Irene's house:



4) Sweet memories with Stella Jie jie during her "3 days 2 night" stay at our place:

Chloe finally goes to school.....

It was Chloe's first day attending the childcare. Undeniably, Clare and I were filled with anxiety - we weren't sure how well and quickly Chloe would adapt to the new environment, given that she has always been cared for by her grandparents while we were at work. We crossed our fingers hoping that everything would turn out well - but as part of the transition Clare spent the first 2 days accompanying Chloe at the childcare.

The teachers were really patient and warm in welcoming Chloe and making her feel at home. We were told that Chloe is the youngest in her class. During the first 2 days, Clare observed what a typical day's activities would be for Chloe - breakfast in the morning, followed by English/Chinese lessons & playtime, lunch, shower, nice warm bottle of milk, and off for an afternoon nap. Other activities such as story-telling, music and dance, etc would entail during the rest of the day.

We even brought along Chloe's favourite piglet soft toy (affectionately known as Nana) so that she would at least feel less lonely with a familiar 'friend' for company.... Chloe wouldn't let go of her Nana throughout the entire day...it was definitely her source of comfort. Knowing how much Chloe loves cheese, Clare also left instructions for the teachers to provide Chloe with a slice of cheese each day... haha....

On the 1st day, Clare noted that whenever the teachers needed to gather the toddlers together (for example when moving from one classroom to another) they would ask the toddlers to stand in line to form a 'train'..... Chloe hugged the boy in front of her rather comfortably (what a lucky boy), so much so that Clare and I joked afterwards that it was 'love at first sight'..... hahaha. Do keep a look-out for this photo below !!

When the 3rd day came, Clare finally gathered enough courage to leave Chloe alone at the childcare. This was also highly recommended by the teachers at the childcare as it would help speed up the adapting process..... The theme for the day was 'Things you can find in a supermarket', which kick started with a lesson from the teacher on the things that one can find in a supermarket. This was then followed by an actual visit to a supermarket close by (Cold Storage)!!! The teacher reported to us at the end of the day that Chloe was in good spirit but carried her Nana along throughout the outing at the supermarket.... hahaha...

With the Mid-Autumm Festival around the corner, the toddler's class even made their own snow-skin mooncakes and lanterns with the help of the teachers. You must be wondering whether the mooncakes were really edible...... surprisingly they were !!!

Two weeks have since passed in the blink of an eye - overall, we would say that Chloe is definitely growing fonder of the childcare, the teachers, and her new found friends....

Woof woof

I guess it is a common perception that the vast majority of dogs are safe, reliable companions. But even a friendly dog may bite if threatened, angry, afraid or hurt - and hence it is our responsibility to teach Chloe to treat all dogs with the greatest respect. I am a firm believer that the friendship of a dog can do wonders for children's emotional and physical health. My family always had dogs while I was growing up - and I believe it is the same for Clare as well.

I am always worried when Chloe puts her face too close to Jovious’ mouth. I recall reading somewhere that the face is the most common site of serious dog bite injuries - and it actually happened to someone I know who had his nose bitten by his girlfriend's dog. Like it or not, a dog that is too excited or nervous can sometimes bite by mistake. It is therefore of paramount importance that children be taught not to tease, yell at, or chase dogs - habits which we're still trying very hard to instill in Chloe till this day......... but as you can see from the photos below, no matter how hard we try, Chloe is still getting on Jovious' nerves !!!!



"Jovious - will you please stop hiding below the sofa?"

"I'm not letting you go......hehe"

"Here's a nice warm hug for you......"