Fun at Gymboree

I asked Chris if he thought it would be a good idea to send Chloe to an enrichment program as we can see how much Chloe enjoyed the company of other children.......particularly those within her own age group. This was particularly evident when Chloe spends time with her cousin Anthea....... I guess at the end of the day, no one understands them better than their own 'peers'...

I did some research and shortlisted it to a couple of potential places - namely Julia Gabriel, Shicida, Gymboree and Growing Up Gifted. All four had their own merits and it was a relatively tough choice. We finally decided on Gymboree and took Chloe there for a trial session involving play and music.......







"Can you spot me?"

"I know I'm supposed to let go of the balls, but I'm so reluctant to......"










Her happiness was written all over the face and we can really sense how much she is enjoying herself. At the end of the trial class, she had to be "dragged" out of the play area and she was so sad while bidding goodbye to her new friends.

Of course we assured her that we will bring her here again as daddy & mummy have signed her up for the regular classes which will be conducted every weekend. heehee what an ideal weekend program for both mom and babe as I can go shopping every weekend (Gymboree is located at Vivocity) whilst Chloe can have a jolly good time with her newfound friends**Grin**

Surprise visit

Truth be told, I've been looking forward to this day for a number of weeks. A surprise visit by someone special was in store for Chloe..... but she was oblivious to it. Clare was tasked (by me......haha) to dress Chloe up to look her best. Clare picked a new white baby Gap dress that we had bought for Chloe a while back and we were pleasantly delighted that we picked this dress at the right time 'cause it fit nicely - neither too big nor too small. I must say that Chloe looked really lovely in it - but then again I think I say the same thing all the time regardless of which dress Chloe is in !!

Well...... so who were the special guest we were expecting? It was none other than my parents....... who decided that they couldn't wait any longer to see Chloe..... the last time they saw her was about 3 months ago in January. As soon as they arrived in Singapore, we headed to Vivocity together to spend some family time window shopping...... Selfishly, I suggested that we head directly to the Samsung flagship store so that I could check out the newly launched Samsung i780 pda phone (which I've been dreaming about for weeks since I read about it online). As I was busy checking out the phone, it appeared that Chloe and her grandma was having an even more enjoyable time than I was....... the two of them were playing Peek-a-boo at the Samsung store !!

The amount of love and attention my parents shower upon Chloe amazes me. All grandparents share a special kind of bond with their grandchildren - it is a kind of bond which sometimes parents themselves may not fully comprehend. Seeing Chloe spend time with my parents, I'm fondly reminded of my own childhood days and the kind of relationship I had with my own grandparents. The type of relationship I had with my grandparents was perhaps typical of those that transpire over distance......... distance certainly wasn't a barrier to the quality of the relationship but it certainly played a big part in how frequently how I visited my grandparents - which was on average about once or twice a year. Being a parent myself now - I am somewhat driven and determined to inculcate a different kind of relationship between Chloe and my parents. I want it to be the kind that goes beyond Chloe recognising them as her grandparents - instead, I want Chloe to get to know them well enough to know how wonderful they are, and how they've helped shape her dad to be the person that he is today.

This is the 3rd time Chloe is spending time with my parents within the last 4 months, and two more visits have been planned within the next 2 months. I'm glad that I'm heading in the right direction......

My parents' visit this time round was one that could be aptly described as short and sweet. I bought them tickets to the highly acclaimed 'We Will Rock You' musical that was being hosted at the Esplanade Theatre. After which I scheduled dinner at a new place called Red Dot Brewhouse which was located at Dempsey Hill along Tanglin Road. As it was my dad's birthday two days later, Clare suggested that we buy a cake and celebrate early. We kept it a secret and my dad was indeed surprised !!

Chloe giving grandpa a cuddly birthday hug....



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For the benefit of the foodies out there, Red Dot Brewhouse serves a combination of Italian and BBQ cuisine and has its own microbrewery. I would definitely recommend Red Dot Brewhouse to any of my friends who would listen to my two cents worth...... hahaha...

Costa Sands Resort at Downtown East (Pasir Ris)

As we checked into Costa Sands Resort, I felt a sense of nostalgia. We were here one and a half years ago - Clare was then 6 months pregnant. We often wondered then how our baby would look like, and we were eagerly awaiting her arrival. If I recall correctly, we had yet to choose a name for our baby daughter. Time certainly flies - the place seems almost identical to how I had remembered it to be, except for perhaps some construction/upgrade works which peppered the surroundings. There is nothing truly amazing about the place, which is essentially a functional venue where family and friends rent rooms/chalets and hold BBQ sessions. It is the memories of joyous time spent with family and friends that count and make the place special.

As I had mentioned, Clare was pregnant during our last visit and hence we didn't get to participate in some of the fun activities available at the resort, such as the Wet & Wild water theme park. This time round, we were definitely going to make the best of our visit, especially with little Chloe in tow !!!



Chloe and Anthea on a train ride - see if you can spot them in the midst of the vastly colourful train....

Merry go-round... something that left me with a dizzy-spell as I was trying to focus my camera shots on Chloe.... haha



Chloe enjoying herself with a variety of games at the arcade...

Chloe and her "best friend" Barney




Kiat and Vincent busy attending to the BBQ...... an area in which both displayed great mastery.... look at those yummy-licious grilled king prawns....


Our visit was intended to coincide with my father-in-law's birthday. Kiat bought a nice mango cake from Jack's Place.....


Blowing out the candles with a little help from 2 grand-daughters.....


Chloe and Anthea enjoying themselves at the Wet & Wild water theme park.

We spent 3 days 2 nights at the resort - at the end of the trip, we left smiling, contented and a little heavier (due to the two consecutive BBQ dinners on both nights..... haha). This time next year, you never know, we could be back here - with 3 kids in tow (my sister-in-law Jaslyn is expecting her 2nd child....). Definitely looking forward to it.

Spot the difference

The two photos right below were taken very recently (Chloe at 14 months old) whilst the 2 photos further below were taken when Chloe was about 5 months old. Notice the key difference??

14 months old

5 months old

Answer : Her teeth !! hahaha......

I suppose what first came to mind (at least to Clare and I) was that Chloe still has exactly the same extra-sweet hearty laugh and smile......... some things never change, and in this instance I am mighty glad that it hasn't. Everytime we see Chloe laugh out loud, we laugh out loud too...... it is just way too infectious !! The amazing thing about children is that they smile and laugh sincerely and whole-heartedly......... no doubt an admirable characteristic. I can only hope that when Chloe grows older, she will continue to smile at the world, 'cause when you do - the world smiles back at you.