Week 127 and Week 40.5 - Potty train and dresses!

School has been remarkably helpful with training Charlotte on the potty.  Of course we still have an accident once a day (always within inches of a toilet/potty) but she can go most of the day wearing panties instead of diapers.  Nothing better than peer pressure (as well as a potty trained female classmate) to help things along.  They even have mini toilet cubicles at school!  I was told by the teacher that Charlotte is a creature of habit and routine and, well, so is her mother.

Charlotte is also wearing dresses all the time!  To sleep, to school... it is cute but we are running out of acceptable dresses (the other day Imee offered her a dress and she said it was too ugly!).

We started Charlotte in swim lessons.  She was the only kid not wearing a body suit (I was advised by another one of the mothers how cold it is at 6PM.  In Singapore?!  But Charlotte was a bit chilly afterwards.  Nothing a sweatshirt can't fix!).  Charlotte was her typical shy-in-groups self.  Hopefully she warms up (!) soon.

Otherwise Charlotte is being a bit difficult - testing wills, saying no.  I have found that I have to offer a carrot ("You can go to school if you do X."  "We will go home if you don't do Y.").  Is this proper parenting?  I don't know but it seems to work for now.

Matt cut Charlotte's hair this past weekend.  It is cute (and even!)

Sophia is pulling up on everything these days - toilets, dressers, etc.  I realize after looking at these pictures that she is a smiley baby but not too smiley in photos...

We met with Olivia, Clarice, and Mike at the Tanjong Beach Club this weekend.  I like the food there - but I also like the natural lighting for photos!

Sophia is getting up once a night for the most part.  She stayed asleep one night then Charlotte got up to want to eat!  By the time I got her milk and went back upstairs she was sound asleep again.

I continue to learn more about my camera (Auto focus functions these days) - so much to learn!

That being said - I don't know how to focus on a swinging child.  At least her hands are in focus!

Tired Sophia on a swing:

Great Charlotte face!

Char's photo:

Charlotte is in swim school:

Gorgeous Olivia can eat an apple like no other!

And bread!

Charlotte is high chair optional these days:

The many sides of serious Sophia:

 Olivia runs with a ball larger than her!

More Char photos:

Char photo success!

Double stroller shot!

Funny Sophia pictures:

 

Good old fashioned fun with a couple of paper cardboard rolls with TT!

And videos:

Sophia lost in a sea of balloons at Chris's party!

Charlotte drives Taz crazy!

Daddy cuts Charlotte's hair:

Charlotte swims in class!

Week 126 and Week 39.5- Julia and Nine months!

Sophia is now 9 months old.  She has been out longer than she was in!  I don't think she is teething but she is still getting up at night.  Last night it was just once though.  We feel like she is close to walking as she is standing a LOT these days.

Auntie Julia came for a short visit this past weekend and it was great to see her!  Such boundless positive energy.  We even got Matt to eat at a vegetarian restaurant (thanks to Julia - I don't think I alone could do it!).

We celebrated Chris's second birthday.  He was so good - just a great sport about all the activities.  Charlotte was quite shy - her usual M O for being in new situations.

Charlotte has this skin rash - not too serious but I did keep her home from school yesterday.  We took a nap together - and it was really cute!  My first time sleeping with Charlotte in a long time.

Here is funny faced Charlotte with a bandage on her head.  Two hours later she took the bandage off and said "no more pain anymore."

These teething biscuits are Sophia's favorite!

The following is a series of Charlotte photos.  Julia is a worthwhile muse!

This is a great Charlotte shot - of Matt's teeth!

Charlotte helps Julia drink a green smoothie:

Chris's Party!

Olivia!

Charlotte and Julia eat chocolate cake:

The birthday boy is serious:

Auntie Doris shows Sophia around:

Sophia shows her ladylike demeanor:

Charlotte and Daddy:

Sophia stands!

Sophia likes halal dim sum!

Where is Charlotte?

Char drives with the Tasmanian Devil.  She and TT played in my car earlier this week and left the parking lights on (doh!).  Luckily we were able to jump start it:

Week 125 and Week 38.5 - Teething again

I swear the bane of my existence is teething.  Of course kids need to grow teeth but why does it have to be so painful?  Sophia is getting three we think - she is the baby equivalent to a teething machine.  She has been up almost every night this week.  The nights are why I keep breastfeeding - as I can just feed her till we both pass out.  As I think that this is less disruptive than making a bottle at three in the morning.  But seriously, it is all a waking exercise, isn't it?

Charlotte seems to be doing well in school - no tears!  She is learning some Chinese (she has a dedicated English and separate Chinese teacher).  I think she told us 'friend' in Chinese (thankfully Monica knows some Mandarin as we all know none).  This week is a school holiday (for normal, older kid public school) so Charlotte is learning about camping (and Matt wants me to learn too!  LOL).  Maybe we send her off making s'mores for the class?  Well, at the very least we can make s'mores for ourselves.  Heh.

Imee celebrated a birthday so we took her to TGIFriday's hoping for a nice embarrassing singalong - they did a decent job but it wasn't as embarrassing as I had hoped!  It was nice to celebrate Imee's birthday - her third with us!  We learned to buy chicken rice then smuggle it into the restaurant to feed both Charlotte and Sophia (though Sophia should not be eating too much chicken rice, we have to feed her something or she tells us she's unhappy, as per the below video).  So whenever we take Sophia out to eat we literally have to feed her the ENTIRE time.  Any pause in eating will not be had by her.  She is one hungry baby!

Sophia is signing 'sleep; and is picking up food... with her mouth (another video below).

We held a monster play date with Ella, Marie, and Virginie's kids Alix and her twin boys on Friday.  In total (with TT) we had 8(!) kids in our house.  It was really fun and nice especially for Charlotte who won't be able to have too many play dates with school.

My exercise routine is kind of out the window thanks to the nightwaking.  Matt is still traveling to Macau, and Sophia, Charlotte and I are all nursing a cold thanks to the school sniffles that we expect will linger for the next 16 years.

Charlotte's school - some pictures from Char:

Chinese teacher (I cannot remember her name...):

I would like to believe Charlotte took this photo - very Polaroid/Andy Warhol-esque:

TGIFriday's with Imee.  Sophia can trademark that look of alarm:

The best we can do as a 'look at the camera kids' photo:

Another Charlotte photo of Marie and Michelle - not bad!

Teo looks slim here.  Silly camera:

Marie and Charlotte toast their good life:

The world is a teether to Sophia:

Standing babies on parade:

Lovely Ella:

"This is the grub you serve me?  I want haute cuisine!"

An all day pyjama Sunday with Uncle Luigi (or as Charlotte calls him - Ouiji)

Charlotte plots her escape from baby jail:

Baby (duck) Drake!

Artsy pics of the week (thanks to my 85mm f1.8):

 

 Spaghetti pics of the week:

And the videos:

Imee's birthday!

Sophia and Charlotte dance for Imee's birthday:

Monster play date (more for Matt to see - look how many kids we have in our house!):

Sophia eats with her mouth (funny!):

Sophia is pissed we have no more food!