MyBoyZaC

tErRibLe tWo mOnStEr has ArRiVeD!

2009-12-23T00:11:00.000+08:00

Yes, the moment Daddy & Mummy has been waiting for (or rather, dreading) has arrived! ZaC has slowly started to display symptoms of the 'Terrible Two Monster' these past 2 months. No mood swings in the picture yet (hopefully, never) but some occasional tantrums displayed (at home, fortunately). Two very obvious symptoms are his growing independence and sudden liking to say "I don't want" or "我不要" to everything. Sometimes he likes to say these just to see your reaction - it's all a game to him! And him being the cheeky boy, everything can be a game to him - even discipline time!

FiRst dAy oF ScHoOL

2009-12-20T23:56:00.001+08:00

ZaC started school on 14 Dec, Monday. Mummy was with him for 1/2 day on the first and second days. On the third day, he was left in school until 4.30pm. He cried on and off whenever he thinks of Mummy (or wasn't distracted by the teachers). But he will still go to school every morning. Mummy noticed he was quite curious with the kids-size toilet bowls in the bathroom and was amused with the older boys showering. He also loves the books and different toys in school. But he hates shower time as the teacher uses the shower head and he is afraid of having water run over his head.

There are only 8 kids in his class, with only one jie jie. He's the 2nd youngest child. Teacher said he enjoys the food (he loves the cakes baked by ah ma - the chef!) but is quite clingy and wants them to carry him (for comfort). He will get his shoes from the cupboard to wear and tell them he wants to go home! As he only sleeps less than an hour in school (due to the foreign environment), he gets a little cranky during the evenings.

When asked if he likes school, he answered, "Yes." Hopefully, ZaC will settle down in school and start enjoying his learning journey! Good job, ZaC!

mUmMy'S bOy

2009-12-14T22:54:00.002+08:00

ZaC is quite 'sticky' to Mummy (especially after he has developed his speech), always asking for Mummy to carry him. Whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will demand for Mummy to hold him. Lately, the level of 'sticky-ness' has gone one level up. When Daddy sits or lays close to Mummy, ZaC will push Daddy away. *Gasp* ZaC has displayed the feeling of JEALOUSY! Daddy & Mummy were surprised at ZaC's reaction. So now, Daddy loves to tease ZaC just to see his reaction.

pRepAriNg fOr xMaS

2009-12-10T00:02:00.000+08:00

It's ZaC's 2nd Christmas and he is no longer an ignorant baby! Last year, the Christmas tree was kept in the storeroom. This year, it re-appeared in our living room and guess who had to get his hands on the poor tree?! It's ZaC the destroyer! Before Daddy was able to set the tree up, ZaC has already broken one of the legs of the base. After that, he dropped the base and Daddy had to do some damage control by taping the mechanics for the fiber optic lights. Luckily, the tree managed to balance without the legs and was working like before! Next, comes the extremely difficult task of getting the curious toddler's hands away from touching the tree's deocrations! It took a lot of reminding and implementation of a 'naughty corner' to the 'tragic death' of our Christmas tree!

eXpeRieNtiAL LeArNinG

2009-12-06T01:36:00.002+08:00

Mummy loves to bring ZaC outdoors so he can use his 5 senses to experience new things. This is experiential learning. You learn only when you get to touch, feel and do something. So, no enrichment classes for ZaC at the moment cos he will learn less inside the 4 walls - when he sees a picture of a snail, he only knows the word associated with the picture. If he sees a snail crawling and eating grass, he knows what the snail looks like, smells like, how it crawls (slowly) and what it eats. Bringing ZaC closer to nature is also something important cos it provides the best classroom and lessons! He will learn to appreciate nature and help to conserve it.

It's amazing that there are some great places to expose kids to nature and at no cost - just like the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden!

LatEst fAvOuRitE gAmE

2009-12-04T01:08:00.001+08:00

21 mOntHs - eXpLoRinG tHe wOndeRfuL wOrLd

2009-11-28T22:50:00.004+08:00

ZaC is starting to notice the world around him and relate to them:

ZaC can recognise & distinguish vehicles on the road - taxis, lorries, trucks, cars, vans MRT trains, LRT trains & buses.

ZaC can name little creatures he sees - dogs, cats, snails, spiders, lizards, bugs, ants, cockroaches, birds, earthworms & butterflies.

When someone or something goes out of sight or disappears, ZaC says,"XX, hiding....XX, 不见了!"

ZaC can name places - 外公's house, home, library, temple, Rumbia (LRT station), Sengkang and playground

ZaC's favourite phrase - "I don't want!" & 我不要!" (making choices)

Reading many books helps ZaC to relate to the world around him too.

HaViN' a BaLL!

2009-11-25T00:48:00.000+08:00

bEdtiMe bLaBbeR

2009-11-22T01:57:00.002+08:00

ZaC's nEw tAbLe

2009-11-15T01:53:00.000+08:00

aLL gRoWn uP

2009-11-13T21:46:00.000+08:00

ZaC finally weaned off his pacific! The most amazing thing is, he did it on his own. Mummy has been trying to get ZaC off the pacifier by cutting the tip off, asking ZaC to throw it in the dustbin, etc. All unsuccessful attempts cos ZaC will demand for it before bed. When he was given the cut off pacifier, he will suck a few times and take it out of his mouth to look at what is wrong with it. After doing this several times, he innocently said, "Spoil." and handed the pacifier over.

Until recently, ZaC bit a small hole in his pacifier. He handed it over and informed Daddy that the pacifier is spoilt. Miraculously, he went to bed without demanding for another one. So, Mummy realised toddlers cannot be forced, they will wean off their pacifiers or toilet train themselves when it is time. And every toddler is different. Mummy will let ZaC take his time and not fret over such matters anymore.

MeSmeRiZed wiTh tHe wiNdChiMe

2009-11-09T01:43:00.002+08:00

Besides lanterns, windmills and cats, ZaC is also fascinated with windchimes. Grandpa's home has a wooden windchime hanging in the service balcony. ZaC always wants to listen and play with it during every visit. Mummy loves the sound of the wooden windchine too as it is more soothing than the metal bells. Daddy took a long time searching for a wooden windchime and finally ZaC gets his own! Everyday, he will play with it and has thought of many ways to hit the windchime - using fingers, balls, feet, etc.

wAteR bOttLe

2009-11-03T01:33:00.001+08:00

Daddy & Mummy has been trying all means and ways to encourage ZaC to drink more water as he suffers from constipation. ZaC rejected all the special 'concoctions' of mixing water with apple juice, plum juice and glucose! Next, praising and clapping after each sip of water worked for a while....but ZaC was back to his old ways soon. So, Daddy bought ZaC a water bottle which he picked from Kiddy Palace. The water bottle was the most successful although ZaC was still drinking too little. Daddy & Mummy had to supplement his diet with fruits, vegetables and soup. ZaC's milk powder was changed to a different brand (he doesn't seem to mind at all) and everything is fine now. ZaC's intake of water also increased as he is allowed to take some non-home cooked food. More salty dishes means more water intake!

hAviNg fUn @ 20 mOntHs

2009-10-28T01:03:00.001+08:00

miD-aUtuMn FeStiVaL

2009-10-25T02:12:00.002+08:00

IT bOy @ wOrK

2009-10-22T23:43:00.005+08:00

ZaC has been fascinated with computers (more than the TV) since he was young. He loves watching videos of himself and will giggle with glee every time. Daddy caught him on video trying to 'use' the laptop. Well, Daddy's in the IT line, so maybe it's in the genes?

iT's aN iNseCt!

2009-10-12T22:17:00.002+08:00

Being a typical boy, ZaC loves the creepy crawlies and animals. His favourite activity is to look for snails in the grass patch near the life lobby, and trying to spot spiders and lizards on the wall. Daddy bought some rubber creepy crawlies (spider, grasshopper, iguana, lizard, housefly) for ZaC. He loves playing with them and soon knows each one by name. Once, Mummy spotted an insect in the bathroom and got ZaC to take a look. He was really curious about it and stood in the bathroom for a long time just pointing and trying to chat with it! Little things like this do make him happy! Up till today, he's still asking for the insect whenever he steps inside the bathroom!

LiL' rAt iN a bAg

2009-10-07T17:29:00.002+08:00

iSLaNd bOy

2009-09-28T21:49:00.002+08:00

ZaC's memory is like an elephant. He remembers words when he hears them once. He remembers places which displays things which he likes. The shops we have to visit every time we are at Compass Point are a skincare shop which has his favourite 'Fortune Cat' displayed on the shelf, a Kiddy Palace poster ad featuring many babies (he always smiles and turns away shyly whenever we pass by), the sports shop which has many balls and shoes, Exim Arts shop which has windchimes, water fountains and door sensors with animals' sounds, the durian pancake stall, optician shop which display many cats and dogs figurines, Action City which has many solar-sensored figurines with their heads moving from left to right, Best Denki which has many fans on display blowing cold air and the barber shop which has the rotating coloured strips. Luckily, he does not know how to ask for toys yet.

Just the other day, he kept asking 姑姑to get 'the kite' from the 2nd level of the book shelf. 姑姑looked through all the books but couldn't find one which is about kites. ZaC kept pointing and repeated his request. In the end, the 'kite' was actually one of the flashcards from a Sesame Street pack which Mummy bought a long time ago. Mummy only showed it to ZaC once when he turned 12 mths. At that time, he wasn't even introduced to kites at all. Wonder how he manage to remember it!

He will also try to pronounce the words he hears but he's better at words with one syllabus. Mummy needs to split the pronounciation up if the words contains more than one syllabus. His mandarin still sounds a little 'too angmoh' but at least he's exposed to the launguage.

fUn sHapEs

2009-09-21T00:05:00.001+08:00

tOwEr oF cUbEs

2009-09-16T23:08:00.005+08:00

ZaC has been practising his fine motor skills using stacking cups, cubes, blocks and other toys. Mummy bought some wooden cubes some time ago. However, Mummy was relunctant to allow ZaC to play with them without her supervision as ZaC still has the habit of placing things into his mouth. The last time, ZaC could stack 3 wooden cubes. This time, Mummy gave ZaC 5 cubes and he was able to stack them up easily! The wooden cubes are smaller than the cups and ZaC did a wonderful job! Mummy noticed ZaC has a special way of stacking them up - he will always have the coloured alphabets facing upwards (the cubes have 2 coloured alphabet sides and the remaining 4 sides have carved pictures in the colour of the wood).

fiShiNg GaMe

2009-09-13T00:28:00.003+08:00

Mummy created a fishing game for ZaC using his existing toys and magnets. ZaC had a great time 'catching' the fishes and the activity kept him busy for a while. At first ZaC was amused at how the fishes 'stucked' to the line. Soon curious ZaC found the answer by fiddling with the magnet.

sNaiL diScOvEry!

2009-09-10T01:16:00.002+08:00

gRoWth @ 18 mOnthS

2009-09-05T22:58:00.003+08:00

ZaC went for the last jab of his 5-in-1 vaccination on Tuesday. At the same time, the doctor did an examination on him. Everything is fine! Only problem is ZaC's constipation which is the result of him not drinking enough water. Daddy & Mummy has tried all means and ways to increase his intake. Every request for drinking water is met with only a small sip. However, the doctor says ZaC does not need to pass motion everyday, as long as it is regular and his stool is not hard, it is still fine. Daddy & Mummy can only hope for the day when ZaC will start to love drinking water - just like Daddy!

18 jOyFuL mOntHs

2009-08-27T23:53:00.003+08:00

It's been an incredible 18 months! From a helpless baby, ZaC has grown up to be a cheeky and bubbly toddler. He enjoys playing with his toys, admiring himself in front of the mirror, treating the furniture as a gym (climbing up & down) and reading (or rather, flipping) books! He is still as curious about everything around him and want to touch and put them inside his mouth.

He loves nature and animals. His favourite animal is definately the Cat (he knows both the English and Mandarin names). And he loves the Japanese Cat of Wealth, never failing to spot one in shops. However, ZaC can't have one as they are only available in the ceramic form and not the soft toy version.

Mummy just registered him as a national library member and borrowed some books for him. ZaC has 'graduated' from reading board books and will be exposed to more interesting books (with simple storylines). However, he is still more captivated with the pictures than the story.

ZaC knows over 100 words and is slowly introduced to the Chinese language. ZaC has also started learning more words with 2 syllabus and can pronounce them by listening and imitating. He still babbles in his baby language (姨姨 thinks he sounds Korean) and 'read' books to Mummy.

Lately, ZaC is trying to learn to jump. His attempts include swinging his hands high, pushing his buttocks up, bending his knees and trying to lift himself off the ground. He has yet to succeed though.