Friday, April 28, 2006

Swimming again!

Some of you might remember quite a few months back, we posted a photo of Caleb with a potential girl friend (cute, with godly parents, etc..) for the future. Well, in attempts to cement that relationship further and letting the two kids get to know each other more, our two families went for a swim together ;)

Here's the potential mother-in-laws with the young couple, hehe.


The boy decided to play it cool and keep his distance by swimming away for now ;)


Just to reinforce his machoism, he swims without the float (but needs mummy's support, haha).

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

He's Alive!

Hope the title of this entry caught your attention :)
2 weekends ago was Good Friday/Easter weekend and our church has got a sunrise service on Easter at East Coast. We reach the beach before sunrise (as the name of the service suggests :)) and as the service progresses, the sun rises which reminds us of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead (from darkness into light).
And as such, Caleb woke up very early as well :). We had to stir him up from his slumber, he complained a bit, but once he realised that we were actually going out, he became more agreeable.

After the service, we had superb tasting breakfast (all thanks to the fantastic job done by the WSCS ladies of our church) and also great fellowship. You see the Young Adults Ministry (YAM - yeah I know, we have been thinking of a better name for the ministry) people below.

These people had a good time carrying Caleb that morning. He is typically not very agreeable to carrying by other people, but somehow that morning, he was just reaching out to different people for them to carry him. That, of course, allowed his parents to concentrate on eating breakfast :).

One of the ladies whom Caleb took to more than others is Wendy. You won't believe it, but Caleb has lots of relations with her, so here's listing them.
1. She is Caleb's mummy's ex-colleague and mentor
2. She is Caleb's mummy's secondary school classmate's mother
3. She is Caleb's mummy's accountability partner's mother
4. She is Caleb's parents' caregroup member's mother
5. She is Caleb's parents' co-worker in the Young Adult's Ministry
6. She is one of Caleb's parents' favourite person to ask for a treat from, cos she cooks excellent nonya-type food :)
7. She is Caleb's daddy's competitor in the market place
So, having all these relations, it is no wonder that Caleb takes to her.


On the way back, we noticed 2 columns of trees parallel to each other which sets a good background for photo-taking, so here's Mummy and Caleb.


And a rare shot of all 3 of us together in a photo, thanks to Pastor Leslie's wife Linda!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Potential Ian Thorpe?

Just about a month ago, we brought Caleb for his 1st swim. Although we knew he had no problems with water (splashing, laughing, playing while being bathed is what he does all the time), we were nevertheless still slightly worried that he might not take to the pool, especially when he is not the only one splashing water. Our worries were put to rest as he enjoyed himself :)


We had dressed him in a wet suit (a present from one of his grand aunties), and he looks really cool in it, like some Armani model, hehe.


Caleb's godpa was there as well (it was a Church ministry retreat)


I have seen documentaries of parents letting the babies go in the pool (literally) and the babies swimming on their own, knowing how to hold their breath (you've gotta pick them up for them to breathe of course). But we didn't have the guts to do it, hehe, kaisu Singaporeans. Preferred to introduce him to the world of competitive swimming step by step :) You can see mummy handling him with care.


Oh, Caleb's cousin, Jie Jie Nicole was there as well. She is definitely a much more experienced swimmer (probably more a wader rather than a swimmer) than Caleb. You can see her giving a big welcome to Caleb here in the picture below :)


Finally, after the swim, Caleb is a bit tired out, but from the photo below, you can tell that THE FORCE IS STRONG IN THIS YOUNG ONE!

Monday, April 24, 2006

In case pple are starting to get the withdrawal symptoms...

Smiley smiley... he's even more happy nowadays, often laughing for no apparent reason, amuses us quite a bit :)


A more serious look.


Caleb and Jie Jie Nicole (photo taken by his auntie)

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Fever!

Caleb has had 2 rather serious bouts of illness so far... a high fever and more recently, long lasting flu which affected his breathing quite a bit and got him rather grouchy. On the other hand, the high fever seemed like a breeze to him, though his parents were super worried, especially when the temperature went up to 39.6C at one point. He didn't seem affected by the fever, and in fact was quite active and playful, even had fun playing hide and seek with mummy (as you can see from the photos below).

We brought him to NUH when his fever peaked. The nurses sponged him down and the PD told us that fever is actually not an illness in itself, but a sign that the body is fighting some virus. Only if the fever goes up to extremely high then it will be detrimental to the brain. Caleb's fever was slightly high, but there was no need to be too worried about it.

The PD gave us a list of items to look out for which will signal that the internal fight may have taken a turn for the worse (thank God Caleb didn't exhibit these signs, we were praying real hard). Sharing the list here for the benefit of other parents. Go to the hospital immediately if...
1. You have diffculty waking your child.
2. Your child seems confused or delirious.
3. Your child does not use an arm or a leg normally, or refuses to stand or put weight on his or her legs.
4. Your child has problems breathing.
5. Your child develops small purple spots on the skin (that may look like bruises).
6. Your child cries constantly and you cannot settle him/her.
7. Your child's skin colour does not look right or becomes grey, blue or pale.
8. Your child has a fit (seizure/convulsion).

P/S : The fever happened a few months back. So to our loved ones and friends... dun worry :)

We did our best to quickly conduct the heat away by putting towels all over his body while he slept. Replaced the towels every 10-15 mins, quite tiring actually, but we were too worried to feel it at that time.


A cooling patch on Caleb's forehead to help bring the temperature down


Still very alert and observing things... that's good, a sign that he's still ok.


Samsui baby?


Looks super funny, he's quite oblivious of the towel :)


Hehe, Caleb wondering why there is a patch on his head


Drinking water... dad & mum letting him drink as much as possible to bring down the temperature.


Getting up to crawl over to mummy


Having a closer look... overcoming obstacles to come closer.


Peering at daddy


Just woke up


Having a good laugh!


Having fun playing hide and seek with mummy

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Bringing Up Boys Update! (All fathers to read!)

On the Chapter 7 of Bringing Up Boys now and read some interesting stuff which I thought would be good for all parents or future parents-to-be to know, especially the fathers…

Start Quote
On the topic of Neglect

Chronic neglect of boys and girls during the 1st 2 years of life is devastating psychologically and neurologically. The brain is a dynamic and interactive organ that requires stimulation from the outside world. When children are ignored, mistreated, or shuffled from one caregiver to another, terrible losses occur in thinking capacity. The more severe the abuse, the greater the damage that is done.
This understanding has been confirmed by hundreds of millions of federal dollars (research done in US) invested in medical and behavioral research, focusing not only on infants but on teens who were horribly abused as babies. Some of them stood in cribs for days while wearing dirty diapers that burned their bottoms, or they were beaten or scalded by mentally ill or cocaine-addicted parents. Extreme neglect or rejection of this nature, researchers say, causes a child's body to produce significant quantities of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals move through the bloodstream to targeted areas of the brain responsible for compassion and conscience. The damage done there to critical neural pathways never repairs itself and ultimately limits the individual's ability to "feel" for others later in life. That's why many of the most violent kids are "brain damaged," quite literally.

The Essential Father

Behavioral scientists have only begun to understand how critical fathers are to the healthy development of both boys and girls. According to psychiatrist Kyle Pruett, the author of Fatherneed, dads are as important to children as moms, but in a very different way. Here are other surprising findings that have emerged from careful research on the role of fathers:
- There is an undeniable linkage between fathers and babies beginning at birth.
- Infants as young as six weeks old can differentiate between a mother's and a father's voice.
- By eight weeks, babies can distinguish between their mother's and their father's caretaking methods.
- Infants are born with a drive to find and connect to their fathers. As they begin to speak, their word for "father" often precedes their word for "mother." The reasons for this are unknown.
- Toddlers are especially obvious in their assertions of fatherneed: they will seek out their father, ask for him when he's not present, be fascinated when he talks to them on the phone, and investigate every part of his body if allowed.
- Teenagers express fatherneed in yet more complex ways, competing with their father and confronting his values, beliefs, and, of course, limits. For so many sons and daughters, it is only at the death of the father that they discover the intensity and longevity of their fatherneed, especially when it has gone begging.

Don Elium, author of Raising a Son, says that with troubled boys, the common theme is distant, uninvolved fathers and, in turn, mothers who have taken the responsibility to fill the gap.
Sociologist Peter Karl believes that because boys spend up to 80 percent of their time with women, they don't know how to act as men when they grow up. When that happens, the relationship between the sexes is directly affected. Men become helpless and more and more like big kids.

These statistics and trends can't be appreciated fully until we see how they are translated into the lives of individuals. I was talking recently to such a person - a 58 yrs old man who described the unhappy memory of his father. His dad had been a minister who was consumed by work and other interests. This father never came to sporting events or any other activities in which his son participated. He neither disciplined nor affirmed him. By the time the boy was a senior in high school, he was the starting guard on a winning big-school football team. When his team qualified for the state championship, this boy was desperate to have his dad se him play. He begged, "Would you please be there on Friday night? It is very important to me." The father promised to come.
On the night of the big game, the boy was on the field warming up when he happened to see his father enter the stadium with two other men wearing business suits. They stood talking among themselves for a moment or two and then left. The man who told me this story had tears streaming down his cheeks as he relived that difficult moment of so long ago. It has been forty years since that night, and yet the rejection and disappointment he felt as a teenager were as vivid as ever. A year after our conversation, this man's father died at 83 yrs old. My friend stood alone before hid dad's casket and said sorrowfully, "Dad, we could have shared so much love together - but I never really knew you."
Going back to the night of the football games, I wonder what that father considered more important than being there for his son. Was his "to do" list really more urgent than meeting the needs of the boy who bore his name? For whatever reasons, the man allowed the years to slide by without fulfilling his responsibilities at home. Although he is gone, his legacy is like that of countless of fathers who were too busy, too selfish, and too distracted to care for the little boys who reached for them. Now their record is in the books. If only they could go back and do it differently. If only... if only...!”
End Quote

If only we would rely more on foresight rather than hindsight. If only even when we don’t have much foresight, we would rely more on the hindsight of those who have gone before us. If only we fathers would give more of our time to those who really need us and not be pressured to spend too much time on those who won’t really appreciate our time at the end of the day. If only we fathers see time gained rather than time sacrificed.

Pictures Galore!

Over the long weekend, there was more time to finally get the long awaited photos onto the blog… so here’s rewarding those who have been waiting patiently. Enjoy!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Visiting Uncle Alvin in Maleka!

We took a trip to Malacca to visit Caleb's uncle who is a pilot trainee there. The trip was enjoyable, particularly the food, hehe. Caleb as usual had great fun, as you would see from the photos below.

Caleb and his super duper funny face!


Mummy and Caleb playing the "Chai!" game with Daddy


Jie Jie Nicole with Grandpa


Ready, get set, pose!


Caleb exploring the hotel bed (he usually does that for all new beds he comes in contact with)


Finally meet Uncle Alvin! All the babies want a piece of him!


Caleb practicing his finger pincer movement... he's much better at that now :)

CNY!

These photos took a real long time to be put up, hehe... but here they are. We had great fun going around visiting and Caleb truly enjoyed the company of his aunties/uncles and grandaunties/granduncles :)

Smiling for the camera


Caleb in the phone


Caleb with his handsome smile


Auntie Annabelle and Caleb posing


Admired by his auntie :)


Mummy and Caleb!


Aunties Charis and Annabelle!


Centre of Attraction... as usual


A return to the teether times!


Big Lee and Small Lee


Familee!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Caleb and his water bottle

Caleb has once again surprised Mummy. Yesterday afternoon, Mummy brought Caleb to the park for a walk in his stroller. She brought along his water bottle so that he could drink some water when they reached the park. Actually Mummy was enjoying the walk so much that she forgot to give Caleb his water.
Apparently our Caleb knew what he wanted and even though Mummy forgot, he simply helped himself to the water during the walk home.
What surprised Mummy is that first he helped himself to his bottle and secondly, he actually could open the bottle to drink on his own!!

Mummy has to open the cap on the bottle with both hands coz it's quite tight and Mummy was wondering how in the world did the boy do it.
To find out, Mummy told Caleb that she would help him close the cap on the bottle. After closing it, Caleb said "no-no", held the bottle at the two handles and used his mouth to open the cap on the bottle and happily continued to drink. It's really amazing what this kid can do!

Here's a pix of his bottle when it's closed and when it's open.

Closed...


Open...

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Caleb the climbing rooster

Caleb, being a boy, with lots of testosterone, is extremely active and can be quite aggressive and persistent at times. Other than crawling at a break neck speed, persisting in walking whenever he can, he is also into climbing.

Caleb started his climbing aspiration when he was just 5-6 months old. He sleeps with us and every morning he will wake us up by climbing over Mummy's body to get to Daddy and then climb over Daddy's body to see whether there's anything interesting at Daddy's end of the bed (usually he is looking for our glasses or the TV remote controls). And when he's satisfied that there's nothing interesting, he would climb back over Daddy's body to get to Mummy and then climb into his cot to practise standing at the cot railings.

Now that he is more mobile, he has been trying to climb onto boxes, low cabinents, chairs, TV console... actually, anything that has height would be worth a try.

Here's Caleb trying to climb onto the ledge on his cot. Mummy's just amazed that he would even try to climb onto that!

Hi Daddy, guess what I'm planning to do...


Hee Hee, I'm going to try something new today... I'm going to climb onto the ledge of my cot!


First I lift up my right leg and rest it on the cot...


Opps, can't get a good foothold... Never mind, let me try with my left leg then...


Hmmm... still can't get a good foothold... Let me try with my right leg again...


OK! This is really more challenging than I thought...I think I'll take a break before moving on to my next target...heehee...