I finally received my summons from the French Government. So we will be going on a day trip to Toulouse in a couple of weeks. I need to spend half a day at the national agency for my integration meeting which includes a medical, an individual interview to assess my level of proficiency in French, an info session on life in France and civic training. Fred will need to take care of both Hugo who will be on holiday with us and Lucas! But since its just half a day I'm not too worried.
I was actually looking forward to going to Toulouse for IKEA (that's the nearest IKEA to Tarbes). But with 4 of us in the car I doubt we can fit a lot of furniture into the car so we will need to go another day.
Fred will be on his Summer break from the 13th onwards and we will have Hugo for 2 weeks. We have not decided what or where we will go, its not easy being in the car with Lucas for too long as he doesn't like being strapped down for too long.
I am looking forward to having more time on my own when Fred takes the boys out! Knowing him he would insist that I go along with whatever he has planned but I will put my foot down and insist on some alone time :)
We bought Lucas a new tricycle but so far, he doesn't want to sit in it...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
MJ
MJ - dead. I still find it hard to believe. Farrah Fawcett's death is shadowed by the immense publicity of MJ as the world grieves for the King of Pop. Inspite of all the bad publicity surrounding MJ in his last years on earth, his death comes as a huge loss to the music world and to his family especially his children. His music will live forever.
Oh darn, I have to buy MJ's albums for Lucas!!!!! (and help alleviate some of the USD600 million debt MJ owed...)
Oh darn, I have to buy MJ's albums for Lucas!!!!! (and help alleviate some of the USD600 million debt MJ owed...)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Game shows, fav food & TV
The French love their game shows!!!! From "How to be a millionaire" to Temptation Island and Fort Boyard. For this week, Fort Boyard will have Tony Parker and Eva Longoria as participants. Fort Boyard centers around a fort with obstacles for each participant to finish within a certain time frame. It will be interesting to see how Eva will fare as the obstacles are never easy.
One game show I don't miss is a karaoke game show where the participants choose songs from a wide variety and must not miss out on the lyrics. It starts off with just one or 2 words missing then as the prize money increases, the number of missing words get higher (13 words for 20,000 euro) Each participant has the chance to win up to 100,000 euro everyday, but so far the most a participant wins is 20,000 euro.
New word for Lucas - FOUR. We were kinda confused at first as he kept holding out his square block and rectangle block and kept saying "four". But we watched one Barney episode where Barney holds a square block and sings " this one has four sides and it is called a square, a square's four sides are all the same..." so Lucas now calls a square/ rectangle "four"
Its official - Lucas' favourite food is pizza and pasta. I've never seen him get so excited over food except for when he sees the pizza box or he sees spag bol. He's still struggling with the spoon and prefers to use his fingers instead but he's eating. Not much, after a few mouthfuls, he starts to play with food and I still have to supplement with his milk + cereal in a bottle. But everyday he eats a little bit more.
Its also great that Lucas is waking up later these days, so mama gets to sleep in. He would wake up and talk to himself first or play in his crib. Most days now he wakes me up at 8 am. But he is going to sleep later and fights sleep. I think he feels that he's missing out when he goes to sleep so now every night its a battle to get him to sleep. He calls me into the room repeatedly and gestures at his sleep sack to ask me to take off the sack and bring him out to play. Some days when he wakes up late from his afternoon nap, I give into his request and bring him out for another 30 mins to play.
First thing when he gets out of bed, Lucas will ask for the TV... sigh. He seems to always be asking for the TV, so I distract him by a game of tickles or hide and seek or take him out for a walk. But right after the distraction, he asks for the TV again. This is the one time where he actually sits quietly while I give him the DVD casing and he chooses what he wants to watch.
Tonight the shops in Tarbes will be open til late for Summer late night shopping. More things to look forward to, summer night markets and Summer sales.
One game show I don't miss is a karaoke game show where the participants choose songs from a wide variety and must not miss out on the lyrics. It starts off with just one or 2 words missing then as the prize money increases, the number of missing words get higher (13 words for 20,000 euro) Each participant has the chance to win up to 100,000 euro everyday, but so far the most a participant wins is 20,000 euro.
New word for Lucas - FOUR. We were kinda confused at first as he kept holding out his square block and rectangle block and kept saying "four". But we watched one Barney episode where Barney holds a square block and sings " this one has four sides and it is called a square, a square's four sides are all the same..." so Lucas now calls a square/ rectangle "four"
Its official - Lucas' favourite food is pizza and pasta. I've never seen him get so excited over food except for when he sees the pizza box or he sees spag bol. He's still struggling with the spoon and prefers to use his fingers instead but he's eating. Not much, after a few mouthfuls, he starts to play with food and I still have to supplement with his milk + cereal in a bottle. But everyday he eats a little bit more.
Its also great that Lucas is waking up later these days, so mama gets to sleep in. He would wake up and talk to himself first or play in his crib. Most days now he wakes me up at 8 am. But he is going to sleep later and fights sleep. I think he feels that he's missing out when he goes to sleep so now every night its a battle to get him to sleep. He calls me into the room repeatedly and gestures at his sleep sack to ask me to take off the sack and bring him out to play. Some days when he wakes up late from his afternoon nap, I give into his request and bring him out for another 30 mins to play.
First thing when he gets out of bed, Lucas will ask for the TV... sigh. He seems to always be asking for the TV, so I distract him by a game of tickles or hide and seek or take him out for a walk. But right after the distraction, he asks for the TV again. This is the one time where he actually sits quietly while I give him the DVD casing and he chooses what he wants to watch.
Tonight the shops in Tarbes will be open til late for Summer late night shopping. More things to look forward to, summer night markets and Summer sales.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Summer!
We had a leisurely weekend, going to the Flea Market which occupied a whole street and then to the Sunday market. I got a pair of "harem" design jeans - cinched at the lower waist and then billowingmaterial all the way to the bottom and cinched at the bottom so it looks like Arabian pants. What and where am I gonna wear it to I really don't know!!!! But its all the rage here now so maybe I'll gather up some courage and wear it next week.
We had lunch at the park again - Fred likes eating there but their menu is kinda limited. This time I
tried the paella - cannot beat La Bodega's paella :-(Summer is officially here - Summer Carnival has started, tho its pretty small. The one in October is the huge one, apparently. Lucas is too small for most of the rides except for the carousel, which he loves and Fred has to sit on the carousel with him. The Summer markets will begin next week and night shopping as well since the sun sets at 10 pm. (yay!!!! I miss shopping after 6 ...)
Fetes de la tarbes has
also started, with flamenco da
ncers in the streets, military officers marching around, the parachutists jumping off planes... Tarbes is a military town, mainly the parachutists are based here. The Haras will be on soon and Lucas will be able to watch the horse shows and ride a horse. He went last year but was too young but this time, he should be able to enjoy it. Last night was La fetes de la Musique - happens every year nationwide. In Tarbes, they fete is at the town square with obscure bands playing... but in Paris it was happening with Seal, James Morrisson, Jason Mraz, Kelly Rowland and all the top french singers and bands. So we stayed home and watched the live feed from Paris instead...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Reality bites
Its starting to hit home that I am now in a foreign country with practically no one (except Fred). Now that's really scary. Sometimes I wonder if it was madness that stirred me to leave everything that mattered behind and move. But then I look at how happy my Lucas is, and start to feel OK. There are quite a few "if only..." right now in my mind. Put it down to homesickness, I guess. I even miss work - LOLs....
Seriously tho', I feel a bit helpless and lost right now. I think Fred feels it too cos he's starting to worry about me. I miss hanging out with my friends. I miss going out and taking a drive to TMC for eggs. I miss bitching about evil co workers with my colleagues. I miss coming home from work. I miss hanging out by the pool. I miss my mom & dad. I miss hanging out with my sister. I miss being independant and free. I miss coming home on Tuesday nights and watching Ugly Betty, 90210, Brothers and Sisters and Lipstick Jungle, all in one go!
And when Lucas is taking his nap, I miss him...! New word for today "BIRD". He can pick out the flashcard with the picture of a Bird when asked :-)
Seriously tho', I feel a bit helpless and lost right now. I think Fred feels it too cos he's starting to worry about me. I miss hanging out with my friends. I miss going out and taking a drive to TMC for eggs. I miss bitching about evil co workers with my colleagues. I miss coming home from work. I miss hanging out by the pool. I miss my mom & dad. I miss hanging out with my sister. I miss being independant and free. I miss coming home on Tuesday nights and watching Ugly Betty, 90210, Brothers and Sisters and Lipstick Jungle, all in one go!
And when Lucas is taking his nap, I miss him...! New word for today "BIRD". He can pick out the flashcard with the picture of a Bird when asked :-)
Monday, June 15, 2009
flashcards, allergy and ikan bilis
Wow, its been a week since I last wrote - my sister would think I'm slacking LOLs!!!
Its been a busy week - I've been focusing on Lucas and trying to talk and sing to him as much as we possibly can and we are starting to see results! Lucas has started with more new words, tho some words are mispronounced like LEAF he says "if", CIRCLE comes out as "Kirl". He has also started signing new signs! The progress this past week has been astounding!
I have been teaching him via flashcards and baby signs via DVD (I know, TV as a babysitter is a big no-no but he learns through watching the baby signs DVDs)
Lucas actually asks for his flashcards this morning during playtime. I thought he was asking for the TV and the DVDs are stacked with the cards but he rejected the DVD (I normally give him the whole stack for him to choose what he wants to watch) and pointed to the flashcards. I think he said APPLE this morning ("ap") and also tried to say TRIANGLE but I'm not too sure.
Fred took me to the other grocery hypermarket (Casino) - it was a lot cheaper but by the time we got there (Friday evening) they ran out of vegetables and turkey and chicken meat. The hypermarket was big but not as nice and clean as the ones we used to go to. Today we will try Carrefour near Mamy Anita's house which is a 7 min drive.
Well, its confirmed that I am allergic to the SUN!!!!! Yes, the sun! Me, from Tropical Malaysia am allergic to the sun. Its weird I know but thinking back how I used to get "heat rash" everytime I sunned myself by the pool, it makes sense. Everytime I came to France I'd get a nasty itchy rash starting on my fingers and quickly spreading up my arms. We used to come to France during Summer and we'd go out in the hot sun. And last year the rash got so bad, we went to the local pharmacist for some anti itch cream. And when she said that I could be allergic to the sun I laughed! I thought that I was maybe allergic to Fred's mom's dishwashing liquid - and since everyone thought the same, I didn't have to do any washing up after the rash appeared :-)
Anyway, last Wednesday I decided to take Lucas for his walk early in the afternoon around 3 pm and the sun was blazing hot although there was a nice breeze. That night the rash started, all the way up to my arms...
On Saturday as Fred was working Lucas & I went to the bakery for bread and as we walked past McDonalds, I saw that they were having a bazaar so we went to have a look and ended up buying 2nd hand toys for Lucas. It was a charity bazaar, and I got Lucas a VTech "laptop" that sang songs in french and said french words for a mere 4 euro! What a bargain! Lucas has been playing with it constantly since. I also got a Winnie the Pooh bead maze for Lucas for 2 euro.
My books finally arrived - I'd ordered some English novels from Amazon.Com. So I've been reading the past 2 nights after Lucas has gone to bed instead of watching a DVD. AND my ikan bilis and har mai and Bovril have also arrived, all intact :-)
So this afternoon I will make fried rice...
Its been a busy week - I've been focusing on Lucas and trying to talk and sing to him as much as we possibly can and we are starting to see results! Lucas has started with more new words, tho some words are mispronounced like LEAF he says "if", CIRCLE comes out as "Kirl". He has also started signing new signs! The progress this past week has been astounding!
I have been teaching him via flashcards and baby signs via DVD (I know, TV as a babysitter is a big no-no but he learns through watching the baby signs DVDs)
Lucas actually asks for his flashcards this morning during playtime. I thought he was asking for the TV and the DVDs are stacked with the cards but he rejected the DVD (I normally give him the whole stack for him to choose what he wants to watch) and pointed to the flashcards. I think he said APPLE this morning ("ap") and also tried to say TRIANGLE but I'm not too sure.
Fred took me to the other grocery hypermarket (Casino) - it was a lot cheaper but by the time we got there (Friday evening) they ran out of vegetables and turkey and chicken meat. The hypermarket was big but not as nice and clean as the ones we used to go to. Today we will try Carrefour near Mamy Anita's house which is a 7 min drive.
Well, its confirmed that I am allergic to the SUN!!!!! Yes, the sun! Me, from Tropical Malaysia am allergic to the sun. Its weird I know but thinking back how I used to get "heat rash" everytime I sunned myself by the pool, it makes sense. Everytime I came to France I'd get a nasty itchy rash starting on my fingers and quickly spreading up my arms. We used to come to France during Summer and we'd go out in the hot sun. And last year the rash got so bad, we went to the local pharmacist for some anti itch cream. And when she said that I could be allergic to the sun I laughed! I thought that I was maybe allergic to Fred's mom's dishwashing liquid - and since everyone thought the same, I didn't have to do any washing up after the rash appeared :-)
Anyway, last Wednesday I decided to take Lucas for his walk early in the afternoon around 3 pm and the sun was blazing hot although there was a nice breeze. That night the rash started, all the way up to my arms...
On Saturday as Fred was working Lucas & I went to the bakery for bread and as we walked past McDonalds, I saw that they were having a bazaar so we went to have a look and ended up buying 2nd hand toys for Lucas. It was a charity bazaar, and I got Lucas a VTech "laptop" that sang songs in french and said french words for a mere 4 euro! What a bargain! Lucas has been playing with it constantly since. I also got a Winnie the Pooh bead maze for Lucas for 2 euro.
My books finally arrived - I'd ordered some English novels from Amazon.Com. So I've been reading the past 2 nights after Lucas has gone to bed instead of watching a DVD. AND my ikan bilis and har mai and Bovril have also arrived, all intact :-)
So this afternoon I will make fried rice...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Ball!
Lucas said his first word!!!! AND its not mama or papa. Fred had his computer on and Lucas wandered in, saw a picture of a ball on the computer, pointed and said very clearly "ball". Needless to say I was ecstatic that he's finally said his first word at 20 months. I was getting kinda worried as at 20 months Luc should be saying at least 10 words already. But then he was in an environment where his maid did not talk to him which is why he's slow in speaking. Fred also qualified that maybe its also that he's processing 2 languages in his head. I read that when we speak 2 languages or more to the child, by the time he's 4, he would be fluent in both languages. I have been making up for lost time with Lucas - and both Fred and I are making a conscious effort to speak to him, to explain to him what we are doing, where we are going, what he is seeing. Even when I am changing Lucas, I explain everything to him and he is more cooperative after I started explaining.
We are currently looking for a playgroup for Lucas - so that he can start making friends and learn social skills. My MIL recommended a place near the hospital which is great as its walking distance for me. We will go find out if Lucas can enrol 2-3 times a week for 3 hours at a time.
We are currently looking for a playgroup for Lucas - so that he can start making friends and learn social skills. My MIL recommended a place near the hospital which is great as its walking distance for me. We will go find out if Lucas can enrol 2-3 times a week for 3 hours at a time.
groceries again
So, we spent about 760 euros on groceries last month even though we never went shopping without our "list". But we always inadvertently saw stuff we wanted but was not on the list and cave in at the last second. Our rationale is if its not on the list this time, for sure it will be on the next list! So we might as well just get it now.
Anyway, after whining to my MIL the price of goods these days (and as I've mentioned we don't even buy a lot of meat, except during our last trip where we bought sausages and spare ribs), she told us that we should be shopping at Carrefour or Leader Price or Champion as LeClerc is not known to be cheap (equivalent to Cold Storage vs Carrefour in KL).
What would be 80 cents in Carrefour, in LeClerc, it could cost double. So we will go try another shopping place next week and see how we fare.
Anyway, after whining to my MIL the price of goods these days (and as I've mentioned we don't even buy a lot of meat, except during our last trip where we bought sausages and spare ribs), she told us that we should be shopping at Carrefour or Leader Price or Champion as LeClerc is not known to be cheap (equivalent to Cold Storage vs Carrefour in KL).
What would be 80 cents in Carrefour, in LeClerc, it could cost double. So we will go try another shopping place next week and see how we fare.
Friday, June 5, 2009
rain, rain go away!
Just when I thought that Summer's here, today turned out to be nasty and cold... After a week of sunshine the rain has come again. And according to the Meteo, it will be nasty til Wed at least...
You'd have thought that after watching the weather forecast I'd have been smart enough to take out a raincoat or at least Lucas' McLaren stroller raincover (I'd somehow stashed it away thinking I wouldn't need it - I really don't know what on earth I was thinking when I kept the rain cover!)
Anyway, Lucas and I thought we'd take our afternoon stroll in the nice, cold, windy day all bundled up. We were going to walk to the pharmacie to get some Vicks and also to the petit Casino for some milk and bread (Petit Casino is a chain of small mini markets).
I forgot that everything closes at lunch time - we walked out at 145pm. So we decided to walk somemore around the neighborhood when it started to pour!!!! Needless to say, Luc and I were both soaked through and he was sneezing when we finally got back to the apartment sans Vicks, milk and bread.
He's better after a hot bath and a bottle of warm milk. I'm the one sneezing non stop now...
You'd have thought that after watching the weather forecast I'd have been smart enough to take out a raincoat or at least Lucas' McLaren stroller raincover (I'd somehow stashed it away thinking I wouldn't need it - I really don't know what on earth I was thinking when I kept the rain cover!)
Anyway, Lucas and I thought we'd take our afternoon stroll in the nice, cold, windy day all bundled up. We were going to walk to the pharmacie to get some Vicks and also to the petit Casino for some milk and bread (Petit Casino is a chain of small mini markets).
I forgot that everything closes at lunch time - we walked out at 145pm. So we decided to walk somemore around the neighborhood when it started to pour!!!! Needless to say, Luc and I were both soaked through and he was sneezing when we finally got back to the apartment sans Vicks, milk and bread.
He's better after a hot bath and a bottle of warm milk. I'm the one sneezing non stop now...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
eczema
Wow, its Thursday already. Where did all the time go? Yesterday Lucas ate his meals WITHOUT the aid of Barney! He finished his breakfast cereal but couldn't sit still long enough to finish his lunch and dinner. As he normally naps til 130 pm Fred & I have our lunch without him.
But we have been sitting Lucas with us during dinnertime so that he can get used to sitting with us during mealtimes and learn mealtime etiquette (which he should have learnt way earlier but didn't as he was being fed in front of the telly by the maid....)
Last night, after his half eaten cereal, Lucas & his papa went out to Mamy Anita's (his french granny) and then went to buy pizza for dinner. Because of the many times he's watched that Barney episode on pizza, Lucas was very excited about actually eating pizza (this was not his first time but he got all excited nonetheless) he sat in his highchair and waited as I cut off a small slice for him. I expected him to pick out the minced beef topping and just eat the crust but he ate it all! AND asked for seconds!
Last night Lucas also had a slice of melon but didn't seem to like it even though it was sweet and juicy.
I noticed that Lucas' eczema has come back with a vengence - quickly spreading on both arms! I changed his milk to cow's milk and suspect that its the cause of his eczema. However, as a baby Lucas also had eczema from his infant milk, so hopefully the eczema will fade off soon. I have to take a walk to the pharmacie this afternoon to look for some Eubos Bath Oil and Olive oil for his arms. For those of you with eczema problems and do not want to use any steroid creams, I find that lathering the area with Eubos Bath Oil (leave for 5 mins) then prepare a warm bath with a capful of Eubos Bath Oil, sit in the tub for as long as possible, do not wash off with soap/ rinse with water. Apply virgin olive oil in the area after bath. This remedy does wonders as Lucas' eczema totally disappeared. After his eczema stopped, I normally slather him in olive oil in the bath daily and he hasn't had any eczema problems til now.
Yesterday, since I didn't have any olive oil for skin, I slathered Luc with cooking oilve oil and today his eczema is no longer so inflamed.
Today I am going to incorporate independant playtime into Lucas' schedule. At his age (20 months already!!!!) he should be able to play independantly for at least an hour but he has not been able to do that as he's used to being with someone all the time. He also needs to learn how to "clean up" after he's done playing with his toys instead of leaving them lying around for mama to pick.
I just realized this morning that Lucas is 20 months old! In another 4 months my little baby is going to be 2 years old!!!! Unlike last year, he won't be having a big bash as he hasn't got any friends here. But mama still wants to make his birthday special and that begins with baking a special cake - OMG!!!!! Where do I start? I can easily get the boxed ingredients but I need to learn how to decorate the cake...
But we have been sitting Lucas with us during dinnertime so that he can get used to sitting with us during mealtimes and learn mealtime etiquette (which he should have learnt way earlier but didn't as he was being fed in front of the telly by the maid....)
Last night, after his half eaten cereal, Lucas & his papa went out to Mamy Anita's (his french granny) and then went to buy pizza for dinner. Because of the many times he's watched that Barney episode on pizza, Lucas was very excited about actually eating pizza (this was not his first time but he got all excited nonetheless) he sat in his highchair and waited as I cut off a small slice for him. I expected him to pick out the minced beef topping and just eat the crust but he ate it all! AND asked for seconds!
Last night Lucas also had a slice of melon but didn't seem to like it even though it was sweet and juicy.
I noticed that Lucas' eczema has come back with a vengence - quickly spreading on both arms! I changed his milk to cow's milk and suspect that its the cause of his eczema. However, as a baby Lucas also had eczema from his infant milk, so hopefully the eczema will fade off soon. I have to take a walk to the pharmacie this afternoon to look for some Eubos Bath Oil and Olive oil for his arms. For those of you with eczema problems and do not want to use any steroid creams, I find that lathering the area with Eubos Bath Oil (leave for 5 mins) then prepare a warm bath with a capful of Eubos Bath Oil, sit in the tub for as long as possible, do not wash off with soap/ rinse with water. Apply virgin olive oil in the area after bath. This remedy does wonders as Lucas' eczema totally disappeared. After his eczema stopped, I normally slather him in olive oil in the bath daily and he hasn't had any eczema problems til now.
Yesterday, since I didn't have any olive oil for skin, I slathered Luc with cooking oilve oil and today his eczema is no longer so inflamed.
Today I am going to incorporate independant playtime into Lucas' schedule. At his age (20 months already!!!!) he should be able to play independantly for at least an hour but he has not been able to do that as he's used to being with someone all the time. He also needs to learn how to "clean up" after he's done playing with his toys instead of leaving them lying around for mama to pick.
I just realized this morning that Lucas is 20 months old! In another 4 months my little baby is going to be 2 years old!!!! Unlike last year, he won't be having a big bash as he hasn't got any friends here. But mama still wants to make his birthday special and that begins with baking a special cake - OMG!!!!! Where do I start? I can easily get the boxed ingredients but I need to learn how to decorate the cake...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
lazy weekend
Well, the title says it all - we spent Fred's 2 off days not doing much. The weather was really nice, sunny & windy but we were both too tired to do much. Fred spent all day Sunday putting up all the bathroom cabinets and chest of drawers for our room, so I re arranged our clothes into the drawers. I have so many clothes, the 12 drawers are still not enough and I have more coming!!!! Looks like I'm going to have to start clearing out some clothes.
Yesterday we went for a walk at the park to feed the ducks and fishes. Lucas went to the playground for a while. Then we came home as there was nothing much and Lucas kept playing with dirt at the park.
We are going to start re training Luc today about his terrible eating habits. Actually we started last night at dinner. Lucas spent the last 9 months with a maid who switches on the TV whenever its time for him to eat just cos its easier to feed a video zombie. Back in KL my mom & I have tried several times to break that habit and the maid eventually reverts back to showing Lucas Barney videos to get him to eat. But this time both Fred & I are determined to break this habit once and for all. Needless to say, Lucas didn't eat his cereal last night but we did manage to get him to eat some risotto with maman & papa at the dining table (not much, most of it ended up on the floor and on his face but it was a start)
This morning, again there was no Barney for breakfast cereal but I managed to give him 8 oz of milk and a piece of brioche.
For lunch later I will make tuna pasta and will again let him eat with us at the table. Hopefully within 10 days he'd have broken this habit completely and then we have to start to wean Lucas off the pacifier!
I have also started on the random dot flashcards from Shichida but Boo doesn't seem too interested. So far today we only managed to get up to 30... I will show him the dot cards twice a day before food and gradually move up to 100 before we start on additions.
Lucas is growing so quickly, I'm glad that I am here to see each milestone. I think its very important that one parent is with the child full time during the first 3 years where their personality and intelligence level is developing the fastest. While Lucas is a very spirited child and it can be quite exhausting (its natural since he's a toddler now and EVERYTHING, esp electrical items are fair game) I reap plenty of rewards when I watch him learn new things. Sometimes, he surprises me with his antics - like when he's watching Barney on TV and Barney sings "with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.." Lucas comes over to me and gives me a hug and a kiss. Sometimes, its exasperating but it teaches me patience. I try to remind myself that my little man is a person with his own personality and likes and dislikes.
I accept that this wonderful, beautiful, happy little boy is God's gift to me & Fred and I thank God every night that He has given me this little miracle.
Yesterday we went for a walk at the park to feed the ducks and fishes. Lucas went to the playground for a while. Then we came home as there was nothing much and Lucas kept playing with dirt at the park.
We are going to start re training Luc today about his terrible eating habits. Actually we started last night at dinner. Lucas spent the last 9 months with a maid who switches on the TV whenever its time for him to eat just cos its easier to feed a video zombie. Back in KL my mom & I have tried several times to break that habit and the maid eventually reverts back to showing Lucas Barney videos to get him to eat. But this time both Fred & I are determined to break this habit once and for all. Needless to say, Lucas didn't eat his cereal last night but we did manage to get him to eat some risotto with maman & papa at the dining table (not much, most of it ended up on the floor and on his face but it was a start)
This morning, again there was no Barney for breakfast cereal but I managed to give him 8 oz of milk and a piece of brioche.
For lunch later I will make tuna pasta and will again let him eat with us at the table. Hopefully within 10 days he'd have broken this habit completely and then we have to start to wean Lucas off the pacifier!
I have also started on the random dot flashcards from Shichida but Boo doesn't seem too interested. So far today we only managed to get up to 30... I will show him the dot cards twice a day before food and gradually move up to 100 before we start on additions.
Lucas is growing so quickly, I'm glad that I am here to see each milestone. I think its very important that one parent is with the child full time during the first 3 years where their personality and intelligence level is developing the fastest. While Lucas is a very spirited child and it can be quite exhausting (its natural since he's a toddler now and EVERYTHING, esp electrical items are fair game) I reap plenty of rewards when I watch him learn new things. Sometimes, he surprises me with his antics - like when he's watching Barney on TV and Barney sings "with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.." Lucas comes over to me and gives me a hug and a kiss. Sometimes, its exasperating but it teaches me patience. I try to remind myself that my little man is a person with his own personality and likes and dislikes.
I accept that this wonderful, beautiful, happy little boy is God's gift to me & Fred and I thank God every night that He has given me this little miracle.
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