Lucas can now climb up the staircase, but he doesn't know how to climb down yet. Now, everytime I want to go out, he starts climbing up the stairs and I end up chasing after him...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Stairs
Lucas can now climb up the staircase, but he doesn't know how to climb down yet. Now, everytime I want to go out, he starts climbing up the stairs and I end up chasing after him...
Chestnuts
I just got a phone call from my new friend Angel ;) That was the very first call I received that is not from Fred or a telemarketeer. I was pretty excited to be talking on the phone and making plans to meet for coffee with our kids.
Its a cloudy day today but I doubt it will rain. I will be meeting my friends Angel & Elizabeth in Simply Food after lunch, and then I hope to do some shopping in town.
Yesterday while Fred & Lucas were playing at the slides at the L'Ormeau playground, I picked chestnuts that have fallen from the trees in the playground. In Malaysia chestnuts are not cheap, and I was happy to be able to pick the chestnuts here for free. We came home with my bag bulging with the nuts.
As we didn't have charcoal, I decided to boil some chestnuts in salt water. After an hour, the nuts were ready to be eaten. Imagine our disappointment - the nuts were bitter! I had to throw the whole lot away.
Its a cloudy day today but I doubt it will rain. I will be meeting my friends Angel & Elizabeth in Simply Food after lunch, and then I hope to do some shopping in town.
Yesterday while Fred & Lucas were playing at the slides at the L'Ormeau playground, I picked chestnuts that have fallen from the trees in the playground. In Malaysia chestnuts are not cheap, and I was happy to be able to pick the chestnuts here for free. We came home with my bag bulging with the nuts.
As we didn't have charcoal, I decided to boil some chestnuts in salt water. After an hour, the nuts were ready to be eaten. Imagine our disappointment - the nuts were bitter! I had to throw the whole lot away.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Toddler shopping, eating and naughty corner
Today is a beautiful sunny Saturday! A bit chilly but the sun is shining so hopefully this afternoon, it will warm up enough for me to take Lucas to the playground.
Yesterday I was feeling ambitious so I took Lucas shopping - BAD, BAD idea! He lasted the drive and about 15 minutes in the mall before he started fussing and pulling at the straps, wanting to get out of the stroller. So I left empty handed, bundled Lucas into the car and took him to his favourite cafe. As the carpark was full I had to make a loop and I forgot I was in France and started to turn right on the wrong side of the road. Luckily the van coming towards me was going slow and stopped and the car behind me didn't plow into me! It all happened really fast and my heart was still beating fast when we finally parked the car and walked to the cafe.
"Simply Food" is a small cafe with outdoor seating and a play area for toddlers at the back of the cafe. The owner has thoughtfully made the place child friendly with playmats and toddler tables and chairs and a lot of toys to keep the young ones occupied while mama and papa have their meals.
Lucas hasn't been eating a lot, as he is at the stage where he just likes to taste the food, so he has only a few mouthfuls of most foods I eat and I supplement his diet with his milk and cereal. However at Simply Food, Lucas loves the 3 cheese toasted panini. I actually considered going there everyday so Lucas will eat but at 4 euro a panini, its too much to have everyday.
When I came home, I found that Baby Center has sent me another email as Lucas is now 23 months 4 weeks old and what a nice coincidence - the article was about mothers with toddlers this age who isn't able to sit still for more than a few minutes. I'm so glad to read that its perfectly normal that Lucas will not let me shop or sit down and eat quietly. Mealtimes have been hard as he will sit for a few minutes and then he starts to get out of his highchair and climbs on my lap to eat from my plate. He does that for a few minutes more and then gets antsy and starts to climb on the dining table, or he pulls me to play with him. He is getting better at using the spoon but still prefers to use his hand. Mealtimes can get really messy at this household :)
A few weeks ago, while I was on Skype with my friends in London, Kelvin & Ling Ling, I overheard Ling Ling asking her son Kieran if he wants to go to his naughty corner and I asked Kelvin if it really works. So a few days ago, I tried the 'naughty corner" on Lucas as he was throwing a mother of a tantrum. I picked him up and placed him in a corner and told him (above his screaming and kicking) to stay in his naughty corner until he calms down. It didn't work as everytime I placed him there he would just run off screaming more. But after that incident whenever he starts to misbehave, I would point to the corner and said "do you want to go to your naughty corner" he would either protest loudly or calm down! We didn't even need to really explain to Lucas what is a naughty corner - he just understands!
Yesterday I made a quick run to Carrefour for some salads, and came home with 2 kgs of grapes for 1.87 euro! What a bargain! Its grapes and pears season now, so the fruit is in abundance. Lucas doesn't seem to like grapes very much. In fact he only seems to eat pears mashed into his cereal, sometimes I add applesauce. His favourite pasta right now is macaroni - I suppose its because its small enough for him to pick up with his little fingers.
Last week, I took Lucas to the playground at L'Ormeau. I like going to this place as Lucas is allowed to run in the grass, and on a nice sunny day, the college kids are out sitting on the grass in groups, drinking beer and some playing the guitar and singing. On that particular day, there was a guy who was practising his flame throwing baton (without the fire) and Lucas was totally fascinated. He kept going near the guy when he was resting and started talking to the man in baby talk and pointing at the baton. Lucas also started chasing the rugby ball thrown by a couple of guys ( to my single friends out there who are planning to visit me - take Lucas to the park and he will chat up all the guys for you!!!!!) who were totally charmed by him and even tried to throw the ball near Lucas for him to pick up.
Lucas also grabbed a ball from another little boy and threw the ball in the boy's face. Sigh. That was so bad :( But it was a light throw tho' the other boy's mom didn't look too happy. I asked Lucas to apologize and he lightly touched the other boy's face to say sorry :)
Yesterday I was feeling ambitious so I took Lucas shopping - BAD, BAD idea! He lasted the drive and about 15 minutes in the mall before he started fussing and pulling at the straps, wanting to get out of the stroller. So I left empty handed, bundled Lucas into the car and took him to his favourite cafe. As the carpark was full I had to make a loop and I forgot I was in France and started to turn right on the wrong side of the road. Luckily the van coming towards me was going slow and stopped and the car behind me didn't plow into me! It all happened really fast and my heart was still beating fast when we finally parked the car and walked to the cafe.
"Simply Food" is a small cafe with outdoor seating and a play area for toddlers at the back of the cafe. The owner has thoughtfully made the place child friendly with playmats and toddler tables and chairs and a lot of toys to keep the young ones occupied while mama and papa have their meals.
Lucas hasn't been eating a lot, as he is at the stage where he just likes to taste the food, so he has only a few mouthfuls of most foods I eat and I supplement his diet with his milk and cereal. However at Simply Food, Lucas loves the 3 cheese toasted panini. I actually considered going there everyday so Lucas will eat but at 4 euro a panini, its too much to have everyday.
When I came home, I found that Baby Center has sent me another email as Lucas is now 23 months 4 weeks old and what a nice coincidence - the article was about mothers with toddlers this age who isn't able to sit still for more than a few minutes. I'm so glad to read that its perfectly normal that Lucas will not let me shop or sit down and eat quietly. Mealtimes have been hard as he will sit for a few minutes and then he starts to get out of his highchair and climbs on my lap to eat from my plate. He does that for a few minutes more and then gets antsy and starts to climb on the dining table, or he pulls me to play with him. He is getting better at using the spoon but still prefers to use his hand. Mealtimes can get really messy at this household :)
A few weeks ago, while I was on Skype with my friends in London, Kelvin & Ling Ling, I overheard Ling Ling asking her son Kieran if he wants to go to his naughty corner and I asked Kelvin if it really works. So a few days ago, I tried the 'naughty corner" on Lucas as he was throwing a mother of a tantrum. I picked him up and placed him in a corner and told him (above his screaming and kicking) to stay in his naughty corner until he calms down. It didn't work as everytime I placed him there he would just run off screaming more. But after that incident whenever he starts to misbehave, I would point to the corner and said "do you want to go to your naughty corner" he would either protest loudly or calm down! We didn't even need to really explain to Lucas what is a naughty corner - he just understands!
Yesterday I made a quick run to Carrefour for some salads, and came home with 2 kgs of grapes for 1.87 euro! What a bargain! Its grapes and pears season now, so the fruit is in abundance. Lucas doesn't seem to like grapes very much. In fact he only seems to eat pears mashed into his cereal, sometimes I add applesauce. His favourite pasta right now is macaroni - I suppose its because its small enough for him to pick up with his little fingers.
Last week, I took Lucas to the playground at L'Ormeau. I like going to this place as Lucas is allowed to run in the grass, and on a nice sunny day, the college kids are out sitting on the grass in groups, drinking beer and some playing the guitar and singing. On that particular day, there was a guy who was practising his flame throwing baton (without the fire) and Lucas was totally fascinated. He kept going near the guy when he was resting and started talking to the man in baby talk and pointing at the baton. Lucas also started chasing the rugby ball thrown by a couple of guys ( to my single friends out there who are planning to visit me - take Lucas to the park and he will chat up all the guys for you!!!!!) who were totally charmed by him and even tried to throw the ball near Lucas for him to pick up.
Lucas also grabbed a ball from another little boy and threw the ball in the boy's face. Sigh. That was so bad :( But it was a light throw tho' the other boy's mom didn't look too happy. I asked Lucas to apologize and he lightly touched the other boy's face to say sorry :)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Lucas getting into mischief
Lucas is getting up to more and more mischief everyday! He has now learnt the art of opening doors so we cannot keep him out of the bathroom and the kitchen by just closing the door anymore. Furthermore he knows when he's doing something he should not be doing, and he will go to a corner to hide.
Yesterday my heart nearly stopped when I realized that Lucas has sneaked off while I was doing the dishes in the kitchen. I found Lucas in the bedroom with a steak knife in his hand - Fred left the knife on the table, an oversight on Fred's part that would have been costly if God hasn't been looking out for Lucas. I was so scared at the sight I checked him to see if he'd stabbed himself. Luckily he was distracted by the sight of his lovey on the bed!
Fred is still not very diligent with Lucas - I have to constantly nag at him not to leave his drinking glass on the table or his nicorette gum or his wine opener. Lucas on the other hand is swift as the wind and crafty as a fox when it comes to things he should not be touching in the first place.
Today he ran off to a dark corner with a pen and quickly tasted the pen before I took it away. He also likes to take the TV remote and take the batteries out - again in his little corner.
When he thinks I'm not looking, he will go to the kitchen drawer and lick all the spoons and forks before putting them back. He also likes to play with the onions and today he ran to his corner with an onion skin firmly lodged in his mouth.
He is also now tall enough to reach for Fred's espresso machine - another danger as Lucas keeps trying to pull the handle. I have told Fred again to remove the handle thingy that is sticking out of the machine after he finishes making his coffee or else one day Lucas will succeed in pulling the whole contraption down.
It would seem that nothing is spared in this apartment where Lucas is concerned. Everything is fair game to him - the tomatoes, the potatoes, the light switch, the laptop, the TV, the drawers, mama's jars and bottles of cosmetics, the shoes and the shoe rack, the broom, the hot stove, the pots and pans... the list just keeps growing bigger and bigger.
And its not that we have not told him no and pulled him away. He knows he must not touch, especially the hot stove, the washing machine and the TV, but it seems that the more we tell him not to do it, the more determined he is to touch it!
I have tried telling him No very firmly, to giving him a replacement so that he would not touch the forbidden. In the case of the TV, I have tried switching off the TV when he goes near the TV. I have even tried to smack his little hand - didn't work, he laughed at me instead. In the earlier days, all I had to do was remove him from the room and close the door. Now I can't even close the door! And Lucas is not even 2 yet - what will happen when he enters his terrible two??????
Yesterday my heart nearly stopped when I realized that Lucas has sneaked off while I was doing the dishes in the kitchen. I found Lucas in the bedroom with a steak knife in his hand - Fred left the knife on the table, an oversight on Fred's part that would have been costly if God hasn't been looking out for Lucas. I was so scared at the sight I checked him to see if he'd stabbed himself. Luckily he was distracted by the sight of his lovey on the bed!
Fred is still not very diligent with Lucas - I have to constantly nag at him not to leave his drinking glass on the table or his nicorette gum or his wine opener. Lucas on the other hand is swift as the wind and crafty as a fox when it comes to things he should not be touching in the first place.
Today he ran off to a dark corner with a pen and quickly tasted the pen before I took it away. He also likes to take the TV remote and take the batteries out - again in his little corner.
When he thinks I'm not looking, he will go to the kitchen drawer and lick all the spoons and forks before putting them back. He also likes to play with the onions and today he ran to his corner with an onion skin firmly lodged in his mouth.
He is also now tall enough to reach for Fred's espresso machine - another danger as Lucas keeps trying to pull the handle. I have told Fred again to remove the handle thingy that is sticking out of the machine after he finishes making his coffee or else one day Lucas will succeed in pulling the whole contraption down.
It would seem that nothing is spared in this apartment where Lucas is concerned. Everything is fair game to him - the tomatoes, the potatoes, the light switch, the laptop, the TV, the drawers, mama's jars and bottles of cosmetics, the shoes and the shoe rack, the broom, the hot stove, the pots and pans... the list just keeps growing bigger and bigger.
And its not that we have not told him no and pulled him away. He knows he must not touch, especially the hot stove, the washing machine and the TV, but it seems that the more we tell him not to do it, the more determined he is to touch it!
I have tried telling him No very firmly, to giving him a replacement so that he would not touch the forbidden. In the case of the TV, I have tried switching off the TV when he goes near the TV. I have even tried to smack his little hand - didn't work, he laughed at me instead. In the earlier days, all I had to do was remove him from the room and close the door. Now I can't even close the door! And Lucas is not even 2 yet - what will happen when he enters his terrible two??????
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Last day of summer
So, Autumn is finally here. Today will be the last day of summer. But for Lucas & I, Autumn started 2 days ago. Its been freezing here in Tarbes, waking up at 8 degrees in the morning, and the highest temperature after noon is 13 degrees. Last weekend, we went to Decathlon for some shopping - we bought polaire wool pullovers for Lucas & I (very cheap, as I am able to wear clothes made for a 12 year old, we paid 10 euro for each pullover. Lucas' pullover was 12 euro). We also got Lucas a winter parka in orange. He couldn't fit into a 2 year old parka, so we bought him a 3 year old one which is a bit roomy but should be just nice after he has his sweater underneath. We also got Lucas a pair of ski boots for 12 euro and a pair of sneakers for 10 euro.
Next week, we will go shopping for Lucas' long sleeve Tshirts, winter socks and PJs. We will also be looking for a small radiator for Lucas.
I wanted to get a doona (filled with down) but Fred is allergic, so I guess we have to settle for a hot water bottle or an electric blanket.
Last night was so cold for Lucas & I, we started heating up the apartment. Even then, Lucas woke up feeling cold and snuggled into our bed.
Today when I went to pick up Lucas at creche, I noticed that he had a long scratch under his left eye. Unfortunately the caregiver didn't give me any explanations and instead Fred had to call her to ask what happened. Apparently one of Lucas' new friends threw a toy at him, barely missing his eye. The caregiver assured Fred that Lucas is fine and that she had already applied some anti septic on the wound. But I can't help but feel that maybe they were not very diligent in their work. I noticed the last time I went to pick Lucas, he was playing on his own outside in the garden. One of the caregivers was sitting in the porch on a blanket with a baby on her lap. Lucas and 5 others were left to play outside on their own. While this may help foster independant play in the toddlers I wonder if I should be looking for another creche, as I know that I will worry everytime I drop Lucas off. Or will the other creche be the same?
Next week, we will go shopping for Lucas' long sleeve Tshirts, winter socks and PJs. We will also be looking for a small radiator for Lucas.
I wanted to get a doona (filled with down) but Fred is allergic, so I guess we have to settle for a hot water bottle or an electric blanket.
Last night was so cold for Lucas & I, we started heating up the apartment. Even then, Lucas woke up feeling cold and snuggled into our bed.
Today when I went to pick up Lucas at creche, I noticed that he had a long scratch under his left eye. Unfortunately the caregiver didn't give me any explanations and instead Fred had to call her to ask what happened. Apparently one of Lucas' new friends threw a toy at him, barely missing his eye. The caregiver assured Fred that Lucas is fine and that she had already applied some anti septic on the wound. But I can't help but feel that maybe they were not very diligent in their work. I noticed the last time I went to pick Lucas, he was playing on his own outside in the garden. One of the caregivers was sitting in the porch on a blanket with a baby on her lap. Lucas and 5 others were left to play outside on their own. While this may help foster independant play in the toddlers I wonder if I should be looking for another creche, as I know that I will worry everytime I drop Lucas off. Or will the other creche be the same?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Car wash and cleaning
My new classmates have "thawed" their cool attitude with me, 2 of them were even kind enough to help me watch my car when I was backing out of the carpark as my back was partly blocked by a mobile library.
Yesterday's class focused on speaking french and while I was not the worst, definitely 90% of my classmates are more advanced than I am! When I am unsure about a word or a phrase, the English ladies help me with the English translation :)
This morning Lucas is at an additional creche session. The Headmistress told me that she had an opening this morning if Lucas wanted to join, so I dropped him off at 9 am. The apartment is so still without him running around! I have finished the laundry and cleaning the apartment and I still have 2 hours before I need to pick Lucas. I think I have gone through such little time on my own and have gotten used to being busy with Lucas, I am at a loss here as I don't know what to do with myself!!!! Its also freaking cold today - 8 degrees, or else I'd go wash the car.
Oh, in France, you wash your car yourself :( I was totally spoilt in KL where I paid RM35 to the gardener to wash my car twice a week and once a month I sent my car to Mid Valley to get it waxed for RM30 (Its cheap as I had the membership for Cars Intl).
Here, I need to bring coins to operate the water hose and vacuum and its all DIY.
Fred stayed up til 2 am last night cleaning :) We were watching a weekly TV program where these 2 ladies would go to people's houses and teach these people how to clean. The program was really shocking as I could not believe how these people could live in such squallor!
One woman would eat in bed and throw her food wrappers and yoghurt cups by her bed and would leave it there. Her apartment was disgusting. Her bathroom and toilet were filthy, WORST than any public toilets you find in Malaysia! Her kitchen was full of unwashed dishes and pots and pans with fungus and her microwave had to be thrown out! Clothes strewn all over the apartment and her bedsheets were horrible and had yucky stains, looked like she hasn't washed or changed those sheets for years. The host of the show actually asked her how she can stand the stench in the apartment and she said she doesn't smell anything!!!! It was so gross. I didn't stay up for the 2nd house as it was already 11, so Fred continued watching alone and was so grossed out by the 2nd house (there were dead mice and dog poop everywhere in the house) he started cleaning, wiping down surfaces to get rid of bacteria.
Anyway we learnt that using lemons to clean surfaces, including the floor is the best. The host also advocated mixing lemon with white vinegar. For bad odours, she grated oranges, mixed the grate with orange juice and cinnammon in a bowl. She also cut a lemon into 2 and left the lemon wedge in the fridge to get rid of the bad smell.
Yesterday's class focused on speaking french and while I was not the worst, definitely 90% of my classmates are more advanced than I am! When I am unsure about a word or a phrase, the English ladies help me with the English translation :)
This morning Lucas is at an additional creche session. The Headmistress told me that she had an opening this morning if Lucas wanted to join, so I dropped him off at 9 am. The apartment is so still without him running around! I have finished the laundry and cleaning the apartment and I still have 2 hours before I need to pick Lucas. I think I have gone through such little time on my own and have gotten used to being busy with Lucas, I am at a loss here as I don't know what to do with myself!!!! Its also freaking cold today - 8 degrees, or else I'd go wash the car.
Oh, in France, you wash your car yourself :( I was totally spoilt in KL where I paid RM35 to the gardener to wash my car twice a week and once a month I sent my car to Mid Valley to get it waxed for RM30 (Its cheap as I had the membership for Cars Intl).
Here, I need to bring coins to operate the water hose and vacuum and its all DIY.
Fred stayed up til 2 am last night cleaning :) We were watching a weekly TV program where these 2 ladies would go to people's houses and teach these people how to clean. The program was really shocking as I could not believe how these people could live in such squallor!
One woman would eat in bed and throw her food wrappers and yoghurt cups by her bed and would leave it there. Her apartment was disgusting. Her bathroom and toilet were filthy, WORST than any public toilets you find in Malaysia! Her kitchen was full of unwashed dishes and pots and pans with fungus and her microwave had to be thrown out! Clothes strewn all over the apartment and her bedsheets were horrible and had yucky stains, looked like she hasn't washed or changed those sheets for years. The host of the show actually asked her how she can stand the stench in the apartment and she said she doesn't smell anything!!!! It was so gross. I didn't stay up for the 2nd house as it was already 11, so Fred continued watching alone and was so grossed out by the 2nd house (there were dead mice and dog poop everywhere in the house) he started cleaning, wiping down surfaces to get rid of bacteria.
Anyway we learnt that using lemons to clean surfaces, including the floor is the best. The host also advocated mixing lemon with white vinegar. For bad odours, she grated oranges, mixed the grate with orange juice and cinnammon in a bowl. She also cut a lemon into 2 and left the lemon wedge in the fridge to get rid of the bad smell.
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