If you (or any of your friends – spread the word!!) are interested to get any of these books, please send an email to dottieshop@gmail.com. All books will be sold at $4, inclusive of postage to anywhere in Singapore. And all books are in pretty tip top condition, cos we do take good care of our stash.

Thank you!!

1. Who you are when no one’s looking – Bill Hybels

2. The Revelation of John (Daily Study Bible Series) vol 1 & 2 – William Barclay

3. Men with a message - John Stott

4. Moments together for couples (devotional) – Dennis & Barbara Rainey

5. Moments with you (devotional) – Dennis & Barbara Rainey

6. Reel spirituality – Robert K. Johnston

7. Brokenness – Nancy Leigh DeMoss

8. Praying for purpose (for women) – Katie Brazelton

9. The Holy Spirit – Billy Graham (selling at $2 cos pages are quite yellowed)

10. Confessions of a prayer wimp – Mary Pierce

11. Every thought captive – Jerusha Clark

12. Women who love too much – Robin Norwood – this one is not spiritual

We cleared one whole bookshelf worth of stuff and put dottieshop table into storage (I’ll use the dining table from now on) to make more room for David to run about and play and read in his room. Also rearranged stuff a bit in view of future sharing of the room with baby no2. And finally, the storeroom got its much-needed sorting out.

And for a bit of festive cheer, we strung up pink and white roses (got these on our honeymoon and found them in the storeroom…) and attempted to make mini ang pow lanterns with David, inspired by another mummy. In the end I made them, because he was bent on ripping every available ang pow to shreds. Heh!

I really enjoy thinking up these activities, mostly adapted from other mummy bloggers or books I’ve read. There are lots of ideas floating around waiting to happen, but something that we’ve actually started on for the past two weeks is his salad bowl.

Was inspired to make him a salad from colored foam that I saw on a website, which I can’t remember now. :b I chose ham (red), cheese (yellow) and leafy veggies (green). You can get colored A4 foam sheets from Popular. Just cut them up into pieces that sort of resemble the actual ingredient and you’re set to go!

First I let him just mess around with all the pieces in a huge bowl. He liked feeling the foam and trying to tear it (without success, heh heh) or bend it. Then I taught him to toss, which was a tad messy, but fun! After that his ‘job’ is to sort out all the pieces into three cups (from Ikea) which are pink, yellow and green. He’s still getting the hang of this, so I help him by pointing to the right cup if he got it wrong. Every time he puts a piece in the correctly colored cup, we both clap enthusiastically. Yes, I believe in self-praise! Hee…

Later on, I’m hoping I can use these same pieces to introduce counting to him. Like “please put 5 pieces of cheese into this bowl”, or something to that effect… I’d also like to bring him to the different types of farms – pig, cow, hydroponics – to see how the food got into his bowl. When he’s a bit older, of course…

Pics akan datang…

Now I’m trying to think of ways to introduce him to shapes. After a while, the hubby and I have accepted that the boy does NOT like shape sorters. He just doesn’t get why he has to put all the shapes back INTO the box. I think it’s because we taught him to keep his toys after he plays, so he thinks it’s ridiculous to have a toy that only involves keeping (?!?!) Haha!

So instead of forcing him to enjoy his shape sorter toy, I’ve decided to try a different tack. This morning, I cut a huge circle to paste on his cupboard, and throughout the day, I have been pointing out different circle objects to him around the house, like the plate, the clock, his ball etc. This week will be ‘circle week’, next week ‘square week’, and … we’ll see how it goes…

It’s encouraging to see that he does pay attention every time I tell him something is a circle. Hopefully, over time, he will understand the concept and the word. As for the motor skills aspect of the shape sorter toy, well from watching him at his toy kitchen and with his other various toys, I’m pretty sure he’s doing ok in that arena… :b

Would love to hear if any of you mummies have any tips for some other fun learning activities I can do with my almost 16 month old!

First page and a half done! Envie for a few more pics, David’s first hand-made Christmas card, and a Christmas letter from mummy.

Well, there are several reasons why I have been absent from my blog for a while. December was exceptionally busy, with Christmas events to attend, shopping to do, and since the hubby was on leave, lots of fun family outings with David. Also, the boy had a bout of bronchilitis which was NOT fun. And we made the transition of moving him to his own room and patting him to sleep on the mattress (versus carrying him which we had been doing till then). So.

BUT probably the most significant reason of all was that I was feeling pretty terrible most days. Very tired, lethargic, nauseas etc… It started around the end of November, but the doctor I saw diagnosed it as stomach flu and we accepted it as such.

Except that, after more than a week, the symptoms hadn’t abated much. I got suspicious, and took the test a week before Christmas. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised to find that I was preggers!! To be honest, there was a certain amount of shock, and quite a wave of stress that swept over me (how to handle two?!?! and David is still so young!!) but this was definitely overshadowed by the immense sense of joy, amazement and thankfulness that He has blessed us with another precious child.

Wow.

Thank You Jesus

So anyway, over the past few weeks, we have shared the happy tidings with family and a few close friends, but after the gynae visit yesterday (she was fully booked the whole of Dec), I think it’s time to announce the news, because we are TWELVE WEEKS, people!

Yeah, we got a shock hearing that too.

So it looks like the first trimester will be ending soon, and hopefully all this nausea and tiredness will disappear or be drastically reduced

Baby Chow is due in July. So we have about 6 months plus to get ourselves and David mentally and emotionally prepared to welcome the newest member of our family! I am so excited/stressed/amazed I sometimes have trouble falling asleep :b Haha!

Do pray for us, that we would have the wisdom and peace to handle this new transition from a family of three to four, especially that we would be able to prepare David as much as possible for the arrival of his sibling. Our hope and prayer is that he would not feel any less loved or special when the second one comes along.

Oh, and yes, whoever has my maternity clothes/books, can I trouble you to return to me? I am not sure who has what… haha!

A ton of blog posts floating in my mind that are not typed out yet (and I despair to think of when I will get down to it)

A sink full of washed but not dried dishes

Tired feet and an achy back from sleeping on the hard mattress in David’s room last night (hubby and I took turns cos he puked)

But… a million and one things to be thankful for this blessed Christmas Eve.

Earlier tonight, we had family cookout – beef burgers with caramelized onions, grilled tomatoes, rocket and some wedges on the side – and watched Fred Claus on the telly. Then we sang a couple of carols together and prayed with David, giving thanks for Baby Jesus who was born so many years ago and loved/loves us so… and then we unwrapped all the presents underneath our tree (90% David’s) and set up his gift from us (a kitchenette) which took almost an hour :b

The perfect Eve.

I’m looking forward to church service tomorrow. To singing familiar Christmas carols and giving and receiving gifts of love. To the family lunch after that, and then a restful afternoon (we hope!).

I wonder how you are celebrating Christmas?

Merry Christmas to one and all, with love. 

Some of my favorite authors include Rosamunde Pilcher, Sophie Kinsella and Hester Browne

So anyway, I whipped out my brand new book, still all bundled up in plastic wrap, as soon as my final essay was done – sort of like a reward for all my hard work! Heh. The Little Women Letters, by Gabrielle Donnelly. And it didn’t disappoint. I was hooked, from page one to the end. Then again, the english way of writing always captivates me.

There are so many interesting anecdotes and conversations scattered about the book, about that thing called love + marriage. Here are just a couple:

Treats – the secret to a happy homemaker
Fee (the mother): “You cook far more than he does, you’re the one who notices when you run out of milk, you’re the one who does the laundry, you were the one who chose his mother’s birthday card. It always happens… a very great deal of it is tedious and repetitive, and if we women aren’t very careful, the best of us can find ourselves turning into a drudge. So – do you know what the answer is?”

Emma (daughter about to get married): “Communication? Drawing boundaries and sticking to them?”

Fee shook her head, leaned forward over the table and laid a hand on her daughter’s. “Treats”

“Treats?”

“I’ve noticed over the years that men have very little hesitation in buying themselves treats when they feel they deserve one… and my philosophy is that, is they’re allowed to reward themselves on occasion, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t be, too. It’s very important indeed that we allow ourselves to splurge occasionally on things that will make us feel good about ourselves. It’s very healthy, in fact…. I don’t suggest buying designer shoes every day of the week. And I certainly don’t suggest spending that sum of money in the future without discussing it with Matthew (fiancé) first. But I do strongly believe that if you find something makes you feel truly, wonderfully, fabulous, then in the long run, it’s the best and healthiest thing, both for you individually and for the marriage you’ll create, if you allow yourself to have it.”

And here’s another bit from another conversation between this mother and daughter: Compromise versus sacrifice

Emma: “Aren’t you supposed to make sacrifices? Isn’t that what marriage is supposed to be about, two people doing for each other things they don’t necessarily want to do for themselves?”

Fee: “It’s about two people compromising. It’s about two people caring for each other and wanting to do as much as they can to make each other happy while still maintaining their own self-respect, which can sometimes get complicated… we all want to make compromises for our spouse. But when compromise gets into sacrifice, then that’s where the territory becomes dangerous because that’s when resentments can build up. And the problem with navigating this territory is that there is no map, because what’s compromise for one person might be the most terrible sacrifice for another.”

I finished the book in happy tears, but then I’m easily moved. Still, I do think this is a really lovely book, if you’re looking for something to read on the couch, especially on one of these increasingly-regular rainy afternoons in December

Dear David,

Daddy and I are really relieved that the bout of bronchialitis seems to be on the tail end now… there was that one night where you (and we) hardly slept a wink because you couldn’t breathe and we half thought of sending you to the A&E. Thank God you are doing ok now, and thanks to the nice nurse at your favorite doctor, we’ve been trying out some ways to help you get better and stay healthier.

One of which is that you now sleep with a fan instead of air con. We had originally meant to move you to your own room when you could sleep through the night, but decided instead to move you about a week ago, and we’ve been camping in your room these past few days to get you used to the new sleeping environment. Mummy is very pampered, so sleeping with a fan means I wake up every hour plus or so for no rhyme or reason. Not fun. But the good thing is you do seem to be sleeping better now, and only wake up once or twice each night.

Soon we’ll be ‘moving’ back to our room, and we hope and pray you’ll be okay when that happens. Know that we’ll come to be with you when you wake up in the night and feel lonesome or scared. We’ll be there. Neither of us are proponents of the cry-it-out method; somehow it’s just not in us to be willing/able to do that. But at the same time, you can’t sleep in our room forever, and so, very gently, we want to encourage you to move on to this next level of sleeping in your own room.

Mummy is so sentimental, I teared the first night we laid you down to sleep in your cot in your own room… I know that although I often complain about the sleepless nights we’ve had many-a-times, I will dreadfully miss waking up in the middle of the night and seeing your sleeping form so angelically lying across the room. I will miss sneaking little peeks at you as I’m doing my assignments late at night on the bed. I will miss stopping by the cot to give you a pat and a kiss before turning into bed.

I guess I can still do those things even though you’re in another room, but it’ll just be… slightly different.

Parenting, I suppose, is as much about the parents growing up as the child. In so many ways, Daddy and I have to learn to grow up as parents, to let go when the time is right, to encourage you to grow and be independent, to know when to be firm and set rules – and it all keeps changing, every month, every year.

But you, you are growing up just beautifully. Every day you are learning new words, making new connections, trying new methods of doing things, hitting furniture in new ways (ouch!), making us laugh with joy and pride, sigh with frustration, pray with grateful and thirsty hearts.

You are the sunshine in so many people’s lives, especially your yeye, mama, grandpa, and grandma. And you never, ever fail to brighten up our day with your sweet smile and adorable babble/gestures. How thankful we are that you are in our lives!

Much love,

Mummy

Reason #1: I was rushing to finish my last two essays. So happy that it is DONE and I can now enjoy my December!! I shall not be kiasu and start studying for the exam… shall leave it till after Christmas…

Reason #2: David and I were both sick. First I got stomach flu – it’s my first time getting it and NO FUN AT ALL. Poor boy prob caught some form of the virus from me, cos his bronchialitis came back with a vengeance. Thank God that we didn’t have to ward him – regular puffs of ventolin over 2 days more or less stabilized his breathing and he’s on the road to recovery as I type.

Reason #3: Sheer laziness. #1 and #2 left us all feeling drained, to say the least. I just couldn’t muster up the energy to think about what to blog about and actually blog. Oops!

But enough of the silence. I just have to share our darling’s expanding vocal with you, cos it’s so cute and we just can’t get over how adorable his little voice sounds! And yes, I’m a super uber proud mama!! Here’s David’s Vocab 101 for the uninitiated, in order of their appearance:

Ait
means “light”
The first word he says as soon as he wakes up. The first word he says in the lift. Also his favorite wording general.

Duck
means “duck”(!!)
On account of there being duck ornaments at both sets of parents’ homes, and in many of his picture books, somehow he picked this up. And he loves watching this video. Watch it!

Anana
means “banana”
We have been trying to introduce him to mandarin books, and I was pretty impressed that he knows “xiang1 jiao1″ is “banana”! Definitely way more advanced than mummy when I was his age…

Ray
means “grape”
Same, from his mandarin books, and he knows it’s “pu2 tao2″. *Mummy hides her face in shame*

Egg
means “egg” lah!
I was cooking him a hard boiled egg and I showed it to him and told him it was “egg” and suddenly, just like that, he learnt a new word.

Eek eek
means “Eek eek!” the sound made by the mouse in his animal book
He says “eek eek” for the cat sound too. Haha… cos the cat and mouse are on the same page.

and his latest word…

I Ree
means “I read”
At the end of his “What do they do?” book, he is asked the question “What do you do?” To our amusement, just this morning, he replied “I ree!” Tee hee…

We stuck these colorful banners on the wall a couple weeks ago. Got the story of creation from the mass media sale, and David was instantly busy with trying to pluck them OFF the wall. Sheesh… well anyway, now that he’s finally given up on that endeavor, I’ve tried to include bits of the creation story in our art times. A couple of days ago, we did “God created the stars” by letting him paste shiny stars on his finger-painted page. Those stickers are super easy to get – any stationery shop will sell them – and pretty cheap at a dollar plus for 5 colors of 1 sheet per colour

Today I was at the provision shop downstairs buying bread when I caught sight of a pack of puffy fish stickers, and bought them on an impulse. So we did “God made the fish” this morning, using tissue paper to swipe paint across his page so it looked more ‘water-like’.

In case you’re wondering, of course I helped him paste the stickers. He was so cute, he would keep trying to stick them on the paper, but the sticky side would be stuck to his hand instead. Haha… so I let him point to where he wants to stick, then hold his hand and maneuver it such that he can paste the sticker and then remind him to “press press press”! It’s really fun!!