How did I manage to reach the last day of 2014 with my sanity still intact amazes me!!  **gives myself 2 pats on the back**. 

This has been one crazily hectic and chaotic year trying to keep the delicate balance between work and family (plus finding out that we are expecting #3 midway through the year). All along, I have read many articles giving much credit to full time stay at home moms and how much they go through/ have sacrificed, but I think (pregnant) full time working moms without household help should be given due credit too. Perhaps even more. Basically I have no personal/ alone time as the entire waking part of the day and all weekends are consumed either by work and/or family and/or housework. Sometimes during a rare quiet moment, Mark and I will hold hands and ponder 'how did we manage to do it?'. Honestly, I am really proud how much we have achieved and how far we have come.. and how I have not caved in to getting a helper despite Mark's constant talk about hiring domestic help. Much as I'd like more time to myself and be able to take a breather now and then, I enjoy every moment that I spend with the boys and I know they are growing up fast, so I want to be as invovled in their lives as I possibly can while they are still little (and before #3 comes along).

Every now and then, I may moan and groan about being tired and not getting enough sleep, but overall, 2014 has been a rewarding and fulfilling year for me. I wouldn't want to change this for anything else. Counting down excitedly for #3 to join our family... fingers crossed that labour will be smooth like the last 2 times and baby will be happy and healthy.

Happy 2015 from the Lee's... May the new year be more rewarding and fulfilling than the last one!!

"Will you marry me, mommy?"

My darling little bun came home one night with a ballon flower and then got down on one knee and proposed to me!!! This is one of the sweetest things he's ever done and it brought tears to my eyes (was tickled by what he did and also touched at the same time). 

I am sure he has no idea what 'will you marry me?" means, but I am secretly happy that I am the first girl he 'proposed' to!! HAHAHAHA!!!

(This boy.. more romantic than his daddy for sure!).

Merry Christmas!!

This year's Christmas Day is very low-key and we spent it at home because my tummy has reached epic proportions. This is the biggest I have ever seen my tummy and I have barely reached 37 weeks/ full term! Sitting for too long is tough as there's pressure on my pelvic region, and walking/standing causes quite a bit of pain and discomfort. I have never felt this way during the times when I was pregnant with the boys.. in fact, I was very mobile right up till the day I delivered them. Everyone comments that my tummy is huge (I have witnessed stunned looks from strangers when they see my tummy.. seriously). Anyway, I am going to enjoy the last few days/weeks of being pregnant cos I am sure this will be the last pregnancy for me. 

Sadly (and unsurprisingly), the boys were in cahoots and did not cooperate when we tried to take a family picture to commemorate our last Christmas as a family of 4 (this was taken in late November when I was still mobile). We took numerous shots but apparently this one was the BEST one... I am not joking. Boys.. **sigh of resignation**

Looking wistfully every morning as his much loved and idolised big brother goes off to school leaving him behind for the next 4 hours (one'd think he'd enjoy this precious 4 hours of peace and also being the centre of attention as the only child.. but apparently not). Sometimes he cries when 'kor kor' (big brother) leaves the car and it'd take a while for me to settle him down and tell him that 'kor kor is in school'. 

Little Bun is 38 Months Old!!

This boy... the love and also the nightmare of my life... When he is crabby, he makes me want to pull my hair (and his too) out. When he is in a good mood, he can be so utterly charming and lovable. Two extremes... 

He can now hold decent 'conversations' with us although we sometimes struggle to make out what he says cos he's been watching cartoons in ermmm.. Russian (Masha and the bear), Spanish (Dora) and God knows what else when we don't notice. 

Oh and I am having a MAJOR headache trying to get him to cut his hair. He avoids the hair salon like plague and no amount of negotiating, cajoling, cooercing, bribing, you name it - seems to work. 

Happy 38 months, little bun. I hope you will let us cut your hair soon. Please. 

My Cheeky Monkey!

Little Bun #2 is 21 Months Old!!

Little Master Sunshine is 21 months old!! I know I am his mom and my opinions are horribly biased, but this little boy is such a sweetheart.. super easy-going and sweet natured (i.e. totally the opposite of his big brother.. heheheh!!). Seriously I think all firstborns (excluding moi) are programmed to be spoiled and more self-centered with a more wary attitude in life whereas second borns usually are more mild tempered, easy-going and sensitive with a more adventurous and daring disposition. 

He can now say his own name (and point at his nose at the same time).. he calls me 'ah-mi' instead of 'mommi' and can now say Huskee and Hershey's names clearly. iPad is called 'ah-pad' and he can now name most of his favourite toys i.e. Elmo, car, ball, gun (sometimes also called 'bang bang'), etc. 

Happy 21 months to my Den-den boy!!! It's such a joy watching you grow up.. We love you heaps (yes, including that big brother whom you so lovingly idolise..).

I was working on my laptop trying to clear some work one night. Den-den was on the bed with me playing with his toys and when I looked down some 15min later, this is what I saw. He couldn't get access to my thumbs obviously as I was busy typing, so he made do and settled with my toes and promtly fell asleep at my feet! 

Thank you,God, for giving me such a sweet, lovable and easy-going little boy.. 

Been craaazzzzy busy trying to clear up and handover all my work before my annual leave/ maternity leave commences. Counting down the days but for now, will have to grin and bear with the next few weeks with two two client reviews to complete by mid-Dec, prepare my handover documents/ checklist for colleagues who will be taking over my portfolio during the time which I'd be away.

Blog will have to suffer some neglect for a while..

Christmas is just a month away! All the malls are decked out since 2 weeks ago (cyncial me thinks it's all a marketing gimmick to make consumers start their Christmas shopping early!), but I do enjoy the Christmas carols and the general atmosphere where most people (including yours truly) are relaxed and looking at ways to spend their moolah!

And here we are at our attempt for a Christmas family photo.. Epic failure. One is pulling a funny face and the other one is determined NOT to look at the camera. Pffffffttttt!!

Den-den waiting for his brunch to be served... As he grows up, he's beginning to look less like me (general consensus from family and friends) and more like Mark. :(

He certainly has Mark's distinctive hairline (sorry, son!), this I don't deny... 

Little Bun is 37 Months Old!!

Happy 37 months to my cheeky monkey!!

To be entirely honest, you have not been the easiest kid and your temper tantrums can be legendary.. Your mood swings can be a nightmare too and the smallest trigger can transform you from a sweet angel to a scary monster (or vice versa). Everyone says it's because we (aka your parents) have spoiled you rotten (which we would like to politely disagree). The thing is you have all of us (parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers) wrapped around your little fingers.. you know which buttons to push and with who you can push them with.

You can be naughty/ cranky for 2 hours and when we are all at our wit's end and ready to throttle you, you will suddenly snap out of it and say or do the sweetest things that make those 2 nightmarish hours a distant memory. All will be quickly forgiven and you will be back to your sweet, angelic (and manipulative??) self. 

Angel or devil, we are so glad you came into our lives and turned it upside down. You definitely make your presence felt no matter where you go!  You never fail to surprise us with the things you learn and every moment with you is such a joy (*Exclusion clause: excluding temper tantrum episodes*).

My finger monster is STILL at it!! Good thing that Mark was his 'victim' last night and I was able to take a picture of Den-den in action (although I am still his #1 victim since this is how he soothes himself to sleep. Every. Single. Night. 

Please Do Not Disturb.. 

Power rubbing in progress!

Little Bun #2 is 20 Months Old!!

Another 4 months to go before Den-den turns 2 years old! My little cheeky sunshine turns 20 months and he continues to bring SO much joy into our family. I am happy to see how he is begining to bond and interact a lot more with his big brother. The first word that comes out from his mouth when he wakes up every morning is 'kor kor' (big brother), and that's also the last word he utters before drifting off to sleep at night. 

I love to see how he totters off in search of his 'kor kor'  in the other room every morning.. I love how he shares his snacks and feeds his 'kor kor' (basically stuffing them into his mouth regardless of whether 'kor kor' wants them!).. I love how he picks out 2 guns from the toy basket and then promptly hands one to his 'kor kor'. I cannot get enough of his hearty chuckles when I tickle him or blow butterflies on his tummy. 

Thank you for being just the way you are, sweet Den-den.. you are such a special little boy and mommy wants you to know we love you so darn much!

Happy 20 months!!

Den-den: Will you share the bun with me? Pretty please?!

Clearly the answer from little bun was a 'no'..

Den-den: Fine.. I have my own bun too!! **munch munch**

Hmmm.. how come little Den-den looks like the 'big brother' in this photo? There is a 17 month age gap between my boys, but they actually weigh the same now. Little bun is about half a head taller than Den-den but I think it won't be too long before his little brother catches up with him. Little bun has a small frame and bones (like his momma) and Den-den has a much stockier/ sturdier frame.

Den-den makes the funniest expressions ever, and I am glad I caught this one on camera! (I think he was trying to lick away the bath foam on his cheek.. 

Halloween 2014

A week before Halloween, little bun's teachers sent a note to all parents to dress the kids up on the actual day as they will have a small party in school (just wish they would give more notice to this sort of things because we have never been big on celebrating Halloween and I of course, didn't think of dressing him up). Anyway, I (barely) managed to pull something together and errr... ok at least I should get an 'A' for trying. Little bun was quite impressed with his Halloween-inspired cape and his ummm.. pumpkin cross bat head-piece. (On the other hand, my Den-den would not put up with the nonsense, he promptly whipped it off, threw it on the ground and gave me a disdainful glance before walking away). 

Some chocolate treats for his classmates..

I even managed to make these Rattlesnake Jellies for his class and teachers! (Stole the idea from the internet.. heheheh..)

We got around to buying them this little table (from IKEA) so that they have somewhere where they can create a mess draw/ color/ play with their Play-Doh/ watch their iPads. At least now the mess is confined to one area! Why didn't we think of this earlier??!

Yup... School excursion AGAIN!!! Have lost count how many excursions he'd gone to ever since we sent him to school in January this year.. kids these days are SO lucky!

This time the school brought them to a fish farm (I think mainly aquarium fish).. and then horror of all horrors!! Each kid got to bring home a small tank with 5 or 6 guppy-like fishes (no idea what they are). I totally was not expecting this, and do not condone it. From the educational point of view, I don't think giving 3 year old kids live pets is a good idea at all. It is not good to give anything that is alive as gifts!! NOT that they know how to care for the fishes (except how little bun over zealously tries to overfeed them). From the point of view of a nervous parent, how am I supposed to explain to my kid when the fishes die?!! Grrrr... I am sure it was done with no ill intent, but someone clearly wasn't thinking.  

Anyway, little bun was pretty excited about his new pets and I think he's named ALL of them 'Dorothy' (after Elmo's fish). 

My sweet baby boy has become a 'Finger Monster'!! He searches for my thumb/s whenever he feels like it, but especially when he is tired and wants to daze/ nap. He will just quietly walk to wherever I am and regardless of what I am doing, he will reach for my thumb/s (could be either or both, whichever option he feels like at that moment) and start rubbing in a trance-like way.

If I pull away or walk away, he will get really upset (which is a rare thing for him).

I caught him in the act yesterday evening... 

Dear Son, 

Momma would really like to have her thumbs back, pretty please?!

Errrr.. Is it me or does Den-den look bigger than little bun in this pic? (For the record, they weigh the same now.)

Little Bun is 3 Years Old!!

This lucky little boy has not one, but THREE birthday cakes for his 3rd birthday. 

His birthday fell on a Saturday so on the day before, we brought a cake and some goodie bags for a small celebration in his class. I think he was quite stunned and puzzled to see Mark and I appear in his class out of the blue.

On the actual day, we had another mini celebration at home with yet another Toy Story cake (slightly different from the one the day before) just before we headed off to our staycation. 

Funniest pic ever.. birthday born is yawning and his little brother is looking somewhat annoyed.

After that we checked into a hotel at Sentosa (it was a rather last monute decision to book a staycation.. I caved in cos he kept asking to 'go hotel' for the few days before his birthday. I suspect Mark put him up to it.) Glad we did it anyway cos the boys (Mark included) had lots of fun... 

The big, big bed and my 2 small, small boys

Little bun was happily rolling on the (artificial) grass at the private patio that is just outside our room. I think Mark thought it'd be funny to put Den-den on him to stop his rolling.. It worked!

A classic example of 'Monkey see, Monkey do'

Birthday boy competely knocked out at 7.30pm while we were waiting for room service to deliver his 3rd cake!! 

The father and little brother happily bonding - this is a rare moment cos usually little bun demands all of his daddy's attention!

 Shhh... don't tell kor kor!!

Next day someone woke up really early and FULLY charged.. continued his rolling on the grass and I have no idea why he placed that pebble on his forehead. 

Clearly this little boy is still stoning..

After breakfast, it is off to the pool! The boys' favorite activity these days. I have spent a mini fortune on swimming diapers..