autumn is here...

These shots were taken about one week after the other.

"Mommy, it's autumn now. When will it be winter?"
"When all the leaves from all the trees are on the ground..."
Usually at the end of November, there's always been a little snow. Not a hefty lot, just enough to get you excited over the coming winter. But this year, there's still no sign of snow.

picture perfect...

My parents left last night, Alan's gone on his IP trips, and I hardly had a wink last night because Kristin woke up at 5.30am for milk. When I found her, she had stripped herself off her bodysuit... how did she manage to do that??? She was pretty cold and was wailing at the top of her lungs! By the time I dropped Bryan off at school at 9am, I was so exhausted... But, Julie - Bryan's teacher - showed me this:

Yes, that made my day!

resting in the garden...

Kristin fell asleep at noon, and I was wondering what I should do before going back to Carl Schurz to pick up Bryan at two. Didn't want to be out shopping since Kris hadn't had lunch yet. So I decided to turn into the Palmengarten. It was an excellent move. The sun was out, finally. And I just laid myself on a bench, enjoying a tan on my face - the rest of the body is thickly covered.

What a beautiful autumn day!

at mama's university...

Just a walk down the memory lane...

"This is where mommy went to school, Bryan. Let's take a picture."

Well, you've seen it. I don't think Bryan will share my alma mater.

Daddy is keen to take him to visit his university in Berlin, some time soon.

some updates...

I haven't posted anything for months already. Have finally decided to give you a few lines here and there and some photos to show you the highlights of the passed months. But please bear with me, I can't do everything in one single post, only as time allows. June till November is a huge gap to be filled. Anyway, this is my feeble attempt in the meanwhile:

June 06 - World Cup
We were strolling along the Main on the Sunday before the World Cup opened, hoping to catch on some World Cup heat. And we did. Here's a crazy soccer fan from SG supporting the host country. They start young, as you can see here. :)

July 06 - London: Here we come!

This is one of the most interesting months for Bryan when he was out alone with Mommy spending time together and roaming around the streets in Central London, while Daddy was cooped up in a hotel's conference room, working hard away on his mid year review. The trip began with us taking a coach out to the plane. Bryan got to see a real size airplane for the first time in his life. This is different from the aerobridge experience, where one just feels that the plane is just down the corridor.

We did some shopping, some sights (Bryan wanted to see the London Bridge and I wanted to show him the Tower of London and Tower Bridge - the better looking one among the bridges), went to some toy shops and bookshops. Nothing much, except Bryan was thrilled that everyone speaks a language he can understand, i.e. English. Shocking, even the cartoons he watched on the TV could be easily understood.

Hmmm, this IS the London Bridge? No, Mommy, this is just a road! Well, yes, if you don't go under the bridge, it just looks like a road on the surface. No, Mom... not this bridge! This is not the London Bridge. You are wrong! - This was Bryan's disappointment that London Bridge is a pretty plain bridge.

Bye-bye, Train! Bye-bye, London! See ya' again!

You can view more photos on the trip here.

what beautiful colours, mom!

This was taken below our apartment. The children and I are so fascinated by the number of colours we can identify on a beautiful autumn day.

Bryan always insists that there are purple leaves. At first, I thought it was a figment of his imagination. But it's true... I mean not the bright purple you might think, it's more of a deep magenta that you see there.

aug 22 - Kristin's one!

We had a little celebration for Kristin at our home group tonight. Not many little guests, just mainly Daddy and Mommy's church friends in Frankfurt.

It was a truffle chocolate cake - first taste of alcohol already???

We later realised that we didn't take a family photo with the cake at all. So we got Kristin a second cake that weekend and decided to keep it strictly to family only. Only one grandparent was around... compared with Bryan's 1st birthday, this one was a very quiet one.

summer visit

We haven't posted any news on us for a long time. Reason of silence is mainly the visits we've been getting. My PILs are in town. But life goes on as usual. After all, A is posted here not for holidays. He's got to work. And me too! I need to run a household. Any SAHM will tell you what a feat it is to manage a household and care for two very young children.
We have been making short trips to places near by. Otherwise, it would be great disappointment for the visitors if they came such a long way and yet what they saw was the four walls of our humble home. Here's a short drive out of Frankfurt just to catch the last of the cherry seasons. And this is K picking cherries. :)

present from daddy and mommy

Daddy and Mommy couldn't figure out what to get him... We owe you a present, son...

But we thought a day at the amusement park would be fun. And yes, it was.

yeah, i'm three!

This wasn't exactly an immediate family affair. My parents-in-law were around, my mother was around. Pity that my father couldn't be here or Bryan would have been even happier...

This wasn't a big birthday bash either... compared with his 1st and 2nd Birthday parties, this was certainly a quiet one. But it's one where Bryan's most expressive - check out those facial expressions... pity that he didn't have the big extended family to celebrate this special day with him this year.

happy anniversary...

Like my silver rose? It's from my good-looking Polish helper, Katie. It's been four good years of blissful marriage and counting... can't believe that it's only been four years coz Alan and I both feel that we've been together for eons! (Read: happy times!) Can't really think of what we can do on this day. I guess Alan and I are just not very particular about celebrating occasions. Maybe it's a sign of growing old... Well, we've stoppped asking for cold ice water in restaurants. Like older people, we prefer warm water... sigh, old already liao!

When Alan came home, he asked me if I bought him a present. I said, "Er, no. Why?" And then he said, "So we are quits coz I didn't get you anything either." So that's what we are. But surely we don't have to wait for an anniversary to give each other something.

grandpa is here...

Look at how happy Kristin is when Grandpa's back! Bryan didn't even cry this morning when Grandpa woke him up for school. Of course, he didn't want to go to school coz there were so many new toys and goodies from Singapore. We had our first breakfast on the balcony today... oops... no pics! Haha... that means we'll have to do it again very soon. :)

perfect weather for a stroll...

It's beautiful spring weather here in Frankfurt! About 24 deg C warm during the day and about 20 deg C warm in the evening. So we have been walking around without jackets!!!! It's just perfect weather for travelling coz it's warm enough to be without jackets and cool enough not to perspire. And lots of walking and fresh air even does the lungs some good. Also, this is the time when it is cooler indoors than outdoors. I really dread the heat in summer. According to a church friend here, the whole country ran out fans two years ago and the heat was unbearable in summer... Let this not happen to us, please. I already find 23 deg C in our bedroom too warm. Yeah, you must imagine that we've been sleeping in 16-17 deg C in winter. How can the children sleep well and through the night when it gets warmer and warmer each day...?

first day in pre-school...

Finally, we've got a place for Bryan in the pre-school. But it's only twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. And school is going to break for summer on June 6. Look at how excited he is with his new friends. On your right, that's the teacher, Miss Amanda and her assistant (on your left), Miss Athena.

Heidelberg

You must wondering why we've been diligently driving around... well, we've got a guest with us this week! My cousin is taking a month-long break over here, visiting friends and relatives - that would be us! He has come down from Brussels to Frankfurt for a week. It was May Day - just one public holiday and it was between Ruedesheim and Heidelberg. We decided on Heidelberg because it's just a stone's throw from Schwetzingen. Pity we hadn't got time to show him and my Mom the Philosophenweg (Path of Philosophers). This is us and our guest on the Karl-Theodor-Bridge.

Schlossgarten in Schwetzingen

We had a nice drive down to Schwetzingen on May Day on Angeline's advice. It's really worth it! The palace garden is soooo beautiful though I didn't see much of it. I was stuck feeding Kristin on some bench and subsequently lost the rest of the family. But on our detour (mother and daughter), we met some nice lady who gave Kristin a crown made out of buttercups! How sweet! More photos on our outing here.

blue bus driver...

small talk in the bathroom

Dad: What do you want to be when you grow up? (Guess all "big" people like to ask "small" people this question.)
Son: Errr... I want to be a bus driver! (Dad was disappointed, nothing close to a doctor!)
Son: I want to be an airport bus driver!
Dad: You want to be a bus driver who drives in the airport. (Daddy was trying to be as encouraging as he could.)
Son: Yes, and the bus is blue (in) colour!
Dad: Aha, you want to be a blue bus driver!

So there you have it, meet Bryan - the future blue bus driver!
Bryan is a 32+ months pre-schooler who thinks he wants to be a yellow bus driver the next day....

if you're happy and you know it...

clap your hands! *Clap! *Clap!
Yes, it is happening: Kristin is learning this song quickly. She's only eight months old. Bryan could only respond to this when he was almost a year old.
But this same little girl has been giving her parents lots of sleepless nights. My guess is that Kristin is beginning to enjoy attention and she doesn't even want to be left alone at night. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly.

Hong Ying...

another new friend for Bryan
Daddy was catching up with the former Centre Director of Frankfurt, while his son was toasting his new friend silly with Sake... no lah, plain water in Yakult cups.
酒逢知己千杯少！

my birthday...

Thanks Alan for the wonderful strawberry cream cake! It still tastes as yummy as six years ago when you first baked it for me!!! And now, you've got a little helper - Bryan!:)
Kristin, the best birthday present for Mommy is SLEEP! When will I get that from you? Can't you see how tired I am here?

friends at last...

Bryan had company for lunch today. He ate well: Steamed egg, Chinese cabbage & carrot soup, carrot sticks, apples and fried wantons with prawns!
Jacqueline and Lawrence are from Taiwan. They've been in Frankfurt since August last year, 3 months before us. Jacqueline attends the American school where Bryan goes to twice a week for day-care. Bryan can relate well to her because of similar language background. Bryan must be thinking," Finally someone who speaks English, Mandarin, a bit of Hokkien like me! No more eins, zwei, drei and funny German words that I don't know." Actually, we speak more Teochew than Hokkien. But there's not much of a difference there.
It really is a good idea to have the children over for lunch and play. At least her Mommy and I can rest and relax a little, while the children entertain themselves with toys. Actually, not much time to relax. I had to read three books to them, one of which had encore!
There'll be craft work the next time we meet. Now I need to scramble some materials for art & craft. Got to start collecting stuffs for some sticking fun :)

separation anxiety...

Kristin's catching on a lot of things. My mom has been teaching her to wave bye-bye. And this morning, she waved and said, " bye-bye" to Daddy!
She's also quickly developing separation anxiety: A good sign. This means she can tell between the familiars and unfamiliars.
My mom and I took her to Bao's place. (Bao is the wife of Alan's colleague, Vig.) I thought Kristin knew it wasn't her home. I wasn't quite sure until we reached home and Kristin let out a big laugh, like... "Eh, this IS my home."

lunch at Vapiano

We've got Bryan serving us a pizza here.
Fabulous spring weather: blue sky, not a single cloud, although it got cloudier at the later part of the day. Walking around in shirt and t-shirts... no jackets! It was 17 degrees in Frankfurt!!!! It's not even as warm on a wet summer day.

blessing in disguise

Strangely, I think Bryan is finally settling into some form of a routine. He was grounded at home for the week he was sick. And I had to feed him stuffs that he didn't like to eat. If you have a two-year-old too, you know these little people just don't like anything, basically. I was fooled for 10 months when Bryan said "No" to whatever I tried to feed him. Books always tell you that it's a losing battle if you start a food fight with your pre-schoolers. But I finally learnt that it's the old grandmother's method that works: OPEN YOUR MOUTH! And then you stick a spoonful of wholesome nutrition into his mouth. O yes, he cried. But wait there, just listen to that: He was just complaining. He wasn't in pain, munching the food, and cried no tears! In fact, I think he's secretly enjoying the new tastes!
At the same time, I've done lots of stuffs to get him distracted, e.g. I read him a book while we eat. We colour some pictures. We play games: e.g. What does an elephant eat? etc We talk about food: Actually, this book is a life-saver. "Good enough to eat" from Lizzy Rockwell. Suddenly, Bryan realises that little children eat the same types of food too.
It's amazing now that he expects an afternoon nap! In his room, in his bed!!! :) Praise God!!!
So with a wholesome diet and afternoon naps, we should see his weight picking up again. He lost two good kilos when he was sick.

kristin's first tooth...

I was wrong to say that she was cutting her first tooth. Actually it's already out. I felt it with my finger and saw it with my eyes today!!!! The other one is beginning to cut through. So maybe that should explain the poor appetite and restlessness at night. She slept very little last night, with a record number of night wakings, i.e. every 45 minutes to 1 hour. I lost count. Good thing that Alan didn't sleep in the same room with us last night.

back to daycare...

Bryan's fever finally subsided on Monday. One whole week of sleepless nights and days for Mommy and Grandma. We were so worried that we visited the uni hospital on Sunday evening. The doctor was also worried on hearing about the long persistent high temperature - since last Tuesday evening. So she did a saliva test, an urine test and a blood test just to make sure everything was fine.
The hospital was so crowded! So many kids were ill... so we weren't the only sleep-deprived parents out here. It's usually like this: changing of seasons, temperature fluctuates like your shares prices! A week ago it was still 1 to 2 degrees, but last Sunday was so humid and warm that the thermometer recorded a reading of 16.5! How not to fall sick???!!!! Some nights in summer might not even be as warm!
Kristin is cutting her first tooth. So still no hope of decent sleep for me. She's recovering from her cough... I have been thinking of giving her a bottle of formula at night in the hope of better sleep. On the other hand, I can't bear to give up breastfeeding so soon. Big dilemma now... coz introducing formula will definitely lower breastmilk supply.
What else can Kristin do now? She can: Crawl backwards, clap her hands to music, sort of wave bye-bye, babble, scream when her toys are snatched away, complain when her brother comes too near her, shake her head when she doesn't like something. She likes to go out, even if it's to the balcony for some fresh air! She has shown signs of separation anxiety way ahead of her brother when he was her age.

at the playground

It's Kristin's second try at the swing. She did a lot better than Kor-kor. I think Bryan is bit afraid of heights.
Mom and I have been taking the kids out to a playground nearby. About 20 minutes walk from our place. We usually get the kids to nap first and then leave around 4 plus in the afternoon.

stomach flu...

Please pray with us! It all started with Bryan. He's down with stomach flu and now it has been passed around to Mommy and Kristin. And Grandma is beginning to feel unwell. Bryan isn't getting any better either. Poor boy, he's not been eating much. We've got to go back to the paediatrician tomorrow.

exhausted...

Just got back from our Stuttgart/Munich weekend. Alan was there on business, while Mom and I took the kids out for a change. At least they were happy to be out of the house and staying in a hotel has always been a great adventure to Bryan.
It's been a tiring journey back home.
Poor Kristin was feeling uncomfortable along the way. Actually she's only complaining that her stool is getting a bit harder. Well, it's not the type of soft, watery stool from breastmilk only. So she needs to get used to the new feeling in her diaper.
Bryan had a rough time too. But I told him he asked for it coz he insisted in finishing his sweets. So Daddy gave the sugar a good churn on our way home along the Autobahn when he saw the "no-speed-limit" sign. And guess what Mommy got when we arrived home?
Kristin went poo-poo twice and shortly thereafter... Bryan threw up his dinner!
Well, that's a Mommy's job - no over-time pay, while Daddy's so exhausted from driving that he fell fast asleep on the couch!
No time to unpack yet! Watch this space for more travel stories with the kids!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Dinner: Beef rice, steamed to-fu and fresh salad.
No cake but three big candles! Only symbolic ;)
And Bryan sang the birthday song in English, Chinese and German. Encore!
It's a quiet birthday celebration for Alan. Just us!
He's got a busy week ahead.

small talk in the kitchen

"Hello, Mom! What are you doing? "
"I'm slicing the meat."
"Are you cutting it?"
"Yes, I am."
"How about a tea-pot?"
"What's with the...?"
Mom has not even completed her question and Bryan came over with his little tea-pot and poured some imaginary fluid over my beef slices!
"Hmmm, I'm sure the meat will taste very nice!"
A broad grin on Bryan's face! :)

unpredictable weather

It's raining in Frankfurt, rather warm and humid. But it's snowing in Berlin and Hamburg. Luckily, Alan has come back from Berlin.
The rising water levels in some rivers pose threats to some of the cities in the south western part of Germany. Hmmmh, if I don't remember wrongly, weather was pretty bad 10 years ago too. But probably not as bad. There was quite alot of snow and flood in February. I was in Kassel then, not as low-lying as Frankfurt. Anyway, there is no alarm here in Frankfurt.

some peace... much needed!

Finally Kristin is down to take another nap. She was sitting all by herself playing while mommy cooked lunch! Was that not wonderful? Didn't I tell you it's easy with only one child? Big learning curve for me now: Working mom with maid in Singapore turned full-time stay home mom without maid in Germany. Usually people start practising with one baby. I choose to start with a restless pre-schooler - who has energy oozing out of each pore - and a fussy baby girl with a drama queen award. Now who ever told me that girls were easier to care for compared with boys?
Bryan is out with Opa and Oma. And Kristin could entertain herself with books and toys around her. Don't worry, I've baby-proofed the place. She was sitting on a mattress and had lots of cushions surrounding her. She was so comfortable that she didn't even complained about her poo.
How I wish every afternoon is like this. That's why it's so important to look for a pre-school for Bryan. Fortunately, my mom will be around till the end of the year to help. Please pray with me that Bryan will get a spot in either of the English-speaking kindergartens near our place - one is within walking distance, while the other is two bus-stops away plus a little walking.

no more crying, please!

Kristin's been crying alot these two days. She has unfortunately caught a cold from Bryan. Strange, I still haven't seen any signs of the first tooth. I remember Bryan already had two by this time.
Kristin is one big drama queen... toys on the floor.... wail, Kor-Kor comes up too near to be friendly... wail, toys drop onto her face... wail - by the way, that's her own fault, Mommy wipes off drool from her face... wail! Girls really do cry alot more than boys! I know Bryan wasn't that much a whiner when he bumped into something, especially when he knew he was the clumsy one.
Anyway, which baby doesn't cry alot? But Kristin is rather fussy.

another milestone or two

Bryan allowed me to teach him hold a pencil! For those of you who aren't parents, this is a major development in terms of motor skills. In the past, he used to grab writing equipment. But as of today, he can hold a thin pencil with his little fingers! Hurrah! Now it's time to begin literacy work. And just like what his paediatrician in Singapore said, he's now trying to draw circles on his own, free hand, almost completing one.

Also, he seems to be able to make mathematical concepts to numbers now - errh, I mean he can count!

buslinie 32

Believe it or not: Today's my first time riding in a bus in Frankfurt! I had to send Bryan to school without a car! Well, I'm hardly out of the house and if I do make it out, then it's usually on foot or by car. It's difficult to take two kids - two prams - around using the public transport.
It's still manageable dealing with one kid.
Bryan was exhilarated to take the bus. Kids these days find it a treat to take a bus - they just don't know how fortunate they are to be chauffeured around. They still don't appreciate the comfort and convenience of a car.
Now, I've been thinking - how nice it would have been if I only had one child to deal with now. Being alone either with Bryan or with Kristin allows me to accomplish lots of tasks. Plus, I'm also mobile enough to explore beyond the walls of our home. But that thought will usually take me even further... and I end up thinking how nice it would have been if I was still childless! Then I would be out all day painting the town red - as a tai-tai, of course!!!!
Yet, I think I wouldn't reverse time. You wouldn't too, if you saw how my children laughed today. Check out this video!

late night

it's monday... well, not anymore! Alan's still at work.
We had home group tonight. Thank God for a wonderful support group that's really not too far for us. So on days when Alan cannot make it, I'll be able to walk there on my own.

Kristin was pretty ok in the afternoon. It's the longest nap ever so far: 2.75 hours! I can feel a pat from Elizabeth Pantley on my back now! :) I've found her tips from No Cry Sleep Solution pretty useful. Really, I don't have a heart to let my children cry it out at night. So that probably has contributed to Bryan's inability to sleep through the night till now.

it's winter again!

It's all white when we woke up this morning. Bryan was so excited when he looked out the window. Immediately, he was armed with his spade and all too eager to play with the snow.

Daddy and Mommy woke up a little more refreshed this morning. Kristin has moved back to her 4-hours stretch of sleep in the night. We haven't quite figured out why she woke up every two hours for the past 6 nights. Growth spurt, soft pillows, absorbency of diaper, complete darkness or Mommy's snoring? Yap, I've been really exhausted.

back in germany...

Hey all!

This is Bryan, Alan, Cindy and Kristin keeping in touch with you folks back home!

Stay in touch!