Thinking that this might be it

my LAST bump !

We hauled out the camera stand and started snapping away

And we ended up with some cheap home studio pics

And I think I am going to miss my bump.

I LOVE surprises

As a mum, one of the things that surprises me is whenever my 5 year old runs up to me and blabbers something which you know, can NEVER originate from a 5 year old and makes me goes
‘HUH?! where you learned that from ?!!’

It could be something he heard from the TV, a video clip, a story book or just casual conversation between me and my husband.

He is good at regurgitating what he heard

When our memories fail to provide us the information of some remote events, we can count on him to dig into his mega memory to help retrieve the information.

His good memory comes in pretty handy especially when my husband had long relinquished his, ever since the trauma during history lessons and when mine is currently impaired by the pregnancy hormones.

And because of his ability to regurgitate sentences and words, usually without understanding, once in a while, we were treated to a jaw dropping experience when he blabbers strings of words, totally foreign to us.

Here’s one.

I don’t think there is any thing as less than NOTHING.
How can SOMETHING be less than NOTHING?
If there were SOMETHING that was less than NOTHING
then NOTHING would not be NOTHING
it would be SOMETHING - even though it’s just a very little bit of SOMETHING

He said Wilbur, his favourite pig, from Charlotte’s Web said that

And indeed, the runty pig DID say that.

Life has been a little hectic for the past week
My Dad had an accident
and was warded with a broken limb
the family has been commuting to and fro the hospital each day
worrying about how he can cope

I suffered a broken wrist myself a few years back
and I can’t imagine it happening to an old man
over half a century old
with the depletion of calcium already taking place

Recovery will be an uphill process
perhaps even near impossible
to grow back what that has been lost

He lay in his bed after the surgery
in a state of unconsciousness
an effect from the huge dose of anesthesia
A worn and weary face
even with his eyes shut

Saw him again the next day
the drug had worn off
he looked better
even joked about his recklessness that led him to his plight
the painkiller had done its job well
numbing his pain
thus bringing back a smile on his face

A 2nd round of surgical torment put him in a daze again
zapped off his energy and worn him out
BUT
not for long
He seems to be able to sprung back to life
the moment the drug wore off

It is only now
that I see a side of Dad
a side I’ve never seen before

The sheer amount of strength that he possesses
even when pain and wound wreck the body
Strength so immerse that seem capable of peeling off the darkest gloom
and let the ray shines through

The truth is that
Malcolm is not really keen to meet his baby brother

His standard answer to
‘Are you happy that you gonna have a baby brother ?’
or question of a similar effect
will yield a straight ‘NO’
reason
‘Because baby will be noisy’

And guess what ?
He is probably right

He does adore my new tummy, A LOT
and would plant kisses all over it whenever given a chance
He is somewhat fascinated
and would ask questions
‘how will the baby come out’
‘how will the doctor do it’

I realised that the biggest task on hand to welcome this little life
is not the stocking up on diapers
the amassing of clothings and toys
the splurging on fanciful gadgets

In fact
these are trivial

We have decided that the new baby will be getting mostly
hand-me-down items from our first born and from friends

The more pressing challenge we are facing now
is to mentally prepare Malcolm for the arrival of his baby brother

We talk to him
We explain to him
We turn to books
illustrating all the fun of having a baby brother

We WANT to feed him with all the good things of being a BIG brother !
We WANT him to LOVE being a BIG brother !

and when he came home from school the other day
and exclaimed that HE MADE THIS in school

and HE IS GOING TO GIVE IT TO THE BABY !!!
…
….
…..
We thought we finally see some light at the end of the tunnel

We watched STOMP over the weekend
A non traditional dance troupe that uses ordinary objects to produce percussion and dance movements
We were often awed by the group’s inventive and fun performance on youtube videos
It was our first time catching it LIVE, IN A THEATRE

It is uncommon for us to splurge on such entertainment
My last concert with my husband was like more than 10 years ago
catching diva Tina Turner and Mariah Carey in Singapore

This time round, the impulse to splurge
was justified by our current obsession with recycling junk
The objects used by the group to create music REALLY reminds me of JUNK!

Malcolm had a blasting good time
He shaked his legs
He wriggled his butt
He bounced on his seat
and he laughed so loud that we thought his laughter tickled us MORE than the performance itself

Over all, a highly entertaining performance
but I think the kids have it more fun than the adults
perhaps it was because we measured it by the price we paid for the tickets
I think we can enjoy the performance as much, watching youtube videos at home

But the kids brought home something more than us
the lesson has been drilled deeper

that there is MORE to a piece of junk
especially when you think hard enough

that the ways to creating music
like many things in life
is only limited by one’s imagination and creativity

I got a little carried away with the recent buzz and it totally slipped my mind that I am nearing the final stage of my pregnancy.

It is great to keep my mind occupied with things other than aches and pains and the long to-do-list for the arrival of the new baby.

On one hand, I am excited about the new baby, on the other hand there are things I wish to accomplish as I know my focus will soon be very much on the new baby.

I remember how my time revolved round Malcolm when he was little. I was a new mother then, I was inexperience, I was not sure and I panicked at his smallest cries.

I like to think that after 5 years of caring for my first born,  I am more experience, less panicky and more prepared.

It was during the onset of my 34th weeks, a series of sudden Braxton Hicks contractions, it dawned on me that the baby may arrive ANYTIME, perhaps even too early.

I had a sudden urge to pack, to wash, to arrange
It came so naturally and it felt so powerful
I just couldn’t resist the urge

It was my body’s subtle way of telling me to get ready
and I was reminded to listen to my body

The human body has to be the most amazing and beautiful creation

We delivered the items for Happy Feet Project to Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home last Saturday

It was Malcolm’s first visit to a children’s home
Someone from the home was kind enough to show us around
For the first time
he caught a glimpse of how life is like for children in the home

Setting off
Our car was packed to the brim with items for the home

Our destination
Right at the end of Serangoon Garden Way

Upon reaching
Malcolm was already sleeping
A late night sleep coupled with hot and humid weather made him especially tired that day

In the dormitory
a simple bed and a small cupboard for each child

Bunk bed
one of the bed in the girls’ dormitory

Shoes
in the pigeon holes outside the dorm

Toys
Sunning on the rooftop

A little token from the Home
A bag of bugs and a box of stationary

Driving Off

Do not stand on a high pedestal
take 5 cents in your hand and say,
“here, my poor man”

But be grateful that the poor man is there
so by making a gift to him
you are able to help yourself

It is not the receiver that is blessed
but the giver

Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world

adapted from quote by Swami Vivekananda

And I MEAN it when I said Recycling Can Be Addictive !

We made 2 lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival
He hogged the F 15 Jet to himself
and loaned the Tank to anyone who is eager to play with him

He carried it with his classmates
He carried it with his cousin
He carried it with his friends

A GREAT way to impress the GIRLS!
Especially the sweet and gentle ones.

Our last doners were, 4 year old plus Rae-Ann and her cousin Roy

Mama Kole emailed me on Wed night saying that the 2 Rs are contributing SGD 24.60 to Project Happy Feet
That’s all they have in their piggy bank.
That’s their EVERYTHING !

and I was inspired to share the story with my 5 year old
which eventually motivates him to part with HIS significant SGD 2.25 !
HALF of his 1 week’s savings
in his new Army Tank Bank !

And I am loving how contagious this spirit of giving has become
And because of your generous giving

We have raised a total of SGD 1047.85 !
We have overshot our initial target by 100 % !

The children from Chen Su Lan Methodlist’s Children Home will be getting these for Children’s Day

6 dozens of white school socks for children age 7-12 years old
3 dozens of white school socks for children age 13-17 years old
1 dozen of size 9 slippers
1 dozen of size 10 slippers
1 dozen of size 11 slippers
3 street soccer balls
6 table tennis bats
6 ping pong balls
2 table tennis net
5 tubes badminton shuttlecocks
100 T-shirts

and a cheque of SGD 58.85

We will be collecting these items later today and delivering them tomorrow morning.
Hopefully will get to take some nice pictures and update soon