I Am One

Ian is officially one-year-old! We did not hold any birthday bash for him, as we felt that it was better to focus our attention on him, instead of diverting our attention to entertaining guests.

On 22 March, he had a mini-party at his paternal grandparents'...

The birthday cake, baked with love by Mummy. Cake flavour: Black Forest.

We spent the previous night searching for Phoon Huat to buy the ingredients and decorations, as the branch at Sembawang had closed down. The Elmo figurine came from the Sesame Street toppers (bought from Amazon).

As a tradition, Ian had to choose 3 items from the tray...Abacus was his first pick.

Next choice: Ruler.

And the last pick: Pen.

On the actual day 29 March, Daddy spent the morning working. We brought him to the LNT class in the afternoon and spent the day shopping for a new camera at SLS. We also bought a Canon Selphy printer to print photos. Both items costed over $600+. Hubby commented that it seemed like we were buying for myself rather than for Ian's birthday!

After the trip at SLS, we went to United Square for dinner, and also to buy a pair of shoes for him. It was a simple day, but I hope that Ian had enjoyed our company.

Happy Lunar 1st Birthday

Today, Ian celebrated his first lunar birthday at my Mom's. We went over in the morning to offer incense to the ancestors and Gods. It was just a simple ritual. Ian wore the Barney shoes and clothes that my Mom has bought for him as his birthday presents. He also collected 3 big angpows from his Por Por, 2nd Jiu-Ma, and 4th Jiu-Ma. There was no real celebration so Ian did not cut the cake that my Mom has bought.


Ian's recent progresses:
- Signs for milk though he does not really want milk

- Says "mum mum" when he sees other people eating or when he wants to eat

- Stands up without support and then squats down

- As of today, his record is still 3 steps without support. Gambatte ne...


Our little boy is also getting naughtier. When he does not get what he wants, he screams at the top of his voice. Any help for this???

Scrapbooking On A Budget

I thought of starting a scrapbook so as to collect some of the memories of Ian's past one year, and also to organize his photos in a better way.

A couple of weekends ago, I headed down to Spotlight to grab some materials. As a newbie, I just bought some basic materials to get started. I have also gathered a little more from Popular Bookstore as it was convenient to pop by during lunch.

Here are my stash, as of today:

• Paper pack from Dena Designs/Grant Archival...I thought it was cheap at $5+
• A few loose pieces of cardstocks from Spotlight
• A bottle of acid-free craft glue
• A pack of vellum clovers
• A pack of alpha stickers
• A pack of baby-themed stickers
• A bottle of metallic blue paint from Jones Tones
• A frame puncher
• A clover puncher
  

I managed to finish my first layout from my limited materials and a studio photograph which we have no intention of framing up.


Scrapbooking, I have discovered, is a hobby that is way more expensive than I have imagined. I have more papers, embellishments, punchers on the way. Can't wait to start on the other photos that we have left lying around the house!

Ian's Very Own Remote Control

Since young, Ian has been particularly fond of playing with our remote controls. Hence, I was thrilled when I saw this toy at Amazon.

Fisher Price Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote

However, it did not come cheap with a price tag of USD$19, excluding shipping. I mean, this is just a remote control toy without much educational function! I have been waiting for it to be on sale for so long that I have almost given up on getting this for Ian. I have looked at all the major local toys departments - Robinsons, John Little, Isetan, Toy'rus - but did not have any luck.

Last weekend, we spent the afternoon at Plaza Singapura because I had wanted to get some craft supplies from Spotlight. After dinner, we shopped at Carrefour and to my surprise, I caught a glimpse of this toy while walking past the toys section. Hubby tried to dissuade me from buying toys again, but instead, I persuaded him to buy it for Ian. Hehehe...

Ian seems to like this toy, but like any other toys, it does not entertain him for more than 5 mins at a go.