Category Archives: Simple pleasures

HALLOWEEN!

Posted on 5 May, 2013

Originally posted 2009-11-01 18:00:12. Last night was Caitlin’s real experience of Halloween; well, for this Daddee too, actually. Last year’s Halloween in particular (because I can’t remember if 2007′s Halloween left any impression on this then-just under 4 years old), … Continue reading →

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Simple pleasures for Toddler :: Part 2 :: Daddee’s office party

Posted on 3 May, 2013 | 5 Comments

Originally posted 2008-10-23 18:09:42.

As you know Caitlin enjoys being picked up from school by her favourite human on Earth (ahem).

So since I had the day off work (actually I had taken the whole week off since I have a load of annual leave left), and also that our department had organised a lunch party, I thought to pick Caitlin up from school and head on over to the office party with her in tow, to show her the place where I work.

The party was a combined Raya celebrations as well as farewell for a staff. But little did I know that there was also gonna be performances by my peers. Some singing, some dancing, some fashion show parade.

We arrived about 50 minutes after the party started- Caitlin’s school day only ended 30min after the scheduled start of the party. By then there were thank-you speeches already by my unit head, and soon followed by performances.

The ladies in the unit danced, sang self-written rhymes to tease the farewell staff. Staff were also requested to come “dressed up”, so there were also fashion / catwalk parades. In good sportsmanship, when my peers saw me walking in with Caitlin, I was also requested to parade under the “Daddy with daughter” category. Caitlin wasn’t too appreciative of that, but she obliged since I was holding her hand. We did a walk, I wanted to twirl her but she wasn’t really in the mood, and we walked back to where we were hiding.

Soon after, lunch was served. It was only then that she started coming out of her shell, starting to respond and then started talking to the adults in my office. It was afterwards that I found out that she even volunteered info- that she spoke first instead of just responding, about her day in school, with one of the ladies here…

Hmm I wonder if it was ‘cos food was being served that she opened up….

So now she has seen “Daddee’s office”. Complete with dancing ladies, singing ladies, ladies winning (small) awards for being best-dressed, a big table full of food with tomato rice, not-spicy curry dishes, cakes, “crackers” (she didn’t know they were called papadums), and Playhouse Disney (website) on Daddee’s work laptop.

Talk about misconceptions about the adult working life from an early age!

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Posted in A father's POV, A toddler's POV, Adventures, Caitlin the heiress, Simple pleasures

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Sharing a good laugh

Posted on 25 April, 2013 | 3 Comments

Originally posted 2009-07-30 15:57:19.

Caitlin said something the other night and we shared a good laugh.

I mean a good laugh, you know the type that makes you laugh heartily, not the I am only entertaining or humoring you laugh.

It was in the evening, after dinner but before bedtime- I can still see it in my head. I was seated across her, she was in her blue short sleeved jammies, somewhat looking up at me, from her schoolbook homework; pretty sure she had a pencil in her hand.

She said the punchline. I found it really funny, and laughed longer and harder than usual.

She wasn’t conscious of herself like I thought she would, now that I think about it in retrospect. In the past she’d get somewhat self-conscious and demanded “Why you funny at me??” to which I often try to explain to her the difference between laughing at you, and laughing with you. I think she got this idea from possibly being teased at school, but not something or at a level that we should be concerned about.

So she laughed along. I think it was initially because she too thought it was a funny punchline, not going the “Why you funny at me” path; and then I think she kinda realised that Daddee was enjoying the joke, and joined in the hearty laugh.

I can still see it: In her blue jammies, the all teeth squinty eyed giggly hee-hee and occasionally mouth agape haha laugh.

Don’t ask me what it was that made us both laugh. I honestly cannot remember! The next morning I asked her, in the car on the way to school, and she too cannot remember!

But it was something else for me. It signaled that she is growing, that it wasn’t just simple things that made her laugh anymore; no, indeed it wasn’t what made her laugh but what she had said that made me laugh like I did.

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Posted in A father's POV, A toddler's POV, Caitlin the heiress, Parenting musing, Simple pleasures

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Who’re you gonna call, first?

Posted on 19 April, 2013

Originally posted 2008-09-28 21:26:52. “Daddee…. DADDee…. DADDEE….” No, no; “Mummee…. MUMMee…. MUMMEE…..” No, no; “Jie jie…. JIE JIE!” (Yes, even Caitlin now understands the prestige that comes with this!)

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Differences in preferences

Posted on 15 April, 2013
calklcc

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Originally posted 2009-03-13 00:19:53. Caitlin likes to go shopping. Make the slightest inkling that we are going shopping and her adrenalin gets pumping. Typical female I guess. But at least for now she is not keen on checking out shoes…. … Continue reading →

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How old before babies start to stand and walk?

Posted on 11 April, 2013 | 5 Comments

Originally posted 2009-02-17 23:44:02.

Caleb turned 1 in Jan ’09.

Today he did these….

cal_almost_stood_tilt

And then, for the first time(s?) in his life, he stood!

The following pic was actually not the first time he managed to stand. That first time that he did manage to stand, we broke into cheers and applause that frightened him, and literally made him weak at the knees!

But it wasn’t long before he managed again!

cal_stood_tilt

Well done, son! Heh heh!

So, soon he will be a walking babbling little boy for the rest of us to chase!

DAh-DAH-DAH duh duh duh…nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn na-na-na….

Generally, do babies start walking first, or start talking first? I can’t remember this for Caitlin; I do remember that she started walking when she was still in her nappies with an external anti-wet shorts, similar to the ones Caleb is wearing above!

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Posted in A father's POV, A toddler's POV, Caleb the heir, Infant development, milestones, Parenting musing, Short post, Simple pleasures

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I fear a tease coming on, though…

Posted on 19 March, 2013 | 6 Comments

Originally posted 2008-09-27 07:33:48.

Well, it’s been two nights in a row now that Caleb’s slept through the whole night without waking. Well, almost.

He knocked off around 9:30pm or 10pm, and didn’t wake till about 5:30am-ish.

But that’s good enough for this Daddee and Mummee.

He also feeds less crankily since he’s also had a good rest; but just enough that by the end of 6oz he’s also starting to tire, and did knock off again back to the comfortable bed, full.

But, it’s ONLY been two nights in a row. So let’s hope he keeps this going.

He’s about a week short of 9 months old.

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Posted in A father's POV, Caleb the heir, Food & feeding, Infant development, milestones, Simple pleasures

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