joker

Joel always makes me laugh.

There was the "kiss keys" incident. Sometimes, when Joel is already asleep and Daddy comes home late at night, Joel will lift his head when he hears Daddy's voice. Then he will smile, say "Red" and go back to his Dreamland. We will be stunned and laugh becoz we realize Daddy is wearing a red tshirt! Haha!

Earlier on, he was making the "ehh ehh ehh ehh" sound (which means he wants me to take something for him), then i asked him, "Why?"...and Joel said "Z". Again, it caught me by surprise and i was stunned for a second.

He will also recite his ABCs out of the blue...but it's really just "C, D, E, C, D, E, D..." He will also do it when he's playing with the calculator! Haha!

ouch! final dose

Today, Joel had his 5th pneumococcal vaccination. It should be a total of 4 doses since Joel had his 1st dose when he was 3 months old - just before he came to live in Shanghai. We were pretty worried of the health/medical standards here, so we thought that it would be better for our tiny baby to get more protection against disease and illnesses.

Why 5 dose then?
Because we gave him a jab every month from March to June'08. The 4th/last dose should be administered at 12-15 months and at least 2 months after third dose. Mommy Jo and the doctor overlooked that. :(

Our PD in Singapore was so kind to help us check with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and they advised a FINAL dose after Joel turns 18 months.

So...our poor baby had to take another shot. And he cried and cried for a looong time today. He didnt cry that hard before. Maybe he knows this 5th dose was uncalled for. :_(

When we walked out (Joel still crying softly), i saw a vending machine and bought a bottle of Minute Maid orange "joo" for Joel to sip a little from it. He likes it and was happy again. Then we took the cab home and he had forgotten all about the needle prick on his left thigh.

Joel on the way home...
Busy looking at cars and playing with the TV in front of him.


This time round, i checked with a few hospitals before we found the vaccine readily available at the Shanghai International Travel Medical Center (SITMC). Becoz Joel's usual doctor at Sun-Tec Medical Center doesnt have the vaccines anymore after their American PD left. (The previous PD brought in her own vaccines coz hospitals here do not keep ready stocks) At Parkway Health (from Singapore), it takes 2 weeks to order the vaccine from UK at an estimated 2008 price of £70, £30 UK pharmacist charge, shipping charges etc. On top of that, there's their consultation fee of ¥600-1800 and nurses' injection fee of ¥200... Yes! You even have to pay extra to get the nurses to do the injection. Or you could also do it yourself. I remember that at Sun-Tec Medical, it didnt cost that much. But they will also charge twice if you need to get 2 injections done. That's how things work here if you go to hospitals for foreigners. You'll feel the pinch from the jab and the costsss involved.

Consultation Fees (excluding Vaccination Service Charge)
Parkway Health: ¥600-1800
Sun-Tec Medical: ¥300
SITMC: ¥6

What a great difference!

* Dosing Schedule for Prevenar (Pneumococcal)
4 doses if taken <6>
2 doses if taken 12-23 months
1 dose if taken 24 months-9 years

new words

Joel said a few new words lately...

Mmm - for the alphabet M
butterfly
gorilla
zoo

And these objects from his 'Shapes' Book:
boat
cereal
bread
juice (have to listen very carefully coz Joel says 'joo')

But he's not talking yet... Wondering how long it'll take...

big boy

Before Joel's Gymboree play class...
He fed himself some fried rice at Crystal Jade, and decided it's more efficient to use his hands.

We brought Joel swimming at our apartment on Sunday. He was a bit moody after his nap...but soon got excited. He really loves the water! Splish Splash...


On the way to dinner with Elvis' team at a new Charme Restaurant along Nanjing Pedestrian Street.

All married people. 1 table with kids, 1 table without. Does Joel look like the botak-head uncle? ;)

holiday

We'll be back in Singapore during the Chinese National Day (1 Oct Golden Week).

26 Sep, Sat - We arrive in Spore
11 Oct, Sun - Elvis leaves for Shanghai
21 Nov, Sat - Joel & Mommy leave for Shanghai (after attending a wedding)

See you!

if you're happy

Joel likes this song.

1. Clap your hands
2. Stomp your feet (sometimes he does the action)
3. Shout hooray (he raise his hands)

He was a little camera shy. ;)


Last week, i happen to see this lovely girl, Nina, on YouTube and i'm addicted! She's really smart and learnt to speak Japanese AND English when she was very small. Check out her other videos. She's super cute! You'll love her!

kiss keys

Today, i wrote 'keys' on Joel's magna-doodle...
Then he said KEYS and went to KISS the board!

Wrong, Joel.
But Mama still kissed you. ;)

19 months

Joel is 19 months and weighs 11.5kg. He has learnt to say "Night Night".

Since last month, he no longer wants to eat my home-cooked porridge whenever we're outside. I will still cook the porridge, but he probably takes 3 mouthfuls. So we've been feeding him bread and adult food. Last week, we didnt bring his porridge out. He LOVES our MSG food! But we restrict it to only weekends.

As you can see in the picture, we've removed a part of the play yard so that Joel can go in/out as he please. He likes to walk around the house, particularly to the washroom and kitchen - the 2 forbidden areas. He also likes to go into the washing machine/fridge area (in another room inside the kitchen) to play with his baby hangers. He will go "BLUE, BLUE" to all his blue, white, orange and green hangers. Actually, he can differentiate blue (his all-time fav blue), red (ned), yellow (yoloow), purple (purpa/papur), black (bag), green (ginn). Sometimes, orange and pink are also "ned" (red).

Does the picture on the right look like blobs of fats in 4D scan? ;)

Wanna pinch his cheeks, right? Dont. He'll give you a kiss on your cheeks instead. Muack~ So sweet!

more videos

While Joel's Daddy is at work, Joel misses him A LOT. He always goes to the picture frame (with Daddy & Mommy but he can only see Daddy), sits in front of it, and calls "Daddy" non-stop.

In this video, he calls Daddy even when he's playing.


I've also uploaded some videos in the older posts below:
- woww
- the content

joel and mommy

I always fret that i do not have many photos taken together with Baby Joel. Our albums are mostly Elvis' & Joel's photos. I'm usually the photographer. While uploading photos of the eclipse from Elvis' camera, i saw quite a number of my photos with Joel! Taken in Europe and Bali. I dont think he's ever downloaded any of the pictures from his memory card. AND when he ran out of memory space recording a video of Joel reading, he actually DELETED a lot of pictures (mostly from our Europe '08), thinking that he has downloaded them. BUT, i've never seen those pictures before - never ever. All gone.

At this topic, i really dont understand why Elvis has to buy expensive cameras so often. And they're bulky, so he doesnt bring them out at all. So we're always using my camera to shoot. When we went to Europe in Oct '06, he bought his expensive and stylish Ricoh GR. The photos came out like picture postcards. When we gave birth to Joel in 2007, he went to buy his Canon G9. Yes, the photos came out much sharper than my camera. Since then, whenever there's "an occasion" or a new year (whichever comes first), he'll be tempted to buy a "better" SLR - which i will kill the thought immediately. The thing is...he also doesnt know which model he wants. He just thinks he "needs" a Canon SLR. So when i asked him to go and check out the model and prices at the huge photography equipment mall opposite our house, he said "If just see only, dont buy. Then i dont want to go". He's very terrible. Just think...if his memory card can store all the pictures from Dec '07 till Jul '09, just how often does he use his camera?! Both his USB cables have also mysteriously disappeared. -.-lll

Anyway, here's some of Joel & my pictures inside his G9 which i'm looking at for the first time since Aug 2008. I've long sorted, printed and compiled this trip's photos into an album... (How to "squeeze them in" now???!!)





Elvis always laugh at me whenever he takes my photo (alone). He says i stand straight and have a weird expression like a "goon-do"! Haha! Here's an example.

changes in sleep pattern

For the past month, Joel has been adjusting his sleep pattern.

This was what he used to do from about 4-17 mths:
9am - 10am : Rise & Shine
~ Milk for BREAKFAST and play...
11am - 12pm : 1st nap (1-2 hours)
~ Wakes up for LUNCH and play...
3pm - 4pm : 2nd nap (1-2 hours)
~ Wakes up for DINNER and play...
~ Milk for SUPPER 4 hours after dinner...and play till bedtime
11pm - 1am : Bedtime (sleep through the night)

Initially, Joel started to take just 1 nap in the afternoon, at about 3-4pm (skipped the morning nap). That means he's REALLY TIRED. So he kinda knocks out around evening. Most of the time, he will fall asleep about 8/9pm - which is super early given his past record. Then wakes up for his milk about 10-11pm...and falls asleep again. If he appears awake after his milk, he will play and then fall asleep about an about later. He will wail at about 3am, and wail again at about 6-7am. But becoz we still want to sleep, we'll bring him to our bed and "force" him to continue sleeping till 8-10pm. He is able to fall back to sleep easily when he's beside us.

Lately, Joel went back to 2 naps in the afternoon. Timings about the same as before. BUT he will CRY VERY LOUDLY at 5/6am and refuse to go back to sleep. So we have to keep him entertained - still lying in our bed. I will finally wake up at about 7/8am and start the day. His bedtime is also earlier now at about 10pm.

I'm not sure if this is normal...but at least he starts the day early and go to bed at a reasonable "kid's bedtime". O ya, now he will also wet his pants at night. Most nights. :(

create music

Joel got this gift from Uncle Raymond & Pick. It's a Stylophone - NOT a phone but a synthesizer invented in 1967. It is pretty light (with 3 AA batteries) and i can bring it out to keep him entertained.

Actually, they didnt exactly plan to give this to Joel. It's Uncle Raymond's new toy. It's more becoz Joel was fussing AND crying (which was why the pacifier was in his mouth), then Uncle Raymond took it out for Joel to play...then said Joel can have it. And since Uncle Pick had helped to pay for it earlier, it became a gift from both of them!

Crying isnt the way to get free gifts, Joel. Can Mama play with it for a while? Pleeeaaasssee... ;)

More info and a demo here.

super size me

I know it's incredible...but this was my yesterday's dinner...


Filet-O-Fish Meal
with Medium Coke
and Medium Fries
+
5pc McNuggets
Hot Fudge Sundae
+
Taro Pie (not shown. for supper/breakfast)

P.S. Most of the time, i will order everything EXCEPT sundae. This was an "exception". ;p

much cooler

The eclipse yesterday brought down the temperatures by about 10˚C. Feels like Autumn.
Woo~

solar filtered

We bought these solar filtered glasses to watch the eclipse. I saw on TV last night that you should NEVER watch it with naked eyes. And if you want to take a picture of the eclipse with your camera, you should do it within the first 5 mins. Otherwise, it will "burn" your camera. You can also use 35mm exposed photo negatives OR x-ray films to look at the eclipse. Anyway, becoz the sun wasnt in full view - completely covered by the thick clouds - we could take pictures of the surroundings without using any filter whatsoever.

This is what Joel used. Well-protected.

total eclipse of the sun

The eclipse was supposed to be happen at about 8.20/30am. We woke up slightly before 8am. It was cloudy and expected to rain today. We waited in vain for the thick clouds to disappear. Then it started to rain and we gave up hope at about 9.30am - an hour after the predicted eclipse. Elvis left the house to go to work, and i started to bathe Joel. Suddenly, when i looked up, the sky was dark! Elvis quickly came back through the door. Within a matter of seconds, it looks like night has fallen. WOW~


The clouds shifted its position and we got a glimpse of the sun for a few seconds. This is the only time we saw the sun the entire time.










Within 6 minutes, darkness turned into light...


The experience was amazing although we didnt get to see the "real thing" like on TV - with the black circle covering the sun.

View the eclipse here.

cut fruits

Girly toys?
Looks fun to me!

french toast

I can make yummy Hong Kong styled 西多士

Best served with sugar or syrup.

hello

Botak boy calling to make reservation at Nonya Kitchen, Dagu Road.



19 May 2009

angry baby

This was the day Joel was really angry with Daddy. Joel refused to look him in the eyes, and even put his feet on Daddy's leg!!!

The make-up kiss.

Still angry.

12 June 2009

bite you

Joel REALLY LIKES people to bite his fingers...


16 July - Sushi Tei
(the waitress at this XuJiaHui restaurant really likes Joel and remembers him every time we go)

retro shoes

Over the weekends, we went to look for this shop which sells retro Feiyue 飞跃 & Huili 回历 sneakers. It was featured on TV the night before. Hence, the shop was pretty crowded. The aunty said that people flocked there since morning. The shop is very narrow, probably only 1.8m in width.

I've blogged about Feiyue which are all the rage in France and selling at 50 Euros at Printemps, Paris.

15 DongPing Road
Culture Matters
上海心。国货强。

at play

18 July, Saturday
Lunch at Itoya, Gymboree play class, shopped at DongPing Road & JuLu Road, dinner at YuXiang Kitchen (Szechuan food) at Parkson L8.

Joel likes to read even when we're having dinner.


19 July, Sunday
Stayed home all day coz of the heat. Dinner with Pick, Raymond & Carol at Tai Pin Koon, Times Square. Walked to Uniqlo. Sale. Such a HOT day!
Shanghai's X-Junction, HuaiHai Road

Joel likes to sit on Daddy's shoulders...and lick his hair. ;p

yippie

Found a way to get around the Great Firewall of China...but the connection acts up occasionally...

I'm trying to upload more pictures whenever i can... (Some uploaded files might be big)

Scroll down if you've missed Joel's cute and chubby face. ;)

solar eclipse of July 22

From Wikipedia:

The solar eclipse that will take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 will be a total eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 1.080 that will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century has sparked tourist fever in eastern China, which according to experts is the best place to view the event.^[1][2][3] Totality will be visible in many large cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Varanasi, Patna, Dinajpur, Chengdu, Nanchong, Chongqing, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huanggang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam.^[4][5] A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of South East Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern Oceania. The eclipse is part of series 136 in the Saros cycle, like the record setting Solar eclipse of July 11, 1991.

This is second in the series of three eclipses in a month. There was a lunar eclipse on July 7 and now a solar eclipse on July 22 and then a lunar eclipse on August 6.

This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2009/TSE2009.html

.

Elvis bought me a specs to view the eclipse. It looks like those 3D paper specs, but has a silver foil instead of those green/red bits. I saw on TV that you can also use X-Ray films to view - so as to protect your naked eyes. Okay, we do have lots of X-Ray films at home. Becoz the doctors here like to take X-Rays - even for a cough. I have everything from A5 to A3 size! Haha!

little tyrant

Joel looks his cutest now at 18 months. BUT he is behaving like a spoilt brat! He likes to stomp his feet and makes a fuss when he's unhappy.

When he's at home, he will stomp his feet and turn around in circles. Sometimes, he will even lie down on the floor and kick his legs.

When he's outside, he will hold onto our hands and refuse to walk. So it will look as if we're dragging him along. Or maybe he doesnt like Adidas...and wanna go see Nike instead. Haha!

Is this the so-called "Terrible Two" stage?

so hot

I just checked the weather at AccuWeather.com and found out today is really hot! At 6.20pm, it's 36˚C with the REAL FEEL at 42˚C. When night falls, it will go down to 33˚C at 8pm, 31˚C at 10pm - still so hot. Real feel...i cannot imagine...


Tomorrow will be worse at 36˚C and real feel of 50˚C. How can anyone survive that?!!!

We're going out soon with our usual Sunday dinner kakis. I really dread stepping out of the house... -.-lll