MY SON IS TURNING 3 ... NEXT MONTH!

Yes, in about a month's time, my little boy will be turning 3! Wow! How time flies! It was not long ago that I gave birth to that tiny bundle. Okay, so he was cut from my stomach ... but who wants to argue with me, on that!

Ryan, being Ryan ... was an unexpected Gift from God, as he was definitely unplanned. We waited for a child for the longest time ... so we definitely, did not see him coming. He came in our 9th year of marriage ... a long time for most married couples. Eventhough he was conceived naturally, Ryan did not want to come into this world without some "excitement" & fanfare - he was a "drama" prince, even when he was born. Not only did he gave me an emergency C-sect ... (no, no not blaming him ... just stating a fact ya!), he "wanted" to stay in hospital, for the next 11 days of his new life. Not being able to bring my baby back home with me (from my hospital stay) ... was one of the saddest thing in my life, then (guess I was having some post-natal blues). Most Mummies get to bring their baby home with them, when they leave ... nope, I wasn't one of them.

Today, almost 35 months have passed (that's nearly three years) ... yep, just one more month to go, before Ryan reaches a monumental, 3 years of age. As I look forward to having a mini celebration for Ryan (with my extended family), I am both happy & full of emotions ... when I look back on three years worth of memories ... all in photographs. When I look at them pictures, I am filled with much happiness ... for I am really thrilled that I managed to get a lot of Ryan's early growing up years, in print. I never regretted being the trigger-happy Mama coz how else am I gonna get gems of my little boy growing up.

Looking at the many photos, I can also see how both me & Hubby have grown to be parents, when for many years we had gotten used to just the two of us. Changing our lives & growing into better people (I hope), Ryan's birth & presence has turned us into better human beings. We are still learning, we are still trying, we are still experimenting ... & yet we have learnt so much & there is still much to learn!

I knew Hubby would make a wonderful Father ... & I was right! From the first day that his son was born, Steven has been a very hands-on Daddy. Sometimes he seems to revel in doing the most mundane thing for his boy. He enjoys changing his son (yep, he does poopy diapers too), giving Ryan a shower, washing the car (with sonny boy in tow) ... or even simple things like bringing his boy for a round-about trip on a bus ... just because! (Ryan just loves bus rides). I can see that he loves his son too .... very very much. I think we always tend to forget the Daddies in the rearing of the children. A lot of fathers think that being a good father is bringing home the (big) bacon. Nope, I beg to differ! Being a good father is spending precious quality time with your child ..... doing the most mundane thing. I can see that Hubby is becoming a better father each day. It touches my heart ... always!

Ryan has given me so much to be thankful for ... because of him, I was able to become a Mother. Although, we would have loved to have a second child with us, I guess God knew what's best for us, as a family. There are times that I wished for a playmate & sibling for my boy but there are times that I feel that we shouldn't tempt Fate. God has blessed us with one healthy child ... we are eternally grateful & blessed.

Mummy & Papa, love you Ryan! Hope you will enjoy your small birthday party next month. Eventhough we can't throw you a huge celebration, we hope you will have fond memories of your 3rd birthday when you are older. *Kiss Kiss!*

I wanted to put up some pics of Ryan on the monumental years of his life. Here it goes ...

His newborn photo (still in the hospital). See the sharp nose & rose-bud red lips. Well, the sharpness is gone (I guess courtesy of Mummmy's genes & flat nose, arrgh! should have had Daddy's sharper nose). His lips are still pink but no longer red ... oh well! He's still as cute as a button!

On the morning that he turned 1! So cute rite?! Ryan is one of the happiest child I have ever met. He's always happy & smiling.

Looking cute!

On the day that he turned 2! I took him for a train ride to the mall. He loved it!

Having his favourite Egg Prata. Yummy! See how Ryan's grown ... now he can feed himself, no need for Mummy to help (ya, rite ... as if! Mummy still feeds him ok!)

Oh Barney! How I love thee!

Oooooh! Mummy let me sit on a super big bike. Sweeeeet! It must be because its my birthday!

(These following pics were also taken in 2009). Another of his favourite bike ride. Acting cheeky, as usual.

Giving me one of my model-like pose (acting cool & not smiling), I seem to get a few of these poses lately ....

(This was taken in late November 09, whilst kite-flying). See how my boy has grown ... he plays with his own kite now (with a LOT of help from Daddy, no less).

When I look at these photos, I can't help but feel ... how my boy has grown over the years. From a helpless little thing, all wrapped up in a blanket ... to a gregarious toddler that has boundless energy. And although Ryan drives me up the wall, sometimes ... with his many antics, its his "nonsense" that makes me love him even more. There's no one like my Ryan & though he tests my patience (many times in a day), although he "grates" on my nerves, although he makes me angry (a lot of times) ... I love him, more than anything in the world.

I finally know what a Mother's love feel like. I am a Mummy now ... & although I have a lot to learn, I am trying to learn from my mistakes ... every single day. Although I am not the best Mummy, I will always, always, always ... do my best for Ryan. I love him ... more & more each day. He gives me so much joy & happiness, I have a lot to be thankful for. Even if I die tomorrow, I would die contented ... for I've finally known (& felt) a child's love for his Mother. And although I would miss Ryan (oh so much) if I die ... I feel blessed to have given birth to him & having had the time to be his Mum. Does that make sense to you? Haha .... I'm being nonsensical, I guess!

ANNIVERSARY OF A DOZEN YEARS

Yep! You read that right! We celebrated our 12th year wedding anniversary in October, this year. Oh yes ... we've been married for more than 12 years but we have been together for more than 17 years. Seems sooo long doesn't it? It also makes me seem VERY old ... haha! Yeah, I I know I'm no spring chicken but the fact that I've been with my boyfriend (now Hubby) for nearly half of my lifetime ... makes me feel kinda old. And yet it also makes me feel loved, needed, wanted, appreciated ... well, kinda!

As per our usual style, no gifts, special outings nor dinner was in order. Nope, we celebrate it our own way ... spending it like any other day, rather cheaply (hehe). It was decided the eve before our anniversary that we were having a family gathering ... in public no less (I couldn't recall whose idea it was ... probably my mum's). Thus, there we were ... in the early morning of Sunday ... in front of the majestic Sultan Mosque. No, we weren't there to pray .... but to enjoy the yummylicious food, across this place of worship - at the legendary Zam Zam Restaurant. This time round, my brother & his family joined us for the meal. The lunch was especially delicious coz it was F.O.C (kindly paid for, by my generous mum). All in all, the meal cost slightly more than 50 bucks, which was quite a deal, as if fed 13 of us, hungry fellas.

Here's Ryan & Ayra. We managed to get corner seats on the upper level, which are Ryan's favourite coz he can view the road - with all the buses, cars, etc.

Ayra, hiding behind Ryan?
Not playing hide & seek anymore.

My mum, with her trusty mineral water bottle.

Ryan decides to squint his eyes, whilst Ayra gives me a smile!

My Dad, busy ... on his handphone. We were all sitting around waiting for my bro & family to arrive ... so I snapped some pics to while away the time ... hehe!

Ayra having a sip of her favourite drink (coincidentally, also mine) - Season's Ice Lemon Tea ... whilst Ryan looks on his grandparents, on the other side of the room.

Aah! They finally arrived ... so now we can eat, ya?

Everyone's waiting eagerly for the food to arrive - Mee Goreng, Beef Beryani (dunno why the beef was rather tough that day ... undercooked?), Chicken Murtabak, Plain Rice with some chosen dishes plus Egg Prata, drinks & not forgetting, their Power Teh Tarik.
 

Hubby took a photo of the three of us. Yes, I'm in the photo ... coz it seemed only natural to get at least some photos of myself on my 12th anniversary, ya? Oh by the way, isn't black slimming??? Yes, I definitely think so .... haha!

... and since black is rather slimming, why not take more photos of the rather photography-shy lady, all dressed in black ....?

We adjourned to Marina Square & stopped by the water feature (one of Ryan's fav).

Ryan : That's water, Nenek!

Nenek : Yah ... I know what water looks like lah!

The kids liked it there.

On the upper level, there's a mini indoor playground, where the kids had some fun. Here's Ayra coming down the slide.

Ryan takes on the slide too.

Ryan stops awhile ... for Mummy to take a pic.

Ayra having a fun time hanging down the pole.

Shauqi, my nephew ... going for it!

Weee!

In mid-air?

Ayra & my nephew, Sahmi ... sitting on a ride.

Of course Ryan had to have a ride too ... duh!

Ryan wanted to maneuver the ride by himself, nope ... he didn't need help from his Daddy.

Catch me if you can!

One last round!

Well, that was how we spent our 12th wedding anniversary. And eventhough it wasn't filled with gifts or expensive meals, it was spent with the people that we love & love us in return. It was fun!

Happy Anniversary to my darling Hubby, Steven! Thank you for the past 12 loving years. Though we have our ups & downs, eventhough life can be very trying at times, eventhough we have to face a million obstacles, eventhough we never have enough money to spend ... I treasure every moment with you! Now with our mischievous munchkin with us, we have to work even harder to create a better for future for our family. I love you, now & always!

TRANSFORMERS, TRANSFORMERS ... EVERYWHERE!

Yes ... my boy is obsessed with Transformers. Yep, when I say obsessed I really mean O-B-S-E-SS-ED! He can watch the 2 Transformers movies all day, his record was 3 full movies in 1 day! He plays with his Transformers figurines every single day, I tell you! Yes! he even kisses them sometimes ... just to show me (or whoever's available) ... that he looo-ves them plastic robots. Yes, other robotic machinery are called "row-bot" (robot) but Transformers (which are "special" robots), are "blessed" (by Ryan), with the name of - "Mem-mem".

By now, friends & family know what Ryan means when he says "Mem-mem" ... & that excites him even more, I guess. When people amuse him by acknowledging his interests, he gets very excited & proceeds to gush about his "love-affair" with them "Mem-mems". My sis even said once - "Isn't he a bit young for Transformers?". I (really) never thought so ... as Ryan liked them, almost immediately, at 2 + years old. I only realised my sis comments were true, when I started searching for some accessories for Ryan. I had wanted to buy a small haversack with a Transformers picture (of Bumble Bee) or logo for his nursery class next year ... but all I could find, were bags that were sized for a primary school-er. Way too big for my tiny boy! We searched high & low for the bag & nearly gave up. Finally, we settled on a ... errm .... "replica", in a local pasar malam ... & it cost us only a mere 6 bucks!

I used to be a big snob about buying fakes (still am, I guess). Things that were not original, were shunned big time by me. I guess that's why I over-spent BIG time, in my previous lifetime (yep, the lifetime before Ryan was conceived & born)! Now ... I'm not too sure. I still don't fancy fake stuff ... sorry, their quality is horrible & the workmanship is downright disgusting (most times). But these days, I'll rather get a look-alike than buy a fake good that tries to pass off as the original thing. Yep, Ryan has used shoes that looked like Crocs (but they are not fake Crocs, ya!), Winnie the Pooh face towels, Thomas the Train bathing towel, etc. Things that are subjected to a lot of wear & tear & won't be able to last that long. Don't wanna spend money on things that get tossed ... just after a few months wear. Well, that's just me .... these days!

One thing that I refuse to buy fake - his Transformers! Almost immediately after the 2nd movie, the fake Transformers popped up in several small shops. Of course, Ryan never fails to point them out to me ... hehe, I guess in a hope that I'll buy them for him? Nope! ... Never have, never will! If I had to spend a small fortune to buy a toy that's supposed to transform from a shiny yellow Corvette to a COOL robot alien, then I'll rather spend my money on the REAL ones. So there! Yes, they are rather expensive but we've been lucky that we did not spend a large amount of money on his Transformers figurines, as we had a bunch of (free) Takashimaya vouchers, that needed to get used ... so we purchased my son's obsession with them. Thank God!

These pics were taken in the cavernous Vivo City. The 1st four photos were taken in the huge Toys R' Us, one of Ryan's favourite store (but of course!). There has been an Optimus Prime at the entrance, for the longest time (since the 1st movie?) but as Ryan didn't fancy Optimus ... until recently, he never wants to get his picture taken with the Prime. Now its sooo different! He's come to love & admire the Autobots leader sooo much, that he sometimes picks the Prime over the lovable Bumble Bee. Haha! kids ... they love one thing now ... another, the next minute! Luckily, I took the pics with Optimus this time (way in October), as Toys R' Us recently changed the huge figurine with a Ben 10 one! (Yucks! never liked Ben 10!)

All hail the leader, Optimus Prime!

Isn't Optimus handsome, Mummy? Can we take him home? Please ... pretty please???

These were taken in the store. Sshhh! I'm sure photography is not allowed but I kinda secretly snapped these 2 photos, as I knew Ryan loved them.

Mummy, I'm a Transformer too! ... Yes???

Well, we had some time for Ryan's old favourite (hehe, old ... as in just a couple of months old) ... Thomas The Train.

A jeep ... with Dinosaurs (& an egg) on top.

Hhhm ... looking a bit tired, I see.

This photo of Ryan on a carousel, looks rather dark (just like the previous 2 pics too). I really don't know why? Sigh! must be my digicam acting up again!

Same ride ... but a much better photo, rite? My silly camera is playing tricks on me again!

RYAN'S B-I-G RED RIDE

This ride is pretty realistic ... it really does look like a real sports car. The ones that we surely cannot afford (& even if we could ... we wouldn't). The ones that most (much) older men (with lots of moolah to waste) ... experiencing a mid-life crisis ... would buy! Its a red, black, mean machine ... & my boy enjoys sitting on it ... if only, for awhile.

As my Hubby pointed recently, to his son - "Like Mummy said ... Never, ever buy a car, that costs more than a house!" ... Yep, I really said that, whilst commenting about how wasteful & frivolous people can be ... with their hard-earned money. But I never thought that Hubby would turn my many often-ramblings, into a quotable QUOTE! Haha! I see the "wise-ness" in it ... & yet I guess most people, really don't!

Why would someone ... anyone spend S$ 250,000 on something, with four wheels! A car is just a means of transportation, it gets you from Point A to Point B. As long as it's safe & affordable, we are happy as peaches. Do you know what a quarter of a million dollars can do for the poor or needy? Do you know how much a charitable organisation can do with that kind of money? Do you know how many families can be helped with that moolah?? Isn't there a better way to spend that hard-earned money ... than being a show-off ... that's parading, telling the whole world - "Hey! I can afford a Porshe/Ferrari/BMW .... can you, huh?" People can be so wasteful sometimes, it really amazes me ... what goes on in their head!?

I let Ryan sit on this ride ... coz its the only sports car we can ever "afford". Even if Ryan can afford one (when he's an adult), I hope I would have instilled in him, values ... built enough character & maturity ... to see that wastefulness is not how, we try to lead our lives. I hope, even when Hubby & me are long gone ... my son will not lead a spendthrift life. I hope he will be an independent, thrifty & wise young man ... who knows the value of hard-earned money. I hope he leads a purposeful life. I hope he can tell ... what's a necessity ... what's a luxury; whats a need ... whats a want! I really hope ... he will make better choices in life!
As I grow older, I am (definitely) more jaded ... towards a life of wastefulness (if there's such a word). I feel myself becoming more simple (in my thinking) ... in how I lead my life now. I see the frivolity in a lot of things people do & that even includes my own stupid-buying-decisions (in the past). What used to be important to me then ... is no longer important to me now. Does that make ... any sense?
I am long past ... the material stage of my life. Maybe, as I approach my own mid-life (crisis) - usually the 40s (rite?) ... I have come to re-examine my own life & question a lot of what's happening around me. I now tend to make decisions that will simplify my family's life. A lot of things don't matter so much ... to me. Is that so difficult to accept ...?
Its not that I suddenly hate shopping .. on the contrary, I still love to (window) shop or buy (necessary) stuff. Its what I buy now ... that's a great contrast, to what I would have bought ... in the past. Its not that I suddenly hate (eating) food ... I'm still very much a foodie-to-the-core. It's just that all that expensive & delicious food ... is just that, only food! Food, whether in a foodcourt or in a high class restaurant ... still feeds our stomach, still satiate our hunger ... in the end, all food turns to poop! Duh!
As Hubby will be changing jobs next year, we as a family ... are gearing up for pretty tough times ahead. We will make it ... I know we will! Its just that it will be tough, in the beginning but I hope at the end of the day ... we will emerge stronger & better .... in spirits & financial standing.
We now tighten our belts ... so tightly. We cut costs whenever we can, we delay purchases that are non-emergency, we put off things that can (surely) wait, we spend less & yet ... we spend more time together. Infact, we are closer as a family now because we find other more meaningful things to occupy our time - yep, we do mundane things ... like spring cleaning our home (ever so often), go kite-flying, go to the library, go to public playgrounds ... activities that make happy memories, albeit cheaper ones.
Yes! ... we are definitely going the "el-cheapo" way ... but it seems to make us cherish each other, even more. Isn't that ... SUPER ironic ??! ...

Time to go!

A GREEN RIDE IN JB

Sometimes my parents (mostly just my Dad) join us, on our (at least, once a month) grocery trip into Johor Bahru. No, no ... not so much to buy groceries themselves (coz we can do that for them, easily) ... but mostly just for the simple outing instead. They are always welcome to join us ... as long as they don't mind the numb-ing of their bums ... whilst waiting to pass through (both) the checkpoints, hehe!

I took these, whilst my boy was on his (usual) rides in JB. My Dad tried to amuse his grandson, as Ryan was busy going round & round aimlessly. These rides are so much cheaper in Malaysia, so I try to indulge him whenever we are in JB, rather than back home.

He tends to (always) chose the same ride, at the same venue ... he's (always) never tempted to change his fav "vehicle" ... unless its already taken by another rider. Most times, he ends up choosing a scooter or bike rides, seldom cars or jeeps, etc. Hhhmm ... I do wonder why? Well, maybe its just Ryan's preference, that's all .. nothing more.

Is that Hubby's finger I see?

Grandpa ... amusing his grandkid.

My Dad ... trying to make Ryan come to him.

Ryan, making the most of his short ride ... by going further ... away.