the chansbury chronicles

#7 of the C4

2010-12-07T23:52:00.003+08:00

On the seventh day of Advent
the paint is still to dry
so here's a pic of us instead...

#6 of the C4

2010-12-06T23:47:00.001+08:00

On the sixth day of Advent
we made a heap of these
can you guess
what they are?!

#5 of the C4

2010-12-05T23:41:00.000+08:00

On the fifth day of Advent we didn't do as much...

but went out and took some silly pics

#4 of the C4

2010-12-04T23:35:00.001+08:00

On the fourth day of Advent
we made my mummy's favourite
love hearts and decorated them...

#3 of the C4

2010-12-03T23:33:00.001+08:00

On the third day of Advent
my mummy helped me make
more Christmas baubles...

#2 of the C4

2010-12-02T23:29:00.001+08:00

On the second day of Advent,
I helped my mummy make...
a few Christmas baubles
(hung with recycled rubber bands from take-away food packets!)

#1 of the C4 (chansbury christmas countdown calendar)

2010-12-01T23:03:00.005+08:00

This festive season,
mummy's been inspired
by Mila's Daydreams blog
(read lazily lifting someone else's idea)
to countdown to Christmas.
This year, since we are
spending Christmas away from home
she's decided,
with inspiration from the fabulous Mister Maker,
to incorporate some R & R
(reduce consumerism where possible and recycle)
to craft our own
tree decorations!
She'd considered salvaging some boxes from the local supermarket to make a cardboard tree but fast gave up on that idea when she found a bargain of a tree at 50% off in a craft store...
and so, with some bought items of tree, cardstock, sticky tape, glitter glue and pipe cleaners our imagination will be the limit...
herewith Christmas decoration 1 - good ol' paper chains

a poem for parents

2010-11-04T22:24:00.003+08:00

this poem, found at the back of my kindy portfolio
mummy read whilst walking home with callum on her back
she was very very moved and just had to share it with you:

There are little eyes upon you, and they're watching night and day
There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say
There are little hands all eager to do everything you do
And a little child who's dreaming of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little person's idol, you're the wisest of the wise
In his little mind about you, no suspicions ever arise
He believes in you devoutly, holds all that you say and do
He will say and do in your way, when he's quite grown up like you.
There's a wide-eyed little person who believes you're always right
And his eyes are always open, and he watches day and night
You are setting an example every day, in all the things you do
For the little one who's waiting to grow up just like you.

why do children take things literally???!

2010-11-04T21:01:00.007+08:00

today was my last day at kindy as i am heading off to foreign shores in a couple of days' time for 2 months of slackness...
this means i will be missing the annual kindy concert which we have been practising for for a few weeks now.
it's supposed to be a secret but one i need not keep seeing as i won't be around to perform for it.
we've been learning to sing christmas songs and carols, so imagine mummy nearly keeling over last week when we were walking back from kindy and i start singing loudly, "i saw mummy kissing santa claus" and imagine my surprise when she starts singing along with me. (i didn't think she knew songs about santa claus because she keeps claiming he is unreal.)
where is this heading? bear with me...
we had a farewell morning tea especially for me today because i finished up kindy.
and my teacher gave me this little early christmas pressie.
so when we got home today,
i started singing that song,
whilst waving the pencil
around her head
insistently insisting
she kiss (eraserhead)
santa claus...
(no wonder he's smiling!)
someone better help mummy
when in singapore
i see all those
pretender santas
everywhere!!!!!

official school photos

2010-10-20T13:52:00.009+08:00

we had our
official kindy
school photos
taken last term!

mummy thinks
it pretty clearly reflected on my visage

my delight
and joy
at all that
play,
entertainment
and
activity
(what a life!)

on yer bike

2010-10-08T23:48:00.003+08:00

spring has sprung and
with weather this beaut
there's no real excuse
not to...
dust off the cobwebs
oil the chains
check the brakes
clean the helmets
adjust the harnesses
attach the bike seats
and ride off
into the sunset...

confessions of a secular kindy-er

2010-09-23T12:40:00.008+08:00

one of the things that mummy frequently ponders about
is the notion of a faith-based upbringing for children
considering how much a doubting thomas she is
and coupled with daddy's atheism
it does not bode well for organised religion
despite well-meaning observers' enthusiasm and encouragement
mummy still struggles with the concept of
enforced organised religious beliefs upon us
as little ones who are thus yet
unable to think critically at this (st)age
(so they do the best they can to teach us
via informal, example-based behaviours of
love, respect, trust, doing good and karma etc etc)
yet still her catholic guilt sometimes surfaces
especially when she sees children in catholic school uniforms...

anyway, one day before i had my milk for bed
daddy said to me, "will you sing?"
and mummy nearly fell off her chair with (delighted) surprise
when she heard my rendition of 'grace'
because we were taught this at kindy
and we practice it every day at morning tea time...
(now who says you have to go to private religious school?!!
just don't ask me to explain who the 'you' in the song refers to... yet!)

James' kind of grace from Eileen Chan on Vimeo

joie de vivre of a toddler

2010-08-26T21:30:00.000+08:00

we all love callum's smiling face and his simple gung ho joie de vivre
he is an absolute copycat
and that's probably because as an older brother i set mostly shining examples...

Cal at dining table from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

this video was taken about 2 months ago
and since then callum's speech has increased manifold
he says quite a few words (bus, car, moon, star, ma, hi, bye, see ya, etc. etc.)
but mummy's current favourite word of his is 'picture'
because he can't quite pronounce it properly
and it somehow comes out as 'bik bu' (big ahem derriere)

savouring the innocence and enthusiasm of 4.5 year olds

2010-08-25T21:28:00.004+08:00

mummy has been having some amazing conversations with me of late.
she reckons it's a marvellous time being with a 4.5 year old
when she asks me questions and i answer in all my childlike charm
(based on my vast and worldly experiences)
it's all good, life is mostly fun despite some of its silly adult-rules
but it's really a great time to carpe diem

of late at kindy, we've been practicing a surprise
for the upcoming Fathers' Day celebrations next week.
(so please daddy, don't peek!)
mummy just smiles with glee, laughts with delight and shakes with hysteria
when i do my little song and dance number
with unselfconscious wholehearted abandon ad infinitum
she keeps mumbling something about
cherishing all my innocence and enthusiasm now
because there will come a time one day
when i will consider this sort of palaver pretty uncool...

James' rendition of singing in the rain for Kindy Father's Day celebration from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

when your parents don't buy private health insurance...

2010-08-16T13:49:00.019+08:00

this is what you have to resort to

if you need some dental work...

let's just be grateful for little mercies
like having the actual implements to DIY...

sorry we've been awol...

2010-07-14T22:36:00.002+08:00

and laying low for quite a while now
mostly because mummy has been slack
and busy pre-occupied doing mum-stuff caring for us
so she hasn't really had the time and inclination to update our blog posts
but due to popular demand, we're trying to make a better effort!
so here we are looking about 2 months younger (for want of a better pic)
hope you have been keeping well and staying warm/cool, depending on your side of the hemisphere...

my daddy is four too

2010-04-24T17:33:00.006+08:00

daddy had a lovely
unexpected surprise
birthday dinner
at our godparents'
yesterday evening
thank goodness for
mummy's superb
surreptitious
and secretive
organisational skills!
he had only
4 candles
on his cake
so i think he is only
four years young
just like me.
happy happy birthday daddy!
despite these past 13 months of sleep deprivation due to callum being unwell
you have helped hold us all together
we love you so...
you are truly the BEST!

the boy and the tramp

2010-03-28T18:02:00.024+08:00

when the
store advertised
a clearance of
50% off sale

on their
small sized
trampolines
mummy actually
bit the bullet
and finally
got one
for me
to
bounce
upon

and so this sunday evening
our family m.o.
was to set it up -
it's petite enough
to fit at the end
of our little garden
yet ample for some
enthusiastic
energetic and
effervescent
burning off
of little boy
energy

woo hoooooooooooooo!

got ourselves a crying, talking, sleeping (not), walking, living doll

2010-03-27T21:40:00.007+08:00

to give you an idea of what life in a day of an almost one year old is like
this is pretty much it -
from the walking and crawling around
to the cooing, babbling (sometimes shrieking) vocalisation/noise
accompanied by excited flapping of arms
followed by the delightful abandon of mess-making
that's what Callum's life is all about presently
repeat ad nauseum until his head hits the pillow
and the whirlwind doesn't even cease then
because he still wakes up every 3-4 hourly through the night for feeds
think of poor poor mummy who is still surviving
a record of almost 365 days with less than 4 hour stretches of sleep...
the things we do for love!

Callum walking and babbling from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

and we're off once again

2010-03-26T20:39:00.000+08:00

Callum has been crawling about for almost 6 months now
and he started taking his first few unsteady zombie-like steps about 2 months ago
since last week his footfalls have progressively increased
from the initial 2 or 3 stumbles to about 8 or 9 distinct lengths
and so we reckon crawling will soon be just a distant memory...
because there's certainly no slowing Callum down now

Callum's initial steps from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

shared sartorialism

2010-02-17T19:02:00.015+08:00

in 2007
my great-grandmother
(god rest her soul)
presented me
with this
chinoiserie
outfit
and ever
since then
it has been
religiously
resurrected
for the annual
festive lunar new year
posterity pics

this year said outfit (literally) stretches even further with callum entering the fray.

lo hei kong hei

2010-02-14T18:51:00.003+08:00

this year we decided to escape the heat of the kitchen
(read as mummy can't cook)
and ushered in the lunar new year
with a scrumptious dinner at shun fung on the river
with all the family and our godparents
complete with sunset views...

we wish you all a bountifully blessed year of the metal tiger!

a 1 and 2 and 3 and a... 4!

2010-02-12T18:20:00.014+08:00

when you
have a birthday
at kindy age
your mummy
is expected
to turn into
some kind of
domestic goddess and

produce individual cupcakes for all one's classmates...
so with some splendid assistance from myself and the delightful Ms Crocker
mummy made up two batches of these scrumptious munchies.

We also kept up
the usual tradition
of celebrating
with a meal
with my
godparents
and this year
i had the
added joy of
having
my
kong kong
and
poh poh
join us all

as well as indulge me with a racing car trackand godpa and godma with a remote control car... the joys of being a child indeed!

thank you
everyone
for your
lovely
greetings,
wishes
and gifts
- i am
indeed
blessed
and
grateful

a new beginning

2010-02-01T22:54:00.006+08:00

this year i turn
4 (four!!! oh my!!)
and thus officially
attend formal school
twice a week!
for posterity's sake
here is my
first day of kindy portrait
complete with
uniform, hat and bag.
thankfully it has all
gone swimmingly
as i am rather
enjoying the
experience so far...

all the world's a tasting plate

2010-01-19T19:26:00.000+08:00

at 10 months
of age
Callum mainly
experiences
the wide world
orally so what
better way
to figure out
the laws of
taste, smell
elasticity and
(painful) cause and effect
by twanging
rubber bands
against his mouth?!

gift from God, given to God

2010-01-17T17:41:00.000+08:00

On a sweltering 42 degree day
with a gastro virus and head injury afflicting the other boy
Callum was baptised by our dear dear friend Fr Gerald
and welcomed into the fold of the Christian community.
Certainly an unforgettable day...
God be with you and bless you always, Callum
and may the Spirit be strong within you.

notable quotable #1

2010-01-09T23:49:00.003+08:00

this post is inspired
by ailing's inspiration blogposts

to
the
world
you are
someone;
to someone
you are the world.

mummy is somehow
always particularly touched
when she reads this quote

mine the gap

2010-01-04T11:09:00.001+08:00

all i had for
christmas
(apart from aunty steph's pressie)
were my
two
front
teeth
see
my
two
front
teeth?!

in luke's clothes

2010-01-03T10:42:00.013+08:00

dear aunty steph
you always want to see pictures of me
in the clothes you send

fortuitously mummy actually remembered to
document your sartorial choice this time

and almost keeled over
when she saw the label inside read 23 months!
does she now need bifocals or what???!

for 2010, we will aspire...

2010-01-01T23:00:00.021+08:00

to laugh often and much

to win the respect..
and the affection of children
to appreciate beauty
to find the best in others
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child
a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition
to know even one life
has breathed easier
because we have lived

with (a bit of purposeful editing of) that famous ralph waldo emerson quote
'tis our hopeful resolve for the year ahead

as we reflect and and give thanks for the year gone by
we wish you healthy, safe, blessed and growth-filled journeys in 2010 with love

thank you note to the tan-picards

2009-12-31T22:26:00.000+08:00

dear leia, luke, aunty steph and uncle jc
remember how
we waited and waited
at both ends of the world
for that brown paper parcel
to arrive and after much
moaning and groaning
wishing and hoping
wringing of hands
greying of hairs etc etc

those good good things
eventually came
to those of us
who awaited patiently
so here we are
gladly thanking you
whilst excitedly opening
your thoughtful pressies
on christmas mornin'

greetings of the season

2009-12-25T21:57:00.000+08:00

me three boys from down under are
wearing 'ears' not normal for sure
red and green all tinkly and spa-ar-kly
to wish you a season quite merryo 'tis a bit late this we know
yet our heartfelt wishes show
tho' life is busy, silly or dizzy
you're in our thoughts and prayers alrighty...

time for a christmas hoedown, y'all

2009-12-23T23:07:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

we're dreaming of a white christmas

2009-12-21T22:32:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

shake your groove thang baby yeah yeah

2009-12-19T20:55:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the family that sings together...

2009-12-18T23:09:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

'tis the season to laugh a little...

2009-12-17T17:45:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

pick a colour

2009-12-05T22:27:00.008+08:00

now that our
house extensions
are on their
home stretch
we have begun
the arduous task
of selecting
paint colours
for the walls

so today i helped daddy play with sample paint pots and
spread some 'test squares' for the external walls

not tremendously
exciting work
when it's
37 degrees out...
and made
even tougher
given a
totally
indecisive
mummy!

all i want for christmas...

2009-12-04T22:04:00.007+08:00

are my (top) two front teeth which are coming through
well on their way in time for christmas day i say i say
hence the gnawing on cardboard toilet rolls
ala my big brother james when he was the same age
isn't our mummy continuing some 'weird and wonderful traditions'?!

mummy couldn't resist the fish

2009-11-21T21:32:00.002+08:00

she loves them so much
and they're the best substitute for the real thing
you can feed them by clicking... enjoy!

toothie pegs

2009-11-08T21:22:00.003+08:00

mummy finally
managed to capture
my little chompers
in action
each new arrival
is always heralded
by hourly cry-fests
all through the nights...
how many more
are there to come
she cringes?!
whilst daddy
suspects those
amber teething beads
are akin to snake-oil...

celebrating samhain / all hallow's eve

2009-10-31T07:49:00.003+08:00

mummy had yet
another 'excuse'
for a dress-up costume
as daycare celebrated
the traditional all hallow's eve
with a halloween costume party
and so inspired by
one of her favourite
web-sites, ohdeedoh
she went about with
sewing needle, thread,
scissors, a pipe-cleaner
and two pieces of black craft felt
to turn me into
a little bat
nice and easy
to drive her
batty...

and he's off...!

2009-10-26T20:31:00.006+08:00

this past week callum started
rearing up on his haunches rocking back and forth
sometimes he does this on his hands and feet
ala the down dog yoga pose
a few days ago he started moving about
from one spot to another
yes, he'd been able to spin around on his tummy aka sky-diving
but now, he's definitely begun a semblance of the crawl
In his own inimitable fashion!
mummy can't get over how much sooner he's begun chasing after everything
mobility may not be an issue for callum anymore
but keeping the place safe and chomp-proof definitely is now for mummy!
and here's a flashback to when i started crawling at 9 months
3 months later than callum...

sold on solids

2009-10-25T17:41:00.012+08:00

a big bravo to mummy
for successfully persevering and reaching her goal
of exclusively breastfeeding
callum for his first 6 months (and to many many more...)
(despite the initial hurdles of cracked, bleeding and shorn-off nipples)
since then, he's started his first tastes of solids
here he's captured having his first spoonfuls of rice cerealhe's been eating pretty well ever since...
between his breastfeeds
he breakfasts on oat and banana flake porridge
lunches on pureed butternut pumpkin and sweet potato
dines on pureed broccoli zucchini and carrot with rice cereal
and has just deserts of pureed apple and pear
mummy is slowly and steadily increasing his varieties
and enjoys using the bebedelice to make all his organic food, the lucky duck!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... transformation me hearties!

2009-10-25T12:14:00.018+08:00

Apologies for our little bit of absence -
mummy finally worked out
how to use her new camera
(she managed to fall on the other one
and broke it much to her chagrin)
she also eventually found the cable
to download photos
so we are finally able
to update our posts.

Yesterday I went to my mate
Matthew's pirate birthday party
so we had a dress up situation happening
and mummy being mummy
refused to buy into commercialised costumes
racked her brains to work out how to turn me into a
right ol' pirate of the land seas.

After raiding my wardrobe
for a stripey tee
and a dash to Spotlight
for raw materials
she ended up destroying her
own black singlet
with scissors
using felt and glue
to craft a
skull and crossbones
coupled with the magic of
some face paint
and thanks to daddy's nifty
fold and tie work with
red polka-dotted fabric

shiver me timbers...
voila... bearded captain pirate
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... you like?

spot the difference

2009-08-10T19:27:00.010+08:00

one of us sleeps through the night (and day)
the other one wakes up intermittently to snack and party
one of us need never wear no nappy
the other one emits explosive poops and pops
one of us never dribbles, ever
the other one salivates because he can't swallow his own drool yet
one of us does not need hair combed or nails clipped
the other one has fearsome hair on his back and nails that can scratch eyes out
one of us closes our eyes when the dummy gets popped in
the other one closes his eyes only when exhausted or in deep slumber
one of us can only visualise our hands from a distance
the other one sucks at his fingers and thumb at every opportunity
one of us never ever makes a noise or cries
the other one can launch into (incomprehensible) loud 'conversations' at 4am
replete with coos, shrieks, snuffles, squeaks, squeals and squawks
one of us only ever has one expression on his face
the other one has a myriad of smiles, gurgles, frowns, grins, cringes, wails, laughs,
and ably expresses astonishment and delight, joy and sadness,
frustration and contentment, surprise and amusement
one of us will always wear the same-sized clothes
the other one keeps growing like there is no tomorrow
one of us stays still in one position when manipulated
the other one can sit still for a few seconds, kicks and flaps about
and occasionally overbalances and keels over
one of us hardly ever needs a bath
the other one rather likes splashing about in the water
one of us is quite hard and unwieldy
the other one is soft yet firm, tender and smooshy,
squeezable and smooth as, cuddly and oh so warm,
eminently and incontrovertibly munchable
one of us is played with occasionally then left around
the other one is held so dear, cherished to bits
and loved so deeply like nothing else in the world...
one of us has an elder brother with a wicked sense of humour -
"mum... callum looks like a zebra today!"
can you guess which one i am?

outdoor entertainment # 74

2009-08-06T11:52:00.012+08:00

what
could
be
better
than
lazing
about
on a
mound
of dirt
flinging
sand...

or
doing
a
rain
dance
and
waiting
for
some
drink...

or lying in the dirt
and building sandcastles
whilst the roos go about their business in the background...

hence
the
cheesy
grin...
ahhhh...
the
life
of
a
semi
country
boy

outdoor entertainment # 73

2009-08-05T23:11:00.006+08:00

what do i
get up to
each time
we head down
to nannup?
easy -
fling self
and stones
into
puddles
to see
who makes
the
biggest
splash!

no prizes
for guessing
why i am
bottomless..!

reason # 29 you can tell callum is not the firstborn

2009-08-04T20:57:00.004+08:00

when i was a baby and even up till only very recently
mummy refused to let me near the computer - real or toy
for fear of irradiation and/or addiction
and yet with callum
they seem to have a devil-may-care attitude of
whatever it takes to amuse him!
looks as if it doesn't matter that all that drool
could possibly lead to electrocution or destruction, does it?!

chrismas in july

2009-07-20T20:13:00.003+08:00

despite the rain and wind and hail
we had a lovely christmas-in-july roast on sunday
with great-grandma kate and grandma sheila
it has been a right treat having grandma sheila around lately
and sad to have to say goodbye as she returns to tassie
hopefully we will see her again soon, possibly in november??!

gobsmacked

2009-07-16T22:59:00.010+08:00

poor mummy has been rather perturbed
with our mouth antics of late...
me
and
my
angelina-jolie/
mick jagger/
pouty supermodel
impressions

and
callum
and
his
rabid
he-can't-seriously-
be-teething-yet-can-he
effervescence...

what the...???!

Méi Lánfāng eat your heart out!

2009-07-14T19:24:00.002+08:00

two weeks ago, callum was a happy normal chatty baby
since last week, the pendulum has swung!
his chat sessions can now rival Méi Lánfāng the famous peking opera singer's work
mummy tends to roll about with laughter at callum's antics
sometimes i wish he'd reach just that tad pitch higher
so only the dogs could hear him...

Cal's delightful squeals from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

when in nannup...

2009-07-12T12:40:00.000+08:00

apart from running about the block in nannup
and imitating daddy with his wheelbarrow
i have a pretty fabulous time with all the space down there
and of late my budding 'engineering' skills have come to the fore
with my train-track-building projects
ably assisted, of course, by my 2ic labourers - mummy and daddy!
callum also seems to enjoy all that fresh country air
as he quite frequently plays, laughs and kicks so hard on his playmat
that he subsequently falls asleep mid-play
all by himself, with his favourite digit in his mouth...
(remarkably like his kong kong reading his newspapers)

getting down and drrrrrtyy

2009-07-11T12:28:00.000+08:00

lately we have been
fortunate enough
to travel to our
little nannup
pied a tierre
quite frequently
mummy and daddy
are so grateful
that callum and i
travel pretty well
with just one
short break
in between
trips for
feeds.

daddy has been
busy building
fences to keep
the roos out
so the trees
we've planted
this winter
have a chance
of not
being eaten alive.
and so i help out
as little as possible
preferring to
mess about
in the earth and
muddy puddles...

talk to the animals

2009-07-10T15:21:00.003+08:00

you definitely know callum is a second child
when mummy and daddy welcome with widely open arms
kaleidescopically-coloured baby furniture kindly donated by friends
that will surely clash with the home decor
but might free up their hands and entertain him from time to time...
witness for yourself callum chatting up his little friends
and getting quite a kick out of his burgeoning social skills!

Cal chatting from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

seeing double

2009-07-09T15:33:00.002+08:00

james (unimpressed): if i close my eyes, this triple-dose of stripey-clash-dom surely cannot assault my visual senses...
callum (as unimpressed): man, i know i have to wear james' hand-me-downs, but isn't this going a tad overboard??!!!

found! one pair of hands and a thumb

2009-06-25T11:00:00.002+08:00

callum is now 12 weeks old
and developmentally has now discovered his hands!
they do seem to be thumb-suckin' good, don't they?!
could this be the beginnings of an addiction?
we suspect he might have found his vice...

splattery will get me everywhere

2009-06-21T15:37:00.008+08:00

when mummy
was heavily
pregnant
with callum
she could not
run around
with me
as much
so we spent
quite a bit
of time doing
more 'sedate'
activities -
one of which
was painting
out on the deck...

i started out
with such
good intentions
utilising
a brush
but after a while
boredom set in
and it turned
into free for all
with my fingers
- much more
fun and
interesting -
all that
texture, mess,
gooeyness and...

attempts to clean my fingers
on mummy's big target of a belly!!!!!!!!

retrospective #1

2009-06-20T12:45:00.005+08:00

because mummy's computer broke down after callum was born
i didn't have much of a chance to show callum off to you
so now that it's fixed
we will do a retrospective series
to proudly introduce my lovely little brother
Callum Harris Kai Chansbury
beginning when he was one week old
here i am learning to hold the little poppet gently
not letting him loll his head about uncontrollably
and generously introducing my blue bear to him

callum first thing

2009-06-19T12:56:00.002+08:00

this is callum when he wakes up in the morning
after his breakfast feed
quite the morning person isn't he?!
must take after daddy

callum's fodder

2009-06-14T09:19:00.003+08:00

mummy
breastfeeds
callum
but
look
what
my
silly
daddy
tries
to
feed
him...
typical
aussie
fare -

meat pies and tim tams!

sibling semblance

2009-06-13T19:30:00.000+08:00

mummy seems to think
callum and i are very different looking
but daddy can see the similarities
well, what do you reckon?

twinkle twinkle who's a star?

2009-06-12T17:50:00.013+08:00

daddy you are THE superstar...
mummy and i think he
is the bees knees!
he loves us all so much
he feeds me every day
plays with us
cooks for us
bathes us
entertains us
puts me to sleep
works part time
does the household chores
AND cares for callum too
isn't he a multi-tasking
(thirsty) wonderdad?!

grandparents are the best

2009-06-11T17:28:00.000+08:00

mummy had such a lovely time
when kong-kong and poh-poh came
to stay with us for a month
to help out 3 weeks after callum's birth.
she had such great help
when they did all the night duties
carrying, rocking, patting and entertaining callum
when he was awake in the wee hours of the morning
as well as laughing at his myriad of expressions.
mummy really appreciated all their assistance
with the cooking, cleaning, ironing, shopping,
their company, their insights and observations of callum's development and help with keeping me out of her hair at times.

i greatly enjoyed their company and how they spoilt me
with a huge supply
of vcds and dvds
while daddy got to eat
lots and lots
of cake
and i got to
blow out poh-poh's
birthday candles
thank you very much
kong-kong and poh-poh!
we miss you so so much.

what i learn at daycare

2009-06-10T16:57:00.000+08:00

hello faithful followers!
as they say patience is a great virtue
and good things come to all those who wait
particularly mums whose laptops go on strike
and need replacement parts all the way from singapore.
well now that we are back online
and callum has settled into a great rhythm
mummy has more time to update the blog
starting with this beauty...
out of the blue the other day
i started singing this well-known nursery rhyme
learnt from my stints at daycare
and modified to suit my interests
now don't say they don't teach you anything at these places!

translation: twinkle twinkle little star
my daddy owns a motor car
push the button pull the choke
off we go in a cloud of smoke
twinkle twinkle little star
my daddy owns a motor car.
Z sings twinkle motor car from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

it's my baby bro and he can cry if he wants to

2009-04-04T13:18:00.009+08:00

after exactly 40 weeks of anticipation
(and rightly deserving a medal for putting up with mummy's sickness, aches,
discomfort, mood swings, complaints and whatnots)
i am so pleased and happy to welcome to the chansbury party
a new baby brother who arrived safe and sound
on sunday 29 march at 6.36pm welcome to the world baby callum (gaelic for 'dove')
who weighed in at 3210g and 48cm long
mummy and daddy are so proud of me as
i have been such a loving, well-behaved and gentle big brother

show me the money: a two-part play

2009-02-26T15:49:00.012+09:00

scene 1
mummy is typing away on her computer in the study.
at her desk is an open magazine that happens to be open at the page where a picture of the following lego police station playset is advertised:
act 1 scene 1
james walks into the study and immediately spots said picture of lego police station playset
james: (jabbing finger at police motorbike, car and paddy wagon) mummy, i want this, this and this!
mummy: (absent-mindedly working on computer and not paying full attention to james) hmmmm? what? yes dear, of course you want it. so would i. but it's too expensive mate, it's like $140! i don't have that kind of money!
james continues to jump around in the study and plays with things he shouldn't as usual, then after a matter of minutes, walks out of the study. mummy is rather relieved with the peace and quiet from his departure.

act 2 scene 1
james comes running into the study, mummy is still absent-mindedly on the computer only half paying attention to him
james: mummy, mummy, can you open this for me?
mummy: huh? what? oh? ok. (mummy unscrews the bottom of his piggy bank container without even realising what she is doing.)
james: (proceeding to fling all his token coins from grandma and grandpa out of his piggy bank onto mummy's desk then shouts triumphantly) here's my money mummy!!!!
mummy: huh?? hoi! what the...?? why are you throwing the coins about and making a mess??

...and then it dawns upon mummy what has actually happened!!!!!!!
the boy had put 10 cents and 10 cents together and came up with what he thought was equivalent to $140!
mummy is speechless for a second and doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at his innocent, innocuous yet strangely logical and train of (calculating) thought...
do we have a little donald trump in the makings? we certainly hope not!!!!!!!!!!!

toddlerfesting at scitech

2009-02-17T21:25:00.012+09:00

despite her heavily gravid state
mummy braved the crowds and parking
and brought me to experience toddlerfest at scitech today

i had quite a ball
making playdough

blowing bubbles
pressing buttons
flinging things around
pushing and pulling things

petting baby animals

and basically running riot
all in the name of science...

one and two are three

2009-02-14T14:36:00.006+09:00

i turned three years old on thursday and mummy can quite definitely believe it!
probably because i seem to have suddenly grown up a bit lately
we have now successfully sailed the perilous potty-training waters
are currently treading the rough and choppy seas
of separation anxiety and socialisation
at community day care for two half-mornings a week
as well as grappling with the burgeonings of
a rather tempestous little mind of my own
that is unfortunately wearing mummy's patience a little thin these days
(mind you her raging pregnancy hormones are not helping either!)

daddy even
came home early
from work
to help mummy
put together
my train birthday cake
and a little intimate celebration
was had by all
at my godparents'

a big thank you
to everyone
for your
lovely thoughts
kind wishes
birthday cards
and generous gifts
you know whom
you are
i truly appreciate it!

behold the 'wizard of oz'

2009-02-01T14:52:00.009+09:00

(with sincere apologies to
mr sinatra & mann/hilliard)
in the wee small hours
of the morning
while the whole wide world
is fast asleep
my mummy lies awake and
thinks about the boy
and never ever thinks
of counting sheep

when her anxious heart has
learned its lesson
i'd have a dress-up costume
if only she'd been more organised

in the wee small hours of the morning
that's the time she gets most creative of all...

here is my wizard costume
for erin's fairy party
courtesy of
aunty steph's suggestion, google,
mummy's deliberate avoidance of fancy costumes
(as you can imagine it would only last 2 mins on me)
put together with copious amounts of al foil,
sticky tape, recycling of kitchen paraphernalia
and a whole lot of parental love (i.e. lack of sleep!)

baby whisperer wannabe

2009-01-16T14:02:00.007+09:00

in a bid to set the scenario
as part of the preparation
for my upcoming stint
as big brother to my
as yet unborn younger sibling

mummy acquired this pre-loved
baby doll for me at christmas

so i have quite enjoyed
the novelty of
pretending to do the
feed play sleep routine
with my baby...

and then today we had the
opportunity to babysit
our neighbour's six month old
baby xander for half the day

and i really impressed everyone
with my try-very-hard gentle loving skills
at caring for a real live baby
let's hope the novelty doesn't wear off by the time bubsy is born...!

new year, new beginnings

2009-01-13T16:14:00.000+09:00

the post may be a little late
yet comes with sincere heartfelt wishes and love from all of us
for a blessed, healthy, life-giving, fulfilling and growth-filled 2009 ahead
as we look forward to more adventures
as well as welcoming a new addition to our family... salut!

merci beaucoup aunty steph

2009-01-12T16:04:00.000+09:00

dear aunty steph
this one's for you - the pictures say it all...

tour de james

2009-01-11T15:51:00.000+09:00

one of the presents
i was fortunate enough
to receive for christmas
was this bicycle helmet
from nanna sheila
in tassie

which matched
perfectly with
my other super duper
surprise present
of a bicycle
with training wheels
from nan-nan kate
in rockingham

and so now i have the adventure of bike riding to look forward to
in my third year ahead...
how glorious is it to be a toddler or what

a blessed Christmas to one and all

2008-12-27T22:23:00.001+09:00

wishing all of you
a Christmas season
filled with much
hope, peace, joy and love
and as we head
into the new year
a yearful of
bountiful
blessings

xoxoxo

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

2008-12-23T22:30:00.003+09:00

and this is our nativity set up at home
waiting patiently for the arrival
of baby jesus on the twenty-fifth...
so in the meantime
i have great fun displacing mary and joseph from the manger
prefering to garage my cars and trucks in there
sometimes i even make mary drive the little green tractor
what with feminism and all...
i am a right cheeky sod!

the pool towkay

2008-12-18T23:13:00.003+09:00

i've got sunshine
i've got floaty toys
i've got paddle pool
who could ask for anything more...

bump by request

2008-12-11T14:24:00.006+09:00

dear aunty steph
you know how
mummy feels
about sharing
silhouettes
of her
big bump
with anyone out there
so i was persuaded
to do a
stand-in for her...
you like???!

actually silly daddy
stuffed beanbags
up my torso
and we had a
right hoot
giggling and drooling
and pretending to be
gridiron players!

who's (not) been sleeping in my bed?

2008-12-09T22:48:00.007+09:00

when papa bear
came home
today
he was surprised
to find
baby bear's bed
empty
so where was
baby bear?

hibernating after migration
across the great divide
onto papa and mama bear's bed...
(somehow with his sleeping bag on!)

i've got a ticket to ride

2008-12-02T16:39:00.013+09:00

mama took me
on an outing today
i had a great time
riding the big train
into the city
and then she
took me to the
santaland express
at the myer department store
(only cause it's free)
for a little train ride

here i am
waiting to board
with my ticket

and then more
waiting patiently with trepidation
behind my friend erin
who was more
enthusiastic about
it than i was

and we are off...
hmmmm...
into santa's gaping
tunnel of a mouth

oooh made it!
controlling
the urge
to bust out
of the
emergency
exit
notice my
fists are all clenched

all done now
can we go please please?
i much prefer
the regular big trains
where i can
hold mummy's hand
as i ride excitedly
and watch the
scenery whizz by
whilst providing
a non-stop running
commentary on all
the vehicles i see
zooming on the freeway

33 months

2008-11-23T17:14:00.005+09:00

mama has been
too pre-occupied
to write much or
even take many
photographs of
me of late
since we are
going to welcome
a new sibling for me
at the end of
march next year
hence the silence...
i am now 33 months old
am developing and
growing well

at 98 cm tall and 14.7kg heavy
so feel for her when i make her carry me!
life is progressing very well for me
and i have definitely been such an adorable and a good little boy of late
as i am able to comprehend and communicate so much better
although i am are still resolutely averse to toilet-training
(p.s. reese witherspoon, you may have met your pointy chin contender!!!)

trials and tribulations of toileting

2008-10-29T19:46:00.005+09:00

today was the second day
that i managed to do a
ker-plunk into the toilet...
although it might look
funny to you
let me tell you
it is a right pain to be
forcibly sat onto a throne
for some time
doing the grunty thing and
so the folks have resorted to
bribery and entertainment by
plonking the
portable dvd player
at my feet...

thank you aunty steph

2008-10-26T23:45:00.005+09:00

dear aunty steph
thank you very much
for sending me my own
namesake tee-shirt!
i have finally been
wearing it these days
now that the weather
is warming up
i can also say perfectly,
'james is red'
but if you ask me
what my name is
i will shyly whisper,
'zee-zee'!

(how do you like my apres-swim-slicked-back-broody-heathcliffe pose???!)

my books have pictures

2008-10-21T20:50:00.008+08:00

some people like
reading novels
others like magazines
coffee-table books
even comics
and some like my mummy
love poring over junk mail
(if she gets the chance, i.e.)
i think i have inherited
her love of browsing
especially when my
grandparents kindly
sent me all the
way from singapore
the disney pixar
cars magazine

it's true bliss when
i can identify
all the characters
from the movie and
just keep staring at them
lovingly...
yet it somehow feels
like pulling-teeth
for mummy
when i
force her to
read it to me
over and over again...
it seems poh poh
has a lot
to answer for!

mummy's hijacked this post/32 months old

2008-10-14T16:27:00.003+08:00

our dearest jamesy
you are now
32 months of age
and mummy wanted to
tell you for the record
she still cannot fathom
the depth of her love for you.
(she wants this in print
before you chuck one of
your spectacular
hissy fits and she
changes her mind!)

you are an incredible
little child of wonder
full of shiny brightness
boundless energy
unceasing conversation
limitless curiousity capable
of snort-inducing humour
and tremendous cheekiness.

you are our precious, precious child and truly,
despite the tough, trying and wearying times,
the tearing-hair-out-of-head times,
the 'i-don't-like-you-mummy' times
we are pretty privileged with the gift of helping to grow you.
aaaaah jamesy jamesy our sterling little one of a kind star...

celebrate tonight come on!

2008-09-22T14:50:00.008+08:00

although it
was not
my birthday
yesterday
i still had
a whale
of a time
ripping open
presents

licking
batter
off the
beaters

blowing
out
birthday
candles

enjoying a
slice of
birthday
cake
with a
modicum
of
decorum

and then
sod the
manners -
scoffing
the lot
with my
bare hands...

a(w)assaulting i will go...

2008-09-19T14:16:00.005+08:00

there are some children out there
who can sing like angels
or perhaps sing nicely in tune...
on the other hand there are children like moi
who don't imagine the vienna boys' choir will be a-knocking our door anytime soon...

Jamesy singing his ABCs from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

happy father's day

2008-09-07T15:36:00.004+08:00

daddy you are truly
such a special father
and husband to mummy
thank you for all that you do
mummy actually thinks
not only are you 'daddy'
but you are 'mummy' too -
especially the past few weeks
when she has been
awfully under the weather
no wonder you are my
absolute number one
utter favourite
bestest person in
my little universe
oh how we adore you!

i eat cannibal...

2008-08-19T17:41:00.004+08:00

it's incredible
mummy is just
so amazingly
amazed
that i actually
ate two of these
honey and soy
chicken wingette
thingies
that daddy
bought from the
butcher yesterday
evening...

if you only knew
how she still
purees my vegetables
you would understand
this shock
to her system...

dressing up at 30

2008-08-13T16:33:00.010+08:00

i turned 2.5 years yesterday
- the big 30 months
so what do we do
to celebrate?
dress up as
dorothy the dinosaur...
of course!
mummy borrowed
the dress up costume
from the
toy library and
sure enough
i had a blast
dancing around like
i was dorothy...

we even managed to
coerce daddy into action!

bedding down

2008-07-31T14:03:00.014+08:00

you all know how i've been
sleeping on my cot
mattress wedged right up
next to the folks' bed
(cause they couldn't bear
to get up and out of bed
in the middle of the night
to stumble down a hallway
into another room)
and so the co-sleeping stayed
because it worked for us all
well now i am out of the
mattress and into my very own
little toddler bed from ikea
but make no mistake -
i still lie
wedged next to them
snug as a bug in a rug under my numbers doona!

let them eat... gravel!

2008-07-29T14:40:00.008+08:00

for anyone with
young children
you will be used
to the plethora
of books out there
educating us about
really useful things
to know in life that
may come in handy
one fine day...
you know those
books about
cars, trucks, diggers,
emergency vehicles,
animals, farms, zoos
just to name a few...

well they must certainly work
because i have been influenced by those
farm books -
every time i come across
bits and pieces of gravel
i become possessed
by the strange notion
that the gravel is
actually chicken feed
and so i must,
like the good farmer,
scoop out handfuls
and fling them about
to the
(only visible to my eyes)
starving chickens

be they at the side of the footpath, along the road or even in the river...!

more twinkle-toeing

2008-07-21T22:25:00.002+08:00

if you are not already aware
i am a great fan of the pixar movie cars
and i can watch it over and over again
much to mummy's consternation
i love bopping about to the music
and here's proof of my sinatra-like prowress
dancing to the tune of route 66

Jamesy dancing to Route 66 from Eileen Chan on Vimeo.

florabunda

2008-07-17T16:44:00.005+08:00

inspired by
aunty steph's blog
mummy remembered
the times when
we'd go rambling
along bush tracks
these days
i am more able
to take a little time
to slow down
and ponder
the wonder of
the local flora -
twigs and leaves
gum nuts
funghi and detritus...

29 months

2008-07-12T22:42:00.013+08:00

mummy actually
remembered
that i turn
29 months old today
considering it has been
a rather trying week
for all of us
she's done well
we've each had
the cold in turns
and i have also been
a right
whinging, whining
crying, complaining
big pain in the rear end
this past week

and yet amidst all
the tantrums and fury
smiles do occasionally
get a peek in
case in point -
my increasing
interest in animals particularly
cats and dogs
naturally i adore
commanding them to 'sit'
i tend to do this
with the utmost authority
in my voice (sit! sit! sit!)
this in itself would not be
so hilarious if i could only
enunciate the verb
as it is meant to sound
instead my version comes with an extra bit of aspiration after the 's'
so i seem to be emitting a particularly frowned-upon
four-letter word with gusto!

farewell tai poh

2008-07-07T19:11:00.004+08:00

my great-grandmother and
mummy's grandmother fong yee
whom i had the privilege of meeting at christmastime in 2007
passed away on 06-07-08
she most certainly had a long and full innings
almost 90 years of a life
now no longer suffering and taken home to heaven
we say good bye to you
with so much sadness because we miss your being on earth
you are gone but most surely not forgotten
you live on in our memories and hearts forever with love
requiescat in pacem

making a splash of it

2008-06-29T14:48:00.012+08:00

when life
hands you
winter

and all of its
accompanying
precipitation

what else
can one do

but
make
the most
of a marvellous
opportunity...

ssplattt
ssploshhh
sspliiishhh
sploooooshhh
ssplaaaaaassshhh!

yet another possible future vocation

2008-06-27T22:24:00.008+08:00

my utter fascination with
and enjoyment of
playing with water
is yet again highlighted
during my bath times
where i can spend hours
contemplating its
mesmerising properties
mummy and daddy think
my prospects
as a mamak stall man
doing the teh-tarik
(pulled-tea) thing
is looking rather
promising
don't you?

more muddy puddling

2008-06-26T20:40:00.000+08:00

in case you missed the previous episode in all its muddy gloriousness
here is more evidence that my parents are either
very good at letting me enjoy my childhood discoveries or
wish they had procured some procter and gamble shares

q.e.d.

2008-06-25T22:26:00.004+08:00

Jamesy Jumps Muddy Puddles! from Eileen Chan on Vimeo
p = i love watching peppa pig
i = peppa pig loves jumping in muddy puddles
therefore, if p x i = g
g = i love jumping in muddy puddles! q.e.d.
notice too my incredible ability to multi-task at this age
eat a banana and jump the puddles
i can see shaking of heads all around...