Pedal Cycling Day One

Ethan got his first pedal bike, a Specialized Hotrock 16 with coaster brakes. Daddy chose this one as it has decent components and an aluminium frame to make it a reasonable weight. Lots of time on his previous balance bike has made my cycling son adept at balancing so we started his bike riding career with no training wheels and he has taken to it very well. After a bit of practice of how to get started he is doing very well. This ride is after about half an hour of practice and no falls! Daddy sure is proud!

The 2-Child Brompton

We just got a second seat for our Brompton! This one is much larger and excellent quality with 5 point harness, reclining seat, and head rest with space for helmet.

I picked up the seat second hand, brand new, from someone who couldn't fit it onto his Dahon. It's tough with foldies, but a few modifications (mainly to the setback distance to the seatpost) and we were in business out riding in East Coast Park that very same evening!



This video is the very first time that Ethan and Talia rode on the Brompton at the same time. Listen for squeals of joy! It makes it all worthwhile...

All three of us loved the experience of being together. Ethan and Talia are quite attached to one another, so this new experience of being with one another and with Daddy is quite a thrill. Of course the speed makes it all the much better, though needless to say since I was carrying an additional 35kg load it was slower than usual.

More recently, I took both of them out on a more adventurous urban outing. We did some short distances on roads from Pinnacle to Lau Pa Sat for a satay dinner, then on to Marina Bay Sands for the evening light show. It was a great success, especially since I had tweaked the setup and the tire pressure so we were much faster. It's just amazing how well the Brompton handled this load. As someone once wrote, "A folding bike with small wheels like this shouldn't be able to carry loads this well!" But it does... As we were eating satay, Talia looked over at our folded Brompton with two child seats contorted around it and proudly said, "That's our bike Dad!"



Tech note: Total weight < 110kg, front bracket = 15kg, rear seat 20kg with mounting point < 5cm to seat clamp minimizing moment loading. I wouldn't ride the bike daily like this, but for the occasional outing it seems well within Brompton tolerances.

Sentosa Boardwalk Cycling

It was a drizzly day but we were sure glad we got out and brought the kids with bikes to Sentosa Boardwalk. It's a wonderful stretch and they great fun with the travellators and cycling on the deck, especially on the gentle ramps by the ocean.



The girls were not left out of the fun and Talia did extremely well navigating the wet surfaces and slopes.

Talia's Chopsticks

Talia is just marvelous with her chopsticks! Sometimes it seems like mind over matter as I don't know how she manages to deftly get her food with them. She loves using them and I dare say she is more capable with them than her big brother!

School Together

Talia has started School this year!

Up till now, she had to watch longingly while her brother trooped off to an exciting place called School with Mummy or Daddy while she got left behind. This year she can happily join her brother, while he, of course is pleased with the new company with whom he can now travel with! Here they are on their first day of school.

Of course, things changed once Talia got to school and realized they would be in different classes! She started crying when Ethan went off to his class....and was quite inconsolable for a long time.... It was pretty heartbreaking to see her cry so much especially since most of her other classmates seemed so much calmer! The inevitable "I'm a bad mother" guilt trips & "what could I have done better" thoughts that every mum goes through was emotionally draining but with Ivan's calming effect, we persevered and tried to make school mornings as fun as possible, and by the end of the week, the tears had pretty much cleared up! Phew!

Wasn't able to take many photos of Talia in her first week as she was crying through most of it, but here are a couple of happy moments in that difficult week!

Ethan "Armstrong" Liew

Ethan is really getting into cycling and is thus becoming more and more like Daddy! It's funny how he is scared to climb high things in the playground but he is undaunted by speed, balance, and steering. He's taken to his balance bike really well so much so that 2 year old Talia is really keen to have a go even though she's too short! Daddy is looking on eBay for a good quality 16" bicycle (pedals this time) preferably with pedal brakes. Trek Mystic 16 anyone?

The Little Black Car

Some time ago we found this cute little car dumped by the side of the road ready for the garbage collector. It wasn't working but it was still clean so we salvaged it as we thought that just sitting in it, the kids would have fun. That they did, but with a recycled battery and some loving fixing, Daddy got it working again! "Grandma, we fixed the car!" Ethan proudly claimed. He had such great fun driving it around. It was most fun to see him driving Talia around in the little car.

Around that time, I came back from my long 7 week overseas study trip. Mummy and Ethan had made this fantastic "Welcome Home Daddy!" poster. It got me thinking...

Why not have a father-son project together? If Mummy and Ethan had such a wonderful time hand painting (and Daddy doesn't like arts and crafts) then Daddy and Ethan can have a father-son project. And what better project than fixing up a car? Sure, Ethan's car was moving but we could spruce it up a little....

Some of the electrical work was done without a 3 year old toddler pulling at everything, but we did other stuff together. Ethan loves fiddling with tools while Daddy fixes things. It really is doing things together and he is always careful to say later that, "Daddy and I did it!" We don't have enough pictures to cover everything, but in the end the whole body was dismantled and repainted so we had lovely black and silver convertible!

Photos of Ethan and Talia were printed and cut to fit on the steering wheel and the rear boot. It was their very own car and they loved!

Below is the picture that is on the steering wheel, though on the steering wheel it also has the caption "Ethan and Talia's Car." When Ethan first saw it he yelled, "Talia it's yooouuuuu!" And when Talia was a passenger for the first time she kept pointing at it saying, "Ethan... Ethan!"


The project was completed during the school holidays so for about 2 weeks after that, Ethan would drive the car every opportunity he got. In fact, he would often jump out of bed and run to the car. The corridors outside our apartment were totally safe at that time, so we would often awake to happy sound of the whirring electric engine and squeals of happiness going up and down the corridor. He very quickly became an excellent driver with only one hand and very good spatial judgment, managing to maneuver his car through doors and into elevators and go very close and fast but just miss doors and walls! Needless to say, he made his Daddy very proud!

It gave us an extra kick when we saw the same car selling brand new in the shop for $230. Of course, our black and silver custom model was priceless as were all the memories that have been tucked away with it.

Daddy's Home

Daddy's back from his studies and the kids were thrilled to see him again! I think they were missing him but not fully able to verbalise their emotions. For Ethan I think it manifested in extra tantrums and 'neediness', as well as quite a number of night wakings.... Talia would look at Daddy's pictures and call for him but was quite happy with myself and Auntie Mary -- till she saw Daddy and made a beeline for him, calling "Daddy, Daddy" and nestling in his arms for a looooong time......

Here is a happy clip of the 2 of them lounging with their favourite Daddy on our comfy sofa.

A Screaming Good Time

With her newfound mobility, Talia is now able to follow her brother when he decides to do fun things out in the corridor where life always seems much more happening! Here she is having a screaming good time wanting in on the action of her exciting Big Brother as he ventures Outside......

LOVE Ethan!

It's lovely to see Talia's personality emerging day by day and like her brother, we can see that she's got a sweet and tender heart. Her affection is most often displayed on the soft toys that she likes to cuddle and play with, but she is also very affectionate to the special people in her life too. She often comes around to "pat pat" us and I am often pleasantly surprised by a little hug from behind me when I am sitting on the floor! We managed to capture this tender moment with Talia while Ethan was busy playing with his musical toy......

Stuck On You

Ethan loved the mega Dora sticker book that Gu Ma bought for him a couple of weeks ago! (We still keep it as a back up for rough days!)

Here he is generously sharing his stickers with his unsuspecting sister......

Playtime Buddies

Mom: Ethan and Talia are enjoying their playtimes together much more with Talia becoming more mobile, expressive and capable of playing with her brother, whom she really looks up to with expressions of rapt admiration!

Dad: Really is nice to see them get along so well. Talia will allow Ethan to play with her toys and he will (usually) teach her how to use them rather than take them away to a corner. "Talia, this is blocks Talia!"

Mom: Her generous big brother has taught her how to appreciate blocks, balls......

Mom: ...and of course his treasured car!! I must say he has been very good in sharing with her (and others) and clearly enjoys taking her on rides and even trying to teach her how to drive!

Mom: His lessons on the joys of sharing have only just begun, but we are quite proud to see our two kids get along so well and even passers by have to break into smiles when they see these two cackling with delight!

Dad: See his protective arm around his sister. Look in the video and see how he grabs her hand and places it on the steering wheel to teach her.... then laughs in delight! We sure hope they continue to appreciate one another as they get older!

Biking

Ethan's cycling! Daddy is so excited but I'm not there to see it! He's had a tricycle for a while but just got the hang of moving his feet is circles. Ohhhh... he likes the speed. Here he is maneuvering quite expertly through the obstacle course of our corridors, looking quite pleased with himself at his new found capabilities.

Driving Ms Talia

Ethan not only likes driving Daddy's car, he also likes playing with his own. He does modification, washes it, and of course drives his sister too! What a sweet pair - and both in yellow too! He really treats Talia well, being gentle and protective of her, and we can already see that she in turn adores her big brother.

First Classmate Over to Play

Ethan had his first classmate over to play! Her name is Alina and of course we had her mummy, Adeline, over too. Adeline said, "Alina is always talking about Ethan saying Ethan did this and taught her that!" So we asked Ethan about her and he said, "Alina pretty girl!" That she is and they play really well together too!

It's very amusing watching the different way Ethan plays with Alina as compared to other boys. Our son is quite a gentle creature so he played very sweetly with Alina who is smaller than him (her head actually looks half the size of our chunky son's large one!). They took turns with various toys and even pushed each other around on the Pooh Aeroplane (see below!).

When there are other boys around it gets much rowdier. So even though we had two toddlers playing, it was actually quite peaceful and pleasant and all three adults had their fill of our "day off" lunch - Ivan's portobello mushrooms, asparagus wrapped with bacon, and fresh hamburger patties with rocket & baby spinach salad!

Brother and Sister

Isn't that amazing? We worked and planned quite a lot to make Talia's entry into Ethan's life a smooth one - but we didn't know that our son would take such a liking to his sister! "Ethan, stand with Talia we'll take a picture" said Mummy. Ethan gladly moved to the side of the stroller, turned his shoulders 45 degrees and said, "Picture!" upon which Mummy snapped the pixels above.

The other day he came back from school and declared, "I wanna hold Talia!" which we allow him to do if he sits nicely on the couch and we rest her in his lap. "Wanna play Talia" is often heard when we set her down under her baby gym and Ethan loves joining in. Here they are during one of those times holding hands!

Farewell FJR1300

I thought the day would not come but alas it has... I have bid farewell to my beloved Yamaha FJR1300 motorcycle. Ethan had his last playtimes on it and Daddy nearly cried with the thought of no longer riding any more. So what brought along this happening? It is the infamous Father Syndrome. Amazingly, Renata has always let me ride without too much fuss. Of course, both Ethan and Talia's grandparents have always encouraged me to give up this adrenaline pumping pursuit...

What finally got to me was not any close call or near accident (never had any in 6 years of riding), but the thought that if something did happen to me then Ethan would not remember me! All the time we had spent together would not yet be burned into his memory. He would only read this blog and hear Mummy say, "Your Daddy loved you very much Ethan, and you loved him too! But one day when he was riding this motorcycle which you loved to play on..." Oh, the first time the thought dropped into my head there were tears in my eyes!

"Ethan wanna ride motorbike!" is one of the sentences that my son is adept at. He is also very adept at riding my motorbike. He looks like quite a natural holding the handlebars and playing with all the gadgets. It's much more fun than a car cos he gets up real close and there are a lot more switches and gadgets on my bike that he can fiddle with!

When he was younger he would be scared when he saw me on the bike with my full-face helmet on because he didn't recognize me. Now he does recognize me. "Daddy motorbike!" he exclaims happily when he sees. Once he saw me out of the car window when I rode up next to him. Later that same day, in the car on the way home he said to Mummy, "Want the Daddy outside!" He wanted to see me on the motorbike again!

Below is the only video that we have of us playing on the bike together. We played on it together for a loooong time on that final day before the buyer came to pick it up. I finally peeled him off and both of us cried...

If you don't know (because I didn't know before this), giving up riding and leaving a large sport-tourer like this feels very much like "breaking up". I laughed at myself when I thought of this analogy, but it's true! It comes with bittersweet memories of the times you enjoyed together, the thrilling excitement and fun, and the hopes of the future that will never fulfilled (like riding to Thailand!). Now you know how understanding Renata is to put up with all of this from her hubby! :)

First Day of School

It was a monumental day that required months of planning and preparation. It was Ethan's first day of school! What fun it would be! How many friends you meet, and how quickly Mummy would come back! All these were drummed into Ethan months ago and here we are on the big day.

Daddy walked Ethan to school, in what is to become our daily routine and composed a new song for Ethan:

My school, my school, my school is so much fun!
There's lots of things to do, and learning to be done.
I'm looking very smart, and feeling very glad.
Carrying my bag - Gosh, I'm just like Dad!

My school, my school, my school is so much fun!
There's lots of things to do, and learning to be done.
Everybody laughs and nobody cries,
Cos Mummy comes back in a twinkle of an eye!

My school, my school, my school is so much fun!
There's lots of things to do, and learning to be done.
There are friends to meet and games to play,
That's why we love to go to school every day!

We stayed a long time with Ethan on that first day before leaving. He enjoyed playing with all sorts of things, and unsurprisingly, particularly enjoyed the play-time food. Here he is playing with one of the cutest little girls in the class. Actually, he enjoyed the real food too, eating his own pau before scooting sideways to bite into the uneaten pau of the girl sitting next to him.

One of his friends there is Issac, who lives in the same place we do! So Daddy and Ethan often bump into Christina and Issac going to school. Ethan's born late in the year in September so is quite a bit smaller than most of the kids. Some of them are much faster at snatching toys than he is, but Ethan is too much of a peacemaker to know that this is happening.

A Day at the Zoo

Gosh, it was a really fun day at the zoo... Daddy feels sad now that he couldn't join them. Ethan is the bumble bee in the video, and the other cute girls are Heather and Emma, Ethan's cousins! Thanks to A. Mei (Goo Ma) who took the pics and made the video!

Careful on that Playground!

We discovered another way that Ethan is like his Daddy. Though he enjoys the playground he is quite careful and averse to climbing too high or things that seem 'dangerous'. Daddy remembers he was that way too when young and never did like to climb too high or swing too vigorously. So Ethan will wait till Daddy shows him how to do things in the playground before he attempts them, and sometimes need a bit of encouragement before undertaking the scarier things. Funny that Daddy loves fast motorbikes now...it must be a late developing thing that I somehow think Ethan will pick up too.

Ethan's motor-skills is rapidly improving now. Here he is in this video climbing the ladder with some help from Dad then enjoying the slides all by himself!