Anyway, it has been cold here. I’m not whinging as it is winter. And it snowed today. Again, I’m not whinging as it is winter.

Nora was so excited about the snow but all kids do. I was more worried. We were planning to go to Nate’s house for a playdate and I know that it would be a longer walk in the snow and cold.

She slipped twice and just as she got the hang of walking on a bit of ice, I heard a voice behind me. The woman was mumbling, or having a conversation with her guide dog about going to St Boniface church. We were going up a residential street and I know for a fact that there are no churches up the street and I stopped her and told her so. I told her that if she went back to the main road and turn left, there are two churches down on the main road.

Then I thought, why am I giving a blind woman directions. Nora was getting a bit jumpy about the woman’s guide dog plus she was starting to say she was cold but I can’t just leave a blind woman going the wrong way.

I took her to the first church, which was of course the wrong one as it’s St Nicholas. So, I took her to the second church and was confused about the entrance. But I delivered her to the right place in the end.

That was our good deed for the day.

It it ours as poor Nora was freezing and confused about the whole thing but she was patient as it took quite a while. On the way up hill towards Nate’s place, I explained to her that the woman was blind, which means that she cannot see. She had a dog, which was her guide dog, but helpful as the dog is, it cannot know where the woman wanted to go. So, if we know that a vulnerable person is in trouble, we have to help them.

I think she understood what I was trying to tell her… even in the frozen state she was with the wind and snow blowing into her face and that a half an hour walk (usually without the snow) became an hour.

Poor Nora… in the end she said that she doesn’t like snow. But it didn’t stop her from throwing snow balls at me when we left Nate’s… though she was miserable when we first got there, she was OK again when she warmed up.

No, I’m not fond of snow either. I like being indoors looking out. It is mesmerizing, but it means it is cold out there, and the next day it will be slippery, and then it will turn into slush. Yes, it is only nice when it first settles.

So, I’m not looking forward when we have to go out tomorrow as Nora has ballet and I need to go and do some grocery shopping.

The reason I’m going to try the Leisure Centre out is so I could take Nora to the pool. And today, we did just that. She was scared for the first few minutes and then she was splashing around. We were in the big pool instead of the kiddie pool as there was a swimming lesson going on.

Anyway, I will take her down to the pool on a weekly basis and I find out swimming lessons for her and for me.

When we were at Cornwall, Nora did go into the pool. But she only lasted a few minutes and she wanted out. I guess it’s because Mama wasn’t in there with her.

Last night after Nora had her bath, I took her to her room to get her dressed only to discover… WE’VE RUN OUT OF NAPPIES! I didn’t realize it because it’s usually Jules who does her bath routine. And I’m sure Jules didn’t realize it because he thinks that I am so efficient that I will have another pack some where.

But there wasn’t another pack!!

Fortunately, we found a couple of nappies in her potty bag. Phew!

The thing is… I wasn’t that worried. She has been really good with using the potty (another reason why I’ve been really complacent with her nappy amount). So good that majority of the mornings, her nappy has stayed dry!

So, even if we didn’t have any nappy last night, she could have just gone to bed without it.

No major disaster.

When I tell her to pick up her toys and she started to throw the toys that I’ve put to the side, I told her to sit still and not to do it. She giggled probably thinking it was a game. So I took her to the naughty corner and told her to sit and think. When she tried to get up, I sat her back down. She knew then that I meant business.

But I have to do this, sit her at her naughty area. I’m hoping that it will give her time to reflect… and the same goes to me too. Rather than me screaming at her and making both of us upset, this way, both of us reflect for a minute and at the end of it, we give each other big hugs.

I’m also doing this for her own safety. Nora really thinks she’s invincible. She loves doing a bit of gymnastics and also stand on the chair in the kitchen. Every time I tell her to sit down, she ignores me. She can’t see that she might hurt herself. The thing is, sometimes I just let her be… like she was banging the door at my late grandma’s house. My mom was worried that her fingers will get caught. I told her that if I stop her now, she’ll just keep doing it… so, I let her be until she came crying and I told her that it happens if she keeps banging the door. She stopped doing it.

But falling off a chair is something I rather not happen to her. So when she kept ignoring me, I put her at her naughty corner. She might not understand why, but I’m hoping that she’ll learn that she’s not allowed to stand on the chair.

Yes, I scream at her constantly and I’m the one who put her at the naughty corner… but it always ends with hugs… and she knows that I love her deeply.

She was wearing her nappy, as I always put her nappy on when we go to people’s places in case of accidents, but lately she has been really good!

When we were driving to St Austell, her nappy was dry the whole way through the journey! She was car sick once, but her nappy was dry throughout. When we stopped at a service station for a spot of lunch, Jules suggested that I should change her nappy before we continue… but when I got to the baby changing room, I discovered that her nappy was dry and she weeweed straight away when I put her on the toilet… not even her potty (as it was in the car)!

We continued our journey and about five miles to Exeter service station, Nora told us she wanted a poopoo. I told her it’s fine we’ll get to the service station soon. As we approached the exit junction, I asked her again if she needed to poopoo and she answered firmly ‘Yes!’

So once we stopped I grabbed her wipes and a clean nappy and took her to the baby changing room. There was a kiddie toilet there and she pointed to it. I checked her nappy and it was clean, so I took it off, put her on the kiddie toilet, and she did her business! After I cleaned her up, she said ‘Wash hands’, how good is that?

Yesterday, for the first time, I took her to Nursery and she had no nappy on. When we got to the Nursery, I reminded her that she has no nappy on so if she needs to weewee or poopoo I asked her what should she do. She pointed to the changing room. As long as she acknowledges where she needs to go, I am happy. I still left some nappies at the Nursery though, for afternoon nap time.

This morning, after Nora had her morning milk, I told her it’s time to get ready for Nursery. I took off her nappy and it was dry! Off we went to her potty… and she weeweed!!

My little girl is growing up.

It has taken me what feels like forever to potty train Nora. It’s not just having an over active toddler that makes it difficult, it’s also me being tired and lazy.

But I keep reminding myself that Nora is getting older and that my mom potty trained us all by 10 months or a year the most! Mom told me to just let her wander around our home with just her panties and no nappies and after a few accidents, she would know what to do. The problem is majority of our home is carpeted… I know that is a lousy excuse.

A couple of weeks ago before I even knew I was going to Malaysia, I bought her a travelling potty which arrived a couple of days before I bought the tickets. How convenient! Jules said that my mom would sort her out… but I also know my mom’s mentality is, she is your child you sort her out and I’ll advise where I see fit.

The good thing about mom’s house (as most houses in Malaysia) is the floors are not carpeted. So when Nora is at home, she runs around in her panties… and a few accidents happened… and I tell her off… and my mom console her *sigh*

But today… as I was uploading some photos to send to Jules, Nora looked at me desperately and cried out ‘poopoo’ but nothing happened when I took her to her potty. I told her that she’s a good girl anyway for being aware.

So, I sat down again only to rush to her a minute later when she again cried out poopoo. I told her no matter how many times this happen, I am happy that she does it. When she did stand up, I must be the proudest mom to see a poo in a potty!!

But I do want to remember what happened today… could it be her first lie?

Nora loves playing with three soft toys – a snowman, a reindeer, a bear.

I’m aware that I should start potty training Nora seriously very soon.

Put them together…

Nora was playing with her three soft toys and I was sitting on the sofa. She made a bum burp and I looked and her and asked ‘Nora poopoo?’ She looked at me with a hint of guilt and pointed at the snowman and said ‘poopoo’.

I tried not to laugh and told her that the snowman didn’t poopoo and she then pointed at the reindeer and then the bear after I told her that I know that the reindeer didn’t poopoo.

I asked her again if she poopoo because if she did she should go to the toilet. She said ‘no’… it did turn out to be just a bum burp after all… but the speed of her shifting the blame worries me.

Nora is 18 months today. How time flies.

Today she will officially leave Tigger and join the Busy Bee at Nursery. I felt a lump in my throat yesterday when I pulled her newly allocated drawer at Nursery and saw that the photos that were hanging at the Tigger area was in there.

How my baby has grown.

I should really stop calling her my baby as she is a toddler now… but in my eyes, she will always be that little bundle of joy that I first set eyes on 18 months ago. She is my baby.

Last night, we saw a programme on Pandas in captivity in China. There was one bit that almost made me cry. A mother panda gave birth to twins and in the wild, usually one twin will die. So they let her care for one while the other was in the incubator and they kept swapping the baby pandas so both will have contact with the mother. It was the point when they were trying to cox the baby panda away from the mother and the mother’s reluctance to let her baby go just struck me… it is really hard to let my baby go.

If I had the choice, I will be with her always.

I might scream at her, I might tell her off… but I think Nora knows that what ever happens, I will alway love her for who she is.

I know Nora is clever… so I’m told.

I know Nora has a character that makes everyone smile… so I’m told.

I know that Nora has the ability to light up the day by just being herself… so I’m told.

Yesterday, when Jules sent her to Nursery, Kasha said to Nora ‘Come on Nora, it’s quiet and boring without you’ and my heart just swelled with pride when Jules told me the story… because it is true. It can be quiet and boring without her around.

And when she is ill… everyone notices. Like yesterday, though she was happy playing, she was also quiet… and everyone worries about her.

I find the way she touches everyone’s lives is pretty amazing… and this is the ‘Proud Mother Syndrome’ speaking… she is an amazing child.

So off we went to Clarks got our ticket and waited for our turn. Nora in the mean time took off her shoes and started looking at the shoes available and kept picking the pink glittery shoes!

Why? Why is it 90% of girls shoes are pink?

I told Nora that when she’s earning her own money she can buy any shoes that she want but for now, she has to wear what we buy for her! I think that is fair.

Well… we were only 0.5 out. Instead of a size 4 she’s a size 4.5F. The sales assistant brought out a few choices of walking shoes and all of them were pink! My first thought was ‘can we look at some of the boys shoes?’ but we then reluctantly picked one that is the least pink.

Luckily, the sales assistant came back with the pair of shoes that we were thinking of getting and a pair of trainers… and Jules and I agreed that the trainers seemed best for robust Nora… and it’s white with light blue soles and little pink and blue flowers.

Now Nora has perfectly fitted shoes… and we will be about £30 lighter every six to eight weeks.