Christmas Day went by quietly. We learned to cope without Ah Gu, our trusty confinement maid who just left.
Joy woke up just once last night, but she took a while to go to sleep. We suspect she was missing Ah Gu already.
Knowing we needed to get a little relief in the morning from dealing with baby Joy, my mom swooped in to whisk my two older ones to have breakfast with Meng my younger brother and his two little girls. The missus and I joined them at Sunshine Plaza after the missus took a long-awaited shower.
It was supposed to be dimsum at Victor's Kitchen, but Meng got it wrong and forgot they close on Monday. But they had a hearty meal at Parklane Wanton Mee anyway. When the wife and I arrived, Isaac was already halfway through a bowl of kuay teow soup, and Faith was enjoying pieces of Char Siew.
After noodles, we walked over the new Delicious Muffins bakery at #01-05 to buy some curry puffs and chicken pies for tea. The lady before us bought 15 of the $1.50 puffs, so they must be good.
Meng said they are famous for their muffins (but they were not ready when we dropped in, sigh).
"You must buy the muffins and eat them on the spot," he said, "cos that's when they are piping hot and good."
While the missus was in there buying the pies, the lady boss called us in to try some of her shop's famous Chocolate Royal cake. Chef Johnny Ngiam won an award for this cake, and they sell an 18cm 900g one for around $34. It was delicious, and Faith and her cousin ate most of it.
We spent a little time at Takashimaya after that, because Meng wanted to exchange a T-shirt he bought. Faith was a little overwhelmed by the mall (she usually is, by malls), crying loudly and insisting on being carried. Her autistic senses receive too much info in confined busy places like this.
And Isaac kept crawling under the door into the changing room I was in, while I was trying on a polo tee.
So we decided to do the shopping another day, throwing a longing look at Kinokuniya bookstore as the whole gang of 4 kids, 2 grandparents, and 3 parents trooped back to our two cars.
"Next time we need to shop, maybe we leave the kids behind," said the wife.
I nodded.
Even dedicated Mommies need their personal mall time.
