Siew 秀 Says

At home

2012-02-09T16:57:00.000+08:00

About a queue

2012-02-08T10:45:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, I wonder how we are going to teach our children when adults behave in a questionable manner. Several days ago, at Hong Kong Disneyland, this scenario happened repeatedly at the queue of the rides. While moving in line, we were surprised, there were actually people, while holding on to their children, shoved and knocked us aside to get in front. Don't they understand the concept of queueing? By evening, finally (actually I was expecting this) Shen Liang spoke up...

Shen Liang: Mommy, why the people are not queueing?
Me: Erm... maybe they never see the sign.
Shen Liang: But the sign is very big!
Me: Erm... erm... could be, they don't know how to read.
Shen Liang: Koko go to school, so Koko can read, the sign said everyone must queue up. That woman never go to school?

More funny conversations

2012-01-28T14:39:00.001+08:00

We must have read train maps too many times.
"Mommy, I draw a map for you. So that you will not get lost in the forest like Hansel and Gretal."

Fetching Shen Liang from school...
Shen Liang: Mommy, today Brian and Lewis fight in the school.
Me: Did you fight with them?
Shen Liang: No.
Me: Did you tell Miss Reena?
Shen Liang: No.
Me: Why not?
Shen Liang: Everybody fighting no one play with the toys. So Koko sit down and play toys.

"Meimei, you cannot touch the strawberries. There is honey on the strawberries. Keep touching and the bees will stick to you!"

Me: Shen Liang, please close the toilet door.
Shen Liang: Why?
Me: We don't want Meimei to crawl inside.
Shen Liang: Why?
Me: She might hurt herself.
Shen Liang: Mommy never put sign on the toilet.
Me: OK, Mommy put sign.
Shen Liang: Mommy you must draw one baby and put X on top. Mommy must also write NO BABIES INSIDE. Mommy do this and show Koko, ok?

Shen Liang: Mommy, I like to go to a hotel.
Me: Why do you like to go to a hotel?
Shen Liang: Because a hotel is very good.
Me: Why is a hotel very good?
Shen Liang: Because it has a bathtub.

‎"Meimei, you cannot play with this toy. See? (Pointing to the box.) You are 0 to 3 years old. You cannot play. Now, can you please go away?"

Me: Shen Liang, please come inside!
Shen Liang: Wait, I need some fresh air!
Me: Why do you suddenly need fresh air?
Shen Liang: Fresh air is very good. Fresh air has no sugar.

OK, this caught me by surprise...
Shen Liang: Mommy, look, the moon is very bright!
Me: Yes, it is.
Shen Liang: The moon has no light. It has to borrow light from the sun.
Me: Really?
Shen Liang: Yes. The sun is full of light. There are fires going on all the time!

Shen Liang: Daddy, I want to grow up very fast.
Hubby: Why do you want to grow up very fast?
Shen Liang: So that I can sell paint and have my own wifi.

Holding the empty container, "Mommy, where is my millipede?" OMG!

Shen Liang: Mommy, what are you going to do after you fetch Koko to school?
Me: Go to work.
Shen Liang: Why must Mommy go to work?
Me: Mommy needs to work to earn money, so we can buy food and pay for stuff.
Shen Liang: But Daddy is already working. Why Mommy still need to work?
Me: Yes, Mommy needs to work too.
Shen Liang: Mommy, it's ok. Afterwards, when Daddy come back, Koko is going to talk to Daddy. Koko going to tell Daddy, Mommy no need to work.

Shen Liang: Mommy, do you know what is a chrysanthemum?
Mommy: What is a chrysanthemum?
Shen Liang: Aiyah, Mommy, chry-san-the-mum? (And looked at me like I am really stupid.)
Mommy: So, tell Mommy what is a chry-san-the-mum.
Shen Liang: It is a flower to make chrysanthemum tea. When you talked too much, and you get sore throat, you just take a flower, put in your cup, put hot water, and soak for 10 hours. Then you drink, your sore throat will go away. Fever also can, cough also can. After you drink you can talk too much again.

Shen Liang: Mommy, I want to shout for Daddy.
Me: No, no, no, you will wake Meimei up.
Shen Liang: Don't worry, I will shout gently.

‎"Mommy! You don't need to say say say say say behave. I... WILL... BEHAVE... OK? OK or not?"

I was telling my bro about Shen Liang's fear of height while we were climbing a platform at Gua Tempurung. Suddenly he appeared by my side out of nowhere.
Shen Liang: Mommy, what are you talking about?
Me: Nothing.
Shen Liang: But I heard you said something.
Me: Really? What did you hear?
Shen Liang: I heard you say 他哭!

Pointing to a bruise on my knee...
Shen Liang: Mommy! What happened here?
Me: Mommy not careful.
Shen Liang: Pain pain?
Me: A little.
Shen Liang: That's why Koko always say, must be careful. Cannot wear high shoe. When the shoe is too high, you become clumsy. Now you sit down here, Koko will go get oil and rub.
Me: OK.
Shen Liang: Next time, when Mommy wear high shoe, Mommy must hold hands with Koko... or Daddy... or, when Meimei grow up, also with Meimei. OK?
Me: OK.
Shen Liang: You must hold hands on the road, so that you don't fall down and hit the hammer. Now, you sit down here, Koko will get you a glass of water. Water can make the pain go away.

Pointing to his head...
Shen Liang: Mommy, what is inside here?
Me: Brain?
Shen Liang: Correct! There is also food inside.
Me: There is food in your head?!
Shen Liang: Yes. When my tummy gets too full, the food goes to the head.
Me: Really?!
Shen Liang: Yes! Food can make me smart. When I go to school, I can learn and be clever. Learning is good. Learning is very good for my kidneys!
(What the...)
Me: Really?!
Shen Liang: Mommy! You don't know anything! Because you never go to school!

On using those teeth

2012-01-21T23:39:00.002+08:00

Being a toothless 10MO, she used to have difficulty trying to bite into a piece of apple, even without the skin. All these changed a couple of days ago. Her incisors popped out, four at the bottom and two at the top. Yesterday, as usual, she wanted my piece of apple, and as always, I gave it to her. And expected her to continue to make a fail attempt and later return the saliva covered apple to me. But to my surprise, after several minutes, when I checked on her, she was scraping the apple against her bottom incisors, and she had eaten half of it! After more than four years, I am still totally amazed by their 'firsts'!

Teeth's coming

2012-01-19T17:05:00.000+08:00

10 months! Gosh! That is a long time for her first few teeth to come out! And she is an adventurous eater too, should have got them early... hahaha! This morning, we felt four sharp ones bursting out from her bottom gums.

Piano Trio

2012-01-18T13:54:00.000+08:00

There are piano solos, there are piano duets, but we have a trio!

A girl can never have too many clothes!

2012-01-16T23:10:00.000+08:00

By having a girl, we've also entered a whole new dimension in shopping. Clueless at first, but we're learning. Instead of just long pants, short pants, t-shirts and dress shirts, there are now dresses, spaghetti tops, diaper covers (which are really just panties), cardigans, tights, leggings, even jeggings, and it goes on and on and on and on...

The other day hubby and I were talking about maybe getting short pants for Xue Fang, yup, she doesn't have any short pants, and I really would love the denim ones. After browsing a variety online, I came across capris. If you know my husband, you will definitely understand that he WANTS to get involved in making purchase decisions for all our clothing. So I asked him what were his thoughts about capris.

Hubby: What is a capri?
Me: It is pants with lengths falling between the knee and the ankle.
Hubby: OMG! Are you serious? How long are Xue Fang's legs? How much difference in length will that be?!

So, in the end, his decision... "Buy the long pants, after six months, it will turn into capris."

Guilty Mommy!

2012-01-08T23:52:00.001+08:00

Have been feeling rather guilty about two issues for the past months. To start with, ever since the arrival of Xue Fang, Shen Liang does not get to enjoy undivided attention from me anymore. Although I must applaud him for being a most understanding and affectionate big brother, there is no doubt that at times, he wants attention too, especially when other people are paying attention only to his new Meimei. It is during times like these that he will misbehave and do things to irritate me. With the demands of a newborn, I still try my best to be sit down and listen to him, although at times, my patience was fully tested. I am very lucky that, unlike so many other children, Shen Liang is not jealous at all. In fact, he adores his Meimei so much that he loves to spend time with her, and will get very upset if someone takes her Meimei away from him. I had never really felt his need for more attention until last Christmas, when my husband's relatives meet and everyone was paying undivided attention to Xue Fang. After a while, Shen Liang asked me, "Mommy, why nobody looks at me?" At that moment, I really wanted to cry.

Another thing I am guilty about, which my husband repeatedly reminded me, is that, I have become less excited with Xue Fang's first steps. No, I am excited, only that I have less enthusiasm to document it. My husband always asks me, "Did you take a picture of her first boo-boo?", "Did you take a picture of when she first pull herself up?", etc. And then, for those who has been following this blog since the very beginning will also have noticed that I have blogged less. Could this due to less excitement, or maybe I am now lazier and find that Facebook is a faster and easier way to share news with my friends?

Ooooh! It is difficult being a Mommy to more than one kid. I wonder how other mommies do it. Not that I oppose to having a lot of children, although we did plan for only one. Now I am very happy that Xue Fang decided to appear in our lives, because, seeing both her and her Koko bicker (more like, one bickers and the other just babbles), wrestle (again, one wrestles the other pulls hair), and spying on how they get along and communicate, are precious and a lot of fun.

Are you the parent your kid needs?

2012-01-06T16:43:00.000+08:00

As most of you must have known, we didn't plan on a second kid, at all. But since she decided to come along, we embrace the blessing bestowed onto us, everyday! We change our plans, we alter our lifestyle, we make adjustments everyday for a new member of our family. Therefore, sometimes it sadden me to hear parents, who have plan for a kid, be it the first one or subsequent ones, complain excessively when they have months and years to prepare for the arrival of their children. They want more children, but they are not prepared to be the parents their kids need.

Correct me if I am wrong. I feel that parenthood means sleepless nights, having less or maybe no time for yourself, dealing with messy disgusting stuff ALL the time, being vomited on when you have just donned your best outfit, having your best china broken, be on guard all the time when you are out and I am sure, many other stressful activities. Now don't tell me you were a really good kid and didn't put your parents through stressful situations before.

Unfortunately, although I don't like to be critical, I feel that I am surrounded by some irresponsible and selfish parents. To avoid sleepless nights, they shove their newborns to babysitters or their parents. To have a good time out, they don't bring their children along. To have a grand holiday, oh sorry, no kids. When their kids misbehave, they blame the babysitters. To stop their children from bawling in public, they give in to whatever their children want. In other words, replacing parenting effort with money and material goods. I am not a child psychologist here, but is this good parenting?

I might not be the best parent in the world, I admit I have my faults. And I cannot be sure that my children will grow up being an angel all the time. But I care if they bother other people when we are out. I care that they don't destroy stuff. I have to continuously remind them of their manners and behavior. I make sure I feed them first before having my meal, although by that time my food has gone cold.

I remember a friend once scolded me, "Siew, I cannot believe you bring your kids with you. How can you enjoy your meal when you have to attend to them. Now your food is cold and tasteless. I won't bring my kids out for meals because I will never get to enjoy myself."

Also, half of my friends are weekend parents. Meaning, their children don't stay with them and only come home once a week during the weekends. I am sure they have their reasons, but I cannot in my right mind agree to this arrangement. I miss my children, even for the few hours at work. So, how on earth can I don't see them for the whole week?

A friend once said, "Siew, not everyone is as lucky as you, to have flexible arrangements."

However, there is also a friend who said, "Siew, I agree with you. That is why, I quit my job to be a stay at home mum while my children are growing up. Even if I am to do it all over again, I will still do the same." Actually, this is small sacrifice, compared to what some people I know do for the sake of their children's upbringing and future... like, move to a different continent!

My husband and I are very hands-on parents all the same. We are not as lucky as many others, where their parents are ready to take full responsibilities of the grandchildren's upbringing. We also feel that it is not fair for our parents to do the job. As we all know, it is no easy task, taking care of a kid. After bringing us up, I think our parents deserve a break and not be burdened with the responsibility anymore. Although some employ a maid to help with the tedious stuff, if you are a parent yourself, then you cannot doubt that, being held responsible for a child, is also mentally exhaustive, what more with a few children.

There is a friend, who asked her parents to come over for the weekend to babysit her kids because she wanted to go on vacation with her husband, and she didn't want to bring her children along because they don't behave well. I am sure she realized her kids are more playful and demanding, and do not take orders well, what more from their obliging grandparents. Yet, she went forward with this arrangement. The kids misbehaved during that weekend, upset her father, who has a bad heart, and shouted back at both the grandparents. When she was back, she scolded her parents because they didn't make sure the kids ate their meals on time and let the kids watched too much TV.

My husband and I have been scolded many times, for taking our children on vacation together. But frankly, we don't give a damn. Don't we worry about the exhaustion, the mess, the effort, the packing, the big cart of luggage, the washing, the bathing, the cleaning up, the feeding, etc...? No. We know what we were getting ourselves into, and we were willing to take up the challenge. After all, that's the whole idea of having a family, right? Being together? Spending time together? Enjoying all the good stuff together? Do we need a vacation to recover from our vacation, yes. Were we exhausted? Yes. Will we do it again? Definitely.

I feel that, one should have children for the right reasons. Not because it is the right thing to do. Not because it is the fashionable thing to do. Not because someone is influencing you. Not because it will save a strained relationship. And also one should be ready to take up the demands and responsibilities that come with parenthood.

Again, I like to state that these are only my views on parenting. And I have to admit, I cannot do what I do everyday without the help and support from my husband. Having a partner who plays an active role in parenting is extremely important. I am sure many of you have your own views, and are very well off with your own arrangements. That is the reason for blogging, right? Sharing one's opinions and get feedbacks. I am not trying to judge others, nor criticize. At the end of the day, every parent want what is best for their children, no matter which way they go about finding it.

Bedtime chaos

2011-12-12T12:36:00.001+08:00

Xue Fang... dancing?

2011-12-11T11:27:00.000+08:00

Xue Fang & Bennett

2011-12-10T11:08:00.000+08:00

Nap time chaos

2011-12-09T11:06:00.000+08:00

Shen Liang sings

2011-12-08T10:33:00.000+08:00

Once he started to talk, he can't stop!

2011-12-01T14:50:00.000+08:00

Have not blogged much about the little guy in recent months. He is very talkative now. And being honest and naive, we are having a lot of laughs with him.

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He was out to lunch with his Popo the other day. He ordered some fries, and when Popo's friend reached over and took one from his plate, he leaned over and whispered to his Popo, "Popo, why is your friend so rude? Simply take other people's food. Never ask permission?"

Principal: Shen Liang, why are you always late to school?
Shen Liang: Because my Daddy cannot wake up.
Too-too... Too-too...
Principal: Good morning, Mr Choo...‎

"I am 4 years old. I am a small boy. Daddy is a big boy. Daddy is 10 years old."‎

"Mommy, Daddy said I must eat tofu. He said tofu can make me handsome. Mommy, Daddy never eat tofu ah?"

We were reading about toys in a store...
Me: What is this shop called?
Shen Liang: Toy shop.
Me: What is Popo's shop called?
Shen Liang: Cake shop.
Me: What is Mommy's shop called?
Shen Liang: Paint shop.
Me: Waht is Daddy's shop called?
Shen Liang: Erm... fountain shop!

Me: Shen Liang, please finish your breakfast. Don't waste food.
Shen Liang: Why cannot waste food?
Me: There are a lot of people who don't have enough food... bla-bla-bla...
Shen Liang: Oh! Like Hansel and Gretal?
Me: Erm... Yes.
Shen Liang: Then Mommy and Daddy have to take Koko and Meimei into the forest ah?
Me: Yes.
Shen Liang: And feed Koko to the witch ah?
Me: Yes.
And he finished his breakfast. Fairy tales are amazing. ;)

‎"I like my friend, Jocelyn. I like her because she is a girl. I don't like boys. I like Jocelyn because she has long hair and pink hair clips. Other girls don't have pink hair clips."

Daddy and Shen Liang learn words that begin with the letter "z".
Clue given by Daddy: The place where we go to see animals.
Shen Liang: Jungle!

Shen Liang: Mommy! I am angry, I want to send you to the crazy farm!
Me: What is a crazy farm?!
Shen Liang: It's... it's... erm... it's... it's a place for crazy animals.

Shen Liang: Mommy, I can now talk like a train.
Me: Talk like a train?! How?
Shen Liang: "Doors are closing."

Me: Koko, we are going to get a cake from Popo's shop, it's the strawberry that you chose. But you must not tell Daddy, OK?
Shen Liang: Why?
Me: Because it is going to be a surprise.
Shen Liang: Why must it be a surprise?
Me: Erm... So that when Daddy sees it he will be very happy and smile, OK?
Shen Liang: OK.
A few minutes later, I heard him calling his Daddy!
Shen Liang: Daddy! Where are you? Faster go home. Mommy taking me to Popo shop to get your cake. Koko want strawberry. Mommy said cannot tell Daddy so that Daddy can be happy.

Me: Shen Liang, are you still having a fever?
Shen Liang: No. I feel so good now!
Me: Good. We can go to school, then.
Shen Liang: Mommy, I think I am still a little warm. Can we go to Mommy's shop?

Shen Liang: Mommy! Please protect me from the girls!
Me: What? Why?
Shen Liang: They keep doing "woooo..." to me!

Living in a grateful world

2011-11-30T09:30:00.000+08:00

Something I found inspiring and wish to share with all my friends.

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Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you,
for they have reinforced your determination.

Be grateful to those who have deceived you,
for they have deepened your insight.

Be grateful to those who have hit you,
for they have reduced your karmic obstacles.

Be grateful to those who have abandoned you,
for they have taught you to be independent.

Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,
for they have strengthened your ability.

Be grateful to those who have denounced you,
for they have increased your wisdom and concentration.

Be grateful to those who have made you FIRM and RESOLUTE,
and HELPED in your ACHIEVEMENT.

When Mommy gets silly

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000+08:00

Xue Fang plays ball

2011-10-13T16:09:00.003+08:00

New interest!

2011-10-11T22:03:00.000+08:00

Suddenly, he is obsessed with Chinese Opera! OMG! And he wants me to download them into his iPad.

He loves to dance

2011-09-08T16:54:00.001+08:00

It has been a while since I blog anything about Shen Liang, except for his conversations. Anyway, I noticed that his interests lie more towards the arts. He loves cooking, making a mess of things which he calls art and I call mess, he also likes singing, and recently, because I've never noticed before, he loves dancing too. Here's a video of the first time I see him dance.

When is breastfeeding a stupid thing?

2011-09-06T15:43:00.000+08:00

As many of you might already know, I am very pro breastfeeding. That could be because I have a very positive experience with Shen Liang, and I have very good help and encouragement from the very beginning from my family and health care professionals. And I guess, this is also an important gift I can give to my children which is truly priceless. So yes, I like to encourage others to breastfeed and at times find it difficult to agree with selfish excuses. Again, I hope I am not offending anyone. I understand some do not have the luxury of flexibility and freedom to do so. I know breastfeeding is suppose to be an 'own choice' affair, and not everyone is comfortable doing it. However, I find it unnecessary for one to condemn it.

It happened once, four years ago, and it is happening all over again! Someone, let's call her X, four years ago, tried to discourage me from breastfeeding. This time round, X just delivered a baby too. To her credit, she did attempt to breastfeed, although she still holds on to the myth that breastfed babies are less 'solid' and will tend to be leaner, which, to her is not desirable. She likes Michelin babies. :) But... erm... don't you think that I have busted this myth?

Anyway, I found that the hospital where she had her baby was terrible. For one, babies do not room-in with their mummies! As soon as the baby was born, instead of bringing him/her to the mummy within the hour for the crucial and precious colostrum, they stuffed the baby with formula without the mummy's permission, and do not allow anyone to disturb the sleeping baby. I found this rather bizarre, and when I told X, she said it was alright with her, because she didn't feel like feeding either. OK.

For the first month, the baby did get some breast milk, for about 50% of her feeds. Which is good, I guess. I mean, certainly better than not getting any at all. But I found it really strange that X, who was with her baby all the time, only express milk and feed with a bottle, instead of just letting the baby latch on. I cannot understand why, but I didn't ask, I learned to mind my own business. ;) Wouldn't there be more washing, steaming, storage management, etc? Any mummies out there care to speculate why?

Within the first month, I saw X and the baby several times. I noticed X's breast milk to be near transparent, looked diluted. I am not sure if her diet is supplying her with enough nutrition to replenish her body. She looked pale. And the baby is a little on the thin side. She is taking something, only that I am not sure the supplements are really doing any good. I pestered her to consult with her ob and show him what she is taking, but she didn't. I suspect what she is taking also contributes to her lack of appetite. It could well be a weight loss supplement.

It is now more than a month, and X said she's done her job, meaning she considers semi-breastfeeding for the duration of one month will give the same benefits as one who breastfeeds for one year. She is going to get some pills from her ob to stop the milk. I didn't say a thing. Mind my own business... mind my own business... mind my own business! But alas! Not everyone thinks alike. X asked me if I am still breastfeeding... yes. Exclusively? Yes. That's when she told me I am stupid.

Why?

To her, breastfeeding means a lot of sacrifice and commitment. And it will also make the body weaker, since babies will be taking a lot of calcium and protein from out of our bodies. Well dear, that is why we eat well, we pay attention to what we eat, and yes, sometimes we don't eat certain food/beverage that might be harmful or not healthy for the baby. But you will not believe what she said. After all these sacrifices, how can we be sure that our children will repay us similarly, in kind, in respect, in obedience, in all sorts of ways? So, the concern here is uncertain repayment. But I thought a mother's love is unconditional?

Anyway, I didn't comment further. Everyone has a right to their own opinion. But then, she had to add this - I am an ignorant person because, with all the advanced technology in food processing, in bio engineering, in bla-bla-bla, how can formula not be better than breast milk?

WTF

About a name

2011-09-02T00:04:00.000+08:00

Some people, at times, can be very annoying. I mean, I mind my own business, wouldn't somebody mind their own? Now, before someone gets sensitive with this issue, keep in mind that this is only an expression of my point of view and preference, and not in any way my intention to disagree or judge anyone.

Several days ago, we were at a wedding reception of an old friend of hubby's. As wedding receptions go, there were a lot of reunions of old pals, where some are now with families. Now, there was where the irritation started. A wife of one of hubby's old pals, and I, were making conversation. Then, without anything leading to this topic, she asked me about my daughter's name.

Her: What is your daughter's name?

Me: 雪芳.

Her: How do you write that?

So, I told her about the words. After that, she grimaced. I felt insulted, but didn't express myself. At the same time, I also wondered, why.

Me: Is something wrong with the name?

Her: Erm... no... just that... er... well... I don't know. It sounded, erm... well...

Me: Old fashioned? Conservative? Yeah, I know.

Her: Why this name? Who gave her this name?

Me: This name was given by the temple.

Her: Why not name your children yourself? I named all three of my children. I chose the names very meticulously, I researched, and their names are special. I think you should name your children yourself.

Me: Well, for one, I don't know Chinese, and even if I do, like my husband, we don't feel that we are at an enough intellectual level to pick a great name. Anyway, we are pleased with this name, and it is blessed by the Gods. So, we feel very good about it.

Her: I still feel that all parents should name their own children. It is only right. This name is... well... er... but, it's... erm... (more grimacing!)

Me: Old fashioned? It's OK.

Her: Does she has an English name?

Me: No. We are not English.

I've never felt so much like wanting to slap someone.

Their first fight

2011-08-25T23:01:00.016+08:00

Oh yes, and over... apong balik.

Shen Liang loves apong balik. When we passed by the apong balik stall this evening, we decided to indulge him. And of course, the smell of fresh apong balik, hot from the pan is heavenly. In the car, Xue Fang kept staring at the packet. When we got down, when she had the chance, she quickly grab the apong. When Shen Liang tried to snatch back, she quickly put it into her mouth. Then we had Shen Liang screaming, "Meimei! You cannot eat! You don't have teeth!"

The good good place

2011-08-20T21:15:00.000+08:00

I think we've been going to Kuala Lumpur too much! This morning, when I was driving out, with the two little ones belted to their car seats at the back, this conversation took place.

Shen Liang: Meimei, don't cry. We wait for Daddy, then we go Kuala Lumpur. Do you know where is Kuala Lumpur? Kuala Lumpur is a good good place.

Me: Who told you we are going to Kuala Lumpur.

Shen Liang: No one. Koko is going to tell Daddy to take everybody to Kuala Lumpur.

Living in the wifi era

2011-08-15T22:31:00.000+08:00

Shen Liang: Mommy, I cannot download my story book here. Please turn on the wifi for me.

Me: There's no wifi here. We have to check some where else.

Shen Liang: There must be wifi here. This is KLCC!

The advisor

2011-08-08T21:48:00.000+08:00

This conversation took place in the car a couple of weeks ago. Hubby was driving, and when he bit his nails, I slapped him. ;) Shen Liang, who was observing everything from behind, said...

Shen Liang: Mommy, why do you disturb Daddy?

Me: Mommy slapped Daddy because Daddy put his finger into his mouth.

Shen Liang: Mommy! You cannot just simply slap Daddy. Daddy! Why do you put your fingers in the mouth?

Hubby: I am sorry.

Shen Liang: You cannot put your finger in your mouth. Your fingers have germs...

Hubby: OK, OK.

Shen Liang: Daddy! You don't talk when Koko is talking. Daddy must let Koko finish talking first.

Hubby: I am sorry.

Shen Liang: OK. If germs go into your tummy, you will get stomach ache, pain pain. Then Mommy has to take you to the doctor. And doctor will have to open your tummy to remove the pain pain. So, Daddy! You cannot put your fingers into your mouth, OK?

More conversations with my 4YO

2011-07-28T01:32:00.000+08:00

Shen Liang: Mommy, why are the street lights on? It is day time! Not yet dark.
Me: Maybe uncle forget to off.
Shen Liang: Hoiyoh! Uncle naughty boy. It's expensive. Waste money.
Me: Why waste money?
Shen Liang: Because somebody has to pay.

Shen Liang: Oh no! Mommy! It's raining heavily! Cannot go home!
Me: Where is Koko's strawberry umbrella?
Shen Liang: O... (deep in thought)... O... it's in Daddy's car.
Me: Then we will have to wait until the rain stops.
Shen Liang: But Koko want to go home.
Me: We have to wait, or we will get wet.
Shen Liang: Mommy go out to get umbrella. Koko stand inside here and wait.

Shen Liang: Mommy, Koko want to eat cake.
Me: Cake is dessert. You can only eat your dessert after dinner.
Shen Liang: No! Koko don't want to eat LIZARD.

Shen Liang: Mommy, why is the fountain not on?
Me: Uncle will only turn on the fountain later, not so early.
Shen Liang: No, uncle never turn on the fountain because it is too expensive.

Shen Liang: Mommy, look at the two babies! They are the same!
Me: Same babies are called twins.
Shen Liang: Mommy, I want twins.

Shen Liang: Mommy, why is there a hole in the mountain?
Me: A hole in a mountain is called a cave.
Shen Liang: Mommy, why is there a cave? Why? Mommy, why?
Me: Erm... erm... it is made that way. There are no reasons at all.
Shen Liang: Why are there no reasons at all?
Me: The cave is there from the beginning. No one made the caves.
Shen Liang: Why is it there? Why must there be a cave?
Me: Erm... erm... one day, a monster got hungry and ate part of the mountain, and made a hole.
Shen Liang: NOOO! Monster cannot eat the mountains!
Me: O... then why are there caves? (My turn to torture him with questions... hahaha!)
Shen Liang: Umm... the mountain is spoilt.

Shen Liang: Mommy, see, I like to ke-ting the bell. (And he proceeded to rang a bell.)
Me: Why do you want to ke-ting the bell?
Shen Liang: When I ke-ting the bell, someone will bring food.
Me: Really? Who taught you that?
Shen Liang: Tom and Jerry.

When you watch a movie with a 4YO

2011-07-23T19:53:00.002+08:00

Hubby was watching LOTR with Shen Liang, but he seemed to find it hard to concentrate. Because every, not every 15 minutes, not every 5 minutes, it was almost EVERY MINUTE, Hubby was bombarded with questions.

"Daddy, why is there a angry horse?"

"Daddy, why does uncle turn into a monster?"

"Daddy, why uncle close the door?"

"Daddy, what happened?"

"Daddy, why monster wants to catch uncle?"

"Daddy, why every body fights?"

"Daddy, why every body wants the ring?"

"Daddy, why ceh-ceh singing?"

"Daddy, why door cannot open?"

"Daddy, why is the ring evil?"

"Daddy, why uncle cannot get up?"

"Daddy, why uncle get on the roof?"

"Daddy, why every body dancing?"

"Daddy, why ko-ko chase uncle?"

"Daddy, why uncle never wear nice clothes?"

"Daddy, why is there a rabbit?"

"Daddy, why uncle close eyes?"

"Daddy, why are the monsters singing?" (referring to the background music...LOL)

"Daddy, why the uncle fall down from the roof?"

"Daddy, why is the brown monster sticky?"

"Daddy, why the waterfall so beautiful?"

"Daddy, why the water move so high?"

"Daddy, why the big big water come woh?"

"Daddy, why need to wet the monster?"

"Daddy, why every body needs to go far far?"

...

After 30 minutes, his daddy said, "This movie is not right for you, go to sleep."
Duh!

Four months!

2011-07-20T14:49:00.002+08:00

Yup, my daughter is four months! We don't want them to grow up too fast, but worried if they are not. What a dilemma.

A trip to her paed for her rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccination found that she is now:

6.7kg - A one kg increase in a month, which doc said... IS A LOT! But since she is fully breastfed, we should not be worried. We were told that breastfed babies will begin to lean down after six months because the body does not hold too much fat.
She can flip over by herself at three half months, a little advance, since on average, others do that at five months.
She shows signs of wanting to wean, again, on average, infants do that around six months. She definitely got the 'wai-sek' gene from her Daddy. ;) So, we can now start her off with some mash (not pureed) papayas and bananas, mainly to let her discover her chewing muscles.
She has started to scan (that's the term doc uses) and explore since three half months, which she should only do at around six to seven months. I guess the 'ke-poh' gene comes from both Mummy and Daddy, so it is not a surprise that she should be super in this sector. ;)

Doc gave us a few parenting journals to take home... Positive Parenting, Nutrition For Infants, bla-bla-bla, but took back Successful Breastfeeding, which she said we don't need... hahaha!

From three weeks old, she has already started sleeping through the night, her shortest sleep is six hours while her longest is ten hours. Her afternoon naps last from two hours to four hours.

She does not drink a lot, her maximum milk intake is only five to six ounces, six to seven times a day. Her first feed starts at 7.00am~8.00 am, and her last feed of the day is at 10.00pm~11.00pm. We seldom need to burp her now, she managed to do that on her own. :)

Even before reaching four months, she has been showing some signs of wanting to be independent. She always wants to grab her bottle by herself, with both her hands, although seldom successful. But I must say, her coordination is pretty good, because she is usually able to put the pacifier into her mouth on her own. Recently, she does not want her pacifier and prefers her fist! Yucks!

She is very good at grabbing things... her favourite being my glasses and the hair of whoever who has the misfortune of having long hair. Ouch! Once she grabbed something, she won't let go.

She loves the water, very much. She loves her bath, and she enjoys her little 'swim' in the swimming pool. She will usually wails when we remove her from the water.

Another thing she enjoys is having people talking to her. This hobby of hers makes us very tired, indeed... hahaha! But she will always babbles back to us, showing her willingness to engage in the conversation. It is a very heartwarming situation. She also loves to stare at talking people, such as news anchors... hahaha!

Despite our numerous attempts to dress her up, most people will assume she is a baby boy at first glance, except when she is wearing a dress. :)

Overall, like her Koko, she is a very contented baby and demands for very little. We are indeed very blessed parents.

Conversations with my 4YO

2011-06-24T18:16:00.000+08:00

Shen Liang: Mommy, Koko said, no need to bath.
Me: Why?!
Shen Liang: Because, after bath, get dirty again. So no need to bath.

Shen Liang: Mommy, what happened to the leaves on that tree?
Me: Oh yeah, where are the leaves?
Shen Liang: A strong fan blow the leaves away.
Me: Really? Where is the fan?
Shen Liang: Shhh... (whisper) The fan is hiding.

Shen Liang: Mommy, look at the nice nice drink! I want! Can I buy the nice nice drink?
Me: Do you have some money?
Shen Liang: No.
Me: Then, how are you going to buy the nice nice drink?
Shen Liang: Mommy can put some money into Koko's pocket.

Shen Liang: Mommy!
Me: Yes?
Shen Liang: Meimei is a pretty pretty girl.
Me: Really?
Shen Liang: Yes! Meimei is a pretty pretty girl.

Mystery of the disappearing toys

2011-06-22T11:44:00.000+08:00

I am sure I am not the only parent who does this. Whenever Shen Liang is given a toy or something which I consider dangerous, or messy, or just something I don't like him playing with, after he goes to sleep, I will either hide it or throw it away. Usually, when he wakes up the next day, he will have forgotten about it, since he had only played with it for a short time. This has been going on for a long time now.

The other day, I noticed Shen Liang opening drawers, going in and out of rooms, very obvious that he was looking for something.

Me: Koko, what are you looking for?

Shen Liang: I am looking for... (then he made a gesture to show me, since he didn't know what the toy is called)

OK, I understood him, but it is also something that I've hidden from him... hahaha!

Me: Oh... where did you last put it?

Shen Liang: I don't know... (pause)... All the things I forgot has gone missing!

A snake!

2011-06-02T23:08:00.001+08:00

Everyone was upstairs, luckily, and I just got into the house from drying a few items in the yard. Then, it was there, under my piano... A SNAKE! I screamed! And ran upstairs, three steps at a time.

Hubby just stepped out from the shower.

Shen Liang was playing in his room.

Joann was giving Xue Fang a bath in the nursery.

I was so in shock, no one understood what I was talking about. When all was clear, hubby went downstairs with a sorry excuse for a stick, it is more like... A TWIG. I wondered how he was going to catch a snake with that. I then took Xue Fang, and Joann went down to help him.

While holding Xue Fang, I slowly went down the stairs. But Shen Liang went in front of me and stopped me. In the middle of the flight of stairs, this conversation took place.

Shen Liang: Mommy, listen to Koko, cannot go downstairs. Got snake, ah! You and Meimei stay upstairs with Koko.

Me: Mommy just want to peek.

He quickly stood in front of me and stopped me.

Shen Liang: No. It is dangerous. Come, Koko take you back upstairs. Hold hands with Koko.

Me: OK.

When we reached the landing, he lectured me!

Shen Liang: Mommy, when see snake, no need to scream. You scream so loud, everyone scared, ah! When see snake, Mommy just quickly come upstairs and get Daddy. Daddy then quickly go catch the snake, ok? Now come, Mommy and Meimei sit inside here and wait.

In the end, hubby managed to catch the snake without hurting it. He used two twigs (our decorative twigs, hahaha) to slowly lift the snake into an IKEA bucket, then brought it outside and let it go.

Project: Cupcakes

2011-05-27T23:50:00.004+08:00

As you can see, Shen Liang's collection of cupcake books are increasing. A couple of recent additions are from his Po Po. Yes, his Po Po loves to indulge him.

Ever since his first cupcake book, about a couple of weeks ago, he has been pestering me everyday to make cupcakes. At first, I told him we need to buy the ingredients. Then he started pestering me to go buy ingredients. He even let me correct his pronunciation... IN-GRE-DIENTS! Before that, he kept on saying ANGRY BIRDS. After almost a week, we finally went shopping and bought the necessary ingredients and also the baking dish. I've also packed everything in one bag for him so that he knows where everything is. But to my horror, he carried the heavy bag with him every where he went. Argh!

Finally, today, I've decided it is a good day to bake the cupcakes because tomorrow is his Po Po's birthday. So I told him, when I fetch him back from school, we will start baking the cupcakes. He was very excited. However, before I went to fetch him, I realized that we did not have a mixer. No, I am not going to build muscles by beating the batter. I thought it was small matter since my shop neighbour sells electrical appliances. But, NOOOOO, they don't have mixers. Yish! I called up another electrical appliance store, also a friend, and NOOOOO, they don't have it. Double yish! Finally I went all the way to Seng Heng, and bought a little handheld model.

It was a really fun experience for me, and hopefully for him too. When we got to my parents' home (yup, we borrowed their huge kitchen for the baking), Shen Liang quickly ran into the house while hugging the mixer. He removed everything from his 'ingredients bag', and laid out everything on the table. The mess started then. Argh!

After that, to reduce the amount of mess, I insisted to be the one who pour everything into the mixing bowl. He had the honours of dictating from the recipe, which is not difficult since there are pictures.

"Mommy, put in four eggs."

"Wait Mommy, let koko count. One - two - three - four. OK, good."

"Mommy, need to put some water."

"Mommy... blah-blah-blah..."

Then, the mixing...

And he likes to lick the batter too. Ugh!

When we put the batter into the oven, he insisted on standing there to watch. Luckily it was only 15 minutes. His excitement was contagious. He got us peeping too. And then, the cupcakes were done! The colorful sprinkles were added into the batter so that the inside of the cake can be colorful, as requested by Shen Liang.

And he ate the first one.

And then we moved on to decorating the cake. This part is funny. I told him we are going to write I (heart) POPO. Since he is not one who can spell, he just let me guide him. When we were writing 'P', he said, "Koko don't like P. Koko want A." Eeks!

I ignored him... heh-heh-heh...

Later in the evening, we brought the cupcakes to Po Po.

The poke

2011-05-18T21:13:00.003+08:00

This morning, I took Xue Fang for her vaccinations, notice the plural. And since she is a Dentinox Camel -- a baby who keeps every drop of Dentinox, no matter how slowly we gave her, in her mouth for more than 5 minutes, and spits it out, also by the drops, when we are not noticing -- we made sure she swallows every single drop of Rotarix.

After that she gets one poke on the left thigh with the 6-1 and another on the right thigh with the Synflorix. And she is a SCREAMER! Hahaha...

But what I wanted to write about, is Shen Liang's blood test. As a follow up from his babyhood UTI, we went for a renal profile. At first, I thought it was a small poke on the toe or finger, like what they did for jaundice. But to my horror, our paed said the lab tech will draw blood like what they do to us adults. I told hubby he must come along, to grab Shen Liang, because I cannot imagine him not struggling. As the appointment approached, I got more nervous. I kept imagining the trauma and the pain he will go through. When his number was called, hubby suggested Shen Liang sits on his lap. We had also suggested another lab tech to standby to help hold him. I kept telling him he will experience some pain, but it is going to be gone very soon if he doesn't move, and all sorts of pep talk to prepare him. And finally, when the needle of the syringe went in, he startled a little, but had very quickly calmed down. He remained motionless throughout the whole ordeal. And very fast, it was over. At that moment, I was very emotional. He did not cry, did not whine and did not move. I am a very proud mummy. So, we've decided that he deserved a reward, and off we went to MPH. Among all the interesting and colorful books and toys, he's chosen these. :)

What has Ko-ko been up to?

2011-05-14T01:35:00.000+08:00

The other day, I put Xue Fang on the bed while I went to the bathroom. She was fussy and irritated, waiting for her bath. I told Shen Liang he should keep watch until I came back. When I came out from the bathroom…

Shen Liang: Mommy, Ko-ko help Mei-mei to sleep.

Me: You helped Mei-mei to sleep? How?

Shen Liang: Ko-ko do this. (While patting his tummy.)

Me: O… and did Mei-mei sleep?

Shen Liang: Yes.

And he was right. I was surprised because she was whining non-stop before. :)

Here's one of the silly stunts pulled by Ko-ko.

Today, he did something that made me very angry.

Me: Ko-ko, please do not eat in Yaya's room, you might drop crumbs and dirty the room.

Shen Liang: I want ah…

And as soon as he said that, he dropped his whole container of biscotti. Crumbs were every where. I was very angry.

Me: I don't care how you do it, you clean up the mess!

I refused to let anyone help him. Despite my warning, which he ignored, I figured he should learn his lesson the hard way. When one doesn't know how to sweep or use the vacuum cleaner, crumbs are really a pain to clean up. However, it was difficult to stay angry when he picked up every crumb on the floor, one bit of crumb at a time.

Oh, and did I tell you, he loves to take pics with his Mei-mei. He will just go sit or lie down beside Xue Fang, and tell me, "Mommy, take picture please."

OK, here's something funny.

Shen Liang: Mommy, Mei-mei pacifier fall down.

Me: Can you help put pacifier back into Mei-mei's mouth?

Shen Liang: OK!

Then I heard him say...

Shen Liang: Mei-mei! Open your mouth, Ko-ko give you pacifier.

Shen Liang: Mei-mei! You must open your mouth!

Shen Liang: Mei-mei! You look at Ko-ko!

Shen Liang: Now you say... aaaaa!

That was when I quickly take this shot.

These two make me crazy. Sometimes, they drive me up the wall. But at the end of the day, they make me shed tears of joy.

Silly fellow

2011-05-11T22:54:00.001+08:00

Shen Liang: Mommy! Mei-mei is a silly fellow.
Me: Why?
Shen Liang: Because she do ng-ng in her panties. *Fyi, he calls her diaper, panties.*
Me: Shen Liang used to do ng-ng in the panties. What do we call you?
Shen Liang: You call me CHOO SHEN LIANG.

When the apprentice becomes the master

2011-05-03T22:51:00.001+08:00

Me: Shen Liang, please do not put your fingers in your mouth. If not, you will get stomach pain pain, and Mommy will have to take you to the doctor. Doctor will take a needle and poke poke your stomach.

Shen Liang: Doctor no poke poke stomach ah! Doctor do INJECTION!

Me: *speechless*

It's been a while...

2011-04-30T17:40:00.004+08:00

Heh-heh-heh... well, Mommy is exhausted... and lazy.

So, what is it like to have two kids? Well, believe me, it is more than twice the energy and effort of having just one! Especially when one is nearing the FEARSOME FOUR! Although feeling a little insecure at the beginning, I must say, Shen Liang is being an extremely great sibling. We try very hard not to make him feel threaten by not comparing him with his little sister, and also to give him equal attention. I don't think a sibling war is starting anytime soon, since Xue Fang is yet to be in a position to be interested in her brother's stuff or disturb his daily activities. But we shall come back to this in maybe a year's time?

Although Shen Liang does have his moments, but I like to document some of his sweet gestures towards his baby sister, which I find very touching.

1. Do you know? He kisses his sister about a dozen times a day, even when his mouth is oily from meals.

2. Whenever Xue Fang kicks off her blanket during her nap, he will quickly put it back. However, sometimes he covers part of her face, so we need to watch out for that.

3. He is better than a baby monitor. When Xue Fang moves or cry during her nap, he will quickly come and get us, and insists that we should attend to her immediately. His exact words, "Cannot let mei-mei cry!" If we are not able to immediately go over to Xue Fang, he will pat her tummy and say, "Mei-mei, it's OK! It's OK! Please don't cry. Ko-ko love you." Once, he did this, but Xue Fang continued to cry louder, he got into a panic, ran to me and said, "Mommy! Mommy! Mei-mei is crying. I've already do IT'S OK, but mei-mei still cry. Faster, come!"

4. Every time he comes back from school, the first thing he does is walk over to Xue Fang's bassinet and takes a peep at her. Sometimes he will also give her tummy a small pat.

5. In his better mood, he can be a very good helper. He helps fetch me stuff whenever I am busy with the baby. However, every muslin he brings to me is PINK.

6. Whenever we go shopping, he likes to pick his mei-mei's clothes. Of course, everything he chooses is either pink or flowery. Hahaha...

And some of the not so touching moments...

1. Sometimes when he is not behaving well, and makes me angry, he expresses his displeasure by saying, "Mommy and mei-mei please go back to the hospital."

2. And since Xue Fang is a super wailer, at times it irritates him. "Mei-mei is too loud, I cannot hear the TV. I am not happy."

OK, that's a bit about Shen Liang. How is the baby?

To date, she is 4.65kg. That is a 1.5kg increase in six weeks. She is fully breastfed, and I have no idea how much she drinks because I am still nursing her direct. And since she is drinking less than my supply during the first couple of weeks, we have some extra milk in storage. The extra milk in storage... well... they are still in storage, with an addition of five to six ounces to the lot, per day.

Ever since she sleeps through the night, about a couple of weeks ago, the only way to avoid painful engorgement is to express the extra milk, and hence the addition. I believe she must be drinking about five to six ounces now. However, unlike most newborns, her drinking pattern is seldom predictable. Sometimes she wants milk every hour, and sometimes her day naps last as long as five hours.

This past week, we were all attacked by the common cold. It was horrible! However, with the miracle of breastmilk, while Mommy was sneezing and coughing, Xue Fang is getting all the antibodies from the milk. Hurray! (Well, that's what the paed said.) Unfortunately, a small part of the effect of cold medication also gotten to her, as she was sleeping more than usual... hahaha!

As for myself, I AM EXHAUSTED! Although not in a hurry to get back to my old weight, I find myself loosing weight fast. I am not into any super weight lost diet, in fact, I am eating like a horse, about twice my normal portion! I guess breastfeeding is a kickass weight lost program... hahaha! Or maybe, it is due to the lack of sleep. Yawn!

To date I am 60kg, 5kg above my regular weight, with a heavy bottom... blek! And still not able to get into 80% of my clothes. :(

Pregnancy mythbusters

2011-03-31T00:06:00.010+08:00

Now, having experienced pregnancy with both genders, I am now qualified to examine the following.

If your bump is pointed, you are expecting a boy. If your bump is round, you are expecting a girl.
Verdict: BUSTED

If your bump is nice and dainty, you are expecting a boy. If your bump is large and clumsy, you are expecting a girl.
Verdict: BUSTED

If you crave sweet stuff, you are expecting a boy. If you crave sour stuff, you are expecting a girl.
Verdict: BUSTED

If you are vain and careful with your appearance, you are expecting a boy. If you don't quite care of how you look and can even go out without combing your hair, you are expecting a girl.
Verdict: BUSTED

If you bloat every where, you are expecting a girl.
Verdict: BUSTED

OK, these are the few I've heard of. Anyone has anything to add?

A labour tale

2011-03-30T23:01:00.000+08:00

As my due date came and gone, we went to doc in the morning of 18 March, as advised by doc, fully prepared to admit for induced labour. After examining me, he said we can wait several days more, no big deal. But then, since we went packed and prepared, we decided to have our baby that very day. After hubby took care of admission, we headed off to the delivery suite. Everything was familiar... the venue, the preparations, the yucky stuff that I had quite forgotten.

Well, anyway, when all's done, doc arrived, checked me over, broke my water and administered the drip which shall start my labour. Everything went on as expected, a repeat of the procedures I went through when I deliver Shen Liang. With the drip flowing into my veins, very soon contractions started. It wasn't terribly awful at first, but of course, it gets worse. Where was the epidural?! Well, it seems, all the anesthetists were fully tied up in the operating theaters. It was a very busy day down over there!

Alas! An anesthetist arrived. As soon as the catheter was in place and yet another drip flowed into my body, this time at my spine, I started to relax as the pain slowly subsided. Then, it was just... killing time. Docs, RNs, midwives... everyone said the second time will be faster, so I don't need to be nervous for too long.

Still... several hours did ticked by. Now, some of you might be aware that I was especially nervous. I kept talking about it almost everyday towards the end of my pregnancy. When asked what bothered me so, well, it was hard to tell. I, for one, believes in Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Oh yes, I am a pessimist.

True enough... halfway through labour, the epidural pump gave out a warning beep. We were not aware what it was all about, but the RNs kept paging for the anesthetist, and he did came back to the delivery suite several times. It seemed, the pump was not functioning properly, meaning, not dispensing the drip continuously. After doing the necessary adjustments to the pump, everything was back to normal. But the pump refuse to stay good for long. At about one hour before delivery, I can feel my legs and THEY WERE NOT HEAVY AT ALL, which they should! Oh no! And very slowly, I CAN FEEL CONTRACTIONS! AND THEY ARE AWFUL! At that point, the anesthetist had to inject the drug into my drip manually, but it was too late to be of much help. Well folks, it was towards the end of labour, what do you expect?! At that point, I realised THE EPIDURAL WAS NOT WORKING! And what a time for it to fail! Hey, it is one thing to have pain gradually built up, it is another when there is no pain and suddenly there is SERIOUS PAIN! Around 15 minutes before delivery, I was screaming. The RNs paged my doc, who, although after his duty hours, he waited for me. When he arrived, he was in shock, "I thought she asked for epidural! What happened?" he said. Well, no time for answers (if there was any), because the baby's head was coming out! Doc tried to calm me down, "It's going to be over soon, I can see baby's head." And in the midst of all the pain the unexpected chaos, I asked, "Are there a lot of hair on the head?"

With two to three pushes, we managed to get baby out. I think hubby got quite a number of bruises on his arm, from my scratching and gripping. As soon as baby was out, the pain just... stopped. Amazing. And I must say, child birth is the painest pain I've ever experienced. Truly! Having been beside me throughout the whole ordeal, hubby was then... speechless. He felt pretty helpless.

The next day, he brought this up with the hospital authorities, insisting on finding out what went wrong. Several people came and spoke to me, including the anesthetist, trying to determine at which point the epidural failed. But in the end, no one can gave us a satisfactory answer, and hubby was very upset. In the end, the hospital was only able to compensate us by removing all the epidural related charges incurred, which is not a huge compensation for the turmoil we went through, but we settled for it since at the end of the day, our ultimate aim is just for baby and mommy to be safe.

And she's here!

2011-03-25T23:31:00.002+08:00

And my due date is...

2011-03-16T12:59:00.001+08:00

Yesterday!

And he is conservative

2011-03-10T12:29:00.001+08:00

The other day, I wore a strapless dress. When we were about to go out, Shen Liang said, "Mommy! Mommy cannot go out like this. Shame, shame," while pushing me back into the house. He then went up to my room, and came down with a cardigan, and said, "Nah... Mommy wear this."

Frankly, we are all puzzled. How or where did he get this thought from? Because, hubby is certainly the least conservative person I know.

Flubber

2011-03-09T17:25:00.000+08:00

Fifth! Who said one will deliver after the third flubber?

Growing up in the cyber era

2011-03-07T17:12:00.001+08:00

Do you know, the first word that Shen Liang can recognise is WI-FI? And a big percentage of his vocabulary are cyber related...

Internet
Wi-Fi
Computer
iPad
iPhone
Hang
Download
Mouse (the computer kind)

Last week, I was browsing online, to look for a chef-hat/apron set for Shen Liang. He came to sit beside me and was very excited. Then he spotted a set that he loves, and it was very obvious that he wants me to get that for him. He said, "MOMMY, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THIS FOR SHEN LIANG."

Pancake junior chef

2011-03-06T00:16:00.000+08:00

Does it really matter?

2011-03-05T00:05:00.000+08:00

Being pregnant for the second time, every time we meet someone who took note for the first time that I am pregnant, their first question will be, "Boy or girl?" Friend or stranger, they asked the same question. Is the baby's gender so important? And when we answered, "Girl," an excited, "Congratulations!" followed. Does that mean, we don't get to be congratulated if Baby is a boy?

To be frank, we really did not think about Baby's gender at all before it was revealed to us. As most of you are aware, this is an unplanned pregnancy, hence a surprise to us. And as my sister put it, it means that, Shen Liang is meant to have a sibbling all along. With new found excitement, we started to make changes to our lives, arrangements and preparations for the arrival of a new member. Boy or girl, he/she deserves nothing less. Even if Baby is a boy, we will be equally excited. Of course, we are counting on the sonographer to be correct, because there are really too much shopping done already... hahaha... that is how excited we are.

I have friends from two very different categories of thought. There's a group where, they have two boys, they are happy and contented, and decided that two children are enough. And then, the other group, which consists of parents with two to four boys, but still planning for another pregnancy in the hope that they will get a girl the next time. There is no right or wrong to these preferences. I am only curious, is having children from both genders very important?

OK... what's happening now?

2011-03-04T22:28:00.002+08:00

Yeah, compared to my first pregnancy, I must admit that I haven't been blogging much this time. There are so much going on, at work and at home, and now there's a little toddler keeping me busy and exhausted. And of course, this pregnancy is very different compared to the first. Unlike last time, I was very active throughout the entire pregnancy, I swam almost every week, I drove everyday to work, right until the day before I deliver, I could even go on a sojourn to Australia while six months pregnant.

But not this time. Right until now, I fainted once, and experienced several occasions of giddy spells, shortness of breath and unexplained exhaustion. News from the ob remains great... excellent blood pressure, sufficient weight gain, no sign of gestational diabetes, eating well, and satisfying every test that needs to be tested. Therefore, apart from a couple of supplements, doc prescribed only plenty of rest.

Entering week 38, exhaustion is at its highest level. Most probably because I have not been sleeping well for the pass one month or so. Baby is very active compared to Shen Liang. I remember clearly, while I was pregnant with Shen Liang, each time we went to our ob appointment, he stayed very still during scans and examinations. But not Baby. She did not remain still during my fifth month detailed scan, which stretched the allocated 30 minutes scan to one hour. And recently, every time doc pressed onto my tummy, she punches or kicks back. Hahaha... She has been promoted from The Striker to Powerpuff Girl. I have been experiencing a lot of aches and pains to the abdominal ligaments since three or four months ago. At night Baby is always actively kicking, punching and stretching. Well, I guess I should not complain about this, right? I mean, I should count my blessings for being given a strong and healthy baby.

A visit to the ob today confirmed that Baby is now halfway engaged, so not long now. Her heartbeat is excellent, so is everything else, and even while scanning, we observed that she is moving around a lot, although there are not much space to move. Her head is pressing to my abdominal ligaments and bladder, hence I will continue to experience discomfort until delivery. And doc commented, "She has a beautiful nose."

Cravings have died down, but I continue to enjoy sweet desserts... in fact, everything sweet! OMG!

Flubber

2011-03-03T16:07:00.002+08:00

Fourth!

Flubber

2011-02-23T15:33:00.000+08:00

Week 37, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

This is the left foot at its most swollen state. It is like walking around with a piece of jello stuck in the foot. Third time swollen... :(

Daddy, the educator

2011-02-12T22:11:00.000+08:00

We were having tea at a little cafe when Shen Liang noticed a couple of men climbing up the ladder to open up the concealed ceiling boards. We later learned that they were trying to trap one elusive mouse, who has been living up there and chewing on the wires and cables. Well, since it can't get down to the yummies in the cafe, I guess, wires and cables must be its diet... hahaha! It's a mighty delicious trap too, roast lamb! Anyway, this conversation occurred.

Shen Liang: Daddy, why uncle climb up to the dark dark?

Hubby: Because uncle is trying to catch a mouse.

Shen Liang: Why uncle wants to catch the mouse?

Hubby: Erm... because mouse wants to eat the cheesecake.

Shen Liang: Why uncle doesn't want mouse eat the cheesecake?

Hubby: Hm.... because mouse never pay money.

(What the...)

Flubber

2011-02-11T22:13:00.000+08:00

Today, my left foot swelled for the second time.

Taking the baby thing too far

2011-02-10T23:58:00.000+08:00

As most of you realised, we started preparing Shen Liang for the arrival of his sibling since a while ago. It is not easy, but we noticed he is recently very alert of babies and toddlers younger than him, when they are around him, which, I think, is a good sign. He likes to pat my tummy most of the time, and says he 'sayang' Baby. He also sometimes enjoys hugging and kissing my tummy. Truly, all these are very sweet, and I hope he will maintain his caring nature, at least to some degree, when Baby comes along. At times, when I wince, he will assume Baby is kicking me and I am in pain. As we are going through all these, sometimes, funny conversations happen.

Shen Liang: Mommy, Shen Liang tummy pain pain.

Me: Come let Mommy see. Do you want Mommy to rub rub tummy?

Shen Liang: Cannot! Got baby inside Shen Liang tummy. Baby is kicking Shen Liang!

Me: O! Really? Baby inside Shen Liang tummy?

Shen Liang: Yes!

Me: How many babies inside Shen Liang tummy?

Shen Liang: Two!

Me: O! How many babies inside Mommy's tummy?

Shen Liang: So many!

Me: How many is so many?

Shen Liang: Five! (and showed five fingers)

An alarming wake-up call

2011-01-21T23:33:00.000+08:00

I am now seven months pregnant. To be frank, I am taking a lot of things for granted. For one, I haven't gotten ready all my baby stuff and some of my stuff, another, I haven't pack a standby bag for the hospital, really... I haven't done a lot of stuff!

Then, this afternoon, a little pain started at my abdomen. I did not notice it at first, but as the pain came and gone, and getting more and more painful every time, I got panicked. I called...

My Mum: "How am I suppose to know, my last delivery was 20 over years ago! You call your obstetrician. It is very possible that baby can born at seven months!"

Hubby: "Call doc. Now!"

Doc: Lunch time... no reply... @#$%&!

Then I fell asleep. Hubby's call woke me up, and he was getting rather impatient with me. "Call doc!" So I called doc, and his assistant who picked up the call said I should go see doc immediately. Then, in a state of panic, I don't even know what to do next. Everyone was too far away from me to come over to fetch me to the hospital, and no one wanted me to drive. In the end, my Mum managed to arrange for my cousin to come over to get me.

While waiting for him, I decided maybe I should pack a bag, just in case. It was then that I realised, I didn't have much to pack, because I didn't have everything ready... gosh! All our baby clothes have been given away, and only got back about, maybe, 5%? I also realised that we have no diapers, no nappy liners, no ALMOST EVERYTHING!

Anyway, cousin came, rushed me to the hospital, and... whew... it was a false alarm. After examining me, doc concluded that the pain was caused by strain at the intestine. But nevertheless, his advise:

Take a rest for several days -- NOT FOLLOWED (heh-heh-heh)
Don't drive -- ALSO NOT FOLLOWED
Get baby stuff ready -- OK, this is in progress

Daddy, the babysitter

2011-01-13T13:49:00.001+08:00

One evening, Shen Liang ran to me and said...

Shen Liang: Mommy, please, please, Shen Liang is a good boy. Don't throw Shen Liang into the sea.

Me: What?!

Shen Liang: Daddy said, if Shen Liang naughty, Daddy throw Shen Liang into the sea, let the fish bite Shen Liang. Fish bite bird-bird, then Shen Liang cannot do shee-shee.

Looks like Mommy needs a word with Daddy.

When he is sweet...

2011-01-12T12:33:00.001+08:00

He is very, very sweet...

Yesterday evening, while watching a movie, I had this really horrible cramp at my left leg. I was wincing while hubby massage my leg, with Shen Liang quietly observing. When hubby was done, Shen Liang asked, "Mommy leg pain pain, ah?" I said, "Yes." Then, what he did amazed me. He leaned down, kissed my left leg, from knee to foot, and said, "See, Shen Liang kiss kiss, pain pain go away a'dy. Mommy sit down, ah. Don't walk walk, ah. If not, pain pain come back woh."

He has recently developed a very affectionate nature. From time to time, he asks for hugs and kisses from me, for no apparent reasons. I wouldn't say it is very manly, but which mommy doesn't like to be kissed and hugged several times a day.

Flubber

2011-01-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

This evening, my left foot started to swell. :(

Bananas

2011-01-06T16:14:00.002+08:00

Bananas, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Today, we did something we never thought we will do. Hahaha... We returned a bunch of bananas to the supermarket. To be frank, after the bananas refused to ripe, even after 10 days, I thought, we should just throw them away, I mean, how much is a bunch of bananas. But hubby said no. It is the principle of the matter. The supermarket should know what is wrong with their bananas, and started sprouting consumer rights bla-bla-bla... So, OK, we went to customer service and gave them back their bananas with hubby saying, "Your bananas, even after 10 days, are still as hard as sticks." After that, we went home with a new bunch of bananas. :)

A tale of two circles

2011-01-03T12:00:00.002+08:00

I've been pondering if I should post this conversation. But what the heck, it is really funny, and I guess it is significant enough for me to want to make a record of it. Yes, you guessed it, we are back to the discussion of the 'two circles'.

This conversation took place one evening when I was putting clothes on Shen Liang after his shower. Again, he tried to be funny, and mentioned the 'two circles' while pointing at my chest.

Shen Liang: Mommy, what is this?

Me: What do you think it is?

Shen Liang: It is 'two circles'! Why got 'two circles'?

Trying to divert his attention to his own 'two circles', I pointed to his tiny nipples and said...

Me: Shen Liang has 'two circles', too.

Shen Liang: Why Mommy 'two circles' big, Shen Liang 'two circles' small?

OK, at this point, I thought I should explain the biology of things, rather than to make matters worse by being irritated and embarrassed with the question. After all, toddlers are innocent until being made worldly. So...

Me: Because, Mommy needs to carry nan-nan for Baby.

Shen Liang: I want Mommy big 'two circles'.

Me: No, cannot. Because Shen Liang already has 'two circles'.

Shen Liang: Mommy must share. Shen Liang will share small 'two circles' with Mommy.

Me: Why do you want Mommy's big 'two circles'?

Shen Liang: Because they are bouncy!

(What the...)

Enthusiasm

2011-01-02T14:47:00.001+08:00

Here's a conversation which I overheard the other day between my Mr Men.

Shen Liang: Daddy, why Mommy's tummy round round?

Hubby: Because Baby is inside.

Shen Liang: Ooo... Baby inside, ah?

Hubby: Yes. Shen Liang wants to play with Baby?

Shen Liang: Yes!

Hubby: Shen Liang can share toys with Baby?

Shen Liang: Why?

Hubby: So that both Shen Liang and Baby can play together. So, Shen Liang must share toys with Baby, OK?

Shen Liang: OK. Tonight, ah?

Wake up call

2011-01-01T14:46:00.000+08:00

No alarm clock is ever going to be better than this.

Shen Liang: Mommy, wake up! The sky is blue already.

I, of course, ignored him.

Shen Liang: Mommy, please, wake up. Go downstairs and tell Daddy, Shen Liang is hungry.

Me: You go downstairs and tell Daddy yourself.

Shen Liang: Mommy, please... Mommy must say, "Hey, Daddy! Shen Liang is hungry. Please make nan-nan."

I tried to go back to sleep. After a while, he went downstairs and look for his daddy. Several minutes later, he shoved an orange in my face!

Shen Liang: Mommy, Shen Liang finish nan-nan already. Shen Liang wants to eat orange.

Me: Ask Daddy to cut it for you.

Shen Liang: Mommy! Wake up!

Then he turned his attention to my tummy...

Shen Liang: Hey, Baby! Please kick Mommy. Ask Mommy to wake up!

Project 365: The end of a great year (365/365)

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000+08:00

The end of a great year, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Sometimes, it amazed me, to realise that so much can happen in only a single year. 2010 has really been great to us and I give thanks everyday for the endless blessings that come my way.

Project 365: Toddler craft (364/365)

2010-12-30T23:58:00.000+08:00

Toddler craft, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

As you can see, I am a last minute Mommy. The new school term is starting next week, and only now, I started tidying up his stuff. Found these from his stacks of work from school.

Project 365: Candied fruit sticks (363/365)

2010-12-29T23:57:00.000+08:00

Candied fruit sticks, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

We were at the pasar malam and chance upon this. I was amazed, but hubby said, "Didn't you had these when you were a kid?" Gosh, NO!

Project 365: Camera+ (362/365)

2010-12-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

Camera+, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

When Pedro said, Camera+ is available now, I did not hesitate. And an artist, who wish to remain anonymous, has volunteered to model for me. This app is great, and the effect filters are so cool!

Project 365: Apple people (361/365)

2010-12-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

Apple people, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

The feeling of being ignored...

Project 365: Boxing Day (360/365)

2010-12-26T23:16:00.000+08:00

Boxing Day, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Highlight of the day was a fine-dining dinner at The Banjaran.

Project 365: Christmas (359/365)

2010-12-25T23:14:00.000+08:00

Christmas, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

As with the Choo family tradition, we brought flowers to hubby's grandparents' graves.

Project 365: Christmas Eve (358/365)

2010-12-24T23:13:00.000+08:00

Christmas Eve, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

This year we had Christmas Eve dinner at home.

Project 365: Blobby Christmas (357/365)

2010-12-23T23:12:00.000+08:00

Blobby Christmas, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I have to sell 40 tins of paint in a month to get one of these. Hubby wants at least five (the entire set). @#$%&! Now they are sitting there idle, taking up much needed space in the house. And I thought only teenage girls are obsessed with these stuff.

Project 365: Winter Solstice 冬至 (356/365)

2010-12-22T23:30:00.001+08:00

Winter Solstice 冬至, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I wanted to do a new 湯圓 pic for this year. Unfortunately, the person commissioned to cook them for me can't have them ready until tomorrow. So, this is last year's pic with a vintage filter.

Today, I was crazy craving for 湯圓 for no apparent reason. Drooling thinking about it the whole day.

Proejct 365: Shrubs (355/365)

2010-12-21T23:29:00.001+08:00

Shrubs, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Exhausted and uninspired.

Project 365: The Sims 3 (354/365)

2010-12-20T23:27:00.001+08:00

The Sims 3, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Yup, this is cheating, it's a screen shot... heh-heh-heh... There's an EA Games sale over at the iTunes Store. The Sims 3 is now $0.99 instead of $9.99!

Project 365: Station 1 (353/365)

2010-12-19T23:26:00.001+08:00

Station 1, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Dinner out at a newly opened restaurant near our home.

Project 365: Bottoms up (352/365)

2010-12-18T23:25:00.001+08:00

Bottoms up, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Our little hero downed his entire bottle of cough syrup and we spent the night in the hospital.

Project 365: Modern (351/365)

2010-12-17T15:39:00.003+08:00

Modern, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

In 1945, maybe?

Project 365: Lou Wong (350/365)

2010-12-16T18:04:00.003+08:00

Lou Wong, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

This shot is for all you Ipoh mari people.

Shen Liang's wisdom... with some very misleading info from Mummy

2010-12-16T15:11:00.000+08:00

Shen Liang: Mommy, why is it raining?

Me: Hm... When the clouds are too heavy, they have to let go of water. That is why it rains.

After five minutes...

Shen Liang: Mommy, why is it raining?

Me: Mommy just told you, the clouds got too heavy, the water needs to fall off.

Another five minutes...

Shen Liang: Mommy, why is it raining?

Me: Er... the sky is crying.

Shen Liang: O...

Later in the evening, he told his Daddy...

Shen Liang: Daddy! It is raining because the SUN is crying!

Project 365: Baubles (349/365)

2010-12-15T22:02:00.001+08:00

Baubles, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Oh well, another uninspired day.

Project 365: Hairspray (348/365)

2010-12-14T23:00:00.001+08:00

Hairspray, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

When you perform a ritual often enough in front of a curious 3YO... well...

"Daddy, I fix hair with handsome spray!"

Project 365: Toilet (347/365)

2010-12-13T22:59:00.002+08:00

Toilet, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

As you can see, at recent, I am stealing ideas from everywhere. Here's one on the toilet seat. Although only with a lowly iPhone, so unlike Alan's very sophisticated gadgets. ;)

Project 365: The angry face (346/365)

2010-12-12T22:58:00.001+08:00

The angry face, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Be scared. Be very scared. Well, at least that was what he wanted us to feel.

Project 365: Embroidery (345/365)

2010-12-11T22:56:00.001+08:00

Embroidery, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Sometimes, I wish I can sew.

Project 365: Horribly sweet (344/365)

2010-12-10T22:55:00.001+08:00

Horribly sweet, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Do not let the fancy deco deceive you. Six cupcakes for six people and none of us likes it. I cannot believe there are people lining up to buy these. Or maybe, we are extremely spoilt by JJ Cakes.

Project 365: Limited Edition (343/365)

2010-12-09T22:54:00.000+08:00

Limited Edition, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I spy with my iPhone, and I found THIS!

Project 365: Almost gone (342/365)

2010-12-08T22:53:00.000+08:00

Almost gone, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

The little guy has taken a liking to strawberries lately. Here's one where I marinated them in honey. The bowl was full when I went to get the camera. I cannot believe they can disappear so quickly.

Daddy, the educator

2010-12-08T10:24:00.000+08:00

Those following my P365 will note that we were at the National Horse Show last weekend. Apart from the exciting equestrian championship, there were, of course, various activities related to horses. One of them was a visit to the stables, where various breed of horses were on show. For the first time, Shen Liang grasped the reality of how huge a horse is. He was overwhelmed, and panicked too. As his Daddy walked him through the stables...

Daddy: Shen Liang, look at the horses. See, they are so huge. Their buttocks are so huge, they do very huge ng-ng.

@#$%&!

Project 365: Where's the pizza? (341/365)

2010-12-07T17:52:00.000+08:00

Where's the pizza?, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I think another irritating question apart from "Are we there yet?" is "Is it here yet?"

Project 365: Vintage (340/365)

2010-12-06T17:50:00.001+08:00

0
Vintage, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

A post processing day with an equestrian shot. How do you like the vintage effect?

Project 365: Twilight (339/365)

2010-12-05T20:26:00.000+08:00

Twilight, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Here's a very poor attempt to spice up a boring picture with post processing.

Project 365: National Horse Show (338/365)

2010-12-04T22:25:00.000+08:00

National Horse Show, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

The National Horse Show started several days ago, but the grand opening was only held this morning where the finals of several equestrian events took place. We were honored to be invited to this truly exciting event, where I can be lazy and shoot from the raised dais without much effort. It was an overcast day, although not ideal for photography, but absolutely fab for us. Well, no one likes to roast under the scorching 40℃ heat.

Project 365: A charity dinner (337/365)

2010-12-03T23:24:00.000+08:00

A charity dinner, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

From time to time we involve ourselves in various charitable activities. This evening's fund raising dinner is one of them, where your's truly did a two hour piano recital.

Project 365: Burnt (336/365)

2010-12-02T23:23:00.000+08:00

Burnt, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Can anyone burn stuff in a microwave oven? Apparently, I can. Hrmmmph!

Project 365: Mr. Bears (335/365)

2010-12-01T23:23:00.000+08:00

Mr. Bears, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Copied the idea from our shutterbug chief. :)

Project 365: Prowlers (334/365)

2010-11-30T23:36:00.000+08:00

Prowlers, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

As you can see, the number of P365 subjects are wearing thin.

Project 365: Brotherhood of the bears (333/365)

2010-11-29T23:55:00.000+08:00

Brotherhood of the bears, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I wish I took this with a decent camera.

Project 365: Slumber (332/365)

2010-11-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

Slumber, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

I was lying down beside him, and felt that I should capture this moment.

Shen Liang's wisdom

2010-11-28T14:31:00.000+08:00

Day is... WHEN THE SKY IS HERE!

As oppose to that...

Night is... WHEN THE SKY IS GONE!

Project 365: Cheeky (331/365)

2010-11-27T23:10:00.000+08:00

Cheeky, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

It has been a while since I took decent shots of my little mischief.

Project 365: And he turned 36 (330/365)

2010-11-26T23:07:00.000+08:00

And he turned 36, originally uploaded by KuanSiew.

Twelve years ago today, I met the love of my life. And coincidentally, it was his birthday.