As I count down towards the last few hours of 2008, I asked myself what is there to remember about this year. If there was one month that will forever be etched in my memory, it would be the month of July.
On the 5th, Bryan was admitted into DSH for this terrible, terrible accident. His scars serve as a daily reminder for me to be a better and more vigilant mother. It also reminds me (more like kick myself in the b*tt) to be grateful for the lovely children that I have. Yes, even when they cry for hours with no apparent reason or when they drive me up the wall with their antics. And yes, even when the older one still wakes up countless times at night. I shall be grateful, for it can be taken away from you with a snap of the finger.
And then on the 19th, I was back at the same hospital. This time was for a joyous ocassion. I told myself not to cry like I did with Bryan when the baby was delivered, but it was just overwhelming when the ob-gyn placed lil' Brandon on my chest with his umbilical cord still uncut. I stared hard at his face, trying to remember every single detail and the flood gates opened.
Two incidences this year within a span of two weeks from each other - one sad, one happy. But both relates to my being a mother. So, if you were to ask me whether 2008 had been a good year, I would reply, "Most definitely! Any year is a good year when you have beautiful and healthy children!".
With that, I bid 2008 goodbye and say hello to 2009. Bring it on!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!
Cheeky Cheeky Me
Happy Happy Me
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
A Long Weekend That Was
We just had a long weekend over Saturday to Monday (being the Islamic new year). So what were we up to?
Saturday, the 20th
Do you recognise these beautiful girls?
Monday, the 22nd
A few of us gathered at this mummy's house for a small makan-makan gathering. I met Michele for the first time. This wonderful mummy learnt balloon-sculpting from YouTube and made a dog for Bryan! Isn't she amazing? Then this mummy brought her giant swimming pool and all the kids had a whale of a time. I had to leave early as both the Bs were getting grumpy. I would have loved to stay and chit-chat with all the mummies. We cannot seemed to stop talking!!
For dinner, I made Seafood Tom Yum meehoon and had my PILs over. It was so easy, thanks to the ready-made paste. I think I shall make this more often. After putting Bryan to sleep, I had wanted to potter around the house a bit and spend some alone time with VT. But mana tau, I must had fallen asleep as when I woke up, it was 3:40am!
That was my weekend. How was yours?
Saturday, the 20th
Do you recognise these beautiful girls?
Yes - that's me with Baby C and Sherilyn - the cutiepies belonging to HealthFreakMommy. Alycia is like the mummy, very photo-shy! I'd finally met up with the pretty, young-looking mother of 3. Shireen is also my SIL's pal from schooling days as the both of them are from Ipoh. Very small world! We met up at the Jungle Gym located on the top-most floor of Bangsar Shopping Centre. The concept is liks KidzSport I've been told. Per entry cost is RM28 per child, which was quite hefty to my mind. The good thing was that Bryan had his nap on the way to BSC so his energy level was tanked up to play. Lunch was at the cafe just outside the gym - food is great although we had to be seated outside which was kinda warm.
I like the gym because security is rather tight. The guardian's thumbprint is taken when we "check" the child in, and only the same person can "check" the child out by scanning the thumb again. And then there is a TV screen just outside which has CCTV covering the gym so that parents can watch over them. For good measure, I took turns with my maid to watch over Bryan while my Mum watched over Brandon. Poor VT was working on Saturday so he couldn't join us. We arrived home past 5pm and I hurriedly whipped up a quick meal of steamed fish and taufu with minced chicken for our dinner. Thank goodness VT was home by 6pm to take over Brandon.
Sunday, the 21st
Sundays are our usual mall-visiting days. Right after his bath, Bryan will proclaim "Sup(er)market" very loudly. We arrived at 1U and to our dismay, could not find a parking spot. So after searching for 20mins and paying RM1 to exit, we headed towards Hartamas Shopping Centre inside. In the process of car park hunting, Bryan fell asleep and I had to feed Brandon. There was a new TGIF which opened there so we decided to check it out. Again to our disappointment, this outlet doesn't have a "Kids Eat for Free" promo. When I asked the manager, he said that it was different for every outlet but I was never theless shocked because I thought it was one of their selling point. Then the Chicken Fingers that VT had was so small that we enquired whether they wrongly delivered the kiddies portion instead (which they say the did not)! VT and I have decided to boycott this TGIF outlet from there on.
Monday, the 22nd
A few of us gathered at this mummy's house for a small makan-makan gathering. I met Michele for the first time. This wonderful mummy learnt balloon-sculpting from YouTube and made a dog for Bryan! Isn't she amazing? Then this mummy brought her giant swimming pool and all the kids had a whale of a time. I had to leave early as both the Bs were getting grumpy. I would have loved to stay and chit-chat with all the mummies. We cannot seemed to stop talking!!
For dinner, I made Seafood Tom Yum meehoon and had my PILs over. It was so easy, thanks to the ready-made paste. I think I shall make this more often. After putting Bryan to sleep, I had wanted to potter around the house a bit and spend some alone time with VT. But mana tau, I must had fallen asleep as when I woke up, it was 3:40am!
That was my weekend. How was yours?
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
The Bumbo Seat
Bryan has been copying everything that Brandon does. For instance, drinking milk 8 times a day at the same intervals, making coo-ing sounds, sometimes wanting to be carried when drinking milk, holding his chin to burp him (!) and sitting on the Fisher-Price rocker.
So it was not surprising that when I brought home the Bumbo seat, on loan from Bridget, Bryan wanted to have a go at it after didi.
So it was not surprising that when I brought home the Bumbo seat, on loan from Bridget, Bryan wanted to have a go at it after didi.
Brandon trying out the new furniture. And Bryan too.........
Funny thing is that Bryan hated to sit in the Bumbo seat when he was a baby! Here's one of Bryan below as a baby.
Looking at it, the two brothers look alike!
New Year Resolution......Maybe
The unit I work in had a little Xmas dinner last week, which I went. It was held at The Social near Changkat Bukit Bintang. This photo with my colleagues was taken:
Looks like I'm the fattest amongst everyone in that photo, including the lady in red who is 4 months preggers. I felt very sad because I used to look like this:
Shocking eh? Oklah, I think my new year resolution would be to lose at least 8kgs and to be able to complete the Stanchart KL 10km run in June 2009 in 1 hour (my best time is 52mins). But of course, I'll start only after Xmas :)
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Free Isomil SOYA Formula
I have lots of Isomil SOYA formula to give away - free of charge! Bryan is no longer cow's milk protein allergy (hooray!) so I've switched him over to normal cow's milk. I could continue with the soya formula, no doubt, but I'd thought I can "strengthen" his tummy by moving him to "normal" milk. As a result, I have un-opened packets of his old formula.
If you know anyone drinking this brand, do let me know or ask him/her to contact me.
If you know anyone drinking this brand, do let me know or ask him/her to contact me.
Japan, Anyone?
My mum has always longed to visit Japan for the longest time. It is funny because up to 5 years ago, she didn't go within 5-feet of sashimi but after some persuasion, she is a convert now. Anyway, I'd promised to take her see the cherry blossom next year. At the same time, I'd invited my Dad - thought it would be nice as a 40th wedding anniversary present. And then VT said that he hasn't been before so I'd invited him also. With the 4 of us going, what I am to do with my 2 Bs? Surely we will be gone for at least one week - I don't think it is fair for me to dump both my kids with my MIL for such a long period. We'll most likely end up taking Bryan for two reasons:
(1) He is old enough to enjoy it, not necessarily remember it
(2) He can eat whatever we eat so I don't need to worry about his meals, as long as they are cooked
So with those decisions in hand, now I need to look for a reliable tour company. I didn't think going on a Free-and-Easy tour would be a good idea although it would be cheaper. Afterall, I have two elderly parents to look after plus a hyper-active toddler. So, if you have any recommendations, I would be grateful for some advice.
P/S: If you're wondering whether I had a huge bonus pay-out, or if I striked lottery, it's negative to both. I think I'd just realised that there are somethings in life that I needed to do sooner rather than later, before it's too late and I end up regreting.
(1) He is old enough to enjoy it, not necessarily remember it
(2) He can eat whatever we eat so I don't need to worry about his meals, as long as they are cooked
So with those decisions in hand, now I need to look for a reliable tour company. I didn't think going on a Free-and-Easy tour would be a good idea although it would be cheaper. Afterall, I have two elderly parents to look after plus a hyper-active toddler. So, if you have any recommendations, I would be grateful for some advice.
P/S: If you're wondering whether I had a huge bonus pay-out, or if I striked lottery, it's negative to both. I think I'd just realised that there are somethings in life that I needed to do sooner rather than later, before it's too late and I end up regreting.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Musical Tong Yuen Weekend
There was nothing musical about the tong yuen balls that my mum rolled up on Saturday night. I was, though, happily singing as I was home for dinner with my brothers and the whole jing-gang last night to celebrate this auspicious ocassion. This me, this is even more memorable than Chinese New Year because I get to eat with everyone in my family. My mum cooked her shark's fin soup, prawns and claypot seafood pot while my dad whipped up his ever-superb "8-treasures" duck. Sorry, no photos as I had forgotten to bring my camera. There were 8 adults, 3 toddlers and 2 babies. Needless to say, it was a NOISY affair. I was stuffed to the brim with all the yummy food and it wasn't surprising that I dozed off soon after dinner.
The musical part of this weekend was treating my mum and MIL to watch Mamma Mia - the musical, which is currently showing at Istana Budaya. I had purchased the tickets on the first day they were sold just to ensure that we got good seats. And good seats we got. The distance from the stage was not too near so that we were only staring at the actors feet, but near enough to watch their facial expressions clearly.
Backtracking, I picked both the mums up for lunch. Initially, I'd planned to take them to San Francisco Steakhouse but I think it has gone bankrupt! To think that I pass by that row of shophouses every day without noticing that the shop is no longer there. We then decided to proceed to the Eurodeli shop at Damansara Kim to savour their pork chops. Both the mums were very anxious to get to the theather early so right after lunch, we set off to KL. We arrived very early (read: 1:40pm and the show starts at 3:00pm) so we browsed around at the merchanises. I bought the programme, which is a must for me each time I watch a musical, and a latte mug for VT the caffeine-addict.
The musical is one of the most entertaining ever, I must say. The scenes are almost identical to the ones from the movie, so no surprises there. What was a really nice touch was the end where all the actors continued to sing and dance, drawing huge crowds to their feet - all clapping and dancing along. Thankfully (?) my mums weren't one of them. By the time the show ended, it was close to 6pm and we headed home - back to reality but with a spring in our step.
The musical part of this weekend was treating my mum and MIL to watch Mamma Mia - the musical, which is currently showing at Istana Budaya. I had purchased the tickets on the first day they were sold just to ensure that we got good seats. And good seats we got. The distance from the stage was not too near so that we were only staring at the actors feet, but near enough to watch their facial expressions clearly.
Backtracking, I picked both the mums up for lunch. Initially, I'd planned to take them to San Francisco Steakhouse but I think it has gone bankrupt! To think that I pass by that row of shophouses every day without noticing that the shop is no longer there. We then decided to proceed to the Eurodeli shop at Damansara Kim to savour their pork chops. Both the mums were very anxious to get to the theather early so right after lunch, we set off to KL. We arrived very early (read: 1:40pm and the show starts at 3:00pm) so we browsed around at the merchanises. I bought the programme, which is a must for me each time I watch a musical, and a latte mug for VT the caffeine-addict.
The musical is one of the most entertaining ever, I must say. The scenes are almost identical to the ones from the movie, so no surprises there. What was a really nice touch was the end where all the actors continued to sing and dance, drawing huge crowds to their feet - all clapping and dancing along. Thankfully (?) my mums weren't one of them. By the time the show ended, it was close to 6pm and we headed home - back to reality but with a spring in our step.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Brandon @ 5 Months
And..........whoosh! Another month has gone by. Brandon turns 5 months officially tomorrow.
This little smiley, cutie-pie...
... weighed 8.6kg when we last went to the paed 2 weeks ago
... drinks 6-7 ozs of milk every 4 hours
... sleeps from 9pm through to 8am about 75% of the time, without waking up to feed
... is going through a growth spurt at the moment hence waking up 2-hourly at night to satisfy his hunger
... is happy whenever his kor kor kisses him or talks to him
This little smiley, cutie-pie...
... weighed 8.6kg when we last went to the paed 2 weeks ago
... drinks 6-7 ozs of milk every 4 hours
... sleeps from 9pm through to 8am about 75% of the time, without waking up to feed
... is going through a growth spurt at the moment hence waking up 2-hourly at night to satisfy his hunger
... is happy whenever his kor kor kisses him or talks to him
... calls out to people who walks by him else he's quite happy to entertain himself with toys if he doesn't see anyone around. Mummy sometimes ducks while walking by so that he cannot spot me!
... is a rather predictable baby - he cries only when hungry or tired
... still does not know how to flip as yet but attempting
... still does not know how to flip as yet but attempting
... mouths everything but favourite objects remain his thumb, pointer finger & a cloth nappy
And finally, this cutie-pie...
... melts Mummy and Papa's hearts each time he smiles!
Sunday, 14 December 2008
The Chatter Box
As the saying goes, "Once they start, they can't stop". Bryan didn't speak much before he turned 2 years old. He could say many words but only the first syllable and he couldn't string words together either. But right after we celebrated his second birthday, his speech development went through a quantum leap. Over a few days, he could say not just two, but three syllable words ("straw-ber-ry") and could string words up to form sentences. Looks like he has picked up his mummy's jabbering skills. On top of that, Bryan is now calling me "Mummy" instead of "Mama". Sweet, isn't it? Of course sometimes his incessant "Mummy, Mummy, Mummy" when you're trying to sleep, gets a bit annoying. Never theless, him calling me is the sweetest thing I've ever heard.Some of his favourite words:
- No way (mind you, he does this while wagging his forefinger at me! Usually said in response to sleeping)
- Many toys
- Many toys
- Mummy buy toys (even though he previously exclaimed that he has "many toys")
- Bryan wear nice shirt go party (we did have 2 birthday parties this weekend alone)
- Mummy make more nen-nen (this boy can drink milk the whole day)
- Mummy go (to) work
- Papa fix (whenever his toy is malfunctioning)
- Papa carry di di (whenever he doesn't want Me to carry Brandon)
- Mummy find tape (referring to his misplaced "Finding Nemo", "Madagascar", "Shark Tale" DVDs)
- Mummy build house (with his Megablocks)
- Bryan go su(per)mark(et) mum mum, go toy shop (refering to Toys'R Us)
Such innocence - I love it!
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Malacca & PD in 14 hours
Warning: Long post ahead
My PILs wanted to take Bryan for a short get-away in PD during the Hari Raya Haji long weekend. I couldn't take leave as my boss is away and it is also too troublesome to pack all of Brandon's stuff, like bottle steriliser and his bath tub. So VT and I decided to make a day trip instead. As it is, I packed 3 bags just for Bryan - one for clothes, one for diapers (swimming ones too), and the final one for snacks & milk (and milk bottles). I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to pack for Brandon too.
We chose a bad day for travel - it rained the entire day. Our initial plan was to leave by 8am so that we can get to the Malacca Zoo before 10am. Oh yes, we did get there before 10am, only to be greeted by more rain. We decided to hang out in Mahkota Parade for a while, hoping that rain would subside. But alas, it was still raining rather heavily by lunchtime. We then decided to find a place for lunch in Melaka Raya. All the restaurants were packed - not surprisingly since it was a public holiday (yes, for the Singaporeans as well whose cars out-numbered the KL-ites). We waited at Restaurant #1 for 45 minutes for our food, and when it didn't looked like it was coming (plus the waitresses were rude), we got up and left after paying for our chinese teas. Restaurant #2 was the same but by then, we just ordered whatever was available immediately as Bryan was hungry and figgeting. Food was sub-standard, and price was high standard.
After lunch, Bryan followed by MIL in their car, which ended up to be a good thing. We had to stop at two different petrol stations. Once because Brandon was fussing and we only then realised he was probably uncomfortable in his PJs (long-john style) when it was already 3pm!! So we changed him into a T and he was much happier. Silly parents, eh? Shortly after, I could hear him grunting away in the backseat hence it was time for another stop to change his soiled diaper. By the time we hit the highway towards PD it was 3:50pm and thanks to an accident, we arrived at Avillion at 5:15pm. Bryan was already eagerly waiting for VT to take him to the pool.
VT and I had a quick dinner at the resort and after packing Bryan off to bed, we started our journey home at 9:30pm. True to our "good" luck that day, we were stuck at the Senawang-Nilao stretch for more than an hour. When we arrived home, I almost cried because I was so tired and sleepy yet I stayed awake to keep VT awake while driving too. VT crashed out that night, while I took over the night shift. Luck turned after the stroke of 12 as Brandon gave his mummy a good night rest by not waking up till 9 the following morning.
It was an enjoyable trip but I'll think twice about long day trips again next time. Getting too old!
My PILs wanted to take Bryan for a short get-away in PD during the Hari Raya Haji long weekend. I couldn't take leave as my boss is away and it is also too troublesome to pack all of Brandon's stuff, like bottle steriliser and his bath tub. So VT and I decided to make a day trip instead. As it is, I packed 3 bags just for Bryan - one for clothes, one for diapers (swimming ones too), and the final one for snacks & milk (and milk bottles). I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to pack for Brandon too.
We chose a bad day for travel - it rained the entire day. Our initial plan was to leave by 8am so that we can get to the Malacca Zoo before 10am. Oh yes, we did get there before 10am, only to be greeted by more rain. We decided to hang out in Mahkota Parade for a while, hoping that rain would subside. But alas, it was still raining rather heavily by lunchtime. We then decided to find a place for lunch in Melaka Raya. All the restaurants were packed - not surprisingly since it was a public holiday (yes, for the Singaporeans as well whose cars out-numbered the KL-ites). We waited at Restaurant #1 for 45 minutes for our food, and when it didn't looked like it was coming (plus the waitresses were rude), we got up and left after paying for our chinese teas. Restaurant #2 was the same but by then, we just ordered whatever was available immediately as Bryan was hungry and figgeting. Food was sub-standard, and price was high standard.
After lunch, Bryan followed by MIL in their car, which ended up to be a good thing. We had to stop at two different petrol stations. Once because Brandon was fussing and we only then realised he was probably uncomfortable in his PJs (long-john style) when it was already 3pm!! So we changed him into a T and he was much happier. Silly parents, eh? Shortly after, I could hear him grunting away in the backseat hence it was time for another stop to change his soiled diaper. By the time we hit the highway towards PD it was 3:50pm and thanks to an accident, we arrived at Avillion at 5:15pm. Bryan was already eagerly waiting for VT to take him to the pool.
VT and I had a quick dinner at the resort and after packing Bryan off to bed, we started our journey home at 9:30pm. True to our "good" luck that day, we were stuck at the Senawang-Nilao stretch for more than an hour. When we arrived home, I almost cried because I was so tired and sleepy yet I stayed awake to keep VT awake while driving too. VT crashed out that night, while I took over the night shift. Luck turned after the stroke of 12 as Brandon gave his mummy a good night rest by not waking up till 9 the following morning.
It was an enjoyable trip but I'll think twice about long day trips again next time. Getting too old!
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
The EL and the VEE
Due to popular request, I had to surf the net for a good photo of the bag. So here it is.
The one which I got for my mum is in plum and not red. I personally liked the red one better but I had already bought her a bright red bag from Coach 2 years ago.
Here's a shot taken (with the bag!) when we went out for her birthday lunch at our family's favourite chinese restaurant - Overseas.
The one which I got for my mum is in plum and not red. I personally liked the red one better but I had already bought her a bright red bag from Coach 2 years ago.
Here's a shot taken (with the bag!) when we went out for her birthday lunch at our family's favourite chinese restaurant - Overseas.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Extravangance
I know that this is the wrong time to be extravagant. Afterall, my boss just told me that there will be no increment nor promotion (I had been hoping for one) next year in light of the current financial situation. As you know, I work in the financial line so I suppose I should be lucky enough to have a job.
Anyway, back to my being extravagant. What did I spend on? Wellllllllll.................last Friday over lunchtime, I took a stroll to the Louis Vuitton shop (the huge one in Starhill), browsed for 10 minutes and bought a bag!
WOW, you might say. Before you congratulate me on owning my first LV bag, I have to make this qualifying statement: The bag was for my Mum.
She celebrates her birthday tomorrow and this year being her 65th birthday, I had wanted to get her something I know that she would never get for herself. All this time, she has been sacrificing for the family and saving up for us - yes, even now so that my brothers and I can lead an easy life. So I definitely think she deserves it. I don't mind not owning one and buying for my Mum. Not only do I think it is money well-spent, but I even battled through crazy Friday evening, rainy traffic to drop off the present so that she got a surprise when she returned from Penang the following day.
What I've done is so immaterial, compared to all that she has done for me. Funnily, all the pieces finally fell into place after I became a mother myself and understand what a mother goes through. God made us to be amazing creatures!!
Anyway, back to my being extravagant. What did I spend on? Wellllllllll.................last Friday over lunchtime, I took a stroll to the Louis Vuitton shop (the huge one in Starhill), browsed for 10 minutes and bought a bag!
WOW, you might say. Before you congratulate me on owning my first LV bag, I have to make this qualifying statement: The bag was for my Mum.
She celebrates her birthday tomorrow and this year being her 65th birthday, I had wanted to get her something I know that she would never get for herself. All this time, she has been sacrificing for the family and saving up for us - yes, even now so that my brothers and I can lead an easy life. So I definitely think she deserves it. I don't mind not owning one and buying for my Mum. Not only do I think it is money well-spent, but I even battled through crazy Friday evening, rainy traffic to drop off the present so that she got a surprise when she returned from Penang the following day.
What I've done is so immaterial, compared to all that she has done for me. Funnily, all the pieces finally fell into place after I became a mother myself and understand what a mother goes through. God made us to be amazing creatures!!
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Snapshots
Brandon enjoying a good suck of his fingers
The brothers together - one still sucking his fingers, the other busy watching TVAusterity Drive & Toilet Training
What is the connection between an austerity drive and toilet training? You're right! Disposable diapers cost a bomb!!
I was happilly putting groceries and other necessities, such as diapers (3 packs of Mamy Poko), milk formula (a 1.8kg tin of EyeQ Gain), in Tesco. Then Wham! I was slapped with a RM420 bill at the checkout counter. I went through the bill again to ensure that nothing was mis-priced or calculated twice after I'd reluctantly handed over my plastic card. No such luck. All was in order.
Which brings me to potty-training. Bryan is still not yet potty-trained. Nope, not even for big business. Call it laziness, call it his own non-readiness, call it anything and the fact remains that the diapers are burning a hole in my pocket. And more so now that my boss has confirmed that there will be no increments/bonus/promotion in 2009. Shites! Some books say that a child is ready to be potty-trained when he can go by for a few hours and the diaper is dry. Not Bryan. This little fella drinks milk like a fish so his diaper requires a change every 1-2 hours. Admittedly, I have not been putting in much effort to potty-training this toddler. Looks like now I have a real motivation, besides from the fact that he will outgrow the XXL size soon, at the rate he is drinking milk!
If anyone has any good tips to share on potty-training, or better still, if anyone is willing to stay in my house (all meals provided) for the next 3 months to potty-train Bryan, please, do give me a call immediately!
I was happilly putting groceries and other necessities, such as diapers (3 packs of Mamy Poko), milk formula (a 1.8kg tin of EyeQ Gain), in Tesco. Then Wham! I was slapped with a RM420 bill at the checkout counter. I went through the bill again to ensure that nothing was mis-priced or calculated twice after I'd reluctantly handed over my plastic card. No such luck. All was in order.
Which brings me to potty-training. Bryan is still not yet potty-trained. Nope, not even for big business. Call it laziness, call it his own non-readiness, call it anything and the fact remains that the diapers are burning a hole in my pocket. And more so now that my boss has confirmed that there will be no increments/bonus/promotion in 2009. Shites! Some books say that a child is ready to be potty-trained when he can go by for a few hours and the diaper is dry. Not Bryan. This little fella drinks milk like a fish so his diaper requires a change every 1-2 hours. Admittedly, I have not been putting in much effort to potty-training this toddler. Looks like now I have a real motivation, besides from the fact that he will outgrow the XXL size soon, at the rate he is drinking milk!
If anyone has any good tips to share on potty-training, or better still, if anyone is willing to stay in my house (all meals provided) for the next 3 months to potty-train Bryan, please, do give me a call immediately!
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Strange Sunday Evening
As I sit here in my room in darkness save from the light from the laptop screen, pretty much touch-typing, I'd looked at the clock and it is only 6pm. And what is so strange about it? Well, I am posting up this blog when usually I won't get the chance to until at least 10pm after the boys are asleep. And why? Both boys ARE asleep now!
For Brandon, this is his usual sleeping time. As he grows older, he dislikes being left on his own more and more. We still try to let him play by himself most of the time although sometimes he is too darn cute to resist. There are the smiles and the coos that keep us mesmerised to no end, and of course, his screams when he realised that he is alone in the room.
As with Bryan, his usual bedtime is 9pm but this cheeky monkey refused to take any naps the whole of today. He was running around and quite happily entertaining himself while I cooked dinner. But when it was time for him to have dinner (which I'd brought forward to 5:30pm seeing that he skipped his nap), the poor little boy's head was slumping with every bite he took. Seeing that, I had wanted to give him his usual bath and milk before bedtime, but alas, he fell asleep on my shoulder while I was removing his diapers! I ended up woping him down before putting on pyjamas on him and moving to the bed - all this while he was already asleep!!
Now it is time for VT and I to spend some quiet time together - quiet dinner, quiet dessert, quiet TV (we turn it down really low so that we can hear the boys upstairs).
P/S: Sorry for absence of photos. My laptop USB port is locked hence can't download the photos from the camera. Soon, yah?
For Brandon, this is his usual sleeping time. As he grows older, he dislikes being left on his own more and more. We still try to let him play by himself most of the time although sometimes he is too darn cute to resist. There are the smiles and the coos that keep us mesmerised to no end, and of course, his screams when he realised that he is alone in the room.
As with Bryan, his usual bedtime is 9pm but this cheeky monkey refused to take any naps the whole of today. He was running around and quite happily entertaining himself while I cooked dinner. But when it was time for him to have dinner (which I'd brought forward to 5:30pm seeing that he skipped his nap), the poor little boy's head was slumping with every bite he took. Seeing that, I had wanted to give him his usual bath and milk before bedtime, but alas, he fell asleep on my shoulder while I was removing his diapers! I ended up woping him down before putting on pyjamas on him and moving to the bed - all this while he was already asleep!!
Now it is time for VT and I to spend some quiet time together - quiet dinner, quiet dessert, quiet TV (we turn it down really low so that we can hear the boys upstairs).
P/S: Sorry for absence of photos. My laptop USB port is locked hence can't download the photos from the camera. Soon, yah?
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Who Said Headgears are Only for Girls?
Ok, so VT wasn't too impressed when I put the McD's promotional Madagascar headband on Bryan. He does look girly, doesn't he? But I couldn't resist because it was so cute! By the way, I decided to put up this post after seeing how cute Ashley looks in the headband :)
Bryan looks pretty *sweet* yah
Bryan looks pretty *sweet* yah
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Brandon @ 4 Months; Bryan @ 27 Months
It's amazing, isn't it? With Brandon I find as if time really went by quickly. Two more months and he can start on solids. He weighs 7.4kg now, drinking 5-6 ozs every 3 hours. He is able sleep through from 10pm to 6am, much to VT's delight since VT takes care of the night shifts.
Brandon's head is still a little floppy. Poor little fella - I reckon it's due to us not playing as much as we'd liked to with him. His kor kor is such a demanding toddler and a jealous monkey too. The good thing that came out is that Brandon is generally mild-mannered who doesn't mind being/playing by himself in his cot. He can be kept entertained by the cloth nappy for more than an hour. He loves to have people talking to him. Of course lah right, since he barely gets spoken to. His favourite game now is peek-a-boo, which doesn't fail to make him laugh (yes, he can laugh out loud!). I hope that I'll be able to spend more time with Brandon, especially now when he is becoming more aware and curious of his surroundings.
Bryan, on the other hand, weighs close to 17kg. He has been drinking milk more often now as he insists on getting the same treatment as di di. I suppose more milk is better than less. Just like mummy, he loves to eat crab sticks (those synthetic ones) and a cake never fails to chirp him up. His current favourite shows are Robots and Finding Nemo. He will usually watch the first 5 minutes and then lose interest. But it doesn't mean you can turn it off either. He steals glances ocassionally.
Over the past month, Bryan's vocabulary has exploded. He can string up to 5 words in one sentence and can easily say 2-syllable words. He enjoys asking people to buy toys for him or finding his missing items, be it a book, CD or toy. It is such a joy having a proper conversation with him now. Like they say, "Once they start, they can't stop!".
Brandon's head is still a little floppy. Poor little fella - I reckon it's due to us not playing as much as we'd liked to with him. His kor kor is such a demanding toddler and a jealous monkey too. The good thing that came out is that Brandon is generally mild-mannered who doesn't mind being/playing by himself in his cot. He can be kept entertained by the cloth nappy for more than an hour. He loves to have people talking to him. Of course lah right, since he barely gets spoken to. His favourite game now is peek-a-boo, which doesn't fail to make him laugh (yes, he can laugh out loud!). I hope that I'll be able to spend more time with Brandon, especially now when he is becoming more aware and curious of his surroundings.
Bryan, on the other hand, weighs close to 17kg. He has been drinking milk more often now as he insists on getting the same treatment as di di. I suppose more milk is better than less. Just like mummy, he loves to eat crab sticks (those synthetic ones) and a cake never fails to chirp him up. His current favourite shows are Robots and Finding Nemo. He will usually watch the first 5 minutes and then lose interest. But it doesn't mean you can turn it off either. He steals glances ocassionally.
Over the past month, Bryan's vocabulary has exploded. He can string up to 5 words in one sentence and can easily say 2-syllable words. He enjoys asking people to buy toys for him or finding his missing items, be it a book, CD or toy. It is such a joy having a proper conversation with him now. Like they say, "Once they start, they can't stop!".
Less Stress
I used to be very stressed over, what now looked to be, small matters. For example, I would get stressed when Bryan doesn't nap or when he was being extra whiny and tearful. Sometimes I even got stressed when our schedule was just slightly off. VT on the other hand, would get stressed when Bryan walked around the house with a chocolate cookie in his hand, because Bryan will leave fingerprints all over our suede sofa. Additional stress is added when I don't get enough sleep.
However, after Bryan's accident, both VT and my own's view of life and parenthood changed completely. We realised just how lucky we should be to have healthy kids and as long as they are kept from harm's way, everything else is a small issue. I have to say that because of that, I really enjoy having the kids around me all the time now. I am less stressed and won't sweat the small stuff. And because of that, I feel that I am a better mother by paying more attention to both Bryan and Brandon.
For example, last Friday I had arrived home from Jakarta close to midnight although my plane landed just after 9pm. There weren't any taxis at the airport hence the queue was endless. On top of that, Brandon woke up every 2 hours to have his fill of milk (growth spurt). I was absolutely knackered on Saturday morning. Usually I would be very short-tempered and irritatable. In fact, when I woke up, I was all those things. But I reminded myself that both the boys are safe and then I didn't feel so tired anymore.
Life is just so precious, you know, especially the lifes of our little ones. I want to cherish every bit of it!
However, after Bryan's accident, both VT and my own's view of life and parenthood changed completely. We realised just how lucky we should be to have healthy kids and as long as they are kept from harm's way, everything else is a small issue. I have to say that because of that, I really enjoy having the kids around me all the time now. I am less stressed and won't sweat the small stuff. And because of that, I feel that I am a better mother by paying more attention to both Bryan and Brandon.
For example, last Friday I had arrived home from Jakarta close to midnight although my plane landed just after 9pm. There weren't any taxis at the airport hence the queue was endless. On top of that, Brandon woke up every 2 hours to have his fill of milk (growth spurt). I was absolutely knackered on Saturday morning. Usually I would be very short-tempered and irritatable. In fact, when I woke up, I was all those things. But I reminded myself that both the boys are safe and then I didn't feel so tired anymore.
Life is just so precious, you know, especially the lifes of our little ones. I want to cherish every bit of it!
Friday, 14 November 2008
My Take on Jakarta
First impressions are often the longest-lasting ones, don’t you think?
Just 2 days in Jakarta and these are my observations:
- The main airport building is very old – it looks like a bigger version of the airport in Bali if you have been there. Quite gloomy and sad.
- Traffic is horrendous. Drivers can turn a 2-lane highway into 4 lanes, or more, depending on how they squeeze. Because of that, there are massive traffic jams everywhere. You’ve got to have guts of steel to drive in Jakarta. Never shall I complain about KL city traffic again or the drivers again.
- The Toyota Innova is called “Kijang”. Other commonly-used cars are Suzuki Swift and Toyota Vios & Alphard.
- I can’t differentiate between the Indon Chinese and the Indon Malays. Even the Indon Chinese have relatively darker complexion than the Malaysian Chinese.
- It is a regulation that vehicles entering malls, office buildings, hotels need to be checked, but the intensity of which it is done ranges. At the hotel where I stayed (Ritz Carlton), the check was very intensive. Afterall, it is diagonally opposite JW Marriott, which was bombed. At Plaza Indonesia, a shopping mall, they only performed a cursory glance-over. Serves what purpose, I don’t know.
- There are metal detectors doors everywhere but again, even if it beeped, they never bothered to stop you.
- There are Krispy Crème doughnuts here though locals flock to J.Co (by the way, the J.Co fad in KL has died. There is barely a queue at the Pavillion outlet).
- Indonesia cuisine is absolutely delicious though the names sound dodgy eg. Sup Buntut (- clear oxtail soup) and Mee Tek-Tek!
- Service in restaurants is worse here than in KL. Thought it could not get any worse, eh?
- I was browsing in a supermarket last night with my colleague who needed to pick something up. Noticed that a bottle of Palmolive body wash costs RM35 equivalent! Plus you cannot find liquid detergent over here. Everyone seems to use only powder detergent. You can’t find Strepsils either.
- The weather is extremely humid, which I found rather strange. Afterall, how much more humid can it get than in KL, which is located in the valley?
- The sun is up, and I mean really high up in the sky, by 5-ish in the morning but it gets dark by 6pm. As a result, I woke up at 5:30 this morning.
The high point of the trip was definitely the Indonesian food. Even for breakfast, I opted for Mee Bandung instead of making a beeline for the American breakfast buffet spread like I usually do in Singapore. Too bad I didn’t bring my camera hence no photos.
Just 2 days in Jakarta and these are my observations:
- The main airport building is very old – it looks like a bigger version of the airport in Bali if you have been there. Quite gloomy and sad.
- Traffic is horrendous. Drivers can turn a 2-lane highway into 4 lanes, or more, depending on how they squeeze. Because of that, there are massive traffic jams everywhere. You’ve got to have guts of steel to drive in Jakarta. Never shall I complain about KL city traffic again or the drivers again.
- The Toyota Innova is called “Kijang”. Other commonly-used cars are Suzuki Swift and Toyota Vios & Alphard.
- I can’t differentiate between the Indon Chinese and the Indon Malays. Even the Indon Chinese have relatively darker complexion than the Malaysian Chinese.
- It is a regulation that vehicles entering malls, office buildings, hotels need to be checked, but the intensity of which it is done ranges. At the hotel where I stayed (Ritz Carlton), the check was very intensive. Afterall, it is diagonally opposite JW Marriott, which was bombed. At Plaza Indonesia, a shopping mall, they only performed a cursory glance-over. Serves what purpose, I don’t know.
- There are metal detectors doors everywhere but again, even if it beeped, they never bothered to stop you.
- There are Krispy Crème doughnuts here though locals flock to J.Co (by the way, the J.Co fad in KL has died. There is barely a queue at the Pavillion outlet).
- Indonesia cuisine is absolutely delicious though the names sound dodgy eg. Sup Buntut (- clear oxtail soup) and Mee Tek-Tek!
- Service in restaurants is worse here than in KL. Thought it could not get any worse, eh?
- I was browsing in a supermarket last night with my colleague who needed to pick something up. Noticed that a bottle of Palmolive body wash costs RM35 equivalent! Plus you cannot find liquid detergent over here. Everyone seems to use only powder detergent. You can’t find Strepsils either.
- The weather is extremely humid, which I found rather strange. Afterall, how much more humid can it get than in KL, which is located in the valley?
- The sun is up, and I mean really high up in the sky, by 5-ish in the morning but it gets dark by 6pm. As a result, I woke up at 5:30 this morning.
The high point of the trip was definitely the Indonesian food. Even for breakfast, I opted for Mee Bandung instead of making a beeline for the American breakfast buffet spread like I usually do in Singapore. Too bad I didn’t bring my camera hence no photos.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Free Wifi!
What do you know - KLIA has free wifi! As many of you know, I am an IT-idiot so probably free wifi to you is something very common but the fact that I brought my laptop out to do some work while idling some time prior to boarding and the computer detected Wifi AND I had managed to connect to it (ok, so it only involves a click of a button), it is an amazing feat for this sua-ku mummy!
So once I was connected, I forgot about doing my work and just HAD to put up a post. I'm going to Jakarta for work - very short trip, just overnight. I have not been to Jakarta before so it's a bit of an adventure for me. Best bit of the trip? I'm looking forward to ONE night of uninterrupted sleep yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!
I just hope that I don't come across anything unpleasant (like, a bomb!) during my stay there. Wish me luck - think I really need it this time!
So once I was connected, I forgot about doing my work and just HAD to put up a post. I'm going to Jakarta for work - very short trip, just overnight. I have not been to Jakarta before so it's a bit of an adventure for me. Best bit of the trip? I'm looking forward to ONE night of uninterrupted sleep yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!
I just hope that I don't come across anything unpleasant (like, a bomb!) during my stay there. Wish me luck - think I really need it this time!
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Love & Hate
Bryan has a love-and-hate relationship with Brandon. Bryan loves his di-di to bits, often wanting to cuddle and kiss him, and playing "chiak" (peek-a-boo) with him. But other times whenever I start talking and playing with Brandon, the green-eyed monster would makes its appearance. Bryan will get all whiny and starts crying for my attention, despite my playing with him practically the entire day! Bryan will start pulling my hand to go up to my bedroom to play or will insist that I sit next to him on the couch. So poor di-di is left to play by himself.
On weekends, I will often put Brandon in the play gym while I feed Bryan breakfast. The moment Bryan sees the gym, he will clamour and lie down beside Brandon and starts playing with the toys. I guess Bryan just wants to make sure that he gets his fair share of attention and play as well, right?
On weekends, I will often put Brandon in the play gym while I feed Bryan breakfast. The moment Bryan sees the gym, he will clamour and lie down beside Brandon and starts playing with the toys. I guess Bryan just wants to make sure that he gets his fair share of attention and play as well, right?
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
A Special Day
So how did I spend yesterday?
VT and I dropped the kids off first thing in the morning and snuck off to La Bodega in Bangsar for their scrumptions English breakfast. For once, we didn't have to shove our food down or keep telling someone to sit down or wait. Breakfast was finished at a leisurely pace....even had the chance to browse through magazines while waiting for the meal to be served.
Then we were off to The Gardens to walk around a bit before proceeding to GSC's Signature premier class cinema. Guess what movie we caught? High School Musical 3!!! I wanted to relieve my teenhood, that's for sure, today more than ever. Each ticket costs MYR16 but the seats are very comfortable and the premier cinemas are all with twin (lover) seats, although the first thing that we did when we sat down was to put down the armrest in between us ha ha. When the show started (and ended), we were the only two in the cinema. It was like a personal screening, grand or not?
VT and I dropped the kids off first thing in the morning and snuck off to La Bodega in Bangsar for their scrumptions English breakfast. For once, we didn't have to shove our food down or keep telling someone to sit down or wait. Breakfast was finished at a leisurely pace....even had the chance to browse through magazines while waiting for the meal to be served.
Then we were off to The Gardens to walk around a bit before proceeding to GSC's Signature premier class cinema. Guess what movie we caught? High School Musical 3!!! I wanted to relieve my teenhood, that's for sure, today more than ever. Each ticket costs MYR16 but the seats are very comfortable and the premier cinemas are all with twin (lover) seats, although the first thing that we did when we sat down was to put down the armrest in between us ha ha. When the show started (and ended), we were the only two in the cinema. It was like a personal screening, grand or not?For lunch, we went to "Flying Chillis" for Thai food. I had a yearning for the steamed siakap with lime and chilli. Polishing the fish off, amidst another bowl of tomyam soup and stir-fried veg, was an easy feat. We then hopped over to Mid Valley proper to work off lunch before heading back home at 4pm since VT had a flight to catch at 8pm.
This year, I didn't receive any flowers nor presents, save for a lai si from my Mum which I get every year without fail. VT asked me what I wanted. Thought we could save some money for rainy days. I was hoping to get some flowers at work the day before but it didn't materialise. So I went to get some for myself! I believe that we are responsible for our own happiness. For a MYR30 bunch of flowers, I was happy enough. Besides, there is nothing happier than having a loving husband and two beautiful children, right?
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Almost Had It!
Thank goodness for a satisfying dinner comprising of teochew-style clear porridge with some of my favourite condiments - picked lettuce, salted duck egg, fried peanuts and anchovies. It gave me the much required break and a chance to pull myself together.
The boys drove me up the wall today!!
Bryan wouldn't nap beyond the 20mins catnap in the car on the way home from Sri Hartamas after lunch, while Brandon was fretful the entire day - screaming on top of his lungs relentlessly. Due to the lack of sleep, Bryan was tearful and edgy the rest of the afternoon/evening, bursting into tears whenever he was frustrated or if his wishes weren't met.
By early evening, this mummy had enough. Packed Brandon into bed at 6pm and Bryan at 7:30pm. Good thing tomorrow I will have some peace and quiet at work tomorrow, once again testifying that I can never be a stay-at-home mother.
The boys drove me up the wall today!!
Bryan wouldn't nap beyond the 20mins catnap in the car on the way home from Sri Hartamas after lunch, while Brandon was fretful the entire day - screaming on top of his lungs relentlessly. Due to the lack of sleep, Bryan was tearful and edgy the rest of the afternoon/evening, bursting into tears whenever he was frustrated or if his wishes weren't met.
By early evening, this mummy had enough. Packed Brandon into bed at 6pm and Bryan at 7:30pm. Good thing tomorrow I will have some peace and quiet at work tomorrow, once again testifying that I can never be a stay-at-home mother.
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Almost There
Thank you, peeps, for all the good advice and well wishes. I know I am not supposed to eat chicken but what to do, Soo Kee definitely called out to me (the seller actually did shout out, "Siu Jie, kam yat sek meh ah?"). As for garggling with salt water, yes, my mother has been harping on that for the longest time. But I have a paranoia about this since I was 10 years old when my Mum forced me to garggle and I puked!
I am fully recovered from the tonsilitis now although I have to continue taking the antibiotics presribed for 10 days. As a result, I have another problem in the 'Southern Region'. This usually occurs when I take antibiotics, which throws all the good & bad bacteria out of whack down there. Looks like I'll need to go to the docs again tomorrow.
Never ending storyyyyyyyyyy...........la la la la la la..........
I am fully recovered from the tonsilitis now although I have to continue taking the antibiotics presribed for 10 days. As a result, I have another problem in the 'Southern Region'. This usually occurs when I take antibiotics, which throws all the good & bad bacteria out of whack down there. Looks like I'll need to go to the docs again tomorrow.
Never ending storyyyyyyyyyy...........la la la la la la..........
Friday, 24 October 2008
The Culprit!
I barely slept last night. I tossed and turned the whole night. I'd thought I couldn't sleep because I slept too much during the day. When the day broke, I was so grateful that I could get out from bed. But arrrrggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! My throat was burning and I couldn't even open my mouth! I took my temperature - 38.9 degrees C! No wonder I couldn't sleep well. VT had to send the kids over to my MIL again while I took a lie-down after popping paracetomal.
My intention was to go back to the same doctor in SS2 that I went to on Tuesday since I've just completed the course of antibiotic. Wanted to him how come I was still feeling so crabby. But alas, the clinic was closed - perhaps for the long weekend. I drove to Sea Park to visit the age-old clinic that my late grandfather swore by though I have never been there myself. Although I was the 3rd in line, it took me close to an hour's wait. The average age of patients there was 70 so I suppose they had A LOT to tell the doctor. When it was finally my turn, I was almost falling asleep. The doctor is a very nice OLD man who also spoke very slllllllloooooowwwwwwly. He diagnosed my sore throat as tonsilities. No wonder it was so bl**dy painful! I couldn't wait to go home.
But since I was already in Sea Park, I decided to pack myself lunch from Soo Kee, where in my opinion, has the best wat kai in town. Then I swung around to the lane outside the now dilapidated Ruby Cinema to tapau coconut juice. It brought back a lot of memories as Sea Park was possibly the only place where we went shopping when I was a young girl. SS2 wasn't as developed yet and there was nothing like 1Utama or The Curve back then. Even being in Sea Park this morning made me feel more relaxed as the shops and the people seemed to have stood still in time. Fellow PJ-ites, do you know where this is?
Anyway, here was lunch - a bowl of plain hor fun, chopped wat kai, coconut water and a new pack of medicine of all sorts including 2 types of antibiotics. It's not fun being ill!
My intention was to go back to the same doctor in SS2 that I went to on Tuesday since I've just completed the course of antibiotic. Wanted to him how come I was still feeling so crabby. But alas, the clinic was closed - perhaps for the long weekend. I drove to Sea Park to visit the age-old clinic that my late grandfather swore by though I have never been there myself. Although I was the 3rd in line, it took me close to an hour's wait. The average age of patients there was 70 so I suppose they had A LOT to tell the doctor. When it was finally my turn, I was almost falling asleep. The doctor is a very nice OLD man who also spoke very slllllllloooooowwwwwwly. He diagnosed my sore throat as tonsilities. No wonder it was so bl**dy painful! I couldn't wait to go home.
But since I was already in Sea Park, I decided to pack myself lunch from Soo Kee, where in my opinion, has the best wat kai in town. Then I swung around to the lane outside the now dilapidated Ruby Cinema to tapau coconut juice. It brought back a lot of memories as Sea Park was possibly the only place where we went shopping when I was a young girl. SS2 wasn't as developed yet and there was nothing like 1Utama or The Curve back then. Even being in Sea Park this morning made me feel more relaxed as the shops and the people seemed to have stood still in time. Fellow PJ-ites, do you know where this is?
Anyway, here was lunch - a bowl of plain hor fun, chopped wat kai, coconut water and a new pack of medicine of all sorts including 2 types of antibiotics. It's not fun being ill!
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Still Down
I woke up this morning with a still terrible sore throat despite having started on antibiotics. I wanted to get well asap so that I don't pass the virus to Brandon, that's why i insisted that I was put on antibiotics. VT sent the kids to my MIL this morning while I went back to bed to snooze for another 4 hours! Even then, it was restless sleep as I was thrashing around.
I woke up close to noon, and made myself lunch - Campbell chicken soup, 2 half-boiled eggs, bread and barley water (boiled 2 days ago).
I shall go back to sleep now - joints are still aching and am feeling sleepy.
GOOD NITE!
I woke up close to noon, and made myself lunch - Campbell chicken soup, 2 half-boiled eggs, bread and barley water (boiled 2 days ago).I shall go back to sleep now - joints are still aching and am feeling sleepy.
GOOD NITE!
Yik Yak Till The Cows Came Home
This hip and trendy mummy already updated her blog about our coffee meeting last Friday. If you read about it, all the contents are 100% true!! I tell you, the moment we stepped into Starbucks until we left, the whole place was resounding with our laughter. I think I saw a few dirty glares but aiyah, thick-skinned a bit lor. Afterall we only get together once in a blue moon so must cakap habis habis.
Wen is a really funny gal and although this is only our 3rd time meeting up, I feel like I have known her for years! When I got home, I told VT that now, I'm closer to my blogger friends than those I've known from school because we share so many things in common, the biggest of which is, our kids. We understand how difficult it is to juggle work and family, and we lend a helping hand wherever possible.
Wen - so when shall we meet up again? *wink*
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Almost HFMD
The Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease or HFMD in short, is characterised by a low-grade fever, ulcers/blisters in the mouth and on the hands and feet. On Sunday, Bryan was slowly burning up. He was still his active self during the day, but by night, I knew something was definitely amiss when he didn't finish his oh-so-beloved milk. Typically, he can sapu 9ozs with no problems but this time, he stopped at the 5ozs mark despite rejecting his dinner earlier.
I brought him the paed on Monday and he warned me that it could be HFMD after discovering an ulcer in his mouth. Oh dear, dear dear! Immediately I called up Sasha whom I remembered Jayden had HFMD a few months back. She advised me to stock up on all the soft food so I'd rushed to Mercato over lunch to get them.
Bryan's fever did not go away on Tuesday but neither did it go pass 38 degrees C. It just kept hovering at 37.7 to 37.8 C. It was quite a nuisance. The poor boy was losing his appetite and I worked hard in ensuring that he at least, had sufficient fluids. Somehow it was a struggle also trying to get him to take Para when usually, he would ask for it! Perhaps it was the ulcer bothering him.
Finally last night, the fever broke as he sweated quite a bit when he was asleep (at 7pm, mind you, having not napped during the day). Thank God it was not HFMD. I suspect it was probably a very tough strain of virus.
Now, both VT and I are sick as well- same symptoms: low-grade fever, sore throat and guess what, an ulcer in the mouth! I can now only pray that Brandon doesn't catch this bug from us!!!
I brought him the paed on Monday and he warned me that it could be HFMD after discovering an ulcer in his mouth. Oh dear, dear dear! Immediately I called up Sasha whom I remembered Jayden had HFMD a few months back. She advised me to stock up on all the soft food so I'd rushed to Mercato over lunch to get them.
Bryan's fever did not go away on Tuesday but neither did it go pass 38 degrees C. It just kept hovering at 37.7 to 37.8 C. It was quite a nuisance. The poor boy was losing his appetite and I worked hard in ensuring that he at least, had sufficient fluids. Somehow it was a struggle also trying to get him to take Para when usually, he would ask for it! Perhaps it was the ulcer bothering him.Finally last night, the fever broke as he sweated quite a bit when he was asleep (at 7pm, mind you, having not napped during the day). Thank God it was not HFMD. I suspect it was probably a very tough strain of virus.
Now, both VT and I are sick as well- same symptoms: low-grade fever, sore throat and guess what, an ulcer in the mouth! I can now only pray that Brandon doesn't catch this bug from us!!!
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Brandon is 3 Months Old
Another month has gone by. My little baby turns 3 months old today.Weight: 6.6kg
Milk Intake: 5 ozs every 3 to 4 hours
Milk Intake: 5 ozs every 3 to 4 hours
Sleep: Sleeps by 7pm, waking up at midnight and 4-5am for feeds.
Brandon loves to smile and coo when spoken to, especially by his kor kor. He is quite happy to be left alone. At the moment, Brandon is at the stage of examining his own hands. He turns grumpy in the evening so we have been relying a lot on the Fisher Price rocker to keep him happy.
I think he is progressing well physically though I am a tad worried that when put on his tummy, he doesn't quite know how to lift his head up as yet. He is contented lying down and sucking on his fists! Lazy baby, perhaps?
Friday, 10 October 2008
Our Raya Weekend
A quick synopsis of what we did over the long weekend.
Wednesday (1st day of Raya)
Made a quick visit to Sasha and little Justin in the morning (bright and early – was there just before 9am!); Met up with my god-daughter’s family and another colleague’s family at Marche, The Curve for lunch
Thursday
Hung out at my parents’ place for a while, lazy day
Friday
I went to work while VT took care of the kids, but halfway thru parked Bryan with my MIL.
Saturday
Bloggers gathering at Jazz’s place over lunch where I was late with the curry chicken - finally met Chin Nee for the 1st time;
For dinner, Lok Lok at my parents (yes, we literally had a lok lok van parked in my parents’ porch – great fun, too bad forget to take a photo!) to skaligus celebrate the October and November babies birthdays
Sunday
Hosted a small lunch for a friend who was visiting from Melbourne. Caught up with friends whom we had not seen in more than 5 years!
Most, if not all, of our gatherings happen over lunchtime since Brandon is usually asleep before 7pm these days. So for dinners, I’ll usually whip up something simple that everyone enjoys. I find it more relaxing to eat at home instead of having to pack the whole house when we go out.
By the way, you'll soon notice that my posts will have more photos cos I brought myself a simple point-and-shoot camera :)
Wednesday (1st day of Raya)
Made a quick visit to Sasha and little Justin in the morning (bright and early – was there just before 9am!); Met up with my god-daughter’s family and another colleague’s family at Marche, The Curve for lunch
Thursday
Hung out at my parents’ place for a while, lazy day
Friday
I went to work while VT took care of the kids, but halfway thru parked Bryan with my MIL.
Saturday
Bloggers gathering at Jazz’s place over lunch where I was late with the curry chicken - finally met Chin Nee for the 1st time;
For dinner, Lok Lok at my parents (yes, we literally had a lok lok van parked in my parents’ porch – great fun, too bad forget to take a photo!) to skaligus celebrate the October and November babies birthdays
Sunday
Hosted a small lunch for a friend who was visiting from Melbourne. Caught up with friends whom we had not seen in more than 5 years!
Most, if not all, of our gatherings happen over lunchtime since Brandon is usually asleep before 7pm these days. So for dinners, I’ll usually whip up something simple that everyone enjoys. I find it more relaxing to eat at home instead of having to pack the whole house when we go out.
By the way, you'll soon notice that my posts will have more photos cos I brought myself a simple point-and-shoot camera :)
To All The Super Mums
Remember how I wrote about being grateful? Well, admitedly I have not been all that grateful of late. I have been very irritatable and short-fused, often lamenting to poor VT about how tired (although I don't do the night shifts!) and short-changed I felt about being tied down with 2 kids. Thing is, most of my friends and colleagues have full time nannies leaving them with lots of time to do their own stuff hence amongst them, I'm probably the most hands-on mum. Hence my complains.
But looking around the blogsphere, I realised that I am nothing compared to all the super mums out there. In addition to caring for their kiddos, they-
scrapbook
cook, bake AND bento
are big in photography
are full time mums
You know who you are!! I really salute and respect you. You guys put me to shame really. And after reading Rachel's post, I should really be grateful (and quit whining over the small stuff) for having 2 beautiful and healthy children.
But looking around the blogsphere, I realised that I am nothing compared to all the super mums out there. In addition to caring for their kiddos, they-
scrapbook
cook, bake AND bento
are big in photography
are full time mums
You know who you are!! I really salute and respect you. You guys put me to shame really. And after reading Rachel's post, I should really be grateful (and quit whining over the small stuff) for having 2 beautiful and healthy children.
Mama, Go Out
That is what Bryan says to me these days whenever he wants to do something naughty without me being around to scold or reprimand him. Examples: climb out the couch to play with the light switches/air-con remote control, dig his nose. If I ignore him, he will hold my hand and lead me into the kitchen, and then he keeps making sure that I stay put! I find that as Bryan gets older, he is full of mischief. It is very endearing although sometimes his tantrums can really drive you up the wall.
Bryan is generally a good kid and other than being (over)active, he takes reasoning most of the time. He loves his little di-di to bits – never failing to talk to Brandon, kissing him, holding his hand, stroking his body to sayang and even playing Peek-a-Boo with him. There was once when he even tried to soothe the screaming baby by saying, “Don’t cry, baby”. It brought tears to my eyes. In response, Brandon looks adoringly at his kor kor whenever Bryan talks to him. I can only pray that they will continue to love each other as they grow up. Isn’t that every parents wish?
P/S: Thanks for the well wishes following this incident – it turned out to be a minor gash on his head. All recovered now though scar is still visible. I reckon I need to bubble-wrap that boy of mine!
Bryan is generally a good kid and other than being (over)active, he takes reasoning most of the time. He loves his little di-di to bits – never failing to talk to Brandon, kissing him, holding his hand, stroking his body to sayang and even playing Peek-a-Boo with him. There was once when he even tried to soothe the screaming baby by saying, “Don’t cry, baby”. It brought tears to my eyes. In response, Brandon looks adoringly at his kor kor whenever Bryan talks to him. I can only pray that they will continue to love each other as they grow up. Isn’t that every parents wish?
P/S: Thanks for the well wishes following this incident – it turned out to be a minor gash on his head. All recovered now though scar is still visible. I reckon I need to bubble-wrap that boy of mine!
Sunday, 21 September 2008
A Close Call
Bryan gave us another heart attack this evening. He tripped over his own feet in excitement of seeing why his di di was crying, and in the event, fell down and hit his head against the edge of the door frame. There was some blood which thank goodness, stopped in 2 minutes. He was also behaving like normal and was active after that - as if nothing happened! Throughout the night, we tried to apply cold compress and some Savlon on the wound but he would not let us. So when he was asleep, VT and I crept next to him with a small torchlight to get a closer look of the wound. It is a small gash though it looked quite deep. We used a cotton bud to apply some antiseptic cream on it.
Aiyah....this boy is way too active for his own sake. I thought that we had to take him to the A&E again, it would be too traumatic for him so decided to stay put and see how he progresses. I've set my alarm clock for 4am to check his temperature.
I am praying tonight that it is only a cut and nothing more serious.
Aiyah....this boy is way too active for his own sake. I thought that we had to take him to the A&E again, it would be too traumatic for him so decided to stay put and see how he progresses. I've set my alarm clock for 4am to check his temperature.
I am praying tonight that it is only a cut and nothing more serious.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
An Unforgettable Toilet Tale
I'd thought I will try to win a toilet training seat from KittyCat for Bryan, especially since we're beginning to toilet-train him.
Now, I used to enjoy my moments in the toilet. Eventhough I finish my "big business" in less than 3 minutes (I eat lots of fruits and veg mah!), I will take this opportunity to catch up on my reading - newspapers, magazines, books - uninterrupted and peaceful. VT will be taking care of Bryan so I don't have to worry about his where-abouts (both husband and son, ho ho!). So even after I've finished, I will continue to mull on the throne for another 15mins, enjoying my solidatary moments. But since Brandon arrived, this luxury is gone. VT will be taking care of Brandon and only has one other eye on Bryan who is extremely prone to accidents of all sorts. I have to quickly finish my business and rush out.
One morning, I was with Bryan at home alone. And I really had to GO. So I gave Bryan some biscuits and turned on Fun Song Factory to amuse him while I went to relieve myself. Seconds later, I heard Bryan calling out for me and I called back to let him know that I was in the loo. I could see Bryan running towards the toilet where I was finishing up and flushing the john. I tried to stop him from coming in since the floor was wet from being washed earlier. Turned out that he didn't need much persuasion, because the moment he was by the toilet door, he took a good sniff, shuddered and ran away!!!
Looks like indeed Mama had too much roughage!!!
Now, I used to enjoy my moments in the toilet. Eventhough I finish my "big business" in less than 3 minutes (I eat lots of fruits and veg mah!), I will take this opportunity to catch up on my reading - newspapers, magazines, books - uninterrupted and peaceful. VT will be taking care of Bryan so I don't have to worry about his where-abouts (both husband and son, ho ho!). So even after I've finished, I will continue to mull on the throne for another 15mins, enjoying my solidatary moments. But since Brandon arrived, this luxury is gone. VT will be taking care of Brandon and only has one other eye on Bryan who is extremely prone to accidents of all sorts. I have to quickly finish my business and rush out.
One morning, I was with Bryan at home alone. And I really had to GO. So I gave Bryan some biscuits and turned on Fun Song Factory to amuse him while I went to relieve myself. Seconds later, I heard Bryan calling out for me and I called back to let him know that I was in the loo. I could see Bryan running towards the toilet where I was finishing up and flushing the john. I tried to stop him from coming in since the floor was wet from being washed earlier. Turned out that he didn't need much persuasion, because the moment he was by the toilet door, he took a good sniff, shuddered and ran away!!!
Looks like indeed Mama had too much roughage!!!
Brandon @ 2 Months
The past 2 months were probably the quickest 2 months that went by. Brandon turns 2 months tomorrow, and I'll be back in the rat race. I'd brought Brandon for his compulsory vaccination yesterday since it was a public holiday for PJ and VT was around.Brandon....
... weighs 5.65kg, up from 4.35kg last month
... is able to follow objects from left to right
... responds quickly to sound, turning his head towards it
... loves to smile and coo in the morning when spoken to
... fusses terribly from 3pm onwards till bedtime
... loves to fall asleep when being carried upright
...doesn't cry - he screams!
I suppose time will go by even quicker when I return to work and another routine sets in.
Brandon, be a good boy when mama is at work ok? Mama loves you!
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Sleep Training: Revisited
Remember how I was saying that I was getting such success from sleep-training Brandon? Well, he has been sleeping fairly well at night - knocking off around 10:30pm and sleeping to 7am the following morning, waking up briefly only to take his milk at around 2am and 6-7am. Now that I'm going back to work soon, I expect this plan to fall apart sadly.
Yesterday I was at my PILs place and it was time for Brandon to sleep. Unfortunately, they could not take Brandon crying (actually, he was whimpering) even for 5 seconds so they promptly carried him and rocked him to sleep. Worse, they did not put him in his cot until some 10-15mins later, even after he fell asleep! I can see all my hard work (and Brandon's tears) going down the drain. I feel very irritated and "mung chang" but I supposed there's nothing I can say considering my MIL will be taking care of Brandon during the day. Just have to swallow it lor.
What a pity!
Yesterday I was at my PILs place and it was time for Brandon to sleep. Unfortunately, they could not take Brandon crying (actually, he was whimpering) even for 5 seconds so they promptly carried him and rocked him to sleep. Worse, they did not put him in his cot until some 10-15mins later, even after he fell asleep! I can see all my hard work (and Brandon's tears) going down the drain. I feel very irritated and "mung chang" but I supposed there's nothing I can say considering my MIL will be taking care of Brandon during the day. Just have to swallow it lor.
What a pity!
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Bad Memories
I read with horror in today's The Star papers about a 2 year old boy who fell into a pot of curry and had 50% of his body scalded. Immediately, it brought me back to Bryan's accident. I can still vividly recall all the sordid details - from the time the accident occured to the long 3 days spent at the hospital. I will always remember this as a lesson learnt. Now I am paranoid about the safetly of my boys. Better paranoid than sorry.
Monday, 15 September 2008
The Final Week
This is my final week of being a SAHM - I will return to work on Friday, which is exactly the 60th day of my maternity leave. How time flies. How do I feel about going back to work? I will surely miss spending my days playing with both Bryan and Brandon, but deep down inside, I know that I'm eager to resume my life in the corporate world - nice lunches, stressful meetings, difficult emails. I've already told VT when I was halfway through my leave that I am just not cut out to be a SAHM because I am so impatient with kids. I expect them to behave like adults haha.
Anyway, what better time to reminisce quietly about the past 2 months than now. These photos were taken at Bryan's 2nd birthday celebrations at Eastin Hotel, PJ.
Anyway, what better time to reminisce quietly about the past 2 months than now. These photos were taken at Bryan's 2nd birthday celebrations at Eastin Hotel, PJ.
Friday, 12 September 2008
2-Word Bryan
I must admit that blogging about Bryan has somewhat taken a bit of a backseat since Brandon's arrival. Afterall, it is more satisfying complaining about a newborn than a well-grounded toddler.
Since Bryan turned 2 last month, his speech development has improved by leaps and bounds. Just overnight, he managed to utter his first two-word : NO MORE. I must have used that a lot with him, especially when he keeps asking for snacks. Then he figured out that he could say other combinations, such as -
- nice shirt! (always said with an exclamation mark)
- change shirt
- wear shoe
- wear socks
- fun song (from Fun Song Factory)
- Mama sit
- Mama take
- Mama hold
- tap head (from a Barney activity book)
I still think he's a little slow compared to his peers in speech. He still struggles with two-syllable words although I know he is trying very hard. Sometimes when he doesn't want to nap, my MIL will force him to at least lie down and rest. What does he do to occupy himself? Talk to himself lor!!
Since Bryan turned 2 last month, his speech development has improved by leaps and bounds. Just overnight, he managed to utter his first two-word : NO MORE. I must have used that a lot with him, especially when he keeps asking for snacks. Then he figured out that he could say other combinations, such as -
- nice shirt! (always said with an exclamation mark)
- change shirt
- wear shoe
- wear socks
- fun song (from Fun Song Factory)
- Mama sit
- Mama take
- Mama hold
- tap head (from a Barney activity book)
I still think he's a little slow compared to his peers in speech. He still struggles with two-syllable words although I know he is trying very hard. Sometimes when he doesn't want to nap, my MIL will force him to at least lie down and rest. What does he do to occupy himself? Talk to himself lor!!
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Sleep-Training
I think it's safe to declare myself an infant sleep expert.
Bryan was such a poor and light sleeper that I went out to buy and/read every sleep-training material there was on the bookstore shelf and internet. Still, no use with Bryan. You can imagine just how desparate I was - from his birth, he slept an average of 10-12 hours in total a day, and each time, for no more than 45 minutes. Yes, even at nights!! Bryan would be over-tired that he was screaming by the time he was really ready to kaput. Even then, he had to be rocked and carried and lullabied. Luckily, things have improved significantly since turning 18 months although MIL still needs to rock and carry and lullaby him today! Imagine, having to struggle with a cranky toddler when you yourself lack of sleep for 18 months.
But to give Bryan credit, I think he was born a poor sleeper. Literature points that poor sleepers are fast learners and can be greatly rewarding. This is very true. For example, I only taught him the numbers 1 to 10 once and he could recite it almost immediately. Now Bryan is able to recite A to Z, sans missing a couple of alphabets.
However, I was still determined to not let this (the poor sleeping habits) repeat itself with Brandon. So what sleep-training method do I use with Brandon?
Brandon, on the other hand, slept an average of 20 hours in his first month. Now in his 2nd month, a little less but still considerably much much more than Bryan in his hey-days :) Brandon's biggest challenge is going down for the night when he usually does not want to sleep and wishes for entertainment, ie us talking and cooing to him. So, I've decided to harden my heart and let him cry it out.
Now, you can't simply employ the CIO techniq (the "Ferber method") on every baby as some may be too agitated by it and make things worse. I tried it once with Brandon and he seemed to adapt well to it. It's still in the early stages but I can see the results as when he wakes up, he is able to self-soothe himself back to sleep without any intervention on my part. That is key to a good night sleep for everyone in the house.
There are many other techniques out there so if your baby is a poor sleeper, don't despair. Get help!
Bryan was such a poor and light sleeper that I went out to buy and/read every sleep-training material there was on the bookstore shelf and internet. Still, no use with Bryan. You can imagine just how desparate I was - from his birth, he slept an average of 10-12 hours in total a day, and each time, for no more than 45 minutes. Yes, even at nights!! Bryan would be over-tired that he was screaming by the time he was really ready to kaput. Even then, he had to be rocked and carried and lullabied. Luckily, things have improved significantly since turning 18 months although MIL still needs to rock and carry and lullaby him today! Imagine, having to struggle with a cranky toddler when you yourself lack of sleep for 18 months.
But to give Bryan credit, I think he was born a poor sleeper. Literature points that poor sleepers are fast learners and can be greatly rewarding. This is very true. For example, I only taught him the numbers 1 to 10 once and he could recite it almost immediately. Now Bryan is able to recite A to Z, sans missing a couple of alphabets.
However, I was still determined to not let this (the poor sleeping habits) repeat itself with Brandon. So what sleep-training method do I use with Brandon?
Brandon, on the other hand, slept an average of 20 hours in his first month. Now in his 2nd month, a little less but still considerably much much more than Bryan in his hey-days :) Brandon's biggest challenge is going down for the night when he usually does not want to sleep and wishes for entertainment, ie us talking and cooing to him. So, I've decided to harden my heart and let him cry it out.
Now, you can't simply employ the CIO techniq (the "Ferber method") on every baby as some may be too agitated by it and make things worse. I tried it once with Brandon and he seemed to adapt well to it. It's still in the early stages but I can see the results as when he wakes up, he is able to self-soothe himself back to sleep without any intervention on my part. That is key to a good night sleep for everyone in the house.
There are many other techniques out there so if your baby is a poor sleeper, don't despair. Get help!
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
My Rojak Boy
First of all, thanks to everyone who gave such great advice about coping. Don't worry, I am not suicidal..........yet! LOL :)
My little boy here has been mixing everything up like a really good packet of rojak. He sleeps during the day, stays awake at night, poops only at night, eats when he's supposed to be sleeping and sleeps when he's supposed to be feeding.
Yesterday, he was sleeping the whole day through - up for a total of perhaps only 2 hours. Then of course, at night tai wok lor. Brandon was up the whole night till 6:30 this morning!! He probably had a couple of cat naps in between because after a while, I was too tired to pick him up. In a way, he was being sleep-trained at the same time as I heard him crying & wh'ining for about 20mins and then silence ha ha.
Besides keeping him up a little more during the day, do you reckon I should wake him up for his feeds if he sleeps through them? So far, I have been letting him sleep to his heart's content at daytime but I suspect that is why he cannot sleep at night.
My little boy here has been mixing everything up like a really good packet of rojak. He sleeps during the day, stays awake at night, poops only at night, eats when he's supposed to be sleeping and sleeps when he's supposed to be feeding.
Yesterday, he was sleeping the whole day through - up for a total of perhaps only 2 hours. Then of course, at night tai wok lor. Brandon was up the whole night till 6:30 this morning!! He probably had a couple of cat naps in between because after a while, I was too tired to pick him up. In a way, he was being sleep-trained at the same time as I heard him crying & wh'ining for about 20mins and then silence ha ha.
Besides keeping him up a little more during the day, do you reckon I should wake him up for his feeds if he sleeps through them? So far, I have been letting him sleep to his heart's content at daytime but I suspect that is why he cannot sleep at night.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Horrible Mother
I am on a guilt trip here.
As you know, I have not been doing many night shifts of late. The reason is that I get really grumpy and irritatable whenever I don't have sufficient sleep. I will become this ugly person and complain to VT to no end. As a result, I am not patient with poor Brandon.
Reading other mummy's experiences with their babies, I feel even more guilty as there are so many types of challenges apart from sleeplessness. I am grateful that Brandon is Ok health-wise, but there are just those moments when I feel so tired that I could cry.
I think I am not a good mum especially in the initial first few trying months. Any tips from the many accomplished mothers out there on how I can be more patient with my boy?
As you know, I have not been doing many night shifts of late. The reason is that I get really grumpy and irritatable whenever I don't have sufficient sleep. I will become this ugly person and complain to VT to no end. As a result, I am not patient with poor Brandon.
Reading other mummy's experiences with their babies, I feel even more guilty as there are so many types of challenges apart from sleeplessness. I am grateful that Brandon is Ok health-wise, but there are just those moments when I feel so tired that I could cry.
I think I am not a good mum especially in the initial first few trying months. Any tips from the many accomplished mothers out there on how I can be more patient with my boy?
Monday, 8 September 2008
Less Time, More Stress
Just when I thought things were getting better, the boys caught the cough at the same time and Brandon still only sleeps at 2+am every night. So much for being lucky! VT still does most of the night shifts because he knows that I turn into a horrible green monster if I don't get enough sleep and have to face an edgy infant the whole day the next day.
Last night was a good example. We had returned from a wedding dinner at around 11pm and picked Brandon up from my PILs. Byran slept over. I know VT was really tired so I picked up the shift. Boy oh boy! Brandon was fussing till 1:30am and I cannot tahan already since my eyelids were on auto-close, so I put him down next to me on the bed, and pat him till I don't know when because I must had fallen asleep before he did. Throughout the night, I could hear him tossing and making noise, but I'd ignored him and before I knew it, the clock showed 5:30am. I felt guilty and quickly woke up to give him his feed. I went back to sleep after burping him...not sure whether Brandon went to sleep though!
At 7:30am I could hear Brandon going "nyek nyek nyek". I turned to look at him and he was wide awake already! I tried to desparately put him back to sleep but with no luck. I felt like a wreck the whole morning until at noon, I gave him his milk and bath and he promptly fell asleep after that. Now it is almost 3pm and he has been up since 2pm. I walked around a bit and now he's left in his cot, making noises.
Looks like I won't be able to blog or blog-hop as much as I would like to anymore. In a way, I am looking forward to heading back to work next Friday to "get a break".
Last night was a good example. We had returned from a wedding dinner at around 11pm and picked Brandon up from my PILs. Byran slept over. I know VT was really tired so I picked up the shift. Boy oh boy! Brandon was fussing till 1:30am and I cannot tahan already since my eyelids were on auto-close, so I put him down next to me on the bed, and pat him till I don't know when because I must had fallen asleep before he did. Throughout the night, I could hear him tossing and making noise, but I'd ignored him and before I knew it, the clock showed 5:30am. I felt guilty and quickly woke up to give him his feed. I went back to sleep after burping him...not sure whether Brandon went to sleep though!
At 7:30am I could hear Brandon going "nyek nyek nyek". I turned to look at him and he was wide awake already! I tried to desparately put him back to sleep but with no luck. I felt like a wreck the whole morning until at noon, I gave him his milk and bath and he promptly fell asleep after that. Now it is almost 3pm and he has been up since 2pm. I walked around a bit and now he's left in his cot, making noises.
Looks like I won't be able to blog or blog-hop as much as I would like to anymore. In a way, I am looking forward to heading back to work next Friday to "get a break".
My Two Boys Are Sick
Bryan caught the cough first abour 10 days ago. We thought we were pretty lucky to arrest it quickly by giving him some Benadryl, and after 2 days, it went away. Unfortunately, the cough came back with vengence a couple of days later and this time, Brandon caught it too. Which is not surprising considering the kor kor has been kissing the di di! I didn't have the heart so stop such affection!
Brandon had a fever on Saturday night and I didn't even know how much paracetomal to give him. I had no choice but to call my mum (who used to work for a paed) at 3:30 in the morning for advice. Ok - 1.25mls - now I know. After taking the para and some sponging, thank goodness his fever subsided. I still brought him to the paed the following morning for good measure. He diagnosed a mild cough and oral thrush. Unlike Bryan, Brandon absolutely despises taking meds. He will screw his face up when presented with both the syringe and spoon. Bryan on the other hand, pleads to be given meds because he likes to play with the syringe after that!
I pray for the boys' speedy recovery. Also so that mummy does not feel so zombified!
Brandon had a fever on Saturday night and I didn't even know how much paracetomal to give him. I had no choice but to call my mum (who used to work for a paed) at 3:30 in the morning for advice. Ok - 1.25mls - now I know. After taking the para and some sponging, thank goodness his fever subsided. I still brought him to the paed the following morning for good measure. He diagnosed a mild cough and oral thrush. Unlike Bryan, Brandon absolutely despises taking meds. He will screw his face up when presented with both the syringe and spoon. Bryan on the other hand, pleads to be given meds because he likes to play with the syringe after that!
I pray for the boys' speedy recovery. Also so that mummy does not feel so zombified!
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
1st Time Lucky
VT has been doing the night shifts with Brandon for the past 4 nights, and I tell you, he looked absolutely shattered yesterday morning. I'd offered to take care of Brandon last night, which I did, so that VT could have some rest. I had braced myself for the usual "cry like a mad man" episode that usually happens between 11pm to 2am.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Not only did Brandon not cry, he actually slept from 9pm all the way through to 8am this morning, waking up 3-4 hourly for his feeds.
1st time lucky, or have the crying spells ended? I'm more convinced of the former. Afterall, this little boy did not sleep a wink the whole afternoon yesterday. Let's see how it goes tonight. Unfortunately for VT, I won't be doing the shifts over the next 2 nights as I have work conference to attend on Thursday & Friday - can't afford to fall asleep in front of my boss!
I was pleasantly surprised.
Not only did Brandon not cry, he actually slept from 9pm all the way through to 8am this morning, waking up 3-4 hourly for his feeds.
1st time lucky, or have the crying spells ended? I'm more convinced of the former. Afterall, this little boy did not sleep a wink the whole afternoon yesterday. Let's see how it goes tonight. Unfortunately for VT, I won't be doing the shifts over the next 2 nights as I have work conference to attend on Thursday & Friday - can't afford to fall asleep in front of my boss!
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Tag: 2x2 Meme
Slavemom got tag diarrhoea so I'm paying the price for it - ha ha!
Two names you go by
1. Bryan's Mama
2. Paik Ling
Two things you are wearing right now
1. Clothes
2. Wet hair (too lazy to blow dry)
Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. A break!
2. Breakfast
Two things you did last night just before bed
1. Carry Brandon who was screaming his head off for no reason
2. Say my prayers
Two things you ate today
Nothing yet
Two people you just spoke with
1. Bryan
2. Hubby
Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Maybe take Brandon to paed for 2nd opinion of his nasal congestion
2. Visit Chanel
Two longest car rides
1. From KL to Penang
2. From KL to Singapore
Two favourite beverages
1. Ribena
2. Anything citrus-y
2+1 persons who are chosen to do this meme :
I'm too lazy to tag anyone!
Two names you go by
1. Bryan's Mama
2. Paik Ling
Two things you are wearing right now
1. Clothes
2. Wet hair (too lazy to blow dry)
Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. A break!
2. Breakfast
Two things you did last night just before bed
1. Carry Brandon who was screaming his head off for no reason
2. Say my prayers
Two things you ate today
Nothing yet
Two people you just spoke with
1. Bryan
2. Hubby
Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Maybe take Brandon to paed for 2nd opinion of his nasal congestion
2. Visit Chanel
Two longest car rides
1. From KL to Penang
2. From KL to Singapore
Two favourite beverages
1. Ribena
2. Anything citrus-y
2+1 persons who are chosen to do this meme :
I'm too lazy to tag anyone!
Award: Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008
Many thanks to one of my newest blogging mama, Lemonjude, for this award!
P/S: I won't be passing this on to anyone as I've seen it going around already.
Monday, 1 September 2008
What Happened?
What happened to my sweet baby who sleeps the whole day and is able to be left alone, without being carried and is able to fall asleep by himself?
Brandon slept so much in his first month of his life to the extent that I was worried! He would sleep until it's time for the next feed and then promptly went back to sleep after getting a good burp. That's why I had so much free time during my confinement to blog, watch TV and rest, even the week when I had no CL.
Of course, he grew up! Brandon no longer wants to be left alone and needs to be patted to sleep. To give him credit, he tried soothing himself by sucking his thumb but we promptly put his mittens on. He also cries until his face turns beet red whenever he wants to sleep for a few minutes before he konks off. VT is going to sleep-train him starting tonight else we are worried we end up with a sleepless monster like Bryan.
On the same note, that behaviour is very much like his kor kor, whom of late, had to be threatened to go down for his naps. I need to show Bryan a very stern face and use a firm voice, asking him to lie down and close his eyes. Those are enough to warrant him breaking into pitiful tears, which I would ignore, before he succumbs to his tiredness and falls asleep.
Why don't my kids like to sleep, like their mummy? Before Bryan was born, I could sleep 14 hours straight with no problems. I could sleep through electricity failure and according to my mum, earthquake possibly too! I guess both the boys took after their father whom is a night owl and feels that sleeping is a waste of precious time.
Brandon slept so much in his first month of his life to the extent that I was worried! He would sleep until it's time for the next feed and then promptly went back to sleep after getting a good burp. That's why I had so much free time during my confinement to blog, watch TV and rest, even the week when I had no CL.
Of course, he grew up! Brandon no longer wants to be left alone and needs to be patted to sleep. To give him credit, he tried soothing himself by sucking his thumb but we promptly put his mittens on. He also cries until his face turns beet red whenever he wants to sleep for a few minutes before he konks off. VT is going to sleep-train him starting tonight else we are worried we end up with a sleepless monster like Bryan.
On the same note, that behaviour is very much like his kor kor, whom of late, had to be threatened to go down for his naps. I need to show Bryan a very stern face and use a firm voice, asking him to lie down and close his eyes. Those are enough to warrant him breaking into pitiful tears, which I would ignore, before he succumbs to his tiredness and falls asleep.
Why don't my kids like to sleep, like their mummy? Before Bryan was born, I could sleep 14 hours straight with no problems. I could sleep through electricity failure and according to my mum, earthquake possibly too! I guess both the boys took after their father whom is a night owl and feels that sleeping is a waste of precious time.
Saturday, 30 August 2008
For You, Aunty Pat
I'd just returned from an afternoon lunch affair at 1Utama to celebrate my nephew, Jonathan turning 4 years old today. Lunch was at Italiannies. I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with the food, after having it after many many moons. The typically-tasteful pasta and pizza tasted rather commercial and mass-produced. I wonder if it has something to do with the Set Lunch promotion? The dessert - pannacota - was heavenly though.
At the birthday lunch was my 2nd aunt, my father's second sister. Aunty Pat is the humourous and easy-going one in the family. She's always good for a chat and up to date of the latest happenings. Aunty Pat can be rather blur too, like in this instance when she asked, "So, have you seen any movies recently?". I couldn't help but laugh. I responded that I barely even had the time to go to the loo, much less the cinema! Never theless, I'd appreciate her question as it would had been fun discussing movies with her.
Sorry, Aunty Pat - it will be a few more years before I can talk movies with you again. Unless, of course, you could babysit for me!
At the birthday lunch was my 2nd aunt, my father's second sister. Aunty Pat is the humourous and easy-going one in the family. She's always good for a chat and up to date of the latest happenings. Aunty Pat can be rather blur too, like in this instance when she asked, "So, have you seen any movies recently?". I couldn't help but laugh. I responded that I barely even had the time to go to the loo, much less the cinema! Never theless, I'd appreciate her question as it would had been fun discussing movies with her.
Sorry, Aunty Pat - it will be a few more years before I can talk movies with you again. Unless, of course, you could babysit for me!
Short-Fused
I have been very short-fused the last 2 days. Although I don't blow up (I'm not the sort), I find myself getting irritated and tearful over the slightest thing - like how I was unable to find a carpark at DSH today, how VT didn't charge my laptop after he used my charger to charge his, how the milk bottle was not assembled according to the same coloured component, how I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to entertain a hyper toddler over a 3-day long weekend.
I'd like to blame it on post-pregnancy hormonal changes but I think it could be too late for that. Another possibility is fatigue from being around Brandon 24/7. I have been doing the night shifts since I've yet to return to work. The little fella has taken on to screaming his lungs out for at least 1 hour straight every night. I've tried feeding, rocking, changing his diapers - nothing seemed to work. So I'd relented that he needs to give his lungs some exercise prior to sleeping. In addition, his sleeps have been noisy and interrupted due to nose congestion. It is during those moments that I'd swore off having another offspring.
But then again, after 2 years, I'm sure that I will change my mind.
Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. I'd passed the baton to VT tonight - one more night, and I'll snap. I'm just going to crawl into bed and give my lungs some exercise.
I'd like to blame it on post-pregnancy hormonal changes but I think it could be too late for that. Another possibility is fatigue from being around Brandon 24/7. I have been doing the night shifts since I've yet to return to work. The little fella has taken on to screaming his lungs out for at least 1 hour straight every night. I've tried feeding, rocking, changing his diapers - nothing seemed to work. So I'd relented that he needs to give his lungs some exercise prior to sleeping. In addition, his sleeps have been noisy and interrupted due to nose congestion. It is during those moments that I'd swore off having another offspring.
But then again, after 2 years, I'm sure that I will change my mind.
Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. I'd passed the baton to VT tonight - one more night, and I'll snap. I'm just going to crawl into bed and give my lungs some exercise.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
I Am Thankful For...
...being blessed with 2 beautiful & healthy children, when there are many who yearn for even one
...my Mum who is always there to take care of Brandon when things get too tough
...VT who is the most hands-on father that I know - from poop-washing to doing the graveyard shifts
...disposable diapers so that I don't have to wake up each time the baby pees
...instant bottle sterilisers so that I don't have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning just to boil the bottles, like what my mother did
...my mum-in-law who helps us out and seldom complains
...my job, which I enjoy and helps provide with some luxuries (like a maid)
So what if I only slept for 3 hours last night? I am thankful for this life!
...my Mum who is always there to take care of Brandon when things get too tough
...VT who is the most hands-on father that I know - from poop-washing to doing the graveyard shifts
...disposable diapers so that I don't have to wake up each time the baby pees
...instant bottle sterilisers so that I don't have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning just to boil the bottles, like what my mother did
...my mum-in-law who helps us out and seldom complains
...my job, which I enjoy and helps provide with some luxuries (like a maid)
So what if I only slept for 3 hours last night? I am thankful for this life!
Monday, 25 August 2008
An Unusual Sunday
Why unusual, you may ask?
First of all, you know that I slept in till 8am.
Then, Bryan and myself napped from 2-5:15pm.
Bryan rejected his dinner.
Bryan didn't finish his milk despite not having dinner.
Brandon only made 2 poops at night.
I konked out again later in the night, although I was supposed to do the night shift (poor VT).
And so what's "normal", you may ask again?
No sleep-ins; Bryan is usually awake by 7:30am latest.
Naps length is 1 hour, tops.
Bryan wallops his dinner.
And wallops his milk.
Brandon poops 5-8 times at night.
I should be wide-awake, thanks to the long nap.
But, who's complaining? :)
First of all, you know that I slept in till 8am.
Then, Bryan and myself napped from 2-5:15pm.
Bryan rejected his dinner.
Bryan didn't finish his milk despite not having dinner.
Brandon only made 2 poops at night.
I konked out again later in the night, although I was supposed to do the night shift (poor VT).
And so what's "normal", you may ask again?
No sleep-ins; Bryan is usually awake by 7:30am latest.
Naps length is 1 hour, tops.
Bryan wallops his dinner.
And wallops his milk.
Brandon poops 5-8 times at night.
I should be wide-awake, thanks to the long nap.
But, who's complaining? :)
Sunday, 24 August 2008
A Sleep In
When was the last time I had a sleep in till 8:30am?
Last night!
Bryan slept over with my PILs last night, while VT took the night shift with Brandon last night. So that's left the king sized bed all to myself. *Bliss*
I had wanted to sleep in later...afterall, how often does this kind of opportunity come by? But by 8 this morning, my boo-bies started to scream for attention. VT is still asleep in Brandon's room while I'm putting up my first ever post done on a Sunday morning.
When was the last time you had a sleep-in?
Happy Sunday, all!
Last night!
Bryan slept over with my PILs last night, while VT took the night shift with Brandon last night. So that's left the king sized bed all to myself. *Bliss*
I had wanted to sleep in later...afterall, how often does this kind of opportunity come by? But by 8 this morning, my boo-bies started to scream for attention. VT is still asleep in Brandon's room while I'm putting up my first ever post done on a Sunday morning.
When was the last time you had a sleep-in?
Happy Sunday, all!
Saturday, 23 August 2008
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Tag:
Received this tag from a yummy flaming mummy!
START.
The Flame of Friendship. A symbol of spirit of unity.The burning icon of love.Undying picture of hope.The hot symbol of oneness. The Flame of Friendship. And now it’s your turn to pass on the flame!
Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end and add your blog on the list below. Let’s start FLAMING!
Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth’s Vicy’s Life Journey
My PreciousPitstop
Thea is Blogger Happy
Thea is Berry Scrappy Too
Scribbles of My Life
In This Game of Life
Shimumsy’s Republic of A
Princess Vien
Our Journey To Life
Life. Love. Family. Work. Travel.
One Hundred And Eighty Degrees
Rocks God’s Gift
Only in Silence
Life In France
It’s All About Play
Places To Visit, Food To Taste
Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way
Thots N Tales
Musings of a New Mother
START.
The Flame of Friendship. A symbol of spirit of unity.The burning icon of love.Undying picture of hope.The hot symbol of oneness. The Flame of Friendship. And now it’s your turn to pass on the flame!
Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end and add your blog on the list below. Let’s start FLAMING!Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth’s Vicy’s Life Journey
My PreciousPitstop
Thea is Blogger Happy
Thea is Berry Scrappy Too
Scribbles of My Life
In This Game of Life
Shimumsy’s Republic of A
Princess Vien
Our Journey To Life
Life. Love. Family. Work. Travel.
One Hundred And Eighty Degrees
Rocks God’s Gift
Only in Silence
Life In France
It’s All About Play
Places To Visit, Food To Taste
Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way
Thots N Tales
Musings of a New Mother
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Bryan Turns 2!
Our little first born turns 2 today, just a day after his di-di celebrated his full moon. We had celebrated his birthday last Sunday with family and the closest friends since this year, his birthday falls on a weekday, but never theless a very auspicious date - 20082008 :)
We had hi-tea at Eastin Hotel and I'd ordered a home-made Barney marble cake for him. Actually, Bryan had recently grown out of Barney but cake ordered already :p Everyone had a good time, except towards the end when the birthday boy fussed alot because it was way past his nap time. Bryan even cried when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and went into fits when he saw the clown who came around to wish him. At least Bryan enjoyed eating the cake later.
Tonight, we're having a simple dinner and cake for Bryan at home. I cannot believe how quickly my little (1st) boy has grown. I'd thought it was only yesterday when Bryan was as small as Brandon.
Bryan, HAPPY BIRTHDAY boy! Papa and Mama wish you many, many more happy returns to come!
We had hi-tea at Eastin Hotel and I'd ordered a home-made Barney marble cake for him. Actually, Bryan had recently grown out of Barney but cake ordered already :p Everyone had a good time, except towards the end when the birthday boy fussed alot because it was way past his nap time. Bryan even cried when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and went into fits when he saw the clown who came around to wish him. At least Bryan enjoyed eating the cake later.
Tonight, we're having a simple dinner and cake for Bryan at home. I cannot believe how quickly my little (1st) boy has grown. I'd thought it was only yesterday when Bryan was as small as Brandon.
Bryan, HAPPY BIRTHDAY boy! Papa and Mama wish you many, many more happy returns to come!
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