Musings of a new mother

Moving 2 a New Home

2009-01-14T14:11:00.001+08:00

Pakumuse has finally got a home she can call her own.

Please continue to visit me HERE!

Update your link ya ;)

In a Dilemma

2009-01-05T17:01:00.003+08:00

I'm a little troubled today.

As you know from here, I'm planning on taking my parents to Japan to view cherry blossoms this spring. The dilemma is this:

So far, only myself and my parents are going. But VT did hint that he wants to go.

Ok so if he goes, my MIL will have to take care of both the Bs full-time (day & night) for 7 to 8 days. I think it's too much for her. Solution: we'll take Bryan along.

If we take a hyper 2 1/2 year old along, can he tolerate all the "naik bas, turun bas" involved in taking a tour? What happens when it's time to leave a place and he refuses, and starts screaming? What happens if he poops in his pants on the bus, on a long journey up Mount Fuji? What if he goes beserk in the plane, being his first time on it?

I tried asking for a private tour but the tour operator told me that it is expensive and not worth it.

Pening only.......

Another Hectic Weekend

2009-01-05T11:49:00.003+08:00

We had another hectic weekend.

Saturday
We celebrated my 2nd brother's second son's first birthday (lots of 1s and 2s there, yes?!) with a lunch hosted by my brother at Paya Serai coffeehouse at PJ Hilton. For the first time, I managed to see myself the train set which the hotel has been putting up year-after-year. It was simply breathtaking! I shall post photos of them up here once I get them from my brother. I was told that the train setting gets bigger and bigger each year as they get more sponsors. Anyway, back to the lunch. We were there from noon and didn't leave until past 4pm! Not like I was eating away but the birthday boy had fallen asleep before the cake was cut. So everyone was sitting around waiting for him to wake up. Of course, I didn't have the luxury of sitting down. Bryan made me make numerous (after 10 times, I'd stopped counting) to the train set and the Xmas tree by the lobby. As expected, Bryan knocked-off the moment we strapped him into his carseat and continued napping at home until 6pm.

Which was a good thing, because I had my best friend and her daughter (also my god-daughter) over for dinner. She ta-paued chilly crabs, steamed salted chicken (very very good!!) and sweet & sour pork. I stir-fried mix veg with beef strips, marinated with ginger extract & chinese wine, to complete the meal. The kids had such a great time exchanging belated Xmas presents, that both Anya and Bryan put on their new clothes immediately - and on top of what they were wearing!

Sunday
We hosted a small "fast food" luncheon for a few of our uni friends, whom we've not caught up for some time. Yes, VT and I have common friends because we studied in the same uni although we weren't dating then. We also set up our mini wading pool on our car porch for the younger ones to splash around after lunch. It was great catching up though I had to take leave twice to put Brandon down for his naps.

At night, just as we thought we could wind down, the doorbell rang and lo-and-behold, my confinement lady (with Brandon, the better one not the one whom I sacked) was at the door. She was in the neighbourhood so popped by to see Brandon. We chatted for a good hour or so before she left. It was close to 8pm by then so I quickly gave Bryan his bath and VT & I sat down for a dinner of claypot chicken rice with chicken soup.

I was totally washed out by the time I was in bed. It didn't help that Bryan refused to lie still and neither did he stop talking to himself. Two hours must had passed and that boy was still awake despite yawning a few times. I finally threatened to walk out of the room if he didn't lie down, keep still and close his eyes. Which he did, and promptly fell asleep less than a minute after. Shows you how tired he was but was reluctant to sleep.

Well, that was my weekend. What were you up to?

It Starts Today!

2009-01-02T11:28:00.007+08:00

Just for the record, today is the 2nd of January year 2009. I am going to start my gym sessions over lunchtime from today - diligently at least twice weekly. It is quite convenient for me to pop over to the gym in Pavillion since my work place is next to it. Thus I shall no longer have any excuse to postpone this any further. Let's see how long I can keep it up :)

One of my motivation for gymming today is that I wallopped a Big Mac at Izac's 3rd birthday party yesterday *guilty*. Izac's mummy celebrated his birthday at McDonalds Mutiara Damansara. We were one of the first ones there as Bryan was getting restless at home and Brandon also woke up earlier than usual from his morning nap. Bryan had a great time playing the slide and eating all the french fries and drinking cold Ribena, which he almost never gets to drink at home. So he was really "out of the prison" yesterday. As a result, he did his "big biz" again at Mackers. Some more I thought it was quite safe yesterday as he had already done it in the morning. Luckily VT was around to do the cleaning up. As brothers have it, Brandon also followed suit after Bryan. Sounds like that day! I think VT very frus ha ha. But thanks again, Sue for having us!

When we got home, Bryan & myself napped for an hour while Brandon napped for 2 1/2hours. We had a quiet dinner in consisting of teochew porridge and all the unhealthy (but yummy!) condiments, such as salted duck egg, preserved beancurd, preserved lettuce and the must-have peanuts and anchovies.

Oh, as a side note, Brandon finally flipped himself yesterday (once) and this morning (once). But he will cry "Wah wah wah" because his left arm would still get stuck between the mattress and his fat body keke.

Thanks to this keng chau mummy for the photos!

A Year to Remember

2008-12-31T10:47:00.002+08:00

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!

A Long Weekend That Was

2008-12-30T15:08:00.009+08:00

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?

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.

After lunch, we headed to "Toys-R-Us Express" - it is just a smaller version of the normal & larger Toys-R-Us stores. Just as we went in, Bryan squatted down at the main aisle, in full view of other shoppers to perform his "big biz"! VT whisked him away to clean him up. Then 2 minutes later, I saw Brandon straining and making grunting sounds. So I wheeled him and passed him to VT to change, just as Bryan was wearing his shorts. Must had been the "umm umm" sounds that I was making when Bryan was doing his!

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?

The Bumbo Seat

2008-12-24T17:27:00.013+08:00

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.

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

2008-12-24T16:10:00.004+08:00

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 :)

If I start straying from this resolution, please knock me on my head. Better still, show me the first photo!

Free Isomil SOYA Formula

2008-12-23T15:53:00.002+08:00

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.

Japan, Anyone?

2008-12-23T15:19:00.002+08:00

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.

Musical Tong Yuen Weekend

2008-12-21T20:53:00.004+08:00

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.

Brandon @ 5 Months

2008-12-18T09:35:00.006+08:00

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

... 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

... 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!

The Chatter Box

2008-12-14T21:00:00.003+08:00

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

- 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!

Malacca & PD in 14 hours

2008-12-13T22:20:00.003+08:00

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!

The EL and the VEE

2008-12-09T21:40:00.005+08:00

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.

Extravangance

2008-11-30T22:07:00.002+08:00

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!!

Snapshots

2008-11-26T17:30:00.008+08:00

Brandon enjoying a good suck of his fingers

The brothers together - one still sucking his fingers, the other busy watching TV

Austerity Drive & Toilet Training

2008-11-26T15:20:00.002+08:00

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!

Strange Sunday Evening

2008-11-23T18:10:00.003+08:00

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?

Who Said Headgears are Only for Girls?

2008-11-19T18:49:00.004+08:00

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

Brandon @ 4 Months; Bryan @ 27 Months

2008-11-18T23:37:00.005+08:00

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!".

Less Stress

2008-11-18T23:00:00.006+08:00

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!

My Take on Jakarta

2008-11-14T18:06:00.002+08:00

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.

Free Wifi!

2008-11-13T08:27:00.002+08:00

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!

Love & Hate

2008-11-11T10:23:00.004+08:00

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?

A Special Day

2008-11-05T17:01:00.004+08:00

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?

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?

Almost Had It!

2008-11-02T21:01:00.002+08:00

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.

Almost There

2008-10-30T22:08:00.002+08:00

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..........

The Culprit!

2008-10-24T17:46:00.003+08:00

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!

Judy Loves My Blog!

2008-10-23T18:55:00.001+08:00

Awww....you're so sweet dear. Thank you!!

Still Down

2008-10-23T12:53:00.004+08:00

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!

Yik Yak Till The Cows Came Home

2008-10-23T12:36:00.003+08:00

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*

Rose & Butterfly Awards

2008-10-23T12:17:00.003+08:00

Thanks, Ginie for remembering me when you were giving out all these awards!

Almost HFMD

2008-10-22T18:01:00.004+08:00

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!!!

Brandon is 3 Months Old

2008-10-19T20:55:00.004+08:00

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

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?

Our Raya Weekend

2008-10-10T18:08:00.002+08:00

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 :)

To All The Super Mums

2008-10-10T17:47:00.003+08:00

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.

Mama, Go Out

2008-10-10T09:14:00.005+08:00

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!

A Close Call

2008-09-21T22:37:00.004+08:00

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.

An Unforgettable Toilet Tale

2008-09-18T09:07:00.005+08:00

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!!!

Brandon @ 2 Months

2008-09-18T08:26:00.006+08:00

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!

Sleep Training: Revisited

2008-09-17T13:13:00.003+08:00

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!

Bad Memories

2008-09-16T09:31:00.003+08:00

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.

The Final Week

2008-09-15T08:32:00.008+08:00

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.

2-Word Bryan

2008-09-12T08:44:00.004+08:00

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!!

Sleep-Training

2008-09-11T09:46:00.005+08:00

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!

My Rojak Boy

2008-09-10T11:48:00.005+08:00

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.

Horrible Mother

2008-09-09T09:42:00.002+08:00

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?

Less Time, More Stress

2008-09-08T13:42:00.003+08:00

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".

My Two Boys Are Sick

2008-09-08T13:23:00.002+08:00

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!

1st Time Lucky

2008-09-03T10:02:00.004+08:00

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!

Tag: 2x2 Meme

2008-09-02T09:49:00.003+08:00

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!

Award: Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008

2008-09-02T09:39:00.004+08:00

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.

What Happened?

2008-09-01T17:26:00.003+08:00

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.

For You, Aunty Pat

2008-08-30T15:45:00.003+08:00

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!

Short-Fused

2008-08-30T01:20:00.004+08:00

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 Am Thankful For...

2008-08-26T08:42:00.002+08:00

...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!

An Unusual Sunday

2008-08-25T08:57:00.003+08:00

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? :)

A Sleep In

2008-08-24T08:55:00.002+08:00

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!

My Two Boys in Photo

2008-08-23T15:03:00.004+08:00

Tag:

2008-08-23T10:40:00.004+08:00

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 Precious Pitstop
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

Bryan Turns 2!

2008-08-20T16:20:00.003+08:00

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!

Brandon is One Month Old!

2008-08-18T20:08:00.004+08:00

How time flies - Brandon turns one month old today!

I brought him to the paed yesterday for the Hep B 2nd shot. Unlike Bryan who was oblivious to jabs till he was 1 year old, Brandon screamed very loudly when the shot was administered. See how both of my boys can be so different, even in this aspect.

His obligatory stats-
Weight: 4.35kg (increased from 2.6kg at birth)
Length: forget to measure at paed's office
Milk intake: 3.5ozs every 2-3 hours
Sleep: Most of the time after milk else will bising until falls asleep

Happy Full Moon, baby Brandon - everyone loves you (yes, even when you're bising because no one carry you)!!!

Tag: Little Known Facts About Me

2008-08-18T09:40:00.006+08:00

Long time I never do a tag, so I picked this one up from Judy.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? July 5th
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Ocassionally, when it's not my lazy handwriting
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Fish
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes - 2 boys :)
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Err...dunno!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yes
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No, am petrified of heights
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Nestum with sugar!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, or else how would they come off?
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Emotionally, no. Physically, yes!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Don't like them
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Attitude
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? My Boo-bies!
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Me-time
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? It's oklar...
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Shorts from pasar malam, barefoot
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? 2 half-boiled eggs
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Shot-putters scream in the background (Olympics mah!)
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain and freshly baked cookies/bread
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mum
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Most definitely :)
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Badminton & Tennis
27. HAIR COLOR? Black, hopefully not for long
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, perfect eyesight :)
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Hmm....mashed potato!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? 27 Dresses
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White....pasar malam one
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Coffee....ok, it's not exactly a dessert
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Fellow bloggers who take pity on me since I've asked them ha ha
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Other fellow bloggers who don't give a cr*p about me ha haha
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? August edition of The Reader's Digest
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Using a trackpad
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? The Olympics
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Bryan talking and Brandon cooing
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither
44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? New York
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can shower, wash hair & get ready in 10mins flat
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Kay-El
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Angeleyes
Sasha
Mummy to Chumsy
Slavemom
Jesslyn
KiityCat

Confinement Is Over!

2008-08-18T08:59:00.004+08:00

Finally, after 1 month confinement officially ends today. But actually, I have gone out last Friday to 1-Utama to kai-kai already :) Then yesterday out again for lunch so I guess I'm a CL's nightmare.

To commemorate the end of my confinement, here is a summary of my routine in the past 2 weeks:

7am - Wake up (only cos Bryan jabs my eye and calls me "Mama" repeatedly until I open my eyes); play with Bryan
8am - Peace at home once VT takes Bryan to MILs. First expression.
8:30am - Breakfast comprising of Milo and half-boiled eggs. I have been crazy over the eggs as I had abstained from them during pregnancy for fear of Salmonella
9am - Blog and check out people's blog
11am - Shower (and sneak in a hairwash every 2 to 3 days)
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Check work emails
3pm - Nap
5pm - Watch season six "24"
7pm - Dinner
7:30pm - Watch more telly
9:30pm - Bryan returns home; puts him to sleep
11:30pm - Drink herbal soup; Last expression
Midnite - Tuck in
3am & 6am - Expressions

Quite shiok right? That is why I am quite sad that confinement is over because I have been enjoying myself! Never did I had so much time in my hands since the birth of Bryan. My CL is leaving tomorrow so the fun ends ha ha.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To...

2008-08-16T22:16:00.003+08:00

....me shutting down my milk factory. Just when I thought I'd increased the expressing interval from 2.5hrs to 3.5hrs to slow it all down to face the imminent end, my supply began to show some improvement. Don't be too happy for me first because after the sudden surge (probably due to the increased waiting interval), I can tell that the supply is fast diminishing.

I would like to thank you all for both the advice and consolation - yes, I was extremely upset....not stressed, but just upset that this didn't work out the 2nd time around either despite my putting in more effort. At least I think I managed to make fairly good use of my Spectra 2 pump as the machine groans when I turn it on and off now.

As with any other mother who feels guilty about stopping b/f, I am too. But I won't let this come into my way of enjoying motherhood :)

My Stupid Boo-bies

2008-08-14T23:29:00.003+08:00

What havoc this evening!

During my confinement month, VT has been bringing Bryan home from my PILs. Then I will put Bryan to bed while VT watches over Brandon. Today VT had to return to work for an emergency. So there is myself, the maid and my CL. It all started when Brandon pooped so much until terkena my CL so she had to go wash up. So I had to tend to Brandon. Bryan started crying and screaming the moment I picked Brandon up (who was also crying and screaming). When Brandon stopped crying, I put him down and picked Bryan up. Then the whole cycle started again - pick one boy up, the other one cries. WALAU!!!! (All this time, the maid was taking a shower)

At the same time, my boo-bies were also screaming to be relieved. After all the chaos settled down, I took a drink to relax and sat down to be a cow. I would have expected a good volume of EBM as it was way past my expressing interval.

But NO......I only managed to express 2 miserable ounces.

I am at my wits end. I did all the "right" things - drink lots of water & papaya soup, rest, distract myself, express regularly even at night, etc. But still, these two stupid lump of flesh refused to co-operate. Now, I'm the sort who expects to see results whenever I work hard at something. This just isn't happening.

I'm waving my white flag.
Subject closed.
Amen.

Another Chapter Begins

2008-08-14T11:39:00.004+08:00

Seeing that I still have some free time (ok, LOTS of free time) since the CL is around, I'd decided to pack up my maternity clothes this morning and replace them with the pre-pregger ones. As I was rifing through my spare wardrobe I came across the pre-pre-pregger wears. I held a pretty blouse up against my torso, and my-oh-my, I was tiny back then. I was only 45kg when I got married in 2004, blossomed into a healthy 50kg just before the 1st pregnancy. After giving birth to Bryan, I hit 63kg and never lost any of it. Now, I'm back to the mid-60kg range. At least, that is a consolation.

Pre-children I spent a lot of money on pretty clothes - I have 3 cupboards-full of stuff that I now cannot fit into. Then everything I tried on looked attractive and warranted a purchase. Post-children money is spent on clothes for the kiddos, albeit deriving the same amount of satisfaction, if not more.

All of a sudden, I felt melancholic and started to reflect how quickly things happened over the past 4 years. So much joy in bringing up Bryan, but frustrations and tears were aplenty too. And now with Brandon, we are going through the same cycle again. It all seemed so surreal.

And then the door bell rang - the postman was at my door. Back to reality.

Frustrations All Around

2008-08-13T08:51:00.004+08:00

Blame it on the hormones, blame it on brain inactivity for the past month. Everything seems so frustrating to me.

Firstly, there must be something wrong with my boo-bies. Now I have been diligently expressing BM every 2.5hrs during the day and 3hrs at night (I'm exclusively expressing), for the past 3 weeks. You would think that 8 times of expression would yield some pretty good volumes of BM. That's the frustrating part - I am still only able to express about 2.5ozs combined from both boo-bies. Surely that can't be right??! I've heard of a fully-expressing mama who had hundreds of ounces of milk shored up in her freezer by the time her confinement was over. I can barely express enough to feed Brandon. I did ask my visiting midwife and she was puzzled as well. My only conclusion is that some women have fewer milk storage ducts - perhaps I'm only trying to make myself feel better.
Conclusion: I'm giving myself 2 more weeks. If supply remains the same, I'm going to scrap EBM.

Then, there's my maid. She has been with us for 2 years and had previously indicated that she would like to extend another year. My maid is, I would say, almost close to perfect. Then suddenly she tells me that she wants to go home because she has pulled her back muscle and has been in great pain for the past 2 months. So now I'm kelam-kabut have to apply for a new maid. What sh*t timing. When the new maid arrives, I will have my hands full training her and taking care of an infant.
Conclusion: Maids - you can't live with them, you can't live without them.

Side track a bit - if anyone knows someone who makes ang koo please let me know. I need to source some for Brandon's full moon.

Coffee, Anyone?

2008-08-12T09:40:00.004+08:00

Sorry, it's not an invitation to coffee, much as I love to but have to wait till post-confinement.

I sent a text to this breastfeeding expert-mama on whether I could drink coffee whilst still expressing BM for the baby. She thought one cup daily was ok and I should drink it right after I express to give 2-3 hours lag time till I express again.

I have and always been a big coffee- drinker. Even when I was pregnant, I drank a cup of mild 3-in-1 a day to jumpstart the day. It probably explains why Brandon does not sleep from 12am to 3am everyday! I stopped when I delivered but with me resuming night duties next week, I think I need some caffeine to stay alive during the day. It's sort of like a domino effect - drink coffee when pregnant, baby doesn't sleep, need to drink coffee to jaga baby, baby doesn't sleep, need to drink coffee to jaga baby, baby doesn't sleep, need to drink coffee to jaga baby...you get what I mean.

So, what do other breast-feeding mummies out there think? Can drink or not??

High Blood Pressure Week

2008-08-11T11:32:00.005+08:00

Actually, I didn't want to b*tch about my 1st CL but I feel that I should warn people also lah. This is based on my personal experience.

I got my 1st CL through a confinement agency - Pei Ling (their formal business name is Daveleen). It was a desparate effort on my side as by the time I wanted to book a CL, all of the recommended names that I got from various people, have all been pre-booked. Moreover I heard that July/August was a popular month. So no choice lor. I had thought that at least the agency would maintain some level of standard hence it won't be so bad.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

You know how you don't get a good feeling when you meet someone for the first time? I had this when I picked her up from the agency. Call it gut feeling, call it intuition. Firstly, she looked so young (she's only 38yrs old) and then her face expression was close to one belonging to a corpse. Never mind, I thought, as long as she's good at handling the baby and good at cooking.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

Firstly, you can tell that she is not experienced in handling the baby. During bath times, she literally dumped the whole baby's body into the water. Of course the baby cried to no end. Then when I asked her why she wanted to be a CL, she said that she loved babies. What BS! She barely speaks or molly-cuddle the baby. She treated the baby like a commodity, doing about her tasks like a robot. Zero compassion. Obviously a mercenary.

Then there was one time when the plaster strips from the disposable diaper got stuck to the baby's skin because she forgot to paste them back when changing the diapers. My poor baby cried out in so much pain when she removed it!

Let's not even talk about her cooking - she herself confessed that she doesn't know how to cook. She doesn't even need to cook in her own home as her husband is a chef.

In that one week, my blood pressure literally shot up. Luckily I had some experience in handling an infant. It ended up with me teaching her how to go about doing things. The tipping point was when I saw her eating some medicine. Turned out that she was having a fever and sore throat! Immediately I called the agency up and asked for a replacement. They then told me that it would take up to a week because it's "peak" period then. Unfortunately I had to pay the full RM2,880 up-front so I couldn't ask for a refund. I converted the service to a food delivery package instead. I was totally fed-up with them by then.

Then the food delivery is another cerita. The entire package for 28-days of lunch & dinner costs close to RM2,000. Delivery charges are separate - RM7 per day (daylight robbery!). This comes up to RM78 per day. You would expect some pretty great stuff, right?

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

A typical lunch comprisez of beans/cauliflower (all-time favourite with the agency, it seems) and a tasteless meat. Then dinner, which mind you is delivered together with lunch, is some taufu, another piece of tasteless meat and a soup. Oops, sorry it doesn't even qualify as soup since the it is so diluted. Rice I have to cook myself.

After the CL left, my trusted Indon maid told me that the CL took our chocolates and ate them without our knowledge. Not like I would have said No, but it would be polite to ask. Plus the CL also told my maid that Malaysians treat Indon maids as "dogs". GEEZZ!!!! What kind of a person would say that???!! It just shows you what kind of a person she is. Really, if I see her around (afterall, she is from Puchong), I would give her a big piece of my mind.

After sharing my experiences with a couple of other people, I found out that I am not the only disgruntled one. Apparently, this agency already has a bad reputation. If only I knew earlier, I could have avoided suffering for one week.

The "WTF" Labour Story

2008-08-11T09:34:00.004+08:00

It all started with weak abdominal pains whilst dining on Dome’s chicken & mushroom pie during my team lunch. I’d ignored it, thinking it was Braxton Hicks. The pain returned during coffee break at 4pm (I don’t usually have coffee break but the team wanted to “celebrate” my last day at work). I’d ignored it again.

And again when I was driving home.
And again during dinner.
And again when I was putting Bryan to sleep at 10pm.

By 11pm, I was doubled in pain. VT was out for a client's dinner but I called him to get his a** back asap. By the time he showed up, I was hanging on to the front door grille and squating on the floor. My PILs also rushed over to keep an eye on the sleeping Bryan.

We sped through heavy Friday night traffic and screeched in front of E&A of the hospital in 15mins. I couldn't walk by then so I had to be ferried using a wheelchair to the Maternity Ward.

At Maternity Ward
Me: I am in labour. Can I be admitted?
Midwife (MW): Nanti, we check dulu (hook me up to the CTG)
Me: Look, I am in labour and I want the epidural
MW: Tak apa, we check dulu
Me: (WTF????) My contractions already 3 minutes apart, of course I'm in labour!!!!!!!
MW: (pretend didn't hear)

1 hour 15mins later........after the ningkampoop agreed that I was in fact in labour.

At Labour Room
Me: Where's the anaethestist?
MW: I just called him...should be here in 30mins
Me: 30 MINUTES????????? (WTF?? Couldn't you have called him earlier??)

Another hour later of more labour pains.....after the epidural was administered.

Me: Dr, it's still very painful on my left side
Dr: Hmm....are you sure?
Me: Yes (WTF?? Of course I'm freaking sure!!)
Dr: (fiddle with the epidural administrator) I think we have to remove and administer again
Me: (WTF?????) Ok, no choice lor

After the epidural was administered the 2nd time.

Me: *Bliss* (eh, whose fat legs are those up ahead?? he he)

After 8 hours of labour, the little boy made it appearance. Delivery was a piece of cake - I only need to push 6-7 times. I was having a bad cough but it was a blessing in disguise as each time I coughed, the baby was pushed further down the cervics.

Up to the point of delivery, the water bag didn't even break. The funny part was that I managed to see my own delivery because the TV was angled such that I could see the reflection of my "V". I tried not looking because it is actually quite gross but curiousity got the better of me.

When Brandon was placed on my tummy and I saw him the first time, I cried in joy that the little boy is normal. That's all that matters.

Introducing........Brandon

2008-08-10T19:24:00.004+08:00

Sorry for the delay of the upload of photos. Our home PC KO-ed and was only rescued by my Dad today. Still, better late than never right? *wink*

Enjoying It!

2008-08-10T17:14:00.004+08:00

My new CL came last Sunday, and true enough, I have been enjoying every single minute of it!! The food that she cooks is good (Cantonese style) and I can nap anytime of the day. If only I got her from the start, I would have avoided a week's worth of high blood pressure. More about that later. The only thing about this CL is that she doesn't allow me to wash my hair. So what do I do? I do wash it but after that, I will blow-dry and tie up my hair again. Naughty, hor? Then there was one day when I told her that I had a check-up but scooted off to Tesco to kai-kai abit!!

Brandon is growing by the day. He is already 3.2kg 6 days ago when the midwife came to the house to weigh him. Too bad I can't take credit for it since he's drinking formula at night. I am still diligently expressing BM 8 times daily. He's more wakeful during the day now and somehow, doesn't sleep from midnight to 3am everyday. I am going to suffer when the CL leaves, that's a fact!

Bryan is warming up to the fact that there is another baby in the house, but he still doesn't allow me to carry Brandon. I suppose it will take some time. If anyone has any tips, appreciate them!

First Night Duty

2008-08-01T11:03:00.002+08:00

Since the CL left, VT has been responsible for doing the graveyard shifts while I accompany Bryan to bed. The problem with Bryan is that he still wakes up a few times in the middle of the night looking for me (or rather, my thumbs!). Somehow even in his slumber stupour, Bryan is still able to distinguish VT's thumb from mine!

Anyway, as you know Brandon is much of a night owl. He fusses from midnight to 3am, then makes a symphony of weird groans and cries throughout the night. Last night, VT had to go outstation so Bryan slept over at my PILs. I spent my first full night with the little one. I'm totally smashed today as I've become a very light sleeper so I awaken with each whimper.

By the way, there is another twist to my CL situation. My mum hired a new one for me and she's coming on Sunday. VT & I are not too keen since we can manage but my mum pok-pek pok-pek about me not having enough nutritious food. So what to do, take only lor...somemore she insisted that she pays for this CL. *Sigh* hopefully this one doesn't raise my blood pressure like the previous one.

Going to catch 40 winks now. I left Brandon in his cot downstairs and came up to shower (and blog!). Sounds quiet - think he's fallen asleep :)

The First Day

2008-07-30T08:39:00.002+08:00

Ok, I'd survived the first day alone with Brandon yesterday. Pretty uneventful, I am pleased to report. He is on a 3-hour feeding schedule and sleeps pretty much in between, which gives me time to express BM, have my meals, watch "24" and nap. Brandon is still taking EBM during the day and formula at night.

Poor VT, who is responsible for the night-shifts, has not been as lucky. Apprently last night, Brandon was up from 12am-3am. Possible that he slept too much during the day. So today, I'll try to interact with Brandon a bit more. I can tell that his awake time is getting longer - unlike the first week where he literally slept, ate and poo-ed.

Only 20 more days to go. At least after the confinement period, I can kill boredom by taking him to empty shopping malls and also my folks' place for some relief.

Twist To The Story

2008-07-28T17:46:00.002+08:00

Just as I was about to have another diarrhoea moment about my confinement lady, this morning she told me that she started having sore throat and a cold. I think she is also not too happy working for me. As I got her through an agency, I called them up and immediately asked for my package to be converted to a food delivery package. I could have opted for a replacement nanny, but didn't because they said it would take up to 7 days because July is a "peak" month and I think I can cope without a stranger in a house. I'd promptly sent the CL off to the LRT station this afternoon.

So here I am - all alone with Brandon now. I won't b*tch about the previous CL since she's now gone. As a result, I may not have as much time as I thought I would (still hope that I can watch the 2 seasons of "24", which VT bought for me) but fingers crossed, I would be able to cope with the baby AND still go blog-hopping. It's a bit nerve-wrecking to think that I have to care 24/7 for this helpless little boy. Thank goodness I have Chanel (supermum!) for support. Anyway, watch out for me in your blog soon :)

P/S: By the way, I've almost stopped breastfeeding. Panjang cerita....but mainly due to my laziness. It's a shame but I won't beat myself up on this one.

I Have a New Life!

2008-07-28T09:21:00.003+08:00

Brandon Lim Yu Han was safely born on Saturday, 19 July 2008 at 7:40am. His stats:

Weight: 2.63kg (I know, tiny!!)
Length: 48cm
Head circumference: 33cm

Thanks to all for your congratulatory messages. Sorry this took a while to post as my internet connection kaput-ed as VT was trying to set up wifi at home. I was on a verge of tears the past week without access to the net. Also haven't had the time to download the photos as yet..... ok, that was a lie. I do have the time but I don't know how to (don't forget that I'm an IT-idiot) so I have to wait for VT to do it.

Anyway, I have so many things I want to blog about - labour story, all about Brandon, my confinement lady (!), but gotta dash now for a visit with the ob-gyn. So see you later, alligator!

And Another Update

2008-07-15T16:35:00.002+08:00

Bryan
About 95% of the membrane has fallen off - either while he was tossing around in bed or during the day when he's bumping himself against the couch. The new skin is red and sensitive to touch (I think!) but don't think it's painful. His next follow-up appointment with Dr Isa is on Thursday. Let's pray that the doctor has good things to say about the progress. And fingers crossed, we can give him a bath soon!

We brought him to The Gardens yesterday, seeing that it's a weekday hence safe to bring him out (we fear an infection from crowded areas) and his expression was priceless. He was running about and shouting "Wow" or "Yay" alternatively. I bet Bryan was really happy to be out after being cooped up in the house for so many days. Mummy & Daddy were grateful for the distraction as well.

Mummy
As luck has it, I had a sore throat last Thursday, which developed into fever, cough & cold over the weekend. My PILs were on holiday in Thailand the same weekend so it meant I couldn't park Bryan at their place to recuperate. I've been steadily taking Benadryl and Piriton. At least they help me sleep better at night.

I'd also just returned from a routine check-up at the ob-gyn. Zero dilation. The ob-gyn has ordered me back next Monday and if situation remains the same, I would need to be induced as the level of amniotic fluid is decreasing slowly. I'm now praying that the little one will show himself soon so that I don't need to be induced. Anyone experienced something similar before? Maybe the little one is waiting for Mummy to get well so that she has the energy to heave and push? :)

An Update

2008-07-11T12:07:00.002+08:00

Firstly, thank you sooooooo very much for all the support, love, kindness and courage that everyone has given us. I have not met 90% of you all and yet, the level of concern shown outweights many others whom I'm known all my life. PLUS not not mention other bloggers whom I've never spoken to before. THANK YOU!!!

We brought Bryan back to DSH for a check-up yesterday with the plastic surgeon, Dr Isa Omar. His wound is recovering well and the membrane has dried up. It's starting to itch and I've cautioned Bryan not to scratch it. He did it once and it was painful so after that, he stopped doing it. There's a cream to apply but I don't know how much it would help though I'm also reluctant to give him any more oral medication which will cause him to be drowsy. The poor boy was already sufficiently high on morphine over the weekend.

Some new skin has started to show itself - it looks very raw and red. It's a challenge also trying to keep him clean since he's always perspiring from running around. We keep having to mop him down since we can't bathe him and letting him wear the biggest singlet we can find (and use rubber bands to hold it up - at least it's cooling). The good news is that Bryan is back to his usual playful self and his appetite is back to normal as well.

When I wake up everyday and I see Bryan looking at me (he's usually the one who wakes me up by probbing my eye), I thank God for all His Blessings and for giving this hopeless mother a second chance. Sometimes, you sweat the small stuff (in my case, about Bryan being hyper-active & not napping during the day) that you lose sight of what is most important in our lives. God has grounded my two feet.

Terrible, Terrible Accident

2008-07-09T12:57:00.003+08:00

I'd always thought that the next time I would be admitted to Damansara Specialist Hospital would be when I deliver.

Last Saturday, I was admitted - only that it was with Bryan. While preparing his dinner, I didn't notice him walking into the kitchen and pulling a bowl of hot soup off the kitchen counter. I shall not give a blow-by-blow account of what happened because up till today, both VT and I keep wishing that we will wake up from this nightmare. Somehow, I myself do not want recall what happened nor keep any memories from this incident.

The past 4 days have been taxing for all of us - and Bryan especially so who is still traumatised. He underwent a surgery the same night to affix some membrane onto the burnt areas (below the lips, chin, chest and left arm), which will help to keep the area sterile until fresh skin grows back. We stayed in DSH from Saturday till Tuesday. We're back home and hoping to put some routine and normalcy back into Bryan's life.

To all parents out there - please do not be negligent or even take your eyes off your child for a split second, no matter what the circumstances. We are a living proof that your life can be altered in just a few precious seconds.

Needless to say, I think I'll be out of the blogsphere for a while - at least until #2 is born.

The Not-so-Glamour Mummy

2008-06-27T18:43:00.007+08:00

Jazzmint and I have planned to take some pregnancy shots of me since a few months back, but somehow due to clashing schedules, we didn't get around to doing it until 2 weekends ago. Also Jazzmint wanted my belly to be big first ha ha.

I had a really good time though I am not the posy-mosy type. Jazz even asked me why my smile to kaku sometimes, haha, sorry, me not model material lar. Here are some shots that I really like - because they don't show how darn fat I actually am :)

Thanks again, Jazz!

An Ob-Gyn Visit

2008-06-27T18:14:00.002+08:00

I'd just returned from a scheduled visit to the ob-gyn - every 7-10 days now. Today's visit was a particularly interesting one. My appointment was scheduled for 3pm but the ob-gyn was no where to be found when I arrived. His receptionist told me that he was called away for an emergency C-section. What to do? Wait lor...I'd noticed that there was only one lady ahead of me, ok so that wasn't too bad. So I'd waited, and waited and waited.

The first hour and I was through reading all the magazines there were in his clinic. I popped out to buy The Star since I didn't get a chance to read it yet. That kept me entertained for the next 45mins. The lady who was ahead of me was obviously not the reading sort as all this time, she was either talking to her husband or staring into space. Then there were 2 other ladies who had a girl (probably around 3yrs) and a boy (2yrs because I'd asked). They started playing with each other because they were obviously bored with the waiting. The more they played, the louder they got and then they started chasing each other. I watched with amusement as it reminded me of Bryan (and how thankful that I didn't bring him along, else situation even more jia lat). Anyway, the kids then started playing near Lady #1 and suddenly, her husband pushed them away and said, "Stay away from her". Lady #1 chirped in, "What's wrong with you, children?" and gave them a glare.

GEEZ!! What's wrong with them? Being expectant parents, I would have thought that they would have learnt that tolerance is the ONE virtue that need to be had. Plus you can't really blame the kids for entertaining themselves. Sure, they were screaming in excitement at one point, but give them a break - they are only kids. Luckily, they are not my kids else this couple would have kena kau-kau from me.

Seriously, would you have responded that way?

P/S: By the way, I finally saw my ob-gyn after waiting for close to 2 hours, and all for a 2min visit. All is well with my Baby #2. Approx weight 2.8kg now, which was Bryan's birth weight.

There Is A Lot More Love to Go Around

2008-06-19T15:59:00.003+08:00

As you know, Bryan is cared for by my MIL, or his "Ah Ma" whom unfortunate for me, Bryan also calls her "MaMa". Because of that, I'd started addressing myself as "Mummy" with Bryan, hoping that he will call me that instead to avoid any confusion. There was one night when we'd were driving out of my PILs house driveway when Bryan called out, "Mama". As usual, I would go, "Yes, Bryan?". And then to my surprise, he said, "No, no, no". Then my maid told me that he was referring to my MIL who waving at him. My heart sank right to the bottom of my feet. It was a very sad moment, that for once, Bryan was calling someone else so fondly, whom was not me. That was about 3 weeks ago.

Bryan has generally been more sticky to my MIL at nights as well - demanding that she carries him into my car when it's time to go home, or running to her first if he falls down and knocks his head. The first few times, of course I sakit hati lor. But then again, it's probably a blessing in disguise since #2 will be making his appearance soon. So it's a good thing that he is less clingy to me, except on weekends when his granny is not around.

It is a good thing that Bryan has so many people who loves and adores him. Afterall, my MIL spends a lot more time with him than I do so it is only natural that he is close to her. Better a relative than someone else, I supposed. At the same time, I'd also realised that my little boy probably has enough love to go around, who said you can only love one person at a time?

Our First Glimpse

2008-06-13T18:10:00.006+08:00

The bump turned 34 weeks today. It has been 5 weeks since my last check-up with the ob-gyn because he was away on a holiday. Stats today:

Baby's head has already turned downwards - yayyyyyy!!!!
Weight is between 2 - 2.4kgs
Mummy's weight is a whooping 70kgs! (no thanks to the durians and Lay's Sour Cream crisps)

This time around, I'd finally remembered to ask the ob-gyn to give me a copy of our little boy #2 scan.

One thing for sure, he has VT's lips - thick above, thin below. Bryan also the same. So, handsome or not? Ha ha too soon to tell!!!

Bryan @ 21 Months

2008-06-04T17:11:00.003+08:00

Three more months to turning "2" and two more months to his promotion to "Kor Kor".

Teeth: sprouted 2 bottom molars, and the bottom left incisor
Loves: macaroni, in all forms
Behavour: wailing when he doesn't get his way
Latest achievement: counting from 1 to 10 clearly
Sleep: Badddddddddd.....been waking up 4-5 times a night for comfort, and the up before 7am

Last Saturday, VT brought Bryan to the park so that I could cook dinner. When he was climbing up the gym, he missed a step and his right leg went through the step. He suffered quite a deep cut but surprisingly he didn't cry at the moment, or when VT gave him a bath later. However, he howled like crazy when I bathed him the following morning. By then, the wound had dried up! Up till today, Bryan would whine when he takes his bath and show me his "wound". He is learning how to seek sympathy already :)

Tag: Fabulous Friday Fives

2008-05-30T09:41:00.002+08:00

Slavemom left a message in my chat box that I have some "homework" but I couldn't check to see what it was until today. Lucky me because it's a tag to be done and posted on a Friday, and guess what today is? - Yup, a Friday!

DO YOU PREFER...

1. To watch or participate?
Depending on what the activity is.....if it is a sport, I'd rather watch. Otherwise I'm quite game to join in!

2. Malls, catalog shopping, or the Internet?
All 3! Shopping runs in my blood.

3. A bath or shower?
A hot shower for sure.

4. To talk to people by telephone, in person or by e-mail?
In person. I like to observe the person's expression & reaction....you can tell alot from there. Truth will stare you back in the face.

5. Typing or writing?
Typing lah....now ask me to write, I can't even read my own hand-writing!!

Early Morning Scare

2008-05-30T09:19:00.005+08:00

This morning, I was woken up by Bryan whining a little (he does this thru the night - reckons when he pees). I checked the clock and it read 5:42am. As I closed my eyes to get back to sleep, I felt the familiar numbing kind of pain that I had not experienced for a while now - the menstruation kind of pain! The pain escalated quite quickly and in less than 2mins, I swore they were contractions! I got up from bed and paced around the room - no use. I drank some water and waited - no use. My panic level was creeping up. Hey, the baby still have at least 8 weeks to go!

Suddenly I felt the urge to do a "big business" so on the throne I sat to relieve myself. If you've read my 1st labour story, you will recall that I had to do the "big thing" just before I went into active labour. By then, I was contemplating on waking VT up. This couldn't be it, I thought. I have not done any preparations yet - there are baby clothes to be washed, hospital bag to be packed, baby cot to be set up, baby bottles to be cleaned, a breastpump to be bought/borrowed - I am simply unprepared now!

After finishing, I decided to lie down on my side a while and thank goodness, the pain started to subside. Soon after, I must have drifted off to la-la land.

Thanks to Mr (Mrs) Braxton Hicks, my adrenalin level hit quite a high this morning! I think I had better stop my lengah-lengah-ing and start with the preps!

Introducing Mr. Whiny

2008-05-27T19:28:00.000+08:00

I have never been a true believer of the “Terrible Twos” concept because I think it’s only part and parcel of children growing up and has no direct correlation with the age. The fact that they are getting older, usually just spells trouble.

Bryan is 21 months. He is definitely a personality of his own and is learning to assert his wants (mind you, not his needs but his wants) by whining when he doesn’t get what he wants. At times, he runs out to the living room and throws his entire torso onto the couch. Real drama king!

A few recent examples:

B: (pointing to raisins)…Want!
M: No, you didn’t eat your porridge tonight so you can’t have this
B: (whine & cry)

M: (cooking dinner)
B: Hold…..(grabbing my hand and pulling me to the living room to watch Barney)
M: Mummy has to cook….Bryan watch Barney with kakak ok?
B: (whine & cry)

M: Mummy going to pom-pom
B: (whine & cry)

B: Papa, park
D: But it’s raining……come we go and feel the rain
B: (whine & cry)

M: Breakfast is served
B: (looking at the bowl of yoghurt & cereal) (whine & cry)

Get my drift? I’ve been letting him cry because it stops in 2mins flat. I would probably not be able to pay as much attention to Bryan when I have the newborn, so better I start sending signals to him now rather than later. Don’t want him to despise his little brother, right?

What’s With the Bump

2008-05-27T19:25:00.002+08:00

This Mummy commented that I have not been blogging about Pregnancy #2, which is entirely true. Why is that so? I’d thought of several possible reasons:

(1) Less excitement seeing that I’ve gone through this before. I did not once refer to my well-thumbed copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” this time around
(2) Less time to fuss over Pregnancy #2 when you’re spending all your time chasing after #1
(3) I’m physically and mentally more prepared this time around

You see, it’s not that I treasure Pregnancy #2 less (heavens, no!) but the feeling is different, somewhat, somehow. I know what to expect week-on-week, how the baby is progressing and the do’s and don’ts. I’d recently had a laugh with my ob-gyn about how I would wait for 30mins to see him for 3mins, simply because I didn’t have any questions for him!

In addition, I thank God that this has been an uneventful pregnancy although I did go through 19 weeks worth of all-day sickness and lost a whooping 5kgs, which also explains why I’m only 6kgs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight but in actual fact, I’ve put on 11kgs thus far. I did not suffer abdominal itchiness, unlike my first, which my ob-gyn cheekily pointed out that my skin is “loose” already :P I did go through a bad case of insomnia, something which I did not experience previously but the usual backache and breathlessness are evident when I lie down. And also not forgetting the copious amount of durian consumed :)

My only worry is that I won’t be able to cope with a newborn and a 2yr old toddler, but let’s not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough worries of it own.

Our Little Get-a-Way

2008-05-15T16:22:00.009+08:00

Here's the post that you have been waiting for.
VT and I went away for 3days/2 nights to BALI.

We flew via Air Asia and my-oh-my, I wouldn't recommend the 3-hour flight for preggies as my back almost broke. I was even willing to pay for a pillow, but they had none. At least on the way there, we managed to get the whole row to ourselves so I slouched and tried to ignore the backache.

Day 1
The driver from The Ahimsa was already waiting for us at the arrival hall, with our names nicely printed on a shout-out board. We were pampered with ice-cold towels and a bottle of mineral water each for the quick 10 minutes drive to the villa in Jimbaran. Now, the villa was really something. The villa is designed with maximum air-flow and generous open spaces, complete with a private plunging pool. The bedroom is the only area of the villa with air-conditioning, which also opens up directly to the pool. The bath has an open-air bath tub and shower with twin sinks. What can I say? We were truly pampered!

We headed out to Kuta for a late lunch after dumping our bags and oohing-&-aahing the villa. The villa even provides a personal van cum driver. After lunch, we walked around hunting for a shop selling Polo shirts, which cost only RM80 over there. Grabbed a few as pressies and walked some more....ok, not a WHOLE lot more as I was tired. So took a taxi back to the villa to rest before heading out to Ku De Ta for a lavish dinner by the beach in Seminyak. After dinner, we watched "Vantage Point" in bed and zzzzzzz........

Day 2

Breakfast was served in the private enclave of our villa (cooking was also done in the villa by 2 cooks, who promptly arrived at whatever time you preferred). After breakfast, this lazy mummy promptly declared that she was tired and went back to bed for a snooze. I woke up just in time for lunch, and upon wandering, found VT lounging by the pool reading his book. We headed back out to Kuta for a light lunch. It drizzled in the morning so weather was cool but not wet. Having been to Bali before, we did not do any sight-seeing hence walked rather aimlessly, stopping ocassionally for coffee & ice-cream.

We had initially planned to have seafood for dinner but ended up in Hard Rock Cafe, where I'd indulged in a pork sandwich. How to find it here, right? We lingered till 10pm when the live band was supposed to come on, but after 15mins of waiting, we decided to leave. I suspect it was because the crowd was thin (only 2-3 tables). Back to the villa to watch another DVD - "I Am Legend".

Day 3
We were both eager to get home as we'd missed our little boy very much. Funny how when we're with him, I whine of being tired and at times, frustrated with his never-ending supply of energy. But when we're not, all I did was to talk about him.

We bade good-bye to the lovely villa staff as I dreaded the 3-hour flight home. It was definately a holiday to remember as it rejuvenated me physically and emotionally. Afterall, there will be no more holidays in the next year or so!

A Mall-ful Day

2008-05-15T16:09:00.003+08:00

I took a day of leave today, just to clear some leave before going on a longgggggggg maternity leave in 2 1/5 months time. My company gives us 30 paid days of annual leave, so plus 60 days of maternity leave, effectively I have 90 days to clear this year!

First agenda was to meet Wen at Kluang Station @ 1Utama. As usual lah, we gabber-gabber-gabber until we forgot to take photo, again. I was already there at 9am after dropping Bryan off at my MIL's so went straight to 1U. I had nasi lemak kosong with coffee while Wen had kaya toast and iced Milo. To quench our thirst (talk a lot mah), we both also had a mug of iced barley. Thanks for breakfast, Wen - your kaya toast very expensive hor! Poor Wen was still limiping but it sure didn't do anything to deplete her energy and bubbliness!!

Then after picking up a few items from Toys-R-Us, I met VT for a nice Japanese lunch at Sunway Pyramid. We managed to pak tor for 2 hours before I sent him back to work.

By 3pm, I was at Cold Storage @ Ikano Power Centre to pick up a few items for this long weekend dinners. How typical of me to browse aisle-by-aisle to pick up unnecessary item, such as a muffin tray when I know my Mum has one already. But this is for myself, I'd justified then.

Now more than an hour later, I'm finally back home, settled in front of the PC with a glass of ice-cold root beer. I think this is the first time that I'd covered 3 shopping malls in a day.

Have you done it before?

M.I.A Again...

2008-05-07T18:59:00.003+08:00

Yes, I hate it myself too when I'd realised that the last posting was dated 21 April. I'm still very much alive and well as you would know if your blog was not on blogspot since I can visit your sites from work. I am on half day leave today as my ob-gyn appointment was in the afternoon so I decided to take the opportunity to go grocery shopping at the same time. I was supposed to update my blog about our recent vacation too but VT hasn't downloaded the photos. What is a vacation write-up without photos, right?

Back to my visit to the ob-gyn....everything is well. I'm in my 28th week now; weighting 68.5kgs (yipes, to think that I have not been eating durian) and baby weighting 1-1.2kg. Baby B has still not turned, which I hope he will in the next couple of weeks. Baby B is very active especially when we were flying in the plane. Kicked non-stop for 3 hours. I'm still chasing after Bryan and carrying him at times though my back aches a lot more often now, especially after I give him his bath. Anyhow, no complains about this pregnancy either - it has been going very well :)

Ok promise I'll be back soon to tell you where VT & I went last weekend - photos included!

More About Myself & Bryan

2008-04-21T14:01:00.006+08:00

I have been terrible at updating my blog. I'd used to be able to spend at least an hour on both Saturdays and Sundays to update it, and also to visit others, when VT puts Bryan down for this morning. Now that the nap is gone, this opportunity seemed to have vinished as well.

Take last weekend for instance.

Saturday -

6:30am Bryan wakes me up

8:00am Breakfast

10:00am Bath

10:30am Take parents to 1-Utama

2:00pm Rush home to collect McDonalds delivery (50 sets of Happy Meals!)

3:00pm Send the Happy Meals to the pediatric ward of GH

4:30pm Back home; start preparing for dinner

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Bath

8:30pm Mlik & Sleep

I was so tired that I fell asleep when Bryan fell asleep at 9-ish.

Sunday was pretty much the same except that we had a birthday party brunch. I told VT to wake me up if I ter-sleep again, but before I knew it, it was the morning again. Apparently VT tried rousing me but I was pseudo-dead!

This morning was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I woke up with a throbbing headache and a body which felt that it was run over by a train (well, Bryan can be likened to a train sometimes - in terms of weight and speed!). I decided to take the day off and after sending Bryan to my MIL's, I came home and snoozed from 9 to 1. Now after I shower and catching up on some blogs, I need to:

(1) Buy Cherios from Hartamas shopping centre

(2) Go hunt for durians (got yearning lah!)

(3) Do my income tax return

(4) Spuce up the house a bit

(5) Pay a few bills

Lots of things to do, too little time - an epitome of life for all mothers!

Before I sign off, here are a few photos of the little boy that keeps me on my toes.

Bryan enjoyed his Haagen Daz chocolate brownie

Bryan's latest trick - jumping off the side of the couch at the count of 1-2-3

A very happy boy after completing a successful jump

Since We Last Spoke.....(Myself)

2008-04-08T17:49:00.003+08:00

If I could just sum up the happenings on my side without getting into the boring details:

(1) Finally fully recovered from the cough and cold just 3 days ago
(2) Developed back muscle sprain from the trip to Singapore (suspect it was the hotel's too-soft mattress)
(3) Ballooning up like a whale - I'd hit 67kgs!!
(4) Working like a dog on the project that has been taking me to Singapore. It's a "do it right-or-die" kind of project. Wow, such motivation!

Despite all the not-too-great news above, the three of us managed to spend the weekend away @ The Westin KL. I had a free room voucher that will expire in April hence decided to go at the spur of the moment. It was good to get away from the usual schedule and indulged in some luxury. More about it once I get VT to download the photos that we took.

Speaking of indulgence, VT & I have finally firmed up our little holiday happening in 3 weeks time. Won't give you the details as yet.....till we return from it! Ha Ha

Since We Last Spoke.....(Bryan)

2008-04-08T17:39:00.002+08:00

Bryan is turning 20 months in 2 weeks. Can't believe that he's only 4 months short of turning TWO!! Time for a stocktake, I say!

Latest physical development:
Running around in circles
Jumping (he squats first and then tries to leap up with both his feet off the ground)
Climbing the stairs without holding onto anything....fails miserably most of the time

And the mental side:
Able to understand instructions fairly well, though chooses to ignore them most of the time
Able to put 2-piece puzzles together (thought he was a bit slow in this department)
Loves to ask "where?" for his mis-placed toys
Knows that "wo wo" and "dog" means the same thing
Catching on to more 2-syllable words

Bryan's favourite department - FOOD!
Latest craze is raisins
Feeds himself entirely, and rather quickly too. Mealtimes are over in 10 minutes tops.
All-time favourite food are still banana and cheddar cheese

More Presents...

2008-04-08T17:35:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Slavemom and Angeleyes for these awards, which took me a while to pick them up since I have not been blogging!

Update

2008-03-28T18:24:00.001+08:00

Just a quick update and a heartful of thanks for all the well wishes.

I am now in Changi waiting for my flight back to KL, having spent 3 days in Singapore for work. I still have the cough and also a runny nose. I'd managed to get some pregnancy-safe drug from Singapore so I'm feeling better though it is a very slow process.

Got to go - I have 15mins to chug down my sandwich from O'Briens. See you back in KL!

This Sucks!

2008-03-24T23:14:00.004+08:00

Just as Bryan has started to sleep through the night, well more-or-less, it's now me who is unable to sleep.

First, there is insomnia, which I heard occurs in at least 75% of pregnant women. Well, that's me contributing to the statistics now. I did not face this problem when I was preggers with Bryan. Now it takes me up to 2 hours just to get back to sleep whenever I wake up for a midnight leak.

Then, there is this chesty cough that I'd developed a week back. It started with sore throat and then developed into a dry cough, and now a chesty one. It got so bad that I'd lost my voice over the weekend. Over-the-counter cough syrups are usually Category C meaning they have not been tested on pregnant women hence effect is unkown. So I have been suffering, only able to drink hot water with honey and some soups.

To make matter worse, rest is elusive as my PILs went for a holiday and VT is busy at work. So I've been SAHM for the past 5 days. Thank goodness for my parents as I have been over at their place to kill boredom.

Come think of it, this is probably the latest time I've ever blogged. The thought of lying down in bed, tired but enable to sleep because I'm coughing my lungs out, is terribly depressing.

Bloggers Gathering Anyone?

2008-03-16T10:54:00.002+08:00

Who is keen for a bloggers' gathering? I thought this would be a good idea since Angeleyes is in town. My suggestions:

(1) Somewhere in KL/PJ - I would offer my place but it's a townhouse so can fit only about 5 families comfortably. Any volunteers?
(2) If eating out, it's got to be child-friendly naturally, with a large supply of baby chairs
(3) Saturday lunchtime?

Let me know of your thoughts please, and who would be keen :)