Daddy's Birthday

While the nation was celebrating their independence, we're celebrating our Daddy's birthday at Ferringhi Garden. Nope, it's not the actual day yet, but we took the opportunity of the public holiday since it's quite a distance from where we're staying.

This was my 2nd time celebrating Daddy's birthday. Last year, I was just about 3.5 months and that was my first outing. Before that they hardly took me out, since I was too small.

1 year ago

Now

No, you didn't see wrongly, I'm a BIG girl now!

Daddy, Mommy and I arrived rather early, so we had time to go around the place while waiting for Jie Jie, Amah, and 3rd Chik Chik (2nd Chik Chik was still in Singapore). By the time they arrived, I've finished my porridge!

Amah, 3rd Chik Chik and Jie Jie

Halfway eating, we're greeted by a band who offered to sing us some songs. They started with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for me, followed by Mary Had a Little Lamb for Jie Jie and finally Happy Birthday for Daddy. Very nice songs!

While they were eating, Jie Jie and I had a fun time roaming around the place. Mommy had to follow me all over the place, since I wouldn't want to sit still. After everyone was done eating, Mommy asked the waitress to serve the birthday cake. It took Daddy by surprise, even though he knew that they would be serving the cake soon. Why? Because of the setting, how it was served, and also the birthday songs that came with the cake - from the crew of waiter/waitress. It was really a pleasant surprise.

Photo session with the birthday boy - yes, see I was clapping my hand too!

The birthday cake - Mommy's home-made peach marscarpone cheese cake

Enjoying the birthday cake - Jie Jie feeding me

Well, that's only the prelude. Here's what happened on the actual day...

Jie Jie insisted on getting a party hat before we had our dinner.

We had a lot of detour before we finally made it to our destination - the dinner place, which was the same one that we went to during Mommy's birthday. Jie Jie kept asking for this and that. Daddy had to make a few u-turns because she didn't want to go to Jusco when we're nearly there, but to Tesco instead. And she wanted to get a party hat for Daddy somemore! Since we're running out of time, Mommy told Daddy to ignore her - we had to return the camera to Mommy's friend by 10pm, and it was already 8.30pm then. Our camera's LCD was not functioning so Mommy borrowed one for this special occasion. And Mommy's friend had been very nice to come to our place to deliver it to her, and also to collect it back later. In the end, Daddy and Mommy managed to convince Jie Jie that party hats were only sold in Jusco, so she agreed to eat in Jusco (actually it's QBM). Phew! Much nearer to our house compared to Tesco.

When we reached Jusco, Jie Jie headed straight to Toy r Us and she took quite some time to choose the party hat, etc. Not only for her, but for everyone! Daddy was really patient with her, and in the end, he managed to persuade her to get the princess party set for herself (she wanted a blue pipe, not any other colour!) while everyone else had a common hat (as if it's her birthday!). In the end, when we're done, Mommy thought we could go straight for dinner. Not that easy, we were distracted by the rides on the way so they had to make another stop there and let us had some fun at the playground first before we finally headed to the dinner place.

Jie Jie ate a lot of those sushi rolls, while I had some portions too. Later I wanted to go walk walk so Mommy had to take me out for a short walk while Daddy and Jie Jiew finished their dinner. When we're finally done, we headed home to sing birthday song to Daddy and cut the cake.

Posing with our party set

Jie Jie wanted to light the candle, see she's holding the knife to cut the cake too!

Singing the birthday song and cutting of the cake

A mille crepe birthday cake, Happy Birthday Daddy!

Negaraku

A few days ago, Hubby was asking me if I still remember how to sing the Negaraku. I thought I've memorized that by heart, but when I tried to sing our national anthem, I realized I had forgotten a few words here and there. We both laughed about it, giving ourselves the excuse that it had been years since we're asked to sing it every week in school last time.

Now, one day after picking SY from school, she started to sing the Negaraku. I was a bit shocked because I never expected her to know it by heart. Now, that brings back my memory of the those missing lyrics.... thanks to my little girl!

Ah Kong

SY has been talking about her Ah Kong lately. She would tell me her Ah Kong loved her very much, took her to play at the robot station (I have no idea where she got these new words robot station from), bought stickers for her, etc.

One day, she was telling me that she got new stickers that day. I asked her, was it from her friends? Her friends at school love to give her stickers.

She said, "No, this one my Ah Kong gave me one".

Then, later she told me it's lost. I replied, "Ask your Ah Kong to buy you a new one la".

Here's her reply, "Cannot. My Ah Kong die already la".

And it happened that night was the first day of the 7th month in Chinese Calendar, which was the Ghost Festival.

When a Child Speaks...

As my little girl is growing up, I was rather taken aback when I heard her expressions at times. Here are some of the things that took me by surprise - I wonder where she learnt all this!

Scenario 1:
One day, Sze Yi was trying to piece her alphabets and numbers on her drawing board. Halfway thru, I asked her to brush her teeth so that I could prepare her for bed. She followed me to the bathroom after much persuasion. That time, Sze Juin was eagerly trying to have her hands on the alphabets too. So when she saw her sister went away, she quickly went there to play with the alphabets. Sze Yi quickly rushed over, trying to prevent SJ from messing her stuffs. She succeeded, and then I heard her say, "Phew, that is close!"


Scenario 2:
SY was reciting the 三字经 with Daddy last night. They went until very far, even Daddy was very impressed. Of course being a banana, Mommy didn't know what's going on. Then I heard her said, "Daddy, let's stop for a while. My mouth want to rest now." LOL! Daddy was speechless!


Scenario 3:
Hubby was showing SY our wedding photo presentations that I did last time. She was very excited and kept asking a lot of questions, "Why Mommy and Daddy posed like that ler, etc. " Then, she told Hubby, "Daddy, I want to marry you too!" I was wondering to myself if she knew that marriage is between a girl and a boy - is that why she told Hubby that she wanted to marry him and not me? Well, that very night, when I was getting her ready to brush her teeth, she said to me, "Mommy, I want to marry you!" I told her that I would have to be her prince in order to marry her, but I'm not a man. She didn't want to listen, so I guess she didn't know the significance of that yet. Later, she continued on, "Mommy, you have to wait until I grow up first, ok? After I'm this tall, then I'll marry you. "

Can Jesus Talk?

One day, Sze Yi couldn't sleep. I suggested a few things to her, but she had a lot of excuses. Then, I ran out of things to say, so I told her to pray to Jesus. I was trying to put Sze Juin to sleep, but with Sze Yi kept talking, it's difficult. Guess what's her reply?

"Mommy, Jesus can't talk one. No point I pray to Him. You see, I pray now. Jesus, pls let me sleep faster. He didn't answer me also!"

I didn't know what to say, so I told her a story about how Jesus actually sent help to a man who kept praying but didn't listen properly. It went something like this...

Once upon a time, there's a flood in a small village. Everyone was rushing to pack and find somewhere safe to go. Except for one man, who refused to budge since he believed that God will help him. He just sat there and prayed. A friend of his came by, and offerred him his boat. But he refused, saying God will help him. Then, when the water level was getting higher up to his waist, another police boat came by. But he refused to join them. Finally, when the water level raise to his nose level, a helicopter came. But he was still very stubborn and he said he had faith in God. Finally, this man died and when he saw God, he asked him. "Lord, I had so much faith in you, how come you didn't come to save me?" God answered, "I tried to save you 3 times, but you refused to listen."

Well, after this story ended, she didn't say anything. I doubted she understand it yet. A few days later, she was praying out loud.

"Jesus, please let Amah be a young lady again. Pls let 2nd Chik Chik be a young lady again". I corrected her, man, not lady. Then she continued, "Please let Poh Poh be a young lady again. Please let Gong Gong be a young ... Mommy, young what?" I told her young man. Then she said, "Oh, young man. Amen".

And when she's done, she said, "Mommy, Jesus can't talk one hor?"

Not Scared Anymore!

Yay, I'm now no longer scared of washing my hair like a big girl - at home. Before that, I only let the aunties or teachers washed for me in school, but I wouldn't let Mommy do it. She had to carry me like a baby in order to wash my hair.

But recently, after I've switched to Full Day, my teacher taught me a way to brave the storm. Everyday, when Mommy picked me up, I would proudly tell her without fail that I didn't cry when I washed my hair. But I wouldn't let her do the same thing at home. Until today, which is about 2 weeks after I switched to Full Day, I am ready. I used my hands to cover my face, bent my face downwards and told Mommy to pour the water on my head. And this time, she could do it for as long as she liked, I wouldn't scream or cry anymore. Both Daddy and Mommy are really proud of me :)

So, I can now say bye bye to all those techniques which was not successful anyway - they have suggested using goggles, or my Doraemon plastic cap, which could prevent the water from touching my eyes. But hey, I really have to salute Mei Mei, she let Mommy wash her hair this way too - looks like she's a brave girl, ya?

First Spelling Test!

I had my first spelling test last Monday! It's just 3 words - ARM, AXE and ANT! Mommy couldn't make me spell them correctly during the weekends, so she gave up on me. But when Daddy took over, within minutes, I could spell them all correctly! Ah, but too bad I had to write them out. I'm never good in writing, so Daddy made me write out those alphabets until I got them correct.

Come Monday, I was all set. When Mommy came to fetch me back that day, she asked my teacher how was it? She said OK. So when I reached home and Daddy asked me, I told him OK too. They still haven't got to see it yet, but for now they presume I got it all right.

But... I haven't finished yet. Last night, I was playing school with Mommy. She's the teacher, I was the student. When she asked me to spell a certain word, I told her, "Mommy, why no dotted lines one?" And then, Mommy was surprised and asked me, "Why, your spelling test got dotted lines one ar?" I chose not to answer her...

I guess she'll only know when she got back my test paper.

The Buttons Frenzy

Recently, SY was crazy with buttons. Or rather shirt with buttons. She kept requesting to wear clothes with buttons and loved to unbutton as well as to button up on her own. And when she had difficulty trying to get it done, I asked her if she needed any help. She would say, "No, thanks". And she added, "It's so easy. Why is it so easy one??". Puzzled, I looked at her, and found her fighting with the buttons! It looked like she's either confused with the word easy, or she's trying to convince herself that it's actually an easy task :)

One day, as she's gettting more expert with the buttons, she asked me, "Mommy, why my school uniform didn't have buttons one?" I then told her to ask her principal to design something with buttons on. But, she still didn't understand that, and requested me to buy uniforms with buttons instead!

Now, I'll have to go hunting for more PJs or shirt with buttons...

Our Little Navigator

We're walking back from the babysitter's place one day after fetching SJ (yes, our sitter came back finally!) and Jie Jie didn't want to get down from the stroller. I took the stroller along so that I didn't need to carry Mei Mei later. Unfortunately, it turned out that Mei Mei didn't want to sit in it but preferred to walk.

Ok, I let her, but little did I knew what she's up to! Yes, she didn't want to let me hold her hand either, but preferred to walk on her own. She led the way, and to my amazement, she even knew the direction home! Yes, she's walking in front, while I pulled along the heavy stroller with its overweight load, trying to catch up with the little toddler.

Guess I won't have to worry next time if she'll get lost when she walked home from the babysitter's place. Now, I'll just need to make sure that she knows how to get there so that next time I didn't even need to drop her there! Lazy Mommy :)

George Town Heritage Celebration

During the World Heritage celebration in George Town on the weekend of 25-26th of July, we wanted to try our luck at the free boat ride at Lim Jetty, Weld Quay on Saturday 9am-2pm. However, when we reached there at 11am, we're told that it's "finished". They only took the first 300 passengers on board. So, we made our way to the Fort Cornwallis instead.

What did we find there? Yes! Lots of swings. But too bad there's only 1 swing with the baby-friendly type. And unfortunately, Jie Jie wouldn't let me sit in it!

So, after awhile, I went off to explore around...

Of course with Daddy and Mommy! Even though I wouldn't allow them to hold my hands at times now, I wouldn't dare to explore on my own. More posing with Daddy and Mommy...

And all these while, Jie Jie was still swinging there, refused to join us. Finally, Mommy accompanied her (with me, of course) while Daddy and Amah went for the famous ice kacang at the Malay stall nearby. We played the slides, see-saw, etc for awhile before Mommy managed to convince Jie Jie to go try the ice-kacang. However, when we arrived there, Jie Jie didn't want to eat, so Daddy and Mommy switched role.

The next day, we went to have a look at the Chingay Competition. Mommy forgot to bring the camera so there's no pictures to share. I couldn't understand why they wanted to throw and catch the big flag, but whenever they successfully catched the flag, everyone would clap. Later, since both of us were groggy, we went home.

128!

Recently Sze Juin kept saying 128 (in mandarin), and MIL really went to buy the number. However, when it came out, it's 118! So when Sze Juin kept blabbering on 1128 one day, MIL said, "Really meh? That day you tell Amah 128, but 118 open instead!"

My First Bento!

Mommy never thought she would need to prepare any bento for me before this, because I always ate what was served without a fuss since small. But somehow, now I was more fussy...

With this bento, she managed to excite me for awhile. At least, I tried nearly all the food, even though I didn't like pumpkin and the baked potato, or rice...

PG -> Ipoh -> KL -> Malacca (Part 2)

The next day, we woke up fully rested. But the room was too cold to our liking, so we just switched off the air-condition totally. Since our room package came with breakfast for free, we went down for breakfast. But Sze Yi didn't want to go, she preferred watching TV in the room. So we took Sze Juin along, leaving Sze Yi with MIL. Sze Juin ate quite a variety of food, much to my delight. She basically had different types of fruits, plain chicken porridge and a bit of the baked beans, corn-flakes, bread, etc.

After breakfast, we packed and waited for hubby's uncle to arrive. We planned to have lunch with him before heading to our next destination. Well, I was relieved because both the girls did their big businesses in the hotel before we departed, so that solved another of my worries during trips. At least I knew that they won't be constipated, and also we didn't need to stop halfway for this purpose. Haha, mothers never stop worrying about such tiny details, do we? I bet this is nothing of daddy's concerns at all :) He was worried about more important issues, like the directions - how to get us there safely. That's because none of us were familiar with the roads, and if we got lost halfway, there's no one to navigate him even if we brought maps along since I was busy with the kids at the back. But he got his problems solved too, when he decided to buy a GPS for this very trip.

Ok, so we had lunch with MIL's younger brother and his good friend at the famous Ampang Yong Tau Foo. Sze Yi ate a little of this and that of the food that they ordered, but not much. She still prefered her nen nen. As for Sze Juin, I fed her the fruit-cereal with red rice powder & dried anchovies that I prepared. She finished in no time.

They were both just about to sleep before we made this lunch stop, so their temper was not too good. When we continued on with our journey again, it was not a smooth one. Sze Yi kept asking for stories (non-stop) - she always wanted stories when she's trying to fall asleep, but Sze Juin didn't want me to talk at all - she preferred silence when she's trying to sleep. So when I started, "Once upon a time...", she would cry. And when I stopped, Sze Yi would make a fuss. I was torn in between - whether to talk or not to talk. It went on for quite awhile, so I asked hubby to make a stop at the rest area. This somehow relieved Sze Juin, and she didn't want to continue on with the journey (meaning going into the car again). Luckily, after another bottle of milk, Sze Yi slept, so I just needed to deal with 1 kid instead of 2. SJ kept on crying throughout the whole journey, and we needed to make a few stops. I even got a balloon for her (which was not my style) to calm her down. And when we finally reached Malacca, she was falling asleep. By the time we checked into our apartment, she was still sleeping on my shoulder as you can see from the picture. Only when I tried to put her on the bed, she cried and then woke up. I knew she's not fully rested, so I was prepared for her to be moody anytime. Luckily, she's ok, as long as not in the car.

Our initial plan was to go to the A Famosa Resort, but since it's fully booked, we stayed in the town instead. Hubby made a few phone calls to his friends from Malacca, and they recommended him where to stay. We headed there, checked in and the kids felt instantly happy again. To them, this trip was all about hotels. Sze Yi kept saying, "I want to go and stay in the hotel," as if that's our final destination.

The view from the 1-room apartment that we stayed in

After that, since none of them wanted to sleep again, we went out for some exploration.

Sze Yi didn't want to pose properly.

So this was the best that hubby could get

More photos to follow

At the fountain

The kids just couldn't get enough of the fountain

Christ Church (see how Sze Yi covered her face with the balloon)

The Clock Tower (Sze Yi loved it when it went ding dong ding dong, we sang the Hickory Dickory Dock song together)

Finally she wanted to post!

We took them for a trishaw ride experience

The scenery along the ride

After the ride, more posing with the trishaw

We went for a Jonker Walk, to visit the famous Night Market there, which only opened on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays (and it was Sunday when we went there)

The famous chicken rice ball (so-so to my liking), and cendol with gula Melaka (must try!)

The kids started to get restless before we covered the whole street (it's really a long street) so we went back home. It's already quite late by then, and we noticed that Sze Juin started to have runny nose (maybe from the hotel that we stayed in last night - it was too cold). But when we went back to our apartment (or hotel to the kids), they became alert immediately and didn't want to sleep.

The next morning, all of us went down for breakfast. It was a hearty meal for us adults, but not for the kids. Somehow Sze Juin who used to eat nearly everything didn't really have great appetite that day. Maybe she was not feeling well. That made us reconsider our initial plan of going to the A Famosa Resort next. When Sze Juin had a fall (from the chair in our apartment later when we're packing up), we decided to go home straight away. What a long journey it was, we left around 12noon, and went all the way straight to Penang, only stopping at the rest areas for lunch break, toilet stops and also a short durian spree! We finally reached Penang at about 7pm.

Well, it was really an adventure, we never thought it was such a short trip (anyway, we only shorterned our trip by one day). And now, thinking back, maybe it's a blessing in disguise afterall because I later learnt that my brother who also went to the A Famosa Resort during the same weekend was down with high fever, cough and flu for 5 days. Also, an institute of higher learning (I couldn't recall the name now) nearby the place was closed temporary for suspected H1N1 cases.

As for the kids, upon reaching home, they were so happy and didn't show any sign of tiredness. Sze Juin got well 2 days after that, so I guessed that's what mattered most. Hopefully we could make another trip there soon, and tried the satay celup that we missed...

PG -> Ipoh -> KL -> Malacca (Part 1)

We went for another trip last weekend. It was a super trip, because we only took 3 days thru and fro to cover such a distance.

Since it was only planned at the very last minute, we actually packed on the day of departure itself. And, the funny thing was that we didn't wake up extra early, since we're all very tired. I think I only woke up at 8.30am or so, cooked their porridge and then started packing. We left around 11am, stopped at Auto City for our breakfast before continuing on our journey.

We had lunch at Ipoh, and stopped at my parents' house for awhile. Sze Yi quickly warmed up to them and my sister. She told us that she wanted to stay the night there. But when we left, she changed her mind immediately. We then continued on to KL. Well, since this was a last minute trip, we didn't book the hotel in advance. So, when we called them on that day, it was all fully booked. However, luck was on our side when we reached there and walked-in to ask again. I made sure that it was not the only room available, since I have heard of stories where hotels should reserve 1 room at all times.

So we checked in. The kids, as usual quickly felt at home and warmed up to the new environment.

Sze Juin struggling to get down, wanted to explore the new place right away

Sze Yi enjoyed watching the TV, while eating the snack that we brought along. Where as Sze Juin was busy exploring the place, leaving nothing left unchecked.

The view from the hotel

I gave them a quick bath before we went out for dinner. By the time we're ready, it was already 6pm++. I brought along a thermal cooker so the porridge that I cooked this morning was still warmed.

Getting ready to go out

We went to The Curve and we did some shopping at Daiso. After that, we had dinner at the Marché. It was a very fresh concept of dining where it gave us a marketplace kind of atmosphere.

Outside the restaurant

The kids had a balloon each, but they couldn't really sit still all the time so hubby and I took turns to eat.

After dinner, we made our way to Ikea for some shopping. While there, I put my sling to good use since their weight were weighing down on me. I even used it on Sze Yi, and I felt instantly relieved from the weight. However, Sze Juin didn't want to sleep in it (she's very sleepy by now). Somehow, she preferred to sleep on my shoulder instead, and kept asking me to remove the sling. So, we quickly finished our shopping and made our way back.

By the time we reached our hotel, we're aching all over. It was such a long walk, whatsmore having to carry the two kids all the time. Sze Yi didn't want to walk, kept complaining she's tired so hubby and I took turns carrying them. Phew, I think I couldn't feel my legs anymore by the time we reached our room. Luckily, we're just staying nearby.

We expected them to sleep right away after that, but to our dismay, they suddenly became hyper-active. Must be due to the hotel, they just loved hotels! Sze Yi, upon reaching the hotel, the first thing she asked was to switch on the TV and sat on the bed, munching her snack. She didn't eat much for dinner, but kept on asking for milk. In fact, throughout the whole trip, she ate very little, but nearly finished the whole box of milk that we brought along. Sigh...

As for Sze Juin, she was so excited rolling around until her head accidentally hit hubby's mouth - and it bled! Luckily, it's nothing major, not a very big swell. But, Sze Yi was very worried, she even cried for Daddy! In the end, Daddy had to console her, instead of being consoled!

Well, this was only Day 1 of our journey. But it seemed like it's already the last day because we're all so tired.

Up on Daddy's Shoulder

The view is never the same!

A cry can turn into a smile too!

First Movie!

Since it's a replacement holiday, Mommy and Daddy took me (and Mei Mei too!) for our first movie! Guess what we watched?

ICE AGE 3: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS

I had my own seat, in between Amah and Mommy. Juin Juin was on Mommy's lap, and then Daddy beside them. I behaved very well throughout the movie, and so was Mei Mei. Initially, we're scared of the loud sound, but after awhile, I realized it's not that bad. I enjoyed my pop-corn throughout the movie, always telling Amah not to finish it (I was sharing with her).

Halfway thru the movie, Mei Mei fell asleep, so Mommy got to explain to me the scenes. I kept asking Mommy - what did he say? It was funny, but I was still scared in between - need Mommy to comfort me on and off.

When the movie nearly ended, Mei Mei woke up, Mommy breastfed her, and she got excited and kept pointing to the big charactors in front of the big screen. I got restless towards the end, so Daddy asked me to go sit on his lap. Good too, not so scary. So I went, but I had to always remind Daddy not to finish my pop-corn too.

When the movie ended, it's just the right time too. Coz both Mei Mei and I started to feel restless by now, but we made it. Completed the whole movie without the need to walk around. Amah kept praising me, saying that during Daddy's time, Ah Kong needed to keep bringing him out. Guess I fared better than Daddy, huh? Shame on him, hehehe.. Ah, but I couldn't deny that Mei Mei break a record too, coz it's her first movie, and she managed it till the end too. Bravo to her, yeah?

So, next time we can all go watch movie in the cinema together, yay!

Taiping Zoo

It's been raining cats and dogs since yesterday. Initially we thought that our trip to the Taiping Zoo today would have to be cancelled too. Luckily, the rain stopped towards the afternoon. So we headed to the zoo around noon. We've taken our porridge at home, and for the first time, both of us fight to finish them, including our dinner too! Meaning no left overs for dinner already, since we've eaten the dinner share as well!

We slept during the drive there, so by the time we arrived, we're all fully charged and in good mood. Daddy bought the tickets for the tram and we boarded our seats. Since there's only 1 row left at the back, all of us (Daddy, Jie Jie, Mommy, me and Amah) crammed into it. Jie Jie was being naughty, and asked for more space. She didn't want to sit on Daddy's lap. In the end, Daddy had to take the next tram. As we went, Mommy and Amah pointed out the animals to me and Jie Jie. Soon, Jie Jie got excited and forgot about Daddy! Once in a while, she'll ask Mommy, where's Daddy? Mommy would say that since she chased Daddy out of the tram, Daddy would have to sit the next tram. Daddy can't watch the animals with us now. She then said, she would tell Daddy what she's seen, so Daddy won't miss out any of it.

Jie Jie knew nearly all the animals that we passed by, and could instantly recognize them when Mommy or Amah pointed them out to us. Maybe she'd been there last time (when she's about 12months plus). It's my first time here, so I was very excited. When I saw the tiger, I would said "Grrrr..". Then, Mommy pointed the owl to me, and I followed with "Aow!" I also said "pig" when we passed the wild boar, echoing Mommy, of course!

The tram finally dropped us at the elephants' place and called it the last stop. We waited there for Daddy's tram to arrive. See what Daddy managed to capture without us?

Later, Daddy took us for a walk around the place, so that we could snap photos with the animals. Amah didn't join us for the walk since she's tired. She waited at a stand where the tram dropped us just now. Jie Jie told Daddy that Amah's been eaten by a crocodile!

Daddy, Jie Jie and Me - with the elephants.

What's this? What's a seladang called in English?

Jie Jie wanna take a photo personally with that 'beasts'

Wait, can you see what is this?

Take a closer look! It's Jie Jie's good friend :)

We saw so many versions of these, the monkeys, chimpanzee, orang utans, etc.. We even saw some monkeys walking alongside with us, some flipping thru the rubbish bin for food. Jie Jie quickly hid her hotdog bun, afraid of it being snatched by them.

We also saw the hippotamus floating in the lake, leaving only the nose for us to see. When Daddy called out to him, he emerged from the water, showing his full body. Jie Jie was very impressed, so when the hippo immersed himself in the water again, she called out to him. But he didn't want to float up anymore. Guess Jie Jie still hadn't learn the hippo language yet.

We then walked by to find Amah, since she's been waiting for awhile. I love walking, and have been asking for 'walk-walk' all the time, didn't want Mommy to carry me.
Then, we passed by the place where we can take photos with the snake on our shoulders! Jie Jie wanted to take a photo with the snake, but she wanted Daddy to hold the snake instead! Daddy quickly distracted her attention and we went off to see the other animals :)

Up, close and personal with the tortoises (which saved Daddy's life)
Mommy then suggested that we took another tram ride since we didn't get to ride together just now. Furthermore, the kids (yes, we) would be very excited to see the animals again. Daddy agreed, so we went for a 2nd ride.

While queueing for the 2nd ride... (Eii... I just didn't like the way Jie Jie hold me, geli!)

In the tram (again), finally!

After the ride, we agreed to go home. But not after we had some fun at the children's playground. Even me - I didn't want to leave at first. So, Daddy and Mommy had no choice but to let us play for awhile. Then, we went home, but stopped by Batu Kawan for a sumptuous seafood dinner. I had my 3-fruits organic cereal with red rice powder, while Jie Jie got to eat the rice with some dishes. What a tiring day! And thank goodness, it didn't rained anymore after that, just perfect for our outings.

Oh, by the way, on our drive home, Jie Jie was getting very naughty and out of control. So, Mommy and Daddy played a game with her - which animals got 4 legs? To which she slowly named one animal after the other happily and our journey home didn't seem so bad afterall.

The Happy Wanderers

I love to go a wondering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

This song Jie Jie could memorize by heart,
Even though I don’t really know,
That doesn’t mean I’m not smart,
Wait till you hear what I know!

Though I can’t sing, I could talk,
Coz when I say ‘walk-walk’,
Mommy had no choice but put me down,
Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not going to drown!

Eagerly I waved to her and said Bye!,
Off I went on my adventure,
I met new people and I said Hi!,
Isn’t it exciting in my new venture?

With Jie Jie as a companion,
That’s more than one could ask for,
Though the way she held my hands hurts,
Her only reason was to keep me safe while we explore.

Now let me bring you on a detour
Of my new found skills if I may,
But please bear with my poetry for now,
Coz I can’t find anything that rhymes!

I’m now good in imitating,
By putting my finger in my mouth,
Only to pull it out quickly, saying Aow!
Just like how Mommy used to shout,
Every time I bite on her finger!

Now, I would also point to the durians,
Or anything prickly or hot,
And shout my famous cry Aow!
Before looking at Mommy and smile

Oh when Jie Jie’s angry,
You should see how she folded her arms,
To which I find amusing
And imitated her as well.

Ok now let’s back to our wandering,
Though I’m hopeless in singing,
I could still hum along,
Especially if that song ends with tack, tack, tack!

It Ain't So Bad Afterall...

Yes, because I got to sleep much earlier at night! My prediction came true, both the girls had enough of each other during the day time that it's easier calling the day off.

And, we also got to eat home-cooked food despite my earlier assumption that MIL won't have time to cook. It's easier for her too, because SJ slept quite a lot - once in the morning, and once in the afternoon after Jie Jie came back from school. Sometimes, both the sisters had their nap together, so she had some time to prepare dinner. But at times, Mei Mei would wake Jie Jie up from her nap, and then when it's Mei Mei's turn to sleep, Jie Jie would be waking her up. That's the part that caused the most headache to MIL. So ended up, no home cooked dinner for Mommy and Daddy.

It's true that we survive by learning to adapt to changes. Sze Juin and MIL learnt to adapt to each other as the days went by. Day 1, SJ didn't want any milk. Day 2, MIL learnt that she wanted to use the same bottle as in the babysitter's place. You see, cheap skate Mommy only bought 1 bottle for her, which we used at home. That's the BPA-free one, MAM. Since it's so expensive, Mommy decided to convert her BPA-free storage bottles into milk bottles. It costs only ~RM5 per bottle, and all I need to do is just to put the teats, and viola, you get a BPA-free bottle. Well, I pass two of these bottles to the babysitter, and luckily I took home one set with me. So on Day 2, SJ pointed to MIL that she wanted that bottle, and after that, she actually drank the milk! We're so relief. But after the weekend, the following Monday, she rejected the milk again. I guess she needed more time to adjust. Now, she's doing great. Instead of 1 or 2 bottles of milk, she drank 3 bottles now. That's really some progress. MIL had also discovered a way to let her drink - instead of carrying her, she let her lie down on her own, and feed her that way. During the afternoon, both Jie Jie and Mei Mei would lie down together in their new baby cot (I'll come to that later) and drank from the bottles on their own.

Well, of course, when I'm back (either during lunch time or at night), she'll keep asking for nen nen, and nurse non-stop. During the first week, I've been home during lunch time to bathe Jie Jie, tapau lunch for MIL and nurse SJ before going back to work. It was rather hectic, but it's really nice getting to see her, greeting me when I was back, and hugging me like a koala bear all the time, until MIL had to forcefully remove her from me when I'm leaving for work. To which would ended up with her crying so pitifully, which she never did when I left her at the babysitter's. But luckily there's Jie Jie to keep her entertained, so I could be rest assured that her time spent at home would be more 'colorful'. Both of them were happier now too. They kept each other company, until to the point that Jie Jie stopped doing her homework now, so we'll have to supervise her after we came back at night. Which means, more work for Mommy, and that haven't included the toys that they scaterred around everywhere, the unwashed plates, bottles, clothes, etc. But, I've stopped my early morning pumps this week, so I have more time to do the unfinished work in the mornings before going to work.

Recently, we got a new baby cot for them (them, because SY also wanted to sleep in it, and luckily we got a bigger version where it can fit her too), which can be converted into a single bed. It's safer to leave SJ there, so I didn't need to go home during lunch time to bathe SY (hubby had been chauffering her back from school this week mostly, so I had sometime off to do my things). It's a good thing that we bought it, because SJ had an accident last weekend. She was spinning in the walker, with her head threwn back, and her head hit the corner of our TV cabinet. Both hubby and I were stunned, and we're too slow to stop her. Ended up, her head was red from the hit, but luckily it's ok.

It also happened that after the incident, my babysitter came with some durians (she had a durian farm back home) . Well, SJ smiled when she saw her, but when she tried to carry her, SJ cried! To the babysitter's dismay, SJ didn't want her after only 5 days! Anyway, maybe she came at the wrong timing, since SJ just woke up from her evening nap, and was rather groggy. Also, she just had an accident before that.

Ah, now that we're all used to this routine, I have another worry. After this 1 month is up, my poor baby would need to adjust to a new routine again, if my babysitter agree to continue her tenure... Sigh! Being a Mommy means having to worry about so many things... When would our worries ever end? I doubt if it will...that's the price of being a mother, I guess!

Life without a Sitter

When my babysitter told me that she won’t be taking care of Sze Juin anymore last month, I was devastated. But I was lucky because I have my MIL as backup. Just that I’m not sure how she would cope with 2, instead of 1 now. She’s been having difficulty in getting up and walking about most of the time, so how could she chase around my two naughty little rascals?

Another alternative would be to send Sze Yi to full day. To which she protested vehemently. She has promised to be good, to help Amah take care of Mei Mei, and to listen to Amah. If not, I threatened her that I have no choice, but to send her to full day. MIL was also persistent in saying that she could cope. No maid needed. She also voiced her desire to have both of the kids at home, compared to the current arrangement where the sisters’ time spent together would be limited to only night time’s bonding. All she said was, “they’ll get used to it.” If it didn’t work out, we can send Sze Yi to full day the following month. It’s really risky. I was tempted to ring up Sze Yi’s school’s principal and gave her a heads-up notice. But I didn’t. Still procrastinating…

In the meantime, I tried to persuade the babysitter to continue on. I’ll give her 1 month holiday to do whatever she wanted to do (well, her reasons was she wanted time off to do a lot of things), and then to come back in August. I don’t mind raising her pay. She told me, she’ll think about it. But if my MIL can handle it, then she’ll let my MIL take care of Sze Juin (Actually MIL wanted to bring back Sze Juin after she’s 1, so this seemed like a good timing).

I kind of like the idea of them both being at home, maybe they’ll have enough of each other during the day time, so by night time, it’s easier to get them to sleep? Recently, both of them just didn’t want to sleep, they would play until past midnight. Sze Juin just wouldn’t want to go to bed, and she would get excited when she saw her Jie Jie. The only way to make them go to sleep together is to get both Jie Jie and Daddy into the same room and sleep. It’s no point separating them anymore now, because she would insist to go join them.

But, that is the ONLY plus point. Or so for me, now. I have to mentally prepare myself of the things that would greet me when I go home everyday. I guess life would be harder, with all the housework, dirty laundry, ironing, unwashed bottles and dishes, toys strewn all over the floor, etc.. piled up (my MIL had been really nice to help me with the housework while I was working, so I have less headache after work). I guess I would have to say goodbye to the good old days. Hopefully things would not be as bad as I imagined. Previously, I only have headache with Sze Yi. I would go home to find her not bathed yet, or not eaten yet, homework not done, etc… So my task would mostly involve ‘settling’ her down before I went to fetch Sze Juin. And the best thing of having a baby sitter is that everything got settled for you. Sze Juin would be bathed and fed. And all I need to do was just play with her and nurse her, until it’s time for bed. I guess now, I’ll have to be prepared to settle 2 people instead of 1 when I reached home….sigh!

My babysitter is a really nice person. I am very happy with her so far. She made no fuss when I made 2 major requests – to use nappy cloth and feed her breast milk. Sze Juin was on cloth diapers all the time at her place, except when it’s about time for me to fetch her back, the sitter would change her into disposable. As for breastfeeding, she’s not a 100% supporter, but she obliged me all the same. That’s part of the factor that enable me to breastfeed her 100% till she’s 1 now. As for $$$ matters, she herself lowered the price that I was willing to pay her in the first place, so I actually got a very good deal. Apart from a very clean place, she’s also very flexible. She won’t show me a black face when I was late to pick up Sze Juin. In fact, SJ was there at her place for ~12 hours per day, and I can also pop up very early in the morning because she’s an early person. If I had something on during the weekends, I could just ask and she’s ever ready to say yes to babysitting SJ for a few hours without charging me extra. Overall, this sitter just suits me perfectly well, and I was really sad when she told me that she would like to quit. But somehow, I felt that I still have some hope that she would continue on next month… well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

Well, so how did Day 1 go? To begin with, Sze Juin cried when I left for work. She never cried like this when I sent her to the sitter. When she started to make a slight protest, the babysitter would tell her that Mommy needs to work, will be back to fetch her later, and she’ll be OK. No yells that would break my heart, not like her Jie Jie last time. Which makes going to work easier for me. But today, it’s heartbreaking to hear her cry when I left. Maybe the irony of being left alone when Daddy, Mommy and Jie Jie were going somewhere caused her to be so teary and sad.

During lunch time, I went home after fetching Sze Yi. I packed lunch for MIL, since she won’t be able to cook or go buy from downstairs. MIL told me that SJ didn’t want to drink milk, she never drank at all since I warmed up the milk for her this morning. I tried to breastfeed her directly; she just nursed for awhile and then pushed me away. It seemed that she’s full. She’s bathed and taken the porridge earlier. So, I entertained them and fed them fruits while Amah ate her lunch. I waited until Amah bathed Sze Yi before I went back to work. I guessed I would have to do this until we found a way to enclosed Sze Juin so that she won’t get into any mischief. You see, our play pen just gave way the other day, maybe it couldn’t take the weight of them both jumping up and down in it. I would have to find something soon, because Sze Juin could now climb out of the walker, high chair or her stroller even though we’ve strapped her up. And she’s now into climbing things – chair, table, sofa, you name it. So it’s really risky to leave her alone, while Amah’s bathing Jie Jie.

I guess life without a sitter would also mean this….
- more lunch trips home to relieve MIL
- that we’ll have to eat outside food more often
- me going home much earlier, to help feed them, bath them and clean up the mess
- staying up later at night to do the unfinished housework

Sigh… and it’s only Day 1. I wish July 31st would be here soon (arrgghhh, there are 31 days this month!) and my sitter would be back…