Selamat Hari Merdeka

Picture courtesy of www.funtazia.net

Selamat Hari Merdeka ke-50 to all Malaysians. May we continue to enjoy peace and harmony for many many years to come.

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Routine Injections

Yesterday night, we brought the kids to the clinic for their routine jabs. XY had her MMR booster while CE had his 4th Pneumococcal Vaccine. XY took the injection first. She’s such a good girl at the clinic these days. Not afraid of being checked by the doctor or taking injections. She got over this ‘doctor phobia’ a few months before turning 4. This phobia lasted for almost 2 years. During that time, it was a real nightmare bringing her to the clinic. She’d refuse to let the doctor check her. Once we enter the doctor’s room, she’d scream her lungs out, even before the doctor touched her. But now, when the doctor poked the needle into her thigh, all she did was go “eeee... eeee...” After that, she’s all happy and smiling again coz doctor gave her some sweets.

As for CE, he has started to show signs of dislike to the doctor. Don’t really want doctor to check or touch him. I’ve to hold him tightly while doctor injected him. I bet he scared the children who were waiting outside with his loud screams... and he didn’t stop immediately. Still wailing for the next 5 minutes. :|

Bravo jie jie! Lousy didi. Thank god I’ve to deal with only one cry baby at a time. :)

One Word

Got this tag from Healy. This isn’t easy coz sometimes you just can’t find that one word to express yourself. Anyway, here goes.

Where is your cell phone? table
Relationship? stable
Your hair? short
Work? SAHM
Your sister? cousins
Your favorite thing? TV
Your dream last night? blurry
Your favorite drink? milo
Your dream car? none
The room you’re in? small
Your shoes? old
Your fears? drowning
What do you want to be in 10 years? free
Who did you hang out with this weekend? family
What are you not good at? socialising
Muffin? blueberry
One of your wish list items? laptop
Where you grew up? Penang
Last thing you did? lunch
What are you wearing? clothes
What aren’t you wearing? watch
Your pet? goldfish
Your computer? obsolete
Your life? superb
Your mood? okay
Missing? freedom
What are you thinking about right now? dinner
Your car? black
Your kitchen? simple
Your summer? indifferent
Your favorite color? blue
Last time you laughed? yesterday
Last time you cried? yesterday
School? history
Love? sweet

I'd like to tag:
* Wen
* Milkmaid
* Sharine

Let's Talk Business

After reading about Elizabeth’s comfy potty seat, I decided to get one for CE. We went shopping yesterday but there wasn’t much choice at Jusco, so I just bought the design I thought was cutest. From today onwards, CE’s been upgraded to a cushioned potty.

He started doing his big business in the adult toilet bowl when he was 13+ months old. Earlier on, I tried to let him use the small potty but he refused to sit on it, not even for 1 minute. After trying a few times with the small potty, I gave up and decided to try with the adult toilet bowl. Whenever he wanted to do his big business (can see his face all red), I’d quickly take off his diaper and put him on it. Before I bought the potty seat, I had to hold him, supporting his backside with my legs and holding his legs (his back facing me). It was not easy holding him, very tiring indeed. And very difficult to wipe or wash him.

After a week or so, I decided to get him the potty seat. I bought the plastic type as I didn’t see the cushioned one at the store. Since then, I’ll let him sit on it every morning before his bath time. Lucky for me, he was very cooperative. He did his business every day, unless he had more than one bowel movement the day before. But once in awhile, he’ll still soil his diaper. The funny thing is, if he has a bowel movement in the afternoon or night (usually after meals), he’ll do it in the diaper, sometimes without any signs.

The obvious advantage of using the adult toilet bowl is that you just need to flush it down. No need to transfer the stool or wash the small potty. Moreover, it’s much easier to wipe him as it’s less messy when he does it sitting down. My only concern is that I can’t see the texture clearly and make sure that his stools are normal. If it’s on the diaper, I can ‘examine’ it closely. Anyone has any tips to share?

Lil’ Teacher

XY likes to correct us when we don’t use the right words. It can be funny... or irritating, depending on our mood. :)

Scene 1
One day, she came home from kindy and told me she ate her classmate’s Honeystar. After further interrogation, I found out that her classmate didn’t offer them to her and she took them without asking.
Me : Taking other people’s things without asking for permission is like stealing. And if you steal, the police will put you in a cage.
XY : No lar mummy. Jail... cage is for animals.

Scene 2
In the bathroom, giving her a bath.
Me : XY, wipe your face with the towel.
XY : This is not towel... hanky.

Scene 3
We went to McD for lunch. I bought Happy Meal which has corns. Gave her the grilled chicken burger first.
XY : Mummy, I want to eat corns.
Me : Finish your bread first, then only can eat corns.
XY : Not bread, burger lar.

15 Months Old

Here's an update of 15 month-old CE:

Statistics (measured on 14-8-07)
Weight – 10.3 kg (lost 400g within a week coz he was sick)
Height – 84 cm

Diet
Per day, he’s taking 3 x 8oz of milk, 2 bowls of porridge (for lunch and dinner), half a piece of bread/biscuits in the morning and a serving of fruits for tea-time.
Likes to feed himself. Holds the spoon to feed himself while eating porridge or fruits. Or hold the bread with his hands.

Sleep
He sleeps from 10+pm to 7+am. Takes 2 naps a day. Total sleep time 11-12 hours.

Teeth
4 top and 4 bottom incisors. 8 more teeth still coming out (canines and first molars).

Verbal
Quite slow in this aspect. Makes sounds like papapa (his favourite at this moment), tatata, mamama, bababa, but not referring to anything in specific. Doesn’t like to imitate/repeat after us.

Mobility
Cruises very well now... around the coffee table, the dining table, along the wall. If he’s in the mood, he’ll walk when we hold 1 of his hands. And if he’s in a super good mood, he’ll stand up and try to walk a few steps on his own. But most of the time, he prefers to crawl.

Vocabulary
The object he knows best is ‘ball’. When asked where’s his ball, he’ll quickly crawl to the ABC mat and take his favourite orange Nike ball (which was jie jie’s).
Nose – will point to his nose when asked. But will also point to his nose when asked where’s his eyes, mouth, ears. hehehe
Points to the fan when asked “Where’s the fan?” and “Where’s the light?”
Favourite word is ‘tuck’. Refers to duck, Clifford (the big red dog), bear, horse, Mickey Mouse and almost everything as ‘tuck’.

TV Skill
When he hears Barney’s I Love You song, he’ll want to hug someone.
When he hears Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, he’ll open and close his hands making the twinkling star action.
Shakes his bum bum (bends his knees up and down) to the rhythm of music.
Pats his laps when Tony and Vivian (from Out of The Box) sings the goodbye song.
It’s pretty obvious he watches too much Playhouse Disney Channel. :D

Charity Tag

Wen gave me homework to do over the weekend. Will gladly do this for a good cause.

With the completion of this tag, RM127 will be contributed to the Darul Izzah Orphanage. The meme is about completing at least seventeen out of the following twenty seven sentence. Once you’re done, just drop Idham a comment over at the tag’s original page.

1. A person is only as good as ………
2. Friendship is always ……
3. To love is to………..
4. Money makes me……..
5. I miss …………… my father, who passed away 9 years ago
6. My way of saying I care is by ………… being considerate
7. I try to spread love and happiness by……………
8. Pick the flowers when……. no one’s looking
9. To love someone is to…………. let your guard down and trust him/her completely
10. Beauty is ………….. in the eyes of the beholder
11. When I was thirteen, what I remember….. is close to nothing, due to insufficient memory
12. When I was twenty one, I remember……..
13. I am most happy when ………… my family’s in good health
14. Nothing makes me happier than ………….
15. If I can change one thing, I will change..…. my height… I’m just too short!
16. If smiles were banned…….
17. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could…… voice our opinions without being judged?
18. If you want to ask me to smile while taking my picture….. just say “1...2...3!”
19. Money is not everything but……. when you don’t have enough, life wouldn’t be a smooth journey
20. The most touching moments I have experienced is…...
21. I smile when……. I think of happy memories
22. When I am happy, I…... can tolerate a lot of things
23. If only I don’t have to…. eat, then…. I can save a lot of time and money
24. The best thing I did yesterday was….. having a fun all-girls outing with 2 of my close friends
25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title…….
26. One thing I must do before I die is…… to write a will
27. Doing this meme, I feel like … I’ve done a good deed

The rule is to complete only 17 out of the 27 sentences. Would the following bloggers like to contribute RM127 to charity too? Idham pledges to contribute RM127 on your behalf if you do this tag before the August 26 deadline.
* Tracy
* Rachel
* Sabrina

Diapering History

XY is now diaperless at night and during naps. I know she should have been diaperless long long time ago. Some children are diaperless before reaching 3 years old but she only managed to do so at age 4. Well, it’s partially my fault. I didn’t train her much earlier. After CE was born, it just wasn’t convenient to start. So I just let her be till she’s really ready herself.

She’s been potty trained since she turned 2. So since then, she only wore diapers during nap time and night time. Or when we go out to a place where toilets are not easily accessible. Sometimes, I just bring the MamyPoko Pants along. And when she needs to pee, I’ll let her wear the diaper if I can’t find a toilet nearby.

I started to let her nap without diaper in the afternoon about 3 weeks before her 4th birthday. Within a week, she told me she doesn’t want to wear diaper to sleep anymore. I’ll ask her (wake her up, if I need to, or carry her to the toilet while she’s half asleep) to pee every 1 to 2 hours after she’s gone to bed. Last call would be around 12+. And she’ll sleep through till 7+ in the morning. There were some accidents at the beginning, but eventually she succeeded. Mummy’s very proud of you!

She’s tried many brands of diapers (Pureen, Huggies, Drypers and Sealer) but MamyPoko is the one used most. Have you ever wondered how much you spend on diapers? I’ve actually kept a record of her diaper usage since birth (maybe can claim from her angpow money? :D). The total amount spent on diapers is about RM3,058. So for 4 years, if you average it out, it’s about RM2 per day. Now this figure doesn’t look so daunting eh?

Bye-bye diapers... for XY, that is.

Walking Progress

~ standing tall ~

After a few weeks of practice, CE can take a few steps on his own now. He started to stand up on his own beginning of the month. If there’s someone in front of him (about an arm’s length away) to encourage him, he’ll stand up and run (well, more like falling, while taking a few steps :D) into the person’s arms, laughing excitedly at the same time. Yeah... doesn’t know how to walk yet, but want to run already. :) And I think he’s quite fascinated with this newfound skill. Seemed very happy with himself when he’s able to stand up on his own.

A few nights ago, I saw him standing up and taking 3 or 4 steps before falling down. He’s definitely getting better these days. He knows he needs to balance himself after standing, then only step forward. If he does it slowly, he’s able to take more steps. If not, he’ll fall down after 1 or 2 steps. He can also squat (maybe ¾ down) from standing position, then stand up again unassisted.

It’s so cute to see him learn to walk. Like a little drunkard... so wobbly. But at the same time, very worried that he’ll hurt himself if he fell down. The other day, while he was trying to stand up, he lost balance and fell forward, knocking his nose and mouth. Luckily it was nothing serious. Guess I’ll have bigger problems when he’s finally learnt to walk, but not yet a pro. Hope his transition from an amateur to a pro would be a short and safe one. :)

We Are At War

XY’s condition has not improved. She’s still coughing non-stop, with sticky phlegm, breathing rapidly and has continuous fever. She tends to vomit often when she coughs. On Monday, she vomited 4 times. She’s been eating plain bread coz she’s no appetite. Most of the time, she’s very lethargic.

So went to see doctor again this morning. Doctor said she has pneumonia. Good thing is she doesn’t need to be hospitalised. Just have to monitor her fever closely. If it takes longer and longer to come back, then it’s a good sign. The extra medicine she has to take is for asthma. This poor little girl is taking 6 types of medicine at 1 go (including antibiotics and panadol-chewable type). Luckily she’s not so afraid of taking medicine now as compared to when she was much smaller. Last time, we had to carry her, hold her hands and force it down her throat. Now we use a spoon and if the medicine doesn’t taste too good, she can wash it down with water. Pheww... I cannot imagine forcing her to take 6 types of medicine.

As for me, a little better, but not recovering as fast as I’d hoped for. Guess it’s due to lack of sleep. XY’s not sleeping well, coughing the whole night. So I’m not sleeping well too.

You must be wondering how’s CE doing. Sigh... I think he’s caught the bug too. :( Has been coughing a little today and has mild fever. Seemed tired too as he’s been sleeping a lot. Hope he’s not down with something serious.

We've declared war. We’ll fight and fight and fight! Go away germs!!

'Tis The Season To Be...

... SICK! :( CE has just recovered from running nose. Now XY is coughing with very high fever. She started coughing on Saturday night. We discovered she’s got fever last night, with temperature of high 39ºC. It even went up to 40.1ºC, although we’ve given her paracetamol. So administered the suppository. The temperature the whole night was about 38+.

Brought her to see the pediatrician this morning. Doctor said she has sensitive lungs. If not taken care of properly, could lead to asthma. But he added it doesn’t look serious now. Hopefully it’s just the terrible weather. Doctor gave her antibiotics, cough, flu and wheezing medicine. After she came back from the clinic, she was very tired. Ate a piece of white bread. Took the medicine, then went to nap. While napping, she coughed and vomited. Luckily I had a small container nearby. So no messy bed to clean up.

I am also having sore throat. Doctor prescribed antibiotics which I obediently take this round (although I don’t have any fever) coz I want to recover faster. Very worried CE will catch our germs.

Ok, time for medication and nap again...

Journey to Slumberland

This is my routine for CE’s bedtime. At about 9pm, I’ll wipe his face and change him into his pajamas. He’ll drink his milk at 9:30pm. After the lights are off, he’ll be either standing at the bed headboard... rocking it or looking out the window (I have to raise the curtain blind or else he’ll be pulling it to peep outside), or crawling all over the bed and me.

He has this habit of lying on me to sleep. Sometimes this slave gets a little out of breath with such a heavy object on her chest. :) Once he’s settled down and ready to doze off, I’ll roll him onto his side of the bed (we co-sleep on the same bed). He normally sleeps by 10:30pm.

After he’s asleep, I’ll go downstairs to watch TV or surf the internet. But recently, I think it’s been almost a month already, he will wake up after an hour or so, sit up and cry. I have to quickly run upstairs to pop the pacifier back into his mouth and get him to lie down to sleep. It usually takes less than 5 mins to put him back to sleep. My problem is on some nights, he’ll wake up a few times crying, looking for me. Even the father is not able to pacify him back to sleep.

I really don’t know what’s wrong. Is it due to teething? Coz his molars are coming out. Or is he having separation anxiety? That I must be by his side even when he’s asleep? So some nights, I have no choice but to sleep early with him. I really hope it’s just a phase that’ll pass soon.