Birthday Celebration For CE

This year CE had a great birthday because he had so many wishes coming his way from mommy's virtual friends. Thank you so much! As mentioned earlier, we just had a simple dinner to celebrate his birthday. I asked the maid to cook some dishes as we're having rice. I also decorated the house with some balloons (hung them underneath the lights). I did that while CE was taking his nap. So when he woke up and came downstairs, he was very happy and exclaimed "menoon!"

PaPa was going to collect the cake on his way home from work. So I asked him to buy some party packs and balloons coz there weren't any extra balloons for the kids to play. At first I thought the feathery hairband with antennae weren't very appropriate for boys but they sure look cute wearing them. And they actually like to put them on.


Dinner was mainly the adults' affair as the birthday boy had his bland dinner earlier. I wanted to make fried popiah but my popiah skin cannot be used anymore (have dried up in the freezer). So I checked out Cooking Momster's Kitchen and found the recipe for jiu hu char. I even managed to confirm a few things with her regarding the recipe on MSN chat. Thanks Sue!

~ from top : jiu hu char, steamed prawns, fried fish with sweet
and sour sauce, teriyaki chicken (bought) & stir-fried spinach ~

After dinner, the adults had coffee and chatted while the kids put up a mini performance. XY and CH can sing quite a number of nursery rhymes. But when CE had the mic, all he said was "dou dou". And I don't know what that means. hahaha

Next up was the cake-cutting ceremony. Needless to say, it was a Mickey Mouse cake (lychee sponge cake). In fact, he was at the cake shop when we chose the design. He was very excited when he saw photos of cakes with Mickey or Minnie on them. When we sang the birthday song or asked him to pose for pictures, all he wanted to do was grab the cake. The birthday boy got to eat a fair share of his cake (almost a small piece, which he normally would only get to try a mouthful. I'm skeptical about him trying new food due to his allergy). He kept asking for more.


He opened his present (his one and only present) after the guests have left. As usual, jie jie was very eager to help. Had to stop her from ripping up the present alone. It was a Bob the Builder lego set. Thank you sen sen and chik chik for the wonderful gift. Both jie jie and didi love to play with it very much.

2 Years Old

Here's an update of my 2 year-old boy :

Statistics
Weight - 13 kg (measured on 9-5-08)
Height - 91 cm (home measurement)

Speech
He starts to use more than 1 word in his 'conversation'. For example, "jie jie cry", "PaPa draw", "Mi sit".
He pronounces most words by saying the last syllable - "mish" (finish), "pern" (elephant), "zerd" (lizard), "bit" (rabbit), "ruff" (giraffe), etc.

Meal Time
Nowadays he rarely feeds himself. His eyes will be glued to the tv while we feed him his rice. Sometimes, he'll pick the food with his hands, then put into his mouth. The only way he can sit still to eat is when we switch on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (his one and only love) for him to watch. And every time at the end of the show (when they start to do the hot dog dance), he'll come down from his chair, even though he hasn't finished his meal yet. So we'll have to quickly switch on another episode for him in order for him to finish his meal.

Food
He sometimes doesn't like to eat fruits. Will take a few bites of every piece and that's it. He also prefers to use his hand, instead of using a fork.

Toilet Training
Not much progress in toilet training. He can sometimes tell me he wants to pee but usually he's wet his pants a bit. But I think he has some bladder control as he can wait for a little while for me to bring him to the potty. As for bowel movement, I can safely say he has very good control. He's not soiled his diaper for a long time already. When he wants to poo, he'll pat his backside and say "shee shee". And I'll ask him "sai sai"? Then he'll repeat "sai sai".

Motor Skill
He can walk up and down the stairs quite well, by holding on to the railing.
He can switch on/off the lights and fan, using his index finger or thumb.
As he only turns in one direction for each hand, he opens the tap with his right hand and closes it with his left.

Brushing
Still doesn't know how to gargle. Not too enthusiastic about brushing his teeth either. And he only allows me to brush his lower gum. He seemed to be in pain if I brush the upper part. I don't know why.

Behaviour
When he got scolded, he'll close his eyes tight. As if telling us, "I can't see you, I can't hear you." Then he'll open his eyes a bit to peep at us.
After his bath, he likes to run around naked, asking me to play catching with him.
He likes PaPa to draw on his palm (tortoise, Mickey ears, cat). Then he'll come and show me, "nice nice".

Counting
He doesn't know his ABCs but can recite some of the numbers. "One, two, twee, four, six, eight, nine, ten". I thought he was able to recognise the numbers when I showed him the Uno card. But it was a wild guess as I showed him the same number again but he gave a different answer.

Lovey Dovey
He's still very generous with his kisses. Now we (PaPa and I) don't even have to ask for it, he'll give us a big wet smack (loudly) on the lips or cheek.

Big Bully
Really bullies me to the max. He doesn't want Kakak to bring him to the basin to wash his hands. After washing, I must be the one to wipe it dry. Doesn't want her to accompany him in the toilet while he does his big business. Almost everything I must do for him.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Today CE will celebrate his second birthday. Time passes by so fast, it's hard to believe it was actually 2 years ago I went into labour and gave birth to him.

What's the plan for the birthday boy? We'll throw him a party tonight. Nothing fancy, just a simple dinner at home with BIL and family.

I've made a compilation of his photos from birth till now. Look at how he's transformed from a helpless li'l baby to a cheeky and active toddler.

~ month by month compilation from birth till now ~

Happy Birthday, ah boy !

Pap Smear Screening

Last Saturday, I went to see my obgyn. Did a pap smear test, breast examination, ultrasound of the breast and abdomen. Everything is normal, just have to wait for the pap smear result in a week's time. There's a new type of screening for pap smear which is computerised. You can get the result on the spot and doctor said it's slightly more accurate than the traditional screening. It's about RM100 more expensive. I didn't try that as I think the traditional one is good enough for now.

I also asked him about the cervical cancer vaccine. The hospital only carries one type (Gardasil by Merck). The cost is RM450 per jab (inclusive of consultation fees). The other one is Cervarix by GlaxoSmithKline. These are the information I got from him :

* Both for women till age 45.
* They help guard against different types of HPV (with 2 similar strains) which cause cervical cancer and genital warts. In conclusion, they have almost the same benefits.
* 3 jabs altogether (at 0, 2 and 6 months).
* If you plan to get pregnant within that period, it is not advisable to take the vaccine.
* Take the jab when you are not having your period.
* Not known when a booster jab may be needed. Further research is still on-going. (But the internet says Cervarix provides protection over a 4.5 year period.)

I am quite decided to take the vaccine. Will consult my obgyn again next month. Hopefully it's not too late. Awaiting the pap smear result... Nah... I'm sure everything would be fine. ; )

No More Unwanted Calls

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Flying Colours

Today I went to XY's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day to collect her progress report and test results. This is the first time she had a test (of 5 subjects) as they don't have any tests in Year 4. The exam week started on 5th May. I prepared her a little by giving her extra exercises (especially for Maths). She enjoyed the exercises (addition and subtraction) as I wrote it on the drawing board and she thought we were playing games. If she got all the answers correct, I'll draw her some stars, which made her so happy. Sometimes when she doesn't get all correct, I'll only give her one star. But she'll request for more. :-| I also did some revision with her on Bahasa Malaysia (BM) and Science.

When the teacher showed me her results, I was very surprised and felt very proud, of course. She got full score for 4 subjects (BM, English, Mandarin and Maths) and 68% for Science. Her teacher told me she was competing with a friend during Science test, to see who finished first. Probably that's why she didn't do it properly. Then she added that the paper was quite tough for their age. They were tested on what sinks/floats, what are soluble things, what are mechanical toys. Although these were taught in school, I think they are quite difficult for a 5 year-old to comprehend.

As for her overall progress, teacher said she's a bright girl. Very independent in her work. Loves computer and music lessons. She is sometimes talkative in class. In my mind, I was thinking... "sometimes"? I guess the teacher was just being polite. : ) Yeah... I got the same comment last year. She just likes to talk. And she's been punished numerous times for not keeping quiet when asked to. Then the teacher added that she's very forgiving. She doesn't keep in heart when the teacher scolded her. The downside is she doesn't remember and will misbehave over and over again.

When I got home, I looked at the Science paper again and I felt something wasn't right. So I recalculated her marks. She actually got 84% (not 68% - that's a BIG difference, okay). I'm going to let the teacher know on Tuesday and get her marks and grade corrected. Now, that's not too bad ya. Actually, I'm not too concerned about the marks (really? :p). Moreover, I'm sure it was a guided test. The teacher read and explained to them the instructions. And read the words for those fill in the blank questions. But it's good to know that she understands what's being taught in school.

So how did we reward her? I gave her the VTech Quiz Biz Math Mania, which I've kept for more than a month. I redeemed it with PaPa's credit card points when he wanted to cancel the card. This toy has action, math and logic games which teaches addition & subtraction, time telling and logic & memory.

~ her reward ~

She's very excited with her new toy. Can't stop playing with it. I'll have to control her playing time, otherwise, she'd want to play the whole day. Well, at least it's educational in some way.

Fabulous Friday Fives

When Giddy Tigress passed me this tag, her specific instruction was to post it a week after being tagged, on a Friday. But when I checked her tagger's post, it's stated that the tag is to be posted on a Friday. It doesn't say it has to be one week later. Anyway, I need that extra time. hehehe

DO YOU PREFER...

1. To watch or participate?
To watch first. If it's something I'm good at, then I'd consider to participate or not.

2. Malls, catalog shopping, or the Internet?
I like to get the product information and details from the internet or catalogues first. So that I know exactly what I'm looking for at the mall. Save time mah.

3. A bath or shower?
A shower with strong water pressure.

4. To talk to people by telephone, in person or by e-mail?
By telephone and e-mail. For issues that aren't easy to explain via e-mail or need immediate attention/answer, a telephone conversation is more suitable. But anything that can be communicated via e-mail, that'd be my preference.

5. Typing or writing?
Typing. So easy with the delete and backspace buttons.

What are your preferences, Anggie, Bryan's Mama and Dora? You can do it today or take your own sweet time, as long as you post it on a Friday. : )

Ballet Costume

Today XY went for her second ballet lesson. On Monday, the lady at the studio told me her leotard is still out of stock. This is the exam season, that's why they ran out of stock. So she suggested I let her try 1 size bigger than what I've ordered. When I registered her, she tried size 12. It was just right so I asked for size 14. When she tried on size 16 before the class started just now, PaPa said it's not too loose (he fetched her there). There's a lot of room for growth so hopefully she'll be able to wear it for a long long time.

Here are some poses she's learnt. Gaya or not? :D

~ pictures taken after her class ~

An Ordinary Sunday

... but with pleasant surprises. : ) On Mother's Day this year, we didn't go out for any meals (had breakfast, lunch and dinner at home) as we foresee big crowds at restaurants. Moreover, it's a good idea to stay home as CE is still recovering from his ear infection.

So what are the surprises? A bouquet of carnations and a pendant from PaPa. He's always so sweet to shower me with gifts when he doesn't need to. And I feel quite bad as I've not bought him any gifts for a long long time already. It's very difficult to get him a gift as I'm a practical person (so I don't buy things which are not useful). Furthermore, he has better taste than I do (so I don't trust my fashion sense in getting him anything that can be worn/used). hehehe

Oh, I also received a card from XY (done in kindy) on Friday. She came home that day, gave me the card and wished me Happy Mother's Day. Inside the card, her teacher asked her to write "To Mum, Happy Mother Day, I Love Mum". She wrote all the words herself. I won't be showing it here coz I can't capture a clear picture as she used a very light colour to write the words. Moreover the teacher didn't prepare a nice artwork for them this year. I think it was because they were having exam week last week and they did the card the week before (in a rush, probably?). Anyway, shouldn't be complaining much ya. At least, I still got a card. ; )

Well, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, as long as it's spent together happily as a family, I'm sure it was a great celebration. Don't you agree?

Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Before I talk about the vaccine, let me update a little on CE's ear infection. His fever has subsided yesterday. Thank you all for your well wishes. I was really relieved his fever has subsided as he had to take paracetamol every 4 to 5 hours the day before. He's alright now and just needs to finish his course of antibiotics.

Feeding him medicine is a struggle every time (that's like 2 or 3 times a day!). I've to hold him tightly and force feed him. And he's really a strong li'l guy. Sometimes he can even escape from my grip.

Now back to the vaccine. I saw the poster in the paediatrician's clinic quite some time back. And I finally asked the doctor about it during the last visit. There are 3 jabs altogether (2nd jab 2 months later, 3rd jab 6 months after the 1st). Each jab costs RM450. The only thing he mentioned is that if I plan to get pregnant within that 6 months, then it's not recommended as there're no research on pregnant women. Fine with me as we definitely don't have the plan to increase our family headcount. hehehe

Even though the vaccine's quite expensive, I think it's a good prevention as cervical cancer is the second most common cancer (after breast cancer) in Malaysia. Anyone of you has taken this vaccine?

CE Has Ear Infection

This morning, CE woke up with high fever (above 38ºC). I didn't give him paracetamol immediately as I wanted him to have his breakfast first. But his fever rose very quickly and it was above 39ºC before I managed to feed him the medicine. So I had to give him the suppository instead.

He wasn't his usual active self in the morning. He was breathing very hard, I think he has blocked nose as he breathed through his mouth. He was also having runny nose. He was quite tired and took a nap before noon (which was not the norm). Of course, he's extra clingy and cranky.

He ate mee suah for lunch (instead of rice). Luckily he was eating and drinking well. When he was taking his afternoon nap, I checked his temperature and it was 40.5ºC. He's never had such a high fever before so I was very worried. I quickly stripped him and wrapped him with a semi-wet towel. He really didn't like it and kept crying. Moreover his sleep was disturbed. I did a few rounds of that and put in another suppository (it was less than 6 hours before the previous insert). Then I let him continue his nap. I was relieved when his temperature was slowly dropping.

We brought him to see the paediatrician just now. Doctor said he's got ear infection. He was given antibiotics, flu medicine and ear drops. He wasn't very cooperative during the visit. Sigh... he's started to fear the doctor.

Just after 4 hours of administering the suppository, his fever has started to come back again. I gave him all the medicine (including paracetamol) and he's fast asleep now. I know I won't be able to sleep well tonight as I need to monitor his temperature. Hope his fever will subside soon or at least not reach 39ºC. It's no fun to spend Mother's Day with a sick and cranky child.

Here I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all mothers a very very
Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Plan... In Dreamland

Wen, MummyInVain and Jo-N wanted to know what's my fantasy/plan/dream for this Mother's Day.

It'd be nice if I can spend the day on a beach resort. I want to sleep in till at least 11am, with no interruption in between. So when the kids wake up early in the morning, someone (who else but PaPa) will have to look after them. :D Then after a good brunch, we shall have some fun with the kids at the beach. (well, what would Mother's Day mean without the kids, right?) I'm sure we'll have to allocate some time for them to nap, otherwise they'd be all cranky and difficult. After everybody has had a good rest, we'll go for dinner (which has been planned for me). Anything that tastes good will do, as long as I don't have to think of what to eat. hehehe Then the day shall end with the kids falling asleep fast, without much fuss. Aaahhh... what a wonderful day that'd be.

Hope Giddy Tigress and Health Freak Mommy will be able to share your fantasy/plan/dream before this Sunday. :)

Don’t hold back. Let it rip! Will you share your Mother’s Day Fantasies on your blog. Then pass it on to other Mothers to share. Lets be silly and let our hair down. Then add your name and blog post url to the list and let it go around. I’ll start with mine. Anyone can participate in this. Just write your blog post and add your name to the list. Its that simple.

1. Mumsgather shares - What I REALLY want to do on Mother’s Day
2. Kiddos Realm shares
3. Ruth shares
4. Jazzmint shares
5. Chanel shares
6. Karen shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies
7. Lemonjude shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies
8. Sting shares
9. JO-N shares - Mothers
10. Montessorimum shares - What I REALLY want to do on Mother’s Day
11. Mummy In Vain shares - What I REALLY Want To Do On Mother’s Day
12. Slavemom shares - Mother's Day Plan... In Dreamland

6 Words Memoir Meme

Dora passed me this tag and I had a little hard time cracking my head for only 6 words (I'm very long-winded mah hehehe).

***Rules***

1.) Write your own six word memoir.
2.) Post it on your blog; include a visual illustration if you'd like.
3.) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible.
4.) Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5.) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Here goes mine:

My life revolves around my children.

Now passing on to Sting, Hazel, MummyInVain & Jo-N.

Po Po Came To Visit

Last week was a non-routine week as my mom was here for a visit. She reached on Wednesday night and left yesterday afternoon. Ever since I've got kids, I go back to my hometown less than 4 times a year. Unlike before, I used to go home about once a month. I do feel bad that we don't go back to visit her often. But she's very understanding, it's not so convenient to travel with young children. So sometimes she comes to visit, either alone, or with my brother and family.

Thursday ~ It was a public holiday (Labour's Day) so hubby wasn't working. We went to visit my aunt (mom's eldest SIL) in Bukit Jelutong. Before heading to aunt's place, we had bak kut teh for lunch in Puchong. By mid afternoon, the kids were tired but they couldn't sleep when I tried to make them sleep in my aunt's room. They are not very adaptable when it comes to napping. Must only nap at home in our own bed. Or in the car, during a car ride. We left at about 6pm and within minutes, they dozed off in the car.

Friday ~ Routine day as usual.

Saturday ~ For lunch, we went for buffet dim sum at Equatorial Hotel. After that, went to Jusco, Cheras Selatan for a walk. Wanted to buy a pair of shoes for mom but couldn't find a suitable one. But XY got a pair of sandals. While I was busy looking for mom's shoes, she was busy trying out some on her own. And she wanted to buy this pink sandals. And it comes with a bag (which I didn't know at first). I thought she get the sandals, I get the bag. But no, she said the bag's hers. So I can only borrow from her. Well, at least she allows me to borrow. hehehe

~ pink sandals XY chose herself ~

Although we didn't intend to spend so long there, we jalan jalan till 5+ (spent about 3 hours there). We had porridge for dinner. After a heavy lunch, a simple (and some-what healthier?) dinner was nice.

Sunday ~ Sent mom to the bus station in KL KTM station. Then we headed to MidValley for lunch at Madam Kwan's. Finally, I got to eat the Nasi Bojari again (the last time was about 10 years ago). The chicken drumstick is really huge. We also had the Sambal Petai, Beef Rendang and Fried Koay Teow (for XY). All the food were really delicious! Sorry, no pictures for you to drool over. :p

Next to the restaurant is Toys 'R' Us. I went in to search for the Tommee Tippee Roll & Go Bib (the one with crumb catcher). It's so hard to find this bib. I saw it in an online store. I've searched in a lot of shops in Sunway Pyramid but couldn't find it. I've almost gave up looking for it already but since Toys 'R' Us were just next door, I went in to take a look. They don't have the bib but we didn't come out empty-handed. More toys to fill up the house.

~ Fun Year Light-Up Keyboard with mic and stool for jie jie ~

~ Fisher-Price: Learning Toolbench for didi ~

The kids were very happy while Po Po was here as they had lots of outings. As they didn't take their usual naps for the last few days, have to make sure they rest enough this week. Time for everyone to recharge!