School Holiday Activity I

Last Thursday, SIL (the driver) and I brought the kids and our maids to 1-Utama. We went to Kizsports first, hoping to avoid the after-lunch crowd. During our visit the previous school holidays, there were a lot of people after 1pm. But surprisingly, there weren't many kids that day.

XY was a bit timid, wanted me to accompany her on the slides. So I had to climb up very high and come down the twisting slide. Boy, that was really scary! I nearly had a heart attack! Good thing I was holding on to her. If not, I would've cried out (so chicken hor hehehe).

CE spent most of the time at the play area for children under 3 years old. But he was very unfocused. He wanted to play everything, at the same time. He touched a push-car, within 10 seconds, he was touching the rocking toy. Within the next 10 seconds, he went off to another thing. The only thing that interests him the most is the playhouse with slide. He likes to turn the steering wheel. I brought him to play at the big slide but he wasn't too interested. He didn't stay long in the ball pit, unlike the previous trip. As for CH, he was also interested in the big slides, apart from the toys at the small play area.

While the kids were playing (accompanied by Kakaks), the mommies were resting (and got a bit bored), freezing (air-cond was very cold) and hungry. After 2 hours of playing, we went for lunch at Wong Kok Char Chan Teng. After CH finished his lunch, he fell asleep. We decided to go for a movie (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) since CH's already asleep and I was quite sure CE's going to nap soon too. We were in luck as the timing was just right. We bought the tickets and popcorn, got in, then the movie started. CE was very cooperative although it was his first time in a cinema. I just hugged him and he slept till the show was almost over. XY (her 2nd movie) was happy helping herself to the box of popcorn, munching away. She even laughed at some hilarious scenes.

It was a really nice break, to watch a movie on the big screen. I've not stepped into a cinema for 5 years (since XY was born). As for the story line, it was nothing superb. But I love to see Harrison Ford. Although he's quite 'aged', he's still very 'yau yeng' (manly). hehehe

Before going home, I stopped by Mothercare. So my hunt for the Tommee Tippee Roll & Go Bib is over (thanks Shireen, for the information). Unfortunately, CE doesn't want to wear it. He prefers the cloth type (which he's been using all these while). He'll pull the bib off or push it away every time I try to put it on for him. I even asked jie jie to wear it during meal time, hoping he'll follow her, but he totally ignored us. Sigh... I wonder if he'll take a liking to it later. Anyway, can always keep it for my future nieces/nephews.

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. ; )

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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.