People are USED and Things are LOVED

This was one of those forwarded mails I received in my inbox which I would like to keep and well, I'm sharing it with you. A very short and strong illustration of the self explanatory title.
Well, if Saritha you are reading this, I got this from you. =)
...
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand, and hit it many times, not realizing he was using an iron wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.When the child saw his father.... with painful eyes he asked 'Dad when willmy fingers grow back?'

The man was very hurt and speechless, he went back to car and kicked it alot of times. Devastated by his own actions...... sitting in front of that car he lookedat the scratches ........... the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide....
Anger and Love have NO LIMIT - choose the latter to have a beautiful and lovely life

THINGS are meant to be USED and PEOPLE are to be LOVED,
but the problem of today's world is that

People are USED and Things are LOVED!!!

I missed him

Ethan was acting up a bit early this evening. Didn't know what was wrong with him. His yi-yi Angeline had to carry him and talk to him to "soothe" and "amuse" (aka to give attention) - mind you, it really works. (Babies like it when you talk to them and talking to them I mean, like an adult conversation, just don't expect any clever replies.) I thought he was wanting attention you see, so got some help to chat him up, walked him around and basically "entertained" him.

Had a huge weekend, was out and had issues in the family. So I had to quickly pack for the week. While I was packing and cleaning up, I'd occasionally stopped by to blow him kisses or hugs. At one point, he felt a little warm. I disregarded it and went on doing my own stuffs. (WELL, I disregarded it because Ethan is generally warm. Anyone will love hugging him because he is always nice and warm).

He wasn't himself later part of the evening. Checked with Adrian to see if we needed to give him a dose of parmol. Well, Adrian gave a go and we syringed a 2.5ml for him. He likes parmol. I think he likes medicine in general. There are sweet and normally "cold" from the fridge.

Later brought him up to the room and put him in his cot. He was pleased to see his cot and gave a huge smile. Placed him inside, and I quickly took my bath knowing that he is unwell and will need to rock and put him to sleep. Came out from the shower and saw him sleep soundly in him cot, curled up.

I felt bad for not being able to be there when he is not feeling all that good. However, I'm thankful that he went to sleep after all. I was expecting another rough night, probably due to his teething issues. I hope he'll feel better tomorrow.

I guess, I just missed him,... by a couple of minutes?!? He is sound asleep now. And so I will be as well...
Good night.

"Ethan the Builder" in the tub

If you do not already know, this little boy loves his bath. We bathe him every day, twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening, I'm still not very happy with the fact that he bathes twice a day, considering what the typical Chinese aunties will say "yap fung" literally translated means, will "cause wind" and apparently is the common culprit for osteoporosis during old age?!? Not entirely sure about the credibility of the fact, but we'll just 'listen' to what people have to say.

"Ethan the builder" in his pink tub!

Anyway, the reason he bathes twice a day, really is because he sweats alot, and I mean alot. Perhaps it's because he's got a head full of hair. I love the colour of his hair; it's dark brown with strips of toffee at the ends. He can just sweat when he's eating, playing, drinking his milk, walking, sitting down, .. even sweats when he is sleeping !!! I have concluded, he has extremely high metabolic rate?!

Here is another self explanatory picture of Ethan taking his bath!

Yes, the black spot is done on purpose. Can't be showing my son's pride and glory to the whole world can I?

And yes, he loves his bath!

Ethan's First Rusk

We gave Ethan his first Farley's Rusk when he turned 8 months old. We are pretty conservative and very much playing safe when introducing any form of solids to him.

These Rusks can be introduced to infants at/around 6 months old. However, we will try as much to delay introducing new delights for him to build better immunity and resistance. Not sure how much he will gain from this though. But sigh, as first time parent, will try to be as 'careful?!Q?!' as we can be. Just a note of consolation, he has been fine with most food we have given him so far.

We are quite pleased to be able to capture his first biscuit moment. From the first picture to the last one seen in his hands, 7 minutes.... and that's my son!

Picture taken on the 31 August 2009
1st picture: 4:37:56 PM
Last picture: 4:45:30 PM

Ethan's yiyi

Introducing Ethan's yiyi, also his ever faithful playmate and part time nanny!

This picture was taken in an open air restaurant in Seremban. Food was top notch but the it wasn't the most baby friendly place. However, Ethan's yiyi could actually find a comfortable position to feed our little friend. That's pure nanny-ing skills. SALUTE!

pizza on a sunday afternoon

Have been wanting to cook but just couldn't find a good time to do so. However, would love to get my hands back into the kitchen again, especially now that I will have to come up with more healthy meals for my little tot.

I made this pizza one Sunday afternoon after having a huge brunch. What made it fantastic was the fact that this pizza had more than 4 different types of cheese in it! I found some cheese that were gonna go bad, so decided to just throw them in and walla...

Who can ever say no to 4 different types of cheese, all baked together on top of a pita?

She

When we first set eyes on her, she didn’t have the best looking physique and stature among the rest. However, when spoke to her the first time, she was relaxed, composed, and above all, she blew us away with smart responses. She smiled at every sentences ended, and she looked into out eyes when we spoke. That got us smiling, all the way home.

I remember asking impatiently when she would be able to come home.We furnished her room with a new bed frame, new mattress, fixed up her new wardrobe and washed up her bed sheet and pillow cases for her.

I remembered the day when she was going to arrive. My heart was beating as I waited patiently for her. When she stepped in, I gave her my biggest smile. I was so pleased.
She was quick to respond, followed instructions enthusiastically, quietly observed details and was on her feet at all times.

She was all I ever needed. My help, and my assistance.

We brought her along with us, as a family everywhere we went. Introduced many of our friends and relatives to her. Made sure she feels assured and safe with us. We brought her out for dinner with us countless times. Made her order what she likes to eat. Bought nice clothing for her. And gave her more often than not, more that enough rest time, (from 8pm onwards).

Unconsciously, we have made her like a part of our very young and little family.

8 months past. We were starting to loose personal items and money seemed to go missing at times. All of us kept it to ourselves, thinking that we might have misplaced them. Then came one evening, hubs stomped down from the room and griping about how his USD went missing. We started confronting each other; me, my sisters and my mum.. and found out that all of us had our fair share of foreign currencies went missing.

Came out with a game plan. My mum will have carry out a closed door investigation, probing/questioning Lulu while Adrian and I did the same to her. Probed the both of them (she and lulu) and found out that they both had skeletons in their closets which only both of them knew. While both of them were put in separate rooms, they started to spill the beans, … and more beans. And finally we found out that she has been stealing things. We probed further and told her to come clean with us on what else she stole and we were very sure we lost money… and a huge sum of money, mind you.

She did not own up.

Lulu then confessed to us what she said and did while we were away from home. She looked guilty, but denied it. Many times. When Lulu told her to admit what she has done, she went berserk. She was screaming and hitting herself hard on her chest (Imagine King Kong) and pleaded with us to just sent her back. We were shock to see this person, whom we once trusted so much turned into an ugly monster. Little did we know?

We were sadden and disappointed with her. We sent her back to the place where we took her from, at 3 in the morning. We could not let her go near Ethan anymore since we have seen that shocking side of her. Very fast, we got her to pack her bags and very fast she left.

I was crushed.

After sending her off, we felt that emptiness and forlornness. It hit us quite hard and yes, nonsensically, we missed her.

Emotions aside, we had quite a bit to sort out since we got her officially in through an agency. She has our names in her Passport, Working VISA and I-Kad. We had to go back to the agency to make sure that we have officially declare that she is no longer working with us and that we will need to have her documents properly filed (this is just in case if she goes missing and the papers still states that she is under our care and custody).

We expressed our disappointment for being victimized. We were then told that we should lodge a police report for what she had done to us and she will probably be charged and sentenced. But that would however be the decision of the court.

We faltered no more and went straight to lodge a police report.

They took her and reprimanded her in the police station. When I looked into her eyes, I nearly teared. She looked sorry, but I told myself that that’s how she looks all the time. I held back, got myself back together quickly and waited as Adrian spoke to the sergeant.
It was quite a long wait. When Adrian was done, he came out.“We have enough evidence to charge her. She admitted that she stole our belongings and money” Hubby whispered.
She is still being remanded in the police station up till today. Not sure how long she would be there for. I still think of her. Praying that her sentence in jail would make her a better person.

Right now, I’m officially the full time maid after working hours. We’ve read so countless horrifying maids stories. Never thought it would happen to us. Not the most pleasant experience. We are still recovering, trying to take things one step at the time.

Despite all that, she is still in my mind… O dear Lord, please help us pull through this.

Ethan... at 10 months

How time flies. Ethan is exactly 10 months today, and 60 days to his first candle. This little angel of mine has brought us all (not just Adrian and I but my whole family, mum, sisters, and even the the maids) unspeakable joy. He loves to laugh, smiles when he's awake and he loves interaction.

Anyway, at 10 months, we have noticed some developments:

1. loves to play peek a boo
2. blows raspberries into the air
3. forming bubbles at the tip of the lips
4. giggling in front of the mirror
5. hiding under the sheets
6. the sound of the bathroom water tap turned on
7. going topless (feels outrageously happy when we take off his clothes)
8. shivers when pees
9. looks constipated when he wants to go to the toilet
10. sings, sometimes yell when performing number 2
11. queer obsession for fans, ceiling fans and standing fans alike
12. kicks his left leg (or one leg) when happy
13. stretches both hands downward-forward when excited
14. Ethan’s Number 1 love: he loves Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Embrace

Embrace

I just got off the bed after putting Ethan to sleep.

He was out the whole day today, from joining us for dim sum lunch to doing massive grocery shopping and finally attended mass in the evening. Oh yes, it didn’t end there. We celebrated Adrian’s grandparent’s birthday; and that would mean Ethan’s great grandparents, (gung-gung: 87 and por-por:76). Very very blessed couple.

He was really excited seeing so many people and was his usual self. Jumping, cruising, crawling and yelling about. (Yes, our little friend is very vocal now). After cutting the birthday cakes, we finally bid our goodbyes. That was about 10pm. Ethan did not sleep the whole evening. He will normally have his evening naps about/around 9pm for about 30 minutes or so. Exceptional for tonight?!? I suppose he was really happy.

When we came home, he was already making quite abit of fuss. Cleaned him up, wiped him down and changed him to his pajamas. Gave him his last feed, rocked and lulled him to sleep and he finally sealed his tired eyes: calling it a night. Por-Por (My mum) is in town and therefore took over so that I could wind down myself. Came up to my room to checked my emails and half an hour later, I heard a loud scream from por por’s room. It was Ethan. (My little darling is at this stage where he needs to see daddy or mummy before he sleeps and while he is asleep, he needs to know that daddy and mummy is near him.) Went down to pick him up and saw tears all over his eyes. Poor little boy. And so I embraced him and whispered into his ears, mummy is here… don’t cry Ethan. It’s ok. Mummy is here. He calmed down and wasn’t crying anymore.

Placed him into his cot and 10 minutes later he was whimpering again. So, I pick my little champion up, whispered into his ears again, it’s ok Ethan, mummy is here. Don’t cry … it’s ok Ethan. Calmed down, he sucked his little thumb and went back to sleep. And this time, I had to cuddle him, rock him, sing to him and embrace him. I was doing that while lying down in my bed; admiring every bits of my little angel.

He is coming to 10 months/40 weeks/300 days old. This is how long God has given me happiness and love, ever since Ethan came into my life.

I always thought that one shouldn’t be carrying and cuddling a baby too much for the fear that it will “spoil” the baby. When I was cuddling Ethan to sleep just now, it finally dawn upon me that the last time I cuddled him that way was when I was still breastfeeding him full time, during the first 2 months of his life. I hardly get to cuddle him and admire him this way now because he is growing up so much and.. so fast and we hardly get to rock him to sleep during the day. He would play and go to sleep when he is tired.

I really miss hugging and cuddling Ethan to sleep. Like how I did when he was a few days old. This hope I would be able to cuddle him as long as I can. This magical feeling is indescribable; looking at him (admiring every bits of God's wonderful creation), holding his little hand and simply by embracing him.

Sausages, baked beans, hash browns and sunny side up!

Took a day off as it was a public holiday in Selangor. Thought, why not, as hubby is gonna be free as well. We woke up at about 8.30 in the morning and gave Ethan his feed. The kakak then took over, bathe, breakfast and finally his morning siesta. I was just feeling really lazy and tired for all the other mornings I had wake up, tend to Ethan, rush to work, back from work, take over from the maid and there goes… a typical life of the working mummy. “phuuu… trust me, it’s no joke. Tired!) THEN.. of course I had to play my duty as a wife as well. So that morning, had to ask hubby what he would like for breakfast. As usual, he would bestow on me this huge smile on his and … none other than going for his nasi lemak breakfast. Since we had it yesterday morning (we got 8 packets of nasi lemak for the household and still, there wasn’t enough), I thought we shouldn’t have it again. So I thought, we should just have our cereals for brunch.

Dragged myself out of the bed, washed up and got ready for another nice warm morning. While getting out from my bedroom, I could hear Ethan yelling and screaming (more of laughing and giggling out loud) from the living hall.

Went to the kitchen and was interrupted by a pleasant surprise. On the saucepan, I saw baked beans and on the plate were nicely browned beef sausages. Then hubby gave me a sweet smile, “Hunny, where is the little pan for the egg?”

I opened the cabinet underneath and gave it to him.

After a good 15 minutes, there was a plate with Sausages, baked beans, hash browns and sunny side up… for each of us.

It was a beautiful morning indeed.

his first tooth

2nd September 2009, exactly 9 months old.
His first tooth appeared!

Ethan's been drooling big time, since he was about 5 months old. Because he was drooling so much and was looking rather uncomfortable, we thought he was teething. Some days, he would wake up at night screaming on top of his lungs until he knew that we had picked him out from his cot and cuddled him. Then, I thought, he was teething because I was told that one sign of infant teething is when bubs cries in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Sounded like him!

Nope, that didn't happen until for months later. Therefore, yes, his mummy has been saying the same old line for the past 4 months... Ethan is teething. He cried again last night for no apparent reason. However, when tomorrow morning comes, no sign of whatsoever under his gums =

But now, yes, finally. It came out!
Yippieee!

Ethan's Piggie Bank

We received a huge parcel one day from Ben and May, all the way from Gold Coast via Sarawak. Ben called earlier to alert us to expect a parcel. Knowing Ben, he is so not a parcel guy. Therefore I concluded that it was the works of his ever brilliant wife, May. They got hitched not too long ago in the Gold Coast. I attended it and oh my, it was beautiful. Never attended a wedding where I could possibly tear every 5 minutes. Will write about it another time.

Anyway, Ben and May had told us that the parcel would be for Ethan and therefore when we got it, we told Ethan that it was for him and he could open it up.

He was so excited and slammed both his little hands on the box, trying to show us that he knew it was for him. Then he carefully pulled the strings off from the box (mind you, he did it as if he knew how to untie a dead knot!). Of course it didn’t work. We had to help him.

Ethan loves to open presents. We found that out when we gave him a wrapped parcel and he showed great interest in trying to rip the wrappers off. Also, he will give us this look this look, hinting to us that he needs help. Well, yes. He is growing fast. Sigh!

Ethan meticulously trying to untie the string. Well, we applauded him for his effort. And nope, he didn't manage to untie anything.

We helped him open his present and he was estatic to see such a cute looking piggie.

And obviously. He loves it.

And yes, we shall be teaching him the values of saving up his coins... just like the good old days.

Ethan and his sun salutation

Ethan is at this stage where he loves to walk and jump. At 7 months, he wasn’t really crawling yet (or rather didn’t show signs that he will be crawling anytime soon). Therefore, we speaking to his pediatrician, she highlighted that babies these have the passing the crawling stage and they just get up and walk!

My eyebrows raised, my mouth opened. Then I asked politely, “Why is that so?” She smiled and replied, “Evolutionary!”

However, at 8 months plus, Ethan has just surprised us one day by getting down on all fours and started crawling. Though he didn’t crawl like how the babies in most advertisements did, we knew he was discovering his little hands and foot and showing us that he finally is able move about on his own. We are so proud of him.

This young man will always put a smile on our faces. When he wants to crawl and move about, he will just lift up the hands and stretched his legs (imagine doing your sun salutation, and yes, he does it well!)

Ethan doing his sun salutation.

I did post an entry that Ethan loves music. A couple of weeks ago when his yi-yi played Taylor Swift over her computer, Ethan started to shake his head and tap his foot – to the beat when he stood up with our support. And after a while, he started jumping – to the beat. Frankly, that didn’t last very long. A good 20 minutes?!?! He was tired and we were all exhausted!

Any yes, naturally, he is able to get up on his own, having to grab hold of a larger object for him to obtain balance. And the amazing thing is, every time when he stands up, he will turn his little head and look out to see if we saw what he did!

That’s my little champion!

His first outstation trip

My sister, Yvonne recently got herself baptized in a catholic church, the St. Francis Xavier Church. Prior to her baptism, she had to attend a pre-baptismal retreat in Melaka, a 3 days 2 nights stay in retreat.

Naturally, by being her sponsor, I was looking forward to going to the retreat with her. The night before the retreat, I was trying to get Ethan to sleep in our bedroom. He didn’t want me to put him to bed and was struggling for almost a good one hour. And finally, mommy instinct told me that I had to call my maid up to the room to put him to bed. Sure enough, when the maid turned up and took him in her arms, he quieted down.

I was perturbed.

I couldn’t really fall asleep that night thinking if I’d to leave Ethan at home the whole day with the maid, he’s so not going to want me anymore.

Biting my lips hard, I told hubby that we will have to cart Ethan to Melaka and the maid was not going to sleep with my little boy. My other sister, Angeline was compassionate enough to understand what I was going through. So, she braved her horrible cough and cold in an hour car journey enroute to Melaka.

It was good seeing my son after one night of not seeing him. This was one time which I thought that motherhood thing has actually seeped into me. Nice!

Since it was a pretty last minute decision, we decided to book a room in the Majestic Hotel, Melaka, though the YTL Platinum Plus. (I must say that this club this the only one community which takes special care of it’s member. To top that, I have gotten invitations to watch a couple Malaysian musicals/stage plays but never could make it.)

Hubby was really excited about the whole idea of getting away, near or far. As for him, the induced thought of the Melaka Chicken Rice Balls drove his will for the one hour drive. However, I had to sneak out of the retreat sessions to check if things were fine with Ethan. I felt really bad about it, but lil sister was really cool about it, assuring me that she understands and told me to make sure the little boy was alright.

It was a great weekend for the family. Not to mention that it’s even better with Ethan behaving himself and enjoying himself in the hotel.

Check out the Majestic Hotel room and you will know why. By the way, that night when we all slept in the hotel, my little champion fell asleep in my arms. I was so overjoyed.

That's Ethan's yiyi preparing for his bath in an open concept bathroom in the hotel room!

This hotel used to be a mansion, dating back to the 1920s. The YTL decided to erect a new building in next to this mansion with it’s facade remains at the heart of the hotel mirroring the original architecture.

I remember reading an article on how the restoration team had to work on the hotel’s renovation by ensuring that the original porcelain flooring remains untouched. I seriously wonder how can that happen.

I must say that the hotel’s design integrates the old with new making it an experience. Lay man term, it feels like staying in a 6 star modern kampong.

Hubby swore that he is definately going back again. My verdict? A MUST! Frankly, the YTL Hotel Properties have never failed us. They might not be the biggest and most grandeured facade hotel, but I just love their so very intimate and unpretentious service, and their very personalised touch. If you are looking for a quiet hideaway with easy access to local food, this is the place to be!

ethan loves the guitar

Ethan absolutely loves music and he is really fascinated with daddy's guitar. When Ethan kicks a fuss, daddy will try to distract him by either strumming a lullaby or just plucking tunes. Lil E will sit down and watch daddy attentively, as if he was in a concert.

When lil E gets excited, he will move closer to daddy and try to pluck or strum the guitar strings. (Yes, he is getting pretty restless)

Speaking about that, grandpa came home with a flyer for Kindermusik one day. And we thought for a while, Ethan doesn't need to attend Kindermusik, really. He will attend music lessons with daddy! That will save us some money considering infants can only probably do listening and clapping at this stage. We will enrol him eventually; when his motor skills are more developed and he has better control of his hands coordination.

he doesn't like avocados

We've tried it many times.

He loves carrots.

He doesn't like avocado and carrots.

He loves pumpkins.

He doesn't like avocado and pumpkins.

He loves spinach.

He doesn't like avocado and spinach.

He loves bok choys.

He doesn't like avocado and bok choys.

Any suggestion on how he'd like avocados?

An act to a word?

I came across an article on some really weird situations where an act eventually became a word.

Pinkwashers (n) Certain companies who specifically use support for breast cancer research to promote products or services.

Carborexic (n) A person who is obsessed with minimizing his or her use of carbon.

Precycling (v) Purchasing products based on how recyclable they are.

Ghost call (n) A silent phone call received from a person who inadvertently has dialed or selected the number on their mobile phone (also known as ``purse-dialing.'')

Micro-boredom (n) What we used to call downtime is now increasingly filled by fiddling with mobiles or BlackBerrys. Those who market these devices, or the services they use, see it as an opportunity to sell us something.

Baby goggles (n) A phenomenon where the parents of an ugly baby think their baby is adorable and no one else does.

Fauxmosexual (n) A person who pretends to be gay, particularly as a way of garnering attention; a person who mistakenly believes he or she is gay.

Kitchenheimer's (n) When you're in the kitchen going around in circles because you can't remember what you were doing there.

SOURCE: Cramer-Krasselt's ``Urban Dictionary''

I find these words really amusing… and I really like the term Kitchenheimer's, maybe because that’s the word I have been looking for, for a long long time and yes, I do get Kitchenheimer's all the time. Do you?

Separation Anxiety

I just found out why Ethan was crying profusely yesterday night when hubby and I were attending a wedding dinner, while grandma and Ethan's yiyi babysat him in one of the restaurants in the Hotel.

When we first left Ethan to the both of them, he was find indeed. Apparently, after we have left him about about 30 minutes, be began his whole crying saga and both grandma and yiyi couldn't understand why he was behaving that way.

And only much later (in fact now) that I found out that he is at this stage (around 7-8 months) where he becomes aware when we are not around. Technically, this is because children at this age haven't yet grasped the concept of object permanence -that you exist even when you're not with them.

Apparently this anxiety can last well past his first birthday. Sigh, will let you know if he is one of the "bad case".

Anyways, I found out that there are some ways of dealing with separation anxiety. Looks like mummy and daddy will need to pay special attention to these pointers:

1. Keep things familiar
If possible, have your child stay in his own home with someone he knows well -- grandparents, a caregiver. If he has to be away from home, don't separate him from his siblings, and make sure he has his favorite blankie. Routine is especially important for younger babies. A 4-month-old is too young to comprehend why Mom isn't with him, the most you can do is keep his daily routine the same.

2. Tell baby what to expect
Children really need to learn to trust you, so forecasting and then doing what you say you're going to do is very important. For kids under 3, a heads-up one or two days before you go is plenty. And don't skip an explanation because you think your child is too young to understand. Your tone of voice and your attitude send a message to your kids before they understand all the words.

3. Build anticipation
Whether he'll be going to the zoo with grandpa or baking cookies with grandma, emphasize how much fun your child will have while you're gone. It's also good to acknowledge his anxiety. You could say, "I know you're going to have a really good time with Grandma -- but it's okay if you miss me. You can tell Grandma you miss Mommy, and I bet Grandma will give you a really big hug."

4. Rehearse
Before your first kid-free trip, try some short practice runs. You want to help children gradually learn to tolerate separations. Try going out without your child a few nights a week. If that sounds unrealistic, an occasional overnight visit at Grandma's or a few afternoons with a babysitter can also help prepare your child for longer separations.

5. Always say good-bye
A baby can better adapt to separation if he sees Mommy and Daddy before they go. If he is sleeping or distracted when his parents leave, he may wake up, notice that you're not there, and start crying.

6. Leave a reminder of you
Leave something of yours behind with your baby. She could watch a video that you're in, look at a large picture of you, or sleep in one of your unwashed T-shirts.

7. Have a countdown until you return
Sometime after his second birthday, the child's sense of time improves. He may enjoy crossing out days on a calendar while you're gone, or marking them with stickers. Another idea is to give your child a box or bag of small gifts when you leave town. Then each day you're away, he gets to take out one gift.

8. Stay in touch
Consider sending postcards to the toddler before you leave so they'll arrive early in your absence. E-cards can also be written ahead of time and programmed to arrive when you choose. And of course, for children of all ages, phone calls are very reassuring. If your child starts to cry during your call, it's time to say good-bye -- and perhaps have the caregiver take him outside for a change of scenery.

9. Prepare for changes when you return
Many kids -- eager for your attention -- will act a little funny when you arrive home. Often you'll see a bit of regression/ It might be thumb sucking when they haven't done that for a while, or they may slip up in their potty training. But just like your child's fear of your leaving, this too shall pass.

Oh my, looks like we really need to prep him way in advance because our little boy is showing some signs that he is not happy when mummy and daddy are not around.

Ethan's first artwork

Ethan helped daddy make a father's day card for grandpa of course with some help from mummy. This was taken during Father's Day (21st June 2009). We used non-toxic children's paint and made sure that Ethan had his tiny hands wash twice after our little project!

tomorrow will be a better day

Have you ever just felt like you just don’t feel like feeling, felt horrible for no apparent reason, felt like the patience–o-meter is at it’s negative reading, no appetite for food, caught in a jam and thought that it was the worst ever, tired, haggard and exhausted.Well, that was how I felt today. Monday - it may be?

Came back from work, feeling horrible and tired. Had dinner and gave Ethan his milk. Testing! Because he just didn’t want to finish his milk. Frustrated! Walked out and went into my room.
Lied on my bed for a while and got the water in the bath running hoping to soak in the tub to unwind. When I was about to step into the tub, I heard Ethan’s yells and screams from the other room. There goes my time alone. Picked Ethan up and pacified him. Read him his Goodnight Moon, probably more than 10 times?, played with him and finally turned on the magic lullaby (daddy’s original mixtape), which hubby recorded when we found out that Pearly Shells could actually put Ethan to dreamland.

Finally, snug into bed with hubs. I asked him,“Have you ever just felt like you just don’t feel like feeling, felt horrible for no apparent reason, felt like the patience–o-meter is at it’s negative reading, no appetite for food, caught in a jam and thought that it was the worst ever, tired, haggard and exhausted.?”

Hubby answered, “Yes, many times. Like when he got out of bed on the wrong note. But eventually, it will turn better”

Me: It will?

Hubby: Yes. It will.

Then, hubby wrapped his arms around me and said, “Yes, it will be better. I’ll be here always. We can eat the banana cake together tomorrow morning.”

We said a prayer and went to sleep.
Yes, it will be better, much better tomorrow.

Yes, so sweet of hubs to buy me a loaf of banana cake from the SS2 pasar malam. I’ve never bought any cakes from the pasar malam, fearing its condition. But when I woke up this morning, I had 4 generous slices of the cake.

It was good, and yes, my day was much better.

Footprints in Sydney

I was in Sydney again, after a very very long time - 5 years? And this time, I packed my bags, and board the plane all by myself, yes! Very couragious one may say, but really, I was crushed inside for having to leave hubby and lil' E at home. Unfortunately habby is not able to take just that couple of days off, thus the reason I'm travelling alone.

However, I after boarding on the plane, I watched some in-demand movies and went straight to sleep. When I woke up, the stewards were just serving breakfast and 1 hour and 15 mins before we land in Sydney Kingsford Airport.

Nice! That was how I felt....

When stepped out, it was Swine Flu Alert all over Sydney airport! I was amused by the termal videocams set up all over. Passed the cameras and yippie, went straight to the luggage belts.

Not too long later, saw a familiar face. Zuhun was as big as ever. No wonder buddy loves hugging this giant.

I wondered around town on my own, no hubs, no bubs. And that was really good. I could just wake up in the morning, not having to think about what do I need to complete for the day. I could just take my time and do nothing.

Of course I didn't do nothing! I just sipped coffee and smiled.

Spent a good 3 days in Sydney, revisiting and re-living it again. It was indescribable. But most of all, spending some time with buds. That was priceless .

We ate, drank, chatted, gossiped, 'sucked' (ahem, oysters), giggled, laughed and I teared when I left.

Pacific Oyster at the Fish Market.

$18.99 a dozen.

Buds and I each had half a dozen... and

half a lobster, half a dozen of scallops, salmon and tuna sashimi, 3 prawns.. all within an hour!

Sigh, that was what you call a taste of heaven!

Ethan - Starting Solids

When Ethan turned 6 months on the 1st June, I was really excited wanting to see how he'd react when this alien spoon reached his tiny mouth with some white gluey paste in it. We have been training him with the spoon for the past month, feeding him just water using a baby weaning spoon.

We follow strictly the recommended time when solids should be introduced, and according to the WHO, it is best to introduce solids to infant at and around 6 months old because the iron stores that baby gained will begin to run low and a full term baby will need the iron from other sources. Therefore it is important for the little one to gain a balanced nutritional intake. Also, it is a perfect time to start him at this point because he is showing massive signs that he is ready for solids (he drools a whole lot, puts everything and anything into his mouth, sucks his thumb profusely). I was told by my pediatrician that the danger begins when we deliberately start him much later (after he has shown all these signs but we still insist on not starting him on solids until much later) will do more harm than good. And if infants are not introduced to solids after 6 months, they will then to rely on their milk intake only. This is dangerous as milk alone will not be able to sustain a growing infant’s nutrient requirements.

Therefore, we started him right on the dot when he turned 6 months old. This little champion took us by surprise because it actually turned out quite alright as I was expecting him to throw out 50% of his baby cereal. He really did made us proud by showing us that he can eat, and I mean eat properly. He did not kick any fuss, but welcomed each spoonfuls of cereal by opening up his mouth and launching himself forward excitedly every time when he sees his food coming close to his direction.

Referring to a little note written by his pediatrician:

1st week : Baby cereal anytime between 5 - 7 pm
2nd week : Baby cereal anytime between 7-9am and 5-7pm
3rd week : Mashed fruits and vegetables

I am at week one! 2 more week sto go... What kind of mashies should I start?
Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, ... Avocado!

counting down

I got these colourful baby feeding spoons, ready in time for Ethan's first solids which will be a week time. Have been standing, squatting, leaning, sitting along the aisles of these infant/toddles department reading each of these usage instructions.


However, what was eye catching and somewhat consistent in most packaging were the "BPA Free" baby products. I later found out that BPA stands for Bisphenol-A which is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids.

Urghs, didn't help much though when I bought Ethan's full set of Avent bottles "BPA un-free". However, after finding out his has definitely made me more aware of the conditions of his bottles and will have to painfully discard his bottles away once signs of deterioration.

Anyways, 1 more week to go... What should I start him with?
Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, Carrots, avocado, ... Avocado!

Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood He gave
Green is for the grass He made
Yellow is for the sun so bright
Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins that were made
White is for the grace He gave
Purple is for the hour of sorrow
Pink is for the new tomorrow.

Give a bag full of jelly beans
Colorful and sweet

Tell them it's a Prayer...
It's a promise...
It's an Easter Treat!

the young lims

Ian Lim, our first Godson now 5 years old, has turned out to be a fine young man.

Pio Lim, born 1 week after our wedding is known to be Mr. Smiley for his generous cheerful smiles.

And we shall wait, one more Lim on the way... in 7 months time!

his chair

We finally got Ethan's high chair from Toys 'r' Us in preparation for his solids very soon! It was one of the few last items in the to-get list for Ethan because I didn't want to accept the fact that he will soon be taking solids. However, hubby thinks otherwise. He can't for Ethan to join us at the dinner table. Actually, he can't wait for Ethan to join him camping, fishing, shooting hoops and sharing his passion in daddy's line up of Jordans.

Therefore, daddy went all over town to look for a good looking high chair and guess what daddy found? A yellow chair!

Anyways, when hubby showed me the yellow Graco chair that was on the shelves, we immediately feel in love with it. It has a detachable table for the little boy, which was perfect for heavy duty cleaning.

All we need now is a set of baby's feeding set and we're ready to go. Not quite actually, he has just turned 5 months old.

Anyways, we are sticking to the conventional introduction of solids at 6 months old.

1 more month to go...

Ethan in his yellow chair

eat and be merry

29 November 2008

We had a little get together for Christmas when I was 37 weeks pregnant, that was November 29 (3 days before Ethan decided to pop). With much anticipation of Ethan’s arrival, I thought I should spend some time with our close friends before the “confinement” began.

For the first time, we had a proper pot luck Christmas dinner. For years, our get together session had always been theme-less pot lucks.


Hubby prepared his famous rosemary roasted chicken, complemented by herbed roasted mix vegetables. Well, needless to say that he was very proud of his roasting skills when he presented us his golden brown roasted potatoes. I must admit, that pot of thing he did, was respectable!

Leonard and wifey Carnee showed up with huge honey baked chicken and a huge bowl of mashed potatoes.


Because Jaclyn was 2 months pregnant, Kenneth didn’t allow her to step into the kitchen. This time, we had the privilege (finally) to have him stir up his super expensive ovens and produced a palate of handsome grilled lamb cutlets. On top of that, this man is the only person on earth I know who makes superb “siu yuk”aka roasted pork.

Gabriel and Lauren swore that they took part in LEARNING Gabriel’s mum’s homemade slow stewed pork (which was really, Tai Thong standards!) The pot of meat melted in out mouths. Gee, the thought of it sends water in my mouth.

KC, Yueh Li and Ethan Zac showed up with a huge platter of bangers: Italian sausages, mixed herb, Chorizo, smoked chicken, chipolatas and you name it. To top that, they actually baked it! Hooh, superb.

Sharon finally rang the bell with 3 tubs of Baskins Robbins which were whipped off the minute we took it out from the freezer. Needless to say, our beauty queen was late (again) but at least she showed up!

Mum and I partnered up to bake little Christmas cupcakes. Being 37 weeks, I was breathless most of the time, I only could bake the cupcakes and didn't manage to ice the cupcakes. Mum therefore helped with decorating the little delights.

Yvonne was busy transporting plates of bruschetta from the toaster out to the dining table. We had the classic herbed tomato and brown button mushrooms bruschetta served as the appetiser.

Braving the complicated step into baking a baked cheese cake, my sister Angeline made dessert a highlight of our evening. Ended the evening with heart warming carols and later did our little round of gift exchanges. It was indeed an evening dedicated to friends and thanking the Lord for the season of love and joy.

Needless to say, the boys had a swell of a time.

Blessed Christmas everyone!

ethan

When we found out that I was pregnant with a little boy, many asked if we had given him a name yet. We would smile and said yes! However, we did not want to disclose his name until he came out!

Well, same time when I was pregnant, one of Adrian's cousin, KC was also expecting a little bundle of joy. But, both KC and Yueh Li decided not to find out the gender of the baby and preferred it to be a surprise instead. We received a text message one morning thanking us for the toy we bought their little boy and that, baby “Ethan” will definitely love playing with them. And guess what, little baby being Ethan, will make him Ethan Chong… as well!

We prayed about little boy's name and somehow, both hubby and I have were very attached to the name as we have been calling him by his name since we knew he was a boy, that was probably when he was approximately in his week 25. Therefore, we decided that we'll stick to his name, Ethan, Ethan Chong Xiang Wei.

By the way, his name Ethan is of Hebrew origin and his name means "firmness, strong, long-lived". Biblically, Ethan was a man of Israel noted for his wisdom. One reason why we chose the name Ethan was partly due to its meaning. Our only prayer for him is to be strong, despite having to face with tremendous challenges, pressures and temptations the world might endow on him.

While we're on the subject, we are proud God parents to Ethan Chong Ching Her. He is 4 months older than our little boy and that makes him the big bro! However, we will not be calling him biggie Ethan or Ethan senior or what not. KC and Yueh Li has decided that he will have a confirmation name, Zachary. Therefore, he is Ethan Zachary Chong Ching Her, in short, Ethan Zac!

That's Yueh Li and Ethan Zac

his little thumb

It's past midnight and we have put Ethan to sleep an hour ago after his last feed. I was washing up and heard faint sucking noises from Ethan's cot. He is sucking his thumb! I'm so proud of him because he is obviously not asleep and he knows it's bedtime. Better still, he is not making any fuss but to suckle his little thumb to sleep!
Sweet dreams lil' E!

it's a boy!

We ordered a 2kg chocolate butter cake for Ethan's full moon for my collies over at work. The cake looked lovely and it came in a shape of a milk bottle. I tried the cakes from Just Heavenly a couple of occasions and I totally feel in love with their cakes.

Ethan's full moon cake for workmates over at MB Malaysia

For the those who swears that eating chocolate actually releases endorphines, please try the Death by Chocolate. It's one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever tasted. Pair it with a scope of vanilla ice cream and you'll hit the 10/10 button! It's glorious!

I really liked the choc and cheese. I've tasted many variances of choc and cheese and this is one which I think has the best combination of classic cheese and chocolate cheese in a cake. It's not as sweet as I thought it looked and and boy, this is one time which I would choose cake over calories! Total surrender, oh, sigh...

Check out Just Heavenly.

Gute Nacth

Today Ethan finally went to sleep by himself in his cot! He has been rooming in with us for the past 4 1/2 months, in our bed, between the two of us.
Therefore, for 4 1/2 months, I fell asleep not having to have hubby wrap his arms around me to sleep.
For once, I can quietly snug into bed with hubby.
Sweet Dreams, Gute Nacth!

little chinese delights

We went out for a dim sum outing at Chynna, KL Hilton. This restaurant serves Cantonese-Shanghainese fusions. That was made known when a funny looking spout (a very long spout, mind you) from a teapot handled by a waiter was tilting towards our Chinese porcelain cups. And that’s how Shanghainese teas are served!

Malaysia being a Muslim country, it’s normally pork-free in Chinese restaurants in the major hotel chains. I must say that the dim-sum served was good, well, really good for a pork-free menu.

The details on the palates were impressive (sorry didn’t manage to capture some of these creative gastronomic presentations because we were so hungry. Now that we have to sort Ethan out before leaving the house, its takes us about a good 1 hour from the time when we adults get ready. He needs to be fed, cleaned if he poos, we need to pack his bag making sure his stuffs are brought along, stroller and finally strapped down to his car seat) but they also actually taste good!

Ethan was really amused with the open dim sum kitchen and bar. Who could miss the huge red lanterns draping down from the ceiling, making the restaurant look as if it’s like a mini lantern parade. Well, by the way, if you don’t know, this little boy of ours is full of curiosity, inquisitiveness, and is nicked names Mr. Nosy!

For durian lovers, this restaurant is the only restaurant in town that offers piping hot durian- custard mini buns. They were splendid!

To end, the all time favourite chilled mango pudding with ice cream.

Well, its not just the mini buns which were good, the restaurant serves other seafood dim sums which introduces perfect combinations of various tastes. Bravos to chef for putting smiles and blissfulness in his dining hall. No wonder he was awarded the “CHEF CONGENIALITY AWARD” for the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2008!

Mummy and Ethan after a scrumptious lunch