Sleeping Arrangement

To follow up on this post, here is how the cot is joined to our bed after one of the railing has been removed. Every night, I push the cot close to our bed. I put the brakes on for the cot, place a chair between the other side of the cot and the wall (to prevent the cot from even making the slightest move away from the bed frame). Then I place 2 bolsters to fill the up the gap between her mattress and our bed frame.

Put 2 more pillows to cushion the gap. (Our bed frame is slightly lower than the standard bed frame. If we got a bed frame with the standard height, it probably would have been leveled with her mattress.)

Normally if she woke up middle of the night, she would roll over, and snuggle beside me.

In the morning, all the bolsters and pillow will be removed, and we'll 'park' her cot against the wall.

Another Weekend Without Daddy

This is the 2nd weekend Daddy is away (the longest ever since Zara was born). I kept Zara occupied with lots of activities in the house as well as hanging out with my siblings and family. Top (L->R) : 1) Bubble bath, it never fails to pick her spirit up (not that she needs any). 2) Morning hangout in our little grass patch. 3) She loves inspecting the ferns. Middle (L->R) : 1) At my sister, K's place, that's Tasha baby (my eldest sis, T's 2 months old baby). 2) Zara playing with Norman ko-ko's (Chinese : older brother) musical car track. 3) Sleep over at King's Wife's again, playing with Samantha che-che (Chinese : older sister). Bottom (L->R) : 1) Early Sunday morning smile 2) Played with Samantha che-che's soft toys 3) Samantha che-che piggie backing Zara I also went to 2 publisher warehouse sales. One organised by MPH, the other by Times. Discounts were really good. Got lots of books for Zara, and a few books for myself. My loot from MPH. Times bookshop warehouse sales is still on till end of this week, and it's held on the 1st floor Atria Shopping Complex. The novels are a steal (but you have to really spend time to search for the title you want), and the Ladybird series are all going for RM5. Good bargain.

Little Miss Engineer

Both Daddy and I were engineers before, it is not a surprise that our little girl turned out to be Little Miss Engineer as well. We planned to join Zara's cot to our bed, so that we can have our bed back she can have her own space and yet she can reach out for me or roll over to curl beside me if she wanted to. Daddy was trying to remove the side bar from Zara's cot, and Little Miss Engineer got so excited and wanted to help.

"Daddy, Daddy, what are you doing?"

"Daddy, Daddy, come! Let me help you!"

"Daddy, see, this screw needs tightening too!"

*concentrate*

Mummy

After waiting for 14months, I finally heard Zara uttered her first "Mummy". Once she started using Mummy instead of Ah Meen, she calls me more often, and with a more tender tone. The wait was well rewarded. Every morning when she wakes up and opens her eyes, her first word would be "Mummy". When she spots me, she would be giving me this big big smile while stretching. If she woke up in the middle of the night, she would sit up and call "Mummy". Every day when I returned home after work, she'll be greeting me with outstretched arms calling, "Mummy! Mummy!" If she cried or feeling down, she would be calling "Mummy" even though I may not be around (Tuyam would normally call my mobile and have me speak to her or calm her). When she's alone with me, if I was taking a bath, she will just stand behind the shower screen, peeping in and calling "Mummy! Mummy!" until I finish my shower. If I was using the toilet (be it for a pee or a poo), she would stand beside me, grin at me, calling "Mummy Mummy" (it can be very tough doing your 'business' with a grinning toddler watching you). She always waits for me to finish, helps me to flush, and then follows me out. In our long car ride home, sometimes she'll just reach her hand out to the driver seat, and calling, "Mummy, Mummy". Normally I'll explain to her I'm driving, can't hug her or give her milk. Sometimes it goes : "Mummy" "Yes Zara?" "Mummy" "Yes Zara?" We can go on repeating like this for a while. However, when I ask her to "call me" (address me), she would say "Ah Tum" (Ah Kim, Hokkien: Mum's Brother's Wife). Thanks to King's Wife, always saying "call me, call me" to Zara and only satisfied while Zara says "Ah Tum". Now Zara links the words 'Call Me' to 'Ah Tum'.

She's 15th Month already!

Another month has passed, and my little girl turned 15th month old yesterday. This is another post to capture her development. ~ Latest weight and height unknown (haven't been to the Paed, so didn't get the proper tool to measure her) ~ No new tooth sprouted, with 4 upper and 4 lower full-sized (like corn kennels) teeth. Dexterity : Running around more. Able to retrieve 1 cent coin from the floor (which I think can be quit tough even for adults). For this month, she seems to prefer being carried than walking. Always reaching out her hands and says, "keh-yee" (her carry) to who ever is willing. Once you held her up, if you wanted to put her back down, she would cling to you, hold up her two feet, refusing to let them lend on the ground. *sigh* Language : Amazing progress. One day I took a pen and paper and jotted down the different words she used in a day, and counted about 50words. She's also using more non-noun words now : Dirty, Keen (Clean), Big, Smo (Small), Up, Down, Pretty, Notty (Naughty), High, Spicy, Scah-Scah (Scared), Happy, Kai (Cry), Pus (Push), Pu (Pull) Use Pis (Please) when asked for things, and Tats (Thanks) after receiving things. Started calling me Mummy. She's also saying more phrases : Baju dirty Daddy work work Uh-pen fie (aeroplane fly) Tutc Seh-doh (touch shadow) Able to join in song singing Able to address people based on gender: Adult men are Ah-Ter (Uncle) Adult ladies are Ah-Tee (Aunty) Little girls are Che-che (big sister) Little boys are Toh-toh (big brother) Any toddler or babies are Beh-Pee (Baby) Any Malay looking ladies are Tak-Tak (Kakak) Feeding / Food : Still loves fish, and now starting to like crunchy stuff like crisps (she says Pok-Pok for these things, probably describing the sound of the crunch) Taking 3 solids meals, 4 breast milk feed + 1 formula feed a day. In between she snacks on biscuits and fruits. Emotions : Getting very cheeky now. Her idol is King's Wife's daughter Samantha. She's overall a very happy kid, but occasionally may get moody and throw a tantrum or get angry for the littlest reason.

Weekend Moments

While changing her clothes on Saturday, Zara suddenly said, "Ah Tu (Zara's Ah Ku; Hokkien : Mum's brother a.k.a King)! Baju(Malay: Clothes)." and then she started touching her cheek with her pointer. I actually didn't know what she was saying. King Wife was laughing and explained that she asked Zara to shame King when he was walking about bare chested the other day. Zara must have recalled the incident while I removed her clothes. ~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~ On Sat night while getting ready for bed, I saw an annoying mosquito flying about in the room. Sam was shouting, "Mosquito! Mosquito!", and I was chasing after it. Finally I managed to slap and kill it. I showed Zara the squashed mosquito in my palm and said, "See, mosquito very naughty, that's why mummy beat beat mosquito". She then clapped her hands together and said, "Moh-toh-toh". ~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~ Zara was taking her morning shower with Sam at King's Wife's. Half way through her shower, she just uttered, "Happy!" (she knows what it means, but never spoken the word before). I guess she was really happy to be taking the shower with her favourite Sam che-che. ~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~ A moth flew in the house and was clinging on to the curtains, Zara pointed to it and said, "Mot". I was surprised as I never taught her the word, but remembered this was one of the many characters that appeared in her story book, Miss Spider's Tea Party. ~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~ Kids learn very fast, and you don't know what retain in their memory and what not.

Zara's Weekend Fun - Photos

Daddy wasn't in town this weekend so it was just Zara and I. These are photos showing what we did over the weekend. Top (L->R) :

Longer bath time, she likes to pour water out from cups now

I wanted to get her feet and palms prints, and since she's going to get dirty anyway, let her do some painting as well. Middle (L->R) :

Her painting, all done by herself, anybody wants to bid for it?

My brother the King has been showing Zara his magic trick, and Zara was interested in trying out herself. She put her comb inside the pillow case, then 'miraculously' made it appear again (at least I made her feel so). She was very happy when her audience (me, myself & I) clapped and said she's so good with her magic! (Bottom L->R)

The creamy tomato sauce I cooked (simmered tomato juice with stir fried dice onions and mushroom + some thick cream) for lunch to go with some penne. Tuyam and myself found it very delicious. As for Zara, she sucked all the sauce out, and just spit out the penne.

Stayed the night in King's Wife's. Of course, Zara has to sleep with her favourite Samantha che-che

Sunday morning grooming - she was just trying to make herself look 'pretty' by combing her hair multiple times and puting on a hair band. And in the evening, we went over to my sis' condo for a swim. The water was icy cold. Zara was trembling in the water and after a while, she wanted to get out; so did the rest of us. She preffered to play around the pool with her cousins.

How Old Are You Tag

Egghead, and Fantasyflier tagged me on this to find out which era I was from, here is the content of the tag 1. Name one of the actor of the old days that you missed the most ~ Danny Chan (陈百强) 2. Name a cartoon of the old old days ~ Smurf!! 3. Name a singer/group of the old days ~ Liu Wen Zheng (刘文正) 4. Band of the old days ~ Anzenchitai (安全地带). ~ When I started listening to English songs, I just love Depeche Mode (still do). 5.TV Series of the old days ~ 星星知我心 (Xin Xin Zhi Wo Xing - some sob stories), 网中人(Man In the Net - Chow Yuen Fat debut!). Used to watch with my mum, dabbing our tears occassionally, and sometimes she got so carried away, she totally forgotten about preparing dinner! 6. Actress of Old Days ~ Cherie Chung Chor-Hong (钟楚红) 7. Fashion of Old Days that you miss the most ~ I remembered the beggers out fit, the shoulder pads, but I don't really miss them, I think they were ugly (although back then, I too wore them to be fashionable). 8. Movie of Old Days ~ An Autumn's Tale (秋天的童话) 9. Music Video of Old Days ~ Must be Micheal Jackson's Thriller, I guess. MTV wasn't popular for Chinese songs yet. 10. Coolest Song of Old Days ~ That's What Friends Are For (Elton John and Friends) Come to think of it, I was so Chinese huh? In fact, I was so Chinese that my siblings teased me and called me a communist (They were all sent to English schools while I went to a Chinese school). I'll have to list 3 people to pass this tag on (you are not obligated, just do it if you feel like it). - Twin (must be very young huh you, even though you have 2 kids?) - Mr Cocka Doodle (which cockeral era did you come from) - YL (you must be very very young) Normally I will tag Helen but I'll spare her so that she can concentrate on finding out the true identity of this man.

Invasion of the Purple dinosaur

I had lived in the same house with King's Wife and her daughters for about 5 years. When my nieces started watching TV, King's Wife bought loads of Barney VCDs for them on purpose to drive us up the walls. You can imagine the house was always filled with songs from Barney, and the silly sounding laugh of Barney every time my nieces conquered the TV (which was almost ever day!). Everybody was singing "I Love You, You Love Me.. yada yada ". When all you get on TV was Barney, you lost interest in TV itself (no wonder I really don't watch that much TV, must be the post-Barney syndrome), and any appearance of him made you want to tear your hair and punch the wall. For Zara, in the beginning, I only showed her Baby Einstein (she almost always falls asleep with this) and Wheels In The Bus. One day while shopping in Singapore, I saw Barney's VCD going for S$1.99. Wow, what a great deal isn't it? So I bought 2. Since I bought, I might as well play it for Zara, give her a variety of programs to watch. Big mistake! Now that she knows she can make her own decision (for choices like Bottle or Breast, Bread or Yogurt), she wants to decide what she should watch too. Every time when I asked her to choose a VCD to watch, she would go to her stack, pick up Barney, and shout "Money! Money! (her Barney)". Even when I play another program for her, she would continue to hold up the Barney VCD, and chant "Money! Money!" It is very difficult to get her to watch another program now. When Helen's old house was invaded by termites, mine was invaded by the purple dinosaur. I can foresee it is here to stay for at least another 5years! And guess who is going to inherit King's Wife's numerous Barney VCDs? Yikes!

Horsing Around

Which kid doesn't like horsey rides? Zara loves it, and she's looking for all kinds of things she can 'ride' like a horsey. My bolster, her bolster Daddy. The funny thing is she will sayang (Malay:pat/stroke lovingly) the 'horse' head' first before she rides on 'it'. And finally.. . . . . . . . . . . . Russ our cat. We actually have to stop her from crushing the cat.

In The Mood For Love

As a Valentine's Day special, here are tender moments of Zara, showing her love for those she cares for, as well as babies.

Kissing Little Yong (King's Wife's nephew)

Giving her favourite che-che (King's Wife's daughter Sam) a tight hug Giving Ah Kong (Maternal grandfather) a hug

Showing Baby Tasha (my sister's baby) some TLC.

Giving Pooh Bear a kiss

Hug Hug Daddy

And finally, big big kiss for mummy

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody

Jaw dropping 'conversations'

We really have to be careful how we talk to Zara, because she's learning fast, picking up our talking style, and the words we used. Here are some moments which caught me off guard. Kiddie Rides Every time when Zara points to a Kiddie Ride and requested to go on it, we'll say we have no money, can't go on this time. We were in KLCC on Saturday, we thought we'll give her a treat, and inserted some coins (she also associates coins with money) for one of the rides. After her RM1 ride, she said, "More more! Money! Put" Diaper Changing When I try to get Zara to listen to me, I always repeat please many times. "Zara please, don't touch the floor." "Zara please, it's dirty." When I was changing her diaper this morning, I wanted her to lie still, but she wanted to sit up to play instead. After a few failed attempts to sit herself up (because I pinned her thighs down), she looked at me desparately and said, "Pis! Pis! Pis!" (her Please) Thanks for your compliment We are teaching Zara to say thanks. We prompt her to say thanks after we give her something. We will also say thanks when she helps us with some chore (dropping the laundry in the bag, throwing the paper in the dustbin), or kisses us. That day, she did something smart, and Daddy said, "You are such a clever girl!" Her reply, "tats" (her Thanks). Wait When Zara needs attention and we are busy, we always say "Wait, let mummy ..." or "Wait, daddy finished ... first". "Wait Wait, Wait First" Before bedtime just now, I helped her with her usual pre bed time ritual (hand washing and tooth brushing). I soaped her hands, rubbed her hands together, and when I wanted to rinse them, she just retracted both her hands away from the running tap. I told her "please, let mummy rinse the soap away", and pulled her hands back to the tap. She held her hands firmly away from the tap and said, "Wai, Wai! Wai Wai! Wait" (her Wait) as she wanted to get more bubbles on her hands. Swearing She was playing with a ball in the room, accidentally dropped it. And I seriously think I heard her said "shit" (my expression when I drop things accidentally) and then she just tried to retrieve it from under her cot.

Softies

Since it's closed to Valentine's day, some folks started talking about soft toys. Here is his, and here is hers. I used to collect soft toys too. You know the ones that came with a minimum purchase from McD? I used to stuff myself with McD every week, just so I could collect the whole range. What a waste of money (and calories). When we moved to our current house, I had to give quite a lot away (to scavengers), there's no room to keep all of them. With Zara, I have to be careful not to start another big collection. No furry ones for her, as it may cause allergy. None with loose parts, because she may accidentally choke on them. Here are 2 of her favourite, and they are definitely infant safe. Mr Blue. She calls it Boo. Mr Blue is like a comfort object for her (besides the breast and thumb). When she's tired, she asked for Boo. When she frets, we gave her Mr Blue. She would search for Mr Blue's mouth, place it next to hers, and then, she would start sucking her thumb. Mr Blue originated from Ikea. I had to get her two of the same kind. One for upstairs, one for downstairs, and just in case it went missing and couldn't live without it.

Top 2: Mr Blue helping Zara to nap. Bottom L : Zara making Mr Blue dance by moving it around. R: Even in the morning, if she saw Mr Blue, instinctively, she will still grab it and suck on her thumb

Lamb. She calls it Nam. Lamb was given to her by Nurse Tay, the midwife who helped delivered Zara (we later became friends). This is the only one that can substitute Mr Blue. She uses it like Mr Blue, but most of the time, she just plays with it. When she's holding on to Lamb, she likes me to sing Marry Had A Little Lamb and then she would move Lamb around as though it was dancing

Here is her Lamb moment

Singing

Zara likes to sing very much. Sometimes she sings on her own. No comprehensible words can be heard, and the tune is all out. You can't tell what songs she's singing, but you know she's definitely singing; she sometimes even accompanies her singing with some dance moves. Here are 3 which she can sing along Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Me : Twinkle Twinkle Little.. Zara : Stars Me : How I wonder what you.. Zara : Ah (Are) Me : Up above the world so .. Zara : Sky (She doesn't know it's supposed to be "high") Me : Like a diamond in the .. Zara : Sky Me : Twinkle Twinkle Little.. Zara : Stars Me : How I wonder what you.. Zara : Ah (Are) This Old Man Me : This old .. Zara : Mang (Man) Me : He played .. Zara : Wung (One) Me : He played knick knack on my .. Zara : Dum (Drum) Me : Knick Knack pat-a-whack, give a dog a .. Zara : Bong (Bone) Me : This old man came rolling .. Zara : Home Sing A Song Of Sing Pence She can't make out most of the words but only this part Me : The King was in the counting house, counting out his .. Zara : Money Me : The Queen was in the parlour eating bread and .. Zara : Chis (Cheese, since she likes bread and cheese a lot) And every time after each song is sung, she would be clapping her hands and shouting, "Oh!!" with a big big grin. I would of course have to clap my hands and praise her, "You are clever aren't you?" Guess what she'll do next? She'll say "Pan-Teh-Tic" (Fantastic) and give a bigger grin. Btw, she has started calling me mummy since yesterday instead of Ah Meen. *big grin*

All About Milk

1) In the midst of Weaning She started taking 1 bottle of formula each day. She's no longer complaining. Happily takes it, even if I was the one offering compared to the previous months. Not sure when she's going to be completely weaned off breast feeding, but it is definitely in progress (I guess it's more of mummy not willing to stop than her). 2) Bottle or Breast She has a choice now, especially during the days when I'm around. When she asked for Milk Milk (she no longer said "HUH, HUH" like she used to), I would ask her, "Zara want breast or bottle?" In most cases, she'll say, "Best" (breast), and points to my breast 3) Frustrated One day I had a block duct on my left breast. Since I wanted her to help me clear the blockage, during her feed, I kept only offering that breast (for those who's not familiar with breast feeding, normally you swap breast mid feed so the baby gets to have a fuller feed) which was my weaker breast (less milk). She sucked, then stopped. Looked at me, "milk milk!". The duct didn't clear yet, so I told her, "yeah, Zara suck suck then" and stuffed the breast back to her mouth. She sucked, then stopped and said "milk, milk!" again. The duct didn't clear, so I guess she was getting very little milk. She did this one more time. Finally, she stopped and looked at me, "Bottle!" She was frustrated, all the sucking and no milk. Ha, she opted for the bottle instead! 4) Habis (Malay: Finished) I fed her a bottle of formula on Sunday. After taking half the bottle, she sat up, took the cap of the bottle, cap back the bottle and said, "habis!" Guess where she picks up that word from. 5) Excited over the breast Since it's CNY, we eat out a lot (some how some one would be buying dinner or it was our turn to buy). At about 10pm, Zara would want her milk fix. She would then suck her thumb, lay her head on my chest, and said, "milk milk" If I can't find a place to feed her, she would then grope my breast, follow by a louder, "milk milk". If I still don't feed her, she would try to reach her hand into my blouse to get to my breast. All these in public. My solution, hand her to daddy. :P

Cry - more photos

(So I'm still not in the mood to work although there's lots to be done, and I do wish I could bawl like Zara) The photo I posted earlier, wasn't taken when I had to leave her (at the house) for work (at the office). It was one of those days I was working from home, and while I came down stairs (from the study) to get a glass of water, I was greeted by this cry baby. She was just feeling manja (Malay: feel like being pampered/loved), wanted me to carry her. When I asked her why she's crying. She complained, "Paink Paink" (Pain Pain). When I asked here where pain pain. She pointed different parts of her body. I.e. Her head, her hand, her stomach.. I knew she wasn't in any physical pain, just wanted me to stay on and play with her, so I ignored her cry. She cried even more sorrowful, I thought it was cute and took the camera and started shooting away. Here are two more pitiful sight. Wicked, I know.

Ah Meen, Ah Meen

Paink Piank

Yikes! Back to work!

I wish the 10days of staying home, feasting, resting, holidaying, playing, having fun, did not end so quickly

I wish I didn't have 500 emails to respond to

I wish I didn't have too many urgent requests which have today as the deadline

I wish I could freely express my emotions, just like Zara

I wish I could show this face to my boss, and throw a tantrum and then just strut back home to continue with more holidays..

I wish Zara could gracefully wave bye-bye to me, when I leave her to go to work, and not kick up a fuss

Yikes! It's back to work.... *bawl*

Tanjung Jara Moments

Zara had a great time in Tanjung Jara. This is the 2nd time she went on a beach holiday, when we went to Penang in August 2005, she was much younger and wasn't talking and walking yet. This time round, I think she enjoyed it more since she's more aware of her surrounding. Daddy and myself could also enjoy ourselves as we have so many people taking turns to keep an eye on Zara who's constantly on the move especially during meal times. Some moments with photos. Fish Feeding There were lots of ponds with fishes surrounding the main restaurant. Fish food was given by the resort, and kids can help to feed the fishes. After letting her feed the fish once, at every meal time, Zara would walk to the reception area shouting, "Wis! Mum mum! Wis!" Her way of asking fish food from the hotel staff. She would then sit at the side of the pond, happily throwing fish pellets to the fishes, sometimes submerging her hand into the pond to feel the fish nibbling her. Sea and Sand Initially she was very uncomfortable walking at the beach. She didn't like the feel of the sand and was very afraid of the fierce east coast waves. However, on the last day of our stay, while we were walking at the beach, she actually dragged us out to the shore, and enjoyed the waves lapping at her feet. Dinner time entertainment We were entertained by a trio of musicians every night while dining. Zara really enjoyed their presence. She would go near the cello and try to strum the string, or she would join in by dancing. It was like she was part of the team. Cycling Daddy took the girls for a trishaw ride, and then we rented some bicycles. We cycled around the resort, with Zara taking a ride in Daddy's (it came with a child seat). It was really nice, especially when we rode on the path next to the beach, where we got lots of cool breeze. Zara very soon fell asleep, still clinging on to the child seat, on the moving bicycle. Swimming She really liked the pool. She was either in her neck float or was just playing in the jacuzzi or the baby pool assisted. Even on a gloomy day, she still wanted to stay in the pool despite the chill. Exploring Nothing beats checking out a new environment. The unfamiliar feel of the bed sheet, the height of the bed, the steps and walls around, a fallen leave or coconut, the canopy of trees, the bridges and the ponds. There was so much to explore for Zara. Of course, there's so much chasing to do as well for the adults. The Finale We had this special steam boat dinner arranged at the pool side on our last day, very romantic setting, although the food sucked! You could hear waves lapping, and get lots of sea breeze. Too bad it was a cloudy day and no stars can be spotted. (Can you spot King's Wife in this photo) Our next holiday?? Bali probably. Oh, I just can't wait!

Back To Reality - Home from holidays

Our 4D/3N holidays up on the east cost finally ended, and we had to return home *sigh*. We were in Tanjung Jara for a family (my side) holiday, 18 of us (inc 1 infant, 1 toddler and 2 maids) in 4 cars went and we took up 6 rooms. It was actually the very first ever family holiday where every one were present (except my mum) since we were kids. We stayed in the resort the whole time, enjoying the pool and the sea, and some of us got to enjoy the spa as well (part of the package). I had 2 spa treatments consisting of 100min massage each as I took Daddy's session since he didn't like people to 'work' on him (his exact words). It was blissful.... The only complain about this trip was the mediocre food in the resort (where we took all meals) and the journey to and fro (almost 6hrs/trip) . Thank goodness for the new Karak Highway, or the journey would have been 8hrs from KL! We were lucky because King's Wife's daughter, Samantha, decided to come in our car on both the journeys, and Zara was really happy having her as company.

Just before we left the resort for home. We were the last to leave.

Samantha Che-che tickled one of Zara's funny bones on the journey home.

More photos and moments captured will be in later posts.