Bible Verse of the Day

August 2013

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The Layover – Day 3: Saying Goodbye and Heading for Home

August 27, 2013 in Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | 1 comment

Our third (and final) day in Anaheim was supposed to be a short one, because our flight out from LAX to HKG was at about midnight that day.  However, our plan of waking up extra early to get a headstart on all those Fast Passes with our Magic Morning entry went up in smoke when we all slept in.  Fatigue and exhaustion from the previous days and all that jazz.

Nevertheless, we made do with the time we had and since the kids placed priority on the Radiator Springs Racers ride (at California Adventure Park) they had missed the day before, we headed straight for that one.  Unfortunately the Fast Passes for that ride were all taken up and the wait in line (without a Fast Pass) would be about 1.5 hours.

I suggested that they just go for it, since we had no choice anyway.  The queue would definitely get longer and longer as time wore on anyhow.  So Pete, Ethan and Hannah proceeded to wait their turn, while I took Emma for a walk.  Good thing they did too, because the queue became longer and longer as time wore on…in fact, it was more than 2 hours when they were done!

Anyway, my time alone with Emma wasn’t too bad.  There was a very comfortable child care center, complete with nursing room, changing tables, child potties and sinks not too far away.  There was also a similar-styled baby room in Disneyland.

I loved that:

  • Each individual diaper-changing station had a fresh stack of paper liners for the diaper changing table.  Very hygienic!
  • Each diaper-changing station was also padded along all four sides, and the place where baby would be laid down was on a lower level than the edges.  I thought this was a very useful and preventative measure to ensure baby does not roll over and fall over.
  • The room was tastefully decorated in baby prints.
  • There was a sink and soap provided, together with paper towels.
  • They also had little potties for smaller kids.  Definitely cozier than the adult restrooms!  Only Hannah *qualified* to use these little potties though.
The nursing room in Disneyland had at least 5-6 comfortable chairs for nursing, and there were 4 chairs at the center in California Adventure Park.  There were also magazines and reading material, and also a table and power outlet for moms who wanted to use the electrical breast pump.

On hindsight, there should have been a few of these rooms in the park, not just ONE for each of Disneyland and California Adventure.  But I digress.

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Hannah’s Back To School – in Nursery!

August 19, 2013 in Growing Up, Hannah, Milestones | No comments

Hannah had been looking forward to this day for the longest time.  We had been having nightly chats about school and she had become increasingly excited about seeing all her friends again, getting reacquainted and just plain doing anything in school.

The day before, she had helped me pack her bag, and chose her outfit for the day.  She even chose what snack to bring!  Today, she woke up extra early, and got ready without any fuss.  We reached school in time for breakfast and she met one of her closest friends who had arrived at approximately the same time as her.

Her teachers and friends were overjoyed to see her, and I think it was mutual.  I walked her to class, made sure she settled down for breakfast, gave her a hug and kiss and told her I’ll be back at 12:30p.m. to pick her up.

When I did, she proudly exclaimed, “I had so much FUN today, Mommy!”

And that just makes my day.  Absolutely. 🙂

All Bowled Over

August 14, 2013 in Entertainment, Ethan, Exercise, Hannah | No comments

Recently the kids expressed a genuine interest in trying their hand at bowling.  They had “practised” bowling in the iPad and also in the arcades, but never the real deal.

So yesterday, I organized a small kids’ bowling session with friends.  Someone recommended the Premium Lanes bowling center at Sunshine Square, as it was rather new, non-smoky and had suitable balls and shoes for kids.  Ethan and Hannah were literally counting the hours till we left the house, and yes…it was my first time bringing all three kids out on my own.  (Well, now that we have two cars, it’s easier for me to bring the kids out)

We chose the morning session because the rates were considerably cheaper (RM3.50 per person per game), and I had called earlier to arrange for the retractable rails to be set up for our bowling lanes too.  Retractable rails are the latest in bumper bowling, which is so cool if kids are bowling.  It ensures the bowling balls don’t roll down the gutter!

This bowling center had shoes to fit the kids too, even Hannah!  Rental of bowling shoes was RM2.00 per pair.  We paid for one game each first to see if the kids would like it, but at the end of the two hours plus, the kids went through 3 games!

The lightest bowling ball was the 6lb one, which Hannah used.  Ethan used the 8lb ball, I think.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering how I managed with 3 kids, baby Emma did the wisest thing: she fell fast asleep right through the entire bowling session!!

The kids had fun bowling.  Never mind that their technique was not correct.  Never mind that the ball sometimes deflected against the railings to score a spare!  It was certainly a great session, of plain fun and making friends…and guess what…the kids have requested to go yet again! 😀

Emma at 5 Months

August 14, 2013 in Emma, Milestones | No comments

Scrap Credits
Sweetheart QP from Delicious Scraps
Boxed words from Chantal
Boxed words (Volume 2 – Spring) from Chantal Taake

Weight

No up to date measurement as yet, I’m guessing probably around 7 kilos, at least.

Height/Length

No up to date measurement too, but she sure seems to be outgrowing her bath tub!  (so soon!!!)

Motor Skills

  • Emma started to rollover several days before she hit the 5-month mark.  Her head support is getting stronger and stronger now.
  • She can wiggle and squirm and move her body around in circles.
  • Loves to suck everything in sight: her fingers, her toes, our fingers, her fist..and so we started giving her a little teether too.
  • She can hold both feet up in the Happy Baby pose (Yoga) .

Communication and Social Skills

  • Emma adores her siblings.  Ethan and Hannah enjoy making Emma giggle and when she does, it’s the most wonderful sound in the world!
  • Emma is officially a SMILEY baby now.
  • She loves bath time, and sometimes cries and complains when it is over.
  • Loves listening to songs being sung to her.
  • Loves being with Mommy all the time, but nowadays is quite contented to be with Daddy too, as long as she’s not hungry.
  • She’s starting to love car rides, maybe it’s our new wheels, and also maybe it was just a phase she was going through last time.  Most of the time now, she can and will fall asleep while riding in the car.

Others

  •  Her sleep pattern is getting more consistent now.  She is used to the night time routine we’ve set out for her, so she falls asleep pretty easily after her shower in the evenings.  Praying it stays that way and gets better and better with time.
  • On good days, she wakes up on average once a night for her short night-time feed.  Sometimes she is up again at about 5a.m. and will not fall asleep till 7a.m.
  • We’re still moisturizing her skin several times a day to get rid of the rough patches, especially on her limbs and her neck.  She is still scratching herself quite a bit, so we need to ensure her nails are short and trimmed all the time.

Food and Feeding

She is 100% on Mommy’s milk.  Showing a keen interest in food, or so we think.  She will stare at my cup when I drink.

The Flip-and-Rollover

August 9, 2013 in Emma, Milestones | 1 comment

Her first time rolling over was probably sometime last week, when I placed her on her playmat and walked away to wash some dishes.  I asked Ethan to keep an eye on Emma and after a few minutes, Ethan called out and told me Emma had rolled over and out of her playmat!

Since then, she has shown keen interest in trying to roll over but it wasn’t until August 7th (the day our new set of wheels arrived), that Emma finally *officially* DID IT!

And as if to prove that she could do it all on her own, she kept flipping and rolling over, again and again and again.  She would extend one hand to her back when she’s on her tummy though, so sometimes she finds it difficult to support herself.  For now, she is only turning to her right, and yes, this would mean busier days ahead for me, as I have to constantly help her either roll back or pick her up and place her back on her back (only to have her roll over again!)

Today, she started to prop herself up on her elbows after she’d rolled over!  Great job, Emma! 🙂

A fascinating fact I realized is that I can actually remember the actual dates my kids hit their rollover milestone:

My Three Little Miracles

August 8, 2013 in Christianity, Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting | 1 comment

I could ask for nothing more than my three little miracles, each one created with love, unique and special in their own way.

Every morning I wake up not knowing what the day will bring, but resting with the fact that it will be filled with their laughter and banter, “Mommy, can I have this, please?” and “Mommy, he did this to me!” and “Mommy, she’s whining!”

I want only to cherish them, nurture them and give them the best I can give.  I want them to grow up beautifully, knowing that they can always be confident in who they are and not have to live up to the standards of society, whatever they may be.

I am blessed because in their own little ways, I know, deep in my heart, that they love me too.  He still holds my hand when we cross the street, she says, “I love you a bajilion times, Mommy!” while giving me squeezy-hugs, and the littlest one’s gaze follows me wherever I go.  Can’t wait for her to start talking. 🙂

My life is filled with challenges, and yet it is filled with love.

And every night I go to bed, it is with a fervent prayer that God’s blessing be upon each one of them.  I’m so grateful for their presence in my life and I could ask for nothing more.