Here’s a video of Hannah calling Mommy, Daddy (Deh-deh), Ethan (Nah), Hannah (Annah!) and Ah Ma (Mah).
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It all started off when I decided to print some simple activity sheets for Ethan to occupy himself with. The internet has an endless resource of all sorts of activity sheets and Ethan loved them all. He loves using his pencils and color pencils and completing everything those activity sheets required.
Then Hannah got interested too. Of course, she can’t quite do the activities per se yet, but she just simply loved the idea of holding a pencil or color pencil and scribbling on a piece of paper.
She would pull up a stool and sit together with her brother and they would both go wild with their creativity. Yes, sometimes they snatch from each other and yes, sometimes it gets out of hand and they start scribbling on the tables, but still, it’s such a joy to watch them spending time together…and not pulling each other’s hair out! 
Ethan stayed home from school today, because he was still nursing a forceful dry cough. Didn’t want him spreading those germs around school.
Just so he doesn’t miss out too much, I called up his teacher and asked if I could homeschool him today. His teacher prepared some activity sheets and I stopped by his school to collect them just now.
After I had explained the first activity (writing and coloring) to Ethan, I left him alone and went about my house chores. When I came back to check on him a few minutes later, this is what I saw on his chair:
Now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…he said he wrote his name on it because the chair belongs to him.
..oh by the way, the picture above shows him in the background busy doing some *painting*…
Is Hannah asking for a lullaby?
Well, Ethan certainly thinks so…for every time Hannah sweetly says, “Lullaby, lullaby..”, Ethan will say, “Mommy, Hannah is asking you to sing her a lullaby”, and when Mommy is busy, Ethan will take matters into his own hands and sing, “Lullaby, and goodnight…little Hannah go to sleep…”
Everybody say…”Awwwwwww…..” 
Lately we’ve noticed that Hannah loves to walk around on tiptoe. Even if she wasn’t reaching up for anything, she would toddle around the house tip-toeing all the way.
Could it be that she’s practising to move around in heels? So soon??!!!
It’s difficult to imagine that Ethan was once a quiet boy, unable to express himself … but now, he’s all words and active as ever. He speaks like an adult, possibly because we have never used baby talk with him before.
I’m not allowed to call him “darling” or “sweetie” or “baby” anymore, because Ethan says he is not a small baby anymore. Now he is a “medium boy”.
He picks up after us like a sponge; whatever we say or do is repeated in a similar fashion, often in an endearing manner:
One morning, when his Daddy gave him a kiss on the forehead before he left for work, Ethan responded with, “Awwwww…” , maybe because he heard me say that before.
He’s also learning the “Copy me” game now, where he would cheekily follow what we say or do. And then when I start speaking to him in Hokkien, he would retort, “Mommy, why are you speaking in Spanish?”
Sometimes Ethan says logical things like:
“Mommy, I drink chocolate milk and fresh milk. I don’t drink low fat milk, because I’m not fat!”
We’ve had embarassing moments too, like last week in church during the sermon, Ethan proclaimed loudly, “Daddy, why is he taking so long?”
…and his questions just keep getting harder and harder:
Ethan: Mommy, where is God?
Mommy: God is everywhere, Ethan. He’s all around us, He is in our home, He is in school with you, and most importantly, He is in our hearts.
Ethan: Where is heaven?
Mommy: Heaven is where God lives. It’s a really beautiful place and someday we will all go and stay there together with God.
Ethan: Why doesn’t everybody know God?
Mommy: Well, maybe because not everyone has gotten the chance to know God yet, Ethan.
Ethan: Why doesn’t *** pray to God? (he makes this remark because he noticed that some homes do not have the cross hung outside the door)
Mommy: Oh, maybe *** DOES pray to God…it doesn’t mean he/she doesn’t pray to God if they don’t have a cross outside their house.
Some questions are simply too *HARD* to answer…
Ethan: Daddy, why are we parking on the 6th floor, Daddy…why why why?
He’s even got a plan for the future:
Ethan: Mommy, when I grow bigger, I’ll go to office with Daddy; and when Hannah grows bigger she will go to market with you, Mommy.
And he keeps surprising us every day…especially with his reading skills. A few nights ago, as we were tucking the kids in to bed, Hannah brought their goodnight story book, and Daddy said it’s Mommy’s turn to read. But Ethan interjected and said, “NO! I wanna read tonight!”
And he did.
The whole story…all by himself, save for a word or two, which he paused and asked us how to pronounce.
He did such a good job, really. And even ended the story with a dramatic “THE END”.
How can we not be beaming with pride?
Ethan experienced his first ever Sports Day last Sunday. He had been looking forward to it for many weeks now, and every day leading up to the Sports Day, he would report to us the preparations and pratices he did in school.
We arrived about 15 minutes before the events kicked off, so little Hannah had some time to roam around too…
First, they had a torch run and then the kids from all the classes did a march past. Look at my little boy, all grown up!
For the events, each class was split into two teams of different colors. For Ethan’s class, he was in the GREEN team, challenging his other classmates in the YELLOW team.
First they had to walk on a balance beam.
…and then weave in and out of the traffic cones.
Then, pick up a small coconut, aim and hit a row of 4 cans.
Pick up the coconut, arrange the cans back in order, and run back to the team to tag the next person.
Cheer as loudly as you can for your team!
It was a close fight, but at the end of it, Ethan’s green team won! … and parents of the kids in the green team cheered and high-fived each other!
Yay for team spirit!
The kids each got a medal and a goodie bag:
There were also events for the parents to participate in together with their kids.
I had not planned on taking part at first, because I had to care for Hannah, but one of Ethan’s teachers offered to carry Hannah for a few minutes, so I could participate.
And our team WON! Yay!!
All in all, Ethan really had fun during his Sports Day. In addition to winning his medal and prizes, he got to hang out with his friends after his event.
..and of course, he kept saying that he WON!
How quickly kids grow up…Hannah finally outgrew her first pair of sandals, and even though we can still put them on her, it’s very clear that they are beginning to get too tight on her feet. They are too tight cuz we can see her little toes peeking out from the front of the sandals.
I do so like her first pair of sandals, because it feels so comfy, but I suppose we’ll have to let those go eventually. We finally found another pair for Hannah last weekend in size 6 (her old pair was size 4.5). Let’s see how long these will last.
In any case, I suddenly remembered we bought a pair of brown dress shoes, Mary Janes, if you will, from the US. They were much too big for her feet then, but I thought we’d take them out now and try them on for size.
Gave me a shock when I discovered they fit her EXACTLY, as in “wait a few weeks and she would outgrow them”! So looks like Hannah will be wearing these brown Mary Janes for the next few weeks then
Ah yes, girls and their shoes…She’ll have more shoes than Mommy soon, I’m sure.
Ethan’s got new playthings! Check ‘em out…
We finally managed to find a pair of football /soccer boots for Ethan in his size, and Daddy got him a Size 1 Jabulani ball in the Liverpool flavor too!
Ethan has been *scoring goals* around the house ever since, and he really can’t wait to break into his new boots too!
There was something else we are seriously considering getting for Ethan…we’re holding back only because it’s a little bit big on him…but what do you think? Should we get it anyway?
I knew this day would come, but it came a little faster than I had expected. Using the scissors is very important fine motor skill to master, especially for toddlers, and Ethan is now old enough to learn and perfect that skill.
He has been showing a very keen interest in mastering the scissors, so I try to coach and guide him as best as I can. I got him a scissor-cutting book with different shapes and lines to cut, and of course, a pair of safety scissors. The first pair of scissors we got for Ethan was way too blunt. It did not have any steel blades, only plastic edges. And this became very frustrating to use. So a few days ago, I spotted a pair of scissors with steel blades but BLUNT points, and the packaging mentioned that it was recommended for children aged 4 and above. Perfect, I thought.
And Ethan has been happily using this pair since.
Among the *skills* I am emphasizing are:
- How to hold the scissors (point blades down when not in use)
- How to pass the scissors to another person (i.e. close the blades, hold the blades and pass the handles to someone)
- Turn the paper, NOT the scissors
- Alternative ways to cut shapes
We try to cut out shapes and lines a page a day, but we can only indulge in this when Hannah is asleep. Hehehe…
Don’t let this sweet adorable innocent face fool you…
Look at what she did to the straw on her tumbler…
It happened last week while we were out in the mall. Suddenly Pete noticed the “condition” of the straw as Hannah was holding it.
Needless to say, I have been *checking her poopoo* from then on, but so far, nothing yet! SIGH.
When I picked Ethan up from school yesterday, he had a medal around his neck. He proudly showed it to me, saying, “Look Mommy, I’m a STAR KID!”
Apparently, his school has a Star Kid of the Week award whereby kids who are at their best behaviour get awarded with the Star Kid medal for the week. Ethan has mentioned this Star Kid award before, but this was the first time he has gotten it.
His face was beaming ever so brightly, and Mommy is as proud as can be.
When Hannah turned one, we had been looking for a photographer to take nice portraiture shots of her. We had gone to a kids photo studio when Ethan turned one the last time, but that photo studio had already moved.
We were still hunting for a photographer, when our friend Linda, who’s a freelance photographer, very kindly offered to take the photos for us. We also wanted some family shots and of course, of Mr Bulat (aka Ethan) himself.
Now, if you don’t already know, family and kids’ portraiture shots are quite difficult to take and need a lot of patience and time, both from the photographer and from the *objects being photographed*. This is because kids lose their focus easily and might not be at their best behaviour at all times. And knowing my kids and how active they can get, we were prepared for a *highly energized* session, … which was what we got.
It was a Saturday morning in late May, and we planned on taking some shots indoors in our home, just to allow the kids to relax and be themselves, and then adjourning downstairs to the pool area. However, it started RAINING just as Linda walked in, so we had to make do with indoor shots for most part of the morning, with the earlier shots taken of Ethan and Hannah in their jammies
Ethan warmed up immediately (which was so unlike him) whilst Hannah took a little while to *get into the mood*. And with whatever *props* we found at home, we tried to make the session as lively and as entertaining as possible. We only went downstairs to the pool around noon, and because it had been raining the whole morning, it wasn’t that hot.
And I’d like to add that Linda was such a sport and took so many many many photos, of everything we did, and of everything that happened. It was a delightful (but Pete said *tiring*) session and I loved every second of it.
Linda recently passed us the photos and they are awesome! I love all the shots she managed to capture, and they all looked simply amazing!
Here is a preview of our Family Portraiture shots … I’m experimenting with Windows Live Movie Maker and decided to compile some of the shots into a short movie-presentation…
You can see the rest of the filtered shots here. For the entire collection on DVD, please make a viewing appointment and come view it at our house, okay? Thanks again Linda, for creating these wonderful memories!
For a few days now, Hannah has been singing out loud after dinner. Yes, you heard me right.. While we wash up, we would be entertained by her singsong “Ba ba ba ba ba…..” melody. Well, it didn’t take long for us to figure out she was actually singing her favorite song, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star“. She will smile happily when I start singing it and do the actions too!
And she also likes us to play the song for her on the xylophone and mini piano. She would ask us to play the song on one instrument first, followed by the other, indicating which instrument she wants by pointing to it. We willingly oblige, because she would say, “Yay!” and clap after we finish playing it…and sometimes she would dance too! Now who could say no to that? (p.s. Yes… that bruise on her forehead is the result of her “trip and fall” incident a couple of days ago)
Hannah is VERY intuitive.
Ethan recently started playing a game where he would hide and scream “Surprise!!” when Daddy walks in the door in the evenings.
After about two times of doing this routine, Hannah has picked up this *game* too.
When we hide ourselves, Hannah would put a finger to her mouth, indicating “Shhhhhh…..!!!” (see how she picked it up from her big brother?)
and when we yell “Surprise!!”, Hannah raises her arms in the air and screams out loud too!
What follows after that is the welcoming committee greeting of hugging their Daddy as he comes in the door…. (Awwwwww….)
This ride-on train is one of the most popular toys in our house. Ethan still rides on it, even though he is way too tall for it now, and Hannah can now climb on it on her own and move around in it with her feet. Yeah, that’s how much our little girl has grown!
When once Hannah needed Ethan to take her for rides in the train, now she can give her brother rides too!
Soon, I doubt the seat would be able to fit the two of them simultaneously!
Of course, sometimes there are squabbles as to who gets to ride on the train, and sometimes Hannah is forbidden to ride on it, but in the end, my two little ones do work things out…
Hannah loves washing her hands. And now, she even understands instructions to wash hands. Whenever I say, “Okay guys, it’s time to wash our hands. Let’s go!”, Hannah will walk to the bathroom door and extend her hands out towards the door…yes, just like in the picture above.
After washing her hands, she even knows how to go to her brother’s room to wipe her hands dry on his towel! Sometimes, if she forgets to dry her hands, I’ll remind her and she’ll rush to Ethan’s room.
She just loves washing her hands so much that just the other day, when I asked Ethan to wash his hands, Hannah heard the words “Wash hands” and promptly rushed to the bathroom, thinking that I had also asked her to wash her hands. But she tripped and fell, knocking her forehead on the door frame! Ouch!
There was a “big bungalow” on her forehead because of that and she cried ever so loudly. We put some ice on it and it has subsided somewhat.
Now when I ask the kids to wash hands, Hannah will run to the bathroom, but she will stop short of the door mat, i.e. the spot where she had tripped.
Nope, we didn’t just spend our Ipoh trip stuffing ourselves silly with food. That would be BAD.
The kids were occupied with other interesting things too!
Pete’s recent business trip coincided with the first week of the school holidays, so I decided to take both Ethan and Hannah down to Ipoh for a short holiday. So what were my kids up to? Hmmm…let’s see…
We had a belated birthday celebration for Ah Ma :) I ordered a delicious butter cake and had candles so that Ethan could provide his candle-blowing services.
Kinta City mall was having a mini clay-sculpting workshop for kids where they would guide the kids to make a clay statue of their fathers in conjunction with Father’s Day.
First, you roll the clay between your hands and press it firmly onto a cardboard:
Make sure you press it hard so that the clay mould sticks to the cardboard:
Make indentations for the eyes, and shape the nose and mouth:
Next, roll the clay and mould the base:
Sculpt the hair on the head and create the entire face, neck and ears. Then write a Happy Father’s Day message to Daddy:
Attach a string to the card and tie it around the sculpture:
Finally, pose cheekily with finished product
Ethan was so excited about his sculpture, that he called his Daddy almost immediately and told him, “Daddy, I made a statue of you, Daddy!”
…On some days, I would allow Ethan to play some games on my laptop. We found this cool baking game where he needs to *bake a cake* according to the picture provided.
We also found time one morning to take both the kids to Polo Ground. It’s a nice exercise area where lots of people come to do their runs or group exercises. Now Polo Ground is also equipped with beautiful play structures for kids. Ethan was thrilled!
Hannah had her share of fun too! Although she couldn’t quite explore the entire playground structure like her brother, she found other ways to have fun…
I’m sure the kids had a good time in Ipoh, and especially spending that extra time with their maternal grandparents. We drove back to Penang on Friday, tired but also just happy to be back home
Everyone’s high on World Cup Mania nowadays…yes, even Ethan! And when the newspapers published a pullout with pictures of the 32 teams, Ethan was VERY excited and wanted to learn how to say the names of all the countries. He kept the pullout and has been learning the names of the countries ever since. His favorites are Brazil and South Africa (because the team’s jerseys are yellow).
And now, he can proudly name them all! (I love the way he pronounces “Ivory Coast” :))
And you know what? It’s not only from memory that he can name the countries! Ethan can really read…here he is, reading from our World Cup Guide magazine.
So is this an indication of interest in:
A: Sports
B: World Geography
C: Reading
D: All of the above
When Hannah was being treated in the hospital for her pneumonia a month and a half ago, the pediatrician took a sample of her blood for testing too. The results showed that her red blood cells were a little bit on the pinkish (i.e. not red as they should be) and also slightly smaller than usual. Further tests showed a decreased level of Serum Ferritin (iron) in the blood (only 10ug/dl when the acceptable range is 37-145ug/dl for females).
Hannah’s test results indicated either a Thalassemic condition or iron-deficiency anemia.
Her doctor asked if either Pete or I had any history of Thalassemia, but since we are both blood donors, it is highly unlikely that we are Thalassemic or even carriers. So it became apparent that Hannah was most probably deficient in iron. This could happen because she is exclusively breastfed, and might not have sufficient iron in her solid food intake. Exclusively breastfed babies receive sufficient iron from their mother’s breastmilk from birth till about 6 months of age, after which the iron levels in the milk could drop a little; and if other food sources do not provide adequate amounts of iron in the diet, the child might be deficient in iron. (Source: Ask Dr Sears)
Because iron-deficiency in toddlers/infants from birth till 3 years needs to be addressed immediately, Hannah’s pediatrician prescribed an oral iron therapy solution to be taken for 3 months. Hannah was to take 2.5ml of Maltofer twice a day for 3 months, after which her iron levels will be retested. In addition, doc also prescribed a Multivitamin syrup to improve her appetite.
It has been 1.5 months now, and I have to say it’s really working. Hannah, whom we thought was already very active pre-iron-therapy treatment, is now MORE active and MORE vocal than ever. Her appetite has increased by leaps and bounds and she loves trying different types of food. We’ve also been giving her lots of iron-rich foods like chicken liver, beef, pasta, tomatoes, bread, etc just to boost the iron levels.
I thank God that feeding her the iron therapy and multivitamin is not stressful, because she is very cooperative and I simply use the syringes to administer both the iron and multivitamin. Plus, because she is on an iron supplement, it is important for her to drink lots of water to prevent constipation, and Hannah has also been a very good girl in gulping down water.
I can’t wait for the iron therapy to end and the test results to show a favorable level of iron in Hannah’s blood come the end of three months. Meanwhile we’ll have to deal with *slightly more pungent* poopoo for a few more weeks!
Hannah’s favorite word (besides “Mommy”) has got to be “Bar-beee!” She is definitely NOT referring to the doll of a similar sounding name, that’s for sure.
When she opens a book, she will point at the pictures and say, “Bar-beee! Bar-beee!”
When she hears a dog barking, she’ll laugh and say, “Bar-bee!”
When she sees a bird flying, she’ll point and scream, “Bar-bee!!”
She even points at our photographs at home and goes, “Bar-beeee! Bar-beeee!!!”
All the soft toys and animals are “Bar-beee!” to her.
I know she will soon outgrow this phase when she adds more words to her vocabulary, but right now sometimes it is just so amusing to hear her go, “Bar-beee!” and he brother *correcting* her, “Not Bar-beeee, Hannah…that’s an apple!” LOL
Last weekend we took a drive down to KL. It was a 3-day weekend, so we got to spend 2 nights in KL.
For a long time now, when Hannah rides in the car, she has been turning her head to see what’s in front. Hannah was still in the infant car seat which was rear-facing, and seeing that she is so curious about “what’s in front” (plus the fact that she LOVES being in a forward-facing stroller), we figured it was high time she was *upgraded* to her front-facing car seat.
Both Ethan and Hannah looked SO adorable in their matching car seats. Here they are, all buckled up and ready to go!
And yes, they both have matching CHEEKY grins too. I guess it’s hereditary..
It was a rather relaxing trip, and we didn’t really want to rush around everywhere. But we did manage to stop by 1-Utama for lunch and a quick walkaround. We rented a stroller for Hannah, and Ethan wanted something to ride in too, so in the end, he got to ride in on of the kiddie firetrucks. I tell you, that firetruck was a BIG HIT with both his cousins, Collin and Jonathan!
On the day we were to leave for Penang, we decided to go for a short dip in the swimming pool in Pauline KorKor’s condo. Believe it or not, it was Hannah’s first time ever in a swimming pool, and boy, was she excited! Ethan was of course, the eager beaver, and he slid into the pool all by himself!
For someone who was having a first-time experience in the pool, Hannah really enjoyed herself, and she didn’t show a single sign of fear.
Ethan was even strong enough to climb OUT of the pool on his own!
We really had an awesome time in the pool. I did two laps, and Pete did one (shortened by the fact that he hurt his forehead on the wall of the pool…OUCH).
Ethan told me later, “Mommy, I had a great time in the swimming pool. Did you have a good time, too?”
Of course I did, baby.
See how easy it is for Ethan to *pass his knowledge on* to his little sister?
Certainly helps that Hannah adores him to bits!
Ethan is also becoming extremely possesive of his sister. He sometimes refers to Hannah as “my baby” and will get upset when strangers threaten to *take her away*.
Seriously though, why do some people insist on threatening older siblings with “taking their little brother/sister away”? Isn’t that plain mean?
The past week has been strenuous, to say the least. But being a parent means having the ability to be flexible and to always place the needs of your child above all else. It also means having the ability to somehow forget all feelings of fatigue and tiredness and instead, churn out a miraculous source of energy, just so your child can have anything he or she needs.
We were in KL for 2 days last week to visit my MIL, who had just had a surgery. Hannah was already slightly coughing when we traveled there, and during those 2 days, her cough had worsened. In fact, she had thrown up on two occasions due to forceful coughing; and when we returned to Penang on Thursday night, she was running a high fever of 38.5ºC. Paracetamol only brought the temperature down temporarily, and the following morning, we knew we had to bring her in to the doctor’s.
The doctor diagnosed Hannah has having acute bronchiolitis, which was more severe than the last time when she had bronchitis. This time, the wheezing was more pronounced and we could tell that our poor little sweetheart was breathless. Because Hannah would need the nebulizer treatment more regularly and also throughout the night, doctor advised us to admit her in hospital, which meant I would need to stay with her too.
We then took Hannah for a chest x-ray, which the doctor had ordered. And when the results came in, there was a slight indication of pneumonia in her right lung. Since we were going to be warded, the doctor prescribed an intravenous antibiotic which would be administered to Hannah via the branula IV tube (i.e. a plastic tube inserted intravenously) 3 times a day. This was a stronger antibiotic than its oral counterpart and would possibly not cause diarrhoea. At the same time, the doc said she would be taking a blood sample from Hannah.
I was ushered out of the treatment room while the doctor and nurse administered the branula IV on Hannah, presumably because it would cause the mother of the child some distress. In any case, I had to settle the hospital admissions procedure at that time too. (Pete had to leave the hospital then to fetch Ethan from school)
When I came back to get Hannah, the nurse was carrying her and I was told that Hannah did not shed a single tear throughout the entire procedure! Amazing!
Here’s what it looks like:
…and then later on in the evening, after she threw up and I had to change her:
See what a champion my brave little darling is?
The antibiotics was given intravenously using a syringe which is inserted into the tubing intravenously into Hannah’s hand. This was administered three times a day, and can also be given when she is asleep.
Throughout that first night, Hannah’s fever fluctuated, and she could barely keep her milk down. I only breastfed her a little bit at a time, and I was very wary whenever she started coughing. Still, nothing could be done to stop her from throwing up then and again, and we had to go through several changes of clothing. I remember once I had to call the nurses to take her temperature again because even after a dose of paracetamol, I could feel her body still warm. My instincts were right. Her fever had shot up to 38.8°C and they had to give her a dose of Nurofen (a different type of fever medication) to bring the fever down. Good thing the Nurofen had a sweet orangey taste.
The next morning, doc said her throat looked slightly red, and that could possibly have caused her throwing up. Her lungs were still congested with phlegm; so in conclusion, we’d still have to stay in the hospital one more night.
Some *activities* we indulged in in the hospital:
…and sometimes when Hannah was bored *playing* on the bed, I had to take her for walks along the corridor.
By and by, I learnt the routines employed by the hospital. Medicine was administered to the patients at 8:00a.m., 3:00p.m. and 10:00p.m. every day. Breakfast was served at about 8:00a.m., with a cup of soy milk given at around 10:00a.m. Lunch was between 12:00 - 12:30p.m. and tea time at 3:30p.m. Dinner was served at about 6:00p.m. and we were given a cup of warm Milo at about 8:30p.m. Doctor visits were twice a day, at about 9:00a.m. in the morning, but the evening visit times were not fixed. I learnt which were the *nice* nurses and which were the *not-so-nice* ones.
And while Hannah was recuperating and getting well in the hospital, Ethan was in good hands under the care of his Daddy. Of course his Daddy would have to content with his unending questions like, “Why do the girls have to sleep in the hospital?”, “Why do we go to the hospital?”
On Saturday afternoon, the second day we were in the hospital, I noticed the bandages on Hannah’s bandaged hand was slightly loose, so I asked the nurse to readjust it. But just as I was waiting for the nurse to come to the treatment room, Hannah yanked the whole bandage, and everything with it, off!
I tell you, I very nearly had a heart attack when I saw that happen!
This meant that she would need to have the branula IV reinserted.
And that evening, after the doctor had finished seeing all his patients, the nurse carried Hannah to the treatment room yet AGAIN. I took the opportunity to wash up while I waited. And within a few minutes, the nurse returned, telling me that Hannah did not cry one bit.
Here she is, with her newly-bandaged hand. This time, the branula was inserted into her right hand, as opposed to the left hand the first time around:
I prayed and prayed that Hannah would recover really quickly and the next morning, my girl woke up feeling much better. She had a smile on her face, and giggled when I sang to her.
It was clear that she missed home a lot, and that she missed her big brother too. Ethan loves to fiddle with the remote in the hospital, and would busy himself with it every time he came to visit. He was the perfect big brother, bringing Hannah little gifts from home, like a McDonald Happy Meal toy, one of her cot toys from home, and an ABC book.
Hannah and I stayed in the hospital for THREE nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Every minute was a minute closer to recovery for our little Hannah. She was really the *darling* of the pediatric ward. Nurses called her the “breastfeeding baby”, her pediatrician called her a “model patient”, and she won the hearts of many with her adorable smiles, and her courage to remain calm and composed through the branula IV procedure, and her sporadic words like, “Mommy!”, “Baybeee!” and “Mamak!”.
On Monday morning, when the doctor came to check Hannah, I requested for permission to be discharged. Since her fever had diminished, and her lungs had cleared up a whole lot, the doctor agreed to let us go home. Ordinarily, we would need to stay for 2 more nights to ensure the antibiotic course via IV was completed, but since we were going home earlier, Hannah would need to come in to the hospital at the appointed times for her remaining 5 shots.
That meant we needed to take extra precaution with her bandaged arm whilst at home…because in the event the branula IV was removed, we would need to bring Hannah to the hospital to have it reinserted.
Thankfully, after going home and revisiting the hospital 5 times after that to get the antobiotic jab (and also nebulizer treatment), the nurse removed the branula IV tube and bandages. Hannah is currently on a 5-day oral antibiotic course according to doc’s orders and is recovering really really well.
Ethan has been picking up Chinese in school (like a sponge, I might add!), because his school employs a dual-language approach. We’re happy he is learning a new language, though we aren’t forcing it on him. And I am quite certain he will soon be speaking WAY more Chinese (Mandarin) than me!
Lately he has been picking up the Chinese words for some basic shapes. I don’t know if his pronunciation is accurate, but he certainly sounds adorable saying it!
First he learnt how to say three shapes:
And now, he can say SIX shapes! Way to go, Ethan!
Hannah is beginning to role-play a lot these days. She started picking up the comb and *combing* her hair a few months ago, and just lately, she began holding my cellphone to her ear, as if she was talking to someone.
I wonder if this is a sign of things to come…..hmmm….
Two days ago, Pete discovered a splinter in Ethan’s big toe, and there was no other way but to remove it. We explained to him that it was gonna hurt a little bit but his toe would be better afterward, but the moment he felt the *tinge* he cried out that he didn’t want the *sharp thing*.
I had to hold Ethan down as best I could while Pete tried to remove the splinter by applying some antiseptic cream and then pulling out the tiny splinter with a tweezer. Definitely not an easy feat when Ethan was kicking, squirming and screaming.
I realize then that removing a splinter in the toe is just as painful for the remover as well as the removee. We knew it was painful but we just HAD to do it.
And after all the agony, Ethan (brave boy he is) got to choose his band-aid.
Last Wednesday, Ethan’s school organized a field trip to Taiping Zoo. An invitation was also extended to have one parent accompany the child on the trip. Because I am still breastfeeding Hannah, Ethan went with his Daddy. It was a good thing Pete managed to take the day off
A week before the field trip, Ethan had already begun counting down the days to the trip. Each day, he would ask me what day it was, and then he would count how many days to go before he would reach Wednesday.
So he was very excited when the day finally arrived! I dropped both boys at school in the morning, where they were to board a bus to Taiping.
Arrival at Taiping Zoo, everyone eager and raring to go
After running around in the hot sun, Ethan sporting a *cool* mohawk, courtesy of Daddy
Some of the zoo animals that they saw, while riding in the tram
Having a McDonald’s Happy Meal for lunch…doesn’t somebody look happy?
…finishing up his iced Milo
Goodbye Taiping Zoo! I had a great day today with Daddy!
Ethan sat with his Daddy on the bus on the way to the zoo, but he wanted to sit with his friends on the way back.
The field trip must have tired him out big time! Ethan fell asleep on the way back home, after I picked them up from his school, and continued his LONG nap at home till about 5:00p.m.! Definitely a record for Ethan because he hardly takes an afternoon nap.
There’s no doubt how much Hannah adores her big brother Ethan. She loves to play with him all the time, and looks on in awe as he goes about his funny antics, and laughs hysterically when he does funny things.
But she doesn’t quite behave as he did when Ethan was her age.
*Gung-ho* is a word that is quite aptly used to describe Hannah. For she may seem sweet and adorable, but I think deep down inside she’s a real toughie. We’ve started using “No” to indicate to Hannah she is not supposed to do something, but all she does is turn around, look at us with a look that says, “Huh? Why am I not supposed to do this?” and then calmly she will walk away. No tears, no whining. Ethan, on the other hand, used to bawl the very moment we firmly said, “No”.
One of the *weird* things that attract Hannah is the TV panel at the bottom of our TV. It’s an enclosed panel that flips open when pushed. And our girl figured it out. So she would walk to the TV, push the panel open, and then swiftly walk away. Even though we have told her countless times NOT to do it, she still does it.
And what’s even funnier is how Ethan would promptly shut the panel and tell Hannah, “No Hannah…stop doing that!”
And Hannah will repeat it over and over again.
Upon the insistence of Ethan, I put Hannah on the naughty stool a few times, but it doesn’t appear to work YET because Hannah seems to enjoy being on the stool.
Although Ethan and Hannah look almost the same, with those killer long eyelashes and BIG eyes, they have totally different behaviours. And that’s what makes them unique and special, no?
We try to avoid bringing the kids to see the doctor, instead we prefer to let them get well on their own. Hospitals tend to make one feel gloomy and the thought of germs all around can be quite disconcerting. PLUS we really don’t like the long wait.
But when Hannah’s on-off fever was still lingering after 3 days, we decided to bring her in. That was two days ago and it was a Thursday, so that meant I would have to take Hannah to see the doc myself, since Pete had to work. After dropping Ethan off in school, Hannah and I went straight to the hospital. She had coughed too forcefully in the car, and had thrown up, so I had to change her top first. (Yes, that’s my very BRAVE girl up there..she can still smile so sweetly even though she wasn’t feeling well)
Thankfully, there was NO one waiting in the clinic, and we were ushered in after about 15 minutes. Her fever had gone up to 38.2°C and upon checking, doc said that one of her ears was slightly infected, and her throat looked red too. She had some wheezing in the lungs as well, which the doc diagnosed as bronchitis.
This meant that Hannah had to undergo the nebulizer treatment, whereby she had to inhale medicine through a mouthpiece. I believe the medicine is ventolin with some oxygen, and it is a muscle relaxant, that will open up the airways, so that the mucuous and phlegm in the lungs would be released.
That’s not all. She had to have the nebulizer treatment every 4-6 hours, for a total of SEVEN times! Doc said we could either bring her into the hospital every 4-6 hours or admit her. Well, admission was certainly out of the question, so I told the doc we would bring her in.
I was worried the nebulizer treatment would be traumatic for Hannah, because I had heard stories of children screaming and crying whenever they had this treatment. But Hannah’s first experience was thankfully okay. She protested a little bit at first, but when the nurse held the mouthpiece over her mouth and nose, Hannah calmed down and stayed still the entire FIVE minutes of the treatment. Great job Hannah! Look at my little fighter…she even wanted to hold the mouthpiece on her own!
The morning treatments were manageable, because I only had Hannah with me, but for the other sessions, I definitely needed someone to help take care of Ethan while the nebulizer treatment was administered on Hannah. So these next few treatments involved Pete having to take some time off to help take Hannah in, and the next day, I was grateful my Mom happened to be around, so she could accompany me in the afternoon in the hospital too.
The first afternoon she had her treatment, Hannah had to *borrow* her brother’s front-facing car seat too, because I had washed her car seat after she had thrown up on it in the morning, so it was Hannah’s first time ever in a front-facing seat!
Today, Hannah successfully completed all SEVEN nebulizer treatments
She’s feeling so much better now, and we pray that she will be recovered completely soon. We still have to continue the inhalation treatment at home for a few days more, although it is not quite the same. At home, the doc prescribed an aerochamber equipment to be used in tandem with the Ventolin inhaler. I tried it on Hannah just now, and she was VERY cooperative, allowing me to administer two puffs of the Ventolin medicine, without a single protest.
Good girl Hannah…and please get well soon!
My little girl’s just born to dance…just like Mommy
He wants me to call him a “big boy” now, instead of “baby”.
I have not been documenting all of Ethan’s achievements thus far, more so because there have been so many, that they have surpassed my ability to pen them down. He amazes us every day with his vocal prowess and intelligence, and it is hard to believe that he was once a shy guy.
- Ethan now knows all the months of the year, from January to December, in order, and he even knows the numerical equivalent of it; e.g. October = 10th month of the year, June = 6th month of the year.
- He knows the days of the week in order, and can even sing them!
- He knows how old Daddy and Mommy are. Sometimes he says my age out LOUD in public!
- He can say his name in Chinese (Mandarin), and he even knows Daddy’s name, Mommy’s name and Hannah’s name in Chinese. Sometimes he calls us by our FULL Chinese name.
- He can name some of his body parts in Mandarin: hair, ear, eyes, mouth, hands.
- He can perform addition using his fingers. Sometimes he asks to “borrow” our fingers and toes too!
- When he is in a good mood, he will guide Hannah in playing with her toys. “Here Hannah…put this triangle here. Yes! Good job, Hannah!”
- Spontaneously says, “I love you Mommy!” or “I miss you Daddy!”
He may be a big boy, but he still looks like an angel when he sleeps…
My little baby boy, once my little bundle of joy, is really growing up right before my very eyes! It seemed just like yesterday that I held him in my arms, a crying, helpless child….and now..look at him. Well, of course I still hold him now, but it’s different…
He went for his first field trip on the last day of his first school term about a week ago. The whole class, together with the teachers, took a bus to the toy museum that Friday morning.
I bet they all had a lot of fun, but I couldn’t help being a little concerned about his safety. After all, it was the first time he would be visiting someplace without either Pete or me. His teacher very kindly offered to take a few pictures of the trip for me with my camera, so I was eagerly waiting to see the photos too.
All my fears and concerns were unfounded when I picked him up after school and he told me all about his trip: who he sat with on the bus, what he did, how he would LOVE to go on the bus again…I knew he had enjoyed himself tremendously.
He’s really growing up…and I am just so BLESSED to be able to share his growing up years with him.
Precious one-on-one walk-training sessions from big brother to little sister:
I am often amazed at how much Ethan has grown, how much he is a big boy now, and the fact that he is starting to ride a bike makes me realize how true the adage “How time flies” is.
He will sometimes ask to be taken downstairs to the porch to ride his bike, and we’ll try to get him to do *something* first before we take him down, e.g. finish his dinner
Still needs a little fine tuning on the pedalling aspect, but he gets the bike to move anyhow…now, doesn’t Ethan look cool, bike, helmet and all?
Hannah has an excellent training regime to aid her in her walking. Superb trainer and the sessions are fun for both the trainer AND the trainee. Watch:
Sometimes they fight and grab stuff from one another, sometimes they cry and scream…but it’s always a joy to see them play together so adorably.
I’m glad this is happening more and more often now.
And sometimes, there are even moments of great brotherly love being displayed…. (awwww….)
And sometimes things get out of hand….
Sometimes he’s the really loving brother, just like that….
But sometimes all we hear around the house is, “No, Hannah NO!!!” It’s like an anthem for him.
Mommy: Ethan, can Hannah go to school with you?
Ethan: No, too small…Next time when she’s bigger, she can go to school.
When Hannah holds his toys or plays with them, he’s rush over and say, “No Hannah! It’s for 3 years old and above!”
SIGH….kids…
A few months before his birthday, I had already discussed with Ethan that he was gonna have a small celebration in school with his friends and another one at home. And when asked what birthday cake he would like for his birthday celebration in school, he had replied that he wanted a Thomas the Train birthday cake. And because his favorite number is 2, he also wanted the train with the number 2 to be on the cake, i.e. Rheneas.
I could not find a picture of Thomas with Rheneas, so I managed to coax him into agreeing to have a cake with Thomas, James and Percy on it. And that’s how I ended up ordering this cake:
I thought the bakery did a great job and the cake looked fantastic…well, as long as Ethan likes it
The celebration in school began around 10:10a.m. (because I was a little bit late arriving with the cake), and Ethan was given the honor of placing the FOUR birthday candles on his cake.
Then we all sang the birthday song, in English and Mandarin, and Ethan promptly did a great job in blowing out all the four candles.
He also cut the cake three times! LOL
I had also prepared party packs for Ethan to give out to his friends. In line with the Thomas and Friends theme, I had wanted to get Thomas party bags, but alas, I had been unsuccessful. I also enlisted the help of friends and relatives (you know who you are, thank you very much!) to help me look for them in KL and Ipoh, but they were all sold out.
In the end, I decided to make simple party packs myself in the form of Thomas paper bags.
In addition to being in *theme* with the event, paper bags were also environmentally friendly as opposed to plastic.
I also *converted* some Winnie the Pooh yoyos into Thomas yoyos, as one of the party favors.
It caused me several late nights, but it was well worth it. Ethan had fun and so did I!
Why did Ethan say, “Oh no, our house is falling down!”
Because in spite of the fact that we told him not to spin round and round, he did exactly that, and when he stopped his spinning act, he lost his balance a little and made that exclamation.
SIGH. Kids…you just GOTTA love ‘em!
Ethan: Daddy, can I watch Playhouse Disney, please?
Daddy: Just a minute. Daddy wants to watch TV first.
Ethan: Why you wanna watch TV Daddy?
Daddy: Because Daddy wants to watch sports.
Ethan: Which channel Daddy? Channel 812?
Daddy: Yes Ethan. Channel 812. I’ll let you watch 613 in a minute, okay?
Ethan: Why Daddy? Why you want to watch sports on channel 812, Daddy?
Daddy: Because Daddy likes to watch sports.
Ethan: And WHY Daddy? Why you like to watch sports Daddy?
Daddy: Errr….because I was born that way.
Ethan: And WHY are you born that way Daddy?
Daddy: Errrr….go and ask your Ah Ma…
Ethan: Which Ah Ma, Daddy? The Ipoh Ah Ma or the Taiping Ah Ma, Daddy?
Daddy: The Taiping Ah Ma.
Ethan: Okay….now can I watch 613 Daddy?
I stumbled upon this custom-made fleece skirtie which I had gotten for Hannah when we were in the States. It was too big for her then, but look at her now!
Good thing I still managed to squeeze her into it…she’ll outgrow it soon, I’m sure!
She looks like a little lady in it, doesn’t she?
Oh, by the way, Hannah has been shortlisted as one of the finalists for the Cutest Baby of the Planet 2009 contest! More details to follow next week as I find out what we need to do.
Yesterday marked the first day of school for many kids. Ethan too officially started his first day at Nursery school yesterday. He has been looking forward to going back to school to see all his friends and having fun.
“School’s opened today?”, “I can see all my friends?” were some of the questions he has been asking our way.
He’s in an all-new classroom this year, with many of the same friends still around and a few new ones. I had also found out his teacher’s names so he already knew them before he reached school. One of his teachers is the same one who was with him during Playgroup last year, so that would make him acclimatize himself much better.
When I accompanied him into his classroom yesterday, there were lots of parents standing around the classroom. Some kids were having separation anxiety and were sobbing away, or looking very sad. I don’t think Ethan was having separation anxiety, because he didn’t look sad at all. Instead he was walking around the classroom, pointing out his name, and the numbers and even gave his teacher a hug.
But still he wouldn’t let me leave.
After the kids had had a small tour round the school, and had washed their hands for their snack time, I asked Ethan if I could leave and pick him up later.
He said, “Yeah.”
So I left.
Today, I took him to class again, said buh-bye and told him I would come and get him later.
We’re getting there, inch by inch and step by step, my boy is learning a little bit of independence all on his own, and growing up right before my eyes.
Hannah loves to play with toys, especially those that belong to Ethan’s. Unfortunately most of the time when she attempts to play with his toys or read his books, all she gets is Ethan saying, “NO! These are MINE!” or “MY Toys!” or “Hannah, play with the Alphabet Zoo!” (she has a spinning Alphabet Zoo toy that is catered for kids 6 months and over, and Ethan has learnt to *assign* that toy to her)
Obviously playing with just one toy is never enough and Hannah gets bored after a while. But too bad she is not *allowed* to touch other toys most of the time.
So what’s a girl to do?
She’ll sometimes stay up late, and wait for her big brother to sleep and THEN she’ll have full reign over all the toy cars, trains and books she has been barred from touching.
Won’t you just look at that? Ain’t that the sweetest loving embrace you have ever seen?
This is Ethan in one of his loving big-brotherly moods. And if you’re wondering what he is saying while he was hugging Hannah, check out the video below….simply PRECIOUS!
Ethan is a natural with numbers. He picked up counting on his own, without our prodding or pushing. He can count to a hundred very well now, but I was totally surprised when he started counting in Chinese one day when I was out with him.
He is exposed to both English and Mandarin in school, as he has two teachers: one for English and one for Mandarin. And so by the by, he has also managed to pick up counting in Mandarin too, although to us, it sounds rather *slangy”, if you know what I mean…
Finally, just slightly after 9 months, she uttered the word that has the ability to wrap me around her little adorable fingers.
Last night, Hannah awoke, let out a “come carry me” cry, stood up in her cot, faced me and said, “Mameh….!”
She’s currently under the tutelage of her big brother to perfect the pronunciation, and from the looks of it, it will certainly be “Mommy” really soon.
…can we say that that’s officially her first word?
Ethan is a very friendly and sociable guy. Only catch is that he tends to get REALLY shy amongst strangers or even familiar faces in a new surrounding. It takes him some time to warm up and then he’ll be his usual boisterous self.
Just like a couple of weekends ago when we attended his classmate Griffin’s birthday party. Ethan was all excited in the morning of the event, because it was a pirate-themed party. He read aloud the words on the gift too, he said, ” Happy Birthday Griffin. From TWO Ethan!” (the 2 dots were read as *two*)
But as soon as we stepped into Griffin’s home, Ethan clung on to me like a leech and didn’t want to join in the games at all, even though several of his friends were there.
By the by, he warmed up and soon he was running around happily and playing with the birthday boy and his other friends too.
More smiles could be seen as time went by. He even posed happily in front of the pirate ship backdrop
…and he found some *treasures* to play with too!
Can you tell just how much he is enjoying himself? LOL
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, he downed two sausages by himself.
…and a LOT of yummy chocolate birthday cake!
After that, he went home with his very own mini treasure chest which contained goodies, among them a really COOL telescope.
Is it any wonder he told me, “Mommy, I LIKE Griffin’s house!”
Today marks the last day of the schooling year for Ethan. I can’t believe that it’s been 3 months since he started school. Feels just like yesterday that I was bringing a clingy toddler to class, and now, I’m glad to see that he is happy to go to school every day.
It certainly makes it easier when I see him ask to “wear his bag” and run eagerly to his class. He’ll say bye to me, and when I pick him up, he’ll exclaim, “Mommy!” as he runs to hug me.
He’ll tell me all about his day in school, who he played with, what he did, and sometimes he would proudly bring back and show me the art and craftwork he has done.
It makes me proud too that he has made many new friends in school. In fact, when I show him a picture of his classmates, he can remember ALL of their names!
His grasp of the alphabet and phonics has also increased tremendously, and even though he was only introduced to the Letterland characters in August (when teacher was teaching M), he can remember all of them now. I was really amazed, and still am.
He has also surprised me when he started counting in Mandarin! His school employs a dual-language approach, and although he sometimes looks a little bit confused when the teacher speaks in Mandarin, I’ve caught him singing in Mandarin too! And sometimes, he tells me he learns “Chinese”
Of course, he’s also had his share of fun in school. From birthday celebrations, to bringing goodie bags back from school, to special events, Ethan certainly enjoys it.
His class had a little Halloween class celebration not too long ago, where the kids had a fun activity to paint a *ghost* made from dough.
Ethan is a very *work-proud* boy and when he brought his YELLOW ghost back home, he could not stop showing it around.
And of course, nothing beats that smile on his face when we praise him sky high for his beautifully painted yellow ghost!
So school ended with a blast, or rather a SPLASH, today as the kids all had a great time playing in the giant rubber pool in the school compound.
On the way back from school today, Ethan told me, “I had so much fun in school today Mommy!”
I’ve no doubt you did, sweetie…
Ethan loves numbers! And the amazing thing about this is that we didn’t even force him to learn his numbers. He picked it up all on his own, with his own interest.
Here’s a really cute video of him counting, finger actions included…(a result of nothing else better to do while waiting for the food to arrive). Check out how he positions his fingers for numbers 3 and 8. Priceless!
I’m happy to note that the sibling relationship between Ethan and Hannah is significantly better now. Granted, he still sometimes prevents her from playing with most of his toys, but he now (usually) will say “I’m the big brother, Hannah’s my little sister”, and I find that really sweet.
Ironically, I got them cute outfits that had the words “Big Brother” and “Little Sister” sewn on them, and thought it would be a good idea to have a picture taken of both of them in it.
Precious, precious, simply precious shots!
…although it was tough to take the pictures too, because Hannah kept wanting to touch Ethan’s hair and ears, while Ethan wanted to prevent her from doing so, while saying “Cheese!” at the same time! LOL
I asked Ethan to put his arm around Hannah in the last picture above
Don’t they both look happy?
Last week, Ethan only went to school for 3 days. His school was closed for 2 days on Thursday and Friday, because all the staff was involved in a charity concert the school had organized. This meant that I needed to find something for Ethan to do that won’t keep him bored.
So on Thursday morning, I took him to the children’s library. It was just a very small one, but Ethan was VERY excited to step into a library…so much so that I had to remind him to NOT be too noisy (not that there were a lot of people there to disturb anyway).
Ethan chose several books and we sat at the table to read them. Then I taught him how to put the books back in the rack or the bins so the librarians could arrange them back again.
My only complaint about the children’s library was that the books were very old, and during the time we were there, I didn’t really see any books that were that good. But the important thing was that Ethan had fun!
I told him we could borrow the books, but he told me he wanted to BUY them! LOL
Anyway, in the afternoon, we had lunch at Fatty Loh’s at Nagore Road, and then drove to Queensbay Mall, where we went to the bookstore to get some magazines, and then went to the post office to post some letters. There were some Halloween decorations up then, and Ethan went absolutely crazy! He of course wanted a picture taken too, but he was moving so much it was hard to get a good shot.
Then we did a quick round of grocery shopping, and headed back for home.
Friday morning, we baked some chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Ethan was asking for it the whole morning, and he was quite the helpful kitchen helper indeed. He helped me pour the mixture, mixed it, and then he helped to lay out the cupcake wrappers in the molds. Oh, and of course he helped in eating too!
We did have a great time, and I am quite sure I answered his question when he said, “School’s closed today, Mommy?”
When I feel down, when I feel hurt, when I feel sad, it’s amazing how Ethan always manages to make it all feel better. Just like whenever he wakes up from a nightmare, and comes to me asking me to make it better for him, likewise, my little boy does the same for me.
Yesterday, I felt really gloomy and sad. Clumsy me had knocked over my freshly expressed bottle of EBM and 2.5oz had spilt onto the kitchen counter. While cleaning the mess, Ethan asked me what I was doing, and I told him I spilt the milk. He looked at me gently, came over and said, “Don’t worry Mommy, we’ll pour more milk later, okay?”
And then after I had downloaded some photos from my camera, one of the nicest shots I had taken of Ethan and Hannah ended up corrupted. I was fiddling with it on the PC trying to restore it, and Ethan wanted to know what was wrong. I sadly told him that one of my favorite pictures was spoilt. He immediately put his arms around me and said, “Here’s a hug Mommy. Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”
You just gotta love him
(By the way, I am still trying desperately to restore that picture. If anyone knows how to restore a corrupted jpg file, please let me know!)
Followers of the “Children should be seen and not heard” school of thought would certainly click their tongues in disapproval and shake their heads in despair should they see and hear what Ethan is like these days. When he is watching TV or doing something and he is concentrating: Ethan: Be quiet! Shhhh…. (holds finger to his mouth). No talking!
*****
Daddy attempts to change the TV channel.
Ethan: No watching FOOTBALL, Daddy!
and lately…
Ethan: No Daddy, change the channel to Playhouse Disney, PLEeeeeeeeASsssssssE!!!! PuhLEeeeeeeeASsssssssssssE….???!!!
*****
When someone laughs at him, with him or loudly:
Ethan: It’s not funny, uncle!! That’s not very nice!
*****
At the restaurant, a waiter approaches us.
Waiter: Sir, do you need a baby chair for your son?
Ethan: NO! I’m NOT a baby! (points at Hannah) Hannah’s the baby! I’m a BOY! I’m THREE years old!
*****
At the restaurant again, the waitress assists Ethan by pushing his stool closer to the table.
Ethan: NO! No touching me!
*****
When I am having a conversation with someone:
Ethan: No talking Aunty! Mommy talk first!
*****
When about to go out:
Mommy: Okay buddy, go put on your shoes.
Ethan: No no, not SHOES…sandals!
In school:
Teacher: Alright, take off your shoes.
Ethan: Not shoes, teacher. SANDALS!
Last week, Ethan surprised us yet again with another one of his newfound abilities: Coloring INSIDE the lines. I bet he must have picked this up from school, because we never pruposely force him to color inside the lines. I prefer to allow him free reign of how to express himself artistically. And look how handsomely that has paid off!
I’m so proud of my boy, and can’t believe how much he has grown up!
Two days ago, on Monday, Daddy lowered Hannah’s cot level. It was beginning to look really dangerous, the way she would very quickly hold onto the side of the cot and hoist herself up on her feet, sometimes trying to reach over the cot. At that time, the cot side was at the level of her tummy! Now, it is the same level as he mouth…and she has discovered that the cotside tastes incredibly yummy…
At least now I can safely put her in the cot sometimes, when I have to urgently attend to her brother.
My little girl Hannah has been growing up so rapidly the past few weeks, I find that it is inevitable that I need to post a milestone post now before her 8th month update comes along!
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She has begun crawling really really well now. Sometimes when she doesn’t see me around and wants to look for me, she will crawl all the way from our living room to the dining and kitchen. If she is in her *manja* mood, she will wail and cry while crawling!
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She can stand, while holding the edge of her cot or the couch, or our hands, for support.
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Sometimes we have even caught her beginning to cruise!
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Since she can now sit steadily, we can put her in a baby chair when we dine outside in restaurants. (soon, when I introduce rusks, she will have more things to occupy herself with)
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She has cut her first two teeth! I can see two bottom incisors sprouting!
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And she is getting increasingly difficult to bathe. Each time, she will want to grab onto my stool or the bath tub and try to stand up!
Last Friday, when I picked Ethan up from school, he greeted me with a big smile, holding a plastic vase filled with a piece of sponge with some stalks of flowers in it. On the plastic vase was his very own name, and he was VERY proud of it, I could tell.
He told me he made it in school. (I just LOVE all these stuff he brings back from school!)
And when we reached home, he wanted to water it, so I assisted him in sprinkling some water on the flowers.
And then he wanted to give his plant some sunlight. I asked him to put it near the sliding door. He put it there for 1 second and said, “That’s too much sunlight…”
So we put it on our shelf instead.
Last weekend when all our relatives came over for a visit, Ethan was proudly showing off his plant to everyone.
I’m wondering if I should get him new flowers when these wilt away in a few days’ time….
We do not believe in forcing our child to write or forcing him to hold a pencil or pen, when he is not ready. We would rather he take his time to play and learn and discover it on his own. That being said, Ethan has always loved numbers and alphabets. And he LOVES experimenting, especially on his doodle pad.
One fine evening, he surprised us by using the square-shaped mold from the doodle pad to *write*. He calls it “draw numbers”. At first he wrote 1 and 2, and he was mighty pleased when we applauded. He then proceeded with other numbers.
And writing this was his own idea…watch…
Ironically, that is also how Pete and I write the number 9.
But when I ask Ethan to write 6 after that, he looked at me with those sweet adorable eyes and shakes his head, “I don’t know how to write 6, Mommy!” LOL
Oh, how I love my little boy!
This could be the start of another very very chatty chatterbox in future!
…or is it a form of (healthy) competition?
When Hannah was on medication a couple of weeks back, we asked Ethan to *witness* her taking the medicine using the syringe. By the way, if you are not already aware, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to feed Ethan medicine. He would kick and scream till the cows come home.
Anyway, Ethan was very intrigued watching us feed Hannah. Hannah, on the other hand, was initially receptive of the medicine, but after a few rounds, she knew how to turn her head away when she saw the syringe. Only Daddy knew how to administer the medicine in one swift motion
A few days later, Ethan started sneezing. So I asked him, “Ethan, are you sneezing?” He said, “Yes”. I said, “Do you want to take some medicine? You’ll feel better after taking it, and then when you are all better, Mommy will take you swimming.” He paused and kept quiet. I continued, “I’ll ask Daddy to shoot the medicine into your mouth like Hannah, okay?” He said, “Okay.”
And I almost fainted.
I asked Daddy to get the medicine ready, and MIRACULOUSLY Ethan allowed his Daddy to give him the medicine without any fuss. After that he downed it all with some Milo.
Therefore, do not underestimate what Hannah can do or influence at her young and tender age.
Thanks to Ethan Koko who very generously allowed me to ride his favorite toy vehicle, the choo-choo train! Hannah’s feet cannot yet touch the floor though, but she has a really firm grip on the steering wheel!
”I push myself up like this…”
“There…I’m on all fours. Now what?!”
“Eh? Smile for the camera AGAIN??!!!”
“Lemme try lifting my butt up…”
“I put one knee forward…like this, Mommy?”
“Gonna try to sit up on my own now…”
“That looks interesting…wonder what it tastes like…”
She’s almost there!
When we reached Hannah’s sitter’s house today to pick her up, Ethan exclaimed loudly, “Hi Hannah!” when he saw her. Hannah squealed in delight, lifted her right hand up and waved!
She is SO the sociable little baby!
Ethan runs up to me and says,
“Mommy, Mommy look! I draw Ethan! Look! E-T-H-A-N, ETHAN!”
By the way, he is SUCH an expert at spelling his own name. And he even knows and can read my name, Pete’s name and of course, Hannah’s.
… from the moment he wakes up till he sleeps (by the way, he normally does NOT take an afternoon nap).
(Negotiating)
Daddy: Ethan, go and take your bath.
Ethan: No, let me play with my toys first.
Daddy: No…take a shower and THEN you can play with your toys.
Ethan: No Daddy, wait for Mommy first.
Daddy: Mommy’s busy. Daddy will bathe for you.
Ethan: No Daddy. I’m dizzy. I want to sleep first.
(Complaining)
Ethan: Mommy, I hurt my finger.
Mommy: Awww…come here darling, Mommy will kiss and make it better (kisses his finger).
Ethan: I feel better.
Mommy: Okay, good
Ethan: I want new finger, Mommy!
Ethan: Ouch Mommy…my feet (points to a bump).
Mommy: Aww, lemme see, darling.
Ethan: I want a Band-Aid Mommy.
Mommy: Okay, here’s a Band-Aid. You feel better now?
Ethan: Yeah…
Ethan(runs off to show Daddy): Look Daddy! I have a Dinosaur band-aid!
Ethan: I want new feet Daddy!
(On the way home from school)
Ethan: I wanna say “I love you Daddy”, Mommy…
Mommy: Okay. I’ll call Daddy when we reach home, okay?
Ethan: Okay.
Mommy: What about Mommy? Don’t you want to say, “I love you Mommy”?
Ethan: No…Hannah says “I love you Mommy”, Ethan says “I love you Daddy”.
(Making sense)
Ethan: Mommy…carry!
Mommy: Why? Are you lazy?
Ethan: No, I’m dizzy.
Ethan: Mommy…carry! Carry Mommy!
Mommy: Are you a lazy pig, Ethan?
Ethan: NO, I’m not a lazy pig. Daddy’s the lazy pig!
(Placing a Request)
Mommy: Mmm - mm- mmm- mmm-mmm- mmm- hmmm (humming a song)
Ethan; No Mommy, don’t say “mmm mmm mmm”. Sing!
Mommy (singing): Polly put the kettle on…
(Protective)
Stranger (to Hannah): Hi baby! (Smiles and touches Hannah on the head/cheek/hand)
Ethan: NO AUNTY!!! No touching Hannah!
(Mr Manners)
We were about to pay for our parking at the mall, when a stranger arrived at the parking payment machine at the same time as us. The man promptly stepped in front of me and proceeded to make the payment.
Ethan (pointing at the man): No Uncle! THAT’S NOT NICE, Uncle!
The uncle ignored him. So much for politeness in our society!
(Taking turns)
Ethan (playing the piano at Uncle Tee Bin’s house and singing): Twinkle twinkle little star…
Mommy (sits down next to him and starts to play too)
Ethan: No Mommy. Wait for turn!
My motherly instincts are always in extra full force when any one of my kids are not feeling well. And that was how it was last week when Hannah fell sick.
I worried when she registered a fever of 38.5°C that night. I was relieved that giving her the PCM suppository helped to bring it down.
She also had cough and a runny nose, so although we didn’t like the idea of bringing her to the hospital and exposing her to germs, we decided to bring her in for a checkup.
As soon as I explained what she was there for, we were asked to wait while the nurse assessed Hannah. Her temperature then was 38°C.
We were then asked to go to the Accident and Emergency section where Hannah was to take a throat swab and then we had to wait for 1 hour for the results.
An hour of worrying later, the throat swab test for Influenza A was NEGATIVE. Hannah was prescribed the usual Polaramine and Rhinathiol. She had a little bit of an ear infection which the doctor hoped would subside by the next day (which it did).
She’s back to her normal cheerful adorable self now, and I am none the happier…
He loves:
- Rice with soy sauce gravy
- Butter sandwich drizzled with a little bit of sugar. Shape of sandwich will be requested by him. Current favorites are STAR, TRAIN and TRUCK. Coming in a close second are DIAMOND and SQUARE.
- Koay teow from the chicken hor fun served at Old Town. You should hear him say “Koay Teow”
- Roti Bakar from Old Town (sometimes only, depending on mood)
- Bananas
- Apples
- Blueberry muffin
- “Golden bread” a.k.a. golden potato bread.
- Hard-boiled egg white with some soy sauce.
- Homemade pancake with maple syrup.
- Milo chilled.
- Fresh milk. He now ASKS for fresh milk. It was so funny that day when he spelled “SEGAR” and asked me what it was.
- Pediasure milk chilled.
- Vanilla ice cream from McDonald’s.
- Fries.
- Chocolate “anything”!
BUT… over the past few days, I learnt that he has been eating quite well in school.
It was one of my primary concerns that he would not eat at all in school and go hungry. So I always ask the teacher to let me know what he has eaten, if he has. A few days ago, Ethan told me happily that he SWALLOWED chicken! I was ecstatic, but I wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. So I asked his teacher and she said yes, they served fried noodles, and there were pieces of chicken on top, and he ate them!
The following day, Ethan told me he ate carrots. I checked with the teacher and she said he was served porridge with carrots and he ate it too, albeit being fed. And today, he told me he ate chicken, carrots AND mushroom!
But why won’t he eat the chicken at home?
Maybe it’s because his teacher told him he has to finish his lunch at school before he can go home… LOL
Some people might think I am a fussypot, but my criteria for selecting a daycare for Ethan is really very simple: he has to enjoy himself there. I believe that a kid his age should not be made to do homework, or forced to study, instead all I am looking for is for him to mingle with his peers and have a good time. Only then will he be able to learn in a conducive environment.
So upon our return from the States, we visited some centers and schools in Penang to see which one is suitable. One was too far away, although I actually like the teaching methodology they employed, allowing the kids to learn through play. But a 45-minute drive there and another 45-minute drive back home every day was definitely not acceptable. One center which was nearer to our home gave me the impression that the kids were being forced to read. And another one which was just down the road from our place, I didn’t like it because the principal did not teach the students. Instead it was a daycare franchise. Some of the centers did not have openings available, so we didn’t bother checking them out.
In the end, we enrolled Ethan in a center/school for half a day, for something called a Playgroup (for his age). It would take me about 10-15 minutes to drive there though, which was rather acceptable. The good thing about this school is that they allowed a 2-week orientation period, whereby the parent would accompany the child for 2 hours and then slowly extend the period till he was confident enough to be on his own. I knew that Ethan would be fine on his own for just half a day, but it was the getting used to the new environment, making new friends and all that would maybe be too overwhelming at first.
Before he started school, we prepped him for it by telling him every day, “We’re gonna put Hannah at Ah Poh’s house, okay? Then we’ll leave Daddy in the office, and then we’ll fetch Ethan to school. After that Mommy will go to the market.”
So when we ask him, “Where will Hannah go?” , he’ll say, “Ah Poh’s house!”
And “What about Daddy?” - “Daddy goes to office!”
“And Ethan?” - “Ethan goes to school!”
“Mommy?” - “Mommy goes to market!”
So even though it was only 2 weeks before the one-week school holidays were to start, we started Ethan off on his 2-week orientation. I thought we were good to go with the prepping, but I was so wrong! The first few days, he clung on to me like a leech. He didn’t really want to participate in the activities, preferring instead to sit on my lap or asking me to carry him. On the way to school, he would whine and complain, “I don’t want to go to school, Mommy!!”
But little by little he began to participate and join the other kids. On the 5th day when I took him to school, I asked him if it was okay that he played with his friends in school, while Mommy goes to market and that I would come and fetch him later…he said “Okay.”
And then the following week, we slowly extended the duration he was in school. First he was on his own for 2.5 hours, then 3. Here are some pictures of Ethan, taken by one of his teachers during the recent Merdeka Day celebration the school had (dunno why Ethan had that serious worried look on his face…)
Nowadays, most of the time, he would happily go to school, and he would be all smiles when I pick him up afterward. Occasionally he would not want to go and would not want me to leave, but I suppose it could be because of the long weekend or holiday.
Just last Monday, he didn’t want me to leave when the teacher greeted him at the door. After a few minutes of persuasion, I realized he was asking me to KNOCK the door first before he could enter! LOL So I knocked the door, the teacher opened it, and he entered the classroom happily…hehehe
One of his teachers commented that Ethan is now more settled and can play with his classmates. She even said that he can speak really well, which left me beaming with pride. When he comes home, he would tell us about his school friends: Annabelle, Nicole, Sharmay … how come all girls huh?
I’m glad I am able to play a major part in this milestone Ethan is experiencing. Never mind the initial screaming, occassional whinings and sometimes tear-filled eyes when I take him to school…all that disappears as soon as I see his face light up when he sees me waiting to pick him up after school. And it makes it all SO worth the while. Sometimes when I leave him feeling sad and unhappy at school, I worry about how he’s doing, but he puts all my worries to rest when he tells me after school, “School’s so very fun, Mommy!” And that’s all I need to know.
So our weekday routine is more or less established now, except sometimes he wakes up quite late. On the way home from school, he will ALWAYS request to go to “O McDonald”, where he wants either “Vanilla ice cream” or ”Fries”. Maybe we should be given a frequent diner card at Mc-D’s!
These precious smiles that greet me in the morning makes it all SO worthwhile…
It must be because of the excessive amount of time he spends with both Hannah and me. Ethan has certainly started to display some form of inevitable sibling rivalry and jealousy.
It all started about a week after we touched down in Penang. Pete had started work then, and I was still in the process of looking for a daycare for Ethan. So meanwhile, both kids would be at home with me 24/7. At first it was all right, although it was quite difficult for me to juggle cooking, cleaning and caring for both kids at the same time.
But then I think Ethan got a bit bored with staying at home all the time. He started his tantrums and his whining. And when I breastfed Hannah, he would say, “No feeding Hannah, Mommy! Let me close it!” and proceed to *help* me “close up” my blouse. On the contrary, when we ask him, “What does Hannah drink then?”, he’ll reply, “Hannah drinks milk!” By the way, he does NOT forbid me to feed Hannah when Pete is around. And he did NOT forbid me to do so when we were in the States.
Also, Hannah is in the drooling stage right now, so whenever Ethan sees her drool, he would say, “No spitting, Hannah!” Sometimes he would use his fist and sort of hit her on the head or the chest. It’s hard to see this happen, and I always try to gently but firmly tell Ethan, “No hitting Hannah, Ethan. It hurts her, okay?”
And when I pick Hannah up, Ethan would ask me to carry him too! He’d ask me to “Put Hannah away, Mommy!” But when I put her down, he will be busy playing with his toys. I try to *entertain* him at home as much as possible with stuff like coloring, water-color painting, and his favorite videos, but Ethan is at that age where he wants to assert his individualism and independence at the same time, hence the “No!”s that abound time and again.
So beginning August, we decided to put Hannah with Ethan’s ex-sitter, Mrs Tan, for about half a day, just to see how she copes. At least I would have about half a day to run some errands and find a daycare for Ethan. I was a little worried about Hannah not taking any milk while away from me, because she does not take to the bottle at all. Well, anyway, after a few days, I decided to start her off on the regular toddler sippy cup and I am happy to say she is drinking well now. Psst….might need to get rid of her bottles soon!
With Hannah away for half a day, we managed to get Ethan started on halfday daycare at a nearby center. He is currently at the tail-end of his two-week orientation and will begin regular halfday daycare when the new school term starts in September.
That aside, the sibling rivalry still exists and I forsee it will be around for some time still. Lately he has also started to say, “No crying Hannah!” or “No laughing Hannah!”
But at the end of the day, sometimes Ethan surprises me and does loving big-brotherly things like holding Hannah’s hand while he falls asleep.
And that’s just one of the things he busied himself with while we were cleaning our apartment back home…amazing, ain’t it?
During our past 9 months or so here in San Jose, Ethan has definitely enjoyed a tremendous time here. And while we are in the midst of all our packing, I do think it is inevitable that Ethan will miss the precious time and the fun he had at daycare when we leave.
From a rather shy and not-too-many words little guy, Ethan is now talking non-stop, complete with a mind of his own! His confidence has skyrocketed, although he sometimes still is a little shy with strangers.
He has learnt SO many new things at his daycare: singing, dancing, reading, counting, adorable expressions, good manners…the list goes on.
He’s also made many womderful friendships. Wouldn’t it be cool if these kids were to meet up again a few years from now?
And I bet he also learnt a few things about how to be a good big brother too!
Yes, Ethan will definitely miss daycare here, but I am just so very thankful that he at least had the splendid opportunity to experience it.
And now, I just pray that we can find a good daycare back home that Ethan will love just as much.
It has always been a struggle to feed Ethan medicine. Back when he was still breastfed, I would just rely solely on breastfeeding to get him well. But when he was weaned, I dreaded it when he became ill. Usually, we just let nature take its course and he would eventually get better. Most people say that over-the-counter medicine for kids in the US are more palatable and hence, we should buy some to take home with us. Medicine that comes in various kid-approved flavours like cherry, bubble gum and grape definitely appeal to kids.
Well, most kids, anyway…but not Ethan.
Ethan has been coughing for several weeks now. The problem is he refuses to drink a lot of water AND he refuses to take medicine. We bought a bottle of Tylenol in GRAPE flavour. And although the mixture tastes really good, just like concentrated grape juice and nothing like the yucky tasting Rhinathiol or Polaramine, Ethan would have none of it.
We forcefed him this Tylenol Grape a few times, or rather we *tried* to feed him with it, but he would just spit it all out. Even though the characters in his favorite Dr Hippo books drink Grape medicine when they are sick, Ethan does not want to follow suit.
Now, our typical conversations would go like this:
Daddy: Ethan do you wanna drink GRAPE?
Ethan: No! I don’t want it!
Daddy: You have to choose: either drink Grape or drink water.
And of course he would gladly drink the water.
We tried to add the Tylenol into his chocolate milk a few times, but after just the first time, he suspected we had added it in, and he told me, “I don’t want grape Mommy!” And he would stand behind me as I poured the chocolate milk for him, just to make sure I did not add anything else in.
Sigh…
He is still coughing though, but I guess we have to wait for him to heal himself. Here’s what we go through every day:
Ethan: (coughs)
Daddy: Are you still coughing, Ethan?
Ethan (shaking his head): Nooo…I’m NOT coughing Daddy…
Daddy: You just coughed Ethan. You have to drink Grape!
Ethan: No Daddy. I don’t wanna drink Grape Daddy.
And then today…
Hannah coughs.
Ethan: Hannah coughing? Drink Grape!
Mommy: (coughs)
Ethan (immediately): Mommy, are you coughing?
Looks like our bags will not have bottles of grape-flavored medicine then!
I have no doubt in my mind that Ethan will miss Gilroy Gardens when we get back home to Malaysia. Almost every weekend, when we ask him where he would like to go, he would exclaim, “I wanna go to Gilroy Gardens!” It’s a good thing we decided to get the season pass (Lotsa Card) so we could enjoy unlimited entries into the theme park.
Well, last weekend, we made our final trip to Gilroy Gardens before we head back to Malaysia. As soon as we turned into the theme park, Ethan said, “I see it Mommy! I see the Gilroy Gardens signboard!” Yup, he was THAT excited. He even started dancing to the music before we entered the theme park.
Because it was our last visit (for a long time anyway) there, it was as if Ethan could feel it too, and he wanted in on as many rides as possible. Normally he would bypass the race car ride, but that day, he insisted on getting in.
And when we were ready to take the choo-choo train ride, Hannah was awake, so for the first time, our little family got on board the train together. There were only a couple of rides that allowed infants on, and the train ride was one of them.
The hot sunny weather was the perfect recipe for a good splashing time in the sun. And that’s exactly what Ethan had. There was this water squirting area where the kids could play in the water, and Ethan had a jolly good time there.
It was a fantastic day at Gilroy Gardens, and for what it’s worth, I think I am gonna miss this place too.
Goodbye Gilroy Gardens! We hope to come back again next time!
Reasoning
Daddy: Is Ethan a boy or a girl?
Ethan: A boy!
Daddy: Good! What about Daddy? Is Daddy a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Daddy is a boy!
Daddy: Very good! Is Mommy a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Mommy’s a girl!
Daddy: What about Hannah? Is Hannah a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Ummmm….ummmm…
Mommy: Hannah’s a girl!
Ethan: No! Hannah’s a BABY!
Authority
Mommy: Ethan, let’s go take a shower!
Ethan: No, Mommy, I don’t want it!
Mommy: You gotta go take a shower Ethan, you wanna be clean, right?
Ethan: No Mommy, NO! Go sit the naughty stool! Don’t do it again, okay, Mommy?
Customization
Daddy (playfully to Hannah): Who’s your Daddy?!
(Hannah smiles happily)
Ethan runs really quickly towards Hannah.
Ethan: Where’s my Ethan?!
Daddy: Who’s your Daddy?!
Ethan: No no Daddy, stay right there, okay?
Ethan (to Hannah): Where’s my Ethan?!
With Hannah spending all her time with Mommy, isn’t it a given that I would be busy taking pictures of my little angel? I cherish every minute I spend with her, whether it is breastfeeding her, bathing her, changing her, playing with her or simply just watching her sleep. There is something very angelic about watching a baby sleeping; with Hannah, I love seeing her sleeping position with both hands to her sides: so peaceful, so calm
Oh, and of course, I absolutely LURVE the smell of her head and her hair…and her SKIN! Intoxicatingly heavenly…and dare I say, strong enough to drive away the worries and stress of the day!
Hannah loves her tummy time; being rolled over from her back to her front, and then trying to inch her way forward. She’s very good, and is able to *adjust* her hand position in order not to let it be “stuck” when rolling over. Of course she can’t roll over herself yet, and needs to be supervised.
We bring Hannah out on days I go out, but I suspect she loves it better and finds comfort at home. The thing is, Hannah cannot stand heat at all! It’s summer now and way, way hot! Just a little rise in the temperature and she will be perspiring! And since she cannot *tell* us yet, she will wail and cry, all the way back home (if we are in the car): persistent, heart-wrenching cries that will not stop until we push her stroller back safely in the confines of our home and then turn the air-conditioning on.
But she does look adorable sitting in her infant car seat, no?
Oh, and apart from just sleeping and reclining in her infant-toddler rocker, Hannah can also sit quite comfortably in the Bumbo now! Of course, her big brother would then want to sit in it too! LOL
Last week, Ethan had his first visit to the dentist. I know we should have brought him when he was about two or two-and-a-half, but I was searching for a good pediatric dentist, fussypot that I am. Anyway, I stumbled on this pediatric dentist’s site and the pictures in his clinic looked really cool; with soft toys everywhere and smiling kids, I knew this was where Ethan could go.
I promptly made an appointment, and although we arrived at the clinic a little late, we quickly registered (while Ethan busied himself with Super Mario Bros.) and were ushered in. I went in with Ethan while Pete stayed in the reception area with Hannah.
The dentist’s examination room was nothing like the regular dental clinic. It almost seemed like a child’s playroom! Ethan immediately went for the Ikea bolster thingy, which coincidentally was the identical one he has at home.
Then the dental assistant got Ethan to warm up by giving him a giant toothbrush to brush the “dino”’s teeth:
It was funny cuz Ethan wanted to brush his own teeth at first!
Next, the dentist came in and explained that he would just be checking Ethan’s teeth and *counting* them. Unfortunately, despite Ethan saying “okay” back home when I told him what the dentist would be doing, he refused to lie down. So I had to hold Ethan, one leg on either side of my waist, then I faced the dentist, and lowered Ethan’s head so his teeth could be checked.
There was some buildup along the gumlines of some of his teeth, but thankfully no cavities. As usual, the dentist asked Ethan to brush at least twice a day and floss too. And as expected, when his teeth was counted, he had only 18: the 2 missing teeth were his two bottom incisors, just like Daddy’s.
We were then ushered to the x-ray room where Ethan was the perfect angel while his teeth x-rays were taken.
No fuss, no mess…he just bit on a piece of material for the x-ray to be taken, then his teeth picture was snapped; twice: once for the top jaw and once for the bottom.
Here’s his anxious look waiting for the x-rays to be ready.
Well, that soon turned to happiness when he was asked to choose a balloon: Ethan chose the red one:
His teeth x-rays looked fine, and we could see the permanent teeth below his milk teeth. It is possible though that he will still take after Pete and have 2 incisors missing in the bottom jaw.
Oh, and before we left the clinic, Ethan was asked to choose a toy too. He is very into musical instruments, so he chose a purple recorder!
We were told to make another appointment for cleaning of his teeth, so I did. And his teeth-cleaning appointment was 2 days ago…
I had explained to Ethan that it would just be a very simple brushing and cleaning and he would get a balloon and toy after that. On the way to the clinic, he was all, “I wanna see Mr Dentist!”
But as soon as the dental assistant was ready to start the cleaning procedure, Ethan looked very troubled and began sobbing. He lied down on the bench-like chair (totally flat, not reclinable like a regular dentist’s) and looked very upset. Maybe he wasn’t very sure what to expect, but after a few minutes of consoling and reassurance (and me holding a red balloon for him) he quietened down, wore his *sunglasses* and had his teeth cleaned.
The dental assistant did the following:
-
flossed his teeth
-
brushed his teeth with a toothbrush to show me (and Ethan) the correct way of brushing
-
cleaned his teeth with a rubbery vibrating tool
-
wiped his mouth and teeth dry with cotton gauze
-
applied flouride *bubble bath* on the teeth
-
wiped his teeth again
Ethan was to refrain from food and drnks for half an hour after that.
Good job, Ethan! Look at how sparkling clean his teeth are now!
And this is the toy he chose:
Looks like I’ll have to get him a balloon and toy the next time he visits a dentist in Malaysia!
We received Hannah’s birth registration form (Borang W) and her Emergency Travel Document from the Malaysian Consulate in LA today. The Borang W is just like the Malaysian Birth Certificate, except that it is issued to those who are born outside of Malaysia to parents who are Malaysian citizens.
The Emergency Travel Document is brown book that looks something like our Malaysian international passport. However it is valid only for 9 months from date of issue and can only be used for one-way travel. We’ll need to get Hannah a new Malaysian international passport when we get back to Malaysia.
What this means is that after our two-month wait, we can finally book Hannah’s ticket for home! By the way, still lovin’ that passport photo of Hannah’s
Wordart Credits
Collaboration between Dragonfly Summer kit from Graham like the Cracker & Bethany
Hannah is becoming such a friendly little girl now. It all started with her smiling when we spoke to her. Well, actually at first she only smiled at her Daddy most of the time, and with me, it was just a blur stare.
But now, she would consistently flash us the sweetest of smiles when we speak to her. Sometimes she would coo endearingly as if in reply to what we say.
She smiles at Ethan too, and even when Daddy does not say anything and just merely looks at her, he would be rewarded with her honey-sweet smile that just melts his heart…
The picture above was taken right before we were leaving for Gilroy for our Memorial Day shopping trip last Saturday. Do you think she was extra happy because of that?
Some people have asked us the inevitable question: “Is there sibling jealousy since Hannah arrived?”
Hmmm…while it is apparent that Ethan absolutely adores little Hannah, there are times when he displays some jealous streaks too. He would ask for us to carry him when he sees us carrying Hannah, he would insist that I put him down to sleep even when I am breastfeeding Hannah, and of course, he would ask us to “Put Hannah cot!” when he wants our undivided attention.
On the other hand, it appears that Hannah cries for attention more when her brother is around. Perhaps she senses some *competitive vibes* and so she responds with the only method she knows thus far.
Sibling jealousy goes both ways, I’d say…and yet, I can hardly wait for the day when my kids can play together happily, enjoying each other’s company.
At 2.5 months, we still can’t firmly decide if Hannah resembles her Daddy or her Mommy more, but one thing’s for sure, she certainly looks like Ethan! I dug out some pictures of Ethan taken when he was about 2.5 months too, and well…you guys be the judge…
Of course it’s quite hard to tell because of the differing amount of hair, but still…
…same engaging brown eyes…
…same cute lil button noses…
…same rosebud lips…
…and the same happy cheerful (toothless) smile!
Yesterday evening, Ethan had not one, not two, but FIVE surprises when he came home from daycare. The mailman delivered these five books from the Dr Hippo Series, which is a wonderful collection of stories written by Dr Charlotte Cowan, depicting animals with an illness, and how they recover from it with the help of a pediatrician named Dr Hippo.
As soon as I showed Ethan the books, he got all excited and he wanted me to read the books to him. I asked him to choose which one he wanted to read and he chose this one:
The Moose with Loose Poops tells the story of a little moose named Miles, who is suffering from gastroenteritis. Coincidentally, Ethan has had gastroenteritis before, and as I read the story to him, I was not sure if he recalled the ordeal he had been through. The book describes the symptoms of gastroenteritis in simple kid-friendly terms, referring to tummy upsets as “having waves in the tummy” resulting in Miles “throwing up”, and having diarrhea as “pooping a waterfall”.
Ethan adored the beautiful illustrations in the book. They were very colorful and drawn really well, enough to sustain my toddler’s attention till the “The End” page. He kept pointing out the details in all the pictures, i.e. the various toys, the animals etc. I found that I had to ad lib the story at times, because impatient Ethan would ask me to “turn the page” very quickly. And also, because he is more used to Daddy and Mommy instead of Papa and Mama as is being used in the book, I had to make the necessary modifications too.
All in all, a very informative book that teaches kids about what happens when they are ill. I also liked the fact that home-trusted remedies like “drinking lots of fluids” was included in the story, and I took this opportunity to stress the importance of that to Ethan.
Our boy was already very sleepy then, but he was still determined to finish reading all five books consecutively. After book number 2, I had to take a break from reading to breastfeed Hannah, so Daddy took over the reading task. After two books, Daddy remarked, “Why is everyone sick in these stories?” LOL - at that time he did not yet know the concept of the Dr Hippo series.
Well, you see, in addition to educating kids about the illnesses, these books all come with a detachable guide for parents on the back cover that provides parents with everything there is to know about gastroenteritis. Very useful for times when we don’t feel like reading through some thick childcare book.
Ethan fell asleep with the five books at his bedside last night. And he asked to read those books again today. I foresee the start of a beautiful friendship there…
Scrap Credits
QP Sahara from Mumure Scrapattaque
“Fall Memories” alphas from A work in progress
Glitter-Swirled Epoxy Alpha - YellowGold from Bon Scrapatit Designs
Hannah’s hair is miraculously defying gravity by standing up straight…well, the ones across the top of her head are. I have no idea when it first started, nor do I have any inkling as to when it will stop behaving that way.
When her hair is dry, it looks straight, but after her bath, my girl’s got the cutest curls on her head. What gives?
Will she take after my straight, fine hair, or have curly locks like Daddy’s? Only time will tell…
Much to my delight, Ethan has developed a keen interest in reading books lately. He would ask us to read to him all his books over and over again, and although sometimes he impatiently wants to turn the page, he would be all smiles when we read to him. Unlike his behaviour before when I tried reading to him, where he would push away the book disinterestedly, Ethan now voluntarily brings his books to us.
We do not have many story books here with us in the US, so instead of pathetically reading the ABC or Numbers book repeatedly, I decided to get him some new ones. Lately I have been trying to get some books online and it’s addictive, really!
I was so glad when this came in the mail today. Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar has got to be one of the most popular children’s books around today. And when Ethan refused to bathe yesterday, I showed him his surprise *treat* to be enjoyed after he took a bath and off he willingly went.
After his bath, he remembered the book, and happily asked me to read to him. All through the book, he was eagerly pointing out the things he saw. The moon, the sun, the caterpillar…he even counted the fruits like strawberries and apples.
And when we read that the caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly, Ethan exclaimed, “The End!” Sure meant a whole lot to me when he turned to me and said, “I like it Mommy! Thank you Mommy!”
Later that night, I read the book a couple of times to him again, including using it to calm him down when he was throwing a tantrum.
I’m sure we will be reading about the hungry caterpillar again this evening. And I can’t wait to share other wonderful stories with him.
Scrap Credits
Daydreamin’ kit (papers, elements & alphas) from Megan Turnidge
Word Art (I Treasure You) from Dirty Feet Designs aka Heather Benson
Lately Ethan added the word “buy” to his ever-expanding vocabulary. Actually I don’t even remember when it had started, but he understands the concept of buying stuff now.
Ethan: Mommy, I wanna watch vi-dee-lio (video)!
Mommy: Which video do you wanna watch?
Ethan: Ummm…ummm…Madagascar!
Mommy, But we don’t have the Madagascar DVD darlin’…you wanna watch something else?
Ethan: BUY Madagascar!!
Mommy: Ok, we’ll see if it’s on sale this weekend, okay?
Ethan: Okay Mom!
Mommy: Alright Ethan, go get your jacket and wear your shoes and socks!
Ethan: I wanna wear purple socks!
Mommy: You don’t have any purple socks, my dear…how about your green ones?
Ethan: BUY purple socks!
There’s Ethan’s very simple solution to get anything he wants!
And then just the other day…
Ethan: Mommmeeee….I wanna drink milk!
Mommy: Okay Mommy’ll get some for you. Which milk do you want? (I’d expected him to choose between chocolate milk, his Pediasure or soy milk)
Ethan: I want green milk!
Mommy: Green milk??!! There’s no such thing as green milk, Ethan!
Ethan: Errmmm…BUY green milk!
It will take some time before he realizes not everything can be bought!
Scrap Credits
NSD 2009 freebie template from Jen Caputo
Without End - partie 1 kit from Scrapmalin
Rough & Tumble Add On paper tear from Flergs
Worn Alpha from Bethany
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“Hi Hannah!” It’s very endearing to see Ethan going up to Hannah when he wakes up or when he comes back from daycare and greet her that way. Sometimes he will add in, “How are you, Hannah?” or “I love you Hannah” or “What you doin’, Hannah?”
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“Hannah, wake up!”
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When Hannah starts to cry when we are out in the car, Ethan will respond with, “Oh Hannah, don’t cry…we’re moving!” You see, Hannah, just like her brother when he was small, loves it when the car is moving, and as soon as we stop at traffic lights or an intersection, she will start to cry. Sometimes we would reassure Hannah by telling her that we are moving soon and tell her not to cry, so I suppose Ethan, in his own amazing intuitive ways, caught on.
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“Sit down, Hannah!” , while pointing to the couch.
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“Eat, Hannah!”, offering Hannah his milk or yogurt.
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When Hannah starts crying and wants to be fed or carried, Ethan will go up to her and say, “Oh, it’s okay Hannah, … don’t cry!” When we ask Ethan to give Hannah a kiss, sometimes he will touch his forehead to her head.
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“Here, Hannah…pull it!”, offering the musical mobile toy to Hannah, and then “Touch it!” while he holds Hannah’s hand to the toy. Just the other day, Ethan took his yellow Numbers book and put Hannah’s hand in such a way as to hold the book.
***
And when he wants Mommy’s or Daddy’s attention on him, when either one of us is carrying Hannah, he will say “Put Hannah cot!” He puts a lot of emphasis on the “T” after the “Put” so much so that it sounds like he said, “Put THE Hannah cot!”
Oh, by the way, Ethan pronounces Hannah as “HA-NA”, and not “Hen-NA” like us. It’s just so adorable the way he says it! And I bet those things he says to her right now are all just the tip of the iceberg with many many more to come as they both grow up!
Scrap Credits
Spring Blossoms QP from Bon Scrapatit Designs
Elegant word art (little moments) from Bethany
Without End - partie 1 (papier 04) from Scrapmalin
Ethan is getting very good at being polite now. He says Please and Thank You at the right times. When he does something wrong, he will look very sad, apologize and say, “Sorry Mommy” or “Sorry Daddy“.
He even says Good night and Good morning! … although these depend on his mood.
I remember a funny incident when he asked me for some chocolate. We would tell him that he can have just ONE Hershey’s Nugget on condition that he has finished his dinner.
Ethan (opening the fridge): Mommy, I want chocolate.
Me: Okay, since you have finished your dinner today, Mommy will give you one piece of chocolate.
Ethan (smiling happily): Chocolate!
Me: Here you go…what must you say, Ethan? (I was expecting him to say “Please”)
Ethan (without skipping a heartbeat): CHOCOLATE!
Me: No… you must say, PLEASE..
Ethan: Please Mommy…
Me: Okay, here you go…now what must you say?
Ethan: Thank you Mommy!
Now, the Please and Thank You come naturally
Lately, he has also learnt how to say “Excuse me“, but sometimes it sounds like he is saying “Kiss me“!! And yet, sometimes when someone or something is blocking his way, he forgets his manners and says, “MOVE!!!”
… well, sometimes he does remember to say, “PLEASE MOVE!”
Scrap Credits
Captured QP from My Life And Scrap
About girl butterflies from Elisja Design
Magnetic Poetry pieces from Digi-Designs by Nicole
As my little Hannah grows day by day, she’s starting to explore and discover more things. When I change her on the changing table, her favorite stance is to grab one of the little vertical bars on the table. And her grip is really tight too!
Another thing she has discovered recently is her fist. In her exercising and stretching sessions, she would inadvertently find her fist in her mouth, and she would then suck on it fervently!
Fist first, then toes next?
Maybe he just wants to join in the crowd…
Ethan has been requesting to carry Hannah on his own nowadays. He would make his request with both his arms outstretched.
I’d allow him to carry Hannah with her head on his lap and him sitting on the couch. I feel it is important to let Ethan know that he plays an important role as a big brother. Maybe this makes him FEEL like a big brother.
But one thing’s for sure…they look so adorable together, don’t they?
Scrap Credits
Strawberry Farms QP from Raspberry Road Designs
Moody Grunge Alphas from Mel Hains Designs
Phew! We just made it past Hannah’s second growth spurt! According to baby books and experts, an infant experiences growth spurts at certain periods during the first year of life and the approximate times are:
- 7-10 days
- 3 weeks
- 6 weeks
- 3 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
During these growth spurts, the baby’s appetite will increase, and a typical sign of a growth spurt is something called cluster feedings, i.e. when baby nurses several times close together, sometimes even in an hour or two! Hannah’s first growth spurt went by almost unnoticed, because she was still settling into her feeding and sleep pattern then, but just as I thought it was getting easier, she hit her second growth spurt about a week ago, and the LONG nights began.
In addition to waking up several times in the middle of the night, I had to remind myself to burp her properly after every feed and prop her body up at an angle after that. You see, Hannah has a slight case of Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER), and would sometimes throw up a little bit of milk. The first time she did that, I panicked, not because I didn’t know babies did that, but because it never happened to Ethan; that boy kept everything down! I remembered I just had to feed him, and burp or no burp, he would be okay after that. Maybe girls are more high maintenance…hehehe…
In any case, breastfeeding definitely helps an infant with GER, and I hope she’ll feel much better soon.
Oh, and she prefers to be burped over the shoulder! Doesn’t like the sitting and burping position…
Well anyway, I am glad we are nearing the end of this growth spurt…for one thing, it has certainly made our girl look more *bulat* by the day! She is fast growing out of her 0-3months clothes too!
Just the other evening, while we were relaxing in front of the TV, Ethan suddenly brought his yellow Numbers book and said it was for Hannah. You see, Ethan has four favorite board books: the red Animals book, the blue ABC book, the green Words book and the yellow Numbers book. All this time, he has self-assigned the red book for himself, the blue book for Mommy and the green book for Daddy. The yellow book was unassigned till that day.
Anyway, I then asked Ethan to read to Hannah. And so he did.
He flipped to the addition and subtraction page in the board book, and started pointing and read aloud to his sister.
He goes, “Five plus Five equals TEN!” and “Four plus Six equals TEN!”
He doesn’t say the word “minus” though, so he goes, “Three Two equals ONE!”
Scrap Credits
May Morn paper from Carjazi Designs
Elegant word art (a daughter is) from Bethany
Stamp cluster 8 (modified) from Lindsay Jane Designs
Boxed words from Chantal
In the past three weeks since Hannah came into our lives, I have been getting to know her based on her facial expressions:
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She frowns and purses her lips when she is about to do a poop.
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She smiles and sometimes giggles when she sees something she likes. Once she was fussing and crying, and as soon as I picked her up, she smiled at me as if to say, “Yay! Mission accomplished!”
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She raises her eyebrows, causing her forehead to crease after every feed. And she does this while stretching her entire body, in a satisfied manner.
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She looks at us with those gorgeous big brown eyes, as if she understands every word we say.
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She cries when she is hungry.
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She screams and wails when she is wet or needs a change, and brings the roof down when I am just a wee bit slow in getting the whole process done.
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..and of course, she lets out a YAWN when she is sleepy and tired.
Credits
Word Art from DigiDesigns by Denise
Ethan has been lovingly executing his brotherly duties, thus far, and these include:
Last week, we brought Ethan and Hannah for a routine pediatrician checkup; Ethan had his 3-year-old checkup, while Hannah had her 2-week checkup done.
Ethan was very cooperative. He happily undressed and put on a very cute hospital gown, and stayed very still while his blood pressure was taken, his eyes, ears and throat was checked, and he was very well-behaved too as Hannah was being checked.
Ethan’s height: 3′ (0.914m)
Ethan’s weight: 28lb (12.701kilos)
The doctor assessed Ethan and we were VERY amazed that Ethan could draw a CIRCLE when the doctor asked him to! Isn’t that spectacular?
Anyway, the doctor required that Ethan take a Tuberculin skin test and an anemia test. The anemia test is a simple finger prick test, and we were given the results immediately: Ethan is not anemic. As for the Tuberculin skin test, we had to return 48-72 hours later to obtain the results. The Tuberculin skin test (also known as the Mantoux test) involved injecting a little bit of Tuberculin into the skin layer of Ethan’s forearm and observing the reaction.
Our poor boy of course wailed and cried when both the Tuberculin test and anemia test was done. Not even stickers would pacify him.
The doctor also prescribed fluoride tablets for Ethan, given that the tap water in the area we live in does not contain fluoride. Ethan calls it his “circle” vitamins now, and thankfully, he happily takes one a day (they are grape flavored!)
Anyway, back to the Tuberculin test…we returned to the hospital 2 days later for the reading, and it was positive. Of course, Pete and I think it is possibly due to the fact that Ethan had his BCG vaccination at birth. Kids born in the US do NOT have the BCG vaccination and they take the Tuberculin skin test to test if they had been exposed to the TB bacteria. Now because Ethan tested positive for the skin test, as a routine protocol, we had to get a chest x-ray done on him to ensure he did not have the active TB bacteria in him.
Two days after the chest x-ray, the doctor called to let me know that the x-ray was fine and Ethan did not have an active TB disease in him. However, the doctors here are worried that the TB bacteria could lie dormant in the child’s body, as in latent tuberculosis, and recommended Ethan go on a 9-month medication.
Pete and I are declining this because it is very certain that Ethan’s initial positive skin test result is due to his BCG vaccination. Furthermore, Ethan will definitely NOT like to be on medication for such a long duration and also we would be headed for home in about 4 months’ time.
In any case, we learnt a few new things from this experience, but what is confusing is…the BCG vaccine is not a 100% fullproof prevention of the TB disease. If this is so, why are babies in Malaysia being vaccinated at birth? Why can’t they do away with the vaccine and perform the skin test instead?
There is certainly no doubt that newborns cry and poop a lot. It’s not any different with Hannah: she certainly has a good set of lungs on her and uses it to get our attention the best way she knows how.
As for pooping, well, her first poop happened only about 20 hours after she was born, but there has been no stopping her since. During the first week or so, I was changing diapers almost every hour or even more often, and every diaper change had some amount of poop in it. During the daytime I am using fitted cloth diapers, and because of the frequency of diaper changes needed, I was doing the laundry about twice a day! I’ve also had my fair share of projectile poop, even in the middle of the night!
I’m not complaining though. One of the signs of a healthy baby is denoted by the number of poops the baby has in a day.
…and we ALL know the kind of runny grainy poo breastfed babies are known to produce, right?
Credits
Favorite Place wordart from Kathy Winters Designs
Ever since Ethan had been elevated to big brother status, he has wowed me with his maturity and sensitivity when it comes to caring for Hannah. He would willingly help me bring stuff I need when Hannah needs a change or he would ask in his sweet little way, “Where did Hannah go?”, when he didn’t see Hannah anywhere around.
But sometimes a little bit of jealousy does surface and lately we noticed Ethan will get a little bit possessive of me when he sees me nursing Hannah.
He would request, “Mommy carry!” when he sees me feeding Hannah, and sometimes when I explain to him that I need to feed Hannah, he would say, “No! Hannah - Daddy carry!”, indicating that he wants Daddy to carry Hannah instead. It breaks my heart to say no to Ethan 
So sometimes, in fact most of the time…you will see me nursing Hannah on one side, and then hugging Ethan on the other! His behaviour is understandable, of course, and I don’t blame him at all. In fact, he is showing signs of being a terrific big brother!
I do try to spend as much time with Ethan as I can, modifying my schedule to make it happen. During the weekdays, I will take my shower earlier in the evening and if time and opportunity permits, give Hannah her bath before Pete brings Ethan back from daycare. This is so that I can spend more time with Ethan after his dinner and bath. I try to be there to tuck him into bed with his favorite book, but sometimes it gets a little bit tricky if Hannah needs me at the same time too.
Nevertheless, we are trying our very best and hanging in there
Scrap Credits
Sweet Surrender QP from Irene V. Alexeeva
Word Art (Remember Moments) from Dirty Feet Designs aka Heather Benson
Yesterday, I had my (now) weekly prenatal checkup with the OB/GYN. I am 38 weeks along now.
Coincidentally, Ethan’s daycare provider had an appointment in the morning, so Ethan had to tag along with us to the medical center for the checkup too. It was the first time we brought him along, not because we didn’t want to before, but because it would be a daunting task keeping his curious little hands away from all the equipment in the examination room.
Anyway, while in the waiting area, Ethan was very much his active little self, even offering his *services* to put away all the magazines that people had left strewn on the chairs. Of course, it goes without saying that his curiosity got the better of him and he began asking what this was and what that was. He even rehearsed saying, “Hi doctor!”
Then when my name was called, he looked on in amazement as the nurse took my weight. And in the examination room, he insisted on sitting on the chair by himself, and pointed at the pictures on the wall, asking what they all were.
But when my doctor came in, Ethan became very quiet all of a sudden, and it was only a few minutes later that he mustered up the courage to say hi to the good doctor. For the first time too, Ethan heard his sibling’s strong heartbeat when the doctor did his routine checkup. I was also due for a cervix exam, and while Pete *entertained* Ethan, the doc informed me that although the cervix was softening, it was still closed.
The checkup was all done in a jiffy, and Ethan said “Buh-bye!” to the doctor as we left.
He’s gonna be an awesome big brother, don’t you think?
…and he does it HIS way…
… asking for his toothbrush and toothpaste
… complete with gargle and spit action using his own cup
… and yes, *sometimes* (actually more often than not nowadays) he would insist that Daddy and Mommy brush our teeth too, after he has completed his task!
How can we turn down a “Mommy, brush teeth!” or “Daddy, brush teeth!” request that comes with a gentle shove towards the bathroom?
Ethan is a big boy now…
Scrap Credits
QP from Bronwen van Esch, made with Kim B’s new Roche kit
Elements from Freebie Janvier - Partie 5 kit from Scrapmalin
Stained Alphas from Designs by Sarah
Oooh yes. Another phase we are going through right now.
Ethan has moved on from asking “Apa tu?” to asking “What’s that?” almost everywhere he goes.
So our conversations will go a little something like this:
Ethan: Mommy, Mommy…what’s that? (pointing at item)
Mommy: That’s a computer mouse.
Ethan: What’s that? (pointing at the screen)
Mommy: That’s a volcano, darling.
Ethan: VOLCANO… what’s that?
Mommy: That’s the color purple.
Or sometimes when we are in the parking garage:
Ethan: What’s that? (pointing at one of the vehicles)
Daddy: That’s a truck.
Ethan: What’s that?
Daddy: That’s an SUV.
Ethan: SUV. What’s that?
Daddy: That’s a car.
Ethan: A Car! What’s that?
Daddy: That’s our car!
Ethan: *hop-hop-hops towards our car*
It ain’t always easy though. Sometimes he asks some trying questions too:
Ethan: Mommy, what’s that? (pointing to somewhere on the couch)
Mommy: That’s the middle of the couch, darling.
or…
Ethan: (pointing to a decorative item on the wall of the restaurant we were dining in) What’s that Mommy?
Mommy: That’s called a buluh sumpitan in Malay. Daddy: Blowpipe laaa!!!
(ooops)
***
On a separate note, Ethan likes to practise the many words he learns every day. Pete related this incident to me one evening when he was fetching Ethan back in the car:
Ethan: Sunny? Sunny outside?
Daddy: No Ethan, it’s dark outside now.
Ethan: Sunny? Glasses…. sunnyglasses?
Daddy: You wanna wear your sunglasses. No Ethan, it’s not sunny, you don’t need your sunglasses now.
Ethan: (pauses) Moon??? Moonglasses?
He is truly the JOY of our lives :)
Ethan has taken a strong liking to the computer. He frequently asks to use the “peter, peter, peter!” (Nope, he is NOT calling his Daddy by name; that’s how he calls the “computer” for short!)
Most of the time, we’ll tell him we’ll let him play on the computer AFTER he has had his dinner, or AFTER he has taken his shower. Seems to work some of the time.
Previously when we allowed him to play, he would need our assistance to click on the mouse, but he has since mastered how to do that all by himself. We normally allow him to surf the Playhouse Disney on Disney Online site, because most of the characters he loves are there.
Check out how he performs the left-click on the mouse in the snippet below. In this video I took, he is doing some digital coloring on the My Friends Tigger & Pooh section of the site. See how Ethan drags the numbered honey pots to the corresponding number on the picture and clicks the mouse to fill the picture with color. And look at how jubilant he is when he finished the activity!
Last night, he asked for the computer again. I told him he would get just 30 minutes before it was time for his bed.
And he said, “Okay Mom!”
I extended the 30 minutes to 45 minutes because he was so well-behaved, and when it was time to shut down the PC, I told him that was all for the night, and he obediently helped me shut down. He got his bedtime books ready (one for Ethan, one for Mommy and one for Daddy), scooted into the room, and before long he was in dreamland.
That’s my boy! 
Scrap Credits
Plum Pudding kit from Stacey Towers
Elegant word art (love chocolate) from Bethany
We have never known Ethan to have a sweet tooth. Yes, he likes to play with candy canes and sweets, but they hardly ever enter his mouth.
Lately however, our little boy has been showing a keen interest in all things CHOCOLATE.
It all started when Mommy began craving for come chocolate milk. So off I scooted to get a gallon. It sure did taste good, but was rather sweet too. I didn’t give any to Ethan at first, but you know our boy…of course he was curious when he opened the fridge and saw that big container sitting there.
So I told him it was chocolate milk and asked if he would like to try some…and what happened after that, as they say, is history. He simply LOVES chocolate milk now, and can down about three half cups at one go. Sometimes he would even wake up in the middle of the night requesting for chocolate milk. I sometimes mix a little bit of fresh milk to his chocolate milk, just so it is not too sweet for him.
In fact, since he loves chocolate milk so much, we have stopped his night bottle feeds on Pediasure now. He only has Pediasure with his bottle once a day, in the morning.
And guess what? He is also incredibly addicted to chocolate cake…Ethan’s Mickey Mouse birthday cake was a chocolate cake, and he has been eating most of it. He asks for chocolate cake and specifically wants ONLY the brown part! He’s not a fan of the cake frosting, you see. Well, he finished the last of the cake yesterday, but he is still asking me for more…perhaps I ought to bake a chocolate cake in the next few days.
Scrap Credits
Le petit prince a dit cluster frame from Elodie
Toy Store - Partie3 paper and ribbon from Digital-Crea
Elegant word art (sleep) from Bethany
It all started about 2 weeks or so ago. Ethan contracted high fever, up to 39.5°C. I had to stay home with him to monitor his condition and at times it was pretty scary, because the fever fluctuated up and down throughout the day. We then decided to take him in to Urgent Care, where we could just walk in and not have to make an appointment. But that meant waiting for quite a long while, and after the doctor’s checkup, and we had gotten the prescription filled at the pharmacy, there was the arduous task of force-feeding Ethan the antibiotics. Not a pleasant scene at all, I can assure you.
In addition to his fever, Ethan was also coughing and thus, he was finding it difficult to sleep and rest at night. He would kick and scream and refuse to sleep soundly, resulting in both Daddy and Mommy not sleeping well either.
But thankfully, he is better now. It is always a joy to see him back to his usual cheeky and perky self.
Being at home with Mommy for that extended period resulted in an uphill task in getting him ready for daycare after that. He would grumble and throw a big tantrum and became extremely whiny when we had to leave the house in the morning. And that’s not all…one day after we picked him up from daycare, he decided to make a big fuss about not wanting to leave the car, crying and screaming his lungs out in the car garage. And when we finally got him back home to our apartment, he started crying again. Although we put our foot down and warned him sternly that he was not to repeat it, it hurt our hearts to see him behave that way.
We were quite certain it was Ethan’s natural reaction to finally realising he was going to be a big brother soon, and we figured it was his way of trying to get our attention as much as possible. And we were at our wits’ end as to how to overcome it.
Then the weekend came…and amazingly, Ethan slept through till way past 9:00a.m. both on Saturday and Sunday! When he awoke, he was cheerful, smiling and had happiness written all over his face. He also had his afternoon nap. And added plus was that he began to have a better appetite for food!
So it looks like Ethan has finally inherited Daddy’s and Mommy’s traits of loving to sleep. Well, a growing mind and body definitely needs more sleep, and it is obvious that sufficient sleep makes for a happy toddler. And certainly, no one is complaining!
Scrap Credits
Anxiously Awaiting QP from Scraps ‘n Pieces
Dandelion dream alphas from A work in progress
Winter Spell3 -Partie 2 elements from Scrapmalin
Staple beads from Tracy King
Anxiously Awaiting QP from Scraps ‘n Pieces
Dandelion dream alphas from A work in progress
Winter Spell3 -Partie 2 elements from Scrapmalin
Staple beads from Tracy King
Sometimes we do catch Ethan deep in thought, as if he were engaging in a session of soliloquy. How I wish I could find out what he was thinking.
“I wonder how many of these Lay’s baked potato chips Mommy will allow me to eat. I’m not giving anyone any…”
“Why do I have to wear this hood over my head?”
“Should I take a nap this afternoon?…Nah…maybe I’ll run around the house.”
“Should I dismantle my train track, and make Daddy fix it back again? I do so love the different tracks he can create.”
“I wonder if Mommy will allow me to eat crackers for dinner, and nothing else.”
“Will Daddy and Mommy take me to the mall afterwards?”
“Should I tell Mommy I want to go potty, just because I want to flush the toilet? Maybe I should just go potty cos I just want to change my pull-ups. Hehe.”
“Hmmm….what will it be today? Would I look better in my car pull-up pants, or the cowboy pull-up pants? And why does Mommy always ask me to wear that blue minky training pants?”
“..and why are these weird-looking aunties and uncles offering me food?”
On Friday evening before we started our Christmas vacation, Ethan came back from daycare with a beautiful work of art. Well, beautiful in my eyes, I would say.
According to Van, he had made the red Christmas stocking all on his own, with her instructions, and he had stuck all the stars, deco and cotton by himself. Now what’s a mother to do other than to proudly display it on the fridge?
The artwork on the right was also made by Ethan a few days earlier, using popcorn as snow.
Scrap Credits
“QuickPage Glam Xmas” from Fanette
White Christmas mini kit from Southern Creek Designs
Snowflakes from Misfits Scrapz
Christmas Bling from Lindsay Jane Designs
We’re back home now from our one-week vacation, and I am so proud of Ethan for he behaved himself rather well throughout the trip. He has learnt so much and gained so much from our trip, and I am sure the memories will stay with him forever.
Scrap Credits
Quick Pages Sampler 6 from Amanda Heimann Designs
The Little Drummer Boy frame and polka-dotted paper from Piggyscraps
Winter Spell -Partie 2 tag element from Lilipruneau
Splats Freebie from Sev Designs
Ice Cold Alpha from Christie Lemmon Designs
Heart doodles from fei-fei’s stuff
Ethan’s favoritese character right now is none other than Mickey Mouse. His face will light up with joy whenever he sees Mickey strolling up the path at the beginning of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, and even before the show starts, he will ask for “Mickey! Mickey!” And if we allow him to start watching the show in the morning before work, we have to wait till the show finishes with the Hot Dog Dance before we can leave the house. SIGH.
We recently bought him a Mickey Mouse soft toy from the Disney Store at the mall at a steal! It was only $8 and he absolutely loves it. Sometimes, he would *share* his water, his milk, his muffin, etc with Mickey. And sometimes he would also take Mickey on horsey rides on his shoulders, much like what we do with him. He really loves his Mickey dearly, and as his mood allows, he would also ask for Mickey before he goes to sleep.
Well, no prizes for guessing where we will be heading off to for our Christmas vacation next week!
Scrap Credits
Cozy collection & Bellissimo freebie from retrodiva {designs}™
Kit “Memory” Costura cross-stitch from Sueli Colbert
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Elegant Fall Alphas (punctuation commas) fromTracy King
Paper word strips from Sugarplum Paperie
Among the many words that have crept into Ethan’s vocabulary of late, one very important and precious word has been added too. And that word is “sorry”.
However, he doesn’t really use it much in the apologetic manner, but more so when he accidentally bumps, or hurts himself. For example, when he is playing or running around, and he accidentally falls down or knocks his knee, he will put on a really adorable and sad face and say, “Oh sorry, sorry…”. And only when we kiss the spot that hurts does he go about his own business again.
Speaking of getting hurt accidentally, we have noticed that since Ethan started attending daycare, he has become more gungho and is more adventurous. Sometimes he throws caution to the wind, and well, ends up getting hurt.
But regardless, with that face, and that tone of voice going, “Sorry”, it’s really hard to resist not giving him a hug and kiss!
Ethan has developed a love for several different food items here in the US. And I continue to harbor the hope that he will like more types of food soon. I’m elated that he adores my blueberry muffins and asks for them even when they are all gone, and lately he started liking pancakes too. I bet it must be the maple syrup
Oh, he likes fries too, and he really likes those at In n Out! After all, they are made of potatoes, and potatoes are a kind of vegetable, aren’t they?
We were rather worried about his Pediasure though, so we shipped several tins of Pediasure from Malaysia. Turns out they DO have Pediasure here in the States, but in a different form. Here, they have it in easy-to-carry 8oz bottles and they come in different flavors.
Ethan now finishes an 8oz bottle of Vanilla-flavored Pediasure at daycare every day, but at home, I still give him warm milk from the powdered Pediasure. I made a mistake and bought the first 6-pack of Pediasure in Strawberry flavor, when I should have bought Vanilla, which is closer in taste to the regular Pediasure he drinks.
He also drinks regular chilled milk, sometimes whole (full cream) milk, and sometimes reduced fat milk. We get the lactose-free kinds, because both Daddy and Ethan are slightly lactose-intolerant.
Ethan would ask for milk and after he finishes a cup, he’ll ask for “more”. I wished they would also sell this in Malaysia!
Besides milk, his other dairy intake include yogurt and cheese. A popular kids’ yogurt here is Yoplait, which has Dora and Diego on the packaging. I was not surprised when Ethan starting asking for Dora and Diego when he opens the fridge! Ethan only likes the Strawberry, Strawberry Vanilla, Strawberry Banana and Vanilla flavors, however. And the yogurt is really really THICK, much like custard, if you ask me. Of course, it goes without saying that Ethan likes ice cream too, but we prefer to give him yogurt instead of ice cream.
I thought Ethan had lost all interest in cheese, but when we bought a pack, he got all excited again. The cheese here looks more yellow in color and they seem a tad thicker, so I am guessing it is more filling for his little tummy. According to his daycare report, he can finish 2 slices at one time!
Last but not least, we have his very favorite Yakult drink. We brought several packs from Malaysia but he finished them all within one and a half weeks! They do sell Yakult here in US but the packaging is not the same, although the taste is. The price, though, is a pricey USD2.99 for 5 bottles, almost triple the price in Malaysia! That’s why we recently asked one of our friends to bring several packs from Malaysia when our friend relocated here. And last night, Ethan was really so happy to discover his “pot of gold”! I think he slept more soundly last night! Hehe…
Ethan’s current favorite restaurant food is the Princess Tofu, which is served at Layang-Layang, a Malaysian restaurant we discovered recently.
He loves the gravy over his rice and can eat quite a lot of it, something which we are always happy about.
Look at how energized he is after the meal. This was taken last weekend when we went for an apartment community gathering nearby. Ethan also enjoyed his ice cream, as you can see…
Is it any wonder how a happy meal makes a happy boy?
Scrap Credits
Eloquent kit & Treasure Hunt Mini leaf element from SweetDigi Scraps
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Doodle Me Big doodles from Mikkel Paige Original
Alpha matching RAIC from Amy Sumrall
Elegant word art (love heart could hold) from Bethany
…well, except it’s not exactly “Mommy” that he calls me.
Ethan only started calling “Daddy” really clearly a few weeks before we left Penang for the United States. I remember it happened one evening when we were all resting and playing in the living room and I prompted him to go call Daddy. And he said ever so clearly, “Daddy!” And then that same night, when I was about to give him a shower, Ethan wanted “Daddy!” too.
Ah yes. It was and still is a magical word that will open many doors for Ethan.
But while his “Daddy” was loud and clear, he remained tight-lipped when we asked him to call “Mommy”. He did call me a few times but it was inconsistent. By and by, he started calling me *something* that sounded like Mommy but was not. And this was very consistent.
He calls me… “Martee“.
Yeah. I think it’s because he links it from “Daddy” (”Da-dee”) and then maybe he thinks it’s “Mar-tee” or “Ma-dee”…you know, just by changing the first syllable and maintaining the last one?
Anyway, it’s kinda embarrassing sometimes because Ethan calls a banana “Martee” too, and sometimes even Barney “Martee”. Well, in a most unqiuely endearing kind of way, Ethan addresses me as “Martee”, his way of calling me “Mommy”… albeit differently, but I am certain, filled with love and sweetness in every way.
I look forward to going to daycare every weekday morning now. When I wake up in the morning, I stretch and roll around on my bed till Mommy comes and coaxes me to get up. Then I have my drink of milk. Most of the time, Mommy will also give me a quick shower before dressing me up. It’s rather chilly outside now, so I get to wear my long pants and sweats, which I personally think make me look cool.
Sometimes while Daddy is having his breakfast, I will hijack some of his Frosties with milk too. It’s yummilicious! Then I’ll put on my jacket and shoes and head out the door.
When we reach Aunty Van’s place, I like to stroll up the pathway to her apartment. Sometimes I do a hop, skip and jump too! Lately, I have been getting delicious pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast. I love it loads, especially cos I get to eat together with my friends at daycare.
Sometimes Aunty Van would take a few pictures and that’s when I like to show how good I am at posing for the camera, see?
We do lots of stuff at daycare, like singing, dancing and even fun activities like bubble play and playing with the parachute! We also do creative artwork every day, one of my favorites being the coloring sessions. I bring home my art to show Mommy and Daddy every evening when I go home.
But it’s not just the fun we have indoors, we get to go outdoors too! Aunty Van will take us all in a train buggy; we all get to ride in one buggy each, and we all need to remember to buckle ourselves up first. Aunty Van takes us to the park, where there are play areas complete with a play structure and slides. I love it outside, especially when the weather is just nice, not too hot and not too cold.
Daddy will be glad that the football training he has been giving me is not put to waste at daycare. Why, just the other day, I got to show off my Zidane-like skills when we went to the park with the football. Oh, over here in the US, I think they call it SOCCER. But whatever it is, I still had tons of fun!
I’ve learnt a lot of new things at daycare, and I am definitely having a BLAST! Sometimes when Daddy or Mommy comes to pick me up in the evenings, I am even reluctant to go home!
Top on our priority list when we arrived in CA was to find a daycare center for Ethan as soon as possible. We had a few shortlisted and as soon as we found time, we started our daycare hunt. We wanted to get a daycare that was near to where we were staying and let’s be honest, there weren’t many to begin with.
I made an appointment for a short tour at a nearby daycare center, but for the price they were charging (close to USD1600 per month), it wasn’t that all impressive. Ethan did seem to enjoy himself while we were there though.
Our relocation consultant also managed to locate a few nearby daycare centers, and we visited some 3-4 of them. Some looked okay, but others were either too far away or we just didn’t have a good feeling about it. But it certainly became clear that Ethan was VERY ready for daycare.
Then Pete googled for a daycare center near where we were staying, and miraculously found one. We visited the place one fine morning and well, both Pete and I loved it at once. It’s a home-based daycare, with only a maximum of 6 kids. Currently the daycare owner is looking after 2 toddlers (around Ethan’s age), and a one-year old baby. One of the toddlers is her own daughter. Although this daycare is in a very homely apartment with rather limited space, the daycare owner, Van, has a cute little buggy (it looks like a little train with mini carriages for each kid) that she uses to pull the kids in to the park just across the road. Best of all, the daycare is only about 10 minutes’ drive away from our apartment and all meals (breakfast, lunch & 2 snacks) will be provided.
The daycare was a rather new one, and it was only gonna be licensed in a few days’ time. We decided to wait till the daycare was properly licensed before we signed up. In the US, it is illegal to run a daycare without a license.
So last Monday, as soon as we found out that this daycare was licensed, our relocation consultant drove Ethan and me to the center to settle the billing details. I decided to leave Ethan there for about an hour while I left to apply for my social security card. And guess what? He was all right! Didn’t make a fuss at all and was all smiles when I came back to pick him up.
The next day, Pete dropped Ethan and I at his new daycare in the morning. The plan was for me to stick around till Ethan was all right with the new surroundings. And he certainly seemed okay. He loves all alphabets on the alphabet floor mat, he loves reading the books and playing with all the toys, and he really looks at home there.
Pete and I left for lunch that first day, and when we came back from lunch, Ethan was still busy running around. I stayed at the daycare the rest of the day, busying myself with my laptop (thank goodness there was wi-fi there!) Ethan hardly bothered me, and he played around with the kids and the toys.
The second day, I was with Ethan in the morning at daycare and left the daycare at lunch time, so Ethan was alone at daycare till we fetched him back in the evening. So far so good.
On the third day, when Pete picked me up for lunch, and when we told Ethan Mommy and Daddy would pick him up after work, he suddenly bawled! He cried so loudly, and screamed, “Daddy! Daddy!”, while hugging Pete ever so tightly. And then he started to cry for me too. I simply couldn’t control my tears from falling, but I hardened my heart, gave Ethan a nice big hug and reassured him that we would take him back afterwards. In between sobs, we left the daycare center.
During lunch that day, Pete and I decided that I would take the car after lunch, so that I would be able to fetch Ethan back earlier. And that’s exactly what I did. Boy, was he ever overjoyed to see me!
Actually, I was afraid that he would continue crying the next day when he was dropped off at the daycare, but Pete said Ethan was all excited as soon as Van opened the door and Ethan ran to play with his toys immediately. Whew!
At daycare now, Ethan is off the bottle. I’m trying to wean him from the bottle, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. I only provide a bottle of Pediasure and he drinks it from the cup. Here in the US, the Pediasure comes in 8oz bottles, and the milk is refrigerated. So far so good, he has been finishing one bottle at daycare every day. At home he still takes milk from the bottle though….I’m weaning him a step at a time
We will also be starting his toilet training soon. Currently Ethan is able to tell me when he wants to poo, so we need to work on his peepee.
I’m also hoping that Ethan will be adventurous enough to try a variety of foods now that he is in daycare. I’ve heard that many kids start eating different foods once they see other kids doing the same.
We get reports on what happened at daycare, i.e. what Ethan did, what he ate, what were his activities, etc. I think it’s a nice touch and at least it helps me know what my Mr Bulat has been up to in my absence. And last Friday, we even got an Ouch Report, cos there was a teeny accident where Ethan was chasing another toddler around and bumped his little toe on the wall corner. There was some bleeding and Van applied some antiseptic cream and a BandAid, but unfortunately, Ethan tore the plaster off.
As for his afternoon naps, that seems to have been forgotten by Ethan. Since he started daycare, he has not napped at all in the afternoon. But actually, he has not napped much in the afternoon since we came to the US.
Yesterday evening, after I fetched him back from daycare, we came back to the apartment and when Ethan saw these on the table, he could hardly resist eating one. Freshly baked blueberry muffins, just for him!
After that he had some strawberry yogurt, and I put his Barney DVD for him to watch while I prepared dinner. A while later though, I was met by such an adorable sight:
Looks like he fell asleep on the couch!
Well, he needs all the rest he can get after running around and playing the whole day! Ethan certainly looks forward to daycare now, he’s say, “Friend!” when we tell him we are taking him to daycare, and sometimes he says, “Bay-bee!”, referring to the one-year old baby. He even knows how to call “Antee Van!”
Ethan received many presents from many people before we left for the States. Some we were able to ship together with our shipment, but some, unfortunately, we had really no space left in our bags since our shipment had already gone when we received them.
One of the bigger presents that made it in time for the shipment was this rather huge box containing a Matchbox toy ensemble. It was a present from Ethan’s Kor-Kor, Aunty Pauline, who thought it was time our little boy was exposed to *macho* toys. Well!
Anyway, when our shipment arrived in the States about a week and half after we did, Ethan was very excited when he saw the Matchbox box, and asked me to open it up for him. In it was a castle, a dragon, a boulder and a brown truck, among others.
Ethan was EXHILARATED! He was especially enthralled by the car/truck, and he kept saying, “Car! Car!” excitedly. In fact, he was even willing to forgo his milk just to play with the car.
So when we saw a set of five other Matchbox vehicles on sale for less than USD5, we knew we just had to get it for him. And got it we did. The original truck/car that came with the toy set is the one at the far left. And here’s Ethan’s very cool car collection now, including a helicopter which he loves to make it land on the castle tower.
Daddy even taught Ethan how to *play* with cars, complete with sound effects, and not surprisingly, Ethan followed suit. In fact, Ethan is also asking us to “open” the doors of the cars, but unfortunately the ones he has do not have doors that can be opened. We’ll put that on the list of things to buy though.
But you know, I bet once we fix batteries on that castle ensemble, his grin will be even cheekier than this one!
Even now when we are more or less settled in the States, I still sometimes think about how Pete and I managed to travel that long-haul journey with Ethan, all the way from Malaysia. Some planning came into play way before we boarded the aircraft, and although some of our plans worked out, some did not, and we had to be flexible enough to change and adapt accordingly.
Here are some of the things we took into consideration:
- Travel as light as possible. Each of us checked in one piece of luggage, and we brought only ONE carry-on luggage. Pete and I also had our laptops with us, but thankfully, those could be slung over our backs. The idea here was to have as many hands free as possible, so we could take care of Ethan.
- We packed a few entertainment stuff for Ethan too, among others a brand new doodle pad. It’s just a tiny one, something he could do to amuse himself. I also had a sticker book in the bag, and that was a lifesaver. He played with the stickers right before we boarded the flight to Hong Kong, and the book followed us all the way to the States!
The greatest challenge we faced in the aircraft was when it was time to buckle up. Sometimes Ethan would cooperate, but most of the time, he preferred to be unbuckled. So especially during takeoffs and landings, when we absolutely needed to put on the seat belt, Pete pulled out the most “imaginative weapon” ever. Knowing how much Ethan loves to play with cards, Pete brought out his wallet, and Ethan had fun taking out and putting the cards back in. That kept him safe and secure all through takeoffs and landings.
We wanted to rely on the toys given by SIA to toddlers for entertaining Ethan, but unfortunately, they weren’t much to shout about. Well, he did get himself a toy watch, placemat and stickers, deck of cards and a lanyard, but that was about it.
Let’s hope the return journey in a few months’ time would be an improvement, what with us travelling with a baby too!
One of our primary concerns when we relocated to the States was how Ethan would adapt to the change. For one thing, Ethan is a very fussy eater, and we were worried if he would be able to accept the food here. So we tried our best to make the transition as smooth sailing as possible.
With the safe arrival of our FedEx food shipment, we were definitely relieved, because I could now cook dishes Ethan would enjoy, like tau-ewe-bak, chicken serai and claypot chicken rice. However, my objective is still to have Ethan try out and love a variety of many other different foods.
To make him more comfy in his new environment also, we brought along a little present for him from Malaysia. And the morning after we arrived, I took it out and asked him to unwrap it. Knowing how much he adores alphabets and numbers, we got him a set of colorful wooden blocks. I tell you, just seeing his face light up with excitement was enough to make my day.
Well unfortunately, a few days later, he started throwing these blocks around the apartment. I gave him a warning that I would take them away from him, but when he kept on throwing them, I stored the blocks away one day while he was asleep. Looks like he doesn’t even miss them though. SIGH.
In the span of the past few weeks that we have been here, we have seen Ethan grow in leaps and bounds. Not only has he become more sociable and vocal (and stubborn), he seems to have become more independent too. For one thing, he loves to take his bath, and I attribute this to the bath tubs. Oh, we got him some colorful foam alphabets and numbers to while his time away in the tub. Hehe.
And the first weekend we were here, we had a barbecue gathering by a nearby apartment poolside. Ethan would only eat raisins and chips though, but he sure made a lot of new friends.
It definitely looks like our fears of Ethan having trouble adapting to life in the States are unfounded, because not only has he proven he’s a tough guy, he’s very resilient too. In fact, when the weather’s chilly, Pete and I are feeling really cold, I feel Ethan’s hands and feet and he’s warm and cosy.
That’s my little man right there… these pictures were taken a few days ago when we were out having a snack at In-N-Out. The first picture was taken before the food came:
See our grouchy he looks?
And this second one is taken after the meal. Ethan only had (a lot of) fries, but here’s his look of satisfaction as he enjoys his pink lemonade drink:
Ethan simply loves being in a hotel. Whenever we bring him on hotel stays, we can tell he really has the time of his life!
In the recent weeks, we have had the chance of staying in a few different hotels. When we checked into the E&O recently, Ethan immediately made himself at home in the room.
He loved playing with the oranges they provided, and asking us to turn on the TV for him, switching channels here and there, but most of all, he adored the bath tub.
He would keep saying “Tub! tub!”, and it wasn’t long before he figured out how to climb into the tub on his own. There was no trouble at all getting him to take his bath. At home, we sometimes need to chase him around the house to get him to take a shower, but here in the hotel (with a bathtub), he will willingly undress and climb in.
After his bath, and his nightcap, he still would not sleep, but instead chose to climb onto a chair and “see” outside the window. It was raining cats and dogs that night, and Ethan was truly intrigued. He especially like the “fan”-shaped tree, which could be clearly visible from our window.
So when we were in KL a few days ago, and we stayed in Crowne Plaza Mutiara KL, where the room had a tub, we knew our boy would be really excited!
And he was
Bubbles everywhere!!! He even tricked Pete by calling “Daddy! Daddy!” and when Daddy came to see him in the tub, he splashed bubbles and foam all over his Daddy. Cheeky lil fella. I wonder if he remembers his very first trip in this same hotel about a year back…
He is becoming quite the pro at using the bathtub now and he really makes full use of the tub by lying down and enjoying the bubbles, and then flipping over and kicking the water with his feet, as if he was swimming. Then he would make waves with his arms and stomp around the tub while screaming in delight.
We think Ethan will really love it in the States, where our apartment comes with TWO bathtubs. Well…we’ll see then, won’t we?
Ethan got himself a bungalow last Saturday. Make that “bungalow”…in inverted commas.
It was “presented” to him during his playschool session as he was having his snacks. He was happily munching away on his biscuits and then he apparently turn around to look at me, lost his balance somehow and fell down from the bench. Normally he would be able to break his fall with his hands, but since his hands were full (holding the biscuits), he hit his forehead on the ground, earning him a gigantic bump on the left side of his forehead.
We were SHOCKED. As was Ethan, because he didn’t immediately cry, but only after a while did he wail out loud. We tried to put an ice pack on the bump, but Ethan would not allow it to be there for long. After a few minutes of on-and-off ice packs, the bump subsided a little.
He looked his normal self, and was smiling away a while later. In fact, if I may say so myself, it certainly does appear that he has become more active (and mischievous) after the fall, believe it or not.
Here’s a sneak on what the bump looked like in the evening:
I took this picture right after THE MATCH. The TV in the background shows the logo of Liverpool: we beat Man U 2-1!!! Woohooo!!! Sorry, couldn’t resist that
Here’s what Ethan looks forward to when we go to church on Sundays:
- Pointing at the numbered pews and loudly exclaiming “One!”, “Two!”, “Three!” and so on.
- Pointing at the words projected on the projector and shouting the letters out loud, much to the amusement of everyone around him.
- Sitting on the seats like an adult would.
- Giggling at toddlers nearby.
- Making his usual rounds around the church sanctuary.
- Kneeling when we kneel and praying (hands in prayer position) when we pray.
- Raising his hands in worship during The Lord’s Prayer.
- Wishing everyone “peace be with you” with his hands clasped together and flashing the most adorable smile ever.
- …and of course, THIS:
During Ethan’s recent checkup at the PD’s, I mentioned to Dr Jessica that I was rather worried about Ethan’s eating habits; that he did not want to eat pieces of meat and vege, but instead only liked the carbs. I told her I was concerned if he had worms in his tummy. And that was when Dr Jessica said she was glad I brought it up, because she normally dewormed her patients when they turned 2.
She prescribed Vermox for Ethan, and it was probably a good thing too, because lately he has a bad habit of playing with his mouth and tongue. And goodness knows what he has touched before that. The booklet of instructions contained in the Vermox box specifically warned that it should be administered on kids 2 years and over only. The dosage was 10ml (the entire bottle) and according to Dr Jessica, it had a sticky constituency.
Pete and I were scratching our heads, trying to think of an effective way to feed 10ml of foreign liquid to Ethan, when even 2.5ml of medicine would be met with protests, kicking and screaming. I know the Vermox is a chocolate flavored one, which is usually okay with kids, but Ethan doesn’t really like chocolate too.
I kept the box of Vermox in the fridge for a few days, and of and on, Ethan would pick up the box out of curiosity and ask me to open it. We did consider pouring the Vermox mixture into the small plastic cup provided and coaxing Ethan to drink from it, but the whatif was if Ethan pushed away the cup, the whole mixture would be wasted.
Then Pete suggested mixing it into Ethan’s “nenno”. I was a bit apprehensive at first because the risk was that if he rejected it, then he might reject future feeds of “nenno” too. But then last night, I took a look at how much 10ml was compared to Ethan’s nightly 6oz feed, and it was rather negligible.
So I bit the bullet, made Ethan’s milk last night with 6oz of warm water, 3.5 scoops of Pediasure and poured the 10ml of Vermox into the mixture. The 0.5 scoop of Pediasure was a little assurance to offset the smell and taste of Vermox, if any. I took a whiff of the mixture I had concocted and it smelled vaguely like chocolate milk, though visually it still looked like “nenno”.
After Ethan’s shower, I took him to the room to dress him up in his peejays. Gave him his milk when he asked for it, and sang him a few songs. While singing “The wheels on the bus”, I mentally kept track of the decreasing amount of milk in the bottle. Halfway through “Thumbkin”, and he was almost done. I sang a few more nursery rhymes, complete with actions, and voila! He polished the entire bottle of milk
….together with the Vermox 
Scrap Credits
Playdate Mini kit from Amy Bleser
Paper word strips from Sugarplum Paperie
Elegant word art (boys are kisses) from Bethany
Polka dotted arrow from Dúnia
Confetti from Aja Abney
When once he clung to Mommy, now he will happily play with his toys. Although most of the time he still plays in silo, he is slowly overcoming his shyness.
When once he will only play with the ball in the playground, he now loves to slide down the slides in addition to all other activities.
When once he didn’t want to join in the singing and clapping, he now willingly obliges, sometimes even offering to be the first one to hold the *window* for the Window Song.
When once all he wanted to do was to run away from the singing session, now he waves and smiles happily at the kids. His attention span is still very short though, and it won’t be long before he prefers to walk around the hall, or to *disturb* Daddy.
When once he would not want to even be a part of any song, now he loves the action songs. He doesn’t do them all though, but it is apparent his favorites are the ones requiring everyone to move around the room…and of course, the one that ends with everyone “falling down” on the floor!
When once he could not wait to go home after the session, now he will wait patiently for Teacher Puva to give him a sticker or two. He’s a real gentleman and will not bulldoze his way for his stickers, but will sit and wait.
When once he pushed teacher away when the class was over, only content to wave and give a flying kiss, he now gives a nice hug before we say goodbye.
The 3 months or so with Learning Garden has indeed been a blessing, and we look forward to more.
Scrap Credits
Always Welcome kit from Kelly Puddy
The Promise Collection Alphas from Shabby Princess Designs
Doodle Me Big doodles from Mikkel Paige Original
Monogram ampersand & cluster from Sugarplum Paperie
Word Art - 3 from fei-fei’s stuff
Getting Ethan to bed is a routine for us now. He takes his shower at about 8-ish and then has his “nenno” while I dress him up in his peejays.
Then, he will get his fair share of word videos, where he repeats the words he sees. Sometimes he prefers a good Barney DVD to while his time away. He kinda knows that he is only allowed to watch the TV after his bath, and so when we undress him and tell him it’s time to bathe, he will very obediently run to the bathroom.
Anyway, after watching his videos, I will tell him it’s time for bed, and he will either walk to the room on his own and wait for us to open the door for him, or if he is in a “manja” mood, he will ask us to carry him into the room.
He will then roll around on the bed, and sometimes, he will only want Mommy to be there with him. In this scenario, he will push Daddy away gently, wave goodbye and even give a flying kiss to Daddy
Then he will want to hug me to sleep. There were a few times where I told him to hug his pillow to sleep instead, explaining to him that Mommy will hug my pillow and Ethan will hug his pillow. Well, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But in the middle of the night, if he wakes up because of a nightmare, he will need to be hugged and comforted to sleep. Even in the mornings, if Ethan wakes up and I am not in bed, he will go over to his Daddy and hug him instead.
I know he will soon outgrow his hugging needs, but I am not sure if I am ready to let go yet…because I’m sure you know how therapeutic a hug can get, huh? I guess I’ll cherish it as long as it lasts…
Scrap Credits
You are so beautiful add-on kit from Doreen Stolz
Acrylic alphas from A work in progress
Beach Blanket freebie bent frame from Maria LaFrance
Edgy Valentine grungy heart element from Nicole Norcutt
Paper word strips from Sugarplum Paperie
Our three-day holiday weekend came and went in the blink of an eye. But Pete and I are always thankful for those precious moments we get to spend with our darling Ethan, and we know that Ethan loves weekends and holidays as much as we do too.
I have no doubt in my mind that the precious quality time we spend with him is by and by making him more confident and sure of himself, and last weekend I was an even more prouder momma of my little boy when he began uttering more words
Our days and months of showing, telling and teaching him what an apple is finally bore fruit when our boy, who was watching an educational video, suddenly said “Air-puh!” I was pleased, of course, but I wanted to make sure the word is consistently said.
After our Saturday evening walk, I saw Ethan wandering in the kitchen and asked him,
“What are you looking for, darling?”
And our boy promptly replied,
“Air-puh!”
And so, even though we were still full from the dinner we just had, I happily relented and cut him some slices of “air-puh”
There are many more other words which he picked up recently, much to the amusement of Mommy and Daddy, among them “elephant”, which he consistently refers to as “eh-pah-pah-pah….”, a variation of the “air-puh”, methinks.
And also, it thrills me to no end that he has also started asking for “book” when he wants to sit on his throne. Chip of the old block, eh?
Scrap Credits
Freebie Maio from Mitia Assef
Elegant word art (Little Things Big Things) from Bethany
Rustic Walk alphas from A work in progress
Stamp cluster 12 (modified) from Lindsay Jane Designs
Confetti from Aja Abney
Polka dotted arrow from Dúnia
Ethan is starting to live up to the Mr Independent tag on his peejays, yeah, the one his Daddy got him from US. The things he can do, he must do by himself, some bordering on being a perfectionist at heart to obsessive compulsive disorder-ism. Ah well. Maybe it is his own style of doing a Frank Sinatra “I’ll do it My Waaayyyyy…..”
When we are getting ready to go out, he wants to take his own shoes and place them on the floor for us to wear. If we help him take his shoes, he will protest loudly and demand that we put them back on the shoe rack where he can take them himself. Sometimes, when he is all done and ready to go and I am still not out of the door, he will choose a pair of shoes for me from the rack and place it at the doorstep, all ready for me to put them on!
When he asks for his “nenno”, and I give him his bottle, he will refuse it. He wants me to put it somewhere where he can retrieve it himself. Then he will finish the entire bottle.
He wants a spoon of his own when we go out and eat. If it is rice, he will attempt to scoop the rice and feed himself. If it is noodles, I will put some of the noodles on his spoon and he will feed himself with the spoon.
He has a peculiar way of drinking water (I hope this only happens at home, though). He wants me to carry him up to reach for every one of the cups from left to right IN ORDER of arrangement, rinse it and fill it with a little bit of water, then he drinks from it, repeating the process with all the cups. We have a stainless steel mug rack with 2 layers which can hold 3 mugs per layer. So imagine me doing this with a *slightly-heavier-than-a-rice-sack* on one arm SIX times! Ah well…as long as it gets him to drink water happily.
Speaking of drinking water, nowadays when we are out and about, he prefers not to drink from the straw in his tumbler, rather he would ask me to unscrew the cover of his tumbler and he will hold the entire tumbler with both hands and drink from the rim. I guess he figured it’s faster that way…
All his Yakult bottles need to be arranged in a single row across the shelf in the refrigerator. If the shelf cannot fit all, then he has to rearrange them all over again. Same thing goes for his books. He must arrange them all neatly in a row, otherwise he gets frustrated.
Well, that’s what makes Ethan … Ethan!
*** updated with photos of prizes ***
While waiting for the laundry cycle to complete late last night, I logged in to check my email. That was when I saw a mail from Brenda of Baby Sasha N Mom. I almost fell off my chair when I opened the email because it was an email to inform me that one of Ethan’s photos had been selected as the winner of the recent Cushie Tushies Lil Ambassador Contest!
The judges were the two owners of Cushie Tushies themselves and here’s what they had to say:
These photos are fantastic
Thanks again, Shell
Wow so many cute photos! What gorgeous kids! I have to agree with Shell,though - the photo of Ethan is my winning pick too! It is such a good actionshot and shows off the nappy really well. And what a cheeky grin - I am sure other parents would look at this child and want their kid to look like that:-D Thanks for sending them through Brenda! It is great to see our products in use!
Cheers, Cath
I was beaming all over with pride when I read those words. I mean I know it’s not like I won the lottery or what, but still I was so so happy.
And even better, here’s what my lil ambassador prince won:
1 Cushie Tushies Couture Diaper & 1 pair of BabyLegs
AND….
Ethan will also be featured in the STAR BUY ADVERTS in 4 Parent/Baby Magazines in July & August 2008. So watch this space when I announce which magazines they are gonna be!
Thank you so much, Cushie Tushies and Baby Sasha N Mom! You guys really put a smile on my face today
***
Updated June 3 2008
And look what the postman brought yesterday:
Thanks again to Cushie Tushies and Baby Sasha N Mom! Love love love the minky blue camo couture diaper and the baby blue baby legs that go with it!
Last Monday morning, Ethan and I woke up nice and early, and got ourselves ready to go to the airport to fetch Daddy. Daddy had been away in the States for two weeks now, was supposed to be back on Sunday, but because of some flight delay, he only arrived on Monday morning. I had been telling Ethan about Daddy’s return and I could tell he understands. When he woke up on Monday, he looked over to Daddy’s side of the bed and said “Daddy!”
Anyway, off we went to the airport. The last time I took Ethan along to fetch Pete from the airport, Ethan was hardly 2 months’ old. But the last time Ethan stepped foot in the airport was during our Singapore trip last year. Upon arrival, Ethan pulled my hand and headed straight for the escalator, but I told him I wanted to check first if Daddy’s plane had landed…and it had! So I told him we’d only go one round up the escalator and down the stairs, but because Pete had to wait a long time for his luggage, I had to take the restless Ethan up and down a second time.
When at last Ethan saw his Daddy coming through the arrival gates, his lips curled up in the sweetest smile imaginable, he gave his Daddy a hug and a kiss and reached his hands out to him. Pete had to carry Ethan around after that. Hahaha…. Ethan kept looking at his Daddy over and over again just to check that he was really back.
It’s definitely great to have Pete back again. This time round, Daddy really went overboard getting clothes for Ethan. Pete said that had I been in US, I would have bought even more!
I especially like the adorable pajamas he bought. It’s made snug-fitting on purpose because the material is flammable, and instead of the traditional long sleeve and long pants pjs, these were short-sleeved tees and shorts which are simply adorable and cute. Don’t you think Ethan would look cool in them? Gonna try them on him tonight…
For lunch, we went to the Fatty Loh chicken rice shop in Nagore Road (because the one in Fettes Park was closed and *someone* just HAD to have chicken rice). When we were almost done, Ethan asked to get out of his baby chair and made a straining face. Immediately, I hurried him off to the toilet at the back of the shop. Took off his jeans and Itti Bitti D’lish diapers (which were still unsoiled) and there and then, it marked the first time ever I helped Ethan poop in a public restroom. Cleaned him and dressed him up again, and we were on our way. So proud of him.
And since Pete’s return, Ethan has been simply overjoyed. Walking up and down escalators with Daddy, wrestling with Daddy in bed and pulling Daddy to the swimming pool were just some of the activities he indulged in.
Then when Ethan was ready to call it a night, he laid down on the bed quietly, looking at Daddy with so much love, still taking it all in that his Daddy was indeed back home.
We’ve missed you Daddy…and we are SO GLAD you are back home
Scrap Credits
You are so beautiful add-on kit from Doreen Stolz
Template Challenge 11 from ChrissyW
Dandelion dream alphas from A work in progress
My Mom and Dad left Penang for Ipoh today. One week really passes so quickly, that in the blink of an eye, it’s already time for them to leave. In the span of the one week that they spent with Ethan, his fondness for both his Ah Ma and Kong Kong has grown in leaps and bounds. And I am sure the feeling is mutual too.
Both my parents have been an immense help during the past week, even volunteering to help me clean my living room windows and wipe the TV cabinet (*so ashamed*). Most of all though, I am impressed at how obedient Ethan is with his Kong Kong. Remember the difficulty we faced in getting Ethan to sit in his car seat? A few days hanging out with Kong Kong, and Ethan would willingly climb into the car seat on his own and allow my father to strap him up. Of course, Ethan, being very much into his terrible twos and all, received a fair amount of reprimanding from his Kong Kong too. And now he will obediently NOT go to the playground in the evening when his Kong Kong says, “No no. Dark already. Don’t go to the playground.”
It also helps that Ethan has established a morning walk routine with his buddy pal grandfather. Oh, did I mention that Ethan has been waking up at 6:30a.m. for the past one week or so? Anyway, he will play with his toys, watch TV, drink his milk and patiently wait for my Dad to get ready. As soon as he sees that my father is all dressed up, Ethan will rush to the door and wait for my father to open the door. Then Ethan will climb atop our little wooden stool in our porch and wait for Kong Kong to put on his sandals for him. And off they will go. On working days, this routine allows me to take my shower and get dressed for work with no interruption.
So basically, Ethan goes up, down and all around with Kong Kong. Pull here and pull there. At e-Gate, it’s always up the stairs to the first floor to experience the wonderful view of the sea with Kong Kong. It’s no wonder that Kong Kong is all tired out every evening
However, I think the tiredness is definitely all worth it just to see that adorable face of Ethan light up every time he sees his Ah Ma and Kong Kong.
This morning, when we dropped him off at Ah Poh’s place, my Mom told Ethan that Ah Mah and Kong Kong were going back to Ipoh today and immediately there was a sorrowful look on Ethan’s face. I know he understands what is being said, because as soon as Ah Mah clarified that they will be back in a week’s time on Saturday, he smiled a little. He hugged Kong Kong extra tight right before we left him off at Ah Poh’s, and cried a little. And as we left him at the door, we could sense that Ethan was holding back his tears, so we quickly said a quick goodbye and left.
Ethan definitely misses Kong Kong and Ah Ma and I am sure they miss him more. He will surely be looking forward to next Saturday.
We made an appointment for Ethan to see Ms KE Chia, a speech and language therapist/pathologist at the i-Sports Center in Island Hospital last Friday. Ethan, now 2 years and 3 months’ old, cannot yet express himself in words, and although some friends have advised that “It takes much longer for boys” and “Soon he will be talking non-stop” and “Just you wait. One fine day he will start speaking, and you’ll want him to shut up“, we decided to err on the side of caution and bring him in for an assessment all the same.
We chose this speech therapist because when we enrolled Ethan for the parent-toddler class in The Learning Garden, I noticed that the center was started by Ms Chia’s husband. Her name sounded familiar, and upon checking the MASH (Malaysian Association of Speech-Language and Hearing) website, I was glad that she is a MASH certified therapist.
We waited for about 20 minutes before the therapist arrived, after which we were ushered into her room. The major part of the room was filled with toys and books and puzzles, and Ethan immediately went for the ball. While Ms Chia jotted down some historical details and information from us about Ethan, Ethan busied himself with all the *goodies* that were there.
Ms Chia told us that the first session that day was basically to perform an assessment to ascertain if Ethan was a habitually late talker (which is rather common in boys), or if the speech delay could be due to other factors, of which further therapy would perhaps be neccesary. She assured us that we had made the right decision in coming over to see her, if anything, to allay our fears and confusion about Ethan’s delay in speech.
Speech delay in kids could be caused by:
- Natural speech delay (more inherent in boys) - no therapy needed, just patience.
- Behavioural issues, of which ADHD was one of the causes - some therapy needed
- Autism - therapy and treatment needed.
She performed a few *tests* on Ethan while playing. Simple evaluations like calling out to him, and asking him to bring certain toys and also some imitation play. After the roughly 1.5 hour session, Ms Chia almost certainly ruled out autism, which she said is not likely because:
- Ethan’s other development milestones, such as his motor skills were very good and above average. She did ask us when he started walking and if he is eating well, all of which was in the “very good” category
- Ethan had fantastic eye contact. When his name was called, he turned around and looked at her.
However, we will need to test if Ethan is doing things based on situational scenarios or if he really understands it. For example, if we open the door and say “Ethan, let’s go kai-kai!”, he will run and get his shoes, but whether or not he understands the concept of shoes is a different matter altogether. What we need to find out is for instance, if Ethan can pick out his shoe amongst a group of other things, if he was asked to do so.
After the assessment, Ms Chia is still inconclusive about her findings on Ethan. When she asked him to get her the ball while placing the ball and the car together, he doesn’t go and get it. But he did look at the ball. Which means he does understand what a ball is. Why he did not get the ball for her is a mystery. It could be because he was shy or because of behavioural reasons, i.e. “Why would I want to get the ball for you? Go get it yourself la!” he might be thinking.
So before we left, Ms Chia gave us a Home Program to try out with Ethan. It was essential now not to drill the words into him and force him to say it, but to make him understand what the objects really are. We learnt that speech is something that cannot be forced, but will come naturally when the child is ready. However, for kids with speech delay, we can do something to intervene and prod them in the right direction by helping them to understand. For example, if I have a set of pictures of farm animals, and if I ask Ethan to pick out the duck or the chicken, he should be able to give it to me. He didn’t do it at the session of course, but as I said, we are still not sure if this is a behavioural problem that needs to be addressed.
Anyway, some of the suggestions given for the Home Program are:
To improve listening and attending skills
This includes:
- Bubble play (I bought 6 bottles of bubble solution from Toys R Us last Sunday) - Bubble play will get the kid’s attention and it offers us parents the opportunity to prod him to say words, like “More?” or “Give the bottle to Mommy/Daddy”
- Rolling a ball - “Roll/throw the ball to Daddy/Mommy”. By the way, Ethan is now beginning to enunciate the word “ball” even more clearly. He started with “Ba”, then it was “Bor”, and now lately it’s “Ball” (with added emphasis on the L)
- Awareness of environmental sounds - We will need to help him by being his “eyes and ears”. Now whenever I go out and I see/hear birds, I’ll say “Ethan, look at the birds! Tweet tweet! Can you hear the birds?” I also sign “bird” when I say it, and I am very happy with the progress, because now whenever Ethan hears the birds singing, he will sign “bird” without my prompting. And this only after 2 days of teaching him! Sometimes I don’t even realize there are birdie sounds until I notice Ethan signing “bird”. This is a positive thing, and it shows that he understands what a bird is, because he is signing it. Ms Chia was also very happy when I told her that Ethan can sign many words, although he doesn’t say it. According to her, this shows that he understands and is willing to communicate.
- Finger play - Nursery rhymes with actions, etc. His current favorite is Itsy Bitsy Spider and One-Two-Buckle-My-Shoe.
To improve imitative skills
Trying to get Ethan to copy what we do. This is one of the most important steps towards learning.
To improve turn-taking skills
While playing with Ethan, we can take turns doing the same thing. For instance, taking turns to play the xylophone, and saying, “Okay, Ethan’s/Mommy’s/Daddy’s turn!” He will have to learn to wait his turn before doing it. I foresee some difficulty in this one because our boy is quite an impatient chap. Well, it’s time for him to learn patience then.
To improve understanding of common objects, animals, family members, etc
- Ms Chia suggested making my own flash cards by taking pictures of the objects Ethan often sees. So I will be doing that soon. Then the options of playing and learning with these cards are endless. Placing them around the house for a hide-n-go-seek game, matching the cards to the actual objects and so on.
- Wooden puzzles with pictures - The wooden puzzles that Ethan owns now has pictures of animals of which I don’t even know the sounds of (like zebra, hippo, alligator) :P. So Ms Chia suggested using farm animals instead. Last Sunday, I bought a wooden Melissa & Doug puzzle with farm animals, and I am currently in the process of training/teaching Ethan to get to know the animals and the sounds they make. I will say, “Ethan, where is the duck? Quack Quack!” or “Ethan, show Mommy the pig? Oink Oink!” And if he doesn’t respond, I will pick up the correct piece and show/tell him. So far, after 2 days of education, he is getting the “duck” quite well. Last night, when I said, “Ethan, give Mommy the duck. Quack Quack!” He replied with “da-duck!”
Oh by the way, the understanding and comprehension of objects around the child is more important than say, understanding colors or shapes, which Ms Chia says will come when the child is about 3 years old or maybe 4 (US standards). Nothing to worry about.
So yeah, I think he is getting there. Hopefully there will be a vast improvement within the next three months or so. Pete and I are both very excited about the information we had gained from the therapy session. Ethan was also tired out after the session, I believe, because he fell asleep in the car on the way back.
Let’s just pray for the best
Scrap Credits
A Gift for You papers from Érica Mathia
Rainy Days collection from retrodiva {designs}™
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Heart doodles from fei-fei’s stuff
Funky stamped alphas from Scraps by Fashiondeeva
Lately, ever since Ethan decided to become more independent, he loves to climb into the back seat of our car on his own. His car seat is fixed behind the co-driver’s seat, so he prefers to walk all the way round to the rear door behind the driver, and he will put his hand on the handle and attempt to open the door. Of course he cannot, just yet. But when we do open the door for him, he will climb into the car on his own, using his upper body strength to push his butt up onto the seat and sit in the back seat, smiling happily as if he has accomplished something.
And here’s where the problem starts. When we try to load him into the car seat, he wouldn’t budge. We have never had a problem with Ethan sitting in the car seat before, simply because he has been trained to do so from birth, but now, he is very reluctant to sit in his leather-trimmed car seat. Little does he know that if he sits on the regular back seat, his view of the outside world from the car would be severely hampered.
So how? Every time it will be a battle. We will try our very best to put him into the seat and strap him in, sometimes using decoys like cellphones to distract him. It has never crossed our minds to give in to his cries though. So however hard it is, we will still put him in the car seat. Safety comes first ma. Once he is in the seat and the car starts moving, he will be okay.
I really hope this is a phase he will outgrow soon. Please. It has even come to the point that we are thinking twice every time we need to go somewhere where we need to reload him in the seat. And I’m not even gonna start thinking about doing it alone. SIGH.
Scrap Credits
Rainy Day Sunday add-on kit from Amy Bleser
Sundance cardboard from designs by krista
Pondlife Alphas from Joanna Cinnamon
Stamp cluster 4 from Lindsay Jane Designs
Ilétait une foi star elements from Petit Moineaux
Star doodle: Doodle Me Big from Mikkel Paige Original
You are my shining star,
the light of my life…
The world can be so dark and gloomy but when you smile, everything is pure sunshine again.
When you giggle, I just want to shout out from the rooftops how much I love you, just for being you.
You are my shining star,
glowing brightly every day in my heart.
You fill my life with so much joy, just by doing little itty bitty things like hugging my leg and never letting go, and then planting a kiss to say you love me so. You hold on ever so tightly to Daddy’s leg, never letting go until he hobbles with you into the elevator.
I love the way you react to the “Otak burung unta lagi kechik daripada matanya” statement. It’s so adorable the way you place your hands on top of your eyes, emulating the little girl in the advert on TV.
I love the way you kick and throw the ball, with such passion, that can only be inherent in the soul of a footballer. Oh, you do slam dunks too, by the way..so perhaps you aspire to be a future NBA MVP too?
All the beautiful colors of the rainbow cannot ever surpass the colorful way you have brightened our lives with everything you do. From the simple little things like cuddling up to sleep with Mommy on the sofa to the not-so-little ones like clasping your hands in prayer position and wishing everyone in church “peace” when the appropriate time came for you to do that…, you really inject such happiness and sincerity into the things you do. You can almost see Mommy beaming with pride and adoration just noticing all the parishioners in church gesturing at how adorable you look doing so.
You have an absolutely delightful sense of humor and you can laugh at yourself in videos I have captured of you. Sometimes you clap in joy too, and you know, you definitely have a great sense of musical rhythm because you can dance and clap to your favorite Barney songs. Someday I know you will sing along too, yeah? Maybe you watch too much TV and DVDs, but you just make us so happy when you prance around, enjoying the music.
You are growing up so fast now. Sometimes you get too naughty and daring for your own good, and Mommy and Daddy will need to step in and reprimand you. But bear in mind that this is all done with LOVE. Regardless, you will always be our darling little boy and our bright, glowing, shining star.
And we will love you forever and always.
Our Ethan boy is becoming more and more adamant in establishing his independence, and is more often than not very persistent and determined in doing so.
Take last night, for example. After I showered him, I took him into our room to give him his feed of milk while I diapered him. This is a routine that Ethan absolutely loves, because he gets to drink his full 6-7oz of milk while being serenaded by Mommy’s rendition of nursery rhymes or whatever songs that creep into my head at that moment. After he finished his milk, I wanted to put his pj top on, but he refused. He scrambled down from the bed and asked me to take him outside instead.
So okay la, I took him out and figured I could put his shirt on for him while he was busy playing with his toys or watching TV. How wrong I was! A chase around our home ensued. I tried enticing him with various pj tops, but he just wanted to run around in the buff, … well, save for the fitted diaper he had on, of course.
So I decided to (but of course) snap a few pictures while waiting for the opportune moment to put the shirt on him la.
Finally after a while, and after some kicking, screaming and protesting, a tired and exhausted Mommy finally managed to dress him up. And Ethan happily patted his tummy after that. He does look happy, doesn’t he?
Scrap Credits
Sundance kit from designs by krista
Photo split from Maria Lafrance
Heart doodles from fei-fei’s stuff
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Alpha Black from Digiscrap.ch
The weekly sessions at The Learning Garden are indeed doing Ethan a lot of good. Before we enrolled him in the class, he was rather afraid of strangers. When well-meaning friends, relatives and strangers approached him with a smile to say hi, he would flinch, scream loudly and sometimes whack either Pete or me on the head, arm or wherever his hands hit. It was worse in the confined spaces of the lift. He would be happily blabbering away but when someone enters the lift, he would cower in fear or ask for either one of us (Daddy or Mommy) to carry him. When he was a few months’ old, he was all right with strangers, but as he grew older, it was apparent that he wasn’t getting as sociable as we would like him to be.
But now after just two or three Learning Garden sessions, we can see that his confidence has skyrocketed.
He now willingly smiles at people who say hi to him. Those that he may not like at first glance, he will just ignore, but he won’t shout loudly. He even waves hi and buhbye sometimes.
On occasion, he gets over-friendly though. Like the other day when we were having dinner at Chili’s with some friends. Ethan wandered away on his own after finishing his hot dog. He saw a girl about 5 years old and went close to her and he started giggling. The girl ran away to sit on the opposite site of the square stone bench, hoping Ethan would not be able to find her. But Ethan followed her and sat next to her. So she ran away to her Mom a few meters away. Our boy ran after her, which prompted her to scream, “Mommy!!!”
Then just the other Sunday, Ethan got restless in church, so I took him out to the garden for a stroll. There were 2 other toddlers there (brother and sister). The boy was about 3 years old, I think. Ethan went close to him and put his nose to his shirt, as if smelling him! Then when the 2 toddlers went to sit on the swing, Ethan walked over, climbed atop the swing and sat in between them, smiling happily.
When we eat out at restaurants, he is also becoming increasingly independently inquisitive. Take Noodle Station, for example. He used to sit quietly in his high chair and eat his noodles, but now he likes to roam around the restaurant, sometimes barefooted. He would even *visit* the tables of other patrons, going close to their tables and smiling at the people there. He also will climb onto the sofa monkey-style and if the tables of other patrons have kids or toddlers, he would giggle at them and attempt to make friends. He does prefer kids that are older than him though.
As you can see, his newfound social skills make it a daunting task for us to run after him nowadays. So do you think his shyness has made way for a different “problem” now?
Scrap Credits
Odds ‘n’ Ends Seven preview kit from Pam Lefors Designs
Crumpled border from Jess Gordon
Elegant word art (Wonderful Memories) from Bethany
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Boxed words from Chantal
Last night, on our way back from our family dinner at Queensbay Mall, Ethan got restless in his seat. Maybe he was a little bit tired and sleepy, but he kept on throwing my hand towards my handbag, and I knew it was cos he wanted to view videos I had captured of him with my phone. Oh yeah, the reason I was sitting with him in the backseat was because I had to make sure he didn’t accidentally call overseas with my phone. You see, we had to distract him with my phone while strapping him in the car seat. Nowadays, he prefers to climb into the backseat on his own and would then prop himself jubilantly in the back seat. He would then smile and grin for all to see and refuse in his usual strong manner, to get into his own seat. So that’s why we have to resort to these tactics. He’s still way too young for the seat belt adjuster, otherwise I would have gotten one for him…
Anyway, there we were in the back seat and Ethan was fidgety. I didn’t want to give in to his demands and kept telling him we were already nearing our home. He just wouldn’t listen. Then I suddenly started singing. I think I sang a repertoire of songs; the ABC song, One Two Buckle My Shoe, London Bridge and Head & Shoulders (the latter two are the same tune). He usually claps his hands when I am done, but this time, he clapped his hands and after that reached his hand over to my neck, pulled me close and gave me a sweet, loving kiss right there on my cheek He will kiss me whenever I ask him to give Mommy a hug or kiss, but this time it was the spontaneity of it that caught me off guard. Nobody had asked him to do it, and he did it out of his own accord…
I didn’t wash that part of my cheek that night…just kidding.
I won I won I won!!!!
Well, not quite the lottery, but something special and luxurious for Ethan. Those of you who have been secretly praying for me to stop getting cloth diapers for him, please stop reading here…but actually I didn’t buy this ma…I got it FREE!!!!
I won a lucky draw contest at the DiapersAsia forum and the prize is one gorgeous Starbunz AIO diaper. There were so many adorable designs to choose from, I had a hard time selecting just one. Finally, I chose the puppy design simply because Ethan was born in the year of the doggie.
I was ecstatic the moment I found out I had won, and even more happy when the diaper came in the mail today, all fluffy and cuddly.
Lookit how gorgeous it is! And don’t you just LURVE the fluffy puppy ears??!!!
It’s supposedly a great diaper for the heavy wetter because it contains two hemp soaker pads, topped with a fleece top to keep moisture away. I can’t wait to try it on Ethan once I’ve washed and dried it.
Thank you Tiny Tapir!
Last Saturday I took a picture of Ethan’s work of art in Learning Garden, just because I felt like it. However, when I downloaded the photo last night, I couldn’t help but think how the random splashes of paint he made resembled perhaps something MORE than just that.
To me, it looks like a picture of a lady in a colorful cloak running to the right. I imagine she is running swiftly with the blend of beautiful colors of her garment floating behind her.
I showed Pete the picture last night and he begged to differ. Instead he said it looked like a picture of an animal, like a bird or more specifically a pelican.
Do you see what we see, or something else?
The things a mother would do for her kid. No no……correction…the things that a cloth diaper-addicted mommy would do for her kid.
I was working from home last Friday when my co-worker told me that a diaper package from US had arrived for me in the office. I straightaway knew it was the two fitted diapers I had ordered from Nanipoo sometime back as I had been waiting for its arrival for a little more than a week now. So I decided to brave the rush hour jam on the coastal highway and drove to my office, just to collect the diapers. Can’t imagine leaving them on my desk over the weekend. Besides, I was just too excited to get to those diapers, give them a wash and put them on Ethan. On hindsight, I should have used an alternate less-jammed route.
But anyway, I got those diapers and picked up both boys and headed off to Queensbay Mall where we had a nice family dinner at Friday’s. Ethan was at his absolute best behaviour and was in a jolly good mood. All the servers at Friday’s noticed that too. But somehow the diaper he was wearing suddenly leaked big time. I don’t know if it was the positioning of the diaper, or because Ethan was just too wriggly or perhaps it was because it was left on a little too long. So what to do? Right then and there, I had to remove his shorts and wiped him dry. Then he continued with his chicken spaghetti dinner (I adore the way he feeds himself with his fork), perhaps the sexiest diner there, clad only in his t-shirt and Drybees diaper.
The diaper was wet when we were about to leave the mall and silly me, I didn’t have a spare one available at that time. Suddenly I remembered I had two brand new Nanipoo fitteds in the boot. Since it was just a short trip back home, I decided to just implement a stop-gap measure by just putting the fitted diaper on him and headed back home. I remember I tried on the green camo design, and Ethan looked very happy in it. The diaper was slightly damp when we reached home, thanks to our heavy wetter right there, but it was still a savior.
Scrap Credits
Spring Forward mini kit from Eva Kipler
Netter’s Alphas from Scarlet Heels
100% Tampons apostrophe & brackets from [ v.vv ]
Doodles: Doodle Me Big from Mikkel Paige Originals
Boxed words from Chantal
My dearest darling Ethan boy,
Daddy came back from India last Saturday night. After four nights away from us, you were able to hug him once again. Daddy took the cab home from the airport because he didn’t want Mommy to go to the trouble of fetching you to the airport at night and all. I had been telling you that Daddy will be home soon, and while you were enjoying the videos of yourself on Mommy’s cellphone, our doorbell suddenly rang. You climbed down from the couch, curious more than eager, and followed Mommy to the door. The moment you saw Daddy, I could feel your emotions in your eyes…how much you missed him and you even had to do a double take to make sure it was indeed Daddy. I had to reassure you over and over again that it was Daddy, because at first you didn’t look like you believed me. It had, after all, been days that you had not seen him.
Last Tuesday, while you were still at Ah Poh’s, Mommy fetched Daddy to the airport. He had travelled to India on a short business trip. I asked you not to worry, because he won’t be away for long, and he will be back on Saturday.
Daddy told you the night before he left that he would be away from home for a while and you pretended to ignore him then. But on the morning of the day he was to leave, when he carried you to Ah Poh’s door, said buh-bye and told you to be a good boy while he was away, you grunted and let out a whine of despair. Although I know you still do not know how to express yourself in words, I can feel that you missed him. In fact, we both did miss him a lot, didn’t we, Ethan boy?
Please don’t be angry with Daddy for being away. It was only for a few days anyway and did you see how happy he was to hold you in his arms again? He hasn’t been travelling for a long while now, the last time being when you were about 3 or 4 months’ old. You probably didn’t realize it then. But you have been a good boy, and I can tell in your eyes that you were looking for him for the past few days. You looked ever so confused when you could not find him anywhere at all. Well, he is home now, so you go knock yourself out having fun with him, yeah?
The night that he left, it was just you and me home alone. Daddy had suggested that I have my dinner and my shower first before picking you up, and I thought that was an excellent idea. It allowed me more time to spend with you, without running the risk of being lethargic.
It’s a good thing too that your Ah Ma and Kong Kong from Ipoh were here from the second night onwards. They miss you so much too, you know. I’m so glad you had a lot of fun with them both.
Since Daddy returned, you have made his day with all your giggles and funny antics. The Sunday morning after he came back home, when Daddy woke up, I asked you to give Daddy a good morning hug, and you ran over to him, put your arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheeks. I thought that was simply adorable.
All my love,
Mommy
Scrap Credits
April template challenge from Kelly Puddy
Life is Good mini kit from Amanda Heimann
rayoflight solids (black paper) from fei-fei’s stuff
Boxed words from Chantal
Elegant word art (grandparents) (edited) from Bethany
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Today Mrs Tan had a day off; a day off from caring for Ethan while I was working, cos Ethan’s Ah Ma and Kong Kong from Ipoh are here for a visit in Penang, and they volunteered to look after Ethan for the first time the whole of today. I was working from home today too but most of the time, I was in the *study room* with the door closed, unless I needed to come out (most of the time, I came out to change the DVD for Ethan if he was watching ).
We headed to the nearby mini market in the morning for some quick marketing for tomorrow’s meal and then had a speedy breakfast in the coffee shop. Ethan was so well-behaved! He really adores his Ah Ma and Kong Kong and since they arrived, he has been in a really cheerful, happy mood. Before we headed out for dim sum brunch, Kong Kong even took him for a walk by the poolside. I hope Ethan’s not too much to handle, knowing how active he can get!
When we came back after brunch at around 1:00p.m., Ethan had already yawned a few times so I knew it won’t be long before he fell asleep. Hoping he would be able to sleep in Ah Ma’s arms without crying for Mommy despite knowing that I was around, I resumed my work in the study. I could hear him giggling and laughing intermittently outside as he watched his DVDs, but a few minutes later, there was complete silence. Well well, whaddya know, that fella had drifted off to dreamland! I moved him to the bed and he slept for a complete two hours straight!
He woke up smiling and downed about 3 oz of milk, then he hung out with his grandparents till dinner time. As usual, we headed for Queensbay Mall to have our dinner (and also for Ethan to expend his energy of course!). Dinner was a delicious and scrumptious meal at Friday’s, and then while my Mom and I shopped for a few grocery items, Ethan pulled his Kong Kong by the hand here and there and everywhere.
Ethan had a very enjoyable day today. The weekend started early for him this week, that’s for sure. I’m sure he made both Ah Ma and Kong Kong very very happy too, as much as they have made him. Sweet dreams, my darling Ethan boy.
Scrap Credits
XOXO template V2, rayoflight prints and solids & aking hardin alphas, all from fei-fei’s stuff
It all started one day when I decided to get my hair done. I checked with the salon and my hairdresser told me that a haircut and treatment would take approximately an hour and a half. It was impossible to ask Ethan to wait around for me for that long a time, so I very sweetly requested Pete to take Ethan for some male bonding time at the mall, while I had some me-time.
And Pete told me that ever since that outing, Ethan has taken a fancy to the flowing water decorations on display at a particular shop in the mall. Ethan has never noticed these before. You know what I am referring to? Yup, those electrically operated pieces of decoration, some with rotating lighted balls, some with mini waterfalls and pretty rocks. Now, each time we pass this shop that sells them, Ethan would stop and stare, without fail.
I wonder what’s going through his mind when he looks and giggles at these pieces of decorations. Wait ah Ethan….when we move to a house, we can ask Daddy to get you one, okay?
So after some due consideration, we’ve finally decided to enrol Ethan in the parent-toddler class in The Learning Garden. This would mean an hour and a half each week of fun learning activities for him, and it would be the perfect ground to establish his socializing skills. Although we take Ethan out many times a week, be it to the mall or to restaurants, he hardly has any direct contact with kids his age, hence when he meets strangers or come face to face with large groups of people, he tends to shy away, sometimes screaming in anger. This is apparent in almost all family gatherings we have been to.
Last Saturday was Ethan’s second session at The Learning Garden (including the trial class), and we can see some improvement in his socializing skills already. At the first lesson, it took him some time to warm up and start playing, but last Saturday, he eagerly *attacked* the toys he wanted to play with. Although he is very much different from the rest of the kids, preferring instead to play on the playground frame cube instead of sitting down quietly like the rest of the kids and listen to the teacher, we can tell that he thoroughly enjoyed himself there. Why, after we had lunch, Ethan fell asleep on the way home and continued sleeping even after we reached home…with a smile plastered on his face! By the way, I need to remind myself that I have to get some sunblock for Ethan, given the fact that he would be spending more time in the sun than usual now. Last Saturday’s class ended with an outdoor picnic for all the kids, complete with biscuits, fruits, ice-cream and water. Ethan totally dug the biscuits :P
We also find the teachers at The Learning Garden very patient and very professional - they look as though they have been dealing with kids all their life! People running these programs need to have a way with kids, as is apparent with both teachers we have met so far.
We had to pay for three months’ fees in advance at The Learning Garden (RM112 X 3), so let’s just wait and see what these three months would reap for Ethan. Meanwhile, I have a hunch he’s gonna look forward to every Saturday in eager anticipation!
All this while, Ethan has only been wearing open-toed sandals. He used to have a pair of covered sneakers, but (I think) because that pair was not made of breathable material, his feet stunk when he sweats and we never put them on him again.
I had bought a pair of brown sneakers for him sometime back. They looked so boyishly cool, I just had to get them. Plus, they were on discount then - how could I resist? I got the smallest size available, but Ethan still could not fit into them at that time.
But just recently, I decided to try if they fit. Lo and behold, they did! Well, there was a small space when he wore them, but I figured they would fit perfectly with a pair of socks.
So on Easter Sunday, I dressed Ethan in his new white striped GAP polo shirt (*new* because I bought it so many months ago, but my string-bean kid can’t fit into it yet. Even now, it is a little loose), matching new socks and his new shoes. Handsome, boh?
At times he felt rather weird with socks, so he asked us to remove them so that he could *air* his feet. Lawl!
In church, Ethan was fascinated with the brick wall surrounding the altar, and because we sat at the side of the pews, it was a good thing he could be kept occupied there. When he saw us kneeling in prayer, he too joined us. He even followed my cue when I showed him how to position his hands in prayer position.
What an absolutely awesome blessing from The Lord this Easter!
…and now to teach him how to recite The Lord’s Prayer….
Since I switched Ethan to cloth diapers exclusively, I have seen tremendous improvement especially in prevention of nappy rash. Ethan has really sensitive skin and all this while he has been prone to diaper rashes. He gets it off and on, and sometimes when there is no rash, his nappy area would be slightly reddish too. In fact, there were a few times that the over-drying chemicals in a famous disposable diaper brand caused him so much discomfort that he was walking around like a crab! Hence I am very happy to note the vast improvement in his skin condition now. Not only has his nappy rash occurrences been reduced substantially, the redness has totally GONE!
This is why I have been investing in cloth diapers recently, not only for now, but for the future too.
And this brings me to the reason why I am so elated today. About a month ago, I ordered some cloth diapers for Ethan from Nicki’s Diapers, and I asked my manager if he would be so kind as to bring the stuff back for me in Penang. He very willingly obliged, and today my manager arrived from US and I finally got my parcel! Look! More gorgeous diapers to adorn that cute lil bum of Ethan’s.
By the way, I also added a wetbag (the disco dotted one) and two cloth wipes to add to my collection.
In addition, just last week, I managed to squeeze in an order for a crocheted pair of wool longies from Sweet Seats. I read that this could be used as a soaker for fitted diapers and is extremely great for heavy wetters (like Ethan). I was so eager to try them on him today, but unfortunately when I put it on him, he made a face as if to say, “What on earth is this Mommy?” You see, he has never felt wool on his skin before, hence the strange reaction. I’ll try again another day then. But they do look gorgeous, eh?
And finally, as if my loot for the day was not enough, my order from