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Milestones

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Little Emma has been adoring Snoopy ever since a popular mall in Penang decked the whole mall in Snoopy and Peanuts paraphernalia several months back.  She even asked Ah Mah in Ipoh for the little Snoopy figurine to bring back to Penang!

So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what cake I had to make for Emma’s birthday this year.  We kept this a family affair and given that I know Emma doesn’t really like eating cake (she only likes to look at it), I chose to just order the edible sheet with a Snoopy and Charlie Brown design, which I just placed on top of the cake!

Emma had been asking for her “Snoopy Cake” well over a week before her actual birthday, so she was really eager as punch to cut the cake.

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To add to her joy, I ordered a handmade amigurumi Snoopy from a dear friend.  The happiness on Emma’s face when she opened her present was simply priceless.

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(I also had an adorable Dutch Rabbit handmade for Hannah for her birthday; she named her Rosie, by the way.)

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All in all, a very cozy family celebration of Emma’s birthday.  She has really grown into a pretty, adorable, sweet three-year old.  She calls herself a “small girl” now (not a “small baby”!)

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♥ Happy Birthday Emma! ♥

My dearest Hannah turned 7 just yesterday, and just when I was looking at how much she had grown based on her little baby photos and toddler pictures I posted on Facebook not long ago.

We had a birthday celebration for her at home just last weekend.  She initially wanted a Lego Friends themed party, but after looking at some other ideas on Pinterest, she decided on an Art themed party, which is so apt given that my little snowflake is such an artist in the making!

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This was such a fun party to plan because everything was so colorful and bright! Pinterest definitely helped a lot 🙂

This is part of the loot I had to deal with when packing the kids’ party packs a few days before the party:

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Of course, for an art party, I just HAD to make my ever-popular playdough (recipe here) and include that in the party pack:

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Hannah chose the colors for the playdough. 🙂

Here are the kids excitedly waiting for the guests to arrive…

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The food spread for tea-time snacks:

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We had several party activities and games for the kids, of course.  They were first invited to draw something on a welcome white board, after which Hannah chose her favorite two, who will become the team leaders for another game.

Can you guess which drawings Hannah picked?

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We also had a cupcake decorating station where the kids could decorate their own cupcake and bring them home.  Some (very hungry ones) were seen eating the cupcakes as they decorated them and some cupcakes didn’t even make it to the take-home container!  LOL

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The kids played the every-popular “Pass the Parcel”, but this time it was “Pass the Artist Teddy Bear”!  Lots of laughs and lots of disallowed throwing ensued, but everyone had a good time.

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We then played a game of Win, Lose or Draw with the kids split into two teams.  What a riot!  We had kids coming closer and closer to the board and so much shouting everywhere!

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Then it was time to cut the cake.  I made a New York Cheesecake (upon Hannah’s special request) and shaped it to look like an artist palette (recipe here).  However, I piped on her name using royal icing in the morning and it melted!  OMG!!!  I had to quickly redo the icing, pipe it on and quickly gathered everyone together to sing the birthday song for Hannah to cut the cake, before the name melted away again!

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Hmmmm…although…it could pass off as a deliberate attempt at making the words look “water-colory”-like, don’t you think?  All along the theme of party 🙂

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So glad that everyone had an awesome time at the party.  Thank you so much to all who came and made the celebration such a meaningful one for my sweetheart Hannah.  She definitely enjoyed herself tremendously!

♥ Happy Birthday Hannah! 

Emma-35months

Scrap Credits

“It’s the Little Things” QP Freebie from Sweet Shoppe Designs

Weight

10.2-10.3 kilos

Height/Length

Not measured.

Teeth

Full set of 20 milk teeth now. 🙂

Developmental Milestones

  • Very much the cheeky little toddler, Emma is growing up beautifully.  She does seem to look up to her sister and wants to participate and do everything that Hannah does.
  • Loves to scribble in her notebook, and sometimes she will ask in exasperation, “Where’s Emma’s notebook?”
  • Can “almost” jump and she is still ever the careful little girl, and will take small miniature jumps but it should be soon.
  • Loves Snoopy and will request to wear her Snoopy shirt whenever possible.
  • She will “report” to me if or when her older siblings don’t allow her to play with toys or something else, for example.  She might seem little but she is very much vocal.

Food and Feeding

Emma is eating well, and will take almost anything we serve her.  She asks for pink porridge (porridge with beetroot), broccoli, carrots often, and that makes me a happy mommy.  She also likes to snack on chips though, so we have to limit that.

Toilet Training

I did tell her that if she manages to keep her diaper dry and clean, I will let her wear some cute panties, so she tells me that all the time.  Hopefully soon she will be ready for toilet training.

Has it already been 10 years since I became a mother?  I really just can’t believe it, but it’s true!

Ethan turned 10 on January 31st and it’s such a heartwarming feeling to see how much he has grown…especially since Facebook “reminds” us of our memories from years ago on such and such a date.

This year, we had initially planned to have a simple football themed party at home but earlier in January, he attended a laser tag birthday party and got hooked.  So we decided to have a small gathering at Laser Warzone in Gurney Plaza instead (otherwise he would be playing pretend laser tag all around the house and I can’t have that!)

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I incorporated the original football theme into this laser tag venue celebration.  Obviously Ethan’s favorite soccer team played a huge role in the theme, food and party pack decor.

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The kids just could not wait to get down to laser tag business.

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They had 4 laser tag games in total and we played 2 solo games and 2 team games.  Of course the cake cutting and food was done right before the last game, so that the kids could “refuel”.

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Laser Tag parties = good workout for the kids with good clean fun (read: they sleep better at night); Also, minimal preparation for the party and the following day Ethan said his friends commented that it was the best birthday party ever!  Guess it was a resounding success! 🙂

After the party, we did some Chinese New Year shopping and ended up having dinner at Chili’s.  They still gave a free dessert for the birthday boy, so Ethan got his song and dessert too! 🙂

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 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!!

Emma-34months

Scrap Credits

Candy QP Freebie from Mediterranka Design

Weight

Between 10.0-10.2 kilos, weight is steadily increasing and she is quite open to trying new foods.  Sometimes she will even rub her tummy and say “I’m hungreeeee Mommy!!”

Height/Length

Not measured.

Teeth

Full set of 20 milk teeth now. 🙂

Developmental Milestones

  • Emma is very curious and wants to know what everyone is doing.  However, instead of asking, “What are you doing Mommy?”, she will say, “Mommy doing?” ….and “Hannah doing?”, “Ethan doing?” etc
  • Expresses opinions and wants: “I want to drink milk!” “No, I don’t want to touch it!” “I want to eat noodles!”
  • Emma is eagerly exploring pretend play and she will happily make me some food or drinks from the pretend kitchen. “Kids cannot drink coffee..” she’ll say.
  • Running around so much more nowadays and likes to climb up and down on the pew benches in church. *face palm*

Food and Feeding

During the past month, I’ve tried serving her 2 new foods besides her usual porridge, chicken and veggies.  She tried spaghetti with chicken cacciatore, a lovely tomato based gravy that she simply loves.  I was hesitant all this while because the last time I gave her spaghetti, she started scratching.  So I stopped for some time.  She seems fine now so all’s good.

She also tried a comforting and tasty Peanut and pork soup which she absolutely loves!  No signs of allergy either, so that makes me very happy!  Izumio must have had a big role to play reversing the allergic reactions. 🙂

She is still consuming Izumio and Super Lutein as health supplements for her general wellbeing and also to tackle her eczema issues.  She will know how to ask for her “mio” when she needs it and constantly requests for her “capsules” too.  Maybe what we hear about kids knowing what’s good for them is true after all.

Emma has also taken a liking to drinking soy milk.  I at first tried giving her some whole milk but she didn’t go past a few sips.  Soy milk she can finish a whole lot at one go!  I’m looking for less sweet options though … unless I make soy milk on my own at home.

Toilet Training

She will tell me when she wants to pee pee or poo poo but it is mostly too late, and she will say “stinky butt” and laugh and say, “Sorry Mommy…Emma poo poo again!”

 

This week, most kids start a new school year, and so did my kids.  For Hannah, it was also a new school and a whole new experience.

We were initially going to homeschool Hannah but over the holidays, we decided that it would be in her best interest to let her start in a brick and mortar school first.  My little snowflake thrives with friends around her and is very sociable.  Her kindergarten teacher also commented that she looked rather sad when her kindergarten friends were discussing their impending school lives, so we figured she was ready for school.  After all, we can homeschool anytime we want, but we can’t go to regular school that easily if we homeschool first.  I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.

She attended an interview and an assessment test at her new school at the beginning of the holidays.  She was assessed on I.Q., English and Bahasa Malaysia, and I am pleased that she did very well.

So over the holidays, I had been busy getting her school gear, wrapping school books, and oh yeah…ironing school uniforms.

And finally January 5th came!

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Look at how happy she is!  She looks forward to going to school every day, and I am so blessed that my kids don’t complain at all.  No tears and all happiness… ♥♥♥

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She’s definitely gotten a good headstart in school, and she eagerly gets ready every morning.  I am not too bothered about good grades and all, but I believe that the experience she gains from being in a school environment (like a “little world”) is crucial in bringing out the best in her.

  • Hannah has lunch in school, and I allow her to select her meals on her own.  Gives her a sense of independence and accountability.
  • Hannah has her own locker in school, so she can leave most of her books in the locker and only brings back those she needs.  I am against heavy school bags for kids, so this is a good plus point.  I also got her a lock for the locker, with a number combination which she needs to remember.  Again…a very good way to instill responsibility.
  • She has her own planner where she will need to jot down any notes to remind her to do or bring stuff, homework assignments, etc.

She is very happy thus far, and that in turn makes me happy too.  Couldn’t ask for more…

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Scrap Credits
Ladybugs Polka Dots Freebie QP from Courtney’s DigiScrappin’

Weight

Between 9.9-10.1kilos now…. she finally breached the 10 kilo mark!  Yay for Emma!
She will eagerly go to the weighing scale and ask to be weighed.

Height/Length

Not measured.

Teeth

I just counted her teeth and can confirm that she has her full set of 20 milk teeth now. 🙂

Developmental Milestones

  • Emma can carry on a good conversation now.  She is finally saying “Please” and “Thank you”, and sometimes even asks us to say “Please Emma”. hahaha
  • She will tell us “I don’t want….” this or that.
  • She can string longer sentences together now. eg. “Snoopy’s not scary anymore, Mommy.  Snoopy’s a cute dog!”
  • Emma is asserting confidence and wants to be all grown-up.  When she sees something she wants to do, she will say, “Let me try!” or “Let Emma try!”
  • Asks questions: “What’s that?” “Where’s Hannah?” “Where’s Daddy?” “Where’s Ethan?”
  • Gives responses: “Hannah’s in school.” “Daddy’s in the office.” “Ethan is in the playroom.”
  • Sometimes mixes up “pee pee” and “poo poo”, so we have to gauge what she means when she says it.

Food and Feeding

Emma loves a good bowl of homecooked soup and even better if it is served with steamed rice.  I’m trying different soup combinations:  Apple with pork ribs soup, ABC soup (Carrot, tomatoes, potatoes, onion), mushroom soup, etc.

She also loves orange juice and Vitagen (orange flavor).  She also loves fresh fruits (watermelon currently her favorite, with kiwi and apple following in a close second).  She doesn’t really fancy ice cream though… funnily enough, she tried Baskin Robbins’ ice cream and she was okay, but when she tried some unidentified ice cream from the restaurant, she had rashes around her lips.

I’m also trying some fresh milk with her, she currently drinks just a little.  No adverse reactions so far.

She is still consuming Izumio and Super Lutein as health supplements for her general wellbeing and also to tackle her eczema issues.  She will know how to ask for her “mio” when she needs it and constantly requests for her “capsules” too.  Maybe what we hear about kids knowing what’s good for them is true after all.

 

Yesterday evening, while we were out on one of our Christmas shopping trips, I asked Hannah if she was all ready to get her ears pierced.  She had been requesting to get her ears pierced for a couple of months now, but we just could not find the time yet.

I had never made it compulsory for her to pierce her ears.  When she had asked me years before if all girls had to do it, I reassured her that it was entirely up to her.  And I told her it didn’t matter if she did it now, or 10 years later or even not do it at all…

However, she recently told me she wanted to get her ears pierced and since we were at the mall where my friend told me she took her girls to get their ears pierced, we decided to go for it, since Hannah confidently said, “Of course I’m ready Mommy!  Let’s go!”

Some ear-piercing stalls do the piercing for both ears together, but since the lady was solely manning her stall, she did it one ear at a time.

First Hannah was asked to choose a pair of stainless steel earrings to be worn after the piercing.  She chose a pair of earrings with a green emerald-like stone.

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Next, the lady piercer marked 2 dots on her ear lobes so that she will know where to place the piercing.  I had to ask her to change the positioning a couple of times…until I was absolutely satisfied.

Before the actual piercing, some numbing spray was applied to the ear lobes, to lessen the pain.  Then the ears were pierced.

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After the first piercing, Hannah said, “It’s painful!  Feels like she stapled my ear!!”

But she was ok to go through the second one and I told her it was just going to be a few seconds….

After the procedure, I asked her if she regretted doing it and she said no. 🙂

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She’s very very happy and loves her earrings.  In fact, she has been telling me that she would like to wear my other earrings and that we can share earrings too!  Haha…

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Hannah’s 4-year adventure from Playgroup, through Nursery, Kindergarten 1 and then Kindergarten 2, culminated in a simple yet meaningful graduation ceremony for all the K2 graduands, held in the school grounds on the Saturday after the last day of school.

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My little girl had been looking forward to this day for a long time and she had also been eagerly practising one of their celebratory songs “Yesterday’s Dream”.

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Dressed beautifully in a long, white gown, Hannah was, in my opinion, the perfect picture of poise and confidence, as she walked up to accept her graduation certificate.

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The graduation ceremony marks the end of her preschool journey, with a promise of many exciting things up ahead.

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So proud of you, my little snowflake!  You’re destined for great things and I’m loving each moment and each day spent with you, watching you grow and bloom!

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Scrap Credits
Romantic Spring Collaboratio Kit from Ptitesouris

 

Weight

9.8 kilos.  Slowly but surely reaching the big ten soon!

Height/Length

Not measured.

Teeth

After that first visit to the dentist, we can now confirm that Emma has a total of 18 teeth, with 2 top molars to come.

Developmental Milestones

  • Emma is very much the little copycat and enjoys copying whatever her siblings do and say, especially Hannah.
  • She is also very exploratory in nature and loves to show me she can do lots of stuff, saying, “Mommy, look at me!”
  • Likes to be “part of the conversation”. When Ethan and Hannah are talking among themselves and make a joke, Emma will also chime in with laughter.
  • Loves watching shows with musical elements in them, her current favorites being the Little Einsteins series.

Food and Feeding

Her current favorite foods are chicken porridge, pumpkin porridge, chicken (steamed or roasted), steamed broccoli, “wan ton mee” and “shang mee”.

She is still consuming Izumio and Super Lutein as health supplements for her general wellbeing and also to tackle her eczema issues.

 

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