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Ethan turns FIVE!

February 11, 2011 in Celebrations, Entertainment, Ethan, Exercise, Hannah, Parenting | 4 comments

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My little boy turned FIVE on January 31st recently.  And I still can’t believe how much he has grown!  I look at pictures of him from a year ago, and the difference is so vast!  He has grown physically, mentally and spiritually, and I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of him.

I could tell he was really looking forward to turning five.  Before, he refers to himself as a “medium boy” but he tells us that once he turns five, he is a “BIG boy” 🙂

So where did we take our big boy for his birthday?  After we picked him up from school, we went to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants for lunch as a family.  Then we headed to Golden Sands Hotel in Batu Ferringhi, where there was a kids activity center called AdventureZone.  Admission was only RM20++ per child (since it was a weekday), and adults need not pay if accompanying the kids.

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AdventureZone had something like an obstacle course for the kids, and gigantic slides that were NOT for the faint-hearted.  See how scary those slides looked?  We only went on the colorful one and the blue one.

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For Hannah, there was a little play area specially designed for kids aged 4 and below.

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But of course, she wanted to do whatever her brother did…

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Actually we were allowed a duration of 2 hours in AdventureZone, but the kids were very reluctant to leave…in the end, we left after spending about 2.5 hours there.

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AdventureZone certainly tired us all out, for not only were the kids exhausted, we adults also had a good workout chasing after the kids.  Errr…. well maybe it was just the adults who were exhausted…

One thing’s for sure though, we sure worked up a HUGE appetite and we headed for dinner at Chili’s in Gurney Plaza.

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Birthday boy making like a “moose” when I asked him to pose for a picture…

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And how old are you now, Ethan?

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Because it was his birthday, Ethan was given a complimentary chocolate brownie sundae, complete with a candle, and the crew sang him a birthday song too!

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And then later that night, he opened up his presents from us.

This one’s from Hannah…

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…and this one’s from Daddy and Mommy.  We gave him something he had been hinting he wanted for the past month.  Ethan is very interested in all things planets, outer space, solar system, and the Earth.  And his expression was simply priceless when he unwrapped the gift from us.

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“Wow!!!  It’s the PLANET thing!!!” 🙂

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Happy Birthday Ethan!  You’re a BIG boy at 5 now! 🙂

Sunday at the Carnival

December 15, 2010 in Entertainment, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting | 1 comment

Pete’s workplace recently organized a carnival event at Gurney Plaza.  It was basically a family day kinda event, where the employees were allowed to invite up to 5 family members and friends for a fun-filled day.  Ah Kong and Ah Ma from Ipoh also came to Penang to join us for a day out.

Ethan and Hannah, as usual, were really looking forward to the carnival.  Ethan, especially was all geared up for the coloring contest, which I told him about.

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There were coupons for kiddy rides for Ethan and Hannah, but unfortunately there were only two coupons (i.e. 2 rides).

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There was also a booth for us to take a family photo, and a couple of coupons for a 3-minute back massage (Ah Ma and Ah Kong enjoyed their 3 minutes of pampering there!) 

We also wanted to get ourselves a footrub and manicure, but too bad, all the appointment slots for those were taken up for the day.

There were clowns giving out balloons and there was also a magic show for the kids.

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But what Ethan was really waiting for was the coloring contest.  It was his first one ever, and he kept asking me when the contest would be starting.  His set of color pencils was getting worn out, so just for this coloring contest, I specially got him 2 new boxes.  There were 3 categories for the coloring contest, and Ethan was registered into the Age 4-6 Category, where they were each given a picture of the sun to color.  Time limit was 1 HOUR!!!

…and he eagerly got down to work…

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Check out our little artist at work…Ethan’s coloring skills have improved tremendously!! 

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Hannah wanted to join in the fun too, but she was underaged for the contest, so I had to get her a random piece of paper from my bag, just so she could do some coloring of her own.

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Meanwhile, Ethan’s coloring was taking shape…

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He had to make the sun colorful, because nobody remembered to bring a pencil sharpener…and when the colors he was using ran out, he had to use other colors…hahaha…

And here’s Ethan with his mentor…looking on, as Ethan puts his finishing touch…

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Ta-daaaaa!!!!

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And now, we’ll just have to wait for the results…

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Here’s how pleased Ethan looked, after the magician gave him a sheet of Thomas & Friends stickers…

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The results for the coloring contest was announced after the magic show.  Ethan was in the category with the most number of participants, and the names of the consolation prizes were announced first, followed by the 2nd runner-up, 1st runner-up and the winner…and you know what?  We were all pleasantly surprised and proudly beaming when Ethan’s name was called up as the WINNER!  Woohooo!!!

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Look at that look of surprise on his face!

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Ethan got himself a medal, a set of color pencils, a crystal paperweight and a recorder. 

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 Picture of all the winners…looks like Ethan is the smallest-sized of all.. LOL!

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Congratulations Ethan!  We are so very proud of you…You must have inherited those “coloring contest winning” genes from Mommy, huh? *wink*

We also did some sand art before we left the carnival.  It was a first time for all of us too.

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Here’s Ethan with his masterpiece…

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He had wanted to do another one, but the person-in-charge told us that one child was only entitled to one piece of sand art.

So Hannah had one done too…with the help of Ah Ma!  Hannah chose the colors she wanted and Ah Ma did the “sand-arting”:

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It was a very exciting day for all, and Ethan and Hannah really enjoyed themselves to the brim!  Although the grown-ups were all tired out after the long day of events, the kids still had the energy to go on and on and on!

Just because I love you

November 29, 2010 in Ethan, Growing Up, Parenting | 2 comments

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We use the “naughty stool/chair” method as a form of discipline for our kids.  So whenever one of them misbehaves, he/she will get sent to the naughty chair and “sit out” his/her time.  For Ethan, he needs to sit for 4 minutes and for Hannah, it’s 1 minute; the number of minutes spent on the naughty chair is equivalent to the child’s age.

After their “time done” we’ll explain to them what they did wrong, and the child concerned will then promise to not do it again.  He/she will apologize and give each one of us a hug.

There was once when Hannah did something wrong.  I think she hit me with a toy or book, so she sat in the naughty chair.  When she was ready to say sorry, she came over and gave me a hug. 

Ethan said, “Daddy, come here.  I want to hug you too.  But I didn’t do anything wrong.  I just want to hug you because I love you…”

Awww…..

Baby Steps to School

November 10, 2010 in Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 2 comments

I can’t deny that my kids LOVE being in Toys ‘R’ Us.  For some magical reason, it unleashes surprise after surprise in the form of entertaining toys and delightful collectibles, some even enthralling to adults!  For Hannah, one of the attractions in this toystore is the children’s schoolbags.  She would head for the bag section and pull out girly pink bags, bags which are too big for her, but she would be contented just pulling and dragging it along.  Recently, she found this adorable Chuggington backpack in the store, and without fail, she would ask me to help her put it on, and she would then parade around the store.

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It’s just the right size for her, and she looks absolutely darling wearing it!

Granted, she’s too young to start school yet, but she probably got the idea from observing her brother carry his bag to school every day.

In any case, we decided it was time for her to experience the parent-toddler program run by the school Ethan goes to.  When Ethan was 2 years old, he attended the same program and benefited a great deal from it, so since Hannah is showing signs of readiness, we made an appointment for her to go for a trial class.

The parent-toddler program is a 1.5 hour program held once a week, and the child would be accompanied by a parent throughout the session.  This helps to further reinforce the parent-child relationship as well as promote social awareness as the child learns to mingle with kids their age.

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When we arrived at the school on the day of the trial class, Hannah was all too eager to get down from the car.  She happily said, “Buh Bye!!!” to her Daddy and Ethan as she followed me to the class.  Oh by the way, Daddy and Ethan were off for their *football practice* 🙂

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Hannah was quiet at first, but she was not TOO clingy.  She willingly played with all the toys in the playroom, and interacted with me, naming the animals and numbers and so on.

We then proceeded to do some arts and crafts, where she got to play with paint, sand and water.  She was provided with a mini kid apron, but she would not wear it, so I had to be careful not to get her shirt dirty.

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Probably intrigued by all of the different things to do, Hannah was a little quiet but she was certainly very participative.

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When it was time to go and play in the outdoor playground, we finally saw some giggles and smiles…

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She loved the rocking horse, the slides, the little house…and it almost seemed like she was too reluctant to leave.

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After the playground, the kids were treated to some light snacks in the pantry and then it was circle time in the hall.  Hannah was very attentive to the teacher and even when all the other kids had lost their interest and were running around, Hannah was very interested in the story the teacher was telling.

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Of course she was quickly distracted when she caught sight of Ethan, who had come back from football practice, and was waiting for Hannah’s class to finish. 

After the parent-toddler class, the teacher gave Hannah two stickers.  She loves stickers and was only too eager to show them off to us.  Hannah left the class looking very happy, but not before she gave the teacher a nice hug. 🙂

Certainly looks like she’s ready for the class, huh?

We did lunch at Sushi King

October 14, 2010 in Ethan, Food & Feeding, Parenting | 1 comment

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Strangely enough, Ethan has developed a huge liking for Sushi King.  It must have started from the time his school was discussing “Restaurants” as the theme and the name Sushi King must have come up.  Suffice to say, Ethan will request to have lunch or dinner at Sushi King sometimes, and he enjoys himself on every occasion.  Although we don’t really like the food there, the look of joy on Ethan’s face is enough to make us feel satisfied. 🙂

Today, I decided to let Ethan skip lunch in school and opted to take him to Sushi King for lunch (it’s Japanese fast food, but it’s healthier than the *other* kind of fast food).  Whenever I take him for lunch, he would tell all his teachers and friends where he would be going, and today was no exception.

Sushi King was having a “RM2 per plate of rice-based sushi” promotion and today was the last day.  Thankfully we managed to get a good spot by the kaiten belt, and Ethan had fun helping me get the plates of sushi from the kaiten belt.  Our boy finished his entire bowl of rice in his kiddie’s meal and also a bowl of chawan mushi. 

Well…what can I say?  It was definitely a great lunch and an equally awesome mother-and-son bonding experience 🙂  We’ll be back!

Come to the Table

September 15, 2010 in Ethan, Hannah, Parenting | No comments

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We should have done this a long time ago…but we had always thought the Green Mamut table from Ikea would not be able to fit into our trunk. 

We took the risk anyways, and were surprised to find out that it fits!

So the kids now have a new table.  They use it for just about anything under the sun: for their activities, for the coloring and drawing, for their meals…and errmmm…for climbing on too!  Sometimes Daddy and Mommy will join them at the table for their meals as well (we get that Japanese vibe cuz the table is lower).

Ethan loves the table because he can do almost anything there, and Hannah loves it because she does not need to be strapped into the high chair for her meals now.   I love it because it’s round and has absolutely no sharp edges (and also because crayon and pencil marks wash off super easy!)

The green table has taken over the place of our dark brown side table in the living room, making the room brighter and more cheerful.

On the Road to Recovery

September 9, 2010 in Food & Feeding, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 4 comments

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Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and support.  She’s well on her way to recovering from herpangina.  The doctor had given Hannah the green light to be discharged from the hospital yesterday morning, after 2 nights of being warded.

Her appetite had improved, although not yet back to the voracious intensity it once was.  She loves eating her favorite “nana”, drinking lots of water and before we left the hospital, she had some chicken noodle soup.  Oh, and of course, she’s on the super special diet of Mommy’s milk loaded with lots and lots of antibodies!

She’s back to her cheerful self, although she’s very “clingy-koala-like” sometimes.  Get well soon, baby! 🙂

Down with Herpangina

September 7, 2010 in Food & Feeding, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 6 comments

I knew something was amiss last Friday night when I was dressing Hannah up in her jammies after her night shower and noticed that her upper right gums were unusually red.  Yet, she seem unperturbed by it and did not complain of any pain. 

I should have trusted my motherly instincts…

On Saturday morning, she registered a fever of more than 39ºC, but after a dose of paracetamol, she was her usual active self.  She had fever the whole of Saturday night, but on Sunday, she was okay for most part of the day.  She was giving us mixed signals and we actually thought it was because she could be teething.

On Sunday evening, she started refusing her milk…yes, I am still breastfeeding her, and it is very very unusual for her to refuse the breast.  She was also biting many of her toys and seemed very contented when I offered her a teether instead.  She drank a lot of water, but didn’t seem interested in anything else.  And her fever was still fluctuating up and down.

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Thankfully, she accepted the breast after her bath and slept soundly after that for the whole night.

Enough was enough.  I took her to see her doctor the next morning.  Doc said, “Didn’t expect to see you guys in here so soon…” You see, we had just been to the doc’s a week ago for Hannah’s vaccination.

After checking Hannah (her fever had gone up to 39.2°C!), doctor confirmed what Hannah had was a case of herpangina, an infection of the mouth and throat caused by the coxsackievirus.  The ulcers were present only in the mouth, thankfully.  However, the doctor recommended that Hannah be admitted to the hospital for monitoring and observation, because in some cases, the virus could affect the brain and cause fits. 

Hannah also had to do an electrocardiogram (ECG) and take a blood sample, from her arm.  She was a perfect angel through both procedures, not crying at all!  In fact, she’d also taken a blood sample from the left arm a week before to confirm she’s no longer iron-deficient (she’s not anymore!) and now the blood sample is from the right arm.  For a child her age, it is indeed heroic to go through these without shedding a single tear…

So, we got admitted into the hospital yesterday evening, and despite the fact that she is active and her mouth ulcers were getting slightly better, we have to stay on for one more night because her fever is still yo-yoing.  Thankfully she is back to her normal breastfeeding routine and is willing to drink water.  This morning she even took a few spoonfuls of fish porridge and half a banana for lunch.  The recommended diet for someone who has herpangina is lots of cold fluids, including yogurt drinks, probiotic drinks (like Yakult), yogurt and ice cream. 

So when Daddy came to visit just now, he brought some of these stuff over.  Oh yeah, we decided on the single-bedded room this time round, given that it’s better for Hannah not to share a room with someone else, since herpangina is highly contagious and she will be in isolation.  Anyway, we have a mini fridge in the room now, that’s why we can store all this cold stuff! 🙂

Because herpangina is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not work, so Hannah is only on Paracetamol for occasional fever and/or pain, oral gel and spray, Vitamin C and another type of Vitamin C to improve her appetite.

Ideally Ethan is not allowed contact with Hannah, but we really had no choice because they are both very close to each other.  Besides, Pete is caring for Ethan now while I am in hospital with Hannah, so Ethan will have to follow Pete when he comes to hospital.  What we could do was to keep reminding Ethan not to touch anything in the hospital room and keep his hands clean at all times.

I’m praying that Hannah’s fever will be stabilized by tomorrow morning, so we can be discharged.  I know she has a strong will and determination, just like me…

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Little Mister Creativity

August 11, 2010 in Ethan, Growing Up, Parenting | 1 comment

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:

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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*… 😛

Pitter patter not-so-tiny feet

July 21, 2010 in Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 1 comment

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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.

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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.

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