Little Miracles · Our Blessings from God…

Hannah’s Back To School – in Nursery!

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

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

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

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

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

And that just makes my day. Absolutely. 🙂

All Bowled Over

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emma at 5 Months

August 14, 2013 in Emma, Milestones | No comments

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

Weight

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

Height/Length

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

Motor Skills

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

Communication and Social Skills

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

Others

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

Food and Feeding

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

The Flip-and-Rollover

August 9, 2013 in Emma, Milestones | 1 comment

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

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

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

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

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

Ethan first rolled over on July 9 2006, the day of the World Cup Final between France and Italy in Berlin.
Hannah first rolled over on July 17 2009, the day we left San Jose, CA.
Emma first rolled over on August 7 2013, the day we got our new car.

My Three Little Miracles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Layover – Day 2: California Adventure Park

July 31, 2013 in Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | No comments

You didn’t think we’d leave California Adventure Park out of the vacation while we were there, did you? Well, we didn’t!

We had gotten ourselves 3-day park hopper tickets and Day 2 saw us make our way to California Adventure Park. The queues to get in were unbelievably long and following Murphy’s Law, our line was the slowest-moving of the lot! We also arrived somewhat later than the first day, though….haha.

Our first stop was at the newest section of the park: Cars Land. I had been to California Adventure Park twice before, but this is the first time I stepped foot in Cars Land!

Modeled after the hit movie Cars, this was Radiator Springs in the flesh!! How awesome is that!?

Can you just tell that the kids were getting so impatient to get moving into Cars Land?

Ethan and Hannah had wanted to get on the Radiator Springs Racers ride where they would ride in cars around a race track, like what you see in the movie Cars. Unfortunately, the Fast Pass for this ever-so-popular ride was all taken up for the day, and the wait time was like 2 hours! So Ethan was contented with just a picture (for now).

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The Hottest Planet

July 30, 2013 in Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | No comments

The kids were playing their own version of Cash Cab in the car one day. They actually do this a lot, and it’s amazing to see how much they have learnt! Also, it’s awesome to see Ethan imparting his knowledge to his sister this way.

Ethan: Okay Hannah. Here’s the question, listen carefully, alright? What’s the hottest planet in our solar system?
Hannah: Errr….
Ethan: Okay… A: Mercury; B: Venus; and C: Earth
Hannah: Ummm….. B: Venus!
Ethan: What about you, Mommy?
Mommy: A: Mercury!
Ethan: The correct answer is…. (pauses for effect) …………. VENUS!
Hannah: Yay!!!!
Mommy: Hey, no way! Are you sure, Ethan? Mercury is the closest planet to the sun!
Ethan: Yes Mommy, but Venus is the hottest!
Mommy: And where did you read that from?
Ethan: From my Encyclopedia of Knowledge! I’ll show you when we get home, Mommy! Venus is the hottest planet because it has a layer of carbon dioxide gas that traps the heat in!

And indeed, my little boy is right.

Refer to this article for more detailed information.

And I’m the happiest Mommy in the world to be proven wrong. 🙂

The Layover – Day 1: Disneyland!

July 22, 2013 in Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | 1 comment

When I mentioned that we were heading back to Malaysia from Massachusetts, I just *might* have left out one eenie-weenie detail about our trip. 😀

You see, our first flight was a 5-hour-or-so one from Boston to Los Angeles, and we decided to give the kids a treat by taking them to Disneyland for a few days while we were there.

Believe you me, it was a decision Pete and I had been discussing back and forth several months before. We weighed the pros and cons, taking into consideration the transportation aspect, as well as the commute and accommodation. Finally we relented, and decided that this short holiday at the Happiest Place on Earth would truly be a memorable one for the kids. It would be worth every hassle and every obstacle we might face.

After a one-hour shuttle ride from LAX to Anaheim, we checked into our hotel at about 10p.m. that night, had a really quick dinner/supper and called it a night. Everyone was tired but excited about the following day.

Hannah woke up super early and whispered eagerly, “Today we are going to DISNEYLAND!”

She flashed me the widest, biggest smile EVER. It was the most rewarding thing. And it wasn’t even 6a.m. yet!

Here are some of our pictures taken at Mickey Mouse Land…. 🙂

We had a room on the 7th floor in Fairfield Inn, Anaheim. It was quite a high floor and a great location. We could see the nightly fireworks from Disneyland from our room if we’d wanted to (we saw a bit of it the night we arrived), and the walkway on our hotel floor’s balcony overlooked this:

Ain’t that festive?

We had booked a room at this hotel because it was one of those that was just walking distance from the entrance of Disneyland. It took us about 15 minutes just to get to the park, and we loved the location and convenience!

Plus…we managed to get a complimentary upgrade to a Disney-themed room! They had rooms with Disney Princesses themes, Cars themes, Toy Story themes, you get the idea….What we got was the Mickey Mouse themed room! Complete with Mickey Mouse wall decals, and Mickey Mouse framed pictures, down to Mickey Mouse bed runners, it really helped set the mood!

For our first day at Disneyland, we all wore Disneyland-themed shirts, even baby Emma. All of us, in fact, had Mickey-themed shirts except Daddy. We couldn’t find anything Mickey in his size, so he wore a Goofy shirt instead!

Compulsory shots when visiting Disneyland:

We had fun on all the rides! The waiting in line wasn’t too much fun though, but somehow the waiting time wasn’t too bad. Most of the time, we managed to get on after about 20 minutes or so of waiting time. I could only ride with the kids when Emma was fast asleep.

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Moving Continents – We Did It!

July 18, 2013 in Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Milestones, Parenting, Vacation | 1 comment

What can we say? It’s a near impossible task but we did it! It’s not easy though, but we persevered and overcame all obstacles, and we’re now back in Penang, having traveled across the globe with two kids and one baby.

We had a total of three flights to take: Boston to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Hong Kong and then Hong Kong to Penang. The shippers had arrived in our apartment in Marlborough, MA the day before we were to leave and took almost everything away. I had forgotten to leave a couple of bed linens for our last night too, so that night we slept on our mattress with just our blanket. Not even with pillows. It was kinda okay because I guess we were all tired out anyway.

The next day, we almost missed our flight. All the last-minute packing and rushing resulted in us reaching the airport in less than an hour before the plane was set to depart. Thankfully, in true Amazing Race style, we managed to get priority check-ins and got on the plane in the nick of time.

On this domestic flight, Emma had a seat to herself. We carried her in the infant carrier and I strapped her in rear-facing using the lap seat belt. She seemed happy throughout the 5 hour plus flight and slept most of the time. Had to change her and clean her up a couple of times too, and let me just say that the restroom on this flight is not exactly spacious! As for the seating arrangements, there were three seats on either side of the plane and so Hannah, Emma and I sat together, with Pete and Ethan across the aisle.

On the international LA to HK flight, Emma had to be placed in a bassinet, so Hannah and I occupied 2 of the 3 middle seats, with Emma in a bassinet, and Pete and Ethan were seated diagonally across the aisle behind us. The kids missed their inflight supper that night too because when we boarded, it was already way past midnight.

We arrived in Hong Kong before 6a.m. in the morning, and had many hours to relax and chill because our next flight to Penang was at 3:00p.m. Look at how red and rosy Emma’s cheeks were when we were in HK:

We spent our time in the Cathay Pacific lounge , taking our showers and having breakfast and lunch there. The kids slept through most of the flight from HK to Penang, and after a quick dinner at the airport, we left for home in two taxicabs!

After that it was cleaning up the house and getting it ready to be lived in. It was really an adventure and one that we will not forget for a long time.

Emma at 4 Months

July 17, 2013 in Emma, Milestones | No comments

Scrap Credits
Love Encounter Sketches Cover QP of Oscraps from Kitty Designs

Emma turned 4 months just a few days ago. Before we left the States, we took her to her pediatrician to have her early 4-month well child checkup. So the weight and height measurements below are taken at about 2 weeks before she actually hit 4 months.

Weight

13.12 lbs (5.95 kilos): 42.77 percentile

Height/Length

25 in (63.5 cm): 88.09 percentile (She’s a tall baby!)