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Little Miracles · Our Blessings from God…
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Valentine’s Day by the Bay

February 17, 2009 in Celebrations, Ethan | 6 comments

Last Saturday (Valentine’s Day), after lunch, we decided to take a drive to Monterey Bay. It was an hour and a half away, and although the weather was yoyoing between rainy drizzly, and sunshiny, we decided to go anyway. Pete had been to Monterey before, but Ethan and I had not.

Ethan, as usual, fell asleep almost immediately while we were driving on the freeway, and only awoke when we arrived at Monterey Bay.  The place was jampacked, and it took us quite some time before we found a parking spot by the side of the road.

 

Ethan, in his just-woken-up state, of course wanted to be carried, and refused to walk on his own.

 

Monterey Bay is a very picturesque place, and the streets were filled with shops bearing familiar names like Ghirardelli, Thomas Kinkade and Nestle Tollhouse, among others.  There were also little stalls serving clam chowder samples in small cups to passers-by. Of course we couldn’t resist trying them! 🙂

 

The view by the sea was simply breathtaking!  Ethan was also fascinated by the telescope but it was way too heavy for him to handle anyway!

We didn’t go into the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but we did walk along the exterior part of it.  It had wooden benches on wooden platforms overlooking the sea.  Our boy had the time of his life, making rhythmic sounds on the wooden platforms with his tapping feet and oohing and aaahing at the waves below.

 

We could tell that Ethan was intrigued by the beach and the waves and the seagulls, and it wasn’t long before he pointed and said, “I wanna go down there!”

Believe it or not, it was Ethan’s first time ever at the beach, looking at the waves coming into shore.  Look at him displaying his excitement!  He laughed out loud every time the waves came in and didn’t seem at all afraid! 🙂

(Note to self:  need to take Ethan to the beach when we get back to Penang!)

 

While we were walking back to our car, we passed by the Ghirardelli chocolate shop, and I noticed every one was eating a piece of chocolate as they walked out of the store.  Curious, we walked in, and the sales person was indeed handing out samples!  We each got a piece of milk chocolate with peanut butter filling chocolate square – Ethan got a piece too!  

Ethan was never much of a sweet tooth, and I thought Ethan would take one bite and pass the rest of the chocolate to me, but I was dead wrong 😛

He bit off piece by piece till he was all done!  Psst….that’s the first time he has had peanut butter… (peanuts are still off limits!)

 

It was definitely an enjoyable time for all of us, for Valentine’s is all about spending it with the people you love…

Credits
Elegant word art (every time you smile) from Bethany
Mag-papier5 from Freebie Janvier  – Partie 5 kit from Scrapmalin

My adorable Valentine

February 13, 2009 in Celebrations, Ethan | 8 comments

 
Scrap Credits
Chocolate Dipped QP from Amy W. Designs 2009
Magnetic Poetry pieces from Digi-Designs by Nicole
Hearts! freebie from Andrea
Elegant word art (love is in the air 5) from Bethany

I received an early Valentine from a special guy today…and it’s not Pete! 😛

Well, to be fair, the Valentine was *for* Pete too! LOL

Today, when I picked Ethan up from daycare, he was very excited about the “heart” he had made, and wanted to hold on to it all the way to the car.  It was the first time he presented us with a Valentine card and he was really happy when I told him how beautiful it was! 🙂

Most importantly, it was a Valentine that was given from the heart…

Our little computer whiz

February 13, 2009 in Entertainment, Ethan, Growing Up | 4 comments

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! 😀

He speaks Hokkien!

February 9, 2009 in Ethan, Funny Moments | 7 comments

 

Scrap Credits
Sweet Shoppe Cookie Decorating Template from Sweet Shoppe Designs
Courage Kit  from Summertime Designs
Freebie Janvier  – Partie 4 kit from Scrapmalin
Cartoonish Alphas from Faith True
Scribble Alpha from Amy Sumrall

Ethan is constantly amazing us with his neverending ability to pick up new words.  And even more so, his smattering of Hokkien, which he speaks with an accent, …. well, sorta. LOL!

Most of the time, we speak to him in English, but we used to throw in a few Hokkien terms before, and while he did not repeat after us then, he says them now, much to our amusement.

One of his most-used Hokkien terms is, undoubtedly, “kakai”.  Sometimes he would wake up in the mornings, sit up in bed and go, “I want to go kakai”…except it’s funnier if you hear him say it.

And oh, of course he’ll ask to go potty when he is ready, but he will also say “I wanna pangsai” or just “pangsai”, while he is sitting on the throne.

He also recently picked up the term “geelee!” when I started tickling him one day, and he also loves to use the word “BULAT!” Well, okay, not exactly a Hokkien term, but I used to cup his face in my hands, rub our noses together and say, “Who’s Mr Bulat?” and he would giggle.  Now, *he* will be the one cupping my face and going, “Bulat!”  Oh, you’d be surprised at how precise his pronunciation of “BULAT” is!

…and it is just so ENDEARING when he does that! 🙂

Ethan is three years old!

February 6, 2009 in Ethan, Milestones | 6 comments

 
Scrap Credits
Vintage Valentine freebie  from Fanette
Cover Stories #4 Alphas from Kellie Mize
Sweet Love Sampler ring from Kristin Aagard Designs
Love Bug elements from Redju Designs

Ethan turned three on January 31st 2009.  Having survived the “terrible twos”, are we allowed to heave a sigh of relief now?

On the contrary…I think not! 😛

Weight

He was weighed in at about 29.3lbs when he visited the doctor last month, and that converts to about 13.3kilos.

Height

36 inches.

Developmental Milestones

  • He is becoming more assertive in his actions, and knows how to take his stand when he wants something.  Surely a sign of independence, but sometimes can lead to tempers too.  He even says, “NO! Don’t do that!” when it suits the situation.
  • Can count from 1-40 now, but strangely he leaves out number 16.  He is learning really fast, and he knows the concept, i.e. I have heard him attempting, “Forty-ONE, Forty-TWO,…”
  • Calls out endearingly to his Daddy, for example, he would say in a singsong way, “Oh Daddy…!”, and sometimes when I pick Ethan up before fetching Pete after work, upon seeing his Daddy, Ethan would smile and go, “Hallo Daddy!” and “Miss you Daddy!”
  • Does not really like to reply in the affirmative YES, but he uses the term “okay” sparingly.  Lately, he has even started to reply “Okay, Mom!” (yes, that’s right, Mom and not Mommy!).  Oh by the way, his favorite word is “NO” 😛
  • Loves to show us what he has built or done, especially with his Lego set.  He’ll go, “Look! Look!” while proudly displaying his masterpiece.
  • Learning to take turns by saying, “My turn!”
  • Has a great sense of humor, and sometimes does things that makes himself laugh out loud.  He especially finds it funny when we accidentally drop things, and say “Oops!”, and he’ll laugh and say, “Funny!”

Food and Feeding

Depending on his mood, he will eat a lot or very little.  There have been times when he will finish 2 whole bowls of rice, and sometimes he would even take the chicken meat.  But sometimes, he would reject rice completely, choosing only to have bread or cheese or muffins or chocolate milk.

Our boy is a chocolate lover!

February 4, 2009 in Ethan, Food & Feeding, Funny Moments, Growing Up | 2 comments

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.

Ethan’s very special day

February 3, 2009 in Celebrations, Ethan | 5 comments

Last Saturday, January 31st 2009, was the 3rd anniversary of us celebrating the wondrous miracle that God had blessed us with three years ago.  I look back and wonder at how fast time had flown past us, and how amazingly Ethan has brought immense joy and happiness to us for the past three years.  And once again, as I have always done so, I say a silent prayer to the Lord, just thanking Him for everything…

Ethan woke up that morning in a most cheerful mood indeed.  Obviously memories of his birthday party the evening  before were still fresh in his mind and he spent his morning playing with his balloons and other toys.  We had a superb lunch at one of our favorite Korean-Chinese restaurants, Tong Soon Garden, and we were pleased to see that Ethan had a HUGE appetite!

After lunch, we took a drive up north to Pier 39 in San Francisco.  The weather was beautiful!  Sunny and warm and just nice for a nice stroll along the pier.

 

In fact, the weather was so amazing that we decided to go along with our plan to take the Bay Cruise on one of the ferry boats.

 

Ethan was overwhelmed with the excitement of getting onto a boat, and he certainly didn’t hide it.

 

The ferry boat ride from Pier 39 was also a first for Pete and me.  It was supposed to last 60 minutes, and included a ride around Alcatraz and also under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Of course, additional bonuses included breathtaking views of San Francisco…and seagulls trying their best to catch up with the moving boat!

 

Although the weather was nice and warm, it was VERY windy out in the open seas, but there was a certain sense of freedom that the wind brought.

 

Here’s one of my favorite photos which Pete candidly took…

 

Most of the time it was tough getting Ethan to pose and smile for a nice picture.  He was just too active and wanted to roam around the boat!

 

Then it was time for one of the highlights of the cruise…cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge.  The view was magnificent for we had never seen the bridge from that angle before.

 

Of course, apart from oohing and aahing at the spectacular sight, Ethan found other ways to entertain himself too…

 

…and he insisted that Pete and I imitate what he did! 🙂

Well, we didn’t go on the cruise that included the Alcatraz tour, but our boat went close enough around the famous island.

 

Ethan definitely enjoyed the entire cruise, and since the sun was out too, he had a chance to try on his new pair of sunnies, our birthday present to him! 🙂

 

Don’t you think he looks way cool? 🙂

After the cruise, we took a leisurely stroll to look at the sealions (Ethan imitated the noise they made to the tee!), and then we walked by the many shops and stalls.  But then suddenly Ethan caught sight of the merry-go-round!

 

He had to be accompanied by an adult because he was below the minimum height requirement, but I am sure he enjoyed himself nonetheless!  No more crying and whining, all we saw were smiles and looks of amazement, as he shouted, “Look!  Panda!”, and “Look! Horse!”

Our day out ended with the much craved-for clam chowder at Boudin.  Ethan ate a LOT of my share, and he was even dancing to the romantic jazzy tunes that were being played in Fisherman’s Wharf.  The birthday boy really had the time of his life, and was even reluctant to leave!

 

It was a special day for Ethan and of course, an equally special day for Daddy and Mommy too!  We love you loads, Ethan boy!

It’s Party Time!

January 31, 2009 in Celebrations, Ethan, Milestones | 16 comments

For Ethan’s 3rd birthday, we decided to have a small do at his daycare on Friday, the day before his birthday.  After all, all his friends are there and we figured he would have so much more fun that way.

I prepared party favor packs for each of the kids at the daycare, and we chose the (what else?) Mickey Mouse theme.

Inside the party bag, there was a toy spring (Ethan goes “BoinggggkKKK!” when he plays with it), a mini spinning top, a kaleidoscope, an activity sheet and a big sticker for the kids.

I also baked Ethan’s favorite “featherberry muffins” for the party, and we ordered two pizzas too!

Of course we also had some balloons!  Ethan had been asking for “banoons” since early January, and I told him he would get some for his birthday.  And these did not disappoint…. 🙂

Driving with a dozen helium-filled balloons and a gigantic Mickey Mouse balloon in the back seat of the car was a scary experience, but it was worth the while.

And oh, we certainly didn’t forget the cake!  Here in the US, (surprisingly) it is so hard to find a bakery which does character cakes on the cake itself that was edible.  But we managed to get an adorable Mickey and Minnie cake for Ethan from Safeway.  Although the figurines aren’t edible, we were sure that Ethan would love it, simply because of Mickey and Minnie!

All the kids were excited when they saw the cake, and in order to prevent the cake from being *destroyed*, we decided to do the cake-cutting first.  When we lit the No. 3 candle on the cake, Ethan looked stunned, perhaps a little awestruck?

He looked all of seriousness, and it was as if he was deep in thought.  He still looked so serious when we sang the Happy Birthday song to him, and didn’t even smile when we asked him to….

Still serious when we blowed the candle out….

Still serious when we cut the cake…

…and still deep in thought when we posed for a picture…

Maybe he was just letting it all sink in…..still figuring out how to react to all this “birthday boy” attention he was getting…

And then…he decided to do something!

We all had a fun time at Ethan’s party (pizza was good!), and I am sure Ethan was thoroughly enjoying himself too!

I know for a fact that he was absolutely delighted with the balloons!

And that infectious laugh and happy face never fails to brighten up our day…. at the end of it all, it just makes it all the more worthwhile when he voluntarily exclaimed, “Thank you Daddy!” and “Thank you Mommy!”

Awwwww……..

The beauty of sleep

January 28, 2009 in Ethan, Growing Up, Sleep | 3 comments

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! 🙂

“Keong Hee Huat Chye!”

January 26, 2009 in Celebrations, Ethan | 8 comments


Scrap Credits
Chinese New Year QP  from Armina Designs
Hearts as One alphas from Snowsmoon’s Designs
Beautiful Rage Floral paper from Scarlet Heels
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Polka dotted arrow from Dúnia
Kit Moka tag from MissVivi

We have been training Ethan to wish “Keong Hee Huat Chye!” since December last year, I think.  We are, after all, Hokkien, so might as well teach him how to say it in Hokkien.  Well, at one point, I *thought* he was attempting to say “Happy New Year”, when I heard him saying, “Happy… you…”, but then when he started adding the clapping, stamping, and shouting “Hooray!” actions, I discovered it was his version of “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands!” 🙂

Anyway, Ethan started by repeating just the “huat chye” portion enthusiastically.  He would usually complete what I say…when I say, “Keong Hee”, he would chime in and say “huat chye!”

Then he started saying the whole phrase, and the way he said it was just too cute!

But just a few weeks ago, when we prompted him to say it, he would smile and say, “No..!”  And no matter what we said or did, he won’t say even the “huat chye” part.

Then this morning, I asked him again, and he said, “huat chye!”  Hehe….

Happy New Year and Keong Hee Huat Chye to everyone!

**Updated at 11:11p.m.: When Daddy and Mommy gave Ethan his angpows this evening, he said “Keong Hee Huat Chye!” 🙂

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