As the year ends ...

Today shall be the last Friday of the year. It has been a really long and eventful year for me. So much has changed and so much has happened. But, for me, the good memories are to be shared, while I wipe out the nasty ones. The positive ones for me (in no particular order) are: 


1) I celebrated one year in my new house. 
2) Dylan was born, safe and healthy.
3) I had a good confinement lady.
4) All my family members are healthy and happy. 
5) I achieved my Hollywood challenge trip for this year.
6) Ryan breezed through his entrance exam for Standard 1 and was accepted. 
7) Ryan completed his kindergarten years.
8) I attended both Megan and Ryan's orientation days, signalling a new phase in both their (and my) life. 
9) My help at home has been good to us.
10) The sales bargains (esp. books) has been awesome this year - we need this from the way the income and expenses has been behaving.
11)  Dylan started teething, sitting, crawling and cruising ... with relatively little pain. 
12) I had 3 months maternity leave, which gave me the opportunity to do the one thing that this year has so far been the best ...
13) I quit employment after 13 years in it! 


I am sure there are plenty more but this is what I have at one sitting. 


Here's to 2012!! 

Dylan sits ... and crawls

Dylan has progressed so much in the last month or so. At 8 months plus he went from crawling to sitting almost over night. And this boy has lots to look forward to especially when his two older siblings are so active. 

Here he is seen under the Christmas tree where he finds it most amusing with the lights, colour and the many ornaments that he can pluck off the tree. His hands are really strong and he is able to prop himself up and is really very steady indeed!  

Dylan has a very different way to sit - he is usually one sided ... I really love this pose. Apart from giving me so much pleasure to see him sit, he is also relatively safe ... cause he will not fall behind or by the side when he sits! 

After kid number 3, I still never fail to be amazed by the way they develop and learn. They really demonstrate a strong will to persist and learn - I hope to be able to preserve this in them for as long as I can. 

Till another development then ... 

My baby leaves school

It was just like yesterday when I sent Ryan to school for the very first time. I still remember all the guilt I had when I sent him at 3 years old. He was still a baby then, still nursing and still with diapers. 


After 4 years there, today, we have to move on and close this chapter of his life as we embark on the next phase. 


As always, I will pick him up on the first and last day of the year, today I did that too. In the car, I explained to the best I can for him to understand that the journey has been long and was filled with joy, laughter, tears and sometimes frustration. But I said that this part is now closed and we will move on to another school with good things to come. 


I am not sure if he understands it fully, but he expressed some sadness as he said he wants to always remain where he is ... he loves the play concept very much! 


Tomorrow marks a new journey for me as I will undergo orientation for Megan ... and I am sure it will be an eventful journey for all of us. 

Ryan participates and wins!

In this last week, Ryan has taken part in 2 quiz sessions and he won! Ok ok, some may say it is no big deal, but I am his mother, and I think it is a very big deal!

So last Tuesday, after we finished his music class, we hung around till about 7pm where the centre had a pretty Japanese girl come to perform and sell the features of their electone and piano. After some playing, she announced that there will be some questions and if the kids answered them correctly, they will get a small keyboard like pouch.

When she played that Korean song "Nobody Nobody But You", Ryan's hand shot up and answered the title of the song. He got a red pouch. Then he said "I want one for my sister". So when the next quiz came on the instruments that was played on the electone, his hand shot up again and he answered "Piano". This time he got a block pouch. He happily declared that he was going to get another one for Dylan.

Unfortunately, on his third attempt, the lady said that they have to give other kids a chance ... so Ryan's hopes were dashed. No matter, I still praised him for a good effort put in. The pouches were later filled with sweets from the centre and presented to the sister - both were delighted!

Yesterday, we participated in another one. It was the cast of Aladdin at MPH Mid Valley. They came to introduce themselves and later tell a story. After that the kids were asked questions.

The first question was answered wrongly and Ryan felt his ego hurt when kids laughed at him. Early start to teaching him it is ok to be wrong and laughed at so long as learn and move on.

The second one was answered quickly when asked who did Aladdin love, or something like that...I was too excited to remember the exact thing. For getting that right (and the effort put in), he won 2 tickets to watch Aladdin the musical at Sunway Lagoon. But hor, they are very clever, give you 2 tickets ... you still need to buy extra ones if you want to go as a family. Which makes me think now ... should I buy 2 more or should I just make do with 2 tickets? Meaning I will just bring Ryan to the musical since he won it ... Hmmm ...

But coming back, Ryan gave good tries to both and I am really proud that he did not need me to poke him into participating. He did that all by himself. Looking forward to the next ones ...

111111

Isn't that a special date? I am out as I am posting this, gonna buy chocolate ice cream to celebrate with my brood later. Have a good night ahead!

Gymboree, here I come again!

Today I decided to enroll Megan into Gymboree, after more than 10 months of deliberation. Yes, you can call me a terrible mum ...

When Ryan was 2 years old, we made a choice to enroll him because he was the only child then and he did not really have any exposure to other children. He was all alone, to my eyes and I figured then he needed to know that there are other little children in his world. So, that decision was easy.

This time round, with Megan, it was different. The reason for sending Ryan did not exist with Megan. She grew up with Ryan fussing and fighting with her, so she is very aware of other children. She also made friends with the kids in the park, so much for other children.

However, I was afraid that she may not really understand or share similar things with Ryan. Gymboree was really fun. If we did not send her, she would not know who is Gymbo the clown, she will not be enjoying some of the CDs we have bought for Ryan to jump and sing and spin. She won't also enjoy life under the big tent ...

So, today, the decision was made. We will send her for 12 short weeks and then she will be off to school. Hope she will enjoy herself and learn from the whole affair.

Morning before 7am

Dylan woke up with a leaked diaper and fever. Vomited when I fed him medicine, so we all got to change. Then I fed Megan ... And she says "thank you so much mummy". All worth it, all before 7am too!

I am lost without my kids

So today, my older 2 decided that they wanted to spend time with their grandma and off they went back to PD. Hmm ... 


While I think it is healthy to have them going off once in a while to be with their grandparents, I cannot help but feel a little lost without them, like part of me is missing. 


It is now 7pm, usually it will be the time they get back from the park, all sweaty and dirty and screaming for food ... but now, it is all quiet.


And so I feel terrible ... cause I have nobody to cook for!! The father said he is eating out tonight since he is gonna be late ... looks like I am going to be eating simple sandwich today. 


Such is life ... when you have kids, you live so much for them that when they are away even for a few days, you feel lost. So in preparation for the days when they finally leave the nest, looks like I am gonna have to make lots of friends and indulge in many hobbies. 


Argh!! Can't wait for Saturday to come! 

Singing princess

Megan is a very happy girl. She sings a lot and she dances a lot and she is not afraid to show it off.

And she seems to take on music and pitch singing well too, courtesy of Ryan's influence.

And sometimes she will burst out into a tune and sing some lyrics I cannot understand. When we ask her what song is that, she says - My Song!

And I am amazed that she can twirl around and not get dizzy too!

I am amazed by her everyday, my little princess.

Dylan got teeth!!

... weel, at least he is growing some.

Yesterday while playing I stuck my finger into his mouth - something sharp is in there!!

No wonder he was all upset and cranky these few days. Poor boy probably felt it coming but could not understand it at all!

Hopefully it passes quickly so that he is not so uncomfortable for him.

My little baby - moving quickly now into another phase of life - whip out the toothbrush now!

Clucking at 6.5 months

My little baby has quickly moved into a new phase - 6 months!

We had a little celebration on the day he turned 6 months - we gave him steamed pumpkin - yucks! So the next day, I gave him some organic cereals - loved it!

Dylan kept opening his mouth like a little bird and kept following the spoon! It was a proud moment in his life.

In the last few days, Dylan started clucking ... like a baby hen! And he was mighty proud of himself too! Clucking clucking all the way!!

Here's to the next milestone!

Morning Talk

So my kid says "mummy, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor so I can take care of you when you are sick".

Melted my heart in the middle of rush hour. Have a good day folks!

Flipping and babbling

That is my baby, precious Dylan. There has been many developments with him, although it is not so frequently updated by his lazy mum.


Since the first month, his neck was already very strong, really strong. He started to turn his head when he was barely a week old! So, when we put him on his tummy facing right, the next thing you know, he is already facing left! His older siblings did this when they were a month old! 


Here he is seen at 5.5 months old, sitting in my car, waiting to be carried out to the babysitter. My mum said, chicks would have grown to be a full term chicken now and ready to be eaten! We humans seem to take a long while. 


Dylan started to kick himself over when he was about 4 months. He also started teething about the same time. The teeth are no where out, but the flipping is happening. 


In the last 2 weeks, he also started to babble more clearly, really. And it is almost like he is talking to you, cause he will look deeply into your eyes and smiles at you. 


I am so looking forward to 6 months, time to get the plates out and a dip in the pool! 

Infactuated with Pink

I used to say that if I have a daughter, I will not put pink on her simply because I do not want the typical pink associated girl in her.

Sigh, wishful thinking that is.

When Megan was born, it started with little pink laces, then it became pink socks, then it became pink tops, then pink flowers ... and before I know it, she was all covered in pink.

And it is true, girls do look better in pink.

And now that she knows her colours, she will insist on things being in pink. And she is very insistent about it.

And while I do not mind it so much now, I do hope she grows out of it. Cos now it looks like she is in uniform - pink top, pink bottom, pink socks ... I have a pink panther at home ...

Conversation which made me laughed

So last night I was making banana cake and the family gathered around the oven to see "Mummy's banana cake" cause it was te first time I made it.

And when Ryan was poking his daddy too much, the following conversation took place...

Daddy: You do that again and I will put your hand into the oven ah. Burn it ah.
Ryan: You want me to die ah? So you got only one son ah?
Daddy: No la, burn already will grow back one.
Ryan: What?! You think I am a starfish ah? Hand can grow back ah? You see? I got 1, 2, 3, 4 (referring to his limbs) - you think I am a special kind of starfish ah?

It was too funny to continue cos we all burst out laughing.

Kids, you just never know what they know and what they will say.

When night falls ...

It gets very quiet and still. Sometimes it feels almost unreal, for just in the past hour or so, the house was filled with laughter and cries, screams and yells, hugs and kisses. 


Oh yes, the house with 3 kids in it certainly is a lively one. Which is why when they finally hit the sack, I feel the sudden peace very relaxing, very soothing and usually will put me to sleep too. 


And sometimes, at this hour, as I sit to read or plot charts, and I feel the air being too still, and I look forward to the kids making noise again. 


And before long, the sun will be up, and the activities will resume, and then I will look forward to the night again.


Such is the circle of life. 

Beaten and Broken

Ever wondered how life sometimes present us with too much than you can bear? Too much that you feel beaten and broken.

Tech and us today

Technology today has such a tremendous influence on our lives, it is absolutely amazing.

I have friends whose kids are below 5 and they already have an ipod for their favourite songs and ipad for their kiddie books. While I am happy that songs and books are part of the package, I still believe that it is too much, too soon. Whatever happen to flipping (and occasionally tearing) pages of books and CDs blasting for all in the family to sing along?

My kids are still relatively less exposed to all the fast moving tech. The most is Ryan having our iphones for limited time to play some (monitored) games and the TV. Internet is allowed for playhousedisney.com, and it is also monitored with limited time. He has learned that once the time is up, there is no further discussion on it.

Megan is sometimes on the iphone, but usually she will throw it away when it is not responding to the way she wants it. Her big tech thing is the TV which plays Barnie and Elmo for her.

I remember when I had to apply for jobs fresh out of university, I had to type and print and then buy stamps and envelopes to send it. Now, it is on the website. For example, peoplesearch.com and other sites where you can go check out what they want and how to apply for it.

I remember too when I was small, having a pen pall was a big thing and I used to write to a friend in the UK and would wait weeks for a reply. Now, finding old friends is so easy through Facebook. No more waiting for weeks and no more limitation of space.

Ah yes, the wonders of tech. I think it is very much like fire - when tech is your servant, it is really wonderful, but when tech becomes the master, we are doomed.

Have you ever wondered ...

Some little girls used to grow up wondering when they will meet their Prince Charming and get whisked off to a happily ever after life in an awesome castle somewhere. But I don't think I grew up with this dream, I basically grew up wondering where I can find the next boy to whack and how I was going to be No. 1 in class.

Fast forward to some 10 years plus ago when I decided that my then boyfriend was the one I will spend my life with. And now, we have 3 kids.

And I have to admit, it is not always a bed of roses. Of course the good outweigh the bad times, but still sometimes I find myself wondering if it was all worth fighting for.

And sometimes, when I am up in the quiet of the night nursing, I wonder, if it was meant to be ...

Threatened!!

So, we were talking over a late tea on Friday.

SL said that she has resorted to remove blogs which are inactive from her blog roll. And then she said to me "Your is about to be removed, so long never update".

So here I am, well past midnight, putting up a post so that SL will not remove me from her blog roll. Have mercy! I have kids to run after!!

Have a good week everyone!

Introducing Dylan

It has been exactly a month since we had a new addition to the family.

Baby Dylan was born 3.705kg with healthy Apgar scores of 9 & 10. He is really a good eater and is very loud too! He is very similar to how Ryan was as a baby except that he drinks much longer and much more! Impatience is the only vice at the moment.

His older brother thinks he is cute and cannot resist giving him a peck each time he sees Dylan. Megan will always ask "Baby leh?" Dylan responds to Megan each time he hears her talk or cry. He will look out for her until she tries to pry his eyes or poke his face. He will cry when it gets too much.

Although he is our third, we are still learning to be better parents and a better family. Time really flies as I still remember the day I found out about him and it was just like it was yesterday.

Treasure time, live life. Happy one month old Dylan.

I am so sad

Yesterday we were in the car heading towards KLCC for a late lunch from my MIL's place and the kids were a little cranky and tired.

While Ryan entertained himself on his dad's phone, the little girl said this ... "I am so sad ...".

Ok, I know some mothers will be frowning and worried, but I literally burst out laughing! Imagine a 2 year old feeling sad ... and we did not even scold her nor did anything drastic to her that will warrant her saying this.

But anyway, I discovered later that she was actually feeling tired and so, her "sadness". She napped for a while till we got to KLCC.

The things kids say will make any sitcom pale in comparison, haha.

Best ideas for raising kids ...

I was going through some notes on success principles and came across the following:

According to Zig Ziglar, the best idea for raising kids is to "Love them unconditionally. Begin and end each day properly."

Isn't that well said? I must remember to end the day right with them. Too often we get so caught up with ourselves that we lose sight of what is important to us, too often we get so caught up with petty things that we lose sight of those little ones which holds us dear. Too often .. 

And as Joseph Campbell says ... "To the whole world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the whole world." 

Please God, help me have the strength to be the kind of mum my kids deserve and the kind you want me to be - kind, loving and patient. 

My backdated post ...

If you ask anybody, they will tell you that I am a really really laid back mum.

I was cleaning up my hotmail's inbox and noticed that I had a post in there which I wrote but never got to put it on the blog!! It was on Megan's Week 15 milestone and so, I finally put it up here, almost 2 years later. Sigh, I am a terrible mum.

And as I look back to more photos etc, I think there will be more backdated posts to come.

Meanwhile, I will blog about current events while backdating at the same time.

Have a good day!

I lost track of time

...which is the only reason I can think of for not putting something here for so long.

Well, that is about to change. I will start updating for the next 3 weeks ... since I am stuck at home and all.

Till tomorrow then ...

Ryan's first day in school

I still remember Ryan's first day in school. It was 3 years ago. I had felt very guilty then, having to send him to school at such young age. However, I am glad I did it cause he really benefited from it.

Today, it will be his first day of his last year in pre-school. It has been a great journey for him, and us. Last night, I wrapped his communications book and I am really touched by how far he has come and the many developments that has taken place.

This time next year, my baby will be in Standard One, oh, how time flies. I am so so proud of him, although there are challenging times which I am sure is normal.

Today, as in the past 3 years, I will be off from work and will be sending and picking him up - a tradition I hope my kids will treasure for many years to come.

I thank God each day for the chance he has given us to help in moulding this child. May He blesses him with many more happy and healthy times as he journeys through life.

Have a great day Ryan!

A brand new start

2010 came and went past us all. Usually I hear people say how fast it has been, talking about where it went etc. Some years back, I have decided to take a different approach to it - I choose to think that it flew us by because we were healthy - Thank God.

There were many many incidents and occasions which happened in this year but the main things I am thankful for are:

1) My kids are healthy.
2) I am still married.
3) My parents and brother are healthy.
4) I chose a new path and am currently thankful I did it.
5) God gave us another chance to be better parents.
6) The share market has been progressing well.

As I reflect the year, I am looking forward to the following in 2011:

1) My kids being happy and healthy.
2) I continue to be married.
3) My parents and brother are healthy.
4) My chosen path becomes full bloom.
5) My newborn is happy to have come to us.
6) The share market continues to perform for us.

Hmm, seems to me there are only those few things I am concerned with. So long as the earth continues to spin, the air is breathable and the sun rises in the east each morning, I am happy to embrace each day, with its many challenges.

How about you?