A S.t.a.r. girls

Back at home

2012-01-30T20:15:00.001+08:00

Aircond is drying, so we need a humidifier. The old one was broken (but DH had fixed it!). We were looking for it yesterday in OU. Not cheap...RM200+ even for non branded ones.

Croup

2012-01-29T17:22:00.001+08:00

Sofea had an awful barking cough. Started a little bit at night, but sounded awful by 2am. Off to the hospital she goes.

Urticaria rashes appeared on day 3, thus doc thinks it is allergy related. I'm cracking my head thinking what can she be allergic to....tapioca pearls/ bubbles? She had plenty of chocs the day before. Let's see what the allergy test reveals.

BF diet

2012-01-25T13:50:00.001+08:00

I am snacking more, drinking plenty of fluids. I have not started herbal milkmaid tea, fenugreek capsule or other pills. Will keep that for emergency situation.

I also find drinking longan, red date soup/ drink helpful. Another mom said Gong Cha drinks helped...so I bought the pearls.

EBM storage and tracking

2012-01-25T13:33:00.001+08:00

I found this notepad in the kitchen. It showed dwindling supply towards the end...with last 3 (expired) EBM stashed in the freezer.

Never really counted maximum bottles I have, as long as it is enough. Max 40 feeds, minimum ?9 bottles.

Plastic storage was expensive back then in 2008-2009. We had bottles (most were gifts) and we bought more. It was easier to handle by keeping in bottles. They'd just have to thaw a bottle for each feed. Never really seen handling of EBM in plastic.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2012-01-24T22:49:00.001+08:00

I remember vividly a very lame entry last CNY. Was a hectic year...and blogging mojo wasn't there.

This year holds new challenges, but I am very happy with the family I have and the choices I make.

Here's the preschooler's art for CNY this year.

6.5kg

2012-01-21T08:55:00.001+08:00

...that is AS2 weight at 2.5 months. Pretty much like the elder sis. They were both 5kg+ at 1 month old.

We went for their jabs- the 6 in 1, and second dose of oral Rotarix for AS2. Chicken pox 1st dose for AS1. She just had her MMR last month.

Baby discovered her right hand 2 weeks ago- another self soother in the house.

School has started

2012-01-16T20:57:00.001+08:00

Which means packed snacks and lunches. Snacks so far are cereal, biscuit/cookie or pastries. Lunch if she finishes late.

Sizzlers @ 10 Semantan

2012-01-09T17:48:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Groupon, we discovered a nice eating place. The coupon was RM39 for RM69 worth of western combo. It's for 3 adults, but 2 adults and a toddler could also finish it.

The foot long sausage was interesting for toddler. There were beef, lamb chop, chicken chop and grilled chicken. Oh they served soup and salad prior to that.

I guess if you get tired from shopping at Empire or Emperor (across the road), you can always pop by. There is also a Mexican restaurant- looks interesting.

There was a time when toddler was still a fussy (-ier) eater, the pasta dishes would have satisfied her. They were out of mille crepe that day *sob sob*. Lunch was a good 1.5 hours- not bad when dining out with a toddler and a baby! First dining out with baby!! A milestone achieved!!!

.....

2012-01-06T09:44:00.001+08:00

Means different things to different people.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T23:59:00.001+08:00

Welcoming a new year with fireworks, and sleeping in. 4th year of ushering new year with Sofea, with addition of baby Sarah this year.

May this year be a better one, ameen. Same thing was said for Hijrah new year too (that's with doa akhir and awal tahun posted before).

End of confinement

2011-12-31T08:45:00.001+08:00

I've diligently finished the confinement set: internal and most of the external stuff. The pantang ritual of massage/ tungku started earlier at week 2, as compared to previous post C-section pantang. The Pfannenstiel incision took 3 weeks to heal externally, whereas the episiotomy wound took 2 weeks to heal all throughout.

It is now 7 weeks post delivery- day 44 was last Thursday (yippee!). End of pantang ritual...penutup pantang they say. The previous 'mak bidan'(s) did massage and womb massage a.k.a. sengkak. I usually go to Nona Roguy spa after that. This confinement- for which I used their home service, I went for 3 days of spa (plus it is a good reason to go out/ drive post confinement). It is specifically for massage/ tuam/ tangas.

Confinement practice varies from each person. I chose to have more massage/ tungku as I really want to regain my pre pregnancy state. I see faster healing because of this and mostly because it is natural delivery, not a c-section.

Don't forget pap smear during gynae checkup at 6 weeks!

Spare parts

2011-12-24T19:25:00.001+08:00

... of my breastpump. Need to get another set of breastshield, connector and valve. The Medela Pump In Style Advanced is still working well.

5

2011-12-20T00:35:00.001+08:00

Pumping

2011-12-16T20:47:00.001+08:00

Pumped in the first week when I was engorged- but just to relieve engorgement. Didn't want an oversupply and suffer further engorgement or OALD.

Restarted pumping recently, next to impossible if she is nursing continuously. She is 5 weeks+, hopefully her feeds are established soon enough for me to build up stock.

Cooking again

2011-12-16T00:22:00.001+08:00

Apart from the confinement dishes that I managed to prepare, I am slowly starting to cook. Cooking pajeri in first trimester totally put me off cooking ever since.

Cooked pasta bolognese (for toddler and I) and importantly the pungent, spicy sambal tumis. 5 months time- I'd be weaning Sarah to solid *gasp*. That was the origin of this blog- cooking for the baby, back in 2008.

My "A" girls

2011-12-15T18:58:00.001+08:00

I have my 2 girls...and a boy (al Fatihah to Adam).
Arianna- we call her Sofea.
Arissa- she's been called Sarah since 1st trimester.

We went for Greek names. As long as the name has good meaning to it- does not represent a bad meaning in languages we know, we are happy.

Confinement food

2011-12-12T23:04:00.001+08:00

I'd eat sensibly with balanced carbohydrate, protein and lots of veggie. I got bored of fruits lately but I'm taking more veggie.

Apart from obvious things (that I normally avoid anyway), I eat most things. Things I avoid are cold stuff, seafood except for fish. I take more ginger. And if I get bloated (angin, kembung)- I'd go back to my pantang rituals.

What's with Gong Cha? I (we: tweetmomma/ WA momma) wonder if it is a galactogogue. Another cup of longan/red date cuppa tonight.

Pantang rituals

2011-12-12T00:13:00.001+08:00

It's Nona Roguy all the way.
I used the confinement set (3rd time around), and had the home service too.

A day before delivery

2011-12-06T17:51:00.000+08:00

We were out doing groceries on Monday (Sunday was Aidiladha). We tried The Daily Grind... (thanks Liz @Snuggbaby for the suggestion). That was the last main meal I had prior to admission! I had the lamb stew for late lunch. On D-Day, I couldn't stomach breakfast. I was rostered to CT scan, all work and walking... forget about breakfast when at work (a note for all dedicated, hardworking docs).

By the time I got into the car going to the gynae clinic- I ate few choc chip cookies. When I left the clinic, with no clear time for scheduled C-section, I really couldn't stomach a meal, and I knew I should be fasting. I just finished the rest of choc chip cookies (courtesy of @nadhirah of @1tspoflove) for fast energy.

Next meal was hospital dinner at 6pm.... thank God for fast and furious labour.

Ate the mash potatoes, veggie, papaya and red date soup I think. Curry chicken was blergh.

Painkiller

2011-12-01T20:03:00.001+08:00

So during intrapartum, I survived on entonox gas. Too late for pethidine or epidural.
I had panadeine (paracetamol+codeine) in the ward and upon discharge.
I took diclofenac sodium (ok this is self prescribed) rather than mefenemic acid on the days that the throbbing pain was really bad, or I had to go for hospital visit i.e. lots of walking.

2 weeks later- I'm alright, no more painkillers. Epi has healed.

8th of November

2011-11-30T10:09:00.001+08:00

I was still rostered to work that week. Was busy walking in and out of the CT room that morning. I was particularly tired despite having a 3 day weekend (Aidiladha was on Sunday).

By 11am, I have excused myself and headed to see the gynae.
By 12pm, after an ultrasound, VE of 2cm and a swab later- it is decided that it's time.

*Oh, I was allowed a short trial of labour.
Baby's size didn't change much since week 35. Battling pneumonia, work probably contributed to it. She's a smallish, cephalic baby.
VBAC it is.*

1.30pm: ARM @ 3-4cm
4.10pm: contraction stronger, wanted epidural. Nurse said I was 5cm
4.20pm: cancelled epidural, I was 8cm
4.50pm or thereabouts: Dr. Patrick arrived and stage 2 began
5.02pm: Sarah was born.

*No pethidine, no epidural.
Entonox made me high and floated up to the sky.
Yes, I drove to work, drove to clinic, and drove myself to the hospital. But valet parking la since I had my bag and baby bag.*

Fast and furious labour.

Happy Birthday

2011-11-22T17:02:00.000+08:00

Born at 5.02pm.

2 weeks ago

2011-11-22T16:43:00.002+08:00

It was my sister's birthday.... and I was still working. Rostered in CT scan- but was doing the running around too (Tuesdays are short as it's class day for first years). But I actually excused myself before lunch. Guess why?!

Pneumonia

2011-11-15T06:46:00.001+08:00

Call it what you want, call it lower respiratory tract infection... The fact remained that she was really sick, spiking temperatures after her dose of diclofenac supp (did not attempt syrup paracetamol, nor syrup ibuprofen).

I was sick initially- I thought it was the freezing aircond in CT reporting area. Took the first MC of the semester. Sofea got sick after that and we brought her to Dr. Eric.

After 2 antibiotics, 2 MDI, Singulair granules- she recovered in early November - alhamdulillah. We went to see the pediatrician every 2-3 days, daily/ twice daily nebuliser (including weeknight neb in emergency department.

Looking back- would it be faster recovery if she was admitted? Being in 3rd trimester, immunocompromised (being a pregnant, asthmatic mom as well as recently recovered)- I think we did what we think was best. It was a struggle to administer meds- but that'd be the same in hospital, and I dread what she'd do to the IV cannula.

Shopping

2011-10-15T13:25:00.001+08:00

Don't need to do much shopping- but it was still 400+ worth of damage. Nursing bra, nursing wear are not cheap but essential. Towel, blankets, wash cloth, daily wear for the baby. It's well worn, so baby deserves new stuff. Managed to get Baby Gap pajamas for this growing toddler too.

Cough and asthma

2011-10-12T21:01:00.001+08:00

Whenever she has prolonged cough, and reliever inhaler- MDI Salbutamol does not provide relief, it is usually time for steroids or long acting drugs. We are on the first week of MDI Alvesco- one of the newer steroids.

For me, warm honey drink lessens my cough. Oh and get this, kicap+limau!! One of the Jawa tips my friend told me earlier.

Going green

2011-10-09T17:18:00.001+08:00

Been awhile since I shopped for CDs and CPs. Not a big fan- err never a fan of pocket diapers. But I did get 2. Will blog about it once I get another 2.

I bought Grovia (used to be Grobaby) shells as I have plenty of soakers. I had quite a few sets of it when it was first launched.

I couldn't resist and bought 2 newborn Grovia AIO. That isn't very wise but I just had to see the cuteness of a tiny newborn diaper.

Decided I won't do prefolds and cover. Prefold doesn't seem to be easily available, and it is expensive IMO. Unless I google tutorials on converting lampin to prefolds? And I'm not keen on buying plenty of S sizes cover.

Potatoes galore

2011-09-18T04:44:00.001+08:00

Went for my 2 weekly check up, and we had lunch at Wendy's. A decent fast food joint- but it is cooked to order. There are new chippers in Wendy's...tastes so much better than the fake McD fries.

She loves the cheesy mushroom sauce- however the mushroom phase is over. As usual her burger would have extra cheese, extra mushroom sauce (that's RM2 extra). The fun bit was eating the cheesy bits- leaving the patties behind LOL.

And I had the fish (cod) burger with baked potato. Tried the new fries with chives/sour cream. I was happy with my carbs today.

Back to health

2011-09-18T04:31:00.001+08:00

Rashes disappeared in just 4 days/ day 7 illness. So how did we know?
We shared flaming seafood platter at Manhattan Fish Market, IPC on Malaysia Day September 16th.

I guess she wasn't fully healed, but she ate the salty (to my taste) seafood. Not the charred prawns- those were mine. Never mind the fact she downs it down with gulps of icy cold water.

HFMD day 6

2011-09-15T21:57:00.001+08:00

She requested to go the hospital on day 3 illness. I had to go to work, but she knows I work at the hospital. Smart girl! Full blood count was pointing more towards viral infection. True enough, mouth ulcers appeared that days and rashes the very next day.

I went back to work today since I was oncall last evening. Yesterday she did say she was hungry but refuses to eat. Today she said she's hungry and helped herself to some cheesecake. That's my girl!!

Rashes and ulcers

2011-09-14T10:22:00.001+08:00

Still struggling to give Oral Aid. But no fever >24 hours. Fever subsided but rashes came out. Yesterday she was well hydrated, judging from her pee consistency and frequency. Not eating much but I know her appetite is there. Such a pity that the ulcers are hindering her from eating.
Usual dialogue:
"Ow shaket... Tongue shaket"
"I don't want ubat. Mommy give me ubat"... While throwing a tantrum.
"Pain! I cannot eat. Tongue shaket"

1 ulcer on the tongue- getting better. 5-6 ulcer at the roof of her mouth/ throat. It's so heartbreaking.

HFMD for real

2011-09-13T17:49:00.001+08:00

I think she had that few months back. She really had itchy palms and soles. No mouth ulcer that time. Yesterday, at day 3 illness we saw mouth ulcers!! Pity the toddler. Blood was normal- must be a viral thing.

Cupcakes

2011-09-11T05:54:00.001+08:00

Our love affair with cuppies started/ rekindled this year. Beginning of the year, I won a box of cuppies from Oven Gigs. Then I got to know Nadhirah (1 Teaspoon of Love/ Baby Cakes on FB). The icing doesn't stain your hands- so it is not overly-artificially-colored. Sofea fell in love with the delicately, beautifully done toppers ie the figurines on top of the cuppies.

Chinese style stir fry

2011-09-10T10:53:00.001+08:00

So far this is among the cooking style she likes. Garlic, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce. No need for extra salt.

family

2011-09-01T08:22:00.001+08:00

Dad's side of the family... All in Klang Valley now. But we'd always get together in Oak Long's house on the first day of Eid.

To remember those who have graced our lives

2011-08-31T09:40:00.000+08:00

Alfatihah to my late son, grandparents (last being my paternal grandma just last year).
My late bestie Zorzini Roslan whom I've know since I was 12 till 32... we may have moved along our own paths, but we've shared plenty along the way. May I have give you strength as you have always been there for me. I have not made a blog tribute to you, but your life is always cherished.

Salam Lebaran

2011-08-29T20:04:00.005+08:00

Thanks to Datin Millie- love her wonderful creation.

SALAM AIDILFITRI

MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN

baking cookies

2011-08-29T06:45:00.000+08:00

In the spirit of Raya, let's talk about cookies. That's daddy's girl who just learned baking last month. At first we used Betty Crocker premix. A tad too sweet.

The tweetmoms talked about butter cookies that's as good as Kjeldsen, so we gave it a try. Well, I can tell you that it doesn't turn out as shaped cookies. Will have to ask my mom for the tried and tested recipes. I baked when I was younger, cannot recall if it was more of a chore rather than fun LOL.

kuey teow Lau Wan

2011-08-27T06:17:00.000+08:00

This is in PJ. Been going there past few years. Imagine to our horror when we couldn't find him in Restoran Jaya. We almost went home, but circled the area again in SS5. I then spotted the stall's sign, in this new restaurant... it used to be a mamak joint.

This was the second / third time DD ate a stall-like place. They had chicken porridge, she ate that yay! We of course had the char kuey teow, sotong kangkung, kerang rebus. His CKT triumphs over Doli's. But I'm talking about Doli branch in Taman Tun. I haven't been to the original place in Taiping.

bun in the oven

2011-08-26T06:02:00.000+08:00

sushi with wasabi

chawan mushi

lime juice

tomyam

mille crepe

rainbow cake

akok

nasi kerabu

tortilla chips with salsa

That was me... at 23 weeks. I'm currently 26 weeks, crucial time.... till 3rd trimester is over.

Muhibbah Seafood Restaurant

2011-07-18T23:42:00.000+08:00

This used to be Taman Tun Dr Ismail, but they moved to Laman @Penchala earlier this year. This was the second time we brought DD here. A success! Guess what she liked? Lala. We order S/M, and she can finish it. Unfortunately the vegetables dishes aren't to her liking.

We (read: I) always order: lala, a veggie dish, beef/ chicken dish, sotong/ beancurd dish. 4 dishes with 3 rice and 3 drinks would set us back RM50-70. Okay la. Which reminds me, to introduce her to prawn and fish dishes.

the day she tried crab

2011-07-17T23:35:00.001+08:00

This is still our fave place, Sakae Sushi. I don't get a heart attack when DD takes plates after plates from the conveyor belt. Edamame is still a hit. Mochi, well now she learns to share it with the parents, honestly... I can only take one of it.

She took my pink plate, that inari has soft shell crab. I don't think she fancies crabs, but it was tempura- she'd probably thought it was like pisang goreng or something. Oh well, good try my girl.

Big Plate

2011-07-16T23:15:00.001+08:00

We had one of those homey weekend... went to Fella warehouse sale in Bukit Subang to buy curtain fabrics. It's easier to reach there via GCE, rather than through Subang (DH's idea). But of course being the navigator, I'd go through Kota Damansara/ Jln Sg Buloh Way.

And as memory served me right, the Big Plate restaurant was just around the corner. It has lost its former glory, but it's clean. Food wise, not too bad. They still serve the soup in the bun. I know now everywhere is doing that, but I'd have to give credit to Big Plate for introducing it >10 years ago (I seriously can't remember when we first went there). We had 2 meals, which came with the main platter (DH had combo lamb-chicken-sausage, while I had the steak) and soup. DD was concentrating on orange and watermelon juice, it was just too hot and humid that afternoon. Still a puteri lilin.

July birthdays

2011-07-15T23:12:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthdays to Harith, Athirah and Uzair! As always- awesome party. Was just to sickly to take pics. But I saw familiar faces (though some tak sempat say hi). Importantly saw her mom, and finally met @darfia. I think we managed to borak with Syauqi more than Munirah hehe. Busy woman. Awesome carnival!

2nd language

2011-06-25T09:34:00.000+08:00

We approached language carefully. It was thought that she'll be confused with us using BM, cakap utara and English at home. So I chose English as my teaching aids are in English, iPad apps are English anyway.

But she has picked up BM too. She mainly speaks English for now, her school's medium is in English. She has few cute BM phrases:

dah (b)alik
cuyak (koyak)
tejut (terkejut)

I can safely say she's picking up the language now. Watching Dora and Diego- but so far has not picked up Spanish. Ni Hao, Kai-lan has Mandarin in it. Let's see if that challenges her language centre.

nay to Fullhouse

2011-06-13T15:21:00.001+08:00

We haven't been back to the Jalan Yap Kwan Seng's outlet since it closed for renovation. We went there last month, I had the lamb shank. Not bad- it's edible. DH shared a pasta dish with DD... nothing spectacular, I didn't have a pic on camera or phone. It was pretty noisy as they had a ?party/ wedding reception. It was a noisy Fullhouse. Food-wise, it certainly wasn't the same as before. Don't think we'll be back there anytime soon, unfortunately.

HFMD

2011-06-12T15:09:00.000+08:00

The only pics I have of her rashes, but the vesicular rashes are not that clear in the iPhone pics huh? Did not manage to get the pic of the rashes on her palms.

I'm all better!

HFMD

2011-06-11T10:26:00.000+08:00

Ok cerita basi. This wasn't even this week, it was last week. I worked only on the last day of May (only because that the last oncall for the semester). The 4 days were spent at home with the quarantined girl.

This time around... since she's more of a chatterbox, I have to tell her why she has biji-biji itchy. Wikipedia-ed on iPad.... toddlers these days.

She'd rather use calamine lotion, or any cream rather than take oral meds... what else is new? She didn't have fever, she may had very mild fever during the night. But nothing requiring meds. I became her official scratcher- and she only had one dose of cetirizine 5mls spiked into her drink. All in all, it's quite a mild self-limiting disease.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-09T07:44:00.001+08:00

Had lunch at Homst, TTDI on Saturday. Then we walked over to Munawwarah. Bought 2 cakes at Cake Sense. Toddler is happy with big makan. Lala wasn't fresh- disappointing her, sadly. I still think Muhibbah is better ;p

Aged 3-4

2011-04-01T03:07:00.000+08:00

I haven't updated Sofea's milestone in a while. It gets boring because they are at their own pace. While social/emotional and physical milestones are always achieved on time or earlier, speech is never at par. She is still 'pelat'. She has word, but still speaks softly. Needs coaxing to speak louder.

She's reading phoetically. She surprised me earlier this year by reading 3 letters word. Apparently she can read longer words too. I have not started her on books like Ladybird. I'm not being very conventional. Reading is made fun and creative for her. She's only 3! Ok, 3 years 4 months, but I really should consider her 4.

(from Babycenter.com)

Cognitive development

Talking milestone

What to expect your preschooler to achieve by the end of the fourth year:

Uses sentences of six or more words
Speaks well enough for strangers to understand
Starts to use "s" on verbs to show present tense ("he runs")

Social and emotional development

Separation and independence milestone

What to expect your preschooler to achieve by the end of the fourth year:

Develops friendships independent of you — at preschool, for instance
Plays with other children, instead of just side by side

Physical development

Self-care milestone

What to expect your preschooler to achieve by the end of the fourth year:

Uses a spoon and fork like an adult
Masters toilet training
Brushes teeth (he will still need your help and supervision)

Toilet training milestone

What to expect your preschooler to achieve by the end of the fourth year:

Uses an adult toilet
Stays dry most nights
Boys switch from sitting to standing

chicken porridge ala McD

2011-03-18T10:03:00.000+08:00

My first attempt after getting tips from @ikirana on Twitter.

shallots
garlic
ginger
white pepper
black pepper
(omitted jintans)

Second attempt:
I used minced chicken instead because it is easier to hide the protein.

packed lunch/ tea time

2011-03-17T10:03:00.000+08:00

She has her lunch, and has her bath, nap, more work/play before she goes home. At around 4pm, the teacher will serve her what I packed.

It's always pasta, all variety: white/ tomato sauce, with chicken/ meat/ meatball. I'm trying to get her to eat rice with 'lauk' i.e. protein dish and veggie dish. I think it is slowly catching on with her.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2011-02-03T06:38:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai y'all.

Can't seem to blog more these days. Pretty awful huh?

Daddy, I want to go to London and play snowman

2011-01-23T12:20:00.000+08:00

Image thanks to Google

unblogged eateries

2011-01-23T11:57:00.001+08:00

Going through the photos on the phone,I realized that I didn't blog about:
- Darabif
- Teapot Cafe
- Tram Car
- Secret Recipe
- Wondermilk Cafe
- Sate Hj. Samuri
- Cake Sense

And she can say: "tak sedap". Boo to Secret Recipe's spaghetti bolognese.

4-word-sentence

2011-01-20T07:51:00.000+08:00

We are doing loads of puzzles now, more on iPad than the physical ones. She does a lot of these in school, but I get annoyed (well DD too) when the physical puzzle pieces goes missing at home.

There's a particular one that she likes, something like the pic above- only on iPad. And she volunteered this:

"I like the frog".

That's among the best, clearest pronunciation ever. Our efforts are paying off!

speech progress past 1 year

2011-01-07T18:46:00.000+08:00

The initial part of her life, struggling with breastfeeding and EBF. Then it was battle of the food. Past 1.5 years- it's her speech. And of late, potty training. But let's just recap what has happened past 1 year in terms of speech.

Dec/Jan: regular paedi referred to developmental paedi.
Jan: started Montessori.
May: progress was slow, paedi recommended speech therapy.
June: started speech therapy.
November: accidentally missed her follow up :p

First half of 2010, I was probably spending 1-2 hours on speech. We would read, do flashcards. She had just started school, and I still struggled with food. I was also teaching her on table manners, dressing herself, and how to be overt and defend herself.

Second half of 2010, we moved from physical flashcard, to iPad flashcards LOL. All these while, iPhone was handled by Mr. Daddy. iPad- I was more involved coz we're sharing it. We started speech therapy (which didn't work out because of the time factor). But going to speech therapy, u really have a different perspective to language.

Some of the points (and I harp upon):

Stick to proper language. Cakap utara was confusing her.
Speak c.l.e.a.r.l.y.
Speak s.l.o.w.l.y.
Make sure she mingles with kids her age.
Even though you understand her body language/signs, insist that she voice out her needs.
Be supportive, importantly don't doubt her.

She'll go uh uh uh, and pointing at something- and she gets the stuff. NOT GOOD. She starts babbling, and you say: 'tak faham la what you're saying'. TOTAL NO NO.

Second half of 2010 was a trying time. We had an overseas holiday, few local holidays, 3 hospital admissions in the household, 2 major exams. It disrupted the family dynamics, but I made sure she has more coaching compared to my own studying needs. Putting my daughter above everything else proved to be very rewarding.

Picture taken during dad's cousin's grandchild's akikah. I think she was already thinking how hard her life is, kesian kan? Nah exaggerating, she wanted to jump into the pool.

potty training journey

2011-01-04T01:07:00.000+08:00

I haven't updated this blog... I'm still busy PT, she has her off days, especially if it's an outing day with Mr. Daddy. Taking advice from mom-of-2-boys, I don't really push her if she wants diaper instead of panties.

Today is the first day of school, after a short break. She came back from school, diaper-less. Changed, and refuses diaper. Went to pee twice with Grampa, once with Mommy. And then she asked to poo. Yay to pooping in toilet!

Went to pee once with Mr. Daddy, just before putting on diaper for bed. We're getting there!!

Oh, for those who remembered my potty training entry long long ago... we did PT her to poop in her potty even before she was 1 year old. Then she felt it's for babies, and decided she only wanted adult toilet... and without those toilet seat for toddler! It was difficult, as it involved an adult lifting her to the toilet and holding her. So, she was pooping in diaper. It was failure on our side.

She got stickers as reward for pooping today. Which reminds me, gotta stock up on rewards.

tea time bento

2010-12-24T21:40:00.000+08:00

I have been preparing her tea time bento. I have packed almost daily, but never managed to take photos. I admit that blog entries are few and within. Before I blame Twitter (as most mom bloggers do), I blame it on the camera phone. Nokia N97 was a joy to use, and I quite love the camera (minus the awful flash). iPhone 3GS pics aren't quite the same.

The most successful bento: spaghetti bolognese. My efforts for Jap-style bento has not succeeded. In fact rice has failed. Pasta is better?

That seems simple enough :p - seeing she was into Spongebob. Must google more on bento... but maybe I should just give up forcing rice onto the toddler. After all, she eats rice with us- good enough.

conversation at 2am

2010-12-23T02:32:00.000+08:00

Daughter woke up looking for Daddy...
"Daddy, Daddy. Water."

Mommy runs frantically from the next room...
"Daddy's at work. Nanti Daddy balik. Is it ok?"

Daughter took sips of water:
"Ok."

Mommy asks:
"Do you want mommy to sleep with you?"

Daughter says:
"No. No need."

And she's back to sleep... while I sync iPad for tomorrow's presentation.

midst of potty training

2010-12-19T08:22:00.000+08:00

Being me... I got tired of browsing the online stores, and decided RM70 was just too much for a training pants. So I went off to Mothercare and bought a pack of training undies (3 in a pack). And added another pack. RM63 for 3 undies, not too bad (10% off during the recent sale).

I don't know if she had any accidents in school, but she hasn't had an accident at home. She had a major accident on Tok Ita, she was too engrossed playing with iPad and the abangs at that point. Not too bad. Her birthday weekend, she was totally dry. We put on diapers, but she insisted on going to the toilet everytime she wants to pee. Taking off the regular Mamipoko isn't too easy, wished we had stock up on dispo pants. I'm not ready for accidents outside.

And occasionally she refuses her undies, past 2 weekends and some weekdays she'll just cry and asked for diaper. But I noticed that it's always when she's tired. Don't know about how right are we, but we didn't push it. We just put on her diaper, but she remains dry during weekdays.

We're doing this at her own pace. She wants Daddy to start potty training her, and she's totally comfortable to be potty trained in our neighbour's house (that's another story all together).

Maal Hijrah

2010-12-06T06:15:00.000+08:00

to be read thrice during Asar, before Maghrib.

to be read thrice after Maghrib.

A bit pressed for time these days, with thesis and studying and gadgets (not in tuned yet for this current year of study). Will see you guys next year!

beginning potty training

2010-11-22T09:41:00.004+08:00

Snap EZE Eco- 2T

Imse Vimse- medium

I got Monril few months ago, but it's so thin that it's almost like not wearing a training pants. I got it from Tiny Tapir.

This is available at Tiny Tapir too. But Lil Danzell has blergh colours left. That polka dot one is no longer stocked in Lil Danzell. I forgot what other online CD stores... time to google and find pretty training pants.

speech therapy

2010-11-21T07:55:00.001+08:00

http://www.shine.my/

I think I first mentioned about speech therapy back in July. Signs have been there, but when 2 year-old speech milestone was again not achieved, which at the same time hampering my efforts to potty train, we were referred to a developmental paediatrician.

I was given a list of speech therapist/ centre. Most operate only during office hours, and charge for first consultation... hmm kind of a rip off because I only wanted to check out the place and see if the aura is okay with my baby. PPUKM (we are still fond of by the name of HUKM) would be a good place too, as recommended by my fellow paediatrics lecturer... but I'm sorry, I hate the waiting time, I hate to queue, I hate driving so far. Plus DH has medical benefits :p. So I googled and found Shine from a humble blogger mom.

I only brought Sofea here, and since she took to the speech therapist almost immediately, I made further appointments with her. I trusted my instincts :)

first consultation can be done on alternate Saturdays
they did not charge for the firstconsultation
therapies during office hours (9-5)
they allowed me to replace therapy session that I missed
it costs RM120 per session. Therapy is once a week
you can reschedule if unforeseen circumstances arises (provided you call in earlier)

We started, and we stopped :( When we started, I had my FIL to bring her, and I meet them there. Then he went to UK, and got admitted to IJN, and then recuperating (no driving), after which- again readmitted. And I had no more leave to spare (putting aside for my exams). Felt like a bad mom *crying softly*.

People may not appreciate the speech therapy... true Sofea doesn't seem to talk much during therapy despite much coaxing, guidance, prompts (feel free to add more adjectives here). She's just like a sponge, she learns... and she practises with mommy dearest at home. I think she has some confidence issues. I realise that now.

she speaks softly, almost to a whisper
she knows her ABC, but it tooks her 6 months later to repeat it at school
only when she has fully memorised a song, that she'll scream it out loud
she refuse to speak much with daddy, but babbles with mommy lots
if you ask her to repeat what she 'pelat'ly said... she cries in exasperation

Ok, my oncall period is almost over. I think I should get back to sleep and enjoy my weekend. Will blog more later.

iPhone

2010-11-13T10:08:00.000+08:00

I'm such a dweeb :p

Cepat la iPad OS update so that I can make those folders.

fun:
3 fingers, tap twice on screen

Thanks Sofea, you made mommy google that.

iPad vs. netbook

2010-11-08T05:55:00.000+08:00

I'm no gadget freak, but I'd buy something that's practical. These pics are actually from my FB from last year and this year.

That Dell netbook is almost 2 years old now, had it for as long as I've been blogging. Took it during our cuti-cuti Malaysia, when I went for entrance exam/interview, brought it along to study for exam. And that netbook in Starbucks, well that was actually in Pantai when I was waiting for my appointment with the doctors. That was my birthday gift when I joined 3 series club :D

And iPad.. gotta thank @Wieraz who came back from US for summer holidays. I got the 32Gb with wifi. Mid range iPad, because the initial target was for the lil one, it wasn't for me. Still plenty of space despite apps bouncing off the screen, waiting for OS upgrade so I can put things into folders- just like the iPhone.

Keyboard - qwerty is good on Dell, the on screen keyboard takes no time to get used to

Screen - sharp touchscreen on iP

Speed - unfair coz that Intel Atom ws 2 years ago, compared to the powerful A4 chip

Apps - more kiddies apps on iP

Textbooks/lecture notes - no difference, although I quite like iPad a tad better

Connectivity, battery life - almost the same. That bit, ask our personal networking guy :p

I keep it simple, I make do with whichever gadget I bring along. Eg: Blogger doesn't run well on iPad, can't run flash. On the other hand, holding a netbook with the hinge is kinda scary with a toddler around.

That's my two cents' worth- from a mommy's point of view.

Al Diafah, Seri Petaling

2010-11-04T13:51:00.000+08:00

Wow, this was last year's entry... I think we only went once, or twice after that. Look at her, still a baby!

In the mood of my birthday lunch tomorrow, DH has given me a link to Al Diafah's review hehehe.

Restaurant Al Diafah
No. 45, Jalan Radin Anum, Seri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 9059 6237, 03 9053 6239

hospitals in November

2010-11-02T22:40:00.000+08:00

I was born here.

My daughter was born here.

And she was here when I was taking my exam in HUKM.

Life is full of irony.

Good thing is: H1N1 screening came back negative.

Poor baby had a nasal swab *snort snort*

iPad

2010-11-02T19:48:00.001+08:00

Haha ok we don't do that, but iPad is really versatile and I can just prop it up with anything, eg with small pillow when I'm reading in bed.

For those who have been using iPhone and have kids conquering the phone, would appreciate the bigger screen on iPad. Ok, I admit it, we're one of those geeks who have plenty of free and purchased apps for the toddler. Of course there are some skeptics, but it's not that she's using iPhone for long period, nor is she hooked on it. That's not the first thing she looks for in the morning, nor does she get withdrawal symptoms not playing with it. (Non believers should stop reading, NOW).

I think it is good when she does her anagram, spelling, colouring on iPad coz it has a bigger screen. I have to admit it's easier to read my textbook on the iPad rather than on the iPhone. I love that I can put my PDF textbooks on iBook and DH purchased iSilo too. Grainger (2 volumes, 5 inches thick) and Dahnert (1.5 inches thick) are 2 essential textbooks for my upcoming professional exam (insha Allah)... and it's too easy to have it in electronic form rather than lugging it around *yay*.

A typical situation would be: mom uses iPad, daughter uses iPhone, but mom has to take a call, passes the iPad to her. And mom gets to capture a beautiful, geeky moment in her toddler's life:

Postman Pat

2010-10-30T21:07:00.000+08:00

Postman Pat

Postman Pat and his black and white cat,

Early in the morning, just as day is dawning, he picks up all his post bags in his van.

Postman Pat

Postman Pat and his black and white cat,

All the birds are singing as the day is just begining,

Pat feels he's a really happy man.

Everybody knows his bright red van,

All his friends will smile as he waves to greet them, maybe,

You will never be sure, they'll be knock (knock knock)

ring, (ring)

Letters through your door! he he he!

Postman Pat

Postman Pat and his black and white cat,

All the birds are singing, as the day is just beginning,

Pat feels he's a really happy man.

(slowly) Pat feels he's a really happy man.

Ironic, Mr. Daddy watched it as a kid (probably a hit on BBC just like Teletubbies hehe), and now little missy is watching it too. Same old Pat, same old British truck.

sira pisang

2010-10-28T14:46:00.000+08:00

I love google (yet again). So I had googled up pisang abu and gula kabung before going to the market. So what good came out of it?

Sira Pisang

Banana is good for you. Although in radiation physics- banana contributes some amount of radioactivity due to the potassium, it definitely is a good type of radiation. You do get radiation from cosmic, terrestrial, and of course from medical imaging.

Gandarusa

2010-10-27T17:49:00.000+08:00

Interesting name, haven't heard it before. But of course by googling... wujud rupanya images daun gandarusa ni. Don't you just love google?

Galaxy Tab vs iPad

2010-10-24T13:00:00.000+08:00

Since this browser was left on my desktop, thought I should share the beautiful picture too :p I don't fancy the android phone, the on screen keyboard was more crappy than the already-crappy-for-fat fingers iPhone keyboard. I love the iPad, although I realised I haven't blogged anything about it. It's fun and the number of iPads are still growing in my workplace LOL.

Al Fatihah to my late grandma

2010-10-22T11:59:00.002+08:00

Picture from my aunt's blog. Just stumbled upon her entry.

Hajah Zainah binti Zubir, passed away on the 15th October 2010, on a beautiful Friday.

Thank you what you've done, thank you for giving birth to Bapak, for keeping the family together.

Insha Allah we'll meet again in Jannah.

curry mee

2010-10-22T05:23:00.000+08:00

My camera doesn't do justice to the bright red, oily gravy. Load of tauhu, brinjal, long beans, chicken and kerang served up with the mee. Yummy! I still can't finish the huge portion. TQ Mr. Daddy for tapau-ing for me.

acute tonsilitis

2010-10-13T10:35:00.000+08:00

Ok this is a googled image of Unasyn syrup. If any of my doc friends are asking..... NO I haven't moved to Pfizer, or any drug company for that matter. My kid just have to take the original drugs, not the generic ones.

She was back at school last week, however on Monday she came back with runny nose. Spiked temperature throughout the night, scared shite outta the grandparents (as I went to work yesterday). We search high and low for our paediatrician, thank God he works (only one night a week) at Taman Desa Medical Centre (apart from our usual haunt Pantai Bangsar, and even his clinic in Sri Petaling).

Syrup Nurofen (ibuprofen)
Syrup Panadol (paracetamol)

... didn't work of course. Most were spitted out. I guess the next step once she's better ....

The 2010 flu vaccination has incorporated H1N1 strain inside too. And these vaccinations have different viral strains, made every 6 months tailor-made to the pattern of current viral strain. Means you have to take it every few months... not the kind of vaccination where you take only once a lifetime. I have a feeling I've been missing out on it coz Prof was chasing us to get it :-pp

allergic to cats

2010-09-29T06:07:00.001+08:00

My poor daughter has an allergy: to cats. Her cough is not responding to just MDI Salbutamol 'Ventolin. She's on steroids for the time being *sob sob*.

And now she has superimposed bacterial infection, thus 2nd time ever on antibiotics. Azithromycin is a daily dose. That's already a huge struggle. Suppository Diclofenac 'Voltaren' works, as usual other oral meds don't work (due to spit ups most likely).

Pachelbel - Canon In D Major. Best version.

2010-09-19T09:14:00.000+08:00

new chefs

2010-08-31T19:08:00.000+08:00

Let's see if I can name what we had during one of the iftar:

stirfry kailan, mushroom with egg, sambal tomato, sambal belacan, sambal telur puyuh (param Subang Jaya), stirfry mixed vege, ayam sambal, udang masak lemak, lakse (regular makcik in our area).

No pics of us *censored la dalam rumah*. But just take a look at Mr. Daddy's plate!

Spaghetti Carbonara:

Qiqi made this... the 3 kiddies ate at 6pm+, it was really yummy.

param @ pasar Ramadhan

2010-08-31T06:22:00.001+08:00

Now this term, I only came across this year by twitter mommas. Param as I know, was an actor who passed away last year. Even on 1st Ramadhan, it has made the news. And again few days later for causing unearthly jam in my neighborhood with people blocking my way (hello, jangan la berhenti di petak kuning lepas run the yellow light).

Guiltily I did went once 10th day into fasting month as I wanted to get some murtabak for DH.
Verdict: bawang basi *I told you so!*

Traffic seems better as they promised in The Star statement. Balai polis bergerak was there, and they seem to adhere to the site allocation. Only that now the pavements are really oily and smelly during daytime. Hope they'll do something for the pavement after this. Such a shame.

(not) cooking during Ramadhan

2010-08-30T18:21:00.000+08:00

I've only managed to come up with:

*mee bandung Muor
*stir fried sawi bunga kuning
*sambal tumis petai with ikan bilis
*seafood carbonara

Not param food either. Weekends we're at my mom's (that's an original Mom's Place, I tell u hehe). Weekdays are catered food from local mosque.

I'm kinda stuck as the lilttle toddler is into bread with butter/ vegetable spread and cereal. Now there aren't many things to do with it since she likes it plain. She likes eating powdered milk (I suspect Mr. Daddy ate Milo powder when he was her age). She wants fried chicken and pizza once a week or fortnight.

Please, no repetition of white rice- unless it's at Wan's house.

speech delay

2010-08-14T10:40:00.002+08:00

Taken from babycenter.com

Age:	Warning Signs:	Check Here
18 to 24 months	at 18 months, isn't saying at least six to ten words by 18 to 20 months, isn't pointing out things of interest, such as a bird or airplane overhead by 20 months, isn't making at least six consonant sounds at 21 months, doesn't respond to simple directions by 21 months, doesn't pretend with her dolls or herself (brushing her hair, feeding her doll, etc.) at 24 months, can't join two words together at 24 months, doesn't know the function of common household objects — toothbrush, telephone, fork, etc. by 24 months, doesn't imitate actions or words of others at 2 years, doesn't point to body parts when asked

Each kid develops differently, and milestone are just to gauge a child's own development. I remember how taxing it was to memorise it for Paeds rotation/ exam :p

But there are warning sign which paediatrician would look out for. At 18 months, she has few words, but she wasn't picking up words that much. At that point, she was a full time stay at home toddler (FTSAHT). We stopped the weekly Kizsport Little Walker classes because of H1N1 epidemic at that time (not to mention I'm getting exposed to H1N1+ve cases all the time at work *sigh*).

The next follow up with her paedi, which was at 2 years old... we went through her development and realised that she's still not picking up words, let alone stringing 2 words. Expressive language development was delayed, but receptive language development is at par. She took 2 step commands well e.g. "take the ball, bring to mommy". We were then referred to a developmental paediatrician.

I am 7 years old

2010-08-11T19:17:00.000+08:00

7 years ago... on this very day... I was a newborn. I am now a 7 year old kid...hopefully with many more years to come. From HUKM, to HTAR Klang, served the Gombak district with various portfolio... before finally I sold my soul and entered masters. I hope in 2013, I can reminisce via this blog... as a specialist. Ameen.

babywearing a toddler

2010-08-10T21:04:00.001+08:00

I can shop, I can eat, I can have foot reflexology... thanks to babywearing :)

bunny rice

2010-08-05T18:20:00.000+08:00

She still hasn't learned the Malaysian way of eating 'lauk' ie eating with loads of gravy. She has eaten curry gravy, but it was used as a dip. So it was tuna mayo on bunny rice, with blanched broccoli. That fishball probably was used as a ball and rolled off the table.

udon malas

2010-07-26T10:07:00.004+08:00

I cooked udon with chicken and peanut soup yesterday. Dug up photos of my previous recipe with udon.

udon hailam
udon with spinach and chicken
udon salad
udon malas (i.e. udon with egg and broccoli)

The Daddy has gotten bored with spaghetti/angel hair pasta. Mihun gets soggy. So udon is a nice tasting, stringy, fun carbohydrate alternative. Slurp up people.

soup in a bun

2010-07-25T10:01:00.000+08:00

I'm trying to make creamy soup from scratch. Of course there are times when I just reach for Campbell tinned soup, or Maggi/ Knorr powdered instant soup.

I loved this pre-ordered bun from Kimi Bakery. It's just the nice size for a soup bowl. Before I could snap the pic, one side has been attacked thus the soup spilling out from the bun bowl already.

sick people menu

2010-07-24T10:41:00.000+08:00

As Arianna has started preschool (it's not kindie, it's not nursery or daycare... so it's pre-kindie or playschool?), she has had more cough&cold and fever episodes in this past 6 months compared to the whole 2 years of life when she was at home.

The breakfast I prepared for her included:

rice (she didn't like porridge before)
chicken soup
baked beans
3/4 boiled egg (ended up in my tummy)
hard boiled egg
yogurt

Now I have another sick patient recuperating at home. So the menu extend to all the household.

Day 1

B: oatmeal/ Milo/ biscuit

L: mihun sup

L: steamed cod with broccoli/ rice porridge

D: steamed cod/ blanched spinach/ rice

Day 2

B: capati/ chicken fillet with salad/ Milo

L: udon soup
D: stir fry chiken with spinach, broccoli/ rice

Now back to the hospital. Make doa for us, ameen.

Alphard vs Odyssey vs Wish?

2010-07-24T09:48:00.001+08:00

Alphard is the tallest at 74". Odyssey is the longest at 200". Wish is the most compact at 63"/180".

Another action-packed weekend, starting with IJN visit this morning. I wonder when I can finally stop googling and really test drive the cars, including the fugly car. I agree with Adzimi when he commented:

I'd go for alphard for long term use. It may look ugly, but the huge space really helps. Bagaikan kindy yg bergerak. And its a powerful car too. Waiting for the day when my Alphard will finally arrive. Amin.

July 22, 2010 5:03 PM

MPV

2010-07-14T20:30:00.001+08:00

Mazda 8

Toyota Alphard

Honda Odyssey

Now, which of it is the best to for 4 adults, 1 toddler?

love your heart

2010-07-14T19:27:00.000+08:00

Love your heart.

Eat moderately.

Regular exercise.

Yearly check up.

Keep a healthy weight.

Bisky Bosky

2010-07-10T17:45:00.004+08:00

The name was weird I thought, but I loved the pantiliners. I was too lazy to choose, so I just ordered the classic line. It's owner, Qaty is off for awhile while she's in confinement. I am definitely gonna order more :p It was comparable to the US-made ones (mind is blank at the moment).

safety blanket

2010-07-09T05:26:00.000+08:00

Arianna has outgrown her blue blankie :-) We've been slowly cutting it to be smaller, the last being a handkerchief size. Now, she doesn't need it when we go out. We do bring a blanket-sized one if she needs to sleep in the car.

trying out tuna

2010-07-08T21:15:00.000+08:00

This was the lazy version. I just put the tuna mayo separately. Not so pretty rice balls, as I was too lazy to open the bento storage box :p Told you it was the lazy version.

The New Me! Giveaway by TheHoneyBunch

2010-07-08T14:50:00.000+08:00

http://thehoneybunch.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-you-giveaway-by-thehoneybunch.html

This blog has seen through my worst days. I started blogging in 2008, when my head could just explode trying to remember things I'm doing for my child. Come 2009, I decided to spice up my boring day job, by:

Working and back to being on-call

Studying and taking exams

while,juggling with

FAMILY

Having worked a regular 8-5 job (with occasional extended hours clinic which means working till 10pm), it was a huge change as I had to start work earlier than 8am, and often leave after 5pm. All these means less hours at home. Of course the days that I'm on-call, the weekends that I'm on-call or have group discussion: all meant that less time was spent with my family. Blog was neglected too.

We were having a serious presentation but smiled for the camera anyway.

Exam was hell. Us: being transported to HUSM.

This year, the shock came. In between studying, exams, working, Arianna has not been at par with her speech. The warning sign came at 2 years old. With referral from our regular paediatrician, we went to another developmental paediatrician.

This year also saw Arianna starting montessori and speech therapy. She's been in school past few months and we're into the second month of speech therapy. I haven't blogged anything on those, but I should. Only that time is never there.

Simplicity is the key to get her to concentrate on the one-to-one therapy.

Concentrating on her work at school.

So I guess the juggling act continues. It's even harder for me now. Exams are looming, but hours spent with her has shown results. I've got to sacrifice my own studies as I believe early education is most vital for my child.

You know how people think kryptonite has special powers for Superman? Do you think molybdenum/technetium nuclear stuff will make me a: SUPERMOM?? Hehe I refuse to give up, and will continue to be a supermom. Wish me luck for my exams (and exams and exams and exams till I finish my masters and become a specialist)

SPONSORS AND YUMMY PRIZES:

Triple Colour Life
Loving Minerals

Nabila House
Khazis Boutique
The Green Pocket
Zara Shoppe
HoneyB

Blog Makeover by Jiji of TripleColourLife worth RM250
RM120 worth of Makeup Voucher from Loving Minerals.com
10 bottles of Perfume For All + 10 Vouchers by Nabila.com
Green Pocket Laundry Ball worth RM 189 from The Green Pocket.biz
3 Shopping Vouchers worth RM 45 each from Khazis Boutique
5 Shawls from ZaraShoppe
4 sets of Quilling Accessories & Jewelleries from HoneyB Quilling Creations
Beauty items & Ladies Accessories by Hanz

kueyteow sup

2010-07-07T20:15:00.000+08:00

Excuse the horrible, oily pic taken using N97. But it really was kueyteow sup- with chicken and chunky egg inside. I think that's about all kueyteow dishes I can think off.

My quest for char kueyteow is not over yet, unfortunately.

Enfagrow A+

2010-07-07T20:10:00.000+08:00

I hope this will end our search for milk. I like having powdered milk, then I wouldn't have to run downstairs to get fresh milk for her. The Fernleaf lasted 2 packets only *sigh*.

kueyteow

2010-06-30T19:38:00.000+08:00

I bought kueyteow with no clue what to cook with it. One evening as I went through my fridge, figured out I had bits and pieces for kueyteow hailam.

Of course I had to present it nicely to my food critique.

Verdict: She enjoyed the texture, and finished most of the kueyteow.

June parties- Harith, Athirah&Uzair

2010-06-27T08:53:00.001+08:00

(Belated entry)

We were invited to Munirah's kiddies party 2 weekends ago. The theme was transportation. Wished I came earlier to snap the early photos, but of course we were just in time for the party, as lil princess had her afternoon nap first. I have no idea how long, and how much printer ink went into the preparation.

A 180 degree action snapshots:

the photographers

the guests

the kiddies

yours truly (thanks to the third Hanim in the party)

the hostess: Munirah, and the curious party-goer.

It was a hot, sunny afternoon, so the water activity is really nice.

Uncle SyauQi setting up another fun activity.

Food was catered for all sorts; including picky eaters :p

I met 2 new bloggers: Hanim & Farah. Hanz, Mye, Lana & Mommy Lyna were also there. Hoped to meet other moms, but of course with a toddler in a big party... that's a challenge.

product recall

2010-06-19T07:17:00.002+08:00

Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs! Approximately 15 millions pounds of SpaghettiOs with Meatballs have been recalled due to possible under-processing. Fortunately, there haven’t been any reports of illness so far. Click hereto find out if the cans in your pantry are part of this recall.