Greedy Evan

You're still on your milk strike. Or to be more specific EBM (expressed breast milk) strike. Instead, you prefer the fresh milk that we take.. probably because it's cold. Or so we thought. Ah Ma gave you cold EBM which you instantly rejected the moment you caught a whiff of it. Even though it was in a cup. And she tried giving you cold formula milk too.. After enticing you with fresh milk first.. but she said you took ONE sip and immediately rejected it.

BUT the moment mummy is home, you immediately indicate that you need to be fed. Any effort to redirect your attention was in vain. You will remember that you wanted your nen-nen and will insist and start fussing if mummy tries to stall any longer.

I guess that is a way of your self weaning from breast milk? Maybe... But the weaning from the breast part seems like a more difficult task. Nevermind.. we'll take one thing at a time.

We have been feeding you food that we eat in hope that it would be easier when we travel in 2 week's time. So far, we will give you rice mixed with some of our dinner dishes. But to be on the safe side, kakak still cooks moi moi for you. You seem to be OK with the rice.. But perhaps it's too dry or just too much effort to eat that you will sometimes spit the food out. And since you sit next to daddy during dinner time, he's the one who's got to prepare your food and feed you as he eats dinner.

But you seem to be better with our food now days. In fact being able to recognise foods that you have eaten before. We were watching the Food Chain which is hosted by the Singaporean actress Tan Kheng Hua yesterday when there was a segment on "kaya roti". You got so excited and kept pointing to the TV telling mummy and daddy that there was toast on TV!! Hahaha.. Ah Ma says that you're such a clever boy now days, being able to finish one whole slice of toast for breakfast or tea-time. And when the program finished, you kept showing the hand signal "no more" and saying "boh".

So guess what you had for breakfast today?

Yikes... Sausage Lips

What happened? Perhaps you forgot that we had the 3 steps from the dining room to the living room. Perhaps you were too happy to be back in our house and playing with your toys.. No one knows the reason, but on Monday, you decided to forget about the steps.

Ah Ma said that she's just taken her eyes off you for a while to look at the new Japan Visa forms and the next thing she knew, you'd pushed your little jeep off the 3 steps and so you landed on the living room floor. It was already 5pm by then. Yikes.. what followed? Lots of crying lo.

Poor Ah Ma was shocked. After she'd managed to calm you, she called daddy who then tried to call mummy, and he headed to the carpark to get the car. Mummy's reaction when he called was a loud "WHAT?!" that everyone sitting nearby heard the panic in my voice. That was a scary moment.

By the time we arrived home, you were already calm, with Barney playing on TV but still manja as Ah Ma was carrying you. You didn't give us your customary toothy grin when you saw us. Instead we were greeted by you with your 2 swollen lips and Ah Ma's bloody shirt. I guess when she carried you with your bleeding gums, it dirtied her shirt.

Thankfully, you could still latch and eat your dinner. By night, you were back to normal albeit having sausage lips (as dubbed by Aunty Joanne).

As of yesterday, your lips looks perfectly alright, with only a little tell-tale mark on your lower lip.

Another Passport Sized Picture

We tried to have your picture taken over the long weekend on one of those days when we were in Gurney Plaza. Unfortunately, you were rather cranky and un-cooperative. So we asked them to redevelop your passport sized picture. The lady at the shop said that she will change the background to white, but sadly she didn't and our pictures looked ghastly! We looked like convicts.. or worst still illegal immigrants. So to be on the safe side to ensure we don't have problems in getting our Japan visa's, we decided to have our pictures re-taken. And so last Thursday we left work early as Ah Ma wanted to have her hair set for our trip to Singapore.

We all changed and got ready to go have our pictures taken. You just look to adorable. Daddy reckons better than the passport picture.

After having our pictures taken, we also went to the airport to pay for your plane ticket to Singapore. Unfortunately we were too early and the counter wasn't open yet. So we waited around a while, with you climbing up and down the stairs, until the counter opened.

Singapore Day 3: The Last Day

We weren't too surprised when you only woke up at 9am (it was a very long day yesterday). As usual, mummy was already up by then and showered. That way, it's one less person fighting for the bath. And since you used the bathtub while daddy used the shower, there was no queue that way. Like yesterday, you went down in your PJs and the rest of the family were already there, having breakfast. Ah Kong wasn't around as he'd already gone off for a golf game with Uncle KK. Again, you were given the nice highchair, plate and cutlery. This time they also gave you a nice plastic cup. Like yesterday, mummy got you cereal and also shared with you my cheese omelet. On top of that you had one whole chawan mushi (small cup only la..)

After everyone was ready, daddy passed the ang pow collected from last night which was kept in our room back to Aunty Lee Mei and we were all packed, we moved our luggage to Kor Poh and Aunty Sue's room. After that we checked out and were off on our way to Takashimaya in Orchard Road for a little look-see. Nothing much to buy, so we just walked around and headed to Paragon across the road for a little more look-see before heading to the dim-sum restaurant, Crystal Jade Palace. Again, you were given a highchair along with a plastic plate and a spoon. The food there was superb, especially the roast pork. You enjoyed the pau and some other things.

After another round of kisses (you've been giving endless kisses to everyone this trip to Singapore...) to your aunts and grand aunts, we took another cab back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and wait for Ah Kong to return with Uncle KK and Aunty Ruth. They arrived shortly after we arrived at the hotel. We said a quick bye bye to Uncle Eu Jin and Aunty Lourdes (with more kisses) and also to Aunty Ruth. As the car can only carry 5 adults, she decided to go shopping in Suntec City while Uncle KK took us around before dropping us at the airport.

We started off with a tour of Sentosa Island. You decided to sleep just as we entered the island. We did not visit this part of the island on day1 as it was the private part of the island accessible only to selected people. There were beautiful bungalows and condominiums (very expensive) that were being built there. Our next stop was the private marina club, ONE °15 (the location of the club off the Equator), which Uncle KK was a member. Mummy had to carry you as we walked around the club house. You must've been very tired as you did not wake up to the loud noise as there was a Halloween Party going on for children with a clown entertaining them. The view there was amazing. There were yachts docked there. And what caught our attention was this:

Hehe.. having a snack in your swimsuit. No need to get out of the pool! Cool, eh?

View of the Marina

All this while you were sleeping. And you continued to sleep until we arrived at the airport. I guess it was a little noisy in the airport and you had already napped for 1 hours, so you opened your eyes (with that grouchy look) while we checked in for our return flight to Penang. While waiting to board the plane, we went to look at the shops around the airport. Mummy got you a little Thomas the Tank Engine. As you were still a little grumpy, you didn't want to play with the train. Never mind. Soon it was time to go to the departure gate and board our plane.

Again, we got priority to board as we were travelling with you. The nice stewardess brought you the extension seat belt and also a Sponge Bob baggage tag for you. Again you were served the "post-weaning" meal which had the same egg and jam sandwiches. On top of that, there was a strawberry mousse cake, jelly and a box of fresh milk. You tried most of the food, except for the jelly. So mummy had that *grin*.

Just as we were landing, you made a big fuss. Mummy tried my best, but I could not calm you down. Guess why? Coz you wanted to do a poo! Yikes.. and so mummy had to make "mmm..mmmm" sound to help you poo. And you had a relieved expression on your face. Too bad for the rest of them on the flight, as they were treated to your "aromatherapy". Hehe.. luckily we were seated near to the front of the plane and so we quickly took you to the nearest bathroom to change you.

We took a taxi back to our house to be greeted by an overexcited Furbie. I'm sure you missed him too.

Singapore Day2: The Wedding

As Uncle Eu Jin said that the bridal convoy was to leave the hotel by 7.30am, only daddy planned to go with them. So we got to sleep in.. or so I thought. Daddy was moving around the room, getting ready and asking mummy this and that, in the end, mummy decided to wake up and get ready before you were up. I had to shower and keep an ear out for you in case you wake up and don't see mummy. Luckily, you slept and continued to sleep until Ah Ma came into the room. I guess she was talking too loudly as shortly after that, you woke up.

So we all went down (with you still in your PJs) to enjoy the wonderful buffet breakfast. You were given a high chair with plastic plate, spoon, fork and knife. Chek Kong, Chim Poh and Kor Poh were already dressed for the tea ceremony, and enjoying their breakfast in the coffee house. After breakfast, we went back to the room to get you ready. You are also one of the "main character" for the day, as Uncle Eu Jin had requested that you "opened" the car door for him when they arrived at the hotel. After everyone was ready, mummy and you waited for the bridal entourage to arrive at the hotel. When the car finally arrived, they had to wait a while for daddy to arrive as he had to help you "open" the door. You were given an Ang Pow and 2 oranges.. Too bad the picture did not show you clearly (mummy is lousy photographer).. maybe one of your aunts got a better picture..

Next was the tea ceremony and we also got ang pow from Uncle Eu Jin and Aunty Lourdes. Hehe.. mummy and daddy also got one each. And of course, we gave them a gift. To be more specific, a gift to Aunty Lourdes. After that, you got really restless and so we both went up to our room for a rest and a quick feed. After having our photograph taken, we went off in a bus for the church ceremony.

The church ceremony started around 12.30pm. After sitting around for a while, you got restless and noisy. There was one moment when you were standing on the pew when you toppled backwards.. Luckily mummy managed to catch you as you tipped over. That certainly scared you a bit as you sobbed a little with teary eyes. But no loud speakers! Phew.. We spent the rest of the ceremony outside, letting you run around, exploring the church grounds. When the ceremony was over, we were treated to a buffet lunch. You must've been hungry as you sat on the stacked chairs, happily eating the fried rice and fried fish that mummy gave you. Of course shortly after that, you wanted to explore again.. So since daddy ate while you were eating, he entertained you while mummy had my lunch.

You dozed off on the way back to the hotel in the bus. I had to feed you on the bus. Luckily we had Ah Kong's coat to "cover" mummy up a little while I fed you. You continued sleeping when we put you in your cot. But when we removed your pants.. that was the end of it.. What a BIG mistake.. you were up and refused to go back to sleep. In the end, mummy left you with Ah Kong and Ah Ma while daddy napped and mummy went for a walk in Suntec City.

Soon it was time to get ready for the wedding dinner. We went down for the cocktail party and family photo. It was rather late and you started to get cranky. Lots of pictures were taken and I have picked some to add to the slide show below. You were happily giving everyone kisses, but by the time the dinner actually started it was almost 8.30pm. You were hungry and tired from such a long day and lack of sleep. So after having brought you up and down so many times, mummy and you ended up in the room and daddy had the porridge that he'd ordered for you to be sent to the room. Perhaps that ballroom manager sensed that we were agitate from waiting for so long.. he told us the porridge was compliments of the chef. And it was very delicious. You ate almost 1/2 of that very large bowl before finally falling asleep at 11pm! Another long day has ended... Phew.

Singapore Day1: Here we come....

We're all packed and ready to go to Singapore. Daddy was initially certain that our bag was too big. But in the end, everything went in just nice. After all, we needed to bring along your diapers too. Thankfully we will be "leaving them behind"; or most of them anyway, at the end of the trip.

Mummy woke up earlier today to make sure that we have enough time to get ready before Aunty Jamie came to pick us up. By the time you were up, mummy was ready and so we went down for breakfast before having a bath and dressing up for your first trip on the airplane.

We arrived at the airport to find a long queue to check in. Luckily, Ah Kong was an Elite Gold member, and so we waited only a while before it was our turn to check in. When all was done, we went in to clear the immigration and then waited around before it was time to board the plane. We were given priority to board the plane as we were travelling with a child, you. As we settled down, the nice stewardess gave us a seat belt for you which was to be attached to mummy's seat belt. On top of that, she gave you a colouring book which also had some crayons. Thankfully that kept you occupied throughout most of the flight, other than when you were served your "post-weaning" meal comprising egg sandwiches and also jam sandwiches which you liked.

It took us a while to clear immigration and by the time we were out, Uncle KK was already waiting for us at the arrival gate. We dropped Ah Kong and Ah Ma at DBS bank before heading to our hotel, Conrad Centennial Hotel in Temasek Boulevard. It was a beautiful hotel and they had great service too. As we waited for daddy to check in, the concierge gave you a box of cookies. Aunty Sue and Aunty Lee Mei were around to keep you entertained too.

After we checked in, we rested a bit and we were off. Where to? To the Underwater World in Sentosa Island, where else?

We asked for directions to get to the City Hall MRT station. Unfortunately, we got a little lost and I think we were directed to the longer way too. But after walking around, we were finally there. We switched lines at Outram Park to get to Vivo City. By then, you were tired and grumpy. When we reached Vivo City, mummy had to carry you in my arms and you finally fell asleep and we let you sleep in the stroller. We rode in the Sentosa Express and took a bus to the Underwater World. You were still sleeping until we entered. You woke up a little grouchy and only glared at the fish in the "Living Fossils" section. See.. this was the fish that you glared at:

We walked around a little until we came to this:

The tunnel with a travelator. That caught your attention. Mummy had to bring you out of the stroller as you were getting restless in the stroller. So we stood on the travelator while daddy took pictures. Or tried to anyway... Too bad, you weren't interested in the fishes, sharks or even the dugong. As daddy could not get any good shots, we went another round on the travelator. It was rather uncomfy as there were many people, but you finally showed more interest in the fishes that were swimming around. Phew.. at least our trip was not in vain. As it was rather late, we decided to forgo the Dolphin Lagoon. We needed to reach the hotel to get ready for dinner with the rest of the Ban clan.

While mummy got you ready for dinner, daddy went up to 6th Chim Poh's room, as there was a 'briefing' on the wedding ceremony tomorrow. We joined them later and guess what? Uncle Eu Jin bought you a nice cap. He was worried that you could not wear it, but it fitted nicely. Your aunts also bought you a box of chocolate filled biscuits, that you shared with them.

Dinner was at Tony Roma's in Suntec City. Daddy had been promising me this restaurant ever since we found out that we had to go to Singapore for the wedding. I've not tried it before, while Ah Kong, Ah Ma and daddy tried it in US. Of course, we ordered the famous Baby Back Ribs and you got your macaroni and cheese. While waiting for our seat and also waiting for our orders, daddy took you to the nearby fish pond where you had fun feeding the fishes and tortoises.

After dinner, we all went for a little retail therapy (to be more precise shoe shopping with your aunts). Daddy kept you entertained but went back to the hotel earlier in the end to try to get you to sleep. Too bad mummy reached just as you were falling asleep. So in the end, I had to put you to sleep. By the way, have a look at the adorable cot they brought for you. It came with the standard cot runners, pillow and blanket. On top of that it had a miniature version of the teddies, miniature bedroom slippers and also a toiletry bag with baby essentials! Now that's what I call good service!

It's all Gone

Didn't see it, but the rain yesterday must have been a sign of more bad things to come. We had parked the car in the carpark that was very near the office as we were back early from lunch. The next thing we knew, it was raining heavily and that carpark was prone to flooding. Mummy went down to check on the car, and was thankful that it wasn't flooded where our car was parked. When the time came for us to go home, it was still drizzling, but most of the flood water had subsided. Unfortunately, daddy had to remove his shoes in order not to get them wet to get to the car.

When we reached home, kakak had to manually open the gate as one of the electrical phase at home was out. There was also no electricity going to the fridge and so daddy had to put an extension from the power point that had electricity. Since there was no electricity in the dining area, you had lunch in the living room, while daddy, Ah Kong and mummy ate on the small table behind. A little cramped but you also joined us for your second round of dinner.

After dinner, you did you big business and daddy cleaned you up and while we were lazing in the bed upstairs, poof, the electricity went off. We were sitting in the dark. But you weren't too worried at all. All you kept saying was "boh.. boh", telling mummy that there were no lights. Luckily you pooped before the lights went off! Otherwise, we'd be cleaning you in the candle light!

We sat around for a while and you got grumpy as you wanted to sleep. In the end, we went off in 2 cars to the condo, to sleep in air-conditioned comfort! And also to watch Astro. Ah Ma stayed at home with kakak.

You woke up really early this morning. 6am. And so mummy also had to get up and get ready to go home. And since you were up so early, you napped a while on the way home, but woke up recharged but a little grumpy when we reached home.

That was when mummy made the gruesome discovery. All my stock of expressed breast milk in the freezer has thawed. Sigh.. and the fresh one that was expressed yesterday at work didn't even cool down. And so today you will have to take frozen milk. Mummy had to throw away yesterday's milk. I hope you will be co-operative and take the frozen milk, as you have been on a milk strike lately, refusing to take the frozen milk that Ah Ma gives you, preferring to take other food.

Please take the frozen milk. Don't let so much milk go to waste. Mummy already had to pour away some this morning... Unless you would like give formula milk another try?

A Visit to Ipoh

It's been a while since we last went back to Ipoh, and so we decided to make a trip this weekend, before we went off to Singapore next week. As expected, we did not leave very early. For one thing, you decided to sleep in on Saturday. So mummy got up to have a bathe. But of course, 5 minutes in the shower and I could hear that you were up already! There goes my plan for a leisurely bath. Of course, neither was it a "mandi kerbau". Daddy had to handle you a while, while I finished my bath and dressed up. By then, it was already 8am.

So down we went for breakfast and while you took your bath, daddy fixed the carseat and Ah Ma went out with Ah Kong to get the ang koo kuih for Ah Tai. It's her favourite and Ah Ma had already called to order for them yesterday. We were off by 9.15am. Actually considered quite good, since you only woke up at 8am...

It was a longer drive than usual, as we took a leasurely drive back and there were quite a lot of cars on the highway. By the time we arrived in Ipoh it was almost 11am. We met up with 5th Chim Poh and Chek Kong and their friends for brunch. We wanted to eat curry mee but our favourite shops were closed, so we went for second best: noodles with "liu" (yee tan fun: noodles with fish balls) in the old town area. Mummy ordered noodles in soup and shared with you. You loved it.

It was soon time to go back to the Ipoh house and Ah Tai was waiting anxiously to see you. I'm sure she missed you a lot. We hang around for a while and after daddy went off for golf with Ah Kong, we also went out with Chek Kong and Chim Poh. Chek Kong wanted to go to the hairdressers and so he dropped us at Jaya Jusco for some retail therapy. Since there was no stroller, you walked happily. Of course, towards the end of the 2 hours, you got whiney and grumpy as it was way pass your nap time. Luckily you behaved quite well as we had a drink and waited for Chek Kong. He arrived around 4pm and you fell asleep almost immediately in the car. Hhhmm... maybe it's the new Harrier that lolled you to sleep. Nice and comfy..

When you woke up from your nap, you were in relatively good mood, giving kisses to everyone who was there. Including Aunty Lee Mei who was playing the piano. By the time bath time came, there was no running water. Luckily there was some in the tank, but cold water. So we filled with sink with water from the tap and added hot water that daddy had boiled over the stove.

Dinner was in East Ocean restaurant in Menglembu. It was raining heavily and starting to flood on the way there, but we managed to get there and had a delicious dinner. Our car was delayed as mummy forgot to pack your little feeding spoon. Perhaps it was a good thing too. We were stopped by the police car on the way back and was told to take a detour as it was starting to flood up ahead. Luckily the detour wasn't to far so we were home shortly after Chek Kong.

We left Ipoh after 9pm. Again, you made a fuss on the way back, not wanting to sit in the carseat. Since daddy was driving and had a better tolerance towards your wailing, we just let you sit in the seat screaming away. Thankfully your volume is not that loud, so after a while, you gave up and sulked in the carseat. Everyone was warned not to talk to you and let you sulk. In the end, you got tired of sulking and dozed off to dreamland until the next day!

What a long long day.

Hi Dr Mary..

No.. not sick. Just a scheduled appointment to get a flu jab. It's not a required injection, but since we'll be travelling to a cold place, we had consulted Dr Mary earlier on and she had suggested that you took the flu jab, to reduce risk of you getting sick while we're travelling.

So when the nurse checked with me last month whether we wanted to let you take the jab, we decided "yes". And mummy made an appointment then. Luckily I called to reconfirm our appointment time, as I thought it was 7.15pm, when in actual fact, your appointment was 8.15pm!

Anyhow, we left from the condo yesterday after having dinner there, as Ah Ma had a physio session nearby and daddy and Ah Kong wanted to fix up the light in one of the rooms. In the end, we went to see Dr Mary with Ah Ma as daddy was not done fixing up the light. We were late for the appointment (as usual..) and so we had to wait a while before it was your turn. Of course you would not sit quietly with mummy. So in the end mummy had to follow you while you checked out the toys, table and chair, the weighing scale and also the fishes in the fish pond outside. I certainly wished daddy came with me today, then it would be HIS job to follow you all over!

It was your turn and after a quick check to see if you're OK with eggs, Dr Mary prepared the needle for you. Of course, you refused to go near the examination table when it was time for the jab! We had to hold you down while you got the jab. After a brief scream (seems shorter than the earlier inoculation that you took). And since you wanted to go out to play with the toys, Ah Ma went out with you while Dr Mary confirmed whether another flu injection was needed as this is the first time you were taking the flu jab. Too bad, you need to take another injection after 4 weeks. So we changed the original JE appointment to the second flu jab. Oh yeah.. before you left the doctor's office, you gave both the pretty nurse and Dr Mary a kiss before going out. You caught Dr Mary by surprise as she said she had just given you a jab, but you still willingly gave her a kiss! Our sweet little angel!

Sigh.. another round of injection after our holiday. Never mind, it should be worth it, if you will be less prone to getting flu after taking this jab.

Happy Birthday Annabelle

It's party time again. Wow.. We spent the long weekend at the condo and we attended a birthday party for Annabelle che-che. She turned 3 on Sunday. So her mummy and daddy planned a party for her. It was initially planned to be held at Ribs, but they were afraid that parking and traffic may be a problem, since it was Hari Raya.. and so they had food catered in the house instead.

There was food in abundance and best of all pizza. Yummmy... only thing is that you didn't eat much. You ate some of the potato, some of mummy's fried rice and part of a slice of pizza. Mummy was sharing with you when daddy took over to feed you. That was when you spat it out and refused anymore after that.. sigh...

So up you went with the rest of the kids (other than Anna and Abby, the rest are your aunts and uncle!) to the play room where all of Anna's toys are stashed. The kids were nice to you, as they let you take your time to decide which side of the slide you would like to go down.

Daddy was the photographer of the day. Of course Uncle Sin Tien also took some photograph. Have a look at some of the pictures that daddy took.

Before we left, we sang the birthday song for Anna and she got to open her presents. What a lucky little girl.. she's got loads of her favourite thing.. books, books and more books...

Happy Birthday, Annabelle!

Poor little guy

Don't know what's wrong, but you we're very restless starting 12am this morning. You woke up for a quick feed, and refused to sleep in your cot. So you ended up sleeping in between mummy and daddy. And you woke up again at 1am, 2am and 2.40am. Mummy was about to die of exhaustion and then u slept until 5am. That was when the tummy ache kicked in. You were crying non-stop and mummy and daddy initially thought you had a bad dream. But you didn't even want to latch for comfort. Poor little guy.

In the end daddy got up and carried you upright. You fell asleep but woke up shortly after that crying again. It was so heart wrenching to hear you cry and not be able to do anything. Sigh.. After a few more times of that, you heaved and vomited a little. Mummy asked if you wanted to have a drink of water, you nodded. But when we went down, you didn't want the water. So up we went again. You cried so loudly again that Ah Ma woke up. She carried you for a while and you calmed down. But you were up again repeating the crying, followed by sleep.

Mummy finally took you back to our room again, and you pooed. I think that was a relief to you. You fell asleep again, but we had not choice but to wake you up to clean you up and put on a clean diaper. You slept shortly after that, but woke up when mummy tried to put you down to sleep. And again the cry-sleep sequence started again. Mummy got up to get ready to bring you to the hospital. It was almost 8am by then. But by the time I was ready, you'd slept and didn't wake up in pain anymore. You continued to sleep even after we left for work.

So now daddy and mummy are at work. I hope that you would get better soon. Poor little guy. I wonder what caused this..

It's all Over and Done with

Your hair is getting longer by the day
A haircut, is what you badly need
And so to Austin's we went today
And as he cut, you screamed and kicked.
It took 3 to hold you to get the trim
Such a grueling 30 minutes it seemed
When all was over,
You looked handsome as ever..

Sleepy heads...

Daddy took this picture of us, while we were sleeping on Friday night..

Let's Part-y...!

Phew.. what a weekend it has been. 2 parties! Saturday started as usual with you waking up early as we planned to go to the market with Ah Ma. But when we got down, Ah Ma said plans had to be cancelled as she had trouble starting the car. But we went ahead as Uncle Sin Tien lent Ah Ma his old car. So off we went to Pulau Tikus market with Grand-Auntie Doris.

It was rather late by the time we were down marketing, and you fell asleep even before we reached home. You took a nap and woke up when daddy arrived home from his morning golf game. We fed you lunch and off we went to Metrojaya for a little retail therapy *wink*.

We went home to find Ah Kong waiting for you. He must have missed you a lot as he had not seen you the whole day. We got ready and off we went to Uncle Stanley and Auntie Nellie's house warming in Lakeview Apartments. You had great fun there, exploring their new apartment. You were a little shy when we first arrived, but soon ran around the apartment as if it were your own house. You were so tired from it that you fell asleep even before we reached home!

Today, you slept in a little (er, I guess waking at 7.40 is considered "later"). Of course daddy continued sleeping while we went down to have breakfast. Ah Kong was already waiting for you. After breakfast, you went out to the garden for a walk with Ah Kong. We went out for brunch when everyone was ready. Luckily mummy brought your lunch along, as you decided that you wanted to eat then too.. It was only 11am. Unfortunately, mummy didn't get to eat my brunch. You tipped my coffee onto my Char Koey Teow. Since we were going for a party soon, mummy decided not to order another plate. Daddy was sweet and shared some of his lunch with me..

Soon, it was time to get ready to go to Kelvin's birthday party. We were the first guests to arrive with a baby. As usual, you needed some time to warm up. And soon, you were busy playing with Kelvin (or should I say.. "Kelvin's toys, as Auntie Joanne took out a lot of Kelvin's toys). But you did have some fun with Kelvin, pushing the stool around. Sheesh... so many toys to play with and you two chose to play with a plastic stool instead!

We had some pasta that was cooked by one of the ko-ko who was a guest there and many other food. You loved the pasta. After the birthday song and cake cutting ceremony, you made a lot of noise, indicating it was time to go home to sleep. We stayed around, and were among the last to leave. Wow! It's not your birthday but you did not leave the party empty handed. Look:

Daddy was the "second photographer" for the day. Here are some of the pictures that he took.

What do you think? Is he a good photographer?

Cheeky Face

Daddy was playing with his new camera and he got these pictures of you:

Hands up.. or I'll Shoot!

New trick that you've learnt. Mummy like to tell you "hands up" when I undress you. And you are VERY co-operative in doing that.. Even quite good in putting your arms and legs in the right place at the right time. Of course, sometimes getting impatient when mummy is slow...

Evan's 18th Months...

How time flies... From rushing to the hospital after having contractions 5 minutes apart, to holding you for the first time, to hearing you cry for the first time, your first step, when you called da-da for the first time, your first birthday.. and now you are 1.5 years old. Here's a little report card on your development so far:

Weight: 10.3kg

Height: 77 cm

Head Circumference: 48 cm

Teeth: Many sharp teeth (trust me I know!).. I mean... 12 teeth so far: 7 on top and 5 on the bottom

Other than that:

- Able to recognise everyone familiar. Able to point to the correct person when asked who is mummy, daddy, Ah Kong and Ah Ma. BUT... when asked to call anyone, it's a standard answer : "Ba"... said with lots of emphasis on the "B"! Of course that is excluding daddy who is still da-da to you... But daddy insists that you also say Ma to me before...

- The other word u can say is "boh" (none).. I think.. Especially when your toys are not working.. So "boh batteries liao"

- As for trying to make you speak more words, you refuse to repeat after us, preferring to jabber away in your own baby language. Nevermind, there will come a day when you will talk non-stop and we may wish you had an "on/off" button!

- Walking skill has been perfected, in fact, you can even do an "old man's walk" or even walk backwards. You are even able to run quite quickly. Oh yeah... daddy knows that well enough, as he's tried letting you walk around the shopping complexes. And yet, sometimes preferring to crawl still!

- We have let you try most of the food that we take, providing it's not too salty or spicy. But.. you still take your moi moi that we cook. Only thing you haven't tried is probably seafood (not counting fish.. obviously)

- You adore the lift. Our little assistant in pressing the buttons. I guess you know best the "B" and "5": as these are the only 2 buttons we allow you to press when we go to the condo. In fact, you also love to "zap" the key card to open the door. No one but you is allowed to do that

- Next to lifts, you also love escalators! Yup.. daddy took you up and down once while waiting for mummy in Gurney Plaza.. and that's the end of it. You will get all excited when you see an escalator

- Drive us all mad with your Barney VCDs. Yikes.. we keep having to watch it over and over again, that even Ah Kong knows the songs! Need to get more Barney VCDs

- Love to look at pictures. Especially our wedding picture. You even know that mummy has a picture in my purse and you would always open my purse and point to daddy saying "da-da".

- You love to be praised. In fact, even if no one praises you and you did something well, you will clap your hands. It's a sure way to get us to clap and praise you too

- Finally let mummy brush your teeth and NOT your tongue. You even try to brush your own teeth

- Love to self-feed.. of course that is a VERY messy affair!

- Best of all.. very generous with your kisses. Especially when it's time to go up to our room, or when you want your milk

Wow! Another Birthday Party!

And so cool.. coz we got an "e-invitation" from Aunty Joanne for the birthday party. She's so excited with the party. Yup, such a pretty card. And we'll all be going. In fact she even offered to cook moi moi for you. But nevermind, we'll feed you before going, and you can share some of mummy's food too.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

This year we bought you a lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival.. Wait... make that TWO lanterns. Hehe.. we bought one for you that was in the shape of a pig a long time before the Chinese 8th month started. Then later mummy and daddy went to Tesco and saw a Winnie the Pooh shaped lantern so we bought that for you too.

To be honest, you weren't too interested in either, but they both have this really annoying music, so daddy cut the wire that plays the music. So.. your lantern only has lights. But it's a relief to our ears! But you seem to prefer the Winnie the Pooh lantern. You would sometimes take it and turn on the light. Unfortunately there is something wrong with it, so the lights will not turn on sometimes. But you seem to know what to do with it. A little whack here and there.. and voila! It's working again! Haha...

Ah Ma cooked many special dishes (2 veggies, fish, prawn) tonight for this occassion. Daddy also bought "pei pa" duck to add to the dishes. You had your moi moi cooked with beef. Don't know why, but we forgot to introduce beef to your diet. So we started on Sunday, and you seem ok with it. Phew.. daddy is very happy, he will have another "kaki" to have his favourite steak with!

After dinner, mummy gave you a bath and we were off. Ah Ma wanted to bring you to Gurney Drive to have a look at the people carrying lanterns. In fact on the way there, we saw this really pretty lantern parade which even had a band. But... you were not interested in it at all. Similarly with the people carrying lanterns on Gurney Drive. We also drove by Esplanade, you were only interested in the lights in Ah Kong's car.

Nevermind, we'll try again next year...

P/S: Had difficulty trying to get a picture of you with your lantern!

Playtime at the Playground

We went to BM to visit Nanna and Grampy yesterday. It has been a while since we last went back to BM. So after daddy's golf game, we went out for lunch with Ah Kong and Ah ma before heading back to BM.

Of course you napped all the way back to BM and was all fresh to entertain your grandparents. After a while we went out to buy some things. As it was still rather early, we stopped by the playground where mummy used to play in to check it out. There were several older children playing football so we decided to go to another playground nearby. But on the way there we came across a new playground that mummy was not aware of. And better yet, there was no one there. So we parked the car along the side and let you run around and play on the slides and see-saw a while. We tried to get you interested in the swings, but you were not keen on them. Daddy wanted to let you go down the slide that was like a tunnel but you shook your head indicating "no". Nevermind, maybe next time we go back to BM. Too bad we didn't bring the camera to BM.

Dinner with Nanna, Grampy and Ah Ku was at Nando's in Auto City. It was super crowded there as there was a lantern festival being held there. We finally managed to get a place to park but we had to wait for a table. When the table was ready, there was no high chair. But we managed ok. Daddy ate at his "turbo speed" so that he could take over from mummy to entertain you. We left to go back to Penang after that.

Sunday was a lazy day. You must've been too tired from yesterday, as you slept until almost 9am. We initially planned to go to Gurney Plaza, but it was rather late by the time daddy joined us at the condo, and there was a long queue to get into the carpark. So that plan was cancelled. We plan to go this Thursday for the Parkson Member's Day. So after lazying around the house, with daddy taking a nap, we decided to go to the playground nearby our house. And boy, did you have fun there. See for yourself:

Again, you loved running freely, going on the slide, and the see-saw. But wouldn't try the swings. We were there for less than 20 minutes, but I think you had a wonderful time. Ah Kong was there with you too. Can you see daddy and Ah Kong playing with you on the see-saw?

Perhaps we will have an opportunity to visit other playgournds next weekend

Going Italian..

You know what is my favourite food? Italian food.. on top of that i also like Chinese, Indian, Mamak.. er... ok that's not what I wanted to talk about.. Back to the main issue: Italian food. Ah Ma had bought this wonderful pasta book recently and she decided to cook spaghetti marinara for us. Obviously Ah Kong was not included in the "us". He had his Chinese soup noodles for dinner. But "us" included you. She cooked the tomato base from scratch and took some out for you so that daddy could cook your sauce with chicken instead of seafood, as Ah Ma planned to put in prawns that you have not been introduced to yet.

When it was time to eat, daddy heated up the sauce, cooked the chicken and even added some cheese into the sauce to melt and stir in the pasta. It was delicious. (I know... coz I tasted some of it too! *wink*) Of course we had to cut the pasta into short portions so that it would be easier to feed you and you would not choke on it.

One good thing is that we decided to bathe you after dinner. And it was a wise decision. You were so messy after the dinner. But we think you liked it.

Evan the Chatterbox

Daddy and I noticed lately that you seem to have a lot to talk about. The "words" come in multi-intonations. Here you are having an "intelligent conversation" with daddy. We can hear his voice in the background, talking to you.

A Date with Dr Mary

It is that time again. Nope, you're not sick, but time for the last compulsory inoculation for you to take: 1st booster triple antigen, Polio and Hib. For a while anyway.... the next compulsory inoculation for you will be when you turn 6 years old! Long way to go..

So we rushed back after work to get you ready. Ah Ma was feeling better and had already cooked dinner but daddy and mummy did not have enough time to eat dinner. Mummy got you ready while daddy rested a bit. He said he wasn't feeling well. So mummy gave you a bath and fed you dinner. Tonight's specialty is ikan bilis stock with asparagus moi moi.

By the time you were done, daddy was up and ready to go. But just as mummy was changed, Ah Kong said that you were releasing a lot of "gas". So up we went to potty. Luckily you did your business and off we went. It was a bit of a rush as your appointment was at 7.15pm.

We arrived a little bit late, but we only had to wait for 3 other patients before you were called. Of course, while waiting for your turn, you played with the slide, the see-saw and even enjoyed sitting on the little chair. In fact, mummy had to carry you (grumbling away) into the doctor's room when it was your turn!

We chatted with Dr Mary and she told mummy that the JE and Hepatitis A inoculations are not compulsory ones and whether we wanted you to have them. We decided to go ahead with them. Of course for another time. So we scheduled an appointment for December. On top of that, we said that we would be travelling in November and Dr Mary suggested that you took the flu jab. She said she will check when it will be available and call mummy tomorrow to let me know and for us to make an appointment.

You were OK when Dr Mary listened to your heartbeat and lungs, and even measured your head circumference. But when the time came for you to lie down, I think you knew what was coming, so you turned on your loudspeaker to the maximum. We had to hold you down as she measured your height and give you the jab. Luckily as always you cried a bit but your mood got better enough for you to give Dr Mary and her nurse flying kisses and also wave goodbye to her!

As mummy and daddy did not have our dinner yet, we were contemplating and finally decided to give our favourite Bah Kut Teh a try. Of course, greedy you had to "sample" our food too, so mummy had to share some of my "Or Pui" (Black rice) with you. Did you like it? We'll go out for more Bah Kut Teh next time okie?

Spending Time with Daddy

Ah Ma had been sick the whole of yesterday. In fact we went out for a yummy lunch in Dragon-I while Ah Ma rested at home. She had food poisoning. We had to go early to avoid the long wait for a seat. Of course, we brought your food along. You were nearly finished when mummy's fried noodles came. So mummy had to share my noodles with you. And I'm sure you enjoyed it a lot. After a little grocery shopping for Sunday's dinner, we went home. It was raining heavily and in fact it rained heavily the whole day. Your playgroup had been cancelled and so we lazed around the house for the rest of the day.

Then Ah Ma seemed ok this morning when we left for work, but she called daddy to say she wasn't feeling well again, so we went home during lunch time bringing with us lunch for everyone. Kakak had been taking care of you for a while. So daddy took 1/2 day leave to stay at home and take care of you.

Daddy called mummy half an hour later to say that you'd fallen asleep in his arms.. aawww.... And in fact you slept for 2.5 hours so daddy managed to nap, read his papers and relax. By the time mummy reached home, you were having a bath. You were such a good boy today. And daddy said he had a good time with you too.

Happy Birthday to Ah Kong!

Today is Ah Kong's birthday and so guess where we went to celebrate? It's a place that no one would believe, but I can honestly say that Ah Kong willingly agreed to go there for the birthday celebration. Where? TGI Friday's! Yup.. you read correctly and nope, it isn't a typo. Daddy mentioned to Ah Kong about going there earlier yesterday, but he did not give an answer. Then during dinner yesterday evening, Ah Kong mentioned about it and so mummy booked a place for us.

As usual dinner at TGI Friday's was great. We all ate different things. This time you had chicken fingers with fries, but since the food came a little late, you ate only a little bit as you already finish most of the moi that we had brought along. But you did seem to have a good time there as you sat happily in your high chair (something that does not happen very often nowdays!) and doodled on the paper that they gave you. Initially you just looked at the paper, but the staff was kind enough to give you a crayon, so you put your artistic skill to good use and decorated the paper. Luckily you did not decide to redecorate the table too!

Of course no trip to Queensbay Mall is complete without a little retail therapy. So off we went to walk around and of course do a little grocery shopping in Jusco before heading home.

Happy Birthday to Evan's Ah Kong! We had a great dinner, hope you did too.

Exercise after dinner...

Daddy was not home yesterday night for dinner, as he had to entertain his visitor. So here you are after your dinner, exercising.. and since you were exercising, we (Ah Kong, Ah Ma and mummy) had to take turns to follow you around. So we also got our share of exercise.

And how do you exercise? By pushing your little jeep that you used to be afraid of all over the house. And because you like to harass poor Furbie who just lies around, minding his poor business. We have to follow you around and watch you closely. Otherwise, you will try to roll over Furbie. And poor Furbie is just recovering from his ear infection!

I tried to take a picture of you pushing your little jeep, but you kept coming towards mummy. So this was the best shot I could get of you as you moved towards me and I moved backwards to get you into the frame! Wow.. it's getting more difficult to take pictures of you as you seem very interested in the camera all the time!

After that, you decided that it was time to go upstairs and quickly gave Ah Kong and Ah Ma their customray kisses and hugs. Then you got sidetracked by the TV and stood a while watching TV. When you remembered it was time to go up you gave another round of kisses and hugs. Wow.. 2 rounds. Poor daddy missed your kisses last night as he only came back when you were sleeping. Did you give him a kiss this morning?

New Sandals for Evan

Mummy actually bought these for you 2 weeks back during the Merdeka weekend from Metrojaya, as they had further reduction on them, but I was a bit too busy to blog about it. But I did manage to take this picture of your new sandals before you wore them over the weekend.

It's a little different from your old ones that seem a bit tight for you now, as more of your feet are covered. Like them? They even have a special paper bag to carry your new sandals in!

Getting Better at Last

This morning was the last time that you took your 3 medicine. Ah Ma was right when she commented "Just as he was getting used to taking his medicine". But hey, we don't want you on the medicine for too long. You got better with the medicine starting on Saturday morning as when it was time for you to take the medicine, you were too busy playing on Ah Kong's notebook. And you took the medicine without much protest. Thank goodness, and it's been an easy task to feed you ever since.

One thing we noticed was that you had a loss of appetite. When you once ate 2 portions of moi moi each meal, you can hardly finish one bowl. So this week, we tried to vary the dishes from moi to pasta to mee suah. You seemed better with the mee suah yesterday. Perhaps you preferred something soupy. But mummy did notice when you were protesting at the top of your lungs on Wednesday that you had more teeth growing. Perhaps that's one of the reason for your loss of appetite?

We'll take one step at a time I guess. You're so lucky to have all those aunties wishing you a speedy recovery. Hopefully you will be able to attend the playgroup this weekend. Aunty Hooi Ling has something interesting planned.

Who does Evan look like?

Daddy found this site from Ethan's blog. And of course we were curious too. So we tried the test and got this result:

Looks like mummy.. daddy wasn't too satisfied...

So we tried again.. and again and finally we got one that daddy likes..

Now daddy is satisfied!

Still Sick

It was a rather scary experience yesterday evening. We had all finished dinner and Ah Ma was putting away biscuits into your container and you'd asked for a biscuit from her. She gave it to you and of course, you stuffed the whole biscuit into your mouth.. greedy little thing! And you gagged on the biscuit and mummy quickly put my finger into your mouth to remove the biscuit. You started coughing and Ah Ma picked you up. The next thing we knew, you'd vomited and vomited.. I think you'd emptied your stomach on the floor and on Ah Ma too.

You seemed shocked by what had just happened and while everyone cleaned up, mummy took you upstairs to clean up and change into your pyjamas. We went down for you to play a while then it was time to feed medicine again... *sigh* And the screaming began again... How I wish you would take kindly to the medicine like you used to.. Luckily, after the screaming and crying, you were back to normal, played a while before going up to continue with your play and for your sleep.

Poor little thing, your cough still sounds terrible this morning. And again, it was time for medicine. Daddy said he could hear you from upstairs as he was getting ready for work.

Ah Ma called to say that you rather not take anything as it caused you to cough so badly.Please get better soon.

Get Well Soon..

We decided to bring you in yesterday night to see Dr Mary as your cough sounded like it had phlegm. So mummy called and the nice nurse said that we should try to get in before 8pm, since we did not have an appointment, to see the doctor and hopefully not have to wait for long. So after we fed you your mee suah th'ng for dinner and gobbled our own dinner, daddy and mummy packed you into the car and off we went to Adventist Hospital.

They had changed the weighing scale from what looks like a carseat to one that is for little babies to lie flat on. Obviously you refused to sit on the weighing scale. So in the end, mummy had to let you wear your shoes for you to stand on the "big boy's scale". Of course, you did not stand still, but the nurse managed to get your weight. Still haven't reached 10kg. Your now 9.8kg.

We only had to wait for 1 patient and it was your turn next. Of course while waiting, you checked out the slides and the see-saw. As usual, you walked in when it was your turn to see Dr Mary, and of course you refused to sit down while she checked you. So mummy had to finally catch you to sit and you were quite good while Dr Mary checked you. Only screamed when she tried to look at your throat. Verdict: Flu, fever, cough and phlegm. So you were given medication for all of these..

When we reached home, it was war all over again. Time to feed you medication and 4 different types. At the end of the ordeal, there was medicine all over your face, neck, the high chair, the floor and we'd used up many pieces of tissue paper too.

Thankfully you slept quite well last night. But you did cough a bit in your sleep. We both did better with the second round of medicine this morning. You had no fever so one less medicine to give you! I wonder how Ah Ma fared with the medicine and you this afternoon...

Get well soon... so that we don't have to go through the ordeal of feeding you the medicine so much and so that your poor nose won't suffer too. *kiss*kiss*

Sick Today

You woke up early again this morning. And you seemed grouchy and fretful. Then mummy touched your forehead and you felt warm. Oh no... asked daddy to touch you, but he wasn't too sure. So we took the thermometer (the mercury one, as Dr Mary said this one is more accurate. Sadly this means it takes longer as we need to put it under your arms for more than 1 minute!) to take your temperature. Your reaction? Scream should and yell and cry like you were being tortured while we attempted to take your temperature! Sigh..

And verdict was: Yup, you had a fever. Since you wouldn't let mummy get ready for work, and it was almost 8am already, daddy got ready and he had to carry you down while mummy got ready. Of course I could hear you protesting all the way down and longer! We had to give you Paracetamol and since it's been a long time since you have taken medicine, you screamed like mad again. And you did so the other 2 times after that too.

Thankfully your appetite was normal when mummy and daddy went back to see you during lunch time. And it was also alright during dinner time. You slept well after the last dose of Paracetamol and your fever subsided. Poor little thing..