early birthday celebration

Joe will be 2 years old in a few more days. We were up in Penang last weekend and Joseph's generous Ah Chor offered to sponsor a cake for him. So we had an early celebration in Penang. A friend recommended this cake shop in Pulau Tikus called Jenni's.

We took a drive there to check it out and order Joe's cake. I was overwhelmed by the selection and almost drooling with indecision. Everything looked so good. So after mulling over the various flavours, we finally decided on a square-shaped 1.5kg chocolate brownie cake. It costs RM63.

At home, Joseph was so happy with his cake.

We sang the happy birthday song for him and he happily clapped along while shaking his head right to left, left to right, right to left...

Then he blew out the candles.

And he started to cut his cake.
Then he started to taste his cake. First he put a little bit into his mouth and very cautiously tasted it. After that, there was no stopping him. He continued to dig the plastic knife into the cake and then put it into his mouth. And as he did it, he said, "nice. yummy" without anybody prompting him. He even said, "Thank you Ah Chor". Then he continued eating and saying nice and yummy. When he was finally done, he had cake all over his mouth, cheeks, on his nose, on his shirt, both hands, the table, the floor, cushion...just about everywhere. But he thoroughly enjoyed himself and we enjoyed watching him. The RM63 was worth every sen.

Being the good and thoughtful boy that he is, he shared his cake and fed mummy some, careful not to make a mess and make mummy look like a clown.

time well spent

I've just started at my new job after a 3-week break (which coincided with my miscarriage and thus I didn't need medical leave nor were any patient appointments disrupted). Spending 3 weeks at home with Joseph was absolute bliss. I took him to a few malls (which are actually very educational trips), got him toilet-trained, had a trial session at Tumble Tots, went to Bukit Tinggi for day trip, spent a weekend in Yong Peng. But most of all, I think it was fun just tumbling around on the bed with him and reading to him.

Right now, Joe's favourite book is "The house that Jack built". He will say "house jack built" and point to the bookshelf where we keep the book. Then he takes the book, sits on my lap and says, "mama read for you". So we read together...

me : This is the...

joe : house

me : this is the malt

joe : mop floor (I think he's confused malt with mop)

me : this is the...

joe : rat

me : the rat ate the malt

joe : no more malt

me : this is the...

joe : cat

me : the cat ate the rat

joe : no more rat. rat inside stomach.

me : this is the...

joe : dog

me : the dog worried the cat

joe : no more cat. (I laugh...)

me : this is the...

joe : cow. mooooooo....

me : the cow tossed the dog.

joe : dog fly.

and so on and on.....

Reading to him can be so entertaining. And he enjoys it even after we've read the same thing again and again and again.

Yesterday I told him that I had to go back to work. Joe whined and said, "I dowan". Then he said, "mama dowan". When I finally got home from work, he put his arms around me and said, "hug mama". Sigh....my heart just melted.

This morning, my mum took him to the playground as I went to work. When he got out of the lift at ground floor, I waved and said, "bye bye darling". And he waved back and said, "bye bye darling. bye bye mama."

I wish I could just stay home with him all the time and not have to work. When I tell this to friends and relatives, I often get the feedback that it's such a waste to have studied so hard and so much and not work. But....what's the real waste? To not work or to miss out on Joseph's childhood?

Dentistry evolves so fast. What I learnt in dental school several years ago is now obsolete. Technology is always changing. I figure that even if I quit for a few years, I can always relearn the skill I need. The basics are actually kinda like swimming and driving. You never really forget even if you've not done it for years.

But if I have missed these cutest and most memorable years of Joseph's childhood, I will never be able to regain them. He will grow up. And as he grows up, he will become more and more independent. The apron strings will loosen and one day be cut. I do not want to regret not having been there for him when he needed me most. That would be the real waste.

Diapers no more

It's been 2 weeks since we got Joseph toilet-trained. He started 1 day after he turned 23 months old. I feel so liberated! No more diapers to carry around. Instead I have to bring extra pants...just in case. But he's been very good. He only had 1 accident per day on the first 2 days. After that, he was very good and always said "shee shee" when he wanted to pee. The only troublesome thing was that he would always want to drive his little car to the toilet.

He's even been sleeping without diapers. For afternoon naps, he sometimes wakes up to pee and then goes back to sleep. At night, he also refuses to wear diapers. He says, "big boy cannot wear diaper". So I have to wait till he falls asleep and then put the diaper on for him.

This morning however, he woke up with the diaper completely dry. Of course I'm thrilled.

It's great to be able to bring him out without diapers. So far, we've been to Midvalley, 1-Utama and even a day out at Bukit Tinggi yesterday, all without diapers.

This is Joe getting a fright when the rabbit made a dash for him at the Rabbit Farm in Bukit Tinggi. It was a pretty educational trip for Joe. He checked out the rabbits and also donkeys. And when he saw donkey poo on the ground, he said, "donkey pang sai. chau chau".

I also showed him the mimosa pudina - the grass that closes when you touch it. Joe was quite fascinated.

I'm just so proud of my darling little toddler (who right now smells very salty because he hasn't bathed for 2 days due to his slight cold) and how much he has achieved.

a blink, a heartbeat, a life we call Sam

Sometime between the late night hours of Sunday 11th March 2007 and 8am on 12th March, Sam's heart stopped beating. We know he has gone to be with Jesus. And though we are saddened, we are comforted knowing that God in His great mercy has allowed this to happen to spare us from greater heartaches.

On Saturday 10th February 2007, we saw a very faint 2nd pink line on the home urine pregnancy test. A blood test later confirmed pregnancy. We were naturally delighted to be expecting a 2nd child. Things were great. I had absolutely no morning sickness and hardly any symptoms apart from the perpetual hunger and fatigue.

Exactly a month later on 10th March 2007, I experienced some very light spotting. The next evening, the spotting increased. We went to the A&E at University Hospital (UH) where a scan showed a tiny fetus with a heartbeat. However, the fetus was small for date. I saw the blinking spot and felt assured.

The next morning I noticed the bleeding had become thicker and darker. It wasn’t yet 7am and my mum had just gone back to Penang the night before. I called Sook Vui (my 8th floor neighbour and doctor friend) and she took me to UH while Edwin stayed home with Joseph who was still sleeping. At UH, another scan was done. This time, there was no fetal heartbeat. But the doctor wasn’t absolutely sure so we were told to wait 2 weeks to go back for another scan.

That evening, we decided to see Prof Raman, a well-known fetal medicine specialist. He did a scan and immediately saw that there was no fetal heartbeat. What was left was a crumpled sac around the small fetus. He also explained that it was most likely that the fetus had some abnormality whether structural or genetic. A D&C was scheduled for early the next morning.

At 7am on Tuesday 13th March 2007, I admitted myself to the DayCare Unit of Pantai Medical Center. The entire procedure was very pleasant compared to my experience at HKL 2 years ago. By 11am I was home. It was a very painless experience.

I never thought I would have a miscarriage. It’s one of those things that you often hear happens to this friend and that friend of a friend.

Sam was a mere 9.8mm long. But he (we don’t really know if Sam is a he or she) was a life. We have decided to give this life a name – Sam, short for either Samuel or the female version of Samantha. Samuel means “God hears”. God heard our prayers for a 2nd child. But God also heard our prayers for a happy healthy normal child. I guess He knows us and He knows just how much we can handle. So we give Sam back to God knowing and trusting full well that His plans are perfect and His timing is perfect. He knows just what’s best for us. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Joe loves me

Yesterday Joseph was in a particularly good mood. At nap time, he hugged me and said "I love you mama!" several times. Not once but a few times! Ahh...."I love you mama!" I was swooning with delight. It's certainly worth all the sleepless nights, stretch marks and whatever 'inconveniences' that comes with motherhood. Just hearing him say those 4 words and having him hug me makes me happier than any amount of flowers or diamonds could.

Baby on the way...

Joseph is learning to be a kor kor.

Some months ago, our conversation went like this :

me : Joe, um bong bong..do what?

Joe : make mei mei.

me : Who make mei mei?

Joe : mama papa make mei mei.

me : Joe do what?

Joe : sleep!

Recently, the conversation has changed to this :

me : Joe, are you a big boy or baby?

Joe : big boy.

me : Baby where?

Joe : Baby in stomach.

me : Who's stomach?

Joe : Baby in mama stomach.

Joe has started to 'sayang' this baby doll that we have.

He will carry the baby around, put the baby on his car and drive the baby around. When he drops the baby, he will cry! I'm not quite sure if he understands all this talk about baby. But I do hope that he will be a loving sharing caring kor kor when the time comes.

Happy 60th Birthday Nana

Joseph says :

Nana is my maternal grandmother. She turned 60 years old on 2nd March. In my opinion, she is the strongest, most healthy, most active, most capable 60-yr-old grandmother on earth. She doesn't look her age. In fact, most times, she doesn't even behave her age.

She hardly sleeps. I've no idea how she gets thru the day. Everyday, she wakes up at 5.30am to read the Bible and pray. She cooks my meals, takes me to the playground, climbs up and down with me and doesn't show any sign of being tired...ever!

We went to Avanti American Italian Ristorante for a Sunday buffet brunch to celebrate her birthday. The food was fantastic. Absolute sinful gluttony! And we even had this bunch of singing chefs to serenade us.

This is my Ah Ku and me having a conversation over the delicious food with the chefs singing behind.

After I got restless, Ah Ku took me to wander all around the restaurant. We made faces at this mirror.

Then after mummy had chased me so much with the camera, I finally decided to give her my million-dollar smile.

gong xi gong xi

It's been a wonderful week in Seremban for chinese new year. We travelled here on Thursday, stopping by Nilai to pick up an outfit Reuben bought for Joseph.

He also got a matching outfit for himself. After dressing Joe in the cute outfit, he took Joe for a walk around his office to show off to his colleagues.

In Seremban, Joe enjoyed himself playing with his cousins. This time, being older he could play better and could even say "Daniel". Daniel is now his favourite cousin. In fact, the look like brothers. They had a splashing time, going to the club to swim EVERYDAY! Joe surprised me by daring to go on the poolslide. He loved climbing up one step and jumping into his father's arms, making a big splash in the process.

On Sunday (first day of CNY), we dressed him up to go to church. He certainly was very attention-grabbing. It was quite hot outside but he obediently obliged me by staying in his outfit and looking cute.

We waited till Monday night to toss yee sang when Joyce, David and Brandon came back.

Here's Joe thinking of what to do with his ang pow money....

I think I'll save up for that Lightning McQueen bedsheet my mother has been eyeing for my new bed.

bumps and cars

Joe rolled off the bed one night and bumped his head. I had to take a photo of his blue-black. Check out his mug shot.
It was blue-black for several days. Poor kid.


Last Sunday, I saw him happily playing with his bunch of toy cars. What I saw made me run for the camera.

Joe had arranged his cars according to the colours, and in the correct orientation. My mother put one car in the wrong direction. And Joe said, "Turn!" So smart kid!

Pretty flowers at The Curve

We went to The Curve to check out the pretty CNY decorations on Thursday. The flowers were indeed a lovely sight. There was even real grass!

I tried to teach Joseph to do the 'gong xi gong xi'. It was a tiring time chasing him around and getting him to look at the camera. Taking photos of a hyperactive toddler is sure no easy feat. Finally after a pretty long time and lots of "joe, look here...look here! LOOK HERE!!!!" I got this one nice shot.

He's like saying "gong xi fatt chai! Hong pau na lai!".

And then...

now where did that ang pow go?

Joe 'chiak kam'

Chinese New Year is coming. Bring out the kam.

Joseph has been getting himself acquainted with mandarin oranges. Actually he doesn't know the difference between sunkist oranges and mandarin oranges. What he does know is that he loves oranges. So when I gave him a kam, he was thrilled to find that he could easily peel these. See how he has one thumb in each orange.

He managed to peel a kam all by himself, put the orange (minus the skin) into his mouth and then spit out the seed. I tried to teach him some new words related to what he was doing. Our conversation went like this...

me : Joe, what is this?

Joe : Orange.

me : No, this is mandarin orange. It's called kam. Jojo chiak kam.

Joe : Mama chiak eok (medicine in hokkien). Jojo chiak kam. Mama chiak eok.

I couldn't help but laugh. He associates words really fast.

He looks left...

Then he looks right...

Then when he thinks it's all clear, he sticks a straw into the orange to suck out the juice!

a treat at The Saujana

I am 29 years old today. Yes...just one year away from the big 3-0.

As a birthday treat, my husband took me for a 1-night getaway at the 5-star The Saujana. The resort is currently having a promotion of 50% off room rates for weekend stays. We decided to pamper ourselves and opted for a deluxe Club room. There was, of course, a nice comfy King-sized bed.

It had a walk-in closet, with bathrobes and slippers.

And a nice spacious bathroom which has a window looking out at the sitting area.

The toilet flush is also so "canggih". You press this thing on the wall.

The great thing about staying in a Club room is that you get access to the Club Lounge which serves cocktails and snacks in the evening. Snacks turned out to be more than a satisfying dinner. I particularly loved the desserts...

Those chocolate-covered cream puff thingy and strawberries were lip-smacking delicious. I lost count of how many I ate. After filling our tummies with all that fattening food, we went for a walk around the resort gardens. The lake and fountain looked really pretty with all the lights.

When we got back to our room, we found the bed nicely made with a sweet flower on the pillow.

The next morning, we went to the Suria Cafe for a hearty breakfast. I fell in love with the pancake with blueberries and fresh cream. Unfortunately I didn't have room in my tummy for a second helping after tasting just about everything else. Breakfast was delightful except for when my husband found a small stone (about 0.5 X 1.0 cm) in his porridge. When we showed it to a staff who seemed to be the supervisor, he was just plain cool. No apology was offered.

Later we returned to the Club Lounge where we spent the morning reading newspapers and sipping on fruit juices and coffee and tea.

Overall it was a pleasant stay for RM315++. The staff were certainly a smiley lot. My few grouses are the non-working bidet, and floor lamp in my room, and the torn duvet cover. Certainly not acceptable for a 5star resort with such a prestigious reputation. Of course the stone in the porridge was even more unacceptable. Had my husband cracked his tooth on the stone, treatment could cost anything from RM2000-RM7000 or more.

I suppose we could just turn a blind eye and forgive the resort if we are to consider coming back for our annual honeymoon. After all I did enjoy the abundant delicious food. And between lazing in bed, swimming and working out in the gym, I found myself wanting to stay longer because there was just so much to do. I didn't even have time to explore the grounds on the FOC bicycles or explore the lake in the paddle boats.

This is our second time at The Saujana and it just gets better.

So if you're looking for a quiet scenic place for a weekend getaway without having to travel too far, head on down to The Saujana for a relaxing time of peace, quiet and tonnes of lovely food.

town mouse in the country

I like this picture...

It's my city boys in the kampung. Edwin took Joseph for a ride on Joyce's bicycle. Edwin was obviously happy to relive his childhood days. This bicycle in the photo was bought with ang-pow money he saved so hard when he was a kid. It's still in good working condition.

Joseph look so blur. But so cute to me. He didn't cry or whine on the bike. Merely held on...so tightly as if for dear life.

a picture is worth a million words...

Photos as promised....especially for Rebecca's viewing pleasure...


This was sometime in December. Joseph loves to make bubbles. Look at the Santa beard he made for himself!




Then we went to Fraser's Hill for our first ever family holiday in a long long time. And here's our first proper family photo...in a long long time too.

Reuben was sick in Fraser's Hill. Then he generously shared his virus and all of us got sick on returning to KL. Edwin has sorethroat and flu, I had fever, flu and sorethroat and Joe had everything we had. Here's Reuben so hungry he wanted to eat Joe.

Here Joe shows off his cute cute face.

Last weekend in Yong Peng....Joe had a fun time playing with his cousin Brandon.

After the rain, Bran decided to spash around in the puddles and Joseph followed suit.

Here's Joe busybodying in school. Still when I ask him, "Joe want to go to school?" he'll shake his head and say "mai!". Sometimes it's "mai! mai! mai!" As if I deaf...

He's even bigger-sized than some of the kids in Tadika Generasi Hebat, which is the newest kindy in the humble little town of Yong Peng. It's like the 5-star kindy of all kindergartens. Really canggih. It's got a science lab with real stethescope, real microscopes, real 'tabung uji' etc and even a computer lab with seven computers (flat screen monitors mann....).

Oh well...even if Joe doesn't want to go to school....at least he's happy playing and learning for now.

No time to blog...busy...busy...

When it's past the middle of January and I've not finished reading the December magazines in my clinic, it can only mean that business is getting better and I'm getting busier. Yup...December was a good month. School holidays meant more kids came in by the herds. Makes up for the lack of income for September and October.

Joseph has been keeping me busy and thus the lack of life in the blog. His vocabulary is increasing by leaps and bounds each day. Just last week, I was trying to put him to bed at night and he was extra talkative. So our conversation went something like this...

Me : Joseph, enough! No more nonsense.

Joseph : No more? No more nonnnnn...sense.

Me : Yes. No more nonsense. Go to sleep.

Joseph : No more...?

Me : Go to sleep. Don't so sibuk.

Joseph : Siiiiiii buk.

Me : Who sibuk?

Joseph : Mama sibuk. Mama sibuk.

Sigh...I had to keep myself from laughing.

He can also say things like...

Mama dentist.

Jojo clever. Mama sibuk.

Nana make apple juice (while opening the cupboard where we keep the juicing machine)

Yee yee buy McQueen for jojo.

Mama pat. Pa go out. (this is at bedtime when he wants me all to himself)

We were in Yong Peng last weekend to visit Brandon. Joe and Bran had a fantastic time playing together. We enjoyed ourselves too. Living in the city, I had forgotten the joys of small-town living. We enjoyed cycling (with Joseph riding pillion in a special kiddy seat) around the neighbourhood. It was so convenient to cycle to the store for eggs and bread as and when it was needed.

Brandon cried his lungs out when we had to leave. He had climbed into the car by himself. And when we removed him, He wailed so loud I think all of Yong Peng heard him. Poor kid. Looks like we'll have to be making more trips to Yong Peng.

Photos tomorrow....