Joy-Anne - 6 months old today!

Today - 18 July 2008 - Joy-Anne turns 6 months old.

It's a big milestone. For me, at least because it means that I can stop lactating without feeling guilty. I have no intentions of weaning her just yet - I'll let her feed till she decides she's had enough or I stop producing milk, whichever comes first. As it is, milk production has been steadily dropping because she's sucking a lot less, usually getting distracted while she feeds (i.e. plays with my hair, kicks the table etc)

We've started giving her cereals, porridge and fruits. Sometimes she eats very well. Other times she kicks up a fuss. At 6 months, she's already got a preference for sweet stuff. She loves apples and bananas.

All that food is helping her to grow really well. See how high she can lift her backside...

Weighing 8kg and measuring 69cm, she's also almost sitting by herself.

And wrestling and climbing over Matthew. (Joe named this doll Matthew....I've no idea how and where from he thought of the name)

She's yet to grow any teeth.....still toothless.

Joe had his lower 2 front teeth emerge at 5.5months.

Joe helped himself to the butter while I was toasting bread

Next thing you know....she'll be asking me about the birds and the bees....
...and then I'll find myself explaining to her about the menstrual cycle...

The answer to my problem

Since Joy-Anne arrived, I had been having a major problem - constipation and haemorrhoids. I wasn't quite sure whether the constipation caused the haemorrhoids (because of the straining) or whether the haemorrhoids caused the constipation (blocking the anus).

A gastroenterologist (to whom I paid RM150 for him to examine my rear end) confirmed I have a few haemorrhoids in the early stage. He gave me senokot, lactulose, and another suppository which I can't recall now. The pharmacist who dispensed it must have had a good laugh because when she was giving me the lactulose, she said, "this is for when you constipate". Then taking the senokot she said, "err...this is err...also for when you err...constipate." And then taking the suppository she said, "err..this one....ohh...ahh...also for when you ahh....really consitpate." I nodded and smiled at her.

I tried Senokot and Lactulose. They helped but I didn't like the idea of being dependent on medication. Taking extra fruits and vegetables and having oats for breakfast every morning did little to solve my problem. I could eat half a papaya (big one) and tonnes of other fruits and still have a problem the next morning.

Finally, I found the answer to my problem....

Yup! Muesli. I actually like taking this for breakfast and even lunch as well. Unfortunately it's quite expensive here in Malaysia (about RM16 for a 750gm pack). So when Edwin went to Melbourne for a working trip late last month, I asked him to buy some home. He brought home about 10kg of muesli. After conversion, this pack cost about RM9.

Big business every morning has been a breeze. I feel so good and much lighter after my business in the toilet every morning.

See how lose my pants is now. This is my favourite pair which I have been wearing since 10 years ago, which I couldn't even zip up in April.

And that's our new camera.

So glad that eating healthy and breastfeeding has succesfully transferred all the unwanted fat from me to my pretty baby.

She's about 7.9kg now and trying very hard to sit and crawl and talk. Joy-Anne also loves to play with her big brother and vice versa.Unfortunately, she's also drooling a lot with her mouth always open...just like Joseph!

Happy to lose

I've been busy.... Edwin has been travelling. A week in Melbourne, a week in Seoul. Wish it was vacation for me too.

Nevermind....my vacation is approaching very soon! Yeah....we'll be going to Honolulu, Hawaii for my sister's wedding.

Because all women are vain (and those who say they are not are lying), I've been trying hard to shed all this extra baby weight to look good in the wedding pictures. Not having time to exercise does not help.

Nevertheless, I'm proud to say that I've lost about 6kg since February. I'm now down to 51kg and my favourite pair of pants which I could not even zip in April is now loose. I've had this favourite pair of pants since my form 6 days. Not bad huh.....to be able to fit into pants from my teenage years after 10 years and 2 kids.

But I have yet to reach my pre-Joseph weight. I was 48kg before I had Joseph. At full term, I was 62kg. With Joy-Anne, I was 53kg when I conceived her because the pregnancy just before that gave me very good appetite and then after the miscarriage, I was trying to lose the weight when I realized I was pregnant again (no wonder no weight loss despite daily sessions on the treadmill).

Now if only there was some miracle gadget to zap away all the extra flabby lose skin and stretch marks on my tummy and my permanently-everted bellybutton. I guess I'll just have to keep this priceless pregnancy souvenir.

Happy pictures

Joy-Anne is now happy exploring everything with her mouth. She even wanted to eat this doll.
Heh heh....what are you looking at?

Joe and papa swimming....

See my sweet smile...

So happy that Kor Kor shared with me his toy 'car'.

Learning from Children's Church

For the first half of this year, DUMC's Children's Church has been teaching the kids about the Fruit of the Spirit. Even though Joe falls asleep during children's church almost everyweek, he has somehow learned the song pretty well.



The song goes...

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace
Patience, Kindness, Goodness
The Fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control
Since we live by the Spirit let us keep in step
Keep in step with the Spirit (Yes Sir!)

Weekend up north

We had a long weekend in Penang. It's been a long while since we last went back. This time, we hopped on a plane. Joe had a good time. Just before getting on the plane, Joe enjoyed looking at all the planes and helicopters at Subang airport. On the plane.....this is my least-fat-looking photo this year. In Penang, there was no bath tub for Joy-Anne. We used a basin for her bath. She didn't seem to mind.
Story-telling at bed time. Joy-Anne wanted to eat the books.
She also started to almost want to crawl. She has so far succeeded in squirming all over the place and even off the mattress and on to the floor....twice.
And she started babbling as well. Trying really hard to talk...




On one afternoon, I loaned her Joe's Barney bolster and left her on the mattress, hugging the bolster. Two minutes later I came back and found her like this.....
So cheeky!

And my Joseph....he ate the potty! Actually we didn't bring his potty back. This potty belongs to his great-grandmother. When we told him it's Ah Chor's potty, he said, "But Ah Chor is so big. How is Ah Chor going to fit inside?"

Here he's laughing hysterically after he ate the potty.

Ahh....I have very amusing kids. Thank God for them!

kids keep me busy

I've haven't been diligently updating the blog....kids keep me busy.

Joy-Anne surprised us last Saturday by falling asleep all by herself in the play pen. And she slept for 1.5hours!
This was taken this morning just before I rushed out to work. See how happy she is. I love her smile!

Joe posed for all of 10 seconds. Then he refused to take photos anymore. Trying to be the protective kor kor.

We got it....10 years!

We got the US visas for the kids today! 10 years! Thank God!

After paying visa application fee of RM467 per kid, filling tedious forms, preparing tonnes of documents and 2 trips downtown....thank God it's for 10 years.

Joe can be going to Disneyworld for the next 10 years...haha!

Happy Kids

Joy-Anne doesn't like to lie down these days. She wants to sit up and see the world!

Joe is happy when we go kai kai.... here he's riding Bob the Builder's tractor. But don't put any money in...he'll jump off right away!

Joe kor kor taking care of his mei mei....don't roll off Joy-Anne.

Cheeky boy trying to pull my scrunchie off.

Joy wants to hug and kiss Joe.

Joe's happy he got my scrunchie.


Joy trying to eat Tweety.

Happy to be on kor kor's shoulders...

And happier to be riding kor kor's pony.

I believe I can fly!

Father's Day treats

We treated my dad to some early Father's Day celebration.

On Thursday morning, this arrived.... from Rebecca and Danny.

Thursday night....we went to Midvalley Megamall and treated my dad to 30minutes in a fish spa. Fishes biting off dead skin. My dad said he enjoyed it.
This morning, we went for buffet lunch at Sun and Surf Restaurant, Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel. 50% discount for Citibank Credit card holders.

Rare occasion when Joe cooperates for family photo.

Food was good....fresh oysters and mussels on ice, sushi and sashimi, soft shell crabs and a chocolate fountain too.

Didn't take photos of food because we were too busy stuffing ourselves....yum yum yum!

Joe enjoyed the chocolate fountain....


He even licked the plate.

The happy grandparents...

another outfit from yee yee

Joy-Anne is getting very good at smiling these days. Booking opens in 25 years! Can start taking number now.... Heh! Heh!

checking out school

We made a visit to Tadika Juara Cerdik yesterday morning. This is where we plan to send Joe next year when he will be 4 years old. The principal, Cynthia spent over an hour talking to us and taking us on a tour of the premises.

The place is new and purpose-built for the children. So you've got child-height sinks and toilets, brightly-painted walls, a science lab, a computer room with 10 computers (with flat screen LCDs), multi-media room, playground and a garden besides the classrooms. This is part of DUMC's mega-church complex known as Dream Center.

I find comfort in the fact that they expect parents to be around for the first 3 days to help children settle into a new environment. They also have very experienced teachers and helpers.

Joe had a traumatic experience when we tried to send him to another school when he was younger. The teachers there have a cold-turkey style where parents drop the kid and leave from Day 1. Joe found himself in a strange place with total strangers. He cried and screamed. Refused to eat or drink. Not even a drop of water. On top of that he vomitted. He finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. After that day, he turned and ran the other way when he saw the school from afar.

We have been slowly trying to change his mindset. Thus far, we have managed to explain to him that school is for big boys ad girls, not for adults. Barney and Elmo have also helped to give him a positive perception about school. In theory, he can now tell me that he wants to go to school and we should go to work, and come fetch him when school is over.

I feel he will be adapting to Juara Cerdik with more ease because the principal and 2 other teachers are people he has seen in church. There are also a few other children from Children's Church who are in Juara Cerdik. Plus, he will have Nathaniel for a classmate. Nat's mother and I used to go to school together so it's cool that our sons are going to be classmates.

Nat is quite a drama king. Even more of a drama king than Joseph. I just hope that together, they don't terrorize the other children and their teacher.

A mother's heartache

Leaving the house for work each day I have to work is a heartache. Especially when Joe puts his arms around me and says, "Mama...don't go to work. Stay at home." He did it again this morning.

I hug and kiss him tight. And then when he's distracted with Mickey Mouse, I sneak out of the house. It's a horrible thing to do. I wish I didn't have to work.

Which is why I don't quite understand why some people who don't work choose to send their young kids to school instead of enjoying them. I know of 2 mothers who can afford to not work, and thus do not work. Yet they send their only child to pre-school before they are even 3 years old. I wonder what they do at home?

If I had that luxury, I'd spend more time with my kid doing fun stuff like going to Kizsports, Tumble Tots, Music&Movement classes, swimming, etc. After all they are only so young for such a short time and pretty soon, they'll grow more and more independent of us.