30 years of fun

This photo was taken on 30April 1979. I was exactly 15 months old. That slide I'm sitting on in the photo must be about 3 years old at that time.

Fast forward to 2006.

Joseph is almost 15 months old and playing on the exact same slide. It's been refurbished. We changed the sliding board and gave it a new coat of varnish. Still good as new and able to provide Joseph with lots of playtime fun. All that exercise he gets climbing up and down enables him to sleep better at night.

Check out the same pose...

long busy weekend

Joseph woke up 5 minutes before my 6.30am alarm went off this morning. How does he know that I've got to wake up early to go to work today? I had taken monday and tuesday off so it was a nice long weekend. A very busy one for Joseph. See what he did... Joe had wonderfully fun bubble baths He was busy checking out the 'new' slide. He messed fried mee hoon all over himself.

He drove a bat mobile!





















And check out this cheeky grin....vroom! vroom!

Rebecca's Back!

Rebecca landed here on Tuesday 4th July. Her second trip home in a space of 6 months. This comes after being away for 5.5 years. Why the sudden eagerness to come home? Joseph, of course. Her first word as soon as she stepped into the arrival hall of KLIA was "Joseph". Her luggage was full of goodies for Joseph. What a lucky baby Joseph is to have such a nice Ah Yee. By wednesday, Joseph was calling Yeee..... with a big grin on his face and pointing at Rebecca. This always results in hysterical laughter from Joseph's Ah Yee. She bought him several books, a pair of Timberland sandals (that cost USD24), wallies to decorate his room. The sandals are still too big for his feet. He should grow into them in a couple of months. Wednesday night, Joseph entertained all of us by smearing mango juice all over himself. He was happily sucking on the mango seed. There was juice on his hands, head, hair, face, arms and even the entire high chair.

Not the least disturbed by the mess, Joseph couldn't be happier.

Me! Me!

I made the mess!

Yeah!

treasure found...?

Joseph : I was just doing what I do best...exploring the house, opening drawers and cupboards, looking for things to throw around. Then I wandered to the bedroom and found this.... in daddy's bedside drawer. Hmm....wonder what it's for.

Daddy...what did you say these are for again?

broken toilet seat

This is my broken toilet seat. Wonder how I'm gonna get it fixed....

toilet seat no more

How does a 14-month-old boy break a toilet seat? I'm trying to figure it out and I'll still be trying when I go shopping for a new toilet seat. You see, Joseph broke the one in my bathroom. Okay, so it's old. But it was still working fine until his itchy hands kept tugging and pulling and pushing it around everytime he stood next to it when it was time to shee shee. Now I have to go look for a toilet seat that will match the colour of my toilet bowl.

New wheels for Joseph

I finally got a new stroller for Joseph. It was time to retire his old hand-me-down one which was getting very wobbly and did not seem capable of withstanding Joseph's increasing weight (almost 12kg now!). Several weeks of research on the internet, a mother's forum and also asking around friends' opinions led me to decide on the Graco EDT citisport which has a price tag of RM599 at ToysRUs and SafeNSound (1Utama). But it was to my good fortune that when I visited Safe N Sound last night, the EDT citisport was out of stock. However, a more expensive model (which I saw for RM649 two weeks ago) was now selling for only RM459. It was the last unit. Take it or regret it. Not one to be fickle, I put Joseph in it and wheeled it out of the shop as Edwin took out his credit card to pay for it. Here's what I found out from all the stroller research. I wanted a stroller that was lightweight, compact when folded, one-handed open/close, has a reclinable seat, large storage basket and easy-clean cushions. Many umbrella strollers require you to squat to the floor when closing the stroller because the handles have to meet the front wheels. Others were so bulky and heavy that they would fill up the entire car boot. Hence it was down to either Combi or Graco for me. All other brands (Chicco, Peg Perego, Maclaren, Inglesina, Britax...) were either too expensive or too bulky. I also found out that you have to go to certain shops to buy certain brands of strollers. Combi - Combi shop in Midvalley, Toycity in 1Utama Graco - ToysRUs, SafeNSound, Bambino (limited model) Maclaren - Planet Enfant PegPerego - ToysRUs (limited choice), Planet Enfant Inglesina - ToysRUs, Hytex town (Ikano) Sweet Cherry - Jusco Anakku/Elego - Anakku boutiques, Parkson Graco had a large storage basket and easy one-hand open/close mechanism. Combi was more compact when folded because of the tri-fold. However this tri-fold makes it more flimsy. And the basket is lousy. So I finally decided on the Graco citisport, compromising on the not-so-compact folded size. It is still light enough to be carried over the shoulder and I believe it will fit in the overhead compartment of an aircraft cabin. See how happy Joseph is...he wouldn't let me take him out of it!

everyday is a new lesson

As soon as I got home yesterday, my mother got Joseph to show me his new 'stunt'. She asked him "Where is papa's picture?" I stood rooted to the ground wondering what he was going to do. Joseph walked over to the cupboard where we kept all our photo albums, opened it and pulled out a photo of Edwin dressed in his graduation gown. Then he took the photo, walked over to edwin, and as he stretched out his hand to give Edwin the photo, he said "PA!" so loudly. Of course his pa smiled from ear to ear. Then later in the evening, we were at the balcony. My mother asked him, "Where's the small swimming pool?" and he pointed correctly. Next question : "Where's the big swimming pool?" Again, he pointed to the correct big pool. I've got to test this boy's IQ someday. In the mean time, I'll just enjoy his antics. Motherhood has its rewards!

14 months and counting...

It's been 10 days since my last post. Joseph turned 14 months yesterday. He's growing so fast. And learning new things everyday. I realize he understands much more than I give him credit for. I put his a bottle containing water and a bottle containing milk side by side. When asked where his water bottle is, Joseph grabs the right bottle without hesitation. On Tuesday morning, he walked into my mother's room. And when my mother started to recite The Lord's Prayer, Joseph walked out of her room, went to the study, picked out "The Lord' Prayer" book from amongst so many books on the shelves, walked back to my mother's room and gave it to her. After he has thrown out plenty of balls from inside the playpen, I take him out, and tell him to take the balls and throw them back into the playpen. He obeys and throws all the balls back in. Yesterday I asked him "where is Ah Yee's book?". He walked to the shelf below the telephone, and picked out the book that his ah yee gave him. Then I asked him, "where's the doggie?" and he turned the pages till he reached the page where there were dogs. He pointed to the dogs and enthusiastically said, "oohhhhh..." I ask Joseph, "where's the moon?" He points to the window and skywards. Best of all, everyday when I get home from work and walk thru the door, I ring the doorbell on purpose and Joseph walks to me with a big grin and happily says "hehh....heyyy....". It never fails to put a smile on my face.

hello? hello?

We were clearing out the study yesterday. Today we're getting new built-ins installed. So the telephone was on the floor. Joseph happily picks up the receiver, puts it to his ear and goes "ohhh.... ohhhh....". Then he walks over to me and puts the receiver to my ear. Indeed, children learn what they see. I had better be on my guard always.

chicken-pox vaccination

Joseph got his chicken-pox vaccination jab yesterday. After much deliberation with Edwin....to jab, not to jab, to jab, not to jab.....and seeking opinions of other mums, and my doctor friend...we decided to let him have the jab. Paid RM120 for it. Joseph cried for 5 seconds. Then it was back to his smiles and toys. I figured it was better for him to get the jab for the following reasons. 1. If he didn't have the jab and he got the disease, we would have to rush him to the paediatrician to get the anti-virals which would cost even more. 2. One jab and 5 seconds of crying is a whole lot better than feeding medicine 3 times a day for two weeks. 3. Getting the jab means that the disease will be less serious should he get it. This then means a happier, less miserable Joseph which results in a happier me! 4. Going to school soon means his risk of getting bugs and viruses increases and therefore, I should give him all the protection I can. Money well-spent!

chubby, choo-bee, chau-bee

I figured this 3 words most aptly describe Joseph. For now at least. Chubby - he downs 3 big bowls of oats/porridge and at least 20-24 oz of milk each day. He looks like he has a beer belly. Kinda like Ah Teck in Under One Roof. But it's just one round tummy. No folds of fat like the Michelin tyre mascot. One solid round tummy. Choo-bee - It means cute in hokkien. How else can I describe Joseph. Cute is an understatement. More like mega-cute. Or super-duper-hyper-mega-cute. Then again, who can blame me if I seem bias? He copies everything we do. Monkey see, monkey do. But with a lot more cuteness. Taking care of him means days of laughter. Just last night, he threw all my pillows from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed. Then he sat down and with one pointed finger, waved it and said "horrrr.....". Just like how we 'scold' him. Chau-bee - Meaning smelly in hokkien, this would be when he has poo-ed and is still happily walking about oblivious to the smell that his faeces is emiting. It is quite a challenge to clean and change this little boy since he will struggle and scream because he doesn't like having his backside washed. I've no idea why. After he is clean and dripping wet, he escapes and roams around gleefully, barebottom. It's as if he is elated to have the wind blowing against his chubby bottom. Again...so cute.

I Not Stupid too

We were browsing in Midvalley Megamal last night and decided to buy I Not Stupid Too (original vcd of course) since the first movie was pretty good. We were not disappointed. I must confess...I shed some tears. Touching is an understatement for this fabulous creation of Jack Neo who also stars in the movie. Tom and his brother Jerry (yes...Tom & Jerry) have parents who think they are doing a great job as parents not realizing that what their children actually need is their time and attention instead of material provision. ChengCai has a ex-prisoner father who in spite of his love for his son, beats him up because he knows no other way to show love. Driven by resentment, the children end up as juveniles...shoplifting, robbing, stealing and fighting.

Have a box of tissue handy as the ending of the movie will bring you to tears. I like the moral values of the movie.

A rotten apple can still be eaten if you cut away the rotten part. But if you throw it away, you will have nothing left.

There is good in everyone. We should focus on their talents instead of their flaws.

Everyone can do well. We all just need a little encouragement.

As the opening line said....When was the last time you praised somebody?

Joseph says mama

My long wait finally came to and end. I had been waiting for the day Joseph would say "ma ma". He did it on Saturday 20th May. It was the sweetest sound to my ears. After he accomplished mama, he added mummum to his vocabulary. Somewhere along the way, he also started saying "hot" referring to the pot that just came off the stove. It amazes me how much this little toddler understands. Just yesterday, he was enjoying his bubble bath with the lower half of his body completely covered by bubbles. When he was asked, "where is your leg?", he happily lifted his left leg out of the water and laughed. Then we asked him, "your other leg?" and he lifted his right leg. He understands and obeys when we tell him to lie down, sit down. I take him to the window and ask him "Got rain or not?" and he will put out his hand as if to check for rain drops. In spite of all this apparent intelligence, he refuses to understand the word NO. Smacking his hand yields no result. The rotan is sitting around. I have yet to use it. It's so long, I'm afraid I'll injure Joseph. My mother says he's too young to understand. I find that absolutely illogical since this smart kid understands various commands and knows how to look at the sky when we say "aeroplane" and "helicopter". Surely the one-syllable no is much simpler to comprehend. For now, his favourite word is still "ball" whenever he sees a ball or anything that looks round like a ball, and "pa", referring to his dad. I'll have to wait (hopefully not too long) till he starts saying "ma" more often.

walk walk walk

Joseph has started walking. He gets more confident with each passing day. A week ago, he looked more like a drunk penguin, falling to his bum after a few steps. Now he's really walking and I'm starting to miss his crawling days because it was also a real joy to see him dashing across the hall and rooms on all fours. I take my eyes off him for a split second and he's out of the room. And then I find him comfortably seated on the chair at the dining table. I'm amazed at how quick he is at making his way out of the room and on to the chair without falling. He doesn't want to stay in his playpen. There's not enough room in there for him. The entire house is his playpen. He opens cupboards, pulls out drawers, climbs on chairs and the table, whacks my computer keyboard... Just last week he trapped his own fingers as he shut a drawer. He looked at me with a pathetically sad face and whimpered. No crying, no tears. I gave him a stern "I-told-you-not-to-play-with-the-drawers" look before I released his chubby fingers from the clutch of the drawer. Sigh...seems to me he's got 'thick skin'. 2 weeks ago when we took him for his 3rd MMR jab, he surprised us (the paediatrician included) when he smiled instead of cry. Not even a teeny weeny whimper. No sign of pain. Got to go buy a cane soon. My sister-in-law tells me there's a shop in PJ Old Town that sells 3 for RM1. That'll be one for the house, one for the car, and one as a spare....

Happy 1st Birthday Joseph

A year has passed. Joseph is already one. Sometimes if feels like just yesterday when I felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. Other times, it really feels like it's been a long long time since I was lying in that cold freezing OT. He's grown so much. 11.2kg is a lot of weight to carry around when he wants to be rocked to sleep. And gosh....he's got so much energy. He's moving every waking moment. There's not a minute when he sits still. Everything round is "ball". He points to the moon, balloons, apple, orange, watermelon etc and says "ball". Actually, his own head is pretty round too. He's bulat. I'm bo-lat! We had a party to celebrate his birthday. It was on Easter Day. What a celebration of life! Family and friends made the event memorable. There was so much food... pizza, roast chicken, chee cheong fun, curry chicken, beef rendang, char siew, lor mai fun, coleslaw, siew mai, curry puff and of course Joseph's birthday cake which was a deliciously moist chocolate cake in the shape of the number 1. Joseph took a swipe at the cake when we sang his Happy Birthday song and then contentedly sucked the chocolate fudge coating off his finger, smearing chocolate fudge on his entire face in the process. Boy, did he enjoy his cake!

After the singing and the feasting, Reuben gave a short magic show with the Easter message. The party ended quite early enabling Joseph to go to bed not too late. He was so extremely exhausted that it really didn't take us long to put him to bed. All the excitement must have worn him out. Happy 1st Birthday Joseph. We look forward to celebrating many more of your birthdays!

more more stuff for sale...

Full body suit for 0-3 months. Washed once but never worn. Bought in USA. 100% cotton. RM10 each.

muscle man

heeeyaaaahhhh!!!! Check out my muscles! Mummy says I feel solid like a kampung chicken. Not surprising.....I've been working out. (more like lifting and throwing everything in sight) Got to look good at my birthday party. 8 more days to go...

so gross...

I did a scaling today..... on a denture! Gosh it was so gross. I've never scaled a denture before. Dentures are not supposed to need scaling. The the best of my knowledge, calculus (not the math you do in college) does not 'grow' on dentures. So anyway, this middle-aged lady came in one minute before the counter closed and asked to cuci gigi palsu. Then she took this super gross-looking, plaque-covered full lower denture out of her mouth. One glance and I knew I didn't want to touch this thing. So I held it with a tweezer, took it to the sink and rinsed it with a copious amount of water while brushing away the plaque all the while thinking to myself that this is not what I was taught in dental school to do. And neither am I paid to brush dentures. After brushing away the plaque which the lady could have easily done so with her own toothbrush at home, I stared at the chunk of calculus on the lingual surface of the denture. It was the size of an almond nut! This is not scaling. It's rock-blasting! So I used the scaler to 'rock-blast' the chunk of calculus off the denture all the while giving the lady a lecture on how she should brush her dentures and take better care of them. She said she brushes them. I said no, if you brush them they wouldn't get this dirty...blah blah blah... In the end, she didn't pay the RM2 we charge for scaling because there is no fee scale for scaling dentures. Lucky her. I hope she takes better care so that I don't have to do that gross job again.

Baby carrier/rocker no longer available - taken!