My favourite time of the year

Today is 21/12/12 which marks the winter solstice festival (when tong yuens are rolled from glutinous rice flour) and also purportedly doomsday according to the Mayan calendar. But just as I suspected, today is just like any other day and it cannot be the end of the world because "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father - Matthew 24: 36".
In fact, Christmas is just round the corner and with all the lovely Christmas decorations in the shops and malls and the wonderful Christmas songs being played on radio and the cookies that I've been baking, I am already in the mood for Christmas. The Christmas tree was set up more than a week ago and there are already presents under the tree, mostly for Josiah of course. He has been so good when I told him that the presents can only be opened on Christmas day. Daddy bought him a Spiderman action figure which talks and shoots web from Toys R Us when he was in Putrajaya last week. I am sure it will be a big hit with Josiah, though I don't encourage him to be into action heroes and violence at his age. But daddy is always encouraging him to watch movies like Spiderman, Hulk, Batman and Ultraman. Maybe daddy wants him to be more boyish.  Well, there will be plenty of time for that later on!
I am 20+ weeks now (yay! I survived the first half) but unfortunately I still get morning sickness on some days and its worse when I take multivitamins. So I take them on alternate days. Baby girl (whom we have actually agreed on a name but I will not reveal it yet just in case there are changes) is quite feisty too - she's constantly moving and kicking me. The feeling is really wonderful. I love her already.

Expecting a .......... GIRL!!!! :-)

I am so very happy to know that little bub is a girl! We found out only yesterday from the ultrasound scan (16+ week). Immediately after that I went on a little shopping spree for girl's clothes! You can imagine how excited I am. Everyone started congratulating us (me especially) because apparently everyone knows how much I want a daughter. I am very thankful that God has heard my prayers and granted the desire of my heart. I am blessed with Josiah and now, a daughter! I couldn't be any happier. I hope Josiah will welcome his little sister with an open heart. He does fancy little girls :) Soon, I will have to change the name of this blog.
On another note, we are leaving for Korea tomorrow morning! Needless to say, I am so excited. Hubby - not so. Because the judge (really idiotic and unreasonable by the way) refused to adjourn his case next week. Hubby will definitely be worrying about work while holidaying in Korea. Boo-hoo.
Anyhow, I hope it will be an enjoyable babymoon. I look forward to shopping for cheap skincare and cosmetics!

Will it be mei-mei or di-di?

I should have written this post earlier but I didn't want to jinx it, moreover there was a blood clot  in the uterus and some spotting so I didn't want to get my hopes up too high. But I'm happy to say that little bub is fine, I am 11+ weeks preggers and at the last ultrasound she was actually moving about. Super cute! I don't know little bub's gender yet, but for now I'll just refer to it as "her/she" *fingers crossed*. I have always wanted a mini me so let's hope it's a girl. When I asked Josiah if he wanted mei-mei or di-di his answer is always "di-di!" with a big grin on his face. Although I am not sure if he fully understands it. As with the first pregnancy, I have really bad nausea (I don't want to use the word morning sickness because it happens anytime of the day and sometimes the whole day.) I am on Veloxin again, even though I thought I could avoid taking that this time. It's harmless to the baby according to the gynae but still, if medication can be avoided the better, right? I am also on the hormone pills Duphaston which is quite costly. The gynae reckons that I take it due to the earlier clotting which has disappeared but he wants me to continue until the placenta is fully formed. This is the culprit which worsens the nausea! Ah well, to my unborn child when you read this later on do know that I love you so much even while you are inside me and I will weather through the nausea even if it lasts the entire duration of the pregnancy as long as you are healthy and safe. 
Also, thanks to Daddy I am now resting at home since the nausea makes me so sick I can hardly concentrate on work. I resigned from Zico on 11/9/12 after almost 4 years there. There were lots of good times there which I will miss. But for the sake of my babies, I do not want to stress myself at this point. I will work for Daddy (when I feel better) so that the hours are flexible and I can spend more quality time with the babies...and Daddy of course :)

Bye-bye choot-choot

Josiah finally weaned off his pacifier shortly after turning 2! It happened so naturally and much easier than I thought. He actually bit off the pacifier even though I warned him against doing so as this would mean no more pacifier for him. Since the pacifier was broken, he had to sleep without it. He knew fully well that it was his own fault and nobody to be blamed for this. So, he actually cried a bit the first 2 nights. After that, he never asked for it anymore. Yay! (PS: Daddy actually wanted to give in and let him have the extra pacifier that we keep just in case one was missing. But I put my foot down and was adamant that my boy would be able to handle it and he proved me right! That's my boy! I am so proud of him :)
Josiah's teeth are also growing and he has 16 now. I have tried but with no success to get him to brush his teeth at night. I bought him a nice toothbrush but he refuses to let anyone hold it to brush his teeth. So what I have been doing is taking a wash cloth to wipe his teeth every night, most of the time with a bit of kodomo lion toothpaste to keep his teeth nice and white. The floss comes in handy too whenever there is any morsel of food stuck between his teeth. Oh, he still refuses rice and anything that requires some chewing preferring to stick to his porridge. This is something that I have to work on.
He is also able to form short sentences now. He may not be able to pronounce accurately each and every word but we understand him (most of the time anyway). It is just super cute to hear him speak. For example, he pronounces crocodile as "kro-KOU-dile" with emphasis on the second syllable. So cute!! He enjoys the bedtime stories that I read to him. Last night, he made me read 5 books to him. *faints*

Happy 2nd Birthday Josiah!

Dear Josiah,

It's a day shy of your second birthday. I remember so clearly this day 2 years ago when I was admitted into the hospital. I was overwhelmed with different emotions, from fear of going through a difficult delivery to anticipation of meeting you finally. After all, it is my first time giving birth to a baby. It turned out to be almost 17 hours of labour, endless contraction pains, discomfort and helplessness. Finally you made your grand entrance on 25/8/2010 at 7.00am to the relief of everyone. You came out naturally with help from a vacuum suction. Thank God I did not have to go under the knife for a caesarean delivery.

You were so beautiful, a little bit purplish, which is normal, and you were very active. You were flinging your limbs as though you were so excited to finally see the world. You were so perfect and I was so in love with you. Daddy witnessed the whole process of your grand entry. Daddy was so brave. Needless to say, he was the proudest daddy that day.

Fast forward two years and we have been privileged to see you grow up and absorbing all the things life has to offer. It is not smooth sailing all the time, especially when it comes to mealtimes when it can be so frustrating and unbearable for me. But it has been a good journey and I love you so much. You are our pride and joy. The long labour and difficult times have all been worth the while.

Daddy and I wish you excellent health and all the happiness in the world everyday of your life. And be a good Christian. That is the most important thing to us.

Hope you enjoy the birthday celebrations tomorrow which we have planned for you. We are expecting a crowd of almost 100 people!

Last but certainly not the least we love you. Much more than you'll ever know.

Mommy

Glasses & Sunglasses

Josiah is quite fascinated with glasses and sunglasses as he sees us wearing them.
Incidentally he's 23 months old today. Next month he will turn 2 and we are planning a combined birthday and house warming party at home. Once again, we will be using Bamboo Catering as we were happy with the food and service at our solemnisation 3 years ago at BRGH. 
I have often heard people talk about the 'terrible twos' and now I understand this moniker. Although Josiah has yet to turn 2, he is behaving rather naughty now. He would often throw tantrums if he doesn't get what he wants and he refuses to apologise (he does not want to say 'sorry' although he understands what it means) but instead glares at you with creased eyebrows ala 'the Rock' my husband says, and sulk (by burying his face into the chair) until I pacify him or approach him for a hug. I wonder where children learn to demand for things and if they do not get things done their way, they scream and cry.
I do not give in to his demands and often discipline him. But to deal with this on a daily basis is really exhausting.

Diarrhea

Josiah is quite prone to diarrhea. He will have diarrhea at least once a month. Usually it is mild and a sachet of Smecta does the job. However, last weekend he had diarrhea but this time it was quite serious. He was passing watery stools up to 5 times a day. This also caused rashes on his penis, testicles and anus. He was touching his penis and screaming 'pain, pain, pain' and crying. Even 4 sachets of  Smecta did not stop the diarrhea. As it was a Sunday, the paediatrician clinic was closed, so I could only bring him to see the doctor on Monday.
The doctor was not sure what caused the diarrhea but she prescribed Charcoal capsules, probiotic and some zinc cream for the rashes and told me to continue giving him Smecta. She was hesitant to give antibiotics at this stage and told me to monitor him for another 2 days. Today is the 3rd day and he seems to be doing better. His stools are no more runny. It is a nice texture, although he still passes motion 2-3 times a day.
I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that he will be completely healed of his diarrhea today as the medication given by the doctor has finished.
On another note, grandma (Tai-por to Josiah) and aunty Esther (kem-phua) have been taking of Josiah since the beginning of the month. He is adapting well to the new environment, but still cries every morning when I send him over. He now naps only once day for a maximum of 2 hours and sleeps by 10pm which gives me time to do other things after he is asleep.
I can also see a little bit of his molar on the top left side of his gums. His teeth are slowly but surely coming one by one!

Goodbye and Thank You

31/5/2012 was Aunty Shirley's last day of taking care of Josiah. She was a really good babysitter to Josiah and I like her very much. In fact it wasn't her wish to stop babysitting Josiah. It was her daughter, Amelia who approached me a couple of months ago and voiced her concern for her mother whom she claims has lost weight ever since taking care of Josiah. Not only that, she is unable to go for her daily morning jogs or nap in the afternoons as she used to. Therefore, she requested me to look for an alternative. I could see the reluctance in Aunty Shirley to stop babysitting, but I really did not wish to go against her daughter's wishes. So whatever it is that Aunty Shirley feels, the end result was that I had to (with heavy heart) look for another babysitter.
Today is Josiah's first day at Por's house. Aunty Esther has now taken over the task of babysitting him. Perhaps this is God's wish and plan. Uncle Seng is facing financial difficulty and the opportunity came at the right time. We are grateful that we could help them financially in a small way.
I will always be grateful to Aunty Shirley for her care and love towards Josiah. It is my sincere wish that we will continue to keep in touch. 

Be reasonable in meting out punishments

Last Friday something terrible happened to Josiah while I was away at work. I didn't want to blog about it but I think this would serve as a reminder to us and it should never happen again.
I had to leave early to attend court so Simon had to feed Josiah milk before sending him to the babysitter's. As usual, he would drink 2/3 and refuse the rest. Every morning I would have to cajole him into finishing his milk. It is a battle. Sometimes, the incessant screaming and crying gets on my nerves and I do get angry and might smack him on his hand/leg or buttocks. But never would I slap him on his face especially when he's just a baby. But Simon lost his temper and slapped Josiah so hard on his left cheek that 3 days on, the marks are still visible. Today his left cheek is still red and the hand marks visible.
I am a strict parent but never would I hit or slap a young child on his face. Imagine all the things that could go wrong: his teeth could break, he could become deaf, he could go blind, he could break his nose, he could be brain damaged etc. It pains me to see him like this. I cried when I saw his face. Everyone was angry at Simon for slapping Josiah.
Simon felt really bad and he said it would never happen again.

I have a grand total of 6 teeth!

http://instagr.am/p/JzbxP4icWc/

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Did I mention that I can eat all by myself now?

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Discipline

Wow! It's March already! How time flies when you have to care for a little one. Josiah is 18 months now and is starting to have a mind of his own now. Just two days ago, he did not get what he wanted (which was actually a cup filled with water) so he screamed and yelled and cried for an hour. He was inconsolable. We tried all kinds of methods to make him stop: the soft method and harsh method. Nothing worked. So the next day, I headed over to this bamboo/rattan shop in Hutton Lane and got 2 canes. Of course a lot of people questioned the use of cane on my child. But I have been and will always be a firm believer that if you spare the rod, the child will end up being a spoilt brat. I wonder if it has anything to do with my own upbringing when mom used to cane me when I was up to mischief. Anyway, when I brought the canes home (1 for home and 1 extra just in case the need arises) all I had to do was hit the cane on the wall and chair to make some noise and Josiah got the message. He made a face which clearly showed his unhappiness about the cane and refused to reciprocate when I later approached him for a hug. I was pleased with myself, as the purpose of having the cane was somewhat achieved, though not necessarily used to cane him physically. Of course I do hope that I will never need to resort to caning Josiah. Discipline must be taught at a young age.
In my last post I mentioned about Josiah not eating well, had diarrhoea and throwing up food. It actually turned out to be an infection due to virus . I did not know this until I took Josiah to Dr Loke whose clinic is nearby. And she turned out to be better than I expected. Don't ask me why I did not consult her earlier, as it was hubby's idea not to see her due to reasons which I shall not mention here. Anyway I learnt something very important from Dr Loke. I think a lot of people knew this except me. Well as the saying goes better late than never. It turned out that when a child has diarrhoea and tummy upset, you should lay off milk. Completely. And for the past few weeks I have been doing the total opposite. Whenever he refused food, I gave him more milk to compensate. This actually made it worse and aggravated his tummy aches. I am so sorry darling. I wish I had known this earlier then Josiah wouldn't need to suffer as much as he did. I am glad to report that he is so much better now after laying off milk for about one week. In fact he has regained his appetite. I will also continue seeing Dr Loke for his immunisations.

Josiah's first short trip

Josiah went for his first short trip with us to Bukit Tinggi and Genting Highlands over the Thaipusam long weekend holiday. As he was too small to go on the rides, he only sat on the merry-go-round accompanied by me, of course. He was initially quite afraid but as the carousel took off he started to warm up and he enjoyed sitting on his pony. Andrew, Li Wei and Kah Yeong were there too. We were supposed to stay 2 nights at Bukit Tinggi but as there was not much to do there, we decided to go to Genting Highlands the next day instead. Before going for the trip I had to pack Josiah's things and also cook porridge which I kept in a cooler box so that it stays fresh. Unfortunately, Josiah did not want to eat the porridge and in fact he did not have any appetite throughout the trip and also a few days after that. I even tried cooking other food such as bee hoon and macaroni and cheese. He refused them all. I was so stressed out that I broke down in tears. Hubby must have been shocked. I was so worried that he might have worms so I gave him Zentel a deworming medicine which I bought at the pharmacy. I suspect he could also be teething as he sometimes drools and passes motion frequently, up to 3 times a day and it's watery. At the moment at almost 18 months old, he only has 5 teeth!
Po po started teaching him manners and asks him to say 'please' and 'thank you' whenever he wants something. He says 'phee' and 'kyoo'. It's so adorable!

Po Po & me

This picture was taken at Delicious Straits Quay during Ee ee's birthday dinner. Happy Birthday ee ee Jo!

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