Things to do

* Search for a kindergarten for Jon and register him for year 2011 - checked

* Search for a location to host Jillian's first birthday - checked

* Invite friends for Jillian's first birthday - work in progress (WIP)

* Scrap decorations for Jillian's party - WIP. Lots of cutting going on the last two days.

* Shop for presents for Jon and Jill - bought a couple. still got a couple more to go, coz buying on behalf of my parents too

* Shop for birthday cake for the kiddos - Not yet. But I did buy the ingredients and materials for their cupcakes!

* Scrap a layout or cards - checked. did three cards: two birthday cards and a baby's full-month celebration

This photo was taken last Sunday at the cry room at church. We had a new friend called Kyala who's got to be the cutest 13month young baby. She walks so steadily and has such a sweet smile. Her mommy is Elisabeth. Jill looks slightly terrified being carried by a new person and hugged by a new friend.

PS: There've been comments that Jillian has a great personality or that she is very sweet. Well, these are from seeing her photos. Wait till you hear her! She screams as loud as Jon and cousin Mabel, esp when they're having fun. And should you take anything away from her hands....oooh, you'd better cover your ears. You have been warned!

What's up with Jonathan nowadays

Jonathan is turning three in a couple of weeks' time. He has grown from one cute boy into a..... super noisy monster! He was such a sweet boy and then the Terrible Twos came. And it looks like this will carry over into the Terrible Threes??

Cozying up to Aunty Annie who visited


* He shouts and screams at home when he's happy, when he really wants something and we refuse to give it to him, when he watches his fave Tom & Jerry cartoon, when he's having loads of fun with cousin Mabel. People say he's just being a boy, but it irritates his grandparents and those who are unused to noise.

* He is so FULL of energy that needs to be harnessed or used up. Bringing him out into the compound is one sure way to do so. Except he perspires a lot and I just pray that he doesn't get a chill!

* He loves his noodles and will never fail to ask for "mian" each day when he sits down for his lunch or dinner. I will give him his fave dry noodles, whenever I can.

* He loves to play with his cousin Mabel more than his sister Jillian. (Thankfully, Jill is too young to comprehend and will just follow behind them in her walker when they race in the trikes.)

* Whenever he hears the sounds of aeroplanes, he will want to run out to see them in the sky.

* Jon is really afraid of thunder. When he hears them in the living room, he will run to the back of the house, aka the kitchen, thinking he can hide from the thunder. Haha.

* He's undergoing potty training for since end June. He still makes it a major event going to the loo, shouting he needs to "shi shi" or "da pian". I still think it's farnee who he will get whoever who's nearest him to run with him to the loo!

* He will tell you earnestly to "Come in" when he wants you to follow him to the kitchen or the play room.

* I love it when he quietens down with an ice cream to watch Tom & Jerry.

* I love it that he goes to bed without whining or complaining. We're weaning him off the sarong by bringing him straight to bed, and he will take an hour or so to sleep (don't know exactly how long coz Simon and will always fall asleep before he does). And it has to be pitched dark without any night light on, otherwise he will carry on playing or whispering or talking.

* I miss sleeping with Jon as he's sleeping on his own bed. While it's placed next to ours (and we will find him very close to Simon in the middle of the night), he knows where our positions are ((Jill sleeps in the cot on my left while Jon sleeps on the right of Simon). If I try to sleep with him or talk him to sleep, he will tell me to not to sleep on his bed and to go to my side of my bed.

* But no matter how naughty or noisy Jon is, I still lurve my boy who is so BIG on love. Who will snuggle up to Simon or me when he watches telly programmes, who will hold our arms and wouldn't let go, who will still hug me after I used the rottan for pushing the mei meis in the home, or for crying and demanding his way.

However, I do wish he will be more obedient....sit still for slightly longer (esp in public, wonder where the REAL Jon went, my boy who would used to sit in the baby chair for longer periods when he was younger, not shout or scream (it can really gives headaches or raise one's temperature or temper), and lastly to kiss me like he used to last year.

And I do pray for more patience on my end, not to lose my temper and take it out on him, or shout at him, coz that's not the way to teach a child.

What am I up to these few days?

No posts from me for a while coz:

- I am doing my homework checking out which pre-kinder and kindergarten is suitable for Jon. Registration begins around now for enrolment next year. Thank goodness for maternal instincts otherwise I will only check out in Sep or so. Must go visit a couple more kinders and discuss with a couple of friends, and mom-in-law of course. I've grown to consult her as she is local mah.

- Planning for Jon's 3rd birthday celebrations in early Aug. This is initially easy, coz I wanted to buy cupcakes for a small celebration on Sun at his Sunday School class. And another round on his actually birthday at his nursery. Went to our usual bakery but it ran out on small Spiderman figurines. Until i went to another bakery and saw the figurines and snapped up all of them. Only 16 lah.

Then another brilliant idea popped into my head. The cupcakes are quite pricey....I could bake them at an aunt or friend's place and do the decor? Am I asking for trouble? I still have another week to think about it before I need to buy the ingredients (why so early, coz Prima Flour imported from Singapore is usually snapped up from this ONE store that sells it. and local flour just doesn't cut it. This is from locals yah, not me.)

- Planning for Jillian's 1st birthday. Checking out a couple of venues for her party. No nice kiddy places here. But this being her first birthday, it's more of adults gathering with some of their kids. Er...wrong. As I have been in Miri for 3 years, I've made more friends around my age and there're more kids to invite too. Hmm, do I opt for a small cozy do, or invite family and friends with kids & babies totalling about 50? Ah, go all the way for the first celebration and then the next few will be intimate ones lah. Just like we did for Jon.

I never dreamed

I haven't scrapped in two months. Busy with kids, went back to Singapore twice, kids were sick and parents were here for a week, and maybe not enough mojo.

Then I scrapped this layout about myself.

I never dreamed:

* that I would spend tons on scrapbooking (once I got started, I can't stop...the buying, that is!)

* that I would have two children by 37 (super traumatised after I helped my neighbour deliver her #2 at home when I was 19yrs old, started family planning late, some issues with conceiving, and super afraid of childbirth)

* that I would get my driver's license at 36 (never thought I would get behind a set of wheels, and all the procrastinating adds to the fear of driving. But being in Malaysia means I need to drive, coz I can't just get on the road to flag a cab, and buses come on the hour, and there's no MRT here)

* that I would move to Miri, Sarawak...and live with my in-laws (small city of some 300,000 with only 4 shopping centres, I speak enuf Malay to order ta pao, no friends then. Well, God spoke and we obeyed.)

* that I would be a stay-at-home-mom (In SG, we need double income to enjoy a decent standard of living. Well, I did pray that if I ever had a baby, I would love to be able to take care of my baby for at least six months. Guess that got extended)

* that I would work in an IT company (me, super IT illiterate and having worked more than 10yrs in corporate and consumer PR)

* that I would be able to dive (I fear the open sea, but I love to the photos and videos from my friends' dive trips. I liken my dive experiences to being in an aquarium...that's what I think when I jumped into the choppy seas and get to Simon before we dive down. Those few mins can be very alarming for me.)

* that 3 of my closest girlfriends and I would all deliver our babies in 2009 (nothing short of God's miracles, and blessings to us. I am blessed to join these ladies on the arduous journey of conceiving and childbirth.)

* that my husband would be get off work at 4pm (Simon hated his old job as a civil engineer, and constantly had to work overtime. Work was never ending.)

Singapore - June 2010

I had just came back from a 12-day trip in Singapore. I am glad to be back home. Jon's super loud now, shouting when he's excited, or happy or when he wants something. Hmmmm, that will need to be fixed, but in the meantime, I am so happy to see and hug him.

This is the longest that I have been away from Miri and from Jonathan. Simon was with me for the first four days and we spent the time running errands, and viewing flats (yes, on our anniversary too).

Highlights of my Singapore trip (not in order of importance)

Buying a HDB resale flat

I asked Simon what he was going to get me for our 9th anniversary, and he said with a deadpan expression, "Buy a flat lor." You know what? We did made an offer for a flat that very evening. And dinner was with his ex-colleague-cum-property agent...char kway teow and sugar cane with lemon at Toa Payoh!

Buying the flat could not be considered a present coz I am paying for it too. "But it's more memorable that we bought it on our anniversary," Simon said. Technically, the date of completion will be later , but the fact is, we viewed and found a HDB resale that we like on our 9th anniversary.

Anniversary
We have been married for 9 years! We thank God for each other and for His blessing of two sweet kids. I also said a prayer for my friends who are married that they will be richly blessed in their marriages and that their relationships will be strengthened and enriched.

And we did have a belated Anniversary lunch at Ember at 1929. Would love to go to Iggy's but with sweet Jillian in tow, I think better not yah?

I had yummy pan-fried foie gras, miso cod fish and dessert of frozen nougat with lemon sorbet! Simon had a soft shell crab starter, with tenderloin for his main and the warm choc cake (which I usually take, but skipped to try something diff).

I love the savoury foie gras (crispy on the outside and it just melts on the inside) and the sweet frozen nougat balanced by the lemon sorbet was just right to complete my meal.

Made with Love's Grand Opening

I attended Made With Love's grand opening on Sat, 26 June with a very good friend, Chwee who brought her month young son, Daniel, and my niece, Winnie. The new store is fabulous! I love the layout, the lighting and the new products, especially the stationery! I couldn't resist snapping up Paul Frank's flash cards (which I will frame up for the kids' room in our new house) and Susie Ghahremani's tiny books. I wanted to buy these online, but didn't managed to coz I was taking care of the kids who were sick the week before I left for SG. They are now on sale on Amazon for less than US$5, a savings of 72%!!!!

I met Pooi (photo courtesy of Pooi) and Sharon from MWL's design team. Pooi had these incredible canvas shoes that she painted herself but I had left my camera at a friend's place so I couldn't take a photo of them! Sharon will be teaching at Shabby Chic in Brunei sometime in August (filenote: corrected by Sharon, should be Nov) and I hope she will make a day trip to Miri so I can bring her around.

One of the founders, Sandra, was so patient in ringing up my purchases. I was thinking why I fueling my love for stationery but was convinced when Sandra said she had enough notebooks and stationery to last two lifetimes! I didn't know that I would buy so much, but plus Chwee's purchase, we racked up S$250 worth of stuff and I got a free red corduroy album (worth around S$40) + a $25 voucher.

What made it more memorable was that I was one of the lucky six to get a full refund on my purchase! How sweet is that!

Visit to the Singapore Art Museum (no photos coz I left my camera at a friend's place)

After reading Pooi's visit to the Art Museum, I brought my niece there too. Initially she was bored with the stuff on the ground floor. She was, however, more excited at the interactive displays on the higher floors. She and two other kids were so full of energy that they ran continuously to change the way the flowers are projected on the floor, and the way the waterfall flowed.

We both enjoyed the Moving Image Gallery, where we sat down and watched a selection of short films for and about children. Made by filmmakers from Singapore, Asia, Europe and the USA, these shorts range from colourful stop-motion animations and whimsical fairytales to animal fables and school dramas. I particularly enjoyed a short film called Ting, where plates, cups and cutlery dance, move and go places in a cheerful stop-motion animation.

Catching up with friends

From play dates (more like the toddlers played on their own, while the mommies chatted with each other in between feeding them), to enjoying a quick meal, I love catching up with my friends. It may be a short half hour to a leisurely long dinner of 2hrs. Friends are for keeps.

The Lims and KJ

Shopping

This time, I bough clothes for Jill and her cousins (3 girls). It is indeed more fun to shop for girls, with so much variety and oooh, the accessories!

Jill willingly played dress-up for Aunty Wendy Koh, who thought I should really get this fuchsia pink frou frou skirt. But we're in Miri and we won't get much mileage from it. If we are in Singapore, it would be a totally different story. How practical I have become...

Purple

(I am awake at this early hour after measuring my kids' temperature every half hour or so.)

Poor baby Jillian is also down with fever and a cold. I am tired from taking care of the two kids, taking their temperature every half hour, remembering which med to take and when (I even had to write down the timings in case I forgot).
On the brighter side of things, Jon can be very cute when he's sick. Last week and this week, he kept wanting to carry the girls. First was cousin Qiqi (8months) who visited last Sun. When he carried her, he exclaimed, "Big meimei...SO BIG." In case you didn't know, cousin Megan calls him Big didi (brother).

Then he wanted to carry Jillian and and his cousin Mabel. He would ask me, "Mama, I want to bao meimei." And would proceed to sit down somewhere so I could carry the girls and put them on his lap. Then he would beam and smile.

This morning when I was giving Jon his meds, he protested with feeble attempts. I armed him with gummy multi-vitamins and water. Then I gave him his meds one syringe at a time. I smiled at him and spoke to him in my sweetest mommy voice, "Jon, you are a big boy and a very good boy. You have to take your meds coz you're not feeling well."
"This pink med is for your fever, so you will not fee hot, hot." But he gets to eat a gummy first. Then in went the paracetamol, followed by some water.

"This orange med is for your runny nose." Proceed to feed him med and followed by a part of a gummy, and some water.

"And..." before I could finished, Jon said, "Purple." Yes, purple is the third one and that's for his phlegm. He said, "No more." I don't have the heart to tell him that there's still the clear one for his allergy and the white anti-biotic to be taken in another hour's time.

"I don't like" and "No more"

Jon is sick... again.


Same thing as two weeks ago. He's down with high fever, plus phlegm and a blocked nose (which has now progressed to a runny nose). When Jon coughed due to his phlegm, he would say, "No more." to indicate that he has stopped coughing. When I gave him his meds, he would, "No more." or "I don't like."


Why is it that just before we're going to travel, one of the kids will fall sick? Simon, Jillian and I will be in Singapore next week to attend Simon's good friend's wedding. Jon will stay in Miri with grandparents.


It started on Wed evening, when I was feeding Jill and Simon brought Jon out to reverse the car out so Uncle Stanley and drive his car out. Simon let Jonathan play for almost an hour outside while I fed and bathed Jillian. By the time I put Jillian to sleep and came down, I found his aunty feeding him. I took over and noticed that Jon didn't have a good appetite. I felt his forehead and he was already having a temperature.


Jon must have came into the air-conditioned living room too quickly. Yes, he was wiped down and had a change of t-shirt. But my son sweats excessively. he sweats like two to three rounds, and therefore has to be wiped a few times, even if he has his shirt changed. MIL said that he played too aggressively with the dog. Simon didn't understand why Jon could have fever when we had brought him to the park on Tue evening and nothing happened. I told him the weather on Wed was super hot, and there was no shade compared to the park.


And I was supposed to have my first ladies dinner on Wed...no husbands, no kids. I asked my MIL if she could cope and feed Jillian later. MIL said she was tired (she was also down with cough and cold). I didn't want to go but my friend had came to pick me up. When I told her my son was sick, she also told me not to go. But we couldn't get the other girl on her mobile phone. Simon and MIL told me to go ahead, so I went.

But it was a quick dinner. Jennifer's MIL's asthma acted up again and she went to the hospital, thus leaving Jen's husband with two kids. We had dinner at a North Indian restaurant. Jen and I had been meaning to give it a try for like almost half a year already. Jiahui joined us. She will be giving birth in early Jul, and we thought we had better meet up before she gets tied down with her newborn.


Guess what? All three of us love North Indian food while our husbands don't really like it. Jiahui even worked in a North Indian restaurant when she was an undergraduate in Australia.

We finished our starter of Fish Amritsari very quickly. And dinner comprised Murg Malai Kebab (chicken kebab), Murg Makhni (chicken curry with a dash of cream sauce) and Mutton Rogan Josh (lamb curry) - with Garlic, Kashmiri (fruit) and Paneer Kulcha (cheese) naans! The food was excellent and didn't disappoint!


We said the next time, we will eat at Zaika, our husbands will have their meal at the Italian restaurant downstairs!


Dinner was over in an hour. While it might have been short, an hour is sufficient when we are in great company. It's also a luxury for me as I didn't have Jon or Jill with me. Would love to do this again. But in the meantime, it was back home to take care of my boy.


I checked with the doc today, even if his fever was slightly over 39 degree Celsius, we have to wait until the third day before starting him on anti-biotic. MIL was like, "This is worse than the last time, Jon definitely needs the anti-biotic!" I had to stop myself from panicking....even though my poor rascal looked so uncomfortable, and kept saying, "I no like" when I gave him his eds. But the brave boy still took the meds after a few mild protests, and I rewarded him with gummy multi-vits.