My journey on being a stay-at-home Mum and loving wife away from my family and friends. This is my avenue to remind myself of our daily adventures and keep those who love Josiah updated on his latest adventure.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
And life passes by....
Has it been more than 3 months since Josiah started school??
Well, our lives have changed so dramatically that I am still reeling from it.
So what has changed? EVERYTHING - and it stems from one huge change, bedtime!
After nearly 4 years of sleeping like a typical Malaysian kid ie about 9-10pm; he is now having to go to bed at 7-8pm so he can be up early enough for school. The snowball effect of going to bed early includes earlier lunch, dinner, bath time and no more going out at night. He might not even see Shaun before he sleeps.
On the upside, Josiah is really thriving in school. He loves the uniform, loves the teachers and loves going to school. Basically, if he is slow in getting ready in the morning, I just tell him that Daddy is going to school without him.... he focusses and immediately hurries up. I am so happy that he is happy in school.
He started out going for half day school and is now doing three full days from 9am-3pm. The first few weeks of the additional hours was tough ...... on his bladder!! You see, my little man has inherited my toilet phobias despite me trying SO hard to be normal around him and toilets. He prefers to hold in his wee-wee instead of using the school toilets. With his incredible bladder control, he manages when he is on half days but on the full days......well, let's just say, he is the only boy with a "take-away" bag at pick up. I have tried talking to him and explaining the need to let the wee out as soon as possible, but his response is that "someone is using the big potty" ???!!! Telling him to use another potty (out of the 5 others available) seem to be unsuccessful. Is he my son or is he my son? Sigh.
Few more weeks of this, constantly telling him that his actions of holding in wee-wee would make his ku-ku broken and we are finally seeing some dry trousers at pick up. Ermm, yes, I cannot bring myself to refer to this *blush* penis as penis :) I'm old fashioned that way - heh, heh..... Just going to leave it to his teachers to correct him! *blush*
On the diet/eating front, he has realised that the longer hours meant that he is famished by the time I pick him up at 3pm. And of course, I never bring a snack - hey, I'm trying to be a good mum here!
He tells me that his tummy is rumbling and I'll tell him that he should have had his lunch. Then he tells me that he HAD his lunch, comprising of ONE potato (I imagine only one small piece) and ONE bread (also probably tiny piece). He always refuses vegetables and sometimes has the pudding.
So basically, he is eating the side dishes as his main meal. But I know it is a big step for him and continue to encourage him to eat the main meal. Problem is, his preference for Chinese food is so strong - he just hates English food, unless it is fish fingers or sausages. The fancy school menu normally comprises of exotic lamb tagines with coucous, pot roast, goulash, sheperd pie, sweet curry is just beyond his simple palate. He just wants chicken rice :p
He loves singing and dancing in school - frankly, that is all they do at the moment. Very, very slack compared to Malaysian kindergarten. I believe they learn ONE alphabet and ONE number a week. So lesson time is really easy-peasy for him. They have tons of different songs and he is loving it. Apparently, they even have a "Get Movin' assembly", where they gather to dance to all sorts of lively songs - one of his favourite is YMCA!! Sweet - old is gold!
The all time favourite song is the 'Witch Doctor' song which they play all the time from YouTube.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8qDphoQPdw
I reckon we have contributed a lot to this clip having more than 4 million hits!! Josiah can listen to this about 8 times consecutively - warning, it is the tune is very catchy and soon it would be haunting you like it's been haunting me. Uh Eeh Uh Aah Aah Bing Bang Walla Walla Bing Bang!!!!!
I am one happy mama and I want to thank all his teachers for making his first formal school experience such a happy one!
Well, our lives have changed so dramatically that I am still reeling from it.
So what has changed? EVERYTHING - and it stems from one huge change, bedtime!
After nearly 4 years of sleeping like a typical Malaysian kid ie about 9-10pm; he is now having to go to bed at 7-8pm so he can be up early enough for school. The snowball effect of going to bed early includes earlier lunch, dinner, bath time and no more going out at night. He might not even see Shaun before he sleeps.
On the upside, Josiah is really thriving in school. He loves the uniform, loves the teachers and loves going to school. Basically, if he is slow in getting ready in the morning, I just tell him that Daddy is going to school without him.... he focusses and immediately hurries up. I am so happy that he is happy in school.
He started out going for half day school and is now doing three full days from 9am-3pm. The first few weeks of the additional hours was tough ...... on his bladder!! You see, my little man has inherited my toilet phobias despite me trying SO hard to be normal around him and toilets. He prefers to hold in his wee-wee instead of using the school toilets. With his incredible bladder control, he manages when he is on half days but on the full days......well, let's just say, he is the only boy with a "take-away" bag at pick up. I have tried talking to him and explaining the need to let the wee out as soon as possible, but his response is that "someone is using the big potty" ???!!! Telling him to use another potty (out of the 5 others available) seem to be unsuccessful. Is he my son or is he my son? Sigh.
Few more weeks of this, constantly telling him that his actions of holding in wee-wee would make his ku-ku broken and we are finally seeing some dry trousers at pick up. Ermm, yes, I cannot bring myself to refer to this *blush* penis as penis :) I'm old fashioned that way - heh, heh..... Just going to leave it to his teachers to correct him! *blush*
On the diet/eating front, he has realised that the longer hours meant that he is famished by the time I pick him up at 3pm. And of course, I never bring a snack - hey, I'm trying to be a good mum here!
He tells me that his tummy is rumbling and I'll tell him that he should have had his lunch. Then he tells me that he HAD his lunch, comprising of ONE potato (I imagine only one small piece) and ONE bread (also probably tiny piece). He always refuses vegetables and sometimes has the pudding.
So basically, he is eating the side dishes as his main meal. But I know it is a big step for him and continue to encourage him to eat the main meal. Problem is, his preference for Chinese food is so strong - he just hates English food, unless it is fish fingers or sausages. The fancy school menu normally comprises of exotic lamb tagines with coucous, pot roast, goulash, sheperd pie, sweet curry is just beyond his simple palate. He just wants chicken rice :p
He loves singing and dancing in school - frankly, that is all they do at the moment. Very, very slack compared to Malaysian kindergarten. I believe they learn ONE alphabet and ONE number a week. So lesson time is really easy-peasy for him. They have tons of different songs and he is loving it. Apparently, they even have a "Get Movin' assembly", where they gather to dance to all sorts of lively songs - one of his favourite is YMCA!! Sweet - old is gold!
The all time favourite song is the 'Witch Doctor' song which they play all the time from YouTube.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8qDphoQPdw
I reckon we have contributed a lot to this clip having more than 4 million hits!! Josiah can listen to this about 8 times consecutively - warning, it is the tune is very catchy and soon it would be haunting you like it's been haunting me. Uh Eeh Uh Aah Aah Bing Bang Walla Walla Bing Bang!!!!!
I am one happy mama and I want to thank all his teachers for making his first formal school experience such a happy one!
Can you tell Shaun got a new camera :) |
My little chef |
I love this pic - Grandma and Josiah |
Thursday, September 9, 2010
My First Day at Big School
It was our first morning in "Big School" today. I tried to put Josiah to bed earlier last night hoping that he would be in a good mood today but alas - Josiah (the real Energizer bunny) tossed in bed for about 1.5 hours. Well, at least he fell asleep because I did not. Typical worry wart mum!
Anyhow, he was up and about, excited about school until the time we had to change him into his uniform. Oh, I'll let the photos speak for themselves. In the end, it was the only tears he would shed that day and I was so proud of him. Some other boys were crying in class but he was happy to be in school...just make sure to strip him off his uniform the MOMENT we step back home and he is happy.
Big day, big boy and a big smile at pick up.
Why was I so worried?
Look at those tears... |
In the bus - his famous smile is back! |
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
How I love you
Obviously, I am going through some rough time leading up to Josiah starting school. Somehow it feels as though I will be losing him to the rest of the world now. He has always been my little baby and then my little boy and now he is going to be someone else's friend. He's going to have to listen to someone else aside from Shaun and I. At times like this, I really wish that I have the guts to say yes to homeschooling. Unfortunately, with my lack of discipline and organisation skills - I fear I may do more harm than good going down this path. Anyhow, back to me being soppy about him growing up - just wanted to post his latest quirks and sayings that makes it that much harder to let go.
I love it when he wakes up from his nap and is always in a bad mood, all teary, upset and wants to cuddle with me for a little while before he pushes me away :p In those special 20 minutes or so, I get to smell his hair, kiss him, hug him and rub his little tummy with no complaints from him. It is as if he is happy to be my baby for a little while. It makes me so warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.
I love the way the hates the way I dry his hair after a wash. He is extremely concerned about not having "spiky hair" and will pat his hair down angrily. So cute and so Josiah!
I love the way he checks himself out at any mirror or reflecting surface - he is so vain. I have caught him checking himself out at the oven door, the shiny door knob in my toilet and have even caught him checking himself using a sunglasses on the dining table to check if his mouth is dirty. So cute, so OCD and so Josiah!
I love the way he shudders when his fingers touches any squishy stuff like cream, chocolate sauce, sauces....
He has come a long way from those infant days when he cannot touch even grass or sand but I guess his little OCD about things touching his fingers have not gone completely. So cute and so my Josiah!
I love the way he looks at me after he has done a poo and asks me if I am happy....my heart melts....I must have been quite the nagger back in those potty training days.
I love the way he gives me the cheeky grin - to try to evade a punishment, to make me laugh or just to make me heart him more.....you choose, because I fall for it every time.
I love our little ice cream game he plays with me whilst I am cooking in the kitchen. Josiah would climb into my laundry basket and pretend to be the ice cream seller. I love ice cream and I love Josiah :p
I love it when he says things like,
"You have milk here" whilst pointing to my breast. When I explained that there is only milk in the breast when I have another baby, he replied, " That's okay Mummy, we can buy one tomorrow" leading to a discussion on how babies have to grow in the tummy and he quickly said that I have a big tummy, leading me to tell him that his Mummy is just fat. Classic Josiah.
"You come and play with me?" he uses both thumbs to point at himself whilst giving you the cheeky grin. Heart. heart. heart
"Mummy, you are just like Katy" - from his favourite children's cooking programme, "I Can Cook" on Cbeebies whenever he sees me in the kitchen.
"Can you open the banana skin for me?"
"I want some wallaa (water) please?"
I could go on but am guessing that most would have had too much of sweetness from this post for a sugar high. So better just stop and let the pics speak for themselves.
I love it when he wakes up from his nap and is always in a bad mood, all teary, upset and wants to cuddle with me for a little while before he pushes me away :p In those special 20 minutes or so, I get to smell his hair, kiss him, hug him and rub his little tummy with no complaints from him. It is as if he is happy to be my baby for a little while. It makes me so warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.
I love the way the hates the way I dry his hair after a wash. He is extremely concerned about not having "spiky hair" and will pat his hair down angrily. So cute and so Josiah!
I love the way he checks himself out at any mirror or reflecting surface - he is so vain. I have caught him checking himself out at the oven door, the shiny door knob in my toilet and have even caught him checking himself using a sunglasses on the dining table to check if his mouth is dirty. So cute, so OCD and so Josiah!
I love the way he shudders when his fingers touches any squishy stuff like cream, chocolate sauce, sauces....
He has come a long way from those infant days when he cannot touch even grass or sand but I guess his little OCD about things touching his fingers have not gone completely. So cute and so my Josiah!
I love the way he looks at me after he has done a poo and asks me if I am happy....my heart melts....I must have been quite the nagger back in those potty training days.
I love the way he gives me the cheeky grin - to try to evade a punishment, to make me laugh or just to make me heart him more.....you choose, because I fall for it every time.
I love our little ice cream game he plays with me whilst I am cooking in the kitchen. Josiah would climb into my laundry basket and pretend to be the ice cream seller. I love ice cream and I love Josiah :p
I love it when he says things like,
"You have milk here" whilst pointing to my breast. When I explained that there is only milk in the breast when I have another baby, he replied, " That's okay Mummy, we can buy one tomorrow" leading to a discussion on how babies have to grow in the tummy and he quickly said that I have a big tummy, leading me to tell him that his Mummy is just fat. Classic Josiah.
"You come and play with me?" he uses both thumbs to point at himself whilst giving you the cheeky grin. Heart. heart. heart
"Mummy, you are just like Katy" - from his favourite children's cooking programme, "I Can Cook" on Cbeebies whenever he sees me in the kitchen.
"Can you open the banana skin for me?"
"I want some wallaa (water) please?"
I could go on but am guessing that most would have had too much of sweetness from this post for a sugar high. So better just stop and let the pics speak for themselves.
Josiah only feeds himself when he is served fish fingers! |
The Spider Man shirt that he wants to wear 24/7 |
Move aside Jamie Oliver - meet chef extraordinaire, Josiah Ow Yang |
Uh, oh - cheeky grin....what has he done? Try to ignore the flower hairband on his head :) |
When asked who messed the living room, Josiah is always answers with gusto," Me, me, I did it!" |
josiah + mummy = love |
Monday, September 6, 2010
We love to jump!
This month marks the end of one chapter of Josiah's life - his carefree life as my little boy. He will be going to nursery every day from 9am to 1pm from September 9th onwards. He will be attending a boys' school near our house. He has a cute uniform with matching hat and blazer. The only problem will be to get him to wear it as he is going through his "I only want to wear ______ today" phase. We go through his conversation multiple times a day when faced with clothes changes. He wants to wear home clothes to church, he refuses to change into pyjamas at bedtime and changes about 4 times a day just because he feels like it (he just goes to drawer and helps himself). Every time there is silence and he is not playing - you know he has gone to change his clothes!! A month ago, he wouldn't have cared less if I had dressed him in a pretty dress. Go figure.
Jump ahead - he has his own opinions on dressing and is adamant that he gets his way. Good luck to me this Thursday trying to get him into his uniform and to school on time. The latter struggle would also involve nap and sleep time which has always been an issue for us.
I have also started my driving lessons after passing my theory test two weeks ago. Big change for me too as I have not sat behind the wheel since 2007. So far, I've only been allowed to drive in a straight line and turn left. Hahaha.....it is really like starting driving from scratch. But I am not bothered as I have always been a nervous driver and London traffic is no easy ride.
Jump in anticipation of change.....
Jump ahead - he has his own opinions on dressing and is adamant that he gets his way. Good luck to me this Thursday trying to get him into his uniform and to school on time. The latter struggle would also involve nap and sleep time which has always been an issue for us.
I have also started my driving lessons after passing my theory test two weeks ago. Big change for me too as I have not sat behind the wheel since 2007. So far, I've only been allowed to drive in a straight line and turn left. Hahaha.....it is really like starting driving from scratch. But I am not bothered as I have always been a nervous driver and London traffic is no easy ride.
Jump in anticipation of change.....
Josiah still drools a fair bit for his age |
Do not focus on my belly button!! |
Pure Happiness |
Notice the hands? Truly father and son jump team :) |
Car wash
Do not be deceived by the photos below...
This scene is not done on a weekly basis...not even monthly basis :p
It's the first time the car has been washed since we bought it and left it in the basement in January 2009.
Shaun got his driving license in March 2010
You do the maths
Josiah does the wash
We love our car - she may be old and smell funky but she moves and so we love her.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Summer 2010
London is a wonderful place to live in - especially in the summer and spring time. There is so much sunlight and we can go outdoors everyday! Here's what we have been up to this summer :)
The cheeky monkey posing in Hyde Park |
Our inaugural BBQ with Leong family - note the pathetic BBQ pit! |
We had BBQ ribs, sausages, chicken wings, salads, garlic bread and cherries |
A spot of golf at Celtic Manor Resort, Wales. Is that golf or hockey, Josiah? |
Forget golf - driving the golf buggy is way more fun |
Windsor castle where the Queen abodes |
Monday, August 2, 2010
3.5 years old : I want to go to Malaysia
Since my parents have gone home, Josiah went through 2 weeks of refusing to talk to them via Skype. Then suddenly, he started telling me he don't want to go home (whenever we went out) but wants to go to Malaysia. I would tell him that Malaysia is very far away and we cannot go there now.....big burst of tears!
I have tried telling him that if he misses his Kong Kong and Po Po, he can talk to them via the computer. But I think he realises now that nothing beats having them around. I agree with him too.
Josiah's achievement so far:
- Able to ride a bicycle on his own
- No more nappies, Josiah is fully potty trained; day and night. I am so proud of him for being Mummy's big boy!
- Able to remove socks, shoes and jacket on his own. Although he prefers it if I do it for him, of course.
- Able to count from 1-20 easily.
- Recognise all his alphabets, both big and small capital
- Loves Mummy & Daddy to read his favourite books like, Jack & the Beanstalk, Little Red Hen, Usbourne phonic series like Frog on a Log, Sam Sheep Can't Sleep, Goose on the Loose.
- Able to use scissors to cut paper on his own
- Able to copy write all alphabets and numbers 1-10
- Able to count correctly up to 10 items
- Able to recognise Daddy's car from a fleet of cars at the car park. Actually, he recognises the logo of the car and can tell us other cars that "look" like Daddy's car.
- Able to tell me when he is hungry and what type of food he wants.
- Able to help me cook in the kitchen without making a mess
- Able to wash himself in the shower and brush his teeth on his own.
I know this sounds corny but, "My baby is grown up now" and it did pass by so quickly.
Sniff.
Excuse me whilst I look through his baby photos and reminiscence.
I have tried telling him that if he misses his Kong Kong and Po Po, he can talk to them via the computer. But I think he realises now that nothing beats having them around. I agree with him too.
Josiah's achievement so far:
- Able to ride a bicycle on his own
- No more nappies, Josiah is fully potty trained; day and night. I am so proud of him for being Mummy's big boy!
- Able to remove socks, shoes and jacket on his own. Although he prefers it if I do it for him, of course.
- Able to count from 1-20 easily.
- Recognise all his alphabets, both big and small capital
- Loves Mummy & Daddy to read his favourite books like, Jack & the Beanstalk, Little Red Hen, Usbourne phonic series like Frog on a Log, Sam Sheep Can't Sleep, Goose on the Loose.
- Able to use scissors to cut paper on his own
- Able to copy write all alphabets and numbers 1-10
- Able to count correctly up to 10 items
- Able to recognise Daddy's car from a fleet of cars at the car park. Actually, he recognises the logo of the car and can tell us other cars that "look" like Daddy's car.
- Able to tell me when he is hungry and what type of food he wants.
- Able to help me cook in the kitchen without making a mess
- Able to wash himself in the shower and brush his teeth on his own.
I know this sounds corny but, "My baby is grown up now" and it did pass by so quickly.
Sniff.
Excuse me whilst I look through his baby photos and reminiscence.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Potty Training : The grand finale
I started my potty adventures here and here when Josiah was about 2.5 year old. But it is only since last week when I finally declare him truly potty trained. It only took me like ONE YEAR!!!
Is this normal? Am I a failure? Well, I sure do feel like one especially since we were stuck with the whole poo problem for quite a while....
"Josiah can tell you when he needs a wee and has not had an accident; day or night. He can tell you when he needs a poo but refuses to use the toilet. Go figure!! Anyone with similar predicament out there, please, please help me out. My latest plan of hiding his supplies of nappies and telling him and showing him that we have run out of nappies ended in major disaster. Two days of holding it in, one screaming boy and one very painful exit was enough for me to lay this matter to rest for some time again. We both needed to chill out about it and erase the bad memories associated with it before trying out anything again. "
In theory, Josiah would be able to tell you that nappies were for "babies" and he is a "big boy" but when the time comes, with tears in his eyes, he'd say that he is a baby so he can have a nappy. We even upped the game by promising him blue scooter if he manages to do it in the potty for one week. For one whole month, he would correctly tell anyone that he would get a scooter if he poop in the potty. Yet, at the crucial moment, tears accompanies his pleas for a nappy. It was so frustrating for me especially since I could not establish what exactly he was afraid of. I tried asking him so many times but he could not verbalise his fears.
Then, one Tuesday morning, when he was about to go - I told him that he could have the nappy but he has to sit on the potty WITH the nappy. Or he could just sit on the potty without the nappy. His choice. He cried and protested, I repeated my terms hoping that at least I could get him to sit on potty whilst he was pooping in the nappy. Josiah surprised me by choosing to sit WITHOUT the nappy ??!! And just like that - he did it!!!
I gave him the whole kisses/praises/high fives/hugs and of course a promise to get his scooter. On Wednesday, we had an outing planned and I told Josiah that we could then give baby all of his nappies since he was a big boy now. He heartily agreed and it was done. I did not know it then but a more sinister twist to this whole potty business was just about to begin. Thereafter, Josiah refused to use the potty, choosing to hold it in and telling me that he has ALREADY used the potty ie in his head - he only has to use it ONCE.
I kept explaining to him that everyone needs to poo everyday...etc and having to repeat the whole "big boy" story again. Even threat to return his scooter did not help. He also refuses to use the nappy. At that point, he was holding it in for three.whole.days at a time!! My lowest point being one afternoon when Shaun and I spent 2 hours trying to persuade him to use the potty with no avail. He sat on the potty, he cried, he screamed, he was given more liquids, he sat and nothing. Nothing at all. He fell asleep on the sofa exhausted from the whole thing. When he woke, he jump up and went to the potty and did it. This horrible pattern continued for another week. He would hold it in as long as he could before literally jumping into the potty for 5 seconds. That night, I prayed to God to take away his fears and the following morning, he went on his own and have been going ever since.
Basically, he does not like to be told to poo. So now even when I see him doing the "holding-in dance", I just ignore it and hope that he chooses to go soon. Sometimes he does and sometimes he succeeds in holding it in and will only go when he cannot hold it anymore. My little stubborn boy!
Bye bye nappies!!!!
My big boy |
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
June 2010: A rough month indeed...
I have pondered over whether to post about my recent ordeal here, in Josiah's blogworld and concluded that it is something that I want to remember in years to come.
About 4 years ago, when I was on the doctor's office getting my first ultrasound (because my period was late), our joy at seeing tiny Josiah was overshadowed by a 10cm cyst on my right ovary. Seeing that I had conveniently 'forgotten' to go for a gynae checkup before getting married - I was devastated. I blamed myself for not catching this cyst earlier and now it is too late. I am with child and the doctor refuses to operate until at least 3-4 months into pregnancy. I was upset mainly because I wanted the cyst removed as soon as possible before I could bond with my baby. I know I would not be able to deal with the guilt if I lost the baby. Since Doctor #1 refused to operate, I scheduled an appointment with another doctor on a Saturday to get a second opinion. That same week, I was swamped at work with getting the team ready for auditors inspections. My stress levels were sky high and it did not help that I had to worry about cyst and my baby too. Early Friday morning, I woke up to pee and when I got back to bed, a dull pain started. As I continued to lie in bed, I knew something was wrong, the pain was getting worse. I woke Shaun up and we rushed to the hospital, I was in so much pain that I could not stand straight and was vomiting from the intensity of the pain. Hours later, Doctor #1 informed us that the cyst had twisted and caused all that pain. According to Doctor #1, if I chose not to operate that day, I would have to risk such pain whenever the cyst twisted around. But if I went ahead with the surgery, I would risk losing baby who was just about 6 weeks old at that time. We prayed about it and went ahead with surgery. It was horrible coming out from surgery but my baby was still with me. So I was on bedrest for the rest of my first trimester. I was given hormone pills to keep baby happy and told not to walk / sit - just lie down lots. It was super BORING but it worked. I went back to work after that and went on to have the most text book pregnancy and delivery!
Fast forward till end of last year, I noticed that I am needing to go toilet frequently again. Had a hunch that something was up and did not want to repeat my mistake again. I went to get an ultrasound and saw that same dark spot again on the screen. This time is was about 6cm on the left ovary and there was another one on the right ovary but not as big. Consultant gynae advised to get it removed immediately but I was not keen on surgery especially with no one around to help me look after Josiah. So hatching this whole big plan involving flying my parents to London and timing the surgery two days after their arrival! So on 2nd June, Shaun and I walked - yes, you read correctly, walked to St Mary's Hospital and waited for the doctor to operate. It was strange because nurses came round to ask how I am - fine, more that fine, I feel great...my parents are here...the sun is shining....so why am I subjecting myself to this ordeal again? Shaun would remind me that living with it is like living with a bomb inside me. Nice. Thanks.
Anyway, the doctor was 2 hours late and I was starving since I am not able to eat or drink anything from the night before. I was nervous but yet wanting it to be over so I could go home. This time I remembered to let the anaesthetist know that I am very sensitive so could she please not over-drug me...she did a great job. And I did need very little drug to get me to la-la land. I remember her talking to me as she drugged my up and next thing I know, it was 2 hours gone by, and it is over. Now the nasty bit - as usual, I was shivering and shaking from the drugs. Then as I tried to drink some water, nausea hit me - HARD. I could not keep fluids down and 3 hours later, am still stuck in recovery room. As night fell, the nurse started hinting that I should move on with it. Or decide to stayover. In hindsight, I should have just stayed the night because my first night at home was horrible. I had pain all over my body and kept waking up from the pain even with strong painkillers. My tummy was bloated from the surgery and I had to resort to my pregnant clothes.
It took another 2 weeks before I could walk more without pain and a further 2 weeks before I was back to normal. By this time, Josiah was in the midst of his chicken pox episode. Yes, it was such good timing. Josiah broke out in red spots but was generally quite happy. He had spots on his back, tummy, scalp, fingers and probably his mouth. He called them "moles" and was quite proud to show us all his spots. Putting calamine lotion on him was tough because he kept saying it was too cold. We kept him home for 2 weeks. He was mainly playing with my Dad the whole day. Mum and I even managed to sneak in a few shopping trips in between so everyone was happy. And to top that off, we even managed two short weekend breaks to Wales and Stratfordyums!
So despite the rough start, June 2010 ended quite nicely.
It took another 2 weeks before I could walk more without pain and a further 2 weeks before I was back to normal. By this time, Josiah was in the midst of his chicken pox episode. Yes, it was such good timing. Josiah broke out in red spots but was generally quite happy. He had spots on his back, tummy, scalp, fingers and probably his mouth. He called them "moles" and was quite proud to show us all his spots. Putting calamine lotion on him was tough because he kept saying it was too cold. We kept him home for 2 weeks. He was mainly playing with my Dad the whole day. Mum and I even managed to sneak in a few shopping trips in between so everyone was happy. And to top that off, we even managed two short weekend breaks to Wales and Stratfordyums!
So despite the rough start, June 2010 ended quite nicely.
Dinner at Stratford Hotel - Indian food for the gals, fish & chips for the guys! |
Rose garden at Warwick Castle |
Chicken Pox galore!! Big one on the nose :) |
Itchy, itchy.... |
Week 2: My "moles"are disappearing |
Monday, May 31, 2010
Food Gallery : Chinese New Year Goodies
A long outstanding post from 2010 Chinese New Year celebrations.
I am always homesick during these festive occasions. I miss my family, friends and of course the glorious food back in Malaysia. So here was my pathetic attempt at my very own CNY celebrations.
(A special thank you to Shaun who went to Chinatown to get me some must-have ingredients for CNY dishes.)
I am always homesick during these festive occasions. I miss my family, friends and of course the glorious food back in Malaysia. So here was my pathetic attempt at my very own CNY celebrations.
(A special thank you to Shaun who went to Chinatown to get me some must-have ingredients for CNY dishes.)
Check out the huge pineapple...we only used it as decoration as we didn't know how to cut it for consumption! |
Braised pork belly with mushroom, scallops, oysters and "fatt choy" |
Stir fry prawn with garlic and oyster sauce |
Chicken soup with ginger |
Broccoli with bean curd, fresh scallop and crab meat |
I love beancurd!!!!!! |
Friday, May 28, 2010
Food Gallery : Kitchen Updates
Since my last posting about my cooking view here I have gone on to be more adventurous especially with baking and trying more complicated dishes.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
We first had this dish at Carluccio's and quickly realised that it was cheaper to make on our own. Just needs the freshest buffalo cheese, vine tomatoes and basil - a sprinkling of black pepper! |
Stir fry Kai-Lan with garlic |
Spanish chicken - a tomato based dish with olives and onions |
Josiah loves eating chicken katsu don so here was my attempt. Does not look as good as it tasted :p |
When I can find the four angle bean, I can make this dish! |
Not a pile of %$^* - it's my double chocolate cookie |
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I am just like Daddy
After our bath the other day, Josiah said this to me quite a matter-of-factly
"Mummy, I just like my Daddy"
"You mean you are a boy like Daddy" I replied.
"Nope, because my tummy soooo big like Daddy" said the cheeky monkey whilst bending forward to make his non-existent tummy stick out.
Shaun was not impressed when I told him as he is quite sensitive about his tummy. But I thought it was hilarious.
____________________ o __________________
Josiah is now almost 3.5 years old and I think he is beginning to lose some of his baby traits.
Let's do a re-cap....
Josiah can tell you when he needs a wee and has not had an accident; day or night. He can tell you when he needs a poo but refuses to use the toilet. Go figure!! Anyone with similar predicament out there, please, please help me out. My latest plan of hiding his supplies of nappies and telling him and showing him that we have run out of nappies ended in major disaster. Two days of holding it in, one screaming boy and one very painful exit was enough for me to lay this matter to rest for some time again. We both needed to chill out about it and erase the bad memories associated with it before trying out anything again.
Josiah can be reasoned with to some extent, for example, if he wanted milk and we did not have any, we could tell him that and he would just understand. Or if he had left his beloved blankie, ChowChow at home, then we can remind him that he was the one who forgot to bring it and he would just understand. He might sometimes ask for it again in a few minutes but with a few repetitive answers from us. He would just understand. Isn't this amazing? I am so proud of him.
Josiah says the cutest things (in my opinion, of course) like:
"Don't forget Mummy"
- if he is in the car and I have yet to get in
"Don't forget my Chowchow"
- as he leaves home
"Why you have no pants, Mum?"
- when I am wearing a dress
"Can't you hear my tummy rumbling?"
- typical of Josiah to wait until he is starving before telling me so
"I want pancakes/muffin/sausage"
- that's Josiah treating me like a 24 hour family diner.
"This is so yummy" and proceeds to give me a thumbs up
- wow, such a satisfaction from a praise of a 3 year old. Really makes me believe I am a fantastic cook :p
"Why you become Yee Yee?" "You become Yee Yee again??"
- Josiah thinks I looks like my younger sister whenever I tie up my hair in a ponytail.
Josiah even tells us now when he wants to go to bed. It is truly amazing this feeling of watching him turn into a mini adult.
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