Miscelleneous..

I am bored and lazy today. Reese caught a cold 2 days ago and is recovering. Luckily last night he was able to sleep well. Thank you Ann for the baby vopour rub!

This morning, while on the bed with Reese, he said... "Door.....Door....open" :)

He is beginning to put words together to form sentences... and it is done conciously too.

Oh...he also tried a new food! mee suah soup with egg. He actually ate alot of it for dinner last night. Yess.... another dish on his menu!

Oh...I also want to thank Kathie for calling and asking whether I want a traditional potty! She volunteer to buy it for me! Yes... I am beginning to feel connected to my new found friends on the net... I am very touched again! First the toy and now the potty.... soooo happy...

Ah... looking forward to all these new friendship and sharing with my fellow mummy bloggers!

Do you know... one of my daily routine now is to check my mails for comments on this blog...reply them and then go blog hopping... reading other mummy bloggers' latest post.... it's becoming part of me..... heheh....

I am addicted to blogging.

Happy 18th month birthday Reese!

Mummy and Daddy love you very very much.

18 months milestone

Reese is one and a half years old! Soooo fast. My baby is growing up well and happy.

Height and weight
He is about 85 to 86 cm.
He is about 13kgs plus.
He has regain his little tummy. (due to rich food)

Communication and Vocabulary
He can somewhat communicate with words.
He knows both Upper and Lower case alphabets.
He knows 0-10.
He can count numbers and also recite a-z. (misses here and there)
He has a very vast vocabulary. Lost count.
He is beginning to call mummy and daddy... yesss...
He is learning to sing.
He loves watching Barney and Sesame Street.

Physical
On average he sleeps about 12 hours a day and that includes 1 nap in the day.
He can climb up stairs on his own..at times up right and at times on all fours.
He can skip and somewhat jump. Still need to perfect that.
He can dance.
He still loves to run.
He still wakes up at least once in the middle of the night.
He still sleeps with us and loves to roll 360 degrees and still takes up more than half the mattresses combined (1 queen plus 1 super single)
He loves to play in the wading pool.

Food
He still takes at least 4 bottles of milk (6 ounces each) a day.
He likes pasta (shells, spaghettis, spirals) with either cream or tomato base sauces. Usually with veges and fish/bacon.
He doesn't like rice or porridge or Chinese food in general.
He likes to eat cheese.
He likes peanut butter and banana sandwich.
He loves creamy mushroom soup and fish chowder. Minestrone also not too bad.
He likes fruits like grapes, banana, orange, papaya, mango and apple.
He takes yogurt twice a week.
He takes breakfast cereal like honey stars with milk.
Don't really like sweet drinks like vitagen or fruit juices.
Don't like mash potatoes but will eat french fries or just potatoes.
Willing to try new food.


Features
He looks more and more like daddy!
He is tall for his age.
He looks mature.
He can easily pass for a 2+ years old.

Characters
Don't see anything yet. He was never a difficult child and he is always happy. Maybe a little bit more demanding in terms of his needs but that happens to all kids his age.

He is quite friendly even to strangers.

He is not the clingy type either.

He hates to be alone.

Oh.. he is not a very adventurous boy. Or is he still too young? :)

Toys

Ah... Hubby read my blog and over the weekend he said...

Hubby: What wheel do you want to make for your son?

Me: Oh...you read my blog ah? I promised not to buy toys for you son...so I will have to find ways to make them! :)

Hubby: mmm...hai ya... go buylah... forget about making... it won't turn out right...

Me: Eh.... no, I will make the drums...plus.. you can't buy the big wheels at toy shops...

Hubby: Your drums won't sound rightlah... He is attracted to good sounds...

Me: No... I will make them... Plus...I got a promise to keep... no buying of toys for 5 months!

Hubby: ?(*#(**%$^%$^$?

hahahaha......

Then.. on Saturday...we took Reese to One U and hubby suggested to we look for his drum set at Toys R US.... I said...nolah...then cannot resist...and I ask to go. :) Luckily...no drum set.... Phew...

Yesterday evening...went to Ikano....and hubby bought an exercise machine... (He needs to exercise for health reasons! ) and then...while checking out the machines..Reese and I were busy playing with Gym balls..... he had so much fun with it..and then... finally... subcum to temptation... we bought a Gym ball for Reese to play... we told ourselves... we are going to use it for exercise too..hahaha...

I am Ah-mee

Yes... that's what Reese calls me now (still not very often). At least he is calling me.

Ah-mee... hehe.. very sweet. Will have to teach him to say mummy... he calls his daddy dah dee... also very sweet. :)

:)

Guess what? after I blogged about wanting a kiss, hug and being called mummy.... hehehe...

When Reese woke up this morning, as usual I played with him on the bed and then I told him to give me a kiss on my knee. He smiled cheekily and gave me a kiss on my knee! Ha haha... ( You must be wondering why not ask for the face... cause I knew he won't do it)

Then an hour later in the car on the way to my parents' place... while waiting for a traffic light to turn green... I turned behind and smile at him...then he somewhat utter the word 'mehmee' pointing at me. I guess he was calling me. Well, I want to believe it is. :)

Another passing thought...

It's now 6.58am and I am wondering where I can get a big wheel and affix it to the wall so that Reese can 'drive'. He loves steering wheels.... I can't buy toys... so I want to make one... hehe... Any ideas mummies? Oh... and I have more or less decided to make a 3 piece drum set with a cymbal(using aluminium?) I think..hehe...

Yesterday I was even thinking of making a playhouse using wood! sooo ambitious...hahaha...

****Oh...got a confession to make... Yesterday evening, I actually bought Reese a Elmo helium balloon.. it's RM15. Ouch... I hope this is not considered a toy... haha.. who am I fooling...****

When hubby came back from work.. he just shook his head...hahaha..

Potty Training

Hey mummies out there..those of you who have successfully potty trained your kids... Can give me some tips on doing so? I read about it, I did some research on it but still... I am hoping for some practical and trial and tested sure win tips! :)

I am suppose to potty train Reese in a few days... Mmmm.. I need to get 2 potties too..any good idea on the kind to buy? I am wondering... do you teach him to sit and pee or stand and pee? I doubt he knows how to aim at the potty! So how? I am soooo clueless... Help mummies...

What I long for...

When does your baby starts giving you hugs and kisses and calling you?

Reese was never clingy baby only whenever I go out he will want to follow and lately he even let me go out without making much noise. He knows what a kiss is and I only got it from him twice a few months ago and that's it. I could still remember it was a kiss filled with saliva and his little tongue lingering on my face. :)

Now he knows how to do a proper kiss. When I ask for a kiss he will not give me but instead he will kiss the basket ball net or window or anything but my face! Hugs? forget it. The most he will just come to you and rub his little body against me or if we are on the bed... he will just literally sleep on me!

Reese is already 1 year 5 months and 28 days old. I think he only called me and hubby a few times and that was many months ago. I feel sooo sad and jealous whenever he calls someone but us! He can call his grandparents (KL), my sister, my aunties and even my maid! Oh.. his grandparents (Penang) was here for 6 days and Reese also will call them... :(

So you tell me... why isn't he calling us?
I wonder when he is going to give me a hug, a kiss and most of all...calls me mummy.... :)
Really can't wait...

Baby talk is serious talk

"mo more! mo more! mo more!" whined Reese and showing an almost crying face and hands open wide with fingers opening and closing.

"pain pain! pain pain!" whined Reese and showing an almost crying face.

"hide! hide" showing his cheeky grin and expect you to find the thing he hides.

Ah... you have to see the way he looks.... soooo funny and I just can't help it but laugh out loud!

I am so happy that he is using words to communicate his needs... It's so much fun... and his sweet little voice plus facial expression... I melt instantly.

I felt bad at times thou... I know, to him..everything he said was very serious...but to me..it's just something to laugh about.

No words to describe my baby.... I am so in love with him. Thank you Lord for this little or not so little bundle of joy.

A passing thought.....

Just went to Bangsar Lucky Garden to buy lunch and pass by a hardware shop. The shop owner was busy cutting up a huge plastic pipe...and then... it got me thinking... maybe I can use the pipes for my drum set project.... :)

Hai... I have been thinking about the project the past few days...and still I haven't gone to the stationary shop to get the stuff and work on the project.... such a lazy mummy....

Exercise anyone?

Of late Reese loves to walk up and down the stairs. We live in a condo so no stairs in the house for him to play and so does my parents except that they live in a low rise condo and thus stairs are easily accessible. I have allowed Reese to walk up and down the stairs a couple of times at my parents place... and just last week... he demanded to walk up the stairs when we arrived there. Now... every morning, instead of taking the elevator to my parents place on the 3rd floor, we will take the stairs instead. Three floors...no big deal, but no...Reese is not contented, he wants to walk all the way up to the top floor (5th floor) and once we reach the top floor? he will walk down with me and then wants to go up again!! So much energy for a little fellow!! Just 2 days ago... he can go up the stairs on his own!

I guess it's good for me. I desperately need to lose weight! :)

Communicating Love

How do you communicate love to your children?

Touch? Actions? Talking? Rewards? Listening?

Aren't we blessed that we have so many ways to communicate our love to our children?

When we love our children it is necessary to communicate that love openly and honestly. Our children will not simply know that they are loved by living in our homes and being in our presence. We must express it often and in a variety of ways.

Have you ever thought about writing to communicate love to your children?

Ever since I started blogging, I realised that this blog could be one of the best way for me to tell Reese how much mummy loves him. Now he is still young and it's easy to just give him hugs and kisses and telling him a zillion times how much I love him but what about when he is much older? When he gets more independent and probably it's alot harder to show my love to him. Especially when there are conflicts... oh boy... what about when they are all grown up? It's even more difficult when they go against your well meaning wishes.... you know what I mean?

Not every parent can effectively communicate their love to their children... even if they do... at times children are not ready to 'listen'. I must say... most of the time when my parents are ready to say something to me it is not the time when I am ready or willing to listen. When we write it allows our children to listen to us when they are ready.

This seems to be the case, more often, as the child gets older, reaching its peak in the teen years. Also, the child's ability to listen and focus on what we are saying seems to be exponentially decreased, as the issue becomes more critical. They can then read what we have written at a less emotionally charged time, thus increasing the chances of them actually hearing and using what we are trying to say or teach.

By the way... don't think that the only way to show love in writing is writing about love. One of the most loving things we as parents can do for our children is to write down exactly what we believe about important issues such as spirituality, family, friendship, honesty and etc.

I believe what we write to our children, will have a very big permanent influence on their lives.

Touched...

Ah.. I was so touched yesterday night... fellow mummy blogger Ann bought a gift for Reese...Guess what? It's a drum!!! I blog about my promise to hubby and how I am thinking about a drum set and wanting to make one...and then....Ann bought me one! Soooo sweetlah... Thank you so much Ann. 

I hope you are not mad that I refused to accept the gift. Reese happens to have the same drum! I would have taken it if it is different. hahaha... 

Soon boy boy will be able to play with it. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness... 

The meaning of being a mother

I knew all my life that I wanted to be a mother. My transition into motherhood was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I used to envy those mummies who are beautiful, stylish and still have a life of their own despite having children. I wished I was one of them. When I became a mother, I realized there are sacrifices to be made. It's quite impossible to wear beautiful jewelery, stylish clothing, high heels, go partying, out late and stuff without compromising your child. These are not bad mummies, just that... I can't seems to be like them. I used to pity those bleary-eyed new mommy friends of mine whose lives were so engrossed in their drooling, demanding infants that they lost all sense of themselves.

Now, I'm one of them. I'm an unkempt, sleep-deprived mom who permanently has nothing but baby on the brain. For almost eighteen months now, since a 2.92kgs whirlwind named Reese entered the world, my life has been absconded.

This mommy business is hard work. It's round-the-clock, thankless, exhausting and the pay sucks. What do I get in return? A sweet smelling cherubic being with a cheeky smile smiling at you. Now that makes all the sacrifices seem so insignificant!

Baby how-to books skip over the hard stuff. They boil motherhood down to clinical explanations of colic and constipation. None mentioned how much a little person changes your life for better and worse. None ever tells you how emotionally draining being a mother can be. How you can be so devoid of sleep to the point of delirium, and yet blissfully contented and satisfied with your new role. How just when you think you finally have five minutes to yourself, your baby wakes up and you move without hesitation, unselfishly to attend to his needs.

But the payoffs of motherhood well, I didn't expect such bounty either.

I have finally found someone who will allow me to hug and kiss and sing and teach and...etc for as long as I want! :) No complaints... just smiles...

The first few minutes when he wakes up makes all the whining, all the rocking, all the sleepless nights worth it. Every morning, I watch in awe as Reese rubs his eyes with the back of his chubby little hands.

Then he catches a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye and breaks into a cheeky grin. There's no better way to begin a day.

And not a day has passed since he was born that I haven't thought the same thing: If I never do another thing in my life, I've made a person.

And the neat thing about that is that I've made a person that is part me and part someone I love endlessly.

A thought....

Since I made the promise to hubby about not buying toys for Reese for the next 5 months.....I.....I... have been thinking that I need to get Reese a drum set.... hahaha... he likes to play drums...and the past week he has been holding his drum stick and mumbles drum drum drum....

mmm... since I have a promise to keep.... I am toying with the idea of making my own drum set!!! Earlier today while driving... I was already imagining how to make the drum set! What I need to get and stuff like that... haha...

whether it will materialise or not... well... will seelah... I got inspired by mummy Darren...she actually spend a cool number of hours to make Darren a play house out of boxes! So cool... :)

Reese says....

Pain pain (when in pain)

mo more (when something taken from him, when his DVD finishes it's run, when we finish
reading a book, when we finish flashing cards)

red car (when he sees a red car)

milk... (when he wants milk)

fall oun (when he falls)

car... (when he wants us to carry him to the balcony to look at cars)

climm (when he climbs)

He is trying to communicate with us not just with actions but also with speech... :) Sooo happy...I think soon he will talk in 3 word phases? ahhh...can't wait...

Our latest conversation goes like this....

Mummy: quack quack...
Reese: duck
Mummy: moooo moooo...
Reese: cow
Mummy: oink oink....
Reese: pig
Mummy: buzzzz buzzz...
Reese: beee....
Mummy: baaaa...baaaa...
Reese: shhhp.. (sheep)
Mummy: shhheeee....
Reese: shhai (snake)..
Mummy: ruff...ruff...woof...
Reese: dog..
Mummy: meow...meow..
Reese: cat....
Mummy: yeeeehaaaaa....yeeeehaaa...
Reese: hoooorce... (horse)
Mummy: too tooo...
Reese: train..
Mummy: ah ah ah ah ah (whining like baby Bop in Barney)...
Reese: Bop....Bop... (laugh)

A shopaholic for toys...

Hai... yesterday had a serious chat with hubby. He was not happy that I spend a lot on toys for Reese. He pointed out that a lot of them were unnecessary which I have to agree to a certain extend but he was also guilty of impulsive buying of toys at times too!

Ever since we got Reese, 80% of our shopping will go to his toys. I am not much of a shopper myself but when it comes to Reese, I will walk for hours to find toys, clothes or anything that I think Reese might need.

Almost each week I will buy a toy for Reese and telling myself... it's something cheap so no big deal. Then yesterday hubby reminded me when I add all the small purchases up...it's not cheap.. haha... it's true...I  knew but just denying it. 

I enjoyed it sooo much when Reese plays with his new toys... but rationally.. does he really need that many toys to play with? Does he want it? probably not.

The thing was, the people who wanted the toys were us. We had a fantasy of what pleasure these toys would give. We had dreams of providing them with something wonderful. And how often is that true about the toys we give our kids? How often is that we want to give them, more than the children themselves really want the toys?

And if we're honest about our motivations for giving our children toys, I think we'll find that this is what we're seeking - the child inside us who loved a particular toy or toys and felt powerfully about them. We give our kids toys because we want them to have that magical and imaginary space in their lives with a toy that feels real to them. So we give and give and hope that the next one will be the one. But the reality is that it is more likely that we will create magical experiences for our children  if they have fewer toys rather than more. If they have more incentive to imagine and thus don't have a toy to fill every imaginary gap. 

mmmm.... logical? :)

I promised hubby that I won't buy any toys for Reese the next 5 months. Will have to find alternative to that....hahaha

My latest pictures

At The Curve's mini playground

At Manhattan Fish Market

Sitting in my stroller for the first time in more than 6 months!

At the playground

Ah...my Penang Gong Gong teaching me..

My Penang Grandparents...See how blur I was..just woke up from sleep and they were about to leave for Penang.

Zoo outing with dad and mom. See... I was soooo sleepy.. but when we went to the car...I was wide awake.. :)

A day out...

Yesterday was a holiday and we took Reese to the Zoo! Yes.... very adventurous of us considering most of the time... we will only take him to the playground or the shopping mall. Yeah...we are lazy parents. Anyway... we spent an hour plus at the zoo and I would say Reese actually enjoys himself. He was a little sleepy thou thus blurry. The last time I went to Zoo Negara was probably 9 years ago. I remembered it was very run down with sickly animals. This time around.. mmm.. not bad.. it was clean, less smelly and got to see some animals really up close. It was super tiring because 90% of the time...Reese refuse to walk, partly because he was sleepy. So imagine we had to take turns to carry a 13+kgs boy all around not to mention his diaper bag with drink/food and a camera. Got the picture? 

After going around the zoo seeing nearly all the animals, we headed home... Reese slept in the car the entire journey. 

Then for dinner we took him to The Curve. He ate fish and chips. One surprise for us thou... we decided to bring his stroller. And.... he actually sat on it without a fuss!!! Yess...this is what we have been waiting for. He will sit in his stroller willingly. We were so happy... He stopped sitting in his stroller since he was able to walk (11 months old). 

He had a great time at the playground and later he even fell asleep in the stroller. Photos to come soon. Lazy to upload now... going off to work!