It’s Tiring But Pretty Enjoyable

It was a busy Monday at home yesterday with the 2 kiddos. But I am happy that both are fully recovered from the stomach flu episode, so even though they were both screaming for my attention, I was still glad.

Did coloring with Joey, and I was once again amazed at her coloring talent. I think she’ll make a good artist. And when I compare her coloring with mine, I observed something: In a kids’ world, there’re no rules.

Mine. Prim & proper.

Joey’s. Creative & imaginative.

My coloring was a typical adult piece of work. The flowers are red, leaves are green and faces are beige. It’s a very rational piece. Joey’s, on the other hand, is colored according to what she likes. Why can’t the face be brown? Why can’t the leaf be red? Why can’t the flower be blue? Why can’t Mickey wear un-matching gloves & shoes? Indeed, why not? :) Adults are often so confined by the rules of this world that it’s harder for us to jump out of the box. It may be nice to be irrational once in a while & question the norm. We may discover some surprises along the way. =)

Haha I thought this photo is really funny with those sleepy eyes and messy hair!

Suddenly out of the blue, she wanted me to take photos of her sleeping. My girl can be rather random at times.

Baby Jayne, on the other hand, continues to be a whiner. I have no idea how to make her stop.

 

It’s tiring having to entertain both kids for one whole day, but I treasure these times too. Kids grow up so fast, it’s scary.

Multi-Tasking At Its Max

Taking care of 2 kids alone at home is one tough task.

Taking care of 1 very whiney kid and 1 very sick kid alone at home is one unthinkable task.

I still did it anyway. It was multi-taking at its max.

Baby Jayne spread her stomach virus to Joey, and Joey had been lethargic and running ridiculously high fever for 2 days. Paracetamol did nothing to bring the fever down, and I even had to use a suppository medication on one night when the fever went up to 39.5 degrees.

Thankfully, going by how it went for Baby Jayne, I kinda expected Joey’s fever to start toning down by the end of 2nd day, and it did. Yesterday evening, it started to drop to 37.5-38 degrees, which was a vast improvement.

There I was running from one kid to the other, attending to their needs. One moment, I would be taking temperature for Joey, sponging her with wet towels, then running to Baby Jayne to feed her some cereals titbits to keep her from whining, then I’ll run to the kitchen to cook some porridge for Joey, run back to one to feed her water and entertain the other with a toy, only to remember that I had forgotten to cook Baby Jayne’s porridge. How enjoyable.

I felt like an octopus who wished I had 16 tentacles.

Thankfully, the worst is over, and I can only pray that Joey’s temperature will continue to stabilize and her appetite will resume.

And actually I should already thank God that at least the kids were not both sick at the same time. That would have been horrendous.

Baby Jayne, on the other hand, had been very whiney & needy ever since she recovered, and that kept me very busy. She would whine the moment I put her down into a chair (but how can I keep carrying her 24 hours a day right?!), so I have to keep entertaining her.

But still…

She has the most adorable little face…

And a most mesmerizing smile.

How endearing.

The Woes Of A Blogging Mum…

FINALLY. FINALLY. FINALLY.

I have a blog entry dedicated to me. ME ALONE. ME. ME. ME.

You know, I’m usually the one taking photos for my blog, and I seldom appear in photos and even if I do, it’s often less than flattering. My blog entries are 99% about my kids, and seldom about me alone. Now, finally, I have been vindicated. How nice. =)

You can read the entry here.

(Because asterix has linked me in his blog and I need to return a favour is such a nice person, I simply have to link him here, so that you can read all his awesome entries.)

I tell you, I have awesome friends. =)

We Brought Jayne Out (And It Felt So Easy)

Praise God that Baby Jayne has recovered fully from her stomach flu episode, BUT it’s now Joey’s turn! :( There I was thinking to myself that Joey’s immunity is so strong that she did not get the stomach flu virus from Baby Jayne despite being in close proximity to her. Then BAM! She got it.

Motherhood is like a rubber band – Your capacity gets enlarged as you have one more kid added to your family, and it doesn’t go back to the original size anymore. Just ask any mother with 4 kids, and she will surely tell you how EASY it is to take care of only 2.

When I only had Joey, there would be moments when I would lament to myself about how tiring it is to have to take care of a kid. Now that I have 2 kids, taking care of ONLY 1 kid is a piece of cake.

So since we had a 21st birthday celebration for our dear friend, Jieyin, and Joey was sick, we left her at home with my MIL and brought Baby Jayne out with us. I tell you honestly, it felt SO EASY. Isaiah and I could take turns to carry her, entertain her and feed her. At any one time, one of us can rest and just enjoy the time with our friends. If both kids are out with us, our hands are full all the time. So, we had a great time! :)

We were at Suntec, and the whole place was literally bursting with the Chinese New Year mood! Cherry blossoms line the ceiling!

That’s the birthday girl in black with a really surprised look. I wonder why? *hmmm* 

I am starting to think that ‘looking surprised’ is in trend now. Everyone just keeps doing it. (Hint: Check the background for a highly surprised looking guy.)

Baby Jayne loves to reach out and touch the person near her. Maybe her love language is touch! :)

By the way, she has a super tight grip. See how tightly she’s pulling on Daddy’s shirt above. And Uncle Tristan’s ear below. =P

They might become good friends one day.

Dinner was at Mt Emily!

Don’t you just love architecture with a historic feel?

I like the peacefulness of this place. Very comfortable.

Baby Jayne was happy to be out after being confined at home for 5 days!

Can you see the spark in her eyes again?? =D

 

I’m going to blog about the birthday celebration in greater detail over at http://klessinthedaisies.blogspot.com. Do check it out tomorrow! =D

Little Love-To-Eats

I love to eat. I really do.

Comfort food is so very important to my sanity. I get the most miserable when I can’t eat or when I don’t have time to eat. [Yes, fasting is the best way to crucify me] And when I feel super stressed up, food cheers me up, like instantly.

So I am not surprised that my girls both love to eat. Joey has a reputation as a rice-lover, and when she feels up to it, she can finish one whole bowl of rice. And I haven’t even mentioned the soup, chicken, potato, carrots that go with the rice. While other kids may be struggling with eating rice, she absolutely has no problem at all. Just give her rice and soup or rice and chicken, it will make her belly very happy.

Baby Jayne, like her elder sister, has taken a fancy to food as well. Not only does she dutifully finish her porridge everyday, she also salivates whenever she sees us eating something.

It’s a good thing really. Nothing troubles a mum more than a kid who refuses to eat.

Brought my girls to Xinwang Hongkong Cafe sometime back. I love the food in Hongkong cafes!

I will always order the Iced Hongkong Milk Tea! wooo loves!

Can you see how excited Baby Jayne is at a dining table?

 

Joey as usual, doing funny actions to entertain everyone. =)

How did I know that Baby Jayne was happy?

She does this every time she’s thrilled! *It’s a uber cute side tilt of the head, complete with an uber cute smile* 

Love the colors and pictures! Makes the whole restaurant so much more lively!

Here’s the food! I ordered Mui Fan to share with Joey. Yes, it’s her favorite rice drenched in sauce and seafood toppings. :)

 

Oh and this is a must-order! Warm glutinous rice balls dipped in crushed peanuts! Yums and a perfect ending to a meal!

When both my girls are more grown up, I can bring them on food expeditions with me! How awesome would that be?! *dreams*

Sunshine Comes After The Rain

Finally, after 2 gloomy days, the sunshine has come!

HER SMILE IS BACK!!! :)

Although she’s still having watery stools, but her milk intake increased much more than the previous 2 days. As long as her intake of fluid is more than what comes out, it’s good enough! =D

These few days when Jayne was sick, I kept having flashbacks to the time when I was sick as a kid - how lethargic I felt, and how my mum would tirelessly put cold towel on my forehead to cool me down. When kids fall sick, it’s always tiring and worrying for the mothers. Like how my mum did for me, I now take care of my own kids the same way. Life is interesting like that. =)

Joey, on the other hand, has been a real darling. Because Baby Jayne is more whiney when she is sick, Joey would play with her and entertain her to keep her from crying. She would caringly talk to her and comfort her that she’s going to be well soon.. It’s really heartwarming to see the love between the 2 sisters. :) Ah, I wish I had an elder sister to fuss over me like that!

Welcome back, sunshine! =D

Headbands & Her

I have a thing for headbands. I think they make babies look incredibly cute. The same cannot be said for adults though. Most adults look like they are ‘trying too hard’ when they don on thick headbands.

Some of you would remember this thick colorful headband I always let Joey wear when she was a baby. It’s too cute. Every time she wore it, someone will compliment on it somehow. [It was mad cheap at only $1.20, I think]

Now with Baby Jayne, wearing headbands becomes even more crucial because she doesn’t have as much hair, and the band can cover the bald areas. =P

She wore a lilac headband to church last weekend. (And with matching lilac top and pants as well. They’re underneath the jacket. Haha!)

I especially like this new rainbow headband I bought for her. So colorful & cheery!

 

Don’t try hunting for pretty headbands like these at baby & kids stores. Most of them sell those girly kinds with ribbons and laces. I prefer to scout around hair accessory shops for adults and it’s easy to find something comfortable, pretty and colorful. Best of all, it’s usually very cheap. The lilac and rainbow ones cost less than $2 each.

For those of you who have been asking about Baby Jayne’s condition… she’s improved quite a lot yesterday, much better than expectations actually. Her fever came down and was hovering around 37 degrees, which was a vast improvement from the hot 39 degrees on Tue. She also managed to drink a few bottles of milk and no vomiting at all, Praise the Lord! Although she’s still having diarrhea, but it’s quite normal for stomach flu cases and actually might be a good thing because she’s purging the unwanted toxic out of her body. Plus, her usual bubbly-ness and playful-ness is back, so it’s a clear indication she’s recovering well. In any case, I’m happy with her progress and hope that she will recover fully before the week is out! Thank you all for praying! =D

Baby Jayne Is Sick

Poor Baby Jayne caught the stomach flu virus and has been whiney since Monday. She first threw up all her milk and porridge on Monday evening, merlion style no less, then regurgitated all her milk in the same fashion again just a couple of hours later. Then on Tuesday morning 3am, she LS. Vomited again the next morning after her milk. It’s a scary sight because this is the first time in her life that she merlioned. Sigh.

Brought her to see a GP on Tuesday morning and she was given paracetamol and  some probiotics for her stomach. Then because she vomited and LS again in the afternoon without drinking any milk and was running high fever, we brought her to KK Children’s Hospital for check-up.

Thank God her urine sample showed it was not urinary tract infection, so she only has the stomach flu virus. Sad thing is that we were told the virus will only clear in 5 days. =(

Last night however, her condition picked up. She managed to drink some very diluted soy milk without throwing up, and at 3am this morning, we fed her again. Her fever was also gone by 6am this morning. We have been feeding her rice water, hopefully can give her some energy and replenish fluids.

Please keep Baby Jayne in prayers, won’t you? We’re praying she will recover much faster than expected!

A Johor Bahru Excursion

Yesterday was my off day, and our aunt & cousins from Australia are at JB, so we brought the kids to JB by bus – Me, my MIL, Joey and Jayne.

Woodlands is so near to JB that the whole journey took less than an hour, albeit lots of walking and a bus journey caught in a long traffic jam – That’s how near we are to Malaysia. =P

I always love to go to this auntie’s place, because it’s a comfortable & cosy house with lots of greenery. I dream to have a house like this in the future!

 

But for Joey, she spends 90% of her time in this house at the outdoor porch area, where the fish pond is, not because she particularly likes these fishes, but because she’s scared of something in the house.

COOKIE IS HIS NAME.

Actually, Joey doesn’t have a history of being scared of dogs. She’s even dared to touch a dog that’s 3 times her size. But this little doggie is so hyperactive and warm that it pounced on Joey the first time they met.  The result was a long-standing hatred for the dog by little Missy. The feeling is not mutual though. Cookie still loves to run towards her at high speed every time they meet, and Joey would always run out of the house at an equally high speed. They cannot co-exist in the same house, and so Joey prefers to stay outdoors most of the time.

She entertained herself with eating melon seeds. (Sidenote to Dawn: Joey loves this T-shirt you gave her for Christmas. She always says she’s MR OPPS when she wears it. Ok, she’s not so clear about gender right now. =P)

She spent so much time breaking open the melon seeds that she became quite an expert by the end of the day.

This is a safe place because the flooring is made of stone, and Cookie has some unknown fear of stepping on stone. He never dares to step out of the house into the outdoor porch area. Each time he tries to go near, Joey goes, ‘COOKIE!! NOOOOOOOOO!’ with the fiercest voice. I’m raising up a chili padi, for sure.

Baby Jayne enjoyed herself too, it seemed. She was all smiles when we brought her outdoors to see the fishes, mini fountain and the greens. =)

Cheryl, the kids’ aunt from Australia. :)

There is a huge area of carpet grass, where the kids had fun on.. Joey terrorised her uncle who came back from Australia by playing wrestling, piggy-backing, hide-and-seek... He is our cousin who is a Jay Chou look-a-like. :)

Baby Jayne was intrigued by the texture of the carpet grass, and kept touching it..

Towards the end, Baby Jayne was getting irritated because the carpet grass was too prickly.. =P

   

Chinese New Year is coming, and as per our annual tradition, we will be at JB on the first day of the new year for a family reunion lunch at Grandma’s house, then adjourn to this house for coffee and CNY goodies. I love it! Can’t wait for it to come in 2 weeks’ time! =D

Maternity Clothes FOR RENT!

Advertorial

You know what is one common worry of pregnant ladies?

What to wear during the pregnancy???

Pregnant ladies need to feel good about themselves all the time, and having a bump and bloated-ness caused by water retention often limits our clothes choices. And it does not help that most maternity wear are expensive (considering they can only be worn for a maximum of 9 months). It’s really hard to find clothes that are both pretty & comfortable at the same time.

That is why when I got to know about Maternity Exchange, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they offer nice & versatile maternity wear for rental!

I thought that was a really great idea because we really do need those clothes only for a period of time. Trust me, after going everywhere in those clothes for 10 months, you just want to chuck them all away when the baby comes out. Renting them will save money and you chuck them right back to the store after you need them no more! Plus, you can opt for different pieces just to spice up your otherwise limited maternity wardrobe. A new look everyday – How nice!

Maternity Exchange is the first maternity rental store in Singapore that carries luxe international and local labels like Japanese Weekend, Maternal America, Seraphine, Ripe, Mothers En Vogue and Dote. And because you rent instead of buy them, you don’t have to pay exorbitant prices for them.

Look how pretty these maternity wear are!

For daily wear…

For special functions..

For I-need-to-feel-pretty days…

  

   

I personally think that denim jeans are must-haves during pregnancy because it makes the woman look more trendy and hip. Maternity Exchange has many different denim jeans. You’ll be spoilt for choice! (Even if you are not pregnant, these jeans with elastic waistbands are too comfy to give it a miss!)

 

Besides carrying gorgeous maternity wear, Maternity Exchange also carries nursing wear, swim wear and lingerie. It is a store that meets all the needs of a pregnant lady and a new mother. :)

Lovely nursing wear!

 

Swim wear…

A piece of good news for those of you wondering what to do with the maternity clothes you no longer need after giving birth. Maternity Exchange has recently started a new program known as ‘MX Buy My Love Program’. In this program, they will offer attractive prices for pre-loved smart casual, work or occasion maternity pieces from mid-tier and high-end imported brands such as Japanese Weekend, Maternal America, Olian Maternity, Seraphine and Tiffany Rose. Depending on the brand, style and condition of each individual piece, MX pays from $15 to $70 a piece. What a great way to dispose off unwanted maternity wear, especially when most of them are still so new!

If you are simply too lazy to step out of the house, you can now shop online in the comfort of your own bedroom! They are even offering special Chinese New Year special packages right now. Visit Maternity Exchange today! =D