Ashley my darling..

Ashley has been my favourite dog ever! I have been having dogs since young. I used to have a bull terrier, Max which ran away from house after my dad scolded him.(Didnt know dogs can be so sensitive)



And the next one I had was a rottweiler, Angie. She was a darling, unlike common fierce rottweilers. Angie was very gentle and had good temperament. She was also a very good guard and very responsible. She even killed a snake before, if my memory serves me well. Very agile and faithful. But too bad, she had cancer and was suffering as her toes were rotting. So we put her to sleep. Sigh.





Then one day when my dad was driving and we were near SPCA, he suddenly suggested if we want another dog. Then I said, "Yes!!" (as I love dogs). So it was a quick decision and reaction that landed us at SPCA where we got Ashley. When we bought the dog, we were deciding on the name and I saw my dad's Ashworth shirt and I suddenly told my family, "Why dont we name her Ashley?" And they all loved it. We chose Ashley because out of the 2 dogs that we saw-one black and one brown. We called and only Ashley ran towards us and was very active and cheerful, while the black one was lying down. So of course we chose the one more active.

Ashley was about 3 months old and like a furball when we first got her. She was so playful, which I liked. Haha.



But as time passes, her features were more distinct.



Ashley was not only pretty, but also friendly and agile. She was also a good guard dog.





She knows when to be on alert mode as her ears will stand up as she looks to the gate.



After I got married, I had to leave Ashley behind at my parents place since my house is too small to accomodate her...and after I got children, sad to say, she has been neglected. Whenever I go my parents place every week, she would be the first to greet me at the gate but after a slight pat on her head, I would quickly proceed on inside the house and do my own stuff. Poor Ashley.

After I watched the movie "Marley & Me". It reminded me of Ashley and I felt convicted to treat her better. I felt guilty for neglecting her.

So, I do try to spend more time with Ashley now when I am at my parents place. Though of course, my kids still have to come first. But at least, I would pat her more and talk to her. She is now 10 years of age and I really hope she will stay on for long as I love her a lot

Curly hair

I am quite happy that both my children have curly hair as after being exposed to all the Korean drama serials that displays hunks with curly hair, its now a fashion or rather a craze when guys have slight curls.

As for Meimei, she too has some curls going on for her. Cant wait to grow long hair on her and start putting on pretty clips to decorate her head. Oh man. I actually cant imagine myself doing all that because I am not exactly a girly girl. Before I had any kids, I thought I would be having 3 boys in the future as I find it easier to dress boys up. But now, I feel more girly after having Danielle and definitely cant wait to dress her up with pretty shoes, clothes and hair accessories. ;p



Her hair is so wet because she puked when she was sleeping face down and all her vomit went to her hair and face. Yeeks.



Thanks to my cousin who lent me her high chair cum baby rocker that now, both of them can sit together.

Bubble fun!

Today, I decided to bring Caleb out to the corridor for some bubbling fun. I felt I was more eager and enthusiastic than he was. But anyway, here's what I meant.



I thought it was natural for kids to love playing with bubbles. But it wasnt so for Caleb. He was standing as still as a pillar. Both Vicky and myself had to instruct him to go catch the bubbles and try to poke it. Sigh. It was rather forceful to get him moving.

But glad, after a while, he warmed up and enjoyed himself.







We had a great time. But frankly speaking, I expected more excitement from him. Sigh.

First time to Orchard

Today is the first time meimei goes to Orchard! Well, both CT and I hates Orchard as we do not like the crowd and moreover, everything just seemed too high class for us. Ha. So what brought us there? What else, but vouchers!

Offhand I can think of only four reasons why you can find me in Orchard.

1) To meet up with my friends
2) To attend a wedding dinner there
3) To spend Taka vouchers
4) To lets the kids go goo goo ga ga over the Christmas lights

Yup. Nothing else should draw me there..

I had $50 Taka voucher to spend. And guess what? This voucher was probably a gift to us for our wedding, which was 5 years ago! I was packing my drawer and chanced upon it. It looked kind of yellowish and I thought I just wasted $50 for not spending it but thank God, there is no expiry date!! Woo hoooo!!!

So off we went by train as its quite convenient.

Here's meimei outside the food area in Taka.


Guess what I bought with the voucher. Sigh..what else but kids stuff. Decided to buy lots of toys with that since I seldom buy them toys.



On our way back, both children fell asleep.





But once we reached home, Caleb woke up and we began to play the toys we bought.



I think the next time I will go Orchard is to attend a wedding.

Just recovered

After a bad bout of flu-high fever and running nose, Caleb finally recovered. However, he still does not have any appetite to eat solid food. He just drink milk. So because of that, during the time he had flu and now after that, I have been feeding him the Dumex All in One Formula Milk



This milk has over 50 food ingredients, including a variety of fruits, vegetables extracts and fish oil. Also includes over 30 nutrients. Its for children age 1-8 years old. So, I think this formula is rather good for those who needs supplement or just do not have appetite because of illness.

I especially went to the supermarket to buy this because I noticed how skinny Caleb was. His rib cage was showing. It hurts me.



But now that I know he is regaining back his health, I am glad. Actually throughout this whole flu episode, he was still running about and playing. So, I am quite thankful to God that he still brought us joy despite his sickness.

Meimei turns 4 months!

I have to say, meimei is a normal baby! I use the word, "normal" on meimei because Caleb was an unusual baby.


Here's the difference between them!

Caleb was 2.3 kg at birth. Danielle was 3.2 kg.

Caleb was still wearing M size diapers when he was one year old while Danielle was already wearing M size right when she was about 2-3 months old.

Caleb's newborn clothes lasted him for one year plus while Danielle's newborn clothes lasted her for 2 months.

Caleb loved the water right from birth. Danielle hated it.

Caleb never stopped jumping from 2 months old onwards when placed standing on the sofa. Danielle never jumped but enjoy kicking when laid on the bed.

Caleb's poo poo expression was more obvious than Danielle's.

Caleb fell down the bed for the first time at 5 months. Danielle, at 3 months.

Caleb lifted his head properly at 2-3 months. Danielle, at 2 weeks.

Caleb enjoyed looking at the mirror at 4 months. Danielle loved it at 3 months.

Caleb outgrown his newborn bath tub at 2 months. Danielle outgrown hers at 1 month.

Caleb used the pacifier at 3 months old. Danielle tried at 2 months but didnt like. Havent used it since.

Caleb turned at 5 months. Danielle at 3 months.

etc etc....

So I finally understand when mothers always say how their children's clothes or shoes outgrow them very fast as I am experiencing it with Danielle.

Just like this Bumbo seat. She doesnt like it as she usually gets stuck in it.



Here's Meimei tasting her first food at 4 months!








I really cant wait for her to start playing with Caleb!

Good Friday and Easter Weekend

During the Good Friday and Easter Weekend, we didnt have much going for us like some churches do as they have services on Friday. But it was a nice and reflective weekend for me. On Friday, there was no service in church as the church wanted the people to celebrate Good Friday in their cell groups instead. So for my cell group, we had a BBQ and holy communion session! The church pastor and his family also came down to join us for BBQ.




Being in the church for only a couple of months, I feel so welcome already as the first time we joined the cell group in Feb, a pastor came down specially to see us and visit the cell. And now, yet another pastor together with his family joined us for BBQ. Its heart warming as I seldom have such close contact with pastors especially when I am new to the church and not serving in any area of ministry.



On Easter Sunday, we went up to the roof top garden of our church to look around and check out the view of the sea. Here's CT pointing to Caleb the ships and the waters.



Anyway, we had a good service in church as usual as it always made me think of the life I am living now and how the things on earth seem so trivial and temporal. It makes me re-focus back on the things that are permanent and eternal.

Names

As parents, we didnt have much a difficulty in choosing the children's English and Chinese names. For Caleb, coming up with his name was a miracle as I thought of the name and even his surname before I even met CT. So when I was pregnant with Caleb at 6 weeks, both CT and I knew that it would be a boy.

As for his Chinese name, we wanted something to do with joy so that he would grow up being joyful. So at an instant, we thought of "Jie le" as the word, "Jie" goes with "Jie chu" which means, outstanding. And "le" means joy. And when pieced together with the surname, it sounded good. Moreover, it does sound like "Caleb".So we didnt have any disagreements or much options to choose from. It was quite spontaneous.

For Danielle, it was tougher to choose. In my mind, I wanted her name to start with "D" since Caleb and CT both starts with "C". I wanted the next child to follow the same letter as me! So when we found out that the second one was a "girl", I had a few names to choose from. Some names which I thought of were "Danae, Desiree, Danielle". CT didnt like the first two. So, we went for Danielle which I liked it too but struggled in my mind to give this name because I have a friend whose daughter's name is also Danielle. I wanted my second one to try to have a unique name. But after much prayer, I felt more and more comfortable with Danielle and instead, I loved it. I was also reminded of the character of Daniel in the bible and the peace he had when thrown into the lions den because of his trust in God. So, Danielle is basically a female version of Daniel.

As for her Chinese name, it also wasnt as spontaneous as Caleb's. We also had a few options. First, we wanted a name similar to Caleb's and I had in mind, "purity" for a girl's name. So, CT started looking through the Chinese dictionary for a word which sounds like "Jie" to match with Caleb. We didnt use Caleb's "Jie" because its too boyish.

So in the end, we chose "Jie Ling" as it means, "pure in spirit".

So for my children's names, we didnt consult any of our friends or parents and I am amazed at how their names came about so easily just as if God inspired us.

I believe so.

Feel like cooking

Since staying at home for my maternity leave and no-pay leave, I have been always wanting to try out new recipes and get involved more in the kitchen as I do enjoy cooking. It's like doing some sort of science experiments and voila!

Recently, I have cooked charsiew wanton noodles soup for my family. Made my own char siew and my own dumplings. Very simple and delicious! The char siew is really cheap as I bought the pork belly from Giant Hypermart as they were having offer. I just removed the fatty part and the skin before grilling it. So, its not that fat.



And I have no idea why nowadays, these brown small tiny Jap mushrooms have surfaced in supermarkets at a very cheap price. So, I thought I add them into the noodles which made it look kind of pretty right? (Yup, cooking not only involves a Science degree but a landscaping one too!)

Blabbering a lot

Caleb has been learning new words each day and keep repeating words that he knows already. However, he has yet to put them in a sentence. In the morning, he would always say, "TV please" and "thank you". Then he would say, "stick" (meaning drum stick as he likes to hold the stick to hit whenever he watches TV).



In the car, he would say, " car", "bus" by pointing. He does it throughout the day- repeating all the words he knows again and again. Its so engraved in my mind that even when I am not with Caleb, I would find myself looking out for cars, bus, trains and almost wanting to point and say it out (as if Caleb was beside me).

Here's one occasion where he took our letter and read aloud (as if he knows how to read).



And here's another pasttime he enjoys doing- that is to take my handphone and talk to his imaginery friend. (do turn up the volume of your speakers to hear him talk)



Its nice to see how chatty he can be as it brings smiles to our faces when we find him 'talking'. Its cute.

Smiley Danielle

Thank God Danielle has more smiling moments than crying ones. I am also thankful that Danielle has fair skin which absolutely suits her gender.





I was also born with fair skin. But later became dark because of swimming.



Looking at both pictures, I still prefer gals to have fair skin and boys to have darker toned skin.



So if I can help it, I will hope to continue maintaining Danielle's nice fair skin for the longest time, even if it means I have to take an umbrella to shelter my princess from the sun, I would do it.

"Fall off the bed" record broken

Danielle has broken Caleb's record of falling off the bed at an earlier age! Sigh..nothing to be proud of, but everything to be ashamed and guilty of. At 3 months, this poor little gal fell off my bed (which is much higher than Vicky's bed- where Caleb fell off for the first time when he was 5 months old.)

I did not take pictures of the result of her fall as I was busy pacifying her because she was crying badly and was very shaken. Sigh. It took me a while before I could calm her down.

Here's one occasion where I went to my room to check on her and this was what I found!



Scary isnt it? She actually kicked down the bolster which was meant as a barrier for her. And because of that, it is not too difficult for her to fall down the bed considering how easily she turns now.

So after this, I devised a better barrier plan when she sleeps on my bed. I placed two bolsters on one side and two pillows (stacked on top of each other) on the other side. With 2 bolsters, it is not possible for her to kick them down as it doesnt roll that easily.



Hope this method works! But I know it wouldnt last long..considering how strong this baby is!

Beautifully Imperfect

Just recently, there has been a very touching commercial by National Family Council shown on TV which brought tears to my eyes, besides thinking how expensive this ad would be as it was 3 mins long!

It reminded me of how imperfect my husband is and yet how these imperfections made him so perfect and beautiful. I could definitely relate to the ad and yet how when I was a newly wed, I was not used to CT snoring so loudly. But I knew that once you marry a guy, you have to embrace him and accept him for who he is, including his 'imperfections'.

As time passes, I got used to it.

This ad definitely serves as a reminder to me of how I should always give thanks to God for CT's 'imperfections' as he shows that he is still alive and that is definitely something I should be thankful for and happy about! (though I would still step in if the baby is awake because of his snores)

I know how also when a baby comes along and young parents would complain of how the baby cries for milk or when tired, waking them up and depriving them of their sleep. But looking at a different perspective, we should all be thankful that the baby cries indicates that he or she is still alive and how it beats having a baby that doesnt make a single noise, which we would probably be very worried.

Therefore, if you are single and looking for a perfect man with great brains and brawns. Drop that idea. If you are parent and hope for the perfect baby who would be absolutely obedient to you and not waking you up in the middle of the night or not fussing when put to sleep, drop that thought! No one is perfect and we should all learn to embrace them for who they are and appreciate their beautiful 'imperfections'.

Enjoy this ad!

Down with Flu

For the past week, our whole family, except CT has been caught with the flu bug-coughing a lot. As for Caleb, he has been coughing, having running nose and fever.

So today, I decided to cook apple pork rib soup with some of the ingredients like Sweet & Bitter Almond(南北杏), Ju Bing(桔饼), Dried Figs(无花果), red dates which help to relieve cough. The soup really taste nice and sweet!



Really hope everyone will get well soon.

Bugs and insects

Caleb is at the age where he doesnt know what it means to fear something, except for loud noises. He has so far killed ants, spiders and wasps all with his bare hands. Even I was cringing in one corner (of course not making it too obvious for Caleb to notice, if not quite embarrassing) and kept telling him not to touch the spider or wasp.

Anyway, here's the outcome of the spider.



And the wasp.Before he killed it, he actually picked it up with his fingers. Sigh. Caleb probably found insects and bugs amusing..





Yeeks!

Tough gal

At 3 months, Danielle has already turned and a few weeks back, she has also enjoyed standing up. She has strong legs just like her brother but the only difference is that the last time when Caleb was at that age standing up, he would be jumping and kicking with his legs. But as for Danielle, she just stands up strongly without moving much of her legs.







And here's 2 videos on how easily she turns now.





I predict she would start walking by one year- just like Caleb. Definitely can't wait!

Confinement food

It has been a pretty exciting month as my sister-inlaw, Ally gave birth to Keane. It is always nice when there are more children in the family as the atmosphere will be very much different than without kids.

So today, I decided to cook a confinement dish for Ally. It was my first time dealing with pig's heart and I found it rather awesome as I scrutinised the heart and recollect back my Secondary School Biology by identifying the different chambers. It was fun! Then I went on to disect the heart!

There were many veins on the heart and it is really very mascular and tough.



Here's my final product of the chicken rice wine dish which I prepared!

Sleepy head

Now that Caleb is older, he falls asleep more easily which makes it a whole lot easier for me and CT to put him to sleep especially during Vicky's off day as Caleb used to only want Vicky when he is tired.

Anyway recently for 2 days already, Caleb fell asleep in front of the TV. Maybe its also due to his flu medicine which he has been taking because of his cough and fever.



But whatever it is, I always enjoy watching him sleep as it feels so peaceful and even more so, when he sleeps all by himself.