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Friday, July 18, 2008

US$100 Million Mansion!

Can you guess how much Donald Trump sold his Palm Beach mansion to a Russian billionaire recently? A whopping US$100 million! This figure is really mind boggling and his spokesman said that the amount is the most ever paid for an estate in the U.S., though there is no way to verify the claim. Trump’s Palm Beach mansion is magnificent and is as beautiful as the beachfront St. Martin villa rentals in the beautiful Caribbean. But US$100 million for a mansion, would you buy it if you were a billionaire?

Fruity Lunch Box

Alycia and Sherilyn can't eat much during their recess in pre-school as they are only allocated 10-15 minutes to eat. Whenever I put too much food into their lunch boxes, they will bring the food back, which will eventually go into the dustbin. So, I normally pack very little food (mostly finger food) into their lunch boxes. The other day, I bought a huge cantaloupe and cut them into cute shapes for their lunch boxes. It was a great hit with them and they even requested for the same thing the following day.

My Melody shaped cantaloupe.




Heart shape, crescent shape and mushrooom shape cantaloupe.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Baby C, The Living Doll

Alycia and Sherilyn absolutely adore playing with Baby C, kissing her and hugging her. Most times, they will fight with each other to play with Baby C, as if she were a doll.

And as for Baby C, she enjoys all the attention from her 2 older sisters and never gets tired of family members, including kakak talking, playing and singing to her.





Sisters play turned awry and Sher got really upset that baby only smiled to cheh cheh Alycia and not her. See how upset Sher is here.

Baby C still wears mittens occasionally, as she tends to scratch her face, tug her ears and put both her fists into her mouth till she pukes!

Check out my other blog to find out the diagnosis of Baby C's kidney reflux.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

You Will Count Your Blessings When You See Other People's Sufferings

When hubby and I were waiting outside one of the X-ray rooms in the Radiology Department of Hospital UKM yesterday, there were many patients waiting for their turns too. I saw an Indian man lying in the hospital bed and under the covers, I could see that his left leg was amputated from the thigh down and his right leg amputated from the knee down. There was a deadpan expression hanging on his face and he was obviously devastated.

Next to me was a Malay man with his 4-month old baby son in the pram. As he sat there patiently waiting for his turn, he kept talking lovingly to his baby. He just sat there and talked lovingly non-stop for almost 2 hours to his baby son. This man seemed to be a very loving and patient father. His baby appears to have Down's Syndrome and appears really sick and frail, with black rings under his eyes. I struck a conversation with him to remove my own worries and anxiousness. He told me that his baby was born without an anus and has problems with his guts. There is a cathether (don't know what you call this equipment) attached outside his stomach to help him defecate. His baby has to do an x-ray before being operated on. As Baby C was crying incessantly, the radiologist asked this man if he could bring his baby up back to their room in the ward (his son was hospitalized) so that Baby C could go in first into the X-ray room. The man willingly obliged without any anger shown on his kind face and I felt really bad. I said 'good luck' to him and we parted ways.

Inside the X-ray room was another 3 month old baby boy. Apparently, there were some complications during the procedure and he spent more than an hour in the X-ray room. I think he has some problems with his kidneys too. His parents had a worried and anxious look hanging on their faces and there wasn't a smile. I understood fully how they felt for I felt the same too. When the procedure was over, his parents and grandparents went into the X-ray room to bring him out. He was put back in his cot and there was a huge oxygen tank attached to his bed. The baby's skin color was very yellow. When I saw all these unlucky people, I felt 'lucky' that Baby C's problem isn't as serious as theirs. Sometimes, we need to compare our situation with other people who aren't as fortunate as us and we will feel thankful to God for what has been given to us.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

An Embarrasing Moment In The Hospital

When we were waiting for Baby C's turn to be carried into the X-ray room, something really embarrasing happened. I was seated next to an Indian lady and suddenly, Baby C let out a real loud fart and moments later, I felt something hot on my hand. I knew she had poo pooed and I just had a guts feeling that she had pooed all over me as her diaper was loosely fastened because of the urine bag and cathether....and true enough, her poop was everywhere on my jeans and top. All I could say was "oh sh*t, oh sh*t!" As I carried her to my hubby who was on the phone with his client, the poop dropped on the floor. Hubby quickly hung up and carried Baby C while I ran to the stroller to get some wet wipes and to find a toilet. As hubby was carrying her, her poop trailed the floor and all the patients (already with a gloomy look hanging on their faces) stared at us, as if we had done something wrong... as we had dirtied the hospital floor with our baby's poop.

Ok, toilet found. We quickly put Baby C on a chair outside the toilet and quickly wiped her with wet wipes. Hubby and I both had poop on our clothes but my clothes were really badly stained with her poop. Fortunately breastfed babies don't have stinky poop and we did not smell of poop. I used heaps of wet wipes to wipe the poop away from my clothes.

Next, Baby C was crying for milk. I found a corner and quickly let her latch on. She was so famished that she was sucking ravenously and oh my, her suckling sounds were really loud in the waiting room that was filled with silence and gloom. All heads and eyes were towards me and I quickly covered myself with my scarf and hubby also tried to shelter me a bit.

Check out my other blog to read how the MCUG procedure went and for the diagnosis.

Baby C's toys and frozen teething ring, which helped to pacifiy her and distract her during the 2 traumatic procedures.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Anti-Fungus, Anti-Bacteria And Non-Toxic Pillow For Kids

Do you know how many of Sherilyn's pillows I have thrown away over the past 1 year? I think I have thrown more than 5 away! If you follow my blog, I'd written that Miss Pukey Sherilyn always pukes at night. There was a period of time where she would puke at night and mess up the bed at 12 midnight at least once a week. Her puking episodes are lesser now but not entire gone. I'd just thrown her pillow away 2 weeks ago when she puked on it at night.




Last week, hubby bought Aly and Sher a new pillow each from Jaya Jusco. The pillow is supposedly anti-fungus, anti-bacteria and non-toxic. It cost RM37.90 each, which I find very costly for a kid's pillow. Had I followed him to shop for the pillow, I'd have chosen one which cost under RM10 coz the pillow will surely end up in the bin soon. Now, I have to wrap Sher's pillow with a plastic changing mat before putting the pillow case over, otherwise, if she pukes on it, sure habis coz latex pillows are not washable and cannot be put under the sun.

What pillows do you kids sleep on?






Sunday, July 13, 2008

Baby C @ 3 Months Old

My sweetiepie turned 3 months old on 9 July 2008. Gosh, time really flies. I can't wait for her to be able to crawl, sit and for her to turn 1 year old. I can't wait for her to grow up. Nonetheless, I still love having a small baby now for Baby C will be my last child and I know I will one day miss the feeling of taking care of a small baby.







Soy Milk For A 24-Hour Milking Mum

That's my supply of soy milk. I drink at least 2 glasses a day to increase my calcium, protein and Omega intake. Additionally, I drink a glass of skim milk and eat a cup of low fat yoghurt everyday. I need these drinks to ensure that my breast milk is thick, so that Baby C gets a fuller feeling after each feed.


Soyfresh low sugar soy milk.


Unisoy instant organic sugar-free soy milk. This is by far the best instant soy milk I have tasted and the texture is also the best. Most instant soy milk or soy protein powder that I bought in the past cannot dissolve completely in water but the one by Unisoy can be dissolved completely as the soy beans have been de-husked / skin removed prior to being blended into soy powder. Unisoy is made in Singapore and costs RM15+ for 12 packets.

Finally...

I finally managed to complete all my outstanding assignments today. It's always very difficult for me to concentrate on my writing during the day when there're just too much distractions, especially with Baby C crying and whining for my attention. Baby C's cries can really drive me bonkers and make my mind go blank. It's worse if she doesn't nap during the day. I was so sleepy that I snoozed along with Baby C at 10pm when I was nursing her just now. Now, the house is so peaceful and I just love the absolute quietness. Tomorrow I won't be able to blog much as we'll be going to the church. There's also something seriously wrong with my PC as it took my PC 2-3 hours to start up since yesterday. The computer technican was supposed to have taken my CPU to his shop to repair today but I delayed it to Monday next week as I had a few outstanding tasks to complete.

Ok, time for me to hit the sack now. It's going to be another long day tomorrow. Have a great Sunday everyone!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Poor Baby C Can't Get To Nap

Poor Baby C didn't get to nap the whole day today. It's always the case during weekends when Alycia and Sherilyn are at home. These 2 brats will be screaming, laughing, fighting and turning the house upside down. The house will be so noisy that it is really impossible to fall asleep. Baby C has been trying to nap but each time she had drifted into lala land, her 2 older sisters would wake her up. As a result, Baby C has been really restless, fussy and cranky the whole day. She wanted to latch on the whole day, wanted to be carried and wanted to be talked to the whole day. I did not even have the opportunity to really sit down in front of my PC to work. I had to carry her with my left hand and type with only 1 finger with my right hand. And the worst part is I've sprained both my hands and shoulders during the fall this morning whilst I was jogging. I think my hands would hurt even more tomorrow.

Daydreaming Of Making More Moolah

I’ve always wanted to start my very own business and right now, what is on my mind is to start an online store. I don't think it is very difficult to set up an online store and the only setback now is I don’t have the time to go about setting my online store. I am just too occupied with Baby C now. I guess I will have to put my money-making plan in the backburner and re-look at my plan when my 3 kids are a little grown up. Who knows by then, hubby and I would even have sufficient money to buy a food franchise business. There I go again, day dreaming of making more moolah!

So Many Old Toys

Yesterday, I dug out a bag full of Alycia and Sher's old toys and rattles for Baby C. The 2 older gals were excited and happy to see their old toys again and had fun playing with them. These toys and rattles have been kept in a Toyogo box for over 2 years! Luckily I haven't given them away yet. When I showed Baby C the rattles, she gave me a very puzzled look and stared at the rattles. That was her first time seeing so many rattles surrounding her. She too had a happy time when her 2 cheh chehs played with her.

Alycia kissing and hugging Baby C whilst Sher looked on and sucked her thumb!

Sinful Breakfast



After a fall whilst jogging this morning, I continued jogging for half an hour. My knees and palm were stinging from the graze though. After jogging, I went to a nearby coffee shop to pack nyonya nasi lemak, minus the rice of course, just a piece of chicken rendang and a piece of chicken curry and some long beans. Also bought some sinful nyonya kuih and a purple sweet potato 'fatt koa' (or chinese muffin). And that was my breakfast....but of course I don't eat like this every morning, else I would transform into an aunty with flabby belly and flabby underarms in no time, LOL!

My Workout Companion

My best workout companion is my darling Baby C. And she helps me keep my arms all toned up. I don't need a dumb bell coz pushing her in her stroller whilst I jog, especially when I jog uphill is one onerous task.... and carrying this almost 6kg baby all the time is anytime better than carrying 2 dumb bells. With Baby C, I won't have aunty's flabby underarms anymore, hehe...

Friday, July 11, 2008

Sher's Little Lunch Box

With a recess time of just 10 minutes, I can't put too much food in Sherilyn's lunch box, else she would bring home the leftover food, which would eventually go to the dustbin. Sher takes forever to finish her food. So, I normally pack something very light and easy to eat for her - fruits, cheese (her favorite), fried egg, sandwiches (her favorite), buns and cakes.

This is what I put in Sherilyn's lunch box yesterday - green grapes and cheese cut into flower and heart shapes. She loved them and brought back an empty lunch box.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Daddy's Girl



Not only are Alycia and Sherilyn daddy's girl, Baby C is not left out too.
Click here to read on.





Healthy Food For Little Tummies



It's quite difficut to get Alycia and Sherilyn to eat fruits at times, especially Miss Fussy Eater Sherilyn. Sher would take forever to finish eating a slice of fruit and most times, she can't even finish a slice of apple, pear or guava. Yesterday, I woke up late and only had about 5 minutes to pack some food in their lunch boxes. Since Alycia had just recovered from a throat infection, I decided to pack something healthy for her - fruits. So I hurriedly took out my My Melody bread/cookie cutter and sliced up some pears and cut out a My Melody shaped pear for Alycia and Sher each. The face did not quite appear clearly on the sliced pear and the pear had also turned brown. But never mind, the gals were happy to see a My Melody shaped pear in their little lunch boxes....for the first time. I also skewered some green grapes onto a fruit pick. I was surprised that both gals returned with an empty lunch box.... and they requested for the same menu for the next day's lunch box! See, even kids want their food to look good!

Alamak!

On the first week of attending pre-school, Sherilyn was already acting like a ‘tai kar cheh’ (big sister in Cantonese) and displaying some of her ‘leadership skills’. This is what she said to her classmate who kept crying in class :

“Hey, why you everyday cry, cry, cry? Alamak!”

As she said ‘Alamak’ (which means ‘My goodness’ in Malay), she even slapped her forehead with her palm. Her teacher found it so hilarious that she told daddy when he came to pick her up after school.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Baby C Puked On My Bed Again... Aargh!

Baby C has been REALLY fussy and cranky today. First, she's got a low grade fever resulting from the Pneumococcal jab taken yesterday. Second, her tummy must have felt bloated and uncomfortable as she wasn't able to poo poo fully today. Since birth, she poos big time at least 3-5 times a day but today, she only managed to poo a fist full of poop late in the evening. She's been whining the whole day but luckily, she napped for an hour in the afternoon, so I managed to hurriedly complete 2 assignments when she napped.

When I nursed her before she went to bed at around 10pm, she fussed a little. Whenever she fusses during nursing time, I know she feels uncomfortable. I quickly pulled her away from my teats and as I was about to bring her to the foot of the bed to burb her, she puked big time all over my bed again! I quickly yelled out to Alycia who was already in her bed in the adjoining room (but not asleep yet) to call kakak up to help me. My little keen helper took the opportunity and excuse to go downstairs to call kakak, just so she could avoid going to sleep. See how hyper this brat is. I thought she would be sleepy and tired as she had only taken a short nap in the afternoon and also attended ballet class. When she came back from ballet class at around 8:30pm, she was still bursting with energy..... and had another round of dinner!

My Obsession With Plastic Bibs

I added 1 more plastic bib to Alycia and Sher's collection of plastic bibs. I was at Mothercare on Monday and when I saw the new arrivals, I bought one more - a red ladybug bib, which cost RM22.



This blue bib, also from Mothercare is not even used yet and I bought another. I also nearly bought a Combi bib from Mothercare but on second thoughts, dropped the idea as it cost a whopping RM49! I would have bought it without batting my eyelids if I were still employed. Times are tough and I have 3 kids now.... must always remember my frugal living plan!