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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Jianna is 25 Months

Jianna turned 25 months old on 30 April 2014. Here are some updates:
  • She can retort.
  • She seems able to reason/justify using the word 'so'. E.g. She would say (on the use of scissors), "Very dangerous so Jianna cannot take the scissors. Justin cannot take also because very dangerous."
  • She seems to suffer from some 'separation anxiety'. When Julian goes for piano class, she would cry and keep saying "I want Julian".
  • In school, she's got several new playmates in her group. We were told that she is the 'teacher', telling the new children not to cry, to sleep, etc. *slap head*
20140430_JiannaBag
[For the love of bags]

20140430_JiannaFace
[Jianna]

Julian at 83 Months

Julian turned 83 months old on 28 April 2014.

He has begun learning the freestyle for swimming. He started off with the breaststroke but seems to have problems with overall coordination for this stroke. Apparently this is not something unusual as even some adults find difficulty doing the breaststroke. Hopefully he'll be more adept at the freestyle...

He had one of his upper tooth extracted on 28 April as it was already very loose.

20140428_Julian
[Photo taken by request of the model :-)]

20140428_JulianToothOut
[3rd milk tooth out]

Justin at 57 Months

Justin turned 57 months old on 25 April 2014.
  • Recently he took to tucking in his t-shirt - something he had refused to do previously no matter what reasoning we tried. I asked him why he tucked in his shirt. His response: "Teacher S said I look handsome when tuck in shirt!"
  • He seems good at twisting his way out of so-called 'unfavourable' situations. E.g. When told he can't have a chocolate which he took when it's not the appropriate time, he would say, 'I look only,' or when he wants to play something but is told that the time is not right, he would say, 'I mean play tomorrow (or any other day)'.
  • He loves to draw. Every day he would come home with a few pieces of drawing - and he puts quite a bit of effort into his work!
  • He's quite crazy over drawing calendars.
  • As part of his creative play he likes to give names to toys and people. His name for Daddy is Clarence and Mummy's is Jessie. His new name? Bar Classic Bicycle Kong. (Update 1 May 2014: Upon investigation, we have found out how he came up with his name. 'Bar' is from Barney (the dinosaur), 'Classic' is from a CD at his babysitter's, 'Bicycle' is from home, and 'Kong' is from Hong Kong.)
  • He is quite expressive of his 'displeasures', often vocally, sometimes physically.
Here's Justin making a postcard. 

20140425_JustinPostcard1
[At the start of the project]

20140425_JustinPostcard2
[Applying glue on the stamp]

20140425_JustinPostcard3
[Putting the stamp]

20140425_JustinPostcard4
[Writing the address]

20140425_JustinPostcard5
[Tadaa...final product]

Julian and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Wednesday, 23 April 2014 saw Julian down with HFMD. He was fine in the morning but when Bart fetched Julian from school, he had blisters and ulcers in his mouth and on his hands. A visit to the doctor confirmed HFMD. He was given 2 days MC in view of the weekend. On Sunday, we took him to the doctor again and his MC was extended for another 2 days. He went back to school on Wednesday, 30 April 2014.

We were stressed when we learnt of his HFMD due to our earlier experience 2 years ago.

On Thursday and Friday, he could hardly eat anything. Yoghurt drink and milk was his main diet on Thursday. He couldn't even eat yoghurt - complaining that it was too hard. He only ate taufufah (soft bean curd) on Friday. He was also lethargic and spent a lot of time in bed (which is good for him). On Saturday, thankfully, he could already eat solids although his appetite was not so good. By Sunday he could eat and was generally alert. His mouth ulcers were almost gone, but there were still spots on his lips, hands and feet.

We're praying very hard for the other two children (and us) to be protected against the virus.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Penang Interactive Museum

We went to the Penang Interactive Museum on 6 April 2014 with a friend who was visiting from KL.

The kids enjoyed themselves, but could not really pose for the photos properly. Furthermore, being a Sunday, the place was quite crowded so actually getting a turn to take the snapshots was also challenging. You can also take some interesting 3D style photos outside the museum.

There are also kiosks where you scan your entrance ticket to get a 3D image and move it on the screen. The boys probably liked that the best, especially Julian.

Entrance fee was RM15 for adults and RM10 for children.

20140406_3D_newspaper
[Our 5 seconds of fame ;-)]

20140406_3D_kiosk
[At one of the 3D machines]

20140406_3D_spiderman
[The popular spiderman shot]

20140406_3D_mirror
[Going through the looking glass]

20140406_3D_dinosaur
[Justin making a run for it. His siblings...]

20140406_3D_steamboat
[Cooling down the pot]

20140406_3D_dragon
[Spraying the fiery dragon]

20140406_3D_sack
[Lifting a heavy sack outside the museum]

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Picnic in Teluk Aling

On Saturday 29 March 2014 we decided to take the kids to the Penang National Park for a picnic lunch. We decided to hike to Teluk Aling, which was not too far away. On a regular day, without kids, it's about a 30-minute hike. But on this day, with baggage (lunch & stuff) and three kids in tow, it took us a good one hour to get to the beach! Upon arrival, we immediately made arrangements for a boat to pick us up a couple of hours later for the return journey. The boat ride cost us RM30 for the whole family. It was just a 5-minute boat ride - but worth every cent to me! :-D The kids were also thrilled with the ride.

20140329_TlkAling_JulianMat
[Julian the porter]

20140329_TlkAling_BoysHike
[The boys on the hiking trail]

20140329_TlkAling_Jianna
[Jianna on the beach]

20140329_TlkAling_JustinSea
[Justin getting wet - not a common thing]

20140329_TlkAling_JulianSea
[Julian - always happy to get wet]

Jianna is 2 Years Old

Jianna turned 2 years old on 30 March 2014. Her birthday celebrations began in Menglembu on 22 March 2014 with the Cheah side of the family. We bought little Minion cakes for the children :-)

20140330_JiannaCousins
[Minions assemble...!]

20140330_JiannaBros
[One Minion cake each]

She celebrated her birthday in school with her friends 28 March 2014. This year the children make the birthday cake and decorate it. In her case, the teacher(s) probably made the cake, but she got to decorate it. Justin made her a birthday card - so sweet.

20140330_JiannaSchDecoCake
[Jianna decorating her cake]

20140330_JiannaSchoolBday
[Birthday girl in school]

Since her birthday fell on a Sunday, we had a birthday lunch for her at Sea Palace restaurant with the Tan side of the family. This time she got a cake with two Hello Kitty frigurines which fascinated her. Those toys are now her constant companions.

20140330_JiannaFamily
[A family photo with the birthday girl]

20140330_JiannaJulianFeed
[Julian gives Jianna a hand with the cake]

Here are some updates:
  • She's at the terrible two. While cute, she is also strong-willed and can be quite defiant. She's testing her boundaries.
  • She loves singing.
  • She loves going on outings/ for car rides. She would always want to go along when Daddy takes Julian for his music lesson. Gone are the days when she would only cling to Mummy. Now, going out is priority.
  • Food-wise, she's more picky now. Generally she likes omelette (not eggs done any other way) and Japanese tofu. She'll eat soft spinach and the occasional chicken. She likes crispy food. She LOVES junk food. She prefers savoury to sweet tastes.
  • Socially, she's still cautious about strangers - which we think is good :-) She will only readily go to selected people whom she's familiar with and 'favours' ;-)

Julian at 82 Months

Julian turned 82 months old on 28 March 2014. This month (March) he started piano lessons. We are pleased that he seems to enjoy it and is motivated to practise (on the organ) at home. Must look into getting a piano soon... :-)

20140328_JulianHwork
[Julian doing his homework]

20140328_JulianHorse
[Julian ready for his horse ride]

Justin at 56 Months

Justin turned 56 months old on 25 March 2014.
  • He's been off diapers at night since early March. Yippee!
  • He is our in-house fashion critic wannabe. His most recent critique is that Mummy doesn't wear dresses. He also told Mummy that she must wear dress for the children's birthdays.
  • He engages in a lot of creative/imaginative play, and can often play on his own.
  • He started music lessons this month (March) after attending a free trial lesson in the last week of February. It's a group lesson for keyboard.
20140325_JustinHorse
[Justin inspecting a horse]

Friday, April 25, 2014

Julian's Stories

Although somewhat delayed, we would like to share with you (with permission) some of Julian's stories which he wrote at the end of last year at age 6+, during his kindy's year-end holiday programme. Errors are deliberately left in the story for authenticity. 

Story #1: The princess has a pet
20140425_JulianStory1 
Once upon a time a little castle, there was a princess. One day, she had a pet. It was a puppy. She named her Sally, as her mother died. She was feeding her puppy, she take good care of her. Then she die like her moter. The End. 

Story #2: The Witch and the Crocodile
20140425_JulianStory2
Once upon a time, there was a witch. One day, as she was fishing, she saw something swimming in the river. She catch it. Then it was a crocodile. It was green, and it goblle the witch and the witch had died. The End. 

Story #3: The woman, the father who had no child 
20140425_JulianStory3&4
One snowy Chrismas Eve, there was a woman and a father. They were very poor and had no children. The woman said, Hmmm...Let's hope we have a child on Chrismas. So the next day, they had a child. They calle Him Tom. He was tiny, he can grow, he can talk. Then they lived happyly ever after. The end.

Story #4: The man and the talking egg and banana
Once upon a time, there was a man. One day, as he was cooking, he took the egg begun to talk, the egg said, So I can't be fryed. and the banana begun to talk, It said, Hello my friend, I want to marry you. But the egg don't want to marry him. So it went away. The End. 

Story #5: The princess and the apron
20140425_JulianStory5
Once, there was a princess. As she was walking, she saw a woodsman. He said, you look beutiful to me, you can come to my party if you want. But the next day the princess went to the party, she saw there was lot's of food and drinks. They lived happyly every after. The End.

Kids' Talk

Here are some amusing conversations with the boys. 

Justin and KFC 
Passing-by the Greenlane KFC the other day, Daddy tested Justin. 
Daddy: Justin, if you eat at KFC, would you be eating chicken, fish or pork? 
Justin (without missing a beat): All also I don't eat! 
We were all stunned, and then Mummy had a laughing fit. By the way, Justin is our little die-hard egg-atarian. Just goes to show how faulty adults' questions can be!

Julian and the porcupine 
After the boys completed a task, Daddy rewarded them with a bottle of Vitagen each. 
Julian: How much does it cost? 
Daddy: RM1.20. 
Julian: What an outrage!! 
Daddy: Why?! 
Julian: Too cheap! 
Daddy: Why do you say it's cheap? 
Julian: It's cheaper than a porcupine. 
Daddy: ??!?!