Family Day at Golden Sands

We spent a 3-day 2-night stay (22-24 October 2010) at Shangri-La's Golden Sands Resort at Batu Ferringhi for my department's family day.

On the first day, we checked-in at about 6.30pm and had an opening dinner.

A telematch was scheduled on the morning of the second day but we decided to spend time with the kids on the beach instead. Later in the morning, we adjourned for a dip in the pool. The resort had a nice pool area with many pools of different sizes, depths, and purposes. There's even a jacuzzi :o).


[The boys in the sand pit]


[Fun on the beach]


[Julian: Look at that!]


[Justin and Daddy]

After lunch and a nap, we took the kids to the resort's Adventure Zone where they had a kid's play area with a ball pool and an obstacle course. We ended the evening by the beach.


[The boys and Mummy have powers of levitation?!]


[Julian and the sea at dusk]

On the last day, it was more fun in the pool before we checked-out and had lunch.

Unlike the previous family day, we did not have any work-related activity. So, it was a fun and relaxing stay.

Julian at 41 Months

Julian turned 41 months on 28 October 2010.

• He's now better at conversing and can sometimes answer questions properly without any prompting from us.
  
• He is very clear and firm when rejecting something, e.g. at the doctor's he said, "I don't want that" (the spatula doctors usually use when examining the throat).
  
• He is very fond of saying "I want to go home.", even at home! We're not sure what he REALLY wants. He generally says it when he's not happy about something or when he starts to get bored/tired (when we're out).
  
• He likes to put on his sunglasses in the car (sometimes even at night) and look at himself in the mirror on the visor. In fact, the visor is perpetually flipped down now for him to 'admire' himself (with or without the sunglasses). That's vanity for you! *roll eyes*
  
• He's quite fixated when it comes to routines. If a particular routine is not done in the correct sequence, or a 'step' is missed, there is always a risk of him going cranky. For instance, after brushing his teeth he wants to dry his hands. No such thing as going straight to bathe without wiping his hands.
  
• Being fixated as he is, he also has difficulty with changes. He often resists new things/situations. We have difficulty getting him to wear 'new' clothes sometimes, but we overcome this by telling him they are a present from someone e.g. Grandma, Ah Kong, etc. However, he hardly resists new toys, always insisting on opening the packages as soon as he sees them!
  
• He's improving in his mealtime menu. He is now open to noodles (though not all types) and he especially likes the ABC pasta that we cook. He also likes papaya, watermelon and apples.

[Julian: The Sliding Star]


[Vanity]

Justin at 15 Months

Justin turned 15 months on 25 October 2010. He was at the clinic on 27 October 2010 for a routine check-up. He weighed 9.6kg (600gm increase in the last 3 months). He is now 78cm tall (up from 76cm 3 months ago).

Here are his updates:

• He tried some roti canai and seems keen to try adult food. He's losing interest in cereal.
  
• A ninth tooth has erupted (upper left molar).
  
• He can climb up the dining chair *horrors*.
  
• On the talking front, he now says "bye" (and waves as well), "borr" (ball), "ya/yeh" (yes), "there" (and points, when we ask him where certain objects are), "thah" (car), "berh" (bird), "bah" (plane), and "no more".
  
• He says "airh" to imitate the phonics sound for the letter "A" when Julian plays on Starfall.
  
• When we suspect that he has passed motion (but actualy did not) and we ask him "Did you owk-owk?", he shakes his head.
  
• Hugs when asked to "sayang" (show love).
  
• Can follow instruction to put things somewhere.
  
• Nods head when we say "thank you" to him.
  
• Can hold his own bottle.
  
• He likes to watch Thomas and Friends, and shakes his head when he hears the Thomas and Friends theme song.
  
• Likes to fiddle with the DVD player. He knows how to open the tray and can place a disc onto the tray with some help. However, he keeps on wanting to change discs... this drives Julian crazy, and a scuffle ensues.

[Justin: Sad movies... always make me cry...]


[Justin: I called you on the telephone... but you're never home...]


[No, that's not **** on his face :o)]


[Justin having a go on the slide]


[Justin sampling a slice of dried apple]


[Justin doing the diaper cheer routine]

Highland Holiday 2010

Going to Cameron Highlands seems to have evolved into an annual 'pilgrimage' :-) This year, we were there from 24-26 Sept 2010. Papa and Mummy came with us. We stayed at O'ly Apartments in Tanah Rata, same as last year. Julian could remember the apartment. He remembered celebrating Grandpa and Suk Suk's birthday there.

Day 1:
We left Penang close to 11am. Stopped in Simpang Pulai for lunch before heading up. We arrived in Tanah Rata at almost 4pm. After settling in and having a rest, we went to the Bharat Tea House (a yearly 'ritual'). Since it wasn't raining that evening, we went to the night market in Brinchang. We decided to buy dinner from the night market and eat at the apartment.


[Julian admiring the view of the Bharat Tea Plantation]


[Tea at the Bharat Plantation Tea Shop]

Day 2:
The morning saw us at the MARDI Station, viewing the plants there. Julian was more fascinated with the decorative fountain and waterfall. The only 'plant' that fascinated him was the giant wintermelons hanging from the vines. He spent most of the time running/walking around.


[Justin satisfied that he was really in Cameron Highlands]


[And now for the wintermelon swinging competition...]


[At the Edible Garden]

After that we went to EQ Strawberry Farm to pluck strawberries - the highlight for Julian. Justin fell asleep in the car on the way to the farm so I stayed in the car with him while the rest went to pluck strawberries.


[Julian likes plucking strawberries more than eating them]

We went back to Tanah Rata for lunch then back to the apartment for a rest. While Papa and Mummy rested, we decided to take the boys for a drive. Our intention was to check the next day's mass time (which we did) and buy something for tea. However, both boys fell asleep in the car so we abandoned the tea idea and drove around a bit before heading back to the apartment. It was raining so we decided to sleep in the car instead of trying to get the boys into the apartment without them waking up or getting wet!

In the evening, we went to Tanah Rata town for a walk and had dinner at a cafe. We also bought some tea to bring home. It rained while we were in town, but luckily stopped when we were ready to leave.

Day 3:
We went for mass in the morning, quite disastrously. The boys were causing quite a havoc and we had to banish ourselves from the chapel upstairs :-( We checked out after mass and went to Brinchang for lunch. After lunch we went to the Big Red Strawberry Farm (another yearly 'ritual'). After a bit of shopping and Julian running around, we left. It was almost 2pm.


[Julian's annual vege-inspection]


[Justin minding the tuck shop]

We stopped in Simpang Pulai for tea, then headed back to Penang. We arrived at about 6pm. Papa and Mummy then drove back to Butterworth.

The boys were generally fretty this trip (Julian kept saying he wanted to go home) as they were actually not feeling very well. Julian developed a cough two days before the trip and Justin caught it from Julian in Camerons. The weather was cool and there was intermittent rain, which made going out a bit more cumbersome. Only in the night did the temperature get cold. Julian flat refused to wear his sweater, while Justin wore his only during the trip to the night market. Justin was mostly dressed in long sleeved tops while Julian was in his regular T-shirts when we went out. The apartment had Astro so the boys watched cartoons on the Disney channels. They also played with their Ah Kong and Poh Poh.

The Fight For Mummy

What do you do when both children want mummy's attention at the same time?

More than once, Julian has gotten up from sleep crying and wanting Mummy to comfort him. The problem is it takes him a while to calm down and sometimes Justin is awakened by his crying. Oh me, oh my, when that happens because then Justin also wants Mummy to get him back to sleep! Justin's ultimate 'weapon' is he wants 'nen nen' (to feed). Julian will insist (practically screaming by now...) Daddy should carry Justin or he doesn't want Justin. The thing is if Julian doesn't get back to sleep, Justin can't fall asleep either with all the wailing! And as long as Justin is awake he will insist (also screaming) he wants Mummy too! We get into this catch-22 situation and neither boy wants to share. The one-lap-each offer gets no takers.

Daddy tries to help as best he can...

Julian at 40 Months

Julian turned 40 months on 28 September 2010. Here are his updates:

• He still watches a lot of TV. His current favourite is the Magic School Bus. He's able to manipulate the player independently, including 'skipping' the trailers at the beginning. He only needs us to turn on the main switch.
  
• He still likes to play on the computer and has progressed to showing preference for Daddy's laptop because of the Internet connection. His favourite website is www.starfall.com, an educational website. This site can keep his attention for quite a long time.
  
• He has begun to show some interest in books again... thank goodness!
  
• He likes to 'help' when we are washing milk bottles. Read: play with soap water!
  
• He shows some sense of logic. One day we told him that there was no 'grey computer' (laptop) at home. Immediately, he took a toy (which resembles a bag) and headed for the door. When asked where he was going, he replied, "Buy grey computer." Talk about consumerism!
  
• He still throws tantrums.
  
• Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night crying and is difficult to pacify.
  
• He has this bad habit of holding water in his mouth. When asking him to swallow doesn't work, we would ask him a question so he would have to swallow in order to answer. Sometimes he tries to answer with the water still in his mouth *slap forehead*
  
• He can be quite defiant. When we ask him to hold his pencil/crayon in the correct pencil grip, he would purposely hold it in a 'fist' grip.
  
• He often insists that he is correct. A typical conversation would be:
  Julian: There's a crane. Got stick.
  Daddy: The crane has an ARM.
  Julian: No, not arm. STICK! (recently, however, he said that the crane has an arm :-))
  
• When we correct his pronunciation, he would sometimes insist we "stop", e.g. "Daddy, stop!" while holding out his hand towards Daddy.
  
• When he is scolded, he would switch to his 'don't want' mode: "I don't want Mummy/Daddy" (whoever has scolded him).

[Julian on the computer]


[Julian eating marshmallow]


[Julian spraying water]


[Julian chair-camping]

Justin at 14 Months

Justin turned 14 months on 25 September 2010. No check-up at the government clinic this month.

He has been developing quite a bit this past month. Here are his updates:

• His 8th tooth has erupted at the bottom.
  
• He can feed himself finger food. He is keen to feed himself porrigde/cereal as well, but can't do it independently yet.
  
• He is able to slot a coin into the piggy bank slit.
  
• He likes to press buttons especially those on the DVD player *slap head* and remote controls. Obviously this interferes with the viewing pleasure of others...
  
• He can bring his hands together when it's time to say "Amen".
  
• He likes to throw things down when he's sitting in his baby chair. Mummy doesn't like this!
  
• He wants a share of almost anything Julian has/does/gets. This is especially so with snacks and the computer.
  
• He is able to entertain himself with his toys. The stacking cups are still one of his favourites. They seem to be able to hold his attention for quite a while.
  
• He likes stickers.
  
• He likes to drink from his water bottle, and he especially likes to chew on the straw.
  
• He seems able to communicate to us what he wants/likes or doesn't want/like. He would nod his head when he wants something we point to, or when we ask him if what he's eating is good (and he likes it). He would shake his head when he doesn't want something (e.g. his cereal!). He could even communicate to Mummy that he wanted the Mickey Mouse sticker which was stuck in the book, and not the star sticker, which he was given to play with.
  
• He would resist having something taken away from him, and express displeasure (scream/cry) when it is taken away. He's apparently stomped his feet as well at the babysitter's.
  
• He can say 'deh deh' (daddy, and sometimes for mummy as well!), 'mama', 'oh oh' (when something is 'wrong', e.g. the show on TV ends, something drops), 'wok wok' (walk), and 'nen nen' (any forms of food). Very often he would say 'bok' when he wants us to open something for him, e.g. a bottle cover, or to unbuckle him from his car seat.

[Justin]


[Justin and Grandma]


[Justin and Grandpa]


[Justin and the coinbox]


[Justin trying a marshmallow]


[Justin climbs up a ladder]

Holiday Treat

16 Sept 2010 was a public holiday so we decided to have a baking activity for Julian. We invited his friend, Ryan (and his parents, of course) to join us.

We prepared the cookie dough the day before to speed things up. We rolled out the dough and the Julian and Ryan used cookie cutters to cut out the cookies for baking. The boys' participated in the project but were quite often distracted by other toys and the TV... Julian was more interested in sprinkling the flour than in cutting the dough!

We also made pizza for lunch. Once again, the pastry was made in advance. The boys helped to put the pizza topping.

We had fun, although the cookies turned out HARD (think I added too much flour)! Still, the boys managed to eat it :-P Julian and even Justin seem to like the taste.


[Rolling out the dough]


[Cookie cutting time!]


[Let's make pizza!]


[Cookies ready to eat]

Arrival of Yi Qing

We're pleased to be "re-affirmed" as Ah Pak and Ah Nyong with the arrival of our niece Yi Qing on 9 September 2010. Her Christian name is Rosalie.


[Yi Qing]

Yi Qing is the fourth grandchild and first granddaughter of my parents.

Congratulations to Niq & Chui Ying.

Picnic Fever

We went for a picnic in Balik Pulau on 29 August 2010 in the company of friends from the Catholic Engaged Encounter Penang community.

We were at the picnic site, a stream flowing through a fruit ochard, at about 9.30am. The water was clean but cold!


[The stream]

Justin did not warm up to the water and protested when his feet were dunked into the water. He prefered to stay dry and keep an eye on the food instead... *smart boy*.


[Justin at the picnic]


[Justin in charge of drinks]

Julian on the other hand took charge of the fun and eagerly got himself wet. The water was indeed cold even by adult standards but Julian did not seem to bother... not even after his hands turned white and his lips turned purple... talk about sheer will power to have fun... *slaps forehead*. We think that among all those who were there, it was Julian who had the most fun... *slaps forehead again*.


[Julian in charge of fun]


[Julian braves the cold]


[Julian's new hairdo]

Since it was a potluck picnic, we brought along cocktail sausages and some brownies that Julian baked two days ealier.


[Potluck tuck]

At around 11.30am, it started to rain. The rain soon turned into a thunderstorm which lasted about an hour. We all took shelter at the ochard house. When the storm had abated, we were surprised that the stream had turned into a small raging river and that the water was now the colour of "teh tarik". We left at around 1pm.


[A stream no more]

Well, too much of a good thing can't be good. Julian had fever that very evening, and even had a sore throat and some diarrhoea. He was his usual self after about 4 days. Justin started having a temperature last Wednesday (probably courtesy of Julian) which lasted about 3 days. He also had some thrush. All was well by the weekend *phew!*.

Julian at 39 Months

Julian turned 39 months old on 28 August 2010.

Some observations this month:

• He is a bit more receptive to eating noodles, which he totally rejected previously.
  
• He loves chocolate and would ask for it almost every day. We try to keep this under control as we feel it is bad for him to have too much. The only good thing is he would be satisfied with even just one Smarties pellet.
  
• He eats one or two vegetable/multi-vit gummies a day.
  
• Sometimes he wants exclusive attention from us (e.g. when he's cranky). He would climb on our lap and when Justin comes, he would say "I don't want Justin" and attempt to push his brother away.
  
• When he doesn't want Justin to have something, he would 'make up' excuses like "you cannot eat" or "it's dangerous" or "it's sharp" even when it's not.
  
• We finally got him a kiddy table with not one but two chairs as younger brother Justin is sure to want a stake in it. We're happy he's making good use of it.
  

[Julian ponders]


[Julian and his tortoise project from playschool]


[Julian is ticklish]


[Julian is strong! (imitating Mickey Mouse in one of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes)]


[Julian partying at home]


[Julian hard at work]