Jianna at 3 Months

Jianna was 3 months old on 30 June 2012. Her clinic visit was on 4 July 2012. She now weighs 6.3kg and is 60cm long. Her head circumference is now 40cm. She was also given her vaccination.

Here are her updates:

• She's still sleeping most of the day. At night she seems to be able to sleep for longer durations as well, taking less night feeds.
  
• Lately she's been able to fall asleep on her own at night at about 9.00pm after we change her for the night.
  
• She's still fully on breast milk. She drinks 2-2.5oz per feed at day care. She normally takes 4 feeds there. We've noticed that she doesn't drink much in the morning. Sometimes only half an ounce the whole morning. Then after noon, she will start drinking 'properly'. We don't give her the bottle whenever mummy is around.
  
• On 24 June 2012 we saw Jianna turning fluidly onto her tummy :-) Her hand was still somewhat trapped, though :-) We've caught her turning almost onto her tummy two or three times before then.
  
• She's very lucky to have two brothers who love her. They constantly tussle to be nearest to her and often 'sayang' her.
  

[Jianna's knitted booties]


[Baaarppp!]


[Jianna in a dress]


[Jianna spotting a milk rash]


[Jianna]

Julian at 61 Months

Julian is now 61 months (28 June 2012).

Here are his updates:

• He continues to be curious about the world around him. He shows interest in experiments, e.g. what floats on or sinks in water.
  
• He likes to imitate the characters in the shows he watches on the computer. We can never tell what would fascinate him. Sometimes he imitates the 'naughty' characters (that really drives us mad!). At the moment he's imitating a magician named Julian :-)
  
• He would often irritate Justin by taunting him. An argument of sorts would ensue and often Julian would end up crying because Justin would protest and retaliate by beating, pinching, or biting him. Sometimes he doesn't learn... or maybe it's just how their brotherly relationship is!
  
• He finally discovered the café au lait spot (birthmark) on the underside of his left thigh. He thought it was a wound-of-sort and started whining and complaining. He was pacified after being educated on what a birthmark is.
  

[Julian buttons his shirt]


[Julian loves to carry Jianna]

Justin at 35 Months

Justin turned 35 months on 25 June 2012.

Here are his updates:

• He can spell his name :-)
  
• He talks a lot now and can have a conversation with us. Once he asked me to help open a bottle cap and I asked him why. His answer: It's not open. Such logic!
  
• He's even making up his own words! When we ask him what it means, he would say it's Chinese for whatever that comes to his mind! The first we heard was 'markerverse' but he didn't have a meaning for that. He made up a word for 'apartment in Chinese' but we can't remember what it is.
  
• He has begun reading. He has finished Peter and Jane Book 1a and is now on 1b. We weren't very sure whether he was actually reading or he had memorised the book, so we tested him by pointing to some of the words elsewhere. He seemed to be able to recognise them :-) He also showed signs of being able to apply his phonics knowledge to a certain extent :-)
  
• He likes to sing. His current favourites are 'Fly, fly, fly, the butterfly', 'Christ in the vessel', and 'Deep and wide'.
  
• For better or worse, he has been taught to use the mouse on the computer at home. Now the boys take turns at the 'computer control'. We would tell them that when the long hand of the clock reaches a certain number, so-and-so would get a turn using the mouse. Thankfully, they comply to this arrangement.
  
• He is practically toilet trained and is off the diaper in the day time. We still get accidents on and off, though. He still wears diapers when sleeping at night.
  
• On the not-so-cute side, he has the habit of biting, pinching and beating Julian whenever he is unhappy with him :-(

[Justin caught with his pants up]

MY Garden Birdwatch 2012

On 2 June 2012, between 9.00am and 9.30am, the boys and I did a count of garden birds for MY Garden Birdwatch 2012. We positioned ourselves at the shaded carpark area of our apartment overlooking a fruit orchard.

Here's what we counted:

• 1 yellow-vented bulbul
  
• 1 Asian koel
  
• 1 black-naped oriole
  
• 1 spotted dove
  
• 1 house crow
  
• 2 olive-backed sunbirds
  

We also spotted 2 rock pigeons, 2 Eurasian tree sparrows, and some Pacific swallows but these were not included in the count because they were either spotted at another location or they were seen flying overhead (these were the rules of the count, among others).

It was educational for the boys, and they were already familiar with some of the birds. They are especially fond of the koels as there are quite a few around our apartment and their calls are distinct and loud!

Here are some photos of the birds we spotted that morning:

[Olive-backed sunbird, female]


[Olive-backed sunbird, male]


[Spotted dove]


[Asian koel, male]


[Yellow-vented bulbul]

Jianna at 2 Months

Jianna was 2 month old on 30 May 2012. Her clinic visit was on 4 June 2012. She now weighs 5.8kg and is 58cm long. She was also given her vaccination. Thankfully, she did not develop any fever.

Here are her updates:

• She's still sleeping quite often in the day, but not for very long periods at a stretch. She likes to be put on her belly to sleep. When awake she likes being carried, especially in the evening and early night. She also likes to have someone talking to her. She seems ok lying down on her own in the earlier part of the day. Well, I guess she needs some attention, too! :-) At night, she feeds 2-3 hourly.
  
• Her 'favourite' toys at home are a soft cube rattle, a squeaky car and a squeaky hippo.
  
• Since just after she turned 1 month, Jianna has been able to 'rotate' herself.
  
• Her neck seems to be pretty strong too. She seems to be able to hold her head up quite steadily when being carried on the shoulder and she can lift her head quite well when lying on her tummy.
  
• She's been blowing raspberries also since just after one month.
  
• She doesn't quite like to be put in a sitting position for burping, instead preferring to be carried on the shoulder for that. Very often when we try to sit her up for burping, she would straighten her back and lean backwards so that she can't be put in a sitting position!
  
• She has started going to daycare since 21 May 2012. She is adapting very well but is fussy taking milk from the bottle.
  
• She can smile socially :-)
  
• She had her first haircut at a barber's on 27 May 2012.
  

[Jianna shows her tongue again]


[Jianna's smile]


[If they do this to my hair again...]

Mizi Bistro Revisited

On 28 May 2012, we had lunch at Mizi Bistro at New World Park. It was not our first experience at Mizi's.

This time, we tried their Chicken Piccatta (with rosemary sause), and Seafood a la King (seafood curry). As with our previous visit, the set came with soup, a drink, and all-you-can-eat ice-cream. The set lunch is RM25 per set.


[Chicken Piccatta]


[Seafood a la King]

Food was not bad, and serving size was generous. However, the rosemary sauce was rather strong.

Julian is 5 Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Julian! Julian celebrated his 5th birthday today (28 May 2012).

Here are his updates:

• Off and on, he would ask to carry Jianna. We would then position Jianna in his arms :-)
  
• He is still excited about Jianna, eagerly showing her off. He would often say, "Come, see our/my new baby!"
  
• Sometimes someone would ask whether they can take Jianna home for the night. When it happened the first few times, he would become very quiet - not knowing what to respond. His expression would change and he would look quite distressed. After a while he would say, "But she's OUR baby...". Now he has figured out a response. He would say, "But she needs to sleep on the bouncinette!" :-) Wonder how he would respond if the person says she has a bouncinette at home! :-)
  
• He is now able to tell the time for the hours.
  
• He can do his homework on his own :-) Hurray!
  
• He can button his own shirt.
  

[Julian is growing taller]


[An even more overgrown baby]


[Julian and Jianna]

Julian celebrated his birthday with his friends at the kindy on 25 May 2012 (Friday). We got him a cake and he requested for Angry Birds decorations. His babysitter prepared some party packs.


[Celebration at the kindy: Julian's Angry Birds cake]

His birthday celebration with our extended family was on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). We had lunch at Sea Palace Restaurant. Mummy specially made him an airplane banana cake with jam biscuits as engines and chocolate pieces as the cockpit windows. The top of the fuselage had his name spelled out using alphabet biscuits.


[Celebration at the restaurant: Julian Air Cargo]


[The Five of Us]

Today, Daddy baked a butter cake and made a simple racing car out of fondont as decoration.


[Celebration at home: Happy birthday to meeee! Fhhhhhh! Justin joined in the formalities...]

Ferringhi Coffee Garden

We had wanted to have lunch at Ferringhi Garden on 24 May 2012 but unfortunately they only open for dinner. So, we had to settle for Ferringhi Coffee Garden next door instead. Items on their menu were "lighter".

We tried the Mini Burger Platter consisting of beef, chicken, and prawn patties. We also ordered the FCG Special consisting of sandwiches, crab cakes, petit four, French pastry, and coffee/tea.


[Mini Burger Platter: RM21.80]


[The FCG Special: RM26.80]


[Dining indoors at Ferringhi Coffee Garden]


[For those who prefer dining outdoors]

Food was delicious although we would have preferred a heavier lunch.

Justin in Baby Talk

Justin's photo appeared in the Little Stars section of Baby Talk's May 2012 issue!

Again, thanks to Ethan & Hannah's mummy for keeping a lookout for us.


[Justin's photo in Baby Talk's May 2012 issue]

Mama Mia Kitchen

On 23 May 2012, we had lunch at Mama Mia Kitchen located on Lorong Selamat.

We tried their pork trotters in black vinegar (too kar chor) with rice, nasi lemak with chicken rendang, and five-spice fermented beancurd fried chicken wings.


[Too kar chor: RM10.90 with rice]


[Nasi lemak with chicken rendang: RM7.90]


[Five-spice fermented beancurd fried checken wings: RM10.00]

Food was delicious and portions were reasonably generous. Being fussy about my too kar chor, I was not disappointed :o).

Justin at 34 Months

Justin turned 34 months today (25 May 2012).

Here are his updates:

• He finally understood the concept of potty training. One weekend, we decided to let him go diaperless and gave instructions to blah, balh, blah. He has managed to tell us when he needed to do his business, on weekends and in the daytime at least. Hooray!
  
• He likes to sing the Thomas song to Jianna.
  
• He's getting more expressive and can converse quite well with Mummy, Daddy and Julian.
  

Despite some success in getting him to relieve himself in the potty/toilet, accidents were not unexpected. There was one weekend morning, when Mummy and Daddy were engrossed having breakfast. Justin was doodling on a piece of paper when he came to proclaim:
Justin: Mummy... Daddy... it's soooo big!
Mummy & Daddy (blindly answers): Oh, yes... so big! *assuming he drew something big, e.g. airplane, etc.*
Mmmy & Daddy: *but wait... what's so big?!... he's without his diaper... S @ # T!... goes to living room*
We found a nice firm piece of excreta on the carpet. Luckily it was firm and could be cleaned up easily with minimal mess *wipes forehead*.

Like many kids, the boys like to point things out when they travel in the car. Sometimes, Justin's retort can be thought provoking...
Julian: Do you see Komtar?
Daddy: Yes, that's Komtar.
Julian: My eyes are very sharp!
Daddy: Yes, your eyes are very sharp.
Justin: My eyes are smooth!
Daddy & Mummy: ?!?!


[Justin keeping a "smooth" eye on Jianna]


[Justin the overgrown baby]


[Justin on Ah Kong's deck chair]


[Justin on Daddy's shoulders doing a circus act... in case both can't keep their day-jobs...]


[Justin doing some serious potty training, finally!]


[There you are!!]


[X marks the spot!]


[Justin]

Bedtime Routine

Before Jianna came along, come bedtime, Justin is Mummy's charge while Daddy handles Julian. Now that we have Jianna, this is our current bedtime routine, especially during the weekdays:

• 8.50pm: The boys change into their pyjamas. Jianna would have been changed earlier.
  
• 9.05pm: The boys drink milk.
  
• 9.25pm: Go to bed! Boys would be herded to brush their teeth. Then, all five of us would go into the boys' room. Jianna is usually still awake.
  
• 9.35pm: Night prayer. Boys told to sleep. Jianna usually wants a feed. Justin waits for Jianna to finish while tossing pillows off the bed. Daddy is with Julian, often needing to scratch a few attention-seeking itchy spots and to hold Julian's "insecure" leg. When Jianna finishes, Mummy tucks Justin in to bed while Daddy takes over charge of Jianna and cradles her. Jianna falls asleep in Daddy's arms and Daddy continues reassuring Julian's leg.
  
• 10.15pm: Julian normally dozes off first.
  
• 10.30pm: Justin dozes off. Daddy deposits a sleeping Jianna on the masterbed. Mummy & Daddy can now breathe...
  

Recently, Justin objected to Mummy feeding Jianna at bedtime. The following conversation ensued:
Mummy: Mummy has to feed Jianna because Daddy cannot feed Jianna.
Justin: Is too small.
Mummy: What's too small?
Justin: Daddy's breast.
Mummmy & Daddy: ?!?!

Our 8th Anniversary

1 May 2012 was our 8th wedding anniversary. There was no celebration because the boys, especially Julian, were at the tail-end of their HFMD. We were stressed-out managing the isolation and handling Justin's terrible tantrums. It was the peak of pure madness.

We gave the Unity Candle lighting and anniversary prayer tradition a miss this time. Not deliberately, but at that time it was difficult even to think it was our anniversary!

Update
We did eventually get down to lighting our Unity Candle and saying an anniversary prayer together albeit 2 months late. Well, better late than never.


[Lighting of our Unity Candle 2012]

Jianna at 1 Month

Jianna was one month old on 30 April 2012. She had her first month clinic visit on 2 May 2012. She weighed 4.7kg and her length was 56cm. She is fully breastfed. She was given her second dose of hepatitis B jab. Expectedly, she cried when the jab was administered but quietened down soon after :-)

The initial plan was to celebrate her full moon on 28 April - the feast day of her patron saint, St Gianna Molla. But her full moon celebration had to be put off because the boys were still recovering from HFMD. Besides, she was kept away from her brothers from 25 April to prevent her from catching their germs. She finally got to come out of isolation on 1 May 2012.


[Jianna on Mummy's shoulder]


[All this sleeping is giving me a pain in the neck!]


[One-eyed Jianna]


[Neh...]


[Jianna]

Of Bums and Fake Dogs

I was tucking Julian into bed one night and he went on his hands and knees on the bed. This short conversation ensued...
Julian: Daddy, please touch my bum-bum...
Daddy: Why?!
Julian: Because I have a bum-bum.
Daddy: ?!?!

A few days ago, the boys were playing in the apartment playground when the regular roti man came by. A lady customer went up to buy bread carrying a small pet poodle. Here's what Julian had to exclaim...
Julian: Look! A REAL DOG!!
Mummy & Daddy: ?!?! *LOL*

Julian at 59 Months

Julian turned 59 months (4 years 11 months) on 28 April 2012.

Here are his updates:

• He wants daddy to accompany him to sleep at night. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will come to our room and call Daddy, sometimes in tears. When asked why, he would either say he cannot be alone or that he misses Daddy.
  
• He is still at the stage where he is asking a lot of questions.
  
• He shows interest in Jianna, constantly wanting to know if she's awake or asleep. He likes to 'read' to her, and 'show/tell' her things ("Jianna, you see a (an aeroplane) landing coming?", etc.).
  

[Julian enjoying his favourite biscuit, Oreo]


[Julian giving a cheeky grin]


[I love my sister]