It's a BOY!

The gynae has confirmed it - it's going to be a boy again. I found out last week during my 14th week checkup. There is no mistaken - that little dot is his little pecker not the umbilical cord. I won't deny that I was hoping to get a girl this time, not becuase I don't like having boys but it would have been nice to have a pair. Then it wouldn' t matter so much whether or not to have a third one. But at that moment when I was lying in my gynae's office, staring at the 2 testicles on the screen - which erased all hope that the little dot could be an umbilical cord - I knew a third one is already in the card....just maybe not so soon.

For those who have not been informed, or whom I've forgotten to inform, yes,I'm expecting again. I'm in my 15th week now which means I've past the horrible first trimester. Actually, I was quite blessed because my symptoms weren't so bad. I didn't throw up, and only experienced a bit of nausea and some indigestion. I couldn't eat as much and as a result only put on 500g in the first 3 months.

Baby is due 1 June. But if this baby is like his big rother, who was too eager to see the world (delivered 3 weeks early) than he will be a May baby.

Am I excited about being preggie again? Well, it's definitely not as fun as the first time because this time around I get less attention, hubby is less sympathetic and it's more tiring becuase I have Dennis to look after. I get less rest because Dennis demands for my attention.

At the same time I'm also wary about all the changes that are going to take place. I'm not sure how well Dennis is going to adjust to the new baby. I hope he doesn't get too jealous and starts bullying his little brother. I've been trying to explain to him the concept of mummy-is-having-a-baby-in-her-tummy, but I don't think he quite comprehends it. I'm worried about how I'm going to be able handle breastfeeding with Dennis still being so needy and the list goes on.....

Whatever it is I think it will all be worth it. I'm excited about the fact that my family is going to grow and that Dennis will have a little brother to play with soon!

Milestones

It's an amazing experience watching my son grow with each passing day. From a tiny little baby weighing only 2.2kg (ya, ya, I know, Keat & I are such horrible parents), Dennis has grown to the fine toddler that he is now. He might not be the biggest boy around still but he's a very active and happy kid, who spreads his infectious joy to everyone around him. He loves the outdoor and enjoys being yeh yeh's little "helper" in the garden. He loves watering the plants so much we have bought him his own miniature watering can,but he still prefers what yeh yeh uses.

Over the past few months, my baby has achieved several milestones and I'm proud to report them:

1) Dennis has learned to drink from the cup with very very minimal spillage. I don't know when and where he acquired the skill because I don't train him that diligently. So I was very impressed when my maid announced that he could already drink from the cup. Maybe, she's been doing all the hard work.

2) He can also spit after brushing his teeth. This, I've trained him for a while (maybe 6 months) .... on and off.... and one day he just stopped swallowing the water and let it drip out. It was a very fulfilling moment indeed! The training process was tedious but Dennis made it easier by coining a term for spitting. He calls it "duh". Before he learned how to spit, he would swallow the water and say "duh" - thinking the water would drip out as he said "duh". Thankfully, after many many goofy demonstrations by mummy, he finally could "duh" properly. Nowadays, when I say "duh" he knows what to do.

After the few successful attempts, Dennis, being the curious, playful kid that he is, decided to experiment "duh" in other scenarios. E.g. when he's drinking water, he will "duh" on the floor or in a cup (which he will then drink up again, and finish off with a satisfying "aaahh"). One day, Keat made an awful discovery that Dennis has been "duh-ing" in the cup which he's been using for his midnight drink. Oops...mummy forgot to mention but that's becuase mummy didn't know that daddy uses that cup. =)

3) Dennis wore his shoe on his own! Ok, I would be lying if I said he knows how to wear his shoes now. It was just one isolated incident when he was desperate to go out to the garden and decided to put on the shoes on his own. And he did! We were surprised to find him wearing one of his Crocs (wannabe) sandals. Like I said, it's only a one-off thingy and it's never happened since.

Just like most parents, I want so much for my son to pick up all these skills quickly. I want him to be independent, so he doesn't have to rely on me so much. At the same time, I don't want him to grow up so fast because I want him to remain as my baby! Zhen mao dun! (what a conundrum!) I'm very sure I'm the only one who feels this way. So make every moment that you spend with your kids special because you can never have it back again. Believe me, one day, you will look back at those days and wish you could relive those moments again - including those potty training days!!!

Duet

Watch Dennis do a duet with me in this video. He is Miss Muffet who's frightened by a spider.

Hokkien kia (Hokkien child)

Dennis can't really say many words. But oddly, the few words that he often uses all sound like Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). I say it's odd because he's constantly bombarded by Cantonese and English, and I must confess I hardly ever speak to him in Hokkien. Yet his first words are Hokkien words. For example, when something ends/finishes he will say "bo, bo" which is "no more" in Hokkien. Or if he doesn't want something, he will shake his head profusely and say "mai mai" which is "don't want" in Hokkien. (He often does that when he disagress with a TV channel that you're watching and wants you to switch to one that he favours. Demanding little boy, ain't he?)

Well, the saving grace is his other favourite word is "ye ye" which is grandpa in cantonese. Everytime he sees his grandpa, he will call out "yeye". Smart boy, because that wins him a lot of brownie points, which he usually uses to redeem for extended cartoon hours.

To my dismay, he's still not calling me "mummy" yet. Before, he used to call me "mama", but I haven't heard that for a while either. Well, well, I guess I'll just have to wait.

Stitches removed

Dennis had his stitches removed yesterday. I wasn't there to witness it firsthand but MIL said that he was bawling his head off. I think it was not so much of the pain but probably fear that set him off.

In any case, the procedure took much longer than anticipated becuase the doc said that the stitches were too close and were difficult to remove. Of course, it didn't help with Dennis screaming hysterically and struggling uncontrollably. But the doc was very patient and stopped many times to let Dennis calm down before proceeding. All in all it took about 1 hour plus. After the stitches were off, he noticed that Den's wound is a bit septic and to prevent any complication, he gave my baby some antibiotics. I know, it's not good for Den to take antibiotics but I guess we can't help it in this case.

The doc is a very sweet guy and I've never met any doctor as patient and thorough as he is. For all the hard work and time he put in to attend to Dennis, guess what! He only charged RM30!! And mind you, this is inclusive of the medication! He's one kind doctor, who just wants to help people and not out to make money. This world needs more doctors like him! Thank you Dr. Saw.

A painful fall, a painful lesson

Last Saturday was an eventful day. Dennis had a bad fall and sustained a deep cut on the forehead that had to be stitched up.

For once, it was not his mischief that got him into trouble. He was actually sitting at the edge of the couch when he fell but the unfortunate part was his wooden shape sorter toy was on the floor. So when he fell, his forehead hit the corner of the wooden toy and it cut deep into his forehead. Initially I thought it was just another fall but when we saw blood gushing out, we panicked. Even, his first aider daddy didn't know what to do. In the midst of the chaos, I told myself to calm down and act fast. As soon as I regained my composure, I got Keat to get me a face towel so that I put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. But as soon as the bleeding stopped we saw how deep the cut was - about 3mm- and we knew we had to send him to the clinic immediately. To add drama to the whole situation, it was pouring cats and dogs outside.

But we were lucky because despite the rain, miraculously we found a parking spot just outside the clinic (this is in Desa Sri Hartamas,where it's impossible to find parking spots!) and we were the only patient when we arrived. The doc that attended to Dennis was very good but he told me to get out of the room because he didn't want an emotional mum to interfere with his work or pass out during the procedure. So, I left the room, with Dennis crying and pleading to me not to leave him behind. Outside at the waiting room, as the wind howled and the rain poured angrily, I cried silently as I prayed for his suffering to end soon. He could hear him continuing to cry and scream and I didn't know how long it lasted but it felt like eternity.

As soon as it was done, I went back to the room and Dennis immediately clung on to me. All the struggling and crying tired him out and soon, he fell asleep on my shoulder. But I didn't mind it... after what he had to go through, all I wanted was to hold him close to me and protect him from more harm. My poor baby, he's gone through too much....and he shouldn't have to. He had 8 stitches! But it was not becuase the cut was very big. The doc stitched very closely so that the wound will not leave a scar and can heal faster.

The irony of it all was Dennis fell when he was sitting sandwiched between Keat and I. Whatever it is, this episode has taught us a painful lesson and we vow to be more careful next time!

PS: Dennis is recovering well and he's due to remove his stitches tomorrow!

Hysterical Dennis

Over the weekend, Keat and I noticed that Dennis gets a little agitated when we read one particular book to him - "Goodnight Moon". In fact, he would snatch the book from us and start hurling verbal abuses at it. He's so emotional, I swear if I could decode baby language, I'm not surprised if I had heard some obscenity. =) I wonder what he finds so offensive about the book!

In the following video, watch how "hysterical" he became the moment he saw the book.

Dennis' topsy-turvy world

Dennis loves to see the world in a different perspective.

Spin Baby

Dennis loves to spin and spin until he goes dizzy and loses his balance - what an odd ball!

Dennis the Free Expressionist

Last week, Dennis got hold of his daddy's highlighter pen and had a gala time turning my comforter into his canvas. I knew he got hold of the pen but I thought it should be safe since the cap was on. Boy, was I wrong.

Check out the damages...

Initially, I thought he felt a bit remorseful and tried to use his hands to erase it off....

....but this photo says otherwise. I think he's pretty pleased with his artistic creation.

Thank God, Kakak Tina managed to wash it off.

Dennis' new (disastrous) haircut

I gave Dennis a haircut 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that well. As a result, he's now spotting this "so chai" (silly) look, which will stay with him for a while until his hair grows. It wasn't my fault, he won't sit still to let me cut his hair professionally!

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Yesterday was "Zhong qiu jie" (Mid-Autumn Festival) and we had a small celebration at home with Mum-in-law cooking up a small feast for everyone. The food was finger licking good and was chowed down in no time. The menu included fish maw soup, braised mushrooms, steamed promfet and pak cham gai (steamed chicken). As for dessert, we had pomelo, which is, according to my in-laws, traditionally eaten during this festival. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show. (Sorry, as a new blogger, I'm still not used to snapping pictures of everything and everywhere I go)

We also lighted up some lanterns to set the mood of the celebration. I tried to introduce Dennis to lanterns but he was more interested in the candles and fire. Dennis watched Alex (my nephew) and I light up some candles for the lanterns and before we knew it, he picked up one and lighted it on his own. I was horrified and quickly sent him back to the house to watch his new Richard Scarry video. Leave him there any longer and he'll become a pyro just like his cousin Alex!

So that was the end of Dennis' little exposure to lanterns. Maybe next year, he might be able to enjoy the fun of playing with lanterns and not just the candles. I have my doubts.....

What an honour!

I had the honour to attend a buka puasa (breaking fast) dinner hosted by the Prime Minister at his official residence last Monday. It was an event organised for the members of the media and the organiser, a friend at the Prime Minister's Office, invited my colleagues and I along.

During the dinner, I had the greater honour of having the First Lady sit next to me. Actually, she chose to sit next to me! =) You see, I was sitting at the same table as some of the officers from the Prime Minister's Office (whom the First Lady was more familiar with) and since there was an empty seat next to me, she decided to take it. Man, I was so nervous, I could feel blood rushing to my face - I was blushing, which I don't normally do. And before I could recover from the shock, the cameramen, on discovering Datin Seri Jeanne at our table, rushed over and started clicking away. For the first time in my life, I knew what it feels like to be in the limelight, to be swamped with flash lights like a Hollywood star. =P

I felt so awkward and didn't know what to do. What do you say to do the First Lady? What if she's bossy? Do I have to watch what I say? What are the protocols? Can I leave her to go to the buffet line ?

But thankfully, she's a very nice lady, a graceful hostess, with no air at all. She started the conversation and engaged everyone at the table. She spoke with much openness and put everyone at ease (or at least me). As the night progressed, I began to losen up and was able to converse with her much naturally. It was indeed a memorable night! Now this is one story I can share with my grandchildren one day and I have to pictures to prove it! =)

PS: the First Lady looks much fairer and beautiful in person. Photos don't do justice to her.

From the left: Datin Seri Jeanne, me, my colleague and my boss, Nora ( don't know what she's doing)

From left: friend from PM' office, Datin Seri Jeanne, a journalist, me, my colleague and Nora

He called me Mama!

Dennis called me mama over the phone yesterday. He's called me mama many times (often in distress) but that's his first over the phone. It shows that he could recognise my voice. I was ecstatic.

I went home late yesterday, close to 10, and the moment I got in Dennis clung on to me like a koala bear. He wrapped his arms around my neck tightly and refused to let go. Even when we lie down on the bed, he held on to his arms firmly. Once in a while, he would pull my face to his and "kiss" me. I feel so loved!

Pretty Boy

I took Dennis to the mall last weekend and 2 persons mistaken him for a girl. And this was when Dennis was wearing a Thomas the Train checked shirt, jeans and a pair of, unmistakenly, boy sneakers. At 1.5 years old, I can't believe he's still being mistaken for a girl. They said it's his eyes and lips.

Ok, he may look a bit pretty here....

.....but not here, right??

Crouching Dennis, Hidden Poo

Dennis is a nocturnal animal. He sleeps pretty late by toddlers' standard - after 10 almost every night - and lately he's becoming nocturnal in more than one sense.

Almost every night after we have gotten him ready for bed, changed him into his pajamas and put on a brand new diaper for him.......he decides to POO! He will be squatting at a corner, motionless, concentrating hard, quietly doing his business. Hence, " Crouching Dennis, Hidden Poo".

The thing is no one expected him to go for another round because that final poo would be his third or fourth for the day! I blame it on the genes.... Keat hits the toilet just as frequently as his son does. Everytime I complain about having to clean Dennis up, Keat would defend him, saying that it's perfectly fine and normal to be so "prolific" (I can already see one aspect of father-and-son bonding going on well here).

I know pooping is good for kids but just twice a day - once in the morning and another in the afternoon - will be great.

Dennis in his "sarong" after Kakak Tina cleaned up his poo poo

The beginning of time

So, you may ask: why am I starting a blog now? Afterall, if I had wanted to start one I should have started maybe a year and half ago when Dennis was born. Well, my answer is simple. I recently realised that blog is a really effective way to stay in touch with friends and relatives scattered all over the world. So, instead of writing 10 emails to 10 different people, I'll just put up 1 post! Yes, yes, everyone and his dog knew about this ages ago but i just found out about it! I'm just not internet savvy la! The other benefit of blog is I am able to upload videos! This has been a bane of my life becuase most (or all) photo sites don't allow videos.

So, here you go, boys and girls, I've done it, my first post.