Journey to the North

We are renting an MPV and I have not driven anything bigger than our Honda city for the last 6 years.

We are going up to Penang to see my brother's baby and doing the fullmoon celebration.

I wonder if I have packed enough or over packed.

Hope I did not forget anything vital.

No need passport.

Myron calling. gotta go.

In Limbo and Feeling It

Tomorrow we will be saying good-bye to our faithful Honda City which has been with us since we started the journey of expecting baby no.1 and has seen us through the last 6 years.

It has brought home our 3 babies from the hospital when they arrived in this world.
It has brought us home safe from the many trips we made out station to Taiping, Penang, Singapore, Melacca, Port Dickson, Johor and Kuantan.

It has made a run for us every day, be it for an errand near by, or to school and back, or a trip out station.

We will have to cope with one car, borrow in-law's car, for the next 7 weeks or so.
Then, when we are more settled in Singapore, we will be getting a car there (have some procedures to go through). Just can't do without wheels after being so used to having them.

Plus it's just too crazy to be taking public transport with 3 kids, who at any time might...
A) want to go to the bathroom,
B) fall asleep on the journey,
C) need a snack on the way
D) is sick or cranky or both.

I can't imagine also to be

D) watching all 3 getting on-off the bus/train/cab,
E) + need to carry some stuff, i.e. stroller/ shopping/ groceries/picnic basket;
F) + pay the fares;
G) + deal with the crowd and their stares, rude comments, etc.

You can imagine all the possible crazy combination of scenarios of the above,
so we are getting a car.
Besides all the possible madness of the above, the waiting for public transport, standing at bus stops, cab stands and train stations is just to dangerous for 3 little monkeys with just one mama gorilla.

So, today, when Gadget-daddy was driving us to have dinner with Ah Ma and Ee-ee, we felt nostalgic.
Another phase of our lives is coming to pass and we can already the start of the change of scenes.
It started with getting the boys registered for school just a few days back, but more clearly now, with the giving up of our car.

I am feeling it's all so surreal.
Part of me is feeling anxious about adjusting to the changes, and the the things need to be done.
The other part, the self-defense part, is blocking out feelings of uncertainties, not imagining worse-case-scenarios, not imagining ...

I feel like I'm in those old movies where there's not much CGI and the character in a falling motion but the background is a warped black-and-white spinning wheel.

School is almost out for the boys.
Then we'll just be hanging around for a while, with some plans for travelling up to Penang for my brother's baby's Fullmoon, and maybe one down to Singapore when we get the key to our place. Must go check our the place and then plan the stuff/ how much stuff to bring down...

So we are moving.
For Real!
Eeek!

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep

Was up expressing milk for Myron at 2.55am*.
Came back to bed with the sleeping baby at about 3.30am.

Now I am still awake.

Was watching my babies sleep...
Hugged each one of them a but while I whispered,
"Mummy and Daddy love you so much."
For the littlest one on my bed, I smelled him and watched him the most.




In the midst of many thoughts... two people.
My father, whose 8th Anniversary was on 8th November,
And Matthew's 1st that was on 31 Oct.
They are still missed so much by their loved ones.

Yes, and missing Gadget-daddy.
2 weeks away is really just too long for us all.
Max mentioned today, "I wish Daddy was back, Mom."
Looking forward to his being back this weekend.

Ok. Should get some rest.
Taking the boys to school in a few hours' time.
Wish I have more time to go blog-hopping... :P


Goodnight.




*Myron has decided he does not want to nurse directly anymore. Every time I put him to the breast he will either turn away or bite me. Looks like we will just go until I can't produce enough milk to be expressed. So this baby might break my good record of breastfeeding beyond 12 months. *sigh*.
Now breastfeeding is extra troublesome as it involves 2 people. In his sleepy-hungry mode, he want to be held. So while drinking from his cup or waiting for more milk, Grandma has to carry him. *sigh*

Grandma's To The Rescue

This Mommy's crazy.

We have been given the birthday invitation like weeks before, but she could not decide if they should go. Gadget-daddy's priority, so we were waiting to have him confirm his schedule.

Then a new addition to the family arrived in Penang, 2 weeks ahead of schedule. We wondered when to make the trip to see the baby boy. date finally set, and we are going for the party this weekend.

Theme: Safari.

So last minute (hmmm... I seem to run into these with my kids quite a bit), I went to the mall to get some materials, nice leopard prints, and got Ah-Ma to sew a costume for both the boys. If only I knew how to work the sewing machine...

So I cut out the costume and Ah-Mah did the sewing. Think the boys will look savagely cool in them!!



Thanks, Ah Mah!! You sure dote on your grandkids.
:D


-----------

Myron has some viral infection that causes sores that look like ulcers in his mouth and has spread to his face.
This has been for about a week now, and it's really taking a long time to heal.

So Myron looks like he has 2 pimples on his cute face and aspot on his neck, thanks to the endless drooling. Because of the sores in his mouth, he has also refused to nurse directly. Hence a feeding session becomes a 2 person job sometimes. Mommy, moomy the cow expressing milk and Mil feeding with a cup... And this happens even like at 3am, which is why I am up.
Then this evening, Myron ran a fever.
Mil did her usual dough-rub for him.

I really don't know how such super moms like Mott and Lia do it, especially when the boys are/were young like mine. *Salute*

Whenever anyone asks how I manage 3 boys, well, I say that it's with the help of my in-laws.


Thank you, Mah-mah, for going through all the growing pains with me for these 3 precious darlings.

Time Out

I don't mean the time we went out, but oh, I need a time out!!

We were in Sinapore last weekend to spend some time with Gadget-daddy, but travelling with 3 kids is so tiring! We didn't even do anything adventurous this time...at least Myron and I didn't.
We stayed home on the day Gadget-daddy took the 2 older boys swimming and my sister's family went too. My mum and I and Myron stayed back so that he could get some shut eye while my mom and I prepared a bak-kut-teh dinner for a friend visiting that night.

Anyway, since coming back, I have been joining the kids at their bed-time, well, a little after them, but just feel so worn-out through the day.

Could be that Myron is now exhibiting the teething blues - refusing to nurse but crying more frequently though the day and night.

Could be the constant playing referee and judge and jury for the two older boys, and also monitor them at homework time...

Could be the lack of help with the boys in the night, now that their daddy is in another country.

Could be the anxiety about getting a car there and getting the boys registered on time for school... and how to move stuff down, when and how much of what....

I am so ready to sleep...
*yawn*


p/s- will come back and update this with some pix.
Just can't get myself to go get my camera right now. *yawn*

All In A Baby's Day's Work

Eat




Sleep




Bath

Play




Look Innocent

An Un-Happening Day

Had lunch with my sister, mom and the two older boys at their favourite pasta place.
We got there first and when my sister came up to our table I told her, "We are very boring people. We are having the usual."
The boys will have their penne carbonara and the adults will do another pasta and a bread.

That says a lot about kids wanting and needing their routine.
... And we get sucked into it too.


On the way back, just the two boys in the back seat and me driving, I giggled to myself listening to them play and talk.

Doing a tug-of-war with Myron's inchworm:

Max: Koh-koh, why do you always want to win?!
Micah: Actually I was trying not to win, I wanted to be second. But my arm is just too strong.
*
*
*
Micah: I know the trick to win. You make the other people laugh.
(Told a joke that made his brother roll and then cheered that he won.)



In the evening, before bed:
We were playing through some pf the photos from my iPhoto album and there were quite a few that Max could not tell if the baby in the picture was himself or Myron. Hahaha... That's how much the boys all look alike!

Guess which one's who?
(No prize but you'll have a surprise when you check the answer at the bottom of this post.)



I have been a "kiasu" mom the last 2 weeks and asked Micah's teacher for homework.
I actually felt he needed to start a new routine before he starts school next year.
So he has been doing 2 pages of homework every day.
Most of the time he needs a lot of encouragement and assurance.
But I have come to realise his reading skill is better than he believes.


Last week, for a treat, Mommy bought the boys a surprise.
Now it's just sitting in the shelves.
The boys are more interested in the recently made movies, asking only for certain scenes which has their favourite characters and awesome fighting parts.
Boys.

Myron is now 7.5 months old.
He is starting to crawl and practicing standing.
He is also climbing over obstacles.
The safe places for him now are inside the play-pen, on the walker or on the astro-saucer.




When we all go out, this is how we look like in the back seat.



And the 2 big boys just ove entertaining their baby brother.
:)


Three boys are a handful... of fun!!

Thanks for dropping by.
Have a good week.


p/s- All the guess who's who of the baby photos:
They are all Max!

2 Halves Of A 'Pinang'

Gadget-daddy has already left for Singapore.

I was feeling like we were being separated for the first time, like when he went to finish his studies in UK... more than 15 years ago.

This morning, after breakfast, I lay in bed for a little while to moap.
Then got ready to go out. Took the 3 boys and mil out for a no-reason-trip.
But we ended up in McD for lunch and had quite a fun time (sent mil and Myron back first as baby was asleep and mil sleepy).

So it doesn't get easier through the years. Even with all his early jet-setting days, the many months in US and the last long term away, Jakarta... Seems like it's something I can't get use to.

Well, some things are a little better... or worse. The boys are here to keep me company, and keep me busy.
They sometimes forget and ask when Daddy will be home (as in what time today) so that he can help them with some Transformer toy.
Then Micah will ask why can't we just stay in Malaysia, as he will miss his grandparents.

Today, for their bedtime story, I told them an old story that Gadget-daddy had made up when I was expecting no.2.
...
...
...

Ok... shall spare you.
Will go hit the hay now.
Boys have school tomorrow.
Counting the days to this weekend.

Good night.