Under Currents - Updates

Turns out that the little bumps/blisters on Myron's feet are actually ants bites.
Phew. What a relief.

Yes, I am so So glad Gadget-daddy was right, and that I need not have panicked and got all worried for nothing.

So tomorrow we will be off to see my grandma.
I hope she will wait for us.

When We were kids, my older sister and I would go to Taiping a few days ahead of our parents with a relative and stay with our grandma, my mom's mom. We would have three cousins (children of my first uncle) if not more (children of other aunts and uncle sent to be cared by grandma full time for a few months if not years) staying with grandma and we played all the time: Hop-scotch, hide-and-seek were our favourite.

We would sleep on an elevated wooden platform, all the kids in a row, with a pillow and a blanket. At certain seasons there would be a huge mosquio net hung across the platform. I remembered the one we had was pink, and it made me think of candyfloss. Usually we all would chat and laugh until grandma comes in to turn off the lights and then we would settle to sleep one by one. Grandma slept on the edge of the platform.

Every morning she would serve us a cup of coffee, with sugar, but no milk, and we would have to wait for breakfast to be bought back from the market. My uncle's wife usually did that for us. Lunch was usually plaine rice porridge with a fried egg each. We added soy sauce and pepper to taste. Dinner was a little more lavish, with a meat dish and vegetables. I remembered her steamed mince pork was my favourite.

Grandma's family lived simple lives. They had no TV, no refrigerator, and no telephone for the longest time. I remembered my mother had to call a neighbour's house and she would holler over the fence and grandma would hurry over. Sometimes my mom would put the phone down first and call again in a minute to save on outstation-calls charges.

It was at her place I had a first hand experience of bathing by a well (getting water out with a bucket at the end of a string requires real skill, I discovered) and using a real outhouse, bucket toilet (tandas tong!!). The later probably gave me constipation for the years to come because I would try not to go as long as I could. It was really too disgusting to describe.

------

Ah... so many stories to tell... but will have to wait till I come back in a couple of days' time.
Now off to bed for I will be driving that 3 hour journey up north.

Under Currents

I'm in a frazzle.
I feel being swept under by a huge river.

Myron showed 3 little bumps on his feet this evening.
Gadget-daddy says don't panic. Don't be so negative.
I have booked a place at the doc's.
Going off soon to have it looked at.
My greatest fear: Hand-foot-mouth.

I was packing half way this evening.
I had called my mom and asked her to call my aunt in Taiping.
My grandma is dying. She would be 90 this year.
I had wanted to bring the boys to see their great-grandma for one last time.
Been thinking a lot about her the last few days.
She has not eaten for three weeks and now just sleeps all the time.
I am anxious: will we make it before it's too late?

Gotta go to the doctor's now.

Myron's Biscotti Bash

Myron is four months old!!


Well, tomorrow, actually, but we did a special four month old celebration for him.

There's this thing the Chinese do that is suppose to stop the babies from drooling (not like I actually believe in it, but this was more for the fun of it) which I had written before regarding Chinese Droology here.

Myron, Mommy has been singing this to you because you have been drooling a lot lately:

"Super drooly,
Darling baby,
Big, big eyes.

Super drooly,
Darling baby,
Cutie pie.

Super baby,
Darling drooly,
...Oh, I'm confused."


Anyway, here are some of the shots for the No-More-Drool celebration.
(and let's see if you'll actually droll less after this, though I seriously doubt it, as it did not work for Max either. Haha.)

It was the stringing of the biscuits,


Followered by the mouth-wiping ceremony,

(The ceremony was started by the two grandmas,
followed by Ee-ee, Ah Ku, Mom and Dad, and the the two older boys.)

and then dinner after that.

Myron with Mah-mah at the restaurant.

Happy four Months old, Beautiful Boy!!

Lotus Bonus Day

The boys had two specials today.

On the way to school, we picked up Ee-ee and Ah Ma. We had an errand to run.

As in habit, Max always asks for a surprise after school. But he insisted today that he did not want food, he wanted a toy*.

After we dropped the boys at school, and Gadget-daddy at Midvalley, we ran the errand and then headed for a special breakfast at Lotus Restaurant, at Jalan Gasing.

Ah Ma declared it was the best Indian breakfast she had had in ages.

Special Tea, Bathura (in the basket) and Rava Thosai

After that we picked the boys up and then Gadget-daddy from Midvalley on the way back.

Gadget-daddy informed us of some cars at display, but we decicded we better head home first as Myron would be waiting for Mommy.

Later in the evening we made a special trip just for the boys to have a look at the cars at display:
4 Lotus in a row!!

Just look at the thrill the boys had!




Despite the jam we had coming out of the parking, I'd say the trip was worth it.
:)

* This is the day I congratulated myslef for buying the boys something else other than a car, and I did not even step into atoy shop. Instead I found these wonderful floor puzzles at MPH.


The boys really love them.

Labeling

Hello, my blog buddies and friends.

In case you have not noticed, I am now labeling my posts.

In fact, I am going backwards to start putting labels on my old posts.

Going backwards to label is hard work.
Ok, not exactly that difficult, but it's tedious.

And I think I should go to bed now.
Made it to 100 posts backwards since 3 nights ago.
Will soon have it displayed on the side bar.

Good night for now.

Lovely Surprises.

Today Micah came up with a jasmine from our backyard and shouted, "happy Mother's day!"



Daddy said, "I like that, guys. You guys celebrate Mothers' day everyday."

Max did the same thing later when he found the same flower, took it from where I had placed it by my bed, and also gave it to me declaring "happy Valentine's day!"

At any time, whenever they get hold of some flowers, real or fake, they will always come up to me and say, "Happy valentine's day!" or "Happy Birthday!" or "Happy Mother's day!"

Once, while grandma was clearing some of her mini fan palm, the boys gathered up a bunch and ran up to me and yelled, "happy Valentine's day!", in the middle of January. That was a real surprise. Real pleasure.




So from my two boys, I have received more flowers in the last 2 years than I have in all the years I've been with Gadget-daddy. Guess they are making up for all the flowers I'd missed, eh? *wink*

These boys are like mommy, we love surprises and we love to surprise.

Many times, when we have gone out without the boys, or with just one of them, the one at home will usually hide behind the curtain and jump out yelling, "surprise" when we step into the house. They are so funny.

It's so great to be your Mommy, you guys.
I love the way your hearts are so big and so free to love.
You are so wonderful!

Masterpieces

The boys came out of school proudly showing their masterpieces to their parents and Ee-ee.

Materials used: 2 toilet paper centers, 1 kitchen towel center, half a styrofoam cup, plastic boards and paint.

Thank you, teachers of Cornerstone Kindy. You are so brilliant and creative!
I'm so glad my boys have teachers like you.

Later they played with the planes the whole afternoon until another car ride out.

Now I am thinking of how I can hang them up to make it look like they are flying... but the boys probably still want to play with them.

Father's Day

We had two celebrations for Father's Day this year.

My sister and her family were in town until Saturday, so she planned a surprise Father's Day celebration for her husband and mine.

We had dinner and care at Tony Romas.



While waiting for the food to arrive, the kids had some fun with the doodle-sheet.


Earlier, the boys had brought back their craft for Father's Day from school. It actually comes with a picture stand. Gadget-daddy was impressed with their drawings.

Portrait of "My Dad and I" from Micah and Max.

On Sunday night, we went out for dinner again. This time it was a dinner with Grandpa, Grandma and suk-suk (Uncle on the father's side, the father's younger brother/ cousin brother).

The main dish(es) were 2 types of crabs. We also had ribs marinated and stir-fried in stout, a steam fish and toufu.

And it seems to be more and more a practice that Mommy's too busy with the boys, feeding them, when the food arrives that no photos of the delicious dinner as proof. But we all had a good time, and for Mommy, the most important part was that the boys ate well too.

Whatever the celebration maybe, when you have young kids, they tend to be in the limelight.
:)