It all started on Thursday dinner time. We've decided to try giving Tobey normal rice with soup, instead of softer food (another moronic parental decision on our part as he's teething, hello!!!). Because of his teething pain, he didn't want to chew and hence just swallow without breaking down the food. Then he vomited (that's how we realised he didn't chew). I suspected that upseted his digestive system and causes the subsequent diarrhea on that night. Whenever we gave him his usual formula, he suffered a bout of diarrhea, and at times vomited. The hot Summer weekend (up to 28 C) didn't help as well. It's normal for toddlers to have temporary Lactose Intolerance during these times. He was like that too when he was down with Rotavirus. So we swapped to soya based formula and gave him mushy food again. My MIL told me that there is a Chinese believe that Diarrhea happens during teething. Maybe lack of chewing is the cause.Hmmm... Soya milk smells really bad. Can't wait for him to be back to his usual formula.
On Friday night, Sk and I decided to have some takeaway kebab. The next day BOTH of us were down with diarrhea as well!!! It was horrid! I vomited till there wasn't a possibility for my body to have anymore liquid, then I vomited again! It was a task just to walk from the room to the loo, let alone look after an active toddler! But parental instinct kicked in and we managed somehow. I remember telling myself at 2 am on Sunday morning, when I needed to check on Tobey, "You can do this, just one step at a time, move your legs damn it!" That's another major disadvantage of not having family around. SK suggested maybe we should never eat the same food, just like pilots and his co-pilots ;P
Today, SK is back to normal, I am 90% there and Tobey is as normal but I will still put him on soya for a few more days, just to be sure.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Teething
Teeth number 3 is making it's way out now. As with teeth number 1 and 2, it's not a pleasant experience for all of us. Sleep gets disrupted as he wakes up whimpering in pain and has to try to put himself back to sleep again and again. Appetite is low. Enthusiasm to practice chewing became non-existent, hence back to soft and mushy food. Activeness during playtime remains the same, with occasional complain or cry of pain whilst putting his finger in his mouth. When it gets too bad, we administer paracetamol and Bonjela (nearly got our fingers bitten off many times). All we can do is to try our best to make him comfortable. Not easy being a toddler.
3 down, 17 more to go...JOY!
3 down, 17 more to go...JOY!
Cheeky
(Click on image to see wording)Lately he's been making us laugh
*On a hot summer evening, he was sitting 2 feet away from SK, who was sweating profusely. He whispered, so SK had to go near to him to listen and he quickly wiped off SK's sweat from his face and gave this Cheeky Nose Crunch (CNC) (as in pics)
*He often come to me when he found rubbish on the floor for me to throw, be it a small oat piece or a scrap of paper. But sometimes he would pretend to pass something into my hand,and it would be NOTHING, then he would give his infamous CNC and walk away.
* Whenever he managed to do something for himself i.e; putting his shoes,nappies or bottles away, he would pause and give himself a 5 seconds clap. Now, when I managed to put his shoes, nappies or bottles away, he would clap for me as well accompanied by a CNC, as if saying "See mommy, if you put your mind to it, you could do it as well!"
*He knows I get hysterical if he starts chewing stones from the garden. So at times, he pretended to chew just to see me panic. His acting was as real as it can get.
*This morning, whilst SK was getting ready for work, Tobey was next to him staring as usual. But this time, he copied. SK swiped his hair on both sides, and he did the same whilst CNC-ing.
Funny little teething boy.
*He often come to me when he found rubbish on the floor for me to throw, be it a small oat piece or a scrap of paper. But sometimes he would pretend to pass something into my hand,and it would be NOTHING, then he would give his infamous CNC and walk away.
* Whenever he managed to do something for himself i.e; putting his shoes,nappies or bottles away, he would pause and give himself a 5 seconds clap. Now, when I managed to put his shoes, nappies or bottles away, he would clap for me as well accompanied by a CNC, as if saying "See mommy, if you put your mind to it, you could do it as well!"
*He knows I get hysterical if he starts chewing stones from the garden. So at times, he pretended to chew just to see me panic. His acting was as real as it can get.
*This morning, whilst SK was getting ready for work, Tobey was next to him staring as usual. But this time, he copied. SK swiped his hair on both sides, and he did the same whilst CNC-ing.
Funny little teething boy.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Meet Mr.Ssssssssssss...
...Tobey's new pet.He gets dragged around the house, pretending to chase his master all day long.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Tobey Today
Friday, July 18, 2008
The First Certificate
When it was his turn to go get his cert, I was half expecting him to make a zoom for his teacher's glass of water on the table edge, but he went up and accepted his cert with both hands and a smile instead. Phew!
What did he learned from Music Class?
He learned about taking turns, sharing and the joy of music .
Even though, every kid in the class got a cert, I was so proud of him nevertheless (nearly shed a tear...hahahah!). My boy's first certificate.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
*Hullabaloo*...
...is an activity centre for kids of all ages. It consist of large frames of play structures, slides and all sorts. Right in front of the structures, there is a large restaurant area, where parents can mingle and have some food. I drove (hehehe) Tobey there for the first time today. Paid £2.95 (which include drinks and biscuits) , handed over his shoes to be stored and was given laminated number to retrieve the shoes later.
Firstly, I put him in the "under 3" section. There were a ball pool, tonnes of rubbery Lego and several lovely little kiddos. I still need to monitor him so that he don't graze his wound further. Managed some small talk with a few parents. Tobey enjoyed himself. He dipped into the ball pool and threw balls out. There was a nasty little kid that was probably 3 kept throwing the balls back at Tobey's head. Since my son still does not know the evil of this world, he thought it was a game. I told the kid (brat) nicely (with a stern nursery nurse face nevertheless) "That's not very nice of you, throw the ball back into the pool, not at the boy, ok". Miraculously, that worked and I gave him a hesitated "Well done!". In my head, I was slam-dunking him headfirst into the pool.
Then there was those Lego blocks...he just tried stacking them up and destroying them the next second just when it's knee high.After another 20minutes there, and many more kiddos getting in later, he got bored. I gave him something to eat and drink then we ventured into the "Over 3" area. That's when the fun began. There were many slides which reminded me of a mini Mimaland of my childhood. Knowing that Tobey loves slides, I braven myself up and took him to one of it. When right at the top, I nearly chickened out (fear of height and being stuck halfway and being laughed at), but Tobey kept trying to wiggle out of my grip to get down on his own! No choice. I just held tight to him and slided down the wavy slide which was like 3 storeys high. My heart popped out. But he totally enjoyed it.
After that, whilst I was catching my breath, I just let him explored the many corridors, corners and frames whilst standing way back.
We went home for lunch after 2 hours. £2.95 well spent I would say.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Bruised
Picture was taken in the dark, hence the colourNo, he didn't get into a brawl at his playgroup. He fell.
Only yesterday, SK was saying "Looking at the way the boy runs, it's amazing he still hasn't fell flat on his face"...and he did today. He was braving the concrete steps in the garden whilst holding on to his lantern. Usually when he tries to get down those steps like an adult (rather than on his hands and knees), I would hold on to one of his hands. But I was busy day-dreaming whilst hanging the laundry and by the time I noticed, he finished his "tumbling down and fell flat on his face" action. He bruised his face at the left cheekbone area. There was some blood. I freaked out and screamed "Oh no!!! my baby my baby!". The neighbours must have thought what a bad mother I was. Aargh. I am so annoyed at myself.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Ayam Masak Merah
I am a lazy cook. Weekday dinners usually consist of boring recycled, tried and tested recipes. But occasionally, I'll have to play some "good wife" card, by doing something new. Today is one of them.Usually when I crave this dish, I turn to my old friend Brahim (Ahem) but after looking at this recipe and inspired by this blog. I've decided to give it a go. The difference is that, I added 1cm cube of belacan bakar, used 3 chili padies and 2 teaspoon of grounded chili flakes instead of red chilies (I don't have them in the fridge) and blended my tomatoes instead of grinding them. Not too bad. Hubby liked it (although he can't taste much because of his cold), so will try to recreate this more often.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Lazy Sunday
...was spent attempting to educate Tobey about flowers.
Scene of the crime
"Here you go, son, this is a Buttercup"
"Really? Sounds delicious!"
not bad for a £2 toy (half price at Tesco)
Tobey decided to hit the bubbles with daddy's bug-squasher-racquet
My favourite shot of the day. He's having the sniffles but kept his own spirit up anyways. That's my boy.and taking silly shots...
...such as this of the very heavy bumblebee
...such as this of the very heavy bumblebeeThursday, July 10, 2008
The 13th month interview
Fav food and drink? Cheese, milk, fish, chocolate and banana
Fav person?
Ta-ti...he's the HERO WoohooO!!
Calm down Tobey...
Fav toy?
Tigger, my bike and my zebra...when I can't get my hands on mommy's laptop or mobile phone.
Fav TV show?
In the night garden on CBeebies
Fav activity?
Running outdoor in all directions
Are you potty trained yet?
Nope, my mommy lazy
How independent are you so far?
I throw my own dirty nappy into the nappy bin, wash my hands, comb my hair, bring my shoes to mommy when asked to and put them back on the shoe rack once I am done, and also put my empty bottle back into the bottle tub for washing once I am done. Hmmmmm....oh, I can put my toys back into the toy box too.
What item you can't live without?
My muslin of course..shesh!
If you are granted a wish, what would it be?
To grow more teeth. I heard there's more types of food to enjoy if only I have more than two.....else, I wanna grow up to be like my Ta-ti..WoooHooo!!!
SIGH.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
The Driving Licence rambling
Accounts of experiences varies from person to person when asked about their journey towards a full UK driving license. Some just flew through without a glitch and passed the first time and I know of someone who had to sit for the practical exam for four times!
This is my journey:
Malaysian driving license can't be converted into a UK one. So we Malaysians who wants to drive here beyond the first year (where you can drive using the International Driving License) has to start from scratch. We need to pass both the theory and practical driving test. Theory test is a piece of cake for us M'sians as it just involves memorising and regurgitate. But the practical test is a different matter. Firstly, style of driving is quite different. Drivers are encouraged to speed up whenever possible, signals are used as indication of a subsequent swift action instead of an intention (... of waiting for an invitation sometimes :P ) and the hardest one is that we have to trust that other drivers are abiding by the rule at all times.
Driving has never been one of my better ability. I just do it just to get myself from one point to another and to get me to my work place. I have no dreams of being the fastest, the sportiest, the coolest or the smartest on the road. In fact, back in Malaysia, I literally had to force myself to venture to new routes which is not within my usual comfort zone route. Each time I did that, I was sure I lost some weight just from being nervous. I never felt safe, found myself always looking out for naughty drivers and mat motors. However cautious I've been, I still got into two accidents during my first year of driving. Both in Penang.
Fast forward to the UK. I first took my passed my theory test shortly after I first arrived in 2002. It was valid for 2 years in which I will have to pass my practical test. I never bothered and it expired. I made do with buses, cabs and SK ferrying me around. Fast forward 5 years later, I had NO CHOICE. There's Tobey to think of. He is the type of toddler that thrive when thrown into social scenarios like playgroups, music classes, swimming classes and so on. Cab fare is so darn expensive and there's only so many places we can go in a bus. And when it rains or freezing cold, which is 6 months a year here, it gets doubly hard to wait in bus stops or get stuck in a stuffy bus with no windows open. The last prompt is that SK will soon be starting a new job much further away from us. I can't exactly call him to come home from work within 30 mins if there's an emergency at home anymore. So the pressure was on. I took another theory test, got an instructor and took classes which cost me £24 per hour. SK decided to seal my commitment by getting me a swanky little used car. Cheeky bugger. So there was no turning back and run the other way now.
Took my first practical exam, hit the curb (not a kid, a rabbit or a bicycle. Just a stupid curb) and failed. I was gutted. I never failed especially when I worked so hard on it. I realised that it's not how hard you practiced, it's about not being nervous and do a silly mistake when the examiner is sitting beside you for that 50 mins. Easier said that done. They watch like a hawk, to see my eye movement (whether I look into my rear view mirror each time I brake or signal), my neck movement (whether I look all around me like 5 times just to do a reverse around a corner), my hand movement (whether I let the steering glide or cross my hands whilst steering), my car movement (whether it's too abrupt, or too cautious). It was driving me mad. I want to give up. I am not the kind of person that could ensure that these actions happen harmoniously under such pressure. BUT...I have Tobey to think about. SO I carried on. Booked another test for 6 weeks later. Practiced on my own car with SK every chance I got in hope that I can build enough confidence on the road to leave some concentration to orchestrate the symphony of actions the examiner wants to see. I was ready. The day before the exam, the Driving Standard Agency called and expressed how sorry they were that they needed to reschedule my exam to TWO weeks later as my examiner called in sick and they can't find any replacement. Bear in mind, this is EXTREMELY rare. The following day, my Instructor arrived for my lesson with a DIFFERENT car. His hatchback died on him 3 days earlier and he didn't even bother to call to tell me. If my exam were not cancelled, I would have been stucked with taking the exam in a car that I am not familiar with! I confronted him and that tut insisted that it's just 10% bigger.My foot. He must be blind. It was a SEDAN. It has a booth jutting out. I was fuming. That night I dreamed that he arrive for my lesson in a double-decker bus and insisted that it's still 10% bigger. So God was actually watching over me. The rescheduling was a blessing in disguise. I then prepared myself in my own car, half expecting his hatchback (the car I am practiced most in) not to be back in time. I was right. They couldn't find an engine for it. Karma I tell you.
Today was my second attempt in my practical test. I used my little swanky car. The driving condition was awful, raining, gloomy, windy and even slightly misty. It was another blessing in disguise. The examiner was more lenient in his marking taking the weather into consideration. I PASSED. I am still in shock. But it's slowly sinking in that I am now able to open up a whole new world of weekday activities for my son. Thank God.
Here's Tobey mobile saying hi to the world.
This is my journey:
Malaysian driving license can't be converted into a UK one. So we Malaysians who wants to drive here beyond the first year (where you can drive using the International Driving License) has to start from scratch. We need to pass both the theory and practical driving test. Theory test is a piece of cake for us M'sians as it just involves memorising and regurgitate. But the practical test is a different matter. Firstly, style of driving is quite different. Drivers are encouraged to speed up whenever possible, signals are used as indication of a subsequent swift action instead of an intention (... of waiting for an invitation sometimes :P ) and the hardest one is that we have to trust that other drivers are abiding by the rule at all times.
Driving has never been one of my better ability. I just do it just to get myself from one point to another and to get me to my work place. I have no dreams of being the fastest, the sportiest, the coolest or the smartest on the road. In fact, back in Malaysia, I literally had to force myself to venture to new routes which is not within my usual comfort zone route. Each time I did that, I was sure I lost some weight just from being nervous. I never felt safe, found myself always looking out for naughty drivers and mat motors. However cautious I've been, I still got into two accidents during my first year of driving. Both in Penang.
Fast forward to the UK. I first took my passed my theory test shortly after I first arrived in 2002. It was valid for 2 years in which I will have to pass my practical test. I never bothered and it expired. I made do with buses, cabs and SK ferrying me around. Fast forward 5 years later, I had NO CHOICE. There's Tobey to think of. He is the type of toddler that thrive when thrown into social scenarios like playgroups, music classes, swimming classes and so on. Cab fare is so darn expensive and there's only so many places we can go in a bus. And when it rains or freezing cold, which is 6 months a year here, it gets doubly hard to wait in bus stops or get stuck in a stuffy bus with no windows open. The last prompt is that SK will soon be starting a new job much further away from us. I can't exactly call him to come home from work within 30 mins if there's an emergency at home anymore. So the pressure was on. I took another theory test, got an instructor and took classes which cost me £24 per hour. SK decided to seal my commitment by getting me a swanky little used car. Cheeky bugger. So there was no turning back and run the other way now.
Took my first practical exam, hit the curb (not a kid, a rabbit or a bicycle. Just a stupid curb) and failed. I was gutted. I never failed especially when I worked so hard on it. I realised that it's not how hard you practiced, it's about not being nervous and do a silly mistake when the examiner is sitting beside you for that 50 mins. Easier said that done. They watch like a hawk, to see my eye movement (whether I look into my rear view mirror each time I brake or signal), my neck movement (whether I look all around me like 5 times just to do a reverse around a corner), my hand movement (whether I let the steering glide or cross my hands whilst steering), my car movement (whether it's too abrupt, or too cautious). It was driving me mad. I want to give up. I am not the kind of person that could ensure that these actions happen harmoniously under such pressure. BUT...I have Tobey to think about. SO I carried on. Booked another test for 6 weeks later. Practiced on my own car with SK every chance I got in hope that I can build enough confidence on the road to leave some concentration to orchestrate the symphony of actions the examiner wants to see. I was ready. The day before the exam, the Driving Standard Agency called and expressed how sorry they were that they needed to reschedule my exam to TWO weeks later as my examiner called in sick and they can't find any replacement. Bear in mind, this is EXTREMELY rare. The following day, my Instructor arrived for my lesson with a DIFFERENT car. His hatchback died on him 3 days earlier and he didn't even bother to call to tell me. If my exam were not cancelled, I would have been stucked with taking the exam in a car that I am not familiar with! I confronted him and that tut insisted that it's just 10% bigger.My foot. He must be blind. It was a SEDAN. It has a booth jutting out. I was fuming. That night I dreamed that he arrive for my lesson in a double-decker bus and insisted that it's still 10% bigger. So God was actually watching over me. The rescheduling was a blessing in disguise. I then prepared myself in my own car, half expecting his hatchback (the car I am practiced most in) not to be back in time. I was right. They couldn't find an engine for it. Karma I tell you.
Today was my second attempt in my practical test. I used my little swanky car. The driving condition was awful, raining, gloomy, windy and even slightly misty. It was another blessing in disguise. The examiner was more lenient in his marking taking the weather into consideration. I PASSED. I am still in shock. But it's slowly sinking in that I am now able to open up a whole new world of weekday activities for my son. Thank God.
Here's Tobey mobile saying hi to the world.Monday, July 07, 2008
Wii baby
"Ta-ti, is this how it's done?"
"Look mommy, we are busy playing Wii!"
"Ok, time to concentrate..."Tuesday, July 01, 2008
In windy open spaces
Tobey loves open spaces, especially when it's windy. He thinks it's ultra funny how the wind tickles his face and "pushes" him to the ground. Here's what happens;
Embracing the wind
Conquered the wind a.k.a did not topple or land on his bum
"Hey it's changing direction..kakaka"
Showing off his teeth
Embracing the wind
Conquered the wind a.k.a did not topple or land on his bum
"Hey it's changing direction..kakaka"
Showing off his teethTobey Today and Alone for the first time
It was a gloriously sunny day today. It's one of those days where you can put anything on the washing line and it will guarantee to dry. These kind of days are few and far between. Tobey spent the whole morning in the garden. Let it be known that I tried my best putting on his hat for him and making sure it stays there, but his little fingers were faster than mine.
"See! I am helping you mommy"
"Because I am big boy now!"
"Look mommy, this is how daddy does it"
Change of topic: Sk is away on business trip. It was the first time he left us two in the UK alone. Initially, I was unsure of how I'll cope 24/7 with little active Tobey, but it turned out to be quite fun. Not having to cook propper adult meals was a bonus as that freed up alot of time for me to do my own things. We just carried on as per normal. Going to playgroup, to town, for walks, play in the garden , etc etc.
Tobey missed his dad alot. On the first night on our own, he heard SK's voice through the speaker phone (cordless phone on speaker mode). Then last night, he placed the cordless phone on my lap and said "ta-ti there!" So I dialled SK and once he heard his daddy's voice, he smiled and kissed the phone. Normally before going to bed, he would wave goodnite to his dad. He carried on waving each night before bed whilst looking for his dad, which was nowhere to be found. And this morning, after I picked him up from his bed to go to mine, he kept saying "ta-ti" and looked under the stack of pillows on SK's side to look for him (as SK sleeps with a pillow on his face) and looked ever so dissapointed when his daddy was not under those pillows... I found that terribly sweet. I kept telling him that daddy is at work and will be back soon.
"Ta-ti and me, best friends forever"
"See! I am helping you mommy"
"Because I am big boy now!"After 'helping' me with the laundry, he practiced his football dribbling skills. Thanks to SK, our son now can dribble the ball from one end to another whilst screamed out enthusiastically. Funny. We bought him a new pair of sporty shoes (which has got blinking LED lights accompanying each step) to match his new found talent :P
"Look mommy, this is how daddy does it"Tobey missed his dad alot. On the first night on our own, he heard SK's voice through the speaker phone (cordless phone on speaker mode). Then last night, he placed the cordless phone on my lap and said "ta-ti there!" So I dialled SK and once he heard his daddy's voice, he smiled and kissed the phone. Normally before going to bed, he would wave goodnite to his dad. He carried on waving each night before bed whilst looking for his dad, which was nowhere to be found. And this morning, after I picked him up from his bed to go to mine, he kept saying "ta-ti" and looked under the stack of pillows on SK's side to look for him (as SK sleeps with a pillow on his face) and looked ever so dissapointed when his daddy was not under those pillows... I found that terribly sweet. I kept telling him that daddy is at work and will be back soon.
"Ta-ti and me, best friends forever"The Baked Fish
Another elaborated fish dish for Tobey. Although this looks much simpler, it took me 1 hour! Woohoo! This dish consists of 3 parts;1) The Fish
I used 2 chunks of frozen boneless and skinless cod (for 2 meals). Seasoned them with dried Italian herbs and topped with chopped garlic. Wrapped them in foil and baked for 30 mins at 220c.
When it's bakedBoiled 2 medium sized potatoes, one carrot and a little sweet potatoes. Added olive oil, margarine and a little grated cheese and mashed. This time It's being mashed till smooth as I feel it goes better with the rest of the dish.
3) The Vege
Stir-fried a bunch of spinach with chopped garlic till all wilted.
AND put them together to pose for a pic ..he he...
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