Everytime we take a photo, she grins and her eyes disappear. I worry that people won’t know what Keira looks like when she is her “normal” self.
Luckily HP managed to catch some photos of her when she wasn’t posing. So here’s Keira looking abit more normal, with eyes!
Learning all about the addictiveness of the PS2 from gor gor
Caught by surpise, no time to pose!
Playing some kind of silly game
Now onto number 2. The pregnancy is into the second trimester now. I’m gaining back my appetite and aversions have lessened alot.
Now I don’t know whether I’m just being picky or it really is an aversion if I don’t like something. hehe. Nausea has also gone.
Just in comparison to the first time with Keira, I think the nausea wasn’t as bad this time. Both times I never actually threw up tho. Phew.
But this time round, I’m going to the toilet alot more. My bladder mustn’t be as strong anymore! Sometimes I have to go again immediately after I just went… ridiculous!
Also experienced a real hormonal moment one morning. I snapped at CY and Keira over small matters, started yelling at them and then burst into tears!
I knew I was over-reacting but it just felt good to vent. And then the next minute I was OK already. Hai, these hormones.
In other news, I have been busy watching the return of Supernatural, Heroes, Smallville, X Factor, Project Runway and Top Chef and recommend these brand new series: Glee (like a comedy high school musical with great musical performances); Flash Forward (from the makers of Lost, and mysterious like Lost) and Stargate Universe (if you liked the stargate series, this is looking good).
So many shows to watch, not enough time to watch them all!
I used to do these Top 10 lists because random thoughts would pop into my mind about the various stituations I was in and doing a list was a funny way to compile them.
The Top 10 posts were all in my multiply blog though, which I don’t update anymore, so I’m going to shift all my old Top 10 posts and some others from there to here and back date them into the archives. Yeah, this blog is now our home on the web, and I’m digging in for the long term.
The only problem is that if you are using a RSS reader, I think you will be bombarded with all of the posts at one go when I publish them - so my apologies in advance for “spamming” you with old posts. If you don’t use a reader, you will be able to see all all the Top 10 posts here, when I re-post them.
Anyway, here’s 10 “fun” facts about parenting a kid
10. You pick up food that has fallen on the floor and pop it into your mouth without even realising what you’ve done.
9. You get cheered up by a cheeky smile (with dimples thrown in) after the depressing 4-1 defeat of your favourite team.
8. You suddenly realise you have one more mouth to feed, and a sashimi platter for two just won’t do anymore.
7 You find yourself saying “No” 100 times more a day than you ever did.
6. You count down the hours to nap time and bedtime.
5. You get a little too happy when friends have babies because you want to share ALL the joys of parenting with them.
4. You willingly spend money on anything that will stop the screaming.
3. You get to play your dress up barbie games again on a real life doll.
2. You become a regular at zoos, parks and toy shops instead of wine bars, cafes and fancy restaurants.
1. You remember reading that people without children are happier than those who do have children, but you can’t imagine going without anymore.
I’ll be updating this blog with a new design over the next few days, so occasionally you might see this page on “maintenance mode”, meaning i’m working on it and don’t want you to see the site in a mess.
It won’t take very long, hope you’ll like the new look! It’s very different and colourful…
A beautifully decorated cake for Sydney’s first birthday party!
I was so worried that we wouldn’t be able to go to Sydney’s party when Keira had her high fever (40.2 degrees celcius!) 2 days before. But, PHEW, she got better the next day.
So here we are all dressed up. I’m wearing a new top by Desigual - I love their clothes!
As usual, lots of children at the party. Here we are trying to get them to sit together for a photograph. Didn’t work.
Keira was the only one that sat still. Haha.
Here’s Keira with her favourite auntie, who babysits her and plays with her all the time.
Keira was in a good mood most of the time. But I suppose all the kids had their fussy moments at one point or other, except possibly birthday boy Sydney, who looked like he was loving every minute of his special day:)
Today we went to William’s first birthday party. There were so many guests Aunty Tina had to hire a big hall to fit everyone in.
There was a long table set up just for the kids
and Keira had a wonderful time gobbling down biscuits, fruits and cheerios, making a big mess of it all at the same time.
Her food didn’t stay on the plate for long. But amazingly the hat did! I thought she would pull it off for sure. They look so cute wearing the party hats:)
Then Keira went and played in the playpen with the other kids. Amazingly again, she didn’t fuss, instead she made Sydney cry by standing on him!
She loved popping the bubbles
And us adults stuffed ourselves with delicious curry chicken, acar, fried noodles and of course the beautiful cake!
Cousin Yong Hao was born two days after Keira… It’s a pity they live so far apart, it would have been grand if they could play with each other and grow up together.
Anyway, here’s a long distance “Happy Birthday!” to Yong Hao!
Check out Keira’s expressions. She started the holiday with big grins, then as the days went by, she got more and more grumpy and tired of taking photos, and so the last few days we were there all we got from her were squirmy, half hearted, GLUM looks.
There was one photo op that I really regret not getting. It was an evening when we had lots of friends and kids over for a visit and we forgot to take a photo of all the kids together! That would have been an excellent photo. Arrghh!
One is the outside. Dusty roads, searing sun, dirty drains and political scandals.
The other is the inside. I’m talking about the insides of shopping malls here. The malls that all KLites spend their free time in whenever they can.
The inside is coolly air conditioned, has shiny marble floors and the whole world at your fingertips. Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Taiwanese Street Food, Gap..everything! All presented in pristinely decorated store fronts. All glowingly inviting.
When you’re inside, it is very, very easy to forget that the outside exists.
We went to Mid Valley the other day, which has now doubled in size.. I think you can spend days in there now.. and found ourselves almost lost amongst the multiple levels of attractions. It was like disneyland for credit cards.
Well Keira got herself some really pretty clothes from Mid Valley, thanks to an early birthday angpow from ah kong and ah ma. I absolutely loved shopping for her. oh, that looks cute… buy! hahaha.
We continue to enjoy our food and our shopping here in KL. Have also taken some lovely photos of Keira with her grandparents and new baby friends but no time to upload now. So will put them up later.
But one thing we have discovered.. Keira automatically smiles for the camera. She gives a big silly grin everytime she sees it pointing at her!
She is also enjoying all the attention she’s getting from ah gong and ah ma, but she isn’t enjoying her sleeps. Wakes up for two hours every night since we have been here and will only stop crying if I’m with her.
Other than that, we manage a fair few hours out everyday visiting people and mall hopping. But of course we’re all home and ready to tuck baby into bed by 8pm. No pasar malam or midnight mamak escapades for us.
I am such a different person today compared to what I was a year ago. A year ago I was filled with doubt and regret. I could see the life I loved slipping away because I knew a baby would change everything.
Now, I can’t even remember what I was so worried about losing. Was it the freedom to do anything I wanted anytime? To enjoy a night out? To travel? Yeah, that’s it. Somehow I don’t feel the loss as badly as I thought I would.
Somehow I have become a MOTHER. With a mother’s 100% preoccupation with her baby. The change in me is so dramatic I now have a new found respect for the power of mother nature.
That’s the only way I know how to explain this transformation.
When a woman gives birth to a baby, a switch inside her is turned on and she starts producing some crazy hormones that totally take over her mind and body. I’m talking about the chemicals or whatever it is that make mothers suddenly fixate on the little crying thing and realise that NOTHING else is as important as this. You would die for this.
Just a nuzzle of that soft head and a smile from that small face makes up for all the times when she thinks its fun to throw everything from the shelf onto the carpet or when her name is Miss Whinge-a-lot.
So yeah, my outlook in life has had a radical change. But there are still some other things that are important to me. Doctor Who for example (the finale is tonight!!). And finding out the mystery of Lost. And siew yuk. And island holdays. Ahh, to relax on soft white sand with a cool breeze blowing against the sound of gentle blue waves.. ahh…
For now though, the baby rules the day. I have to remind myself that she won’t be a baby forever though. She will grow up and become her own person. We will fight and she will rebel. And I will miss the baby so, so much!
If you only had six words to write a memoir of your life, what would they be?
You might have heard about this Smith Magazine project that asks people to sum up the story of their life in exactly six words. One of the best - “Not Quite What I Was Planning” is now the title of a book they have published with all the short, short memoirs.
So what would you say about your life in just six words?
Despite the fact that both keira and I had a cold this week, plus a few bad hayfever days for me, I feel almost human today.
It’s been more than a year since I’ve had a “normal” life. You know, movies, going out at night, meeting up with friends etc. All the activities and freedoms the child-free enjoy.
But this week was good. I managed 2 lunch outings with friends where Keira was on her best behaviour. We had visitors over from Malaysia for dinner one night, and today I woke up after having a good 8 hour sleep.
I am satiated with adult conversation and rest.
And the week’s not over yet! Going to watch Sex and the City while CY babysits this Saturday, and then we’re going to Nobu on Sunday for CY’s birthday present:)
Ahh, is it possible that life can get back to normal? Well, maybe not.. the bubster has just poked her head behind a shelf and pulled out the telephone wiring.
