Random pictures of Victoria Part 2

Posing the same way
Look at the cheeky face... they are praying, and the boy in the middle seems to be in a sleepy state whilst Vic is trying so hard to keep her eyes closed, which probably makes her cheeks blow up
Oohh, I love this pic! Totally sweeettt. Btw, see that pen in her front pocket? She insisted it should be there.
Children church last Saturday: supposedly paying attention to what's going on...
This is her group

Random pictures of William

The little drummer. Whenever jie jie goes for the drums, he wants too.
Hhhmmm...
William loves to clap hands, sometimes like "self praising"... haha
Like taukeh... he was on the phone during Daddy's graduation ceremony, must have been so bored. He goes, "aahh" which is his way of saying "hello"
On the mini stage playing around during Children Church

Random pictures of Victoria Part 1

Making funny faces at the camera over dinner yesterday at Souled Out

Come on... can you smile at the cam???
Vic pretending to be playing a violin with her toy guitar and the drum stick
Swimming over the weekend still insist on washing Daddy's hair, but we finally got her into the pool and she had her first swimming lesson kicking water horizontally!
This is it! The moment of truth.
I don't know how she learnt the "Peace" sign, but I love it when she wears something on her head

Today I celebrate Life

Four years ago on this day I almost lost my husband. I share this here, with his permission, because I want my kids one day to know, that we are all here today, because of God's grace and mercy. Because Daddy was returned to us.

Up till today, I can remember more clearly than any of our anniversaries or any of our birthday celebrations, the first time I walked into the ICU, then the CCU ward, the walk uphill in the mornings and evenings before and after work, the phone calls and the lonely nights whilst my honey slept in the hospital. And each time I reminisce about this, my eyes get misty thinking that I could have lost the man that I vowed to love my whole life... till death do us part.

I remember even how Hubby told me not to go to the hospital because he was fine and only admitting himself for a day observation. Then it happened. CODE BLUE.

At that time, Vic was barely 3 months old. That weekend itself as she lay on her bouncinet I explained to her what happened and that Mummy Daddy will not be able to spend time with her, for the first time. I hurriedly said goodbye to her when my father-in-law came by to pick me up to see Hubby in hospital. Mom helped looked after Vic.

Have we ever thought how different things would be if certain things happened or did not happened? If not for God's mercies on my family, I would not be here today. I would have been a single parent, a bitter depressed young widow still asking what if and why and how come. William would not have existed. Vic's and my life would have been totally different.

Today I celebrate Life. The life of a man who gave me so much happiness and does everything for the simple reason that he loves me. I love you honey.

Daddy's Graduation

Last Sunday we attended Daddy's MBA graduation which we chose to attend locally instead of in Australia. Thank God this was a wise decision made some months back before the outbreak of the Influenza A (H1N1). Joining us on this auspicious occasion was Mama Yeh Yeh who picked me and the kids up at 12 noon as hubby left a little earlier to pick up his graduation robe.

In the morning I wanted to bath Vic, but she insisted that she will wash her own hair, which I allowed her to under my supervision. Just as she started, William woke up and I went out to check on him. When I returned to Vic, she was already washing her body and I was amused that she can reach the body soap herself which was placed on a shelf slightly above her eye level. I offered to help her but she kindly turned me down, so I stood and watched her proudly. Silently my heart was feeling a little sad, that my little girl is now a big girl. Getting more independent by the day. Anyway, back to hubby's graduation.

The ceremony was held at Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur. The kids had their lunch at the lobby upon arrival before we headed upstairs to the ballroom. Daddy looked soooo handsome in his robe, but I sure pity him as he was dressed under the robe, in his full formal wear ie long sleeve, jacket and tie. Three hundred over graduants were present, and that means easily a thounsand people including guests and staff.

We were seated by 2pm, and waited for Daddy's name to be called. William, this boy... was soooo excited, so energetic and so restless. He was walking all over the place, and we could only briefly keep him seated in his stroller during the Vice Chancellor's introduction speech, with his biscuits. Thereafter, he was up and down the red carpet at the back, and along the sides, and in between the empty chairs at the back, and when I brought him out to the cocktail area he was almost running and laughing away at the vast space! Naturally I was a little irritated that I could not sit to witness the ceremony, and I was tired running after him. At one point he was going for the plates at the reception area, and almost took one in his hands. I had to watch him like a hawk, and stay near enough to stop him before he breaks anything. As for William, he didn't like it when I carried him away from where he was or what he was doing.

3pm came and he refused to sleep and hardly drank his milk. Vic was very well behaved, sometimes joining me to watch over William, but most of the time seated with Mama observing the ceremony. This is Victoria's 2nd time attending a graduation ceremony, the first being my MBA graduation (I finished my last paper whilst conceived with Vic).

William knocked off towards the end of the reception, and poor boy wanted so much to try our food. I felt really bad that I can't share with him, because Hubby and I are adamant that we will be patient and not give him adult food so soon as obviously our food contains seasoning, flavouring, preservatives, oil, salt and sugar which a baby, or even a young toddler can well do without! In the car, the older child knocked off too.

A family pix... and someone's showing his midriff

The youngest graduant
So, this is it. The end of one chapter in Hubby's life, after all the toiling, burning the midnight oil and sacrifices and finally... but this is also the beginning of many great developments in Hubby's life and me and the kids are very proud of you, Daddy!

Happy Father's Day

Look, this is sooo typical Victoria! Daddy wants to kiss her and she puts her hand in between. Btw, this is a belated entry as I didn't have the chance to download the pictures. We celebrated the special occassion at Nagomi Shabu Shabu, Plaza Damas with a simple lunch.

Who is Victoria?

I've been meaning to write this post quite sometime back, as a run up to Victoria's birthday in April, but looks like work got the better of me, or maybe it's just the laziness in me.

Just an insight into who this 4yo girl is. A mother's notes.

On first impression, Victoria seem to be very reserved, shy and maybe some might say, unfriendly. She takes a little longer time to warm up than most kids, because she's very cautious of new faces, and surveys her surrounding before deciding to open up or stay reserved. But once she opens up, her teachers and friends agree that Victoria is one cheeky, jovial and playful girl. To us who are even closer to her, she's more than cheeky. She can be tomboyish by climbing grills, body wrestling with Daddy, being a bridge between two sofas, jumping on beds and screaming at super high pitch just to irritate us.

Victoria likes to tell her own jokes, and they may be funny or may not be. She's at this stage where she cannot fully differentiate a joke from a lie. So, many times I have to ask her, "Are you telling the truth, or is this a joke?" Sometimes she told a "joke" which was not funny, and forgot to tell the person that it was a joke. It ended up like a lie, and got many of us confused and upset. A few times, this girl told me that she wants to be a clown. Oh my... I hope, and seriously hope she's only joking. Btw, this girl says she wants to leave her hair very very long until it touches the floor and sweeps the floor.

Victoria is definitely playful at home. Very. And she's sensitive to our feelings too. She can sense our emotions, and if one is not feeling happy, she will ask, "Are you happy? Then why do you have a black face?" or she may be the most obedient girl in the world, finishing her food fast, and taking her plate to the kitchen, finishing her water, loving her brother, etc and then say, "I do this because I want you to be happy."

At her age, I think she can be quite scheming or rather, an opportunist. Remember the dragonfruit incident, where she quickly wallop the remaining dragonfruit when she heard me telling William that I will give him more? Then she started laughing with all the red juice in between her mouth, and some oozing out... how to scold when she looks so adorable?

Here are a few things Victoria likes.

Socks. These are Victoria's Number ONE favourite item. Anywhere we go, we must bring her socks. There are two categories of them. Those which are older and worn out are for home wear, and those that are newer are obviously for kai kai. She likes the longer ones, so she can pull them high up her knee and she prefers animal designs. However, she likes to wear the nice ones for home, when she sleeps. I have long time barred her from accessing her socks herself because she will take and wear them all the time, and I end up getting angry at that. So I put them on the top shelf of the wardrobe. Then lately I brought them down since she has started to "behave". Now she would pick two socks, one brand new and one old socks, and ask me to hold them in my palm and do the "magic show" for her ie I will hide the socks in my hands under my lap or behind my back, and she will choose the hand which she thinks holds the new socks.

A few days back she picked the hand with the new socks. I asked her if she was sure, and then without her looking, I exchanged the socks from one hand to the other. I doubt she knew but when she got the old socks, she started to threw her temper, and threw the socks away. Yikes, I think she knew.

Last night I told her during our "magic show" that whichever socks she get, she should accept it and not throw her temper. Victoria did this. She picked the hand with the new socks, and then looked me in the eye, reallly reallly closely, and tried to read my response and facial expression by asking, "I know this hand has the new socks.... right? Haha... you are holding the new socks" and mind you, she's not really sure, she's just trying to get a response from me. But guess who out did her? Mummy! I looked her back in the eye and gave her the most convincing reply, "Are you sure? No regrets ok.." and she ended up changing her mind, and chose the hand with the old socks!

Storybooks. Vic can ask and listen to the same story every night for a month and not feel bored! Even I feel bored from reading the same story and now I tell her, if you want Little Red Riding Hood again, then YOU tell me the story instead.

Long pants, long sleeves. How to describe her? Conservative. We used to wrap her up when she was a baby, fearing that she might catch cold. I guess that plays a part in her fashion sense now because she rather choose her long pants and long sleeve than a dress. Sigh, so much for dressing a little princess. At her age, or even last year, she's already know how to choose her own clothes, insisting on what to wear, and what not, and even her shoes. So I teach her a bit of basics lar, which is also to convince her to follow my way. One of them is, if you wear long pants or long skirts (not like she has any on the latter) she must pair it with sleeveless or short sleeve blouse. So she'd pick sleeveless then tell me to bring her jacket in case she's cold. And she quickly added that she will have long sleeve and long pants!

Some nights when Daddy sternly tell her to close her eyes and sleep, she will pretend to sleep. Then when I lie beside her and kiss her good night, I hear a little chuckle and then the little girl burst out laughing! What a pretender!

I think Vic is very maternal. She mimics the maid by putting her big Elmo to sleep, sometimes using a nappy as the sarong around her body. She enjoys doing everything that the maid and I do. Those days she used to play with the broom until I stopped her. Now she takes my Roboclean and "connect" it to me as if I'm the vaccumm machine, and she will hold the hose and pretend to vaccumm everywhere. Sound effects courtesy of Mummy. ; )

Last but not least, my Victoria is exactly what my first gynae said she will be. A little helper. And she loves doing just that, from making milk for her brother, to washing the vegetables, to pushing the stroller, to feeding William milk, wearing socks for him, etc.. even offering to brush my teeth!