Kurt John Boudville's Fullmoon Party

Jia Xiang Rolling Over

Turn up your speakers.
(this video is specially for Jia Xiang's grandparents)

30 May 2007

26 May 2007

My Queen

She's not my princess, she's my QUEEN!

Queen Jia Wen

Her Royal Highness, Queen Jia Wen

Her precious stones

27 May 2007

Bye Bye Hair

Jia Wen cut-off her long hair

Jia Wen's new hairstyle - short & neat

Last weekend, Jia Wen asked to cut her hair. Of course I had a play in getting her to cut her hair. For a while she wanted to keep her hair long so that she can tie it but it's become very untidy when it is not tied. She has curls in her hair which makes it very messy when it is long and not tied up. So far, she has no regrets and I love her new hair - less messy and we get to see her face!

More pics with my new phone

My Family

Took this photo with my new phone. Nice pic uh?

Who Is Fifi

Fifi is Jia Wen’s imaginary pet cat. You may think Jia Wen is just playing around and only talks about Fifi like once in a blue moon but let me tell you this, Fifi is as real as can be!

Jia Wen doesn’t only talks about Fifi but she also talks to Fifi and the way she speaks to Fifi, can be so real sometimes that one would actually think that Fifi is actually there right in front of her. Scary uh, for a kid of her age.

Jia Wen came to know about Fifi from school. Fifi is a cat character in her workbook and the word “Fifi” is one of the first few words she learnt to read. I don’t know how and why she made Fifi into her “real” pet cat.

I don’t know whether it right to say that Fifi is Jia Wen’s alter ego but sometimes I do think that “she” is. Things that Jia Wen cannot do, Fifi does. Or is Fifi “someone” Jia Wen created to vent her anger at?

Sometimes Jia Wen can suddenly speak to Fifi when “she suddenly appears” as though Fifi is right in front of her doing something that is not allowed in the house. For example, when Jia Wen is sitting at the dining table having her meal, she would suddenly look at a blank space and say in a stern voice, “Fifi, who says you can climb on the table? Get down!… Get down now. You are not supposed to sit on the table!” It is funny but at the same time, you would actually look at her direction to confirm that there isn’t a cat there. She does punish Fifi and they way she punishes her is exactly how we punish / scold her – exact words and action. See, what did I say about my daughter – she’s hmmm.. one of a kind – a great mimic! She mimics us so well that we have stopped punishing and we are very careful with our words. Nothing escapes Jia Wen!

The other day when I went to the airport in Labuan for us all to come back, she asked me not to forget to buy ticket for Fifi too. And you would think that there’s only 1 Fifi – wrong man – there are 5 Fifis. All with the same name and when we ask her why are there 5 Fifis, one is from Melaka, one is from Nilai, one is from Puchong, one is from Labuan and one is from… I can’t remember where but there are 5 Fifis. No 4, no 6, only 5 Fifis!

I do play along with her and acknowledge that Fifi is really there. I tell Jia Wen that Fifi is not allowed to go upstairs and into the rooms. Fifi can only stay downstairs and whenever we go on a car ride, Fifi is to sit on the floor and not on the seats. I don’t really know how else to address this very unique situation, I guess I have start reading more about imaginary friends, or pets.

I guess for now, we would have to accept Fifi (or Fifis) as part of our family (and I hate pets!).

When You Are 15

Children just can’t wait to grow up don’t they? We all wonder why but we were all there once before. Children like my daughter can’t wait to be much older than she is now. Everyday, she asks if she can do this and do that and I always say she’ll have to wait to reach a certain age.

Jia Wen wants a jump rope, I tell her that she will have to wait till she’s 5 years old. She wants to get her ears pierced, I say she’ll have to wait till she’s 8. She wants to roller-skate, I tell her that she has to be 7. She asks to paint her nails, she’s got to be 15(?). She asks to colour her hair pink, I tell her she’s got to be 18. She asks to go to a “big-big” school, I tell her she’s to wait to be 7 years old. She asks to wear my shoes, I tell her she’s got to wait till she’s 30! Of course she’ll eagerly say “I want to be 18 years old” not knowing how long away that is. But I do wonder whether she’ll actually remember all that I tell her like when she reaches 8 on the 23 January 2012, will she say “Mummy, let’s go get my ears pierce!” and when she’s 15 in 2019, she’ll say “I want to paint my nails”! I mean that’s kinda impossible right? But knowing that my daughter has a memory of an elephant she might really surprise (maybe shock) me when she reaches those points in her life. I am just thankful that she hasn’t asked me “Mummy, I want to have a husband!”… yet

My daughter!

Happy Anniversary

1 hour 52 minutes late but...

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Yes it's our wedding anniversary (26 May 2001) and it has been 6 years since we got hitched and it has been a great 6 years! We are now proud parents of 2 wonderful kids and we are enjoying watching them grow.

I Love You Babe!

20 May - 22 May 2007 @ Labuan

16 May - 19 May 2007 @ Labuan

Jia Wen Dancing

We all went line dancing and Jia Wen was dancing away. Please note that the music (Hollaback Girl) was not what we were dancing to. The microphone on the camera isn't good so I had to incorporate a music into this video to make it more interesting to watch. The tempo is about there. Enjoy

Jia Xiang's First Flight

We were recently in Labuan for almost a week. It was Jia Xiang's first time to Labuan and most importantly, his first flight on the plane! I was a little worried about how he would take the altitude and being in the plane but he did well. I don't think he was irritated by the altitude and didn't give much problem. I was worried that he would cry and I have to walk him up and down the plane to keep in quiet but I didn't have to do that! Of course I had help - my sister travelled back with us which was a great help. She kept Jia Wen busy on the plane.

Here's a snip of my email to my mother-in-law who is currently in China for a month. It pretty much summarizes our trip back to Labuan and how the kids enjoyed themselves.

We are all back in Nilai now. Travelling back here with the 2 of them wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. Jia Wen was excellent and Jia Xiang wasn't too bad. I think he took the altitude alright and didn't seem too irritated by it.

I don't know whether Jia Xiang has grown since you left but he sure is getting heavier. I have increased his milk intake to 4 ounces during the day and about 6 ounces for night feeds. He is very fast with his hands and grabs everything he can so quickly. When you have him on the dining table with him, you must make sure all cutlery is put away beyond reach. He grabs spectacles and pulls peoples' hair too! He still wants and loves to be carried. Night time can still be a bit tough especially putting him to sleep. He has also learnt to roll-over. He did it in Labuan and he moves around by pulling himself with his arms. He enjoys licking and sucking whatever he can get a hold of. Still a drooler for sure but I think his problem with reflux is almost over, as long as he is burped after meals, he is fine.

Jia Wen enjoyed herself very much in Labuan. When I asked her whether she wanted to come back, she said "not really" and when I asked why, she said "so that guitar kong-kong can take me swimming everyday". My dad brought her swimming once and she enjoyed herself although she did take in quite a lot of water because she insisted on breaking free. Her floats keeps her above water but sometimes she loses balance when she kicks too much. She enjoyed herself very much. Brought her to the beach too where we walked the beach and played with water and waited for the sunset, had dinner infront of the sunset! It was pretty cool. Explained to her that when the sunsets, the sun is going to Jacqui's house. Most of her mosquito bies have healed unless she goes dig them again. We also brought her to the market which she didn't quite enjoy but she remembered the shop that shaved coconut and she went there again and stood there watching the man shave the coconut for santan. She went dancing too. We went line dancing. It took her awhile to get warmed up but after a few minutes, she was dancing and twirling. I was also dancing with Jia Xiang in my sling and he absolutely enjoyed himself until he fell asleep. The morning we brought her dancing, she asked to wear a dress so that she could go twirling. So cute.

As for me, I enjoyed myself quite a bit there too. I got to spend time with my friends and I went out with them every night for drinks, a movie (yes I watched Spiderman there) and hung out! It was good to catch up and go out. I had the best babysitters so I got to go out at nights so much so I felt guilty and stayed home the last night we were there :-P. Thanks to my parents and my sister, I got to go out and got to watch Spiderman!!

Coming back from Labuan was... hmmm.. I was a little reluctant because firstly I had to pack and go, secondly I would lose my "freedom" and lastly I would be travelling back to KL on my own with the kids. No more help which was why I decided to fly back on MAS with a full service and comfort. But travelling back here with Jia Wen & Jia Xiang was a good experience and wasn't as bad as I expected. I would have done it too if we flew back on Air Asia. I didn't get the front seats with the bassinet but we got all three seats to ourselves which helped alot. I must say that the sling my mum made for me helped me tremendously. I carried Jia Xiang in it and could still carry my carrybag and push the trolley while Jia Wen would just walk alongside me. It was good.

We'll be going back to Labuan again end of July for my school reunion which I am so so looking forward to. It'll be so much fun and I am really excited. Can't wait!

Labuan

Stay tuned for more pics and videos of our trip back to Labuan.

My Friends

22 May 2007.. Leaving Labuan

Jia Xiang & E E at Labuan Airport

Jia Wen & Ah Kong in uniform

(they compliment each other)

Jia Wen & Ah Ma

Labuan Airport

Travelling with my two kids

21 May 2007 @ Labuan

Jia Xiang & Jia Wen in the morning


Having a great time with Ah Ma

Jia Xiang & Ah Ma

With grandparents

20 May 2007 @ Labuan

Swimming!


Happy with Ah Kong

19 May 2007 @ Labuan

At Labuan Aquarium

By the beach @ Labuan Sea Sport Centre

18 May 2007 @ Labuan

Just woke up

Jia Xiang happy in the morning

Jia Wen at fish market (below)

Jia Wen dancing

Jia Wen & Ah Ee

16 May 2007

Jia Wen and her dearest "dancing" Ah Ma

3 generations

Boarding

Jia Xiang's first flight

My sister and my kids on the plane


Jia Xiang was happy on the plane

Happy Teachers' Day

Jia Wen made this Teachers' Day poster for her teachers in school.

(actually she only coloured like 2 strokes and got "tired" so my sister had to finish it up)

Happy Mothers Day

My brother-in-law bought this sugee almond cake for my mother-in-law and me. Excellent cake!

Typical Photoshoot

13 May 2007

We thought that every baby (especially boys) should go through such photo shoots

Recently

3 & 4 May 2007

We were in Alor Setar recently for my uncle's funeral and I managed to take a few photos of Jia Wen & Jia Xiang at the wake.

Having fun with No. 5 Ee Poh

(my aunt)

Cousin Atira carrying Jia Xiang

Jia Xiang is 5 Months

I know you guys have only been seing pictures of my kids and have missed my blog entries. Please forgive me as I am little lax in my blog entries. I have so much to blog about and so much to tell but so little time so uploading pictures (which takes a lot of time) is the easiest way to keep my blog alive and also to show you all how my kids have been growing.

Yes, Jia Xiang turned 5 months old today and is a healthy baby boy. Of course you have seen the latest picture of him with his "third finger" so I guess that sort of shows that he is growing fine and growing into a "fine" boy. But honestly, I didn't intend for him to be rude. In fact we didn't realize he had his third finger up until I was selecting photos for uploading.

As of last week, Jia Xiang weighs 7.53 kgs and is about 64 cms tall / long. He is growing well and is a lovely baby when he is not cranky. He is easy with his smiles and laughs quite a bit too. It's fun to take photos of him. Although he is a little behind in performing some physical milestones (compared to Jia Wen when she was his age) but he is trying to roll-over. He can lift his head up and most of his upper body up quite high when he is lying on his tummy but has yet to master the skill to roll-over. I remember Jia Wen mastered it by the time she was 4 months old. Anyway, who cares right?

Jia Xiang loves the tv! Once he is front of the tv, he'll watch it quite intensely. I am not too sure whether this is a good thing or not but it is definitely a change from Jia Wen. Jia Wen till today isn't a big fan of the TV (she can go a week without the TV and it won't hurt her) which I know can be a good thing but it shows how short her attention span is and therefore up to today, she hasn't watched a whole cartoon movie. We bought Jia Wen Happy Feet thinking that it would be fun enough to make her sit down and watch but she could only last 5 minutes and she'll be jumping up and down on the couch! Although I am not sure how Jia Xiang would be like when he gets to his sister's age but in someways, I guess liking the TV isn't that bad afterall. It will surely come in handy one day.

Jia Xiang still isn't a big fan of the stroller but now I have a sling (sarong) that my mum made for me which I carry him in when I go shopping. It helps with me move a lot more freely but I am not sure that it is helping my back. He is quite heavy so I have to tilt back to support his weight.

Jia Xiang is slowly showing his character. He is becoming quite attached to me and to those he recognizes. I will "protest" when someone else he is not quite familiar with carries him. He is also a soft-hearted boy. I doesn't like me scolding him. Whenever I raise my voice at him or tell him something firmly, he'll start crying or when I scold his sister, he will also start crying.

Putting him to sleep at nights have been quite challenging for the past 2 weeks. It has been difficult putting him to sleep and could sometimes take up to 2 hours to put him to sleep. Most times, we are not quite sure what he wants from us. Sometimes he wants us to carry him and walk around, sometimes he wants to be left alone, sometimes he doesn't want to sleep, sometimes he wants me, sometimes he wants his dad! Not easy man. And because I can't carry him for more than 10 minutes standing up, I will have to either sit down or pass him to his dad for a rest and that's when he will start crying again! I know it is time to "ferberize" (cry it out) him but the problem that we have is that we can't leave him crying in the room (he shares room with Jia Wen) and we are not quite ready to seperate them yet as Jia Wen is still isn't very comfortable sleeping out of our room so we are using Jia Xiang as a reason for her to stay in her room. So until we are happy with Jia Wen's sleeping routine and until Jia Wen stops coming into our room several times a night, we'll then put Jia Xiang into his own room. Headache isn't it?

Jia Xiang is getting better travelling on the road. In March when we went up north for "cheng beng", he didn't last too long in the carseat and we had to carry him most of the way. But recently, I drove up to Alor Setar for my uncle's funeral and he lasted the journey from Nilai up to somewhere near Butterworth which was a great achievement. Driving back as good too - he sat in his carseat from Alor Setar up till Rawang! I hope this would be a progressive improvement and soon he'll be like his sister who is a great road traveller. Jia Xiang will be going on his first plane ride next week when I take the kids to Labuan! It'll be Jia Xiang's first time and I really hope that he'll be good on the plane like how Jia Wen was when she took her first flight when she was only 3 months old.

Wish me luck!

More pics to come.

Starting Young!

Nah!

Active Jia Wen

Jia Wen Recently

Dancing

Jumping

Going out

Jia Xiang Recently

29 April 2007

Jia Xiang was holding on to this little teddy bear Aunty Vicky bought for him while watching TV. He was holding on to the bear as though he was carrying a tiny baby.

24 April 2007

What you looking at?

My son, my drooler!

My Sister & My Daughter

This was what happened today while Jia Wen was spending some time with her E-E (my sister).

(the following was pilfered from my sister's blog):


Today while i was playing with my niece, this was what happened -
*To those who dont understand mandarin, Jia Wen's surname, Ooi, in chinese it's "Huang" which means yellow*

Me: Jia Wen, this is your chinese name - "Huang Jia Wen" (showing her on a piece of paper in chinese character
Jia Wen: No lar, I'm not Huang Jia Wen, I'm Ooi Jia Wen
Me: Yes, but this is how you say it in chinese
Jia Wen: No lar, I'm Ooi Jia Wen!!! I'm not YELLOW, I'm skin colour!

All I could do was LAUGH!!!!

My daughter, my daughter!