My Two Girls – All About Zara and Zaria

Zara was having a very bad cough the whole of last week.

On Saturday, we wanted to go to Ikea to get Zaria a mattress for napping. Before we went, we stopped at a coffee shop for a drink. Zara had a big glass of Ribena.

30mins later, we were at Ikeno, and went to Manhattan Fish Market for dinner (Fish & Co still the best!). Zara had the kid size fish and chip, and it came with a glass of orange juice. She ate almost 2/3 of her meal, and drank up the whole glass of orange juice. Jelly couldn’t finish her fish & chips, and we packed it up, and the restaurant gave us a big plastic bag to hold the small styrofoam box.

Zara was coughing quite badly while we walked to Ikea. The girls stopped at the play area near the customer service counters. Suddenly Zara just stood still and started vomiting, two blobs landed on the floor. I managed to quickly put the plastic bag from the take away near her mouth while she continued to throw up. Her puke filled up like 1/8 of the bag. All she cared about after that was, Mummy, my beautiful dress! which she had stained a bit. o.O

After changing her to the spare clothes (which we always bring along for the girls), she was back to her normal self hopping around and checking out things at Ikea. We especially spent a lot of time at the children section where she picked up another Fifi (the soft toy dog) for a hug before we headed downstairs to pick up the mattress.

I was carrying Zaria and we went down the escalator first. Jelly was holding on to Zara’s hand and the light weight pram following behind. Just a few steps down, I heard Jelly shouted, “Zara!”. I turned around and saw Zara missed her footing on the step, and with Jelly pulling her up right, she stood up for a while and then plunged down into a sitting position on the step. Fifi was 2 steps below away from her. I shouted to Zara, “Stand up Zara”. Instead of standing up, she lunged forward, trying to grab the fallen Fifi. Luckily Jelly was holding her firmly, and she didn’t fall. I was screaming, “Zara, leave Fifi!”. Zara still tried to lunge forward. Jelly very quickly kicked Fifi away, so that Zara stopped attempting to pick it up.

2 seconds later, we’d all got out of the escalator. I dragged Zara to the side and asked her, “Zara, what was wrong with you!!?? Why didn’t you stand properly. I told you many times don’t fool around on escalators. Why did you want to pick Fifi up? What you did was very dangerous!” blah blah blah. Then I saw her face turning pale. I calmed down, and realised I didn’t check how she was. I gave her a big hug and told her I was so worried (actually, I probably missed a few heart beats thinking Zara was going to fall), and asked her what happened. She spoke weakly and said she wanted to sit on the pram. After putting her in the pram, she sobbed a bit and looked as though she was about to go to sleep. So I asked her gently again. She said, “Just now I was so tired and my leg just went soft.” Jelly then only spoke up (she’s not someone who offers information freely) “Mum, I hold her mum, and then she just fall mum. Like no more streght mum.”

Zara was in the pram looking pale and her eyes half closed. I kept stopping and checking with her if she was ok. She said, “Mummy, I’m just very tired. I want to sleep.” I then realised she might have fainted because of her earlier vomiting. I asked her if she wanted something to eat, she asked for sweets. We’d none but I told her I’d go grab a donut for her. I quickly paid for the mattress then headed out to get her something to eat. She asked for pop corn when she saw them. The colour on her face return as she started eating, and then she started telling me, “Just now mummy, when I stepped on the escalator, I feel dizzy. So my legs just went wobbly.”

I kept reminding her about her safety being more important than a toy, and it’s ok to loose a toy because we can always buy another for her. I knew she was back to herself when she told me, “If no more Fifi, mummy can buy another for me. If no more Zara, then Daddy and mummy have to get married again. And then Daddy and mummy will have a new step daughter.”

That’s my girl and her logic.

Me : Zara, what do you want to be when you grow up? Doctor? Teacher? Chef?
Zara : When I grow up I want to be a real princess.

Neighbours were talking about sending their girls (around the age of Zara for ballet).
Me : Zara, Chloe and Erin will be going for ballet classes soon. You want to learn ballet or not?
Zara : I don’t want mummy. I want to learn princessing.

Daddy asked about Zara’s sunglasses, “Zara, why you put your sunglasses at home? You should leave it in the car. When it’s sunny, then you can put it on.”
Zara replied, “Daddy, if it’s sunny, I don’t want to wear my sunglasses.”
Daddy asked “But why?”
Zara replied rolling her eyes, “Do you see princess wear sunglasses one or not?” (obviously not those Disney princesses)

The other day when I read Beauty & The Beast to her and when we reached the ending, which read, “She kissed him.. blah blah.. She sobbed, “I love you!”.. blah blah.. the beast turned into the handsome prince.. blah blah.”
Zara smiled shyly and asked, “Next time when I big girl, I will also meet my handsome prince right? And then we’ll get married right?”

My princess Zara

Since Zara turned 2 1/2, she’s very much into princesses. Her enthusiasm increases with time. I wonder when this stage will pass. I was told, I should bring her to Disneyland before she passes this stage, so that she’ll enjoy herself more. Hmmm….

This is almost the same everyday at our dinner table. Zaria will eat half heartedly, and then after a few spoonful, she’ll start spiting her dinner out. “Pow-Pow! (Chinese: Full)”.
“You don’t want any more?”
“No-want. (Don’t want)”
But then, when we put her down from her high chair, she’ll go straight to the fridge, and shout, “Khuet!! (Chocolate)”; she’ll keep saying “Khuet!” until we give her her doze of chocolate or something else to distract her.

Zaria knows now when she needs things done she’ll go to Jelly.
Once she was trying to take a few pieces of clothings down from my cupboard, but the whole stack came tumbling down. I was next to her, but she went on to look for Jelly, shouting “Ah-tie (Auntie)! Ah-tie! (Put) Back! *pointing to the cupboard* Back!”.

And when she wants her bath, she’ll be shouting “Ah-tie (Auntie)! Ah-tie! Ba-Bath! Ba-Bath!”

I tried asking her, “You like Auntie?”
She replies with her index finger out “Good!” (meaning her Auntie is good, so she likes her Auntie).

When she gets hold of a pair of shoes, a hat, or watch, or even a hair clip, she’ll come to us with the item placed on where it belongs (i.e. place hair clip on the head) “Wear.”

She knows how to correct us when we name something wrongly. E.g. *pointing to my BIL* “Mei-mei, is this Daddy?”. She’ll smile and shake her index finger, “No-no, no-no Daddy. (He is)Uncle “

Of all the things Zaria says, Daddy is most pleased with Zaria constant chanting of “Daddy-DaddEEE..Daddy-DaddEEE” when he’s around. I tried to get her to say Mummy-mummeeee.. Mummy-mummee, but she’ll only be able to say “Mummy” and not like she calls Daddy “Daddy-DaddEEE..Daddy-DaddEEE”.

From this…..

to this….

After 1 year and 3 months of breastfeeding Zaria, it’s slowly coming to the end. After my Hong Kong trip, my milk supply dwindled. Not sure if it’s from the stress, or it’s really time to wean her. She started taking half bottle and half breast. She will go to Daddy or Jelly to ask for “Mek (Milk)” when she wants the bottle, and if it’s breast she wanted, she’ll come to me.

She wants breast mainly during the night, or when she wants to do this to me…

This girl likes to poke my belly button when she suckles, and it’s really not comfortable for me at all especially if her nails are not trimmed!!
Sometimes when the breast is not available, she’ll be poking her own belly button instead.. o.O”

While Zara weaned off at 18 months and I wanted to do as long with Zaria, looks like the travellings and the pressure from work is not in our favour. Everybody is telling me it’s high time. Ha.. I’ll stop when the time comes, i.e. when she really doesn’t want it any more because she’s not getting anything.

The coackroach porridge was from Hong Kong. I didn’t complain because I packed and had it in the office. 🙁

I was in Hong Kong with Mom2Ashley for a week for work from 30th March to 7th April. Our meeting ended on Friday the 4th. Mom2Ashely returned home on the 5th, I stayed on another night and slept over in my ex classmate’s house. A classmate I’d not met and contacted for almost 15years! It was really nice to catch up and meet up with her, her husband and her extremely friendly 2 sons!

Before you say, “Oh.. lucky you, another overseas work trip.” Hold it. The shopping was nice, but we worked hard. Everyday, we started at 9am and never ended earlier than 8pm except for the last day since it was a public holiday for our Hong Kong colleagues. It was a tough week, long hours, lots of heated discussion and even a shouting session. It wasn’t fun at all. Luckily, the shopping kind of make up for it.

My shopping partner, Mom2Ashley.

I’m still recuperating from the mental and physical exhaustion from the trip. Ha. Anyway.. here are some of the photos captured during the non working hours.

♥Food♥
Upon arrival, Mom2Ashley and I headed for the nearest restaurant for a bowl of wonton mee. It’s just the size of a rice bowl, and cost HK$26 (RM11) for it.

This is our only lunch the whole team had togather at the same table. Hosted by our Hong Kong colleagues.

Tuesday dinner was Vietnamese, in a very nice setting.

While in Hong Kong, you should not miss the famous Yee Shun milk custard (義順雙皮燉奶), I ordered the one with red bean.

Had the worst lunch in this Macau Char-Chan-Teng. I ordered Portugese curry chicken, yucks! The white chocolate coffee was good though.

The most expensive dinner was in this Teow Chew Restaurant. HK$1500 (RM630) for the below dishes for 4 (one vege dish is missing from the below collage), expensive!!

This is the exterior of the Teow Chew Restaurant.

Last breakfast with Mom2Ashley before she left. The stew duck was rather tasteless. The fish skin that can be ordered separately is my all time favourite.

My last lunch – Roast Goose noodle and La Fermiere yogurt (best yogurt in the world! Too bad only found this on my last day, or else I’ll be having this for breakfast daily, and won’t be having the coackroach porridge)

My ex-classmate treated me to lobster dinner on my last night in Hong Kong. It was yummy! Lobster with Bee Hoon (米粉/rice vermicelli).

My ex-classmate brought me to those neighbourhood shop, I ordered porridge (can’t have enough of them) and cha-liong (炸两), which is not available in Malaysia. Yiu-tiao (油条 or fried dough) wrapped with Che-cheong-fun (rice roll). Quite delicious.

♥Sights♥
Whatever time that’s left after dinner, we spent walking about the streets in Hong Kong. Around Causeway Bay, and Women Street (女人街) at Kowloon.

Since we stayed in Causeway Bay, spent our last day shopping in Time Square.

Fruit market at Causeway Bay, and fish market near Sai Wan (西环). Most seafood sold is alive and swimming.

Around Central, IFC Mall.

When you are in Hong Kong, you should try to go on the ferry ride to and fro Kowloon and Hong Kong island. It’s a cheap way to see this great view (I think it was HK$1.20 per ride).

View of Hong Kong side from ferry.

View of Kowloon side from ferry.

My ex-classmate’s appartment in Pok Fu Lam (薄扶林) has this killer view!

♥Strange Sights♥
Girls dressed up as angels hired to stand and block the exit of the building, so that people are forced to walk through the rest of the shops in the building.

Spotted a car decorated with Sanrio characters.

Day 1 –
I had fish slices and century egg porridge in a small restaurant, let’s call it restaurant A. After taking a spoon full…
Me : “Wow.. nice. You want to try?” *passed porridge to Mom2Ashley.
Mom2Ashley : *after trying* Mmm.. yah. Nice.
Me : *keep thinking while eating* “Don’t know how they make it so nice….”

Day 3 –
I had fish slices and century egg porridge in another small restaurant, let’s call it restaurant B. Mom2Ashley ordered the house special porridge too. After taking a spoon full…
Me : “Err.. this porridge, not as nice as the one from restaurant A.. very blend.”
Mom2Ashley : *after eating hers* Yah la, the porridge from Restaurant A is tastier.

Day 5 –
I bought fish slices and century egg porridge (again) from Restaurant A again for breakfast, since it’s nicer.
While savouring the porridge, I kept wondering what they put in the porridge that made it so delicious.
Then I saw this………….
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Fried spring onion? Special root?
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o.O”

!!!#^!$^^($@#$!@%!!!

We were in Ikea last Sunday, and I just grabbed one of the soft toy, a dog, available from the kids section and placed it in the pram for Zaria to play with. When Zaria fell asleep, Zara took over the dog and started cuddling it, talking to it, stroking it.

At the check out counter, I said we’ll return the dog back to Ikea. Zara went, “Maah-meeEEEE. I really like it.” So I got it for her. RM39, not to expensive, ok la.

She immediately named the dog Fifi, claiming Fifi to be her ‘child’.

Now, she watches TV with Fifi, sleeps cuddling Fifi, she reminds me to bring Fifi along when I go pick her up from school. Zaria tails Zara calling after Fifi, “Fee Feet” but only gets to cuddle Fifi when Zara is at school and not watching when Zara is feeling generous.

The other day, Zara said in the car cuddling Fifi, “You know, mummy, I’m the luckiest person. Only I have Fifi. Nobody else have.”

Remember Mr Blue? He has been cast aside to make way for Fifi. “Mr Blue’s skin is so rough now.” That’s her excuse. She still lets Mr Blue sleeps with her on the bed, but only Fifi is in her arms.

My chilli padi Zaria is getting ‘spicier’.

Coming to 15 months, she’s learnt how to 争宠 or ‘fight for attention’.
If either of us we were reading to Zara, she will come with her book, squeeze for a space on our lap with her buttocks, and then say, “Book book.”

Although we trained her to sit in a car seat since birth, she still complains and wants to wiggle herself out (and most times she succeeds); possibly because both Zara and I sit at the back.

At meal times, we have to use a linen cloth to strap her up on her highchair (we never had to do that with Zara). When we don’t, she will get out of the high chair, and try to get on to the dining table (and mess the dishes up) or just stand on the high chair giving us the victory grin.

When she gets hold of the house key, she’ll try to reach for the key hole chanting, “Go Go Go..”, probably planning for an escape.

We call her the great Houdini.

She’s rather stubborn and no matter how many times we’d told her not to touch the rubbish bin, she still likes to put her hands in the bin and then exclaimed, “Tir-ty” (dirty).

On speech development, she is picking up words like a hungry sponge.

She now knows how to ‘complain’ when Zara snatched things away from her by screaming. When I ask what happened, she’ll point to Zara and say, “Che-che.. fight.”

She also knows how to relate experience in her simple English.
Once there was a thunderstorm and Zara was crying because she’s very scared of thunder. I went down and asked what happened, Zaria pointed to Zara and said, “Che-che.. (thun)der. *patted her own chest* Scared scared… Kai Kai (cry cry).”

She answers “Za-yah” when we ask her “What’s your name?”.
She answers “Za-wah” when we ask her “What’s jiejie’s name?”

When we go out, she’ll go to the shoe rack and picks up her shoes, claiming “Za-yah‘s“. And then point to Zara’s shoes and says, “Che-che‘s“, and then to mine and says, “Mummy‘s“

When she has snot in her nose, she’ll be telling us, “Nose.. wet, wet… dab dab (as in use tissue to dab)”.

She’s a sweet girl who hugs my leg and not let me get back to work; calls Jelly sweetly “Auntieeeee” when she wants something and nobody is entertaining her; most of all, she’s Daddy’s girl. Always happy to see Daddy, and always calling him, “Daddy.. Daddy..”

Just for the record, she’s 77cm tall and weigh 8.2Kg. And her lower left molar has sprouted, making her teeth count to increase to 9 teeth.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Have you heard of this saying before?

Two incidents we had with Zara which reminded me of this.

1st
I wanted to show Zara how a real Queen and Princess look like on movie, so I showed her the beginning part of Elizabeth, The Golden Age. When it got to the part where this fellow was about to have his tongue pulled out, I stopped the movie and told her that’s all she could watch. She said she wanted more. I refused, and told her they were too violent. She insisted, so I told her again the rest was too ‘scary’ and only adults can watch,
She said, “Next time when you old already, got scarry show, I don’t want to watch with you also. Then you cannot watch also.” o.O”

2nd
Both Zaria and Zara were fussing at the dining table, one spitting out her porridge, the other climbing on to different chairs and not eating.
Daddy said, “I think huh, both my daughters so yai-yai (Chinese : naughty), I better go and buy a cane already. Who don’t want to eat properly, I’ll whack her with the cane.”
Zara’s reply, “Daddy, you don’t buy the cane huh? If you buy the cane, next time you old already you naughty I also buy cane and whack you.” o.O”