My Two Girls – All About Zara and Zaria

During the year end, there’s normally a lot of partying to do within the family. There are lots of birthdays to celebrate, and then Christmas and New Year celebration etc etc.

Here are some photos of 2007 year end parties (oh well, if you could call the eat-and-talk, eat-and-more-talk sessions parties).

Tasha’s birthday was celebrated in a Chinese Restaurant, it was also my dad’s early Christmas treat to the family.

Tasha’s cuting her cake. The girls checking out the Elmo Jelly cake

We had a Nasi Lemak pot luck at King’s Wife’s place on Christmas Eve.

My father entertaining Zaria; The older kids played charade while we adults do the guessing

We also celebrated Zaria’s 1st birthday together with my brother’s XXth birthday. Since Lilian from a Piece of Cake could not bake Zaria’s cake, I made it myself. Banana cake with Mascarpone frosting.

Applying the frosting and drizzling toffee just before it was served (kids have fun helping and licking the spatula). Not too bad looking for a first time effort (in frosting a cake).

Before 12am, kids were getting restless and eager to open up the presents.

All happily checking out the presents while Zaria was more keen on tearing the wrapper than the present itself.

Turkey was too expensive this year, so instead of paying for a RM200 bird, I roasted a RM14 chicken at home on Christmas Day.

Preparing the potato casserole; the chicken all roasted; the chicken ready to be served; the mix fruit and nuts stuffing

Last week, I was still working half days on certain days. Now that the holidays are over, it’s back to the grind! Baaaa!

I took half day off and sent Zara to her kindergarten today.

I was expecting a little reluctance, or maybe whining, or even some crying when I left her in her class.

She surprised me again. She just said her bye bye, joined in, blended in, and didn’t ask for me. Half the children around her were crying and clinging on to their mummies or daddies, and my little girl didn’t even look out the classroom to see if I was waiting for her there.

I sneaked out to the bank, and came back and class has been dismissed earlier than scheduled. I was a bit worried, and was trying to locate a crying face but I found Zara happily playing in the play ground. When I told her I need to go to the office to settle her fees, she said she would stay outside and play.

My, has she grown up!

Zara’s first day of school and no hic-ups. I’m so proud of my girl. 😀

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On the other hand, Zaria at home was missing me. According to the maid, she was whiney, crying a bit and kept saying “Maaaameeee Maaaameee”, looking for me.

This year went by really quickly. I guess having 2 young kids mean time is more precious and it vanishes before you knew it.

In 2007
Little Zaria got jaundice.
Zara caught a mild chicken pox.
Zara trying to get used to having Zaria around.
Zara toilet trained.
Indulged in Zara’s horse riding hobby.
We braved Frasers Hill and Genting Highland with the 2 girls.
Enjoyed Zaria’s first : First sit, first crawl, first solids, first stand, first laugh, first word, etc etc.
Finished my 3 months maternity and brought work home, started working almost full time at home.
Have Jelly joined us as an additional helper at home.
I declined a high profile and high stress role and instead chose to be a kooly.

In 2007
Baked a lot.
Girls getting to use to each other, and sometimes even enjoy each other’s company.
Braved Langkawi without the maids.
Went up North to say our thanks.
Daddy and mummy went for a holiday without the girls first time in 3 years.
I joined the blog for money gang.
Zara’s 3rd Birthday.
I got my medical results and am so happy all looks well except I have to watch my cholesterol.
Zaria’s 1st Birthday.

In 2007
3 of my good friends who’d been married for more than 5years, and tried for a baby for as long as I did, concieved.
One just gave birth to a girl.
One is expecting twins, a girl and a boy.
And I hope my best friend will very soon go pass the 1st trimester with no problems.

♥Happy New Year to Everybody!♥
♥Hope 2008 bring you Joy, Happiness, Health and Peace.♥

Zaria just turned 1yr old two days ago.

We have a small celebration for her cum Christmas Eve dinner at the Royal Palace King’s Wife’s place.

Zaria frowning, when she was asked to cut the cake together with my brother, whose birthday is just few days apart from Zaria’s

So how is this 1yr old doing?

Weight : 7.7Kg (lost a bit after her fever).
Height : 74.5cm
Head Circumference : 45cm
Number of teeth : 7  – Upper and Lower Incisors, left lower lateral incisors sprouted before the 11th month, upper lateral incisors sprouted this month.

♥Mobility & Dextirity♥
She crawls really fast nowadays.
She enjoys walking in the court yard (with pebble washed flouring) with her hands held but she won’t walk and prefers to crawl at other places.
She now knows how to get up and down furniture very well.
Able to crawl up and down the stairs on her own.

♥Speech Development♥
Started saying some phrases.
“Go kai kai“ : Go Out (of the house).
“Mum mum ker ker” : Eat Biscuit.
New words she picked up :
Cake
Cat
Go
Pis (Please)
No no
Tow (Throw)
Ah-per (Apple)
Tah (Car)
Tar (Star)
Pish (Fish)
Walk-walk
Poo (Put)
Poo Poo
Pao Pao (Chinese : Full)
Beh-Bee (Baby)
Ah-yang (Sayang, Malay : pat lovingly)
Ter-Tee (Dirty)
Meh-meh (Mei Mei, calling and pointing to herself)

She knows how to make sounds on demand, E.g. Ao for cat; Ugh Ugh for dog; Moooo for cow; Kghhh for snoring; and she clucks her tongue for lizard or gecko.

Able to listen and follow instructions, e.g. “Bring the book, and mummy read to you.” “Let mummy smell your finger.” Points to object or people when we ask her where the person or object is.

Able to do action on demand, e.g. “How Mei-mei brush your teeth?” She puts her finger in her mouth and moves it about.

♥Food and Milk Intake♥
3 solid meals a day, and I started introducing her whole eggs and fish this month (realised these animal products actually make her wet diaper super stinky!). Sometimes when we have chicken soup at home, I’ll let her have some as well.
She likes noodle, and not so keen on porridge.
She still loves to eat, but the amount she takes has reduced. She takes about 2/3 of a bowl (rice bowl) or less of whatever that’s served.
Tasted a bit of ice cream this month, but she didn’t like it and immediately said “Pao Pao”.
Ate her birthday cake (home made) and she liked it.
Still fully on breastmilk.

♥Sleeping♥
Taking very short naps these days. Once at noon, and another (by force) at 5pm. Total nap time doesn’t exceed 2hrs.

♥Emotions and character♥
Very strong will. If she wanted something and didn’t get it, she’ll fake a cry and go on all fours. Or she’ll keep requesting until she gets her way, e.g. She’ll keep saying “”Pis” (Please) if she wanted something and we didn’t give in to her, and each “”Pis” will be spoken with more anger until we give in or she’s distracted by something else.
Very loving, always kisses me, and hugs me.
Frowns a lot, especially when she doesn’t like something, and doesn’t agree to something.

(More celebration photos coming up soon).

My two girls rarely fall ill. *Touch wood*. Even if they did, they normally recover really quick, from a cough, a fever or a tummy upset.

But then this month, one week after Zaria, it was her turn.

For 3 nights, she had fever as high as 39, and I had to wake up middle of the night to sponge her, check on her, and even gave her suppository twice. She was rather happy with all the attention I’m channelling to her. However, I was drained.

Now that their fevers have gone, both girls are coughing, although Zaria’s not as severe as Zara’s.

Sometimes, when she gets a bit upset with all the medicine drinking, she asked if she could have the bum-bum medicine instead, thinking the suppository can cure all. o.O”

~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, do you read the label on those medicine they give to kids? I saw Paraben in Zara’s cough mixture, something we don’t want in our skin care and toileteries (most organic skin care and toileteries claimed they are without) now found in their oral medicine? Scarry.

I think I’ll go boil her favourite dessert, birdnest, instead.

Christmas is about ….

♥Friendship♥

It’s about…

♥Giving Help♥

It’s about…

♥Family♥

It’s about…

♥Togetherness♥

It’s about…

♥Love♥

♥Merry Christmas Everybody♥

~ From My Two Girls, Zara and Zaria, ZMM and Daddy

Zaria has started the clingy period, she always wants me to carry her, and used to fuss a bit when I didn’t. However, after her fever, she started to cry if I didn’t oblidge or didn’t get her way.

She will cry with big tear drops, sometimes even going on all fours, and slaps the floor with both her hands, banging her head on the floor in the process. o.O”

She wants to be nursed all the time. Making the milk sign every time she saw me. Yesterday, when she did that again 30mins after I’d fed her, I commented, “Milk again? You just had your milk.. Mummy don’t have so much milk you know. You think Mummy is a cow huh?” When the word ‘cow’ was heard, Zaria did a “moooooo”. Made all of us laugh. Haha… Anyway, this post is not about how cute she is…

Here are some shots of these ‘drama’ moments.

Oh, who’s coming?

Maaameee

“Beat!” She said, when I didn’t pick her up and she got a bit angry

She stood up and cried when she saw me walking away. See those big drop of tears?

(Thanks to all who’d commented with advice and encouring words in my last post, really appreciate it) 

There’s the office work to complete before the Christmas shutdown.
There’s the paid post to do to make some extra cash.
There’s time to spend with the two girls who now require as much attention.
My way of de-stressing besides going for retail therapy and having a really good meal which can only happen during the weekends is to get myself busy the kitchen.

Besides whipping out the Christmas pudding; I attempted to bake a banana cake with toffee banana filling and mascarpone icing; since A Piece Of Cake will not be around to bake Zaria’s upcoming birthday cake, I thought maybe I’ll attempt the feat this year. The icing needs to be worked on as it was melting real quick. I hope Zaria’s cake will turn out better.

I kept myself busy cooking for the 2 fussy girls (the ‘wai-sek’ or greedy Zaria is becoming real fussy with her food now, sigh, so I had added fish to her diet to give her food more flavour); and also made a real good Hokkien Mee or Har Mee. The latter, I just bought the spice, taught Tuyam how to make it and supervise her cooking.

Last week’s creation.

Banana cake with toffee banana filling and runny mascarpone icing

This home-made Penang Har Mee or prawn noodle is so delicious I tell you.

The girls’ fish slice mee suah (Chinese : Wheat noodle)

And for those who have asked, Christmas pudding really is a type of cake which is either steamed or boiled, and not the same as the jelly like Chinese dessert that we are more aware of. For those of you who are interested in getting the recipe, it can be found here.

Malaika’s mummy tagged me couple of weeks ago, asking if I spare the rod when disciplining my girls.

I don’t own a cane at home and I try not to smack Zara. However, at times when she really pushes me to the limit, I will smack her on the buttocks; E.g. the time when she pinned Zaria to the ground when Zaria tried to reach for a toy she’s holding; or when she broke an item in the house even though I’d repeatedly told her not to touch it.

Most of the time, when she’s misbehaving, I’ll put her in the naughty corner, set the timer, and told her she can only get out when the timer alarm goes off. Sometimes, she will even go there on her own when she knows she’s done something wrong.

Last 2 days, she really drove me up the walls. Not so about her behaviour, but the way she talked back. When we told her off for some mischief she’s done, she said something like this, “Hush!” “I don’t want to talk about it, ok?”, then turned her head to face the opposite side.

Then yesterday, when she lifted her dress in a busy shopping mall, and later pulled down her dress so that her body was in full view of passer by, both Daddy and I told her, “Zara, that’s not a very nice thing to do in public ok? You are a girl, please don’t show people your underwear or your body like that.” She sulked big time, refusing to hold my hand when we walked to the car. Didn’t want to sit on her car seat on our journey home, folded her arms and faced the car door throughout.

I tried to coax her, by saying she’s our daughter, and we were only saying that so she knew right from wrong. She replied, “I’m not your daughter. Zaria is your daughter. I am kakak’s daughter.”

Daddy said she must be tired (she didn’t nap the whole day) and becoming irrational. I tried to coax her still, by offering my hand for her to hold, by saying, “Come on, lets give each other a hug”. I must be in one of my more ‘zen’ state, because when she scratched my hand twice, and then slapped my face, I didn’t smack her. I issued my last statement, “We are a family, so please don’t behave like that, ok?” She pointed at me, daring me, and she said these slowly, “You   and   I   are   not   family!”

That’s it. I walked away. Very very upset (actually I was really hurt!). That was when she cried and shouted, “I WANT MUMMY!” “MUMMY I’M SORRY!….WAAAAH” And tried to hug me and not let me go.

Daddy said I shouldn’t take it too personally, she’s only 3 year old, and she is just like me, when I’m tired, I like to use words to retaliate which I later regret.

This is The Look she gives, when she talks back

Does your child do that to you? What would you have done if you were me? Should I invest in a cane now?

Bad news first

Zaria had her very first fever yesterday evening. Jelly (Daddy nicknamed her Jelly brains, which I think it’s quite mean, but then, she is, well,…. jelly brains) didn’t even realise, and I discovered when I came down to feed her at 6pm. Sigh. Her temparature was 38.4, and she was hot! Trust the maids? *shake head*

Brought her to see a GP nearby, and kept sponging her when we got back. She was very active still, babling, crawling, cruising, just like her usual self but took lots of short naps in between. 

In the night, it shot up to 39. Being the mum, I was the one who went sleepless; sponging her, checking on her, feeding her medicine. This morning, we brought her to see her paed just to make sure she’s alright.

She’s still running a fever, and probably fighting a viral infection, according to the doctor, she should come out of it by Sunday. So, more sleepness night for me.

Daughter fever, mother suffers. 🙁

Since we went to the paed, got her latest measurement :
Height : 74cm; Weight : 7.8Kg (thin…); Head Circumference : 45cm

♥Good news now♥

Zaria has started addressing me on Wednesday night. Not Ah Meen, or Mama, and I didn’t have to wait for 14 months like Zara.

She calls me in her sweet little voice, “Maa-meeee”, when she sees me and it’s in the mood.

Daughter fever, mother willingly suffers.

Maa-meeee