Cheeks to Cheeks

A Merry Christmas to all who celebrate this blessed day.

With Love,

Jon, Belle and Vien

We left later than usual this morning (‘cos Ms Belle had to do her #2) but managed to get to PAMF on time, 8.30 am on the dot. We checked in at the reception desk and waited…and waited…and waited. I had to go to the counter and inform them we have a 9am VCUG appointment. They told us to wait for the nurse to get us. Fine. We waited and waited till it was 9am. Jon had ask them again then only would they move their lazy arse go get the nurse.

Two nurses at the Pediatrics dept inserted the catheter into Belle’s urethra. Just as I laid Belle onto the bed she started to cry; and cried loud she did. One of the nurses pinned down her legs while I tried to comfort her, shushed her and held on to both of her arms. Thankfully the nurses were experienced and it only took them less than 5 minutes to get the tube into her urethra.

Where was Jon this entire time? Yup, he waited outside. I told the nurses he can’t bear to watch and if he did he would cry along with his daughter. They went, “Awwww.”

One of the nurses walked us down to the Nuclear Medicine department. That was where Belle had her VCUG done. The technician took her time explaining the process to us and tried to get toys to entice Belle. At the back of our mind we were, “Gee…get on with it lady! We wanna get this done and over with.”

Belle cried again and would not stop. The technician had to bring in a TV to distract her attention but that didn’t work. The technician even sang to Belle. That didn’t work either. She told us we have to try to make Belle stop crying ‘cos the crying will cause Belle to bear down the saline that was dripping via the catherer. No matter what we tried to do, Belle just would not stop crying. Poor girl, all those big equipment must’ve frightened her.

We managed to get her bladder scanned by pinning her down. It was a workout for both Belle and myself. When we walked out of the building, my little girl was still sobbing. She cried again when I put her into the carseat. All those crying tired her out and she fell asleep while sobbing.

Needless to say, I didn’t go in to work today. Belle slept for about 2 hours. I managed to cook her meal for lunch and dinner during those hours. Her Nai Nai and Ya Ya (it’s the Shaoxing way of saying Ye Ye) came by during lunch and played with her a bit.

We just woke up from our afternoon nap. Checked my phone and Dr. Martino (Belle’s pediatrician) left a message. She said the VCUG result is out and Belle is given a clean bill of health! Her bladder and kidneys are in great shape and there is no trace of bacteria in ‘em. I’m soooooooooooo glad! Thank you all who have prayed for us!!! I haven’t told Jon yet but will let him know when he gets home.

She didn’t see it coming. She was taken aback for few seconds when we told her “you don’t need to come from tomorrow onwards.” For a few minutes I felt triumphant. After chatting with DG (she said Vien 1 Nanny 0) reality slowly sunk in…

OH F**KIN’ SHIET!

I’m without a nanny now!!

??! ??????? (Die lor, how leh??)

Looks like I might have to go part-time (for sure). I hope the company is able to agree on it. ??…?? …?? …???!!! (Cantonese: hou fan…hou fan..hou fan..fan sei le)

My previous post has received the most comments in my blog. Thanks everyone for your 2cents.

Jon called this morning and told me the nanny pushed us to interview her “friend” tonight. I told him to agree but must tell her our plans might change as I’m busy at work. Apparently, this nanny of mine want her last day to be this Friday. What a selfish person!!! After all the things we have done to accommodate her needs, she laid this big atomic bomb on us! Mamabok is right, there are very, very, selfish people out there.

Upon hearing this, Jon and I have agreed to let her go and make her last day today. We have yet to tell her but will do so tonight when she brings her “friend” over for the interview. We can’t take this kinda crap from her anymore. (FYI, we might not even hire her friend)

Belle is scheduled for her VCUG tomorrow morning. Belle suffered from UTI before her trip to M’sia. This procedure will be traumatic for her. She had a catheter inserted into her pee hole to collect urine sample before. Since that doctor’s visit, everytime a nurse or doctor opens up her diaper she would cry right away. Her daddy told me he will wait outside tomorrow. He said he can’t bear to hear her daughter cry; least watch the procedure. I guess this mommy will have to toughen up and be the pillar of strength for her little girl.

I’m thinking of taking a day off tomorrow as Belle might need me after she had the VCUG. The appointment is set for 8.30am and since the nanny works till 2pm, I don’t see the point of her being there for few hours. It’s time for us to take action and return the bomb to her.

We have a nanny problem. At first she wanted to pick up her eldest daughter ‘cos there isn’t anyone to pick her up from school. So we made arrangement for my in-laws to stop by around 2pm for an hour. Then she wanted to work till 2pm only. We told her it is impossible for my in-laws to take care of Belle for rest of the afternoon. My MIL hasn’t fully recovered from her hip surgery and the FIL is still working. We compromised by having her work Tue, Thur and Friday 9am to 5pm; and Mon & Wed 9am till 2pm.

After a week of trying that schedule, she came back and told her she still wanna work till 2pm for all days. At first I disagree but Jon told his parents and they are willing to try out taking care of Belle from 2pm onwards. If Belle takes a 2-hr nap from 2pm onwards it will not be that bad for my MIL. Last Saturday we told the nanny to come by our house to discuss about her employment. We told her it is fair to us to deduct her salary since she will be working less hours. We had even emphasized we have been VERY accommodating to her demands.

Then she threw us a bomb. She wanted to work till 2pm AND keep the salary as it is! We told her we cannot do that. It is just being unfair to us. So what if she needs the money? Everyone needs money. We need money too! Sheesh!

Now, it is back to square one. I’m scouting for daycares and nannies. So the mah farn!

We had the family dinner at Precious Old China on a weekday. The in-laws and relatives met up with us at Central Market. My dad and cousin, Joe Shi, drove to Genting to pick ‘em up that afternoon. We walked a bit but didn’t buy much (‘cos I thought I would do all the cheap shopping at Bali).

I was told Central Market new owners struck a deal with the city (previously it was “bumiputra” owned) in which they will lease it for few years (can’t remember how many years) but the “city” will have no business rights. The new owners are M’sian Chinese and needless to say, Central Market has changed dramatically! They have revamped it into 3 major villages/wings within the building. There are the Little Chinatown, Little India and a Malay area (which looks more like a little Arab area).

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Belle received so many hong pao (Cantonese: red packets filled with money) and gifts. Daddy and I had a swell time unwrapping the gifts and counting the $$$.

She received a talking-singing-walking Winnie the Pooh from her Kau fu (Cantonese: uncle from mom’s side), my god-bro.

We had to lug all these toys and clothes back to US. Aiyo, entire luggage bag was filled with her stuff.

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While the in-laws and relatives were at Genting, we lazed around at home. All we did was eat, visited our Uncle’s shop at O.U.G. and had breakfast with my PoPo. Everyone from my mom’s family resides at O.U.G. This residential area has a lot of good eats and we always go to this Wanton Noodle store for breakfast. The owners married on the same day as my parents and their son is the same age as me.

Daddy loves his Ice Milk Coffee early in the morning.

My dad, Belle’s Gong Gong, loves this pic.

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This pic was taken outside my folks’ house. My mom loves these pics ‘cos it reminds her of my sister.

Belle loves to play with the stones every morning. My mom made sure the stones were throughly cleaned the night before or early in the morning before Belle played with them. At times Belle would try to bite on the stones.

Belle began to warm up to my mom. She would even allow her PoPo to carry her. Poor Gong Gong, still didn’t get that chance BUT that would change very soon.

We tried to snap a pic of her standing at the gate ‘cos my sis had one taken in that same pose. I had a difficult time trying to make her smile. She was just too grouchy that morning. We wanted so much to catch her at that pose to do a comparison as my mom kept saying Belle looks like Angela. But, I still think my daughter looks like me. The pic below will prove it..hehe…

We bathed Belle outside few times. Belle enjoyed the outdoor baths so much. The weather in M’sia is so perfect for such activity.

Belle’s birthday party was held on Nov 2nd at my parent’s house. My mom made arrangements for tents and had the food catered. Some of my aunts offered to cook a dish or two as well. The party was also a way for my mom to show off her newly renovated house. I must say this time around my mom actually did a pretty darn good job (renovating the house).

We had the party on a Friday ‘cos Jon’s relatives from Hong Kong arrived that afternoon. We had also planned their Genting trip with the relatives from Shanghai the following day. They had such a jam packed schedule; therefore, we had no choice but to have the party on a Friday. Friday was also a Pasar Malam (Malay: night market) day. My parents’ house located near the P.M. area and it would be difficult to drive into the road as the Pasar Malam crowd always cause traffic problem.

We were also afraid of the weather too. Ever since we arrived at K.L. it would rain (without fail) around 4pm. Luckily, it didn’t rain that evening. The tent crew came around 3.30pm and the catering crew came around 5-ish. So, what did we do during that afternoon. The pics will tell the story (be forewarn, it is quite a long post)…

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Belle’s birthday post will have to take a step back. Today I’ll post about food! *evil grin* This is for you Mamabok ‘cos you miss our local food the most.

Our relatives from Shanghai and Hong Kong were in town during our stay in M’sia. Their main purpose was to 1) celebrate this princess birthday and 2) visit Malaysia. Our relatives from Shanghai has never been to M’sia; therefore, my parents and relatives played hosts and planned trips to Genting and Penang for them. As usual, whenever there are friends or relatives visiting us, food is always the center topic.

My PoPo (Chinese: maternal grandma) insisted to treat the relatives for dinner. Hence, my folks and us have to scout for restaurants. My mom suggested Precious Old China at Central Market ‘cos they serve local dishes. The ambience was really nice and all the decos were kinda antique like. Their website will do justice to their furnishings. I did a search for the website of this restaurant and found out Boolicious had posted about it too.

Anyway, here are some pics to share…

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Lately I’ve been consumed by work and running after this monkey. Unbeknownst to me time flew by and Belle is already 13 month old. These are little milestones she has conquered:

Walking – She is walking so much and the only time she does stop is probably by squatting. I must had eaten a lot of calcium during pregnancy ‘cos this girl has pretty strong bones. She walks and walks and walks…just like the energizer bunny.

Climbing – I swear this girl can become an X-game contestant. She would climb from one chair to another and to the bed or sofa. She is learning the art of manupulating objects in her surrounding area and she has no fear! Despite falling off the bed numerous times she seems to have short term memory of all her falls. No matter how many times I’ve warned her she will “Bomp bomp” (Motherese: fall), she will not listen and still tries her luck at it.

Talking – She is beginning to word after us. She knows how to say “Bye”, “Ba ba”, “Ma ma”. She loves to substitute “ba” for the objects she sees. I would point to her her socks, she would say “Ba!”..point to a dog and it’s “Ba!!” again. The only thing she’s learning to say is nose and it ends up sounding like “na”. Her way of communication when she wants to get down is yelling on top of her lungs. That goes the same when we take away the toy/stuff she’s holding. The only way to stop her yelling is to substitute that toy/stuff with other toy/stuff. *sigh*

Singing - She loves music especially those that has fast rhythmic beats to it.  She will also try to sing and substitutes all words with “ba ba ba”. She will be a great candidate when comes to singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep”.

Dancing – This girl can gyrate! She would twist her body and swing both arms along with it. If she really likes the song she will also add the rocker style shaking head along with her dance.

Understands – She knows what is a flying kiss, wave bye-bye when we asked her to, she points to the nose when ask where is it at and understands how a game works once we show her how it is being played: E.g. We have a mini basketball box and the balls are made into shapes of animals. I had showed her how to throw the “balls” into the basket and she would imitate me.

Imitation – She loves to mimic us. When she sees her daddy cleaning the floor with a piece of tissue, she will grab a piece of tissue and start rubbing on the floor. She has this fascination of cleaning the floor and table with tissue/cloth. I hope she will continue to have this when she is older (can help me out mah!). Somehow, she loves to imitate her dad. There was this one time when we were at Shanghai, Jon looked at himself on the mirror (full length one) and fixed his hair. Belle saw that and started to raise both arms and messed with her hair. It was a funny incident, too bad we didn’t catch it on dig cam.

Food - She has 10 teeth now! Last 2 sprouted during the last week we were at M’sia. She is becoming very picky with what she eats. If it isn’t tasty (meaning salt-less) she will not open her mouth. She will entertain us by eating 2-3 mouthful of that “tasteless” food. After that her mouth will clamp down and we can’t even pry it open. She still loves her milk. Whenever she see us holding the bottle she will start giving us the fake whine that sounded like “huh huuh huuh”. We’re phasing in the sippy cup and whole milk (not formula) slowly. She is also starting to eat minced up meat/chicken, bits of steamed carrots, green veggies and cooked button mushrooms.  

Play – Yes, my little girl is learning the art of playing. She would purposedly go behind the curtains and pop her head out from it so that we can laugh at her. She acts silly by twirling around and around till she becomes dizzy. Then she will stop and at times plop on the floor and laugh out loud at herself. When her daddy starts to stomp his feet at a fast pace –as though he is trying to catch her– this girl will laugh out loud and runs away from him. Sometimes she will stomps her feet just for the heck of it. *mom’s eyes rolling*

It is such a joy to see her grow and kids grow up too fast. I’m glad there is this blog for me to jot down ‘cos I’m sure 10 years down the road I will not remember tiny details such as these.