Cheeks to Cheeks

Daddy has been sleeping with Belle for about 14 months or maybe more. So, this is a little note for Belle if she happens to read this when she is a lot older…

Dear Belle,

Your Daddy has sacrifice sleep and his bed for you. You are almost 3 years old, yet you refuse to sleep alone in the bed. Daddy wakes up every morning complaining how you would hoard the bed, leaving him little space to sleep. Yet, every night, Daddy will diligently sleep next to you. He knows you want to hold on to his arm when you sleep. He sacrifices his arm and sleeps in a very odd position. He knows you want to snuggle up to him when the nights are cold. He sacrifices his slumberland by waking up few times, making sure you are under the blanket.

So, my dear Belle, when you are older, do appreciate what Daddy has sacrificed. Daddy loves you way too much. Learn to love him back unconditionally.

Love, Mom.

I’ve been looking at my recent photos and have to agree that age is creeping up. I look frumpy and I’m not having a great time losing the last 10 lbs–the 10 lbs I’ve vowed to lose 3 months ago. The hubby had suggested gym membership but I’m the type who is not cut out to exercise (alone) in a gym. I want to lose the flab. I want to get the muscle contour like those spokespersons in the exercise machine advertisement. I want their body! Argh! Yet, I’m still here, sitting on my fat bum, typing away.

I wouldn’t discredit my laziness. At least I am surfing for the most effective workout online. Guess what I found? I found a workout that not only burns the fat but tones the muscles. It is like a combo-kick of martial arts, power yoga and dance.

If you’ve been through a workout session with a trainer, you will be preached the classis workout program: 1 day aerobics, 1 day weights and 1 day stretch exercise (like yoga). People like me will not have time to do it separately. I need something fast, something that can be done in one workout session. I also want instant results. Is there such an exercise program? I would think there isn’t but there really is such a workout program.

The 3-in-1 working by XFLOWSION is like screaming WOW! The site claims their workout will give “jaw-dropping results in 1/3 the time.” Now, this I have to see for myself. 20 bloggers will be given their DVD (the word FREE blinking) if their posts are chosen. I want to be their poster child. Hey, if they can make me lose the 10 lbs, their DVDs will be flying off the shelves. So, XFLOWSION, try me.

Want to know how XFLOWSION can really help you? Click on the highlighted link above.

At times like this, it is best to bask ourselves under the sun. My sunshine is her…

Hmm, probably a little more, will help me feel better…

Baby girl has grown so much…and of course, this lazy mommy hasn’t upload her latest pics. These photos were taken probably 2.5 weeks ago. Cassie has chubbed up since and is having 2 upper teeth sprouting. Teething has been painful for her. She hasn’t been drinking much of her milk from the bottle and constantly clamp onto my tits during the nights. I’m afraid this human pacifier aka Mom is gonna crash pretty soon.

But then, who could resist such a face? Whenever I see her chubby thighs and round cheeky face, I willingly surrender my tits to her.

Here’s one that makes me laugh…

Do you know the researchers have found out that having kids will shorten a person’s life? I think they’ve forgotten another rule: Laughter prolongs life. I guess with me laughing at and along with my kids, my lifespan has even out. So, if my life line (on the palm) states I’m gonna live till 70…then 70, it is. No minus nor plus.

Before Cassie came along, I have doubted myself. I have asked if I could love her as much as I love Belle (my older child). Then, wham…it hit me! Maternal love has no boundaries.

Here’s to you, Cassie dear: Mommy loves you very much!

The hubby called about the stock market crash but I beat him to it by blogging about it. I have been reading up on the news (since the boss is away) and all I can feel is a huge dark cloud hovering above the US economy. Everything is uncertain now. Big companies are cutting losses by downsizing their employees. The property market is still somberly slow. People are still sitting on the fence in terms of whom they should vote for as President.

At times like this, it is best to be at home and bake a hearty meal like sweet potato casserole and stuff ourselves silly with it. I’m beginning to worry for my kids’ future. Will there be anything left for them?

Oh My Gawd! Did you look at the Dow Jones?? It plunged 780 points…the biggest one-day point drop since 9/11. Looks like the House has rejected the $700 billion bailout. With the election nearing (on Nov 4th), I wonder what’s next. Well, at least gas price has dropped slightly this week. It’s $3.57 at Costco today.

Betul no mood today. Even the boss took the afternoon off (probably sobbing for money lost in the stock market). I guess I should take the chance…like they said, while the cat’s away, the mouse comes out to play.

I’m sure my mom is anxious to know what happens to our account at Washington Mutual. Well, we did the classic “run to the bank” when we heard WaMu wasn’t doing too well. We’ve opened an account at another bank and transferred half of our money to the new bank. I’m not too worried about the 2nd half (tho’ we are planning to transfer all of them by this week) because it will be insured by the FDIC.

Jon and I were keeping an eye on the WaMu stock and was planning to purchase them yesterday. They were as low as 2 bucks. Luckily we didn’t. This morning we looked at the WaMu stock, it’s under the water. I believe it was around 20 cents! JPMorgan has agreed to buy over WaMu and the federal government is going to help bail out (all sinking financial institutes) with $700 billion. It is $700 billion of taxpayers’ hard-earning money! Am I fuming mad?? You betcha! But then, if the federal government doesn’t help out, the economy will be worse (not that it isn’t already).

It’s just too depressing. We have been lucky that none of our friends and family have been greatly affected by it. There are news of people who can’t afford to pay their mortgage loans, home insurance, car loans or online auto insurance; and ended up losing their homes and cars. Looks like US is going through another wave of depression.

Poor Belle Belle ate something wrong and had a bad case of diarrhea that last since last night. FIL picked her up from the daycare few minutes ago and let me talked to her on the phone. While on the phone I asked how she is. She replied, “Mommy, I have die-ry.” I scratched my head for a moment, then realized she meant diarrhea. She even said, “I cannot eat ice.”

It so funny hearing trying to pronounce diarrhea. We suspect it’s the ice-cream potong she ate right after dinner.

Belle is at the “I’m sorry, Mommy” phase. I would reprimand her and she would blurt out, “I’m sorry, Mommy” easily.

This morning I told her, “Next time, you should not put stickers on Mei Mei’s exersaucer ‘cos Mei Mei will try to eat it.” Her quick reply was, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Mommy.” Sometimes when I tell her not to do something, she would reply, “I’m sorry, Mommy.” This cheeky girl thinks she can get away from time-out/nagging/scolding by saying “I’m sorry” first.

To top it off, she would give her most ke lian (Mandarin: pity) look and sounded as though she meant it. If there’s an Oscar award to be won, I should nominate this girl. She can be a great contender.

I’ve learned that laptops can be very useful when comes to feeding time. Belle’s bottom could never warm the seat whenever she’s eating. So, we’ve learned to improvise. My in-laws have a laptop propped up on the dining table and I have made good use of it. Jon would have YouTube running so that Belle could watch snippets of cartoons from it. I, on the other hand, clicked onto  Sesame Street’s website.

Sesame Street has online games that foster Math and Language skills. Belle loves clicking through the games and gets a sense of accomplishment whenever she gets the right answers. She has also greatly improved on her mouse clicking skill too. I think she’s better at using the mouse than her Gong Gong.

Looks like we don’t have to purchase toys like rc helicopters to entertain her. She can get all the free entertainment from the WWW. Best of all, she is willing to sit still, go through the games while we feed her. *Yea yea…she should be self feeding but we just wanted her to finish her meal so that we can get to ours.*

Blogging has taken a back seat lately. I have so many things to do, i.e. upcoming Ireland trip, renewing my passport, getting Cassie’s passport done, planning our trip back to Shanghai and KL; it just seems neverending.

Both the girls are growing up so fast in front of our eyes and I’m playing catch up with them. Cassie is quite a yakker. I should capture her blabbing in video. She is such a joy to have a conversation with. Her all time favorite game is peekaboo. As for her eczema, we’re coping. I brought her in for a follow up appointment with her dermatologist this morning. Dr. Lane said we’re doing a darn good job keeping her skin moisturized. That’s big brownie points for us!

As for Ms. Belle…she is our home entertainer. We don’t need to watch TV for comedy. She will entertain us with her antics and she simply loves dancing and singing. She will sing ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…even Burung Kakak Tua (a Malay children song) willingly. Come to think of it, it is too willingly. We would be walking along the grocery aisle and this girl would belt out ABCs right there and then. I’m not a fan of public Karaoke…and I’m amazed I gave birth to this being who just loves to sing in the public.

Woops! Look at the time. It’s time for me to leave. I’ve been so busy at work today and only got to blog for a few minutes. Oh, I forgot to mention I was at the chopping board this morning…being slaughtered like a chicken by the photographer. I went in to have my passport photo taken. 4 copies cost me $25!!! I think I was slaughtered and punched a few times just to make sure I’m dead. I had no choice ‘cos I really needed the photos for my passport renewal. And, take this, to renew the passport, I need to provide 3 photos…not 2…but 3. The photo studios here are not like the photo studios in Malaysia. They do not give out the negatives. Everything is instant and comes in 2 copies. So, yea, I had to purchase 4 copies because of that. *fuming* Ah well, better go home now. Adios!