If ‘BPA-free’ is new to you, check out my posts on ‘AVENT and BPA-free bottles’ since July 2008 here, here, here, here and here.

During my last trip to KL, I bought 2 9 oz MAM bottles on sale for only RM50. One bottle retails for about RM35 now. Lucas rejected the MAM bottle so I’m keeping them for the new baby.

The MAM sounds quite good as you can wash the entire bottle clean – 4 detachable parts including the bottom.

I’m relieved to hear that MAM bottles fit into AVENT’s Isis Manual Pump because this breast pump works really well for me.

However, I had a terrible experience with leaks with MAM’s Smart Sippy Cup thus I’m not that confident in the MAM bottle…

Browsing the supermarket here, I stumbled upon Dr Brown’s 9 oz wideneck polypropolene (PP) bottle, which is BPA-free since it’s not made with polycarbonate (PC).

The salesgirl told me that it’s selling really well here and I can get each for only RM35 (versus RM45.90 in Malaysian online baby stores). Nipple packs of 3 sell for about RM20.

I like the concept behind the Doctor Brown bottle, which prevents gas, spitting up and colic due to its special vent system (although there are 4 detachable parts to clean). A tiny, thin brush is supplied to clean that pipe…

The bottle is also a clear plastic, unlike MAM bottles which are coloured. I also like the contoured shape of the bottle, which makes it easy for baby to grip while self-feeding.

I’m hoping that my tot will WANT the baby’s new bottles and then, I’ll be rid of AVENT bottles forever!!!

The thing is – has anyone tried Doctor Brown’s wideneck bottle with an AVENT pump? If it fits into the pump nicely, I’m going to grab some Doctor Brown bottles for baby!!!

Will you please let me know? A million thanks in advance…

With passport in hand and a note that I’ll need the letter for flying soon, we went back to the VIP Maternity Hospital.

They couldn’t find my personal folder (containing my medical booklet, blood test results, ECG tests, ultrasound scans) but later found that it’s with the business development manager. Huh?

Anyway, I was:
- weighed - 67.5 kg (yikes, I’ve put on 10 kg and I’m just about halfway there!)
- checked for blood pressure – 100/63 (normal although slightly higher than previously)
- given a blood test – pricked TWICE by a harried nurse who said my vein woldn’t co-operated and then apologized when I yelped OUCH! at the second jab.
- measured and prodded at the ankles for signs of water retention (risk of pre-eclampsia)
- given a hearing on the Doppler again – baby’s heartbeat is strong at 140 bpm
- sent to another floor for the ultrasound scan – Anyone on an ego trip will love the way my name is displayed on the board because mine had “VIP-xxxx” while others had “xxxx” LOL

The ultrasound technician was quite stressed because she had at least 5 more patients to see before lunch. When she read the special letter requesting that she help to identify the gender, she asked me if I had a boy or a girl. Then she asked what I’d hope the second one would be.

On hindsight, I should have just said, “I’d be happy if it’s a boy or a girl”. Instead, I said “a girl”. In the end, she said it looks like a girl so I asked if she’s 100% sure but she laughed and said even the doctor couldn’t give that guarantee.

We were sent back to the doctor’s office who said that everything looks normal. Before that, she’d asked if we wanted the Down-Syndrome test but we declined. Now, I wonder if we should take it…would it help if we knew or would it only make the rest of the pregnancy a miserable experience if we knew something?

Update: Found a great overview of ‘Screening for Down Syndrome‘.

Girls, the blood tests only show the % of risk you’re in. If you’re in a high risk category, the amniocentesis i.e. a long needle inserted into your pregnant belly can confirm if the baby has Down-Syndrome.

Think carefully ok because there’s risk of:
a) harming the baby and
b) a miscarriage.

Is it really THAT important to know? For us, we’re so thankful to God for being pregnant!

I’m asked to return a few days before our flight home as she’ll only issue the letter then. Yikes, I’ll have to bring the little rascal along because he’ll be on summer holidays then and Hubby doesn’t want to take leave for it O_O

We went for a nice buffet lunch and Hubby gently asked if I was psyching myself up to believe it’s a girl because I wanted a girl. That’s when I realized that I’m being such an awful Mum just because I want to buy pink clothes and other girly stuff…

You see, I’m just itching to go on a crazy summer shopping spree here but until I know its gender, I can’t really buy any new clothes. For now, Lucas is gonna be the lucky fella with new t-shirts, pants, shoes and socks! He’s growing like a weed too that I’m buying 4 year old clothes for him.

I’m also dying to spend my Paypal money on cloth diapers and other baby stuff LOL. I wanted to get some make-up or skincare products for myself but as I couldn’t find online shops accepting Paypal I may open an al-Rajhi account to convert the USD into MYR…

As you can see, I’ve made a ‘paradigm shift’ to one that’s more open and positive i.e. I’m just going to focus on having a healthy and happy baby

I want a DSLR but as I’ve already got TWO digital cameras and it’d be the most expensive item, this sensible mother thinks not the camera for now.

The iPod is perfect for the ultimate rock chick that I am but since I prefer music blasting out of stereos (versus blowing out my eardrums), the iPod isn’t that high on my list.

My woman’s intuition kicked in when Hubby started touting the Apple iPhone’s features…it’s NOT his style to promote gifts for me because he knows I’m super choosy and take ages to decide on an expensive item.

He finally confessed he needs a back-up phone after my mafia-style interrogation (minus the glaring headlights). Our toddler had dipped the spare phone into orange juice one mad moment!

Hubby gallantly offers to inherit my current phone (he always does) which means I get to choose a new one – YIPPPPPPEEEEE!

Hubby is quite excited over the Apple iPhone 3GS although he’s hesitant about buying it if it’s >RM1,000. I don’t think I’d want to carry such an expensive phone either!

Apple iPhone 3GS features:
+ Cool, beautiful design and interface
+ Great, low-light feature for camera
+ Voice-to-text feature

- Touch-screen interface – hmm…I love to press buttons so I’m not sure if I’d like touching a flat screen all the time. Not enough touchy-feely for me LOL
- 3 MP camera – pretty expensive upgrade from a 2 MP to 3 MP camera phone!
- Too slim – I sometimes see my mobile phone as a potential weapon – it’s gonna be too light to cause any damage to an attacker
- incredibly expensive – many men seem attracted to the Apple iPhone – I don’t want to be a magnet for muggers!

If I like the feel of a touchscreen phone and if the phone isn’t too featherweight, I may consider the LG KM900

Sony Ericsson W902

Reading the review, I’m already attracted by the:

+ beautiful, sleek design
+ 5 MP camera
+ high audio quality
+ price range of RM965-995

It feels like the perfect upgrade to my beloved Sony W700i! Can’t wait to check out if the predictive text has ’smarten’ up over the years…

Nokia 6233

My current phone in black which has been quite nice to use:

+ Bouncy keypad – nice for text messaging
+ Great speakerphone – loud and clear
+ Huge display screen
+ Nice design
+ User-friendly scroll bar
+ Camera is quite OK
+ Nokia’s smart predictive text/dictionary
+ Bluetooth

- Only one camera position – not that kid-friendly which limits his adventures in photography
- Slow camera download – Hubby and toddler are squirming with wilted smiles by the time it’s on
- Not user-friendly image scrolling
- No infra-red
- Irritating folder system
- Irritating contact management – a name may have 3 entries if you’ve entered a house phone, cell phone and an office phone

Sony-Ericsson Walkman W700i
One of my favourite phones which is now the ‘dead’ after the toddler dipped it in orange juice!

+ Bluetooth and infra-red
+ User-friendly menu and folder browsing
+ Excellent for listening to music – It’s a Sony!
+ Love using the camera – either snap using the scroll bar or the side button. Sliding lens cover. That’s why the toddler loves the phone so much
+ Excellent LED flash – I use it as a torch light sometimes!

- 2 MP camera phone
- Software problems – the phone would ‘hang’ after a while
- Keypad isn’t ‘bouncy’ enough
- Hate the scrollbar
- Pathetic predictive text – I have to spell out so many common English words. Stupid suggestions for Bahasa Malaysia and short forms.

Motorola T190
My first ‘cool’ and cute phone after using 2-3 ‘brick-like’ and flip Motorola phones. It’s been so long I can’t even remember why I liked the phone.

I think I probably liked the polyphonic ring tones but hated the super-small buttons on the keypad.

Anyway, I don’t think I’ll consider Motorola because I have horrible memories of this phone. Just 3-4 days after Hubby bought it for me, it slipped out of my jeans pocket and fell into a public squat toilet!

I was so traumatised because
a) it’s horribly DIRTY and
b) it’s my new phone.

I was crying by the time I reached in to rescue the phone, rinsed it off and ran out to show Hubby the dysfunctional phone. I think he was furious but not as mad as he should be because my late grandfather was seriously ill in the hospital then…

Here’s what I’ll be looking for in a mobile phone:

• a good camera – more than 2 MP
• Bluetooth (and infra-red, if possible)
• bouncy keypad for text messaging
• smart predictive text
• nice, contoured shape which fits into my hand without being too light or too heavy
• large screen with Windows-like menu to retain my perfect 20/20 vision
• easy scrollbar to search for photos or other items
• RM600-RM1,000

I can’t seem to find a nice Nokia upgrade to my current phone. Any suggestions??? If you’re a basic mobile phone user like me, I’d love to hear about your current phone!

It’s been really fun to have him here for a week – Lucas will definitely miss him but we do hope to see him again soon

This morning, I tried to get the toddler to draw 2 names from the hat but he didn’t want to co-operate so I had to get the “big” toddler!

Here are the 2 happy Mummys who joined the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” giveaway:

Please email me your contact details so you can start reading your books and show off words like “elliptical” to your friends hahahaha. Congrats!!!

Stay tuned for giveaways coming up…I promise you they’re FABULOUS

WE ALL FALL DOWN
Once, I was holding his hand to cross the road in front of the supermarket and he was naughtily bouncing across (he doesn’t walk!) that I tripped over his feet and both of us fell down on the pavement.

Hubby was horrified to see his pregnant wife and son falling like two sacks of potatoes – I was scolding the toddler loudly and he was wailing coz he’d scraped his knees! I was not hurt because I’d broken the fall by falling on my side but I was upset at falling down like a clumsy oaf in front of a very busy shopping mall!!!

Lucas got the scolding of his life that he stopped crying over his scraped knees (bad, grumpy Mummy) and Hubby decided NOT to let me hold his hand anymore – he’s more obedient with Papa anyway. Nowadays, he’ll stop 5 feet before the edge of a pavement and hold out his hand for Papa – when I wanna take it, he says, “No! Papa’s hand is strong…” (bleagh)

GRUBBY MUMMY
I knew that going to preschool a whole day would have its side effects and of course, it has to happen on the day you least expect it.

A few months back, I was in Hubby’s track pants and t-shirt (before I got my matenity clothes) and market slippers when the little fella decided he didn’t want to go on to the bus.

Instead, he ran around the pavement yelling and crying – I was having morning sickness then so you can imagine my having to scream (holding nausea down) and run after him…

Even the teacher coming down to coax him didn’t help. In fact, she drove him further away that I was worried he’d run onto the main road with tons of buses and cars coming. Since he kept yelling, “Mummy follow! Mummy follow!” I finally agreed and HAD to go. Luckily, I had a banana and a bun on hand.

In the bus, he lay his head down on my lap and sipped his water bottle happily and also ate the banana. His teachers and ayi were surprised to see me (and boy, was I sight in my messy hair, oversized clothes and slippers!!!) – I even had to borrow taxi money from his class teacher

HOUSE IS JAIL!
Lucas gets SOOOO naughty sometimes i.e. running around naked after a bath, not wanting to switch off the TV to put on shoes before the bus comes or slow in eating, I sometimes threaten to call the police and send him to jail.

He’ll say, “Ai go jail!” (I want to go to jail)
Me: Ok, let’s call the policeman. You don’t sleep in the room tonight, ok? You sleep in the jail with the policeman.
He: No! House is jail! It’s the same! (I wanted to laugh because what he’s saying is quite true but I kept quiet. He got angry when I showed no reaction and grabbed my face) Say yes! It’s the same!!!
Me: No, the house is not a jail. If you’re naughty, you go to jail. If you want to stay in the house, you be good.
He: Mummy naughty!!! Lucas good boy!!! Ni bu guai! Lucas guai!

Great, now he can protest loudly in 2 languages. I am SO TIRED when this happens because Hubby only sees a cheery, cute toddler who hugs and kisses him when he leaves at 7 am!!! I need a holiday…rv camping sounds good

WRONG BUS
We usually take the bus to church, which also takes us to a nearby park. Deciding to check out another park, we packed some snacks and went to catch the bus.

Seeing a different number, Lucas REFUSED to go up the bus!!! As the bus wasn’t going to wait, I had to urge a screaming, crying toddler up the stairs.

On the bus, he was still yelling and crying,

Lucas: This not wumber 3 wumber 1! Mai sit this bus! Go home! Go home!
Me: 31 doesn’t go to the park. 31 goes to church. We’re going to a new park…
Lucas: NOOOOOO! Wumber 3 wumber 1 go to the park. This bus no go to the park! This wrong bus! (Gets off my lap, stand on the gangway and yells at the driver) STOPPPPPPP! Ding che!!! (Now the other passengers know that we are FOREIGNERS and even the driver looks at him through the rear-view mirror and tells me to carry him)
Me: (cursing, cursing, cursing inside) Keep quiet! Stop it! If you don’t keep quiet, the driver will ask you to get off…
Lucas: This WRONG bus! STOPPPPPPP!!!!Ding che!!!
Me: (getting angry) Eh, if you don’t keep quiet, you’re not going to any park anymore. You’re staying at home!!!
Lucas: (ignores me and continues to yell and cry)
Me: (to Hubby) I think he wants to go to the other park. (Hubby nods and scolds Lucas too. No results.) Ok, let’s go to the new park one time. Only one time, okay? Next time go to the old park.
Lucas: (stops crying). Ok. Just one time.
Me: (In my heart – “Wait till you’re bigger, I’ll definitely give you the rotan!!!”

JUST WORK, NO MUSIC
One evening, he came back and heard music coming from my laptop…

He: What’s that sound?
Me: Music. Mummmy play music on the computer…
He: Switch it off! No music! Just work!

What a little slave-driver!!!

YOU FORGOT!
On my birthday recently, Hubby told him to wish me ‘Happy Birthday’ and also give me a kiss. He refused because he said, “No birthday cake!”. Hubby said he’ll pick up a cake later after lunch.

After the afternoon nap, Lucas woke up and stumbled into the hall. The first thing he did was point a finger accusingly at Hubby and said matter-of-factly,

“No ‘Happy Birthday’ cake! You forgot buy the cake! Mummy no cake!”

I couldn’t help bursting out laughing as Hubby sheepishly scrambled out the door with his keys and wallet, muttering, “Oops! Ok, ok, Papa go buy the cake now…”. Poor Hubby!

FINISHED ALREADY
Hubby came back late one night and I was telling him about our McDonald’s dinner and ice-cream snack.

Me: Lucas, tell Papa what you ate for dinner…
Lucas: Nuggrets! And burger! (He ate 4 nuggets and a quarter of my Big Mac)
Me: Ice cream leh?
Hubby: Wah…Lucas eat ice-cream ah? So nice!
Lucas: Why you talk ice-cream? Finished already! (Looking at Hubby as if he’s a moron for talking about a beautiful moment that was already over LOL)
Hubby: Oh, finished already. Lucas finished all the ice-cream? Didn’t keep some for Papa?
Lucas: No….(in a small voice.) Lucas forgot! No keep ice-cream for Papa…(looking slightly guilty)
Papa and I exchanged smiles.
Lucas: Next time ok?(and walks out of the kitchen).

Oh my God…we have a bossy little boy in the making. GROANS. I hope the baby will be able to stand up to him!

To introduce Mums to cloth diapers, here’s my guide a.k.a. Cloth Diapers 101 with a list of pros and cons (based on my own experiences). Feel to agree/disagree or ask questions ok?

Flats, white squares and the pre-fold
These are the traditional white muslin/linen cloth diapers that we grew up with. These white squares (or rectangles) were folded a certain way (and I love doing it!) and fastened with a safety pin. Pre-folds are the same squares all folded for you!

(Lucas, left, in Bumwear pocket diapers at 10 months)

PROS
+ Cheapest cloth diaper available esp for the newborn stage. If you plan to breastfeed, your newborn’s poo will be bright yellow and runny, which washes off easily. Since your newborn may pee as often as 6-10 times per day and poo about 3 times a day, it’s practical to use the white square with a waterproof cover. I’m planning to use my BumGenius 3.0 (minus the soaker) with them.

I line each nappy with a disposable liner (which are actually washable!) and only throw away the ones with poo so that the white squares are relatively clean…

+ Because they are absorbent and breathable, babies are very comfortable in them and you’ll find them popular among the grandmothers and mothers-in-law. You’ll need diaper cream to prevent nappy rash as urine is harsh on baby’s skin. I used Drapolene.

+ White squares are great as burp cloths, swaddling cloths or even kitchen towels once you’re done with them. In China, they slip a folded square behind toddler’s shirt to absorb the sweat, which saves changing my toddler’s shirts many times a day!

CONS
- Unless you get pre-folds, each piece needs to be folded before you can use it.

- Some folks don’t like to use safety pins (I’m ok since I buy those with a snap-in lock). There are funky items called Snappis now…

All-in-Ones (AIOs)
These cloth diapers are the closest to the disposable diaper you can get. I love them and wished I’d know about them earlier! Example: Freshbots.

PROS
+ So convenient!!! You use it just as you would a disposable diaper – put it on baby or toddler, snap or Velcro it on and go. Nothing to stuff, nothing to snap on. I’m looking forward to try other brands

+ Fully waterproof.

+ Easy to wash as you can dump the cloth diapers into the washing machine.

CONS
- AIOs take longer to dry because there are 3 sections: the external diaper, the internal soaker and the waterproof material (if it’s a natural fabric and not PUL, which is polyester).

- Baby or toddler may find the cloth diaper rather heavy when wet…

- If my wild imagination allows me, a host of germs could breed inside the internal layers since they can’t be opened up to dry in the sun! Thus, the obsessed Mother may sterilize or soak the cloth diaper 4-5 times to get rid of those GERMS. And end up using TOO MUCH WATER that using cloth diapers isn’t environmentally-friendly anymore!

POCKET DIAPERS
Pocket diapers also function like disposable diapers with the benefit of adjusting the cloth diaper’s level of absorbency (e.g. higher for nights, regular for days). Examples: Bumwear, BumGenius (below), Drybees.

PROS
+ Most pocket diapers come in ‘one-size-fits-all’ i.e. you use the same cloth diaper from newborn —> older baby —> toddler. Saves a lot of money in the long run as you’re looking at using the cloth diapers from 1-4 (or maybe 5) years. And for the second kid!

+ The diaper cover and and internal soakers can be washed separately.

CONS
- I HATE removing the urine-soaked or poo-stained soakers (or inserts) from the pockets each time I have to wash them! Of course, when I handed the dirty job to Hubby LOL he started complaining too And I bet your maid will stare daggers at you or curse you if she’s assigned this diaper duty!!!

- Polyester, not cloth. Pocket cloth diapers have a polyester fleece inner i.e. the material next to your baby’s bum, polyester microfiber soakers so you may not really be ‘cloth diapering’ your baby here. Lucas didn’t like Bumgenius 3.0 due to this and I’ve heard of babies / toddlers getting skin allergies too…

- Trapped heat – 100% waterproof may mean NOT breathable, which means your baby or toddler’s groin area traps heat, which isn’t healthy. I experienced this with Bumgenius but not for the more ‘breathable’ Bumwear.

- Leaks! I faced this problem when I started using Bumwear but with increased wash-and-wear, the problem disappeared…

FITTED DIAPERS
These cloth diapers come in sizes e.g. S, M, L or XL to ‘fit’ your baby or toddler. Most fitted diapers are not waterproof e.g. Bumgenius Bamboo Fitted (pic below), Loveybums, Swaddlebees (except for Freshbots AIO), which means a diaper cover is needed.

PROS
+ I love them because they are as breathable as the traditional cloth diapers your baby was born into. No worries about trapped heat or polyester here!

+ Fitted diapers have a slimmer cut, which is a bonus for babies / toddlers wearing cloth diapers under their clothes (esp little girls).

+ A variety of deliciously soft materials to choose from…makes the cloth-diapering mother or father appear like a pervert especially if you’re stroking your baby’s bottom once too often!!!

CONS
- You’ll find puddles of pee on your floor or carpet since it’s NOT waterproof.

- You’ll need different sizes to fit your child at different ages i.e. more $$$

- You’ll need diaper covers, which can be a hassle since it’s an additional item to put on the wriggly baby or toddler LOL

All-in-Twos
Simply an upgrade of “fitted” cloth diapers above i.e. the soakers / inserts are ’snapped’ or stitched onto the diaper cover and you can add another soaker / insert on top…is this correct??? Example Loveybums.

How I started cloth diaper-ing…
I started to use cloth diapers because I wanted to cut down on garbage and give my baby a bit of circulation in his nappy area. Since I was a full-time working Mum, I could only use cloth diapers in the evenings on weekdays or all day on weekends.

He was in MamyPoko at nights because they were reliable and I couldn’t fuss with inserts, doublers or soakers etc to ensure 100% soakability when I’m catching up on my ZZZs!

When I became a stay-at-home mother, I continued with this mixed system where he was on cloth diapers during the day and MamyPoko at night. Interestingly, it coincided with the time he’s ready for toilet training.

Cloth diapers are great for potty training because just after 3 months of being 100% in cloth diapers, my toddler was diaper-free during the day when he was 30 months old (We’re still working on the nights…)

Hope this overview on cloth diapers helps! Ready to try them out?

When we talked about the second baby, I couldn’t help but compare the differences between the first pregnancy and this second one:

At 16 weeks this time around:
- I only feel slight flutters in my tummy (compared to pretty active movements for Lucas);
- I have pimples!!!Hey, I didn’t get pimples when I was a teenager but now, I’ve got pus-filled ones popping all over my chin. A Chinese friend swears that it’s a sign I’m having a girl LOL
- Now that the nausea is over, I’m not as greedy or gluttonous as I was earlier. According to “What to Expect: Eating Well When You’re Expecting“, if you’re eating like a teenage boy, you could be expecting one. I am not soooo
- I’m not as ‘ugly-looking’ as I was when I was expecting Lucas. Seriously, nobody commented that I look ‘different’ now LOL Previously, my nose was huge, my face was puffy – even my teeth looked ugly in photos!
- And Hubby notices that I prim myself more this time around compared to my looking like a real ‘rag bag’ last time…

One thing that’s worrying me are twinges of “pain” on my upper left breast region (above and under the armpit). Since we can’t feel any lumps (I’m not good with self-breast examinations anyway), Hubby thinks maybe it’s the breast ducts at work? Anyone felt this before???

In any case, I’ll mention this to the ob-gyn at our next appointment.

Lastly, I feel kind of bad for not giving this pregnancy as much attention as I did for Lucas. No monthly updates and I’ve only just started eating steamed white pomfret…

Lucas has been a really good big brother as he’s expanded his “Hello baby!” conversations to include:

In the first pregnancy, my career was slowing down but for this pregnancy, my work has been piling up! I exercise more and the baby benefits from all the reading we’re doing – hopefully it all balances up

Since I bought the book after Lucas was born (on transit in Dubai because it’s such a good quality print, unlike the other books I got from Malaysia!), I find this book useful now especially these chapters:

• “Eating Well for a Comfortable Pregnancy” – morning sickness, food cravings, constipation, gassiness and heartburn…
• Healthy weight gain for baby and you – “If you’re gaining too fast!” LOL I definitely do not want to gain 30 kg AGAIN and neither do I want to take a diet pill,
• “Foods that make the grade” and “Eating Safely When You’re Expecting” – safe eating for pregnancy e.g. what foods are nutritious and delicious
• “Eating Well While Breastfeeding” – tips for vegetarians too!

While I find some chapters are a repeat of what’s found in What to Expect When You’re Expecting: 4th Edition, this book contains more information on nutrition.

What’s best about this book are the 175

“delicious, easy-to-prepare and nutritious recipes developed especially for the mum-to-be and her baby (but yummy enough to satisfy the whole family.)”

I’ve already tried out the Cauliflower and Cheese, Salmon Cakes with Tropical Salsa (thumbs up from everyone!) and Stir-Fry Beef. Will be trying out the other Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Japanese and healthy variations of American recipes next…

If you’re expecting or looking for a present for someone who’s expecting, do consider this really useful book!

* STICKY POST PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS! *

If you or your young Harry Potter fan at home (ages 9+) has finished the first six books, here’s a chance for TWO lucky readers to take a copy home

The seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series:

“Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows.

But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him…”

For 1 ENTRY, you need to:
a) visit 1ChildrenBooks and browse through the books for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and other young readers.
b) choose a favourite book OR a book you or your child would love to get and
c) tell us WHY in the comment box here.

For 3 ENTRIES,
- bloggers can post about the giveaway (including your favourite / most wanted book or a reading experience) and leave a link here.
- non-bloggers can share their own reading experiences or a funny, frustrating or somewhat memorable experiences reading with their child (short and sweet one, please!).

Don’t forget to fill in your email address on the comment form…

ANYTHING ELSE?
1. FREE DELIVERY for winners from Peninsular Malaysia. Winners from East Malaysia and overseas will need to pay shipping charges.
2. The giveaway ends at 8.30 pm (GMT+8) on 25 June (Thurs).
3.. My toddler will draw the winners’ name(s) from a hat
4. Winners will be announced on the blog!

Since I’m not in Malaysia, I decided to go for Western Union Quick Cash (free and payment available the next day). Payment was issued late April, which was around the time I discovered I was pregnant

Early one morning in May, (with visions of buying a new toy for the toddler, baby clothes or women’s shoes) an excited Mummy walked down to one of the many banks in China offering Western Union Quick Cash.

With my passport, Money Control Transfer Number (MTCN No.) and Google’s address in hand, a really helpful bank officer helped me fill in the ‘International Money Transfer Receive Form’.

When my turn came, I waited with bated breath as the teller punched in the keys, referred to my passport and then replied something in Chinese. Oops, a problem??!!!

The bank officer came over to translate and then told me there’s no money. That can’t be correct – I’d waited a week later to withdraw (to give Google Adsense time, just in case).

Seeing my expression, the bank officer asked the teller to try again – the result: The Money Control Transfer Number (MTCN No.) was invalid.

Last week, I visited the bank again and again, I’m given the same answer. According to Google Adsense payments guide,

# Western Union Quick Cash:
If you are not able to pick up your Western Union payment, it is possible that it has expired. Western Union payments need to be picked up within 60 days after they are issued. If you don’t pick up your payment within 60 days, your earnings will be credited back to your account and your payments will be put on hold.

Great! After waiting for 3 long years,

• I can’t withdraw my very first Adsense payment,
• My first Adsense payment will also be put on hold (by June 30),
• Nobody’s responded on the Adsense forums and
• I can’t get pass that ‘Contact Adsense support team’ questionnaire because there is NO option for invalid MTCN.

Looks like I can only let the payment go on hold (and finally get in touch with a human at Google) because:

“To release the hold, sign in to your account and visit your Payment History page. There, you’ll see a Required Action box – click the Please contact AdSense Support link within and explain your situation. We’ll then remove the payment hold from your account.”