(Mis)Adventures of a Malaysian mommy in New York

Miss Independent

2010-02-05T04:49:00.001-05:00

Olivia has become very independent these days. Just last week, she started taking her own shower. She wet herself with the shower head, put soap on her body and rinsed it off. She refused to let me help do her back and would try the hardest to do it herself. In fact, she insisted on doing everything herself, from getting out of the bath to drying herself with the towel.

In fact, I made the ‘mistake’ of drying her back and she threw a fit, crying and insisting I put water back on her back…..

After drying herself, she would put her pajamas on by herself. In the morning, she would dress herself with the outfit that I had laid out. Thank god she has YET to insist on choosing her own outfit.

Most people would say this is good, right….Well, yes, it is great that she is so independent but that also means she is growing up….TOO FAST! She is my baby……she is only 3 but acting like 13!

I wonder if this is a trait of a firstborn and an only child…..

Cute Conversation

2010-02-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

One night, Olivia saw me cleaning the toilet bowl. She asked me “Cleaning the toilet?” I said “Yes, cos daddy made a mess”…..hehe.

A while later, when she was going pee pee in the toilet, this was our exchanged.

Olivia: Daddy made a mess?

Me: Yes, men always make a mess.

Olivia: And you clean it up?

Me: No, ask the men to clean it up!

Olivia: And the men say No.

Watch Olivia read

2010-01-04T21:55:00.003-05:00

It does look like Olivia can read but she just has a good memory. She turned the page at the right moment and didn’t miss any word or sentence. I thought it was pretty amazing.

"Nobody Likes Me"

2009-12-26T01:44:00.000-05:00

How would you feel if you child told you ‘Nobody likes me’? I was having a conversation with Olivia about who are her friends in class and she said only C is her friend, followed by ‘nobody likes me’.

When I heard that, I felt a stab in my heart. We have all gone through the period where we felt that we were the odd one out but who would want that to happen to their child/ren. In addition, Olivia is only 3, I felt the children are too young to be mean to one another.

I told hubby about it and he was a little concern and would ask the teacher if it’s true. He managed to ask the teacher and this is what she says “Olivia is one of the most popular kids in the class.”

Go figure….I tell ya….we are screwed when she is older.

Little Gifts

2009-12-22T22:39:00.005-05:00

I am a handicap when it comes to arts and crafts stuff or creative ideas. My left brain is absolutely more developed than my right brain. I have no interest in knitting or crocheting and was never able to create any crafts with my own ideas.

Usually, during the holiday season and at the end of the ‘school year’ when Olivia move up to the next class, I would buy a little something for the teachers and assistants. It was fine when there are only 2-3 teachers but when there are 7 or 8, it could get quite expensive, especially in these economic times.

So, I was forced to be crafty. I decided that I would decorate glass jars with ribbons and put chocolate treats in them. I mean, who doesn’t like chocolates, right? This way, Olivia can also take part in creating the gifts by filling the jars with chocolates.

I came up with 2 versions – one with a bow and the other is just plain. What do you think?

Student of the Week

2009-12-17T21:32:00.001-05:00

Olivia’s nursery class nominates a student each week as Student of the Week (SW). The SW helps the teacher distribute materials, lead the other kids down the hall etc.

In the past few months, Olivia has occasionally came home with the teacher’s note saying she hit somebody, she drew on the table, she is not listening…..so I told hubby, at this rate, she will never be a Student of the Week….hehe.

So, imagine my surprise when Olivia came home last week with a gift because she was Student of the Week!! The gift is a book titled…..

LOL….how fitting. The book is about a girl pig named Olivia who is VERY mischievous. Sounds like some one I know…..

The Paci is gone!

2009-12-12T01:15:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to get Olivia to give up her paci for a while. I would talk to her about giving up her paci but she would usually say No. Over the last few months, I would tell her periodically that we have to give the paci to the Paci Fairy, who will take it to the babies who need it. Then the Paci Fairy would leave her a new toy.

I didn’t push for it as I believe when she’s ready, she will let it go. So, one night last week, she was cuddling with me before bedtime and I told her the Paci Fairy will come tonight to take the paci and leave her a new toy. She nodded her head and said ok.

In the middle of the night, her paci fell out of her mouth and I took it away. She woke up crying for the paci but I did not give in. I told her she has a new toy. At first she refused the new toy but eventually she wanted it.

The rest is history. She never asked for the paci since that day and never even cried for it. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought I would have some sleepless nights but everything has been easy so far. It is taking her a while to fall asleep but she will get use to it very soon.

So, write this date down: December 1, 2009….the date Olivia was weaned off the pacifier. Hooray! I don’t know what made me choose that day but like I say, always trust your mommy’s instincts.

Mommy 1
Olivia 0

Confirmed it was the Flu

2009-12-09T12:07:00.001-05:00

Ok, I’m upset. A week after Olivia first got sick, her pediatrician called to say that the culture that the specialist sent to an external lab came back positive for Flu A. Since they did not test for the subtype and H1N1 is a subtype of Flu A, she said Olivia most likely had the H1N1.

When I heard this, I flipped out because Olivia was tested 3 times (twice at the pedi’s office and once at the specialist’s office) and they all came back negative for flu. If the test had been more accurate, she would have been prescribed Tamiflu, instead of having to go through 4-5 days of high fever!

When Steve and I looked at her symptoms, we were sure that she had the flu, be it the seasonal flu or H1N1 but the pedi kept saying it’s not the flu. The morale here is: always trust your instincts.

Luckily Olivia recovered without any complication. I shudder to think otherwise.

Olivia got sick 10 days after getting the H1N1 vaccine. The BIG question is: Did she get sick because of the vaccine? Or was she already infected before getting the vaccine? To me, her illness seemed a little too severe as a reaction to the vaccine. Unfortunately, it is something we will never know.

What a week!

2009-11-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Olivia was horribly sick from the Sunday before last to this past Friday. She had a high fever of more than 104F for 5 days. It was very scary. Her fever was so high that her eyes were red from it. We took her to the pediatrician twice and also to an infectious disease specialist.

Blood was taken and cultures were swabbed from Olivia’s nose and throat. She tested negative for strep or the flu. The conclusion was a virus, which has to work itself out of her system. We were told some viruses could last up to 2 weeks.

Luckily, her fever came down to 101F on Friday and returned to normal over the weekend. She still has a cough but other than that, she was back to her normal self.

Meanwhile, I’m trying not to get sick though I now have an itchy throat and am coughing.

Olivia is 3!

2009-11-04T21:38:00.013-05:00

Olivia turned 3 two days ago. We had a party for her on Sunday at the same place as last year. This year, I noticed that all the kids were able to follow the coach’s instructions going from one activity to another.

First it was warming up – shaking legs, trying to smell their toes, being funny….

Then it was off to kangaroo jump on a long trampoline like equipment, roll into a pit, then up and down the slide.

Olivia loves jumping and she was the only kid who got pretty good height on the trampoline. Next is another type of trampoline where the trampoline material is a little softer. Again she enjoyed herself very much. The pictures say it all.

The last activity was the rock wall. Surprisingly, she was a little scared on this one. We have a little rock wall on the swing set and she climbs up without help but I guess this wall is bigger and steeper.

Olivia’s birthday treat from the coach is flying through the air. Initially she won’t let go of the coach’s hand but then she was fine. She went a little higher but she doesn’t want to swing for long, I think she was still a little frightened.

Off to the party room for pizza, juice and cake.

I can see the difference between last year and this year. Last year, all Olivia wanted to do was jump and run around, ignoring anything the coach said. This year, she followed everything that the coach said and was responsive as well. I also know she enjoyed herself very much.

Her actual birthday fell on a Monday and hubby went into her classroom to celebrate with her and her classmates. He brought cupcakes, took a book to read to the class and spent about ½ hour there.

My baby is growing up!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T21:57:00.007-05:00

Halloween is here again. What will Olivia dressed up as this year? Will I be a cheapo and dress her up in the Chinese costume that my parents brought last year?

Let’s see – on her first Halloween, she was a butterfly. Last year, she was a China doll (the Chinese outfit with pants). This year, I have the Cheongsam outfit. Should I dress her in the Cheongsam outfit or a different one? She’s still young enough that she has no opinion of what she wanted to be.

So, can you guess what Olivia dressed up as? Ready…..scroll down for the answer.

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ELMO!!

The costume was my niece’s. I told Olivia that she’ll be dressing up as Elmo a month ago and she has been talking about it ever since.

Grumpy Elmo.

Asking to eat the chocolate before we're done trick or treating.

It was an usually warm day and the costume is very warm. After about 1/2 hour of trick or treating, she was done. Everybody said she was the cutest Elmo.

"Graduation"

2009-10-29T08:52:00.004-04:00

Olivia recently graduated from a tricycle to a bicycle with training wheels. My in-laws bought this used bicycle for her in a garage sale 2 weeks ago. Guess how much it was? $10!!

It is in pretty good shape and Olivia pedaled home from the garage sale. This type of bike does not have a brake. You just pedal backward if you want to stop. Olivia hasn’t figured this out yet. She kept getting stuck when she moved the pedal backward.

She’ll get it at some point. Oh yes….I have to get her a helmet.

Which is funnier?

2009-10-20T11:41:00.000-04:00

In recent years, the number of children who are obese are increasing in an alarming manner. The school districts on Long Island have been trying to look for ways to get the students to eat healthier.

One of the ways is to ban students from bringing home bake goodies like cupcakes and cookies to school. It is a tradition among school children here to bring in cupcakes to school on their birthdays and share with their classmates.

Now, the funny part….I read in the newspaper a few days ago that one such school district is banning the cupcakes but is allowing pre-packaged snacks. Pre-packaged snacks!! Are they out of their minds?? Those snacks are loaded with SUGAR (main cause of obesity) and preservatives. At least, in home bake goods, we can control what we put into them.

Then, in the same report, one mother was lamenting “Oh, the kids are growing up too fast and we can’t even give them homemade cookies”. I was thinking; give your kids homemade cookies at home, lady.

So, which is funnier – school districts allowing pre-packaged snacks which are high in sugar and salt content or the mother complaining she can’t send in homemade cookies in her kids’ lunchbox?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely agree obesity is a problem in the US and people should eat healthier and drink WATER instead of soda. But, I don’t think banning homemade cupcakes or cookies is the solution. Getting kids to eat healthier should start at home; teach them to make better choices in food. Of course, kids will be kids and they like sweets but there are good sweets and bad sweets.

I don’t give Olivia candy or cookies. She only drinks water and diluted orange juice on the weekends during breakfast. You’d be surprise that she eats brown rice, broccoli and whole wheat bread. I know, I’m a mean mommy……bwahaha……

Like Clockwork

2009-10-14T01:10:00.000-04:00

Olivia would go to sleep on her new bed and like clockwork, would cry around midnight or 1am. She would continue crying until one of us go to her room. I would let her cry a bit to see if she would give up and go back to sleep but noooo…..her cries would just get louder and louder. I was afraid she would wake up the neighbors.

So, during the first week, I would go to her room, lie down with her and ended up sleeping on her bed. It has been 2 weeks now and sometimes hubby would go and also ended up sleeping on her bed. Luckily, it’s a comfortable bed as we bought a pretty good mattress.

We knew the transition would take a while since she has been sleeping with us for a few months.
I’m looking for a night light for her room, not sure if it would help, since she is so used to sleeping with somebody.

Again, I’m sure this is another phase in Olivia’s childhood that we would one day look back on and think fondly of, wishing that we could somehow recapture the emotion and hold on to her childhood.

What a Wonderful Age

2009-10-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

Toddlerhood is a wonderful age. As difficult and frustrating as it can be sometimes, it is also full of surprises and excitement with funny sentences coming out of your toddler’s mouth. A few examples:

1. Olivia wants to do everything from washing the dishes to taking out the garbage. One day, when hubby was about to take out the garbage, she wanted to do it. It was a 13 gallon tall bag and quite heavy. She heaved it over her shoulder, said “I have big muscles” and took it outside to the garbage can.

2. I was on the phone with my cousin who is now residing in Boston, a few nights ago and Olivia kept interrupting by asking “What’s the name? What’s the name?” This was the cousin we visited last year when he was in Ohio. So I told her, it’s cousin J. After the phone call, she said “I’m afraid of J”. Where did that come from? Hubby and I could not stop laughing. I doubt she even remember this cousin.

3. It is hard to get Olivia to do things sometimes like taking a bath or brushing her teeth. One night, she was being extremely difficult and I called in “reinforcement”, which was hubby…J. Anyway, she kept saying No, No…then she pointed to the home office (hubby works from home) and said “You go do your work.” We really shouldn’t laugh but couldn’t help it.

To all the mommies are there, enjoy toddlerhood because in a few years, it will be gone.

My New Dora Bed

2009-10-04T22:20:00.007-04:00

Mommy & daddy bought me a bed which was delivered last week. I had outgrown my crib and refused to sleep in it anymore. If you remember, I was sleeping with my mommy and daddy for the last few months.

Mommy put Dora sheet on it because I just love Dora. I also have a night table where I can put my books in.

I am still trying to get used to sleeping on my own. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I would cry and cry and mommy would come down and sleep with me. I get scared if I wake up during the night because it is so dark and I am all alone. One night, mommy was so tired that she brought me up to sleep with her and daddy.

At the moment, my favourite activity to do on the bed is JUMPING!

5 silly monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bump his head, mama called the doctor and the doctor said.........No more monkeys jumping on the bed. 4 silly monkeys.......

5th Harvest - Eggplant

2009-09-28T21:39:00.006-04:00

It's the end of summer and this is the last showcase of the harvests of my garden. I'm so glad the eggplant plant that my father-in-law planted for me thrived so well and bore me a few fruits. There are still 3 small eggplants on the plant but they were blemished as the birds are eating them.

Next summer, I plan to plant the vegetable that hubby likes or will eat e.g. peas, eggplant, peppers, squash and hopefully bok choi.

Till then.....

4th Harvest – Cucumber

2009-09-22T10:47:00.000-04:00

It’s time to showcase another harvest from my garden this summer – cucumber. I don’t really eat cucumber and hubby does not like them but since my father-in-law planted it, I tended to it and this is what we got.

I still have a gigantic cucumber growing since I just left it there….and I mean HUGE. I think I’m going to let it go back into the earth.

My First “Homework” Assignment and I Failed…somewhat

2009-09-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

Olivia started nursery school on September 1 and last week, we met with her teachers during orientation. Basically, she explained what their activities are during the day and they will be learning 1 alphabet each week.

This week is the A and Olivia has to bring in an object that starts with A to show her class. She also has to cut out a few magazine pictures that start with A for the class collage.

So, what starts with A – apple (boring), alligator (can’t bring that to school), asparagus (nah), armadillo (not available), avocado (perishable), acorn (YES!!)

There are acorn trees in our neighborhood and Olivia and I went for a walk to collect some acorns. Now, the magazine pictures are another story. Mua here does not subscribe to any magazines except for cooking magazine and I’m not about to cut up my precious cooking magazine.

Of course, I also could not find any pictures of alligator or armadillo in a cooking magazine. At 11pm, I had an Ah Ha moment, I look at the supermarket flyers that come every week and manage to cut up some pictures of apples, avocado and asparagus. No alligator (I know, I’m focused on alligator)….but at least it’s something rather than nothing.

Now, B would be easier, I have already identified which pictures to cut…hahaha.

A New Chapter

2009-09-10T13:53:00.002-04:00

This week mark a new chapter in my life. I started a new job today. I won't go into detail about how and why I lost my last job, which has caused me heartache for a couple of months. I was there for 5 years and it was really hard for me to accept that an unfair action was done to me.

In this tough economy, I consider myself lucky to be able to secure a new job fairly quickly. Today is my 3rd day on the job and so far so good. It is a small company and the people are nice and friendly.

So, I'm leaving the bad stuff behind and focusing on the future. A few months from now, I'm certain that when I look back, I wouldn't care about whatever happened.

Wish me luck!

1st day of Nursery

2009-09-04T06:23:00.000-04:00

Olivia started Nursery school on Sept 1. It was bitter sweet for me watching her walked down the corridor with her backpack that is almost as big as her.

After sending her there, I came home and felt like curling up and hide under the covers. I was sad. Sad that time is passing by so quickly. Afraid that my time with her is limited, only 15 more years before she goes away to college.......*sob* *sob*

Is it that hard?

2009-09-02T07:12:00.000-04:00

3rd Harvest - Potatoes

2009-08-30T22:07:00.004-04:00

I didn't plant the potatoes. They came up all their own, probably from last year's potatos which I had buried.

As usual, Olivia helped me. She is at that age where she wants to do EVERYTHING that I do.

Yummy Cherry Pie

2009-08-25T21:10:00.007-04:00

Since Summer is when all the seasonal fruits are abundant, I decided to try my hand at baking a cherry pie. The only thing that I thought was hard was pitting the cherries. However, I found out that pitting the cherries were a piece of cake as well.

After the cherries are pitted, mix them in a big mixing bowl with sugar and corn starch.

Then, transfer the cherries onto a pie crust, top with another pie crust, brush the crust with egg wash and into a 400F oven for 50-60 minutes.

The result. Best eaten with vanilla ice cream.

Now, when are those cherries going to be on sale again?? :)

2nd harvest - Tomatoes

2009-08-22T06:02:00.000-04:00

I reaped my 2nd harvest a while back - tomatoes! I have 4 tomato plants - 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 beef steak.

Waiting for them to turn red.

These cherry tomatoes didn't last long. As soon as they were cleaned, Olivia popped them in the mouth. She loves tomatoes.