The Diva Is Officially One!

Dear Oli,

Today (ok, 1.5 weeks ago), you turned one! Imagine that! All grown up and ready to conquer the world, you! And we didn’t even see you growing! But despite the fact that we can’t lavish you with our full attention, please, please know that we are always, and I do mean always, always proud of you, precious!

Right this moment, you have cut 8 teeth. The double eyelid on your right eye is more apparent now (phew!). You can crawl on your belly and your knees with the grace and speed of a snake. You can stand supported and are showing signs of wanting to stand on your own already. You love to eat. You don’t like to drink water. You still wake up one time at night for milk (pfft, which is pretty annoying lah girl please just sleep through lah can? Zzz). You are climbing anywhere and anything like a pro, and giving us that smug face when you succeed. You know how to wave goodbye, blow kisses, kiss on the lips, and do that layan cheek-brush when you don’t want to lip-kiss, or smack people’s face away when you don’t feel generous with your kisses (mommy does have divas for babies!). You are making the mama/mum mum sounds already! You loved to be tackled and tickled, especially by your jie jie. You love “reading”. You love imitating us when we talk on the phone, by clasping your ear with one hand and go, ah! Ah!. You clap hands when asked to. You clap hands when you see your sister achieved a task or danced or sang or being praised by the grownups. You put away toys. Yes. Let me say this again, you put away toys! How freaking cool is that?! This, my dear, makes mommy so, awesomely proud! Honestly, I really think you’re a genius. I have you on videos putting away toys on various occasions. Genius. Nuff said. 

You love to laugh. You love to cry more. You’re crazy active. You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, the type that just freeze you in the moment and you pretty much turn me into a blob of messy goo. You also know how to sucker up to me when I’m angry with you – by gently resting your head on my chest/shoulders, then slowly and lightly plant a kiss on my cheek, and keep silent till I give in and bear hug you. You go to sleep in a jiffy if it’s papa who put you down, but you’ll go all demanding wanting to hold my hand/fingers to sleep when it was me. You still drink 6oz of milk. You have curly hair! You dance when you hear music. Did I mention that you love to laugh?

Oh that laughter is just glorious. It’s the most carefree, hearty laugh. The best thing to happen in a day is to hear you and your jie jie laugh. Together. So if there’s one thing you can keep, my baby, is that God-given laugh. No matter what life brings you, just laugh that hearty laugh. And you’ll see, no problems, no heartaches, are bigger than God, you hear me baby?

You are a fast learner, Oli. And your jie jie is your ultimate partner in crime; she’s always so supportive of all the mischief you have up your sleeve. I do hope you both will stay close that way. Just tone down on all those mischief, especially those targeted at me, alright love?

We didn’t manage to celebrate your birthday in a fast food outlet with the mascot and lavish novelty cake as planned. But we did plan out a weekend full of activities for you and your jie jie. It was so tiring for both mommy and papa but looking back at the pictures now, it’s worth it. I wish we had done more for you. 

On your birthday morning, we had brunch with jie jie Rachel and Beatrice; and your birthday meal was a butter sandwich toast. Ain’t it awesome?! And that butter toast was just a starter baby! You have thus begun a relationship with oily food yo!

After taking a nap, you woke up and watched your favourite Madagascar (erm, I just made that up. Actually all animations can hold your attention). And later when papa came home, we brought you to McDonald’s! Haha! I was so excited I ordered the entire kitchen, I mean, we’re talking about celebrating your first birthday man! Bring on the fast food and the wicked black liquid (erm, coke?)! We had wanted to let you roam the playroom, but decided the boys in there were too rowdy (your jie jie got kicked in the face by them when coming down from the slide. Now, do you still think you want a brother?). So, you ended up in the high chair most of the night, chomping on fries! I’d say that’s a pretty awesome birthday already! 

And then! On Saturday, we got ourselves tickets to… wait for it… tada!

Hi5 baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

But then we were late by half an hour. As usual, because your papa did not listen when I told him a million times that the show starts at 3.30pm! Grr. And of course your jie jie was sleeping forever! So yeah. But still, we made it! Totally all out of breath. No matter, because they were awesome! One of the cute Hi5-er did the gagman style dance to the roaring applause of the crowd parents moms, actually. /shifty eyes 

Anyway! That was Saturday. And Sunday was your big day! We decorated the house a bit (I just love that old school accordian streamers that I made! That's right, I did craft! Hee! I wrote about it at friendlyfashion.my), changed the lighting, catered food, oh and I bought you a beautiful cake! And your jiu jiu made the most amazing cheese dip for the party (for your jie jie’s fullmoon party too. Well he has this foolproof, sure-win cheese dip recipe that will get him any girl, or aunty, that he wants, if he wants; you just have to get it from him later ok?) 

don't you just love the gradient? heart!

We invited your closest family and friends to celebrate the occasion with us, it’s a shame though your grandma from Melaka couldn’t make the party, but we will visit her soon so you can tell her how awesome the party went. 

OHH! And you were dressed in the most adorable ballerina costume! I’m talking about legit doll-face adorable with all the multiple folds all over your tummy and arms and legs! If only I can have that moment with you in that costume forever…

sorry doll, it's once size too big. hah.

Baby Olivia, darling, thank you for coming into our lives, into my life. Your arrival reaffirms that I can be that strong woman I’ve always seen in other mothers and thought it crazy impossible to be like that. You, have helped me to be strong, to be that mother that I never thought I could be. I may not be the best mother on earth, far from it actually, but I’m learning. And I truly thank God for you and your jie jie everyday. I mean, what are the odds for ordinary persons like mommy and papa to be entrusted with the two most beautiful girls in the entire universe?! Man, it’s crazy! Ahh but let’s not get sappy now, shall we (because it's one in the AM and ma eyes oh ma eyes are burning sleepy!!! =__=)?

Baby here’s wishing you a very blessed first birthday, my darling! I hope this first will propel you to greater heights in the many years to come! And may God continue to keep you in the center of his Will and Love!

Now go out and break some hearts kick some butts! 

Love always,
The One Who Gives You Those Good Genes 
a.k.a Your Mom

The (Sad) Story Of A Lazy Baker

OK, so by now you should know that I'm a lazy cook and a lazy baker; I love recipes that are hardly recipes, a bonus when the result turns out amazing, that recipe will get lots of loving and raving, like duh, obviously. z.

And so the story goes like this, I've been dying and craving to bake and eat baked goodies of late, but it's a little impossible (mostly out of sheer laziness) for me right now with my two precious tornadoes locked out behind bars constantly standing at the baby gate whining and wanting hugs and attention all the time.

And so the craving shot up to its max one day and I just HAD TO BAKE AND EAT NOW!

And so. I took out my mug, anyhowly spoon in some flour, sugar, salt, oil, cocoa powder, nutella, gave it a good stir and in it went into a saucepan of boiling water, to be steamed to its perfection, of course! Erm, because I'm... creative like that? 

I thought nutella mug cake is a foolproof recipe, I mean, 9 out of 10 persons who perused the method often came back with rave reviews, but yeah lah, maybe because I so smart go and steam it, not that the thing turned out awful, it just came out... funny. Like eating a mat salleh kuih. HAHA!

Ah well, the Frap took a bite and gave me the thumbs up. Heck, I took the first bite and gave her the thumbs up too. And then she refused it by covering her mouth tightly with one hand, and waving the other left and right vigorously to say no AND running the opposite direction by the third bite. Erm, maybe she's on a diet gua... /shifty eyes.

p/s ok fine, for reals, the texture was seriously like eating some kinda kuih, the taste was a little weird but I conclude that was because my cocoa powder has been kept for quite sometime, and really, by the third bite all my craving for baked goods are gone. For good.

Behold! Steamed Mat Salleh Kuih Nutella Brownies

Grace

When I brought Frappy's lunch out from the kitchen today, she quickly got herself up at the table, put her hands together, slightly bowed her head, and said:

"Ah ehka. AHH BAYBEE, ah oish ko, ah MUM MUM! NGAMI!"

O_O

Did she just said grace? I just sat there, watching in amazement, and for awhile there I didn't know how to respond nor remember how to laugh. Although it was really funny, I must say!

My baby just said grace! And "ngami" is amen; usually we would say grace and frap would end with ngami. The reason she mentioned baby was because normally I would feed her and Oli at the same time.

AND after saying her ngami, she called out to Oli,

BAYBEEE!!!! MUM MUM!!!!! 

To which Oli would scoot over in her speediest crawl with the widest smile on her face, eyes on the food. Eyes always on the food.

HAHAHAHA!

Ahh! I guess we stay at home parents live (and suffer the down times!) for moments like this, don't we? Is it worth it? I don't know, but it's pretty darn priceless. :)

Sleepless Nights (And Days) In ZeeZeeLand

My picture folder is piling up with more and more photos, my to-blog list is getting longer and longer, yet I just can't find the time (and uh, inspiration... or rather willpower haha!) to sit down and write!

But before I get to those pics and stories (including one angry-fying story about Charles & Keith! Hmph!), here's a quick one for the Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah chapter.

You see, we lost Oli's pacifier on Sunday //downcast// when we were out lunching at Subang Parade's Manhattan Fish Market; we paid, we walked out, we realized, we turned back, and these guys there say there's no such thing on the table. !!! I mean, how can it be?! To be honest, I was really mad, mainly with myself - for one how can I be so careless! For another I was really afraid the monster baby Oli would turn into comes Zzz time, but mainly for yet another, the pacifier was attached to a silver pacifier clip, couriered all the way from erm, somewhere, and a gift from my bro! //wail!!!!/// I was determined to keep it for good! //stabs self//

So anyway, we thought, fine, let's just take this opportunity to wean her off the paci. And the first day without it was surprisingly... normal! Oli didn't look for it! She slept through! So obviously I was very, very pleased! And very, very proud!

BUT dear everyone, let me tell you this, there is of course no such thing as normal, as smooth sailing in everything, and I do mean EHVERRAYTHANG! T____T The next day, Oli was looking for her paci high and low wailing for her paci because she couldn't sleep without it! OH MY EARS! And the same happened came night time. She didn't want to hold my pinky as how she'd always want to, she didn't want to be held, she didn't want to be sung to, she just kept pushing us away demanding for her pacifier! And then because it was 3 in the morning, because Jason needs to go to work in the morning and was tired and couldn't sleep, because she woke Frappy up too (technically the entire taman lah) and she too demanded that I pat her butt, and because I got fed up calming her down AND trying to make Frappy sleep, going back and forth between the cot and the bed, tempers flared, tear ducts broke, and so, Oli got a good scolding from the father. And in the dark, she just sat there and sobbed. And sobbed. And sobbed to her sleep. How heartbreaking is that!!!!! :(((((

This is the face from awhile ago...

All tired out, wiggling in discomfort, losing her voice, crying to her sleep, hoping to see her paci again. I read somewhere that for a child/baby to break a habit, it takes only 3 days. Just be patient for 3 days. 3 freaking days leishia (and jason!!!)! How difficult is 3 days right? No of course not! It's only 3 freaking days! 3 long days that can drive me to insanity.T_____T

Baby mommy's so sorry! :(