Two things

Su Ern loves to clutch things in her little hands. BOTH little hands, preferably.

I have two things

I have two things!

What's funny is, she doesn't quite know what to do after both hands are full!

I have two things...

Erm... now what?

Genting trip 17

We up to Genting last weekend (again! hehe).  Su Ern was happy...

This one is Spanish dance

Jo Ern was happy...

Playing in the bathtub is sooo fun!

Actually we were there for a pre-CNY 'poon choi' dinner.  Some of the goodies present in the basin of food were abalone, razor clam, fish maw, scallop, dried oysters, mushrooms and other stuff that I can't identify.  Unlike hubby's family, mine has never been big on expensive ingredients and I basically still value cooking style/skill more than the cost of the ingredients.

Poon choi at Imperial Rama

The next day, it was the theme park again.  JE went on the flying elephant ride FIVE times in a row... I'm just glad it was hubby who took her and not me!

Happy girl on the carousel

Unlike the previous trip, this trip was a good one. :)

One notable snippet... I was pouring hot water to heat up SE's baby food. A few drops splashed on my hand and I said 'Oh Shit!'. JE immediately asked, 'Why Mummy chay OH CHEET like that??' Looks like I have to start watching what I say!

Good morning

I didn't get good pictures, but somebody needs a haircut soon!

Good morning!

Hmm? Why you look at my hair like that?

Sitting up

I didn't blog about this earlier, but SE sits up by herself already.  She started at about 6 months old, about the same time as her big sis. She's a sneaky one though. If you try to make her sit and she DOESN'T want to, she will stretch and stiffen her legs so it's really tough to put her down. My mum says this shows she's not a dumb-dumb!

Can sit already!

K, what's for lunch?

Goodbye 2012

Before 2012 gets too old, I'd better get this post up. :) 2012 was rather a roller-coaster ride for me. The highlights and lowlights:

1. Little Su Ern was born! My second, and final (sniff), cutie-pie.

2. Jo Ern has grown nicely. She is talking a lot, although she still cannot pronounce her 'S's. She can go to the toilet by herself now, yay! She only wears a diaper at night.

3. My hands were completely full managing work, baby, toddler and household. My aim is just to keep everything together. Personal growth is taking a back seat, though I do try not to look TOO unpresentable. :)

4. Things weren't great on the marriage front. Hubby closed down his ailing business. He had time on his hands and was raring to party/travel/have fun. While I absolutely couldn't go anywhere. Hubby felt tied down and became really grouchy. I couldn't talk to him without him snapping at me. We're better now, but we still have differing goals. Hopefully after our girls grow up a little, our family life would become smoother.

5. My maid Lina left on 1 Sept after 2 years, Annie came a few days later and left after 3 months, Reymelda came 3 weeks later and we're sending her back after 2 weeks. Argggh I really need a decent maid!

I just skimmed through my blog and realised I didn't go overseas at all in 2012. Big change from my previous jet-setting lifestyle before kids. Ah well, maybe another year and I can travel again with both girls. In the meantime, there's always Genting, heh.

This is Mummy's doughnut. But I wanna eat ALL of it

Next time I also want doughnut!

Papa baby-sitting

SE screams a lot when hubby watches over her.  I used to think it was hubby's fault for not doing more. SE would be screaming away and hubby would just sit beside her watching TV/surfing on his phone/staring into space. Now I realise what he keeps saying IS true. She screams no matter what he does! When I come over, she'd quieten down immediately.

But once in a while she's ok. Like when I finished my chores and came over to see this...

Zzzzzz

Awwww.

Maid drama

My 2nd maid Annie caught the flu and asked to recover at her cousin's place. She promised to come back and work until another maid arrives. But she didn't pick up my calls so end of story.

After 3 weeks without a maid, I was overjoyed when Reymelda came. I was quickly brought down to earth though. She whined on our way back home from the agency that our house was too far. She asked to wear shoes in the house. She asked for fresh milk, juice, fruits, potato chips and even my Toblerone. She eats 6 meals a day, making herself a cup of coffee 4 times a day.

Reyme cleans but turns the house upside down. She puts things in different places and throws things away without asking. She used up my expensive washing machine powder to clean the toilet. Yet she expects praise for her actions. When we criticise, she gets angry and mutters away in Tagalog.

She is impatient with the kids. Yesterday JE refused to let her carry her out of the car. This maid just left her in the car and closed the door. Then she calmly walked into the house and had coffee and a snack. She tried to forcefeed little SE when the poor baby wanted to sleep.

She thinks herself superior to the Cambodian maids at my parents' place. They tried to tell her to bathe JE with warm water instead of cold, that SE's milk needed to be heated up longer, that SE's food needed more liquid, but she wouldn't listen. She turned on music loudly and scolded my brother's maid when she turned down the volume for the kids to sleep.

Sigh. Reyme has only been with us ONE WEEK. I could go on and on, but what's the point. I've already asked the agent for another maid. This woman is truly appalling. For now we're thinking a lousy maid is better than none so Reyme is still around. My stress levels are extremely high right now. :(

Addendum... might as well paste this here since already typed to my sis:

JE vomited in the car yesterday. At home she started to gag so Kevin rushed for our small blue pail. He couldn't find it. Asked maid and she couldn't remember. In the meantime JE vomited and was crying with smelly vomit on her clothes, sofa, floor.

K: Where's the pail 

Her: Sir?

K: There's a pail here. Where you put?

Her: Oh (starts looking here and there)

JE vomits 

K: OK never mind, clean up the kid first

Her: I put the pail somewhere but now it's not here

K: Pail later. Clean her first

Her: Maybe in this cupboard

K: Pail LATER

Her: Maybe outside (takes keys)

K: CLEAN HER FIRST. LATER ONLY FIND THE PAIL

Her: Mam did you see the pail? I put it here

Me: Reymee clean Jo Ern up first. She vomited already

Her: I remember the pail but now cannot find

Me: LOOK FOR THE PAIL LATER!! CLEAN JO ERN FIRST!!! 

First time I have shouted at a maid! 

Genting trip 16 - rocky

What a rocky start to 2013!

Hubby had tickets to the countdown party, which of course I had to skip because of the kids. I was fine with that. What I didn't bargain for was getting food poisoning. My stomach started roiling the night of 31st Dec and I spent most of 1st Jan purging and vomiting. But we were already in Genting so I insisted that hubby take Jo Ern on the theme park rides. I trudged along, occasionally ducking into toilets, collapsing green-faced onto benches, vomiting into a plastic bag. When I told my colleagues the story, one of them laughed and said "kasih ibu" (mother's love). Hehe true indeed, what else would have stopped me from curling up in bed, with easy access to the toilet instead of struggling not to pass out/soil my pants/vomit in the theme park?!

JE had a good time in the theme park, which made it worthwhile for me. But she vomited on the drive back to KL and then twice more at home. So the night of 1 Jan both of us had crackers (with some meat floss) for dinner. She liked it though!

SE started vomiting 2 Jan. Today 3 Jan, she seems better.

Hope the rest of 2013 will be better for us!

Hardly any pictures taken due to lack-of-health heh.

SE: Ahmm my jie-jie

JE: Chu Ern is eating me!!