70% there

SE was regularly going to the doc about the anorexia.  We learnt a lot initially starting Dec 2023 but subsequent visits weren't much - basically progress (i.e. weight gain) wasn't up to mark, need to do more and to see her again in about 3 weeks.  Then in mid-April 2024, there was one appointment where I couldn't make it. The nurse normally calls before appointments but this time she didn't.  I was wavering whether to make a new appointment or not to bother until SE's weight was ok.   That's how the long gap happened.  We finally went to see doc again in Sept 2024.  I was totally expecting to be reprimanded for not taking her there earlier.

Surprisingly, things went well.  Doc said congratulations, SE was 70% there already.  She could be allowed physical activities.  And next visit in 3 months only, woohoo!

Only thing was medication was to be continued.  Oh well we shall get there.

My own assessment:

1.  Weight - good at 37kg

2.  Constant exercise - don't see this already

3.  Diet - needs improvement.  Her regime had been too-healthy food like plain yogurt/boiled eggs and she is resistant to 'fatty' foods like fries/cake/ice-cream.  She is still wiping sauce off food.  But the progress towards normal eating IS happening.

4.  Behaviour - out from the previous withdrawn shell of a girl and back to being herself.  For this one I am super thankful.

OK, dinner time!

 

Lantern festival 2024

The kids wanted to do a lantern walk again this year.  We adults were happy to indulge them, the more celebrations the better!

Ordered food (since poor Ah Kong is still not feeling up to dining out) from Jeff Lee Kitchen.  I've wanted to go there for a long time - actually arrived there once but left upon seeing the long queue.  Got their specialities - roast duck, pork ribs, steamed chicken, paku salad etc.  The funny thing was... my parents had eaten there A FEW times.  Deja vu hahaha - this joins other places my siblings and I had wanted to introduce them to, only to find they'd long checked out the place with their group of friends.

Food was ok, probably better if eaten piping hot at the shop itself.

First get rice for everyone...

After dinner, it was mooncakes and then lanterns.

Lantern walk begins!

Just us and our lanterns

 A nice slow walk then the kids started playing with candles outside the house (no eye see).

Crotchet

A few months ago, SE had a school project to sew up a pencilcase from a kit.  It was simple work to sew together the provided material.  SE.... kept coming to me to rescue the thing, having sewn the thread any old how.  It seemed impossible a person could repeatedly make mistakes but... there it was.

Fast forward.  She wanted to learn crochet.  With the pencilcase situation in my mind, I had inner doubts.  If ever anyone was all thumbs, this was a prime candidate.

Anyway, let her pick a yarn colour from Shopee.   

For months, she crochet-ed and unravelled, crotchet-ed and unravelled.

Finally, there were some results.  And one day....

Tadahh!

I was impressed!  Told her to turn the moomin to the side for a side pic.  Cheeky one turned her whole self...

Side?  Hehehe

All clothed

A bonnet and a dress!  I am seriously impressed.  :)

(No, I don't crotchet.  My only contribution besides buying the yarn, was helping to untangle the said yarn. Numerous times.)

Drinks not Food

While she has moved on from her tiny-eater underweight childhood days, JE is always more interested in drinks than food.  And the Mummy is someone who doesn't order drinks (unless it's coffee) if she can help it haha.  So JE gets drinks when the Papa is there, or when it's somewhere with special drinks, where even I am slightly interested.

Iced yuzu matcha

I have a drink!

Yes to drinks!

She buys only drinks at school recess time too, not food.  Must check whether this is my kid HAHAHA (oh wait she did come from my tummy). 

Ah Kong’s birthday 2024

My father turned 82, happy birthday! 

He was still feeling poorly from spine surgery though, and preferred not to go out as he cannot sit for very long.  So food was tapao-ed... Nyonya-style dishes from Little Yum Yum.  We like the cooking from this place.

All our favs

Sis made the cake...

Cake-cutting

All together now!

Happy birthday to Ah Kong!

The kids all got together and made him a card.  It's a drawing of things and experiences they associate with Ah Kong - in the center, the birthday cake.  Then around: his chair, his mug, him sleeping with Ah Mah beside touching his tummy, him reading to SE when she was 5 and various others.  Some need the individual artist to explain haha.  I thought this card is a very good idea!  It's drawn on A3 thick paper and is pretty large.  Currently it's stuck to a room door.

Birthday card for Ah Kong

It is my fervent wish he will get better soon and be able to do the all things he enjoys without having pain.  The spine surgery was in March.  He felt less pain soon after and we'd heaved a sigh of relief.  However later on he started having various pains all over the body.  :( 

Sekinchan Day2

As usual I would wake up first in the mornings.  SE is easy to wake and doesn't take long in the bathroom.  Hubby is easy to wake as well but needs the bathroom longer.  JE is HARD to wake and takes AGES in the bathroom.  Hahaha.

Creepy moomin/piglets are watching JE sleep

One of Sekinchan's attractions are now apparently these props.  These pics are from our accommodation compound but we drove past another such place.  Saw cars driving in dislodging people whose sole aim was to take photos with these.

If only the paddy fields were GREEN or golden YELLOW hmmffff.

Me and my mummy

Staircase to nowhere

The most green patch of paddy

We had shark porridge and stir-fried shark for lunch at Jiann Chyi - it was pretty good - before heading back home.  OK lah, it was a pleasant short trip overall.

Sekinchan No Paddy

Had a short trip to Sekinchan recently.  Conclusion.... I GIVE UP on catching paddy in season! EVERY single visit, someone decides to harvest the paddy right before I go!  Gngnnggnnnn.  OK story anyway.

The plan was a seafood lunch at Sekinchan, but traffic was heavy and we would reach lunch late.  At the moment, regular meal-times are very important for the sake of SE's 3-meal-3-snack program. Spotted this place, checked that it had good reviews on Google and u-turned to it.  

Let's check out this place

Well it was all right, nothing to shout about.  There was a butterfly farm a few doors away but they kindly told us that since it was raining, the butterflies would be hiding.  So we just had drinks to wait out the rain before proceeding to Sekinchan.

Our accommodation was this ex-swiftlet nest building called Padi Sentral:

We sleep with the birds!

I rather like the industrial style of the place - bare walls and little frills.  The floor was constantly very sandy - though it could have been us tramping the sand in!

Me and my pets shall take this bed

Looking out the window now... SIGHHH.  I had expected to be surrounded by lush paddy fields.  After I had diligently done my research beforehand on harvest season too.  Bleahhhh.  

Mummy's very annoyed about the paddy

Rested a bit then it was off to the regular touristy haunts - Grandma's house, Paddy Museum, the beach.

Actually not my grandma nor her house

Peace and love

My animal

Piglet done, Moomin-pig otw

SE says it's her and Mummy

We left the beach when it got dark.  We settled on Seafood D'bendang for dinner.  It got pitch dark and hubby was worried I'd drive into a paddy field hahaha.  Well I had Waze and was more worried about the late hour with SE's program in mind.  We were so glad to finally see the brightly-lit place - what an oasis in the darkness!  Food was slow but tasted pretty good once it did arrive.  

Tummies filled, it was time for a restful night. Ahhhh.