PonyTales

Look at the title and you know I am talking about who - my daughter!

There are no other child that I know more other than Zoe. She has started to show us her true color lately and its fiery red when she is angry. I guess she inherited this from my side of the family…sigh… as I can see that Daddy’s side are quite mellow type.

Yesterday, she was in her moods again during dinner time when we are trying to go out for grocery shopping and dinner. We have initially just planned for a short trip of less than 2 hours as I am also not feeling well - another bout of food poisoning on Sat and lucky this time is not as bad - I am swearing off food from certain place now. Zoe is also having diarhoea again yesterday cause by her teething. She poo poo on the way to the car park and I decided to change her in the car and that got her super agitated. She was screaming murder when I put her down on the car seat and to top it off, we ran out of wet wipes. Daddy have to run took the leave upstairs to get it (not 1 or 2 floors but 18 floors) so it took a while. I manage to calm her down after the change and she was whiny a bit but after a while, she sat down quietly at her car seat.

I regret what I did later. I lean over to have a look at her and just merely adjusted her seat belt as I thot the position was quite uncomfy for her. With that, she screams murder again for the next 15 minutes until we have to turn back and head home. This is probably the first time she made us go back immediately cause it seems like she is gonna scream her head off if we do not. All this happen in less than half an hour and we get a really tired baby and stressed out Daddy and Mommy.

When Zoe is angry, it is really no joke. I also start to realise that she only wants her Daddy when she is dead angry. I can never pacify her at those moments even if I can perform magic or miracles. Maybe it is true that daughter are usually more attached to their father.

When Zoe went to sleep and it was all peaceful again, Daddy and I just sat down and had a brief chat on Zoe’s temper. Both of us agree that she have bad temper and we really run otu of ways to control that, especially when we are travelling in the car.

I try to read up on baby and toddler tantrums and found that we are not alone after all. There are many ways that parents have tried in those situation. Most importantly is the baby needs to be re-assured during those times that we still care and love her. I did just the opposite by scolding her and spanking her at the button lightly yesterday - which did not help at all. I have got a lot more to learn on this as I am also a fiery hot tempered person when I am not well. I read that it is advisable to leave the baby with someone else for a while, if we ourselves are unable to control our temper at the moment.

Most importantly now, I need to pray more, for Zoe and our family. I have been really slacking since Zoe arrive cause I have a lot of excuses of being super busy. I need God’s wisdom on how to be a good parent to Zoe. I need to feel connected to him again and do it his ways, rather than fumble and let my precious little one suffer from my ignorance and faults.

* this is not a paid post

Zoe is almost a year old now and we are considering a second stroller for her. Something lighter like an umbrella stroller that we can check-in to the flight without having to sacrifice less clothings and other necessities. We usually have to fly back to KB at least twice a year and we do not fancy bringing the current stroller that weight somewhere around 7-8KG, or maybe more. The flight only limit 15 KG per person, if not mistaken.

When I was pregnant with Zoe, I did not put much thought and research on the stroller. I have no experience handling a stroller with a child and end up just grab any which is reasonable and looks steady. After 11 months of handling the current stroller, I think I myself need a change more than Zoe…hahahaha!

I have been doing a lot of research on umbrella stroller lately and I particularly like the Maclaren series as they are easy to handle and stylish. They are the maker of light weight stroller that caught my attention initially and I like their concept of 5 seconds fold - which means u can fold the stroller in 5 seconds - easy peasy. How about setup - not sure about that yet thou!?

I have friends who are supporter of Maclaren and really recommend me to it and I have also read many many good reviews about the stroller. They are a bit on the pricey side for umbrella stroller and I am currently just eyeing on 2 models from the vast series available - which happens to be the cheapest models compared to the rest…hee hee

First choice is Maclaren Volo (a.k.a The Mercedes of buggy type stroller) ~ RM488 to RM599
The stroller is approximately 4Kg and the lightest (Yes!) in the market so far, but it doesn’t recline. So, if Zoe ever need to sleep in the stroller (happens only less than 10 times up till today), it will be a bit uncomfy. However, I love the design, available colors and the mesh fabrics used - I am thinking Zoe would love it too as she gets sweaty easily and that will make her cranky. It has got 5 point harness belt which meets the safety standard recommended (althou not evry child like to be strap down) Don’t you think its a cool ride?

2nd choice is the Maclaren Triumph ~ RM650++
This stroller is slightly heavier at 5Kg, almost all similar feature with Volo AND it can recline in multiple positions. It is more expensive probably due to its ability to recline?! I am just guessing…

The Maclaren series comes with other accessories also, like rain cover and carry bag, but thats just an added bonus.

I have checked with a few local suppliers past few days and found that almost all of them have no stock for the above strollers. So good!? All sold off!? One of the supplier are actually selling the Maclaren Volo at below RM400 - and I did not know about it…Cis!!

I guess I have got to wait till the stock comes in, which is next year when the sale season are over….blehhh…
I am actually thinking that the stroller would come in handy for our next trip back to hometown during Chinese New Year, or maybe I should just let her walk on her own (I hope). Cheapest mode of transport, Bus 11 (means our feet).

If you are reading this, what do you think? Any other recommendations from experienced Moms?

For the past 1 week plus, Zoe has been walking around independently. Now, she walks from the room to the kitchen to look for me, when she needs me. On the way, she usually would pass by her toy basket and she will either pick up the puppet monkey or the kangaroo (Daddy bhot in Australia) and continue her journey to the kitchen.

She looks cute when she does that and sometimes she just hold the toy with her mouth and let her hands free while she walks. I can actually see that she is using her hands to balance herself.

Last Sunday in church, we were at the sunday school. She was busy walking around and checking out what everyone doing. Some older kids were running around her and I was afraid that she would get imbalance (due to all the traffic from other kids) and fall down. To my surprise, she did not fall at all and was very careful with her steps. I am quite relieved that she can take care of herself….hahaha…too soon right!?

I was joking with my mom and hubby that we can consider taking her to HK next year for shopping and holidays, since she is showing good progress in walking independently (This is what happens when the baby is born to a shopaholics).

A mom with a 15 mths old baby girl was expressing her concerns to me when she saw that Zoe is walking independently and her daughter have not started to walk without support. I was speechless, in situation like this I do not know what to say but I felt her concern. The only thing I did was to pull Zoe over to sit on my lap so that she dun look like a little walking machine to the rest

A lot of people commented that Zoe develop pretty quickly. I cannot deny that considering her birth weight and she is actually almost a premature baby. I just thank God for this healthy and happy child.

She is very independent because there are a couple of times she refuse to let me hold her hand while she walks. She just want to do it on her own. Those times when she actually wanted me and hug me are precious to me now. Her hugs makes my day.

This is the season for giving. Sometimes, when you walked at the mall, there are just so much promotions that make one wanna buy it all.

I love giving presents…since the time I knew what presents was all about. The first present that I bought with my own pocket money was for my father. It is a shaver that cost only about RM2 (if I remember correctly) and I save each day 10 sen to get it. I felt a sense of achievement when I bought the present from the Indian boss at the sundry shop. The Indian boss must be wondering what a girl barely 10 years old doin so happy with a shaver…hahahaha
Heck, nothing beats the look on my father’s face when he saw the present I gave him. It was priceless…

I am the type who would spend hours making sure I wrapped the presents in the most presentable way. Buying gifts and wrapping presents makes me a happy person.

Over these few years after I am married and Zoe comes along, a lot of things have changed. My perspective of giving is somehow different. Giving is more of a sacrifice of ownself now, not just a present.

The time spent with a person is a gift
The effort spent to make something happen to someone is a gift
The untiring attention and never ending love is a gift
The unconditional love is a gift
The ability to put others first is a gift
The patience to nurse a sick person is a gift
The generosity to see others needs first is a gift
and many more that I have experienced just this year alone…

I am blessed to be able to experience all these and I thank God for the lesson learned. It is God and the people he put around me who taught me what gifts are all about. Not just tangible presents but silent blessings do create the greatest impact and are needed most.

I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I know it is a bit early but to me, as long as it is December, it is Christmas ok!

So…

A Very Merry Christmas to Everyone and Happy New Year!! WoooHooooo!!!!

Zoe turn 11 months old on Sat, 1st Dec 2007. It is always very easy to track it as she is born on 1st January - a new year baby.

She is slowly growing out of her babyhood and I really can notice that. Sometimes, I missed the time when she was just a small baby…especially when I see other small babies….hahaha…a weird feeling. She have this very meaningful look when she was small that I loved. Nowadays, she still have that look, only when she is tired and wants to be held…HaHa!

I notice her feet the most, they are so tiny when she was born. I remember telling my hubby haw small those feet and wonder how they could ever support her body to walk. Now, her feet has grown quite big for baby her age and she can already walk a few steps unassisted. I liked to watch her walk, can see the amount of effort she put to balance and open her steps. It is not easy, one will know when they try to program a robot to walk. With this, I think God is really awesome, He created mankind like no other. Who can really challenge God’s creation!!

She can speak more words now, althou it might not make sense to others who dun know her. "PaPa" is her first word and I know Hubby is very happy and proud about that, althou he try to keep it moderate. Now, she says.."ee ya, ee ya" to Old McDonalds songs, "Dah Dee", "Mum Mum", "sheshhh…Sheeshh", "Wou Wou", "Ahhh" and a lot other gibberish I yet to translate….hahahaha!

She is very sociable (in our presence). When I brought her out, she smiled at strangers and will hand things over to people when asked to (dangerous here). She was holding my membership card when I was paying at the counter the other day and happily handing over the membership card to the cashier when the cashier asked her. It sometimes amazes some people that she is friendly and she usually give a big grin when strangers smile at her. She loves children and will try to touch them when they are near. Some brave kids love her response while the shy kids run away complaining to their Mommies that the baby touch them….HaHaHa!

She is also beginning to use sign language to communicate with us. Sometimes, I wonder where she learned all these as I don’t recall teaching her. She rubs her chest when I undress her to indicate that she wanna take bath. She rubs her tummy when she poo poo, probably to tell me she got tummy ache. She waves bye bye pretty well and when asked to. She open and close her fists when she heard the twinkle twinkle little star song. She points at objects in books/magazine to indicate that she want us to tell her what it is. She claps her hands when she is excited and happy. She dance to the music that I played for her, especially nursery rhymes.

Zoe still loves to play with the remote controls and my handbags. She will take out everything from my handbangs to check, just like what the prefect did in my school last time during spot check. She manage to peeled off the plastic lining of one of my membership card. Noonooonoo!

She loves to play with our laptops too. But, I do not allow her to touch my work laptop. She manage to take out keys from the keyboards on our home laptop! I just wonder what else can those tiny fingers of hers do!

Recently, we went out shopping with my mom (this is a rare outings as my mom is always busy nowadays). I start to realise how cheeky Zoe can get when she knows she is in the company of people that love her. When Grandma showed her a toy, if she likes it, she will hug and kiss the toy and show her million dollar smile. End up, she got the toys she wanted because Grandma just cannot resist buying it for her. I tried to stop this type of pampering cause I read somewhere that it will spoilt the kid, and then I can kiss goodbye to ever bringing her out for shopping - I mean just window shopping…Ouch!!!

My Zoe…sigh…just another few weeks more to 1 year old….and I am already wondering how she would be like when she is 5, 10, 15…25!?

Anyway, she has brought a lot of joys to us and our family. A child is truly a gift from God, the journey of growing and learning is not only limited to the child alone, but us as parents grow and learn together as well. What a wonderful and challenging journey! I cherish every seconds of it!

This is Zoe’s Birthday invitation card…I just sent it out! It’s a bit early but since it is on a public holiday, I guess it’s always good to inform our guests in advance. By the way, I need to plan for the catering as well and lots of other stuffs. We need to pray that it will be a good day with nice weather, not too hot and not raining as it will be an outdoor party by the pool side. Fingers crossed!!!

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