A Not So Simple But Nice Lunch

Lunch on Saturday afternoon turned out to be a not so simple affair.

Tim said we were going to have a birthday lunch for Grace, so we met up with Shaun, Joni, Grace and Roy at Paddington Pancakes, one of our favourite place to eat in Queensbay Mall.

All throughout lunch, Shanna was hyper and not wanting to sit still...eventhough I gave her delicious bits from my plate... she kept whining to be taken for a walk. Strange for us as she's usually quite good.

See the pictures we took - all had one squirming little girl, and a harried-looking mummy.

Then I was informed that the meal was also a treat for me, a belated birthday celebration. Thanks so much, guys and gals! I had a good time catching up with y'all.

We did manage to take a rare family photo (after we got up from the table).

Shanna behaved admirably after that, sitting in her stroller the whole time we did grocery shopping.

Back in the car, she was guffawing away at some picture I was showing her (I forgot what it was about already). 'Smile until her eyes in one line.'

Doesn't it make you want to pry into the little girl's mind?

~ Audrey

On Your Feet, Get Set, Go!

Shanna the walker and dancer.


The chronicles of Shanna's journey from a stagnant infant to mobile toddler, in actual sequence:

1. Tummy to back flip
2. Back to tummy flip
3. Commando style crawling
4. Scooting on behind
5. Sitting up from lying position
6. Standing up (by pulling on to something)
7. Standing without holding
8. Walking with support
9. Walking on her own
10. Crawling on all fours

If you're observant enough, you'll notice that Shanna's progress may not be in the sequence of many other babies.
Example 1. she walked before she learnt to crawl on all fours.
Example 2. she is walking, but still doesn't stand up from the floor on her own without pulling herself up using something else

This is proof that every baby is unique :)

Shanna says...

Recent additions:

" a-na-na!" (banana)

"aa-uun" (up-down)

" unnn-na!" (umbrella)

My Baby and I

Dedicated to my baby:

My baby is named Shanna, means God is gracious. She calls me 'Momma'.

My baby takes baby steps, but sometimes I can hardly keep up with her.

My baby fusses loudly when time to get out of the bath, I tell her to stop, then remember I too loved to play in the bath.

My baby stands up in her bed when it's time to sleep, I give her a warning and get a kiss in return, my frown disappears and my heart melts.

My baby likes to admire herself in the mirror, whenever I look at her I see myself reflected in her.

She has my eyes, hair, skin and even her third toe is like mine, I never thought I looked so good but she is the prettiest girl to me.

She is very insistent in her ways and I see the determination in me coming out in her.

I wonder why she cried in the night - was she cold, hungry or teething. Or maybe she just wants Daddy and Mummy. She is after all, a baby.

My baby who just outgrew four pairs of shoes. Fourteen months ago her foot was the length of my pinkie finger, my tiny baby.

I get impatient when she eats really slowly and both of us are tired, maybe it's because she has only six teeth and a small mouth. Or is my cooking that bad?

I put her down with her toys and go off to do some chores, only to turn around and see her appear in my door with a cheeky smile on her face.

I am reminded that though I am busy with many things, to my baby, I am her world, for now. I am honoured.

I lie down beside my baby, she flips around and chooses the spot next to my face, pokes my eyes and nose, kisses me and falls asleep. I look on at her for a long time afterwards.

I see in her a miniature copy of me and her daddy, yet somehow better in every way, and realize she is our pride and hope.

Makes me want to be a better person, so she'll grow to be like her Father in heaven.

My first baby, a special place in my heart.

bz month for daddy

Daddy has been quite bz recently ...
i know that he went for squash tournament and lost in the first round last week... then every night D&M have to work from home and mummy have weekly night meeting right now... :(

here are the photos taken by D&M through out the month
my first sand castle
airplane!!! i saw it when it was very very far

my toes are buried in sand
standing with mummy at the seaside... i was scared

second time stepping on the sand

who do i look like?
my bear bear ... thank you aunty Sybil


ready to go to church
i can walk by myself with the push cart now...


lees' feet

:D
Shanna LYY

Double Celebration May 2010

Since I arrived, May is a month for double celebration for Mummy - Mother's Day and Mummy's birthday.

This year, Mother's Day was on May 9th Sunday while Mummy's birthday was on May 10th Monday.

Daddy says that even though both days are close together (sometimes on the same day), there should be two celebrations and two presents! Mummy agrees ;-)

So on Saturday (day before Mother's Day), Daddy brought Mummy and me to Kampachi Japanese lunch buffet at Equatorial Hotel. I overslept from my nap so in the haste of making it to the buffet, Daddy and Mummy forgot the camera, so no pictures. But we had a great lunch! I kept eyeing and pointing to other people's food while shouting 'ah ah!' and 'aammm', so Mummy made sure I had food to eat. I ate salmon, rice, tofu, watermelon... and Daddy and Mummy ate a lot more than me!

After lunch we took a nice walk around the hotel so I could admire the tropical flowers, waterfalls and koi pond.

On Sunday, we went to church and Mummy totally missed the sermon cos I wasn't willing to nap. Since I know there's a nursery with lots of toys, I wanna play! I like to stand at the toy box and take out the toys one by one and hand it to the nearest jie jie/kor kor/mummy.

In the evening, Daddy's colleagues arrived from Korea, so we brought them out for dinner... along with all other Penang people celebrating Mother's Day. We went to Setia Pearl restaurant for fish steamboat. Daddy was glad that we brought them out for dinner even though it was a 45 mins wait, because this is what Daddy's colleague brought for him from Korea!

Yiruma AUTOGRAPHED Special Edition (6- CD's collection)

The view from the restaurant

On Monday, Daddy took leave from work and brought Mummy out for shopping and movie (Iron Man 2). Using the free movie tickets that Intel gave out for Labor's Day :) Mummy bought a book for me, and Daddy bought a pair of shorts for Mummy as her birthday present. The rest of Mummy's Mother's Day gifts arrived on Tuesday when Daddy's US colleagues arrived in Penang :)

Celebration with me, 2 slices of cake, one for Mother's Day the other for birthday :)

My 'after-eating-cake' face

Mummy still can't believe she's into her 30's already! She feels better as some other aunty guessed she was only 24/25 years old :P

Happy Birthday Mummy and Happy Mother's Day to you!

~ Shanna LYY

P/S Daddy and Mummy are very busy lately with work so always behind in the blogging

We're into Recycling ;-)

7 months pregnant, wearing this outfit as a maternity dress.

Shanna is 4 months old and wearing her first dress. While I'm wearing the previous outfit as a regular top.

Shanna is 13 months old, and wearing her first dress as a regular top.

Little Miss Bookworm & Miss Manners

Shanna totally loves books. She would rather read than play!

She can be quite an engaged reader as you can see in the videos below. She was one year old then and her favorite word was 'ah ah!' and various sounds.







Now she is learning to say more words. Recent additions include 'Deh' for her Daddy and 'duck'. She is rather shy when trying to say a new word, she'll say it softly then turn her face looking away with a little embarassed smile :)

We're trying to instill in her good manners from a young age by teaching her P's & Q's. I started with teaching her to sign 'please', as I learned that reinforces submission to parental authority. Then she learnt how to sign 'more', and then 'thank you'. Now whenever she wants something she starts signing please :)

In this video, she signs
1. More
Gesture: Raise hands, point fingertips against each other.
http://www.signwithme.com/video_display.asp?ID=29&search=more
2. Please
Gesture: Place palm to chest and rub in circular motion several times
http://www.signwithme.com/video_display.asp?ID=31
3. Thank you
Gesture: Bring hand, palm in, from mouth outwards.
http://www.signwithme.com/video_display.asp?ID=65&search=thank%20you

We are now working on 'potty' (Gesture: Place thumb between index and middle finger and shake wrist several times. (In American Sign Language, this represents the letter "T" for "toilet".)http://www.signwithme.com/video_display.asp?ID=39&search=potty), which she has learnt to sign, but yet to associate with telling me she needs to relieve herself. I'm looking forward to the day when Shanna will be able to tell me that she needs to potty!

Happy 14 months old to our darling.

13 Month-Old Shanna @ KL & Melaka

Tim and I took 3 days leave from work and we had a nice trip back to KL and Melaka last week.

The journey started off pretty rough for our little girl who threw up in the car before we reached the end of Penang bridge when leaving the island. She was very good and didn't fuss at all even though she did not feel well. We suspect she may be having some motion sickness, as the week before, Shanna threw up also when we went to church. That time I didn't bring spare clothes, Shanna was outfitted in her cardigan and a pair of borrowed shorts from Clement (yes a 1 yr old girl wearing a 5 month old baby's shorts!).

Here she was dressed up nicely before church, how could we know she would be in cardigan and shorts next.

So I was careful to not to let her eat or drink much while in the car. Thankfully Shanna managed to take her naps when in the car and traffic was smooth.

In Melaka we went for Mother's day celebration twice, once in Equatorial Melaka eating Nyonya food, and the next evening at Machap eating 'ye wei' (exotic food). Both dinners were great - delicious food, nice time with family, while Shanna stayed up 2 hours beyond her bedtime...At Machap, we did not go to the extend of really exotic food, just had fresh water fish (patin), some deep fried wild boar with garlic (very yummy). I remember the last time we went there we had freshwater turtle and eel, so this time it was rather mild.

As usual Shanna enjoyed all the animal-viewing in Melaka: chickens, cats, dogs everywhere. No frogs this time.

In Por Por's garden

Us on the swing

In KL, we went to church for the first time with Grandpa, Grandma & Ah Yi. The nursery (for 1-3 yr olds) was really very well equipped, one big playroom with every kind of toy including swings, slides, rocking horses and a TV for playing Mother Goose shows. Another adjoining room had cots and sarungs for any kid that needed a nap. Shanna enjoyed her time there though she was a little tired out with all the late nights.

After church we went to Ikea and for the first time, we went home empty handed ;-) So many things there but we decided we didn't really need anything. We enjoyed a nice stroll at the flea market at The Curve, even though it was really hot.

Another two great dinners in KL, Mother's Day cum my birthday dinner, and a turkey dinner with a turkey saved up from last Christmas. Tim and I gained weight, just not Shanna as the little girl couldn't eat too much when in the car.

She likes the kiwi's beak in her ear just like that.

All in all, we had a nice time with family and look forward to our next trip home.

~ Audrey