And so, another month has passed by and the little guy is now 17 months old. He’ll be a year and a half soon! Wheeee! [[image:2013_0529_rafe15.jpg:Pleased as punch:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik can now pretty easily climb the sofa. He doesn’t need help or a boost, he can do it all by himself. He has trouble and needs help if he’s carrying something in his hands while he does the climbing but if he has his hands free, boom, he’s on the sofa before you know it! He enjoys sitting on the sofa, playing with his gadgets or reading a book. The bad thing is, he still doesn’t quite understand that jumping face-first off the sofa might not be the greatest idea. So we have sit with him and monitor him and make sure he doesn’t accidentally hurt himself. Adik is still quite obsessed with brushing […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Birthday
Also thanks to Cik Emma for the birthday cake
A list of blog posts where BIRTHDAYS were celebrated. Also, lots of food photos..
58 Months
Two more months till the big birthday! And how much do you love backdated entries! Woohoo! [[image:2013-yaya58month-13.jpg:My beautiful baby:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: No change. Nothing new passed through her lips this month. On the other hand, it is cheap to feed her and it is cheap not to have to get her any toys or games. I guess I’m a glass half full kind of person. 😉 We had some work travel at the end of the month, and fun travel to Chicago at the beginning of the month, and everyone did OK. We managed to do a big east coast tour during our work travels – saw the family in Maryland, friends in New Jersey and crammed a lot of socializing into a short thirteen days. Whew! Yaya really is a sweet child – I learnt that when we went to the Children’s […]
Continue readingRafe’s 16 Month Birthday
After another fast-paced month, Adik is now 16 months old. He seems to have grown so quickly – when I look back at pictures of him as a newborn I can hardly believe it is the same baby as he is becoming more and more of a person in his own right. We saw that with Yaya, and continue to see it with her, and now we are seeing it with Adik and this is definitely the greatest gift anyone can ever receive – the opportunity to watch our children grow and become their own little persons. 🙂 Especially when they are as funny as our Adik is getting to be! [[image:2013_0429_rafe02.jpg:Jelingan manja (coy glance):center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions As far as I can tell Adik still has eight teeth, although i think I saw at least one more starting to cut through (bottom jaw, probably a […]
Continue reading57 Months
The countdown is on to Yaya’s fifth birthday! 3 more months! Time passes so quickly – I can’t believe how big Yaya has gotten. Where did my little newborn baby go? 🙂 [[image:2013-yaya57month-09.jpg:Happy girl at the playground:center:0]] * Mouse over the photos for captions Food status: Yaya gnawed on a piece of bread and ate several crusts! Of course, it was the (pricey) artisanal loaf, the French Boule from the Dorothy Lane Market, but it was definitely good. We didn’t even say anything or encourage her to do it, she was biting into the bread and enjoyed it so much she ate it all, even the crusts! We rewarded her for it to hopefully encourage her to continue trying new stuff. Also, she ate another bite of pancake (she had more fun making it rather than eating it, but one bite is better than none) and she also had about […]
Continue readingRafe’s 15 Month Birthday
Adik is now 15 months old! One and a quarter years old! Since I’m always late with the entries and happily backdating it, I wonder if I should even mention that anymore. Ah well. 🙂 [[image:2013_0329_rafe13.jpg:Hi y’alls!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions We have confirmation of at least eight teeth now! Adik has four times as many teeth as Yaya did at this age, I think! And he is very close to being able to climb onto the sofa. He’s attempted it and can do it if there’s something on the floor boosting his height a little bit. It’s not long now, seriously. He runs around confidently. We have to make sure that he wears his little robeez shoes so his feet do not slip on the tile floor (a.k.a. “the brown floor”), otherwise he keeps wiping out every time he maneuvers a corner at great speed. It […]
Continue reading56 Months
Yaya is now four months away from her first half decade! 56 months now! Where did all that time go? [[image:2013-yaya56month-13.jpg:Marveling on the merry-go-round:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: something weird happened at the grocery store. Yaya surreptitiously took a bite of a carrot at the produce aisle. She chewed a bit and then ended up spitting it out (into my hand, ew!) but she randomly took a bite of an unwashed, unpeeled, unprepared carrot! How odd is that? After we advised her against taking a bite of unwashed produce, and encouraging her to give carrots a proper try next time (meaning: washed, peeled, perhaps even cooked or with dressing, etc.), we did reward her for trying something new with a game. Right or wrong, we didn’t want to stifle her experimentation with food by not following through on our promises. Sadly she did not try […]
Continue readingRafe’s 14 Month Birthday
And here it is not even a third of the way through March and Adik’s 14 month entry is here! As always, thanks to the gods of backdated entries! [[image:2013-adik14month-02.jpg:Look at all my teeth!:center:0]] Adik has at least seven teeth, possibly eight (although the eighth is unconfirmed at this point). * Mouse over the pictures for captions The boy is running now! He falls down quite a bit but it doesn’t keep him down for long. Up he gets and off he goes, to the races! He even tries dangerous stunts like walking with a towel over his head covering his face as he thinks that that is funny. We have to help to steer him so he does not bump into things like furniture and walls. It is amazing how far he’s come with becoming mobile. He used to trip and fall over even the smallest things, but he […]
Continue reading55 Months
And so Yaya is now 55 months old. Five more months before her first half decade! [[image:2013-yaya55month-05.jpg:Let’s make orange juice!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: no change. Although I did catch her tasting one of her own boogers, and she almost tasted a strawberry ice lolly. I did not however, reward her with a new toy for the little booger stunt. A small win: she ate pizza by picking it up and biting into it like a regular person (like Peppa Pig, apparently). Normally we have to cut the slice up into little fork-sized pieces. God forbid that the child gets her hands dirty in order to eat! We felt that having her handle her food with her own hands was a big win though. Also, Yaya has been helping Papa squeeze oranges and tangerines into juice. Sadly she will not taste the fruits of her […]
Continue readingRafe’s 13 Month Birthday
Another month, another very late blog entry! Again, we give thanks to the gods of backdated entries (whee!). [[image:2013_0129_rafe27.jpg:Drooly cutie pie:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions This month, Adik went from walking a few steps in a row to a pretty consistent walker. He walks all over the house and can easily go from the living room to the office without falling over or resorting to crawling. However, when there is a need for speed, he does go down on all fours to zoom away. He is so funny when he walks though – that toddler walk, hands up in the air for balance and kind of a pirate-like rolling gait. Utterly adorable! Last seen in this house when Yaya was toddling around. Despite its cuteness, it gets the job done. Adik has now found his feet and has gotten fairly confident on them. This means we are […]
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EOTE: Irfan Escapes Mos Shuuta
Edged by the Empire Episode 01 Escape From Mos Shuuta During the events of the previous blog entry, the GOKL gang also presented me with an early birthday: A Star Wars Edge of the Empire Beginner Game boxed set. At first the Star Wars RPG used the D6 system when it was licensed to West End Games. Then it used the d20 system when it was with Wizards of the Coast. The latest role-playing game to be adapted from Star Wars by Fantasy Flight Games now uses the special dice with symbols instead of numbers, much like the Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 3rd edition. You’d think it’d be complicated, but when I ran it the Beginner Game’s scenario entitled “Escape From Mos Shuuta” for Irfan it felt easy enough after we both got the hang of the rules. At some points Irfan was interpreting the dice rolls faster than I […]
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Another Ain Birthday
Last night, Cik Ma & Cik Su took us out for Ain’s belated birthday dinner! Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve known Ain for so long and it seems like we’ve only met yesterday. But most of the times, I’m grateful for her and I know why life put her by my side. For her strength and resilience, I can’t see anyone else in that position. Happy birthday, Bini jadi. And thanks for the chicken, Cik Ma & Cik Su!
Continue reading54 Months
And so Yaya is officially four and a half! 54 months! Where did all the time go? My little baby isn’t so little anymore! [[image:2013-yaya54month-13.jpg:Happy girl:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Happy New Year! I think I forgot to wish everyone that earlier. 🙂 So, at four and a half, Yaya still has not expanded her palate. We had some small successes (very sad). Suffice it to say, in order to get a new toy, she actually sipped a little soda (I won’t even say what kind because it is shocking I tell you, shocking!). And we not only let her try it, we encouraged it. She had three sips of it to qualify for her toy, and off she went. Also, she licked an orange lollipop. For a new game, of course. So the new things that she tried this month was soda and orange flavored lollipop. […]
Continue readingThe one with the (second) first birthday party
So two weeks (and a day) after Adik’s first birthday we had a small gathering of friends and neighbors at our home, to celebrate Adik’s birthday (again!). [[image:2013_rafe1stbday03.jpg:Another party! Yay!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions It sure is much harder to prepare to get anything completed on time with two little kids running around, but we did our best. Thanks to our guests for their patience in waiting for the food to be served and the festivities to commence. [[image:2013_rafe1stbday01.jpg:The group:center:0]] [[image:2013_rafe1stbday02.jpg:Yaya getting tips from Natalie, a real artist:center:0]] Finally food is served and it is time for cake! Thanks to Natalie for taking these photos while Vin and I ran around being party hosts. Unfortunately, it did mean that we didn’t get very many photos of Natalie herself. [[image:2013_rafe1stbday04.jpg:Yaya can’t wait to blow out the candle, while Adik wants to get his hands on the cake:center:0]] [[image:2013_rafe1stbday05.jpg:Happy […]
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Irfan Meets Cousin Zara
Zara Arissa, sister of Aiman, arrived 12 days before 2013 did, so we took a trip to visit the young one at Pasir Mas. Unlike her brother we couldn’t be there to greet her at the hospital because of distance. When we arrived, she was sleeping soundly and safely swaddled. The cousins played with Lego cars that is now available in Shell stations. Zara however, was still unaware of the existence of Legos. She’s awake! Obviously, she’s nonplussed by the sudden increase in house occupants. Irfan, just like with Aiman and Yaya, tried to be the best older cousin that he could be. Meanwhile outside, it was a little wet because of a rainfall after a warm and dry day when we arrived. The plantain and longan were probably grateful of this fact. The next day, as the cousins played louder and more vigorously inside, the skies opened up. This […]
Continue readingRafe’s 12 Month (First!) Birthday
And now, Yaya can no longer declare that Adik is zero years old! The boy is now one! Yayyyyy!! He’s pretty pleased about it, too! [[image:2012_1229_rafe28.jpg:What you get when you ask him to smiiiiiile:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions It is just staggering how quickly a year has passed. Adik is no longer a tiny little newborn, but a fun little boy – he’s become a real person with a sense of humor, preferences that he can communicate, and a wonderfully sweet attitude to life. He’s a lovely easy-going baby, and happiest most when everyone is playing and laughing. In this past month, Adik has gone from being a world-class crawler to an almost-toddler. He can now walk about six steps independently. He loves to hold our hand (only one though!) and walks around getting into everything. He still is primarily a crawler – and it is amazing […]
Continue reading53 Months
53 Months! Again, backdated. She’s really getting close to her 54th month, but let’s not go there, yes? [[image:2012-yaya53month-04.jpg:Mama tied a ribbon in my hair:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions It has been a busy month. Lots of work to finish up, deadlines to meet, during the lead up to the end of the year, and then the Winter Break occurred. Yes, I realize I backdated this post, but I am using some photos from our after-Christmas trip (cheater! cheater!). No traveling until after the girl’s actual birthday, but then some traveling after Christmas. As you will see. Yaya is still on the no new games or new toys until she tries something new to eat. She did not try anything new, therefore, she did not get any new toys or games. Kind of nice for the wallet though – you want a new game or toy? What […]
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