Well, somebody’s pleased to be 11 months old!! [[image:allie297a.jpg:Wheee! I’m almost a year old!:center:0]] 🙂 That’s right, the girl was 11 months old last Monday, June 22, 2009. Another fun-filled month has gone by. It seems like I plan to do so much, but then suddenly it’s 8 PM, Allie’s bedtime and the day is done! And she is now 11 months and 6 days old. She sleeps through the night, enjoys music, and seems to be paying attention to the commercials on TV. She still has one tooth (but goodness, it is sharp!) although it looks like others may be coming soon. Allie is growing fast. She can now pull herself to a standing position if we give her a hand, and she is learning to balance and stands with little help. She can lean her back against the sofa and stand while holding objects in her hands. She […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Lily
A Visitor!
During the time of the big hu-ha (laptop dying + snowfall + sad miserable cold Sila), we had a welcome visitor here in Southwestern Ohio! Unfortunately, the weather being what it was, we were unable to take our visitor out to sight-see very much. We decided instead to relax indoors. Allie got along well with Flat Cavebaby: [[image:cavebaby1.jpg:Allie posing with Kakak Flat Cavebaby:center:0]] Allie enjoys “tummy-time” with Flat Cavebaby: [[image:cavebaby2.jpg:Allie demonstrates being on her tummy for Kakak Flat Cavebaby:center:0]] [[image:cavebaby5.jpg:Kakak Flat Cavebaby, Allie and Lulu hold hands and sing Kumbaya:center:0]] Cavebaby is very excited that snow is falling: [[image:cavebaby4.jpg:Snow falling on the back deck:center:0]] Too bad Auntie Sila is grumpy and hates the cold. By the way, it was way below freezing and the snow just keeps falling and falling. Grumpity grump! This is not really normal weather for Southwestern Ohio. We get some snow, yes, but the weather does […]
Continue readingAllie’s 6 Month Birthday
It happened! Last Thursday, January 22, 2009 (also Yong’s birthday, happy birthday Yong!), Allie was six months old! She is filling her (and our) waking moments with giggles, squeals, chuckles and lots of love. She is an excellent hugger and cuddler, but hasn’t quite yet mastered kissing, and she can be quite the babbler. She still enjoys tossing her toys overboard and making us pick them up for her, and she is getting quite good at manipulating toys, books and such. Vin’s and my glasses are rarely without her fingerprints on the lenses somewhere. Some biggies: she rolled over on her own steam! Yayyy!! She can practically sit on her own (we need to help her balance a little but she holds herself upright quite well). We are done with the stories of Ambrose Bierce (the Civil War short stories turned out to be too disturbing for us) and we […]
Continue readingDecember Musings
Here we are, December again. There was snow on the ground last week, and it has since melted. However, as I write this entry, it has begun to snow again. Winter has arrived, even though it is not yet December 21st. This bums me out majorly… 🙁 The difference this year is that our lives are filled with happiness as Allie grows and grows. Every day she learns new things. Every day she seems a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little cuter. And even the bleakest, snowiest days don’t seem quite so bad. [[image:allie116a.jpg:Giggle giggle:center:0]] And before I forget, a belated Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha to everyone! Parenthood is definitely one of the coolest things in the world. I never really understood it (only imagined it), but watching your child change daily, reading parenting books, trying out what the books say and seeing her react, it’s just amazing. […]
Continue readingAnd the Kitkat ups the Ante – I
It seems like since Allie was born, Lily has seriously upped her own CQ, as if to compete with Allie? Check it out: [[image:lily25.jpg:Usurping the gymini:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions [[image:lily26.jpg:Resting on the stairs:center:0]] [[image:lily27.jpg:Washing a paw:center:0]] [[image:lily28.jpg:Bengkok sini (bend this way):center:0]] [[image:lily29.jpg:Bengkok sana (bend that way):center:0]] This is what we call the roly-poly kitkat, who rolls around being cute so we will play with her or pet her, or pay attention to her. 🙂 [[image:lily30.jpg:Checking out the vibrating chair:center:0]] I’ll put more of the numerous cute Lily pictures that I have soon. Enjoy!
Continue readingAllie’s 2 Month Birthday
We can’t hardly believe it, but time has flown and last Monday, Allie was 2 months old! Here’s what she did on her 2 month birthday: * Mouse over pictures for captions She started the morning strolling around with her Daddy and Lily took a ride too. Mak got to sleep a little extra while this happened. [[image:allie59a.jpg:Strolling with Lily:center:0]] She also did a lot of lying on Mak’s lap, nursing/napping while Mak multitasked and worked. [[image:allie60a.jpg:Grinning up at her mother:center:0]] [[image:allie63a.jpg:Chewing on Mak’s shoulder:center:0]] Then some hanging out on Daddy’s lap. [[image:allie61a.jpg:I’m an airplane!! Wheeee!:center:0]] [[image:allie62a.jpg:I love to hang out on Daddy’s lap:center:0]] In the afternoon, a bit of mobile fun: [[image:allie64a.jpg:Fascinated and absorbed:center:0]] Here she is after her bath: [[image:allie65a.jpg:Sweet smelling in a sleep-n-play:center:0]] [[image:allie66a.jpg:Daddy combed my hair:center:0]] How about some gymini action? [[image:allie67a.jpg:I’m gonna get that elephant someday!!:center:0]] [[image:allie68a.jpg:Oooooh so many things to look at:center:0]] And before bed, […]
Continue readingWinging Home
A little over 24 hours ago, we said goodbye to Tok and Opah at the airport. Hard to believe that 2 months have passed. And Allie is now 6 weeks and 2 days old. Tok and Opah helped us so much, not just with Allie, but with everything else that we had to cope with. [[image:allie51a.jpg:At the airport:center:0]] [[image:allie52a.jpg:Sleeping soundly:center:0]] Both Allie and Lily misses Tok and Opah! This morning, there was no Opah to feed Lily her breakfast and no Tok to entertain her! There was no “changing of the guard” of Vin supporting me and Allie at night to Opah taking on that role during the day. After all, they should be arriving in Singapore soon! Anyway, some pictures of Tok and Opah with Allie and Lily: [[image:allie53a.jpg:Tok and Opah with Allie:center:0]] [[image:allie54a.jpg:Another shot:center:0]] [[image:allie55a.jpg:Opah, Allie and Lily:center:0]] [[image:lily24.jpg:Tok and Lily sleeping:center:0]] [[image:allie56a.jpg:Tok and Allie:center:0]] [[image:allie57a.jpg:Opah and Allie:center:0]] We […]
Continue readingSome Assembly Required – Part 1
First thing we assembled for the baby is the changing table (one of the lovely gifts received). Lily, of course, has been very curious about all the goings-on with regard to new boxes and newly assembled stuff. * Mouse over for captions [[image:lstuff02.jpg:Lily claiming the box:center:0]] [[image:lstuff01.jpg:Roly-poly on the box:center:0]] After reading the manual, Vin and I put together the changing table (sorry no “in progress” pictures since we were just trying to accomplish the task). [[image:lstuff03.jpg:Completed!:center:0]] [[image:lstuff04.jpg:Wait! What’s this new thing?:center:0]] [[image:lstuff05.jpg:Well, it’s pretty comfortable:center:0]] [[image:lstuff06.jpg:Testing for sturdiness:center:0]] [[image:lstuff07.jpg:Naptime:center:0]]
Continue readingThirty Eight Weeks
Time for the bi-weekly update. Thirty eight weeks have passed. I am constantly surprised at how much larger I keep getting, but I’m assured by the doctors that we are where we should be. It probably doesn’t help that I am chowing down on oreo cookies as I write this entry! 😉 Weekly check up this morning went well – things are good. Getting close – pretty much any time now, although they are predicting that the baby might even go beyond the due date. Yikes to how big the baby might end up if I go beyond the due date! But anyway, Mak and Abah will be arriving next week, so we are excited. We are painting the nursery and will be picking up some baby gear this weekend (you know we can’t leave the hospital with the baby without a car seat – that’s part of the rules). […]
Continue readingZarin and Lily
In case anyone was wondering how Lily took to having Zarin around for a few days, she was totally comfortable with him. (These are pictures that Zarin took – guna sikit ya, Zarin?). First night, already that kitkat made herself comfortable right in the middle of Zarin’s bed: [[image:lily19.jpg:Right in the center of the guest bed:center:0]] [[image:lily20.jpg:What’s going on over there?:center:0]] [[image:lily18.jpg:Sooo tired:center:0]] Lily was sleeping on the bed with Zarin from the first night! Truly a shameless cat. Apparently she begged to be let in if the door was closed. We told Zarin to be heartless and not let her in, but he was nice enough so Lily got her way. So comfortable until – [[image:lily21.jpg:Zarin’s shirt is nice to sleep on:center:0]] [[image:lily22.jpg:What? What’s wrong with sleeping on this shirt? It’s ready for the laundry, right?:center:0]] Ish ish ishhhhh. Kucing ni! And finally, the day that Zarin was leaving, […]
Continue readingPictures of Lily
[[image:lily06.jpg:Lily in the fruit bowl:center:0]] Pictures of Lily By The Who: I used to wake up in the morningI used to feel so badI got so sick of having sleepless nightsI went and told my dad He said, ‘Son now here’s some little something’And stuck them on my wallAnd now my nights ain’t quite so lonelyIn fact I, I don’t feel bad at all Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderfulPictures of Lily helped me sleep at nightPitcures of Lily solved my childhood problemsPictures of Lily helped me feel alright Pictures of LilyLily, oh LilyLily, oh LilyPictures of Lily And then one day things weren’t quite so fineI fell in love with LilyI asked my dad where Lily I could findHe said, ‘Son, now don’t be silly’ ‘She’s been dead since 1929’Oh, how I cried that nightIf only I’d been born in Lily’s timeIt would have been alright Pictures […]
Continue readingDog Days of Summer
August has been a gruelling month in Southwestern Ohio. We might have seen a lot of rain in the Pacific Northwest when we visited, but from when we got home to this past Monday, we had not seen one drop of rain at our house! Grass is turning brown. Record high temperatures have been seen. Today’s high, for instance, is 99 F (34 C) and yesterday’s was 101 F (35 C). Humid like Malaysia. It did rain on Monday, and wasn’t too crazy hot on Tuesday, but we’re back to the heat now. So yeah it has been HOT! This is the kind of heat that makes up the “dog days of summer“. Defined as the period of time between July and September (roughly) when Sirius (the dog star) rises and sets with the sun. It also corresponds to the hottest days of the year in the northern hemisphere. And […]
Continue readingHawaii Day 10 – Last Day and Home to Lily
I know, it’s been two months since the trip and I’m finally getting around to putting up the final installment of the Hawaii pictures. But, in my defense, I am slow. Just a few days ago I finally emptied my suitcase of stuff from the trip. Yes, just my stuff since Vin unpacked his suitcase almost immediately while I stalled and stalled. That’s me. Procrastinator all the way. 🙂 So to remind you, in Day 9, remember we met with some interesting cats wishing us goodnight at the Volcano Inn? [[image:hi153.jpg:Scary Guard kitties?:center:0]] They apparently patrol the inn and keep out the riff raff :). In case you’re lazy to click on the link to the previous day’s blog entry, here’s a reminder of what they look like: [[image:hi144.jpg:Kitties!!:center:0]] Here’s what the outside of our room looked like in the light of day: [[image:hi151.jpg:The door to our room and the […]
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Another Suitor For Lily
Young Tiger Lily Belle, who just meowed her way into Sila & Vin’s household, already has suitors apparently. You can get the details from Sila later, about the poet and the two-timer. I would like to suggest another candidate for Lily. A powerful sandcat. From Arrakis. The Shai-Hulud: From here.
Continue readingStunt KitKat
Since the arrival of Tiger Lily Belle (Lily, to those closest to her), Vin and I have hardly been able to take our eyes off of this little cutie. She sleeps on the bed with us sometimes, but normally on Vin’s side. We play with her and pet her, and enjoy her loving company. She’s an amazing little creature! She rarely meows, unless she wants something. So she’s not a chatty katty (which makes doing conference calls from home really easy). She’s really careful with her claws and hasn’t so far preyed on the furniture (knock wood), she likes to come and curl up with us, she sleeps with such abandon that she can comfortably lie in the weirdest positions as long as parts of her are on one of us. Vin and I are both crazy about her! Plus she is a sucker for the bunny on the string. […]
Continue readingBirthday Surprise
As Hisham so kindly posted, my birthday was just last Monday, January 29th. It was a really good day, not to mention I began celebrating on Saturday with a small dinner party with friends. I just wanted to do a quick recap, because as part of the birthday fun, something happened which will change Vin’s and my life! We begin first with cake. I made Orange Chocolate Chunk cake on Saturday (I was in the mood for chocolate and citrus). The cake is filled with semi sweet chocolate chunks and orange zest. Here’s the cake when it first came out of the oven: [[image:janbday01.jpg:Fresh from the oven:center:0]] Then spoon over some orange syrup while the cake is still hot: [[image:janbday02.jpg:Shiny syrupy cake:center:0]] When the cake is cooled, cover it with a chocolate ganache: [[image:janbday03.jpg:Ganache:center:0]] I also wanted to take the time here to thank everyone for their phone calls, emails, […]
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