Ivan's First Dental Appointment!

Here in Sweden, dental health is placed on quite a high priority. Most people here has got relatively good teeth (probably has to do with the expensive dental treatments as well!). In Linköping county, all kids will get dental appointment at least once a year from 3 years old onwards. And today is Ivan's first dental appointment! ^.^

And here is one happy boy all dressed and ready for the dentist!

The temperature is -6 degrees outside today and with plenty of snow fall, however, it's still nice to go out for awhile for some fresh air. Like all medical or dental appointments, daddy will always be the one to go with them. This time I wanted to join as well coz it's Ivan's first time and I wanted to take some pictures! :D

We arrived right on time, so we didn't have to wait at all. When we were the dentist room, she asked if Ivan wanted to sit on the chair with daddy. We thought that he can first try sitting on it on his own and if he's anxious, daddy can sit with him. As it turned out, Ian is very independent!

He opened his mouth when the dentist mentioned that she was going to take a look at his teeth to see how many he has and if they are all healthy. And he kept it opened while she was preparing! Such a good boy! ^.^

Finally she was ready to take a good look!

The result is that Ivan has got all 20 teeth for his age, 10 on top and 10 on the bottom and they're all healthy! Daddy's religious brushing has given good result!

We then talked to the dentist about his diet. She noticed that Ivan has a slight overbite, and she asked if he's sucking on pacifier or his thumb. We said that he had the pacifier until about 3 days ago when we lost it. Since then he has been doing quite ok without the pacifier. It's only when he's really tired that he'll ask for the pacifier and he usually falls asleep while asking for it... The dentist mentioned that it's a good thing that he's getting weaned off the pacifier now, coz it'll give the teeth time to grow in the proper places. *phew*

Since this is his first visit, the dentist gave him a goody bag to end the experience in a nice way. And look what he gets!

We should keep up and maintain his brushing, so that we can pass with good results again next year!

Best Dad In The World!

Jovan has been planning for Father's Day present about 2 months ago. He told me that he was allowed to decide what he wanted to make at wood work lesson in school. And he wanted to make a shelf for daddy for him to hang his clothes and put some other items. I told him that that was a really nice thought and I think daddy will be thrill to receive it.

Today is Father's Day. Jovan and Angel asked me what time should they come into the room with breakfast for daddy. I told them to let him sleep a little bit more since it's the weekend and that they could go in at 10am. Finally it's 10am. We got everything ready, I picked up the smallest one, grabbed the camera and we opened the door. I told Angel to wake him up slowly and gently. However, the minute we opened the door, Ivan ran it and shouted,"Pappa! Pappa!" I hoped hubby didn't jump out of his skin...

The princess cake, which is daddy's all-time favorite, was from Angel. Daddy got a shock to see a WHOLE cake served during breakfast!

She also made daddy a card, a rectangular vase and paper flowers, which took her some time to do.

Jovan could finally bring out his shelf, which he had been hiding in the store room for a month!

Daddy was very happy with the shelf. We all think that Jovan has done a very good job!

Daddy asked if he can have a slice of the cake. So Angel went to cut a slice and brought it back to daddy in the room. And there came little Ivan, running happily after Angel and he brought his own spoon! He wanted to taste the cake as well! :D

Hubby and I couldn't stop laughing! He ACTUALLY fetched his own spoon to eat the cake! This guy.... *shake head* He's too cute!

And while all these were happening....
the smallest one was just walking around the bed, enjoying himself, totally unaware of what was going on!

I think daddy is happy!

After the breakfast-in-bed celebration, I went out to the kitchen to put some stuff away. And when I came back, this is what I saw... 3 small bums sticking out under the blanket.... What was going on?

Well....
They were massaging daddy's feet... or tickling him half to death, is the way I see it!

The rest of the day passed quite peacefully. Kiddos were indoor for awhile, then they went out to play, bringing Ivan with them. In between, there were some unhappiness which daddy managed to resolved as always.

Also hubby couldn't wait to put up the shelf.
Which is looking pretty good!

I made hubby's favorite food for dinner. No prize for making the right guess. It's schnitzel. ^.^
To make up for last year, I prepared a special present for hubby this year.
It's a dog-tag which has all our 4 kids' names engraved on it. When he opened the present, the first thing he said was,"Oh, there's space for more names!" Sorry baby, if you want more names, we can put in yours and mine but that's it - no more! *very seriously*

I know our kids think that daddy is the best in the world. They appreciate him very much. They don't like it when daddy has to work late because they enjoy having dinner with him. They like chatting with him and telling him about what has happened in school. They like watching tv with daddy. They know daddy will always have time to listen. And sometimes, daddy likes to have them sitting on his lap and giving them bear hugs, and watch tv together. Although both Jovan and Angel are very big now, having them sitting on the lap past a certain amount of time can get dangerous! (think blood cut-off, legs falling asleep, etc) Ivan's favorite time of the day is when he's getting tired and sleepy, grabbing his little pillow and pacifier and sitting on daddy's lap till he falls asleep. He finds that really cozy.
But no matter how big they've grown, daddy will always see them as small babies who will always fit in his lap!

You have done an excellent job with the kids baby. Thank you for always putting us first before anything else. Thank you for always having time for us, even though datelines are driving you crazy at work. We love you!

My Taiwanese Neighbour - Shu Ping

I got to know my Taiwanese neighbour by chance in August this year. I was fetching Ivan home from school one day and she was walking in front of me. I was talking to Ivan in Mandarin, asking him what he did, etc. She stopped, turned and asked me in Mandarin,"You speak Chinese?" I said yes and I'm from Singapore, she told me that she's from Taiwan. Little did I know, that was the start of our friendship.

We met quite often when I was picking up Ivan and she was bringing her son to school. (Ivan ends at 11am and her son starts from 11am.) Then we exchanged mobile phone numbers. She called one day to ask if it was alright for her to pop over for coffee, so she came with delicious home-baked coconut bread. We had a good time chatting. And I realised that my Mandarin is deteriorating due to lack of use! *slapping forehead*

Then we had another coffee time together which extended into dinner, which Shu Ping brought her ingredients, cooked and cleaned in MY home! I didn't need to do much to enjoy dinner! ^.^

She called me last week to ask if I want to go over to her place to make dumplings. I told her I was sick and I remained sick for the rest of the week... She called again on yesterday to ask if I was feeling better, which I wasn't and was in fact starting to have fever. So I told her I was having fever and bodyache all over and missing my mom.... (I know, I can be quite a baby sometimes! :p)

Then she sms me this morning to ask if I'm better. I told her that I'm feeling slightly better but still quite lousy in general. She asked if she can come by later. I told her sure but beware of germs! Then she popped by around lunch time, with these!


Home-brewed chicken soup, definitely good for the soul!!!


Taiwanese-style fried rice (炒油饭)which she made for the kids. She said that I may not have the appetite to eat but the kids need to eat properly. I'm so touch! It tastes almost like rice dumplings or lor mai kai (糯米鸡) - yum!


She also brought these chinese herbs for me to make some nourishing drinks when I'm feeling better, to help improve my "qi" (energy)! Her mom sent her these and she gave them to me!

When she appeared at my doorstep, wearing thick winter jacket, a hat, gloves and boots, carrying a pot of chicken soup and a bag. I was actually very surprised coz usually she'll bring some snacks or pastries to eat with the coffee (even though I told her many times that she doesn't have to, she still does.), but a pot?!

Then she walked into the kitchen and "unloaded" everything while telling me that I should drink the chicken soup now, cos it's still warm. And when she saw that I was making instand noodle for Ivan, she said,"Oh, I should have come earlier, then Ivan can have fried rice for lunch." Then she started telling me how to make the drink when I'm feeling better.... My eyes started welling up. She saw and asked, while looking very concerned,"Are you feeling very bad? It's ok, you can go rest now. I'm leaving." And she said bye and left!

For some time after that, I felt like crying everytime when I thought about what she just did for me. Being sick, I can't taste much. But when I was drinking the chicken soup, I could feel the warmth radiating from inside my body...

I don't think I deserve this, I am very very lucky to have real friends around me who truly cares. Like my friend Shareen who recently warmed up my heart by packing food for me coz I wasn't able to join them for the Deepavali gathering. They had a good time, but she still thought of me.

I think I must be doing something good. That's why the Big Boss upstairs is sending these good people my way and giving me a chance to brush up on my Mandarin at the same time! ^.^

It Happened!!!

It happened! It happened! Ivan peed in the toilet today!!! *doing my own crazy dance*

We have been doing this toilet training on and off for the past few months now. Initially, Ivan was quite reluctant to go to the toilet. Then he was ok to sit on it, and he'll sit on it for ages, singing, talking but just not doing what he was supposed to do on the toilet bowl.... *shake head*

This morning, I changed him out of his diaper and put on underwear for him. We were sitting at the breakfast table eating and then hubby and I both heard water dripping... Oh no, he peed in his underwear again. Hubby swept him up and ran (well, the toilet is just a few steps away from the kitchen, our apartment is not so big! ^.^) to the toilet and put him on the toilet bowl. He then told him that he should pee in the toilet bowl and not on the floor. Ivan was really afraid that daddy got angry. Hubby then proceed to make him say "kissa på toaletten" (pee in the toilet) and try to get him to understand the idea. And meanwhile, I was mopping the floor, wondering quietly how long it'll take before Ivan understands. He needs to just make it happen once and he'll understands, but when?

After the "accident", we continued eating. After about 20mins, I asked him if he needed to go toilet. He looked at me and said,"没有kissa." (No pee) Yeah, my kids are speaking a mixture of Mandarin, Swedish and English to me.... *sigh* Shortly after that, he looked at daddy, looking sad and daddy could tell that he needed to pee. So off they went to the toilet and it happened! It finally happened!

I joined them in the toilet to "celebrate"! (yeah, the silly stuff parents do to encourage their kids...) So we were clapping hands and cheering him, every time more pee came out. Ivan was very happy, he must be thinking how easy it is to please his parents, he just needs to pee!

So we finished the whole process, wipe, flush and wash hands. I put up a piece of paper on the toilet door.

And Ivan gets a sticker to show that he has been a big boy!

I know he'll continue to fill up this paper with more stickers, he's a smart boy!

Well done sweetie!

Happy Birthday Cutie Pie!

3 years ago, we went to the hospital to meet this decisive little guy, who made his appearance for awhile and went back in to fix his hair and came back out again to meet us.

Today, he turns 3. His vocabulary has expanded a lot since he started going to school. He still mixes with his own "language" sometimes but now, he's able to tell us what he does in school and his favorite activity in school is bicycling. In school, teachers say that he is a well-behaved little boy, who is willing to share toys and take care of smaller kids. At home, he is a sweetheart, who is never selfish in sharing a hug or a kiss. He is generally a happy, good-tempered and mostly a well-behaved little guy.

Last year, he was into Rorri, the race car. This year, he's one of his new favorite is train. I have been thinking of ordering him a train cake but in my ongoing attempt to save money, I decided to make one myself. As his birthday draws near, I started to feel stress because I'm not sure if I can pull it off. But as it turns out, everything seems to work out quite ok.

Today, we invited grandma to celebrate with us coz Ivan adores his farmor. He always talks about going to farmor. Hubby also invited his close friend, Olof and his family, over. Olof and Ulrika has a new baby whom we haven't had the chance to meet till today, and their eldest son, Julian, is about a year younger than Ivan and we thought that it'd be a good idea to get them to play more often with each other.

Now, time for pictures!


Some decoration which is kind of the usual because we can't put tape on the wall paper.... wish we'll have our own house soon! Then we can really put up decorations!


I tried to dye an red egg for him since I have a lot of red food coloring dye left and red egg is for good luck, but it turned out to be a pretty pastel violet.... hmmmm....


This is the cake I baked! I think I did quite a good job! ^.^


He is 3!


Grandma came with a big box of train set!


Which they built around the table in the living room.... hmmmm...ok.....


He sure looks happy! *muack*


Olof and his family came with a radio-controlled car!


Just a simple "coffee and some cookies" party. And I baked Ivan's favorite egg tarts as well. Hubby bought another cake just to make sure that there's enough for everybody.


The birthday boy with his train cake and train candles!

We had MacDonald's for dinner (too lazy to cook! :P) And after dinner, it's time to open presents from daddy!


A really cool and fun camera with built-in memory space, so he can really take pictures (quality is not so good though, but it's a TOY camera!), make video, play games and there's even photo editor! I want to be born in this generation!!!!


A baby walker. I know he's too old for this but he enjoys "transporting" his toys round, so we thought that this will be a good "trolley" for him.


Daddy got him the same train set he has in school, except that this one runs on battery! He really loves this set, he has been taking a lot of pictures of this train with his new camera! So cute!


Boys will always be interested in trains - regardless of age! ^.^

Today turns out to be a relaxing day (except in the morning when we were busy with cleaning and I was stressed out with decorating the train and baking egg tarts). Most importantly, Ivan seems to be very happy.

He wanted to sleep with a balloon earlier. Why did we spend so much on his present? We should just buy him balloons...

Warmth On This Cold Autumn Day

I've been feeling kinda low and stressed out lately. Being easily prone to falling into the depressive state of mind, I have to constantly remind myself to look on the positive side. With the change in season, some days it almost feels like a laborious climb up Mount. Fuji. I think I really need a daily doze of sunshine to feel happy.

I received a notice to pick up a package from Singapore a few days ago. And today, while Chris and Ivan were both sleeping, I asked Angel to keep an eye on them, and I went with my bicycle to fetch it and back within 15 mins!

It wasn't stated who it was from on the envelope. Looking at the address, I think of 2 friends who would send me gifts, but Anthea, together with Annie, has already sent me a box of goodies last month.... So can this be from....?

I was correct! *smiling smugly* Thank you Jenny and sweet Sophia! Look what they sent me!

Let's take a closer look...

Animal picks which can be used to eat small pieces of fruits/vegetables, making vegetable eating more interesting for small kids. These are so cute! I especially like the lion and rabbit ones!

Butterfly cookie cutters! Hmm...maybe I should bake more cookies...

And Madeleines' moulds!!! I think I mentioned to Jenny that I want to sweep up these moulds the next time I'm back in Singapore. So sweet of her to send them to me now! Hahahaha! I have to clarify that it really wasn't my intention to hint to her when I commented on her lovely looking Madeleines!

Thank you again Jenny and Sophia! Gonna bake myself some Madeleines very soon! ^.^

The Mysterious "Shimmy"!

Ok, now finally I'm on to my first belly dancing lesson! After my eventful journey to the school, I arrived 45 minutes late!!!! I know, it was ridiculous... I was feeling really bad, when I finally arrived. The lesson had already started about 15 minutes ago coz Mavis (her stage name is Siryn) had been running around looking for cables to connect the stereo only to find out later that the school do not provide any, she was to bring her own! Why can't the school inform her about stuff like that earlier?! Really annoying...

Anyway, after changing into comfy pants. I was finally in the class! Mavis was in the process of teaching the class how to do the knee "Shimmy". It is the vibration of the lower body and it is one of the basic moves in belly dancing. You stand in the belly dancing position, i.e. legs apart, same distance as your shoulders, tuck in your stomach, perk up your bum a little and keep your shoulders relax. Then you bend your knees which drop your hips, and lift your hips when you straighten the knees. There you have it! This is the shimmy! Sounds easy? Well....since this is the vibration of the "lower" body, we should try minimize the movements in our upper body. This is what brings the shimmy to another level! I can't seems to be able to do it in the beginning but after awhile, it started to work a little! *victory!* Then Mavis demonstrated how to do the quick shimmies. My goodness! I was so amazed! Her hips seems to be powered by motor and has a life of their own! I think my jaw dropped a little but I regained my composure very quickly! ^.^

Mavis also taught us how to move our shoulder - in and out. Push one shoulder out and pull it in, then you do the same on the other shoulders and finally try to do both shoulders alternately. She also suggested that in order to keep our hands from moving too much, we can put our palms against the wall or on a table. Well, I think it was because I didn't have something to stabilise my hands, I ended up flapping like a crazy bird.... (yeah, yeah, yeah... just put the blame on whatever...) Mavis said,"When you're moving your shoulder faster, you want to keep your hands from moving around, so that you won't jiggle your boobies so much." Ok, I'm not exactly sure now if she said the word "boobies" but you know what I'm talking about. When I heard that I felt like I just walked into the wall! Huh, isn't that the whole idea of moving the shoulders?! I'm so misinformed..... *embarrassed*

Another move we learnt is the "snake arms". The idea is to move your arms like a snake, graceful and smoothly. You position the middle finger and your thumb like you're gonna press them together, but you don't. Then you rotate the wrist to make it look graceful. Then try to move your arms gracefully around your body. Mavis was saying,"Imagine you're making beautiful patterns with your hands in the space around you. Making the space pretty." Boy, I'm not sure what I was painting but I can tell you, it ain't pretty...

We also learnt the "horizontal eight" move. Where we're suppose to move our hips and imagine that we're writing the number 8 on the floor. Well... if you can see what I write on the floor, it'll look like someone took a paintbrush and just slap paint here and there and no where near the number 8...

This first lesson really opened my eyes to the world of belly dancing. It seems so simple and graceful when the professionals do it! Now I know how much practises and coordination is needed just to make it look like belly dance!

Sharing with you guys who are interested to find out more about belly dance, a link which Mavis forwarded to me: Sahira,

I'm gonna practice my shimmies now, while washing the dishes. Hopefully there aren't any spying neighbours watching, otherwise I know what they'd be thinking...."See! I know it won't do her good to stay home so often, now she finally lost it! "