An overwhelming feeling of love

It's becoming harder and harder to find time to write a blog. It's no excuse as this is the best way to keep track and document "the story of Kay" as she is growing up. Well, Kay will be celebrating her 5th birthday this sunday. It seems like yesterday that she was a baby with spiky hair.

Anyway i was sent home with some homework that I have to do for her Birthday celebration in school on March 20th. So I might as well write it in here. According to true Montessori tradition, the school that Kay is in (Progressive Montessori Academy) will have a ritual called the "Celebration of Life". It is a done during circle time, where a candle is lit to represent the moment of birth. The child will walk once around the circle to represent each year of life. A candle is lit each time the child walks around the sun while "The Story of Kay Lim" is being read aloud. So here I am... having to write the story down.

How do you sum up 5 years in one paragraph ? Ok here we go.

____________________________

"The STORY of KAY Lim - Age 5"
Kay was born on March 18th 2007. It was a Sunday around 7pm, in Toronto Ontario, Canada, North America on the planet earth. She had to be held and taken care of all the time, couldn't talk to mom or dad what was needed; had to wear diapers; drank lots of milk and slept most of the time. By 3 months she could sit up by herself, and made some new friends in Stouffville (Niall, Paige, Mina & Caitlin). By 6 months she was crawling and by 9 months she had 2 front teeth poking through her gums.

When Kay was 1 year old, she could walk on her own. And she loved to talk, but in her own language. She also travelled to Singapore (in Asia) and took the plane for the first time. She was still scared of Santa Claus and had spiky hair.

At 2 years old, Kay had 3 successful attempts at the potty. Her favourite things were Dogs and Dora. She loved to be read stories like Go Dogs Go and poems. She could also sing many songs.

At 3 years old, Kay rode her tricycle for the first time. She loved posing in front of the camera and dancing. She had her first dance recital on stage. She still loved music, reading and can speak in full sentences. She was still with her nanny at this time and loved to play with her nanny's kids (Sarah and Stephen). They have become good friends and Kay has become a part of their family as well.

At 4 years old, Kay went to Progressive Montessori Academy and started her first year in school. She travelled to Asia and New Zealand to see her grandparents and spent her 4th birthday in Nelson, New Zealand. She still loves to read, dance, sing and play hide-n-seek. She could play some tunes on the keyboard and recorder. She could also ride her bike (with training wheels) on her own. She was scared of the Strawberry Festival mascot and spiders...and still is.

And now Kay is 5 years old! She can dress, go the washroom, wash her hands and eat her meals by herself (most of the time, with mommy screaming at her to "hurry up"). We are so proud that she can write her name in Chinese characters and starting to spell words on her own. Her favourite colour is Green and Blue, favourite food is chocolate, chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Her favourite thing to do is ride her bike when the weather is nice, play "connect 4" with her mum and dad and beat them at it ! Her favourite book is _____ and there are a lot. ( will have to ask her)

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So, there we go. The Story of Kay in whole long breath.
My homework is done, but I'm glad I got to go back and look at all the events that happened in our journey together. It has been so much fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Will update with photos of the party on Sunday.

We're TWO !

Yeah ... the big TWO !
We just had dinner with close friends and kept the party small this year ... only with Richard as the other toddler. Figured that it would be easier to handle than 5 or 6 like last year. Thanks guys for all the gifts. Kay is spoilt by all the people she loves ... Mike , Art, Thubee and Julien went crazy with the books this year. And thanks to Aunty Lydia and Uncle David for the dress and plush toys ... We could probably built a Dr. Seuss collection by the time she turns 3. Kay is really into Dogs and Dora at this point so the 2 immediate favourites are the ones that Aunty Thubee got her....thanks to mommy for the hints. Kay was so tired from running around with Little Richard and playing with Julien, that bed time was a snap.

This year, we did chinese food. But I think I'll opt for an easier, less greasy and less time-consuming option next time. Spend almost the whole day in the kitchen, even though i do enjoy cooking and baking. Thanks to Cheeyuen for cleaning up the mess... I just had to put Kay to bed and all the dishes were done !

Anyway, just an update on the potty front...we had 2 successful poo poos and 1 pee pee since the last report. I guess turning 2 was indeed a huge milestone.

More photos are now being uploaded onto our Picasa site.

chi-mish ...and other words

Funny funny words are now spoken by our little Kay.
Here's a glossary / translation:

1) Chi-mish = Finish
2) cho-church = chocolate
3) Muffin = Play the Muffin Man song (again ... and again ...we've heard it maybe over 100 times)
4) Try = Can I try whatever you have on your plate or that yummy can of pop?
5) Ants Come Up !! = Ants are coming in through our bathroom window ...and she is terrified.


Before haircut

After Hair-cut

We gave her a second hair-cut (trim to the fringe). Didn't take it too well, after finding all the hair falling onto her t-shirt. She is such a clean-freak...keeps pointing out "Dirty" on the floors. Yes, mommy is not cleaning enough.

And we finally sold her Bumbo Seat on Craigslist...this shows her sitting on it for the last time.
Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks...2 years old !

I'm glad my business website is up and running. Except that the web-developer is taking forever to import the blog over to the website. It's been a month and she still cannot come up with a solution. Sigh...it's frustrating.

Happy Holidays from the Lims

Wishing all a happy new year...

It's been nice having friends over for the holidays but also makes us miss our families more.

Kay has suddenly grown into a little lady. I think it's mainly her hair that's changed her image drastically. It frames her face nicely now and she looks more like a girl. So I took this opportunity to put her in dresses....and I must say she looks pretty cute.

Expressing her independence and her views quite a lot ...our little Kay is a pretty bossy little toddler. Her favourite thing to do is to ask people to "sit" on her little red chairs when they come over to our place. Uncle Paul was one of the 'victims'. That day she took my breath away when she said "bless you" when I sneezed. She is 'taking care' of her mommy now...how nice. After the holidays, she also learned a new word : "chocolate".

Here are some snapshots of friends who made our holiday special.

First Hair cut

Ha ha ...we finally did it. I took a pair of craft scissors and chopped off her fringe, while cheeyuen sat her down in the bathtub. It is a little too short ... but not bad for a first attempt. Sorry babe, there will be a lot of experimentation on your hair from today onwards. I will always remember the time my mum (your popo) gave me a full perm ... now i'm glad i don't have any photos of that episode.

Summer fun, eating and video

Maybe there is hope after all.
Kay actually finished every single pea on her plate tonight. For dinner, she had 1/4 soft spinach tortilla wrap, 1/2 cup of peas and corn, a spoonful of my Mee Goreng and a cup of apple juice !! That is such a great achievement. And she fed herself the whole time....I must say with the help of "Wonder Pets" and "in the night Garden" on TV. My girl is finally eating...maybe her teething woes going away soon.

Here are some videos and photos of our summer spent with friends.

Happy first Birthday !

March 18, 2008
A year flew pass and Kay just turned one 2 days ago. Was meaning to post something on the day of, but like the rest of the year past, it just slipped by. Many thoughts and many emotions running through my mummy brains right now....but rest assured, they are mostly good thoughts. Would like to thank all our family and surrogate families in Toronto, Singapore, NZ, Alberta and NYC for making this such a special occasion for us.

Well, like how they would do it at the Oscars, I would like to thank:
the group of stouffville mums & kiddos (Rossana/Niall, Eilla/Mina, Maria/Paige & Rita/Caitlin) for all the good times; Samantha & Rachel (her friend since I was pregnant together with her mum Sam); Lydia/David/Richard/lydia's mum (for the support and friendship); Art & Mike (for the many dinner parties and being great neighbours); Yolande/Jason (for helping me through some tougher days); Thuwaibah (for always being there ...somehow); Paul (for all the great advice and being a dependable friend); Elaine/Gab (for sharing Kay's first sushi & museum experince); Joyce/ChungWoh (our dear friends in NYC who are so gracious hosts and such great friends); Ivana/Dan/Neil (for shoveling our driveway and being fantastic neighbours); Granny Giggles/Lynn (for the spiritual and emotional support, advice and laughs online... and off); PoPo/Judy and GongGong/Henghuat for being there during the toughest months; MaMah/YeYe for being that loud voice on the other side of the phone sending their love; Cheeyuen's siblings Laihong/Lailing/CheeHwee for taking care of matters in Singapore and giving us peace of mind to start our lives here in Toronto....well the list goes on and is not in order of importance. Forgive me if I have missed anyone out but i'd like to thank everyone who crossed our paths and made a difference.

Kay's One ! ... as I've piped it on her birthday cake....a pretty ok first attempt i should say.
She has achieved so much in a year that it makes my own progress in life a little shabby in comparison. She is constantly learning with every step, every breath, every touch and every taste. I can see why some people make babies as a hobby :) it's pretty rewarding to say the least.

Well, thanks to everyone's contribution, Kay's Time Capsule is filling up nicely with notes, keepsakes, loud-singing cards, photos, a recipe book, CD, dried up umbilical cord!, size #1 diaper, poems, bracelet/necklace, mini scrapbook...and her first pair of shoes. It will be such a great memory for her when she turns 10 and for us when we turn 60.

Maybe it's appropriate to say Thanks and wish everyone a Happy Easter too ! Enjoy the long weekend and pray for Spring to come.

Now I wish you were making a fuss...

The many ironies in life, like wishing that Kay is now fussy and throwing her cheerios on the floor, instead of lying in bed listless. Poor girl is having the runs in her diapers and vomiting everything she takes in. Worst of all is seeing her so dull, tired and drowsy, with a frown in her eyebrow. She is in pain and there is nothing I can do to help. Made an appointment with the Pediatrician this afternoon, so we'll just have to wait. Luckily, she just had another bottle of milk with no vomits so far...and drifted back to sleep. Let's hope it stays in.

We are supposed to start taking her to the babysitter tomorrow and thursday, but i guess that will have to be postponed until she's well. Yes, we found a nice Turkish lady, named Ozleyis, to take care of her on Tuesday and Thursday so that I can clock in some work during the day and go meet clients. I should also be starting to prepare getting my business officially set up in March. That is the plan, at least. Let us just get through this and make sure Kay is well again.

February 9th - Well on the brighter side, it was just 2 days ago , that Kay started making her first step. Yesterday night, she was still happily scooting around on the walker...for the first time, and pretty proud of herself for doing it.

A month of craziness

Again time seems to fly by so quickly. There are so many things that happened in the past month that i don't know where to begin. First a quick note to say that I have fully recovered, wound-wise. The nurse stopped coming to visit me on November 19th. That makes it about 2.5 months since the first surgery. I'm glad it's over. It's been too long too painful. Anyway it's something that Kay has to be reminded of in future :)

Other then that we are also seeing many milestones for Kay. She is crawling really well now. And she is also pulling herself up and standing on her own without our help. Most mornings, I'll find her standing in the crib waiting for me to open her door. Sometimes with a big smile, sometimes screaming. But still as adorable as ever. She is a pretty happy baby, as long as she is played with, fed and rested. Not much complains except for her new found dislike for being in the carseat. It's been a struggle every time we get in and it often becomes a crying match until we reach the destination. I'm told it's a phase, so I'm just hoping it'll past soon. Oh, did we mention Kay cut her second tooth on the day my mum left for NZ? Yes,

October 27th - for the second tooth (bottom right). There is still no sign of the top teeth yet even though the symptoms seem to be persistently present.

November 22nd - Set up our first christmas tree. This year's theme is the Nutcracker & friends. Milo and Tea (our cats) have been catching the birds i put up on the tree. Every morning I find a "dead" one some where on the floor.

December 1st - Kay's first Santa Clause parade in Stouffville. It was freezing -15 degrees out there. She was mostly bundled up and quiet cos' of the cold...so we're not sure if she enjoyed it. It was a pretty big parade for a small town.

December 2nd - Kay's first encounter with Santa himself at daddy's Telus Children's christmas party. She didn't scream or cry on Santa's lap. Brave kid. It was fun...balloons, cotton candy, free food and good company.

Maybe i should start blogging with more dates....i'm realizing that I'm not recording down a lot of things and I forget.

Well, as you know the weather here is now getting pretty brutal. Snow storms for the last 3 days, icy driveways, slippery dirty roads, and a foot of snow in our backyard and garden. Now we wished we had a snow blower and a smaller driveway.

First Tooth and a new boob for mummy

It's so exciting, so joyful, so heartwarming and sometimes so painful (for me, at least). Kay just cut her first tooth today. Bottom right front tooth to be exact. And she is a happy chubby baby as usual, loving her rice cereal with peas and carrots. I actually love...I mean really enjoy making baby food. Steaming the bag of organic baby carrots, blending them with the Magic bullet and routinely spooning them into little containers. It's fun. So far we haven't bought a single jar of baby food, except for the cereals. So... Kay is happy and learning the game of peek-a-boo.

Mummy on the other hand is not so great. My big infection has finally become the "worse case scenario" according to all the handbooks and internet resources. But good news is there is nothing a little surgery wouldn't fix. So I went through that on September 12th and the real ordeal of dressing/ packing the wound starts. Dr Pallister told me it was the worst abscess she has ever seen and they drew out about half a pound of green pus. Not a very pretty thought, especially when they also have to pack the inside of the open wound with 4 metres of gauze-tape. And guess what, i have to continue doing this packing and unpacking everyday until the cavity heals from the inside out. Well, at least i don't have to do this myself, a nurse would visit me everyday until i recover. For a person who totally blacked-out at the sight of blood, the thought of all these would have killed me. But I think I handled it pretty well, especially when I've got such great support from Cheeyuen and also when I see the sweet, toothless smile on Kay's face. Well, guess i just needed to get the bad stuff out of my system so the good things will follow. Just doing my time for some bad karma I've acquired somewhere along the way.

Anyway, my mum is on her way to help out with my recovery and also with Kay. She might be at the airport collecting her luggage from the belts right now. Cheeyuen's gone to pick her up. It must be a journey of anxiety, worry and excitement for her and a pretty long one from NZ. Kay will be seeing her grandma for the first time when she wakes up in the morning. All will be better tomorrow. Right now I just feel blessed to have a wonderful husband who's been doing all the baby carrying-bathing-changing-feeding, cooking, working and caring for the past week while i was in pain ...and actually for the past nine years. Thanks hon. This will just be a post without photos, but with a lot of heart.

milestones

People mark new milestones in their lives and careers when something drastic or significant happens. With a baby, however, every week or even everyday could be a milestone. Today, Kay has reached one...she has graduated to diaper size #3!!! yippee...the fat butt could no longer be wrapped by #2. Since the design has changed a little, Elmo is now on her backside and not the front. Yesterday, she also started getting on her hands and knees. You see the little butt rocking forward and back as she tries out her new found talents. She is also doing a lot of Crib gymnastics ...flipping. rolling, grabbing, daggling...

Yummy !!

Here is the action sequence for the first successful feeding.
Kay has since progressed to rice cereals, carrots and peas.

Feeding, First shots, moving house, bath time, birthday, new car, mother's day and more boxes ..

wow it seems like ages since i had time to write in this blog.
Many things have happened amongst the feedings, pooping and crying.
Kay is almost 2 months old now.


View out from our driveway to our new neighbours across Manitoba street.
Our driveway is huge... parks 5 cars ! Lotsa snow-shovelling to do in winter too.




Feeding time : Taken from my angle of view... how angelic she looks while sucking away.
Thanks to Joan for the "Lin" one-sie / t-shirt...she looks really cute in it.

The after-math ... spitting and burping


First shots:
Kay got her first 2 vaccination shots at Dr Tolkin's clinic on May 4th. I'm still not sure what they are for...just got to trust the pediatrician. Well i think Kay was really brave. Only started wailing after 3 seconds when the needle was out. All is good after a little breast milk...the only place to do it was a bench in the corridor which had a great view of the Don Valley area.

Moving house:
The move went well i guess. Kay and I wasn't really part of the action. We went to the house early that morning and set up the diaper / feeding station. Then basically waited. Rod arrived first with some stuff in his car. Followed by Cheeyuen and Andrew. The moving guys from Sven was right behind. Seems like a breeze ...but poor cheeyuen must be totally tired out. He still had to go back to the condo to get the cats. In the end ... came back with the cats and another car-full of stuff. Amazing...and thanks again.

Bath time:
Has been fun so far. Kay really loves the water. Might take her swimming in the summer. We think she looks cute in the Duckie Towel from pottery barn kids...thanks to Dzeneta.


Birthday:
Happy belated birthday to Cheeyuen. His first birthday as a daddy. As expected, there was no present from me...all i can do now is online shopping. Will make it up to him some time later and in other ways i guess. All Kay needs to do is to give him a nice big smile.

New car:
Well, i guess he did get himself a big present. Collected his brand new Mazda 3 sport on his birthday. A nice black number with shiny rims. Looks great in the driveway next to the Acura.
Will post photos when I find the charger to my camera...it's still in one of the boxes.

Mother's day:
Was extra special....now it actually means I'm being celebrated. My mum was the first to wish me happy mother's day with an e-card. Cheeyuen got me a cute toy with a bobbing head. Kay basically just spit all over me and then gave me a big smile.


More boxes:
Yes, 70% of the house is still in boxes. It's hard to have baby and try to unpack. Plus we need to get storage furniture before we can put things away. So far we have bought 3 big items online ... our TV entertainment unit (which looks amazing), our bed and dining chairs. Love the internet.


Some random images taken before we moved :