Raya Holiday Activities

We just enjoyed a long weekend of Raya holidays. We tried to occupy ourselves with loads of activities for the 4 days. On the first day which falls on Saturday, daddy took us to the Desa Waterpark. I liked the park on that day because I can't spot any Malays roaming around. Nope. Not even one. They were still in the 'puasa' period so no extreme outings. Hehehe....most of the people were Chinese. It was good because it was not crowded, it was not sunny and we had a good time playing with the water and slides. Lunz doesn't want to leave even though it was already 2pm. We were in the water for 3 hours. He told us that he still wanted to swim. But, we finally managed to persuade him to get out of the water and headed back home. I cooked dinner that night and did not eat out because all of us were tired after playing with water for the whole day.

On the second day (Sunday), we made a trip down to Berjaya Times Square. Thought of taking the little fella for the Cosmo Indoor Theme Park rides. But the little fella was so scared of the roller coaster sound that he kept on pestering us to leave at once, with both his hands covering his ears. My, my....then, since we did not entered Cosmo, daddy told the little one that he will get him toys instead. But, we searched floor after floor, we could not get a proper toy shop like Toys' R Us. Not a very good place to shop thou. So, we made our way to Mid Valley instead. We were lucky enough to get a parking even though it was already 1pm. But the place was very crowded. People were constantly bumping into each other when walking. I wanted to faint already with the mass amount of people. We quickly moved on to Toys' R Us and managed to grabbed 2 sand arts and 2 books for Lunz. Then, the little one insisted to go into Jusco play area, so we went as well. Gosh, then after all the time taken to queue up for each game, I have to wait for the corn to be cooked as well. It was like a routine. If he visit the play area in Jusco Mid Valley, he wants to eat the corn-in-cup at a food counter nearby. But the thing was, the corn was not cooked yet at that time and I was told to wait for 10 minutes by the staff.

So, me and the 'wai sik mao' waited there patiently until finally he has gotten his favorite, we can all leave the place peacefully. That's all we did in Mid Valley. Toys' R Us and Jusco Play Area. We just wanted to get out as soon as possible. The crowd were making me dizzzzy....

Daddy played the sand art with Lunz later at home while I did some house chores. Later, we went off for dinner at my mum's house. My big bro was celebrating his 30th birthday. Had some noodles, KFC and the best chocolate cake I ever tasted. I was surprised I actually swallowed up the whole slice. Normally, I will scooped the cream away or whatever that I don't feel like eating on that piece of cake. Very nice chocolate cake, not sweet at all. And they just got it from some normal bakery shop. Not like Secret Recipe I mean.

On Monday morning, we went out for awhile to the nearby Jusco Cheras Selatan. We wanted to buy some ingredients for our steamboat dinner but unfortunately found out that Jusco will only be opened by 1pm. So, we made our way back and planned to get them from a shop nearby mum's house. Again we were disappointed to find out that the shop was closed as well. Looks like even shop owners were enjoying the Raya holidays themselves. Normally Chinese operated shops will open during festive holidays other than CNY. So, I had to cook again that night.

On Tuesday, daddy took us to the newly extended IOI Mall in Puchong. We were there less than 1/2 hour, we had to make our way home. This was because Lunz had an asthma attack. Barely 10 minutes on the play area, he had difficulty in breathing and kept on coughing. We had to rush out to the Guardian pharmacy, got a Ventolin inhaler, found a staircase where all of us can sit (because I can't spot any benches or chairs) and I sprayed the inhaler while daddy covered both of his hands around Lun'z mouth to prevent the medication from evaporating into the air. The hands act like a spacer device. That's how it works because every night back at home, we will use the spacer device for the little one to inhale the medication as he doesn't know how to breath in the medication from the inhaler using his mouth yet.

But that day, I didn't bring any of those out. So lesson learnt again, remember to bring all his 'properties' when we go out.

After inhaling the medication, he felt much much better. The coughs had lessen as well. Phew....asthma attack can be pretty dangerous. Scared the hell out of me.

Seeing that Lunz was back to normal, we dropped by Jusco Cheras Selatan on our way back to get the steamboat ingredients for dinner at night. I invited mum and bro over as well. So, we had a nice steamboat dinner together. I enjoyed such moments even I had to wash and mop the floor later. Feels so good to be surrounded by family members. Since my grandma's death, I appreciate my parents even more, not to say I don't appreciate them earlier, but even more compared to previous. I felt that life is short and we must cherished moments spent with them.

A little bit of update on Lunz:

1. Gone fatter. Must control his weight if not will change to be 'Fei Chai'. Just control his food intake, I mean. Lesser 100 plus and sweet stuffs.
2. Sleep by himself now in his own room. Guess me and him already used to it. He will sleep after story reading and we will leave the room. Sometimes, I accompany him till he fell asleep, then I will leave. Sometimes, he will go into our room middle of the night and look for us, then I'll usher him back to his own room and sleep together with him. On other times, he will sleep until morning if he did not wake up middle of the night. Or sometimes if daddy's snoring is too loud, I'll pack my bolster and pillow to the little one's room. Hehehehe.... but so far, all this sleeping by himself is doing good.
3. Likes to watch Pingu. He can replay the VCD for one whole day.
4. Does not likes to eat vege. I'll force him to take sometimes.
5. Still doesn't interact with friends at school but can follow well the studies.
6. Still doesn't know how to form and speak long sentences. I mean the whole sentence.
7. Always refused to sleep at night no matter how tired.
8. Is still taking Seretide (Prevention inhaler) and Loraldine (Antihistamine) daily.
9. Very very, extremely attached to daddy.
10. Likes to eat very much.
11. Know how to show his 'peace' sign using his fingers when take photographs. Thanks to daddy! :P
12. Getting better at recognizing words because we have bedtime stories every night before sleep. Sometimes can read the whole book by himself.
13. Behave extremely well when I take him out for dinner.
14. Knows how to differentiate between boys and girls and colors to represent them. Like boy is blue and pink is girl.
15. Good at taking photographs using camera.

The Visit to Germany

I just got back from Germany today. Pretty tiring trip as most of the time I was traveling on both land and air. Can't really sleep on plane though. And with the time difference, it was as though I'm surviving up to 5am every morning (in Malaysia time, time in Germany is 10pm) and I always woke up early. My boss told me that I must controlled my body, don't let my mind pulled me back. It was not that easy anyway, this so called jet lag. Although the traveling on the plane sucks, but the scenery that I saw was worth the trip.

The Departure Day
Pretty nervous as I haven't been traveling overseas for quite some time and the thought of leaving my boys at home really kills me. Believe it or not, I actually took up some house chores to shift my mind away from the fact that I had to leave that night without ever bothering whether I will tired myself out later. So, I was pretty exhausted when I got on to the plane. Anyway, both daddy and Lunz accompanied me until I left. I had this kind of mixed feelings always when I had to travel. This time the feeling was much much heavier. Daddy told me he felt the same way as well although this was not the first time I traveled but we felt so different. Maybe we are used to living under the same roof now that we felt upset when the other party is not around.

The anxiety was killing me while I waited for the taxi to arrive. I was practically looking out at the door every few seconds. I had been brain-washing the little one 2 days ago that I'll be leaving for work. I even showed him my suitcases and told him that mummy will be outstation working. He understands of course and it really hurts me when he hugged me immediately on the spot and told me, no....mimi come back. I just had to tell him that mimi will come back after working okay...

While waiting for the cab, we played words and sentences guessing game with the little one. Once the cab arrived, I told him, I had to leave and kiss him goodbye on his cheek. He never looked at me. He was pretty good at hiding his feelings. Once I had left, he asked daddy where was I as if trying to be certain that I had really left. Daddy told him, of course. According to daddy, the little one was very quiet after I left, unlike earlier when we were playing games, he was all laughing and happy. Later, he took his blanket from the sofa while daddy was in the loo and climbed up to bed himself. Looks like he can sense my absence.

6 September - Day 1
Traveling for 12 hours on plane was not easy, not to mention an addition of 10 hours transit in Amsterdam before I can catch my flight to Cologne. It was crazy. I was deeply exhausted. We took the train to Amsterdam Central and walked and walked and walked while waiting for our next transit plane at 5pm. The train was very convenient as it takes you straight from the airport to the center of the town. I remembered the previous time when I took the shuttle, we had much more to walk before we reached town.

Nothing much in Amsterdam as I was here before. But this time, with the help of my boss, we managed to trace the RED LIGHT DISTRICT. Saw a couple of women with just their underwear on displaying themselves at the window but, they weren't the pretty ones. Boss told me, it was still early, the pretty ones only comes out at night. Bought myself some souvenirs and headed back to airport later to catch our flight.

Back at KL, daddy told me, Lunz has not accepted the fact that I had already left. He asked for me when he woke up in the next morning. He asked for me again when he saw my car and thought that I had came home from work. He told daddy that it was mimi when he heard the aunty from the house behind us shouted out loud. Poor boy. My heart ached badly. That's the thing when you had commitment and you had to travel for work. Glad that mum, daddy and family are there to support and assured me that Lunz will be well taken care of.

The Red Light District. Nothing much to see as we were early.

We arrived Cologne and managed to check into our rooms at 7pm. Since it was Sunday, every shops in the town were closed. Very good hotel as the shopping streets were just behind the hotel. Walking distance. I was so tired that I didn't joined dinner. Took my bath and went straight to bed.

7 September - Day 2

We visited Kolnmesse, the fairground. We walked all the way there as they wanted to enjoy the scenery.

My hotel. Walking distance to shops, the cathedral, restaurants and pubs.

I managed to take photos of the DOM while we walked. A signature cathedral landmark in Cologne. The DOM is almighty huge! And the building changes colors from fading gray to shiny golden with different angles of sunlight upon it. A very beautiful cathedral!


Lots and lots of padlocks. All locked up on the fence along the bridge. For each padlock, the couple names were craved on it. A tradition for marriage. Locked up the padlock on the fence on the wedding day and threw the keys into the river. Symbolizing an eternal love all locked up. Interesting huh?


Beautiful view on the bridge.

Dinner. Tasted the delicious pig knuckle, famous German sausage and last but not least, the beer. Couldn't find any beer like that in KL.

8 September - Day 3

We went for a factory visit, DIY store and showroom and finally reached our hotel in Fulda in the evening at 6pm. Fulda town was amazingly beautiful. Too bad we reached there late and we had to leave very early the following morning. But, I still managed to take some photos in the town after my breakfast.

Lovely Fulda, Germany.


Very beautiful town.

9 September - Day 4
We headed off for factory visit in the morning and got to Nuremberg in the evening. I didn't take any photos in Nuremberg because it was nothing special. Very much developed and the city was far away from the hotel. The scene was just so-so. I had been traveling a lot these few days and was very tired. I didn't joined dinner thou. Had a good bath and nice sleep.

Back in KL, daddy messaged me and told me that he bought himself and the little one ice-cream.
Lun: One for Sebastian, one for daddy (referring to ice-creams)
Daddy: Mimi leh?
Lun: Mimi outstation working. (seems like he has accepted the fact I really went overseas working)

Daddy had been looking after him most of the nights. He told me the little one was very obedient. Followed every instructions. Funny, he didn't behave like that when I am around. Kids, they tend to bully their mothers. I'm just glad to have daddy around to accompany Lunz.

10 September - Day 5
Again, final destination of factory visit in Leutershausen. The owner of the company was very generous into buying us lunch. We went for lunch in a small but beautiful town. Such small town but yet lovely.

Lunch with the group.

Small but yet beautiful town.

Lovely house with beautiful flowers.

We went through 5 hours on the road later to reach Cologne. It was 7pm when we finally checked into the same hotel that we stayed earlier. All the time wasted on the road was crazy. It was as if I traveled the whole peninsular Malaysia by car. My neck was aching madly.

I dropped all my luggage once I was in the room and did my last minute shopping because the stores will be closed by 8pm sharp. Managed to buy some sausages and chocolates. We had our dinner in some Shanghai Restaurant and headed back to the hotel because we had an early flight to catch the next morning.

11 September - Day 6
Here I am, stuck in the plane again for 12 hours. I hate the flights. Makes me lacked of sleep because I'm a person who can hardly fall asleep easily especially in a plane. But the scenery were amazing minus the tiring traveling. Landed on 12 September morning. Bought 2 packs for ciggy for dad and daddy. Funny...dad and daddy. Hehehe....

I was drop dead exhausted but was very glad to be back home again. I slept like a dead pig when I reached home. I slept the whole afternoon. Later, I went out for dinner with daddy. Good to taste Malaysian food. Gosh! I miss the food here.

I had to quarantine myself from the little one at the mean time (just travel abroad, fear of getting the H1N1 flu). Although I misses him badly but I must be patience. Better be careful than take the risk since the fella is in high risk group.

I have a lot of personal quality time of my own but both daddy and I are constantly missing the little fella. Today is Sunday. I woke up at 12 noon, had lunch (or breakfast?), did some house chores, yoga, put on mask and now finishing my blog.

Gosh....I miss him badly. Hope to see him soon and have him in my arms.

The 3rd and 4th Night

As a reward for behaving so good and independent, sleeping all by himself, I got him 2 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse pre-readers story books. Very good books as the illustrations are amazing and eye-capturing. Besides, the wordings are simple and easy to follow and memorize. The little one loves it!

3rd Night
Daddy put him to bed. He slept through the night waking up only at 6 in the morning and looked for me in my room. I took him back to his bed and asked him to go back to sleep. As usual he asked for milk. I ignored him, commanding him to go back to sleep instead. In which, he did few minutes later. I stayed in his room with him because I had another 45 minutes of snooze before I actually got up for work. He was still sleeping when I left.

4th Night
It was yesterday. My turn to put him to bed. He slept with me lying down on the bed next to him. However, I told him in prior that after he has slept, mummy will go down to watch TV. You have to sleep by yourself, mummy will be next door in mummy's room. Shortly, he fell asleep. An hour later, I made another peep at him and lay down next to him for a short while admiring his sleeping look. Me too, fell asleep fast and awoken next to find myself realizing that I have to sleep in the next room. My own room. I quickly left.

I don't know what time was it when I noticed he crawled up to my bed and fell asleep next to me. I was too tired to bother anyway. Too tired to move actually. But it should be the time before daddy slept because I found daddy sleeping in Lunz's room the next morning.

The little one was coughing badly about 3am and I made him took the inhaler. He was better after that, not coughing and slept till morning.

If I put him to sleep, he will wake up constantly, looking for me. Looks like daddy will do a better job than me. We will see how it goes. All I know, I'm very tired today. I nearly don't wanna wake up this morning, but who wants anyway? Hahaha....luckily I'm on half day today. Should give me enough time to rest before my trip to Cologne, Germany tomorrow night.

For the time being, I will have to stop blogging and will definitely continue when I returned. I think I will miss Lunz's sleeping pattern because we just started training him to sleep on his own and I'm not around again. Meanwhile, he will be staying with his popo and daddy on and off. I'll monitor when I'm back and continue the updates later.

Sleeping On His Own

Lunz has started sleeping in his own room 2 days ago (his room is finally ready!) when we got the double bed from mum on Monday. We got the beds exchanged, of course. I gave my brother the newly bought single foam bed (for meimei) while mum gave me the pocket spring queen size bed, a maroon colored bed frame and 2 sets of queen size bedsheets. The Barter System! Haha!

So, we settled him in on Monday night itself and here are the results:

Monday (31 August 2009)
I had a very strong separation anxiety that I felt so upset. I mean my baby has been co-sleeping with me for the past 4 years and it's hard to face the fact that starting today onwards he has to sleep on his own. I told myself, could he be still young to sleep on his own? I mean he doesn't have any siblings and sleeping on his own in a room seems kinda lonely to me. But, on the other hand, if I don't separate him now, when will be the right time to do so? After all, he is a big boy now already and he knows a lot of things.

Anyway, we try to put him to bed in his new room. I knew being the first night in a complete new and strange room, even the little one will need time to get used to it. So, I slept with him on his bed on that night. The whole night through. But, I knew I was the one who's experiencing the separation anxiety. What a strange thing it is...because when we used to sleep next to each other, I hardly get good sleep throughout the night because the little fella will demonstrate his Kungfu stances. And now, without him, I felt that something was missing. How strange the feeling is when he is just sleeping separately from us in the next room, and nothing more. And it seems so hard to let him go. Perhaps I should learn to be a parent that can and will let go of her own children for them to have space to grow up. I should learn that.

Tuesday(1 September 2009)
On the second night, it was much easier (because daddy put him to bed instead!). I lit the burner with aromatherapy oil and dimmed the lights to create a comfortable sleepy environment for him but he complaint it was smelly. Hmmmpphh....in the end, I took the burner over to my room. I told daddy I need to take my bath and he will put the little one to bed. After some story reading time, all lights went off and after I had taken my bath, I saw daddy sitting nearby the door. One of the methods - sit nearby the bed and tell the kid that once he doze off, daddy or mummy will go down to watch TV (or do whatever as long as the kid was informed that you are around in the house and that he has the security he will be able to find you within reach if he needs you). Don't sleep on the bed with him and left after he has fallen asleep because it will be even worse when he wakes up and couldn't find you. He will not trust you anymore.

But daddy told Lunz he need to go working pulak when he has fallen asleep later! Ish Ish Ish! Working is leaving the house and it's not good to inform him that we will be leaving the house and him behind. But daddy told me he don't know what else to tell him. Maybe his concept of working is working from home eh? :P

Daddy, you can try telling him that you will go down to watch TV or play with computer in the computer room. Tell him we are in the house. The little fella understands one.

Daddy turned on the bedside lamp before he left the room and I switched off his air-cond before I went to bed. His room is very cold at night with natural cold air and it's sufficient with just turning on the fan. We both let the doors of our room opened.

But I can't sleep....

I woke up more than 5 times yesterday just to check on him. Whether he was alright, whether he was comfortable, whether he had his blanket on him, whether he will wake up looking for me and all sorts of things. And our bed. It seems so small now with both me and daddy on it. Previously, we had the bed on the floor attached next to Lunz's single bed and I had the whole bed to myself because daddy will normally sleep separately in another mattress. Maybe I'm just too worried about the kid that I can't sleep. I will have to get used to it.

Lunz slept through the whole night only waking up in the morning when I had to get ready for work. But he fell back to sleep again after he had his bottle of milk. We will see how tonight goes.

Frankly, I'm very proud of my son because (*touchwood*) he has never thrown any tantrum when he first started school and when he has to get back to school after every holiday breaks. He never cried (*touchwood again*) when he has to sleep in separate rooms. He is really a mature and brave boy.

Below are some pictures taken of his fully designed and furnished room...ermmm...without the bedside lamp (as I hadn't found one yet at that time) and the double bed.

Corner back end of his room.

Cupboard and the dressing table.

The bed was put right at the end on the wooden parquet.
The tiles were the extended area.

I have to kneel up and down to draw different shapes with different colors on the wooden panel skirting. Pretty tiring!

Door connected to the toilet. Daddy painted it white while I drew pictures on it with the left-over acrylic paints. Took me 2 hours for just a simple drawing like that because I had to apply 2 coats of paint for it to look nice.

Honestly, I enjoyed painting and I still have a lot of paints left. If the wall was not coated with a fresh new layer of pearl paint, I would have painted more. I'll see what I can do with the remaining paints.

His room looks more like a nursery or a play area more than a bedroom huh?

By the way, some articles that I found online that I would like to share out. Please feel free to let your comments flow in:

Co-Sleeping: Bad for Parents, Bad for Children

I love my children. I love to wrap my arms around them, hold them closely and kiss their soft faces as they sleep at night. But I know that as much as I love them and always want to hold them close, sometimes what a child needs most is his own space. It is for this reason that I feel strongly, as a parent and an early childhood educator that the place for children at night is in their own beds.

I have read the many articles supporting the concept of co-sleeping and I am not convinced. Yes, co-sleeping is often the easiest choice. The easiest way to get a child to go to sleep may be to lie down next to him in your bed and fall asleep together. But does the fact that it is the easiest step make it the best one? Here are my reasons for encouraging parents to stand fast on this issue and insist that their children sleep in their own beds.

Co-Sleeping is Bad for Parents

I love my children. But I also love my husband and value our relationship. In my experience, both personally and professionally, I find that happy parents have an easier time raising happy children. The only time that my husband and I have together to relax, talk, discuss our lives and express our love to each other is at night after our children go to sleep. The time we spend alone in our bedroom is essential for us as a couple. Also, this time is important for me, as an individual. I need to know that after a certain time at night, my evening belongs to me.

Of course, as a parent there are always nights where this is not possible. All children have bad nights where they need extra attention. But this does not have to be every night. I strongly believe that parents, who have time to themselves as well as time with their children, make better parents in the long run.

Co-Sleeping Is Bad For Children

So what if what I said above does not apply to you? Maybe you and your husband have jointly decided that time alone is not a priority right now. I certainly respect and admire this decision.I would still encourage you, however, to consider if co-sleeping is the best choice for your child.

Co-Sleeping Is Bad for Older Children Too

So what about co-sleeping for older children? Clearly there is no risk of suffocation for two or three-year-olds that can sleep in adult beds.

I would suggest that parents who wish to let older children sleep with them, consider the message that they send to their children. Why do children want to sleep with their parents? Children are saying, "I need you for everything. I need you to get me dressed, to feed me, to take me places and to….sleep." The parent, by saying yes, says to the child, "That's right, you do. You can't do it alone. You will always need me to help you, even during the night. Twenty-four hours a day, I will be there."

As parents, we want to always be there for our children. But in real life we can't be. By giving our children the message that they always need a parent, we set up a cycle that a parent cannot and should not live up to. One of the things we must teach our children is not just how to do things, but how to do things on their own. A young child does need his parents for eating, for clothing, for transportation and all basic needs. The one thing he does not need his parents for is sleeping. By allowing children to sleep on their own from a young age, we teach children something that is essential for growth - you are an individual - there are things you can do without a parent.

Instead, I would encourage parents to do the following. Show your children love with hugs, kisses and warmth throughout the day. Hold them close. Allow them to cuddle up in your arms as you put them to sleep and run into your room in the morning for a good morning hug in your arms (and bed.) But let them know that because you love them, they need to learn to sleep alone.

All Rules Have Exceptions

Now I know that I have come down strongly against co-sleeping and I want to make sure that there is no misunderstanding. Every rule is meant to be broken. If there is a night that your child needs extra attention, then make an exception. Every now and then, for a special treat and encouragement, a turn in Mommy or Daddy's bed is acceptable.

But you cannot make so many exceptions that your child will no longer remember the rule. If every other night is an exception, then you set yourself up for a fight every night. In my home there are two exceptions to this rule:

1. When one of my children is sick. (Sick being defined as actual fever or serious injury.)
   
   
2. When my husband is away on a business trip. This allows my children to get extra attention while a parent is absent and does not interfere with my relationship with my husband.

Of course, each parent needs to determine which rules and exceptions belong in their home. These exceptions work for my family. Your family may be different.

I would encourage parents who are considering co-sleeping to think about the issues that I discuss in this article and make an informed choice. Insisting that a child sleep in his own bed is not usually the easiest choice, but in my opinion, it is the best one.

Choose wisely. Don't take the easy way out.

Another article:

When a School-Age Child Won't Sleep Alone

Break down the problem
When a child seems to avoid sleeping in her own bed, it's sometimes helpful to think of the problem as having two separate parts and then tackle each part separately. These are (1) helping the child feel comfortable sleeping in her own bed; and (2) helping her learn (or relearn) to fall asleep without her parents present.

Consistent enforcement is key
To help your child feel comfortable sleeping in her own bed, you must first make a rule that she does in fact sleep in her own bed. Then you need to enforce the rule consistently. If your child comes into your room in the middle of the night, gently pick her up or take her by the hand and lead her back to her own room. You may have to do this several times a night at first, but if you give in and allow your child to stay in your room, or in your bed, you will have only taught her to be more persistent.

Helping your child fall asleep alone
Some experts recommend a cold turkey approach, which amounts to putting a child in her bed and walking out. But there is a gentler way that is just as effective, although it takes a bit longer. Start by sitting in your child's room, within eyesight of your child but not talking or interacting in any way, until she falls asleep. Then leave the room. If she awakens in the middle of the night, repeat this procedure.

After a few days of this, move your chair so that you sit a little farther away. Once your child is comfortable with this distance, move outside your child's sight while promising to stay nearby until she falls asleep. Usually after a day or two of this, the child is ready to fall asleep on her own, with the reassurance that her parents are nearby in case she needs them.

Sometimes a child will try to make a parent promise to stay nearby all night long. It isn't wise to make such an unrealistic promise, because your eventual absence is sure to be discovered by your child, who may then have difficulty trusting you. Instead, you can honestly reply that you will not stay right there all night, but you will be near enough to return to the room if your child needs you. Most children accept this reassurance, perhaps after testing once or twice to see that their parents really do come back if they call for them.