Taiping Zoo

Continue from Another Vacation - Cameron Highlands!

Thank God that after almost 1.5hours of nap, Charlotte woke up back to her usual self. All of us were so relieved to see this change. As we were passing by the Taiping Zoo sign board along the North South Highway, I asked Pat if we can drop by for awhile and let Charlotte see the real animals and those that she has been seeing from TV programs or books. Pat agreed and we turned to the exit and headed straight to the Taiping Zoo.

It was a very warm afternoon but the zoo was really packed with visitors. We purchased the tickets and we saw a tram waiting as we entered to the zoo. We knew that it would be more fun to go on foot but we were getting tired and the weather was really warm. We then decided that we should take the tram instead of walking a 2.5km journey.

The tram took around 30min only to complete the entire zoo. I had to say the the tour guide (the tram driver) was not very professional as he didn't slow down the tram or pause a little as he introduce the sections. Some of those animals were small in size or dark in color or hidden at a corner were barely visible to us. Out of the entire route, I think we only managed to see 60%-70% of what he introduced and Charlotte probably only managed to catch up with 50% of what we saw or pointed to her.

We wanted to show Charlotte the tigers, lions, zebras, and elephants the most but the tigers and lions were all napping when our tram arrived at that section. Charlotte gets to see the zebras and elephants very clearly and she was really excited and amazed when seeing the real one standing in front of her. Our last stop was at the elephant section and we managed to take a few photos before heading out.

Charlotte name this: Mommy & Baby

Later, she saw another tougher and older one came by and she name this: KongKong, Mommy & Baby (LOL!!)

Another Vacation - Cameron Highlands!

It was the Raya holidays and I made a couple of plans for this long weekend. First, I arranged a family photo shoot at Shalom on Saturday evening, then we will be heading to Cameron Highlands for a 3D/2N stay. So I woke up on Saturday morning with my mind preoccupied. I want to make sure that I keep Charlotte's meal and nap time on schedule so that she will be refreshed when comes to the photo shoot session. Then, I want to make sure that I make a list for Brenda to prepare for our Cameron Highlands trip, mostly list of things to pack and also food and medicine to bring...but I had to cancel the photo shoot that night because I fell from my house staircase and sprained my ankle :( I didn't want to cancel the Cameron Highlands trip because it will be a total disappointment for my parents as they have been looking forward to spend time with Charlotte. Luckily, my dad brought me to this Chinese "sin seh" and the swell and pain healed almost 80% over night (the treatment process was a very painful experience though). We proceeded with our plan to Cameron Highland the next day!

The apartment we rent was at Tanah Rata, the balcony of the unit that we were staying facing a children play area directly. That was the first and only attraction to Charlotte for our entire stay there. She woke up every morning asking for "slides! slides!". It was also our first time to let her really experience the fun of the slides and she loves it!

We didn't bring along any of Charlotte's favorite movies this trip as we wanted her to enjoy more outdoor activities. So, apart from the play ground we also brought along her motorcycle and bubbles. Bubbles was a good trick to keep her entertained while having her lunch. Also, I am glad that my mom was with us this trip. She planned and did all the cooking for Charlotte. So, Charlotte's meals for that few days were all taken care off without a sweat :)

We arrived at Tanah Rata around 3.00pm and after we got ourselves settled down it was time for Charlotte's 2nd nap of the day. All of us also took a rest and we headed for steamboat dinner at Brinchang. My dad bought 2kg of big fresh prawns especially for that dinner. It was supposed to be a very pleasant dinner experience, cool weather, warm food but it was raining heavily that night and our spirits were dampened a little by the wet weather. The overall experience was not as great as we thought it would be. Also, we planned to shop at the night market after dinner but the rain kept on pouring and we had to cancel that agenda too. So, we went back to the apartment early and call it a night. That night was freezing cold.

The main attraction at Cameron Highlands is it's beautiful agricultural presence. Flowers, vegetables and fruits farms are some of those famous tourist attraction that no one would missed. Our first stop the next morning was visiting to a self pluck strawberry farm. It was Charlotte's first and extraordinary experience as she gets to pluck the strawberries herself.

We ended up spending RM95 on 3 big boxes of strawberries, heh! heh! We then headed back to the apartment because it was Charlotte's nap time again and my mom prepared a simple lunch for everyone. We continue our visit to several more places after lunch, Cactus Farm, Honey Bee Apiary Farm and etc.

I read about the Ye Olde Smokehouse from Pei Sze's blog earlier and Pat and I were very interested to try out the food and experience the environment there. So we took Charlotte to check out the place in the afternoon. It has a very beautiful garden, the dining area looks very cozy with fine decoration. Charlotte had a nice time running around at the garden and we made reservation for dinner that night :)

We were not too worried if Charlotte would behave during dinner because the Smokehouse has a huge garden and a big, long hall to keep her entertained. Also, we had 2 maids (Brenda and my parent's maid) to take care of her. My mom cooked porridge for Charlotte and we brought it along to the Smokehouse. While waiting for our dinner to be served, the maids took Charlotte out playing at garden and also feeding her the porridge. The adults get to enjoy a a little nice quality time together.

Happy Birthday, KongKong!

Yes, it was also my dad's birthday that night and we celebrated it with fine dinner and wine ;)

All went well until the last day. Charlotte woke up at the wrong side of the bed. First, she wanted to go to the play ground but it was drizzling so we didn't allow her to go. Unfortunately, there were a few boys still playing in the rain. Charlotte couldn't understand why she was not allowed to play and that started her temper tantrum. We then distracted her by taking her for a bath. She was for a moment calmed down a little until we took her out from the bathtub. She didn't have enough and wanted to bath longer and wash her hair but the weather was very cold and we had to force her to get up from the bathtub. All that screaming and crying started again. After that, there was nothing we did that meet her "expectation". I brought her down to the play ground when the rain stopped. She pointed to the slides and I brought her there but then she pointed to the swing. So I walked towards the swing. She decided that the swing was no fun when I was about to sit down with her, and she wanted to go to the seesaw. We blew bubbles for her, but she didn't like the idea. We took out the motorcycle but she was not interested either. She kept changing her demand and almost nothing could calm her down. This temper tantrum lasted for 2 hours until she fell asleep in the car on our way back. I was so exhausted and hungry.

We were planning to visit to the tea plantation on our way back and also to get some fresh vegetables but we had to cancel that idea and headed straight home. Deep down I pray that Charlotte will be back to her cheerful mode when she wakes up from her nap.

To be continue...

Deworm

How careless was I to have totally forgotten about children deworming until Brenda told me that she saw a tiny white color worm-like creature from Charlotte's backside. When she took a closer look, that "thing" went back inside!!! Luckily we were planning for Charlotte's PD visit for her 2nd JE jab the next day.

I told the PD on duty about this incidence and he said it is the intestinal parasites and it is rather common among young children. He prescribed the Zentel for Charlotte, 5ml to be taken every half yearly. Though Zentel is commonly advised for children above the age of 2, prescription can be given to children between 1 to 2 years old at 10ml at a single doze if necessary. So, I was not very concern over this as the PD only prescription 5ml for Charlotte's case. The doctor also said that the parasites would dissolved and come out in her poo.

Charlotte had her doze of Zentel last Friday and she had her bowel movement on Saturday. It was a little loose than usual and that we were also informed by the PD. I took notice on her poo and there was really nothing, so I thought it is just like what the PD said, dissolved.

As usual, Charlotte didn't have her bowel movement everyday. It has been 4 days since last Saturday and that's the limit I give usually to avoid hard stool. When I went to pick up Charlotte this evening, Brenda told me 2 big news! One, Charlotte "pang sai" already! That's her usual way of telling me, all of us feel relieved every time Charlotte did her business...so, what's the 2nd news?

There was this long worm came out in her poo!!! I got a shocked because I thought it should be dissolved as what the doctor said! Actually, it was only the skin left and the body was dissolved already. According to Brenda and MIL, it was about 4-5inch in length and maybe about 0.5cm in diameter!

I hope it is all cleared now, we only need to administer the next doze in the next 6 months. I also hope that Charlotte's appetite will get better and gain more weight if the intestinal parasites are the root cause of her poor appetite. By the way, the PD guided me to this useful website which they have the most updated children growth chart.

If you have not done deworming to your toddler, you should probably do so by getting the deworming medicine from pharmacy or let your child's PD prescribe one for you.

Brave Girl!

I want to write this down because this is one of those great milestones that makes me feel very proud of Charlotte.

Last night, we took Charlotte for her 2nd JE jab. Every time she visits to her PD she will be crying from the moment entering the PD's room until she came out from there, even just a routine check-up without any jab. I have been playing doctor-patient game at home with her since we got her the doctor toy set. Sometimes, she will be the doctor pretending to check on me, and sometimes she is the patient and I am the doctor. When I played the patient role, I pretended to cry (like she used to do) when she put the stethoscope on me. She will giggles and that's when I told her that it is really nothing to cry about. This time I prep her just to make sure that it will be a more pleasant visit for her.

Here was my conversation with her before we arrived at GMC:

Me: Charlotte, mommy is taking you to see doctor, ok?
Charlotte: Check check (pointed to her chest)

Me: Yes, doctor will check on you just like how we played at home.
Charlotte: (Nodded)

Me: Charlotte cannot cry ya?
Charlotte: No cry...

Me: Doctor will check on Charlotte's chest, and check on Charlotte's ears ok? Cannot cry one ya?
Charlotte: No cry...
I wonder if she really understood what I was trying to say.

Me: When you see the doctor, Charlotte say hi ok?
Charlotte: Hi

Me: And shake hand with the doctor ok?
Charlotte: (Nodded again)

We waited for awhile and finally it's Charlotte's turn. Both Dr. Rama and Dr. Jessica were not in last night and it was a new doctor on duty. So, we thought it should be fine since it is just taking a jab. Pat carried Charlotte to the doctor and she was really quiet, didn't cry. When Pat sat down with her in front of the doctor, the doctor showed her the stethoscope and asked if she wants to touch it. She was a little held back but then I told her that it's ok, and she used her fingers just lightly touched on the stethoscope. Then doctor started the checking, first with the stethoscope on her chest then on her back. Then the doctor took out the microscope to check on her ears. Charlotte was all the time kept very quiet, didn't struggle, didn't cry. Very unusual of her. I was at the side kept praising her for being such a clever girl! But I know she was very tensed and trying very hard to hold back her anxiety. I was just praying that it would be over soon...

After the ear check, it came the mouth part. As the doctor asked her to open up her mouth, one nurse came over and started to hold Charlotte's head trying to make her tilt her head up a little. Charlotte got a shock that she thought they were trying to hurt her. That's when she broke the silence of the room with her extremely loud scream and big drops of tears. If I knew that the nurse was coming to hold her head I would have stopped her from doing so and let Charlotte do it at her own pace. It could probably be easier for her to accept then someone coming from behind and touched her suddenly.

Then we had to go through the remaining routine with all the screaming again. But Charlotte calmed down in a shorter time then before as she left the room with Brenda. Pat and I continued to stay in the room to ask a few more questions with the PD and then we left the hospital around 9.00pm.

Charlotte fall asleep on our way back home. Pat and I left the house for a quick errand after settled down Brenda and Charlotte. But when I reached home again later, I heard Charlotte 's cry even before I entered the front gate. I rushed into the house and saw Brenda was changing her again. Brenda told me that Charlotte woke up not long after we left and crying hysterically and vomited. My heart broke hearing this as I could imagine what she been through that night.

She must be frighten by the entire doctor visit experience as I could see her trying to hold back really hard at the PD's room. We calmed her down a little bit and played her favorite movie show for her, Toy Story (yeah, old show!).

I am very proud of her self control and her understanding of instructions. All this while, I know she takes instructions really well but not to this extend. I am very very proud of my little girl!

Mid-Autumn Celebration

Last Saturday, we passed by Seri Tanjung Pinang and noticed that there was a lantern festival celebration at the E&O sales office. Pat then realized that E&O did send him an invitation but he totally forgot about it because of his busy work schedule. We joined the celebration there right after dinner and it was Charlotte's first Lantern Festival experience!

The E&O group actually gave out traditional paper lantern to all children and because we went late, there were no more lantern left for Charlotte. I was very disappointed as I really wanted to let Charlotte experience the celebration. I didn't give up but continued to look around if there was any left over. At last I found a big box filled with paper lanterns. I was so excited that finally we found a lantern for Charlotte but I only realized that those lanterns were broken as I took one out from the box (sigh!). However, after a long try Brenda managed to fix one and we lighted it up for Charlotte :)

I was a little worried if it is safe for Charlotte to carry it. To my surprise, she did it really well! There was a chinese orchestra playing at the stage, Charlotte was carrying her lantern and on and off she will dance (shake her body a little) with the music. It was really cute!

Did you notice the "flying balloon" behing this pitcure? This was what she kept looking at when I took the video clip above. She said "fly....!", and that's what she meant :D

The lantern play that I was trying to pull together for the playgroup didn't get to happen for the past couple of weeks. I decided to take my last chance to make it happen again on the actual mid-autumn day (Sept 25th), then again my invitation was out late and most of the playgroup members couldn't make it either. Luckily I have my Plan B as back up...

We went to Gurney for dinner and I brought along the lanterns that I bought for Charlotte hope to let her do a little lantern parade at gurney. At Gurney Walk, she found a new friend...

Charlotte was happily doing her lantern parade at Gurney Walk as Pat and I were having dinner at the Chili's. I first gave her the rabbit lantern but I noticed that the wind was too strong out there kept blowing off the candle. So, I took another lantern out to exchange with her. When I was outside, I noticed that was a family with a toddler boy sitting outside of Starbucks. Since I brought a lot of paper lanterns with me, I asked Charlotte to give her rabbit lantern to the boy. She did it right away, walked towards the boy and handed over her lantern to him!! The boy is only 19 months old, very quiet and well behaved. Charlotte is just the opposite.

(Did you see Charlotte's hand? She was trying to hug the boy as I took the picture, ha!)

(I guess she didn't really know where to land her hand, instead of putting it across the boy's shoulder...)

A brief mid-autumn celebration, a little lantern play for Charlotte and I am officially 1 year older now :(

New Stunt

I discovered this last week when I was at MIL's place to pick up Charlotte. Nobody taught her this or asked her to do this, I also have no idea what triggered her to do this. It is real funny but yet her concentration and determination in getting it done is very impressive.

She can do this with either her right or left foot and when she managed to pick up the object she will say "Nah!".

I didn't have my camera with me that day and so it was captured with my phone camera. The screen is real small and that's why I only get a picture of her feet. I will try to get a better video clip next time ;)

A Day With Butterflies

Our plan to visit to the Butterfly Farm has been postponing for weeks due to the recent wet weather. We woke up this morning disappointed again as it was still drizzling. I was almost desperate to put this visit down in memory and so I proceeded to get ready while waiting for Charlotte to wake up.

Charlotte woke up only at 9.00am. We first headed to town for DimSum breakfast and the plan was if it still rains after breakfast, we will have to cancel the visit again. God must have heard my prayer as it was all sunny when we walked out from the restaurant.

It was about 10.30am and we headed straight to Teluk Bahang. We have only about 1.5 hours in total as I want to make sure that we do not over stretched Charlotte's nap time. We arrived at the Butterfly Farm at 11.00am, marked the beginning of a wonderful experience of butterfly watching, up close and personal...

It was Charlotte's first encounter with real butterflies. She was very excited when I told her that we are bringing her to see real butterflies. Of course, I didn't think that she fully understood or realized the difference between the real butterflies and those that she sees on books and TV.

Her expression was what I called "out of control" when she first saw the butterflies flying freely around her. I guess it must be because of the mixed feeling of anxious and excitement that she felt with her little heart.

Throughout this entire album, you will probably notice this funny facial expression of Charlotte. This was what daddy thought her to smile for a photo. Instead of "cheers" or "cheese", Charlotte said "Eeeee..." and showed her beautiful teeth. Good try, baby! I still prefer her natural self.

I wanted to take a picture of Charlotte alone with the butterflies and make a good printout to display at home but Charlotte was a little nervous to be left alone. She wanted us to carry her all the time in the farm, or either held our hands very tightly.


We arrived at this very beautiful part of the farm and saw a very nice spot that it would be perfect if she could just stand there for a few shots. Daddy put her there and was distracting her with the beautiful butterflies just right beside her. I quickly took out my camera and keep snapping at her hoping to get a few nice shots.

Well, these are a few that I managed to get. She was first fascinated but yet very conscious of her safety, she didn't make a single movement while she was standing up there even though some butterflies were flying right in front of her. She posted and "smiled" for the a few photos and very soon, she said "scare, carry" and reached out her both hands to us.

Not only it was Charlotte's first experience with butterflies, it was her first with many reptiles, insects and fishes too. We saw this big beautiful Iguana and pointed it to Charlotte. Her response was "scared" and patted her chest :)

Look who is prettier? Charlotte, mommy, butterflies or flowers? *wink*

Here is what I call "kids learn fast!". We were trying to let Charlotte to open up and have fun like other kids, chase or catch the butterflies and have a good laugh (though we were not allowed to disturb the butterflies actually). She was still very conscious and very careful with everything she saw.

Before we exit, we tried it again and this time she got it! That was when I finally got a few good shots of her with the butterflies alone!

We spent about an hour there and it started to drizzle again when we were about to exit. Charlotte also started to get a little agitated then probably because it was time for her nap already. I was trying to get a good shot at the entrance of the farm just to keep a memory but I guess we didn't quite make it to perfection.