Last day to vote for ETHAN!!!

Yes, today is the last day for the Search for Cutie Baby Contest! He is still in the top 2 with 47 votes behind the first one. So please cast your vote for Ethan for the last time folks!!! Thank you very much!! :)

Vote for ETHAN!!

THIS POST WILL STAYS ON TOP TILL END OF JULY ;p

* New entries can be found after this post ;p *

UPDATES: 17:24 28th July - Ethan is in the top 2 among 17 contestants and is 5% vote (176 votes)behind the first one (229 votes). So please keep your vote coming folks!! Thanks so much for your support!! :)

Hello folks, I've entered Ethan in a Cutie Child contest recently and would love to have your vote for Ethan :) If you have been generous enough to give Ethan 1843 virtual hugs (see left side bar) for Ethan, I'm pretty sure you'll be generous enough to vote for him for the Search for the Cutie Child Contest!! :) So please make your way to the site or click on the picture below and vote for E T H A N please!! :) This contest is for the month of July and you can vote once a day. If you have friends that would like to vote for Ethan please forward this post to them too. The more the merrier!! heee...THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE!! Muaaaahhhhh!!! ;p

Cisco certification

You know what, if it is not because I am in the IT industry, I won't know a thing about Cisco the brand and thus Cisco certification...In fact, it was only till I jump on the IT wagon that I learnt there is such a thing called Cisco products and its various certifications ;p Being in the IT industry, (I am not in the technical department though so don't ask me about technical stuff ok hee...) I've been exposed to quite a number of Cisco certifications especially those that have been obtained by our engineers. I now also know that an IT company that sends its staff for Cisco certifications is one IT company that you can count on. Why? Well, simply because you can be assured of the quality of their services as well as their technical knowledge on Cisco products. Furthermore, this type of company will surely go far as Cisco certifications is very well sought after not only by the clients or potential clients but also by other IT companies. Why other IT companies? Well, they will definitely hire engineers who are highly qualified and have obtained the Cisco certifications. It is after all an international certification. I am glad the company that I work for encourages the engineers to go for such certification as not only will it strengthen the company’s capability and credibility but it also shows how up to date the engineers are in terms of technical knowledge when it comes to Cisco products :) So to those who have sweat the exams and managed to get the certification, you know you'll have a bright futre in the IT field :)

Oh by the way folks, it’s only 2 days away from the closing of the Cutie Baby Contest, so please cast your vote for Lil’ Ethan pronto!! Thank you!! ;p

Baby Ryan's Fullmoon

We celebrated baby Ryan's first month at May Flower Restaurant on Sunday the 27th of July. I'll let the pictures tell the story :)

BTW, if you ever plan to go to this restaurant make sure you bring warm clothings especially for your little ones as the place is kinda cold even for some adults :p

Photo of the day

Lil' E playing peek a boo with his daddy a.k.a. his favourite playmate :)

What's going on here???

Ok, is it happening only to me or are you having the same problem as me when it comes to the widget especially by the VO5 adverts from socialspark.com??

If you notice, every time I put up the widget for that particular advertiser, I get the "oppss forbidden" icon. I just can't figure out what when wrong as for all I know, I just copied and pasted the exact html coding onto my blog. It's getting on my nerve to get these error messages and it makes me reluctant to do the adverts for Vo5. Sigh...Anybody can help me out here pretty please?? I'll be most grateful...

Best pick up line?

Have you ever encountered any interesting pick up lines? Do you have any good ones or even bad ones that you care to share or have used them to your own advantage? There is one pick up line that I never forget, it was a line from the movie Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise told Rene "...you complete me..." It was a heart melting moment for me when I was watching the movie..imagine someone whom you love so much said those beautiful and most romantic words to you...wouldn't you just melt??? I think my knees will just turn jelly upon hearing those words haha...Oh well, if you ever want to brush up your pick up lines, why not try out the online video game called Ultimate Flirting Championshipby Extreme Style by VO5. There are many pick up lines that you could always try and see whether they work for you or otherwise ;p

Ohh btw, don't forget to vote for my precious Ethan ya!! ;p

Night cloth diapering 101

I attended the CD workshop organized by Sandra the Ms Mia Bambina yesterday. As stated in my title, the first workshop was on night cloth diapering. There were 4 CD mommies i.e. Deana, Osindak, Joyce S. and of course yours truly. Celine was supposed to join us but unfortunately she couldn't make it. Guess what you missed out Celine, your super yummy beautiful cup cakes from Deana!!Huhuuu... Oh dang, I forgot to take pictures of the cup cakes...oh well, maybe Deana might have posted it in her blog ;p Anyway, it was good to be able to discuss as well as sharing of information/knowledge about night cloth diapering with the lovely mommies. I must admit, I was the only mummy who hasn't have the gut to put Ethan on CD at night yet. Reason being I'm just worry the CD might leak or worst Ethan gets rashes (since he has quite a sensitive tooshie hehe..) if its too wet for his bum bum for hours. I'm also worry in case I sleep through the night without changing his CD (if necessary)...Maybe I should try it out soon since I've bought a few fleece and minky CDs especially for night use ;p Anyway, we had a quiz to test our knowledge on different types of CDs and I'm ashamed to tell you that I failed it miserably hehehe...but thank goodness am not alone...well, you see, I only use 2 types of CDs so far i.e. pockets and all in one (excuses hehe...) Well, Joyce S. is really good coz she got all answers correct and won a lovely smell soap from Sandra's online store!!

The participants: Me, Osindak, Deana and Joyce S.

With Sandra

Bought 6 wipes, Magic stick and the natural vapor rub all for Ethan ;p

I'm so vain

I was told this product works. My verdict? It DOES WORK!

The initial effect was that my blackheads and whiteheads came off easily without much scrubbing or pressing ;p Hence, don't be surprise if you feel your blackheads or whiteheads turn worst in the beginning. That is probably because they are being self extracted from your pores hehehe...

After almost a month of using it, my blackheads and whiteheads have reduced. No more rough surface due to blackheads and whiteheads. My pores has reduced in size though not completely disappear and they are much cleaner than before as no more visible blackheads...you can now see only small amount of whiteheads on my nose ;p The damage? Well, KK retail price is RM159 while KL retail price is RM139. But I managed to get it under RM110 including postage thanks to my colleague's network ;p

So if you have blackheads and whiteheads problems, you may want to try out the Cellnique product. You may also want to read testimonials from Xiaxue and StoryMory2share. In fact, it was through Xiaxue's testimonial that my dear colleagues got their hands on it, tried it on and spread the good news and got me and StoryMory2Share influenced - but no regrets here :)

Have you got the "Look"?

When it comes to the "look", I always get feedback from my friends and especially colleagues that I have the strict/fierce principal or teacher look especially when I am concentrating on something or when I am very engross in doing something. It is more obvious when I am in my serious and not smiling look ;p Even hubby told me so. If you ask me why, I would say it is probably because the shape of my eyes or my eyebrow that makes me look so fierce when I am not smiling ;p Don't worry I normally have my "fierce" look on me only when I am doing work. Most of the time you will see me smiling like the picture below.

Talking about the "look", do you have a special flirty look like some people has? I don't think I have it but there's a competition going on i.e.Extreme Style by VO5 that is looking for the Victory Hair. So if you think you have the "look" especially a flirty one, why not join the Ultimate Flirting Championship. Who knows you might bring some cool prizes home :)

I am BLUE

What colour are you?

Blue You are a nice person who has friends that come in alot of variations. You are also smart, somewhat deep and you always seem to have alot of thoughts in your head. You're friends often tell you you're really sweet, nice and helpful. You love feeling at peace with yourself, that's when you work the best. You tend to act a bit diffrently depending on who you're with, and that you don't necessarily like and you might deny it. You have a feeling that there might be something "speciall" about you. You often think of what's hapening around you and often se things that other people might not notice. You are a happy person that loves making other people happy =).. Numbers: You like what I would like to call "round numbers" (If you are "a blue", I think you might understand).. Numbers like 2, 8 for example..

Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by

Baby & child Rescue - choking

Baby/ child CPR

The title says it all, yes this entry is especially dedicated to baby/ child CPR. I'm not going into details as in how to do the CPR but rather to create awareness on how crucial it is for all parents and parents-to-be on knowing how to perform CPR on their baby/ infant. Obviously, we as parents always think of what is safe for our baby, be it food, the surroundings and during travelling. But more often than not, we left out one very essential skill, i.e. performing baby CPR. I've attended first aid course ages ago and I've learnt about CPR but adult CPR differs from baby CPR. Lately since having Ethan, I've been wanting to learn CPR for baby for emergency purposes as we never know what will happen with little kids around especially when they start to move about.

It was just the right time when I saw the opportunity from Socialspark.com about baby CPR. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, I am not qualified to do the opp but decided to request for a slot. However, as I was requesting for a slot, I stumbled upon the same opp requesting a buzz about it for free. Knowing how important this topic is and how relevant it would be in my blog, I've decided to spread the info even for free. I even got myself registered and bought the baby CPR course package for $7.95. I didn't hesitate to get the package as I find it very reasonable for 6 month subscription fees with access to video, forum and experts on this field. I know, you must be thinking why do I want to pay for it when I could get free guide from the net. Well, am quite particular about getting reliable information especially for baby health/safety over the net. Hence, to ensure I get the right safety tips, I really don't mind to invest a little bit on it. So mommies and daddies, aunties and uncles or even grandmas and grandpas, here's one site you should visit or even get yourself a course pack to learn how to save a baby's life as you never know when you will find it handy.

But if you're not willing to part with your hard earned money, maybe you may want to view at least these two videos on how to do baby CPR and child CPR from the American Heart Association. As the Scout's motto says, "Be prepared" always! :)

Live telecast debate not to be missed!

The much awaited debate, entitled "Form the government today, reduce fuel prices tomorrow" will be shown live on telly tonite (15th July) at 9pm. It will be between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and a rep from the Malaysian government.

The showing channels are:

TV9 - (ASTRO Ch 119)
Astro Awani - (ASTRO Ch 501)
Bernama.TV - (ASTRO Ch 502)

IP Global TV will host a live feed via webcast. What an interesting evening its gonna be eh ;p

Sunnies

If you're into sunnies especially designer sunnies and are looking for a side income that can make money easily, why not opt to sale discounted designer sunnies...they are not exactly the genuine designer sun glasses but they are of good quality replica sun glasses. The prices are very competitive as they are being sold attractively at wholesale discounted prices. I love wearing sunnies too especially while driving or just walking about on a bright sunny day. It is also considered as a fashion statement for most people rather than for the actual function ;p I know there are quite a number of people owning more than one sun glasses. I normally own two different styles at a time but am sure there are others who own more than two pairs of sun glasses at a time. So I am pretty sure they would be more than happy to buy Discount Sunglasses that have very tempting price tags on ;p

MIA

Hello folks, I've been missing in action from my blog recently...reason being, my precious Ethan had intestinal infection. So I was busy with him and I didn't have my laptop with me since Thurs night too...thus, the quiet blog ;p

Anyway, I didn't suspect anything when Ethan first vomited at Aunt Roslyn's home last Monday night...I thought he might be just over eaten or that he played too much... But I didn't expect him to vomit again upon reaching home and again when he was asleep on that same night. I started to worry that I kept checking on him every hour in case he vomits in his sleep again..but thank goodness he didn't. He seemed ok the next day but MIL told me that he had a bit of diarrhea. I thought maybe it was just something mild...but when his diarrhea (watery stool) continued and he vomited again on Wednesday with mild fever, we decided to bring him to his paed and that was when we were told he had intestinal infection. We were told it will last for another 2-3 days. Besides his medicine, the paed asked us to change his milk temporarily to Novalac milk for diarrhea but Ethan refused to take it. As I didn't want him going to bed with an empty stomach, I just gave him his usual Similac milk. However, I did mix his milk the next day and luckily he could take it in. The doctor told us that the infection could be due to a few reasons:

• consumption of improperly prepared/contaminated food - care taker's hands not washed after diapers change before preparing his food
• improperly cleaned feeding materials
• baby's hands not cleaned after touching dirty surfaces/toys

The last reason seems more relevant to his cause of infection. Especially now that he crawls on the floor more and likes to touch everything and put his hands in his mouth. Ethan lost 300 grams within 2 days due to him vomiting, having diarrhea and his lost of appetite. Though he was still drinking his milk and water but he was reluctant to eat his porridge. Luckily his lost of appetite only continued for 2 days and he didn't refuse his Heinz baby biscuits (phew...). He still continued to have diarrhea till yesterday evening though his stool was getting better. But if you would have seen him during those few days, you won't notice that he was ill as he was as active and playful as ever... very much my typical Ethan boy :) Here are some pictures of him over the weekend...

Ethan enjoying his sleep on Friday morning :D

Ethan inside his toys' box on Friday night

My Lil' E wearing his dad's sunglasses just this morning ;p

Lil' S. Jibeng ;p

BTW, he started to imitate some words or sounds from the telly and me over the weekends...this include "ah", "quack-quack", "miaw-miaw" and believe it or not, he imitated me saying "lolou" this morning when I told him not to touch his "lolou" (his "little birdie") whenever I change him *eyes rolling*

Reunited

I had Aunty Eroi as my confinement lady when I gave birth to Ethan...and now she is the confinement lady for SIL when she had baby Ryan...so during our visit last weekend, Ethan was reunited with the person who helped to look after Ethan and me during my confinement days...I'm indeed grateful to Aunty Eroi and hope she'll be my confinement lady again when we have our second baby in the future :)

Aunty Eroi with Ethan 1 year ago...

Happy Lil' E with Aunty Eroi after a year passed by :)

A baby and a wedding

We had a rather busy weekend recently...we went out for dinner on Saturday...

Ethan looking happy during dinner

visited Baby Ryan at their home after dinner

and attended a wedding dinner reception on Sunday. The wedding dinner was an enjoyable one especially for Ethan as not only did he meet many new friends but he did the Sumazau dance (the Kadazan traditional dance) with his daddy and mummy too! :)

What have I got myself into...

This is what happened when you've got infected by the bento craze mommies like Celine, Deana and Sandra (bad influence u mommies! hahaha)...

I got myself 2 sets of the rice/egg mold from the Japan Home store in Kompleks Asia City yesterday ;p...I first got to know about this bento thingy from BabyShashaNMom blog months back especially her collection of Hello Kitty bento sets. What caught my eyes was the egg mold and being eggs craze person that I am...I thought to myself how fasicinating to have cute hard boiled eggs hehehe..and it is also a good and creative idea should I need to persuade Ethan to eat his food especially when he starts eating more solid food in the future...But I told myself then that I will not get caught with this craze just yet but seeing and reading entries by all the bento mummies made me succumb to get a starter pack i.e. the 2 sets of rice/egg molds hehehe...what's more when the Japanese store sells it cheaper than eBay at only RM5.90/set (2 a pack). If you wonder how to have a cute molded hard boiled eggs, click here. I can imagine letting Ethan to do his own molded eggs/rice next time heee....I'm sure we'll have fun doing it ;p

Photo grabbed from eBay

13 months Ethan!

Yes, my precious Ethan boy is now 1 year 1 month old. How time flies and before I know it he will soon be walking and running around and hopefully I will be able to loose a bit of weight! hahaha... As of now, he can crawl on fours better - more stable. Starts to stand up more by holding on to something. Starts to cruise from side to side by holding on to his cot or furniture. Will laugh when someone laugh though it sounds artificial or forced hearty laugh hehehe.., will continue singing (more like humming) when we stop singing to him, loves his Hi-5 vcds and talks more with his "papa", "apa", "koko" and other words that I just can't describe ;p

Anyway, as hubby is away, FIL accompanied me to the Likas Hospital for Ethan's review. The doctor said he is progressing well and that his physical development is good especially at 10.1kg hee... I was also given a sheet of good food intake guide for infant-toddler which include food guide for children having diarrhea. I thought it is a good guide and decided to scan it and share with those who might be interested. Unfortunately Blogger is unable to accept pdf file. So if you're interested let me know and I can email it to you :) It's in Malay language though...

Ethan at 13 months old

Weight : 10.1 kg

Length: 76cm

Sparkling mommies

There are many mommy bloggers out there in the bloggosphere not only eager to share with the rest of the world about their precious little ones (that include me of course ;p) and some baby tips, but also to earn some extra income (me included again hee..). Well whether you are stay at home mom or working at home mum or even a full time working mom, there is no harm in doing that right? I for one am able to purchase Ethan's CDs without feeling so much guilt inside. After all, the money that I used to expand his CDs collection is my extra pocket money that I can choose to spend however I want to ;p So if you're a mom who enjoy blog hopping too why not start your own blog and at the same time join a pay you to blog programme such as SocialSpark. It only takes a few minutes of your time to join. If you're worry you have nothing to write about, I can assure you that, being a mum, I am sure you can come out with tones of topics to write especially about your little ones or your own personal life :) So wait no more, come join in the fun and earn some extra income :)

Oh nooo…look at the time now…have to get Ethan and myself ready as we going to a wedding dinner reception in a short while….so got to go now as am running out of time…I hope you’ll have a nice evening okay :)

No more bad pics

Yay!! Finally I can take some decent photos with my new toy thanks to hubby!! :D So no more blurry pictures of Ethan as my dead digi camera is now being replaced with a new one!! ;p I chose the metallic blue Canon IXUS 80IS in the end though the colour I really wanted was the dark brown...unfortunately it was out of stock and I didn't go to another camera shop coz I guess that particular shop is probably the only shop that do trade in with an old faulty digi cam (which has to be sent to KL if I want to get it repaired and probably would cost a few hundreds)hee...So I got the new camera around RM200 off from the original price that includes 2GB sd card, mini tripod, LCD screen protector (the thin glass type), casing and a travel metal strap. Not bad eh ;p So have I been experimenting with my new toy? You bet and my main model is of course non other than my precious Ethan ;p He is the main reason why I need a digi cam all the time in the first place ;p

A different lingo

Being the ignorant person that I am when it comes to construction field, I was clueless when I first saw the term Precast Concrete. But being the curious person that I am too, I did a search on Google just to find out what it means so that I won't be in the dark when people talk about this subject. This is the answer I've got:

"Precast concrete - Concrete that has been cast into a form which is later incorporated into a structure. A concrete structure may be constructed by casting the concrete in place on the site, by building it of components cast elsewhere, or by a combination of the two. Concrete cast in other than its final position is called precast."

At least now I know what it means and I am no longer wonder why the expanding Jensen Precast is supplying Precast Concrete Septic Tanks. This establishment boasts 40 years of precast concrete experience. With over 1,000 experienced staff, 12 facilities and about 120 vehicles dedicated to transport their goods to their clients, it is no wonder http://www.jensenprecast.com/ is one of the biggest precast concrete organization in the US.

International Sleep Study on Infants and Toddlers

I was doing my usual news scanning today when I came across this headline - "Bedtime Routine". As I click on it and read the article, I find the article very relevant to me as a mom to a 1 year plus little boy. You will find the article useful too if you have children around you who is between the age of 0-3 years old or even up to 5 years old. Read the article below which I have highlighted those important points in orange colour and some in bold too especially those that I find very important. In summary the study/article encourages a routine bedtime for children between 0-5 years old. Have a read on the article on why it is important to do so.

So do I have a routine for Ethan? I would say yes. Depending on situation - if we've been out and about, I will calm him down by dimming the light, giving him his last milk feed, pat his bottom or gently pat his head till he falls asleep before I wipe him down with wet towel (soaked in warm water) and change him. But if we're at home, I will calm him down by wiping him down first, change him into his pj, dim the light and give him his last milk feed which he will fall asleep. Sometimes I will give him his favourite toy to play till he tire himself out if he still very active after his feed (not sure if this is good practice though...can anyone tell me please?). I intend to start reading bedtime story to him soon and see if that works on him too. I will do all these on our bed before we move him to his baby cot. Oh Ethan's bedtime is between 9pm-10pm but normally around 9.30pm. Occasionally he will sleep earlier than 9pm especially when he is tired and didn't sleep much in the morning/afternoon.

Thursday July 3, 2008

Bedtime routine
By WONG LI ZA

As freatured in the Star Online

A regular routine helps children to settle down for the night.

IF you are a parent with young children but physically resemble a character from Night of the Living Dead, read on. Parents tend to be more concerned about their child’s nutrition and learning abilities rather than sleep.

A recent international study involving 30,000 children aged zero to three has shown that many parents feel their children do not sleep well, especially Asian children.

Completed last year, the International Sleep Study on Infants and Toddlers was conducted in 17 countries. It involved 12 Asian countries (over 20,000 children) and five Western countries consisting of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. In Malaysia, 997 parents and caregivers responded to the survey, which was conducted online.

The survey, jointly conducted by Johnson & Johnson and the Asia Pacific Paediatric Sleep Alliance (APPSA), is believed to be the largest of its kind.

“Sleep may seem like a natural process but many mothers neglect the importance of good sleep in their children,” said Joyce Lee, Johnson & Johnson Malaysia’s managing director.
Led by prominent US-based paediatrician Dr Jodi Mindell, the study showed that 26% of parents in Caucasian countries believe their child has a sleep problem compared to 54% in Asian countries. (Overall, results in Malaysia and the other Asian countries were very similar.)
Among the questions in the survey was whether parents practised a consistent bedtime routine with their kids.

“Only 53% of Malaysians practise the same bedtime routine with their child compared to 71% of Caucasians,” said How Ti Hwei, director of professional marketing with Johnson & Johnson Asia Pacific.

“In addition, 84% of Malaysian children sleep in the same room as their parents compared to only 35% of Caucasians,” said How, who was involved in the survey.

However, consultant paediatrician and paediatric pulmonologist at Hospital Serdang, Dr Norrashidah Abdul Wahab, advocates co-sleeping, but in different beds.

“The main reason for sleeping in different beds is safety. I also find that mothers do not really want to be separated from their young child.

“It is also easier to breastfeed a child who is in the same room and mothers can also tend to the needs of the child immediately,” she said.

The sleep survey also found that the average time children go to bed in Asia is 9.30pm but in Caucasian countries, it is 8.30pm.

“Caucasians have a specific, earlier bedtime for their children. On the other hand, most Malaysians are not aware of the importance of good (sleep) habits,” said Dr Norrashidah, who is a member of APPSA.

Dr Norrashidah believes that the time children go to bed is important.

“Malaysian children tend to sleep later and wake up late, at nine or 10am. They should sleep by eight or 9pm for the proper cycles of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep to take place,” she explained.

REM sleep is important for brain development while during non-REM sleep, physical growth takes place.

She said that non-REM sleep occurs from 8pm onwards; towards the early morning, more REM sleep occurs.

“The age between zero and three is a crucial period for growth, which happens during sleep,” she said.

To get children to sleep earlier, their afternoon naps should only be about one to two hours, she added.

Proven routine
Prior to the International Sleep Study, Dr Mindell carried out a clinical sleep study in the United States involving 58 mothers and their babies aged seven to 18 months over three weeks.

The study, conducted in 2005, involved practising a three-step routine before bedtime, which comprised a bath, massage and quiet activities like story time.

Results showed that babies slept faster and woke up in the middle of the night less. The longest sleep period in the night also increased by 23% and mothers reported that they were less tired.

“This study shows that a simple three-step routine can help both children and mothers sleep better,” he said, adding that the routine should not take more than 30 minutes.

Added Lee, “Many mothers know intuitively that a routine works. Now, we are sharing with them a practical and proven routine to follow.”

Asian parents who might not be open to bathing their children at night have an alternative – wiping them down with warm water.

“The warmness calms and relaxes the child,” said Lee.

Dr Norrashidah said a regular bedtime routine is important to teach the baby to unwind and go to sleep to maximise the restorative benefits of sleep to aid the baby’s cognitive, social and physical development.

“The lack of a bedtime routine and healthy sleep in the long term can affect a baby’s memory, learning ability and even well-being,” said Dr Norrashidah.

She stressed that the key points are to put a baby to bed early from the start and to continue practising a routine.

“Bathe or wipe them down, change them into their pyjamas, dim the lights, and spend time with them. Read them a book or sing a song. It’s also good to massage them because it is relaxing.

“A routine should continue until the child is about five years old,” she said.

She added that many Malaysian parents do not practise a set routine with their children due to their busy lifestyle.

“Understandably, most mothers work these days and come back late but they still want to spend time and play with their children at night,” she said.

Dr Norrashidah added that although a bigger study is needed, the clinical sleep study shows that a routine is effective in helping children sleep better.

Dream house

I believe everyone would have your very own dream house...be it by the seaside, or up on a hill over looking the city or greenery, or a nice bungalow on your own piece of land, or a detached or semi detached or terrace house in a nice friendly housing area...Whatever it is, I'm sure each and everyone of us have some kind of a dream House Plans in our mind...and I'm quite sure that many would have some ideas of what kind of Home Plans they want but they won't be able to sketch it out on a piece of paper simply because like me, they are just not the type of person who can draw and scribble something that is good or decent enough for house building purposes. That is why there are house or home plans professionals around and one of the many professional house plan establishment is HousePlansAndMore.com. So if you’re planning achieve your dream house soon, I suggest you give their site a visit as I'm sure they can come out with a "must get one" Log home plans for you in no time :) As for us, we still dreaming to have our own house in the future...for me I love to have our own house so that we can have pet dogs as I like dogs especially the big cuddly ones...and I believe Ethan loves dog too from the way he gets all excited smiling from ear to ear whenever he sees Lucky the pet dog at MIL's :) As dream house location, hubby prefers it to be somewhere near work place, a sport complex as well as good schools around for obvious reason :)

Up up and keep going up

Yes, everything seems or going to be more expensive nowadays...just this morning one of my colleagues shared with me that the price of tyres will go up soon ...and another colleague read to me from today's paper that the charges for repairing cars and car towing will rise soon too...sigh...having a "sickly" car is indeed going to be an even more expensive affair soon...so make sure you look after your car with lots of tender loving care folks...and hopefully the gov would give some serious thought on providing good public transport...seriously...

This is just for my own record, I spent RM30 to get my car aligned and RM3 to patch one of the tyres this morning...wonder how much it will cost me to do these stuff next time...hmmm...

Cord Blood Bank

Preserving umbilical cord stem cells is becoming popular nowadays and this include better awareness among parents in Malaysia. Of course it has been around for years but perhaps not that many parents really know the benefits or the potential medical benefits it brings.

There are many cord blood banks available in the market and one of them is Cryo-Cell International. What is good about this particular company is that besides offering innovative and safe cord blood banking solutions, it also provides counselling for expectant parents about the goodness in preserving cord blood. By doing so, they are able to help these parents to make better informed decision for their families. Consultation service by highly trained and qualified child birth educator service is also available. You can read a testimonial by one particular family here and what makes Cryo-Cell International different than the other leading cord blood banks here. I'm pretty sure you'll be convinced in no time, so do enroll now and enjoy their most current special offers.

Alice's Soaker for Ethan

Janneth is one of the keen knitters at work. She loves knitting and she was actually looking for knitting projects to polish up her knitting skills. As I was thinking of getting Ethan a wool soaker, I thought I could ask her to knit one for Ethan. I got Alice's soaker pattern from Janelle earlier. Here's the completed wool soaker. Unfortunately it is hard to find Merino wool here so Janneth used the softest wool that she could find. I was told it is best to use Merino wool for soakers as it will be more absorbent as well as being the softest wool. So good for baby's tush ;p I will probably have to order some Merino wool from ebay.com next time. Anyway, here are some photos...sorry for the poor picture quality as my digi cam has RIP:(

I love the color......not sure how good it can function as a soaker though...I will have to try ;p

I tried it on Ethan this morning...just to check on the fittings

It is slightly big on the waist but I'm sure he'll soon grow and fits into it...

One happy customer ;p