Yuki is a big girl now...

Yuki is getting more used to us nowadays. When she first arrived, she will always avoid us getting close to her. Instinctively, she will hop away and hide behind her husbun. She will only allow us to pet her, unless we first pet Kenji.

However, things have changed.

I managed to play with her on my lap for quite a long time last night. She easily settled on my lap and while I petted her with one hand, she was busy eating her favourite food from the other hand. After that I gave her a nose rub and body massage. She enjoyed it thoroughly!

She has definitely grown so much bigger! She is almost the size of Kenji now. And boy, she is fat!

Ultrasound Updates

My ultrasound result turned out to be normal. Obviously they compared my size to the Dutch's average baby size and because of that, my baby's growth is 3 weeks behind their average growth, but still falls within the normal range on the chart. Most Asian mothers faced the same problem here. So I'm not surprised to find myself doing this episode to REALLY make sure that everything is alright.

However, the baby has not turned yet. According to books, the baby is supposed to turn to the head-down position by week 33th for the first pregnancy. I'm in week 33th now, and his buttock is still at the bottom. So, now I'm sleeping on my left most of the time to give him the optimal position for him to turn. Other tips that I read that can encourage the baby to turn is to sit upright with the knee position always lower than the hip.

I've also bought my kraampakket and now going through the final checklist to make sure everything is in place. I also need to start packing my hospital bag...

The baby's Chinese name seems to be progressing well, with more idea coming through, at least, we have got names that both of us like and happy with, and now we just need to decide on which one.

Back to Dutchy land

The London trip was FANTASTIC! We enjoyed such wonderful time with PL and her hubby, and with little baby Matt. It also gives me a brief overview on how having a five-month old baby feels like after the first 3 months of hoo-haa, fire fighting situation. As what our childbirth class teacher said in our class last night, it's a 24/7 job, at least for the first few months... It didn't really scare me though, I'm looking forward towards this brand new experience more than anything else.

I'm entering my week 33th now. My checkup with midwife this morning brought her to think that it is necessary to send me for another ultrasound scan just to make sure that everything is alright. Baby is small (compared to Dutch's size, and I don't know about Asian size), and the midwife can't feel the head either (hmm... I wonder where did it go?). It seems that baby has not turned yet. It is not bothering me yet since there is still a few more weeks to go for him to make the turn. He is kicking vigorously throughout the night and my belly is growing. I felt my skin is so stretched now that I just want to sit at home and watch Animal Planet.

And autumn is here. This makes me feel lazy.

Off to London

You will not hear from me for the next couple of days because I'm off to London to catch up with a dear friend and at the same time, to do some last minute shopping for baby items!

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Birthday Kenji!

I adopted him when he was only 7-month old from the adoption centre. That was in March 2007. I have no clue which day is his birthday, so I make September his birthday month.

Kenji is now 2-year old! I can't believe it, time flies!
He loves doing this dance episode when he is very happy. I have no idea what triggers it, but he seems to enjoy himself. This time, Yuki joined him in the last moment to end his dance with a thump thinking that the box opening sound (by my husband) is something scary.

Black Glutinous Rice dessert 黑糯米

I've tried making this dessert about 3 weeks ago and it turned out to be unsatisfactory. Not giving up, I gave it a go last week and hooray! It tasted sooo much better. I have to confess that I'm getting lazier in preparing good food for my hubby, so he started 'complaining' last week... oops. :D So I decided to do something special.


I can't believe that this dessert is so easy to prepare. Getting a pack of black glutinous rice is extremely easy in Den Hague. I've also added red dates and longan into the dessert. These are optional. If you want to try this recipe out (enough for 2 person to have 2 big bowls), here is what I've done:


1) Soak a bowl full of black glutinous rice to soften it (size of a normal rice bowl will do). I soaked it for about 20 hours.

2) Wash the rice and pour the soaked rice into my cooking pot, together with approx 3 bowls of water

3) Then cook the ingredients with high heat till it boils and then switch to low heat.

4) I add in red dates, longan, and rock sugars (add and taste. Adjust the amount to your liking)

5) Continue to cook them for about 1 hour.

6) After 1 hour, switch off your cooker and leave the pot for another 1 hour. Do not open the cover of the pot. You want the heat of the pot to continue to warm the ingredient to get a smokey taste. In mandarin we call it 焗.

7) Impatiently, I waited for 1 hour and tada! It turned out so much better than my first attempt. The rice is thick and have the texture that I wanted for the dessert.

8) I did add a bit of coconut milk. Yum yum, I love it!

Sunflowers!

Sunflower is my favourite flower. Now you can see them everywhere in the florists. It is a happy flower for me. So hubby bought me a few of them last weekend while we went out shopping. I was smiling back home all the way! 5 for Eur 3.50 only!!!!! I remember I paid a lot more back in KL!

Just a tip: To make sure that the flowers last longer, the easiest way of doing it is to squeeze 2 slices of lemon juice into the water (approx 1 litre) so that it kills off the bacteria. I did that for my daisies and they lasted for 2 weeks (changed water once a week)! If it's not because I went off to Colmar over the weekend, they should be able to last for another week, if I had remembered to change the water...

Artistic signboards

When I was in Colmar, I did a collection of photos on various little shops signboards. I find them so beautifully created, very unlike the signboards that we see in KL. Most signboards can be seen from the side and each one is unique and special in its own way, representing the shop itself. Just signboards alone bring superb characteristics to the environment.

I have included some of my favourite signs:

A bakery shop:

A lady sipping her coffee - sign for a cafe obviously :)

One look at it you know that it's a shop that sells fabrics:



A gift shop:

Lastly, our hotel's sign:

30th Week!

Wow, time flies isn't it?

The baby can decide to meet the world, ANYTIME, after another 6 more weeks. I have definitely grew bigger, which I am very happy about. The midwife assistant weighed me a few days back and I have put on 6kg since the last 2 checkups (I missed one because the weigh was broken). The belly is now bigger. Sometimes one side of the belly is clearly larger than the other side, especially when I am laying on my side. I wonder whether is it the baby's head or his bottom.

I'm busy packing my hospital bag and checking a list to make sure that all baby items are in placed, all baby clothes are washed and I have my post-labour items all ready. But hubby still hasn't fix up the changing table and cot yet... that is a big to-do that he needs to tick off; and I haven't go out to buy the kraampakket. Kraampakket is a box that is full of all the maternity stuff that a kraamzorg needs when she is at home to take care of the baby. It includes items like alcohol, digital thermometer, maternity pads etc... So, still lots of things to do to get everything ready. But I'm sure we will get there.

It hurts...

It hurts... really.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/31/nation/22213085&sec=nation

She is now my favourite!

Hiromi Uehara, a young Japanese jazz pianist!
You have to see her in action with Chick Corea. It was such an excellent performance with such intimate connection with their instruments. Of course, I am absolutely mesmerized by her talent and her composition in her albums.

Can't leave them out!

You might now have noticed that I've slowly moving my rabbit blog entry into this blog. Both me and hubby have been bun lovers since 2 years ago. I find it difficult to maintain another blog when both of them are so close to us.

[give them drum rolls]

Introducing our elder bun, Kenji and...



his newly wed, Yuki!

Both of them are our sweetest companions! We can't imagine not having them around. Your heart just melt especially when they give you the food begging look...

A short break to Colmar, France

During the last week of August, we took a trip off to Colmar in France. We tagged along with our friends and we drove down from The Hague, passed by Germany and then entered the Alsace province. The first time I heard about Colmar is the Colmar Tropicale tourist destination in KL at Bukit Tinggi. I haven't been there before but I heard that tourists have to buy ticket (approx RM 16 per person) to visit Colmar Tropicale in Bkt Tinggi.

But this time, we get to visit the REAL Colmar in France! I read up Colmar entry in Wikipedia and looked at some photos. It is such a beautiful place, so off we went last weekend! Oh boy, I haven't taken so many photos in my life! The views were scenic, compliments with charming French style architecture and bright beautiful flowers dropping off the balconies. The air is fresh, vineyards are full of grapes and what's more, a bright sunny sun! Perfect weather to visit Colmar!

I'm amazed by how much originality of the environment is kept after so many years. The clock seems to have stopped in this place. I can still feel the original lifestyle, the original building and environment that has been there for so many years. Generations might have done the same thing after generations and the villagers can probably trace back their roots and talk about their great great great grandfathers whom were there few centuries ago.

Alsace is a wine production area. I'm no wine drinker. It is such a waste and I can't take any alcohol now. But I wanted to shop for a 2008 production wine to keep it for my boy. However, the grapes are not ripe yet and I can only get the 2008 bottles in 2009. Geez... I'm too eager isn't it?

You can see more photos that I have taken in Colmar by following this link