jules nora yati

April 9, 2011
by yati
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Nothing Fancy Please

one step at a time

I thought I’d vamp up Nora’s food today. I made some falafel and also chicken bites. We ended up having an argument as she did not want to have any of her lunch! The only “food” she was putting her mouth was the tomato ketchup.

So after five minutes of me telling her off and her wailing and crying, I told her that I’ve had enough and she is going to have her afternoon nap… even though she hasn’t had anything substantial!

She cried herself to sleep.

I went to the kitchen to make some bubur (simple traditional South East Asian rice porridge) with some vegetable and cut up the chicken bites into smaller pieces and threw it in.

When Nora woke up, I asked her if she wanted to eat. She just looked at me with sad eyes. I asked her if she wanted chicken bites and she said no. I asked her if she wanted falafel and she said no.

I asked her if she wanted bubur. She paused for a second and said yes.

Forget anything fancy… that’s how down to earth she can be ;-)

March 30, 2011
by yati
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Flower Girl

flower girl

Nora loves her messy time in the garden… even if I do scream at her majority of the time to stop throwing the compost everywhere but in the pots!

March 10, 2011
by yati
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Domestic Goddess

I plugged in my camera at work, just to charge it up and decided to have a look at some recent photos I took of Nora’s activity.

Last Friday, Nora made banana bread… and I just helped a bit.

Nora's banana bread

And the Friday before she sowed some pak choi. I think she’s inherited my mom’s green fingers!

pak choi

March 5, 2011
by yati
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First Lie?

Some parents are very diligent at recording their baby’s ‘first’ – first smile, first laugh, first step, first word. Alas I’m not one of them and I’m sure that I will regret it in the future.

But I do want to remember what happened today… could it be her first lie?

Nora loves playing with three soft toys – a snowman, a reindeer, a bear.

I’m aware that I should start potty training Nora seriously very soon.

Put them together…

Nora was playing with her three soft toys and I was sitting on the sofa. She made a bum burp and I looked and her and asked ‘Nora poopoo?’ She looked at me with a hint of guilt and pointed at the snowman and said ‘poopoo’.

I tried not to laugh and told her that the snowman didn’t poopoo and she then pointed at the reindeer and then the bear after I told her that I know that the reindeer didn’t poopoo.

I asked her again if she poopoo because if she did she should go to the toilet. She said ‘no’… it did turn out to be just a bum burp after all… but the speed of her shifting the blame worries me.

March 2, 2011
by yati
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18 Months

Nora looking at the Thames

Nora is 18 months today. How time flies.

Today she will officially leave Tigger and join the Busy Bee at Nursery. I felt a lump in my throat yesterday when I pulled her newly allocated drawer at Nursery and saw that the photos that were hanging at the Tigger area was in there.

How my baby has grown.

I should really stop calling her my baby as she is a toddler now… but in my eyes, she will always be that little bundle of joy that I first set eyes on 18 months ago. She is my baby.

Last night, we saw a programme on Pandas in captivity in China. There was one bit that almost made me cry. A mother panda gave birth to twins and in the wild, usually one twin will die. So they let her care for one while the other was in the incubator and they kept swapping the baby pandas so both will have contact with the mother. It was the point when they were trying to cox the baby panda away from the mother and the mother’s reluctance to let her baby go just struck me… it is really hard to let my baby go.

If I had the choice, I will be with her always.

I might scream at her, I might tell her off… but I think Nora knows that what ever happens, I will alway love her for who she is.

February 28, 2011
by yati
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Dr Octopus

Dr Octopus and the Wheel of Steel

Last Friday Mama took me out dancing again! Wish my girl friends were with me! They would have enjoyed Dr Octopus and the Wheel of Steel… and it was more spacious than the ballroom session that we had… and I was mesmerized by the glitter ball… soooooooooo shiny…

But I still don’t understand why Mama wants me to stay in one spot when I have all that space around me! I need to dance everywhere with everyone!!

I do think that Mama feels that the hour we were there felt like a life time… and even though she was tired, she still let me ride on the carousel after and walk all the way to London Bridge so I can have a little nap… since all that dancing was quite tiring indeed!

February 20, 2011
by yati
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Sunday Jive

Today Mama rushed me so we get to the ballroom dancing venue on time.

We were a bit late because Mama got a bit lost! She saw where Queen Elizabeth Hall is but everywhere we went, there were no ramps or lifts, just stairs! So Mama had to turn around and go through the Royal Festival Hall.

When we did get to QEH, the venue was packed! But Mama managed to get in touch with Ivy’s Mummy, Lizzie, and we were in the middle of the crowd, together with Lydia and her Mummy and Mia and her Mummy.

The music started and it was amazing! It was a live band with saxophone, trumpet, double bass, drums… and the singer had an amazing voice!

I was a bit stunned to begin with as I’ve never been in such a crowded area with a live band playing. I didn’t know what to make of it! But when Mama move away from the band area and we had a bit more space… and it was cooler being away from the crowd, I started to show my moves!

There was so much space for me to express my artistic performance… but Mama kept chasing me and carrying me back to where Ivy was dancing in ‘the zone’. Mama kept saying why can’t I be like Ivy and dance in one place. Well Mama… we are individuals with different ways of expressing our appreciation to music… that’s why!

After what seemed like hours (according to Mama) the band announced their final song and Mama cheered with relief!

And we went for a walk towards the London Eye and stopped for a ride on the carousel with Ivy! Lydia didn’t get on the carousel but helped her Mummy with taking photos of us! I love horses!! I tried to kick our horse so it would go faster! Hmmmm… maybe I’ll ask Daddy for a pony.

On the journey home, Ivy and Lydia fell asleep, but I stayed awake and kept listening to Mama’s conversation with Ivy’s Mummy and Lydia’s Mummy, as they might give me a clue on when the next girls’ day out will be as I really can’t wait to have fun with the girls again!

February 17, 2011
by yati
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Proud Mother Syndrome 1

I do suffer from Proud Mother Syndrome, but I do it in silence.

I know Nora is clever… so I’m told.

I know Nora has a character that makes everyone smile… so I’m told.

I know that Nora has the ability to light up the day by just being herself… so I’m told.

Yesterday, when Jules sent her to Nursery, Kasha said to Nora ‘Come on Nora, it’s quiet and boring without you’ and my heart just swelled with pride when Jules told me the story… because it is true. It can be quiet and boring without her around.

And when she is ill… everyone notices. Like yesterday, though she was happy playing, she was also quiet… and everyone worries about her.

I find the way she touches everyone’s lives is pretty amazing… and this is the ‘Proud Mother Syndrome’ speaking… she is an amazing child.

February 2, 2011
by yati
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Girls’ Day Out

the girls at the cafe

Sunday was a day spent with friends.

(Oh… before I go on, I should say that this post is about Nora’s girls’ day out… not mine!)

Early in the morning we set off to meet Ivy and her mummy Lizzie. Mama let my play as we wait for Ivy as Ivy’s mummy was running late! Then off we went to Lydia’s. It’s the first time I’ve visited Lydia at her house and it is exciting!

Lydia’s house is big and when the door open, we were greeted by Lydia’s mummy Caroline and a smell of orange! Lydia’s daddy was making marmalade.

We played in the living room waiting for the hairdresser. Yes, it was the day that I had my first haircut!

Mama decided that I would have it first as she is worried that if I witness my friends crying having a haircut, I might think that it’s a horrendous experience. But Mama need not worry. I sat quietly like the good girl that I am and let the hairdresser do her work. I couldn’t keep still though as I was very curious at what she was doing!

It didn’t take very long and then I’m off playing again while Ivy and then Lydia have their haircut. I don’t think they like having their hair cut… they were crying :(

Mama kept a lock of my hair and sent a picture of my new haircut to daddy.

Now that all of us look gorgeous with our new haircut, we were off to the Under 5 Jive! But stopped at the cafe for a little lunch. I had so much fun running around the cafe with Ivy and Lydia… but Mama kept trying to sush me down as she was worried that we’re disturbing the other customers. I think she’s worried at people thinking that she’s one of those who couldn’t control her child.

But she doesn’t have to worry… I know how to look cute and melt people’s hearts :)

Then I can’t remember… I must have fallen asleep all the way to the baby disco! When I woke up there were drums for me to bang, rattles for me to rattle and lots of singing and dancing! And daddy was there too!!

What a fun day out! I must tell Ivy and Lydia that we should do this again!

January 29, 2011
by yati
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Shoe Shopping

I’ve been worried about the state of Nora’s feet! I think it’s due to her feet constricted by shoes most of the time. It’s not like Malaysia where you can bare your feet all the time so when I saw the state of her big toe nails… they look pretty bad, I decided that enough is enough and as we’re living in this country and not Malaysia, we’re going to do this properly and get her feet measured to make sure she’s not cramming her poor little feet into too small shoes!

So off we went to Clarks got our ticket and waited for our turn. Nora in the mean time took off her shoes and started looking at the shoes available and kept picking the pink glittery shoes!

Why? Why is it 90% of girls shoes are pink?

I told Nora that when she’s earning her own money she can buy any shoes that she want but for now, she has to wear what we buy for her! I think that is fair.

Well… we were only 0.5 out. Instead of a size 4 she’s a size 4.5F. The sales assistant brought out a few choices of walking shoes and all of them were pink! My first thought was ‘can we look at some of the boys shoes?’ but we then reluctantly picked one that is the least pink.

Luckily, the sales assistant came back with the pair of shoes that we were thinking of getting and a pair of trainers… and Jules and I agreed that the trainers seemed best for robust Nora… and it’s white with light blue soles and little pink and blue flowers.

Now Nora has perfectly fitted shoes… and we will be about £30 lighter every six to eight weeks.