R.I.P. Twiggy

Twiggy (right), Tweety (left)

Goodbyes are never easy. And although Twiggy (one of the duckling a friend gave Isabelle posted here) was only less than 2 months old and spent his whole life with us, it wasn't any easier to say goodbye to him.

My heart skipped a beat when Mom told me that one of the duckling is gone. My brother put two of the ducklings in the small pail of water to swim just like we did twice a day. But the only thing he didn't do was to remove them from the water in time. And Twiggy could have drown himself and suffocated.

Twiggy left us last night, 30 Nov 2010 at 10.15pm.

Rest in peace Twiggy, my little duckling. It has been a month filled with fun and sweet memories you have given us and specially Isabelle. Thank you and we will take very good care of your little sibling, Tweety and we are going to miss you very dearly.

Food Discipline

*Picture from google*

No one is perfect and that includes myself and my little Isabelle. But I am thankful her discipline in many aspects are so far, satisfactory although not flawless. I am specially thankful for her discipline towards food. She is not choosy and overly particular. Of course she have her preferences. Well, who doesn't?

Since day 1 we started her on solids, her daily diet consists of a fair amount of vegetables. And till today, she is still obediently taking in all her greens with no struggle at all. Apart from that, she will never say NO to bananas and apples. One of her favourite is steamed apples and omelette.

We rarely offer her unhealthy snacks, namely icecream, chocolates etc. She doesn't crave for it nor does she begs for it. But once a blue moon, we will let her taste a bite or two and that's it.

A bonus to that... Isabelle also learn to clean up any crumbs for her tray or table. And occasionally we catches her wiping her trays and table too. Never too young to learn & start :)

As parents, it is not easy to feel contented specially when it comes to our children's achievements. But in this case, I am a contented Mummy because my child could have been one of the grumpy fussy little eaters , but she is not. And I have no reason to complain or to ask for more :)

The Child In Me

Many things I encounter daily reminds of my sweet & fun childhood days. Namely, cartoons :)

Was searching for some clips on youtube to show Isabelle this morning and suddenly I remembered this one particular classic Mickey Mouse cartoon. I remembered that I would watch it over and over again and still find it thrilling. And even today while watching it, I feel like a child again.

So, here it is. Mickey's Trailer.

Health, Home & Heaven

When the doctor told us the details of what Dad is experiencing; the mild stroke due to aging and Meniere's, it hit me hard. It hurts me knowing that the days left for us to spend together and for me to repay him my love are numbered. It felt that the last 30 over years, I have wasted each and every day of it and not doing enough in order not to regret.

Gradual memory loss and also possibly deafness being one of the cause of Meniere's. All these made me fearful, worried and completely helpless and loss.

I know this news impacts Dad himself hardest including Mom compared to all of us. I could feel that Dad is dissapointed about his health condition. Personally, I am still trying to digest the truth that Dad is in this stage at only 62 and I almost disbelief it. But we all have to learn to accept that we are made to aged and our life on earth is just a temporary assignment. This reminds me of what a friend whose father returned home to Lord recently, told me. When our parents pass the age of 50, we have to prepare ourselves emotionally that their health will somehow deteriorate and will one day leave us. But as a Christian, we know that the end of life on earth is not the end of everything but a beginning of eternal life in God's kingdom. And what is for sure that we will meet our loved ones again one day in heaven.

Despite all these, we are very thankful for many reasons; we found out early and there is space for Dad to recover and get medical attention to prolong his life healthily. I am thankful that I can be home for as long as I want to be with him and Mom because I am a sahm without having to apply for long leave and possible to face a very non-understanding employer . I am thankful that Isabelle has a role to play, to be Dad's sunshine to cheer him up and to keep him occupied. And I am thankful that we are not hopeless because we have God taking care of everything and our faith in Him is what matters.

'I am here on earth for just a little while' ~ Psalm 119:19

'The Lord has made everything for His purposes' ~ Proverbs 16:4

Dad's Date With The Docs

Dad is finally convinced to go for his check up. This time, it is with the gastroenterologist and neurologist. He will have to stay overnight at the hospital.

Am hopeful for a clean bill of health after his check up.

It has been quite a hectic day. Drove down to Ipoh this morning. Came home to pack our overnight bag to stay in a relative's place so that we can be near Papa. I will be driving down to Ipoh 2nd time for the day today. It is tiring but this is nothing compared to all the sacrifices my dear Papa has done for me and raising me to be who I am today.

New Toys

One of my parents close family friend gave Isabelle a pair of cute ducklings and baby chicks. The last time I ever seen or touch one was countless years ago. They remind me of my fun and unforgettably warm childhood. Lots of fond memories came back to mind just by looking at them. So I think it thrills me more than it does to Isabelle. Of course, she got all excited when they came on board.

Since Isabelle is too young to handle such delicate creature, all we allow her to do was to pat them on the heads while we held them in our palms and watch us feed them.

They are oh so so so adorable. I wish they don't grow up too fast and lost their cuteness too soon :)

Time For A Good Break

Doctor gave Papa greenlight to go home but with a condition. Rest, rest and more rest.

Resting and doing nothing is something difficult for an active man like my Dad. He is always up to something and somehow have something to do. Anything from his business to church matters, his fishes in the aquarium and some repair works at home. He is always a restless family man.

Today marks the 2nd day of his rest day at home after being discharged from hospital. I am so happy I finally had the chance to make something for him and Mom this morning, fresh blended carrot-green apple-pineapple juice! After the glass of goodness, we went out for breakfast and also to run some errands.

I am glad that Papa is recovering and also finally gave in to his condition and rest obediently at home. Isabelle is such a blessing because she plays a big role in keeping grandpa occupied at home, leaving him little space to feel bored.