page boy 101

wedding bells chimed on 21 april 2007
marking uncle nico & aunty faridah's
auspicious day!

i was their page boy (lucky me!)
& my gorgeous aunties, their bridemaids.
left to right: aunty jessica, audrey & atika.
they were also daddy & mommy's
bridemaids almost a decade ago.
i was definitely out of the picture then :o)

the well-behaved 'me' sitting next to
aunty audrey.

uh-oh! but NOT for long!
look at me doing my break dance moves
during the group photo session.
uncle wee caught me in the act with his camera!
the wedding photographer had to pause
many times in order for me to regain my composure
so that he can take decent pictures
without me being clownish.
daddy & mommy sure weren't pleased
with me after that although i made others laugh.

my beautiful aunty & handsome uncle!

breastfeed no more

to wean lil han @ age 2 was by far the hardest thing for me to do. i was literally torn! my milk supply is definitely drying up & when i'm not working, he'd be stuck to me 24-7, refusing to drink powdered milk & preferring to attach himself to his comfort zone as we call it.

i was told by some to stop, others to continue & many gave suggestions on ways to deter him from my breasts. i've even heard stories of mothers nursing their child up to primary 6. the first word that crossed my mind was YIKES! but i'm sure of one mother (wife to an old friend of hubs) who nursed her daughter till primary 2. how did she do it? beats me!

an opportunity was presented to me in the form of a short trip with hubs (without the boys) for 4 days 3 nights. i've never been away from han since he was born & what better way to help him forget his comfort zone in the gentlest possible way.

did it work? YES although not instantly! when hubs & i went to fetch him from my parents-in-law's place, he seemed shy with me initially & played with hubs mostly. as we got into the car, he sat on my lap then turned towards me & pleaded for his ne-nen! he cried almost all the way home as we were doing our utmost best to distract him. once we reached home, i asked hubs to distract him further as i rummaged through the drawers looking for gauze & first aid bandages. i then covered & taped both nipples thoroughly & applied amway's tropical herbs baby oil on the exposed gauze bandage for added effects. i was ready & went upstairs to face han. the minute he saw me, he struggled away from hubs & headed straight for his ne-nen! lo & behold! han's stunned expression came next when he saw his bandaged ne-nen. he slowly pulled my t-shirt down & told me to "close". i explained to him that mommy's bleeding & in pain, so the doctor "put medicine" & covered my wounds. he believed me.

han still snuggles up to me when he sleeps. he'll put his hand on my chest & say, "mommy painful. bleeding." he's really trying his hardest to adjust (so proud of him) & i must say he's doing pretty well. we've also noted an increase in his food & formula milk intake which is a great sign. hopefully he'll put on a few more kilos in the months to come.

to breastfeed han till the age of 2 has been a personal accomplishment for me as an didn't take to my breasts too well & i only managed to nurse him for 2 ½ months. i used to think something was terribly wrong with the way i breastfed him & may be i was doing it incorrectly. now i know that there's no right or wrong in breastfeeding for every child is different.

i reckon it was a good 2-year stint for han & mommy. i'm sure he feels the same way :o)

part two: lok kawi wildlife park

i was trailing behind my boys
the whole time & clicking away!

an attracted to the parrots

trying to get a closer look at one of the animals

they played with the adorable & friendly
baby proboscis monkey behind the glass

lil han observed everything with amusement
in his eyes

it was in fact a hot day, so lil han had
drinking breaks every now & then

part one: lok kawi wildlife park

jalan penampang-papar lama

WDT no. 63
89507 penampang, sabah.
telephone: 088-765710

open daily 9.30am-5.30pm

entrance fees:
malaysian (adult/child) - RM10/5
non-malaysian (adult/child) - RM20/10
senior citizen (60+ malaysian only) - FREE
handicapped - FREE

our 1st family excursion took place at the lok kawi wildlife park & it was fun, fun, fun! good news for sabahans i.e. since it's an excellent place for both young & old to visit. despite the park's soft launch, its site nearing completion + without much advert, it actually attracted many on the saturday that we went. i was truly amazed at the number of visitors coming in & out of the park. kudos to the sabah wildlife & forestry departments for a job well-done!

we started with the children's zoo, a friendly place for kids to pet the animals. big bro an was very keen to get a ride on the elephant's back but we missed it. never mind, we'll make it up on our next trip for sure!

i touched the turtle's hard shell.
i too was as excited as my boys.

big bro an & lil han enjoyed the animals
but were more cautious,
not ready to pet them yet.

there are helpful directions strategically placed in the park, so we followed the path that led us to more wonderful sights & we saw among others...

colourful parrots

ostriches standing tall

affectionate proboscis monkeys
which both boys absolutely adore!

restful yet regal looking tigers

my all-out favourite, elly

beautiful gentle creatures they are!