Catching up...

I started on a blog entry at the beginning of the year that I didn’t ever quite finish (still in draft!). Let's hope this one sees the light of day! A few friends have been asking for an update on the "United Nations Family", so here goes…



Joshua Kei Starke arrived in September last year. He weighed 9lbs 11 oz when he emerged into the world, which gave not only his Daddy and Mommy a shock, but also his poor Po Po as well (because Sandy had to have an emergency C-section). Anyway, he was warmly welcomed into the family and his sister has been fussing over him ever since. He is now nearly 15 months - a sturdy toddler and fairly big for his age. An occasional squabble here and there with his big sister can’t be entirely avoided. Incidences like Joshua standing in front of the telly pressing all the buttons can cause great distress to his big sister. Other provocations include taking away critical pieces while Zoey is trying to complete a puzzle or even adding a few strokes to some of her painting masterpieces. Anyway, both of them still adore each other and play well together.



We had a big family reunion (with the Starkes and Boeys) in August when they flew in to Bristol to celebrate Joshua's dedication. It was lovely to spend time with our families and wonderful for the three cousins – Zoey, Joshua and Ashling – to spend some time together again.



Zoey turned five in October and started in the reception class at a school that is only a stone’s throw from our house. I am glad we can walk to school everyday and avoid the stress of driving and parking every morning. Zoey enjoys school immensely and has made some good friends. Occasionally, she will come home with a dodgy rhyme or two and take great pleasure in our horrified reaction.



As we embrace the wintry weather in UK (snow forecast for the end of the week!), we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Blessed Christmas!

This little piggy...

The summer has been so wet this year that the best place to be has been inside at home.

To pee or not to pee...

Zoey is nearly potty trained! Hurrah! The reason I say "nearly" is because she still wears a nappy when she goes to bed at night.

Of course, this is nothing to shout about because if she were growing up in Malaysia she should have been free from nappies by the time she turned one! Apparently, I was potty trained at that age. However, the majority of non-Asians will disagree with that - they reckon it is the parents that are being "potty-trained" not the child - because the parents will have to put the child on the potty at regular intervals with the hope that he/ she will get the idea and make it a routine for the child to relieve himself/ herself whenever on the potty.

Anyway, the decision to potty train now Zoey wasn't an easy one. Many experienced mothers have been sharing their tips with me and some advised that Zoey is still too young to express herself when it comes to nature's call. However, I felt that she was ready as she did show interest in the whole idea when we did a few trial runs. Furthermore, with the imminent trip back to Malaysia in August, Mommy just had to make sure that Zoey is nappy free or else.....she will be in trouble (she = Mommy not Zoey).

We took advantage of the whole week at New Wine (Christian summer camp/conference) to potty train her. This made things much easier as she could run around half naked and one of us could be with her at all times. The first few days were a complete failure (we were about to give up) but then we persevered and by the end of the week, Zoey made her first wees on the potty with a little help (Philip made her play with some warm water in a basin whilst washing up, which helped to trigger the right response!). She soon got the idea that whenever she did a wee on the potty she became the star attraction - Mommy and Daddy jumping up into the air excitedly, cheering her name and clapping ... and lots of praising as well.

So you can imagine when Zoey now says: "Mommy, potty please!", I jump up at the speed of lightning; fetch the potty and let her majesty sit on her throne.