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!

Zoey in motion

Zoey is as full of life as ever. Here she is in action:

Zoey Hip-Hop from Philip on Vimeo.

New life in 2009

We haven't really been blogging lately. (Did I say lately? The honest truth is almost never - except some photo updates now and then).

Well, as we are in the middle of 2009, I thought I better write a brief update on the United Nations family.

Towards the end of last year we moved house and are settling well into the new neighbourhood. Philip's parents and brother (David) sacrificed their usual "hot and sunny" Christmas and had a cold and wintry one with us instead. Our Christmas tree was covered with lots of pressies and Zoey had an exciting time opening hers - with her attention span of about 5 minutes per gift.

Anyway, besides, celebrating the gift of Christ from our God, He has also given Philip and me another special gift - another child. Yes, we are expecting a baby in September! The miracle of life never fails to amaze me, I am still awe struck by the tiny life that is growing inside me. How can a human being be formed just by the "merging of 2 cells"?

On the practical side of things, I had quite nasty morning sickness for the first trimester. It was so severe that that Philip allowed me a 3 weeks break in Malaysia to recover. So off I went with Zoey back to Malaysia whilst leaving poor Philip behind sorting out the renovation work on our house. The plus side of being pregnant (besides suffering from morning sickness; feeling nauseas, bloated, FAT, clumsy, absent minded; and needing to go to the loo at two in the morning...) is that it can be used as an excuse in almost any and every situation.

On a serious note, we are both thankful to God for the joy of know that a new baby is developing day by day in my womb!


A picture from the scan we did a few weeks ago.

Snow!

Hurrah! We finally had some real snow!

Zoey has had a great time being pulled around on a sledge and building snowmen!

This little piggy...

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

Zoey at Home

Video: Zoey

2008 - Highlights so far

So where have we been since the last post you might wonder? Well, I (Sandy) did draft a post when we entered the New Year but somehow it is still just a draft. Procrastination is indeed the thief of time...

Zoey's vocabulary has improved by leaps and bounds - she no longer babbles like a baby but is actually able to speak (most of the time) like a little person. If time permits, I will share some conversations we have had with her in another post. Remind me if it doesn't appear within the next year!

Anyway, the highlight for us so far has been the trip back to South Africa over Easter. Since a picture speaks a thousand words, here's a glimpse of our three-week break in the rainbow nation:

Easter in Cape Town

Autumn Glory

The Autumn leaves have been spectacular this year and the three of us enjoyed a beautiful walk along the Frome Valley yesterday afternoon.

Happy Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Zoey's birthday on Saturday, and she even invited a few friends from the nursery.

A brief photo documentary on the cake baking process can be found here!

Great White at Large

The South China Sea is no longer a safe place to swim: This scary creature was recently seen frightening the fish off Redang Island!

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.

God's Goodness

Throughout the last few hectic weeks God has been reminding us of his goodness and the wonder of his creation.

A few months ago we decided to use the overgrown patch at the bottom of the garden to grow some vegetables. We didn't think much would come of it, but thought it would be a bit of fun and something that Zoey would enjoy.


Well, not long ago the peas burst into flower and within what seemed like an incredibly short period of time green pods started to appear. We had planted a variety suited for picking as mange tout so we were soon able to "taste and see that the Lord is good!". Since then the courgette plant (which has grown into a bit of a monster - one metre across!) has produced a good number of golden courgettes.


The carrots haven't been quite so successful - they taste okay but are all twisted with bits shooting off in all directions. Perhaps they needed to be left a little longer!

"Where daddy eyes?"

Zoey's vocabulary has been expanding over the last few weeks. Mommy speaks to her in Cantonese and Daddy speaks English. Some friends even speak to her in Mandarin, so you can't blame her for getting a bit confused sometimes. (Zoey's cousin in Malaysia, Jonathan - three in October, is already conversing in four different languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and English!)

Last week, on an especially hectic morning, Philip came down to breakfast without his glasses on. Zoey was already at the table and looked at Philip with a puzzled expression: "Where daddy eyes?" It was just as well she noticed or else Philip might have left for work without them!

Below are a few more of Zoey's favourite sayings. Try to work out what they mean before scrolling down.

Zoey-speak

1. Where daddy eyes?
2. Boon
3. Sowee foam
   
4. Mommy, ish arwn!
   
5. Oupa eeshoo
   
6. Where bubby gone?
   
7. Watthis, Watthis? or Withat, Withat?
   
8. Aid
9. mmmmmmoi
10. joi jin

Translation

1. Where are Daddy's glasses?
2. Spoon
3. Zoey's phone (Daddy's old mobile)
4. Mommy, sit down!
   
5. Grandpa's tissue
   
6. Where has the baby gone?
7. What's this/that? (A million times a day!!)
   
8. Wait
9. No (Cantonese)
   
10. Goodbye (Cantonese)

Little Miss Sunshine

Fathers' Day Joy

By far the best Fathers' Day gift was seeing Zoey smiling again after a week of temperatures and tears.

Everything You Need To Know About Being A Mother

Just when I thought I knew everything (or at least something!) about being a mother, Zoey caught a nasty virus last week and suddenly I felt like a fish out of water, knowing next to nothing. From working out how to give her her medicines to trying to tune into her needs when she was unwell - all became a whole new lesson and I realised that one never stops learning.

For a whole week she didn't show her usual warm smile or boundless energy. During this time I realised how far a parent's patience can be stretched by a sick child. Philip and I are not great fans of taking medicine (we would rather try to let our bodies do the hard work and get the immune system built up) but in this instance we knew we had to humble ourselves and let Zoey take three different types of medicines. Our first few attempts at giving her Calpol were a disaster with Mommy, Daddy and Granny all trying different tricks - thankfully by the third attempt we had worked out that the best way was to exploit her love of showing off: A little cheering and clapping and she was happily gulping it down (the banana and strawberry flavours probably helped too!). In the end, she was even asking for her medicine after each meal. But it was the nights that were the hardest: she woke up frequently and became very distressed. The result was very little sleep for everyone.

Anyway, Praise God that she has now fully recovered. Before she was ill I would sometimes complain about her endless energy but now I am so thankful to have Zoey back to her joyful self.

The Chinese believe that after a toddler has had a high temperatures he/she will have grown taller - Zoey must have grown a lot!