I have been extremely lazy with my updates. Since returning from our vacation, there has been way too many things to document and I just don’t know where to start…
All I can say is that the vacation was a much overdue one for me… my last break was in November 2007 when I was already in my very early pregnancy and didn’t even know it. From then on, it was work, work and work for me non-stop as compared to my usual habit of taking a short break twice a year from work.
I was afraid about the flight to London since I was all on my own… but my worries were unfounded as little jj behaved extremely well… of course, there would be those restless moments here and there, I mean who wouldn’t, right? Even an adult wouldn’t be able to sit still for a full 12 ½ hours flight. But she was alright… she slept when she’s supposed to, played on her own in her bassinet, sat in the bassinet nicely while I fed her the 2 meals given on board… and best of all, she let me ate peacefully when my meal came. There were not much interruptions from her except during those times she was awfully restless and I had to play Toy Story on the in-flight screen over and over again just so that she could focus on something instead of crying for no apparent reason.
The English lady sitting next to me praised at how well she behaved as compared to another baby further in front of us who wouldn’t stop crying at many intervals.
But, if you were to ask me to do it again, I might hesitate… I wouldn’t be twice lucky and I think that belief may be true since little jj gave us a whole lotta nightmare during the flight home… it was either that her daddy was present and she knew there was an extra set of hands to take care of her, or she was very insecure with the darkness throughout the flight (as the flight home was a night flight). She barely slept 2 hours in 2 occasions, but that was also contributed by that drug we got from her paediatrician for her to relax during the long haul flight. So, basically, all throughout the balance of 10 hours when she's awake, I could clearly hear her crying and screaming in daddy’s arms while all I could do was to get better quick - I fell sick immediately as I board the plane and my body temperature shot up in an instant. Everytime I felt better, I took her away from daddy and all she wanted to do was to hold on to me.
It was truly very tiring.
little jj's bad hair day - 10hours of crying, screaming and struggling
while sweating profusely once we touched down at KLIA
But, despite her usual nature of not trusting strangers and unfamiliar environment, she warmed up instantly to London’s cold air, was at ease at Eju & Muzzie’s (thank you, Eju and Muz!!... we can't thank you guys enough for that warm hospitality...) and allowed us to toughen her up by taking her out almost an entire day, every day thru the entire week of our stay… I fed her where ever we decide to take a rest from our journeys that she has somehow gotten used to being fed out of the comfort of her home instead of every time wanting her usual chair and that familiar environment at home.
little jj and abang noah, warming up with the battle
of the pacifier, just after we reached their home.
I guess that vacation somehow wasn’t just a good one for me but brought out the best in her as well.
For more details on our vacation, I would rather let little jj update her blog, yah ;D soon… she says ;P (update: little jj has updated her blog)
When we got home, I got busy with unpacking and doing the laundry in so many batches… there were those of the one’s from the pile at home, those from the trip, my clothes, little jj’s worn clothes and little jj’s new clothes. I practically only managed to finish everything in 4 days! It helped a lot that my parents were kind enough to volunteer taking care of the little munchkin that day we arrived so that we could all get our rest.
Then, there was cooking for little jj as her puree stock has either depleted or expired and so I turned to Annabel Karmel again for the next phase of puree recipes – 9-12 months.
As we all recovered from jet lag (with little jj affected the worst), I could only prepare them purees after 10pm with only 2 days to whip up her food as the home made chicken stock could only last for 48 hours in the fridge. With jet lag, and a baby who’s cranky all the time, coupled with bags and stuff strewn on the floor of our living room, cooking 2-3 types of food after 10pm was a chore for me. But, we’ve all lost weight from the amount of walking that we’ve done, and I just had to take that step so that we could stuff little jj back to her normal baby fatness (eheh!).
So… as you’re all always eager to see what I whipped for little jj, enjoy the photos….
First, there was that 'First spaghetti Bolognese' which I didn't manage to take any pictures since it was already after midnight when it was ready and I was dead tired. I only made one meal the first day due to tiredness...
Next was...
Yummylicious 2: Carrot, cheese and tomato risotto
clockwise from top: onions, tomato, rice, carrots & chicken stock
not in picture: cheese & unsalted butter
Yummylicious 3: Creamy chicken & vegetables
clockwise from top: all-purpose flour, milk, button mushrooms,
carrots & chicken stock (onions at center)
not in pix: vegetable oil, cooked chicken & cheese
the result...
Yummylicious 4: Tasty chicken Bolognese
clockwise from top: chicken, chicken stock, onions & garlic,
grated carrots, dried thyme on spoon, tomatoes in a can
not in pix: olive oil, pasta
as usual, i used alphabeto for the pasta hehe...
Yummylicious 5: Chicken with tomato & rice
clockwise from top: chicken, tomatoes in a can (cooked rice on top of can),
chicken stock, carrots, potatoes, apple juice, onions & garlic
the result...
More to be made this week - which entails fish and lotsa vege...
This week has been a truly hectic one after such a remarkable time away with my soulmate… he’s just flown back to London this morning for another official meeting and I only wished I was able to stay back in London for another week and return home with him next Thursday. But, we all have our roles to play and one cannot be too dependent on something or someone.
That also came with the realisation of how things are really not permanent in life… one small step that looks so harmless could change a situation forever, if not for a long duration.
We all do what we could do and would have to be wary of our surroundings. That way, we do not take things for granted and hurt those we care about unintentionally. I guess sincerity should always be taken with a strict hint of caution and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly… I’ve always avoid being presumptuous in the many things I do but thru the journey, there will always bound to be mistakes. In the end, we either learn from that mistake and hope it will not repeat, or if we do not learn from it, repeat and face the consequences.
Life is too short to sweat about the little things. But for one who can be a perfectionist, we thrive for every little details. Sometimes, our details may not hit the notes of another person’s details so what should the outcome be, then?
Circumstances may sometimes blur the vision, preventing us from seeing clearly. In the end, I think some of my principles in life would definitely make me conscience free – to not rely on others and do what you must do for yourself even if that meant having to go thru trying times/suffer on your own… at least you know you don’t owe it to anyone but yourself... you'll come out a winner because you made it on your own and you don't need anyone to make you feel guilty since there are no reasons to pin you down. In that space of time, you could turn so arrogant for you are strong and powerful and I only hope that I don't forget to think before I act on something, if ever, I am in that position.
Oh well, life's like that... we learn, we move on, we fall, we get back up... and hope that the injury won't be so bad. But even then, we hope that the injury will heal quickly and the scars will remind us of what we did or what we didn't do. Reflect, and learn.
my little cookie in the jar... a tough cookie indeed.
don't i look better now?? mommy had just trimmed my fringe...
5 comments:
aww...she is one helluva cute bescot ;) Nak cubit sangat...
Glad you survived! I tabik! My first long flight with Gooly was when he was 2yrs 8mths. That stage ok lar, sapsapsuey.. But prior to leaving, the hati tetap berdebar debar..hehehe.
ps: I miss Bayswater duck! Tapi tak halal beb..:P
goolymahmee,
hehe... i want to makan her pipi sometimes. your gooly oso got very nice cheeks to munch on ahh...
chenkyu, chenkyu... i guess you'd always berdebar debar when travelling with kids especially on flights kan... you never know what they're up to in that limited space.
;P
owh babe! jada is getting prettier by the day.....
what else can i say, you're one supermommy and I m glad it's such a smooth long-haul journey for you and jada.... i can't imagine myself travelling alone with areya, kalau naik kete ronda2 KL tu I pass la.... heheee....
i'm so proud of you babe....
p/s: nak puree sket, bole? cam lapar la i..;P
anis,
she seems so, doesn't she? :)
thanks babe... you know you are one too kan? hehe... ala babe, if you're put in the situation, you sure cuba punya...
p/s: hehe... boleh aja. nak buat lain tapi maleh ;P
salam..
i'm a silent reader of your blog..
excited tgk you buat all the baby food.. can you share the recipe & how you prepare them?
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