Roll over and chest up!

Benedict's 4 months old today and we're excited that he has started to roll on his side 10 days ago and even roll over a few days after. He is also holding his head steadily while pushing his chest off the ground. I can't really remember when his sisters did their 'stunt' but I guess every infant grows at slightly different rates.

Interesting links:
Infant Development: Birth - 3 months old
Infant Development:4-6 months old

Exposure to nature: Moth

I brought Clarissa (4 yrs) and Christa (2 yrs) to our neighbourhood Mamak Restaurant a few days ago and stopped by the small indoor garden infront of our condominium. The children were looking at the fish in the pond when they noticed a moth holding onto the underside of a fern leaf.

They were told to keep silent while watching the little creature. Christa was so excited but could hardly keep it quiet while Clarissa kept on asking me why the moth was 'there' and 'not moving'. After answering her, Christa would ask me the same question.

It's nice to show them a little bit about nature so that they would treasure it's beauty while they can still enjoy them. We hold that they would grow up to be responsible nature loving citizens who will protect the need for coexistence of wildlife and man.

Interesting links:
Malaysian Nature Society
World Wildlife Fund

My aquarium: Salvini

Here are 3 videos of my colourful cichlid called 'salvini'(Cichlasoma Salvini). He is just 6 cm in length and is rather fierce at protecting his territory. He provides some entertainment when the children watch the fish feeding as he is very quick and agile manouvring through the drift wood space.

The New Proton Saga

We brought the family to the Curve to see the finished product and then to the Proton showroom in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. The new Proton SAGA looked impressive and clearly showed the commitment by Proton to build a people orientated and practical car. It looked like they have some improvements based on the SAVVY platform and added a CAMPRO 16V DOHC Engine. The Integrated Air Fuel Module (IAFM) technology featured in the car promises fuel efficiency and a better performance. Both Mommy and I agreed that the Manual 1.3 car would suit us best with a maximum output of 70/6000 and maximum torque of 120/4000. We prefer Manual transmission anytime due to the additional power and fuel efficiency.














We agreed that the M-line would suit us best as it features a single AIRBAG. The front passenger seat would be used to place Benedicts Baby Car seat and hence would not require an AIRBAG. I was still trying to figure out how the back seat belts could be used for the Baby Car seats (the looked the same like the Wira seat belts which doesn't seem to fit the Baby Car seats properly). The 14" alloy sports rims would definitely give additional stability to the car.

The Zircon green (see photo) looked very striking but I still preferred the Mountain Blue. Mommy wanted the 'Genetic Silver' colour (see photo) although I told her that the streets would be flooded with cars of that colour! The other colours are Metallic Black, Solid White, Granite Grey and Chilli Red.

Anyway, I went through with the Salesman the list of problems people complained about older versions of Proton cars:-
1. Power window problems - Changed manufacturer
2. Dashboard - Changed manufacturer
3. Door handle - Changed design
4. Suspension - Improved
5. Low car clearance - Increased clearance
6. Leaking - Improve quality control
7. Lack of space - Improved

I contacted our Proton dealer who took our order with only RM500 booking fee and a photocopy of the IC and driving licence. He told us that to date there are already 10,000 bookings nationwide and the car would only be available in 4 months. Do check it out now as some dealers are also throwing in free goodies with the car booking! Nevertheless, we will still testdrive the car on Monday!

Pooh-pooh time!

I was awakened by Benedict (3 months old)at 6 am this morning and was persuaded by Mommy to place him in the bouncinet to encourage him to sleep again (his last feed was 5 am). I quickly did so and he slept soundly soon afterwards.


At 7 am my alarm woke me up and I found Christa awake taking his morning bottle feed. She then got me to take her out of her baby cot so that she could use the potty. I got back to my sleep only to be 'disturbed' after 5 minutes. She had passed motion and wanted me to wash her up. She took her potty and came to me saying, "Daddy, I pooh-pooh already!". My head felt like I had a hangover as I've been having interrupted sleep over the past few nights.


I found it unbelievable that she then went to her shelf and took out her school bag and tip-toed into the washroom. My task was to make sure that any remnants of 'pooh-pooh' was cleaned away.

Hmmm....! Now I know why her Grandpa didn't find babycare interesting!

Cornetto Love Perhaps?

I suppose ice-cream causes the love to flow even amongst siblings i.e. Christa and Clarissa. It gives parents like us a good 30 minutes breathing space while we shop and wheel the two girls around. Little Benedict (3 months old) will soon learn how a little sweetness can change things!

Proton BLM Updates

We brought the family and our friend to the Curve to view the Proton BLM this morning after having a good breakfast at Kluang Station (IKANO Power Centre). True enough, the doors came on spotting a better door handle but the door knob is unchanged (similar to Proton Saga). The boot looked big enough for a double stroller (see previous post) but we have to wait for the 'real thing' before knowing how spacious it would be. Can't wait to see the how the front and back lights look as the spy-views (here)were quite promising. However, you can see that the car is definitely longer than a Proton Saga and quite spacious.

Proton BLM for Mommy?

We were at the Curve last weekend to look at the preview of the latest car craze in town, the Proton BLM. It's deemed to be simple, stylish and safe despite being possibly the most economical car in the range. The sales personnel mentioned that it would be almost similar to the size of a Vios and having safety features unmatched by MyVvi. Boasting of a price tag of between RM30,000 and RM40,000 with two different specifications, Mommy told me that she would get one.

We are bringing our double stroller to fit into the boot and checking out the seating length to ensure that our whole family of 2 adults and 3 children would be able to seat comfortably. The airbag would definitely be handy although I wish Proton would consider putting in ABS or EBD for further safety.

Here are some photos that I've taken at the Curve:






Interesting links:
Proton Edar Website
Proton BLM Website
Book Online
Automotive Safety

Cornetto Kid

Christa loves chocolate ice-cream and makes a mess when she digs her face into ice-cream. Her favourite is Cornetto cone from Walls. She finds it intriguing to dip her fingers into the ice-cream while saving the cone for last. I can only get her to share the cone when she is in a good mood. Otherwise she wants the whole cone all herself. If you offer her a bite, she refuses because she wants to hold the cone herself. Just make sure you give her the whole Cornetto otherwise she might just bite you!

We just make sure that she gets an occassional reward (ice-cream) but we try to make sure that she gets a healthy balanced diet too!

Interesting links:-
List of Cornetto Ice-creams
The range of Wall's Ice-cream
Unilever website: Feel good, look good and get more out of life

Little Benedict enjoys playing with Clarissa

At times we wish the older children (Clarissa and Christa) would grow up sooner so that they could help with 'entertaining' little Benedict when we are busy. However, toddlers cannot be left alone with older children as the play may get out of hand causing harm to the toddler. Mommy and I always ensure that Benedict is under watchful eyes when the girls play with him. I can still remember Grandma telling me how my elbows were dislocated when I was younger and attended by a young domestic help. That would be a scary experience.

Little girl starts a fight and claims innocence

Here's Christa grinning away after she hit Clarissa (crying in the video). She is definitely more mischevous than her elder sister!