Baby Reeham

We have a baby in the house!!! Our Sitty gave birth to Baby Reeham on the 1st of April. Unfortunately the little one was in and out of hospital with jaundice and I didn't take photographs until recently. He's a lovely baby and the kids especially the boys are smitten. Jack wants him to sleep with us. Just to make it clear the answer was NO to all requests!

Sitty's resting for now and won't be back at work for some time yet but the kids are insisting on seeing Sitty every day so they can catch up with Reeham. Makes us think back to when life was easier with babies that didn't ask all sort of questions, make crazy requests (Ayden woke at 4am today and started to demand Sprite !) and run riot all day. 

Goodbye Lee

This week the expat community in Brunei has been grieving over the tragic passing of Lee Jefford from a hit and run cycling accident which occured on Monday. Lee was one of our frontrunners on the hash. A very recent breast cancer survivor I always greatly admired her fitness and running abilities and it didn't take me too long to figure out that I would never catch up! She was also a lovely lady who always made time to say hello and have a chat. She will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Lee's family especially husband Mike and 12 year old son Connor. 

Easter @ Yacht Club

Here are photographs from our Sunday at the Yacht Club. 

Iman really enjoyed the colouring and crafts

Ayden too coloured in an Easter Bunny

 Waiting "patiently" for that egg hunt!

Iman's completed Easter bunny on the left

Getting ready for the hunt

Happy with their loot of mini eggs!

30,000 and counting

I'm one of those males that comes home full of ideas, starts a project and then leaves it to others to tidy up ! Well, this blog is certainly one of those projects - I started it and posted the first few postings before getting Maria a user id and password, after which, I basically abondoned all ownership and became a reader. Given the amount of travel I do (sitting in Singapore Airport, enroute to Cyprus as I type), it would be boring for me to tell everyone about the long transit hours I spend, so Maria fills the pages with news from home and the daily trials of rearing three young rascals. It's become a familiar page for my parents, friends and family to keep up with the latest news on Iman, Jack and Ayden but more importantly, I get some regular updates when I am on the road (I'm probably responsible for most of the irregular countries logged on the visitor list!)

So, to Maria - thank you for taking the time to keep everyone up to date but more importantly, thank you for keeping me close to home, even when I am thousands of miles away !!!

A Choclatey Easter

This is Jack's Easter basket from school

And some friends sent us this lovely Easter basket packed with chocolate surprises. And this afternoon we will be going to the Yacht Club for yet another egg hunt. Happy Easter to all!

Jack's Birthday Party @ Junglegym

Here are photographs from Jack's birthday party at the Junglegym. Jack had a good turnout and we think they all had a good time but kids always do at the Junglegym. And the Ben10 cake went down very well. Thank you to all Jack's friends for the presents and making it a fun morning. And thumbs-up to the Junglegym for a stress-free party - think we will be doing this again!

Jack is 4

Our little man is 4 today. This afternoon with Iman and Ayden's help Jack opened his presents. He got swimming goggles, cars and trailer set, a Transformers monster and a Lego set.

And birthday wishes also to Johan who was born 3 days earlier than Jack and had his party this afternoon.

And this evening Jack cut his cool Ben10 cake at my parents' place.

Dinner was followed by a small Easter egg hunt - the line-up before they were let loose.

And the birthday day boy came up trumps!

Aussie fashion

Donncha's top buys from Brisbane. Excellent for the boating days.

Iman wanted to know why there was a Union Jack on the boys' shorts but Donncha was quick to point out that it was an Australian flag! 

I Love Tofu!

For some its mash, for others soup and whatever it is, there's nothing better than having your favourite meal for one. Fo me it is the versatile, tasty and so good for you tofu. I chop up garlic, ginger and a couple of fiery chillies. I thrown these into a hot wok followed by the tofu cubes to brown. In another wok I start stir-frying the veg. Back to the brown tofu and cover with a mix of oyster sauce and sweet soya sauce. I also had coriander handy yesterday and that went in the last minute. All onto a plate for a steaming hot and spicy dinner! 

Iman - 4 years ago

This photograph of Iman was taken exactly four years ago. Iman was not well and had been having high fever for about 2 days. It was we thought viral but after four nights the fever was still persistant. By then the skin on the tips of her fingers were peeling. We took her to RIPAS still not knowing what to expect and the fantastic paediatrician did not take too long to diagnose Iman with kawasaki disease.

She said "Please go home, pack your things and bring Iman back. We will have to admit her for treatment".

Our minds started racing. What is this disease? Is she going to be OK? And furthermore I have not mentioned that I was heavily pregnant with Jack and due anyday!

Basically the disease is an inflammation of middle-sized arteries affecting many organs. The biggest danger if left untreated is damage to the heart and is a leading cause of heart disease in children. It is unknown what causes the disease but once detected and treated, recovery will only take a couple of days. At the time we were told that RIPAS sees up to 5 cases a month.

Anyway we packed what we thought we would need including my hospital bag. Poor Iman was on a continuous drip as soon as we got there and we endured the conditions of the ward though they were kind enough to put us in a small room considering my state. Not that I saw much of it - I went into labour that very night and Jack was born just after 1am. Donncha was down in paediatric with Iman's fever still high. 

Thankfully Iman made a full recovery within days and it was a big relief when we were all allowed to home!

A Big Boy Moment

It's only been in the last couple of months that Jack has got comfortable with the idea of getting his hair cut. And this weekend he surprised us all by asking to use the "machine" just like his Bapa. He really enjoyed it saying how tickly it was. So proud of him cos it will make getting a haircut a much straightforward affair. Just one guy left still refusing to cooperate!

An Away Day to the Spit

We had a great day out on the boat yesterday especially as it was the RBYC away day to the spit. The water was beautiful and the kids (and us) were happy to have friends there. Weather was good, not too many sandflies and a good simple barbeque done by the club.

And after fun in the waves we got back onto the boat for the ride the kids have been waiting for. We all went on this time and though I was a bit apprehensive I must admit it was great fun and pretty safe - though we know now that it really depends on who is driving! 

Is was a great day out but we probably over did it because we were absolutely shattered by the time we got home and Jack came down with a fever and vomiting bug almost immediately. He's ok but stayed at home today which is fine by me as I am getting a rest as well. So we had a pretty exciting day and an even more eventful night. Oh....and Donncha managed to drop his sunglasses into the sea. Don't even ask! 

42 Happy Years

My parents celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary yesterday. The children were confused as to what the celebration and presents were for. After plenty of "but whys" from Jack, I simplified it to Mah's and Pah's special birthday together followed by "where are the candles?!"