I like it now that Lara is happy to be on her tummy.  She can spend time on the mat watching JD and Chloe play.

Until she got tired, then I have to go over and flip her over.

But, is nice, when I see them together.

(Photo taken on 5th November 2009.  The 3 of them were happily occupying themselves on the mat.  JD playing with his cars, Miss C doing some threading, and Lara reaching out for a wooden block).

I was craving for some braised pork belly（扣肉）a few weeks ago and came across some pork belly while I was out at supermarket.

I searched for a recipe and came across this.

So I gave it a try!

It is a great recipe, very easy to do.  The only thing I vary was the cooking time.  I actually cut down the cooking to an hour in total, as the pork belly was nice and tender just after an hour.  It was delicious.

Steam some fresh home made man tou (馒头) to go with it, and it will be a great hit at home.

My husband love it, my kids love it, I love it and I cook it again when my sis was here visiting.

My kids called it the “Chinese Burger”!  It was delicious! 

Give it a go this weekend if you like to try something new.

Chloe loves being busy.  It was early evening after her shower, and just before dinner.

She was playing her hammer-tic toy, and created this.

She was very pleased with herself and asked if I could take a photo of her.

She always have this silly grin on her face when I ask her to smile. 

Only at this age they can get away with a double chin.

Mummy does her best in nursing me day and night.

Coz for now, she is still my only food source.

My brother is the best when it comes to making me laugh.

My sister does her best in singing “Twinkle twinkle little stars” at the top of her voice to me.

But daddy, does his best in getting me to sleep.

When I am overtired.

Just needed that lil bit of cuddle.

Somehow his shoulder always feel the best.

Ah, joy of being a baby.

==================================

(Picture taken 2nd November 2009.  An overtired Lara fallen asleep on her dad.  Oh, I love those cheeks and the chubby little hand.  Just want to eat them.)

Same month, same outfit, who is who?

This has been a big month for Lara.  Lots of developments happening for this little one! 

(Photo taken on 24th October 2009.  What , I am 4 months old already?)

She found her voice even more this month, sometimes she sounds as if she is singing!  Sometimes she talks, coos, and that’s really nice.  Sometimes she squeals in delight, which makes us all laugh.  Sometimes she scream when she is hungry or tired, which she replaced from her cries.  So now I know, when she scream, is because she is 1. hungry or 2. tired and both which are easily fixed.  I am training her not to scream, so I would calm her down by gently patting her till she quietens down before I pick her up and feed her. 

(Picture taken on 24th October 2009.  Lara thought:”Hmph, so I guess I am not allowed to scream anymore.”)

She has rolled over many times.  Sometimes she gives herself a real shock as she rolls from back to tummy.  But is quite cute when I turned around to see her already turning over to her tummy.  What a different view of the world this would have been for her! 

(Picture taken on 26th October 2009.  She was wide alert after her morning nap and rolled over many times onto her tummy.)

She also enjoy the “happy baby” yoga pose, kicking her legs into the air, squealing in delight when she does that.

(Photo taken on 21st October 2009.  She just had her bath, all moisturise, clean and comfy.  And she was ready to launch into her “happy baby” yoga pose again.)

She is getting used to travelling in the car with us now, less crying and if I pick the right time to go which I usually do, we usually get a really good ride in the car. 

(Photo taken on 9th October 2009 .  Lara’s big sister was fast alseep after a good outing, but she was still wide awake with her big brown eyes looking at me.)

She has also found her hands this month.  Lots of fun just watching her trying to grab the toy hanging over her playmat, her finding her fist and then licking it…but much to my horror, she has found her thumb!  I kept pulling it out of her mouth everytime she chews on it.  She doesn’t do it all the time, but more so when she is tired or hungry, and is probably her way of self-soothe.  When she is really quiet on the playmat and not fussing, is most probably she is happily sucking away on her fist, if not, thumb, haiz!

(Photo taken on 21st October 2009.  Happily sucking her fist after a bath.)

For a four months old, she weighs over 7kg and  is becoming a lil bit heavier for me to carry around.  She is putting on roughly a kilogram a month at the moment and my arms are getting a good work out.  So, instead she is doing a lot of time on her playmat at home, either with me, or the siblings just sitting next to her, or she would be just watching me from just outside the kitchen when I am busy.  She usually sits in her pram when we are out .   The good thing with Lara is she sits in the pram, she looks at things around her, when she is tired, she fusses a little bit, then she would doze off. 

(Falling asleep again in her pram while we brought the kids out to Wagamama Subiaco for lunch a few weeks back.)

So far, attending Sunday church service has been great with her.  She likes the music, and would sit in her pram happily.  During sermon time, she would usually doze off for her morning nap and wakes again just as the service finishes!  I like her, hee hee!

(Picture taken on 24th October 2009 when I brought her and Chloe out to the city and we stopped at a park to have a picnic lunch.)

She will be turning 5 months old soon, and this is a late entry.  Because I am stretched for time these days, but also because she is such fun when she is awake that I just want to play with her!

(Photo taken on 18th October 2009.  Lara with me at a picnic in the park on a lovely Sunday evening).

And not forgetting, the two older siblings that still get much joy hanging around their baby sister.  Likewise Lara is constantly looking for their faces and voices each day.

(Photo taken on 2nd October 2009.  Day out at the park with the 3 kids.)

(Picture taken on 16th October, 2009.  She was sitting outside having a piece of lamington bought from the bakery.  She wasn’t sharing, because she said “It’s my favourite.”)

Miss C creative side has suddenly been turned on to another level in the recent weeks.

She has been recycling milk cartons, bottles, boxes, straws, and I have been told off many times when I throw out the empty cracker boxes, the milk crtons and etc.  I have been told “Mummy, we need to recycle, that’s what we learn in school”.  Oopps!  Just check out the kids activity table in the play room!  One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

I love it!  I love seeing them making lots of different things! 

Here was one of her pieces, “A Happy Sun” she called it.

(Photo taken on 16th October 2009.  Chloe made a big sun by cutting out a big circle herself.  Then using lots of straws and sticky tapes she made herself a “Happy Sun”.)

And here’s a birthday banner she made for her baby sis Lara.  Just so you know, Chloe loves birthdays and everyday she would pretend play birthday party!  That day she pretended it was Lara’s birthday and made a banner for her.  She asked me to draw lots of circles and cut it out, before sticking them altogether with lots of sticky tapes.

(Picture taken on 9th October 2009.  Chloe made a birthday banner with lots of smiley faces for her baby sis Lara).

Eat 5 vegies and 2 fruits a day!

Very easily done!

My breakfast is usually a bowl of wholegrain cereals with sultanas and cranberries. And a cup of tea or Milo with skim milk.

My morning snack is always a fruit in season, like an apple, pear, orange, or sometimes I would have a little bowl of strawberries and blueberries.

My lunch is always simple and easy, and especially when I have 3 little ones around me most of the time, anything quick, easy, healthy is good!

On this particular day, I had a spinach leaves salad with a quarter of avocado, some cherry tomatoes, some shaved parmesan cheese and a piece of crumbed fish mixed into the salad!

All I did was put a piece of crumbed fish into the griller, then arrange all the vegies on a plate, 15 minutes later, the fish is done, and I just cut it up and mixed it in with the salad!

It is simple and even the kids love it!

And on another day, I had some leftover dinner of sweet potato, eggplant and zucchini curry with an avocado salad!

For afternoon snack, on my way to pick up JD from school or on our way to soccer, I would always have an apple in my bag and a nut bar!  Again, it is fruit, low calories, keep my bloor sugar at a good level!

As for dinner, in my desperate bid to lose the last 2 kilos from my pregnancy weight, I have stopped eating rice, pasta and go for a fish, chicken and salad.  If I do a stir fry, I would just eat it with no rice.  It feels a little bit strange in the beginning, but it only took me less than a week to get used to.

It feels great!

So remember 5 vegies, 2 fruits a day!

If there’s anything my first child is crazy about apart from Lego and Star Wars, it has to be FOOD! 

This kid can EAT!  He likes trying new things!  He loves looking at cook books! And he loves watching cooking shows!  He gets all excited when he sees a new recipe on the TV and would actually sit down to tell me all about it.

One of his favourite shows is actually the Cook and the Chef featured on ABC.

Needless to say, he LOVES the cooking class in school!

So during the recent school holidays, I had been taking the 3 kids out almost every day!  Except for the one day when they were sick with gastro, we have been visiting parks, playgrounds, and having lots of picnics, and impromptu eating at a restaurant they like!

On this one ocassion, JD said he wanted Vietnamese Beef Pho!  So after a play at King’s Park that morning, we swung by to a Vietnamese noodle house in the city!

JD finished the whole bowl of Beef Pho all by HIMSELF!  And not forgetting 2 spring rolls and a big glass green jelly drink with lychees! 

On another ocassion, we went for Dim Sum when him and Chloe enjoyed their favourite char siu pao, steamed ribs, siu mai..

And the last day before school holiday finished, JD said he wanted to go Wagamama again!  So off we went to the joint in Subiaco and I even squeezed in a bit of window shopping with the 3 kids on a glorious spring day!

The kids’s chicken yakitori with ramen noodles.

Finished up each with a scoop of gelato for that afternoon.

I told you, my kids can eat!  They probably eat more than me!