The wild child

As innocent and tiny as she looks, my girl has got her temperamental side...

Today (like always), she stayed home while Ruki and I went for our power walk. When we got home, I found my work bag on the floor with the contents strewn everywhere. Apparently, she did the same thing last week when my boy went walking with dad.



And, she bit my bedtime read a couple of days earlier. That tiny terror...maybe, she's trying to tell me that the book's boring...hahaha..



I don't think she was pleased with being left behind nowadays too. Whenever there is slight whiff of us going out, she'll be hanging around outside and be the first to climb into the car! o.O


(Photo on 24 Jan 2010)

And then there were two...

Mariko and Haruki...
Mocha and Latte...
Milo and Horlicks...

My marble cake...
My chocolate chip ice-cream...
My dumb blonde and the brainy brunette..

They are even sitting the same way. Aawww....

Photo on 25 December 2009 (Haruki - 17 months, Mariko - 2 months)

Little Miss-chevious

Riko is slowly graduating into daycare as she completes her vaccination next month. Last Friday, she had spent her first full day there. In that time, I think she had at blast doing things she can't a home like rummaging dustbins, biting pots, pooing and peeing indiscrimately. Weird thing is "Daycare is usually where the rules are a.k.a. dad & rotan, while home is...well, free-for-all".

Today, little miss-chevious managed to escape through the fence into the neighbour's garden. She was caught and escorted back by the neighbour. Apparently, she was scared stiff by the whole experience. Dad had to stroke her for some time before she was calm enough to walk steadily on her own again. So, we all thought she was traumatized enough to never do it again.

Boy... were we all wrong. She was back on the other side of the fence the very next day.

Lame dog

It was Mariko's second vaccination day. More of her in next post.

The kids went to the vet. Ruki was going in to show his stance to the doctor. I've always thought he walks (waddles) like a girl, sits funny and runs like a bunny. Based on visual assessment by doc, Ruki's left leg is a bit bowed. :(( He asked whether he has trouble getting up or in pain moving etc. So far...nothing unsual. He's now about 80 pounds (37 kg). Doc say better to lose 10 pounds to be on the safe side. Good thing is he's quite muscular...so, this will help to hold the weight better. The bad news is he's hasn't been neutered...coz with the "unkindly cut", it is likely that he will gain more weight.

For now, I will observe him more closely. No crazy running (so difficult with Riko around). He'll be starting his glucosamine supplements and going on a gradual diet too... Poor boy...but he looks so handsome here. :*

(Haruki is 1 year 5 months here, 20 Dec 2009)

Guess who's came at bedtime?

It's customary to take the kids out for a final pee before bedtime. Last night, Ruki headed outside first. Immediately, he darted to the back of my car and stuck his head under boot side. I was wondering why was he trying to crawl under. I thought maybe it was a cat or something under the car. Moving closer, I realised it was this.



Before I could react, Miss Busybody was already under the car. Next thing, she was running into the house at lightning speed, with Ruki on her tail. I knew she had it with her. She headed straight under the sideboard in the living room checking out her new-found friend. By that time, I was gross out thinking that about frog intestines and blood. So, I went to get the broom and dustpan and brace myself for the aftermath.

The commotion proceeded into the study room. Two heads hovering over the helpless bullfrog. Both wondering what to do with it...hahahaha... It was a big one... like a mother frog the size of my fist. Thank goodness it was still alive, intact and oblivious of the fuss around her. Mama frog was promptly swept into the pan and escorted outside by the kids. It was let loose over the fence.

This is not the kind of drama one expects after midnight.

My name is Mariko

The name was selected long before the brown one came. When I finally looked up the name the night before meeting her, I found out it meant "ball" or "circle" in Japanese. Whaat?... I was totally disappointed. After all, Haruki meant "sunshine, radiance". So, I had a back-up name, Reiko which meant lovely, beautiful child...and I was warming up to this new two-syllable name.

But, when I saw my girl for the first time, awww.... I knew she was a "little Mariko".

So, Mariko she was...

of course, it wasn't smooth-sailing thereafter....

Like calling Haruki, Mariko...and Mariko, Haruki...
Like calling Ruki, Riko and Riko...Ruki.
Maruki?
Hariko?

or calling Mariko, Haruk as a short name
and Haruki, Marik as a short name

Good girl to Ruki...
Good boy to Riko...

To make matters worse, since I have one of each...
for attention, I can't shout out BOYS!!!! or GIRLS!!!!

so, I call out KIDS!!!

No wonder they often look confused with all this name-calling.