Zachary’s First Birthday

Posted on April 15, 2011 · 1 Comment

On March 28, 2011, Zack turned 1. Yes, this post a bit delayed.

Time really flies. It seems like just yesterday when I was in the labour room trying to “poot” out my lil boy. He’s grown into a very heavy, very tall, very active toddler. He’s also got a very lebat head of hair.

First birthdays are always a grand occasion. Not only a milestone for the parents for surviving the first year of parenthood, it’s also a start for the child to look forward to achieving a few significant milestones of his own. My crystal ball tells me when he can start walking, it’ll be like watching a bull in a China store.

We had 2 celebration dinners for Zack. It was more of a eating fest for everyone in the family cos technically he can’t eat what we prepared for the two dinners anyway!

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He had his mee suah

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Enjoying his mee suah before digging into his red egg and chicken drumstick…

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Po Po offered him the drumstick. See his “terkejut” face! He didn’t even dare hold it or touch it *LOL

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Then came his birthday cake. I baked this cake. And iced it. I also made the bear figurine out of fondant. It looks like it’s slouching whilst holding the number 1. That’s because IT IS slouching and holding the number 1. I was lazy and didn’t use a small percentage of gumpaste in my fondant in order for it to harden quicker. When I finished sculpting the bear, he was sitting up right. Over the course of 3 weeks, gravity pulled it to its slouching position. Yes, i’m blaming gravity. BTW the cake was 2 layers of sponge layered with peach and lychee. Super yums.

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Here’s a not-so-focused-photo of how bad the bear was slouching.

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Zack had his first taste of cake (minus icing + minus fruits). Everything else we ate up. BTW i threw the bear figurine away. It was too ugly to keep.

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My mom, being the traditional Cina old lady that she is, got Zack his first pair of walking shoes. I still don’t understand the significance of not wearing shoes until the kid turns 1. Can someone enlighten me please?

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Zack’s 1st birthday: Part 2. We had a grander feast with my in laws in Kajang. The highlight of the dinner was definitely his birthday cake. We took inspiration from Monster Fish, Zack’s fav stuffed toy. The cake was devilishly delicious to the max. It was a super moist chocolate cake sandwiched with chocolate ganache and the fish is made with Rice Krispies and melted marshmallow. The cake artist behind this is Man Kwan, a very talented lady with a flair for detail. I highly recommend her if you are looking for a cake that is not only pretty to the eyes but also extremely delicious to the very last crumb.

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Everything on this cake is edible. Except the candle yo.

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No birthday party is complete without party hats!

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Or opening presents! (Seen here with Grandpa)

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Nobody could resist not taking photos with the cake. Even Yvonne (my SIL) was making silly faces with it. And the REAL monster fish.

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Happy first birthday Zack! Here’s to many many more wonderful years to come!

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Zachary turns 1!

Posted on March 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

What a year it has been. Quoting my husband, “we survived our first year without a mommy and daddy manual”. One thing we know for sure is that being a parent is an ongoing and continuous process of learning.

Having Zack has brought so much joy to my life. Watching him grow, achieving his milestones, saying Ma Ma (or perhaps mam mam?) or simply hearing him laugh is enough to put a smile on my face. All the worries and stress at work just disappears. All the small things don’t matter anymore. All because of this one small little guy.

Happy 1st birthday Zack. Mommy and Daddy loves you!

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a month of celebrations

Posted on July 22, 2010 · 3 Comments

July is the month when 4 of my favourite people celebrate their birthdays. Last Saturday we had a roast chicken dinner celebrating my dad’s 67th, along with David’s 29th, my cousin Debra’s 42nd (she’s like a big sista I never had) and my brother’s 34th. T’was a rare occasion that my brother is around (he doesn’t wanna admit he’s Singaporean-ised) so it made the day even more special.

I prepared dinner—roasting 2 chickens and served with sides of soup, salad and spuds. I slaved in the kitchen for a good 4 hours, proudly making everything from scratch. Yup, nothing from a can or a bag beh beh! Boy, nothing feels better than cooking for the people that you love! We closed the meal with a super amazing Blackforest cake ordered from Fatboybakes—gawd, it’s unlike any I’ve ever had! Very, very, very tasteh.

The celebrations continued on to yesterday as I took the day off to spend time with David and Zachary. Dave’s big 29th birthday surprise started off with breakfast in bed and then onto a 3-course lunch with ginger ale served in our crystal champagne glasses (hey, I would get the real thing IF only I could figure out how to hide it from the husband ok?)

Now you know why he is more *pui* than before he met me LOL.

Now you also know why it’s so damn hard for me to lose weight cos I just love cooking. And eating what I’ve cooked.

But I’m determined now, more than ever, to lose all that weight gained during pregnancy. GO AWAY! MAY YOU FATS BE GONE!

(sorry about that, t’was a random rant moment)

Anyhoo, sometimes we forget how these simple gestures suffice to put a smile on that special someone’s face. I’m grateful that despite the (somewhat) shabby effort I put in, I still managed to make David’s 29th birthday a memorable one. Read his recollection of his special day here.

Dear David, you are my best friend, my confidant, my soul mate, my partner in crime and my greatest treasure ever. I’m looking forward to more milestones in our journey together. Happy (belated) birthday, honey!

XOXO from Me and Muffin!

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