A 'Visitor'

Look who we saw when we about to leave the house today! Preying mantis!  This little fella was still around when my older babies came home. They were thrilled and wanted to keep him as pet!  Not to worry, we didn't...

Their New 'Pets'

Meet LZ new pets, Lili (left)& Goody(right)! I have been 'working hard' to make 'money' to buy stuffs for their pets coz there are so many things they want for them, so I am so 'broke'! Hehehe... They have fun during this school holiday playing with their new pets and other games on facebook too.

Everyday, we talk about our pets and other games too. LZdaddy has no idea what it was all about. Hmmm... Must try to convince daddy to join us.

7!

That's the number of babies Sunshine gave birth to! I was out with LZdaddy (I was out of the house for shopping as soon as my nanny left. Hehehe....) and when we got home, LZ excitedly told us that. Our pets celebrate Beanie's Full Month with us too! Hahaha....

We are planning to give the babies away once the mommy stops nursing them. So anyone interested? Of coz you must be an animal lover. LZ were sad that we planned to give them away. I told them keeping 7 of them will too much to handle and besides, Sunshine will give birth to more babies.

'Outing' With Their Hamsters

LZ's Chinese Enrichment class asked them to bring their pets for their show & tell. It has been more than 2 years since they joined the center and they always look forward to this! Last year they brought Terro and this year both want to bring their hamsters. We have only one cage so we had find 2 small containers so they can bring their own pets to their class.

Sunshine & Cloudy have grown so much! Especially L's hamster! LZ have been a very responsible owner, taking good care of them and everyday, they spend time playing with them.

LZ & Their Hamsters.

LZ enjoyed their time with their pets and I must say that they have been taking good care of them, changing their food plate, play with them and wash their cage (with LZdaddy's help). They also read the book about Hamster which we bought for Z.

They are scared of the hamsters at all! Everyday, they take them out to play and they use lego to set up a area so their pet can have a good exercise area. Btw, both have been bitten by the hamsters!

Here's a video of Cloudy & Sunshine on the first night in our house (7th Dec).

Sunshine & Cloudy

Let me introduce our Newest Family members in LZfamily - Sunshine (L's pet, female) & Cloudy (Z's pet, male)! They are LZ's latest pets, hamsters! They named the pets themselves.

We have been thinking of what presents to get for LZ. In the end, I thought it would be a better idea to ask them what they would like. L wants to have a hamster and Z just wants a book and more Thomas & Friends trains. I told Z that jiejie is getting a hamster for her birthday and he decided that he wants that instead. I thought it would take me some time to persuade LZdaddy to let LZ have hamsters for their birthdays but he said yes without hesitation! I think he sees that LZ have been taking good care of Terro (their pet terrapin) for the past 2 years.

We went to Serangoon with godparents to visit a few pet shops and finally found one that has more selections on Syrian breed AND that doesn't push us to buy it. Thanks to godparents, otherwise clueless LZparents wouldn't know where to buy their hamsters. The only thing I know is what breed I am planning to buy for them, we were looking at Syrian (my first choice coz LZ had tried handling it), Roborovski and Winter white.

Z choosing his hamster.

LZ had fun choosing their hamsters and the cage. Z insisted on having the one with only one color. L and I actually like the one which is black & one but I convinced her to take another one coz that one was way too active and I was afraid how she's going to handle it.

The shop owner teaching LZ how to set up the cage.

The cage is ready and LZ ready to transfer the hamsters. The hamsters were in the little bag in front of L.

After choosing their hamsters, we went over to another shop to get the cage and food. I like the service of this shop. The lady, Yvonne did not 'push' us to buy the hamster from her and she gave us plenty of advice on how to take care of the hamsters. From her, I found out the hamsters we bought are FIERCE! OOPS! She told us those with red eyes are fierce type of hamsters! Well, I do hope she is wrong....

They both wanted to have a cage each for their hamsters but I said no. So mean hor? They wanted that for their birthdays and I said no. Honestly, I am not sure how long their hamsters will survive under their care and didn't want to waste too much money. Knowing L, she will takes good care of Sunshine's cage and Z may not do a good job. So if I place both under one cage, L will definitely takes good care of both. When Beanie is born, I will definitely not have any time to help them at all.

Happy Birthday Princey

My dearest Zhuzhu (Princey),

Time passes so fast, you have been away for 3 months. I miss you very much.... Never a day go by without thinking of you. I am sure you are in good hands...

Do you know I am pregnant now? You must have known it long before I do... Is that the reason why you choose to leave me 3 months ago? You know, I will still be able to cope even if I have another child. I will not neglect you... You are like my first child... I miss you dearly.... If only you are here to share the joy with us.

I can't believe it that you are gone, you know... Though you spent lesser with Z, he mentioned very often about you till now. L tried not to mention you, probably she is older and she knows my mood change if anyone mention you. They talked about having another dog.... No! No one can replace you...

I gave your cage to Joe Joe, hope you don't mind. I thought you may like him to have it since you have spent some of your growing up years with him. I still keep some of your things with me. Just so that I can touch them and it is like having you around me. I miss you... I miss you sleeping with me. I miss you in the kitchen with me. I miss you everywhere in the house.

Sorry that I am unable to go to columbarium to visit you. LZdaddy wouldn't allow me to go now that I am pregnant. Please forgive me... No matter what, I am thinking of you and you will always be in my heart.

Happy Birthday to you ZhuZhu....

Farewell Princey

28TH May

Today was another day that I will never forget.... A day that I wished will never come... LZ & I went to picked my cousin, Fonia from her home and we went to Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital.

When we arrived, we asked Uncle Osman to bring Princey out... My heart ache when I saw his body... Uncle Osman put him on a table with a white cloth... I started crying.... So did my cousin.. LZ were very quiet... We say goodbye to Princey for the last time... L drew a family drawing for him... I asked L if it was ok to burn the drawing with Princey... She said yes... She said she drew this so Princey can have it with him forever.. My sweet little girl.. I think we spent about half hour or more with him... We were all crying except Z.. He was so strong... He didn't cry, he was holding a piece of tissue and cleaning my face and consoling me. He behaved like a grown up.... L was hugging my cousin... LZdaddy couldn't make it, he bid farewell to Princey through the phone...

The moment came when I have tell Uncle Osman it is ready for Princey to go... Once again, Princey was wrapped with his favourite towel and L's drawing with him. Gently, uncle Osman wrapped him with the white cloth and he was carried to the 'oven' .......

It was raining heavily when we left the place... Goodbye Zhuzhu.... WE LOVE YOU! You will always be in my heart...

29TH May

Today we collected Princey's ashes... I knew I couldn't drive to the place... Yesterday I drove and I was in dazed.... It was dangerous.. It was very sweet of Michelle to drive us there and kept us company... I needed company, I don't think I could handle it alone with LZ. Thank you Michelle. She looked after LZ while I have some quiet moments with Princey....

I brought his favourite cheese & jerky snacks, bone, a little piggy and a ball to keep him company.

Princey, you will always be in my heart...

Princey

Princey is a very obedient and good boy... People that knows him always compliment him. He follows everywhere I go... He listens to LZdaddy, LZ and especially me. He is also very manja, I think all Maltese are like that... He loves kids, he has never 'attack' LZ, they were the ones that 'bully' him. Whenever LZ have their meal, he would be waiting for them to 'drop' any food. Sometimes, LZ pretend they drop the food and I would nag at them.... Sometimes, they try to sneak food into the kitchen for him. He loves it when I bake, coz I will give him some too... LZ loved to 'teased' him... They loved to 'scare' him and he ran...

His favourite place would be his cage. I remembered when I wash his cage, he felt lost and keep going to the toilet, as if to check whether the cage is dry or not. So I would give him another towel for him to rest. He has stopped playing with 'toys'... With only a few teeth left he was unable to chew on it anymore.... He used to like to play throw & fetch too.... He used to 'jump' up & down whenever we come home but not anymore as time passed.... I should have known....

Zhuzhu was a very smart dog. If his water holder is empty and I forget to refill it, he would bark at me and when I look at him, he bark at the water holder and then at the tap/sink. So clever right? Once awhile, I will cook chicken for him... He knows... He would be waiting near the stove area... When I start cutting the meat, he would bark at me, as if to hurry me...

Thank you Zhuzhu, for bringing so much joy to us... I will never forget those times when I was so lonely (before I got married) or sad, you were there to listen to me, hear me cry.... You listen and never walk away from me. You slept closed to me and 'kissed' me. You were such a sweet little boy...

I told Zhuzhu last week that he will be going to my parents' house on Friday night for few days as we will be going for a short holiday..... That morning, we were awake at 6am... L was awake 15 mins after us and it was unusual for Z to wake up so early too... I like to tell Zhuzhu our schedules, I don't know why... Probably it was a habit of mine... I also told him L would be getting the results on Thursday and Friday I will be busy with their classes and packing for the trip. Princey, forever so sweet, 'chose' that day to leave us... I think he knew he couldn't wait till we come back...

We Are Back

We are back after being away since Saturday morning... I will blog about our trip at a later time or when I have the mood to. I think LZ had fun but it can't compare to our Christmas holiday.

Thank you all for leaving comments in the blog, facebook and sending smses.... Besides saying 'Thank You', I really don't know what else to say to all of you... If I tell you that I am feeling better, I am lying. I thought of Princey throughout the trip. My cousin & Michelle told me Princey will be with me throughout the trip and I thought so too. I look up to the sky and wonder if he see us... I miss him dearly...

Tomorrow will be the day that I will cremate Princey. I yet to pack the things I want to put it with him. I will go get a pack of his favourite food as well to put it with him. I'm not sure what to expect tomorrow.... I'm not sure if I should bring LZ along.... Will I be able to take care of them during the process? LZdaddy is not so keen that I bring LZ along.... But I really wish that they could be there to bid farewell to Princey...

If you are interested to see more of Princey, you can see his album in my facebook profile.

A Morning That I Will Never forget...

On that morning, LZdaddy woke earlier than usual, he didn't finished washing what he was supposed to wash last night....

While he was washing, he saw Princey(aka zhuzhu) ate 2 mouthful of his meal and went to the toilet and peed (he was trained to pee & poo in the toilet & newspaper). While he was walking towards his cage (that was his cosy corner), he fell.... LZdaddy helped him up and he tried again to go into the cage but he was too weak to even lift up his leg to go in. LZdaddy immediately called me to the kitchen and at the same time told me to prepare for the worst. It was 0645hr....

I saw him lying down there, next to his cage, gasping for air. I controlled my tears..... LZdaddy carried him to the toilet to clean him up. I told LZdaddy that I would like clean him up before he goes.... We talked to him.... At that moment, I know he will be going.... Within minutes, he was motionless... I think I cried very loudly....

While I was crying, I still have to do my part as a mommy, get L ready for school.... Z was awake then. LZ knew what happen by then but they leave me alone, I think they didn't dare to ask me any questions. They have never seen me crying like that. I tried so hard to control my emotion, I didn't want to scare LZ... LZdaddy sent them to school and I was in the toilet, with Princey.... talking to him and covered his body with his favourite towel.

After some time, I called my cousin to ask her what should I do... My cousin cried... Yes, I know... He will sooner or later... He was old, in August, he would be 14 yrs old. He wasn't suffering from any illness, it was old age. I thought he would live till 16 or perhaps 20 yrs old.... Thus I wasn't prepared for his death... I should have seen it coming... He has not been active since beginning of this year, but I refused to face it. I thought I was over sensitive... I hate myself for that!

LZdaddy was very sweet... He said Princey has never sit in the new car before. We would send him off in the new car. From our house to Mount Pleasant Hospital, we cried... We talked to him, telling we were we heading, telling him not to worry about us and we would see him in heaven and lots more.... Soon we reached the hospital... We arranged a date for a private cremation and booked a place in the Columbarium for him. This is the least I could do for him for his final journey....

I'm sorry Princey.... You have to be in the chiller room till 28th... This is the date that is available for the cremation and I wished I can keep you with me till then but I can't.... Though I will be away for the weekends, I will be missing you.... I'm sorry I will be away... I have booked the trip for LZ and I hope you understand... Without doubt, you will be on my mind...

Thank you my DH, for taking some time off work to be with me and go through it with me. Thank you LZ, I know both of you will miss Princey, our little Zhuzhu... My 2 babies have been very sweet too. They cried with me... They consoled me.... LZ hug me now & then when they see me crying... "mommy, please don't cry." "mommy, we miss zhuzhu too ." " mommy, zhuzhu in heaven now. He is with God, he will be happy. " .............

When they want a drink, they helped themselves in the kitchen, they know I will start crying if I step into the kitchen. That's because they caught me squatting next to his cage, his bowl and water holder and was crying. I asked them if it is ok if I don't cook for the next few days, they said ok. They asked daddy to buy food. I'm sorry babies...

LZ misses him... I'm glad that they don't feel the pain as much as I do... LZdaddy explained to them... They are handling it quite well. I think L understands better. We all talked about the times we played together etc... I hope LZdaddy will allow them to be there during the cremation... They never have a chance to bid farewell properly to Princey... But will it be better if they don't attend? I'm not sure... We will discuss that later...

Anyway, through this incident, I see different sides of people.... It happened in a day! Some showed empathy, some even laugh it off! I thank those people who showed empathy but for those that laughed, why? Do you think it it funny? Do you think it is silly of me to cry? Nope! Princey is my family! If you lost someone you love, don't you cry? Some of you might be wondering did I go around telling people my pet died? Why many people know? Well, my eyes was swollen! Obviously I cried!

He's Gone!

My dog, who is like my son.... He's gone.... He is with God now... I can't believe it! I don't want to accept it! He has been with me since he was 3 months old... He will be 14 this August...

I miss you Princey, my Zhuzhu.... Please come back to me! I don't want you to go! I love you! PLEASE! You can't just leave...... You have been part of my life for such a long time... Part of the family.... I can't bear to see you go... My heart is aching....

I will never forget this morning... You waited for all of us to be awake... You give me a chance to bid farewell to you... To tell you I love you... That is not enough! There is so much more I want to tell you and do for you....

I miss you Princey.... Tonight will be the first night without you... And I can't take it... Everywhere I go in the house, I think of you... Especially in the kitchen, where you like to hang out.. That's where all the yummy food is..

I'm crying now.... My heart is soooo painful now....

Anymore Pet?

In the evening, daddy came back from his training. He surprised LZ with the little crabs. They were excited with their new pets but the excitement was short lived... the little crabs were with us for only 1 hour..... Daddy felt so bad for bringing it back home... They would have lived longer...

LZ were very sad.... L said she wished they have another pet.... No no no! These crabs were with us for only 1 hour and they were so sad when it died. I can't imagined what it would be like if we bought other pet and when it died, how LZ would react. I had a dog, Jackie many year ago for 13 years.... I remembered how upset I was when he passed away. It took me a long time to get over it. My present dog, Princey, have been with me for 12 yrs and I don't want to think any further...

Look What We found!

Do you know what this is?

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Praying Mentis

Correct me if I'm wrong. You can find more info HERE. Daddy saw this yestersday in our KITCHEN! Knowing me, he caught it and placed it in the container. Thank you Papa :) As usual, the kids were excited and I found out people do keep it as a pet! How interesting...

Our New Pet!

While I was cooking on Monday evening, Z came running towards me "mommy! There is something in your room!" . He found a ladybird on my bed! Yucks! How did it get into my room? I have to get rid of it! Then I thought, why don't I try to catch it and let them have a closer look? I quickly ran to the kitchen to get an empty container and with the lid, I managed to put it in.

L suggested, "mommy, can I bring it to school to show my friends? " That's a good idea! The next day, both fight to bring it to school. Since it was L who suggested that, I decided that L will bring it to school first. Z was unhappy but when I told him the next day it will be his turn, he was alright.

They were sad when I told them that we can't keep the ladybird. I had to come out with stories that the family will miss it, maybe it is a mommy/daddy and the children looking for it, blah blah... When they heard that, they think that we should let it go too. When Z brought it to school, they reminded each other to say farewell to it. So cute hor?

They had fun showing it to their friends. The teachers were happy too that they brought it along especially Z's teacher. She asked if she can keep it to show it the other class. Why not? We intend to set it free today after Z's turn. Think they missed their Show & Tell session in their old school.

Want To Get A Pet?

A pet that doesn't need real food, water, shower or you to clear the poo poo!

Remembered I used to have a Tamagotchi many many years bk..... Now I got one for my girl (or for myself?). It is already 9 yrs old (everyday it will be a yr older) and her name is Wen ( L named her). The new version is different as it allows you to connect with your friends and collect gifts from internet. We yet to find any friend that has tamagotchi too. Hmmm.... Perhaps if L's friends' birthday coming, we will get that for them. Hehehe....

Just found out our Tamagotchi character is Hanatchi - This Tamagotchi has a remarkably large nose; he always seem to suffer from hay fever.

I have been helping L to take care of it when she is in class or when she misbehaves. Something that is for my girl & me only :) Daddy said that as if I have not enough in my hands, taking care of our family, a dog, a terrapin and now a game pet!