First ever making cake

Baking cake to me is a very tedious and troublesome work. Not only it involve lots of ideas, tools, ingredients and materials. The preparing time up to it present on the table is time consuming too. So, to a lazy bum and one who always wants to do things at its simplicity and fast, so far baking is not my cup of tea.

So, what makes me want to bake, which this is also the very first time happen in my kitchen? It is all because of Terry. You see kids is always our motivation in doing things that we do not like to do. Since Terry's appetite is back, he almost eat round the clock and he loves bread a lot, especially the Gardenia Raisin loaf. So, in order not to let him have too much of bread from confectionery, me and my mum home-made something for him - Steam Egg Cake.

My kitchen doesn't have a single baking tool not even an oven. I only have flour, eggs and sugar. So, that will be our ingredients of the day and my mum be the walking cook book. Without any measuring tools, use a bowl pop in 8 eggs (measure: read where the height line of all eggs) and add in sugar (measure: an inch below the eggs line), and whip in a stainless steel pot.

Use the manual hand mixer (from my mum's kitchen), whip till tired (around 40 minutes) with all sugar melt, you will find the mixture is a bit of self raise.

Mixture after 40 minutes
Then, add in flour (measure: same level height with eggs) and stir well. Oil wet the paper and put on top of the steaming tray (best use the tray with holes underneath). Pour in the mixture and add in raisins (optional). L'abeille tips: coat the raisin with flour first before put into the mixture, so that the raisin can flaot within the cake and not all sink at bottom.
Mixture after add in raisins
Turn on stove fire to high and steam for 20 minutes. Kao Tim!
Ta-daa--
Terry says, Mmmm...the lil' boss approved that and he kept chasing us for more. This has simply tickle my baking interest and next will be Steam Banana Cake, another more lazy and easy version of making cake =P

No, no more....

.....skin grafting needed anymore for the wound. Past few days the wound recovery pretty surprise us. The pop up cell is getting smaller a lot and doc is agree that skin graft is fine if we not opt for it. Now we continue to use the powder mix with the cream to apply on the wound. Hopefully after 2-3 months time later, the pop up cell on top of the wound can be completely eat off. But for sure that part will be scar badly.

Today we have a bit of time to chat with doc and he assure us that by the time he age 4-5 years old, his skin will all completely back to its original. We feel so relieve and glad on this check up as the doc keep telling us not to worried too much by putting trust on him.

Dr. Isa is so well known in burn and plastic surgeon area as he is the doctor who set up and form the Burn Unit at HUKM and UH. Again this round he not charge us on consultation. What a great and kind specialist doctor he is.

Doctor said that....

...the best solution for the wound recovery is go for skin grafting. This is the main message from doctor during last check up as he said the wound is very deep and there is no more skin, that is why the cells keep on pushing out and not showing any skin recovery. It will take very long to recover and scar badly.

If put skin grafting on it, it will only take 2 weeks for fully recover. After a month time on applying 2 type of ointment, the wound recovery is still slow (as it only depends on the skin side-by side to grow up the cover the wound area) and the fall off cell it develop again (which is those pop out cell). The skin graft to go for won't be large part, it is like 8cm x 1cm. Other than that, currently his arm is on pressure sock, to flatten and tighten the grafted skin, also help to reduce scarring on the destroy area.

Most probably we will go for it for the last. The schedule operation will probably take place after August 11, as doc is not available and also the OT is close for renovation. No wonder I saw many airbrush equipment park at the rear building.

Datuk Dr. Isa Omar in DSH is definately a very good, experienced and kind doctor after I come across so many. In seeing that the insurance coverage is at bottle neck, he did not charge us on last clinic visit (only pay for med fee), he also giving us great discount on the next operation. Really appreciate for his kindness and help.

Currently Terry is very happy as grandma everyday teach him ABC, sing song to him, cook good food for him (which this lousy mummy may not able to cook that tasty). He watch his favourite VCD songs for numerous time and now he can hym part of it, read all his new books and play some new toys. He is getting more cheeky and especially when daddy at home. Smile and giggle non-stop. After this incident, daddy did change a lot in taking time to accompany and play with Terry. I hope he can improve more like talk to him, as he is a fast learner now, easily pick up new words. Just 2 days ago, he no longer need stroller to go park, he can walk quite steady and go up and down on the slide again.

Since after doc telling us about skin grafting, I'm actually having nightmare. I'm so afraid and nervous on Terry's ability to take the pain and later on recovery stage. It is not easy for him to overcome all the trauma and pain. Wish that everything will be good for the last round.

Terry is back to his ownself

I’m really proud of Terry recovery achievement over the week. Finally, my dear Terry boy is on 95% back to his usual self. Day by day, he picks up well on those words that he used to say and he also can read out those words that I used to teach him during those “silent” days. I can’t expect anymore further on his speech. He performs so well to me. Other than that, he likes to smile a lot now. Currently he not needs us to support him to walk anymore. Now, he walks like he just learns how to walk, still shaking, but so far not fall down.

Last week, doc giving us green light to shower him. After more than a month long, he back to the bathroom again. He cried badly for it, I not able to hold him and shower him. Whenever bath time and rubbing time is the terrible time for him with those ointments need apply right after it.

He can sleep tightly at night and nap back to 1 time for 2.5 hours. For his food intake, after the long night sleep the first bottle of milk will be around 6.30am-7am (sometime earlier). Later in the around 9am+ after he wakes, we will give him a hot bowl like meehoon, kueh teow or mee suah soup. He super loves that. Sometime he wants snack right after his proper meal and that we will give bread or biscuit. Lunch time normally will be his nap time, wake up from nap take a bottle of milk and dinner around 6.30pm-7pm. Since after discharged, he does not like to eat porridge anymore, he wants rice. There starts his fully solid meal on rice+soup. We make all soups that suitable for his lungs recovery and on those for more protein like beans. So far, he eats well on that and able to finish what we given, sometimes he even wants more.

We still stroll him down to the park and playground area, knowing that he not able to walk a far distance yet. We put him on the slide too few days ago and need much support to play it. Many eyes were look on him, on his hand and some might think that why a big boy still sit on stroller. Especially those mummies and joggers that used to saw him around before accident happen. Yeah, that cause some uncomfortable to me, but I just ignore their sight and concentrate on Terry.

If only the back wound recover it will be easier for him to move around. It still need a month more for fully recover. The wound is the complicated part now, as it grows a very thick layer of dead cell there and according the doc he needs to do something to it today, to peel it off or to burn it off. I still don’t know how he goes about it yet as the previous medicine been told that it will eat up the dead cell. It doesn’t seem work much on it.

May be we fix a safety door gate between the kitchen now is kind of late thing to do after incident happen, but it is still better to put one to prevent any other accident happen to the small one. We bought the Sweet Cherry door gate from Carrefour. After we look around for the gate and its extension, we choose that as it is durable, nice and of cause cheaper too (RM140).

So unlucky, met a bad seller

All the while my online shopping is smooth sailing, I paid for what I bought and successfully got them delivery to me. 2 months ago, I met an irresponsible and fraud seller from eBay. The item I bid was a Coach Ring Key Chain for USD17. The process of bidding and payment is smooth and later she even confirm me the item will ship out the next day and probably I will get it within 15 days depends on location. Knowing that this seller is from Malaysia too, I foresee the item can reach me the latest within a week time. But after wait and wait, it not reach me. I began to bug her with few times email and ask about the item status. You know what, after past 3 weeks time, she replied one of my emails and asked me again my mailing address which I have given her more than 2 times upon payment made. That was so ridiculous. That was the only time she replied after I wrote many times.

I have actually checked with some other of her customers, they all also have to wait long like 1 month plus to get the item. With those customers also facing the same problem, I comfort myself that maybe I also need to wait such long time too. After waiting more than 1 month time, so bad that this seller cabut, no longer an eBay registered member. That's it, I can't contact her and money spends but not gets the item, but still a hope to get her to refund as she breaking her promise on the item sent.

Without wait any longer, I report this as item not received through eBay and hopefully can get a respond from this seller after I open dispute and claims with Paypal. Up to today, I still not hear a single word from her. If she choose not to communicate for this case, I may escalate this dispute to a claim with PayPal and let them to decide it.

Finger cross I can get back my money.

Recovery on physical and speech

Terry has been getting better and better each day. All the collagen layers have been fall off now. Everyday everybody take turns to look after him and talk to him. Since he has gone through a bad trauma, he has not been talking since back home and afraid to look things outside the house (he will sleep on my shoulder and peek). Over the week, we have been very worried all of these.

I have tried to flip over the books he loves to read, put up all his favourite cartoons, play toys with him, make all silly funny did and etc, but still failed to makes him talk. He will interact with us with a smile, giggle or laugh, point out all the things he wants, shake his head when he heard us says those words that he knows and he will only say "ee, ee, ork ork, oh oh" only. He just don't want to speak out those words and objects he used to knows.

Everyday besides repeat all these activities, in the evening I will stroll him down to the park to watch kids running and play at playground area. He still not able to walk by himself. Need us to support at his armpit and walk with him (not a far distance yet). So the stroller which have kept aside for long have been taken out to use. No point to buy a new Maclaren stroller for a temporary use.

I have been thinking lots of possibility why he become like that. As before today, most of the time he still refuse to walk or stand. So I got to use many things to attract him to walk or crawl and to move his butt by himself. So far he did that yesterday. He shows more dramactically changes only starts from yesterday. In the morning, he refuse to let us clean him, he struggle too when we want to apply oil, cry badly, finally he shout out "bao bao" (hug). Ah...I relief soooo much, that only word he spoke was so precious to me. This shows that he not having speech difficulty. At night, he is much more better, he can name those animal from his music VCD, but still very little and slow.

Hopefully, as days pass he can back to his usual self more and more. Somehow I can't expect so much from him yet, just to help him to develop back his own usual Terry. His little body has gone through the pain, suffer and on almost 1 month drips, it is not easy to tolerate even for an adult. Later, we will go for check up appointment again. Will update more soon...

Recovering at home

Since discharged, he gets better on mood, appetite and the recovery on wounds. Fever, throat infection, stomach wind and lungs wheezing are all gone and hence I stop all the medicine that brought back from hospital. Those boosting immune food and nutrition products is still carry on now and having other chinese med like "boh ying tan" and "jun ging tan".

This was his current skin condition. The front part collagen is yet to fall off, the arm is quite ok too, only there are darker patches of grafted skin is there (uneven too, as there are not much skin being stick well when bandages open up on 5th day after skin grafting operation). The thigh dried collagen is all fall off, the back is almost ok, just left the lower back is where we quite worried about.

The wound is quite deep. According to doctor on yesterday check-up appointment, there is an option for fast healing, it is to do skin graft on it or took long time to heal. We choose the later one as I confident enough it will heal. The wound is actually getting smaller each day. Currently, the wound we apply thick cream on it and cover with swab to lesser down the preasure whenever we carry and move him. It will still wet and bleed if he rub or on big movement. For other drying area, olive oil is apply on it to make it wet and also to lesser down the itchy.

Only left the back wound is pain others are more on itchy now. He will use his hand to touch the harden and dried wound area and try to sratch it off. When we will stop him doing that and he will cry. Feet skin also very dry and it is peeling off. That I'm not worried too much as it is a sign of changing skin too.

He still weak to stand or walk or may be he feel the healing part is tearing, so he dare not to move. Sometime, I saw his hand is shaking. He is moving like a robot now, for sleeping and sitting position. All is depends on me to move him on all position. The quantity of milk he is having is back to normal, only solid and water is still taking a bit lesser. Nap 3 times a day.

It is still long way to go for him to take a shower. So everyday our job is rub to clean him, then change and rub olive oil and cream. Blow dry job is cutting down now, but still will do when needed especially the back area. Special hair dryer is use for the purpose. The wind couldn't be hot or cold. We bought the same one like the one use in hospital. It is Philips Salon Shine ION hair dryer. The wind is just nice, warm like baby warmer.

I hope all these tuff days will go away sooon.

Terry discharged on 25th days

For the total of the past 25 days we have been gone through lots of pain and suffering on body and soul. It is truly a horrible time to our family. Tomorrow finally we can discharge from hospital and back to our home sweet home.
Today Terry is much more better, at least he able to eat and drink. But he still looks weak. Currently fever subsided and doc is happy with his skin condition. For other small sickness like throat infection, lungs wheezing and stomach wind we will bring home medicines and treat it at home. There are still lots to do on his recovery from top to toe, in and out as well as follow-up treatment. This accident have bring great damage to his health and soul.
Other than that, we have some issue to sort out with the first hospital we admitted on the discharge fees. At the same time we met an immoral surgeon which have actually cause us more hurt and frustration. Complains and appeal will carry out step by step. Will talk more about that later.
Last but not least, a heartily thank you from us for your time spend in follow Terry's condition in this blog, your time remember him in your prayers, words of caring, support and concern have truly warm our heart. I'm sure God will continue to bless you too. For those who able to make a visits and send gifts from near or far thanks for that too, it has truly cherish us in another way.
This should be my last post through my mobile. I will continue to update Terry's condition and keep in touch with all of you as soon as I have time to access computer. Good night and have a great weekend.

Terry's condition on 22nd days

Pic-the back.
5th day after change hospital and doctor, the hurt and wound is getting better. The layer of very thin like tracing paper with collagen stick on his skin is start falling off as when it dry the top of wounds will turns black and the new skin will grows. Currently he was on drips, pain killer drips, antibiotics and some fever med.
The first 2 days after collagen dressing is very good, no fever and the front chest area dries up very quick. The back wounds is quite deep. Doc encourage us not to let him lay flat for long as it will slow down the skin dry. The purpose of drying is to speed up the recovery and not let the wounds get infection. This datuk level doc is kind of like you must follow his words and do the drying properly else the risk is on our own. By force or whatever, for our kid sake we got to force for not let him sleep flat and making it as dry as possible. Since that, we make the decision that to dry it non stop on the whole night till the next morning continuously for more than 6 hours instead of pausing it for every 15 min blow dry for 5 min. That night we only slept 1.5 hrs. I carry my boy put on my chest without giving clothes for him to wear and my mum hold on hair dryer and blow dry the back and thigh.
It was real difficult as the dries top layer is still not develop thick enough on top of the wounds, once we let him down to change diaper or let him sleep flat and he rub for itchy, it cracks and bleed. For the thigh after dries it, is the same situation too once having big move or carry, it cracks and bleed. Head ache. So we let him sleep side way, that good enough for drying the back but thigh is not really as it is still wet and sticky.
After more hard work of drying it is getting better. The 3rd day till today, the fever is back on and off. We not blow often already as he getting sick. He shiver when the temperature suddenly shot up. He did sweat but no appetite to eat after that. Just looks tired and sleepy. Sleep also not good, easy to get frighten and very grumpy. We started to suspect he might catch cold (blow too long hours) or the wounds got infected. Later saw that he having hard time to swallow and drink. So it is confirm the fever is came from throat infection and lil bit here and there. His breathing also start to get harder and there are slightly wheezing sound in his lungs. Nose drop and nebuliser will be given too. Till now, he is still all time sleep and want to drink water only.
For me, I'm still ok with my mum's help. We take turns to pat him to sleep at night by sleeping across the rear bed. I would say if my mum is still working and not available to help I would collapse. It is definitely not easy to take care. Of cause not enough sleep is very tired. Daytime when he sleep soundly I will sleep together too. Also need to be alert for not let him to scratch. All this doesn't matter, as long as he get recover and can go home soon.
If the drips course finish, he able to eat and the dry skin fall off more. It shall be the time we can go home. Thanks for all your time remember him in your prayer.

Met an inconsiderate ward neighbor

Yesterday there was this hot water burn baby girl 1 year old (mum vietnamese, dad US) stay beside us in a 2 bedded room. The mum can speak cantonese, mandrin and good slang of English.
As she and her baby back from OT, the baby cried badly and my dad who was here visiting us take a peek on them behind the curtain. Later, this fussy woman chase my dad out the room immediatedly without a word of PLEASE. Ok, fine my dad left. At night you know what she want, she ask us to switch off all the light above the bed. The light is not actually that bright too, as we already cover it with a towel. The lighting is quite of dime already. I can see her baby was no problem sleeping with the light on, she was the one can't sleep with light on even it is a dime one.
You know, we as adult as long as making the sick kid adapt, what so big issue is there for you not able to sleep. You were not here for holiday. We slept at 10pm, in between 1.5 hrs time she called the nurse for 3 times ask me to switch off the light. She said the light shouldn't be on while sleeping. It is very dark if were to off all and the corridor lighting is not bright enough to shine into our bed area. My boy was taking 2 drips and I got to stay awake to make sure he sleep well and all stuff. When the nurse came to me I just refuse to do so and she was so disturbing my sleep. She even so daring and ask us to change room on the 4th time message down to me by the head of nurse. Why not since she so fussy change to single room la..the head of nurse also talk to her in a stern tone for she can't have all lights off. The 5th time, finally she came to me and ask for it. I told her in an unpleasent tone for all the reason why I not want to do so. I even ask her to read the rules and regulation stick on the wall. It was stated there not to switch off the head light at night. *padan muka*
Finally, she went away and slept in a single room in adult ward. The whole ward also know the incident this morning and just now a cleaner told us she have discharge. What an inconsiderate ppl.