This Week's Menu Accomplished

Recently I have resumed cooking in the wee hours of the morning so that the little one gets a home cooked meal in the afternoon. And as backup if  the Tingkat meal is inedible. It's been 3 weeks now. Am usually asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. And thats usually around 10pm afyer settling the 2 kids.

Menu planning usually begins the week before but is subject to change depending on whats fresh at NTUC. Shopping on Saturday or Sunday. Preparation of apportioning meats and vegetables by day happens before i put them into the fridge. Meats are defrosted overnight in the chiller. And cooking the morning.

I think this week's favourite was the Lotus Root soup. There was none left by the time I came back 😆

Mummy, why did you put my toys just out of reach?

Because I want to encourage you to move on your tummy!

Jia you!

How do you store your disposable diapers?

I slice it in the middle on 3 sides and fold it open. How about you?

Comotomo to the Rescue

And some props to keep both of us comfortable, and we'll entertained.

I tried once a day with this bottle, he first drank 15ml, then 25ml, 25ml, then 40ml, and today 35ml again! Today, I was trying for 55ml, but I think he was sleepy already... Fussed, latched on a bit then slept.

He was actually trying to put it in his mouth today. Sucking is still a challenge for him though. He did try a few times, but think it's different from latching on. With this bottle I could squeeze the bottom, to help move things along. That's the beauty of it. And it doesn't spill easily even if I lose grip for a bit.

Thanks, Missy Sya from FB for recommending it to me!

Doubled His Birth Weight at 4 Months

What a coincidence.

We went for his 5-in-1 immunisation last Tuesday, which included 2 injections, and 1 oral Rotarix. He weighed 6.825kg (3.4kg at birth) and measured 62cm in length. I must have looked comical trying hard to and expecting to stretch his neck out like an accordion, trying to add another half cm. The nurse was certainly amused.

Wow, just 2 more months, then he can have solids! 2 more months and I won't be his sole source of nutrition. Yay! Erm... Sorry, I love Baby Way too, but it's a kind of freedom and stress unloaded for me, since Ning seems to need me more during these transitions... Lougong, it's not just taking her to gym, but the support and pride she feels from Mummy. Hehe. I gotta do it. We don't want to kill her only interest / enrichment right? I mean, besides Math, that is due to you and her best friend...

There, I've said it. Phew. Counting down the days researching for baby food preparation, storage and feeding now!

Help! It's Getting Harder to Fall Back to Sleep

I have been feeding average 5 times a night between midnight and 6 am for the past week, and the feeds are not short either. The last few nights I can hardly sleep after the first feed. My fuse is extremely short. What can I do? I don't know how long before I fall asleep involuntarily in the day...

Am thankful at least I don't have to carry him around to soothe him to sleep. Thankful that Lougong helps soothe him at the last feed before daybreak so I can nap at least an hour. *muAcks*

Bottle-feeding Attempts and Progress

20/04 1520: Fed 15ml of 100ml
Last feed was 4 mins at 1434.
Next feed at 1909 for 6 mins.
Used Pigeon bottle and S (small) teat
He sucked at beginning but thereafter just played with it.

21/04 1510: Fed 10ml of 60ml
Last feed was 24 mins at 1355.
Next feed was 25 mins at 1545.
Used Pigeon bottle with M (medium) teat. He tasted but didn't suck. Rejected, thereafter had to soothe him before he slept.

22/04 1830: Fed 5ml of 60ml
Last feed was 11 mins at 1638.
Next feed was 48 mins at 1907.
Used L (large) Pigeon teat with glass bottle. Accepted teat, even sucked few times, in addition to normal playing with teat, but spit most milk out deliberately. Suspect flow too fast. Try M again.

At this point, Lougong suggested trying a few times daily and portion out milk instead pouring away 50ml each time.

23/04 1620: Fed 5ml of 20ml, cold.
Last feed 1527 17 mins.
Next feed 1705 15 mins.
Used M, significant interest and accepted readily.

23/04 1846: Fed 2-3ml of 25ml, warmed.
Last feed was 1705, above.
S, rejected quite quickly. Think he's ready for bed. Fed him in bed right after.

24/04 1100: Fed at least 5ml of 35ml, cold.
Last feed was 1035 for 6 mins.
Next feed was 1153 for 35 mins.
Used wide mouth Pigeon bottle with SS teat. He likes and takes the teat readily, could be due to milk served cold. Once room temperature, he lost interest.

N.B. This is getting more challenging. Time to get expert help.

Last attempt with NUK latex teats also found strong protest from the little one. My dual pump also got downgraded to single because of the microwave incident with the funnel, so I am taking a break for now. Plus, lack of sleep past week, am feeling giddy by 8ish.

Transition from Breast to Bottle

I have been reading, pondering and planning the transition since Ning would only do certain things with me. Okay, most things, from bathing, to brushing her teeth, eating and going for her gym classes.

I feel that the baby shouldn't go out for the short trips out like gym or grocery shopping where it is crowded. Lougong can feed/ care for baby at home, while I bring Ning to gym instead of bringing the whole entourage including baby gear out.

So yesterday, I thawed and warmed, 100ml of milk and tried bottle feeding, more to let him try the sensation of having the silicone nipple in mouth. He didn't reject it, though he managed to drink 10ml in the first 15 minutes after pushing, mouthing, licking, sucking and spitting out loads of saliva. By the end of 1 hour, he only emptied another 5ml.

Will try again today during the afternoon feed. Got tips? Leave me a comment ok?

Do First Charts

Recently it's been getting harder to hold my patience or temperature with the routines. So I suggested charts to remind her. She was enthusiastic and drew the second chart. We drew these yesterday. Hope it works, longer term. 

Can you guess what she's supposed to do in the charts below?

The above, brush teeth and wash face on waking and before sleeping. Mummy drew this.

Ning drew this. Finish breakfast, please put on uniform then go to school. 

Toilet and Butt Shuffling

This is the way we bring Way to the toilet. He had just passed motion and urine.on the toilet, this was about 7.30am after Mummy washed up.

The morning toilet trip is a must and so effective! Have you ever been to the toilet and seen parents of 2-3 year olds washing their buttocks? It isn't something anyone likes to do, especially if you're not the parent! Think child care, kindergartens. The Teachers will love you for not having to wash at least 1 kid's soiled butt!

Erm, with both hands holding the legs. I had to use one hand to take the picture...

"Mummy, look where my butt shuffling got me?" Off your mat, dear... Heading to your gym I see.

Way's Second Longest Ride

We start off walking Ning to school. Way was in the stroller awake at the lowest incline.

Coincidentally he wet his diaper near the bus stop and fussed again. So I changed him quickly and soothed him in my arms for a minute or 2 then told him we were getting a walk. Then I set him down, he started, but I quickly adjusted the back rest to slightly higher so he can see where we were heading, and he stopped fussing.
In fact he was enjoying the view all the way home and fell asleep just before our void deck. How nice!

My New Toilet Addition

Yeah! No more spills and it works like a charm.

This urinal can also be hung on side of the adult toilet bowl or on tiled walls.

Cool!

Cradle Cap Removal

Way has built up quite a bit of cradle cap. As seen in the before photo. After 3 alternate days of applying baby oil and cleaning with shampoo, the residues are mostly gone.

To clean the scalp, we used a cotton ball, a small bowl and baby mineral oil. Some doctors advised sesame seed or olive oil. We had left over baby oil from 6 years ago... still works.

1. First pour some baby oil into the small bowl.
2. Then dip the cotton ball to dab the oil into the cradle cap. Soak the residues but not til the oil is dripping. Leave it in at least an hour for best effect.
3. After an hour, shampoo gently with coarse wash cloth wet (not dripping wet, just enough to clean up the oil) a foamy warm water.
4. Wash the cloth in sink then repeat til oil is completely gone.

The residues will come off. Do not scrub. If it is still stuck, then scrubbing it off will result in the wound oozing oil and build up residue again.

Let's hope the cradle cap stays away. There is inconclusive research to show that cradle cap is neither due to bad hygiene nor nutrition intake. So, we just take it in our stride since this is all we can do.

The Longest Ride

Ever taken on the stroller in peace. We walked a little over an hour with Baby Way on his tummy in the stroller to the amusement of some passers by.

He was sleeping in his tummy in bed when it was time to bring Ning to school. During the transition he fussed only a little and slept back quite quickly. I only had to pick him up into my carrier the last 50m from home.

Lougong, there is hope for using the stroller yet.

Ning's 2nd Dental Visit

Yesterday we took Ning for her 2nd dental visit after her front tooth broke while chewing duck meat a while ago.

We brought her to Sunshine Dental after booking an appointment with Dr Iliyas, recommended for children by the receptionist. They asked what was Ning's favourite cartoon character, I said Minnie Mouse because it was her favourite soft toy and drawing subject. The receptionist was a little surprised, then she prompted, any other? Then I said Sofia the First. Finally she asked, "How about Frozen?" I said, "Bingo!"

We were early, asked if there was an available slot and was informed available. We waited 10 minutes. Then a scrubbed clinic assistant showed us in to the last room on the right. There Dr Iliyas was jovial and friendly, saying what a nice hairstyle Ning had after introductions. But what caught our attention was the biggest Mac suspended right in front of Ning playing the Frozen movie!

Ning was offered choice of kids sunglasses while watching Frozen. During the noisier administrations, the Doc turned up the volume and even sang along to the movie. Ning didn't even notice the 3 fillings that was administered. The visit ended with her choosing 2 take away presents. Ning was obviously happy and raring to return. Baba left mending a dented credit card, damaged by $253, the price for skiving dental visits from age 2. 

Way's First Hair Cut/ Shave

Yesterday, we brought baby Way to Causeway Point to get his hair cut.

His cradle cap was building up quite a bit and it gets stuck on his head full of hair. Ning had some cradle cap (seborrhea) but he has quite a lot. And he was shedding a lot of fine hairs too. These often end up on his face making him scratch his face to no end. Mummy also finds the fine hairs on her nose once too often when carrying him over the shoulders. So even if it really pains us to have it shaven, we had to do it.

We had the option of the neighbourhood barber, salon or the $12 for 10 minutes hair dressers. We decided on the latter because we thought they could use the neat vacuum to suck away most of the cut hairs and make cleaning up after much easier.

At first we tried QB House in Causeway Point, to our disappointment, they told us to go to the hair salons as they do not do baby hairs. We reasoned we thought of them because of the above neat vacuum and shave method. Well, we tried to no avail. Next we tried EB House at Woodlands Civic Center, this time to success! Thanks to my brother-in-law (BroIL), Lie!

Mr Tenny Ng helped to shave our baby's head after waiting for an hour (husband queued, I fed baby in the library parenting room on 4th floor). When it was our turn, I was wearing baby, Mr Ng wrapped a child sized apron around his neck. I held Way's head still. Luckily the razor buzzing over and around his head mesmerised Way such that he kept still for most of the hair cut. Only when I shifted hands to let Mr Ng shave the back did he shifted a bit. Phew. Am very thankful to Mr Ng.

Yay! Now we can see the cradle cap clearly and we shall tackle that another day, which is today! Will write about it later!

2m 21d: Way is passing most urine & motion in toilet now

Well... really, he pisses over and around it. Mummy can't aim and is afraid of scaring him to a halt. So the urine blesses my legs, the floor, dustbin (for soiled diapers) and even my water bottle. Sigh.

Ordered a urinal (higher coverage), hope it's on it's way soon!

At this moment, Way passes motion between 5-7am once if Mummy waits the right duration, more if misread. Urine... I am amazed how much his bladder can store throughout the night... he needs to pee every 1.5 hours and passes at least 200ml each time or he will wet his diaper soon after.

How to tell if he needs to go? If passing motion, it's really easy. He makes these "uh  uh" sounds and pulls his legs up over and over again. Passing urine is more guess work. Am teaching him the toilet sign but he is using it quite excessively... so its try offer breast first then toilet. Hehe. Breast feeding advantage over bottle feed ;-)

Baby Way (7w) coping with stress

Yesterday we were out having one of those Chinese New Year fancy meals at a restaurant. On the way back, we were stuck in a bit of traffic jam.

Way was uncomfortable in the sling and fussing. When calming him, noticed that my blouse was wet. He was blowing raspberries with his saliva to cope with the discomfort.

Sing Way loves blowing raspberries since he was 2-week old.

Ning shows concern

I cut my finger 2 days ago using the new ceramic knife on lotus roots.

Before she showers, she said, "Mummy remember, do not wet your finger. You just watch me shower by myself. You sit in the bathroom far away ah."

While drying Ning yesterday,  the wound hurt a lot and I squirmed.

Ning said, "Mummy, if your finger is painful I can dry myself."

In the end, I used the hair dryer on her.

Am very touched by her thoughtfulness.

Ning @ 23 months

She has quite a number of songs in her repertoire, including:
Finger Family,
London Bridge is Falling Down
Pat-a-cake
Rock a bye baby
And some Chinese songs only Lougong knows, too complicated for me to remember, I only know the tune

Ning is also very expressive giving specific instructions to get what she wants. E.g. If she wants Mummy to go out while Mummy is lying on soda reading, she will say...
1. Mummy get up from sofa irst
2. Mummy stand up
3. Mummy come (holds Mummy's hand)
4. Ning put on shoe first
5. Mummy take key (sometimes with 'please')
6. Mummy open the door and Ning go out say hello to Kakak and come back ok?
This is the part Mummy have to come up with some excuse or oblige.

She's also eating much more nowadays. Almost one full adult rice bowl of rice with dishes.

She also just had first stomach flu from childcare (8 vomiting cases reported since Ning). She started throwing up after going to bed. We bathed her because her whole body was covered in vomit. Then she nursed again, and threw up again. And Lougong had to change the sheets and blow dry.

Mummy changed her and we moved into next room. She had more milk and tried to sleep, but she threw up all the milk again. Lougong complained I 'overfed' her. So he made Ribena for her. This time we wiped her and changed her. And she just vomited again after Ribena. So we gave up, pat her to sleep. After 45 minutes, she coughed and threw up again. This time on our last dry mattress. I didn't dare sleep lest she threw up in her sleep and choked on her vomit. The moment she started, I'd prop her up. At one point, she didnt want Mummy's milk and insisted on Ribena. This carried on til 3am after which she slept til 06:30am.

We went to the clinic twice. Once her Ning and myself. Second round for Mummy and Papa. Thankfully she stopped vomiting after the medicine. At least the food reaches her stomach, right? Right, then she started diarrhea. Still better than vomit. I've learnt to be very grateful. Sigh. She's still uncomplaining and not even a whine heard throughout the ordeal. I was petrified when she went limp and her head flopped from side to side at one point. I almost begged Lougong to bring us to the hospital, but he reasoned she has no fever, can wait til morning. I couldnt sleep, kept checking her breathing and heartbeat. Both her fast and strong. I'm just glad everything is fine now.

On retrospect, we should've taken turns to monitor her. Instead I watched her til I sleep while Lougong busied cleaning up and then slept.