In my last post I had a dilemma and decision to be made - to Clomine or not to Clomine. Well.. after lots of thinking, tossing, and turning. We've submitted it all to God and decided we'll do a round of Clomine. I'm finally feeling good enough to write. Cause since September, my emotions have been catastrophic to say the least. Finally today... Justin remarked, hey you're feeling better already ho? Then I realised, Gee whiz, I AM!
Had a good time just being honest and talking to God today. I miss that. Since September I've just been sending instructions and requests to God... there was no talking, no sharing, no crying my heart out, no honesty. Today I did, and there was no bombastic instant lifting of emotions. There was just a gradual lifting of my heavy heart and I'm feeling more alive now =)
After our first failed attempt, a voice asked me whether I'd be OK if Aly was the only child I got here on earth (remember I have another one in heaven). I couldn't bring myself to answering that, and I hated that question. Then that night itself, Justin asked me the exact same question. I froze. I fought. I argued. I logically analyzed the question. I even gave a politically correct answer. But I know my heart wasn't ready to let it go.
Today, my heart let it go. I let go of my dreams and plans on how my family would be. I let go of my wants and my longings. I let go. And I can finally say, if Aly is the only child I get on earth, I thank the Lord for the privilege of being a mom to my beautiful daughter, and I thank the Lord for all the joy and blessings she brought just by existing. And today, I felt liberated.
So the decision has been made, we'll do a round of Clomine, and if it happens it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. =)
And the culprit is.....
After 2 months of TTC, today I ovulated. Or.. was supposed to ovulate. But today was a whirlwind of things and we ended up at the gynae's office. My last period came 5 days late so I initially thought I was pregnant... and it ended 3 days late which is unusual for me. But what was more unusual was the continuous spotting after my period ended. Spotting was initially brown blood which I thought was the tail end of my period. But it stretched till today.. day 14. And today, the blood was bright red. Now, google is really nifty, but sometimes it serves to make the worry wart even more worried! So some checks on google came up with cervical cancer, and seeing my last pap results came back abnormal.. this was a huge cause for concern.
Thanks to my ever amazing Gynae, she slotted me in last minute even though she was absolutely packed until end of January 2012. Ended up waiting 2 hours to see her and in the end, my cervix looked good, and nothing was out of the ordinary... nothing except my ovaries.
I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in 2009 when I started getting irregular periods and massive hair loss. And at that point, all I took home from that was that it will be hard to conceive. After that, I got my first pregnancy, and thought, "hey, that was easy!". Then the miscarriage happened and we took a 3 month hiatus after the D&C, and on the first month we TTC, we got pregnant with Aly. And again I thought, WHOA, PCOS, you have no hold on me!!
But now, on Cycle Day 14 in my 28 day cycle, an internal ultrasound showed that I had no follicles, no ovums to be released. It was just another popped cyst. So hopes of TTC this month are well.. gone. I thought that through pregnancy, the hormone shifts etc.. PCOS will be gone. So Dr. Tang presribed Clomine to help with LH levels so that I will start producing ovums.
So that was it.. the culprit is PCOS. Now... I told Justin that I felt like I wanted to cry, but somehow tears weren't being generated. Took me a while, but I realised, I felt bad because I felt incomplete and incompetent. But in the deepest parts of my heart, I felt this calm assurance. That everything is alright! Everything is alright! That whatever happens, I am held, I have hope!
So yes, PCOS is hindering me from conceiving, but I know my God is the Maker and Creator of EVERYTHING. He can definitely cause me to conceive just like that if He willed. So now, I'm going back to what it should always have been - total surrender and obedience. Knowing that conceiving and giving birth to Aly was not through my competence or ability, but through His grace alone. His Grace is truly exceeding, abundant, above, and beyond all things. Because of this, I don't need to cry, I need only walk and live a life of victory, because My God is so much Greater, Stronger, and Higher than all others, all circumstances, everything. It feels so refreshing to be able to rely on God this way. =)
Thanks to my ever amazing Gynae, she slotted me in last minute even though she was absolutely packed until end of January 2012. Ended up waiting 2 hours to see her and in the end, my cervix looked good, and nothing was out of the ordinary... nothing except my ovaries.
I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in 2009 when I started getting irregular periods and massive hair loss. And at that point, all I took home from that was that it will be hard to conceive. After that, I got my first pregnancy, and thought, "hey, that was easy!". Then the miscarriage happened and we took a 3 month hiatus after the D&C, and on the first month we TTC, we got pregnant with Aly. And again I thought, WHOA, PCOS, you have no hold on me!!
But now, on Cycle Day 14 in my 28 day cycle, an internal ultrasound showed that I had no follicles, no ovums to be released. It was just another popped cyst. So hopes of TTC this month are well.. gone. I thought that through pregnancy, the hormone shifts etc.. PCOS will be gone. So Dr. Tang presribed Clomine to help with LH levels so that I will start producing ovums.
So that was it.. the culprit is PCOS. Now... I told Justin that I felt like I wanted to cry, but somehow tears weren't being generated. Took me a while, but I realised, I felt bad because I felt incomplete and incompetent. But in the deepest parts of my heart, I felt this calm assurance. That everything is alright! Everything is alright! That whatever happens, I am held, I have hope!
So yes, PCOS is hindering me from conceiving, but I know my God is the Maker and Creator of EVERYTHING. He can definitely cause me to conceive just like that if He willed. So now, I'm going back to what it should always have been - total surrender and obedience. Knowing that conceiving and giving birth to Aly was not through my competence or ability, but through His grace alone. His Grace is truly exceeding, abundant, above, and beyond all things. Because of this, I don't need to cry, I need only walk and live a life of victory, because My God is so much Greater, Stronger, and Higher than all others, all circumstances, everything. It feels so refreshing to be able to rely on God this way. =)
Remembering Grace
So it's been 2 months since we've began TTC (trying to conceive). Ever since, I've learned many terms like dpo and BFP. I've also learned that the really good pregnancy tests like ClearBlue gives about 54% accurate results 10 dpo, and the accuracy increases greatly with every 24 hours after that, until the first day of a missed period where accuracy is 99.9%.
I've also learned that having unprotected sex on the day of ovulation isn't as effective because the mucous is at it's thickest and makes the environment almost hostile to sperm.. that and also the ovum deteriorates real quickly, so if I were to ovulate in the morning, and sex happens only at night, the egg is almost at its half-life and hence, not as viable as it was when released. So the best time is 2 days before ovulation.
So I've been reading, and learning, and praying, and hoping, and waiting, and seeing "not pregnant" signs. On the first month we tried, I was so sure I was pregnant that I actually started having morning sickness symptoms. Nausea, dizziness, lethargy etc. Talk about the power of the mind.
So now I'm at a point where I'm switching modes. Yes, we want a second baby, we're doing everything we can, but this is not within out control. As with Aly, it was all by Grace. I remember how my world fell apart when I realised I miscarried our little one. I remember walking around wondering whether there is any more meaning in life. And I remember that Sunday during worship where I told God I needed something from Him, an assurance.. and a voice said "Just a little longer". Words I held onto. And how 3 months after that, Aly was conceived. Of all the months this was the month I felt least pregnant!
So here I am remembering Grace. Remembering that I.. a human who has no ability to keep my heart beating, or my lungs breathing, let alone command that I bear another child.. that I have a God who makes all things perfect in His time. I'm going to choose to let go, enjoy my amazing husband, and my precious, perfect daughter, enjoy what we have now, until God says it's time. (Thanks Ju Li for the encouragement and reminder).
Hubby asked me the other day, what if Aly is all we'll ever get, no other children. I couldn't answer him. But now... I think I can say.. it will be OK. Because if Aly is all we'll ever have, she's perfect! I'm remembering Grace. It was Grace that gave us Aly. I can trust in my Jesus.
Sick logs... September - November 2011
September 2nd. Hospitalization
It was a Monday, I came back from work and was vegetating on the sofa and she was playing next to me on the floor. She climbed onto the sofa and knelt while playing with Justin's laptop. The laptop slid off her lap and the next thing I knew I saw her grabbing onto the laptop and she slid down as well.. head down on to the laptop which had fallen onto the carpeted floor. She cried as usual and it was her forehead that was red. I pacified her and she was OK after that. 30 mins later after a few spoons of porridge, she vomited. REALLY vomited. Almost all her food came out. I panicked, but Justin came home and calmed me down. 20 mins later, she vomited again. And she didn't stop. At 6.40 we rushed to Dr. Pauline (she's amazing) and she did a thorough check, said that her responses were perfect, but the vomiting was worrying. She wrote a letter for admittance into Pantai Cheras, which we eventually changed to SDMC because of distance.
Rushed to SDMC ER, where we waited 10 minutes until she was checked out. Then waited another 1 hour until an IV was put on her to help with dehydration. It was painful to watch as they bundled her with a bedsheet, I held her tight while trying to calm her as she kept calling and screaming "mommy mommy". My daughter was in pain and all I could do was hug her. I was helpless.
The consultant paediatrician in charge said she'll need a CT scan just in case but she she needed to be really still.. aka asleep.. so we waited for another 2 hours until she had gone into deep sleep. We got her scanned, and she remained sleeping (they had already added an anti vomit drip only 30 mins prior). Results showed NO brain damage, swelling etc. It was normal! But the diagnosis was a mild concussion with no lasting damage. Relieved, we checked in to the room for overnight observation and for the drip to run. She vomited a total of 16 times.
Next day, we only managed to check out at 7pm, with a whoopping 1.7k hospital bill. That night, after milk she vomited again.. but not much. So we prayed and went to sleep.
Next morning, after milk, she complained of stomach pain. My heart dropped. And 1 hour later, she vomited in the lift in school... My heart stopped. After cleaning her up, I got a call from Dr. Pauline who was calling just to check on Alyssa (see why I said she's amazing?) And she asked whether Alyssa had diarrhea, which she did this morning! Two smelly runny poop filled diapers! And that was when Dr. Pauline said, then her initial diagnosis and hunch was right - there was no concussion. It was a case of bad bad bad viral stomach flu (which I caught just 2 days before Aly fell sick). With proper instructions and medication - probiotics, anti diarhea, oral salts, Aly recovered 2 days later... All I can say is that God was so kind.
But that virus was really something... a day after coming home from hospital, Justin caught it and started vomiting. The next day my mom took care of her and started vomiting before the end of the day. The day after that the same fate landed on my sister who took care of Aly while my mom was sick. =/ Really something.
October. Flu, cough, and sleepless nights
Few weeks after the hospitalization, she case the common flu bug. Needless to say.. stuffy runny nose and itching throat kept her waking almost every 2 hours.. and us with little and close to no sleep. Her nose recovered in 3 days and her cough went away after 10 days. Phew.. we had survived another wave...
October: Swollen hand.
Another Monday.. while on the way to the carpark, I let Aly stand in the lift. Then lift door opened and her hands was on it... her hand got dragged into the space between the door and the lift. She screamed, and I immediately yanked it out. She was then crying inconsolably. We rushed her to the nearby clinic outside ,fer,REER(re because Dr. Pauline wasn't opened. The doctor said it was unlikely that it was a fracture, but we should monitor her swelling and her pain levels. At 7, we visited Dr. Pauline and she gave the same diagnosis..
soft tissue damage. We were sent away with an RM80 bill and pain and swelling medicine.
The cute thing about this was how Aly reacted! She literally went around like her arm was broken/detached from the shoulder. It was really really cute! But sadly, with the whole worrying and crying, I forgot to take pictures! =(
So this lasted for the whole night. To monitor her, I let her sleep next to me on my bed and I basically kept watch almost the whole night, making sure she wouldn't roll over and hurt her hand, and to reposition her once in a while so her hand will get enough blood circulation.
Next morning I decided to stay home but it was evident that she wasn't showing that she was getting better. And my daughter being drama queen Justin suggested that we bring her to school for half a day. Just to see whether she'd come alive with the students and the excitement. True enough, she did come alive. First order of business upon entering school was to announce (like a boss) that her hand was pain. "baby.. hand.. pain!" Then she started running around and playing, with the "hurt" hand. Suddenly it was business as usual, she was drawing with that hand and playing catching with Elise (her favorite che che).
After the trip to school, she was miraculously healed and that was the last of this episode.
November 19 - privates infected.
During lunch she started crying and screaming while holding on to her diapers in the groin area. 2 hours later, same thing happened.. and we noticed she did it while peeing. I was worried that it could be a UTI so we rushed to Dr. Pauline who examined her thoroughly and took a urine test. Test results were negative for bacteria so it was unlikely that is was UTI. Her vulva and anus were red, which could be the cause of her pain. Urine stinging infected parts = pain. So we were sent home with a bill of RM83, some pH medication soap used for her to soak in, some cream, and probiotics.
I set up her tub with the prescribed soap, and got her sitting in it. a few seconds later, she stood up screaming in pain. the concoction must have really stung. But we were instructed to soak her for 2 minutes, so we had to literally hold her in while she cried "daddy naniiiiiiiiiii naniiiiiii" (daddy, no no). Sigh... Broke Justin's heart.
Applying the cream after that was equally bad. But the fun part was that she was to go diaper-less. And boy, did she enjoy that. 30 mins later, she peed with lots of screaming and tears. another 15 mins later, she peed again, this time with no screams.. but whines. 30 mins after that, she peed a whole puddle and we didn't even notice cause there was not even a squeak from her until Justin went checking on her and she exclaimed "daddy, peee peeee". And another 30 mins after that she again peed a puddle, and this time kept real quiet and had fun time playing with the pee, which included rubbing it over her face. Sigh. So, it seemed that the medication did work really fast and well as Dr. Pauline said it would.
With that, I close this sick log entry. I hope it'll be a LONG time before I have to enter another log.
=]'[;
X][[X[X[CFFFFFFFFF <<< Aly says hi.
It was a Monday, I came back from work and was vegetating on the sofa and she was playing next to me on the floor. She climbed onto the sofa and knelt while playing with Justin's laptop. The laptop slid off her lap and the next thing I knew I saw her grabbing onto the laptop and she slid down as well.. head down on to the laptop which had fallen onto the carpeted floor. She cried as usual and it was her forehead that was red. I pacified her and she was OK after that. 30 mins later after a few spoons of porridge, she vomited. REALLY vomited. Almost all her food came out. I panicked, but Justin came home and calmed me down. 20 mins later, she vomited again. And she didn't stop. At 6.40 we rushed to Dr. Pauline (she's amazing) and she did a thorough check, said that her responses were perfect, but the vomiting was worrying. She wrote a letter for admittance into Pantai Cheras, which we eventually changed to SDMC because of distance.
Rushed to SDMC ER, where we waited 10 minutes until she was checked out. Then waited another 1 hour until an IV was put on her to help with dehydration. It was painful to watch as they bundled her with a bedsheet, I held her tight while trying to calm her as she kept calling and screaming "mommy mommy". My daughter was in pain and all I could do was hug her. I was helpless.
The consultant paediatrician in charge said she'll need a CT scan just in case but she she needed to be really still.. aka asleep.. so we waited for another 2 hours until she had gone into deep sleep. We got her scanned, and she remained sleeping (they had already added an anti vomit drip only 30 mins prior). Results showed NO brain damage, swelling etc. It was normal! But the diagnosis was a mild concussion with no lasting damage. Relieved, we checked in to the room for overnight observation and for the drip to run. She vomited a total of 16 times.
Next day, we only managed to check out at 7pm, with a whoopping 1.7k hospital bill. That night, after milk she vomited again.. but not much. So we prayed and went to sleep.
Next morning, after milk, she complained of stomach pain. My heart dropped. And 1 hour later, she vomited in the lift in school... My heart stopped. After cleaning her up, I got a call from Dr. Pauline who was calling just to check on Alyssa (see why I said she's amazing?) And she asked whether Alyssa had diarrhea, which she did this morning! Two smelly runny poop filled diapers! And that was when Dr. Pauline said, then her initial diagnosis and hunch was right - there was no concussion. It was a case of bad bad bad viral stomach flu (which I caught just 2 days before Aly fell sick). With proper instructions and medication - probiotics, anti diarhea, oral salts, Aly recovered 2 days later... All I can say is that God was so kind.
But that virus was really something... a day after coming home from hospital, Justin caught it and started vomiting. The next day my mom took care of her and started vomiting before the end of the day. The day after that the same fate landed on my sister who took care of Aly while my mom was sick. =/ Really something.
October. Flu, cough, and sleepless nights
Few weeks after the hospitalization, she case the common flu bug. Needless to say.. stuffy runny nose and itching throat kept her waking almost every 2 hours.. and us with little and close to no sleep. Her nose recovered in 3 days and her cough went away after 10 days. Phew.. we had survived another wave...
October: Swollen hand.
Another Monday.. while on the way to the carpark, I let Aly stand in the lift. Then lift door opened and her hands was on it... her hand got dragged into the space between the door and the lift. She screamed, and I immediately yanked it out. She was then crying inconsolably. We rushed her to the nearby clinic outside ,fer,REER(re because Dr. Pauline wasn't opened. The doctor said it was unlikely that it was a fracture, but we should monitor her swelling and her pain levels. At 7, we visited Dr. Pauline and she gave the same diagnosis..
soft tissue damage. We were sent away with an RM80 bill and pain and swelling medicine.
The cute thing about this was how Aly reacted! She literally went around like her arm was broken/detached from the shoulder. It was really really cute! But sadly, with the whole worrying and crying, I forgot to take pictures! =(
So this lasted for the whole night. To monitor her, I let her sleep next to me on my bed and I basically kept watch almost the whole night, making sure she wouldn't roll over and hurt her hand, and to reposition her once in a while so her hand will get enough blood circulation.
Next morning I decided to stay home but it was evident that she wasn't showing that she was getting better. And my daughter being drama queen Justin suggested that we bring her to school for half a day. Just to see whether she'd come alive with the students and the excitement. True enough, she did come alive. First order of business upon entering school was to announce (like a boss) that her hand was pain. "baby.. hand.. pain!" Then she started running around and playing, with the "hurt" hand. Suddenly it was business as usual, she was drawing with that hand and playing catching with Elise (her favorite che che).
After the trip to school, she was miraculously healed and that was the last of this episode.
November 19 - privates infected.
During lunch she started crying and screaming while holding on to her diapers in the groin area. 2 hours later, same thing happened.. and we noticed she did it while peeing. I was worried that it could be a UTI so we rushed to Dr. Pauline who examined her thoroughly and took a urine test. Test results were negative for bacteria so it was unlikely that is was UTI. Her vulva and anus were red, which could be the cause of her pain. Urine stinging infected parts = pain. So we were sent home with a bill of RM83, some pH medication soap used for her to soak in, some cream, and probiotics.
I set up her tub with the prescribed soap, and got her sitting in it. a few seconds later, she stood up screaming in pain. the concoction must have really stung. But we were instructed to soak her for 2 minutes, so we had to literally hold her in while she cried "daddy naniiiiiiiiiii naniiiiiii" (daddy, no no). Sigh... Broke Justin's heart.
Applying the cream after that was equally bad. But the fun part was that she was to go diaper-less. And boy, did she enjoy that. 30 mins later, she peed with lots of screaming and tears. another 15 mins later, she peed again, this time with no screams.. but whines. 30 mins after that, she peed a whole puddle and we didn't even notice cause there was not even a squeak from her until Justin went checking on her and she exclaimed "daddy, peee peeee". And another 30 mins after that she again peed a puddle, and this time kept real quiet and had fun time playing with the pee, which included rubbing it over her face. Sigh. So, it seemed that the medication did work really fast and well as Dr. Pauline said it would.
With that, I close this sick log entry. I hope it'll be a LONG time before I have to enter another log.
=]'[;
X][[X[X[CFFFFFFFFF <<< Aly says hi.
After a loooooong break
Haven't visited this blog for a looong time. A lot, and I mean a lot has happened in these few months.
Firstly, Aly learned to walk at 13.5 months. and then there was a mental leap that got her spitting out words like a bullet train. Till date, she has a vocabulary bank of more than 180 spoken words, and more than 230 understood words. On top of that she's able to answer quite a number of questions with yes or no. E.g. Do you want to take a bath? And she'll say "yesh". I'd really like to list a few words she can say.. but that will have to wait till I can find the time to do so. Oh yes, she's also gotten quite good at 3 words sentences. Like.. baby wear shoes, baby wear shades. etc. She even said a 4 word sentence a few days back, but I can't remember what it was =(
She's also started learning how to count. I'll say 1, 2 and she'll say 3. I'll say 4, 5, 6, 7,8, and she'll say 9 and 10. But she has learned the consequence of saying 9 and 10 means some fun activity will end. So she has learned that in order to prolong fun time, she'll prolong saying 9 and 10.. or just say no when she's supposed to say 9 or 10. =/
She's also learned distraction techniques. Like when I catch her doing something naughty, she'll very quickly "distract" me with her tricks (like pointing to her body parts and naming them.. baby... eyes) or pointing and naming other objects, or asking me to do something for her. =/
At 17 months, her stranger anxiety has skyrocketed. She'll literally claw on to me when a stranger approaches and she's even started showing her "shy" face. Frozen body, very very quiet, her head bowed down. Which is actually pretty cute to watch! Really similar to how cartoons portray shy kids.
She knows every single one of my students by name and face, and she can now say all of their names. All 34 of them. She's also extremely helpful. She'll pick up rubbish when she sees any, and she'll help me deliver test papers to students. I'll go: Baby, give this to koko ____ and she'll do it. =D
She also started referring to herself as "baby" 1.5 months back. She'll say baby this... baby that... she's able to differentiate between what is daddy's and mommy's and what is baby's.
She also learned to walk backwards 2 months ago and she's been learning to run. Trips alot and somehow has learned to blame the floor - a habit I am in the midst of breaking, but I wonder how she got the idea in the first place. That and the idea of stepping on an ant when she sees one! Argg..
Sleep wise, she's getting way easier to settle down now, and I've stopped carrying her to sleep for more than 6 months now. =) And 2 months ago, she started falling asleep in her own cot as opposed to our bed. =) Next step of sleep training is to get her to fall asleep without body contact (patting) and singing.. and finally to be able to fall asleep without me.
She's also been getting extra cheeky, testing and pushing boundaries every hour!And it seems that she more or less knows when she's crossed a line. There'll be this cautious look on her face as she scans my facial expressions and tone of voice.
Sooo.. that's all the updates I have for now. Will try to blog more now that I'm on a long holiday. Hopefully upload some recent pictures of her too!
Ah.. in the mean time.. please keep us in prayers, we've been TTC for 2 months now, but so far, no + signs yet. =( It is disappointing and frustrating.. the whole wait and trying.. wait and trying... But.. that's all that we can do.
Firstly, Aly learned to walk at 13.5 months. and then there was a mental leap that got her spitting out words like a bullet train. Till date, she has a vocabulary bank of more than 180 spoken words, and more than 230 understood words. On top of that she's able to answer quite a number of questions with yes or no. E.g. Do you want to take a bath? And she'll say "yesh". I'd really like to list a few words she can say.. but that will have to wait till I can find the time to do so. Oh yes, she's also gotten quite good at 3 words sentences. Like.. baby wear shoes, baby wear shades. etc. She even said a 4 word sentence a few days back, but I can't remember what it was =(
She's also started learning how to count. I'll say 1, 2 and she'll say 3. I'll say 4, 5, 6, 7,8, and she'll say 9 and 10. But she has learned the consequence of saying 9 and 10 means some fun activity will end. So she has learned that in order to prolong fun time, she'll prolong saying 9 and 10.. or just say no when she's supposed to say 9 or 10. =/
She's also learned distraction techniques. Like when I catch her doing something naughty, she'll very quickly "distract" me with her tricks (like pointing to her body parts and naming them.. baby... eyes) or pointing and naming other objects, or asking me to do something for her. =/
At 17 months, her stranger anxiety has skyrocketed. She'll literally claw on to me when a stranger approaches and she's even started showing her "shy" face. Frozen body, very very quiet, her head bowed down. Which is actually pretty cute to watch! Really similar to how cartoons portray shy kids.
She knows every single one of my students by name and face, and she can now say all of their names. All 34 of them. She's also extremely helpful. She'll pick up rubbish when she sees any, and she'll help me deliver test papers to students. I'll go: Baby, give this to koko ____ and she'll do it. =D
She also started referring to herself as "baby" 1.5 months back. She'll say baby this... baby that... she's able to differentiate between what is daddy's and mommy's and what is baby's.
She also learned to walk backwards 2 months ago and she's been learning to run. Trips alot and somehow has learned to blame the floor - a habit I am in the midst of breaking, but I wonder how she got the idea in the first place. That and the idea of stepping on an ant when she sees one! Argg..
Sleep wise, she's getting way easier to settle down now, and I've stopped carrying her to sleep for more than 6 months now. =) And 2 months ago, she started falling asleep in her own cot as opposed to our bed. =) Next step of sleep training is to get her to fall asleep without body contact (patting) and singing.. and finally to be able to fall asleep without me.
She's also been getting extra cheeky, testing and pushing boundaries every hour!And it seems that she more or less knows when she's crossed a line. There'll be this cautious look on her face as she scans my facial expressions and tone of voice.
Sooo.. that's all the updates I have for now. Will try to blog more now that I'm on a long holiday. Hopefully upload some recent pictures of her too!
Ah.. in the mean time.. please keep us in prayers, we've been TTC for 2 months now, but so far, no + signs yet. =( It is disappointing and frustrating.. the whole wait and trying.. wait and trying... But.. that's all that we can do.
Dadeeeeeeee
Last Thursday (30th July 2011), while carrying her down the stairs to head for work, I said "mommy" call "mommy". And it happened... she said Maaa meee.... <3 ahhh bliss!!!!
Then I proceeded to say... Say "daddy" and she said daaaaa deeeeee. <3 Justin melted!
Since then, she's preferred saying 'daddy' over 'mommy'. This morning, she woke up chuckling, so Justin couldn't resist and brought her to the bed. And he said say daddy, and she did! As clear as day.. Dadee!! (high-low pitch 4-2) I think he teared! =D
This was a magnificent morning was sealed with a nice breakfast together at a mamak. Btw, she loves Indian food. Till date, she's tried and approved of vade (spelling?), roti kosong, tosai, rava tosai. Didn't quite like dhal though.
Then I proceeded to say... Say "daddy" and she said daaaaa deeeeee. <3 Justin melted!
Since then, she's preferred saying 'daddy' over 'mommy'. This morning, she woke up chuckling, so Justin couldn't resist and brought her to the bed. And he said say daddy, and she did! As clear as day.. Dadee!! (high-low pitch 4-2) I think he teared! =D
This was a magnificent morning was sealed with a nice breakfast together at a mamak. Btw, she loves Indian food. Till date, she's tried and approved of vade (spelling?), roti kosong, tosai, rava tosai. Didn't quite like dhal though.
Sick logs... updated
We finally took her to her pediatrician on Wednesday. And her diagnosis: ulcer on her throat/sore throat. But by that time, she was already beginning to heal! (yay!) We were given some drops to numb the area so she could drink water and swallow food - as she wasn't having anything but ice cream/yoghurt for the past 2 days.
This morning, we woke to a very happy baby!! Our lil Aly is back in business!! Really missed her.
Something about this round of sickness drew us closer together. =)
I really thank God for speedy recovery!
As for the cause of the sickness... we're not sure. But the hubby has observed that almost a day after every visit to the swimming pool landed her sick. As an added security measure, we shall be purchasing an inflatable pool to be placed in our porch, until her immune system's stronger.
I'm just sooooo happy to have my baby back!! Whee
On a side note, she added new words to her vocab! Plis (please), nananana (no no), nana (banana), pish (fish), babee (baby), klo (close), bouh (open), wahhh, tar (guitar).
We noticed a huge leap in terms of being able to vocalize new words this week We only need to repeat a word (that is similar to what she can pronounce) once and she'll be able to pick it up! Just yesterday I was telling her that I was feeding her a banana and she smiled and said "nana"! This is a really exciting!! We're going to teach her to say "thank you" next!!
This morning, we woke to a very happy baby!! Our lil Aly is back in business!! Really missed her.
Something about this round of sickness drew us closer together. =)
I really thank God for speedy recovery!
As for the cause of the sickness... we're not sure. But the hubby has observed that almost a day after every visit to the swimming pool landed her sick. As an added security measure, we shall be purchasing an inflatable pool to be placed in our porch, until her immune system's stronger.
I'm just sooooo happy to have my baby back!! Whee
On a side note, she added new words to her vocab! Plis (please), nananana (no no), nana (banana), pish (fish), babee (baby), klo (close), bouh (open), wahhh, tar (guitar).
We noticed a huge leap in terms of being able to vocalize new words this week We only need to repeat a word (that is similar to what she can pronounce) once and she'll be able to pick it up! Just yesterday I was telling her that I was feeding her a banana and she smiled and said "nana"! This is a really exciting!! We're going to teach her to say "thank you" next!!
Sick logs... (?)
Couldn't really think of a more.. suitable title.
The internet is filled with info that warns about a dip in immune system's ability to cope after the 6th month. That's when the mother's milk no longer supplies antibodies like it used to before baby was 6 months old. I noticed that... and at 1 day over 6 months, it was the first time Aly fell sick.
6 months 1 day - Roseola, high fever for 4 days, mild rash on tummy on 5th day, recovered on 6th day
12 months 1 week - Roseola, high fever for 3 days, bad rash on tummy which spread to the forehead and cheeks, recovered on 8th day.
13 months 4 weeks - fever, lots of drooling... Not sure if it's just teething...
Suffice to say... Those times hubby and I had almost no sleep. Baby was cranky to say the least... and I felt totally helpless...
She's sick again. We're not sure if it's a virus or whether its teething. All I know is.. I can't describe how much it hurts watching my daughter.. my tiny tiny daughter cry in pain...knowing that there is nothing I can do to make it better. Last night, she lay on the bed looking at me, crying... ma ma... And my heart broke.
The internet is filled with info that warns about a dip in immune system's ability to cope after the 6th month. That's when the mother's milk no longer supplies antibodies like it used to before baby was 6 months old. I noticed that... and at 1 day over 6 months, it was the first time Aly fell sick.
6 months 1 day - Roseola, high fever for 4 days, mild rash on tummy on 5th day, recovered on 6th day
12 months 1 week - Roseola, high fever for 3 days, bad rash on tummy which spread to the forehead and cheeks, recovered on 8th day.
13 months 4 weeks - fever, lots of drooling... Not sure if it's just teething...
Suffice to say... Those times hubby and I had almost no sleep. Baby was cranky to say the least... and I felt totally helpless...
She's sick again. We're not sure if it's a virus or whether its teething. All I know is.. I can't describe how much it hurts watching my daughter.. my tiny tiny daughter cry in pain...knowing that there is nothing I can do to make it better. Last night, she lay on the bed looking at me, crying... ma ma... And my heart broke.
And she turns ONE!
My girl is officially one year and one day old. My baby is now a toddler. This girl is truly blessed. She's had 4 cakes, 3 birthday songs, one small and one mega party. Quite a feat for a lil one I'd say.
I don't even know where to begin sharing. It's been such a tremendous journey. And I'm so excited that there are still many more years to come. Looking back at how my life has changed, the only word I can muster is WOW. All praise be to God. He is amazing.
I don't even know what I'm typing now. All I know is that my heart is overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving. Watching her fall asleep in my arms tonight was extra special... I gazed upon my miracle, my gift, my precious, my child. And all I could do was smile and kiss her. sigh... This part of motherhood cannot be described, it has to be lived. I thank Jesus for giving Justin and I the privilege to live this.
I don't even know where to begin sharing. It's been such a tremendous journey. And I'm so excited that there are still many more years to come. Looking back at how my life has changed, the only word I can muster is WOW. All praise be to God. He is amazing.
I don't even know what I'm typing now. All I know is that my heart is overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving. Watching her fall asleep in my arms tonight was extra special... I gazed upon my miracle, my gift, my precious, my child. And all I could do was smile and kiss her. sigh... This part of motherhood cannot be described, it has to be lived. I thank Jesus for giving Justin and I the privilege to live this.
Babbles
My precious can speak! A few syllables that sound like words that is. hehehehe.
11th Feb 2011, she said "go" It was as clear as crystal after practicing the "g" sound for 3 days.
28th Feb 2011, she started pronouncing the "k" sound. Then before we knew it, she had said "kah". Her daddy pointed to the car and said "car" and she followed "kah"
2nd March 2011, while playing with her rubber ducky in the bath, I said "duck duck" like I always do, and she looked at me as though something clicked, and said "dak dak"! I said it again and so did she!!!! So dak dak dak dak she went!
2nd March 2011, while rocking her to sleep, she said da da da da da. Daddy's out the whole day and she must miss him. When I told her that daddy was going to see her only in the morning, she said da da da da da. awwww... <3 I'm so proud of my little one!!! Humbles me when I see how far she's come and how fast she's developing!
But.. there's still no sign of mama... =(
I shall wait patiently!
11th Feb 2011, she said "go" It was as clear as crystal after practicing the "g" sound for 3 days.
28th Feb 2011, she started pronouncing the "k" sound. Then before we knew it, she had said "kah". Her daddy pointed to the car and said "car" and she followed "kah"
2nd March 2011, while playing with her rubber ducky in the bath, I said "duck duck" like I always do, and she looked at me as though something clicked, and said "dak dak"! I said it again and so did she!!!! So dak dak dak dak she went!
2nd March 2011, while rocking her to sleep, she said da da da da da. Daddy's out the whole day and she must miss him. When I told her that daddy was going to see her only in the morning, she said da da da da da. awwww... <3 I'm so proud of my little one!!! Humbles me when I see how far she's come and how fast she's developing!
But.. there's still no sign of mama... =(
I shall wait patiently!
Easiyo Real Yogurt Maker - the review
After a week of owning the Easiyo yogurt maker, I have to say I give it a 5/5!
I bought the starter kit which included the Easiyo maker (thermos), a plastic jar, and 2 easiyo yogurt mixes - Strawberry and natural (plain).
Shown in the pic is my first batch of yogurt - Strawberry, which was a semi failure =(
The box read "perfect yogurt everytime". I must say I totally agree!! Provided you do exactly as they state. I obviously did not hence the semi failed first attempt.
Instructions are easy peasy.
1. pour 500ml COLD drinking water into the plastic tub.
2. add in the mix and shake well, then add in more cold drinking water until the lined marked inside the plastic tub.
3. then in the thermos, pour in BOILING water until the top of the inner plastic tube.
4. place the plastic container into the thermos and cap the thermos.
5. leave for 8-12 hours (I left the first batch for 13 hours, and the second for 19 hours).
6. refrigerate yogurt at 4 degrees Celsius. It keeps for about 2 weeks.
So what went wrong with my first batch:
1. It didn't curdle. So it was more like strawberry yogurt smoothie, which was still great!! Cause we saved it by adding in some Buds strawberry ice cream, and giving it a whirl in our blender. Yum yum yum! It tasted AMAZING.
2. The problem was the boiling water. I thought water from my thermal pot would do the trick. Turns out it wasn't hot enough, hence didn't provide an ideal temperature for the good bacteria to populate, hence no curdling!
What I learned:
1. Use boiling water, fresh out of the kettle!
2. Use cold water from the fridge, cool water is not sufficient. How it works is that the cold water is balanced out by the hot water to achieve the perfect temperature for the bacteria to grow, too cold or too hot = failure.
Learned from my mistake and the second time, it was perfection! Easy peasy seriously! And the most interesting thing was that there was a distinct difference in taste with the Easiyo mix and the commercial store-bought yogurt. The only way hubby and I could describe it is that Easiyo tastes more organic.
I've made 2 batches, and went and got mixes for all the flavors Cold Storage had - peach, apricot, and boysenberry. As I type, I have my 3rd batch - boysenberry - sitting in the thermos. It should be ready tomorrow morning =)
The hubby prefers natural to strawberry because he can pretty much customize the taste according to his fancy. Seen above is my plain yogurt + mango puree. =) Try it with blueberries, apricot, peach etc. So far we've given Aly yogurt + nectarine puree and she loves it!
Ohhh, do note, it's perfectly OK if you've forgot to take it out of the thermos into the fridge. It can last 24 hours in the thermos. The longer you leave it in the thermos, the firmer it will be. I like my yogurt firm, so 19-20 hours is more or less the way I like it =)
Feeling inspired??
Ooohh and I also found a recipe to make frozen yogurt! Will wait for the March holidays to try it out. I can't wait!!
I bought the starter kit which included the Easiyo maker (thermos), a plastic jar, and 2 easiyo yogurt mixes - Strawberry and natural (plain).
The box read "perfect yogurt everytime". I must say I totally agree!! Provided you do exactly as they state. I obviously did not hence the semi failed first attempt.
Instructions are easy peasy.
1. pour 500ml COLD drinking water into the plastic tub.
2. add in the mix and shake well, then add in more cold drinking water until the lined marked inside the plastic tub.
3. then in the thermos, pour in BOILING water until the top of the inner plastic tube.
4. place the plastic container into the thermos and cap the thermos.
5. leave for 8-12 hours (I left the first batch for 13 hours, and the second for 19 hours).
6. refrigerate yogurt at 4 degrees Celsius. It keeps for about 2 weeks.
So what went wrong with my first batch:
1. It didn't curdle. So it was more like strawberry yogurt smoothie, which was still great!! Cause we saved it by adding in some Buds strawberry ice cream, and giving it a whirl in our blender. Yum yum yum! It tasted AMAZING.
2. The problem was the boiling water. I thought water from my thermal pot would do the trick. Turns out it wasn't hot enough, hence didn't provide an ideal temperature for the good bacteria to populate, hence no curdling!
What I learned:
1. Use boiling water, fresh out of the kettle!
2. Use cold water from the fridge, cool water is not sufficient. How it works is that the cold water is balanced out by the hot water to achieve the perfect temperature for the bacteria to grow, too cold or too hot = failure.
Learned from my mistake and the second time, it was perfection! Easy peasy seriously! And the most interesting thing was that there was a distinct difference in taste with the Easiyo mix and the commercial store-bought yogurt. The only way hubby and I could describe it is that Easiyo tastes more organic.
I've made 2 batches, and went and got mixes for all the flavors Cold Storage had - peach, apricot, and boysenberry. As I type, I have my 3rd batch - boysenberry - sitting in the thermos. It should be ready tomorrow morning =)
The hubby prefers natural to strawberry because he can pretty much customize the taste according to his fancy. Seen above is my plain yogurt + mango puree. =) Try it with blueberries, apricot, peach etc. So far we've given Aly yogurt + nectarine puree and she loves it!
Ohhh, do note, it's perfectly OK if you've forgot to take it out of the thermos into the fridge. It can last 24 hours in the thermos. The longer you leave it in the thermos, the firmer it will be. I like my yogurt firm, so 19-20 hours is more or less the way I like it =)
Feeling inspired??
Ooohh and I also found a recipe to make frozen yogurt! Will wait for the March holidays to try it out. I can't wait!!
Constipation battle part III
I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my darling daughter poop-ed!!!!!! Hooray and THANK GOD!
Consulted the pediatrician and Aly was prescribed Duphalac (lactulose). Dosage: 2.5ml 3 times a day. My science knowledge told me the suffix -lose meant sugar. And true enough, it was synthetic sugar!
How constipation begins is when one ignores the urge to poop, or has trouble pooping because of harder stools (due to lack of water at most times). In this case, Aly was experiencing harden stools because of her porridge diet. For some breastfed babies, the sudden change from breastmilk to solids shocks their systems and some just take a longer time to adjust. So she tried pushing, and it couldn't come out, so she must've held it back in. This compounded the issue because poop that's stored longer in the intestines become harder because the sole function of the intestines is to absorb water back into the body. So the longer the poop sits in the intestines, the more water is absorbed from the poop, making it harder, and hence, harder to push out!
So I've been giving her prune juice, apple juice, pear juice, water (which she absolutely hates) and all I saw was a double in wet diapers, but no poop!!! She tried but cried everytime and nothing came out! So research said that sugars help draw water back into the poop, making it softer, and easier to expel.
After 48 hours of lactulose, she fussed, cried buckets!!! but finally a foot long of poop came out. And we all celebrated after =))
She's now back on porridge, but heavily watered down, and is filled with more vege than rice! I hope things go back to normal now.
Consulted the pediatrician and Aly was prescribed Duphalac (lactulose). Dosage: 2.5ml 3 times a day. My science knowledge told me the suffix -lose meant sugar. And true enough, it was synthetic sugar!
How constipation begins is when one ignores the urge to poop, or has trouble pooping because of harder stools (due to lack of water at most times). In this case, Aly was experiencing harden stools because of her porridge diet. For some breastfed babies, the sudden change from breastmilk to solids shocks their systems and some just take a longer time to adjust. So she tried pushing, and it couldn't come out, so she must've held it back in. This compounded the issue because poop that's stored longer in the intestines become harder because the sole function of the intestines is to absorb water back into the body. So the longer the poop sits in the intestines, the more water is absorbed from the poop, making it harder, and hence, harder to push out!
So I've been giving her prune juice, apple juice, pear juice, water (which she absolutely hates) and all I saw was a double in wet diapers, but no poop!!! She tried but cried everytime and nothing came out! So research said that sugars help draw water back into the poop, making it softer, and easier to expel.
After 48 hours of lactulose, she fussed, cried buckets!!! but finally a foot long of poop came out. And we all celebrated after =))
She's now back on porridge, but heavily watered down, and is filled with more vege than rice! I hope things go back to normal now.
Easiyo Real Yogurt Maker
So mommy is a sucker for yogurt. Especially frozen yogurt!! Yummmmmmmm. My hubby can testify to the crazy amount of money spent in places like TuttiFrutti in IOI. Hehehehehe.
I've been researching about giving yogurt to baby, and came across making your own yogurt threads. Problem was, what was basic was getting a way to properly incubate the mixture - keeping it at just the right temperature for the bacteria to populate! A whole long list of time consuming ways to incubate the mixtures turned me off. With limited time on my hands, I'd rather spend money buying them off the rack at a supermarket. =/ But the price... ohhh yes the price... sigh. Other cheaper yogurts just didn't taste as nice, and were packed with sugars and other chemical stabilizers. The ones I really gave a thumbs up to were greek style ones bought in Cold Storage... RM10.99 per 500g =/ Bahhhh.
So I chanced upon Easiyo yogurt maker in Cold Storage yesterday and my heart sang!! The ever-so-rationale hubby stopped me in my attempt to reach for the product and nicely suggested that I do some research first. =/ Wise words indeed. So home I went and researched away!! hohohohoho! The verdict: We bought one today! Starter pack at RM98.99 comes with the maker, instruction booklet, and 2 sachets of premix. If you're thinking of buying it, please ask for it to be opened and checked. Because mine only came with 1 sachet! Thankfully the nice man in Cold Storage was quick to hand me another sachet =D =D
I just unboxed it and my first batch of Strawberry yogurt is incubating. In another 11 hours, we'll give it a first taste! But on hindsight, this impatient mommy should've waited!! Cause this batch of yogurt will be ready at 4am bahhhh... Means I'll either have to set the alarm to wake up and deal with it, or leave it to set longer which will make the yogurt creamier and heavier. Doesn't sound too bad huh? =)
On a side note, these first few batches of yogurt will be going to mommy and daddy. Baby's still battling constipation and yogurt makes things worse. So we'll hold on till maybe her 9th or 10th month =) But I betcha she's gonna love it!
Ooooo I can't wait for my Strawberry flavored yogurt to be ready!
Shall review it once completed and tasted!
I've been researching about giving yogurt to baby, and came across making your own yogurt threads. Problem was, what was basic was getting a way to properly incubate the mixture - keeping it at just the right temperature for the bacteria to populate! A whole long list of time consuming ways to incubate the mixtures turned me off. With limited time on my hands, I'd rather spend money buying them off the rack at a supermarket. =/ But the price... ohhh yes the price... sigh. Other cheaper yogurts just didn't taste as nice, and were packed with sugars and other chemical stabilizers. The ones I really gave a thumbs up to were greek style ones bought in Cold Storage... RM10.99 per 500g =/ Bahhhh.
So I chanced upon Easiyo yogurt maker in Cold Storage yesterday and my heart sang!! The ever-so-rationale hubby stopped me in my attempt to reach for the product and nicely suggested that I do some research first. =/ Wise words indeed. So home I went and researched away!! hohohohoho! The verdict: We bought one today! Starter pack at RM98.99 comes with the maker, instruction booklet, and 2 sachets of premix. If you're thinking of buying it, please ask for it to be opened and checked. Because mine only came with 1 sachet! Thankfully the nice man in Cold Storage was quick to hand me another sachet =D =D
I just unboxed it and my first batch of Strawberry yogurt is incubating. In another 11 hours, we'll give it a first taste! But on hindsight, this impatient mommy should've waited!! Cause this batch of yogurt will be ready at 4am bahhhh... Means I'll either have to set the alarm to wake up and deal with it, or leave it to set longer which will make the yogurt creamier and heavier. Doesn't sound too bad huh? =)
On a side note, these first few batches of yogurt will be going to mommy and daddy. Baby's still battling constipation and yogurt makes things worse. So we'll hold on till maybe her 9th or 10th month =) But I betcha she's gonna love it!
Ooooo I can't wait for my Strawberry flavored yogurt to be ready!
Shall review it once completed and tasted!
Constipation battle part II
I'm sitting here, typing with my heart broken into many tiny pieces.
Tonight, I watched helplessly as my baby cried with tears and pushed with all her might until her fists shook trying to poo.
I watched as the poo surfaced, only to be sucked back in, just like childbirth. With each push she cried even louder. She was in pain. My baby was in so much pain and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
I tried lubricating my finger to help dig some out, but it was just too hard. Only little bits came out.
I couldn't look at her because that drove me to tears, and I knew I had to be calm cause that was the only way I could help. So we started singing her favorite songs, trying to make her feel better. But it only worked to ease the surface tension. She was still in pain.
We had tried everything, short of an enema and a visit to the docs cause it's CNY and all the paeds we normally go to are closed.
Pear, prune juice, taking her off all food but breastmilk and pear. Prayer and more prayer. We've tried it, and it hasn't worked. She's not dehydrated because she's been wetting her diapers like crazy since the juice and water.
I am lost. I have never felt this helpless before. All I know is that I have this huge ache in my heart now and I can't speak, I can't sleep, all I can do to ease the tension is to type.
My hope is in the Lord. His love and mercies are abundant and abounding... Lord may healing come soon...
Tonight, I watched helplessly as my baby cried with tears and pushed with all her might until her fists shook trying to poo.
I watched as the poo surfaced, only to be sucked back in, just like childbirth. With each push she cried even louder. She was in pain. My baby was in so much pain and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
I tried lubricating my finger to help dig some out, but it was just too hard. Only little bits came out.
I couldn't look at her because that drove me to tears, and I knew I had to be calm cause that was the only way I could help. So we started singing her favorite songs, trying to make her feel better. But it only worked to ease the surface tension. She was still in pain.
We had tried everything, short of an enema and a visit to the docs cause it's CNY and all the paeds we normally go to are closed.
Pear, prune juice, taking her off all food but breastmilk and pear. Prayer and more prayer. We've tried it, and it hasn't worked. She's not dehydrated because she's been wetting her diapers like crazy since the juice and water.
I am lost. I have never felt this helpless before. All I know is that I have this huge ache in my heart now and I can't speak, I can't sleep, all I can do to ease the tension is to type.
My hope is in the Lord. His love and mercies are abundant and abounding... Lord may healing come soon...
Of constipation and drinking water
Since starting Alyssa on porridge, she has been experiencing constipation... quite bad ones actually =(
At first, my remedy was pureed pear. It'll work like a charm and the next day, she'll have nice soft liquidy poo. But the magic wore out after a couple of weeks. Started giving her vege porridge and still that didn't work.
So I tried giving her water. Since birth she has not taken water. And as predicted, she rejected it. Literally took a sip, and then realised it wasn't milk and spat it out like a whale's blowhole. *sigh* So the hubby and I would forcefully restrain her and try to force down as much water as possible. Most days, that would be no water as she's gotten really good at controlling what goes down and spitting out everything else. =/
So after a month of doing this, I had almost given up. Till yesterday when I was drinking water and noticed her observing me. Lightbulb! I put my cup to her mouth and she drank! Gulp gulp gulp we heard and we were sooo thrilled!!!! So as of yesterday, I've been nicely feeding her water with a cup! She makes a mess cause she's not used to drinking from anything without a teat or spout, but heck, I don't mind the mess at all as long as she's drinking water. So I really pray that her constipation will be a thing of the past real soon! Thank God for guiding us!
At first, my remedy was pureed pear. It'll work like a charm and the next day, she'll have nice soft liquidy poo. But the magic wore out after a couple of weeks. Started giving her vege porridge and still that didn't work.
So I tried giving her water. Since birth she has not taken water. And as predicted, she rejected it. Literally took a sip, and then realised it wasn't milk and spat it out like a whale's blowhole. *sigh* So the hubby and I would forcefully restrain her and try to force down as much water as possible. Most days, that would be no water as she's gotten really good at controlling what goes down and spitting out everything else. =/
So after a month of doing this, I had almost given up. Till yesterday when I was drinking water and noticed her observing me. Lightbulb! I put my cup to her mouth and she drank! Gulp gulp gulp we heard and we were sooo thrilled!!!! So as of yesterday, I've been nicely feeding her water with a cup! She makes a mess cause she's not used to drinking from anything without a teat or spout, but heck, I don't mind the mess at all as long as she's drinking water. So I really pray that her constipation will be a thing of the past real soon! Thank God for guiding us!
Miek miek
28th January 2011, 5.20pm
Alyssa: Emmmmmmmmmmm Muuh muuh....
Me: Mama??? What did you say? Did you say Mama??
Alyssa: Emmmmmmm (whiny cryish tone) emmmmmmmm miek miek.........
Hubby: I think she's saying milk milk.
Me: Try the bottle.
Hubby: (shows her the bottle)
Alyssa: EMMMMMMMM MIEK MIEKKK MIEK MIEKKKKKKKK (more cries)
Us: Oh gosh...
Me: Her first word's milk milk!!! ARgggggggggggggg
There goes the battle for the first word. Looks like neither of us won. Milk did. =/
Nevertheless, here's a record of this milestone: First babble word: Milk at 8 months 8 days =)
Alyssa: Emmmmmmmmmmm Muuh muuh....
Me: Mama??? What did you say? Did you say Mama??
Alyssa: Emmmmmmm (whiny cryish tone) emmmmmmmm miek miek.........
Hubby: I think she's saying milk milk.
Me: Try the bottle.
Hubby: (shows her the bottle)
Alyssa: EMMMMMMMM MIEK MIEKKK MIEK MIEKKKKKKKK (more cries)
Us: Oh gosh...
Me: Her first word's milk milk!!! ARgggggggggggggg
There goes the battle for the first word. Looks like neither of us won. Milk did. =/
Nevertheless, here's a record of this milestone: First babble word: Milk at 8 months 8 days =)
Becoming a Kiasu mommy??
In 3 days, I would've been a mommy for 8 months. How time flies.
Have been taking time out to reflect this past week and I've noticed a big wart! I may be transforming into mommy-zilla, or kiasu mommy in a more Asian term.
Here's why I think so:
I've more or less come up with how this all started and why I've resorted to becoming mommy-zilla, which is a story for another day. So this now leaves me with a question "What am I going to do with this knowledge?" *ponders*
Have been taking time out to reflect this past week and I've noticed a big wart! I may be transforming into mommy-zilla, or kiasu mommy in a more Asian term.
Here's why I think so:
- For me, the line between bragging and being proud of my daughter is slowly blurring. I keep "bragging" about my daughter's achievements on FB statuses. It has become almost a natural thing. When she does something, I feel the urge to construct beautiful FB statuses to tell the FB world about it. I rationalize that I'm just so proud that I want to shout it to the whole world. See how the lines have blurred?
- I constantly am comparing my daughter to others, especially in terms of reaching milestones! The other day, I got a bit concerned that my daughter's pearly whites are still no where to be seen, while other babies already have nice ones at 6 months. Then my husband stopped me and made me think of how exactly would teething late be catastrophic. Needless to say, it wasn't catastrophic at all! Loud alarms went off "Kiasu, kiasu, kiasu!"
- I feel the urge to get my daughter the best of the best that I can afford. Yes, I know the RM20 toy is probably just as good as the RM50 but still.... Oh goodness... sigh. That's where all my money has been going. To fill this crazy irrational "need".
I've more or less come up with how this all started and why I've resorted to becoming mommy-zilla, which is a story for another day. So this now leaves me with a question "What am I going to do with this knowledge?" *ponders*
First Photoshoot with Uncle Juan
My brother is multi-talented. One of his recent passions is photography - much to my delight! It's a plus point that he is absolutely in love with his niece! After much planning, a date was set for Toothless' first photoshoot! But due to some last minute matters, we only managed to get to Uncle Juan when Toothless was close to her nap time. =( It was tough, but she was a champ! Gave us lotsa smiles when daddy and mommy pranced around like crazy people singing, cheering, and dancing.
Here are the results!
Here are the results!
Couple time = minimal
Since we took a trip to PD this year end for church camp, Toothless' schedule changed. It started with just one night of sleeping at 8pm then waking at 9pm to throw her beautiful sleep schedule off course.
Prior to the trip, she'd take 3 naps in the day, amounting to 2 hours max, and then sleep at 8.30pm right up until 7am. Never waking in the night at all. Bliss.
So since camp, her day schedule has remained unchanged. But her night schedule is horrendous! Especially in the past week. Her usual 8.30pm bed time has been - for the past 3 days - pushed to 10.30pm and last night, 11pm!!!!
As such, couple time has been minimal.
We still keep to the routine of spending time with her, prayers, last feed, and putting her in the cot. Only problem is, this period has coincided with her learning to crawl (Christmas) and pulling herself up on the cot! So everytime she goes into the cot, it's practice time!!! She'll spend an hour to hour and a half just practicing and feeling realllllyyy good about herself. Giggle giggle, fall, climb up again, giggle giggle again. *sigh*
So the battle begins, we've tried patting, singing, feeding, letting her loose to tire her out, and even restraining her but nothing works. Did some research and it could be the practicing period for the new skill and things should go back to normal after she's mastered the skill. I hope that will be the case.
So till then, daddy and mommy will need to have couple time while putting her to sleep. =/
Prior to the trip, she'd take 3 naps in the day, amounting to 2 hours max, and then sleep at 8.30pm right up until 7am. Never waking in the night at all. Bliss.
So since camp, her day schedule has remained unchanged. But her night schedule is horrendous! Especially in the past week. Her usual 8.30pm bed time has been - for the past 3 days - pushed to 10.30pm and last night, 11pm!!!!
As such, couple time has been minimal.
We still keep to the routine of spending time with her, prayers, last feed, and putting her in the cot. Only problem is, this period has coincided with her learning to crawl (Christmas) and pulling herself up on the cot! So everytime she goes into the cot, it's practice time!!! She'll spend an hour to hour and a half just practicing and feeling realllllyyy good about herself. Giggle giggle, fall, climb up again, giggle giggle again. *sigh*
So the battle begins, we've tried patting, singing, feeding, letting her loose to tire her out, and even restraining her but nothing works. Did some research and it could be the practicing period for the new skill and things should go back to normal after she's mastered the skill. I hope that will be the case.
So till then, daddy and mommy will need to have couple time while putting her to sleep. =/
Hmm...
Took a day to fiddle, and decided on this. But I'm not too happy with the fonts though. =/ The problem with fonts is, they are properly displayed only if readers have the fonts installs on their PCs. So the fonts from my library look really good on my PC but not on another if the fonts aren't installed... making my fonts look like a mishmash of funny-looking fonts. =/
Shall stick with this for the time-being. Till then, this shall be it!
Shall stick with this for the time-being. Till then, this shall be it!
Renovation Works in Progress!
I shall be taking a hiatus from blogging to work on a fresh look! Hopefully I'll get it done soon!
Ta!
Official Business - MyKid registration and name alteration
I delivered Alyssa in SDMC and as with all private hospitals, the hospital tries their best to make application for your baby's birth certificate and IC (MyKid) a more pleasant and easy task. As such, they provide the new mom with a letter from your OB, duly completed forms (except the name of the baby, obviously!), as well as a congratulatory letter with instructions on how to get through the application process.
Here's what this process entails:
1. Fill up application form (usually issued by the hospital as there is a column for doctor's signature).
2. Bring the following to your nearest JPN:
(a) duly completed application form
(b) parents' ICs (original and 1 photocopy - front and back on same sheet)
(c) hospital appointment card (original and 1 photocopy)
(d) letter from hospital (original and 1 photocopy)
Note: baby and mother are not required to be present. Parents can even nominate a relative to submit the application, but you'll need an extra form stating authorization from the parents.
And application is free.
You'll then receive the birth cert on the day itself. We made ours in the SEPUTEH branch in Endah Parade Sri Petaling, which was really empty so Justin managed to get her birth cert in 5 mins. Whereas if the registration was done in more busy branches (e.g. putrajaya), it'll take 30 mins - 1 hour.
But here's the issue I had with JPN seputeh - the lady that Justin dealt with was either lazy, or not fully trained.
On the form we printed very clearly our daughter's name. Her chinese name was to be hyphenated: Kye-li. Justin was told that a hyphen (-) could not be used in the child's name. So boggled and tired, Justin said ok and left it as it.
When we discussed about it after the fact, it was clear that it may not be such as my name had a hyphen in it!! So either policies were changed from when I was born, or this lady had no idea what she was talking about, or she couldn't find the (-) key on her keyboard to key the hyphen in. So this furious mommy did some research and it turns out, the JPN's official policy states that hyphens, commas, and aliases are permitted symbols!
With that, we went back to Seputeh to make the amendment, only to be told amendments can only be made in their head quarters - JPN Putrajaya. Sigh. So we put it off till December this year. Note: any alteration to a child's name can only be done within TWO windows: (1) from birth to the child's first birthday; (2) When the child reaches 12 years old.
Researched the whole process again and here's the how-to should you want to alter your child's name.
(1) obtain forms from JPN office (we got ours from Putrajaya)
(2) complete all sections
(3) you are required to have these following documents:
(a) completed forms + stamp and signature of a commissioner for oaths for one of the sections
(b) parents' ICs (both mom and dad's original and 1 photocopy)
(c) child's birth cert (original and 1 photocopy)
(d) any other official documents with name of the child (e.g. insurance policy, bank account etc)
(e) MyKid card (original)
(4) Go to the ticketing counter, show them your completed forms, take number
(5) submit forms, pay RM2 for processing fee. Submit MyKid card.
(6) wait for a new birth cert, pay RM5 for new birth cert.
(7) Collect and keep slip to pick up new MyKid card 1 month later. Note: you can request for the MyKid to be sent to a JPN branch closest to you.
So all in all, it was a tedious process, especially queuing up for the commissioner for oaths' signature. Sigh. But at the end of the day, what made it all worth while was that the JPN officer at Putrajaya who served us was a wonderful wonderful man! He was not only polite, kind, and efficient, he also had a sense of humor! =)) So maybe there is hope for JPN afterall!
Here's what this process entails:
1. Fill up application form (usually issued by the hospital as there is a column for doctor's signature).
2. Bring the following to your nearest JPN:
(a) duly completed application form
(b) parents' ICs (original and 1 photocopy - front and back on same sheet)
(c) hospital appointment card (original and 1 photocopy)
(d) letter from hospital (original and 1 photocopy)
Note: baby and mother are not required to be present. Parents can even nominate a relative to submit the application, but you'll need an extra form stating authorization from the parents.
And application is free.
You'll then receive the birth cert on the day itself. We made ours in the SEPUTEH branch in Endah Parade Sri Petaling, which was really empty so Justin managed to get her birth cert in 5 mins. Whereas if the registration was done in more busy branches (e.g. putrajaya), it'll take 30 mins - 1 hour.
But here's the issue I had with JPN seputeh - the lady that Justin dealt with was either lazy, or not fully trained.
On the form we printed very clearly our daughter's name. Her chinese name was to be hyphenated: Kye-li. Justin was told that a hyphen (-) could not be used in the child's name. So boggled and tired, Justin said ok and left it as it.
When we discussed about it after the fact, it was clear that it may not be such as my name had a hyphen in it!! So either policies were changed from when I was born, or this lady had no idea what she was talking about, or she couldn't find the (-) key on her keyboard to key the hyphen in. So this furious mommy did some research and it turns out, the JPN's official policy states that hyphens, commas, and aliases are permitted symbols!
With that, we went back to Seputeh to make the amendment, only to be told amendments can only be made in their head quarters - JPN Putrajaya. Sigh. So we put it off till December this year. Note: any alteration to a child's name can only be done within TWO windows: (1) from birth to the child's first birthday; (2) When the child reaches 12 years old.
Researched the whole process again and here's the how-to should you want to alter your child's name.
(1) obtain forms from JPN office (we got ours from Putrajaya)
(2) complete all sections
(3) you are required to have these following documents:
(a) completed forms + stamp and signature of a commissioner for oaths for one of the sections
(b) parents' ICs (both mom and dad's original and 1 photocopy)
(c) child's birth cert (original and 1 photocopy)
(d) any other official documents with name of the child (e.g. insurance policy, bank account etc)
(e) MyKid card (original)
(4) Go to the ticketing counter, show them your completed forms, take number
(5) submit forms, pay RM2 for processing fee. Submit MyKid card.
(6) wait for a new birth cert, pay RM5 for new birth cert.
(7) Collect and keep slip to pick up new MyKid card 1 month later. Note: you can request for the MyKid to be sent to a JPN branch closest to you.
So all in all, it was a tedious process, especially queuing up for the commissioner for oaths' signature. Sigh. But at the end of the day, what made it all worth while was that the JPN officer at Putrajaya who served us was a wonderful wonderful man! He was not only polite, kind, and efficient, he also had a sense of humor! =)) So maybe there is hope for JPN afterall!
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