In the still of the night, there was nary a sound around when suddenly… Ethan: Waaaahhhhhhhh….!!!!
Pete: (happily) I’ll get it! (proceeds to go to Ethan’s cot to cuddle and soothe him)
Ethan: Wawaahhhhhhh….!!! (starts sniffling and sobbing)
Pete: (picks Ethan up) Don’t cry boy, don’t cry….Good boy…
Ethan: (kicks and screams even harder) WaaaaaHhhh!!! Mamamaamamama…….!!!
Pete: Daddy is here, Daddy is here…
Ethan: Mamamamamaaaaa….!!!!! (kicking, screaming, stretching, the works…)
Pete: (frustrated liao) Nah, nah..Mommy is here ….
Me: (taking Ethan in my arms)
Ethan: (immediately making himself cosy in my arms and begins to fall asleep again)
Pete: (sighs) Magic.
Yes, Ethan still CANNOT sleep through the night. SIGH… We have tried countless methods, but still no results. The latest method we tried was the controlled crying method, which was really too heartwrenching for us as parents. This involved letting him cry for longer periods of time as opposed to going to him immediately when he calls. We succeeded for like 5 days or so and then gave up, more so cos we read that Ethan could very well be a baby of very strong and persistent personality and this method does not work well in these cases, according to Dr Sears.
Back when Ethan was but a month old, a good girlfriend of mine told me that soon I would see that Ethan would be sticking to me like a stamp to a letter. Even more so in my case, she continued… because I exclusively breastfeed Ethan.Well that is becoming an apparent reality now as Ethan is now VERY attached to me. He sometimes lets out an urgent cry when he sees me leave the room. And he sometimes also hugs my hand to sleep. Yes… our bond as mother and baby has been strengthened many folds by the beautiful act of breastfeeding. And of course, it is an unwritten fact that babies tend to equate their daddies to playtime and their mommies to nurturing.
But when does this dependence end? I for one, choose to cherish it while it lasts…
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2007.
Lately, Ethan has been experimenting with standing unsupported. He would (as usual) hold on to something (sofa or cabinet) and then let go of both hands for a couple of seconds and then sit down again.
Yesterday, he did it again – this time with more precision and for a longer period. 5 seconds or so, I think. Pete thinks he is gearing up for his upcoming birthday by trying his best to accelerate walking. We’ll see.
We decided to change our Astro subscription to include the Fun mini package, comprising Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and the ever popular Playhouse Disney Channel (PHDC).
With programs such as Barney, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, we think it would be great for Ethan in his growing up years. Right now, he would listen and watch intently as if he understands every word. But his attention span is still very short, and he will only watch for about 5 minutes tops.
For Mommy and Daddy, we added in the Movies package. Hehehe…. after all, we hardly can go to the cineplex nowadays, so it makes sense to have the Movies come to us at home.
Of course, to have these new packages, we sacrificed our Dynasty package and News, which we hardly ever watch anyway.
Here’s to Home Entertainment!
Ethan is now 1 month shy of his first birthday. Here’s a summary of how he has grown:
Weight
We’ve not had a chance to weigh Ethan at the pediatrician’s yet, so I rely on the following method for now:
Weight of myself on the scales = X
Weight of Ethan and me on the scales = Y
=> Weight of Ethan = Y-X = ~9kgHeight/Length
Unable to measure as he is very wriggly and we can hardly get him to lie still for an accurate measurement. My guess would be circa 72-73cm.
Teeth
4 in total: 2 central top and bottom incisors.
Motor Skills
- “Look Mommy, no hands!” – Ethan will sometimes release both hands from holding onto anything while he is standing, just to experiment. He can “tahan” for 2-3 seconds before he sits down again.
- Monkeying around – Ethan has begun to climb. He can hoist himself up onto his infant rocker/chair. He has also developed an ability to reach for things. He likes to reach outside his playpen for things on the cupboard nearby.
- Throwing – He loves to throw things, possible because of the sound that is produced when the stuff he throws hits the ground. He will also anticipate the sound by closing his eyes immediately after the item leaves his hands.
Communication & Social Skills
- New “words”: Baby and Mommy (yay!!!). Well, actually he doesn’t say Mommy all the time, it’s really a mixture of Momma and Mommy, but we’ve heard him say “Mommy” really clearly on a few occasions. Yay me.
- Can understand the meaning of NO, but sometimes will pout and start to cry when we say it. You should see him… pouting but still looking as adorable as ever.
Food
New foods introduced: Beef and other green vegetables. I can tell Ethan is a potential quarter-pounder-with-cheese lover by the way he wallops his entire bowl of nutritious beef porridge. Oh yeah… and our boy loves nectarines too!
Our last outing to Queensbay Mall was on December the 30th, and coincidentally, New Zealand Natural Ice Cream was having its 30% off promotion (it’s similar to Baskin Robbins’ 31% off every 31st of the month, except for New Zealand’s, it will occur every month, except February. Sure doesn’t take a genius to figure out why… duh)Anyway, since we had been deprived of ice cream for such a long time, we decided to get a pint (we couldn’t get too many pints cos our freezer space is mostly used up to store my frozen EBM). Guess what flavor we got? Irresistably RUM N RAISIN. Yummy…
The entire tub was finished by Pete and I in 2 seatings. We’re going back for more next month.
Since we’d already travelled for Christmas, we spent New Year’s in Penang, in the comfort of our apartment. One of my New Year resolutions is to cook more frequently, since I have “ready” customers at home who relish my cooking. Heh… does wonders for the ego too, I might add. So to start the New Year off with a bang (pun intended), I decided to cook today. Pete was such a dear and he looked after Ethan while I dished out the goodies.I’ll have to admit I actually went kind of bonkers and dished out 5 dishes today, instead of the customary 3. The 5 dishes were:
- Stir-fry beef with celery and carrots (This was the first time I cooked this dish, let alone cook beef. I introduced beef to Ethan today, so since he only took a small portion of the beef, I used the greater part of the meat for this dish)
- Ginger & spring onion chicken
- Baked beans with eggs & bombay onions
- Stir-fry Baby bok choy
- Watercress soup
Of course, the dishes were served with a healthy concoction of red rice + Herbal Ponney rice + Energy Grain Mix (millet + quinoa + buckwheat).
Delicious or not, you’ll have to ask Pete la…
So as we bid buh-bye to the year 2006, I fondly recall the many blessings God has bestowed upon us and the priceless episodes that have indelibly changed my life:
- I gave birth to our darling Ethan boy, sans epidural
- I changed diapers for the first time in my life. Now Pete refers to me as the expert…
- I experienced the beautiful bond of breastfeeding and am still cherishing the experience to this day
- Ethan’s first giggle which was filled with such pure innocence and joy.
- I felt the wonderment of being a mother, and more importantly, of being a parent. Motherhood and parenthood really makes us appreciate our own parents more.
- …And I witnessed how awesome a daddy Peter is. The way his face lights up when he looks at our little angel – that’s definitely worth a million bucks.