Little Miracles · June 2009

What my girl is up to

June 30, 2009 in Growing Up, Hannah, Milestones | 3 comments

With Hannah spending all her time with Mommy, isn’t it a given that I would be busy taking pictures of my little angel? I cherish every minute I spend with her, whether it is breastfeeding her, bathing her, changing her, playing with her or simply just watching her sleep. There is something very angelic about watching a baby sleeping; with Hannah, I love seeing her sleeping position with both hands to her sides: so peaceful, so calm 🙂

Oh, and of course, I absolutely LURVE the smell of her head and her hair…and her SKIN! Intoxicatingly heavenly…and dare I say, strong enough to drive away the worries and stress of the day!

Hannah loves her tummy time; being rolled over from her back to her front, and then trying to inch her way forward. She’s very good, and is able to *adjust* her hand position in order not to let it be “stuck” when rolling over. Of course she can’t roll over herself yet, and needs to be supervised.

We bring Hannah out on days I go out, but I suspect she loves it better and finds comfort at home. The thing is, Hannah cannot stand heat at all! It’s summer now and way, way hot! Just a little rise in the temperature and she will be perspiring! And since she cannot *tell* us yet, she will wail and cry, all the way back home (if we are in the car): persistent, heart-wrenching cries that will not stop until we push her stroller back safely in the confines of our home and then turn the air-conditioning on.

But she does look adorable sitting in her infant car seat, no?

Oh, and apart from just sleeping and reclining in her infant-toddler rocker, Hannah can also sit quite comfortably in the Bumbo now! Of course, her big brother would then want to sit in it too! LOL

Sparkling pearly whites!

June 26, 2009 in Ethan, Growing Up, Milestones, Parenting | 3 comments

Last week, Ethan had his first visit to the dentist. I know we should have brought him when he was about two or two-and-a-half, but I was searching for a good pediatric dentist, fussypot that I am. Anyway, I stumbled on this pediatric dentist’s site and the pictures in his clinic looked really cool; with soft toys everywhere and smiling kids, I knew this was where Ethan could go.

I promptly made an appointment, and although we arrived at the clinic a little late, we quickly registered (while Ethan busied himself with Super Mario Bros.) and were ushered in. I went in with Ethan while Pete stayed in the reception area with Hannah.

The dentist’s examination room was nothing like the regular dental clinic. It almost seemed like a child’s playroom! Ethan immediately went for the Ikea bolster thingy, which coincidentally was the identical one he has at home.

Then the dental assistant got Ethan to warm up by giving him a giant toothbrush to brush the “dino”‘s teeth:

It was funny cuz Ethan wanted to brush his own teeth at first! 🙂

Next, the dentist came in and explained that he would just be checking Ethan’s teeth and *counting* them. Unfortunately, despite Ethan saying “okay” back home when I told him what the dentist would be doing, he refused to lie down. So I had to hold Ethan, one leg on either side of my waist, then I faced the dentist, and lowered Ethan’s head so his teeth could be checked.

There was some buildup along the gumlines of some of his teeth, but thankfully no cavities. As usual, the dentist asked Ethan to brush at least twice a day and floss too. And as expected, when his teeth was counted, he had only 18: the 2 missing teeth were his two bottom incisors, just like Daddy’s. 😛

We were then ushered to the x-ray room where Ethan was the perfect angel while his teeth x-rays were taken.

No fuss, no mess…he just bit on a piece of material for the x-ray to be taken, then his teeth picture was snapped; twice: once for the top jaw and once for the bottom.

Here’s his anxious look waiting for the x-rays to be ready.

Well, that soon turned to happiness when he was asked to choose a balloon: Ethan chose the red one:

His teeth x-rays looked fine, and we could see the permanent teeth below his milk teeth. It is possible though that he will still take after Pete and have 2 incisors missing in the bottom jaw.

Oh, and before we left the clinic, Ethan was asked to choose a toy too. He is very into musical instruments, so he chose a purple recorder!

We were told to make another appointment for cleaning of his teeth, so I did. And his teeth-cleaning appointment was 2 days ago…

I had explained to Ethan that it would just be a very simple brushing and cleaning and he would get a balloon and toy after that. On the way to the clinic, he was all, “I wanna see Mr Dentist!”

But as soon as the dental assistant was ready to start the cleaning procedure, Ethan looked very troubled and began sobbing. He lied down on the bench-like chair (totally flat, not reclinable like a regular dentist’s) and looked very upset. Maybe he wasn’t very sure what to expect, but after a few minutes of consoling and reassurance (and me holding a red balloon for him) he quietened down, wore his *sunglasses* and had his teeth cleaned.

The dental assistant did the following:

flossed his teeth
brushed his teeth with a toothbrush to show me (and Ethan) the correct way of brushing
cleaned his teeth with a rubbery vibrating tool
wiped his mouth and teeth dry with cotton gauze
applied flouride *bubble bath* on the teeth
wiped his teeth again

Ethan was to refrain from food and drnks for half an hour after that.

Good job, Ethan! Look at how sparkling clean his teeth are now!

And this is the toy he chose:

Looks like I’ll have to get him a balloon and toy the next time he visits a dentist in Malaysia!

In South Lake Tahoe

June 24, 2009 in Ethan, Hannah, Vacation | 2 comments

We made a 4-hour-or-so drive northeast to South Lake Tahoe for a one-night holiday last week. Pete had taken the week off from work, and the decision to travel there was kinda impulsive. We knew it would be our last vacation to somewhere in the States before we headed back to Malaysia next month, yet it would be our very first trip together as a family of four.

Thankfully, I managed to secure a hotel room at the last minute at a whopping 40% discount, and even better, it came with a king-sized bed with the famous Tempur-Pedic® mattress, which was absolute heaven for our weary bodies. Unfortunately the hotel did not provide a crib for Hannah, so we had to bring her infant-toddler rocker for her to sleep on.

So how was our holiday?

Well, to tell you the truth, despite the rather long journey, and having to make a few pit stops for when Hannah needed a feed, or for when Ethan had to go to the potty, or errmm…for when Mommy had to go potty, I think we did pretty well. Took us slightly longer than usual to get to our destination, but it was definitely very worth it. Of course, we were entertained along the way by the usual chatters and singing from our very willing Mr Bulat (when he wasn’t asleep).

Let’s just let the pictures tell the story…

Here’s Ethan enjoying the sunset at the recreation park by the lake. Our little boy kept whining that he wanted to “go home” but he seemed very happy when we stopped by the lakeside after dinner! LOL

A picture I took of Pete and the kids. It was supposed to be just Pete and Hannah, but Ethan wanted in on the photo too, as you can see!

Before we left for home, we drove to indulge in the scenic view of Lake Tahoe. Here’s a family picture taken with the picturesque Emerald Bay in the background. Hannah was asleep…or so we thought!

She promptly awoke, I guess cuz she wanted to take in the spectacular view too! She was all smiles, so we did what every smart parent would have done!

And then of course here we have Ethan wanting to leave the scenic spot because he insisted he had to go to the Men’s to wash his hands!

Oh yeah…I won’t forget pictures of the breathtaking view.

It’s summer now, so there’s no more snow where we were. The temperature was also way warmer than I had anticipated. I had packed a considerable amount of warm clothing, only to have them occupy luggage space instead!

This was the closest Ethan got to seeing snow:

Not bad for a 2-day-1 night vacation eh?

We had pasta for lunch

June 16, 2009 in Ethan, Food & Feeding | 3 comments

Ethan asked for pasta for lunch today, so we decided to go try this place called Pasta Pomodoro. Coincidentally, they have a Kids Eat Free promotion on Tuesdays, so it was great because Ethan doesn’t really eat much.

The kids’ meal came with a drink (either milk, soda or apple juice), a main course and chocolate sundae for dessert. Here’s Ethan enjoying his milk…

He wasn’t at all interested in the meal we ordered for him, however. I ordered Easy Cheesy Pasta, which was like mac-n-cheese with conchiglie (shell pasta). Instead, Ethan asked for what Daddy was having: Frutti di Mare, i.e. spaghetti with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, garlic, tomato sauce.

Excellent choice, I’d say! It certainly did not bother him that it was slightly spicy too!

He finished his entire plate, then gulped down the whole glass of milk and then tucked into his chocolate sundae dessert.

And when we were done with lunch, as we were heading towards the car, he told me this, “The pasta was good, Mommy!” He had never ever said that before. 🙂

Hannah at 3 months

June 11, 2009 in Hannah, Milestones | 3 comments

Scrap Credits
Ho Happy Day QP freebie from Nolaé
Earthy Crunchy Alpha from Color With Caryn Designs

Weight

Let’s just say she is growing well and getting chubbier by the day. I did notice, however, that her waistline has decreased a tad, because I have had to tighten the snaps on her cloth diapers a notch. She’ll be going for her 4-month checkup early next month, so we’ll get an official weight reading then.

Height/Length

Again, we’ll get her measured for length next month, although I must say that Hannah has been doing a lot of stretching!

Motor Skills

Hannah’s coordination skills have improved a lot, and she can now finger, touch and play with her toys hung over her head. Sometimes she would even “talk” to them!
She loves her tummy time, and being able to look around when on her front. I have also been allowing her some exercise time, closely supervising her rolling back and forth on a flat and soft surface like the bed.
She has started salivating a little, and sometimes blowing raspberries.
Her head support is also getting stronger by the day, although she still wobbles her head a little when we put her in the Bumbo, so we still have to supervise her.
Very good at kicking and struggling.

Communication and Social Skills

Eye contact and focus is now better, and you know, I just love looking and talking to her, looking at her big brown eyes!
Hannah is becoming very sociable, and will smile almost immediately when we talk to her, or sing to her.
She will giggle sometimes too, and laugh out loud when I tickle her.
She will turn in the direction her name is called.
She will sometimes open her arms wide when she senses I am about to pick her up in my arms.
She likes to make a cooing “rrrrr” sound when I speak to her, as if in reply to what I say.
And, as is apparent in our family gene pool, she is one persistent baby, with loud and heart-wrenching cries when she needs attention.

Others

Being a light sleeper, Hannah will stir from her sleep at the slightest sound. But immediately when I carry her in my arms, she will fall back to sleep. Once, her Daddy managed to calm her down by holding her hands away from her face when she woke up and she slept on for 4 hours straight! We are trying this method now 🙂

Food and Feeding

She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Still regurgitating off and on, but hopefully it will be a thing of the past soon.

My food worries

June 9, 2009 in Ethan, Food & Feeding | 6 comments

I do worry about Ethan.

I worry about his eating habits; how he only seems to live on rice and gravy and nothing else. Well, he takes hard-boiled eggs on occasion, but it really depends on his mood. No other form of protein, and if we’re lucky, just a few small pieces of meat and that’s it.

Lately, his daycare giver says that he has taken a liking to Mac-n-Cheese, and would eat a LOT at daycare, but when I prepare Mac-n-Cheese for him at home, he wouldn’t even taste it! Not even if it’s Mic-a-roni and Cheese, i.e Mac-n-Cheese made with Mickey and Friends pasta shapes.

I worry that he is not getting any fiber in his body. He does not like vegetables, although he basically knows the names of all the vegetables I put on the table. Sometimes he even makes a special request to ask me to buy carrots or broccoli when we go grocery shopping. But eating it is a no-no.

As for fruits, he will only take apples now. His love for bananas has also waned. I once tried whipping up a chocolate banana milkshake to entice him, but he only took a few sips of it.

We are trying to jazz up his Pediasure nowadays, using colorful straws and cups. Works some of the time…I also make a batch of Pediasure and chill it in the fridge for his evening consumption. Whatever goes in, I am thankful.

Despite all this though, our Ethan is still very much active all the time, full of energy and always making us laugh.

Things he won’t turn down? Ice cream and yogurt…is it any wonder why this yogurt freeze from the Ikea Deli managed to *entertain* his taste buds so well? 🙂

Her little Brown Book

June 5, 2009 in Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

We received Hannah’s birth registration form (Borang W) and her Emergency Travel Document from the Malaysian Consulate in LA today. The Borang W is just like the Malaysian Birth Certificate, except that it is issued to those who are born outside of Malaysia to parents who are Malaysian citizens.

The Emergency Travel Document is brown book that looks something like our Malaysian international passport. However it is valid only for 9 months from date of issue and can only be used for one-way travel. We’ll need to get Hannah a new Malaysian international passport when we get back to Malaysia.

What this means is that after our two-month wait, we can finally book Hannah’s ticket for home! By the way, still lovin’ that passport photo of Hannah’s 🙂

The tale of the Horlicks doggie cookies

June 2, 2009 in Ethan, Food & Feeding | 4 comments

Yesterday morning, I had the perfect opportunity to do some baking because Hannah decided to sleep in till 11:00a.m. or so. I had seen these yummy Milo doggie cookies baked by Angie and Hooi Ling, and after I was done salivating, I found out that the recipe actually originates from Happy Home Baking’s Horlicks doggie cookies recipe! Since the only Milo I have here is the 3-in-1 variety and hence not suitable, and since I have some Horlicks brought from Malaysia, I decided to bake some of these cute doggie cookies.

With no electrical mixer available, I relied on my trusty wooden spoon where I had to manually stir and mix the cookie mixture. It look okay by my standards, not lumpy or anything!

The first batch of cookies turned out way bigger than I had imagined. I must have used too much cookie dough. They looked more like fat doggies…hehe… No Koko Krunch here either, so I used Cocoa Pebbles instead, resulting in smaller doggie ears. LOL

I managed to bake 39 cookies in all, although the recipe had estimated 48. Nevertheless, the cookies smelled fantastic! And they were very crunchy too…tasted a lot like those typical Chinese New Year cookies, y’know? Good thing about these cookies is that it’s not too sweet, with the sweetness coming only from the chocolate chips!

I love baking homemade cookies because I’d know exactly what goes into them. With Ethan loving cookies so much, it’s a fantastic idea to make nutritious cookies for him. And like Happy Homebaker whom I got the recipe from, I would want to find that ideal cookie recipe with the right balance of nutrition, wholesome goodness and great taste too!

These Horlicks cookies called for some milk powder too, and I’d used Pediasure for that 🙂

Ethan made quite a mess last night when he ate doggie cookie after doggie cookie. The crumbly nature of the cookie caused that, and he preferred to bite off a little at a time, and lick the chocolate chip (nose of the doggie)!

Patience pays a handsome reward

June 1, 2009 in Entertainment, Ethan, Food & Feeding, Vacation | 2 comments

During the recent long Memorial Day weekend, we made a trip to Gilroy Gardens again. This time, the theme park was really packed. All the rides involved a long wait in line. We had wanted to go for the paddle boat ride in the *swans* but the line was REALLY long! So we decided to go for the little sit-in boats instead.

Pete waited with Hannah (who was asleep), and I waited in line with Ethan. There was no sign indicating how long we had to wait though, which made me rather uncomfortable.

All through the wait, Ethan was complaining, “I wanna ride the boat, Mommy!” and all the time I had to reassure him that our turn would come soon, telling him that the line was moving, and distracting him whenever possible.