Precious one-on-one walk-training sessions from big brother to little sister:
All about Hannah
Scrap Credits
I is for I Love You QP from Naturally Expressive by Cheryl
Grungy Stamped Alphas from Scraps by Fashiondeeva
Weight
10.1 kilos, weighed in at the doc’s during her one-year old well-child checkup.
Height/Length
76 cm, as measured at the doc’s too.
Teeth
4 incisors (2 top and 2 bottom). Next 2 top incisors are becoming more prominent, and the next 2 bottom incisors are also making their appearance.
Motor Skills
- Prefers to walk around, albeit in a quite a *scary* manner, because she does sometimes look like she will fall. However, Hannah most of the time manages to balance herself quite well, and can move around rather quickly while walking now.
- Can cross her fingers (middle finger on top of index finger).
- Very inquisitive and curious and keeps exploring things. Her pincer’s grip is very advanced and she can pick up even minute things from the floor. It’s a good thing too, because it forces me to keep the floor as clean as possible.
- Attempts to climb up the couch by lifting her legs.
- Can stand on tip toe for a while.
- Likes to climb out from her bath tub and stand up while I bathe her. I have also started using the shower to bathe her. Soon, I suppose we can do without the tub.
- Can wriggle her arm out from under her seat belt a la Tarzan style, just like her brother did last time. And she can even do it both arms!
Communication and Social Skills
- Very consistently says “Mameh” or “Momma”, sometimes “Mommy”! Says “Deh-deh” for Daddy, very consistently too. Says “Yah”…and recently she said, “PAPAYA”
- Can point to fish in the fish tank when asked “Where’s the fish?”
- Can understand simple instructions like, “Give the block to Ethan”, or “Give Mommy the toy”. I love the way she smiles as she extends her hand with the toy. Sometimes though, she teases us by handing us the toy and then NOT giving it to us!
- Throws and tantrum and screams out loud when somebody takes her toy away.
- Has a really good sense of humor and laughs at almost anything, especially what her brother does.
Food and Feeding
She’s on Mommy’s milk 100% and is loving every bit of her porridge! She can finish quite a lot now, and eats at an amazing pace!
New foods she has been introduced to include:
- Cod fish
- Pork
- Watercress (I made watercress soup without the salt and fed her with it)
- “Kai Lan”
- Egg yolk
- Wolfberries (”Kei Chi”)
Hannah LOVES to drink water. When I ask her if she wants to drink water, her face will light up, and when she sees me getting her purple cup and pouring water into it, she will grin excitedly.
She can also drink a little bit from a straw tumbler now. When we bought her her first straw tumbler, she didn’t know how to drink from it, but then I tried putting a regular straw into a small cup and from then on, she figured out how to do it. Besides, she has her big brother giving her all the encouragement.
During the 3-day weekend before Hannah’s actual birthday on March 2nd, we made a trip down south to have a birthday celebration for Hannah. Our trip was also to celebrate the kid’s Pauline Kor-Kor’s housewarming.
Both of Hannah’s grandparents made the trip to KL for her first birthday celebration, and we are really happy and honored that they could come
We also ordered full moon gift packs for everyone, because during Hannah’s full moon last year in the US, we didn’t have those full moon delicacies then. So we decided to have them for her first birthday instead.
The birthday lunch was at Italiannies The Gardens, and everyone arrived on time..good thing too, because we were all really hungry then. Hannah also wasted no time in checking out the menu…
Unfortunately though, she pulled the menu from the table too quickly and the porcelain plate that was on top of the menu went crashing to the floor!
(Pssst….yes, that’s the Coach Resort I was carrying :))
We took the opportunity to take a few pictures with the birthday girl before our food came. Here’s Hannah with her 2 grandmas.
Hannah wasn’t really herself though, and felt a little listless and tired, because the poor dear was still coughing and had thrown up a couple of times the night before due to the forceful coughing.
Ethan, though, was not interested in taking photos at all. Instead, he preferred to fill his rumbling tummy first….with BREAD!!!!
Notice how he painstakingly peeled off the crusts…
He almost finished our entire plate of bread slices, and then he still had space in his tummy for his spaghetti marinara.
Meanwhile, Hannah enjoyed herself being carried by Ah Ma and Ah Kong…doesn’t she look comfy?
She enjoyed herself till she fell asleep! Look at her comfortably getting her beauty sleep in the stroller we rented from Midvalley.
Meanwhile, the kids were all going hyper, running around and taking pictures everywhere…
…and besides we needed to buy some time to get the birthday girl all woken up and fresh for the cake-cutting.
I ordered this adorable birthday cake from Swee San. I wanted the elephant at the top because Hannah really LOVES elephants. When she takes her bath, she absolutely needs to hold and play with her elephant bath toy. If I offer her something else, she would flatly refuse it.
Love the details on the side of the cake too. It’s a marble cake with fondant all over.
Ethan very willingly volunteered his services to *help* Hannah blow the candle on the cake, while Hannah looked on in confusion. 
The cake was rich and absolutely delicious, but because Hannah had not been introduced to eggs, butter and other stuff in the cake yet, I baked her her own special cake, just like I did for Ethan’s first birthday last time.
This one’s a carrot, banana and pumpkin cake, without milk, eggs, butter and sugar. First, she hesitated when I fed her a slice…then she opened her mouth and took a bite…
…and then she wanted to feed herself…
Looks like it’s a HIT, baby!
After a very fulfilling lunch, we headed back to Pauline Kor Kor’s condo to open the birthday presents. Again, Ethan had volunteered to help Hannah open the presents.
The initial plan was to allow Hannah to choose the present she wanted to open and then Ethan would help her open them. But you know kids, there’s bound to be some grabbing involved. And the birthday girl was also very determined to get her way!
Hannah received lots of lovely gifts, among them a beautiful crocheted dress from her Ipoh Ah Ma and Ah Kong. The dress is handmade with love from Ah Ma. We asked Ethan to display the dress.
…and Hannah to pose in it…
Ethan himself also gave his little sister a present. He knows she loves elephants, so he gave her this:
Here are some of the PINK vehicles Hannah received too. We got them in pink to deter the boys from playing with Hannah’s toys….errr…don’t think it worked…
All in all, a very enjoyable and memorable birthday celebration. Happy birthday little Hannah!
A year has passed since you came into our lives
A year since you, our bundle of joy, arrived
You gave us adorable smiles and cutesy giggles
Happy happy birthday, my sweet darling little girl!
On Hannah’s birthday, we decided to take the kids out for a treat. Pete took the day off and after we picked Ethan up from school, we headed over to Gurney Plaza. Incidentally, we also took Ethan to Gurney Plaza on his first birthday.
We ended up having lunch at Chili’s…it had a been a long while since we ate there and we wanted to check to see if they had improved since then.
Ethan of course enjoyed himself tremendously. He couldn’t decide between the spaghetti and the hot dog, so he ordered both…and also had free flow ice lemon tea…which prompted a few visits to the loo…haha.
Hannah had some home-cooked porridge and was very well-behaved indeed.
Hannah enjoyed her rusk while we dug in to our meal….
…and sometimes she did her upside-down stunt…
…and at other times, the birthday girl was entertained by her brother’s funny antics…
We walked around Gurney Plaza a bit after our hearty meal, stopping at some of our favorite stores, including Ethan’s favorite Toys R Us (which he noticed a mile away!).
Oh, and here’s another shot of Hannah doing her infamous upside-down pose again….this time, a close-up:
Happy birthday Hannah! Sure beats a day at the office anytime, eh Daddy?
Even though Hannah cannot yet eat these cookies, she still insists on grabbing hold of the cookie jar and strutting around with it…almost like holding her own bag!
I’ll have to admit she does look cute!
Endearing shot of Mommy and Ethan, taken during the reunion dinner.
Found some time for a family photo too. This year, we had reunion dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the new Flemington Hotel in Taiping. Atmosphere is certainly different than that of a reunion dinner at home, but one thing good is that we don’t need to do the dishes!
Ethan being *shy* when asked to pose for a picture.
…and now, he’s all warmed up!
Ethan being all big-brotherly and sharing a *conversation* with Hannah.
My little princess and me
In Ipoh, a picture taken with Ah Ma and Ah Kong, and the two girls: Hannah and her little cousin Caitlynn. The boys (Ethan and Collin) just weren’t interested. Haha.
Instead, they were busy with Collin’s birthday cake. In Taiping, Ethan was all “I wanna go to Ipoh to cut Collin’s birthday cake!” So here they are…those 2 boys observing a momentary silence as they await what will happen to the cake.
…and finally…Ethan striking a PIRATE pose!
Hannah has an excellent training regime to aid her in her walking. Superb trainer and the sessions are fun for both the trainer AND the trainee. Watch:
Sometimes they fight and grab stuff from one another, sometimes they cry and scream…but it’s always a joy to see them play together so adorably.
I’m glad this is happening more and more often now.
And sometimes, there are even moments of great brotherly love being displayed…. (awwww….)
And sometimes things get out of hand….
Scrap Credits
Collaboration kit from Jennysscrapplace
Wonderland numbers from Jessi Calger
Netter’s Alphas from Scarlet Heels
Weight
Probably around 10 kilos, plus or minus. We do notice that she has become less “round” since she started walking.
Height/Length
Getting taller and taller!
Teeth
4 incisors (2 top and 2 bottom). Next 2 top incisors are appearing too.
Motor Skills
- Can shake her head left and right.
- Tries to crawl and walk into small tight spaces.
- Able to manipulate an object to get it out of a tight space.
- Can squat and the stand, and then squat again, whilst holding toys in both hands.
- Can do the “wobble-walk”
- Loves for us to hold her by the arms and lead her on walks around the house.
- When she wants to get somewhere fast, she will either use the wall for support, or crawl.
- Throw things and then closes her eyes in anticipation of the loud sound it makes.
Communication and Social Skills
- Says “Mameh”, “Mamma”, Dadeh”, “Baba”, “Mamba”.
- Imitates and responds in a smiliar fashion when we “blow” on her tummy.
- Loves the remote, and will do whatever she can to get a hold of it.
- Can make “pathetic”-looking faces just so we’ll feel sorry and carry her.
- Can “manipulate” us by purposely knocking her head on the wall when she’s in the cot, and then crying so we’ll pick her up.
Food and Feeding
She’s on Mommy’s milk 100% and also LOVES drinking water from a regular cup. Sometimes I have had to pry her hands from the cup!
New foods she has been introduced to include:
- Heinz Teething rusks, which she absolutely LOVES.
- Red dates (cooked with porridge)
- Organic baby oats (mixed into porridge and sometimes served just on its own with water)
- Regular fragrant rice
- Fish (Jade perch)
When it’s time for her porrdige, she will smile and look very happy. Then, if she has the mood to eat, she will open her mouth eagerly and wait for me to feed her. Sometimes if I am a little slow in feeding her, she will pull my arm or shirt!
Ethan’s birthday culminated in a celebration amongst relatives. We decided to have a buffet lunch at the E&O Hotel, and it goes without saying that Ethan was very much looking forward to this celebration.
See, he even willingly posed for a nice shot before we left for the hotel.
… and then, he started being his CHEEKY self again.
I think the part Ethan enjoyed most about the birthday lunch was the chocolate stuff: chocolate-covered marshmallows from the fondue station, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake….
..and the part that Hannah enjoyed the most was the teething rusk she was chewing on. She even fell asleep while holding it!
…and woke up for a moment to give it a few more chomps, then she was off to dreamland again….Even after she awoke, and her Ah Ma was carrying her, she was still holding the rusk.
Such “devotion” can only be admired.
So anyway, after our very filling lunch, we all adjourned back to our home to cut the birthday cake and to open the presents. After three days of preparation, I was very pleased to unveil the birthday cake Ethan had requested for. On the 1st day I made the cream cheese frosting and chilled it, on the 2nd day I baked the cake, and the night before Ethan’s birthday, I relived my childhood playing with *edible play-doh* a.k.a. fondant.
After he had cut his Thomas cake in school a few days back, I had asked him if he liked the cake, and his reply was, “Yes…” and then after that he said, “Where’s my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake, Mommy?”
I had told him the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake was gonna be for his home celebration. Haha.
err….you see that small DENT on the lower left of the cake? That was caused by Mickey having the first taste of it; you can see his nose is a little bit blue…
I chose to make the nutritious and rich carrot cake with cream cheese frosting I had tried a few weeks back.
And his expression when he saw the cake was just priceless.
The birthday boy then continued opening all his presents, including the HUGE present from Daddy, Mommy and Hannah. I had to enlist the help of one of my neighbors to help store it first lest Ethan sees it in our home and spoil the surprise.
He tore open the wrapper, and…..immediately got on it!
…and wouldn’t get down! It was a tricycle in his favorite color: YELLOW. He had wanted one since a few weeks before we left the US, so we figured it was high time we got him one now.
Look….all the pictures we took with him after that were of him on the trike.
Ain’t it weird that you can’t see the rest of my body in the photo above?
…and one with both his grandmas…
Ethan definitely had a LOT of fun on his birthday. He proudly announces he is FOUR years old now, and that he can play toys that are meant for “FOUR AND ABOVE”.
He even asked me for more presents to open…
Happy birthday, dearest Ethan Boy!
Being an SAHM poses a different set of obstacles to overcome every single day. Obstacles that the corporate world could never ever train you for, no matter how many learning courses you attend.
Some days, I have had to battle with my (on-the-way-to-independence) toddler on why he has to finish his dinner. Coaxing him and promising him something he would like *if only* he would finish just a few more spoonfuls.
Some days, I have to sadly throw away most of the porridge I cook for Hannah. She would take just one mouthful and then subsequently close her eyes and turn away when offered the porridge.
But some days, I taste sweet triumph…just like today.
Ethan, who, for as long as we can remember, will only agree to taking “rice with soy sauce”, asked for rice with FISH and CARROTS today. And he really ate them. Hallelujah!
Hannah, finished her entire bowl of rice, oats and millet porridge cooked with chicken, red dates, pumpkin and broccoli…and even asked for SECONDS!
Ahhhh…sweet victory indeed.
Sometimes he’s the really loving brother, just like that….
But sometimes all we hear around the house is, “No, Hannah NO!!!” It’s like an anthem for him.
Mommy: Ethan, can Hannah go to school with you?
Ethan: No, too small…Next time when she’s bigger, she can go to school.
When Hannah holds his toys or plays with them, he’s rush over and say, “No Hannah! It’s for 3 years old and above!”
SIGH….kids…
I knew the moment would come soon.
Any day now, I told myself.
And I was right…
Here’s Hannah, with her newfound confidence at 10 months old! Ta-daaaa…!!!!!!
I stumbled upon this custom-made fleece skirtie which I had gotten for Hannah when we were in the States. It was too big for her then, but look at her now!
Good thing I still managed to squeeze her into it…she’ll outgrow it soon, I’m sure!
She looks like a little lady in it, doesn’t she?
Oh, by the way, Hannah has been shortlisted as one of the finalists for the Cutest Baby of the Planet 2009 contest! More details to follow next week as I find out what we need to do.
Scrap Credits
A New Beginning kit from Digital-Crea
Harvest Spice alphas from Shabby Princess Designs
Weight
Did not measure but should be close to 10 kilos now.
Height/Length
Getting taller and taller!
Teeth
4 incisors (2 top and 2 bottom)
Motor Skills
- Stands unsupported for longer periods of time, sometimes smiling and raising hands in jubilation, a la “Look Ma, no hands!” pose
- Able to take one step and then sits down on butt
- Can pull herself up from seated position to standing and then can very slowly, unsupported, lower herself down again.
- Able to squat.
- Unlike her brother, Hannah has the ticklish massage feeling; when I give her her body massage after her night bath, she will giggle uncontrollably.
- Loves to roll around the bed with her brother.
- Loves to roll around on the bed, suddenly sit up and then very quickly make herself fall backwards with a big PLOP!
- Able to climb up stairs (shudder!).
- Is always trying to *escape* from diaper changes. I’m running out of toys for her to hold when she gets changed!
- Can shape her fingers into numbers 1 (pointing position), 2, 4 and 5!
Communication and Social Skills
- Can sometimes point to her nose when I ask her, “Where is your nose, Hannah?”
- Can respond to “Hands up” instructions when I am undressing her.
- Stops whatever she is doing when we say, “No Hannah!”. She will look at us, and then sometimes she will stop completely or continue doing it (as if to test us)
- Voluntarily claps her hands when she hears some nice music. Can respond to verbal instructions to clap her hands, in English and Mandarin.
- Blabbering and raspberry-blowing continues.
- Is able to imitate movements. e.g. when we point at something, she will also point at the same thing.
- Hannah is very attached to us, especially to me. She will cry out when I leave the room, and stop crying when I reassure her.
- Is fascinated when anyone (Ethan, especially) recites numbers.
Food and Feeding
She’s on Mommy’s milk 100% and is having her solids for 2 meals a day now (if I can help it). Thanks to the fabulous invention of the slow cooker, I am now able to cook her porridge before I head for bed, and have the porridge ready for her by lunch time the next day. Hannah normally eats more during lunch time.
New foods she has been introduced to include:
- Banana
- Bayam (Heng chye) , of which she didn’t really like
- Millet
- Brocolli
- …and just a few days ago, CHICKEN!
She appears to love her chicken porridge a LOT! And of course, she loves papaya too!
I don’t puree food anymore, not even the chicken. I just steam it and mince it into tiny pieces and shreds and then freeze it into cubes. And then I use them in her porridge. Little Miss Bulat loves it!
Oh, and she drinks her water directly from a regular cup (the purple one with her name on it) - of course I have hold the cup for her!
Hannah loves to play with toys, especially those that belong to Ethan’s. Unfortunately most of the time when she attempts to play with his toys or read his books, all she gets is Ethan saying, “NO! These are MINE!” or “MY Toys!” or “Hannah, play with the Alphabet Zoo!” (she has a spinning Alphabet Zoo toy that is catered for kids 6 months and over, and Ethan has learnt to *assign* that toy to her)
Obviously playing with just one toy is never enough and Hannah gets bored after a while. But too bad she is not *allowed* to touch other toys most of the time.
So what’s a girl to do?
She’ll sometimes stay up late, and wait for her big brother to sleep and THEN she’ll have full reign over all the toy cars, trains and books she has been barred from touching.
…was definitely a joyous occasion.
Coupled with the fact that we were away from Malaysia last Christmas and now that Ethan can talk a million words a minute, this was definitely a Christmas that did not contain a dull moment.
This year, Ethan (especially) has been looking forward to Christmas, counting down the days every day since the 20th. He would ask us how many more days to Christmas, and we’d tell him 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1. And in the days leading up to Christmas, he was my little helper, helping me hold the tape while I wrapped the presents, and also bringing the presents to arrange them under our Christmas tree.
And on Christmas morning, he woke up cheerfully and greeted everyone, “Merry Christmas everyone!”
We knew then that he was ready for his presents.
…and MORE presents!
Some “sharing” of Christmas presents amongst cousins was also apparent, especially the colorful toys.
Little Hannah, who was celebrating Christmas for the first time, decided to have a little beauty sleep of her own, and only awoke past 10a.m. (which is why she is still in her jammies). Here she is *showing off* her blouse and jeans Ethan *got* for her.
And then much later, after she washed up and got dressed, here’s my little princess, sitting pretty on her *throne*.
On Boxing Day, we celebrated baby Caitlynn’s full moon.
I think Ethan was the one who enjoyed the cupcakes the most.
…at least I *thought* he looked like he was enjoying it the most!
And then when we got back to Penang, there were more presents to be opened! Yup, we kept some at home because we knew Ethan would love opening presents everywhere! In fact, he would readily offer his gift-unwrapping services too!
…and another one…
Just makes our day to hear him say, “Wow!! Thanks Daddy and Mommy! I LOVE it!”
Here’s the look of JOY on his face when he opened one of his presents: A Mickey Mouse KITE.
Ain’t that precious?
And after that he said, “I want MORE presents, Mommy!”
We received several wedding invites in the recent weeks, some of which Pete decided to go it alone, simply because it would be too tiring for the kids to attend. However, we did bring the kids to a couple of wedding receptions (brave as we are!); one was a dinner reception of Pete’s nephew, and the other was a buffet luncheon.
Took the opportunity to take a family photo with the view of the sea before the dinner reception started.
Hannah was VERY interested with the candy cane wedding favors we received…
Never mind that I had to pick it up over and over again each time she *dropped* it…as long as she’s happy, yes?
Of course, it certainly helped that we had very *willing* baby sitters at the wedding too…here’s a precious shot of Hannah with Kor Kor (her godma too!)
And crystal wall hangings are ALWAYS a very good distraction, provided parental supervision is present.
And what about our little energizer bunny, Ethan? He was busy running around with cousin Jonathan; in and out the banquet hall they went, chasing after each other, hopping here and there.
No wonder he was the first one to knock out…
Not long after, Hannah followed suit…
Oh, and what about the buffet luncheon? No pictures from that one, cuz both kids were at their most active levels and I had no time to whip out the camera, and before we could even say “Yum Seng”, it was time to go home! LOL
Won’t you just look at that? Ain’t that the sweetest loving embrace you have ever seen?
This is Ethan in one of his loving big-brotherly moods. And if you’re wondering what he is saying while he was hugging Hannah, check out the video below….simply PRECIOUS!
So good we had so much fun that Mommy very nearly forgot all about the photos we had taken! …and that was like three whole weeks ago!
Our main prerogative was of course to see little baby Caitlynn (ain’t she sweet?):
But apart from that, we (both adults and kids alike) certainly had fun!
Here’s the customary shot right before we left Penang. Everybody’s wide awake and all excited.
We made our first detour in Taiping and had lunch at one of Daddy’s all-time favorite chicken rice stall.
Hannah’s looking rather happy despite the fact that she can’t taste the chicken rice yet.
And Ethan is all smiles, because he too, like Daddy, LOVES chicken rice.
Next stop: Ipoh. We broke our journey here and had a pit-stop for the night. Took the opportunity to have the ngah choy kai too. Somebody looks really hungry…
And here she is again….still yearning for food…
The following day, we headed for KL, and checked into our hotel, much to Ethan’s enjoyment. Despite the fact that we didn’t get to stay on the 18th floor like he wanted, he adapted really well to the 17th floor too.
And this is one of the reasons why….actually this would be the MAIN reason.
Hannah wanted in on the fun too, but let me tell you, it was rather terrifying, because she tried to stand and play with the bubbles just like her brother!
The kids also got to meet up with their cousins…it’s so heartwarming how the boys can play together now.
It didn’t take long for Ethan to bond with Collin. In the hospital where we visited Aunty Pei Gee and Caitlynn, both Ethan and Collin were busy *spreading* the cheer around.
And the following day, when we met up with cousin Jonathan, Ethan and Jonathan were like best buds!
Jonathan was wailing and complaining when it was time for him to leave! And the sweetest thing was that Ethan ran over and gave the crying Jonathan a hug! (awwww…….)
We also had good food during our vacation. The hotel room comes with buffet breakfast, and the spread is really good.
Poor little Hannah could only look on as we ate. So I decided to introduce papaya to Hannah. You be the judge as to whether she likes it.
Holidays always come and go in a blink of an eye, and before we could even say “IKEA”, we had to pack up and leave. (we did go to IKEA though…)
Here’s Hannah posing for the camera in her dress. Ethan calls it “Hannah’s pretty dress”.
On the way home, my girl discovered that she didn’t have to look straight at the back window all the time. She found out that, hey, if I lifted my head and turned around, I can see Mommy! Peekaboo!
We certainly had an awesome vacation, and we can’t wait for the next one!
Scrap Credits
Colchique dans les prés QP from Studio Soval Scrapbook Graphics
Giving Thanks Alphas from Stacey’s Scraps
Weight
Did not measure but should be close to 10 kilos now.
Height/Length
Getting taller and taller!
Teeth
2 bottom incisors, and we can see the *whites* of 2 more at the top! She is a perfect candidate to sing the song, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!”
Motor Skills
- Crawling everywhere
- Cruising everywhere, but at a slightly slower pace compared to crawling.
- Slowly beginning to *let go* of the support she uses to stand.
- Likes to arch her back upside down when being carried.
- Can raise one index finger as if in pointing, and sometimes 2 fingers too!
Communication and Social Skills
- Calling “Mommy” more consistently.
- Can clap her hands. Can clap her hands when being asked to verbally, and also if we show her by action.
- Loves playing with all of Ethan’s toys.
- Smiles a LOT - has a very cute dimple to boot!
Food and Feeding
She’s on Mommy’s milk 100% and is taking a little bit of solids too. New foods she has been introduced to include:
- Ground red rice porridge
- Spinach
- Pumpkin
- Japanese sweet potato
- Papaya
Finally, just slightly after 9 months, she uttered the word that has the ability to wrap me around her little adorable fingers.
Last night, Hannah awoke, let out a “come carry me” cry, stood up in her cot, faced me and said, “Mameh….!”
She’s currently under the tutelage of her big brother to perfect the pronunciation, and from the looks of it, it will certainly be “Mommy” really soon.
…can we say that that’s officially her first word?
It’s been long overdue but it’s finally here. Last week, I prepared porridge for Hannah, just like I did for Ethan previously. I used organic red rice, washed it and oven-dried it. (I guess I chose red rice because it is not so starchy)
Then I ground the rice in a dry mill till the consistency is that of a powder form.
I used just one or two teaspoons to cook the porridge and the remainder of the powdered red rice is stored in an airtight container for future use.
Hannah’s porridge has yummy stuff in it too. For her first time, I chose familiar tastes like carrots and potatoes.
Steamed and pureed carrots, and steamed and fork-mashed potatoes, that is. I usually prepare them in bulk and freeze the rest in ice cube trays, like so:
This way, it makes it easier on subsequent days when I cook her porridge.
I mix the powdered rice with some hot boiled water, throw in the food cubes and put this mixture in a small claypot. I put this claypot in a water bath in the slow cooker and let it cook.
Sure seems like a lot of trouble cooking some porridge, but it’s truly worth it when the *customer* smiles eagerly when the dinner tray is placed in front of her, and happily eats the porridge cooked with love.
Sometimes she tries to grab the spoon and feed herself too!
Maybe it’s because we kiss Hannah all the time…how can we not when she flashes that adorable smile, with the almost-there dimple on her chubby cheeks? Yeah, it has to be because we are incredibly affectionate with her, so much so that the affection we shower on her has made her affectionate too.
When I carry Hannah, she would hug me tight, sometimes using both hands to hold my head or my face, and attempt to kiss or chomp on my cheek or chin. A similar trait that was exhibited by Ethan last time.
Last weekend when we visited Ethan and Hannah’s cousin Phoebe, Hannah was all affectionate again. Crawling over to stroke Phoebe’s head, attempting to hug and kiss her…maybe Hannah thought Phoebe was a big soft toy for her to play with!
She’s also very loving and affectionate towards Ethan, but Ethan will run away from Hannah whenever Hannah comes a-crawling. He’ll shout, “Hannah’s coming!” and run very quickly away.
How can we ever resist affection from our little sweet Hannah?
Bingo! The winning combination of rice cereal + EBM + pureed carrot + pureed potato makes Hannah ask for more!
I am very pleased that both my kids are fully on drinking cups now, be it regular cups or sippy cups. No more bottles to wash, no more bottle nipples to scrub…
When we left for the States, Ethan was still on the bottle, and I had planned on weaning him off it while we were there. I was about 70% successful. He was only taking the bottle once in the morning and once at night, and then slowly we eliminated the night one. When we returned to Malaysia, he went totally off the bottle for good
As for Hannah, since I breastfed her for 5 months without having the bottle, it was expected that she would not want the bottle, so now when she is at the sitter’s, she drinks from a sippy cup. A toddler sippy cup, mind you…the kind without the valve. We don’t have to worry at all about weaning her from a bottle
I bought these Tupperware bell tumblers from US, which comes in 4 different colors. Ethan drank from these when he was at the daycare in US. But now in Malaysia, he rarely wants to drink from them anymore, preferring instead to use regular cups. The pink one is Hannah’s. She drinks her EBM and water from that one.
The NUK sippy cup is meant for Hannah, but so far it doesn’t seem like she likes the spout very much.
We’ve also got these 2 cups for the kids. Got them from Gilroy Gardens. At first we didn’t want to get them because we only found Ethan’s, but then when we saw Hannah’s, we knew we had to get them both. Ethan sometimes drinks his water from his “Ethan cup”. It will be some time still before Hannah will be able to drink from hers.
Ain’t it fun being a kid, when you have all these pretty colorful cups to drink from?
Scrap Credits
While Softness QP from Missty Scrap
‘Sweet Baby’ Wordart vol. 2 from Dreams Inspired
Circle Dot Alpha (the number 8) from Laurie’s Scraps
Last weekend, we visited a friend and coincidentally there was also another baby at the house. I was asked how old Hannah is, and when I said “8 months”, there were gasps all around. Turns out the other baby is close to a year old, but Hannah looked a wee bit bigger than the baby.
Weight
Did not measure but should be close to 10 kilos now.
Height/Length
Getting taller and taller!
Teeth (yup, she has some growing!)
2 bottom incisors, and 2 more at the top at sprouting, I believe!
Motor Skills
- Can crawl really well now.
- Attempting to cruise.
- Loves to hold on to things for support and stands up, e.g. the couch side, cot side, wooden toy, Ethan’s toy train…you get the idea…
- Casting (throwing) of objects has started.
- Getting harder and harder to bathe her because she will want to stand up or crawl out of the bathtub!
Communication and Social Skills
- She sometimes responds/*talks back* to her brother when he *scolds* her or takes her toys away.
- More pronounced verbalization of sounds. I’m hoping she’ll call “Mommy” any day now
- Can wave hi and bye. I’ve also caught her waving to her reflection in the mirror.
- Can give a high 5, well…more like a low 5. I offer her my palm and she’ll high/low 5 it!
- She is usually independent enough to play on her own, provided there is someone around in sight. Will cry if she does not see anyone around.
- Hannah has learnt the art of smiling into the camera when prompted.
Food and Feeding
She’s on Mommy’s milk 100% and is taking a little bit of solids too. She has a solid meal once a day in the evenings, but it is more for tasting rather than making her full. She takes a combination of any of the following now:
- Rice cereal + EBM
- Pureed pear
- Pureed apple
- Pureed carrot
- Pureed potato
- A little bit of water.
Her favorite right now is Pureed carrot + rice cereal + EBM. I normally add some rice cereal and EBM to the fruit/vegetable purees to make it creamier in texture.
I’m happy to note that the sibling relationship between Ethan and Hannah is significantly better now. Granted, he still sometimes prevents her from playing with most of his toys, but he now (usually) will say “I’m the big brother, Hannah’s my little sister”, and I find that really sweet.
Ironically, I got them cute outfits that had the words “Big Brother” and “Little Sister” sewn on them, and thought it would be a good idea to have a picture taken of both of them in it.
Precious, precious, simply precious shots!
…although it was tough to take the pictures too, because Hannah kept wanting to touch Ethan’s hair and ears, while Ethan wanted to prevent her from doing so, while saying “Cheese!” at the same time! LOL
I asked Ethan to put his arm around Hannah in the last picture above
Don’t they both look happy?
“Mommy, Mommy, can I have your Coach bag when I grow up?”
“PLEEEEeeeeeeeaaaaaasssssssssse?????”
Definitely a trait inherited from Mommy
…and no prizes for guessing who had the most fun!
I had an enjoyable little birthday lunch treat at McDonald’s with Ethan:
Then in the afternoon, I took Ethan to the playground for a few minutes:
We had dinner at home. I cooked a simple dinner of conchiglie (Ethan calls it “shell pasta”) with pasta sauce and steamed sausages:
And Pete surprised me with a birthday cake, much to Ethan’s joy, of course!
It was a carrot, walnut and raisin brownie-like cake topped with cream cheese frosting. A healthier option to the regular birthday cake, and it was also an ingenious idea to get some carrot into Ethan
Ethan told me specifically “I don’t want the raisins Mommy. YOU eat the raisins!” (but he ate the walnut and carrot willingly!)
Last Saturday, October 17 2009, little Hannah was baptized in church, in a simple meaningful ceremony. She didn’t really put up a fuss at all, although at times it was hard to keep her hands away from everything; from grabbing the book, from grabbing my hair, my pendant, and from being ever-so-wriggly!
In fact, she was so active that I could not position her properly for the holy water to be poured over her head. This here is my attempt…
Hannah was curious to see what was going on…
I had to pass her to Daddy, the expert…and that also, some of the water entered her eyes!
Of course, there was the compulsory family photo after the end of the ceremony,…errr… positions all a bit out, but everyone was there nevertheless. (baby in front is NOT Hannah…that’s Phoebe, her cousin. LOL… Hannah too busy with *other* things at the back)
I also wanted a family photo of just the 4 of us. We didn’t have many of those, but I discovered that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get a proper shot.
Hannah’s baptism of course calls for a reason to fill our tummies…and fill them we did, at Mama’s… No photos of the food, sorry!
With 2 kids to attend to, it’s rather impossible to whip out the camera, set the macro and focus…but trust me when I say the food was definitely scrumptious! To quote Ethan, “Smells…..LEEECious!!!!”
Two days ago, on Monday, Daddy lowered Hannah’s cot level. It was beginning to look really dangerous, the way she would very quickly hold onto the side of the cot and hoist herself up on her feet, sometimes trying to reach over the cot. At that time, the cot side was at the level of her tummy! Now, it is the same level as he mouth…and she has discovered that the cotside tastes incredibly yummy…
At least now I can safely put her in the cot sometimes, when I have to urgently attend to her brother.
My little girl Hannah has been growing up so rapidly the past few weeks, I find that it is inevitable that I need to post a milestone post now before her 8th month update comes along!
-
She has begun crawling really really well now. Sometimes when she doesn’t see me around and wants to look for me, she will crawl all the way from our living room to the dining and kitchen. If she is in her *manja* mood, she will wail and cry while crawling!
-
She can stand, while holding the edge of her cot or the couch, or our hands, for support.
-
Sometimes we have even caught her beginning to cruise!
-
Since she can now sit steadily, we can put her in a baby chair when we dine outside in restaurants. (soon, when I introduce rusks, she will have more things to occupy herself with)
-
She has cut her first two teeth! I can see two bottom incisors sprouting!
-
And she is getting increasingly difficult to bathe. Each time, she will want to grab onto my stool or the bath tub and try to stand up!
This could be the start of another very very chatty chatterbox in future!
What’s behind a name? After I did a whole detailed post on Ethan’s name, it’s now Hannah’s turn.
When we found out we were gonna have a baby girl, we had already pretty much decided on the name Hannah. I have loved the name Hannah since I was a schoolgirl, and it was only apt that I name my daughter as such. We definitely wanted a Biblical name and one that is meaningful both for us and for her. And we also wanted a name that’s not too common. That’s why we chose Hannah, which means Favored (or Favored by God), or Grace. In Biblical context, Hannah was one of the wives of Elkanah, and she was blessed with six children, one of whom was Samuel, the glorious warrior and judge of Israel.
With the Christened name decided, it was time for the harder part: deciding on a Chinese name.
Thanks to the internet, while we were in the US, I contacted a friend of mine in Penang to ask her hubby to help me ascertain a good number of strokes for Hannah’s Chinese name, based on her birth year, surname and also Mommy and Daddy’s birth year. This friend of mine was also the one who helped calculate the number of strokes suitable for Ethan’s Chinese name.
She then came back with the results, which stated that based on Pete’s surname, Chua (蔡Cài), there were 4 stroke combinations that would be a good match for the 2nd and 3rd Chinese character for Hannah’s name:
- 7 + 18
- 18 + 7
- 8 + 17
- 18 + 7
So off to the drawing board we went. Referring to some Chinese name books we had brought along, we wanted a name that had the water radical or water element in it. I used the internet to list out the various combinations that would sound good and mean good, meeting all the criteria we had set out, and then we gave the list to another friend of ours in Santa Clara to help us decide or recommend. After a few tweaks here and there, we arrived at a name that we all thought would be perfect for our baby girl.
We chose the name Xi Ling (Xǐ Ling: 禧泠), which is a combination of 17 + 8 strokes. Xǐ (禧) meant Joy and Ling (泠), which also contained the water radical, carried the meaning “sound of the water flowing“; and together, Xi Ling (Xǐ Ling: 禧泠) means Joy Overflowing, which Hannah is living up to really well, seeing what a happy little baby she is!
So Hannah’s full name is Hannah Chua Xi Ling (蔡 禧 泠 ~ Cài Xǐ Ling), carrying the meaning of Favored by God and Full of Grace, with Overflowing Joy. Isn’t that a pretty name for a pretty baby?
We had a very simple at-home celebration for Daddy’s birthday recently. I had asked Ethan what cake he wanted to get Daddy, and he had consistently replied, “Handy Manny cake!” Maybe he sees Daddy as being very handy in the house
Anyway, much as I wanted to bake the cake myself, there was no way I could have done it as nicely as this ordered one:
Maybe someday when my kids are able to help me in the kitchen, I’ll be able to bake something nice like that… hehehe…
Anyway, Ethan surprised Daddy with a “Tadaaaaaa!!!!” We sang the birthday song, blew out the candles and cut the cake.
And the person who enjoyed eating the cake the most? The little boy in green in the photos above! He donned a green shirt, just like Handy Manny did on the cake
Scrap Credits
Happy Everyday QP from Thaliris Design
Funny Bubble Alpha from Loloden designs
Sun Porch alpha (the number 7) from Shabby Princess
Weight
9.1 kilos. This month she only gained 100g, maybe because she was ill a few weeks ago. But her weight is still in the 90-something percentile.
Height/Length
67cm
Motor Skills
- She started with the commando crawl backwards, and now she can crawl slowly by moving first her arms and then lifting (sometimes dragging) her knee. You’ll see Hannah moving all around the floor, and from one end of the cot to the other.
- Hannah can sit unsupported most of the time, and when she does tumble over to the side, she will assume her crawling position.
- Hannah also tries to do *stunts* like balancing herself on one knee and one elbow.
- Very good and deft with her fingers. She is able to hold objects very sturdily, transfering them from one hand to the other and back. She hardly ever drops the objects, unless she is throwing a tantrum.
- Attempting to STAND while being held by her hands. Gave me a shock!
- Hannah can (for the most part) sit independently in the bath tub when I give her her bath. She loves playing with water and will kick and squeal with delight. And she adores playing with the washcloth and a little cup I sometimes give her. At times she will *protest* when I take her out too soon. Note to self: time to introduce some cool bath toys to her!
Communication and Social Skills
- Saying “Mum-mum-mum” when she wants milk or Mommy.
- Vocalizing many different sounds, “Bababa…”, “ooooh…”, “ahhh…” etc
- Will stop, listen, look at me and smile when I start singing to her. Her favorite songs: the ever popular “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “The Wheels of the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. The actions totally tickle her. And hey, I have noticed she has also started to try to copy my actions in “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”!
- Absolutely intrigued by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’s Hot-Diggity-Dog song. Will stop whatever she is doing, look in the direction of the TV, and smile happily.
- Showing signs of readiness to play with Ethan. She laughs and smiles at him and is always looking at him, as if *learning* how to behave.
Food and Feeding Every ounce of milk she takes is 100% Mommy’s milk. She is back on rice cereal and EBM once a day now. After I stopped her rice cereal for a few weeks, she initially didn’t seem interested in the cereal when I reintroduced it a few days ago. But when I allowed her to hold her spoon and supervised her feeding herself, she got excited! Now Hannah looks forward to every evening when I feed her the rice cereal. I normally will feed her at dinner time (and her brother will want some of his own cereal too!) So rice cereal for Hannah, and a serving of Koko Krunch with fresh milk for Ethan! (I’m not complainin’!)
…or is it a form of (healthy) competition?
When Hannah was on medication a couple of weeks back, we asked Ethan to *witness* her taking the medicine using the syringe. By the way, if you are not already aware, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to feed Ethan medicine. He would kick and scream till the cows come home.
Anyway, Ethan was very intrigued watching us feed Hannah. Hannah, on the other hand, was initially receptive of the medicine, but after a few rounds, she knew how to turn her head away when she saw the syringe. Only Daddy knew how to administer the medicine in one swift motion
A few days later, Ethan started sneezing. So I asked him, “Ethan, are you sneezing?” He said, “Yes”. I said, “Do you want to take some medicine? You’ll feel better after taking it, and then when you are all better, Mommy will take you swimming.” He paused and kept quiet. I continued, “I’ll ask Daddy to shoot the medicine into your mouth like Hannah, okay?” He said, “Okay.”
And I almost fainted.
I asked Daddy to get the medicine ready, and MIRACULOUSLY Ethan allowed his Daddy to give him the medicine without any fuss. After that he downed it all with some Milo.
Therefore, do not underestimate what Hannah can do or influence at her young and tender age.
Thanks to Ethan Koko who very generously allowed me to ride his favorite toy vehicle, the choo-choo train! Hannah’s feet cannot yet touch the floor though, but she has a really firm grip on the steering wheel!
”I push myself up like this…”
“There…I’m on all fours. Now what?!”
“Eh? Smile for the camera AGAIN??!!!”
“Lemme try lifting my butt up…”
“I put one knee forward…like this, Mommy?”
“Gonna try to sit up on my own now…”
“That looks interesting…wonder what it tastes like…”
She’s almost there!
When we reached Hannah’s sitter’s house today to pick her up, Ethan exclaimed loudly, “Hi Hannah!” when he saw her. Hannah squealed in delight, lifted her right hand up and waved!
She is SO the sociable little baby!
My motherly instincts are always in extra full force when any one of my kids are not feeling well. And that was how it was last week when Hannah fell sick.
I worried when she registered a fever of 38.5°C that night. I was relieved that giving her the PCM suppository helped to bring it down.
She also had cough and a runny nose, so although we didn’t like the idea of bringing her to the hospital and exposing her to germs, we decided to bring her in for a checkup.
As soon as I explained what she was there for, we were asked to wait while the nurse assessed Hannah. Her temperature then was 38°C.
We were then asked to go to the Accident and Emergency section where Hannah was to take a throat swab and then we had to wait for 1 hour for the results.
An hour of worrying later, the throat swab test for Influenza A was NEGATIVE. Hannah was prescribed the usual Polaramine and Rhinathiol. She had a little bit of an ear infection which the doctor hoped would subside by the next day (which it did).
She’s back to her normal cheerful adorable self now, and I am none the happier…
Two weeks ago, we brought Hannah for her first haircut. Her bangs were getting too long, and I wanted to have the hairdresser do something about the “bald patch” at the back of her head. After a short wait, it was Hannah’s turn, and I held her in my lap as the hairdresser did the trimming. My hairdresser recommended we shave off the back portion of her hair, so that when the hair in the “bald patch” grew out, it would grow together with the bottom section. For her bangs, she trimmed it a little bit shorter in a side parting manner. Hannah’s sideburns were trimmed too.
She sat quietly while she had her haircut. And then she smiled for the camera when the haircut was done!
Ain’t she a darling?
Oh, just in case you were wondering, it was just the kids getting their hair done that day. So Ethan got the (ahem!) royal treatment too!
Scrap Credits
Film Star QP from retrodiva {designs}™
Boxed words from Chantal
Heart button from Doodle-iscious alphas from A work in progress
Splendid alphas and heart button from Shabby Princess
How time does fly! Without me realizing it, my little bundle of joy is now an adorable, bouncy little baby girl, achieving milestone after milestone before my very eyes!
Weight
9 kilos! Dr Jessica had only one word to say, “Wow!”
Height/Length
If I remembered correctly, it’s 67cm - will check with doc and update later.
Motor Skills
- Can support herself with hands straight and on both her knees, as if preparing to crawl. Then she rocks and pivots her body forward and backward!
- Can also lift up her body so that her butt is high up in the air, and she is on tip toe, something like what her brother did with his downdog.
- Able to sit independently for longer periods of time, her favorite place being the green and yellow playmat. Her sitting position is still more towards the front, where she needs to support her weight with her arms, but she can go a few seconds without using her arms as support too.
- Can crawl backwards, in backward commando or caterpillar fashion. Can also move around by using the same method.
- Can hold and grasp objects very steadily and pass them from one hand to the other.
- Will try to grab hold of everything within her reach: drinking cup, plate of rice, etc.
- Can sometimes extend her arms out to ask to be carried.
- Her “breaststroke kicks” are getting stronger and stronger.
- Loves to bounce up and down on our laps when we carry her holding her under her arms.
- Can arch her back backwards when she is sitting or being held.
- Can hold a toddler sippy cup quite steadily and drink from it!
Communication and Social Skills
- Smiles and responds very well when spoken to.
- Blowing a whole lot of raspberries!
- On occasion, I have heard her saying “Momma” or “Memma” when she either wants milk or Mommy.
- Loves to be carried and held.
- Squeals and giggles.
Food and Feeding
Every ounce of milk she takes is Mommy’s milk. I started her off on rice cereal about 2 weeks ago, but stopped for a while because she had a diaper rash the day after, and then she was a bit unwell, so I am now waiting for a few more days before continuing.
Just several days ago though, she gave me quite a scare because that evening, she totally refused to nurse from the breast, and instead kept biting me! In the end, I had to express my milk and fed her with the sippy cup, and she eagerly finished 6 whole ounces!!! She even cried when we took her cup away after 4 ounces to refill an additional 2 ounces. I was shocked and surprised that she would have weaned herself from the breast automatically like that, and I was worried too that I would then have to express milk by the clock
Pete was all, “Okay what…then you don’t have to resort to using Bonjela!”
But thankfully, that night she was okay with nursing from the breast again, and she’s back to her old self again now. Whew!
Yesterday marked the day I introduced Hannah to her first solids. Just like for Ethan, I mixed some rice cereal with fresh EBM into a runny consistency(actually you couldn’t even tell the cereal was there!) Good thing I managed to bring back the Gerber rice cereal from the US. This one does not contain sucrose but supposedly tastes really good.
…and Hannah was living proof of it!
She was very eager from the onstart and tried to grab the spoon a few times.
As expected, some of the cereal dribbled out from the sides of her mouth, but she was practically willing to open up her mouth every time I offered her a spoonful.
Although she made a “sour face” on some occasions, and tried sucking on the spoon, she managed to finished the entire bowl of rice cereal, much to my joy
The conclusion? Hannah is definitely READY for solids, and has a voracious appetite to boot! Today, I gave her the same thing for tea time and she finished it all too! Bravo Hannah!
Doesn’t this happy face tell you how much she loves it?
These precious smiles that greet me in the morning makes it all SO worthwhile…
Scrap Credits
Brown Paper Packages paper from Yin Designs
“Cherry Cheesecake” alphas from A work in progress
Sistafriend freebie frame from Flergalicious
Hannah had her 5-month checkup with Dr Jessica back in Penang. She took her 3rd dose of the Pneumococcal vaccine too. Unlike her brother, Hannah laid down quietly on the scales as her weight was being read.
Weight
8.1 kilos. About 98 percentile on the graph :O
Height/Length
Not measured, but sure seems like she has grown longer!
Motor Skills
- Able to roll over at 4.5 months! Ah, the beginning of mobility. She started to roll just on the right side, but now she can do both right and left and then back again! Diaper changes are definitely VERY challenging now!
- Hannah has also started to push forward by lifting her butt and inching her way forward (sometimes backwards!). If she doesn’t succeed in moving forward, she will just move around in circles.
- Head support is quite steady now. She can now sit comfortably in her Bumbo. However, just like her brother, most of the time she will treat the Bumbo as her potty.
- She can be amused by hanging toys for longer periods of time now.
- She can play with and hold on to a toy and eventually suck on it.
- She can hold both her feet at the same time.
- She can sit on her own for a few seconds by bending her body forward and supporting herself with her arms.
- She can raise her chest with arm support while lying on her stomach
Communication and Social Skills
- Giggles a lot.
- Loves to watch her brother and laughs at him. I think she adores Ethan.
- Can more or less respond to her name when called.
- Can recognize faces better now, and is forever looking for Mommy.
- Babbles a lot, and is VERY responsive when spoken to. She smiles and coos.
- Loves to be massaged. She gets a body massage after her evening bath, which includes, hands, legs, chest and tummy and her face too!
- Loves to get her hair combed. Will lie very still and appears to be enjoying every minute of it.
Others
Sleeping through the night more often now, but occassionally still awakes for a feed.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Drinks EBM from a toddler sippy cup and refuses the bottle. Milk intake has increased apparently.
Hannah watches us intently when we eat. Looks like she is quite ready for her intake of solids milestone next month!
It must be because of the excessive amount of time he spends with both Hannah and me. Ethan has certainly started to display some form of inevitable sibling rivalry and jealousy.
It all started about a week after we touched down in Penang. Pete had started work then, and I was still in the process of looking for a daycare for Ethan. So meanwhile, both kids would be at home with me 24/7. At first it was all right, although it was quite difficult for me to juggle cooking, cleaning and caring for both kids at the same time.
But then I think Ethan got a bit bored with staying at home all the time. He started his tantrums and his whining. And when I breastfed Hannah, he would say, “No feeding Hannah, Mommy! Let me close it!” and proceed to *help* me “close up” my blouse. On the contrary, when we ask him, “What does Hannah drink then?”, he’ll reply, “Hannah drinks milk!” By the way, he does NOT forbid me to feed Hannah when Pete is around. And he did NOT forbid me to do so when we were in the States.
Also, Hannah is in the drooling stage right now, so whenever Ethan sees her drool, he would say, “No spitting, Hannah!” Sometimes he would use his fist and sort of hit her on the head or the chest. It’s hard to see this happen, and I always try to gently but firmly tell Ethan, “No hitting Hannah, Ethan. It hurts her, okay?”
And when I pick Hannah up, Ethan would ask me to carry him too! He’d ask me to “Put Hannah away, Mommy!” But when I put her down, he will be busy playing with his toys. I try to *entertain* him at home as much as possible with stuff like coloring, water-color painting, and his favorite videos, but Ethan is at that age where he wants to assert his individualism and independence at the same time, hence the “No!”s that abound time and again.
So beginning August, we decided to put Hannah with Ethan’s ex-sitter, Mrs Tan, for about half a day, just to see how she copes. At least I would have about half a day to run some errands and find a daycare for Ethan. I was a little worried about Hannah not taking any milk while away from me, because she does not take to the bottle at all. Well, anyway, after a few days, I decided to start her off on the regular toddler sippy cup and I am happy to say she is drinking well now. Psst….might need to get rid of her bottles soon!
With Hannah away for half a day, we managed to get Ethan started on halfday daycare at a nearby center. He is currently at the tail-end of his two-week orientation and will begin regular halfday daycare when the new school term starts in September.
That aside, the sibling rivalry still exists and I forsee it will be around for some time still. Lately he has also started to say, “No crying Hannah!” or “No laughing Hannah!”
But at the end of the day, sometimes Ethan surprises me and does loving big-brotherly things like holding Hannah’s hand while he falls asleep.
A little less than a month ago, we (literally) packed our bags and left our San Jose apartment. I admit that I felt a little sad to leave the place, but honestly, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it because we really had to hurry through all the packing. Coupled with the fact that little Hannah decided to attain her personal milestone of rolling over on that very same day we were to leave, we virtually had to pack while making sure she was safe
I think Ethan had no real inkling as to what was happening when he said goodbye to his friends at daycare though. He was still all jovial and boisterous.
And with all the rushing, we managed to make it to SFO and checked in about ONE hour before takeoff!
It was also our first time flying with a stroller, and both the stroller and the infant carrier had to be stored separately in the aircraft.
This time we managed to get the front row seats because Hannah was provided with a bassinet. Front row seats means more leg space for us and more running-around space for Ethan!
I couldn’t resist this adorable photo of Hannah fast asleep in the bassinet. When I first put her there, she did not sleep long because (I think) she felt cold. Later on, she fell asleep in my arms and then I put her in the bassinet with her blankie.
And during our short stop in Hong Kong for refuelling, I carried Hannah around in my sling, sans stroller! Check out her rosy cheeks, a result of being exposed to warm weather, I think.
The journey home was a lot easier than we had anticipated. Ethan made himself busy with whatever he could find, and Hannah … well, let’s just say I have mastered the art of changing soiled diapers in turbulent weather! She’s also exclusively breastfed, so no worries about bottles, powder and hot water!
Our little family is safely back home in our home in Penang now. And trying our very best to adapt.
I have no doubt in my mind that Ethan will miss Gilroy Gardens when we get back home to Malaysia. Almost every weekend, when we ask him where he would like to go, he would exclaim, “I wanna go to Gilroy Gardens!” It’s a good thing we decided to get the season pass (Lotsa Card) so we could enjoy unlimited entries into the theme park.
Well, last weekend, we made our final trip to Gilroy Gardens before we head back to Malaysia. As soon as we turned into the theme park, Ethan said, “I see it Mommy! I see the Gilroy Gardens signboard!” Yup, he was THAT excited. He even started dancing to the music before we entered the theme park.
Because it was our last visit (for a long time anyway) there, it was as if Ethan could feel it too, and he wanted in on as many rides as possible. Normally he would bypass the race car ride, but that day, he insisted on getting in.
And when we were ready to take the choo-choo train ride, Hannah was awake, so for the first time, our little family got on board the train together. There were only a couple of rides that allowed infants on, and the train ride was one of them.
The hot sunny weather was the perfect recipe for a good splashing time in the sun. And that’s exactly what Ethan had. There was this water squirting area where the kids could play in the water, and Ethan had a jolly good time there.
It was a fantastic day at Gilroy Gardens, and for what it’s worth, I think I am gonna miss this place too.
Goodbye Gilroy Gardens! We hope to come back again next time!
Scrap Credits
Little Corner QP freebie from Cardamome
Happy Go Lucky Number 4 from Shabby Princess Designs
Numb3rs Alphas from Sweet Blossom Designs
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
We took Hannah for her 4-month checkup yesterday, just in time for me to post an update on her milestones (yeah, it’s all part of the plan).
Weight
7.569 kilos (16lb 11 oz)
Height/Length
64.8cm (all that stretching paid off!)
* Note: Hannah’s pediatrician commented that Hannah is growing beautifully
Motor Skills
-
Our little supported sitter is making more and more attempts to roll over. If I place her on her back at an angle, she can roll her body over. Won’t be long now!
-
Lifts head 90 degrees when lying on tummy or does a little push up sometimes.
-
Making “rasberry” sounds with her lips.
-
Grasping objects within her reach with incredible strength: mobile toys, toys given to her by her brother, my shirt, my hair, my fingers.
-
Can “bear weight” on both legs when we hold her to a standing position.
-
Salivating has increased.
-
Brings many objects to her mouth, including our hands!
Communication and Social Skills
-
Lots of repetitive sounds, high-pitched squeals and adorable giggles and sounds are made now.
-
Very sociable, smiles a lot when spoken to.
-
Looks at us very intently.
-
Beginning some separation anxiety. As I am the one who is always with her, she sometimes cries out when she doesn’t see me. Sometimes she would be happily playing but will cry out when she sees me!
-
Ticklish.
Others
Sleeping through the night more often now, but occassionally still awakes for a feed.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Less regurgitation, but of course, needs to be burped after every feed (otherwise she complains). Hannah is not at all on the bottle, and we are contemplating moving her to the cup right away when she is six months, probably. We’ll see.
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
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?
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.
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
As we were having dinner yesterday, Hannah was sitting in her infant-toddler seat, quietly playing with the toys hanging over her head, batting at them with her hands and fingers, and cooing softly.
And then suddenly, when Pete and I were in mid-conversation, we heard that oh-so-familiar melody of Old MacDonald coming from Hannah’s direction. When the cord attached to the little cow in the middle is pulled, the song would play. Ethan was playing with his fridge phonics in the kitchen at that time, so he couldn’t have pulled it.
I turned to look at Hannah, and her hand was firmly gripping the cord holder, making sweet nursery rhyme music. That was all it took for me to start applauding.
Wordart Credits
Collaboration between Dragonfly Summer kit from Graham like the Cracker & Bethany
Hannah is becoming such a friendly little girl now. It all started with her smiling when we spoke to her. Well, actually at first she only smiled at her Daddy most of the time, and with me, it was just a blur stare.
But now, she would consistently flash us the sweetest of smiles when we speak to her. Sometimes she would coo endearingly as if in reply to what we say.
She smiles at Ethan too, and even when Daddy does not say anything and just merely looks at her, he would be rewarded with her honey-sweet smile that just melts his heart…
The picture above was taken right before we were leaving for Gilroy for our Memorial Day shopping trip last Saturday. Do you think she was extra happy because of that?
Some people have asked us the inevitable question: “Is there sibling jealousy since Hannah arrived?”
Hmmm…while it is apparent that Ethan absolutely adores little Hannah, there are times when he displays some jealous streaks too. He would ask for us to carry him when he sees us carrying Hannah, he would insist that I put him down to sleep even when I am breastfeeding Hannah, and of course, he would ask us to “Put Hannah cot!” when he wants our undivided attention.
On the other hand, it appears that Hannah cries for attention more when her brother is around. Perhaps she senses some *competitive vibes* and so she responds with the only method she knows thus far.
Sibling jealousy goes both ways, I’d say…and yet, I can hardly wait for the day when my kids can play together happily, enjoying each other’s company.
The birth of a daughter gives the mommy the license to get sweet pretty girly stuff…that’s just an excuse really, but anyway, the green light shone nice and bright for me.
I am so pleased that Hannah is fully using cloth diapers now, some are hand-me-downs from Ethan, and some smaller ones (newborn and small sizes) I got for her recently. My craze led me to get these fantastic fitted diapers in pretty girly colors and prints. I do so prefer fitted because of how soft it feels against the skin.
These are from My Precious Baby by April. I absolutely love the soft velour and because my girl is also quite a heavy wetter, these fitted diapers are perfect! I got them all in medium size cuz Hannah’s already wearing that size anyway, believe it or not. And I personally selected and coordinated the prints and colors of these dipes too!
Look, I took the opportunity to get the additional soaker in Girly Cow Prints (and apt too, because Hannah was born in the Year of the Ox according Chinese Zodiac Calendar). How cute is that?
Then I also got a bumGenius! Deluxe Bamboo Fitted Diaper in Natural. Hannah takes to the bumGenius! pocket diaper really well, sometimes I use it through the night too, so I was curious to try the bamboo fitted version. Too bad they only have it in one color though…but it’s a nice neutral shade.
Then I saw that Swaddlebees has the Organic Velour Pocket Fitted Diaper in Rose and I knew I had to get it. It looks really tiny, though, even for a medium sized one, and I have no doubt the fit will be really trim. I just LURVE the rosy pink color, don’t you?
Fitted dipes will allow me to dress Hannah up in gorgeous wool longies such as these, which I got from Sweet Seats when I was preggers…
They’re simply gorgeous, and she’s gotten a few compliments already every time I take her out in them.
At 2.5 months, we still can’t firmly decide if Hannah resembles her Daddy or her Mommy more, but one thing’s for sure, she certainly looks like Ethan! I dug out some pictures of Ethan taken when he was about 2.5 months too, and well…you guys be the judge…
Of course it’s quite hard to tell because of the differing amount of hair, but still…
…same engaging brown eyes…
…same cute lil button noses…
…same rosebud lips…
…and the same happy cheerful (toothless) smile!
Scrap Credits
QP Sahara from Mumure Scrapattaque
“Fall Memories” alphas from A work in progress
Glitter-Swirled Epoxy Alpha - YellowGold from Bon Scrapatit Designs
Hannah’s hair is miraculously defying gravity by standing up straight…well, the ones across the top of her head are. I have no idea when it first started, nor do I have any inkling as to when it will stop behaving that way.
When her hair is dry, it looks straight, but after her bath, my girl’s got the cutest curls on her head. What gives?
Will she take after my straight, fine hair, or have curly locks like Daddy’s? Only time will tell…
Scrap Credits
I Love Spring QP freebie from Biancka
I Love Spring elements from Seni Designs
“In the City” Alphas from Sahlin Studio
Weight
5.846 kilos or 12 lb 14.2 oz (weighed in at her recent 2-month well child checkup). Hannah’s weight is charted at 92.35% of growth percentile based on weight-for-age!
Height/Length
56.5 cm
Motor Skills
-
Hannah’s getting stronger in her kicks. She also loves to splash the water with her feet when I bathe her.
-
She can open and close her hands sometimes.
-
More eager at batting the toys hung in front of her.
-
Can hold head up at an angle when placed on her tummy.
-
Can rotate her whole body while placed on her back on a flat surface.
-
Once, it felt like she was trying to stand when I held her against me, and her feet were pressed on my thighs, as if she was standing with support!
-
Likes to be propped up. She loves to *sit* on the sofa, or held in a sitting position when carried.
Communication and Social Skills
-
Hannah’s loud throaty sounds are getting less, especially after we started using a humidifier.
-
She has started cooing and making sounds in response to what we speak. Sounds like “oooh” and “aaah” are her specialties.
-
More smiles now
-
Cries are getting louder and stronger and more persistent, sometimes to the extend of “sounding out of key”. The word we are looking for here is “heartwrenching”.
-
Eye contact is more apparent and she will follow our movements intently with her eyes.
Others
Hannah can sometimes sleep for about 5 hours straight during the night, but it is not consistent. Hopefully our sleepless nights will be a thing of the past soon.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. However, because her weight is on the higher end of the scale, her doctor has asked us to try giving her slightly less to drink; perhaps removing the breast a little sooner or feeding her just one breast during the night, or try going through the night without a feed. On the other hand, I feel that Hannah can gauge when she is full because she would sometimes reject the breast, unlike her brother the last time.
Scrap Credits
NSD 2009 freebie template from Jen Caputo
Without End - partie 1 kit from Scrapmalin
Rough & Tumble Add On paper tear from Flergs
Worn Alpha from Bethany
-
“Hi Hannah!” It’s very endearing to see Ethan going up to Hannah when he wakes up or when he comes back from daycare and greet her that way. Sometimes he will add in, “How are you, Hannah?” or “I love you Hannah” or “What you doin’, Hannah?”
-
“Hannah, wake up!”
-
When Hannah starts to cry when we are out in the car, Ethan will respond with, “Oh Hannah, don’t cry…we’re moving!” You see, Hannah, just like her brother when he was small, loves it when the car is moving, and as soon as we stop at traffic lights or an intersection, she will start to cry. Sometimes we would reassure Hannah by telling her that we are moving soon and tell her not to cry, so I suppose Ethan, in his own amazing intuitive ways, caught on.
-
“Sit down, Hannah!” , while pointing to the couch.
-
“Eat, Hannah!”, offering Hannah his milk or yogurt.
-
When Hannah starts crying and wants to be fed or carried, Ethan will go up to her and say, “Oh, it’s okay Hannah, … don’t cry!” When we ask Ethan to give Hannah a kiss, sometimes he will touch his forehead to her head.
-
“Here, Hannah…pull it!”, offering the musical mobile toy to Hannah, and then “Touch it!” while he holds Hannah’s hand to the toy. Just the other day, Ethan took his yellow Numbers book and put Hannah’s hand in such a way as to hold the book.
***
And when he wants Mommy’s or Daddy’s attention on him, when either one of us is carrying Hannah, he will say “Put Hannah cot!” He puts a lot of emphasis on the “T” after the “Put” so much so that it sounds like he said, “Put THE Hannah cot!”
Oh, by the way, Ethan pronounces Hannah as “HA-NA”, and not “Hen-NA” like us. It’s just so adorable the way he says it! And I bet those things he says to her right now are all just the tip of the iceberg with many many more to come as they both grow up!
Daddy and Mommy took Hannah and me to Gilroy Gardens last Saturday. I asked Mommy to dress me up in my pair of cool blue jeans and happily got into the car. Hannah took a nap in the car on the way there, and usually I would too, but I was too excited to sleep as I was looking forward to riding on the “mare-go-wown” (merry-go-round). I had been to Gilroy Gardens a few months ago, but didn’t dare go on the rides myself, but I am a big boy now and I was all ready to have FUN! There were also many more pretty flowers now since it is springtime.
Daddy and Mommy got us the Lotsa Card season tickets, which means we would be able to go to Gilroy Gardens an unlimited number of times this year! Yippeee!
I spotted the mare-go-wown as soon as we walked into the entrance, and pulled Mommy towards it. There was nobody in queue and I was the first one on the little merry-go-round, so I got to choose the horse I wanted to ride on!
Further down the road, we saw an even bigger merry-go-round, and I just HAD to get on that too! Even Mommy got to sit on one of the horses!
Next up, it was rides galore! I think Mommy enjoyed herself too because she could not ride on most of the rides last time as she was pregnant with Hannah. This time, Mommy got to enjoy some of them with me! I only wished Hannah was old enough to join me…
When we were riding in these gigantic strawberries, I saw a really exciting ride in the shape of a giant banana that was rocking up and down! I asked Mommy and Daddy if I could ride on it, but they said I wasn’t tall enough yet. I must start doing some stretching exercises!
I did get to ride on little golden fishies (can you spot me?), on a fire engine and in a racing car!
…and then Daddy went on a balloon ride with me too!! Too bad only my hoodie can be seen…see?
Mommy couldn’t ride in the balloons because she was carrying little Hannah who had fallen asleep in the sling.
Must have been quite comfortable for Hannah, cuz she slept for a long time in there…not that I wanted to be in the sling anyway! I had so much fun running around because there were so many things to do!
Sometimes Daddy had to catch me and stop me from running, but I just could not help it! We had rides in the choo-choo train, of course, but when I tried to get on the roller coaster, I was not allowed to do so because I was not tall enough. 
We then decided to take a break to have a treat.
Hawaiian Shaved Ice definitely sounded good, and just look at all the colorful juices that would go into it!
I heard Mommy and Daddy say it was a very expensive bowl of ice with syrup, but it sure looked good!
Initially I made a face because it was ICE all the way. C-O-L-D!!!! But soon, Daddy, Mommy and I finished the whole cup! Yummy!
The one thing we MUST do the next time we come again to Gilroy Gardens is to ride in the paddle boats that were shaped like swans! There was a long queue for the boats so Mommy decided to take me on the giant artichokes instead.
And before we left, Daddy took me for a final choo-choo train ride.
…with breathtaking scenery…
Oh, we are SO coming back here again soon!
Scrap Credits
Captured QP from My Life And Scrap
About girl butterflies from Elisja Design
Magnetic Poetry pieces from Digi-Designs by Nicole
As my little Hannah grows day by day, she’s starting to explore and discover more things. When I change her on the changing table, her favorite stance is to grab one of the little vertical bars on the table. And her grip is really tight too!
Another thing she has discovered recently is her fist. In her exercising and stretching sessions, she would inadvertently find her fist in her mouth, and she would then suck on it fervently!
Fist first, then toes next?
Maybe he just wants to join in the crowd…
Ethan has been requesting to carry Hannah on his own nowadays. He would make his request with both his arms outstretched.
I’d allow him to carry Hannah with her head on his lap and him sitting on the couch. I feel it is important to let Ethan know that he plays an important role as a big brother. Maybe this makes him FEEL like a big brother.
But one thing’s for sure…they look so adorable together, don’t they?
This is the story of my *unwanted* EBM (expressed breast milk)…
I had a one hour conference call scheduled today, so I asked my parents to look after Hannah during that time. The day before I’d made an effort to express some breast milk for Hannah, just so my parents could feed it to Hannah if she asked for milk during my meeting. Well, turns out she didn’t, but asked for it as soon as my conference ended, so I decided to warm the EBM and feed it to her instead.
It was the first time I had expressed milk since I had Hannah, and the very first time I was gonna feed her using the bottle. I honestly didn’t think it would work, but gave it a shot anyway, because my EBM was already kept for 24 hours in the fridge, and I would have to throw it out had I not fed it to her then.
The first few tries were unsuccessful because I didn’t close the bottle properly, so the EBM leaked out. And then when I made sure it didn’t leak, Hannah used her tongue to push away the nipple, and cried and screamed even louder! I guess she knew I was feeding her so she flatly refused the bottle! When I asked my Mom to try feeding her, she still refused, because the smart little girl *knew* that a *better milk package* was around…so why should she settle for less?
So that’s the story of my leftover EBM…being a kiasu breastfeeding mommy, of course I could not bring myself to throw out the milk just like that, although it was just about two ounces…
So I poured a little of the EBM onto a wet washcloth and washed Hannah’s face with it when I bathed her! Hey…breast milk works wonders on heat rash, y’know?
My Ah Mah from Ipoh recently bought me these lovely little night gowns. Mommy tells me they are from a place called Carter’s and the gowns are called sleeplikely gowns. They are supposed to make me sleep better at night and also make diaper changes easier for Mommy.
Well, I wouldn’t know about changing diapers but I certainly think I look adorable and pretty in ‘em gowns!
I also get to go to bed in this cute little dino sleeping sack:
My big brother Ethan took really good care of it when he used it last time, because it is still in wonderful condition!
I’m not sure if the use of these gowns and sleeping sack will help eliminate the loud throaty sounds I make at night though, but Mommy and Daddy definitely hope so!
We celebrated Hannah’s full moon sans the traditional full moon set of the red chicken eggs, angkoo and turmeric rice. We figured we would have those done during her first birthday instead, since we would be back in Penang then and we would also be able to distribute the full moon sets to relatives and friends. So for her full moon celebration, we just had a simple lunch in our favorite Layang Layang restaurant.
The adults all enjoyed the food while little Hannah also enjoyed her meal when she decided it was feeding time during our lunch!
After lunch, we drove up to Pier 39 in San Francisco, where it was really springtime in full bloom!
Everyone was eager to take pictures with the pretty flowers and hoarding almost all the photo spots, it was almost impossible to find a good spot.
The weather was sunny but chilly and windy, and at times I had to just hold Hannah close to keep her warm and comfy.
Ethan had fun looking at the sealions and after that, he asked to go to the merry-go-round! Wow…he remembered!
This time though, he could ride on his own…and daddy, who was accompanying him, even got to ride on a horse by himself! LOL
Ethan rode on the merry-go-round twice, and if we hadn’t stopped him, I bet he could be riding the whole day long too!
And while all this excitement was happening, Hannah was oblivious to her surroundings, being kept cozy in a snuggly warm baby sling. I’m still quite the novice at baby-wearing though, having only worn the sling with Ethan when he was a wee babe, but Hannah seems to be enjoying it, no? Look at how peacefully she’s sleeping!
Oh, and of course we didn’t forget to do our usual routine of Boudin clam chowder before we bade farewell to Pier 39 that day.
Scrap Credits
Spring Blossoms: April’s Mega Blog Train freebie from Carjazi Designs
Small stamp frame from Lindsay Jane Designs
Unscripted No. 3 - Simply Put [handwritten word art] from TaylorMade Designs by Amanda Taylor
Paper Alphas from Oksana
Just Because Alphas from Shel Belle Scraps
Leaf Swirl from Lynette’s Photo Art
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
Weight
3.35 kilos (weighed in at 2 weeks’ old during her 2-week pediatrician visit). She sure feels a lot heavier now!
Height/Length
50.8cm (measured at 2 weeks’ old during her 2-week pediatrician visit)
Motor Skills
- Hannah is able to lift head for a short period of time when placed on her tummy. I try to give her some tummy time every day just to allow her a different view and also to provide some exercise! … and she LOVES it!
- She can also move her head from side to side, especially when a rattling toy is moved in front of her face. She will follow the sound intently.
-
She has started batting the little toys on her mobile in the infant-to-toddler rocker.
-
She makes jerky arm movements, especially when asleep. When there is a loud disturbance when she is asleep, Hannah jerks her hand upwards, and they sometimes remain that way.
Communication and Social Skills
- Hannah makes loud throaty sounds all the time, and even more so during the night when everyone is asleep (or trying to sleep). It could be due to her GER, and I hope it will go away soon.
- She gives the occassional social smile, sometimes when we talk and sing to her, and sometimes she even smiles in her sleep! In fact, the first time Hannah smiled at me was the first night we spent together in the hospital!
- There are times when Hannah is awake and alert and just observing the world around her, but she will sometimes cry when she feels lonely or thinks no one is around. She will, however, quieten down and look at people nearby with those huge brown eyes when we start talking or singing to her.
- She sometimes will cry, not out of hunger, but just to be carried and cuddled.
- Hannah can soothe herself to sleep most of the time when placed in the cot. We try to place her in the cot when she is drowsy but not asleep, although sometimes I allow her to fall asleep in my arms and carry her in a sling in a snuggle hold position, which is currently her favorite. I am not complaining because in the snuggle hold position, I have two free hands!
- She enjoys being clean, and when she cries to be changed because her diaper is wet, she will calm down immediately when I put her on the changing table. She also loves her bathtime nowadays, and will patiently stay as still as possible while I bathe her.
Others
- Hannah is pooping less frequently now, but some of the poops are MAJOR BIG ones. In fact, we just had a catastrophic explosive poop on the morning of the day she turned one-month-old. My whole right forearm acted as a shield for the poop and as a result, I had to clean the carpet, the side table, bottles of lotion, changing table and mat early in the morning.
- Hannah has some pimple-looking rashes on her face and head. I have already removed chocolate and ice cream from my diet, and hopefully it will help the rashes subside. Ethan had rashes too, so perhaps it runs in the family.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk.
Scrap Credits
Strawberry Farms QP from Raspberry Road Designs
Moody Grunge Alphas from Mel Hains Designs
Phew! We just made it past Hannah’s second growth spurt! According to baby books and experts, an infant experiences growth spurts at certain periods during the first year of life and the approximate times are:
- 7-10 days
- 3 weeks
- 6 weeks
- 3 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
During these growth spurts, the baby’s appetite will increase, and a typical sign of a growth spurt is something called cluster feedings, i.e. when baby nurses several times close together, sometimes even in an hour or two! Hannah’s first growth spurt went by almost unnoticed, because she was still settling into her feeding and sleep pattern then, but just as I thought it was getting easier, she hit her second growth spurt about a week ago, and the LONG nights began.
In addition to waking up several times in the middle of the night, I had to remind myself to burp her properly after every feed and prop her body up at an angle after that. You see, Hannah has a slight case of Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER), and would sometimes throw up a little bit of milk. The first time she did that, I panicked, not because I didn’t know babies did that, but because it never happened to Ethan; that boy kept everything down! I remembered I just had to feed him, and burp or no burp, he would be okay after that. Maybe girls are more high maintenance…hehehe…
In any case, breastfeeding definitely helps an infant with GER, and I hope she’ll feel much better soon.
Oh, and she prefers to be burped over the shoulder! Doesn’t like the sitting and burping position…
Well anyway, I am glad we are nearing the end of this growth spurt…for one thing, it has certainly made our girl look more *bulat* by the day! She is fast growing out of her 0-3months clothes too!
Just the other evening, while we were relaxing in front of the TV, Ethan suddenly brought his yellow Numbers book and said it was for Hannah. You see, Ethan has four favorite board books: the red Animals book, the blue ABC book, the green Words book and the yellow Numbers book. All this time, he has self-assigned the red book for himself, the blue book for Mommy and the green book for Daddy. The yellow book was unassigned till that day.
Anyway, I then asked Ethan to read to Hannah. And so he did.
He flipped to the addition and subtraction page in the board book, and started pointing and read aloud to his sister.
He goes, “Five plus Five equals TEN!” and “Four plus Six equals TEN!”
He doesn’t say the word “minus” though, so he goes, “Three Two equals ONE!”
Scrap Credits
May Morn paper from Carjazi Designs
Elegant word art (a daughter is) from Bethany
Stamp cluster 8 (modified) from Lindsay Jane Designs
Boxed words from Chantal
In the past three weeks since Hannah came into our lives, I have been getting to know her based on her facial expressions:
-
She frowns and purses her lips when she is about to do a poop.
-
She smiles and sometimes giggles when she sees something she likes. Once she was fussing and crying, and as soon as I picked her up, she smiled at me as if to say, “Yay! Mission accomplished!”
-
She raises her eyebrows, causing her forehead to crease after every feed. And she does this while stretching her entire body, in a satisfied manner.
-
She looks at us with those gorgeous big brown eyes, as if she understands every word we say.
-
She cries when she is hungry.
-
She screams and wails when she is wet or needs a change, and brings the roof down when I am just a wee bit slow in getting the whole process done.
-
..and of course, she lets out a YAWN when she is sleepy and tired.
Credits
Word Art from DigiDesigns by Denise
Ethan has been lovingly executing his brotherly duties, thus far, and these include:
There is certainly no doubt that newborns cry and poop a lot. It’s not any different with Hannah: she certainly has a good set of lungs on her and uses it to get our attention the best way she knows how.
As for pooping, well, her first poop happened only about 20 hours after she was born, but there has been no stopping her since. During the first week or so, I was changing diapers almost every hour or even more often, and every diaper change had some amount of poop in it. During the daytime I am using fitted cloth diapers, and because of the frequency of diaper changes needed, I was doing the laundry about twice a day! I’ve also had my fair share of projectile poop, even in the middle of the night!
I’m not complaining though. One of the signs of a healthy baby is denoted by the number of poops the baby has in a day.
…and we ALL know the kind of runny grainy poo breastfed babies are known to produce, right?
I’ll have to admit that little Hannah is definitely taking the meaning of beauty sleep to another level. We are actually quite amazed at the number of sleeping hours she is clocking in. Given the fact that she was practically up the whole of the first night I was with her, I was prepared for the worst. But so far she has been a very good girl, and will contentedly sleep for a few hours straight after a satisfying feed. At times, I have even had to wake her up for a feed or a diaper change or for her bath.
For most of the time too, Hannah is able to self-soothe herself to sleep, although by and by, I am sensing our smart girl is beginning to learn how to “manja” and sometimes prefers instead to be cuddled to sleep.
Thing is, her long sleeping hours are mostly during the daytime. Her day and night schedule is still not established yet, and she sleeps less during the night. I am trying to change that as best as I can, by creating a fixed bedtime routine, and also by making night-time feeds are short and boring as possible.
Some of the time, Hannah has to learn how to sleep through the noise, because Ethan usually talks very loudly and excitedly. Sometimes, Ethan would even go over to Hannah’s cot and tell his sister, “Hannah, wake up!”
I do so love watching her sleep…just like a peaceful little angel. I have even caught her smiling in her sleep at times!
Last Sunday, Hannah had her first professional photo session. It was not by choice, of course… we had to get her passport photos done to register her birth with the Malaysian Consulate in LA and also to apply for her Malaysian passport.
The night before I googled for nearby photo studios that provided this service, and we decided on one that was opened on Sundays. Little did we know that it would be SO packed!
I had to specially request that the photographer take Hannah’s picture first because we were afraid she would fall asleep soon. So after a little bit of a wait, the screen was set up, but there was a slight problem. Because Hannah was only 2 weeks’ old, of course she could not yet hold her head up on her own and so we had to support her neck. But that would mean the photo would show the hands of the person holding her!
So the photographer got a tiny little round chair and draped a piece of whitish cloth over it. We then placed Hannah on the chair and tried to make her stay very still and look straight for the photo to be taken. It wasn’t easy, because she kept turning her head to one side and didn’t look very comfortable.
We finally got a few shots, but when the photographer tried to view them, there was a problem with the memory card. So he had to retake the shots.
And there we were again, trying to make Hannah *smile* for the camera. But just as Hannah had the perfectest pose, the photographer had some problem with the camera and had to change the memory card again!
Anyway, we attempted once again, and finally we were able to get a couple of shots. We paid for the photos and waited for them to be printed.
What do you think?
Scrap Credits
Crazy Love Partie 5 kit from Digital-Crea
Photo mask from Scrapmalin
With the birth of Hannah, so begins this second breastfeeding journey of mine. Psychologically, of course I am very prepared…prepared to sacrifice sleep for at least a few weeks or months, prepared for interrupted schedules and definitely prepared to reap the fulfilling rewards.
I’ll be honest. The first night I spent with Hannah was VERY trying. And although mentally I knew that this would be coming, fatigue was taking its toll on me. Coupled with the fact that Hannah nursed VERY frequently that first night, and hardly slept, it would be really easy for any new mother to give up. Of course, it didn’t help that the hospital I was in had nurses who *gently advised* me not to become a human pacifier, and tried to coax me to use a regular pacifier instead. Luckily I did not cave in! You see, I had clearly stated in my birth plan that I would be exclusively breastfeeding Hannah, and that she was not to have any bottles or pacifiers.
Anyway, that was not the end of my worries. When I came home from the hospital, I started to get sore nipples due to the excessive nursing. Hannah was latching on correctly, that much I am sure, but my nipples were very sore, and dry, probably because they were not yet *seasoned*. I was never a fan of using lanolin to ease sore nipples, but I resorted to it a couple of times out of desperation. I still prefer applying breast milk though.
This time round, hallelujah, my milk came in on the third day, but I still had to grit my teeth when I nursed Hannah then, so I consulted the internet and I was somewhat relieved to find out that the soreness would (hopefully) disappear come day 6 or so. Hannah’s pediatrician recommended wearing loose clothing to help ease the soreness (and that help a lot).
Thankfully the soreness left from day 4 onwards and I am now happily nursing a happy beautiful baby
She is definitely a pro at breastfeeding, but sometimes she can get a little bit lazy after nursing on one side, and needs to be woken up for feeding on the other side. Hannah is fed on demand and usually asks for a feed every 2-3 hours, but sometimes less frequently.
I am taking it easy now and have not started expressing milk yet, although sometimes I feel my breasts are quite full. I am allowing my body to make just enough (no more and no less) milk for Hannah, so I will probably only start expressing for storage in Week 3 or 4 or later, when my milk supply is established.
So as far as my breastfeeding journey goes, I am definitely enjoying myself and from the looks of it, Hannah is too, as her weight has increased to 7lbs 6.5oz (3.359kilos) at 2 weeks’ old!
My parents are ALREADY grandparents, but nevertheless this time they are grandparents for the first time to a granddaughter!
Hannah definitely has more hair than I did when I was a baby…however it is yet to be confirmed if she looks exactly like me. She does have my long fingers though!
As soon as our little family reached our home after Hannah and I were discharged, we told Ethan his little sister Hannah had presents for him. Of course Ethan was very excited and kept asking for the presents, even before having his dinner!
A few weeks ago, I prepared the presents in mention, and wrapped them up into nice boxes with gift-wrapping paper bearing Ethan’s favorite balloon motifs. Everybody now knows that giving a present from the newborn baby to the older sibling is a good way to start off a (hopefully) jealous-free relationship. I didn’t want to just simply get something for the sake of getting it, so I made sure every item in the gift box would be something our boy would like.
So we (Hannah) got him a LullaBible board book, with lovingly illustrated A-Z promises from God, complete with an audio CD, a Mickey Mouse tumbler, three granola bars and the highlight: a Lego Duplo train set!
Ethan LOVES to open presents now, and he didn’t waste much time tearing the wrappers off.
Ironically, he chose the Lego box to open first and was SO happy when he saw what it was!
Then he tore open the wrapper of the other present and when he saw the goodies inside, he exclaimed, “WOW!!!” And then he began to eat the granola bars. LOL
It looks like the brother-sister relationship has gotten off to a great start!
On Saturday February 28th 2009, I felt my Braxton-Hicks contractions coming in stronger and more pronounced. They had been stronger the whole of my 2nd pregnancy anyway, but nothing more than feeling a little uncomfortable on my part.
Early Sunday morning, before the sun was up, I discovered that I had a little bit of the show when I visited the restroom. And when Pete woke up, I told him that I had a strong feeling the baby would be born within the next 2 days (Pete and I knew *somehow* that our baby girl wanted to be a March baby..hehe). The contractions were getting slightly more painful now and I had some brownish discharge throughout the day, but still, they did not stop me from doing some grocery shopping and going about my usual business.
It was only close to midnight that the contractions became increasingly unbearable. I started monitoring the frequency and duration of the contractions that night, and before I hit the sack, they were about 6-8 minutes apart, lasting about 40-45 seconds each. Throughout the night, I could hardly sleep a wink, as I was awaken every few minutes by the pain. I kept checking the time and wondered when morning would come.
At 6:30a.m. I woke up and had frosted corn flakes for breakfast, eating and moving VERY slowly because of the pain I was enduring. My belly had definitely moved LOWER by a mile from the night before! I took a shower and then timed my contractions again, and this time they were 5 minutes apart, lasting about 60-80 seconds each time. I woke Pete up immediately and told him we had to go to the hospital NOW.
So we got ready, got Ethan ready and I kissed Ethan goodbye for the day as Pete drove Ethan and dropped him off at daycare. I then proceeded to pack my last minute essentials for my labor bag. Pete came back a few minutes later to fetch me to the hospital, but we took some time to get to the car, because my contractions made me stop every now and then for a breather.
Pete called the hospital to give them a heads up that we were on our way and at last we arrived at the hospital (after what seemed like an endless car ride filled with contractions and deep breathings). After Pete found a parking spot, we headed for the labor and delivery floor, where we were immediately ushered into one of the delivery rooms. I was already pre-registered, so that saved us a whole lot of time. I immediately told the nurse that I wanted the epidural. Haha..
The nurse strapped me onto a device that could detect the baby’s heartbeat, which was very comforting. My blood pressure was also automatically taken at regular intervals.
Then the nurse checked me and surprise surprise, I was already 8cm dilated! I could hardly believe my ears when she told me that… in any case, I wanted the epidural, and the anesthesiologist was asked to come right away to administer it. Having experienced childbirth the first time round sans epidural, I figured I would choose to have epidural for my second birth. I still felt the pain of contractions this time around too, all of the 8cm of dilation!
A few weeks prior, I had tested positive for the Group B Streptococcal bacteria, so I had to be given a dose of antibiotics before the baby was born, to ensure that baby would not be infected. My doctor says the antibiotics needed 4 hours to take effect, so he was gonna give me the dose and then if all went well, deliver the baby only 4 hours later. My water bag had not burst yet, and my doc was not gonna speed up the delivery by doing so. It was approximately 10:30a.m. at that time.
My epidural was administered at the same time too, and although the effect was not felt instantaneously, the pain wore off slowly after a few minutes. I could still move my feet and feel them, but the bottom part of my body felt slightly numb. I could still tell when a really strong contraction was happening, but the difference was that I could talk through the contractions and even smile and laugh
The epidural is definitely the best thing to have been invented in the world of labor and delivery!
Pete went off to get some lunch from a nearby cafeteria, while I stayed in the delivery room. Then we both waited for the 4 hours to pass by (I don’t know how I would have survived the pain for 4 hours without the epidural!).
During this time, I was to inform the nurses if I felt anything *different*, since I could not feel much of the contractions with the epidural. I was not advised to drink any water, instead I was given fluids via IV-drip, and I “snacked” on ice chips to soothe my throat. I was hungry but I had to bear the hunger till after the delivery.
At about 1:45p.m. I felt two consecutive contractions coming in, which also led to a little bit of stretching on my perineum. I wondered if this was the “different feeling” they were referring to and when I told the nurse this, she said my doc would be there shortly to check. And when I was checked, I was already 10cm dilated! Yipppeeee!!!
It was about 2:00p.m. then, I think, and my water bag STILL had not burst at that time, but something rare happened. The water bag plopped out of me and hung like a balloon of fluids (trust me, I saw it with my own eyes with a mirror!). The doc says they hardly ever see anything like that before, and after that he announced that we were ready to have a baby! We were about 15 minutes away to the 4-hour timeline, but the doc figured it would be sufficient.
I could already see the baby’s head through the water bag, and I was VERY surprised that it was a head full of hair!
My doctor then manually punctured the water bag, and told me to wait till the next contraction to push. And push I did.
I saw the baby’s head crowning a little, and then the contraction stopped, so we waited for the next one.
And when the next contraction came, I pushed and pushed with all my might and strength, all the while Pete by my side giving a whole lot of support and love.
I felt the baby’s head sliding out and then I heard my doctor say, “Okay, stop pushing now.” So I stopped and took deep cleansing breaths and relaxed. I did NOT have an episiotomy but there was a slight minor tear which was stitched up. As the doctor guided the rest of the baby’s body out, I felt a sense of relief sweep through me, and then I heard Hannah’s very first cries.
The nurse announced, “2:17p.m.” - which is the time of her birth, then the doctor clamped the umbilical cord, and invited Pete to cut it. Such an honor, don’t you think?
Hannah is such a beautiful baby girl, and she was immediately brought to me after delivery for cuddling. I could not believe how warm she felt, and she was truly PINK all over! I tell you, I fell in love immediately, and I could not stop my tears from falling. All those feelings of being a mother came back to me all over again, and all the pain of the contractions I felt were forgotten momentarily as I was filled with such pride and such joy just seeing and finally holding Hannah, my little perfect miracle.
They took her away for a while to weigh her and get her vitals, including her Apgar score. Hannah weighs in at 3.044kilos (approximately 6lbs 11oz) and she was born at 19inches. She was then brought to me for her first breastfeeding session… boy, was she a pro! In fact, she was already sucking her fist before I put her to my breast.
And then she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Daddy and Mommy. Our precious little angel (check out that full head of hair!)…
Daddy then took Hannnah to the nursery, to accompany her while the nurses gave her her first bath, while I got prepped to be transferred to the maternity room.
I asked to room in with Hannah, and that night I was practically up the whole night breastfeeding and also getting to know my girl. It was definitely tiring, but well worth every minute of it. Here’s what a tired but happy mommy looks like:
It was an experience to cherish, giving birth to baby Hannah. It was as if she purposely waited for March 2nd to be born. My OB/GYN is part of a group of doctors who take turns to be on duty delivering babies in the hospital. During my 38th week checkup, I asked the receptionist when my doc would be on duty, and she said that for the month of March, he would be delivering babies only on March 2nd. Well, in a way, my body probably reacted to this piece of information and Hannah was born on this historical date.
I asked if I could be discharged the following day after giving birth, and I was glad that my doc gave me the green light. The pediatrician, however, said that we had to wait for at least 24 hours after baby was born, and also we had to wait till Hannah pooped. She did not poop the whole night after she was born.
However, just as the nurses came to check on Hannah at about 10:30a.m. the next day, we saw the familiar black meconium in her diaper, so hurrah! We made plans to be discharged after dinner that same day itself. By the way, hospital food was quite good…here’s what I *ordered* for lunch:
Yes, if you are wondering, that IS a slice of cheesecake you see on the left of the picture…
Pete brought Ethan to see me and baby Hannah that evening, and we left for home shortly after. It was definitely good to be home… our little family of three has grown a little bigger to become a little family of four
Recent Comments