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Our First Visit to Six Flags New England

April 28, 2013 in Emma, Entertainment, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | No comments

We had planned on going to Six Flags New England after lunch, when the accident happened.  And when we were done in Urgent Care, it was already about 4:00p.m.  Pete and I were ready to go back home to rest, but then Ethan and Hannah asked, “Mommy, Daddy, are we going to see our surprise now?”

You see, we had told them both that we would be taking them for a surprise that day.  They remembered.

So I checked with the nurse and doctor and Hannah got the go-ahead, with the caveat to avoid getting the wound wet.  So we made the 1.5 hour drive to Agawam, MA for our first visit to Six Flags.

We had gotten season passes to the theme park, so we’ll definitely make a few more trips there before we leave for Malaysia.  Hannah took a quick power nap on the way there, but was all excitement as we arrived.  Unfortunately we had to queue up to change our printed season passes to photo-ID ones, and that took about 30 minutes or so, a LOOONG wait for people with kids, let me tell ya.

Here are some of our pictures.  Because Ethan and Hannah wanted to go on ride after ride, Pete had to take them on those rides when I had to breastfeed Emma or change her and then I would meet them at a later time somewhere.  On rides that the kids had to be accompanied by an adult, we had to make use of the parent swap, where either Pete or I would ride with one kid first and then subsequently, we can ride with the other kid without having to queue up again.

It was quite an experience being in a theme park with three kids now, especially also since Emma chose that period of time to poop a few times!

It got colder in the night, and I could not believe that we actually stayed up till park closure at 9:00p.m.  Well, we will definitely be back! 😀

The kids are already requesting to go back the next day itself! LOL

Hope to get more pictures during our next visit!

 

The Accident

April 24, 2013 in Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 5 comments

It was just like any normal Saturday.  We woke up and lazed around at home, before getting ready to go out for lunch.  We were all still a little tired after our trip to New York, but we were all glad to have had a good night’s sleep.

Lunch was at our favorite Japanese restaurant; Ethan would have his favorite chicken katsu set and Hannah loved the oranges that were provided as dessert.  The kids had finished their lunch and I was just about to finish mine when the accident happened. 🙁

Ethan and Hannah had got up from their seats and were playing not too far away from where we were seated.  The restaurant was rather empty at that time, so they had quite some space to themselves.  Suddenly, we heard a loud thud and when Pete and I look towards the kids, we saw Hannah faced down on the floor.

I got up immediately to help her up, and I was shocked to see blood running down from a big wound on her forehead.  I hurriedly took her to the bathroom to wash up, but after wiping the blood away, my knees went weak when I saw what a big gash it was.  I decided to ask Pete to wash the wound up instead.  Hannah was sobbing, but I could tell she was very strong.

We did not see how the accident had happened, but Ethan said Hannah had ran and tried to grab on to a nearby pole.  She missed and hit her head on the back of a chair and then fell on the floor.  The impact from either the chair or the floor must have caused the big gash.

The waiter gave us a couple of band aids to cover the wound up meanwhile, but we knew we had to bring her immediately into Urgent Care.  When we arrived at the medical center, the nurse calmly told me she had to check if a doctor was available.  Well, thankfully we were able to get someone to see Hannah almost immediately.  She had stopped crying then, which was a good sign.

Upon checking the wound and cleaning her up, the doctor said that he would need to stitch up the wound.  First, some numbing gel was applied to the wound and I had to hold a cotton gauze on the wound to make sure the numbing gel would take effect.  After 10 minutes, the nurse replaced the cotton gauze with a fresh piece and also a fresh application of numbing gel.  The nurse also gave Hannah an “I Spy” book to occupy her time while we waited for the gel to take effect.

I tried my very best to put on a brave face for my darling Hannah, although being a Mommy, I was all freaked out beyond belief.

She asked, “Is it gonna hurt, Mommy?”

I told her, “No Hannah, the doctor will only sew up the wound so it will become better.”

And she replied, “Okay Mommy.  I will try my best to be brave.”

And she was. Indeed. 🙂

The doctor came in soon after and got ready to stitch up the wound.  Hannah held my hands when the doctor put the first stitch in, but she said she didn’t need to hold my hands after that anymore.  All in all, there were 3 stitches and also a running stitch all the way through the wound.  Hannah kept very still throughout the entire procedure, although she did seem a little bored towards the end.

The doctor and nurse both said that Hannah did very well, and that she deserved a gold medal, to which she replied after they were done with the stitches, “So where’s my gold medal?” 🙂

After the stitching, the doctor washed the wound up and put an adhesive-like substance on either side of the stitched wound and then applied a thin striped bandage to cover the wound up.  The stitches would be removed this coming Friday but meanwhile we were told to keep the wound dry.

Hannah left the medical center with three pretty stickers too, all her own choices.  We’re praying that her wound would heal up beautifully and well.  She’s looking forward to removing her stitches in a few days’ time.

Here, There and Everywhere

April 17, 2013 in Breastfeeding, Emma, Food & Feeding, Growing Up, Parenting | No comments

During the past one month where I have been learning about this new world I’m in, Daddy and Mommy has brought me to so many new places!  So many new things to see, I can safely assume I have been to more places than most of the newborns around! 🙂

  • I visited my pediatrician twice; once when I was 2 weeks’ old and one more time when I was a month old.  I didn’t like it when they undressed me and placed me on this weighing scale thing, but Daddy and Mommy sure seemed happy after they took my weight.  Also, I had a Hepatitis B jab during my 2nd visit.  Didn’t like that at all!  Hmmph.
  • I’ve followed Daddy, Mommy, Ethan and Hannah out on countless occasions to several restaurants for their meals.  Japanese food, Vietnamese food, fast food…they sure eat a LOT.  Me?  I’m just contented with Mommy’s breast milk – yummy!
  • One several occasions, they brought me along to this ice cream store called Coldstone Creamery where they bought their ice cream to go.  Daddy said something about me crying, so they had to get it to go.
  • I’ve also been to grocery stores, sometimes just Mommy and me.  It’s never too early to learn about shopping, they say.  Mommy pushed me around in a stroller and managed to get the groceries done.
  • Mommy has also brought me along to my brother Ethan’s school to drop him off, and she also takes me down with her when she drops my sister Hannah off at her school.  The cool weather is just right for me, but there were a couple of days when it was a little bit windy.  I heard Mommy saying that it’s much warmer now and that it was a good thing I was born a little later, after the unforgiving cold winter.

I’m looking forward to more exciting outings ahead…psst…I heard that they are planning some as we speak!  Well, I ain’t complaining as long as they keep me clean and dry and ensure that my supply of milk is readily available all the time! 😀

Those “Hannah and Mommy” Chit Chat Sessions

April 4, 2013 in Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting, Sleep | No comments

Each night (well, most nights…when Hannah is not too overly sleepy), as I tuck her in to sleep, we will share a special minute or two just to catch up with each other.  Sometimes she will request for a bedtime story and sometimes she will tell me a bedtime story instead.  At times, we’ll help each other make up stories…short and funny ones.

Yeah, my Hannah still sleeps with me and is very much attached to me.  She says she will move to her own room when we get back to Penang, so hopefully she’ll keep her word.

Our chit chat sessions are special moments I would treasure forever.  Even though I need to nurse Emma, Hannah is being very much the helpful big sister by bringing me the nursing pillow and then as I nurse Emma, Hannah will ask, “Can I hug your hand?”

Now how do I say no to that? 🙂

We chat about everything at all: how her day was, what day it would be the next day, what we would be doing the next day, how Hannah sleeps like a starfish, we discuss how we’d share the blankie…and then she would yawn, close her eyes and fall asleep.  It is the perfect end to every day.

I Am Truly Thankful…

April 1, 2013 in Breastfeeding, Emma, Growing Up, Milestones, Parenting | 4 comments

I am truly thankful that Emma has been a relatively calm baby.  She cries gently, except when she needs to be changed IMMEDIATELY or if she is unbelievably HUNGRY, but other than that, she cries only when she needs to.  I believe this might be due to the immediate skin-to-skin contact after she was born.  We had a one-hour bonding session right after she was born, and that could possibly be the reason why she is a calm baby.

I am truly thankful that Emma has been taking a few naps in the daytime, which allows me time to cook and clean and do the essentials around the house.  Unfortunately the popular adage, “A mom needs to sleep when the baby sleeps” does not hold true here, because only when the baby sleeps, do I find the time to do the important things that need to be done.

I am truly thankful every day because even though Emma keeps me up throughout the night, waking up every 1-1.5 hours for the past few days because she is currently in one of her growth spurts and hence cluster-feeds all the time, I would not be as sleep-deprived as I would be had I not chosen to breastfeed.  I cannot imagine how zombie-fied I would be if I had to wake up and mix up a bottle of formula or even wake up to sterilize my breast pump to express milk.  So even though I am sleep-deprived, I am still thankful.

I am truly thankful that on the several occasions we have taken Emma out, she has been behaving really well.  She wanted to be fed a few times, but it was nothing this Moo-mie could not handle.  Hey, I make milk, remember? 🙂

I am truly thankful that Emma has gained a good amount of weight, taken at her 2-week checkup.  She was a healthy 7lb 4 oz at 2 weeks and we shall see how much she weighs soon, at her 1-month checkup.  For the record (and also from our observation), she definitely looks more BULAT now. 🙂

Can’t wait for her to grow up and play with Ethan and Hannah! 😀

Big Brother and Big Sister

March 27, 2013 in Emma, Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 1 comment

Ever since Emma came into our lives, I can tell that in a way, it has brought Ethan and Hannah closer together.  It’s not like they weren’t playing together before, but I kind of feel like they look happier together now.  It’s as if they now have something special in common, i.e. a little sister they can call their own.

It’s truly a blessing Ethan and Hannah have each other because it sort of distracts Hannah (especially) from jealousy and inevitable sibling rivalry.  On the contrary, both Ethan and Hannah adore their little sister Emma.  They witnessed her being born and that in itself is the most precious thing in the world.

Hannah, especially is very fond of stroking Emma’s hair and head and has, on many occasions, asked to hold and carry Emma (under adult supervision, of course).

When Emma cries, Ethan and Hannah will ask that I check on the baby immediately to see if she’s all right.  Hannah will sometimes say, “Mommy, I think Emma wants breast milk!”

So I think this sibling relationship between the three have gotten off to a good start. 🙂

Of course, we did give it a push in the right direction by doing a couple of things on our part too.  When I had Hannah, I brought along a photo of Ethan with me to the hospital, and similarly, this time, I had with me photos of Ethan and Hannah.

They were certainly happy to see it when they visited me. 🙂

(The purple bag beside the picture frame is a gift bag from the hospital.  It contains a lavender spray, a few bars of lavender oatmeal soap and some lavender cream.  Heavenly!!)

We also did the gift gesture from Emma to Ethan and Hannah when we got home.

 

Hannah asked, “But Mommy, how did Emma buy the presents for us?”

And Ethan answered, “Of COURSE she didn’t!  Mommy and Daddy bought them!”

They were happy with the gifts all the same though. 🙂

When I had to stay in hospital for 2 nights, Pete had to single-handedly manage both kids, and I was primarily concerned about Hannah.  Ethan is quite independent and matured enough to understand most things, but Hannah would be away from me for the first time ever, so I expected a certain amount of insecurity.  Pete said it was harder dropping her off at school (and still is, sometimes), so I really hope Hannah will overcome her insecurity soon.  That being said, Pete did an excellent job in caring for them both in my absence, and for that I am truly thankful. 🙂

So yeah, both Ethan and Hannah adore little Emma and they can’t wait for her to grow up so they can play with her, especially Hannah, I think.  Ethan’s gonna be a terrific big brother and Hannah’s gonna be an awesome big sister. 🙂

Hannah says, “Mommy, now there are THREE girls in our family!”

And Ethan continued, “Yes, and now there are also THREE kids!”

The girls outnumber the boys BUT now the KIDS outnumber the grown-ups.   This is gonna be interesting. 😛

The Wondrous Birth of Sweet Little Baby Emma

March 20, 2013 in Breastfeeding, Celebrations, Emma, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting | 14 comments

It has been a little more than a week now that we have been blessed with Little Baby Emma in our lives, and sometimes I still can’t believe that she’s here! 🙂

We had been waiting for her arrival since I hit the 38th week, and every day since then had been anxiety-filled and putting what-ifs into question.  I had also gone for several rounds of prenatal fetal non-stress tests before Emma’s arrival, and every time I had been told, “Your baby looks perfect!  This baby’s beautiful!”

Apart from the regular Braxton-Hicks contractions I had been feeling, there was no other indication that Emma was gonna come soon.  Week 39 came and there was obvious stress on my bladder and pubic bone.  I was finding it increasingly hard to move around, but I still did my regular stuff: cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and even some yoga and light cardio on the elliptical.  Her movements in my belly were more prominent at night.  I tried to keep my mind off the waiting by doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, rewashing Emma’s crib linens, whatever I could think of, but nothing happened.

I drank a lot of labor prep tea (containing red raspberry leaf) and also had yogurt with pineapple in it, in the hope of starting off labor, but guess what, nothing happened.

Initially I had predicted Emma would be born on February 28th, but that day came and went without incident.  Then Pete predicted she would be born on the same date as her sister Hannah’s birthday, but March 2nd came to pass too.  Then we thought it would be March 5th, and I thought for sure it would be March 8th.  But nothing happened.

Incidentally, we had a blizzard on March 8th, which lasted till March 9th, so had she decided to make her entrance that day, it would be hard for us to make our way to the hospital too.  Clever girl. 🙂

On Saturday, March 9th, I felt stronger contractions, or rather they felt like the urge for a bowel movement.  Nothing happened then though, except that I *thought* my mucus plug was dislodged that day.  On Sunday March 10th, at about 11:00a.m. I definitely had “the show”, and I excitedly told Pete about it.

“This is it,” I said. “Emma will be here in a day or so.”

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Snow Play with My Little Miracles

February 21, 2013 in Entertainment, Ethan, Exercise, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 1 comment

We’re right smack in the middle of the School Winter Break now, and the kids are just enjoying the vacation.  Today, I single-handedly brought both of them grocery shopping and told them that if I was pleased with their behavior at the store, I’d take them out for some snow play.

I kept my promise.

After lunch, the kids were garbed in their snow gear: snow pants, snow boots, hat and mittens and we took a quick stroll to the little playground area in our apartment.  There was a slight breeze, but the kids were kept nice and toasty in their snow attire… and they had so much FUN!

 

Elegant word art (have some fun) from Bethany

A Visit from The Tooth Fairy

February 20, 2013 in Ethan, Growing Up, Milestones, Parenting | No comments

Last Sunday, as we were driving home from lunch and grocery shopping, Ethan suddenly announced, “Mommy, Mommy, my TOOTH just fell out!”

I turned around immediately and true enough, he was holding his tiny little incisor..yes, the one that had been wobbly for a little over 3 weeks now.  He was just telling me a few minutes before the incident, that he felt his tooth was going to fall out any time that day.  Apparently he had fiddled with it and it fell off!

I took the tooth from him and wrapped it in some tissue and then gave him some tissue to dab his gums of whatever blood that was there.  It did not hurt him because he had waited for it to fall off on its own, and he was so excited after that.  He didn’t have a toothless grin because his permanent tooth had already half-grown in the place of the baby tooth which had fallen out.  And he says he can now chew properly again. 🙂

When we reached home, I washed his tooth and put it in his tooth pouch.  Look how tiny the little tooth was! 🙂

Ethan wrote a short note for the tooth fairy and I put the pouch and the note under his pillow before he went to bed.

I had asked Ethan what he hoped the tooth fairy would give him in return for his tooth, and he said, “Ummm….maybe a little gift or a treat?” (I was pleasantly surprised and proud that he didn’t say “some money” :))

However, at close to 2a.m. Ethan awoke and excitedly told Daddy the Tooth Fairy had paid him a visit!  He had woken up and checked under his pillow!  LOL

But Daddy managed to ask him to go back to bed first and get a better look in the morning….so here’s his little Tooth Fairy treat! 🙂

Our boy is now looking forward to future Tooth Fairy visits.  He’s wondering when his next tooth is going to wobble!

 

Getting into the School Spirit!

January 15, 2013 in Ethan, Growing Up, Parenting | No comments

The elementary school that Ethan goes to assigns a special day each month called Spirit Day.  The aim is to have the teachers and students come together as one to promote the school spirit and also usually they would have a community or charity drive too.  The school Spirit Day for the month of January was held last Friday, and it was themed “Crazy Hat Day”.  Everyone was to wear a crazy hat to school and also if possible, bring something (like canned food items or toiletries) to be donated to the community cupboard.

So I made this simple crazy hat for Ethan, by sewing on several playdough cutters around the rim of his cap. 🙂

…and he had a great time in school!

In fact, I can tell that Ethan is really enjoying his school life here.  He brings back homework every Monday in a folder, and the homework is assigned for the whole week through Thursday.  Friday is when the homework is due, and of course, weekends are rest days for the kids, which is how it is supposed to be. 🙂

School hours are from 9:05a.m. to 3:05p.m., which means Ethan has lunch in school.  He makes his choice from a selection of 4 or 5 menu items each day, and I pack his lunch money is small ziploc bags for easy handling.  Initially, I had wanted to write a check in advance to pass to the cafeteria, but Ethan says he prefers it this way.  He feels more grown-up! 😀

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