curl_exec function is disabled in php.ini - Social Networks AutoPoster needs the CURL PHP extension. Please enable it or contact your hosting company to enable it.

Little Miracles · Our Blessings from God…
Bible Verse of the Day

Hannah at 5 months

August 21, 2009 in Hannah, Milestones | 2 comments

 

 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 has started…

August 19, 2009 in Breastfeeding, Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | 5 comments

 

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. 🙂

 

Ta-daaa!!!

August 15, 2009 in Ethan, Growing Up | 4 comments

 

And that’s just one of the things he busied himself with while we were cleaning our apartment back home…amazing, ain’t it?

The journey home…

August 14, 2009 in Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | 1 comment

 

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. 🙂

Down Dog

July 14, 2009 in Ethan, Exercise | 6 comments

Here’s Ethan doing the downward-facing dog pose:

 

So grateful, so thankful…

July 13, 2009 in Ethan, Growing Up, Milestones | 3 comments

 

During our past 9 months or so here in San Jose, Ethan has definitely enjoyed a tremendous time here.  And while we are in the midst of all our packing, I do think it is inevitable that Ethan will miss the precious time and the fun he had at daycare when we leave.

 

From a rather shy and not-too-many words little guy, Ethan is now talking non-stop, complete with a mind of his own!  His confidence has skyrocketed, although he sometimes still is a little shy with strangers.

 

He has learnt SO many new things at his daycare: singing, dancing, reading, counting, adorable expressions, good manners…the list goes on.

 

He’s also made many womderful friendships.  Wouldn’t it be cool if these kids were to meet up again a few years from now?

 

And I bet he also learnt a few things about how to be a good big brother too!

Yes, Ethan will definitely miss daycare here, but I am just so very thankful that he at least had the splendid opportunity to experience it.

 

And now, I just pray that we can find a good daycare back home that Ethan will love just as much.

All about “The Grape”

July 13, 2009 in Ethan, Food & Feeding, Funny Moments, Growing Up | 3 comments

 

It has always been a struggle to feed Ethan medicine.  Back when he was still breastfed, I would just rely solely on breastfeeding to get him well.  But when he was weaned, I dreaded it when he became ill.  Usually, we just let nature take its course and he would eventually get better.  Most people say that over-the-counter medicine for kids in the US are more palatable and hence, we should buy some to take home with us.  Medicine that comes in various kid-approved flavours like cherry, bubble gum and grape definitely appeal to kids.

Well, most kids, anyway…but not Ethan.

Ethan has been coughing for several weeks now.  The problem is he refuses to drink a lot of water AND he refuses to take medicine.  We bought a bottle of Tylenol in GRAPE flavour.  And although the mixture tastes really good, just like concentrated grape juice and nothing like the yucky tasting Rhinathiol or Polaramine, Ethan would have none of it.

We forcefed him this Tylenol Grape a few times, or rather we *tried* to feed him with it, but he would just spit it all out.  Even though the characters in his favorite Dr Hippo books drink Grape medicine when they are sick, Ethan does not want to follow suit.

Now, our typical conversations would go like this:

Daddy: Ethan do you wanna drink GRAPE?
Ethan: No!  I don’t want it!
Daddy:  You have to choose: either drink Grape or drink water.

And of course he would gladly drink the water.

We tried to add the Tylenol into his chocolate milk a few times, but after just the first time, he suspected we had added it in, and he told me, “I don’t want grape Mommy!”  And he would stand behind me as I poured the chocolate milk for him, just to make sure I did not add anything else in.

Sigh…

He is still coughing though, but I guess we have to wait for him to heal himself.  Here’s what we go through every day:

Ethan: (coughs)
Daddy: Are you still coughing, Ethan?
Ethan (shaking his head): Nooo…I’m NOT coughing Daddy…
Daddy: You just coughed Ethan.  You have to drink Grape!
Ethan: No Daddy.  I don’t wanna drink Grape Daddy.

And then today…

Hannah coughs.
Ethan: Hannah coughing?  Drink Grape!

Mommy: (coughs)
Ethan (immediately): Mommy, are you coughing?

😛

Looks like our bags will not have bottles of grape-flavored medicine then!

A Fond Farewell to Gilroy Gardens!

July 8, 2009 in Entertainment, Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah | 4 comments

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! 🙂

Hannah at 4 months

July 7, 2009 in Hannah, Milestones | 1 comment

 
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.

The things he says

July 3, 2009 in Ethan, Funny Moments, Growing Up | 2 comments

 

Reasoning
Daddy: Is Ethan a boy or a girl?
Ethan: A boy!
Daddy: Good!  What about Daddy? Is Daddy a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Daddy is a boy!
Daddy: Very good!  Is Mommy a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Mommy’s a girl!
Daddy: What about Hannah?  Is Hannah a boy or a girl?
Ethan: Ummmm….ummmm…
Mommy: Hannah’s a girl!
Ethan: No!  Hannah’s a BABY!

Authority
Mommy: Ethan, let’s go take a shower!
Ethan: No, Mommy, I don’t want it!
Mommy: You gotta go take a shower Ethan, you wanna be clean, right?
Ethan: No Mommy, NO! Go sit the naughty stool!  Don’t do it again, okay, Mommy?

 

Customization
Daddy (playfully to Hannah): Who’s your Daddy?!
(Hannah smiles happily)
Ethan runs really quickly towards Hannah.
Ethan: Where’s my Ethan?!
Daddy: Who’s your Daddy?!
Ethan: No no Daddy, stay right there, okay?
Ethan (to Hannah): Where’s my Ethan?!

« Older entries § Newer entries »