Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Breastfed babies and their poop

Megan did not poop over the weekend and up to yesterday, she still did not poop. Nanny was getting a little worried and said that she is perhaps heaty.

However, I assured her that Megan is perfectly fine. In fact, the doctor said that it is normal even if the baby did not poop for up to 14 days. This, provided the baby is exclusively breastfed. If the baby has mixed feedings, then this is not healthy.

As I look up the Net, the following was revealed as to the reasons for this peculiarity.

Breast milk is a miracle milk. It contains all the nutrition that the baby needs in the exact combination that is needed. What is even more amazing is that the milk content changes as the baby grows.

As the baby's intestines mature, she is able to digest the breast milk more completely, therefore, the amount of waste the baby produces becomes lesser. And this in turn would cause the baby to go for days without pooping. Apparently this starts to happen when she is about 6 weeks till 6 months, when she is exclusively breastfed.

However, I only noticed this with Megan in the recent weeks. Thank goodness I have this knowledge, else I would have been very worried too.

And you know what? She pooped this morning, after hubby left for work - guess who had to clean her then?? Love it!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Taxes, taxes, taxes

Darn, I am sitting here in the middle of the night, tyring to figure out my taxes and trying to see how much IRB owes me.

Darn, darn, and everyone is already sleeping. I should not be sitting here doing this damn thing!!

Darn, darn, darn, why do we have to pay taxes anyway? I am not convinced I am actually getting much out of it. And I think if I dwell on it, I would need the entire web space and eternity to elaborate.

Nett nett, I really hate doing my taxes, just reminds me that I am paying money to the government for giving me nothing in return, crap.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

My independant 4 year old

Yesterday, Ryan said he wanted to poo poo. So, I said go and tell me when you are done.

After a while, I went to check on Ryan. To my surprise, he had already gotten off the toilet seat, washed his bum, dried it and even wore his pants right!!

I asked him to show me his buttock (in case there are still things stuck on to it ...) but it was clean!!!

Wah wah wah, I was so proud that he could do this all by himself, could not stop grinning.

Also, Ryan has stopped sleeping in my bed already and preferred his own bed instead. In the weeks since he turned 4, I think he was in my bed only once or twice.

Lately, he has also insisted that he walks up to the class on his own, although there are times he is a little clingy.

All this new found independance has made me rather proud, but also a little "empty" because it is a step closer to the days when he no longer needs me ....

Parents Teacher Day

In Ryan's school, the parents and teachers all meet once every 4 months. The meeting has 2 reasons to it:
1) To see the development of the child
2) To receive the invoice for the school fees

I always thought that (2) is very dependant on (1). It's like saying "So, this is how much we will charge you because your kid is so unbearable ...." OR it can be "So, this is how much we will charge you because he can now do this and this and this ... "

Either way, the meeting this time was very pleasant for the father and I on Friday.

We were due to meet the form teacher at 9.10am. This time we even brought Megan along because Ryan had wanted to show Megan his school. Upon reaching, Ryan conveniently forgot about us once he saw his friends and went to play, it was not a school day despite it being a Friday.

The meeting started with the teacher saying that Ryan has a holistic development, i.e. he is emotionally and physically developing well. He is able to socialize well too and able to do all the climbing, running, singing, talking, fighting well too. He also took fighting to a new level - fighting with girls now. Great. I have got a normal kid.

The teacher showed us his work and was impressed by the fact that he can now do matchings, i.e. matching of pictures to the numbers. It did not occur to me earlier that he can count and he knows the numbers, so this, he should be able to do. *Doink*

The teacher also said that he is good in writing, drawing and colouring. He also likes to draw flowers lately. And I had thought that flowers was a girl thing ; ) There were some pages which showed that he was taught how to write the alphabets within the lines provided. The exercise involves making the child tracing the lines of one alphabets and then writing it free hand on another column and then repeating it by tracing etc. The teacher also said that Ryan could do this well.

One thing which we have to work (or rather, bear with) is that Ryan cannot focus 100%. He is always "somewhere else". The teacher could be teaching and he will be busy doing something else, hence the teacher going "Pay attention!!" Haha. The teacher said it is a boy's thing, I seem to remember that I used to be like that too .... and is punished quite often.

One thing the teacher did say was "Given that he only focuses 60%, at most 70%, he is still able to grasps most things, so it is very good. If he can focus 100%, then no doubt he will be able to fly. For sure he is an above average kid."

Great, now who can tell me how to get a kid (WHO IS A BOY) to focus 100%. Even I can't do that, haha. Great meeting, looking forward to the next one now, but don't really feel like wanting to pay the fees though.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sharing the goodness of breastfeeding

For those of you who know me, you already know that I am a breastfeeding (Bfg) fanatic. For those of you who do not know me, well, I am.

I did not start out to be one though. When I was pregnant with Ryan, I already decided to feed him with infant formulae and even researched on which was a better one. All things changed when a nurse at the hospital gave us a Bfg talk after our delivery. From that moment on, I decided that there will be no other milk but mine!

Hubby was a little confused because we had already decided on the type of milk to buy. When I got home, I just threw out the can, he was not very happy with me tossing out RM50!!

After 3 years of bfg, including 2 years of pumping, Ryan decided that he had had enough and weaned himself. After ending one journey, I started another one with Megan. This time, I knew for certain that she will not be fed infant formulae, although there were a couple of feedings done during the first night at the hospital - I was in too much pain.

From the third day onwards in the hospital, I had major engorgement and began pumping. While there were some feeds which I was too tired to do, the nurses used my expressed milk to feed Megan. Later I found out that the hospital charges infant formulae by the ounces fed - aiks, no wonder Ryan's bill came up a lot more than Megan's!

Anyway, I digress. This post was meant to say how I shared the goodness of bfg. In a visit to the ped some days ago, there was another couple there who wanted to know how to put the baby on a 4-hour feeding schedule. The baby was only a month old and I guess the mother must have been losing some sleep over feeding the baby.

The ped, seeing me there, asked me to talk to the new parents and share my experience. For a brief 10 minutes I felt like I was really helping the baby and his parents, for a brief 10 minutes I felt like I was making a difference to their lives.

The father asked how did I manage to bfg even though I was working, I said I pumped 3-4 times a day. He whistled in admiration. I also told them about my initially painful cracked nipples and the father buried his face into his hands, obviously trying to feel the pain his wife was suffering. But the good thing was, all these problems could be solved easily by correct latch-on positions and perseverance. Of course, the lactation consultant was invaluable too (who happens to me my kids' ped - how great is that?!).

After all the talking, the father was a little disappointed to know that we cannot schedule a bfg baby. They are the kings and queens and their little tummies are the rulers of OUR schedule. It's called feed on demand. With Ryan, he was demanding a feed every 2 hours. Megan is a little further apart although there were times I was feeding her 2-3 times in an hour. But I take these as times I bond with them, times where I look into their tiny faces and wonder about their future.

I feel very blessed to have been able to breastfeed successfully and I would like to share its goodness in every way I can. The best thing about it is, it's free and it is custom made to my babies!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Conversations with Ryan - 3

I think this conversation series is going to be quite a long one.

The latest that too place went like this:

TAKE 1
Mummy: Ryan, you have to eat so that you can grow big and tall.
Ryan: Yes, when I grow big and tall, you and daddy become old.
Mummy: Yes, mummy and daddy will become old. Then how?
Ryan: Mummy and daddy will use a stick lor and sit in the chair with the wheels.
Mummy: **Gasps**

TAKE 2
Mummy: Ryan, you have to eat so that you can grow big and tall.
Ryan: Yes, when I grow big and tall, you and daddy become old.
Mummy: Yes, mummy and daddy will become old. Then how?
Ryan: Mummy and daddy die lor.
Mummy: **Gasps** **Gasps**


Aiya, how la like that?? Just turned 4 and already talking like this. And I swear I had no hand in teaching him any of these things.

Damn internet

This post is just to make a note of how darn slow the internet is of late.

At first I thought it was my laptop, then I found out from my friends that the whole damn Streamyx is slow!!! Arghh!!!

Damnit, I just lost my IRB e-filing page because the internet connection "got lost" - what the heck does that mean???

Anyone out there with the same problem too??

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

You sick, I sick, everybody sick!

This is horrible. WSL remarked that I am allergic to work, hence I always fall sick whenever I am at work .... true to her hypothesis, I am sick - again!

This time however, Ryan fell sick first, then I got it and then hubby got it. Yesterday, Megan developed phelgm and a slight cough. Last Friday, Megan developed a fungus in her mouth.

Within a span of 5 days, we have been to the doctor's twice to see Megan's ills and once for mine. Ryan's visit was last week and hubby is stubbornly refusing any doctor's visits.

Anyway, hopefully after the medication, we will all get better. I cannot bear when my babies get sick, heck, I cannot bear getting sick either! Arghh ... hope to get better tomorrow.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Today we signed the S&P!!

I am darn tired now, but just want to get it on records that today we signed the S&P to our new house!!! We paid the remaining 7% and the legal fees .... and we are officially more indebted now!!

But I am still as happy as ever!!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Toys, toys and more toys!!

Today is one of those days which shopping is the main highlight. During my newspaper flipping in the morning, I saw that Toys r Us is having a clearance sale and offers up to 70% on some toys. Yay!!!

Penny was grinning too when I asked if she wants to come with me. So off we went to one of the larger ones and was there for a good solid hour. I sometimes think, WE are the ones fascinated by he toys and not so much the kids.

While I had actually swore not to spend anymore on baby toys, somehow when I am there, I cannot resist grabbing on sight. I ended up buying a musical mobile for RM40 (original was RM129), an Elmo handphone for RM30 (originally was RM79.90), 1 pair of arm floats, 1 set of tattoo pens (for RM12.50) after 50% off and 2 little multi activity toys for baby Megan to explore with. It all cost me about RM150, what a bargain!

I was also tempted to buy another set of Playdoh and a huge set of Lego to keep under my bed and release to the kids when they are older. Unfortunately, under my bed also has quite a collection of toys ... but I am still thinking about it!

Go check it out at all Toys r Us stores, from now till 18 May 2009. Only for Star members only though.

Ps - See what Penny bought here.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

More conversations with Ryan

Last night while putting Ryan to sleep, he told me that his teacher had put him into a corner. I asked him why ...

Me: Why did Mrs. Tan put you in a corner?
Ryan: Because I hit Mxxx's head.
Me: What?!
Ryan: No, no, because I massage Mxxx's head.

See, he changed the situation so quickly, from hitting to massaging, making him the innocent one!!

Then this morning, while I was sending him to the school, I gave him a pair of sunglasses to wear seeing that it was quite sunny. It was a small framed one which (I thought) looked quite cute (on me). He said this to me ...

Ryan: Mum, is this your sunglasses?
Me: Yes, it is.
Ryan: But how can you wear it? It's too small!
Me: Grrrr .... yes la, it's mine.
Ryan: No, it's too small.

Grrr ..... telling me it is too small wor for me!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Gym in, gym out

I first went to the gym when I had Ryan. However, it was killing me just to get myself to the gym. I ended up paying for 12 months and going less than 10 times. What a waste I thought, and so cancelled the membership.

Then when I came to my present job, we had a corporate rate for joining the gym. Good rates for a passport membership too. Being a sucker for discounts, I joined again. This time, I was determined not to waste it, but of course there are times I slacked ...

Anyway, that was close to 2 years ago and apart from my second and third trimester, I have been going to the gym religiously. I like 2 things most - the Wave machine and Body Combat. Both involves total body workout, both make me sweat heaps, both burn enough calories to enable me to eat all my favourite food without feeling guilty, most of all, both are enjoyable to me.

Today marks my second Body Combat class after I delivered Megan. It was a little tough to catch up, but then I guess practice makes perfect. And I worked up such a sweat, it makes my body feel fresh, I don't know how to describe it honestly, but it is great.

Apart from the machine, I also got myselft a Personal Trainer. She specializes in pre and post natal exercises and she has been helping me in getting my body back in shape. These sessions are great in making all the muscles work, muscles you did not know you have!!

Anyway, just wanted to put this in my blog so that I have a written record on how hardworking I am!




Megan to date

Megan is a real darling. She really is a happy baby. She rarely cries and when she does, it is more of a call rather than a cry.

By the time she gets home at night, she is already tired and would nurse herself to sleep. Sometimes she will babble a little before fussing to sleep. Usually I would change her quickly and talk to her all the while so that she is distracted.

Throughout the night, she will probably nurse about 2 times, sometimes once. And I would wake up with a full breast. She has also stopped pooping at night, so we have no mess to deal with.

In the morning, she will wake up with a cry and then settle to observe us getting ready for work and school. Ryan would jump up the bed and attempt to kiss and hug her. She usually will obliged, else she will let out a cry again.

2 hours after she wakes up, she will fuss to sleep again and throughout the day, she will doze on and off. She is happiest (I think) when she bathes. And the water must be just right for her to be in it for a while.

My dear little angel is really great. And yesterday Ryan said "Is Megan awake?" I said yes. Then Ryan said "Good morning princess!!" I went "Wow!" Ryan continued "Megan is the princess, I am the prince"

Guess that makes me the queen and the father the king!!

Conversations with Ryan - 2

Scene 1
Yesterday I was playing with Ryan after Megan slept. He was playing with his construction set and was attempting to dismantle a car. I was telling him that he cannot do that, else he will break it.

Ryan: Mum, can one, you must trust me..." and true enough, he did it. And so he continues ..."See, I told you. You must trust me."

Scene 2
And while we were getting ready for bed, we read 101 Dalmations.


Me: ..... Cruella de vil was furious with .... do you know what "furious" mean?

Ryan: Yes, it means "very angry".


Me: *gasp* (and feeling damn proud)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Is there something wrong with this photo??


I was driving to work one day and saw this .... and this was right beside a tourist hotspot where photos are taken with KLCC in the background.

I am speechless. Malaysia Boleh!!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Ryan knows tenses

This has been going on for a while now. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence that he uses past tense, but then it became apparent that he is aware of the different words and its usage.

For e.g., he will say "I drank already", "Yes, I did that" and it is really impressive for me as a mother. Of course, he does not always know all the past tense words and so, sometimes he will say things like "sleep-ed", "think-ed" ... basically he just use the present tense and adds in "-ed" to make it past. Now, isn't that impressive? And he is only 4 years old!

I am really pleased with him right now. I just think the world of him ... and I cannot stop smiling whenever I think about it too!!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

My brain is broken

Last night, Ryan came home from nanny's with a fever. He later also complained of a headache. He even passed his play time and said he was tired and wanted to sleep. That worried me. It is so unlike him.

This morning, he woke up with the fever again, and also with a headache. I asked him several times if he hit his head in school. He said no. Then the following took place.

Me: Did you fall in school?
Ryan: No

Me: Did you fall in "leong leong" (Nanny) house today?
Ryan: No

Me: Did you hit your head in "leong leong" house?
Ryan: No

Me: Then why is your head pain?
Ryan: Because my brain is broken, that's why pain lor ....

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Government reviving canning in schools

Gov't to revive caning in schools Apr 7, 09 1:51pm

The Education Ministry is to revive caning in schools to curb discipline problems among pupils, three years after making moves to ban corporal punishment, a minister said today.

The government made the decision to revive caning last month and it will issue specific guidelines on how to implement the punishment, deputy education minister Wee Ka Siong told AFP.

"We will allow the headmaster or anyone who has been authorised to execute the punishment, while parents will be notified and invited to witness the caning to be done in a confined area," he said.

"We need to take precautions because students nowadays are not like students those days - they are 'too creative' in breaching the rules now," Wee said.

In 2006, the government said it was planning to ban public caning in schools, where the punishment is administered on the buttocks or the palm of the hand.

The education ministry also said a year later that it was considering allowing schools to cane unruly girls to curb an upsurge in discipline problems including gang fights and bullying. -AFP

I just read this on Malaysiakini. And I am deepy disturbed. Yes, kids nowadays are difficult to handle, they are not like us in "those days" where technology was a luxury. Today, our kids are moving in such a fast pace, we parents have to run and sprint to keep up.

And I do admit that kids can sometimes test our patience and we parents are constantly challenged. But still, how many of us will truly say that we would resort to caning them? I am not sure if I have not reached that stage yet, but I can safely say that I will not use a cane on my children. I firmly believe that talking them will solve the problem better than using the cane.

You never know what they will do or how they will react to the cane. And here, this so-called minister says it is appropriate to deal with the rising discipline problems in school! This is so outrageous. Who is he to say that our kids need to be canned? And apparently there will be guidelines on this too from the principal to the parents to the child.

I do not know about you, but I am damn pissed now. To think that I gave birth to my 2 babies and they are subjected to some stupid ministry's rules. I dare them to lay a hand on my babies, even if they are really naughty, it is the parents who should be thinking about the discipline and the appropriate punishment, not some stranger who thinks canning is the best route!!

Niaseng!!


Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I am so happy

I am so happy. I could not stop smiling. I am just so delirious.

Ever since we became more indebted yesterday, I am just so so happy. I began planning the house in my sleep yesterday and I could not stop thinking about the mags I will get to help me set up the house that I have been wanting.

When hubby bought our current house, he pretty much did up the entire place and it was indeed a job well done. All I had to do was move in and put in some feminine touch to it and voila, a house became a home.

Now, I want to take the lead in decorating the house ... because I want it to be a home from the start. Hubby just told me his ideas about the house - practical as usual. No doubt, it will be another well done job, but I want to be part of it.

I am supposed to start mortgage shopping today, but I was still high from the excitement, I cannot think properly today .... so have to start tomorrow.

Was telling a friend ... I waited 2 years for this, worse than waiting for Mr. Right!! It's true ... I really did wait so long. Won't you be as delirious as I am too?

Monday, April 6, 2009

We bought a house!!

Today is a very happy day for us in the family - we finally bought our landed house to fit the needs of our growing family.

We had actually gone to see this property since 2 years ago and then decided it was just too expensive. 2 years on, and the price has actually gone up! Thinking that it was going to be difficult to get a decent price, we stumbled upon a seller who was willing to sell it at the price we asked for.

It was quite lucky of us because when we brought the feng shui master to see the houses, he already warned us that it is possible to see all the houses and still, not able to find one good one because he had seen the place before.

However, I was convinced that that was the place to be and so, insisted that he comes and help us. We shorlisted 2 houses of which one was a better one. We negotiated for a good 2-3 weeks and finally viewed it today. After about an hour and a bit more, we wrote the cheque and became the proud owners of a wonderful 2 1/ 2 storey house.

I am so tired with all the excitement of the day, will update more later.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Today .....

Today was a day filled with mixed emotions for me.

I had planned to send Ryan off to school earlier so that I can go shop in KLCC before going to work. We were a little late and so, Ryan was rushing to drop off his bag in class before going for his music class. We left his lunch box downstairs so that it will not be a hassle for him.

I then headed off to KLCC with the main aim of buying some Lego from Toys r Us. They were having a sale at the outlet. I also wanted to breakfast at Starbucks, with their current breakfast pairings for RM6.50. I headed to Starbucks first and then on to Isetan to buy my salad.

On the way, I was distracted by the Tefal non-stick wok. I do not exactly need it now, but I could not resist a good deal and so, it was added as one of my buys for the day ; ) The wok was going for RM99, normal price was RM169 and they only had 72 pcs. When I got there, Isetan was only opened for 15mins, and they have already sold half!

After getting my Lego, I rushed to the office only to find that I had left my tag at home and so, I could not access the respective floors as well as my lockers. What to do? What to do? I stopped to chat with my colleague for a while before heading home and learned that one of my colleague had a still born this morning. She was due for an operation in the afternoon to remove the foetus.

At this point, I was deeply saddened, actually, I do not really know how to describe it, I just felt sad and I could not imagine how I would have reacted if it would have been me. I just know that she must have felt a deep sense of loss and feelings which just cannot be put into words. I said a silent prayer to have been blessed with 2 beautiful kids who are healthy.

After that, I went home to get my tag. At the market, I stopped for lunch. Penny was with me and while talking, Ryan's principal rang. Apparently there was some mix up and Ryan had gone home without his lunch. Aiks! Half the day only and already so many things happened. Ryan's principal was a dear and she came to nanny's house bringing him his lunch.

Thankfully, after that, nothing else came up and I was able to go back to work, tired already. But the day went passed quickly since I had to manage pumping in between work and play ; ) And now, I am sitting here blogging away, putting behind all my tiredness and marvelling at my kids.

Yes, today is one of those days that are packed to the max with all sorts of happy, elated and some sad news put together. Hope everyone has a good weekend ahead!

A quarter gone ...

Wow! That was fast, a whole quarter gone already!

Earlier this year, I took WSL's lead in stating down what I have achieved in January and thought that I would be able to follow through on the following months. However, I did not and now, I have missed months already!

Anyway, besides what happened in January, some key happenings include:

... It was still CNY and Ryan had a CNY party in school, but he was more excited about Christmas than this.
... Lap Chun came on the 10th day of CNY
... I ended my confinement, happier this time and more relaxed compared to the first time.
... I celebrated my full moon with family at lunch and later had dinner with some good friends.
... Mum is reminded of my cries when she took care of Megan when I popped out
... Ryan's language continues to amaze me although he also picked up some phrases which I do not approve of
... Celebrated Valentine's Day differently this year, with the addition of Megan.
... Ryan stuffed toilet paper in his nose, like I stuffed biji saga up mine
... Ryan started to display some restlessness at school and at home, teacher thought it may be due to Megan's arrival. I was emotional about it, but I think I just need to show him our love more.
... We sent Megan to nanny's at 6 weeks
... Megan started to smile by 6 weeks
... Started PT sessions and began my gym routine in an effort to trim my tummy, got hungry more often
... Megan started to babble before reaching months, it was a bliss
... Taught Ryan all about choices and consequences, not sure if he truly understands it, but it has to be done anyway
... Megan's first outing to the park at around 7 weeks, we went to TTDI's Kiara park
... Celebrated Ryan's birthday in school and later celebrated both his daddy's and his birthday at home with a dinner
... Started work on 10th March, so fast, 2 months already
... Ryan and I got sick, apparently kena rotavirus
... Thankfully Megan got her immunization on this as well as a 6-in-1 jab, she sailed quietly through it
... Ryan began to reward us with stickers
... I went out to buy 2 handbags, crazy liao
... Both nanny and Wati got sick on the same day, created havoc on me and made me realised their importance to my peace
... Ryan drew and I was utterly impressed!

Wah wah wah, so much has happened in just 2 months.

Looking for a better Q2 and happier days ahead!