Megan has this brilliant way of making me wear out easily - by insisting that she sleeps on my chest, when she feels like it.
Thing is that, she does not go to sleep quietly, she will actually plopped herself on my chest and then she will look up and then plop herself on me again, and again, and again, till she sleeps.
Tonight, this sweet action turned slightly awry, instead of plopping herself on my chest, she landed on my right eye socket. And I am sure her little head ached, cause she was screaming for a while.
I am sure my eye will feel pain tomorrow. This is the second time that it had happened on my same eye ... and the first time that it did happened, I had no idea how till I felt pain some days later!
Have you had any part of your body bruised while taking care of your kids?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Megan's porridge
We started Megan with her porridge some 3 weeks back. This was as a follow-up to her diet of baby's first cereals.
When I first started Ryan with porridge, we had used Marmite. I was also a little gung ho and started him on a lot of ingredients. I then had problems trying to determine which food group was giving him his eczema.
With Megan, I went slow and introduced one food group at a time. While it was a little nerve wrecking, it was also better. To date, Megan has eaten tomatoes, potatoes, gei zhi, quinoa, carrots, pumpkin, french beans, cauliflower, taufu, some bread and also fruits. So far, so good.
Megan is also a dear, taking all this well and willingly. The only thing is that, she has been protesting in having her teeth cleaned. She would scream each time I stick my fingers into her mouth. Sigh, how can I tell her that it is no pain and that in the long run, mummy can save money by her having clean teeth leh?
What about you? What was your experience in preparing porridge for your babies like? Mine has been filled with adventures ; )
When I first started Ryan with porridge, we had used Marmite. I was also a little gung ho and started him on a lot of ingredients. I then had problems trying to determine which food group was giving him his eczema.
With Megan, I went slow and introduced one food group at a time. While it was a little nerve wrecking, it was also better. To date, Megan has eaten tomatoes, potatoes, gei zhi, quinoa, carrots, pumpkin, french beans, cauliflower, taufu, some bread and also fruits. So far, so good.
Megan is also a dear, taking all this well and willingly. The only thing is that, she has been protesting in having her teeth cleaned. She would scream each time I stick my fingers into her mouth. Sigh, how can I tell her that it is no pain and that in the long run, mummy can save money by her having clean teeth leh?
What about you? What was your experience in preparing porridge for your babies like? Mine has been filled with adventures ; )
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Setting goals with Ryan
We have heard this before. In order to succeed, we must plan and set out goals. And this needs to be cultivated into a habit.
Jim Rohn was playing my car again when I was sending Ryan to school last week. And when this topic on setting goals came on, I asked Ryan what his goals are. True to his nature, a line of interesting conversation took place.
RYAN: What is goals?
ME: It means something you want, something you want to achieve.
RYAN: What is achieve?
ME: Something you want to do. Something you want to get.
RYAN: Oh, ok. Let's start with car. I want a car, I want a train, I want a truck, I want a crane, I want a bus, I want a lorry.
ME: Wow, let me write it down.
RYAN: Let's talk about animals. I also want a monkey, I want a chick, I want a tiger, I want a snake, I want a duck.
ME: Why would you want a snake?
RYAN: I like.
Later that night, we were preparing for bed and Ryan said "Mum, let's talk about my goals. Let's talk about food."
And to him, "goals" was "gold" to him cause he was going on and on about having goals which can be used to buy him books and enables him to go to school.
Hmm, not a bad start huh to getting my 4 year old started on setting goals. I shall write his next set of goals too in order to see how it will change over time.
For now, I am happy that he is linking "goals" to "gold". Should be easy to make him see the link as he gets older.
What about you? Do you set goals for yourself? Do you set goals for your children?
Jim Rohn was playing my car again when I was sending Ryan to school last week. And when this topic on setting goals came on, I asked Ryan what his goals are. True to his nature, a line of interesting conversation took place.
RYAN: What is goals?
ME: It means something you want, something you want to achieve.
RYAN: What is achieve?
ME: Something you want to do. Something you want to get.
RYAN: Oh, ok. Let's start with car. I want a car, I want a train, I want a truck, I want a crane, I want a bus, I want a lorry.
ME: Wow, let me write it down.
RYAN: Let's talk about animals. I also want a monkey, I want a chick, I want a tiger, I want a snake, I want a duck.
ME: Why would you want a snake?
RYAN: I like.
Later that night, we were preparing for bed and Ryan said "Mum, let's talk about my goals. Let's talk about food."
And to him, "goals" was "gold" to him cause he was going on and on about having goals which can be used to buy him books and enables him to go to school.
Hmm, not a bad start huh to getting my 4 year old started on setting goals. I shall write his next set of goals too in order to see how it will change over time.
For now, I am happy that he is linking "goals" to "gold". Should be easy to make him see the link as he gets older.
What about you? Do you set goals for yourself? Do you set goals for your children?
Megan bumps her head again!
My little girl has a knack for hurting herself.
She will literally crawl off the bed, couch or any other higher ground. And although she does not fall over when she is sitting, she has this way of "sliding" off balance a little while she is trying to reach for something and then WHAM! she hits her head.
Or sometimes when she is trying to stand and her force was too strong, she will sit herself down real hard and then WHAM! falls backward again!
And then there are the times where she will fall on her toys or her brother's toys etc.
Just a coupld of days ago, I was in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner. I left both of them playing with toys in the living room. Half way, I heard Megan screaming. She had fallen off the couch! Apparently Ryan carried her up the couch and then she attempted to come down by crawling off it!
She got herself a brand new bruise with a bump on her forehead. Thankfully she was easily consoled. 2 days down the road, she has developed a dark bruise, but did not appear to be bothering her much. When I asked what happened, Ryan merely shrugged!
Is it just him or is this a typical boy trait?
She will literally crawl off the bed, couch or any other higher ground. And although she does not fall over when she is sitting, she has this way of "sliding" off balance a little while she is trying to reach for something and then WHAM! she hits her head.
Or sometimes when she is trying to stand and her force was too strong, she will sit herself down real hard and then WHAM! falls backward again!
And then there are the times where she will fall on her toys or her brother's toys etc.
Just a coupld of days ago, I was in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner. I left both of them playing with toys in the living room. Half way, I heard Megan screaming. She had fallen off the couch! Apparently Ryan carried her up the couch and then she attempted to come down by crawling off it!
She got herself a brand new bruise with a bump on her forehead. Thankfully she was easily consoled. 2 days down the road, she has developed a dark bruise, but did not appear to be bothering her much. When I asked what happened, Ryan merely shrugged!
Is it just him or is this a typical boy trait?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Learning about other cultures in school
Although Deepavali was celebrated over a week ago, Ryan's school only had the affair yesterday. He was looking forward to it with much excitement although he does not really understand what it was.
When he came back home, he was telling me all about how they ate on the floor and he also ate with his hands. I actually was wondering if he actually got anything into his mouth seeing that this is not something which we do at home.
Nevertheless, he finds it interesting and I am sure some exchange of culture has taken place.
Ryan's school is indeed good in this sense. For every major festival, the school ensures that the children will celebrate it with food, customs and for those who have, costumes.
I honestly cannot remember if we did this in school. I only remembered having Children's Day and that was the day we looked forward to bringing our own food and that was also the day I get to eat all that junk without my mum giving me a hard time.
And then I find out Ryan also eats junk (some, at least) on his festival celebration days. Sigh.
Having said that though, I think it is great to have this exposure so early in school. Certainly helps in building 1 Malaysia, well, at least until the day our politicians spoil all of it!
Looking forward to Christmas now ...
When he came back home, he was telling me all about how they ate on the floor and he also ate with his hands. I actually was wondering if he actually got anything into his mouth seeing that this is not something which we do at home.
Nevertheless, he finds it interesting and I am sure some exchange of culture has taken place.
Ryan's school is indeed good in this sense. For every major festival, the school ensures that the children will celebrate it with food, customs and for those who have, costumes.
I honestly cannot remember if we did this in school. I only remembered having Children's Day and that was the day we looked forward to bringing our own food and that was also the day I get to eat all that junk without my mum giving me a hard time.
And then I find out Ryan also eats junk (some, at least) on his festival celebration days. Sigh.
Having said that though, I think it is great to have this exposure so early in school. Certainly helps in building 1 Malaysia, well, at least until the day our politicians spoil all of it!
Looking forward to Christmas now ...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Smart alec conversations with Ryan
Lately, Ryan has been building his vocabulary really quickly. And he is also getting more and more expressive when he talks. And this is of course both a joy as well as a hair tearing experience.
Some examples are ...
One morning, Ryan was really slow in finishing his breakfast in the car, so I did what every mother would do - threaten.
ME: If you do not finish your bread by the time we reach the school, I will pack everything and let you eat in front of Mrs. M (his school principal, and he is afraid of her)
RYAN: Aiyo, mummy, I don't like you always say Mrs. M, Mrs. M, Mrs. M la. I really don't like to hear it.
ME: *blink*
While in the lift one night from nanny's
RYAN: Mum, what is 1-3?
ME: Thirteen (13)
RYAN: What is 2-0?
ME: Twenty (20)
RYAN: What about 3-4?
ME: Thirty four (34)
RYAN: Wow, mum, you sure know a lot of numbers!
ME: *beam* *beam*
Plenty more to come - I lost track of all the things he said ... let me try to remember them first. Motherhood has taken a toll on my memory.
Some examples are ...
One morning, Ryan was really slow in finishing his breakfast in the car, so I did what every mother would do - threaten.
ME: If you do not finish your bread by the time we reach the school, I will pack everything and let you eat in front of Mrs. M (his school principal, and he is afraid of her)
RYAN: Aiyo, mummy, I don't like you always say Mrs. M, Mrs. M, Mrs. M la. I really don't like to hear it.
ME: *blink*
While in the lift one night from nanny's
RYAN: Mum, what is 1-3?
ME: Thirteen (13)
RYAN: What is 2-0?
ME: Twenty (20)
RYAN: What about 3-4?
ME: Thirty four (34)
RYAN: Wow, mum, you sure know a lot of numbers!
ME: *beam* *beam*
Plenty more to come - I lost track of all the things he said ... let me try to remember them first. Motherhood has taken a toll on my memory.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I just realised today ...
...that Megan has now officially spent more time outside of me than inside of me.
Oh how fast 9 months has been! Sometimes it is kind of scary when time flies by so quickly. But I also think that it is because we are healthy and therefore, time passes by.
And now, we are in the last quarter of the year, time to quickly re-check our 2009 new year resolutions and then start thinking about 2010's ones.
I think I am rambling on here ... I am not even sure what my initial thoughts were on this post. Sunday's syndrome I think.
Also, did you notice I changed my background to this blog? Pretty huh?
Have a good week ahead!
Oh how fast 9 months has been! Sometimes it is kind of scary when time flies by so quickly. But I also think that it is because we are healthy and therefore, time passes by.
And now, we are in the last quarter of the year, time to quickly re-check our 2009 new year resolutions and then start thinking about 2010's ones.
I think I am rambling on here ... I am not even sure what my initial thoughts were on this post. Sunday's syndrome I think.
Also, did you notice I changed my background to this blog? Pretty huh?
Have a good week ahead!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Megan turns 9 months old today!
Time flies really fast. Megan turns 9 months old today and she is fast progressing in terms of physical movements as well as mental absorption.
Accordingly, these are some of the things she can do now:
1) Increase in her pace of activities, from getting around the house to playing with toys, her rate of exploration is speeding up. Sometimes, I feel like I cannot keep up.
2) Megan is also supposedly to demonstrate a better memory for past events and an increased ability to solve simple problems.
Now, I am not sure if it is better memory, but I do know that she thinks repeatedly pulling my hair is funny because she always laughs mischievously every time I say "OUCH!" And her big brother is always pushing her to do it on me ... and she does! And then they both laugh out loud!
3) Megan is more cuddly and affectionate than before. But I am not sure if this is because of the female factor though. I do not remember Ryan being so cuddly. Megan would actually put her head on my chest and just stay there.
4) Megan is now creeping quite quickly now. She goes after anything that moves and will try to grab it. Usually she gets it and then she will look at us for claps. Just now she was so excited about the little chick that she bumped her head on the floor ... she was bleeding in the mouth, think her teeth cut her.
5) Megan also likes to stand. She can now stand on her own for a while longer. She usually finds something to help her lift herself and then, she will be darn proud of herself and will continuosly grin.
6) Babbling is also getting more and more apparent. However, she also screams quite a bit, especially if you take her things away.
7) To date has sampled the following food - porridge, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, water melon, oranges, dragon fruits and apples. This is on top of her cereals.
8) Did I mention that her direction on the walker is almost 99% on the dot?
Think that is about it for her 9 month development. Looking for the next month as usual.
Accordingly, these are some of the things she can do now:
1) Increase in her pace of activities, from getting around the house to playing with toys, her rate of exploration is speeding up. Sometimes, I feel like I cannot keep up.
2) Megan is also supposedly to demonstrate a better memory for past events and an increased ability to solve simple problems.
Now, I am not sure if it is better memory, but I do know that she thinks repeatedly pulling my hair is funny because she always laughs mischievously every time I say "OUCH!" And her big brother is always pushing her to do it on me ... and she does! And then they both laugh out loud!
3) Megan is more cuddly and affectionate than before. But I am not sure if this is because of the female factor though. I do not remember Ryan being so cuddly. Megan would actually put her head on my chest and just stay there.
4) Megan is now creeping quite quickly now. She goes after anything that moves and will try to grab it. Usually she gets it and then she will look at us for claps. Just now she was so excited about the little chick that she bumped her head on the floor ... she was bleeding in the mouth, think her teeth cut her.
5) Megan also likes to stand. She can now stand on her own for a while longer. She usually finds something to help her lift herself and then, she will be darn proud of herself and will continuosly grin.
6) Babbling is also getting more and more apparent. However, she also screams quite a bit, especially if you take her things away.
7) To date has sampled the following food - porridge, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, water melon, oranges, dragon fruits and apples. This is on top of her cereals.
8) Did I mention that her direction on the walker is almost 99% on the dot?
Think that is about it for her 9 month development. Looking for the next month as usual.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My 4 year old knows spelling and additions!
To date, Ryan knows how to spell the following:
1) O-N-E
2) T-W-O
3) T-H-R-E-E
4) F-O-U-R
5) F-I-V-E
6) S-I-X
7) S-E-V-E-N
8) His name
He learnt how to spell the numbers as a result of being with my mum for 3 days when I was in Redang. Apparently, my mum taught him this in between all the chaos you would expect when taking care of a pre-schooler and a baby. Now, how is it that I could not do this??
And that is not the only great development he has, I found out recently that he was also able to perform additions, although it is limited to the number of fingers on each hand he has. Pretty cool for a year old huh?
If you ask him what is 4 + 1? He will show 4 fingers on one hand and another 1 finger on the other hand and proceed to count all of them to obtain the answer.
I think I was in Primary 1 before I could do this ... kids nowadays really can do wonders, makes me more stressed than ever to keep up with them!
1) O-N-E
2) T-W-O
3) T-H-R-E-E
4) F-O-U-R
5) F-I-V-E
6) S-I-X
7) S-E-V-E-N
8) His name
He learnt how to spell the numbers as a result of being with my mum for 3 days when I was in Redang. Apparently, my mum taught him this in between all the chaos you would expect when taking care of a pre-schooler and a baby. Now, how is it that I could not do this??
And that is not the only great development he has, I found out recently that he was also able to perform additions, although it is limited to the number of fingers on each hand he has. Pretty cool for a year old huh?
If you ask him what is 4 + 1? He will show 4 fingers on one hand and another 1 finger on the other hand and proceed to count all of them to obtain the answer.
I think I was in Primary 1 before I could do this ... kids nowadays really can do wonders, makes me more stressed than ever to keep up with them!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Mooncake Festival celebration & my little girls sits!
This post was meant to be posted on 2nd October 2009 - it was the moon cake festival ... and it was also the day I saw Megan sitting on her own from the creeping position.
Unlike Ryan, Megan would actually push herself up to a Cleopetra position before she pushes herself up with one hand while supporting herself with the other. When she was able to sit fully, I clapped and cheered her and she was so proud of herself that she was smiling from ear to ear.
We also discovered that she was able to stand unsupported for quite a while. And you can see how happy she is with her progress as she cannot stop grinning. Both Ryan and myself were cheering and clapping her on and you can see the sheer joy on her face.
And the wonder of it all was that she was able to sit without any incident, did not fall nor slip. I am so proud of her and I am also grinning from ear to ear. In the midst of all the excitement, I forgot to capture a photo of it. Darn!
Unlike Ryan, Megan would actually push herself up to a Cleopetra position before she pushes herself up with one hand while supporting herself with the other. When she was able to sit fully, I clapped and cheered her and she was so proud of herself that she was smiling from ear to ear.
We also discovered that she was able to stand unsupported for quite a while. And you can see how happy she is with her progress as she cannot stop grinning. Both Ryan and myself were cheering and clapping her on and you can see the sheer joy on her face.
And the wonder of it all was that she was able to sit without any incident, did not fall nor slip. I am so proud of her and I am also grinning from ear to ear. In the midst of all the excitement, I forgot to capture a photo of it. Darn!
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