Picking your nose and then ... ?

Last night while putting Ryan to sleep, I saw him slowly putting his fingers into his nose and then putting it into his mouth - hmm, salty ...

Eww, how many of us have done this when we were young? I certainly did this ....

Week 19

Last Friday marks Megan's Week 19. However, according to Welcome Baby Home, my baby is in Week 18. I am pretty sure my number is correct though.

Irregardless, Megan is now 4.5 months old. Below are some things which she can already do according to normal development:

* Be more adventurous and puts most things into her mouth
* Follow objects through 180 degrees with her head
* Display curious behavior when around strangers
* Have good head control and is able to lift neck and shoulders off the floor
* Be more attached to me - This is definitely true! She cannot be pacified even by her daddy!
* Roll from back to side and side to back
* Be able to roll unto front
* Say 'ah-goo' and other similar vowel-consonant combinations
* Make wet razzing sounds
* Be able to calm herself when upset - Yup, but not always. Sometimes she will be so upset, she will wail instead of cry.

* May be able to recognize herself when she looks in the mirror - I think so, she definitely recognizes me. She will show a sign of delight and put her face into her hands or look away shyly

* Show signs of attachment to particular toys or pillow - Not yet, just my hand. All it takes is for her to hold onto my finger and she will be calmed instantly

Other things she can't quite do yet:

* Use hands to prop herself up when sitting - Have to prompt her though.
* Sit without support - Not yet
* Show objection when a toy is taken away - Sometimes, usually, she does not care
* Wave and enjoy being waved back - Not yet

So, this is how Megan has progressed so far.
I must say though, I am very proud of her. And as usual, I was lazy and hence, did not track her development from birth.

But I love her to bits!

I am a horrible mother!

Last month, I went to Toys R Us when they were having a clearance sale for their members. Penny and I went crazy at the sale and one of the toys that we bought was Elmo Cell Phone - Knows Your Name.

One of the special feature of this phone is that you can program your child's name into it. So, your child can actually hear Elmo calling and having a dialogue with him. Penny and I were more excited about it than our sons were I think.

When I showed it to Ryan, he was very happy and would carry it with him wherever he goes. One day, it disappeared. No where to be found. I thought that Ryan had misplaced it, but it turned out that the helper tossed it into the big toy bin. After such a long time missing, naturally Ryan was very pleased when it turned up.

After a week or so, Ryan started to bring it out of the house when we go out. Last Sunday, he did the same thing when we went to Desa Park City for breakfast. He had gone to the park with his daddy and when they got back to the car, they realised that the phone was left on the slide.

Although hubby went back to search for it, it was gone. Ryan was close to tears, but I think he cannot beat me - I was literally tearing!! I insisted that hubby fetch me to Mid Valley to see if they still have stock. I was half preparing myself in the event they do not have it anymore. Luckily, they still have 2.

I had a good mind to buy both, but one of them did not work. So, I ended up buying just one. I was feeling really happy. And I think Ryan sort of forgotten about it after an hour or so.

I know I should not have bought it again to replace the lost one. I am not even sure why I did it - because I could not bear Ryan losing something he likes so much, or because I could not bear the thought of losing it for myself. But then, I have not given it to him yet. I am still waiting for the chance to have a chat with him about it before I say that we have found it, instead of saying that we bought it again.

I think I am a horrible role model. Really, to just go out and buy the lost item again to replace it is not exactly something I want to instill in my kids, but then, I have such a soft spot for them.

Do you think I am a horrible mother?

Megan turns!!

I have to note this before I forget.

Mother's Day this year was really hot. We had tried to hold Megan for as long as I can. The heat was killing me and so, I had put her on the floor, on her tummy.

And then, it happened, she attempted to turn and was successful! It was so wonderful and I think she was very proud of herself. She was smiling when we hugged and cheered her.

*********************************

Fast forward to today - 17 May 2009

We were having lunch and Megan was on the floor. And then suddenly, she was on her tummy!!

Yay! She was a little stun I think because her eyes were bigger and she smiled. The world must have looked different for her, I think.

I am so happy, I could not stop smiling, despite the damn heat.

Bliss ...

My son laughs at my gun

This is the gun my son made yesterday when we were playing with Lego. He was very proud and keeps telling me that it is for shooting the monster, which is his father.


This, is my version of a gun. When Ryan saw my gun, he laughed, really laughed.

And he thinks that my gun is not stable, so he had it mounted on another creation his father did. He kept laughing and insisting that my gun is not good enough.

I am really embarrased. If you ask me to draw, Ryan will laugh himself to a tummy ache.

Twitching and turning

I almost forgot what it was like to nurse a growing baby. In my mind, I always envisioned cute baby and contented mummy.

But then, when the baby starts to be more aware of her surroundings, it can be quite a difficult task to nurse her.

I am now this way with Megan. She is now much more interested and aware of her surroundings. And so, each time I try to feed her, she will nurse until some sound, noise or voice catches her attention and she will turn to that direction. It is not so bad except that she will sometimes do this with her mouth full and it will cause me great agony.

Arghh!!! I need to get my nipple cream by the buckets now. Sob, sob.

Caring Ryan

My little boy can be such a darling although he can also be quite a handful. I read somewhere that how we respond to a child will determine how he will react when the same situations arise. For example, whenever he is sick, or if he falls, I will hug and kiss his wound to assure him that all is well. And this is how he responds too whenever he thinks we are in pain.

We were fooling around in bed last Saturday morning and we started the tickling match between Ryan, his daddy and myself. Somehow, it got a little rough and I fell off the bed.

Ryan immediately stopped laughing and came to my side. He had a look of concern on his face when he asked me how I felt. He was trying to assure me that it is just play and that it was not real. He kept patting my back, all the time looking concerned. He even scolded his daddy for "making mum hurt".

In the afternoon, it was so hot that we napped in the air-cond. I threw the thermal blanket over Megan and Ryan said "No, this blanket has holes, Megan will feel cold." And he proceeded to cover her with his Batman blanket.

Isn't that sweet? And he is only 4 years old. I am so proud of him.

When Megan smiles, I lose my hair

Old folks say that when the baby smiles, the new mother's hair will fall out.

In my case, Megan smiles first before my hair started to fall out. Megan is now not only smiling, she is laughing too. I hear her laugh in her sleep as well as when we tickle her. She is unusually an easy baby who is always ready with a smile - unless it is her sleep time.

And I noticed my hair falling out when the hole in the bathroom floor has clumps of it. Not as much as Ryan's time, but still noticeable. Apparently this has to do with the hormones trying to find its balance after a surge of it during the pregnancy. Once it stabilises, then it will return back to its grow and drop cycles.

Bliss...

Age and sleep

Nowadays, I feel like my body is shutting down on me.

I used to be able to function with 4-5 hours of sleep a day. Now, with 6 hours also I feel tired.

2 days ago, while driving Ryan to school, I was overcome with this horrible need to sleep. I could barely keep my eyes open. When I reached the office car park, I decided to just nap for a while so that I don't feel so lethargic. It was 9.30am. The next time I open my eyes, it was 10.25am. Crap!

That night, I decided to sleep by 12 midnight. Turns out, I was still tired the next morning.

Arghh ... age is catching up. I cannot function now if I have a few late nights in a row. Better off the laptop now and hit the sack. I don't want to feel tired and crappy tomorrow.

How my wee wee is warm

Just now while bathing Ryan, he said this to me "Mummy, my wee wee is warm."

Me: Yes, that is because it comes from your body and your body is warm.

Ryan: No mum. I drink cold water and hot water and so, my wee wee is warm.

Me: Oh yeah, wow, I did not know that.

Kids say the darnest things don't they?