Monthly Archives: January 2008

Of raspberries and bibs

Posted by Misty Mom on 28/01/2008 4 comments

Babies at best at imitating and I can’t believe how good Ella is at it! I guess it’s not a surprise to see her blowing raspberries and have saliva spurting out of her mouth all over the place but it really tickles her fancy when Daddy joins in with her. What encouragement Daddy!!! *NOT* I have it recorded but it’s an . AVI file and it’s a monster of a file so I might have to format it into .mpeg before I can actually upload it in here.

It’s really cute to see the both of them communicating and sometimes I really wonder what goes on in the little mind of hers especially when we’re pulling stupid faces and making weird noises. Although she grins open-mouthed alot, getting a baby giggle out of her is like striking the lottery! Don’t get me wrong….Ella is a very happy baby and is all smiles most of the time, even from the moment she opens her eyes – well, most of the time anyway. But to actually hear her giggle and gurgle like babies do is so rare that when she does, I find myself repeating whatever it was that got it out from her just to hear it again – don’t matter how stupid I look or sound, I would do it in a heartbeat over and over again. Isn’t it a wonder how that sweet sound lifts you off the ground? I know that’s what it does to me and I find myself smiling all teeth when she does it. I think she knows that Mummy likes it so when she is in a generous mood and wants Mum to look silly – she rewards me with her laughs. :)

On the Farex front, I think Ella is going good. She doesn’t really finish all that is prepared but that’s ok – one baby step at a time, I say. I’m planning on giving her sweet potato next but am wondering if it should be mixed with the rice cereal or plain on its own. Have to look it up and get it done before it goes bad!!

Well, I think I’d better get ready for bed. We’ll be out early tomorrow because we’re going into the city to get Ella’s passport application in. YAY!!!! Hope it will come through asap coz we really need to get her tickets. :)

Ella, Ella, ELLA! :)

Posted by Misty Mom on 25/01/2008 15 comments

Guess, it’s about time I uploaded more pictures of the most gorgeous baby in the whole wide world. *beams proudly*

Baru lepas mandi

Nothing beats a fresh smelling baby – YUM!

Gift from Nanna

New gen babies

Say 'cheese'!!

Please ignore Mummy’s bad hair day, which is everyday.

Gthe golden piglet asleep with the pink piglet

 The golden piglet [as per Ella's Chinese zodiac] asleep in the car with her pink piglet.

Ps. I just realised the Flickr has all these features to play with under ‘Picnik’ so I decided to try em’ out. There’s a lot more in there but you’ll have to upgrade to use em’ I think it’s not necessary, what they give in the basic package is good enough for me. :)

Yummy!!

Posted by Misty Mom on 23/01/2008 3 comments

Today I started Ella on Farex, some sort of rice cereal recommended by the childhood nurse. I mixed it with some expressed breast milk and boiled water so that it’ll be runny. I think Ella enjoyed it. :) She must have realised that anything put near her mouth must taste good because the minute the spoon was near her face, she opened her mouth. So obviously she has caught on to the idea. ;)

I’ll be giving her this for the next 2 days then up the dose to twice a day and then after that, try introducing her to mashed apple or pear or something la. Have to get that link off Aida again….she’s got SO many to share!!

On a happier and busier note, I’m slowly taking my time packing up stuff. The painters came in on Monday and Tuesday to paint our unit and it stinks of paint but coz I had all the windows open for ventilation, the smell isn’t too bad now. It was horrible on Tuesday – tau la, oil based paints smell like turpentine! Anyway, before the painters came, Ted and I packed up as much as we could and got out all the good glassware to store aside to assist in them moving our furniture around and have stored them at the in-laws. And now that the painting is over, we just heard that our loan and offer for one of the units we’ve been eyeing have been approved so YES, we will be moving house in about 6 – 8 weeks from now. :) Happy me!!

It’s really a wonderful feeling when you finally have your own home to decorate and paints and renovate and do whatever you want to it and whatever money you spend on it, is not wasted. That’s the only reason why Ted and I are not happy renting coz it’s all dead money. So today is a very good day for us. :D

Guess who’s here to stay?

Posted by Misty Mom on 19/01/2008 10 comments

Today is officially the first day AF [Aunty Flo @ period @ red flag as I term it on my calendar] has shown up at my doorstep. And she is here to stay, no doubt until #2 arrives which won’t be so soon if we can help it, of course with the help of good ol’ Billings Method – damn I gotta get it right soon!!

I didn’t expect her to arrive so soon in fact, I was really rooting and hoping to hold out for another few more months but dammit, looks like it ain’t happening now. *sigh* I had been getting this discolored discharge [sorry abt this too much info happening here] towards the end of the last 2 months so I guess in reality and subscontiously, I knew this would be happening soon, but just didn’t know when.

I had to go dig out all my pad from the back of the closet since I didn’t intend to be using it so soon. I was smart to have been buying them when they were on specials so I have enough for a while but as you know, women and pads/pantyliners cannot be kept apart so despite having a pile high of pads, I still end up getting a couple of boxes when we are out shopping much to Ted disapproval. Heh.(Read : BOXES!)

Seeing red, literally, sent a wave of mixed feelings within me. I was more sad than happy or any other emotion for that matter because like most women, I hate it. But Ted’s found a superb solution for me : permanently keep me pregnant. *rolls eyes* This reminded me of when my friend just had a baby and the hubby was teasing her about the next 10 kids [they are both hockey players], her reply was, ‘Ya, so I don’t have to get up la. I just lie down here and kangkang forever [legs spreadeagled, for obvious reasons].’ When she said it, I thought it was hilarious although it was not meant to be a joke. I didn’t really get it but now I understand why….lol *call me a blur sotong*

Anyway, with AF back obviously we have to be more careful or I’ll be sending myself down that scare-yourself-shitless path and waking up at ungodly hours to pee on a stick again. Gawd, that moment really scared the crap of out me. Other than feeling sad that I can’t be pad-free from now and have to expect some cramps every month, it’s not that bad I guess. I guess I’m thankful that I’m not working and am a SAHM, and I’ve realised that this is truly a blessing for me because I never thought that I would admit that being a SAHM is really one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

That said, I’m off to finish the DVD I have on, Red Dragon because I like it – Ralph Fienes’ got this HUGE dragon tattooed on his back and that a turn on it is!!!!! :D  Sadly, I’ve got to be a *good* girl for exactly one week starting today. Blek! :-|

Hands

Posted by Misty Mom on 11/01/2008 None comments

Botak baby

Posted by Misty Mom on 11/01/2008 6 comments

Botak means bald in my national language, Bahasa Malaysia, hence the title of my post today. Everywhere I look there is hair. On her pillow, on her rocker, on our bed, on her face, on MY face and practically everywhere she goes. My poor baby is balding!

At the moment, the bald spot [which I have covered up a little by combing back her hair] is at the back of her head. It’s not that she sleep on her back a lot, coz most of the time, she sleeps on her side. I sort of started her sleeping on the side due to my phobia of her choking on her puke, in case she does puke in her sleep. And also because my mum kind of drilled it into me. So although she sleep on a small pillow [I know this is totally so un-SID], I’ve made sure that there is a sheet over the pillow do that she does snuff herself in case she turns over and all that. Not that I have to worry at the moment coz my little munchkin hasn’t really rolled over just yet.

As much as I would like her to roll over as a sign of development and all, it is also a sign that she is growing up and I really do want to hang on to that tiny helpless baby I brought back home from the hospital, minus the wobbly and soft head please! :) Anyway, back to this hair business…..I was told that Ella will indeed lose her hair but because her hair is dark, it’s SO noticeable that it seems quite scary. A lot of babies here have blond hair so I guess it wouldn’t be that obvious unlike Ella. She was born with a full head of hair and was the talk of the ward and almost anywhere we go! lol At least all the heartburn I suffered 24/7 was not a lost cause. I had the worst case of heartrburn EVER!!! Whether or not I ate, I’d get it….small portion or not, I’d get it, spicy or otherwise, I still got it and worst of all, even drinking water brought on horrid heartburns….I swear I just wanted to dig a hole and bury myself on some days. And to get a proper sleep at night, I had to sleep on 3 pillows. So it’s only right that will all that suffering, Ella was born with lotsa hair.

We didn’t really shave her bald when she turned 1 month coz I think Ted would have flipped if I did. As it is, I shed hair like nobody’s business [stupid Pantene made it worst!] and nothing seems to help it grow back faster, very teh frust! And Ted, well….let’s just say that I’m happy he ain’t losing anymore of his hair [yes, hubby is bald...naturally] so imagine the worry both of us get when we see hair EVERYWHERE! I hope Ella doesn’t lose that much and even if she does I hope she’s got her Grandma’s gene where hair is concerned – I believe she’s in her mid 70′s and still got hair!!

Little growing baby

Posted by Misty Mom on 10/01/2008 4 comments

First of all, a BIG hearty congratulations to Frank and Aida on their new arrival, Baby Benjamin!! :) So happy that Aida and bub is doing fine. Can’t wait to hear about the birth. :D I’m sure Aida’s got a LONG post to write for us! lol :P

I took Ella for an overall check up at the clinic where our designated ECN [Early Childhood Nurse] is at, which is just about 5 minutes walk from where we live so that is a HUGE bonus for me. It would be sad if we had to move to another place then, coming here or wherever the clinic is would be a bugger. Anyway, got Ella checked out and she is growing well :

Weight : 7.44kg [75%] up by 0.5kgs from her previous weighing on 3/12/2007

Height : 65.5cm [75%]

Head Circ : 41.5cm [25]

There were a couple of things which I had mind and wanted to discuss with the nurse and one of them was the teething and moving on to solids. I was happy to note that Ella isn’t teething just yet bu that said, I’m just wondering why she gets so whingy these days. Sometimes, I can’t even put her down for a while and if I did, I have to sit there and play with her. Not that I mind but sometimes all that carrying….phew! Thank god my left arm isn’t acting up! Having a fractured arm when I was a child proved to be a bad thing for me since I can’t carry heavy stuff for long on my left arms coz if I did, it would ache like hell hence, I don’t like to carry babies for long before this. But now, it seems to have healed coz I can carry Ella for long periods of time and I’m all good. The miracle of having a child of your own!

Discussions about solids made me realise how fast she’s growing up and the thought that she would be more indepandant makes me feed as if I would be needed less but that’s the way it is, isn’t it? I guess that’s why we don’t want our kids to grow up and even when they do, we always seem to treat them as if they are a child. It’s only now I realise and see why things are the way they are and why parents are so protective of their children no matter what age the children are – coz in mum’s and dad’s eyes, they will always be their little baby. *sigh* I’m getting so emo right now….blek!!

Anyway, I’ll be trying out some rice cereal to get things going when she’s 6 months old which isn’t too long from now and then slowly move on from there. This will be good timing because by the time it is time for us to head over to Malaysia, she will already have started solids hence, I can feed her the cereal on the plane. Here’s hoping she don’t make a mess!! lol =P

A new year begins

Posted by Misty Mom on 04/01/2008 3 comments

This maybe a little late for a year end post but I say, nothing is too late. 2007 has been quite a journey for me since my transition from single, care-free spirit to a mother who is personally responsible for each and every breath my baby takes. She is dependant on me for everything…in short, I pretty much hold her fragile life in my hands and when I look at it that way, it freaks me out because that is a heavy responsibility.

The 9 months of carrying her within was merely peanuts and was most probably the ‘internship’ for new mums especially first time mums like myself but it is nothing compared to what the additional needs are now that bub is out in the real world. I must say that I was prepared to face the music and thankfully, I can still handle albeit some hiccups here and there. Did I mention that Ella still hiccups?? Thankfully not as often and not as bad as she used to.

So what has it been like being a mother for the first time? One this is very clear to me, bub comes first. I never realised the sacrifices a mother makes for her child[ren] until now that I have my own. My mum really did a LOT and I mean A LOT for us when we were growing up that looking back, I feel as if I’m not doing enough. One thing’s for sure, she was a working mum who had to look after 3 babies [me, sis and dad, of course] and she still managed to keep the house in order and had 3 meals on the table without fails. Talk about being a super mom!

Being a SAHM [stay at home mum] has its pros and cons. I don’t deny the fact that I miss working and having adult conversation/company compared to pulling funny faces and making ridiculous sounds and noises to keep Ella happy but the funny thing is, I’d rather stay home and watch her grow. I remember telling Ted that I’d rather go to work than stay at home looking after kids and that was WAY before any talks of settling down. Those were the dating days and he often told me that he’d willingly give up his job to stay home with Ella. I never knew why until today, it hit home. It’s now I realise how hard it is for him to leave home everyday for work and leave us behind. He misses Ella tremendously while at work and having a mobile which allows real-time chat face to face really helps coz I make sure that Ella ‘chats’ to Daddy at least once during the day while he’s at work coz most of the time, by the time he walks through the door, she’s already asleep. It’s been really tough on him and this one income that we’re surviving on but praise God, he has been able to keep our heads above the water.

I’ve also come to realise that Ella needs me as much as I need her. Sometimes when she’s asleep I miss her coz that laugh and smile is just SO infectious and addictive! You do know that she is the best and most gorgeous baby in the whole wide world, don’t you? I really can’t imagine life without her now that she’s been around for some 5 months or so. I personally think that life would be SO boring if it was just me and Ted. No offence baby but I think you will agree with me to. :) The thing I look forward to each morning is that smile she gives me when I go and check up on her. O….I think I’d go insane if I didn’t get that smile from her. It’s a good thing that she is generous with her smiles too but only to Mummy and Daddy of course. Honestly, she’s most generous with me coz she occasionally pulls a REALLY sour and grumpy face with Daddy but not Mummy coz Mummy’s the one with the milk supply!! She knows whose buttons to push, don’t you, you little cheeky vegemite? ;)

2007 has been a learning year for both Ted and I. I can honestly say that I’ve learnt so much about babies that I think authors of parenting books had better be parents coz they really know first hand what things are like and how to handle it. I seriously have no issues with Ella and *touch wood* I hope I don’t. Most of the issues I can handle because I have looked after babies before or at least I helped my aunt look after some kids she was babysitting and those lessons are SO invaluable when you realise that more than half the women in your prenatal class have not even held a nappy before, what more slapping it on a child! I was quite shocked and was thinking when eventually the time comes, it must be pretty daunting and scary for those first time parents. For me and Ted, I think we almost took it like ducks to the water coz he too was familiar with children as he was previously working with children with disabilities.

I remember running away and screwing my nose up at puke and poop when other people’s kids did it and it used to make me literally sick. But now….geez, the mere scent of poop sends me singing ‘Alleluia’ with thanks and praise because Ella hardly poops and puking, well, can’t say that it’s something I look forward to but let’s say that I myself don’t end up puking when she yaks on me these days. I would daringly bet you my last dollar that I would a year ago. These days, any discharge that comes out of a baby is no biggie….all part and parcel of being a mum I guess.

And being a mum also brings along with it the constant peek into her cot to see if she is ok, whether or not she’s warm enough or too hot, whether she’s soaked her nappy or soiled it bad and I guess the volume of all this worrying will never end and it gets worst as bub grows older. Everything that is out of norm sents me into a frenzy and I turn into this major worry wart which really gets on Ted’s nerves but hey, that’s what mothers do – they worry! I think I’ll be sprouting greay hairs by the time she turns 12! And long dead before she hits 21 coz that’s the legal limit for almost anything and let me tell ya, SKY’S the limit!!!

Omg….am I going insane or what??? Ella’s barely 5 months and I’m already worried about her being 21?! Yes, I think I’m thinking too much and perhaps reflecting too much too. Funny enough, I can’t help it and I now understand why mums are so protective of their little ones. It’s all part and parcel of being a mum. And the best part of being a mum is knowing that they need you as much as you need them. What lies ahead in 2008 is going to fun as we look forward to many more ‘first times’ and it’s really a high possibility of us getting a vid cam coz nothing beats having all of Ella’s antics on cam coz I bet she is one helluva super star!

To 2008, looking forward to blessed year filled with lots of love, peace and happiness…and lots of baby drool too! Ella’s found her fingers….

My little chatty vegemite [video]

Posted by Misty Mom on 01/01/2008 2 comments

I’ve never put up a video of Ella yet so I thought that I’d start of with the new year. :) Since I managed to shrink this vid to a considerable size that could fit youtube and because it’s only 16 seconds, I thought I’d put it here for memory’s sake. :)

She did keep on chatting and ‘talking’ after my phone stop recording. I really have to compress the one I took on my digicam. Some of those are really cute!!