Category Archives: Baby talk

No matter what – DO NOT DISTURB

Posted by Misty Mom on 30/08/2008 2 comments

It occured to be that the best lessons learnt are the ones that are learnt the hard way. This can be applied to most of my parenting experience with Arianna. The most recently one is her sleeping positions. Apparently with being so mobile these days, Arianna tends to sit up in bed the moment I put her down. In the beginning, I’d continue holding her down until she’d cry because she got frustrated and must have been wondering why this crazy Mummy is trying to stick me down to the bed but now, not anymore.

These days when it’s time for her nap, I tuck her in as usual and if she doesn’t want to stay in the position I put her in, fine by me. I carry on as usual, kiss her night-night and out the door. She normally screams at this point but I’ve learnt to ignore that because she just wants attention which she should not be getting at the time she is suppose to be napping. So she’ll cry a bit and then, she’s down. It was hard in the beginning but I’ve come to realise that they will get the picture in the end.

Now what lesson was it that I recently learnt? Well, for starters, if your child’s asleep, no matter what, do not attempt to reposition them as you see fit and comfy. Last week, after she went to bed, I went to have a peek and she was asleep face down but in a rather awkward position. She was sleeping over her pillow hence it looked to be as if her head was lower than her body and I didn’t think that was good at all. Not only that, she fell asleep on her knees with her bum in the air!!! Just like Daddy when he was little as I’ve been told. So I moved her and she woke up and cried and cried and cried because I ‘woke’ her up. She would have cried till the cows came home but we don’t own a farm so that’s not possible but if we did, that’s what she’d do and the whole day was RUIN!! Ruin I tells ya….

These days, although I find her sleeping in the most weird and uncomfortable positions at least to me, I just watch and wonder. Sometimes I laugh to myself and think, how in tarnations can THAT be comfortable?! But the thing is, if she was uncomfy, she’s get up and GET comfy just like you and me. So I definitely am not worried that much any more. Although I find that her sleeping on the front still scares me abit but I think she’s old enough to ensure that she’s got proper breathing space.

Di-di, mama & bird

Posted by Misty Mom on 29/08/2008 3 comments

I wasn’t surprised that the one thing Arianna knows very well is BIRD. She’s got a couple of bird soft toys and we’ve got a million bird fridge magnets as well as other bird decors around the house. This is simply because Ted loves them. So recently, I asked Arianna, ‘Where’s the bird?’ and she pointed to the one sitting on the shelf in her room. I was rather surprised that she pointed coz that the only thing she points to and when asked, ‘How does the bird sing?’, she remains quiet looks at me and then, I make this silly bird sound and she goes all shy and grins, then kinds of mimics me by saying, ‘Di, di, di’. Very cute!

Her vocab isn’t that good although instead of associating ‘mum-mum’ to me, the MUM. It’s been associated to food but then again, I think this is quite normal la. She seems to be able to call out ‘Da-di’ once in awhile but kinds of gets confused when I say ‘Daddy’ coz she then turns and looks out the kitchen window where the rainbow lorikeets come by almost everyday. So she is having a bit of an ID crisis when it comes to ‘Daddy’.

I used to think that reading to her could wait but now I think it’s a tad too late as I should have started earlier because she doesn’t take to books that well. Everything is for chewing as far as Arianna is concerned. The only books that she is actually interested in and paying attention to are the ones Uncle William [Ted's brother] got her for her birthday. They are part of the ‘In The Night Garden’ series which she absolutely loves.

Other than that, not much development where standing up and walking is concerned and I’ve been told why too. Apparently she has no confidence because her feet are always covered up. It is after all winter here and we don’t have internal heating to warm the whole house so she always has her socks on or those long johns on. The nurse told me to remove the sock and keep her feet free and I can expect her to be pulling herself up more confidently. I tried that last night but it was just too cold. She will have to wait a bit till the weather gets a little warmer la. For now, have to just bear with it la.

Growth development :

Weight : 9.5kg [Apparently slightly lower than what she should be but still within the average weight so it's ok]
Height : 77cm [Supposedly tall for her age so we can expect her to be lanky like Daddy]
HC : 45.5cm

Child star? Baby model? Got potential ka?

Posted by Misty Mom on 14/06/2008 4 comments

I just wanted to share these collages I made for my weekly Photo Hunter. It’s just all for fun and it does help to fill up the gaps in between those times when I have nothing to blog about. Actually, I think some of you might actually enjoy it and especially Aida since she got SOOOooooo many photos to share from way up north there.

Anyway, these are just ramdom face shots I took of Arianna and then I just made it into a collage but I was thinking…what do you think of child stars or baby models? I mean, every parent knows that their child is cute – you know anyone who says I’ve got an ugly baby? No, right? And many of us actually do have really gorgeous kids who we’d love to show off. But does that make us pushers? As in deciding their future way before time? Ted thinks that Arianna would make a great baby model for kiddy clothes and stuff coz he thinks she’s just the most gorgeous baby ever – I have to agree with him there coz we are bias but besides that, I sincerely think that she could.

But first we need to get baby agents where they would most probably require you to have a photo profile of snapshots and on top of that, there is a registering fee. Well, most agents do and when there is a job, they call you. But sadly, it’s often the case of not getting any jobs because there are just TOO many babies out there and just THAT many jobs. And baby modelling is tough because kids change so fast too. Worst case scenario would be registering and then not getting called at all and there goes your fees, which I might add is most likely non-refundable. And that I believe is how most agents make their moolah.

So anyway, although Ted is quite keen, I have my doubts. It would certainly make me proud to see Arianna as a Bonds baby because what ever income we make would certainly go into her education fund, and that would help out tremendously. However, I think it comes with a heavy price. Modelling even for an adult is tough [due to stress and presurre, they turn loopy and look what happened to Naomi Campbell - rosak!], what more for a baby. Photoshoots on short notice, travelling from one place to another plus you have to have a baby who can adjust to all these elements which I personally think is just too taxing.

These are stuff which was shared by one mum whose baby was a model. Poor thing must have suffered from many disrupted routines. And I would really hate to see Arianna suffer like that too. At the moment, I’m just *blah* about it – no particular feelings at all. On one hand, I think, ‘Nah…..don’t wanna go through all that crap.’ Then you get thinking, without baby models, who’s going to model all those diapers, foods and pretty much everything that is baby related?? Someone’s got to do it right?

Then I’m back at square one….and I think I’ll be here for awhile. What about you? Ever thought of turning your little one into a baby mode?

Identity crisis

Posted by Misty Mom on 24/02/2008 6 comments

Poor Arianna! Only half a year old and already being plagued by identity crisis. *lol* This post was spawned by Baby Booned’s comment. Don’t worry dear, you’re still very sane.

So why the sudden change?

Initially, when we named her ‘Arianna’, we never thought about what to call her as in to call her in full ie. Arianna or a pet name like Ella or Kecik, since we were calling her that ever since we found out about her. And at that time, we didn’t know the gender yet so we got used to ’Kecik’ as it’s pretty much unisex because it just means ‘little one’ in Bahasa but it’s got a Northern [I think] accent to it. And Ted kind of got hooked on it and has been calling her that ever since and till today too!

So right about in January, I realised that it was weird calling her so many names. Mum, Sis and I called her Ella, MIL calls her Arianna and Ted, for most of the time, calls her Kecik. I pity the poor thing! She must have been SO confused…..I mean, I would too being that that young and trying to keep in mind who calls who what. Her poor brains must have been so overworked!

And MIL did casually mention that one should be called by the full name, so that was one of the reasons why I changed to calling the cheeky chops ‘Arianna’. The other reason was because I found it just too taxing trying to explain to people why she is being called ‘Ella’ when her first name is Arianna. That itself was stressful enough for me and I just thought I had had enough of that and for the final record, we called her ‘Ella’ because it’s short for Michaela which is her middle name…which is the feminine of ‘Michael – my Daddy’s name.

So why didn’t we just call her ‘Anna’ or ‘Ari’? Well, I’ll be honest and tell you that I did try that but for the life of me, I just couldn’t call her ‘Anna’ because I’m not really that fond of the name and ‘Ari’ just didn’t sound right – ‘Arianna’ on the other hand was perfect. And although it did take me some time to get used to calling her that because it was ‘long’ compared to ‘Ella’, I did get used to it. So now, it’s officially Arianna.

Mind you, I did do a search to check the meaning of ‘Arianna’ and this is what I found :

Arianna is the Italian form of Ariadne [pronouced as ar-ee-AHD-nee]. It is actually of Greek origin which bring the meaning of “most holy”. In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. She fell in love with Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him.

Interesting eh? But now, Mum and Sis are having trouble getting used to it because they have stuck to it since the day she was born! *lol* However, I am sure that they too will get used to it. Also, I thought I’d mention that ‘Arianna Michaela’ in that order, is the first name that I came up with that Ted liked. Lord know I had so many on my list that he just didn’t fancy but he took to this name so fast that in the end, we chose it for our first born. It just have been a sign but who knows?

Beep beep!

Posted by Misty Mom on 20/02/2008 8 comments

That’s right! You heard correct – Arianna’s got a new ride and it’s her Beepa 4 in 1. It is suppose to last kids up to 2 years of age and I do hope that it does. After all, it will come in handy when #2 arrives, when the time comes that is. The funny thing is, up till now, Arianna still hasn’t turned but she is able to jump and sit up quite steadily [aided of course] and sometimes when she is placed on her tummy, she does this cute comando style ‘crawl’. Not that she is moving forward…she goes around in circles. But still no turning and I’m not sure if it’s something I should be concerned about.

Many people keep telling me that she will do so in her time – and boy is she taking her time alright! I’m also wondering if she’s being a lazy bum because we used to leave her in her rocker a lot because she didn’t really like being laid down on her gym mat and by herself but she was fine on the rocker. I started placing her on her tummy when we were at the hospital hence, she’s got a pretty strong neck and back now. Praise God!

Ted’s been coaching her on how to turn. She seems to be able to twist herself 3/4 of the way but that one arm is always preventing her from completing the turn and Ted’s been trying to teach her how to stick her arm out so that it will help. I think and I hope that it’s working.

Other than that, I’ve kind of stopped packing for now. Can’t believe that I will be back home in Kulim around this next month! And on 28/3/2008, we will officially be allowed to move in although MIL will be bringing her friends over to clean the new place once the current tenant moves out. It’s all so exciting and I have so many thing I wanna do when I get there. I mean, the exercise machine Ted has is collecting dust and I so badly need to tone up, I really want to start sweing stuff because I know I can but I’m just too lazy to get started – I’m looking forward to sewing some curtain actually and I might just try sewing those clothes nappies that Aida’s done as well. Other than that, I’m just plain excited that we are moving into a bigger place. Lord knows Arianna’s toys itself has taken up 3/4 of our hall!! And that’s only her gym mat, her Beepa and the rocker….we still have the corber TV set and our 2 chairs as well. So…it’s REALLY getting cramped in here.

And since I’ve laid off the packing for a bit which is BAD as I really need to get my butt off the chair, quit Scarbulous [NNNNNNNNNNnnnpnoooooooooooo!!] for awhile and clear Arianna’s [supposedly] room for my sis who is coming down on 28/2 but I’ve been distracted not only by Scrabulous but also fooling around with Photoshop.

The joys of being a parent is that you are allowed to take any kind of shot at the expense of your kids.

Ever since I got the hang of the features and all, I’ve kind of been hooked on playing with the program. It can get quite addictive coz there is just SO much you can do! Anyway, time for bed…..Zzzzzzzz

Mummy’s little champ

Posted by Misty Mom on 03/12/2007 2 comments

Lots of claps for my little champ!! Ella did well beyond my expectations today. I’ve been dreading today since the time Ted booked the appointment with the Doc. I don’t think I stand alone on this matter. I mean, which mother wants to see her baby cry in pain right? But all said and done, pain or not, vaccinations is a must and it’s for her own good anyway so, suka tak suka, we went today to get Ella’s shots.

Not too sure if she knew where she was but the moment we entered the clinic, she went all frowny and simply refused to smile or ‘talk’ to anyone. We had popped by pathology to visit Grandma’s friend and although she was talking to Ella like mad, Ella simply ignored her. Poor thing really. If only she could see that dazzling smile Ella showers on me and Ted – she’d be over the moon. Sorry, Sherrilyn….maybe next time.

Ella must have recognise the place or sense that something horrid was going to happen to her because she was just so quiet. Although she didn’t fuss when Doc gave her the oral meds, she did cry when getting jabbed. Which baby wouldn’t?? But surprisingly, she didn’t turn dark red or screamed till there was no sound. In fact, she cried loud enough and settled down pretty quick the minute I have her the bottle. For the record, there was only ONE tear and even that didn’t roll down her bak pau cheeks….she sheds more tears when we don’t entertain her enough!!! Cheeky little vegemite….

You know, she refused to smile or take note of me all the way back home. In fact, she had on this ‘I dont like you and you’ve got to earn my trust’ look on her face all thoroughout the journey….poor thing, made me feel bad too BUT it has to be done. She’s got 2 months grace to get it over with before her 6th month vaccination and then it’s 12 months, 18 months and the last one is 4 years of age. Good thing she doesn’t need to get additional shots before we leave for Malaysia. Phew!

Doc said she took it well and it could be because I was prepared for the worst. I knew I had to remain calm or she would sense it and I knew what was coming anyway so we were prepared. Hence, I didn’t think it was so bad this time around. Another reason could be because she’s bigger now and it’s already her second time getting jabbed so the body must be getting used to it plus her thighs are bigger too. No need to say how worried and terrified Ted looked! lol Poor Daddy couldn’t handle it and was glad that I didn’t ask him to hold her as planned.

Growth rate is good. Doc said that she’s at the 90 percentile [what ever that means] and thriving well. She’s weighing 6.94kgs, up by 1.14kgs since the last time we weighed her.

I did ask Doc about solids and juices, and was told that we could wait till 6 months before introducing any solids since she is exclusively breastfed but could slowly give her starters after New Year. As for juices, no harm in trying as well but just a couple of teaspoon also after New Year….so it’s rather exciting and I can’t wait! This also means that she will be able to take solids when we are in Malaysia….Nanna’s gonna have fun cooking for u!!

Three months already!

Posted by Misty Mom on 16/11/2007 11 comments

I was clearing up Ella’s cupboard to store all her newborn clothes [When are babies stopped being called newborns anyway??] when it suddenly occurred to me how small she was! Her clothes were so tiny compared to what she’s wearing these days. Although I am glad that she is thriving – I miss my tiny bundle! Ted also just noticed this growth and said that he wants another tiny baby. Hello….excuse me, ain’t him trying to squeeze out a bubba, you know??? I seriously am not over the birth yet although it’s been 3 months.

I still get the shivers when I see Ella’s head because when I had the mirror in front of me with the intention of watching her crown…when the time came and I did see it, I regretted it. It didn’t help me one bit and I really wished I had not asked for the mirror. Ted did right by asking me why I wanted to see it and I actually felt offended when he asked me that but he made sure the mirror was there anyway. I wouldn’t do it again, ever….but that’s just me though.

On the fore front, Ella’s been great! She hasn’t started to roll yet but I think she’s getting there. I try to encourage her by gently coaxing her to roll by pushing her but she doesn’t even put in any effort and thinks that I’m playing with her! Hahaha….it’s all good though. She’s such a chatterbox and loves to lie on her back on our dining table. It’s her favourite spot in all the house and I don’t know why. I guess she must have figured out that she gets ALL our attention when she is on the table as compared to when she is on our bed or in her rocker.

Bath times are a challenge for me because I hate it when half her bath water spills out unto the table. Yea, we have a tub we use to bath her and we place it on our dining table coz we don’t have a bath tub in the bathroom. I don’t want to bath her in the sink coz I dunno….seems not right and it’s aluminum, so it might be cold, u know? So that’s one thing we have to figure out what to do. Someone told me to bath her in the shower while I bath but how?? I guess it would require both of us – me and Ted to bath her in the shower right? Must try it out one day though….

As for breastfeeding, all is well and I am ashamed to admit that I STILL haven’t made any effort of bf in public yet…. I just can’t do it!!!! AARRGGHHH!! I know I should REALLY give it a shot and perhaps I might since we are attending Ella’s first birthday party. We got invited to attend one of Ted’s friend’s son’s birthday party in a park so if I can sum up the guts, I’ll definitely try to feed her there BUT I’m still bringing some backup in case la. I’ve gotten rid of the powder milk and have since been expressing diligently every night before bed coz I hate to wake up in the middle of the night engorged and in pain. With Advent’s re-usable cups, once I’ve filled up all five, I go back to the first one, get rid of the frozen BM there and start over. And it is certainly effective for me.

Sleep patterns have been very good too. I really have no complains and must say that God is very good to me to have given me such a wonderful baby. Ella has her own routine and as long as I’m tuned into her, everything is well. I really couldn’t ask for more. And she being the most gorgeous baby in the world is certainly and added bonus! Hey, every mother will say that she’s got the most gorgeous baby in the world ok? That’s how it is… Anyway, since Aida wanted some pix…here they come!! My baby is growing up so fast!!!!

Some of the Chinese in me showing up here!! lol

Little juvenile piglet

Little miss square eyes!!! Scary man…

My current fav but pitiful that the flash was on. Frank, what tips u have of taking baby pix?? My pix sometimes dont turn out nice at all. So blur n shaky n dark coz I try not to use the flash….