CRAWLING

Finally, Tze How is crawling now, at the age of 9 months 4 wks.

He started to crawl around 5 pm this evening .. Haha .. after he mastered the skill of crawling, he was so excited and keep crawling the whole evening.

He crawled til hungry,
He crawled til sweat,
He crawl til tired,
He just crawl to grab what he not suppose to get like remote control, CPU, radio, tv, portable harddisk, etc etc.

He is not keen in his toys ...

Harder Stool

Tze How's stool turned harder than before since 17th July 2007.

I wonder whether it has something to do with the non-blended cereal or rice.

Anyway, that was the only reason I can think of as he drinks the same amount of water daily, having 2 pieces of fruits daily.

p/s: or may be I had few packets of tit-bit (Cheezels & Super Ring) [I am still breastfeeding]

Sleep Better

During the shopping at Mid Valley-Jusco today, bought a set of Jonhson Baby Bedtim Starter Kit as Tze How keep waking up during night time.

Applied the bath and lotion this evening during and after shower, hope it helps.

More details on Johnson bedtime kit:-Johnson Baby Bedtime Bath
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=5

Johnson Baby Bedtime Lotion
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=30

Johnson Baby Bedtim Oil
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=36

Well, if you are keen on the Baby Bedtime, here it is:-
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/i/advertorials/gb/sleepcentre/?_requestid=304071

Difficulty Sleeping (Older Infant)
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/concern.do?id=9
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/article.do?id=34

But the mother gotta be FIRM in order to let the BB sleep through the night especially the mom that already used to make bedtime feedings a permanent fixture, LIKE ME !! :(

Visited the Paediatrician this morning and told him about Tze How bedtime routine, he just told me: YOU NEED TO BE FIRMED !! No Matter how he cries, no matter how he screams (til hoarse !) ... 2-3 days will do

Really a challenge !!

My 1st COD FISH

See .. This is Tze How 1st piece of COD FISH.

I bought it from Jusco Supermarket-D'hati at Mid Valley, it costs me RM 8.47 !!
But the fish was fresh enough.

Tried the cod fish with the porridge with the rest of the veggie this evenig for Tze How dinner, he just love it!!

He had his dinner much more faster than before ..

Telephathy

Why did I say I dun even have time to take shower and to defecate when I am alone at home with Tze How ...

Because almost EVERYTIME I went to washroom, either to take shower and to defecate, after Tze How sleep ...
>> Just after I started, or before I finished, Tze How would cry or scream for me ... It was so JIT that sometimes I went into the washroom.. was halfway taking off my clothes, there he cried and screamed for me ...

The worst for me was when I was halfway taking shower or defecating, I really worried that he would keep rolling until fall on the tiles ... but anyhow, it really happened that he cried and screamed for me when I was halfway taking shower or defecating ...

WHAT TO DO ??
For Bath ~ Just wipe away whatever on my body, and ran into the room ...
For Defecate ~ Just stop it, wipe away whatever leftover, and ran into the room ...
(Can you imagine what was the feeling of half way defecating ?? ^O^)

Guess this is so call Telepathy ... Tze How and the mummy are telephatized ya ... may be from the breastfeeding ..

Timetable

As a full time mother at home can be very busy, sometimes I dun even have time to take shower or poo poo if I am alone at home with Tze How.

I am lucky that I got help from my mother as I am staying with my parents while my hubby working in Cheng Du, China.

Whole day can be fully accupied even though I dun have to do housework like washing, cooking, cleaning, etc.

This is what our daily life now ...

0700am ~ 0730am: Wake up & Poo, then play
0830am ~ 0900am: Morning Bath
0930am ~ 1000am: Bottled Milk, If failed, Breastfeed, then sleep
1100am ~ 1130am: Wake up & Play
12 noon ~ 1230pm: Fruits
1230pm ~ 0100pm: Lunch (Porridge), then play
0200pm ~ 0230pm: Bottled Milk, If failed, Breastfeed, then Nap
0330pm ~ 0400pm: Wake up & Play
0600pm ~ 0630pm: Fruits
0630pm ~ 0700pm: Dinner (Porridge)
0730pm ~ 0800pm: Shower
0800pm ~ 0830pm: Breastfeed, Night Sleep
0900pm ~ 0700am: Breastfeed Breastfeed and Breastfeed on 2-3 hours interval

The above is only the rough timetable. Tze How normally nap for less than 2 hours, like 1-2 hours; sometimes only 30-45 min.

As I need to breastfeed him during night time, so I hardly get good sleep, so whenever I have time when he is having nap during day time, I would sleep too;

BUT, normally I would spend time on net like blogging, browsing, upload photos, chatting (with hubby normally) ..
OR, reading parenthood magazine, books etc ..

The rest of the time, need to accompany little Tze How to play especially when he is bored playing alone, he will ask for attention.
Plus, he is learning to crawl now, so I am a bit too protective that I always scare he will fall onto the tiles, so whenever his movement like crawling forward and falling down, I will run to him ..

Daily Menu

Tze How is 9 months 3 wks now. After first 6 months of exclusive breastmilk direct nursing, h started the solid after 6th month.

Started with BABYNAT Organic 3 fruits cereal only, then mixed with BABYNAT Organic Vanilla cereal;
Later we mixed the cereal with organic veggie like pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, etc..., but normally the cereal was mixed with 1 type of veggie only;
Since 9th month, we have been feeding him with porridge (hulled millet, wheat bucket & quinoa) and all kinds of organic veggie like pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, three-coloured amaranth, tomato, wakame.

Most of the time, formula milk (soya & cow) are mixed with cereal or porridge as Tze How doesn't take much of bottled milk, so have to add on during his meal in order to let him absorp the ingredient, and not to waste the bottled milk which already prepared but rejected by him.

After cooked, just before the solid feed, will add in some Soy Lecithin, Wheatgerm and Rhodospermous (red seaweed) on the porridge.

These are the menu for Tze How since he born:-
Born ~ 6th month
Breastmilk Direct Nursing

7th month ~ 8th month
1 slice of red apple/pear or a banana
Cereal only
Cereal + 1 type of veggie + soya milk powder
* boiled the veggie til soft and mashed it, then add on the cereal and soya milk with warm water

9th month ~ 9th month 3 wks
1 slice of red apple/pear or a banana
Porridge (blended rice) with few types of veggie
* Initially the rice was not blend and he got choke and cough during the feed, even its soft enough
* In between, tried to blend the veggie before cook so that the veggie were in mashed form after cook
* Mother in law reminded better blend the veggie after cook, so blended it after cook after her advice
* With blended rice, the porridge need to be stir all the time in order not to let it stick on the pot

9th month 3 wks ~ now
1 slice of red or geen apple/pear or a banana
Porridge (non-blended rice) with few types of veggie
* In order to ease the job, not to stand beside the stove and stir the porridge, tried to feed Tze How with non blended rice, he takes it
* Plus, all the veggie were not blended, but cook til it soft, and mashed with spoon, he accepts it too

Porridge are made out of hulled millet, wheat bucket & quinoa
Veggie includes pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, three-coloured amaranth, tomato, wakame.

Have not started to introduce meat to Tze How, no plan yet, may be next week.

Further progress on crawling and others

Ha, glad that there are further progression on the crawling for Tze How.

He crawled for another 3-4 steps forward this afternoon.

Plus. he has even more face expression and body moving.

He claps a lot;
He Gong Xi Gong Xi a lot;
He kicks a lot;
He plays with himself a lot;
He plays with me a lot;
He socials a lot;
He smile a lot;
He laugh a lot;
He coos a lot;
He rolls a lot;
He sit up by himself a lot;
He moves a lot when we carry him;
He climbs a lot over my body when I lie on bed;

and he makes me feel tired a lot, but LOT OF FUN & JOY ...

Non-Blended Cereal of Rice

Started the porridge with fully non-blended hulled millet, wheat bucket and quinoa porridge with Tze How today (Yesterday still mixed with 50% blended and 50% non-blended cereal of rice)

Luckily he can accept it.
So we will not blend those cereal of rice from today onwards as it consumes time (although not much), We will just cook the porridge til it turns really soft and mashed.

He used to spit the grain gently when we fed him as he doesn't know how to chew and swallon those grain.

He is big boy and good boy now.

Dun Shoot Me!!

Took these photos few days ago ...

Tze How was playing on the mattress in the bedroom, I was trying to capture his clap initially, but when he realised I tried to shoot him .. there he was trying to stop me ... Muahaha !!

Lovely Boy Ya !!

Dun Bother

I guess most of the BBs are very unrestrain and very characterful.

For Tze How case, when we realised he have learned something or did something surprise us, and he knew what he was doing, for eg. clapping hand, pray pray, calling Ma Ma, Give him FIVE, Shake hand, drink the bottled milk, ect etc.

When he is in good mood, just a little little praise, he can do it for thousand of times;
When he is not in good mood, no matter how we praise him, he never want to do it.

BUT sometimes he is not in bad mood and we tried to ask him to do something like clapping, give me FIVE, etc etc, he still doesn't want to do it, so I guess he WILL JUST DO IT WHEN HE LOVES ONLY - I wonder Tze How may think : well, I dun bother, there is no way I listen to others ... haha .

D' 1st Step

Tze How has been trying very hard to start his first crawl. His knee just couldn't position right to start the crawl.
We were trying to help him but still need himself to make the move.

Yesterday, Tze How was playing and just the same like normal, just before his knee move another step forward, his body will lean back to the sitting position.

Without any further expectation, Tze How moved his right knee a step forward just like crawling, BUT he falled on the tilam immediately after that .. Ha ha ...
Of course I still praised him by clapping hand, said he is good boy and clever boy by raised up my thumb.

And he smiled and laughed and clapped his hand happily and the body shake like dancing, so cute!

I want to hold the bottle myself !!

Ha, we realised one thing after these few days of trial and error on the bottle feed.
Tze How wants to hold the bottle himself when the bottle feed come with milk. Ha Ha ... He never want us to carry him and feed him the milk.
Well, sometimes its up to his mood too. Hard to serve him sometimes ...

No matter it was soya milk or non-soya milk, he would take it.
So it is pretty sure that not the taste of the milk that he rejected, but the way we feed him.

Ah !!! Big boy already ah ... want to drink by himself liao !!

Daily Challenges

To be a mother --- there are lots of challenges , especially to be a good mother, to be a responsible mother; and there are lots of things we can do for our kids, it depends on how many or how much we want to do it.

As for me, I am a full time mother for the time being, and somemore I have my mother to help me on taking care of Tze How.
AND because of that, I am pampered as a mother.

Normally my mom will help to bath Tze How, cook for his meal, pat him sleep DURING DAY TIME, play with him etc etc, in other words, I am in fact sort of help out my mom when she is busy with cooking or housework .

When Tze How is growing, he is getting more and more clingy- just like a superglue, especially when he hits over 9th month.

See, when I need to go out and left Tze How for my mom, Tze How will stay very very good boy with my mom, never ask for carry, never cry, never scream, easily get a nap etc etc;
Whenever I am at home, wow ... Tze How will want to be breastfeed other than lunch and dinner, to be carried all the time within 10 min own-play, wake up with tears, express himself with all the funny face expression etc etc.

That's how he bully me .. sigh.

OK, as we are leaving to cheng du, china soon, so I will have to take care of Tze How myself as I am not going with my mother but mother in law, and Tze How is not familiar with my mother in law and he will only want me only for the time being.

There are no problem for me to handle him except the following AND the challenges for me now are:

1. To be able to pat him sleep DURING DAY TIME
- whenever I pat him, he will turn left and right, or roll over and doesn't want to sleep, not even after 3 hours of awake

2. To feed him formula milk with bottle
- he just refused no matter who feed him, using his tongue to block the teat, body keep moving and rolling until the milk splash everywhere on him, scream, cry ...

3. To wean slowly
- breastfeed before night sleep is a MUST now, after the falls, he asks for breastfeed on breaskfast, tea-time, supper and average of 2-3 hours interval during the night time. In a nutshell, he asks for breastfeed all the time except lunch and dinner.

Huh ... sometimes I would think - I rather work, but I know I should be glad that I have chance to grow together with my son.

No Bottle Milk

After 9 months, now that we decided to try Cow's Formulated milk with Tze How since he doesn't want to take soya milk.

Have been trying to bottle feed him with soya milk - Isomil, but he just refused to take.
But he takes bottle feed water.

So we assuming he doesn't like the smell or taste of the soya milk, after months of thought, now that we decided to let him try with cow's formulated milk.

Bought a can of 400g Enfapro 6-18 months milk powder on 4th July 2007:-

1st try on 5th July morning :-
> refused to take, so we mixed with cereal and fed him.

2nd try on 6th July Morning :-
> refused to take initially, so need to fawn him and distract his attention by pointing at the photo on the wall, tell stories, sang like a clown, speak out my sister name as he likes my sister a lot, at the same time, my mother feeding him ... FINALLY ... he had only 1 Oz out of 4 Oz .. ; later on, we mixed with porridge. As there were too much milk left over, my mom tried to feed him with spoon, he refused to take too, but when we feed him water with spoon, he just sips sips sips ...

SUCH A CLEVER BOY YA !!

Great Job !!

Mami is proud of you, Tze How.

Tze How was in a sleeping position, or rather, rolling position, then suddenly, he pushed himself up and he was in a sitting position.

I never expect this as I am expecting him to creep and crawl nowadays, so his move surprised me, of course, I am glad he did that.

Falling Down .. AGAIN !!

2nd July
Gosh! Tze How falled down again from the bed during the day time nap. Luckily, this time he falled down from the bed, to the pillow on the floor, then to the rubber mat on the floor, but still, it was a big shock for him .. poor boy!

After the 2 falls,
- he refused to sleep on the bed, and wanted to be carried all the while .. so tired, imagine, need to carry 10 kg all the while .. haha
- he cried and woke up even day time (he used to woke up abd play by himself, and showed us smiling face when we realised he woke up)
- he needs to be breastfeed to sleep during night time

Guess he really shocked by the fall ... 阿弥陀佛，愿观世音菩萨保佑...

Tze How, you gotta be TOUGH ya ...

p/s: Phrase from my dad, Tze How granpa -- 小孩子没有跌倒，不会长大的！
>> got such thing ah?

Falling Down

1st July
Tze How's rolling become powerful and fast by sudden, and now, after rolled, he will use his leg to push himself up but the head still stick to the bed --- he is learning to crawl.
He used to be lazy in rolling, and even after he rolled over, he seldom continue rolling but scream for help , may be painful and too heavy(he is aorund 10kg now).

I knew, and my dad knew too, he will finally falling down from the bed 1 day (I don't put him sleep on bb cot but my bed).

Here comes the day ....ai ...

He usually sleep around 830pm, after that, we heard he cried, so I ran into the bedroom and have a look (this happen everyday)...Gosh !! he was on the floor without any rubber mat, he falled on the tiles. My tears already turning round and round in my eye.

Poor How, he cried so loud, and sound scary, in fact, he was shocked (of course!); but luckily he cried only a while, so guess he did not hurt seriously.
> frankly, what we worry the most is that we did not know where he hurt, if knock on the head, well, there will be bruise; but if the bone or neck or spine are sprained or wrenched, NO JOKE!!!

Is my fault that I was careless, didn't put enough cushion. rubber mat on the floor, I am sorry little bb.
--- I knew even there are cushion or rubber mat, he will still fall down.

Ma Ma ... Ma Ma Ma...

30th June
Lovely Tze How, since last saturday, he keep mumbling Ma Ma Ma Ma from morning til late at night before sleep, the Ma Ma is much much more clearer than last time when he started cooing.

Guess he is learning to talk although he is yet to crawling, standing or walking, he not even teething yet.
--- Tze How's parent are talkative .. !! haha
> The daddy likes to talk a lot when others do not understand something, or rather, he explains in long-winded way.
> The mami likes to talk a lot especially to elder people when she was little gal before schooling.

Tze How likes to imitate adults talking and singing, he always Ah Ah Ah Eh Eh EH Ee Ee Ee with different tune .... so cute, especially when there is somebody singing in the tv(I know I shouldn't let him watch tv before age 3).

Til today, the Ma Ma Ma still on, and become clearer, louder -- so sweet, I wonder was the Ma Ma= Mummy, or grandma, or eating Mum Mum ....

Donation for Funding of Bone Marrow Transplantation

25th June
Got the capture subject forwarded email from my hubby with his message:-
"dear,
i overlooked this mail, not sure if it's too late to offer help. i know we don have much cash in the a/c but i feel like sending 1 k to help the little girl, what do u think? u may transfer to the church public bank a/c or the personal maybank a/c, but pls make a call to ensure he is the right person if u r transfering to his maybank a/c, not sure the Mr. Khok is霍志祥 or u may call the church to confirm Khok is霍.
take care"

and the original forwarded message as below:-
From: CS Khok 1 [mailto:cskhok@edeng3.com]

Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 10:58 AM

To: Tam MB

Subject: REQUEST FOR DONATION FOR FUNDING OF BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

Dear Tam,

My daughter, Rachel Khok En Xuan, Age 2 who is diagnosed with Thalassaemia Major (group of genetic blood diseases characterized by absent or decreased production of normal hemoglobin, resulting in a microcytic anemia) and requires an operation scheduled to be on month of May or Jun 2007, would like to request for some donation for the funding of this operation.

The estimated operation costs are approximately RM300,000 which is much beyond my financial capabilities and I am not able to come up with such a tremendous amount of money to finance the above-said operation for my daughter.

As such I am now writing this letter of request and appreciate your assistance to provide your voluntary donation.

By the way, you may help me inform our others freinds of this matter.

(Attached herewith a letter from my church, Sepang Methodist Church regarding this donation. You can also direct your donation to me, Khok Chee Seong, Maybank A/C No: 1141 9717 7921)

Thank you and your goodwill is kindly appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Khok Chee Seong
012-3774686

Actually the email was forwarded to my hubby from one of his friend. She called the church and confirmed this is real case.

However, I called Mr Khok again, directly and he told me he was at hospital as the daughter is ready to admit into hospital that day.
Then later in the morning, I called the church again to double check and they confirmed this is real case.

So, I transferred 1K to Mr Khok Maybank account directly on 25th June 2007.

Menstruation

25th June
Ha .. Ha .. finally, my menstruation is back --- 9 months after delivery. Guess if I didn't cut down the breastfeeding volume, the menstruation may not be back again.
Not quite use to the menstruation ... :P .. especially when I still breastfeed, not easy and quite troublesome.

Well, Ya .. breastfeeding save money --- on the milk/soya powder and the pad, and the time.

For me, direct nursing is easy. Mush more easier than bottle.
But direct nursing is tiring, and quite difficult for the bb to abstain from direct nursing.
For my case, my son didnt even want to drink the milk from bottle. He drinks only water from bottle.

So until now, I still NEED TO direct nursing him.