Crying Child

Somewhere in my neighbourhood, there's a baby who has been crying for at least one hour.

 

Poor kid.

 

And poor parents.

 

(Huda used to do such things too. Only that she'd choose a really good time like 3 am in the morning. It's now only about 11 at night. So, this crying child is still doing okay.)

Developmental Milestones

Let me put up all these bits of info which I may forget soon.

 

Flip Over - I can't recall when exactly she could do this but it was about a week after 5.5 months - which is equivalent to 4 months, corrected age. Her physiotherapist showed us how to make her flip over and after a few days of practising, she could do it all by herself!

 

Crawl - It should be about 7 months (real age) as it was during Hari Raya and my sister-in-law commented that she could crawl.

 

Pull to Stand - She could pull herself to a standing position at 8 months.

 

Walk - This only happened recently - at 14 months.

Pedia Sure?

Today we went to see Huda's neonatologist.

Not surprisingly, Huda is still below the 3rd centile for both height and weight although she's advanced in all other areas. We are grateful for that. Alhamdulillah.

The doctor recommended Pediasure. For the uninitiated, Pediasure is a formula targeted at fussy eaters. Just to recap, Huda is a *very* fussy eater.

The Husband and I decided to introduce it slowly to Huda. Breastfeeding will still go on and the ultimate goal will be to have Huda drink 225ml of Pediasure once a day. Today's target is only 50ml of Pediasure.

We failed.

Huda liked playing with the bottle. She liked sucking from the teat but she absolutely refused to tilt the bottle to ensure that the milk is drunk. We even tried to stuff the bottle in her mouth while she was sleeping but she shook her head this way and that and the vanilla-flavoured formula ended up on the mattress. Oooh... Won't the ants be happy.

So we are revising our target. 25ml daily for the entire week and we'll see how it goes from there. We know it can be done. We just have to be persistent and start distributing ear plugs to all our neighbours within a 2-kilometre radius.

(Kailing, you may want to collect the ear plugs soon. Our feeding session is around 9pm daily.)

 

Sawadee Kap

We kena ketuk-ed by this tuk tuk driver. 100 Baht for a very short distance. But, I suppose it was for the experience of a lifetime.

We couldn't say this to all those who said this to us. Somehow, we felt that our tone was just so wrong. We only dared to go 'Sawadee kap' on the last day when we thought we got it right.

So we went to Bangkok last week on a whim. The Husband's leave was confirmed and off we went. I was rather apprehensive at first and ensured that we were well-insured before the trip. There was the obvious traffic jams along which came heavy pollution and of course, the political instability and the bomb that went off just days before our trip.

But, all the worrying was unnecessary. We enjoyed ourselves and we'll definitely be there again (when our Automatic Shopping Stopper is all grown up, perhaps).

Our Auto Shopping Stopper kicked into action from Day 2 onwards.

The first day we were there, we went to Mah Boon Krong and our little darling slept peacefully in her stroller after we've had our lunch. We went from floor to floor but did not do much damage to our bank balance (yet).

The next day, we went to Bobei Tower - a place which reminded me a bit of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market (but they sell clothes, not vegetables). Kids clothes are plentiful! But my auto shopping stopper started to whine and get uncomfortable so we had to go back to the hotel.

That night, we went to Suan Lum night bazar and my, oh my(!!), there are a million pretty, pretty stuff there! I figured that if we ever move house, I'll chuck everything out and get everything for the new house from Suan Lum. Unfortunately, as usual, our auto shopping stopper started to fret and we headed back to our hotel.

The next day, we went to Chatuchak Weekend Market. We started off really early as everyone told us that Huda may not be able to withstand the heat. But, it wasn't really hot. The sun was hidden behind the clouds the whole morning and Huda didn't even whine one bit. It was her parents who had to put up the white flag and surrender. Our legs were killing us (thank you, lack-of-exercise).

In the afternoon, we trawled the area around Pratunam and we saw the cutest of twins. There were these tiny little angmoh twins, who look no more than 4 months. They had the chubbiest of cheeks and they were the centre of attention. I found myself squealing when I saw them. I wish I had taken picures because they actually looked like dolls. But, being a shameless parent, I say that the only one who can surpass them in cuteness is my litle doll. Yes, she may stop us from shopping but she's the most adorablest of all babies - especially when she's sleeping - like now.

Coming back to our hedonistic shopping trip, we went to MBK again in the evening. Do I need to say why we went back? To shop til we drop.

The next morning, we went back to Chatuchak. Heh heh.

And then, it was time to go.

Huda refused to sit during take-off and landing. While she was well-behaved during our flight to and from Lombok a few months back, she refused to sit without a fierce struggle this time round. This made me very grateful that we have decided to postpone our trip to that faraway place which would otherwise take place this June. Whew!

April

Picking up all the little bits of dry leaves and grass gave her much joy.

What happened in April?

Rashida welcomed us to her new home in Tampines where I met her nieces and nephews who reminded me so much of the rambunctious lot I meet on Sundays.

Yati and Fahmy dropped by. Huda received something that actually kept her occupied for hours!! (I've almost given up buying her toys because sometimes, she doesn't even care to look at her new toy.)

Then, I started my new exercise regime - a hike up the hill ever morning with Huda. It lasted three mornings.

And then there was that trip to Desaru. Desaru was very, very nice! There's so much to do there. We wish we had gone with the entire family so that we could get extra hands to keep Huda occupied while we jet-ski-ed or played pool (would have been my maiden attempt!) or go-kart-ed. But a dip in the pool with Huda was very fun too!

The month ended with a night at Dan&Ju's but unlike those days long gone, 9.30pm saw goodbyes and see-you-soons. A child really changes your life in all ways. :)

Shoppers Anonymous

I need to stop online shopping.

I need to realise that time on the computer can be used for other purposes (like, ummm, playing solitaire?) other than browsing online catalogues.

I need to stop checking online sprees and treat them as personal invitations to join them.

I need to stop thinking that I should join the sprees because the organiser is already in my list of payees in my internet banking account.

I need to tell myself that Huda does not need that pretty skirt that's a perfect match to a skirt  I have.

Huda does not need that pretty skirt that's a perfect match to a skirt  I have. Huda does not need that pretty skirt that's a perfect match to a skirt  I have. Huda does not need that pretty skirt that's a perfect match to a skirt  I have. Huda does not need that pretty skirt that's a perfect match to a skirt  I have.    

Or, does she?

 

Wag You

I should be so grateful that Singapore's halal food scene is nowhere near Malaysia's. I would otherwise be:

a) fat; and

b) broke.

 

Sigh. I'm still thinking of what I had in KL last month.

I must stop this obsession with food.

Time to Shed the Flab

It's all the dietitian's fault.

Sometime at the end of last year, we had to see a dietitian because of Huda's poor weight gain.

After she took note of Huda's feeding habits (hardly any), she turned to me, the provider of milk.

She asked me about my eating habits, calculated my BMI and found that I was hovering close to the underweight category . She told me to eat more - more protein, fresh milk (none of the low-fat stuff) etc.

A few weeks later, we took her to a GP because of her fever and the doctor told me the same thing.

I then vowed to eat and eat and eat and eat.

And so began my new diet consisting of heavy breakfast, two lunches, tea time snacks, heavy dinner, supper and plenty of snacking in between. The milk - I can finish a 1-litre carton in 2 days. You can get fat just reading about what I'm eating.

Now, does it show or what!

So, I'm going to start doing something which I've always had the intention of doing.

Exercise.

Yes. That's a vulgar word (to me).

But, it has to be done. It was supposed to start on Saturday but, conveniently, the stadium was not available. Just now, I bought an exercise VCD.

I brought it to my mom's (who strongly encouraged me to buy the VCD) and, ummm, while my very fit 56-year-old mother was at it, I was, ummmmm, eating chocolates and potato chips in front of the computer.

See how motivated I am?

But, I will. I must. These flabs have to go. I do not wish to grant them permanent residency status! Or, worse, citizenship! Gaaaaaah!

(Psssst. Exercising regularly is actually another one of my resolutions which I have not never achieved for many, many years. Hopefully, this is the year when resolutions become realities.)

Phantom of the Opera

Maybe there's something that I totally did not get. But why do people fear the Phantom's face so much? He's not all that grotesque. The bad patch he had looked like a very, very severe acne case.

And when Christine removed the Phantom's mask, everyone in the audience gasped. Did everyone in the past have telescopic eyesight? From so far away, they could see the ridges on Mr Phantom's face?

Am I missing anything here?

(I normally bug Mr Husband about these things but, at 1.28am now, Mr Husband is asleep. Ah yes, he has to wake up early in the morning to go to work.)

Night Out

Except for 2 work-related dinner that I had to attend last year, I have not been without Huda whenever I go out for dinner.

Until tonight.

Last week, Adeline suggested a meet-up.

Since husbands were not involved and it was to be done outside (as in, not somebody's house), I thought, I couldn't possibly have Huda with me if I wanted to have a decent conversation.

Husband said: No problem. I can take care of her. Go enjoy your night out.

It was only two hours but it was my first time (in a looooooooong time) having dinner without The Little Girl trying to jump out of her high chair, bawling her lungs out because I took the fork away from her.

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It was liberating.

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I planned to reach home by 9.45pm so that I can nurse her to sleep.

I called the Husband and asked if I needed to run back (which is much faster than waiting for the bus or taxi) or if I had enough time to wait for the bus. He said, wait for the bus. Bus came and reached its stop.

I hopped off the bus and rushed up the stairs.

The house was quiet.

There was no sign of The Active Little Girl.

"She's sleeping?"

"Yes," the Husband whispered, with just a hint of pride.

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It's unbelievable! Another record-breaking moment! The first time she went to sleep without me having to breastfeed her!!

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So, I think I can do this more often. Maybe once or twice a month, eh, Husband?