First Deepavali celebration for Leia

We all had so much fun! It was a full day celebration!

We had a real early start...

Dressed!

"Leia, comb hair now..."

"Mommy, are you done?"

Our first program of the day was to visit Leia's "ammama" (Tamil word for great-grandmother). "Kong kong" (grandfather) joined us too. No early notification given to her "ammama" as we wanted to surprise her!

"Ammama" stays in a chinese pre-war house in town. Spacious and airy...It has never ceased to bring back great old memories to both my hubby and pa-in-law. So, it was pa-in-law who did most of the talking, reminiscing the good old times...

Sight-seeing...

"Ammama" has a big mango tree in front of her house. With her very ripe age - 90 years old, she could no longer pluck the fruits on her own. So, a brilliant idea came up. Pa-in-law suggested that we'll help!

2 men busy at work with "ammama" providing "the back-up" support - making sure the right equipments are provided


While Leia and mommy enjoying the swing...

Wow...! Nice, plump mangoes...!


Very good harvest!


Pa-in-law ended up helping "awa" (Tamil word for grandmother) to prune the tree...

While her "kong kong" pruned the tree out there, Leia had a jolly time playing with "ammama"'s rattan chairs... At this stage, you just can't stop them from being inquisitive and wanting to explore everything. They get extremely curious to explore especially those things that you say "no". Hmmm...guess, forbidden fruit always seem to taste better.

"I want to sit on this chair..."


Leia was "singing"!

We didn't leave Leia's "ammama"'s place empty-handed. The smaller bag of mangoes that you saw earlier was given to us! Thoughts of dipping these mangoes with my dad's home-made, tasty rojak sauce can make us all salivate...yum, yum....

So, did we head home straight away? Absolutely not! Next was pa-in-law's friend's house. More Indian food savoured! And Another ang pow (red packet) collected for Leia! Or it is called cheh pow (green packet)? No? That's for Hari Raya? Then? Purple pow???

It's simply unbelievable that any pow-giving has been so commercialised nowadays that it has become a must-have for our major festivals - Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and now Deepavali. What's next? Pek pow (white packet) for Christmas? I really hope not...

Deepavali money collection. Think it's about time we open a savings account for this little girl...

Later that night, we introduced fireworks to Leia. Hehehe...

"No more..."

Truly a beautiful, memorable Festival of Light celebration for all of us... :)

Leia can hold her milk bottle steadily d!

I always wonder when will Leia be able to hold her giant milk bottle steadily. A friend of mine shared with me before that her daughter is capable of handling hers at the age of 6 months old? When I looked at the size of her palms... hmmm. Tough.

I'm glad I had a nice surprise few nights ago when the papa decided to let her try. Despite feeling drowsy and being half asleep, she managed to handle this act pretty well...

"Huh? Why am I holding the milk bottle by myself?"


Scratching her head. A sign that she's very tired and sleepy


One hand...

Is giving medication to our babies the answer...?

It's been a few days now that Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge). The best she could eat was just a few spoonfuls. But she's fine with drinking milk.

This is the usual symptom for babies when they are not well. Loss of appetite. Well, adults encounter the same too, no doubt.

Since my last post of her having fever, she has not fully recovered from cold till today. Fever went off 3 days later but cough and runny nose stay. Now, more than 1 week later, cough is gone but runny nose stays. No, she's not taking any medicine except Panadol syrup when she had high fever. Took her to a doctor earlier but her advise was that babies shouldn't be given any medicine to treat these common illnesses. Medicine only suppresses the symptoms but does not cure. We should allow our baby's own immune system to work and fight against those bacterias and germs. Babies will eventually get better with time. Which I agree.

It's very worrying to see the increasing trend of parents and doctors prescribing medicine and antibiotics to treat cough and cold. This quick-fix may cause more harm to our babies well-being.

Earlier this year, the US FDA warned parents that cold and cough medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. Some of these cold medications can actually cause serious life-threatening side effects (difficulty breathing, unconsciousness) in children under age 2. As a matter of fact, the US FDA suggested that all cold and cough medications should be kept out of the mouths of any child under the age of two years. It went further to state that the medications don't help kids under 6 years old.

As a parent, I know how worried and heart-broken we may be - seeing our children not being their usual, bubbly selves - the unbearable pain and discomfort that our children have to go through... Like this afternoon when my mom told me that Leia is not interested in her "moi" again and the non-stop runny nose. But having learnt the great danger of medication intake for "immediate recovery" from these illnesses, I decided to be patient and consider other options to make her feel better while allowing her own body immune system taking care of it.

What we can do;
1. Let our children drink more water to flush out the toxins from their body & to reduce dehydration
2. Allow enough rest, which includes enough sleep
3. Try a tender touch - hold her hand and sing her a song
4. Lots more

Take note though. It is not advisable to rub our child's chest with a strong-smelling over-the-counter ointment containing menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus. These give parents something to do, but they really don't improve air flow. And in babies and very young children, these ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, where they might have toxic effects.

Playhouse

Based on my observations, most playhouses (in Penang) available for public use are catered to older group of kids. I'm referring to the materials used, the size and height of the equipments, etc. I could hardly find any that are safe and user-friendly to babies.. until last Saturday...

"Hey....!" Showing off her signature pose again (finger-pointing)

We were doing our shopping in Island Plaza (the shopping complex in Tanjung Bungah) when we stumbled upon this big playhouse located on the 3rd floor (if I remember correctly) next to the escalator. In seconds, Leia was all ready to play on her own!

"Oh, I want to sit on the slide"

The playhouse is made of soft plastic and no metal pieces used. No sharp edges found too. The height is just right for learning-to-walk babies. Perfect!

"Uhhh..."


Coming for the wheel...


So engrossed...


"Hehehe..."


"Hi mommy...!"

"Oops!"

Oh how we wish we could get a similar one for her to play at home... Then, we can invite other babies and mommies to come and play with us too! Don't have to travel so far. Also, cleanliness of the playhouse can be maintained all the time by yours truly personally...

Cassandra's 2-year old birthday party

Cassandra (Leia's cousin/ my brother's daughter) turned 2 years old on last 23rd October! And we celebrated in KFC Batu Lanchang. It's my niece favourite KFC joint as it has a nice play area.

As my bro didn't book the place earlier (the initial plan was to have it in KFC at Jalan Larut in town - the biggest KFC joint in Penang with outdoor play area. But as dark clouds covered the sky by 6pm,the plan was scrapped), we weren't given a "private area" with balloons. But surprise... surprise... look at what we got here...

Balloons!

More balloons!!

Leia, look!

What does it tell you? If we don't ask, we won't get, that's for sure! After all, who would have the heart to turn away those adorable kids' request, right?

"I can't run and play like my "cheh cheh" (big sister) yet but I certainly had fun too!"

"Hehe...ice-cream cake"

So, if we are seriously thinking of throwing our kids a party, do consider organising it at a place that they will enjoy. That's the utmost importance. A lot of time, many parents tend to get carried away with the preparations that many of them ended up becoming the adults' event. Poor birthday kid...

Baby costumes

Wore her the ladybird jumpsuit that we bought before she was born. Oh, luckily it could still fit.



Babies look so cute and adorable in costumes. But it's very hard to find wide varieties in Penang. As a matter of fact, we bought this at one of the kiosks in hypermarkets.

Back pose

Anyone know where else I can find more in this island?

Food experiment - Pumpkin pancake

Yesterday, I made a new dish for Leia based on the recipe given by www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It was supposed to be Sweet Potato Pancake but in the end, it turned out to be Pumpkin Pancake instead. Let me share with you why...

Due to hectic work in the office for the past few days, I couldn't go out and get the sweet potatoes from Giant, the nearest hypermarket to my office. Instead, I got up very early on Saturday morning and went to pick up one big Thai (according to the seller's maid) sweet potato from the grocery shop near my house. Man, was I glad or what that I could still carry on with my food experiment now that I have my sweet potato...

Washed it and ready to cut

Yikes!!! Look at what I found!! Rotten sweet potato with live worms squirming inside...!!!!

Gosh, it was so gross!! I snapped a few more close-up pictures but decided not to publish them. Believe me, the yucky sight is too much to handle...

I was devastated. My weekend food experiment was ruined... Then, I had a better idea. Not willing to give up by this unforeseen disaster, I decided to go ahead and used pumpkin instead.

So, my project continued..

Freshly cut pumpkin...

The recipe given by the website is;

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use graham flour for a nice taste!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk (or more)

But I decided to modify it. I have made many plain pancakes for my brother, granny and I when I was still schooling. So, it should be "sap sap sui" (cantonese word for easy-peasy) this time.

So, this is my modified pumpkin recipe;

olive oil
1 slice of pumpkin, mashed
1 egg
wheat flour (tepung gandum)
Leia's milk powder

Put them all in. Flour, egg and milk powder

Stir and add in a bit of water. According to the website, the mixture should have the consistency of thick, lumpy sauce like an "instant" pancake mix. But I like mine thin and crispy. So, I made a more diluted mixture.

Steamed pumpkin with fork holes mark - to test its softness


Mashed the pumpkin and added into the mixture

So then, ready to cook. Heat up the wok (couldn't use my non-stick pan as I have just discovered that it has turned rusty at certain places...yeah, more surprises...) and put in some oil. Spooned batter into the wok and cooked until bubbles rised to the surface of the pancake and broke. Approximately 1-2 minutes. Flipped the pancake and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Treng...teng...teng...! Pretty tasty despite made without sugar


"Whoa! Mommy, that's a lot of pancakes..."

Leia helped herself with the pancakes, though not much. She was more excited playing with them! So, it was mommy who had to finish them up. I like them a bit sweeter. So, I ate them with honey. Not that bad after all...

Maaaaaaaaaa................

"Maaaaaa..........", Leia said. "Is she calling me?", I asked my hubby who was in the room with Leia while I prepared milk for her.

"Yeah, she calls you lah". Though I did not immediately rushed in to get her and screamed "yeah!"... my heart leapt with joy. I was smiling to myself from ear to ear... hehehe.

That was yesterday morning. Her first time. And today, she has been calling me, "ma................" and "ma ma" non-stop! I'm so overjoyed!

"Leia is in the basket..."

Playtime...!! This time it was in a basket. Yes, another opportunity for Leia to learn more about space. Hehehe... she showed some resistance and fear initially but after a bit of assurance given, she seemed to be comfortable with her new space found.

She was standing up, kneeling down, cruising, peeping through the holes and kicking happily within that confined space. Well, I guess babies at this age are a very curious lot. So, it is a good time to expose them to many things as they learn very fast. As parents, we just need to ensure that we provide them with a safe environment for their unlimited exploration exercise.

" Yo!" Her favourite act - finger-pointing to bring across her message.

She didn't want to get out of the basket when we announced playtime was over. "No worries, we'll play again another day" :)

Busy... busy... busy

I'm multi-tasking like there's no tomorrow! Oh, my brain is so-overworked with multiple projects that I'm working on concurrently. "Plan, plan and plan. Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise..." I have to keep reminding myself that.

One of them is building a blog on a food business that has been my dream since university years...

Oh gosh... so much research to be done for my content creation. Pening... pening... pening...(headache)

Will announce once it is ready ya!

My job resignation announcement

The letter of acceptance finally came from HR about 3.30 this afternoon. That was coming to 3 weeks when I first tendered my resignation. That also means that I will have to serve for another 5 weeks... My official last day is 1st Dec 2008.

With that, I called my Penang customer service team into my room to make a personal announcement to them. It was supposed to be a 5 minutes talk but it lasted almost an hour. Personally, it was a very emotional announcement. I almost couldn't control my tears when I explained them the reasons. But they understand... Yes, family certainly comes first.

Tomorrow morning, I will have to make the same announcement to my KL and Johor teams.

Leia's milestones

I was browsing through a mom's website, called Mum Centre when an interesting article caught my eyes. It is about a babychild milestones.

Hmmm... It got me started thinking about Leia's own milestones. For the last few months, Leia has been developing new skills non-stop and she seems to be enjoying herself a lot. As of lastnight, I noticed again a new act that she does - stepping on things that lie near her legs. Look at these.

"Eh! What's that?"


"My teether! Step. Step. It feels like...?"


"Look! Mommy. I can stand without holding on to the settee!"


"This book is hard"

As a first-time parent, sometimes it's very hard to comprehend why Leia behaves certain ways or why she doesn't or why she hasn't. So, going through the "common milestones checklist" for babies at her age helps a bit. Besides using other methods like observing at other babies' behaviours similar to her age, listening to advise from other parents, etc.

So, this is the milestone checklist I found online for babies between 10-12 months old. Let's see how Leia fares...

	Milestone		Started? (Yes/No)	Leia's progress
	• Anticipates favourite moments, e.g. clapping parts in a song		Y	She starts moving her butt and body too whenever a song is played
	• Remembers certain gestures and outcomes associated with them e.g. picking up keys indicates going out		Y	She trys to get out of her car seat whenever I un-buckle her seat belt
	• Perceives depth, e.g. may not be willing to crawl down stairs head first		Y	She will stop crawling when nearing the edge of the bed/sofa
	• Walks while holding on to furniture		Y	She loves this! And now, she's learning to stand by letting go both hands
	• May walk while holding onto your hands (let baby go barefoot at home but consider getting soft shoes for outings)		Y	Starting now…
	• Communicates wishes by pointing		Y	Oh yes…! Pointing to everything! Try asking her "where's the fish?". She will immediately shift her body and point towards the aquarium.
	• Responds to one or two familiar commands		Y	"Wave your hand" and she will…
	• May try to imitate a barking dog or passing car		Y	"woh woh!"
	• Shows stronger separation anxiety		Y	Only when she's tired or restless. Other time, she's fine playing on her own
	It takes time for babies to use a cup without making a mess. Once your baby drinks more than she spills, try giving him/ her breastmilk in the cup.		Y	She seems to prefer drinking from a cup than her "sip sip" cup. Yes, drinking more than spills
	At this age, babies typically sleep for 10 to 12 hours a night and take two daytime naps averaging about an hour and a half each.		Y	Sleeping time at night becomes more eratic (ranging from 7 plus to 10 plus) depending how active she has been in the afternoons. She sleeps through out the night without waking up to ask for milk anymore.