Second beach outing cum dinner

Last Saturday, I finally managed to persuade hubby to take us all to the beach. I read in several websites like this and this that toddlers at Leia's age are interested in playing with sand and water. So, I thought we must grant this favour to Leia. And the last time we took her to a beach was several months back. But of course, the recent raining season has been a "good excuse" to hubby as to why we shouldn't... Hmmm, I think he's getting lazier and heavier each day.... No wonder!

And the recent haze enveloping major parts in Malaysia (Penang certainly not spared!) just adds salt to the wound. So, if you ask us what we have been doing lately? Home and shopping complex quarantined.

Getting all ready to go. Where is this papa?

What happened to her pony tail??

Have to wait for mommy to get ready... as usual...

Meantime, let's play outdoor with Mr.Giraffe!

Phoenix wants to join in the fun!

Ah Kong continues to water the plants while waiting for everyone to get ready...

Real hot weather. Itchy...

Mommy, wipe wipe....

There are so many beaches in Penang and since clock was showing 6pm plus by the time we got ready, we decided to go to the nearest beach at Tanjung Tokong area so that we could get good sunset view. The beach was located behind Naza Hotel.

Getting there soon....

The sea!

Going down the steps

Yay, we're here!

Tie hair. Hot, hot , hot!

Wear slippers, roll up the jeans

We first visited the beach with Leia when she was less than a year old. I could still remember that she was afraid of the sea wave appproaching her then. And last Saturday, she was afraid too. The wave was rough and it was high tide. And it was so hot! We could hardly open our eyes. Ah kong and the maid were smart to go hiding under a shady tree.

So, this mommy decided to take on the role model stand. I went near the sea and dipped my legs into the water. She was encouraged by the sight of me touching the sea water and took a few steps forward.... before retreating. An angry' wave was approaching, you see...

And before we knew it, the wave reached her violently and SPLASH!! Leia's offcially wet. From her chest all the way down. And what's the next reaction? Waaaaahhhhhh...!!! Official sign of protest from the 'lil princess.

Very, very sad....

And perhaps we (or should I say... "I") have taught her too much about the need to being clean, she regarded the sand stuck to her feet as "dirty". In between her cries, she couldn't stop complaining, "dirty..... dirty.....dirty.... mommy dirty...... papa dirty......". Both hubby and I didn't know whether to laugh and sympathise at her antics! Well, we did try to explain to her that it is sand and not dirt... but.... tough luck.

Showing us her 'dirty' foot...

Still, I wasn't ready to give up on our beach outing. So, we quickly took out her beach toys - spade, Maggi mee empty cups, container... and showed it to her on how we're supposed to play with sand... build sandcastles....collect sea shells..... bury our feet into the sand....

A one minute of non-crying scene. But still in her static pose....

Well, she did sat down on my lap and played with sand for a while before she remembered the 'dirt' still stuck on her feet. Then, the whole drama started again. Haih.... that officially ended our beach outing. Went for dinner instead. In wet clothes and no change.

Hmmm....we should do this beach outing more frequent. What say you?

Accident!

Leia had a rather terrible fall this morning. As both hubby and I were busy getting ready for work, Leia ran across the dining hall and tripped. Her head knocked the edge of the fridge and in and instant, we heard a loud scream....!

It must have been the worst fall she had so far. Well, I could sort of guessed it coz her cry was unstoppable and the bruise was swelling so quickly.

Still not happy... Ouch, my forehead...

It took us almost 15 minutes to console and assure her that it was alright then. Usually, her cry will immediately stop once we pick her up if the fall is minor. Poor baby...

Is my baby a picky eater?

Since Leia has been refusing her "moi" (rice porridge) lately, I stopped giving it to her for the last 2 days. Instead I fed her something else like oats porridge, papayas, biscuits, rice grains and bread and milk. She took all these in small portions. Yesterday, I made rice porridge for her again after a few days of "abstinence". She has cut down on the word usage of "mai"("no" in Hokkien) and agreed to eat few spoonfuls. Half the size that she used to eat. I have alsocut the carrots and potatoes and other veges into cubes instead of mashed them all up. (Tried to give her a change in food texture in the hope that she'll like it better.) Well, she opened her mouth wide... A good sign to me.

If those baby websites like wholesomebabyfood.com and homemade-baby-food-recipes.com are right, I really hope this challenging stage will pass soon. As much I'd like to assure myself that it is not to be worried about, I can't stop feeling it - looking at the little amount of food she ate. I'm glad though... her appetite for milk is returning.

Will have to give her variety of foods. Working on a food menu for her now....

Feeding time

Lately, Leia has started to like playing with her cutlery. During feeding times, she has tried to grab the spoon from my hand. So, you can imagine how messy it could be most of the time! I have to always get ready a bucket of water and wet cloth next to me. Just so that I can immediately wipe and clean up the mess once it happens. Sigh...

Solution? Look at the pictures below,

Her own cutlery set - minus the food

Hmmm...what's so yummy with the plastic spoon?

Not so full-proof still. I guess it will only happen when she turns adult, hopefully....

Discipline my child

My dreaded moments have arrived... Or should I say that it's confirmed that I lack of parenting skill?

Leia has been throwing tantrums quite often lately whenever she didn't get things done her way. It's especially embarrassing when she does it in the public. As much as we both tried very hard to reason with her and gently tell her "no" to avoid unsafe situations, she would just "flipped" and engaged into actions that at times may hurt herself. Things that she would do would include crying till we pick her up, pushing herself backward with all her might, raising both legs into the air and then bringing them down hard, throwing whatever items held in her hand...

Again, I feel panicky! Oh dear... what can I do better to discipline her? A couple who came to visit us last weekend gave us some advise - It is the time now to consider using "the rod" to discipline her. They have always been our role model for good parenting. They have raised 2 obedient, polite and well-mannered children and deep in my heart, I really hope I can be one as well.

We have never used the rod. The most we have done is to beat her hand and bottom with our hands. So, obviously the current method doesn't work. This sense of desperation lead me to read up more about the right method to disciplining Leia. But what is discipline to begin with? According to Dr Sears, discipline is based on building the right relationship with a child more than using the right techniques. Discipline is mostly what you do to encourage good behaviour. Certainly not reacting to bad behaviour as some parents would equate discipline with.

After reading this article about "DEVELOPMENTAL REASONS WHY TODDLERS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DISCIPLINE", I begin to see Leia's temper tantrums in different light. I now understand that the drive that babies have to develop, is the same one that creates discipline challenges. For example, along with learning how to pick up things, a one-year-old toddler develops hand skills to manipulate what she gets. Doors are to be opened, knobs turned, drawers pulled, dangling cords yanked, and waste cans emptied. Everything within walking and grabbing distance is fair game, or so she figures. To the inquisitive adventurer like Leia, the whole house is an unexplored continent, and she intends to leave no stone unturned.

So, what are the discipline principles that I need to use to help Leia to have "good" behaviours? I trust the most important one is to understand and know her. Know her needs and capabilities at various ages. My discipline techniques should be different at each stage because Leia's needs change. A temper tantrum in a one-year-old calls for a different response than it does in an eight-year-old.

So, say no more to reacting to bad behaviours but start instilling good ones. Looks like I won't be able to doze off so easily tonight.... Lots of reflection going through my head now!

May I borrow your tricycle?

Nowadays, she wants to hop onto any toy vehicles on her own. Try assisting her to get into her walker and you'll be "thanked" with loud disapproved screams!! Hahaha... this is what we call, "buat baik dibalas jahat"! (thankless good deeds in Malay).

Getting into her walker

Oops! One-legged girl sitting on the wrong side....

Trying out cousin Cassandra's tricycle

Aiyoh...couldn't reach the pedals...

Adjust, adjust

Say.... "cousins"!

Hair cut!

Don't you think Leia's hair is a bit too long? Her fringe especially. Almost touching her eyes.

So, I finally decided to give her a haircut after her lunch last Saturday. Covered her with her "lampin" (cloth diaper in Malay) and clipped it with a cloth peg on her back to keep it in place.

Not much success though...

Comb, comb...

All set!

A tiny scissors was in my hand when her "papa" came back from work. Looking at his adorable baby sitting in her high chair all ready, he offered to be the hairstylist of the day!

Combing her hair again....?

As soon as papa combed her fringe with his fingers, she screamed, yelled and resisted his action.

Can you see her teary eyes?

So, we tried many ways to make it a not-so-bad experience for her. That included giving her things to keep her occupied and talked to her.

Since she liked the comb that papa was using for the haircut, I have to get her my favourite purple one.

Anyway, that was not her first time. Perhaps, it was a bit too hot that day. There was no fan nearby and she was covered half top body with the cloth. Yeah, what a bad location I've chosen...

Guess where was the location this "hair salon"? Hint: Find for clues from the photo background

Her latest favourite chew item : Her ABC rubber mat! Oh dear!

Lots of hair was cut, almost an inch in length. Didn't have the time to snap the "after" haircut shot. She had "poo"ed! Do check out her new hairstyle in coming posts.

New found toy

What a great appetite she had today! Thank God! Both of us had fun at meal time. I made the "moi" (porridge) a bit diluted (as recommended by my aunty) and I think she likes it better this way. She was slurping in the "moi" most of the time. And since, I don't have my feeding team at home here, I'm all - the 3-in-1 role: feeding, playing with her and keeping her sit still.

So, how did I do all that? I find strapping her down in her high chair works well. She wouldn't have a chance to get up. Unlike in kopitiams (coffee shops) where most of the high chair strap buckles were spoilt. Thus, she's let free most of the time. Then, I stuck a balloon that we got from the government agencies roadshow in Queensbay Shopping Mall recently on her high chair. Well, it has shrunk in size since it has been more than 2 weeks we got it. So, it became more baby-friendly. Leia was happy that she could pinch and squeeze the balloon much easily now.

Yeah, pinched and squeezed the balloon until it popped! Burst. Instead of crying for losing a toy to play with, the rubber remains of the burst balloon became a new toy to her!

Pulled and strectched

New found joy!

Tore into two....

Oopsss... there was more on the floor

"Nevermind, continue"

So, the rule of thumb to a successful feeding - keep the girl entertained!

Feeding time...

Feeding time... She has 2 solid meals a day. As I managed to arrive my aunty's place earlier than usual to pick her home, I had the chance to be a part of her "feeding team" yesterday evening.

I was given the honour to keep her sittting still

"Ammm...."

We can't expect our babies at this age to sit still for long to "makan" ("eat" in Malay) her meal. Their curiosity to explore will make them feel bored easily. The same applies to Leia. So, after a while we have to be creative of how to keep her amused.

She was then contented with a cloth peg in her hand

Okay, "ah mah" ("grandma" in Hokkien) said we had to move to another place to feed her. Sitting at one place for too long can make her feel restless and thus, more difficult to complete the feeding mission. So, we moved to the tv hall. "Ah mah" and I switched roles. I became the person who plays with her.

"Leia, mam...mam..."

Ok, in the play mood now that her tummy was filled.

Alas, she didn't finish her "moi" ("porridege" in Hokkien). She insisted that she wanted to play then. No problem... but we should change her dirty clothes first.

Waving her diaper cream - Drapolone to the photographer - my 13-year-old cousin brother

Going for the handphone

Consequences for not giving her what she wanted...

Given. "Hmmm... I'm stil angry!"

I was crossing my fingers while her putting her own her car seat that she will behave this time in our journey home. However, my relief was short-lived when half the distance, she started again - crying and throwing her tantrum. And we were caught in the Friday traffic jam. Just great!

Wwwwwwuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaa........!!!!!!!!

Wah... beh tahan!! (cannot stand it) It's been several days now that Leia has been getting so cranky and cry like there's no tomorrow to get things done her way.

And I tell you... her cry is unbelievably loud. It is the type of cry you'll let out when in pain. A long moment of silence before wwwwwwuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaa........!!!!!!!! And the pattern repeats until a person picks her up! That means, if no one picks her up for the last 5 minutes, then she would have cried for the last 5 minutes. So, to end her crying, we'll just have to pick her up. Almost instantaneously, her crying will stop. Please tell me - what do you understand about this type of crying? Could it be any other reasons besides using this tactic to get things done her way?

It's driving everyone who care for her going crazy! Tonight itself, she has had her series of loud crying within 5-15 minutes gap. For example:

1. Sat her on my aunty's lap, she cried. Aunty had no choice but to stand up again and walked and then she would stop crying.
2. She was playing happily with bunch of keys in her hand but as soon as I passed by, she went into hysterical crying and kicked her legs.
3. Sat her on the car seat (going back home from my aunty's place) and smiled at her, she started to cry.
4. Dropped by at my mom's place to pick up some stuff. The maid said "hi" to her and she smiled so sweetly. But as soon as the maid disappeared from her sight, she screamed!
5. So, along our journey back home which took around 15 minutes - she cried non-stop. Tried to let her suck her pacifier - only ended up making situation worse. She cried even louder and pushed it away.

Stressed out. Face turned red


Sweat trickling down from her head

As soon as I took her out from her car seat, she stopped crying. And started communicating. Pointing her finger at our dog and blurted out "whou whou" sound. As soon as we entered the house, she pointed at the fan, the hanging paper lantern, the spoon that fell on the floor....

Does it sound like what a spoilt child would do? Or am I missing something here?