Eunice @ 17.5 months

I read back the last post I wrote on Eunice's speech. It's really amazing to see how fast our little girl has grown up. EG and I have been telling each other that she is now a big girl already, no more a baby. :)

For the past months, she'll wave good bye and fly kiss to us everytime we drop her at babysitter's place. And when we're picking her up, she'll be standing at the door happily waving and pointing at us while babysitter packing up her stuff to give back to us. And sometimes, she'll even say bye to her other friends there, or some other older toddlers will come and say "Goodbye Eunice". It makes us feel very relief sending her to the babysitter's place knowing that she has her friends there.

For her speech development, she can say more words now. She picks up fast. She used to say "bish-bish" but now she can say "fish-fish". :). Every morning when I change her diaper, I'll tell her this is diaper, she'll answer me back "ah-ple"... but when I showed her apple, she also told me "ah-ple". :). And any yellow animal in sitting position is "duck duck". And she loves to play with "ball ball" too.

She has a tigger in the room. We always ask her where's the tiger? She'll go hit the tail. And when we brought her to Parkson today, I saw tigger's picture on the wall and I asked her what's that? She said "Tai-tai"! She now recognises the "Sss-tar" shape. And she loves to eat bananas, she calls them "Na-na!". :). She showed me a yellow color card that day, and told me "Na-na!". I was truly surprised.

I pray for her every night before she sleeps. Amazingly, she'll lie down quietly, eyes open wide with a smile on her face everytime I say my prayer for her. When I end my prayer with Amen, she'll be eagerly saying "Ah-mi" too. I'll tell her, Good night girl, time to sleep sleep, see you tomorrow, and give her a fly kiss. And she'll return a fly kiss back to me, and started tossing in her bed till she falls asleep herself.

She imitates us nowadays. Once, EG passed gas in the toilet in the morning. She heard it, and she made the same sound using her mouth, then looked at me, and started to giggle away. Gee.... :)... And when I did something extraordinary, I'll tell EG Ta-daa.. and she repeated after me. So, we have to be really careful with our speech nowadays so that our little one won't pick up any bad words. Hehe....

She suddenly loves soft toys very much. She will smile happily when I gave her her Patrick the dog. And when I gave her my big doggie that sleeps with me since the past 3 years, she'll be even happier. The doggie is as big as her but she'll sleep on it. So, she took over my doggie. :(. And as of date now, there are 5 soft toys in her bed sleeping with her now.

As she grows, she became more manja recently too. When she dirty her hands while eating, she'll make a kind of face, shouting "Ooooooo....!" and give you her hand, and we'll HAVE TO clean it for her before she can continue eating. And if she accidentally trips or falls down, she'll make the really sad face and run to us to "ba ba" (bao bao, i.e. hug hug in chinese :P).

I finally has started giving her formula. And after trying anmum and enfa, my babysitter told me she could drink enfa faster (probably tastes nicer since sweeter). I have also tried making the first formula milk for my girl last weekend and to my surprise, she's taking it VERY WELL. No rejection at all. Once we went out, she pointed at my breasts and told me "neh neh", I told her to wait till we reach the car. And when I got into the car, I made the milk in front of her and gave her the bottle. She said happily "neh nehhh" and took the bottle and started to drink. Looks like weaning is not very hard for me. :)

And EG said, now she has personality already. She doesn't let other people carry her much. She'll fold her arms together and put her head away on our shoulder. :D. And she doesn't simply smile to anyone now - unlike when she's young. She's not that friendly anymore. Well, the daddy is actually happy about this as he thinks it's safer this way. :)

Our little girl has been bringing smiles to our faces everyday. We really thank God that she has been growing up well. :)

Eunice's Speech

Eunice has been "talking" since she hits 12 months old. I remember a day before her birthday, I pointed at the bear on her cot and said "bear bear", and she actually said "bear bear" too. Then, I asked her, "Girl, how to clap hand?", and then she started clapping her hand.

I was truly surprised!

From then onwards, I've been trying to tell her and show her as many things as we can, and talk to her like an adult (well, not really :P). As of now, my 16 mths old Eunice can say a few words already. Those that which are frequently used:

- neh neh (nen nen)
- mum mum / mem mem (food)
- ba-bai (bye bye)
- Ang kiu (thank you)
- wou wou (dog)
- ngiau (meow / cat)
- walk walk (she can say this well)
- baby (she can say this well too)
- bak-bak (bird bird)
- day-dee (daddy - and squeeze her eyes when say dee :P )
- mummy (she only says this when she wants to :(, unlike daddy :( )
- neh ma (no more - just picked this up)

Besides, she also started to understand what we're telling her since she's 14 mths+.

- When we tell her, "Girl, let's go wash your pet pet..", she'll then walk to the toilet and stand at the door waiting for us.
- It's 8pm+ and I tell her, "Girl, want to go sleep already?", she'll then go to the staircase, half climb with only 1 leg up the staircase, and wave and tell me "ba-bai..."
- I can now also tell her to pass things to her daddy, or daddy tells her to pass something to mummy, she'll come look for us then.

And she also have been "talking on the phone" since 13th mths onwards (just doing the talk on the phone gesture with ANYTHING that she can get on her hand), and recently, she will say ba-bai before she "put down the phone". :)

Recently I had a conversation with her. :). We went to QBM after work to have our dinner and when we left the shopping mall, she wanted some milk.

Eunice: Neh neh
Me: Mum mum (trying to change her mind)
Eunice: Neh neh (get louder)
Me: Mum mum (still trying)
Eunice: NEH NEHHH..... (starting to get irritated)
Me: Mum mum la girl... u want mum mum?
Eunice: NEH NEH NEH NEH NEH NEH NEH NEHHHHHHHH.....!!!!!!!
Me: OK OK! Neh neh!
My cutie lil' pie. :)

Eunice's Coloring

Recently, we noticed that Eunice likes to ask us to give her a pen / pencil and she started to scribble. She'll shout if you don't let her do that. We got an imitated Aquadoodle for her but I guess the area wasn't big enough for her to draw. So EG bought some non toxic crayons and a drawing block for her to scribble.

When Eunice first started holding the crayon to scribble, I noticed she didn't really have strength to "write". She was just scribbling some faint lines on the drawing block. We'll normally hold her right hand and write something.

Last week, I drew a small birdie for her, and told her "bird bird", then I drew a bear and told her "bear bear". To my surprise, she started to use a crayon to "color" the bird. And after she's done with her "coloring", she told me "bird bird". :).

And next, she went ahead to "color" her bear.

Eunice's first coloring a birdie

Coloring a bear

I took a video of her trying to scribble but she wasn't holding the crayon properly.

I was so surprise and so happy with her new milestone. :)... At the same time, I'm also headache with the next challenge - my little girl is using the crayon to draw on the floor too!

Cloth Diapers

A friend, who is going to be a mummy soon, asked me to blog about cloth diapers (CD) since she saw me using cloth diapers on Eunice, so, I complied. :)

I read about cloth diapers from a forum before I delivered Eunice, and took some time to find out what it is actually. But I didn't buy.

Reasons:
1) there are SO MANY brands out there
2) The price ranges from as cheap as RM20 per pc to more than RM100 per pc, which really really confused me what the differences are
3) I'm not sure if I'll use it since it's not that cheap, I never like to spend on things that I don't use

During the first two months, since Eunice is breastfed, she poo-ed almost every time after she drank. During then, disposable was the most convenient. But when she started going to babysitter on her 7th week, I noticed her poo poo time reduced to 2-3 times a day, comparing to 7-8 times in the first month of her life. So, after reading up, and some recommendation from friends, the first cloth diapers that I bought was GH (Gift-From-Heaven) brand.

It was a pleasant surprise when I used it. It is not that hard to use, and it's soft - makes me feel that it's gentle to my girl's bum bum. :P. Then, after reading up some reviews again, I got 2 more from Autumnz online. Oh I fell in love with CDs then. A friend coming back from US when Eunice is almost 5 mths old, and I got 3 more CDs from US (just wanted to have a feel of what is the difference between US brands & local brands) - namely Bum Genius, Happy Heinys, and Fuzzi Bunz.

All the CDs allow us to adjust the size - that's why it's called One Size CDs. I can button up the CDs to make it smaller, or unbutton all to make it bigger. That's why CDs are supposed to save cost - since it can be used from S to L. Most CDs can fit toddlers up to 15kg - 18kg.

After comparing, personally, I felt there there's no difference between local brands & US brands. And I think Autumnz has really good reviews, and their price is affordable and reasonable. Besides, they have nice patterns and they give free postage for purchase more than RM50!

Now, I have total of 8 pcs of CDs actively in use, and that's very little actually. I've seen ppl with 20+ CDs to 50+ CDs! Since Eunice is much bigger now, I only use CDs for her during weekend since she normally will have a clean disposable from babysitter that can last her until I change her to sleep. Well, I can actually use CD for her for overnight, but I was too lazy to do the rinsing in the morning esp it's always rushing, so I still use mamypoko.

I have been using CDs since Eunice is close to 3 months old, up till now. They do save me a lot of $$ for disposable diapers since they can be reused over and over again. Of course if I can do exclusive cloth diapering it'll be even better, but I admit I'm lazy, esp. on weekdays. :).

So, some pictures on my little girl on CDs.

Eunice @ 7 weeks with Autumnz CD,
noticed that the CD was folded to S size

3 mths old Eunice with Autumnz CD

6 mths old Eunice with Happy Heinys CD

9 mths old Eunice with GH CD

11 mths old Eunice with Autumnz CD

1 yr old Eunice in Happy Heinys CD

Oh, my watermark blocked the diaper.
Anyway, if your eyes are sharp enough,
this is the most recent pic of
my 15 mths old girl on Autumnz CD
(the one she's wearning on 3rd mth pic)

Some asked me, is it troublesome to clean the cloth diapers? Well, it depends. Whenever I change Eunice's CD, I'll rinse it off. If it's just urine, then it's easy. If she poo-ed, then I'll just rinse off to the toilet bowl, and rinse it a bit so that it won't stink my whole toilet, and put them into a pail. In the end of the day, I'll just wash all the CDs all together and hang them dry. Not exactly troublesome but just some extra steps to do. EG encourages me to use CDs a lot as it's environment friendly, besides, like I mentioned, the materials are soft and he feels that his precious girl should feel very comfortable in CDs - esp when they are also breathable.

When Eunice is on CDs, I normally don't wear pants for her since she looks really cute in those prints. :)... But for the CDs on velcro, she knows how to take it off. So, I have to put on pants for her for velcro CDs.

PS: There are a lot of information online on how to use a cloth diapers. You can also find it in Autumnz website too.

Breastfeeding @ 14.5 months

Ya, Eunice is still on breastmilk... *shy*....

After the mastitis episode, though I have recovered after my course of antibiotics, my supply drops 20%-30%. I used to be able to pump out 10oz - 12oz in my 2 pumping sessions in office, but after my mastitis, I could only pump out 6oz-8oz. Each pump session reduced from the usual 6oz-8oz to 3oz-4oz. Once, I only pumped out 1oz from both breasts. Imagine my terror!

I was so sad, and heart broken. I mean, though I know I'll have to wean off Eunice soon but I didn't expect the day to come so fast.

Now I understand why everyone has been saying that having stock is important. Even though I don't supply enough as per Eunice's daily intake, I know my stock can last her for some times.

My hard worked stock in my fridge as of 6th May

I had to use some time to tell myself that it's OK, I have done my best, she has grown up, it's OK now to give her milk powder, etc etc. After 1-2 weeks of self psycho-ing, I'm slightly OK now and been planning that I'll give her her first try of milk powder when she hits her 15 months, though I still haven't decided on which milk powder to give her. :P

But just when I finally persuaded myself to finally give in to milk powder, my supply went up again since yesterday. *Grin*. I think my supply has came back to normal again.

Now, I'm in dillemma again. Should I continue breastfeeding until I'm really ready to wean her? Or should I go on with my previous plan to start my weaning process at her 15 months?

*Dillemma*

Eunice's Growing Diary

I always look back at Eunice's pics when she's small, and am always amazed how fast my baby grows. I saw a friend showed the pics of their baby from month to month and I thought that's a good way to remember my baby's growth too. :)

Toddler's Food

Found some useful information from some forum & babycenter, and I thought it'll be useful to share to others (or a reminder for myself for my next kid ;))

7 Superfoods to boost kid's diet
"Superfoods" are packed full of nutrients that have wide-ranging health benefits. Some critics think it's misguided to focus on only a handful of healthy foods, but nobody argues that these foods pack a powerful nutritional punch.

Bottom line? Even if you can only wrangle one of these onto your kid's plate, you're doing good — and you may initiate a food habit that will help your child's health throughout her life.

1. Avocado
Avocadoes are the only fruit laced with monounsaturated "good" fats that may lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, which can harm the heart. The avocado is also a super source of soluble fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar. And it's full of vitamin E, which protects your cells from free radicals.

"Try mashing avocado with a little lime or lemon juice and yogurt and using it on quesadillas or tacos — or as a dip for raw vegetables," suggests Jessica Seinfeld.

2. Blueberries
Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants — substances that slow the body's release of chemicals that can damage cells — blueberries can help lower cholesterol, sharpen memory, and fight certain cancers. These little fruits offer big health benefits, whether fresh or frozen.

"I make a purple puree filled with blueberries and spinach that I add to tacos, burgers, pancakes, cookies, and brownies," says Missy Chase Lapine. "Wild, organic, frozen blueberries are one of the most versatile nutrient-rich foods you can disguise in dishes."

3. Oats
These mild-tasting, versatile whole grains help prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes, will keep your child feeling full, and aid in escorting bad cholesterol out of the body.

"Serve oatmeal for breakfast," says Chase Lapine. "The old-fashioned rolled oats, not the quick-cooking kind — they offer more fiber and longer-lasting energy. Cook them in milk, rather than water, and top with blueberries for a well-balanced start to the day."

4. Salmon
This cold-water fish contains healthful fats known as omega-3s that can lower the risk of heart disease. These nutrients may also help improve mood and prevent memory loss.

"Make your own fish fingers," recommends Jennifer Iserloh. "Choose wild salmon to reduce your child's exposure to toxic substances such as PCBs and mercury. Adults enjoy these lightly crumbed strips too."

5. Spinach
An excellent source of iron, calcium, and folic acid, along with vitamins A and C, spinach is great for growing bones and brains.

"This versatile vegetable has a mild flavor and cooks in a flash," notes Iserloh. "Stir it into hot soups, toss it into your tomato sauce, and tuck it into quesadillas."

6. Sweet Potatoes
Packed with vitamins B, C, and E, plus calcium, potassium, and iron, sweet potatoes are also rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber, which keeps digestion moving along properly.

"Sweet potatoes are good at preventing a sugar crash, thanks to those complex carbs," says Chase Lapine. "They also add a subtle sweetness to sneaky recipes and work hard to cut the acidity of tomato that some kids dislike in pasta sauces."

7. Yogurt
Rich in calcium and a good source of protein, yogurt helps build strong bones and teeth. It also aids in digestion and fights bad bacteria in the gut.

"Buy plain low-fat yogurt and add your own fresh or frozen fruit to it," recommends Iserloh. "That way, you'll avoid the sugar that's in flavored yogurts. It's so creamy and comforting that most kids go for it."

Top 5 worst foods for your child

From 500-calorie desserts disguised as coffee drinks to greasy, salt-encrusted french fries, we adults usually know when we're making unwise food choices. But often we don't realize that many of the foods we routinely give babies are essentially junk food – high in calories, sugar, or salt, and low in nutrients.

Eating junk food is more damaging to babies than adults. That's because babies don't need many calories, but they do need lots of nutrients. It's easy for them to fill up quickly on junk food's empty calories, leaving no room for nutrient-rich healthy foods, says doctor and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Christine Gerbstadt. The nutrition deficit can even hinder development, she adds.

1) Soda:-
It seems too obvious to mention, but believe it or not, some babies are served soft drinks as early as 7 months of age, according to a survey of more than 3,000 families presented at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) conference in 2009.
Whether regular or diet, soft drinks provide absolutely no nutrients. Regular soda contains a ton of sugar, which can wreak havoc on your baby's teeth. And filling up on either type means babies eat and drink less of the nutritious food their bodies really need.

2) Juice ( Surprise SUrprise!) :-
Sure, it comes from fruit, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. The fiber in fresh fruit is largely lost in the juicing process, and what's left is a whole lot of sugar. "Juice is basically a waste of calories," says pediatrician Ari Brown, co-author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year.

Using certain types of juice – specifically apple and pear – to sweeten your baby's food isn't a good idea either, says nutritionist Leanne Cooper, author of What Do I Feed My Baby: A Step-by-Step Guide to Solids. The sugars in these juices can speed up the food's passage through the digestive tract. "When food passes too quickly, the body doesn't have time to absorb all those lovely nutrients," says Cooper. It can also lead to diarrhea in some babies.

What about advertisers' claims that juice provides babies with necessary vitamin C? Don't be fooled. "Babies can easily get their vitamin C from one small serving of fruit," says Brown.

What should your baby drink instead? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies younger than 6 months drink nothing but breast milk or formula. Babies 6 to 12 months old can have small amounts of water, but breast milk or formula should still be their main beverage. (Find out more about when babies can drink water.) After the first birthday, cow's milk is recommended.

3) Crackers
They make convenient snacks once your baby can bite and chew, but it won't take many to satisfy your little one's appetite, leaving no room for nutrient-rich foods. Also, just as eating sweet things can help babies develop a sweet tooth, eating salty things can give them a "salty tooth." The survey presented at the 2009 ADA conference found that nearly three-quarters of toddlers and preschoolers get more than the recommended daily amount of sodium.

The ever-popular fish-shaped crackers fall into this category. "What a waste of calories in a snack," says Brown. "Fruit slices are a much better choice." And if you're looking for an instant grab-and-go snack, low-sugar cereals have more nutritional value than crackers, she says.

4) Processed meals (KFC, MCD IS A BIG NO NO)
People define processed foods in different ways, but in general, the more the food is modified from what was originally caught, raised, or grown – and the longer the list of ingredients – the more processed the food. With heavy processing, foods often lose significant nutritional value and gain unhealthy additives.

"The more processed the food, the more nutritional value tends to go down, and the more the sugar, salt, and fat content goes up," says Kate Geagan, dietitian and author of Go Green, Get Lean.

The worst processed foods parents serve up are the ones not specifically meant for babies, such as canned pasta, says dietitian Eileen Behan, author of The Baby Food Bible. "They often contain way too much sodium." You're better off boiling up some noodles and topping them with a few crushed tomatoes.

5) Gelatin desserts
"You'd be surprised at how many people think a gelatin dessert is a wholesome food for babies," says Gerbstadt. Why the misconception? Many people think gelatin contains protein, perhaps because it's made from processed animal bones and cartilage. But it doesn't, says Gerbstadt – at least, not in any significant amount. "What the baby ends up eating is nearly all sugar, artificial color, and artificial flavor, and a trace amount of gelatin to make it wiggly," she says.

True, gelatin is easy to swallow, but then again, so is Gerbstadt's own idea of a healthy dessert: a baked, mashed apple with a sprinkle of cinnamon. "It's naturally sweet and has good fiber, vitamins, and a yummy, smooth texture," she says. "That's what I'd opt for."

Mastitis

Mastitis means that the breast is inflamed, and there is swelling, redness, tenderness and pain. There may be an infection, so it is wise to consult your health-care provider to determine whether or not an antibiotic is necessary.

I read about mastitis ever since I started breastfeeding. I have been very very careful. When Eunice was 3-4 months old, on a night, I felt chilled in my sleep. I woke up, felt my breast very very engorged. I went to kitchen and get a warm towel to do some warm compresses to my breast. And I saw a white blister on my nipple. I pricked it using my finger nail, made sure the milk flow resumed, and direct fed Eunice. I was ok on the next day itself. Later on, I read that that's blocked duct.

I have been breastfeeding for almost 14 months and I never thought that I'll get mastitis at this time! On Thursday, before my usual pumping time at 5pm, I already felt some pain on my breast. I thought why is it so engorged. So, I went to mother's room 30 minutes earlier, thinking I might get quite a lot. But I was wrong. Nothing much came out, and the milk was pink in color! And I couldn't stop shivering in the mother's room, and the pain on my breast didn't reduce even though I tried to pump for 45 minutes.

I decided to throw the 4oz of pink milk away. And I smelled some unusual odor from the milk. Fresh pumped breastmilk should be odorless. The milk from the other side of the breast was ok. When I poured the milk away, I saw some debris at the bottom of the bottle. It looks like some many little pieces of dried milk. I was shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold my phone with one hand. And the moment I left my office, I got fever.

I called up my friend Janice in KL as I know she has one lactation consultant that she always gets help from. I told her my condition and got her to help me to ask her LC what's going on. My main concern was - can I still direct feed Eunice? I talked to a few of my colleagues, but no one had this problem before. I called up a doctor from my church who's also breastfeeding, and another LC from Penang that I found in internet. I even called up to Island Hospital baby nursery room to talk to one of the sisters. All of them told me it might be mastitis, and it's safe to direct feed Eunice still. Only problem is that when I have mastitis, the milk will taste salty. So some baby won't like it, and it'll make things worse as the blocked duct will worsen the situation.

Thank God that Eunice was still drinking like usual! Even the LC Dr Jamie from PG was laughing about it. Guess Eunice is not a fussy eater. She was drinking longer than usual, maybe because it's full since I couldn't pump them out. I took a paracetamol, and slept at 9.30pm. Felt better after that.

I still went to office the next day, but I felt really lousy. So I took MC after settling some work and went to see my gynae Dr Karen. She was shocked to see my breast, commented that it's red & warm and it's infection. She commented that mastitis can happen anytime during breastfeeding when I asked her why. So, I'm now on antibiotics for a week and if it doesn't improve after 3 days, I need to go back to see her.

I initially stopped paracetamol thinking that I don't have fever. But how wrong I was. The pain was so bad that I couldn't walk well, and I couldn't even lift up my hands. I tried pumping and could only get 2oz! So, Eunice was my best breastpump to clear my breast for me.

I'm now on my 2nd day of antibiotics and I felt much better (maybe from the help of the paracetamol to reduce the pain). But I still feel the infected area on my breast. I hope I'll be better by end of tomorrow.