Taken aback by what Baby can do

Baby can sit on stool independently and...
A for Aaron! :)

... is learning to be on fours! :)
Crawling towards the red car car?


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New LVOE affairs

LVoelys arrived today from London.

Monogram Idylle Elegie


Damier Geant Associe GM



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Unsatisfactory haircut

His hair is growing so fast and he perspires so much that we just had to bring him for another haircut!

DC was very dissatisfied with the cutter this time... she was too slow and didn't follow his instructions well.


Baby was in a good mood at first when she used the shaver but after she flashed out the pair of scissors, he cried and then cried non-stop. It didn't help that DC had to ask her to trim and redo his fringe many times each time to make it shorter! Short was what we asked for but she insisted that short fringe is not trendy and nice! Although Baby's hair was eventually trimmed to the length we wanted, DC was still not satisfied for there were many frills here and there!


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Sweet Potato Puree

MIL introduced sweet potato with porridge to Baby today and he likes it.

Sweet Potato
Vitamins: A (24,877 mg ), C, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Sodium, Selenium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Calcium

Recipe:
1. Wash and poke holes in sweet potato with fork then wrap sweet potatoes in tin foil. Do not peel if baking or microwaving.
2. Microwaving: only use plastic wrap and cook for 8 minutes on high or until tender
3. Baking: Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes or until soft
4. Steaming: Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks
4a. Place chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover potato
4b. "Steam" boil until tender, be sure to check on the water level.
5. Reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the sweet potatoes. If you have baked your sweet potato, remove skins and use liquid from your preferred source
6. Place sweet potato into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing.
7. Add the reserved water or other liquid as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.


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More wants

For Her:



For Him:



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LV for camera and laptop?

高高低低，高高低

We raised our bed to a bar higher for Baby's playing pleasure. We felt that it is too low. So, two weeks ago, we found time to search for it. Finally we found one we like but the shop sent the wrong one over! :(

On the other hand, we lowered Baby's bed to a level lower for Baby's safety sake. We felt that it is high time. We wanted to do it two weeks ago but couldn't find a time for it. Finally today we did it! :)

I'm sure Baby likes our higher bed but I'm not too sure about his lowered bed. Let's hope he sleeps as well tonight as he did in Swissotel...


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衣服本来刚刚好...

Baby is 8 months old

By the 7th month, Baby can grasp well with his fingers. He reaches for his toys with his fingers instead of palms. His co-ordination is also improving. He now can bang his hands and loves to pull Mummy's hair and grab Daddy's specs. Just last week, he started pointing with his right index finger, a sign that his pincer grip is about to emerge. He can sit better now though he still needed support. His hands are also strong enough to lift himself up in a press-up position and follow the object he desires. We found out from our staycation that he loves rolling on big and high beds and so Daddy and Mummy bought a new high bed for him to roll on! :)

Diet wise, we introduced him to a variety of food in addition to his staple cereals. He had tried mashed papaya, canned banana puree, baby biscuits, yogurt, homemade avocado puree, crushed fish (2 teaspoons only), porridge and pumpkins puree. I'm very glad that he is eating well and did not reject them like he did to his milk! Milk intake was miserable, it's only the first feed that we could down 150-180ml into him, subsequent feeds were difficult. So now, we have started to increase the frequency of solids from 1 to 2 (maybe 3 next month).

Sleep wise was ok, he's been napping at least 3 hours in the day. However, he was alternating between warm and cold these 2 weeks. This got us worried for a while until we heard that this was one of the symptoms that the first tooth is coming out. Now we are relieved but can't wait for it to appear! :)

Weight continues to be a problem although he has grown heavier by half kg but next month, I expect he'll become more mobile... we got to work harder at beefing him up and it's also time to baby-proof the home! :)


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A visit to another PD

We were recommended to a lady PD at Mount Alvernia Hospital. Indeed, we were awed by her friendliness, enthusiasm and patience during the consultation last Fri despite the queue outside.

We had gone to her to check why Baby has been feeling feverish lately. She confirmed that it was likely a sign of teething if he constantly puts his hands in his mouth and salivating a lot.

Actually, our main purpose was to seek a second opinion on why Baby is so small. She asked a series of questions:

1. Did it happen to anyone in the family? In other words, is it hereditary? No
2. Is he eating well? We shared with her our daily diet plan for Baby. Although Baby isn't drinking very well, she claimed that we had done well and suggested some improvements to the diet.
3. Has he done any tests? Urine test was done at the other PD's but the test results is not out yet.

She advised a blood test on Baby to test the thyroid hormones at the hospital. While they were drawing Baby's blood, the hospital nurses refused to let me be with Baby. Outside, we could hear Baby cry for the longest time we remembered! *Heartache* They couldn't find the vessels and had to prick his left middle finger. Ouch! but thank God the test results came out alright.

Next, to help us determine the cause (genetic or growth hormones), she recommended us to a specialist in KK Hospital and she'll help us arrange an appointment where more tests will be done...

[22 Mar 2010: Dr has been conscientiously calling us to follow up on the arrangement with KK hospital and checking on Baby's status! We were very thankful to her for this and acknowledged that this is something that not many doctors practiced. She must have lots of passion in her job and we were truly blessed to be privileged ones to have benefited from it. :) ]


Picture above: CP with Baby in the clinic full of photos and toys.
Picture on the left: DC with Baby, swollen eye and swollen finger after the blood test.


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History repeats itself

Our new furniture came in today but alas! the head board of the bed was the wrong one! They went ahead to fix the wrong bed frame but promised to deliver the correct one another day.

Sigh! It wasn't the first time this happened! The same thing happened 4 years ago... the bed side tables were too long, they took back to alter the length and the dinning chairs set were wrongly delivered and out of stock and we ended up waiting quite a while for it!

The sales lady will call us back to arrange another date. I'll make sure we give her a piece of our minds!


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Pumpkin Puree

I bought an organic pumpkin for Baby thinking of introducing him tomorrow onwards but, MIL beat me to it. She got it today and tried it on Baby today. Disappointed not to be the first one but it's good to start him on it earlier than later...

Pumpkins contain some of the best nutritional compounds ever. They are highly loaded with Vitamin A and beta carotene. Beta Carotene is one of the plant carotenoids that when eaten and digested, turns into Vitamin A in the human body. Beta Carotene may reduce the risk of cancer as well as heart disease. It also may be responsible for combating or putting off the degenerative effects of ageing. Pumpkins are also good sources of potassium, protein, and iron. Pumpkins are wonderfully low in fat, low in calories but high in fiber.

But, beware for Beta Carotene is also responsible for "Orange Babies".



PUMPKIN: (one cup - cooked)

VITAMINS:
Vitamin A - 12230 IU
Vitamin C - 11.5 mg
Vitamin K - 2.0
Folate (important during pregnancy) - 22 mcg
Niacin - 1.01 mg

MINERALS:
Potassium - 364 mg
Phosphorus - 74 mg
Magnesium - 22 mg
Calcium - 37 mg
Sodium - 2 mg
Iron - 1.40 mg
Also contains trace amounts of zinc, manganese and copper.

Pumpkin Puree
1. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (You may want to keep the seeds, they are nutritious and can be roasted to make pepitas)
2. Place an inch of water in a baking pan, then place the halves facing down in the pan. Check on water level while baking.
3. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the shell or skin puckers. Remove from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. The flesh will come off very easily if baked completely.
4. Place pumpkin flesh into a bow and mash it until smooth. If you want the consistency of a store bought canned pumpkin then use a processor to make a smooth puree. Add a little breastmilk, formula or cooking water if the puree is too thick.
5. Pour it down a sieve, cheesecloth or coffee filter placed over a deep bowl.
6. Stir with a spoon until all the liquid is sieved completely. This will give a rich and thick puree.
7. Add water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
8. Alternatively, you can cut the pumpkin into chunks and boil/steam until tender (like when boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes) then follow steps 4 - 7 to mash it.
9. Serve homemade acorn squash puree to baby lukewarm or transfer room-temperature puree to ice cube trays to freeze for later consumption.
10. Once puree is frozen, remove from ice cube trays and place into freezer-safe storage bags. Label and date. Puree should stay fresh for 6 months
11. When you wish to use the frozen puree, remove the number of cubes you want and microwave in a microwave safe dish until warmed. Stir and allow puree to cool, testing temperature before serving to baby.

Making homemade baby food was such fun! :)


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Furniture Shopping

We went The Furniture Mall on Sat and bought a bed frame and a coffee table. It was 4 years since we last set our feet on The Furniture Mall. It felt exactly like 4 years back where we shopped for our new house furnishings then except that this time, we had our Baby with us! Coincidentally we got our new pieces from the very same shop and because we are "regular" customers, we managed to negotiate for a fairly good price. :P

This time, we made sure we chose carefully. The bed's high (baby likes) and the table's round (baby safe) - hopefully no regrets!


Saw this little basketball chair. Can't help but to let Baby try and I think he looks more comfortable on it than his Bumbo loh! I feel like getting it for him!


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14 Mar 2010, 11:01 AM, DC: New bed frame and coffee table in 6 days time.


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Follow up checkup at the PD's

We went to the PD for a follow up visit on Fri.


There is an increase in Baby's weight since the last visit. In fact, after the first week we changed his milk powder, Baby's weight upped by 400g. But, his weight remained there until last week where we saw a 200g increase.

The PD advised us to start him on porridge (two meals first, then proceed to three) and suggested a urine test. We had quite an experience in getting Baby's urine sample. He refused to drink his milk and when he is willing to drink, we had to wait for him to pass out his urine. Fortunately, we didn't wait very long for that.

After that, we went Fish&Co for a seafood platter for two (still tastes as good!), went supermarket to get an avocado, then some shopping at LV Taka and then home.


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Avocado Puree for Baby

We made avocado puree for Baby today and he likes it! I'm going to make it for him again tomorrow...


A great first food for baby, avocados are burst with essential fats and nutrients that a growing baby needs. Smooth and creamy, avocados are easily digested and well tolerated.

Rich in Vitamins A, C, Niacin, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium

I bought it at the Paragon Market Place at $2.30/pc. Funnily, NTUC didn't sell it as I tried to find it in the NTUC but couldn't find.

The nutrients in greater detail:
VITAMINS: (one cup pureed)
Vitamin A - 338 IU
Vitamin C - 20.2 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - .2 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .3 mg
Niacin - 3.9 mg
Folate - 205 mg
Pantothenic Acid - 3.3 mg
Vitamin B6 - .6 mg

Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS: (one medium)
Potassium - 1166 mg
Phosphorus - 124 mg
Magnesium - 67 mg
Calcium - 30 mg
Sodium - 18 mg
Iron - 1.4 mg

Also contains small amounts of selenium, manganese, copper and zinc.

Avocado Puree (Preparation method)
1. Peel and take out the pit of a ripe avocado - do not cook
2. Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork
3. There should be no need to use a machine as just like bananas, avocados have a very soft consistency and texture. Avocados do not need to be cooked
4. Add formula/breast milk or water to thin or add cereal (if desired) to thicken up.



Selection, Storage and Use
* Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.
* Expect avocados to ripen 3-4 days after purchasing, depending on their firmness when purchased. Do not select avocados that are soft to the touch unless you plan to eat them immediately.
* To accelerate ripening, place in a paper bag with a banana or apple, which releases ethylene gas, a ripening accelerant. When preparing avocados, look for ones that yield slightly under thumb pressure, but aren't mushy to the touch.
* To prepare, cut the avocado lengthwise to the pit. Twist the two halves apart and remove the pit using a spoon or the sharp edge of a knife. Cut the avocado while still inside the skin or scoop out each half with a large spoon.
* Give an avocado a gentle roll around your counter to help separate the meat from the shell before you slice
* Once peeled, the avocado will discolor over time. Add lemon or lime juice and press cling wrap firmly against the flesh to avoid oxidization. If your avocado turns brown, simply trim off the discolored part and serve the rest. (Not applicable for preparation of baby food)


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Dad's Birthday Celebration at Spring Court

It's Dad's birthday. We celebrated his birthday at Spring Court.



We should have gone there for cny dinner! This was much cheaper and nicer than that place we went during cny!

The specialties are the suckling pig and peking duck. This is worth a try if you have occasions coming up as the restaurant is celebrating their 81st year and has rather good promotion. The waitresses are all very prompt to serve and friendly. *Satisfied*


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It's a PEN

Finally, I got one of the Olympus PEN series of cameras, the E-PL1. I had skipped the E-P1 and E-P2 because they didn't had any flash. Although I could have gotten the external flash, it adds bullk to the overall size. My aim with this camera is to keep it light.

I did not get it at the IT Show either. Imagine that their prices are about $60 to $100 more expensive than other retail outlets.

The E-PL1's not as fast as my Nikon D80 but it certainly beats the Sony WS-120 compact. The image quality at ISO1600 looks very good as well. NICE!!!



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No thanks to Free Spa at Marina Sq

An Indian lady called to offer a free spa session. I rejected and she tried her luck to persuade me. I rejected again and she requested me to give her 10 good reasons why I said no!

What????!!!


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Mercury Rising

Baby has been hovering between fever and non-fever since last Wed. I don't know if it is because his first tooth is coming out soon or it's the haze that causes the warmness but this has put me fluttering between panic and relief.

And I'm dismissing the possibility of the culprit being the pneumococcal jab on Fri as he "warmed up" before that. He did seem normal only that he feels warmer than usual. We are now patching him with cooling strips every now and then and monitoring him closely. Hopefully, it helps. :) Baby, be Cool!


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Skeletons in my wardrobe

First time my wardrobe was trimmed to its slimmest ever! The credit actually goes to DC, hehe...

What's left was the stacks of interlocking hangers. :P


Imagine at most 5 pieces of apparels to a hanger and 5 BIG bags of clothes stuffed to the fullest! There could easily be more than a thousand pieces that I've thrown away. OMG, I can't believe how much dime I've spent on these! Among them were some new clothes with the price tags still intact! *heartache*


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Orangey

Time for a refreshment... How's this?




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很受伤

After vaccination, we went to a nearby chinese medical hall to get si shen brown rice for Baby. The shop assistant looked at Baby and told us that he may be too small to consume it... then he continued: "Must wait till he's at least 6 months then can eat!" *Faint* Baby is past 7 months already!

Next, we went to buy chicken rice. Somehow we became friends, the chicken rice stall owner thought I was pregnant again with No. 2! *Sad*...


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排排队，查查看: 强记海南鸡饭

Wants

Creative sucks, there's no QC at all. Spoilt twice in less than a year. So I am now scouting for my next set of PC speakers.

Hmmm ... BOSE or JBL? Both sport the 1-touch volume control ... cool. Lovely.





Which reminds me, I should get a center speaker for my living room too ... hmm ...

7th Month Vaccination

Baby had his pneumoccocal jab today. Our GP was happy for us when she learned that Baby's weight had increased and he can finished up to 180ml of milk in the morning. Of course, she didn't forget to share with us how her daughter was also the same - small sized, refused milk and she had to wake up in the middle of the night to dream feed her. It's just so amazing how "friend" we have become over the year! :)

- Baby at the clinic

Baby has slight fever this time but it was fast vanishing. Next jab at 1 year old...


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Miracle Water - 神奇水

If you ask me, I am more inclined to believe in SK-II among all the wide and "confusing" range of cosmetic products out there.

This is what I have gotten for CP at Robinsons. Really love the Robinsons Sales, this weekend, it was no GST for Cosmetics and Fragrances.

Well, I think I'm am going to make good use of it too but I doubt if I can stay with the many-steps regime ...