Tricia’s Milestone #12 : Bye-Bye Paci!

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We introduced the devil paci to lil’ Tricia at 4 months old when I was assigned to attend a 4 days workshop and would be based out-station. I will have to leave my lil’ precious behind with her daddy and grandma (my mom). They were pretty worried that she would fuss around when I’m not around & they do not have anything to sooth her. 

I was breastfeeding at that time & the boobies were the best soothers thus far. Hence, they got even more worried whilst I was away working. So, I had no choice but to introduce the paci to her - just in case if she needs mommy at night.

Since then, lil’ Tricia is glued to it. She particularly needs it every time for us to sooth her when she is grumpy, sleepy, or even tired. A HUGE time mistake for a breastfeeding mom like me. One of the reasons why she refused to latch on at early age. She weaned herself from the breasts and her poor mommy would have to pump exclusively.

As time goes by, we got used to it. We brought them everywhere we go. It was a ‘must have’ item in the bag. Its no longer an option. When she was learning to talk, I find that paci do get in the way when we were trying to interact with her. In addition to that, her teeth were crooked. It was time to wean her off from her paci.

At 19 months, her nanny had successfully weaned her from the paci. The nanny threw her paci into the dustbin & she never asked for it since then. However, she would demand for her paci at home – at bedtime especially. After a month, I put her paci into a plastic bag and threw it into the flower pot. She didn’t make much fuss until bedtime – she cried her lungs out and threw herself around. At the end, we decided to give in. *doink*

At 20 months, I was even more adamant to wean her from her paci. So, we let her suckle on to her paci when we send her to the nanny’s place. When she saw her nanny, she immediately pulled off her paci & hid it behind her *mommy is so surprised with her reaction*. That day, her nanny did the same thing & insisted that she should get it from the bin if she really wants it back. Thank God, she didn’t.

That night, she threw the same tantrum but I kept on telling her that I don’t have it with me. With much persuasion and encouragements, she fell asleep *phew*. The second night was not as bad as the first. On the fourth night, she didn’t bother asking for her paci anymore. Her parents is so proud of her. My lil’ girl is a big girl now *sob sob*.

 

 

Exciting Activities #2: Balloon Fiesta in Putrajaya

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Last weekend, hubs and I decided to head down to Putrajaya for the 4th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012. It was a 4 days affair. We were told by friends that it starts as early as 7am. Since, we don’t really know the way. we started our journey at 6am. The baby was sleeping when we transfered her from the bed to the car seat.

We arrived Putrajaya at about 8.30am and the balloons were all already floating away. We managed to catch the beautiful view from the bridge. All three of us were very excitied seeing beautiful hot air balloons floating in the air. It was amazing. Here are some of our shots taken while we’re there.

 

It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed it and so does my lil’ Tricia. There were many stalls which were open and freebies up for grabs. We left when the sun was up and the lil’ girl starts to get  a little cranky. On the way back to the car, we manage to capture some shots of her.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Fresh Milk #5 : Locally Made

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In my previous post about fresh milk, I discussed about FarmHouse brand from F&N. This brand is imported from Australia.

Then, I decided to open up to try other brands which can be equally good and cost me less – Farm Fresh. The milks are obtained and processed locally. The farm & factory known as Mawai Dairy Farm is based in  Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia. Starting on fresh milk generally gave me the pinch because I never really have to worry about buying milk or buying the right brand of milk for the first 16 months of Tricia’s life. I was exclusively breastfeeding. Since I started giving her fresh milk,  I had to make several trips to the supermarket to ensure that Tricia gets the fresh fresh milk and also the expenses of milk. Well, I don’t mind spulrging on this lil’ princess of mine but all in all, to ensure that I give her the best makes it all harder than I expected.

Right now, we’ve been using Farm Fresh for almost 4 months now. I loved it because :

  1. Flexible – I have the option to purchase the 1  or  2 liters bottled milk.
  2. Convenient – bottled and comes with a handle.  
  3. NO Added Sugar or Preservatives – LOVE THIS ONE.
  4. Widely Available – can be seen at most supermarket/hypermarket.
  5. I can proudly say that I support Malaysian made product!

    taken from google search

In a simplified version, here are some comparison between FarmHouse and Farm Fresh:

  1. FarmHouse are imported from Australia : Farm Fresh are locally produced.
  2. FarmHouse are packed in a 1 liter boxes  : Farm Fresh are packed in 1 or 2 liters bottles.
  3. FarmHouse can be available at big supermarkets : Farm Fresh are widely available.
  4. FarmHouse is creamier compared to Farm Fresh milk.
  5. 1 liter of FarmHouse cost approx. RM8.50 : 2 liters of Farm Fresh cost approx. RM11.80.

This review is based on my personal view and opinion. Your view/opinions may vary from mine. Hence, it is advisable for you to try out yourselves and discover your preferences. Both brands have been tested and my lil’ girl takes either one. We try to juggle in between brands to ensure that she is not too picky in tasting on one specific brand. Enjoy experimenting!

I’m back again!

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Hi everyone…I am sorry for not updating my blog recently. Many things came up recently which I had to be away/on the road most of the time. Well, here I am now!

Many exciting postings, reviews & giveaways are coming right up your way. Stay tune!

See ya!

Exciting Activities #1 : Hand Painting

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My lil’ girl is now on the run all the time (excepts when she’s asleep). Hence, sitting down quietly in a corner, playing with her toys or watching her fav musical clips is not in her disctionary anymore. She loves something which she could participate in and keeps her busy. Thanks to a friend, I discovered a cost saving & safe hand-painting activity from a mommy in  Easie Peasie. 

Hubs and I decided to try it out over the weekend. All I could say is that it we had so much of fun and it was an experimental activiy for all of us. The homemade cornstarch is definitely safe compared to the paints which you get in the store (although they claim it is safe, you just never know whats in it). We used edible food coloring which we bought it at the bakery shop recently. So, I am not worried at all when lil’ Tricia puts the cornstarch into her mouth during the session.

I am going to share with you a simplified version of how we made the cornstarch hand paint and loads of fun filled photos!

 

If you have the time, you should try it out with your lil’ ones too! This is so much fun! I’m going to frame up her first artwork.

Breastfeeding Journal #11 : Weaning

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In my previous post in Breastfeeding Journal #10, my lil’ girl self-weaned from being fed directly. She preferred the bottle although I have tried various ways to encourage her to latch-on but still failed miserably. Sadly, I  had to start pumping exclusively and fed her through the bottle. Slowly, my supply started to deteriorate and at times, its fluctuated; sometimes I get more, sometimes its too little to support her intake.

Hence, hubs and I decided to introduce fresh milk instead of formula milk. For more info on this, you may view these posts which I have posted earlier:

With all this in hand, I decided to wean. I feel so sad and guilty. I am still feeling very dissapointed with myself for not being able to give her the best till she is at least 2 years old. Nevertheless, I have tried my very best. Well, I guess my breastfeeding journey ends here.

I started the weaning process by extending the gaps between pumping time. From every  4 hours, to 6 hours, and then every 8 hours. At the moment, I pump every 24 hours. I don’t experience any engorgement (not that my supply is a lot) but I still get some. My lil’ princess now rely on fresh milk and I hope she’ll do just fine.

I will definitely miss those intimate times with her and would continue to breastfeed if we were gifted with more children in the future.

*taken from google search

1st Family Vacation : Golden Palm Tree Sepang

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We had the taste of having our very first family vacation somewhere in September. I was one of the organizers for the executive club in the Company I work in. So, this year, we decided to head over to Golden Palm Tree, Sepang.

 

It is such a beautiful place and all of us were admiring the breathtaking scenes, exciting activities that were ongoing all the time and great people to ensure our needs are met.

I was busy running around to ensure that all 300 members including their children are have their rooms & this lil’ angel was not making any fuss. She was looking around trying to make new friends.

While waiting for everyone to settle down & mommy to finish her chores, my lil’ darling was relaxing and enjoying the breeze with daddy.

Finally, we’re on our way to our chalet! All of us were exhausted and hungry! Just in time for her nap. Phew….

We spent some time at the balcony enjoying the breeze and seeing this lil’ angel so engrossed with the sea water made our day!

The hotel has a beautiful infinity pool but it was quite small. Nonetheless, the enjoyed the swimming session with other kids.

 The next morning, we brought her to the beach. She was quite scared of the sandy beach.Hopefully, she’ll outgrow it in our next trip here.

Mommy manage to get some shots with my lil angel.

She was too engrossed with the colorful kites. 

Chillin’ by the beach. She was immitatinng us but still doesn’t know how to suck through the straw yet.

Book Review : What’s He Really Thinking?

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Book Title : What’s He Really Thinking?

Author : Paula Rinehart

Publisher : Thomas Nelson, Inc.
ISBN : 978-0-8499-1880-3
Others : Paperback
This time, I will be reviewing a book by Paula Rinehart. A new genre from my usual reading. Check this out!

My Review

What’s He Really Thinking by Paula Rionehart depicted stories from her professional experiences as a counsellor and researcher background in providing females with the insights into how men’s mind works. It offers guidance on how men think and accept the differences between the two genders.

I don’t really read books on relationships but this book is worth the read. I am a daughter, sister and wife. Hence, it is important to understand men and find ways to have better communications with men. Paula Rineheart had made it easy for women (like me) to understand how they think or react and why they act the way they do. The writer did not only restrict to men and women relationships but also association with our father, brother, friend or husband.

This book claims that it can help to avoid conflicts, create better balance between men and women and improve relationships. I hope this knowledge that I gain may help me in future to forgive men’s shortcomings and understand better their world.  

Get a Copy Now!

FYI

I was provided with a hard copy of the book by the author via my association with Book Sneeze to facilitate my review. I did not receive any monetary rewards/compensation. All opinions/views expressed in this review are solely my own.

Click HERE if you would like to see all of the books that I have reviewed.

Baby’s Health #2: Cold & Cough

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My lil’ sweetheart was down with cold and cough at 14.5 months for the first time. Thanks to breastfeeding, my lil’ girl did not get any of these when she was below 12 months. Our paed, Dr. John was indeed pleased when he knew that this was her first time.

We went to see the paed twice because her phlegm was getting bad. I could hear her breathing. Thank God her lungs are clear and were not prescribed with any anti-biotics.We got some cough and flu medications plus a nasal drop. That’s all. On the other hand, I too was down with flu and cough throughout the whole week. All in all, I am thankful that she was not very cranky and slept throughout the night despite losing her appetite.

Well, within a week, my lil girl is up and running back again!