Loveaholic

19 Weeks Old - 08 February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:24:35 PST

How far along : 19 weeks

Weight : 5.8kg at 14 weeks checkup

Height : 63cm at 14 weeks checkup

Sleep : This sweetie has a new sleeping pattern. Usually she used to act in a crying-drama everytime she wants to nap but recently, she is a sweetie to us. She didn't cry before sleep, she didn't fuss, she's not cranky and she's so good! She fall asleep on her own! Thank you God! That's my girl ....... way to go baby! That's about her morning/afternoon nap.

When it comes to sleeping time at night, after her last feed, cleaned her, put her on her baby cot, and when it comes to the off lights moment, she started screaming. She hated the off-lights-moment when she's not sleepy and she still want some playtime. Looks like she's controlling us ehh? "I'm not sleepy and don't off the lights!" This cutie pie... how can we resist the pity look and scream? Off we go and switch on the lights and she continue with her playtime and few minutes later, she fall asleep on her own again, without us doing any effort! Not a single cry, not a single fuss, no pacifier, no white noise... nothing!

And here's another new sleeping routine tat we must do. She doesn't like her baby cot now, but she wants our king-size bed. She's sleepy and whenever we put her in her baby cot, she screams and struggles. We thought it is the hot weather that caused her to fuss, but even with the aircond on, she still screams and struggles everytime we place her in her baby cot. We decided to move her to our bed instead and......... the moment you carry her up, she gives you a hearty smile (tis lil baby, really knows how to play trick on us) and I put her on our bed. 1-2 minutes later, her eyes getting smaller and she fall asleep later on. So, what do you say with this? After she fall asleep on our bed, we will move her back to her baby cot. Hehe... sorry baby. Everytime when I think of all the cute funny things that she wants us to do, it makes me smile and miss her even more (especially when I'm at work). Despite all these, we love her more than words can say. She's always a cutie pie to us!

Food : 1.5 more months to go and I just can't wait to get her start on solid food! I've already thinking of what to buy and what to cook! Till then, it's still EBM for her.... =)

Best moment this week : She will be going for her 4 mths checkup this Sat (9 Feb) and we just can't wait for the good news on her weight, height and head circumference. The very best moment of this week is she fall asleep on her own without crying! Felt so relieved with this achievement in her because my heart ache every time she cries... Thank you Lord for answering our prayers!

17 Weeks Old - 25 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:56:53 PST

How far along : 17 weeks

Weight : 5.8kg at 14 weeks checkup

Height : 63cm at 14 weeks checkup

Sleep : It was CNY week and baby was feeling the hype and she was excited, filled with energy and filled with enthusiasm what it is all about. Thus, her longest nap was 30 Minutes ONLY! Hoooyahh..... should I be happy or not happy? She joined in the crowd of preparing cookies, bombing of fireworks in the air, packing the red packets, packing clothes and etc. I had a quite hard time to put her to sleep because we traveled to three different destinations in one week and I think she was confused with the surroundings. Too many hands carried her and she was being pampered by aunties, grandmas, everyone! Everyone loves herr..... =)) We were quite afraid that she might not be able to sleep on the CNY eve because of the fireworks, we both said a word of prayer and Thank God, she was not awaken by any of the fireworks! Even I myself nearly got heart attack by one of those terrible bombs, but she was soundly asleep, not being disturbed by any single one!

Food : Ah Chor (my grandma) carried and tried to feed her milk, but she rejected.. She not used to the different people and sudden changed of environment and she fussed! So, daddy has to step in and takeover the feeding job..... This means she hit another milestone, she can recognize voices and smell! Gheeezzz............. =D

Best moment this week : Angpows!!!! Plenty!!! Abundant!!! And those that I received (yes, I'm married and I'm still eligible to collect angpow, kekeke) all goes to her piggie banking. She's one blessed child! Love you! It's for your University fund yea baby...

Conquered two angpows at once! Keke..

16 Weeks Old - 18 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:15:16 PST

How far along : 16 weeks

Weight : 5.8kg at 14 weeks checkup

Height : 63cm at 14 weeks checkup

Sleep : She has been good in the morning and afternoon nap, but in the late evening nap, she needs to perform some drama before she could fall asleep. So, most of the time we failed to put her to sleep in the late evening nap, which drags her awake up to the last feed that her eyes could take it, which is about 9pm max...

Food : Doing pretty well and she loves MILK! =D 2 more months to go and we shall start on solid. It's gonna be so much of fun!

Best moment this week : ROLL! We were all so excited with her new skill, which is roll over from tummy to back! She did it successfully few times on her own, without any help when she positioned herself nicely on the tummy and then roll. Sometimes her legs got stuck, but sometimes she made it! Awww, our sweetie! The very first time we saw her roll over was on CNY eve (22 Jan 2012)..... ain't it a precious priceless moment to see how your baby grows day by day? She will definitely surprise you with her new new skills everyday! And yeah, lately her scream no longer sound like a cute baby scream, but it sounded more like a DON'T-YOU-EVER-DARE-TO-MESS-WITH-ME scream. Haha......... Anyway, she's always a sweetie to us! *kiss*

Parking Rate at Ikea/Ikano Power Centre - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:02:07 PST

Parking Rate at Tropicana City Mall - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:02:18 PST

Why I don't let my baby cry unnecessarily..

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:11:24 PST

I have been extremely EMO lately. You might not understand, why I don't let my baby cry unnecessarily. We've heard of many advice telling us to don't give immediate response when baby cries, baby cries is good for her lungs, cannot manja baby too much... etc. A lot of "very-kind" advices you will hear from many resources, and it creates a little confusion in me. I actually know what I should do, but I do not have the choice. If I have given the choice, if I do it without thinking any further, I'm not sure what the future holds. Should I just go for it and plan on the future later? Like what God says in the Bible, we are worth more than lilies on the ground. And He takes care of us more than we can imagine. But I just can't simply make that decision, because we wanted to give Ashlynn the best. And to give all the best, it requires some finance. Of course, nothing on earth can beat the love parents can give, but to be realistic, we are still living in the world and everything in this world requires $$$ if you are looking at giving your baby the best. Just like giving your kid the best education, doesn't it requires money?

I really forbid letting my baby cry for long. 1-2 mins is enough for me because the sound of her scream is like 1-2 years. The reason I didn't let her cry for long at home is because she had ENOUGH during her first two months.

The first month, she was pricked on the hands and feet for blood test due to jaundice. And the poor baby, cried and scream for 30 mins when she was pricked on the feet and the nurse slowly collected her blood drop by drop in a tube. Can you ever imagine the "excellent technology" that a hospital has! This was more than enough of crying training for a newborn, as early as 7 days after birth.

The 2nd time was when her jaundice level didn't go down and the nurse tried to prick on her hand, but couldn't find the vein. Again, the poor baby cried buckets and whenever you hold her hand, she got a trauma and she started screaming. Ain't this more than enough?

The 3rd time when she was having bad phlegm, flu, cough, blocked nose and suspected RSV. Again, she was pricked on the hand and this time was to insert the fluid drip. Again, she cried and scream for minutes.

The 4th time was during suction to clear some phlegm in the throat and remove some excess from the nose. Suction was done 2 times a day, for 2 days and in the end, to avoid the 15 mins screaming, I told the nurse she was getting better and she did not need suction. She hated the suction a lot. And I hated it too! Imagine inserting a tube in a 2 mths old nose and throat to suck out the all the stubborn enemies .... It is torturing and traumatizing! Her milk intake dropped, her eyes swollen, she slept most of the time, she got shocked easily, she got traumatized when you touch her nose/mouth/hands......

SHE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL THESE CRYING ..... and I strongly against unnecessary crying that I have the control!

Since then .......

I never bring my baby out to shopping malls or any crowded places... she stays at home most of the time. Wait till she's bigger... Many smart voices told me, it is good to expose your baby with some "germs".. Does it sounds logical to you? Why do I want to PURPOSELY put my baby in such environment to boost her immune system? Doesn't make sense to me.. Germs are already everywhere, when I bring her out of the house to the car, to the lift. Even at home, I didn't sterilize the whole house so it has germs traveling all around. I endure the "quarantined" because again, she had enough! She's too young to go through all the hurdles of pricking and suction!

Secondly, I never let her cry for long, 1-2 mins are enough because she had more than enough of crying. I do not want her to cry unnecessarily when I have the choice to stop the crying, when I can do something to stop the cry. It is no longer any topic about spoiling your baby... you do not know what she has gone through in her first few months, so you have no say. I'm not spoiling my baby, she's a baby and she does not have to go through any hard training, all babies should be loved, aren't they? Wait till she can start talking and that's when the real parenting and training comes in.

As for crying being healthy for baby's lungs? Kitzinger and Taubman both agree the advice is "stupid and inappropriate." In her book, Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights, Sandy Jones elaborates, "The real truth is that crying is hard on a baby, and it uses up his limited resources. Although young babies can't help crying, you can tell it is self-punishing behavior. When a baby's cries aren't stopped, his arms and legs tighten, his mouth gets dry, his lips start to turn blue, his lungs probably ache, his blood pressure goes up, the veins in his head may swell and even break, and his blood oxygen level starts to go down, not up."

Go with the feel, many conflicting and contradicting advice is available everywhere... and if you don't feel good following them, don't do it. Some works for other babies, and you know what works for your baby and I know what works for my baby. Follow my way please.....

My Heart is troubled!

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:16:06 PST

My Heart is troubled.

I can't stop thinking.

One thing, it is good for her lungs.

On the other hand........

Will it cause her throat to sore with excessive screaming?

Will the cry generate more phlegm/blocked nose?

What kind of damage are we doing when we let her cry alone?

Will she grow up with emotional hurts being ignored when she needs help?
How can I be so cruel to ignore her
when she gives you hearty smile everyday?
When she cheers you up with her coos and smiles
and all her funny patterns.

DO I HAVE THE CHOICE?
Answer : No...

Why?

I cannot attend to her.

Because she is on "training"

Hopefully.................

She will be out of the "training"

SOON!

Sometimes I don't understand
Why I cannot pacify her when she woke up crying in between of sleep
She might be having some bad dreams
which she wants someone there to pacify her
and why we can't do it?
Why she must go through this hard training?
Everyone needs a care taker
You still need a word of comfort from your mom
You still need some words of encouragement at down times
You still need a warm tight hug when you are lost
Moreover a baby that only knows how to express everything through cry
needs and wants YOU to be there with a warm tight hug
and feel better when hears your soft voice of comfort!

I felt terrible.

Again, DO I HAVE THE CHOICE?
Answer : No....

All I can do...

PRAY.

I never stop praying

that she will sleep well, poo well, drink well, stay healthy always

and angels to be with her all the time,

protect her and look after her,

and also help her to sleep well without *hard* cry.

And every morning,

I tell her dun cry cry, tired just sleep.

Daddy & Mommy see you in the evening. Love you!

As much as I know, as much as it will happen

prayer is the answer.

that she will be the happiest, lively, adorable, gorgeous, awesome, amazing baby!

*~!HUGS!~*

15 Weeks Old - 11 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:46:59 PST

How far along : 15 weeks

Weight : 5.8kg at 14 weeks checkup

Height : 63cm at 14 weeks checkup

Sleep : Talking bout sleep, baby bullied mom & dad with the not-want-to-sleep mood over the weekends. Whenever we tried to put her to sleep, she cried buckets and screamed to the top of her lungs, cried till cough and the moment we picked her up again, she started smiling! So.. what do you say? This lil cheeky baby....... All she wanted to do was to EXPLORE, kei poh looking around and be LOA all-the-time! If you ignored her for few minutes, she started with her aak-aak and when you picked her up, she started cooing and smiling! Cutie pie oh cutie pie.... where did you get your energy? So, I actually blamed it on all the CNY cookies that I baked which contains lots of sugar and thus, all the sugar goes to the breastmilk and there she goes, with the hyperactive spirit. Hopefully she will go right back on track over the weekdays at Rachel's...

Food : Babysitter told me that she was not satisfied with 5oz! O.O... which means she finished all the 5oz of milk and wanted to be fed every 3 hours! This was not her usual self.... does this mean we should upgrade her milk intake to 6oz? Or is she going through growth spurt? Or is the breastmilk too diluted? So, at 15 weeks, we upgraded her milk intake to 6oz... and my mom gonna be shocked! Hehehe.... Dr said feed on demand, so I'm not sure if I really overfed her....

Best moment this week : My baby is trying to roll! And she got frustrated at times when she assumed she had tried her best, and yet she still can't turn! Sometimes it's just so funny to watch her with her turn and roll moment, especially when she gets frustrated over it. Haha.....See the pic below. Not only that, whenever she's on her tummy now, she can lift up her chest and tried to move forward. Symptoms of crawling already in the air? =))

Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:17:22 PST

CNY is coming real soon and I thought of giving out some cookies to Ashlynn's babysitter and also some of our close friends and not to forget our dearest family members. Instead of getting them from supermarket, (which doesn't taste good at all) I decided to bake them on my own. Baking cookies is really new to me and I've not baked any cookies BEFORE. Most of the time I bake cake, muffins or roast chicken but baking cookies is totally new.

Initially, I wanted to try pineapple tarts but since I've not baked any cookies before, it will be better if I kick start the momentum with baking simple butter cookies. So, here's the "Melt in the mouth butter cookies" by Nasi Lemak Lover. This is really simple and I settled everything within 2 hours including all the cleaning.

Here's the recipe:

Butter Cookie (makes 50pcs)

Butter 200g (use good quality of butter)
Icing sugar 50g
All purpose flour 150g
Corn flour 50g
Chocolate chips (optional, not in original recipe)

1. Beat butter and icing sugar till creamy.
2. Sift in flour and corn flour, mix well to a soft dough
3. Scoop dough into piping bag and pipe dough evenly on baking tray.
4. Bake at preheated oven at 180C for 13-15 minutes or golden brown.

My new gadget which cost only RM10.90 at Carefour. Extremely excited to try out all the patterns! Kekeke...

The very buttery batter, smells good because am not using any Farmcow or Buttercup, but SCS. Slightly expensive butter.

I bought a new baking tray, but it doesn't fit in my oven. Sigh ... wasted. End up using the slightly curved tray.

Oh well, I'm still new in baking cookies and didn't know that cookies get burnt VERY fast. 1 minute you check and it is still nice in colour, but the next minute you check, the side is all roasted! Practice makes perfect and the last tray that I baked, it turned out to be so perfect! Nicely baked with the perfect temperature and texture. Really melt in the mouth with the buttery aroma.

One big container! My first attempt but I'm still not really satisfied with the outcome as in the not-consistent shape and the slightly burnt cookies. I can do better than this! =))
Can't wait to try again and if it's really good, off they go to the friends + family! Next week is already CNY and all I need to do now is to dig out some time here and there, patch the time together and get started!

14 weeks old - 04 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:47:14 PST

I got my monthly checkup on 7 Jan 2012 at SDMC and mommy disturbed my sleep, woke me up as early as 7.15am and with my blurry face, she told me let's go kai kai. I was thrilled at first with the word kai kai, but then I heard her saying "Baby go for injection".... Injection? And then she said "No pain pain wan". I felt relieved when I heard that... hehe.

Off we went to the hospital, and we we reached there quite early. We got number 0021 and at the Dr's clinic, we were FIRST! Yeayy......

While waiting for the registration counter to open at 8.30am, mommy put me in the stroller. But I didn't quite like it here because I can't explore and be kei poh around. I was covered up so I started to sound "aak aak". Hopefully my mom carried me out.. I wanna be kei poh.

Mommy ignored me and what can I do inside here? I can't see around, my 360 view was blocked, so I sucked my fingers. She didn't like it when I sucked my fingers, she always make sure my hands are away from my mouth. Why oh Why? Ain't this what babies love to do? We can't eat KFC drumstick, so these fingers tasted like one... I sounded for few times and finally mommy gave up, she carried me up and out... hehe.

The nurse was late on that day and we gotta wait till 9.15am for the monthly measurement. Yeayy, am now 5.8kg, 63 cm tall. Ain't this a good progress? So here's the summary of my 14 weeks progress.

How far along : 14 weeks

Weight : 5.8kg

Height : 63cm (Dr said I'm tall... hehe, tall like mom?)

Sleep : I sleep through the night when I was 8 weeks old. Mommy was quite impressed and she was super happy. No more waking up middle of the night. And now, at 14 weeks old, I can sleep at night on my own! No more rocking, no more carrying, no more cry cry... yes, I fall asleep on my own when mommy fed me the last feed, changed my diaper, cleaned my face, put me in the cot and cover the mosquito netting. Oh yeah, I don't need white noise as well! Imma a big baby girl now.... =))

Food : Am still drinking mama cow's milk. Teehee... Baby consumed 5oz now. Some said it's a lot, some said it's ok. But sometimes I'm still not full with 5oz and grandma got worried, she always say "enuf liao, too much liao".. haha. You should see her expression. Super funny...Am growinggg!

Best moment this week : I noticed that my fingers tasted so much more better than milk! My past time is to stuff my mouth with my fingers. I love doing that, but my mommy doesn't like it. She said dirty! Haha.. Whenever I lie down, I always practice how to flip but I still can't do that. Anyway, practice makes perfect! I have been cooing more, mommy say one word and I follow her by cooing. Besides, I woke up every morning smiling.. I love to smile at daddy and mommy whenever I'm awake.

The 9 months journal

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:46:20 PST

Oh yeah, I've not shared with you guys the 9 months journey of pregnancy. And here is it:
http://superabundant-love.blogspot.com/

A journey filled with faith, grace, and hope!
Truly believing that the work God has started in us, He will make it into completion. Not to forget, a servant heart that totally surrender everything to Him, trust Him completely for miracles and wonders, trust Him for healing and put our hope in Him, the Alpha and Omega. He never fails us as we hanged on tightly to the verse Psalm 121, our help comes from the Lord. His grace is truly sufficient for us. It's not with our own ability that we conceived Ashlynn, but it is His. He created Ashlynn and he crafted her to be the most beautiful perfect baby girl on earth. All glory to Him and we truly thank you for His exceeding grace, blessings and mercy.

Have fun hopping over to the other blog!

Our princess, Ashlynn Ng, born on 28 Sept 2011, 12:13pm at SDMC. =))

I heart White Noise

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:47:11 PST

It's finally proven that white noise does a very good job at night. After her last feed, changed diaper, face cleaned, put her in the cot, lights off and white noise on. She was talking to herself for the first few minutes and slowly, her eyes getting smaller and smaller and finally, 1o minutes later she was asleep! Awwww..... white noise did a very good job. Finally my baby can sleep on her own at night for the very first time. I can officially announce that at 14 weeks, my baby's best friend is White Noise and not Pacifier! Well, I would rather give in to white noise than pacifier. Looking forward, if she does really need some frequency wave to let her fall asleep, I can slowly transition her to music instead. At least she learns some beats or words while sleeping. =) Sounds like am a really kiasu mom, 24 hours of learning and growing! Hehe...

As much as we might think that the womb is a soundless secretive place, silent bubble of sac for a growing baby, it’s probably as quiet as our LRT station at rush hour! 9 months in the womb, baby hears and gets used to a symphony of sounds straight from mommy; the mother’s rhythmic heartbeat and steady whoosh sounds of her blood rushing through veins and arteries, the stomach's krog krog sound and even mommy's voice, burps, hiccups and other bodily noises. On top of all that commotion, baby may even hear voices and sounds emanating from outside the womb! That’s why it’s been shown that “chaotic” sounds from machine sounds such as a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, or raining outside help soothe crying or fussy babies.

If you think that your baby does not sleep well, don't hesitate to try on this calming relaxing soothing white noise. Sometimes this white noise looks pretty much like hypnotizing.. haha. But it's not, don't worry. All in all, it's just the fact that your baby grows in a "chaotic" womb. =))

Ashlynn at 1 month old =D
Baby happy, we happy!

She doesn't need a pacifier?

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:05:31 PST

Referring to my post below, we decided to give her the pacifier, make it her best friends to sleep together with at night. But but, yesterday night was simply amazing! She fell asleep on her own!! Remember I was telling and asking around how to train baby to sleep on their own... and I've tried one of the methods, which is white noise. Ohh well, it works pretty good on the first try. White noise is more magical!

First try:
=======
In the evening nap, we put her on the tummy and Justin switch on the white noise. We slowly pat her butt and few minutes later, without much crying.. she fell asleep. We were wondering if it was just coincidence or it was the white noise that does the job. So.... we decided to try again at night.

Second try:
=========
After ensuring her stomach was full, diaper changed, face cleaned... we put her on our bed, lights off and we switched on the white noise. Anddddd, after few minutes, we noticed that her eyes getting smaller and smaller and yeay, she dozed off on her own, without any cranky/fussy sound! And yes, not a single aak aak aak from her............ oh wow, is this white noise that magical? Works so much better than pacifier! Still, we couldn't believe if it's the white noise that does the job or it's just coincidence again... we decided to give it a try again tonight and if it works, then I really thank the white noise!

Ooopss... white noise does not do the job alone. But white noise with prayer works so much better. White noise alone is not sufficient, but top up with a word of prayer and that makes your baby have a really good sleep.

Can't wait to be back home tonight and try again........... kekekeke. =)))

Pacifier says it all...

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:31:09 PST

Since Ashlynn was born, I struggled with the idea of offering a pacifier to pacify a crying baby. I tried my best, whatever way that I could just not to offer her the pacifier. I could say my enemy is the pacifier. I didn't want to start her off with the habit of sucking to sleep, but I try to train her to sleep on her own. Looks like I'm not capable to change her, with my "tauhu" heart.

At newborn age, she used to drink until sleep and that was easy. Perhaps the mistake was here. Suck until sleep.... Moved on to 1 month old, she cried and I offer her bbs. Suck until sleep eventho she just had her milk. 2 mths old... as her cry got louder, Justin carried and rocked her to sleep. And now, 3 months old.. she just can't fall asleep on her own at night. She needs to be carried and rocked to sleep! If we decided not to rock her to sleep, I offered my bbs. Gosh.....

Yesterday night, we agreed that it was time to train her to sleep on her own. We tried the first method, leave her in the cot and if she cries, let it be. Just ignoreeeee.... Close both ears shut with cotton buds. But after 2 mins, my heart break with the loud cry + scream + struggling and this method failed immediately. I felt so bad for letting her cry her lungs out when one minute ago, she just gave us a hearty smile. A smile from all her heart! How can I do that to her? Leave her to cry alone in the cot.... I cannot be so 'cruel'. I carried her and rocked her and after she calmed down, I put her down again. She started screaming again.... and thus, I gave in to the pacifier! Voila... she settled down, enjoyed sucking and then fell asleep after 5 mins.

I wonder what magic does a pacifier has. Does this mean I have to really give in to pacifier? I wonder what will be the consequences if a baby was left alone crying in the cot, in the dark room. I think too much? I'm too soft hearted? Phewwww... take a deep breath and the solution for now is pacifier. I surrender! If a pacifier can help my baby to sleep on her own without crying, I think it will be the best choice. Later I might need tutorial to learn how to wean off the habit of pacifier.

At work and At home

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:19:10 PST

All the posts about Ashlynn ain't about any complains from my heart, it's just another sharing moment. I love her more than words can say.. she's our greatest gift ever!

Well, being a mother is not as simple as you think. Playing with baby is really fun, but when it comes to handling baby, you really need to be patient. Especially handling a crying baby, sometimes you are just blank and do not know why they cry. At times I feel so helpless because I already try my best to pacify her, but she still cries which I do not know why and sometimes I felt lousy for not being able to provide her with all that she needs. People used to say, baby cry because of these few reasons : Wet diaper, hungry, tummy ache, wind... all these. But lately, I discovered that my baby cried when she's lack of attention. LOL. Example, when we leave her alone in the room and we are out at dining hall for dinner, after few minutes she will start to cry. The moment we step into the room, she stop crying. Haha... my cutie pie.

Juggling between work and bfeeding is not easy. It can be super tired at days but I still do not want to give up on bfeeding because I know that her body needs a lottttt of antibodies. It can be really heartbreaking when she falls sick, so to avoid all these, I hang on!

And here's my daily schedule. (Oh yeah, thank God that now I started to work early shift, which is 7am-4.30pm and I can pick A up earlier and spend more time with her!) *hugs*

12-1am
The last feed before A dozes off until the morning, 5/6/7am.. depending on how fast her stomach digests the milk. =D

5am
Wake up when A wakes up. If she didn't then I will not be awake until my alarm at 6am. Hehe.. More than thankful for such a sleeping beauty, at 2 mths old, she sleeps through the night. Am just amazed at her... thank you A!! If she's awake at 5, then I will feed her and pump out the remainder. She dozes off very quickly without finishing her usual 5oz. I know 5oz is a lot for a 2 mth old, but I was told by her PD to feed on demand.. =)

6am
Finished pumping and get ready for work. Wash all the equipments and sterilize. Prepare all the EBM and put in the cooler bag. Take out some frozen meat/fish to cook for dinner. Send A to babysitter and waved goodbye to her with a heavy heart. She will stare at me as I slowly walk towards the door as if she's telling me don't go. =( So sorry girl, mommy has to work.

7am
Arrived office. If I didnt pump earlier in the morning, I quickly settle some work and then off to the room to pump. Wash equipments, but no sterilizer in office so I just rinse with hot water.

11am
Another session of pumping, washing and rinsing.

3pm
Another session of pumping, washing and rinsing.

4.15pm
Started to prepare to go home, pack all the milk and complete my final work before I prepare to Logoff. =))

5pm
Arrived at babysitter's house and so happy to see A!!

5.30pm
Home sweet home and quickly bath. Ensure that A is on her playing time and then prepare dinner while Justin takes over the babysitting. Sterilize the pump and storage.

7.30pm
Finished cooking (very simple meal like soup only). Haha... start another pumping session.

8.30pm
Started to pacify her to take a short nap and when she dozes off, we have our dinner. Sometimes the pacifying can delay up to 9 something.

10pm
Usually she wakes up at this time and she have her playtime.

11pm
Her last feed of the day before she dozes off until morning. And my last pump before I doze off. Sometimes I'm too tired that I take a short nap, as short as 15 mins.. better than I doze off while pumping. I wish there's pump that also works when we lie down. Can sleep while pumping. ;p

Goodnight world!! =))

Here's the journal of my days.... basically my sleep cuts down from 8 hours a day to 4-5 hours. I wish for more hours in a day because the night time that I spend with A is too short. When A starts her school, I wonder where to get the time to teach her in her homeworks. Only weekends? =( Well, when you come to think of having a baby, am sure the one thing that you can think of is "sleepless night". But all I can say is the sleepless night is worth it! I wouldn't want to trade my baby with sleep, I would rather having my baby with me than having a nice 8 hours of sleep! =)

Ashlynn at Babysitter!

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:28:11 PST

Maternity leaves ended extremely fast and with just a blink of eyes, I'm back to work again. How time flies.... Started my first day of work on 1 Dec, and I really really miss A when I was in office. Her daddy took care of her for the whole day and I told Justin to on his webcam. At least I still get to see her when in office to kill some of the miss feelings. Hehe.. Just couldn't concentrate on work and the whole day, what I did was check all my emails. Lots of updates here and there and looking at those updates, made me even more lazy. So, the first day of work ended with checking of mails. =D

We officially sent A to babysitter on 5 Dec. A is still new with the environment and not used to the new change, she came home crying non-stop and we tried so many methods to pacify her, but all in vain. We managed to calm her and try to put her to sleep, but the moment we started to let go our hands and put her on bed, she started screaming again... sigh. This carried on until about 11pm, when she was tired out of crying and we fed her some milk and then off she sleeps, until morning 5am. She woke up with a big smile and this smile made me feel bad, because few minutes later I will be sending her off to babysitter's house again. =(

On the 6 Dec, she came home crying again ... 7 Dec, came home crying again... and fall asleep after crying for hours and we were so drained out by carrying and pacifying her for the whole night. We actually had to wait for her to fall half asleep, then only feed her milk. Otherwise she will scream when we try to change the carrying position so that we can feed her milk. Until there was a time whereby Justin had to feed her while standing. LOL.... Ashlynn oh Ashlynn...... We felt so sorry for her because of the sudden change of environment and pray hard that she will get out of it quickly.

On 8 Dec, the situation got better and both A and the babysitter were able to understand each other well and thank God, A came home with a smile. Like her usual self, happy, active and lively. I really miss her Aak-aak-aak and her shadowless kicks for so many days and finally, she was back to herself again on Thursday night. Phewwww.... finally the babysitter understands her patterns and able to go along with her sleeping and drinking routines.

Finally on 9 Dec, Friday... she was a charm! As if she knows the next day is Saturday and she does not has to go to the babysitter's house... lol. She came home smiling and enjoyed her time playing with us... thank God for this!

On 11 Dec, Sunday night.. .somehow she knew that the next day is working day and she didn't want to sleep!! Usually she will doze off about 11pm-12am.. but yesterday night, she was tired but still wanted to stay awake and playing with us with her kicks, her smiles, her babytalk... finally at 1am, we decided to just put her on her cot, close the mosquitoes net and off the lights!! We spy her in the dark and noticed that she still carried on with her kicks and babytalk and aak-aak a few times.. we ignored it and after 5mins, silent! Finally, she was asleep!! Lol... such a cutie pie ..... She's smart, isn't she? She's tired but wanted to play with us as much as possible because the next day is Monday. Awwww, typing this makes me miss her even more! Our precious ...... Hopefully she's already used to the new routine and can't wait to see her big smile later!! =)))

How's motherhood treating me?

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:40:09 PST

Whooopeee.. I've been away from blogging for a reallllll long time. And my last post was in Sept, the month that I was preparing for birth! Thank God everything went well, I have good and understanding boss which I started to work from home when I was 8 months pregnant. Baby decided to come out one day earlier from due date and she gave us a very hearty lung cry when she was out. Love her more than words can say.... our pretty sunshine!

So, how's motherhood has been treating me since 28 Sept? Life has really changed and I can say everything changed 360 degrees. From a totally all-time free wife to a super busy wife, from a couple that always do things together to a standalone-couple, from having meals together to having meals alone a.k.a taking turns to eat, from having more than 10 hours of sleep a day to only 4-5 hours of sleep... etc. many more changes but two words to describe all these, IT'S FUN! A new chapter in life.. a higher level in life after marriage. Everything is good and where would we be if it's not because of GRACE! We would want to ask for more EXTRAORDINARY GRACE!

Here's the story after birth, 28 Sept 2011. We checkout from SDMC on 29 Sept 11 and our confinement lady arrived on this day. We've not seen her personally, talk to her personally and really hope she will be a great blessing to us during confinement but things didn't go the way that we expected it to be. Her cooking was pretty good, very nice and appetizing food but some of the food I doubted if it was OK during confinement, like spicy curry. =.="" Talk about handling baby, at 2 days old, she started to feed my baby with water chestnut juice which is absolutely No-No to a newborn. Newborn should only consume MILK, milk only. Sigh...

Few days later, she almost injured my baby's legs because of hot water! She carried my baby and made milk at the same time. My baby screamed when she accidentally spill some drops of hot water on my baby's legs. I asked her whether she accidentally spill some hot water and she said no, only the hot bottle touched her legs. Sigh.. I saw it with my own eyes.

Then, we found out that the red dates that used to make drink for me had worm living in it!! Worrmmmmm......... Problem is how can a person keep a refrigerated food outside in room temperature for days?? She transferred the red dates from fridge and keep in room temperature until one day, I got a hunch that I should check the red dates. Voila, I found worms!! =(

And there was one night that Ashlynn cried non-stop, so she thought Ashlynn was having a bloated tummy. She suggested to stick a black pill (the pill that is used to remove air, eaten by mommy during confinement) on her belly button and she said that can help to remove the air from the stomach. I was like =.="" in my heart, I laughed.. but in front of her, I just "ohh, really can help ar?" Haha.. So funny.

Well, there were really a lot a lot a lot of stories when she took care of Ashlynn for the whole month... Sort of a nightmare for us and for the next baby, we would not want any confinement lady. We will settle everything on our own.. and hopefully my mom would be able to help. Hehe...

Let's talk about Ashlynn's development since day 1. She was quite yellow few days after discharged and on the 3rd day, her Bilirubin level was only 291. Few days later, she was so lethargic, slept most of the time and didn't want to get up for milk. We knew the jaundice was not getting better and we brought her to hospital and we got shocked when her jaundice level was above the border line which is 421!! We got her admitted for 2 nights and phototherapy in Gleneagles was super expensive which cost us RM2k, a huge bomb for us. Almost 3/4 of my delivery bill. Still a bit yellow when she was discharged.

Few days later after she was discharged, she had terrible phlegm and got very fussy and didn't want to drink milk. Confinement lady said she had difficulty in swallowing milk due to the phlegm and we were quite panic with this. Again, first time parents. There we were, rushed to the hospital again and at Gleneagles, the doc on call, not PD did not even care of her phlegm, but said that Ashlynn was jaundice. Very yellow she said. I couldn't agree more because the phototherapy few days ago didn't seem to be helpful. So, she decided to do blood test and get Ashlynn admitted. Taking blood test in Gleneagles was a NIGHTMARE! Ashlynn screamed + cried for 30 mins!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @#$~@!!

Here was the process how they take blood for baby!
1) 2 nurses + on call Dr in the room, parents are not allowed to go in and can only hear baby's scream from the outside.
2) Dr pricked on the hand, but couldn't find the vein, claimed that baby's vein very fine, cannot see... =.=""""""
3) So, pricked on the feet and slowly squeeze out the blood from baby's feet and collect it drop by drop in a tube!!!!
4) Conclusion, Ashlynn had a real nightmare that night and she cried and wet the whole diapers with poo!! Can you imagine how afraid she was until the whole diaper was poo............... At the end of everything, the nurse told me Ashlynn poo. In my heart, she poo not because she wanted to poo, but she was too terrified until she poo.
5) I checked with the Dr and she said that was how Gleneagles take blood from babies. I wish they could be like a leech, to suck out the blood instead of slowly squeeze drop by drop.
6) The next day, I checked with the PD and he said the same thing as well. And now I know why he didn't encourage to take blood test from babies because of the method they are using.
7) I told Justin I will never everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr go back to Gleneagles, if it's not emergency!! At least SDMC gave me a peace of mind, Ashlynn only cried 1min when blood was taken from her and they didn't squeeze her feet, but some stick to suck out the blood. Ain't this much more better... so, say NO-NO to Gleneagles!

Since then, I've never gone back to Gleneagles, even for the monthly checkup. I would rather travel all the way to Subang for Dr Sanjay which we are really satisfied with. He's such a good PD! Thumbs up!

Jaundice issue was finally settled after the 4th phototherapy at Gleneagles and that 2 nights of admission cost us another 2k. Total bill, 4k for jaundice treatment.. which is killing price! SDMC would be much cheaper... =.=

Later on, we went back to Swan and then brought baby back to KL again on 13 Nov. On the 21 Nov, we noticed that Ashlynn was coughing badly again with very bad phlegm... Drink milk- cough, sleep-cough, playtime-cough.. We were quite worried since cough was getting worst on Tues which caused her to vomit after milk. It was scary ! Wed morning, we brought her to PD Clinic at Genting Klang and it was another regret to brought her there. Asked the Dr a lot of questions, he answered but somehow we didn't feel satisfied at all with those answers, like not really answering our questions. He gave phlegm and cough medicine, we tried giving Ashlynn the cough med, but she didn't like the taste so she puked everything out. Sigh..... and the cough getting worst and worst that everyday, she vomited at least once. Until Thurs night (24 Sept), she vomited a lotttttttt on me, and screamed + struggled and after everything, suddenly she stopped struggling and became still and silent!! I thought she fainted and quickly checked on her heartbeat. Thank God she was still breathing and didn't turn blue. I got panicked and quickly call Justin to drive back asap, he was having dinner in TTDI and after receiving the call, he drove 160km/j and reached WM in 10 mins only!! Wowww..... I didn't know he will reach that fast, I called up some of my WM friends to help me fetch Ashlynn to hospital since I didn't have my car with me at that time... I was extremely terrified!

Finally, Justin arrived and we drove all the way to SDMC. Remember, I won't let my daughter suffer the blood taking process in Gleneagles. We would rather travel since Ashlynn is sleeping after all the incident.... The night itself, Ashlynn got admitted because of her chesty lungs and difficulty in breathing and kept coughing. This was the longest stay in hospital .. and no oral medication was provided because 2 mths old baby is too young to take medications. Suspected Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the treatment is Nebulizer every 4 hours to dissolve the phlegm, nose drops for the blocked nose and suction to suck out some of the stubborn waste in the nose and phlegm on the last 2 days, 2 times a day. The suction was the most traumatic treatment and I actually cried when she screamed. Sometimes I tried to delay the nurse not to perform the suction, saying that my baby was doing quite well, she has improved. My poor baby.... =((( She was discharged on 28 Sept, exactly her 2 mths birthday. Went back home still with the cough, but better... and looking at her cough non-stop, we decided to try on chinese medicine. Bought the hou zhao san and surprisingly, after 3 days on chinese medication, her cough+ phlegm totally stopped! Initially I didn't quite trust chinese medicine, didn't want to get involved in Chinese medication because we do not know what are the ingredients .. but this whole situation changed my perception. Some chinese medicines are still good and more effective.

Oh well, that was the whole 2 months ride!! Lots of ups and downs and a lot a lot a lot of things to learn as a new parents.... God, give us more of your wisdom and knowledge! =))) In everything, we truly thank God that in times when we feel so helpless, He's there to lift us up. We can put our trust and hope in Him and He will not disappoint us. Psalm 121 says, my help comes from the Lord! Surely mercy and goodness will follow me and my family all the days of our lives! God is good.... so blessed to have Ashlynn added in this family and so blessed and thankful that we can call ourselves daddy and mommy! Be blessed everyone and look forward to His extraordinary grace! =)

Pepper Lunch @ Pavilion KL

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:09:38 PDT

Everytime when we walked pass this restaurant, we always ask and wonder if this restaurant is good. Finally, got to try it when my bro was down in KL and this was a free meal for us since he got to claim from his company! Good... hehe.

One of my colleagues used to say, why pay for food that you have to cook on your own? Haha.. but steamboat is the same as well. A lot of effort needed.

Salmon Carbonara.

Spaghetti Bolognese with sausage.

Salmon and Chicken

Mashed potato - Tastes just like the one in the maggi cup at TGV. :P Worth or not worth?

If you would like to have a set of drink + mashed potato/ice cream, then top up RM4.80.

Well, the food here does not suit our taste buds and I still prefer the one cooked by Justin! =D

Pandan Butter Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:18:00 PST

I saw this recipe again from my favorite home-cooked blogger "Nasi Lemak Lover" and decided to make it a try at home. A very concentrated pandan butter cake. Here's the link to her website Pandan Butter Cake

Can't believe that the taste is just so awesome... and yes, this color is originally from the concentrated pandan juice, and no extra coloring added! It's pure!

Here's the recipe!

Pandan Butter Cake

250g butter
160g sugar
4 eggs
250g cake flour
2tsp of double action baking powder
6tbsp homemade pandan paste (concentrated pandan juice)

1. Sift cake flour and baking powder in a bowl, set aside
2. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add in egg one at a time, mixing well.
4. Fold in flour and pandan paste, combine well.
5. Pour cake mixture into cake tin.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for 60mins or skewer came out clean.

To make concentrated pandan juice, blend as much pandan leaves as possible and refrigerate for few days until there's a layer of concentrated pandan juice at the bottom, which looks a lot like "algae". Hehe... And use that part for the very green look of your cake! =) Happy Baking!!

Chocolate Chips Pancake

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:21:33 PST

It was raining heavily outside and thanks to my instinct that I applied half day leave today. Otherwise I could have stucked in a 2 hours horrible horrendous jam! I had a good afternoon nap and then, woke up to find that I'm hungry! Hehehe.... I don't have any biscuits/bread at home and wondering what will be the easiest to cook snack for tea time. Look around in my favorite food bloggers and I found this! Chocolate Chips pancake sounds interesting and it does not need much ingredients/preparations. I have all of the required ingredients in my fridge.. so voila!!

This pancake is just so delicious.... I would want to try pandan/strawberry pancake the next round!

Here's the perfect recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover! Check out her blog and you will be salivaling. Kekeke...

Pancake Ingredients:
150g Self raising flour
60g Sugar (I reduced to 30g, still tasty)
1/4 tsp salt
110ml Fresh milk
2 egg yolks (Large)
2 egg whites (Large), lightly whisk
1 and ½ tbsp Corn oil
70g chocolate chips

Pancake Method:
1. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Add in egg yolks, milk and corn oil, use a hand whisk to stir well.
3. Add in egg white and stir to combine, then add in chocolate chips, lightly mix well.
4. Spoon batter onto a non-stick pan (without oil) to pan fry until golden brown on both sides

2011 One Utama Parking Rate

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:19:46 PDT

Sad news, One Utama is increasing the parking rate from RM1 for 6 hours to RM2 for the first 4 hours. How sad, but this is still cheaper than most of the shopping malls. And this new parking rate at One Utama will start on 1 Sept 2011.

2011 Empire Subang Parking Rate

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:05:21 PDT

So here's the parking rate for Empire Subang! =)

Delicious @ 1Utama

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:05:35 PDT

Since 1U is no longer 5 mins drive from our home, we only have the so-called-good-food once in a blue moon when we are out and about and so many food-wish-list in mind. So on that day of out and about, we decided to step in to Delicious for pasta! We both love western food because Mon-Fri are loaded with Asian food at home... so SAY NO to Asian food in the weekend. Hehe...

Carbonara Spaghettini with Wild Mushrooms, Beef Bacon, Oregano and Cream (RM23.90)
Thumbs up!!!

Napolicious a creamy tomato based spaghettini with beef bacon (RM18.90) Quite unique as well but I still prefer carbonara. =D

Checkout the dining at Delicious - Bangsar Village II

Fat Spoon at Damansara Utama/Uptown

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:35:18 PDT

Makan group is back on action and we've decided to meet up at this restaurant for our lunch gathering. I didn't have the complete pictures of all our orders because halfway thru, I was just so lazy... lazy spells hit me again! Haha....

Fat Spoon's menu... storybook concept.

Cappuccino!

Fried fritters...

Popiah ...

*and I forgot what is this dish*, but looks normal rite.. and it cost about RM16. Normal chap fan wouldn't have cost this much.. hehe.

Anyway, since we have not met up for quite some time and we have lotsa of things to catchup, this place ain't really a good place for "long term" chatting because it was quite small and not really sound absorbent. We decided to move on to Wondermilk, for long hours of chatting and also to celebrate one of our friend's birthday... =)

Michelangelo's @ Pavilion, KL

noreply@blogger.com (Loveaholic) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:15:42 PDT

Thanks to our boss that we can have a scrumptious meal after work! At first we thought of the usual places like TGIF or Chillies or any other usual restaurants, but surprisingly, we were told to meet up at this restaurant and all of us were quite delighted. The best part is that there's no budget allocated per person and you can even order up to RM1k worth of food if you have the "thick face". Hehe...

Hot Chocolate (RM12.90)

Mineral water from Italy!

Lumache Cotte Del Burro Dell' Aglio ~ Snails in shell stuffed with garlic herb butter, baked in oven, served with garlic bread. (RM29.90)

Creme Di Funghi ~ Cream of triplet wild mushrooms cooked to perfection with a touch of truffle oil (RM12.90) I love this, the real mushroom soup!

Antipasto Di Mare (2 pax) ~ Slipper lobster, oysters, mussels, smoked salmon, octopus, tiger prawns and salmon fish on a 3-tier platter. (RM79.90). I would still think this can serve 4 pax instead of two ... quite a big portion for appetizer.

Funghi Alla Griglia ~ Grilled fresh champignon mushrooms with garlic (RM18.90). I'm a mushroom lover and just love this dish!!

Filetto Costola Con Funghi ~ Black Angus beef ribeye steak (250gm) with blue cheese sauce served with gratinated potatoes and button mushrooms. (RM78.90)

Filetto Di Salmone ~ Grilled salmon on a bed of mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and served with chives cream sauce. (RM45.90)

Protestare Delle Costole ~ Beef ribs braised with barbeque sauce, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. (RM54.90)

Agnello Al Forno ~ Roasted rack of lamb with fresh herbs crusts with shallot and mint sauce served gratinated potatoes and seasonal veggies. (Seasonal price)

II Seno Di Pollo Imbottito ~ Chicken breast stuffed with creamy mushroom and served with pesto sauce. (RM39.90) My order and unfortunately, I just didn't know how to enjoy beef/lamb. Wasted rite.. haha. Otherwise I would have gone for STEAK! =D

Panacotta ~ A light version of Italian cream caramel, topped with fresh strawberries (RM15.90)

*Unfortunately, I've forgotten to capture the caption of this dessert and have no idea what is it now =( *

Tiramisu ~ An Italian tradition of sponge finger biscuits dipped in espresso liquer, then layered between rich mascarpone cream, topped with cocoa powder (RM17.90)

Gelato (Single scoop) ~ Assorted flavours : Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate. (RM11.90)

Torta Di Cioccolata ~ Italian chocolate lava cake, topped with vanilla ice cream. (RM15.90)

Overall, the food here is quite good and the place is fully packed by 8pm with all the western-ist.