June 2008 – Page 2 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Sherilyn, My Little Vain Pot

Several nights ago after I had brushed Sherilyn’s teeth and put her on her jammies, she insisted that she wants to wear her pink hair clip to bed. Knowing that she will throw into a fits of rage if her request wasn’t met, I took her pink hair clip out from her Princess hair accessories box and clipped it on her hair. That little vain pot even demanded that she wanted her hair parted on the left and she swept all her hair to her right and asked me to put the clip on the left side. After that, she ran to the wall mirror. Guess what she did? She began posing like a professional model and put on different smiles and facial expressions! My goodness, she was really good and mind you, I have never taught her to pose or smile so vainly though I do admit that I am also a vain pot and am very fastidious when it comes to selecting my choice of clothes. My maid and I burst out laughing looking at how good Sherilyn was posing away. I would’t be surprised if Sherilyn tells me that she would like to go to a beauty school when she grows up.

No. of times viewed = 212

I Smell Of Regurgitated Milk The Whole Day!

All 3 of my angels are down with the sniffles. Sherilyn was down first. A day later, Alycia’s nose was stuffy too and yesterday was Cassandra’s turn.

I had a tough time nursing Baby C last night as her nose was blocked and she couldn’t breathe when she was latched on. As a result, she was crying each time I nursed her. I had to sit at the foot of the bed to breastfeed her, with the dustbin next to us, for fear that she would puke. I also had to burp her every 5 minutes as she has a tendency to puke every time she cries. My milk supply has also been quite heavy for the past 2 days and Baby C tends to choke too. As she isn’t drinking a lot, my breasts tend to leak milk and I had to change 3 t-shirts and 3 towels throughout the night. I was too exhausted to go downstairs to sterilize my breast pump to express my milk out.

I brought Alycia and Baby C to the paed’s office today. On our way home whilst I was nursing Baby C in the car, all of a sudden, she puked big time. I was soaked with puke to the skin and daddy’s car seat was also soiled. When we were home, Sherilyn was crying and whining big time. As expected, she too puked and messed up the entire dining area floor. Daddy’s clothes were also soaked with puke. Whilst daddy washed up Sherilyn, I quickly went upstairs to wipe off the puke on my body with a wet towel. I then quickly bathed Baby C. I didn’t have time to take a quick shower and was still stinky all over and had to nurse Baby C again as she was wailing her lungs out for milk. After nursing her, I rushed upstairs to have a quick bath, came downstairs for a quick dinner before Baby C woke up. Half way through dinner (which I was merely swallowing my food without enjoying them), Baby C woke up and I had to nurse her again.

In between all these, I had to feed Alycia her meds, force her and Sherilyn to drink water, bathe them and read to Sherilyn. Alycia also puked whilst having her bath and I had to feed her meds again. Phew… life is really crazy with 3 young kids! I can’t wait till they are all grown up!

No. of times viewed = 213

Another Thumb Sucker

Looks like Baby C is another thumb sucker, taking after Sherilyn. Sherilyn is still a thumb sucker up until now, at 3 years 4 months of age. Baby C has been sucking her fist for the past few days and yesterday, she had finally discovered that her thumb tasted better than the entire fist….

Catch Baby C in her new cloth diapers here.

No. of times viewed = 191

A Month Of Weddings

The month of June is always a good month to tie the knot. Last month, I attended three wedding dinners. I have never attended so many wedding dinners in a month in my life than last month. And hubby of course burnt a big hole in his pocket. Of the three wedding dinners, I liked my cousin’s wedding best. That was one of the most well-planned and romantic weddings I have ever attended. The vows exchanging ceremony was held at a lake-side in a 5-star hotel and the dinner was really grand. The bride and groom entertained their guests by crooning several romantic hits. They then waltzed on the dancing floor and kissed! At the end of the wedding, all the guests received some personalized wedding favors that were very unique and pretty. My cousin and her handsome hubby, who is a doctor, left all the guests in complete awe with their charm and of course with the pretty wedding favors.

No. of times viewed = 147

Busy, Busy, Busy With My Babies

Have been really busy with my 3 babies today. Baby C did not nap for long the whole day. The longest she slept was only half an hour, then she would cry and wants to latch on to my teat teats. She has been suckling and drinking so much milk that she poos very frequently too. I have been changing her diaper almost every half an hour to an hour coz even a fart produced poop. I should buy more cloth diapers to cater to her frequent pooing. The frequent pooing could also be caused by the antibiotics that she’s taking. I was just nursing her and changing diapers the whole day. It’s really frustrating that right after I had cleaned her bum and changed her diaper, she pooed again or surprised me with a wee wee fountain and messed herself up again. This happens most of the time.

In between nursing Baby C and changing her diapers, I was coaching Alycia and Sherilyn in their homework. Alycia’s homework from pre-school was very heavy on Friday coz she had missed 3 days of class resulting from throat infection and fever again. Getting Alycia and Sherilyn to do their homework is another tall order. Alycia does not seem to be able to concentrate whenever it comes to Math, Abacus calculation and Mandarin. Her mind seems to be wandering far away and I have to repeat a million times everything, yet she can’t absorb whatever that I had taught her. My mil and I had to take turns coaching her, which can really test our patience to the limit. As for Sherilyn, this tough nut of mine has no interest in her homework. I have to drag her to the table and hold her hand to color with her. The moment I leave the table, she would jump around like a monkey again.

In between all these, I have to counsel my maid and give her pep talks all the time. My maid seems to be quite disobedient and forgetful. I can never leave her alone to cook anything for she will surely forget what I had told her and would screw up the dish. I have also told her countless times not to wash the baby and kids’ clothes with other laundry and told her specifically not to put softener in the load of kids’ clothes. Yet, I caught her putting my hubby’s dirty waist pouch and socks into the washing machine together with the baby’s clothes and she also put softener to the load of laundry. The other day, I also caught her hitting Sher’s cheeks (very lightly) when Sher scolded her. Alycia and Sher have now started to hate my maid and does not want her to bathe them because of the way she treats them, which can be quite rough at times. Some friends have asked me to change my maid but I prefer to give her a chance to turn over a new leaf. Moreover, it’s not cheap to get a new maid and there is also no guarantee that the new maid will be better off.

No. of times viewed = 430

Sherilyn Loves Eating Chicken Feet!

“Eeeyerrrrr……” – that was the remark made by Alycia and I when Sherilyn told her mah mah that she wanted to try the huge chicken feet. My mil had boiled a pot of lotus root stuffed with mung beans soup. She had thrown in a pair of chicken feet together with some pork ribs. When Sherilyn saw the huge chicken feet on the dining table, this little Miss Adventurous said she wanted to try.

First, she picked the chicken feet up with her pair of chopsticks. Then, she smelled it and threw the chicken feet back on the plate when we all said “eeeyerrrr“…..

Seconds later, she said she wanted to try the chicken feet again when her curiosity got the better of her. After her first bite, she liked it…. my goodness, my little non-meat eater likes chicken feet of all meat!

And as she sat on her dining chair all messed up, with soup dribbling down her arms and soup all over her cheeks and table, she chewed on the entire chicken feet and licked her hands clean.

I just can’t believe that Miss Spitty Spat my non-meat eater loves chicken feet. I bet she can be a good contestant for Malaysia’s Fear Factor in future.

No. of times viewed = 223

If It Looks Good, It Tastes Good Too

I mentioned in my earlier posts that Sherilyn my tough nut is super willful and disobedient. Getting her to do any task seems to be a tall order, from getting her to wee wee to poo poo to washing hands to just about any instructions, with the exception of getting her to eat biscuits, chips, ice-cream and other junkies.

When she started pre-school on Monday last week, I have been telling her everyday that she is to eat the food that I pack for her in her lunch box. I also told her to finish the water in her tumbler. However, she comes home each day with her food untouched and water almost untouched too. I never had this problem with Alycia when she was Sherilyn’s age last year. Alycia would obediently finish whatever food that I pack in her lunch box and she would also finish the water in her tumbler almost everyday.

Feeling tired of reminding Sherilyn to eat the food in her lunch box, I made something cute and attractive for her several days ago. I got my maid to fry some eggs, then, I cut them into shapes with my heart shaped and flower shaped cookie cutters.

The result – she whacked all the eggs everyday!

I can’t wait to buy some Bento lunch boxes and tools online so that I can start having fun making pretty Bento lunch boxes for Alycia and Sherilyn. I’m sure they will love them too.

No. of times viewed = 262

Seek Values Counseling To Find Happiness Again

Each day as I flip through the newspapers, I read shocking news of incest, rape, murder and robbery. The recent news of the beastly father who raped his own daughter, fathered several children with her and locked her in a dungeon of their own home for over 20 years was the most shocking I have ever read. The latest that I read today is about a Briton who was accused of murdering his wife and baby daughter. This psychopath made a google search on “how to kill with a knife”, just days before his wife and baby’s bodies were found. This psychopath even advertised his naked picture on the Internet to attract fun sex partners. The picture of his dead baby’s tiny jammies with blood stains sent shivers down my spine. I just cannot fathom how he had the heart to shoot his baby’s abdomen with a gun at close range. The gun belonged to his father-in-law. If only his late wife had persuaded him to seek values counseling at the onset of his weird behavior creeping out, perhaps all these would not have taken place.

Many couples who had sought values counseling manage to salvage their marriages. For the benefit of my readers from Los Angeles, if you are going through a rough patch in your life and need counseling, please make your first call for Counseling Los Angeles in CA now. Don’t wait any further, put an end to your stress, frustrations and anger today with professional help.

No. of times viewed = 144

My New Cloth Diapers Have Arrived!

Before Baby C was born, I told myself that I would try cloth diapers (CD) on her. Many mummy bloggers have extolled the benefits of using CD in their blogs as it is cheaper using CDs than disposable diapers. Other reasons include the higher absorbency rate of CDs vs disposable diapers (DD) and the pretty prints and colors of the CDs that make baby look so cute wearing them. Though the initial investment is costly, in the long run, you save loads!

I bought my first piece of CD from The Baby Loft Shop 1 month back and after using it, I find that the absorbency of CD is much better than DDs. As Baby C poo poos quite frequently (3-5 times a day, sometimes more than that. At times, even a fart produces poop), I use between 8-10 diapers a day, at times even more. Breastfed babies tend to poo poo more frequently as breast milk gets digested easily. Each diaper costs between 50 sen to 80 sen each. Hubby has to spend more than RM150 per month just on DDs.

On average, a CD costs RM85 per piece, depending on the brand. Some with prettier prints are even costlier. There are many brands of CDs sold at online stores now. I bought these CDs from www.babysashanmom.com, recommended by www.allthingspurple.blogspot.com.

There are CDs that come in very pretty cartoon prints but they are multi-sized (S, M, L), meaning I have to keep buying them as my baby grows. I am a very practical person and I prefer one-size diapers, which means that my baby can wear the CDs from birth through potty-trained or around 16kg. However, there are not many pretty prints for one-sized CDs. It’s ok anyway as Baby C only wears the CDs at home.

The inserts for the CDs cost RM17.90 each.

This one is from Mommy’s Touch. There are rows of snap buttons on the waist to cater for the growing baby.

Happy Heiny’s one size diapers comes with 2 inserts – one long and one short. The waist area is expandable by adjusting the two tabs on the velcro.

I am considering buying more CDs so that Baby C can even wear them at night. This time, I will get other brands from www.miabambina.com.

No. of times viewed = 435

Dirty Cat

I’m such a clean freak but unfortunately Alycia and Sherilyn are not. I can’t stand a speck of dust in my room, absolutely abhor dirty and stinky loos and I can’t stand dirty and oily hands. But not Alycia and Sherilyn, especially Sherilyn. Sherilyn loves to eat with her fingers…. and despite me telling her not to scratch her head and wipe her dirty hands on her clothes repeatedly, she never ever once listens. That’s one of the reasons why I need to place a cane on the dining table. Another reason for the cane is that Sherilyn has a habit of getting up and down the chair and roam about in the house, playing with her toys with her oily hands, touching Baby C with her dirty hands and dropping bits and pieces of food everywhere in the house. Once Baby C’s cheeks smelled of fish curry and I was fuming mad when I found out that she played with Kakak’s food, then touched Baby C’s cheeks with her curry smeard fingers…. aargh!! Of all people, she has to touch Baby C’s eczema face!

Here, Sherilyn was eating a slice of multi-grain bread, slathered with slabs of black sesame paste and organic almond butter.

And this brat has a habit of digging the jam and black sesame paste and what not that’s spread on her toast / sandwich with her fingers.

Then, she will scratch her head with both her hands and then wipes her hands on her clothes… which will send me hollering away….. “STOP scratching your head Sherilyn…. STOP wiping your hands on your clothes… DON’T touch the chair with your dirty hands…. DON’T touch baby with your oily hands…..”

And then, poor Kakak will have to rinse away the stubborn black sesame paste from her clothes before dumping them into the washing machine. And I will have a back-breaking time trying to wash away the black sesame paste off from under her fingernails. Next time, I should get a nail brush to brush off those paste and what not dirt from her finger nails!

No. of times viewed = 264

Aqueous Cream For Eczema

Baby C’s face is now cleared of eczema. Although it is not 100% flawless yet, it is nevertheless improving and her complexion is glowing now. I did not really alter my diet (Baby C is still breastfed exclusively) and have been drinking milk 2-3 times a day, I still eat an egg a day, I still eat peanut butter and nuts almost everyday, beef and occasionally eat prawns. What I find helpful to keep the eczema at bay is to keep her face clean and moisturized. Heat is also the number one culprit, so keeping her cool all the time is important too.

Baby C sleeps downstairs during the day, where there is no air cond. Whenever she is sweaty, I will wipe her face and body. I wipe her face at least 4-5 times a day with filtered water. Whilst her face is still slightly damp, I apply Aqueous cream (or Aqua cream) generously all over her face, paying attention to the eczema prone areas.

This tub of Aqueous cream only costs RM15 (made in Malaysia!). I apply it generously all over my body too everyday!

Baby C’s face is now glowing, is not blotchy and does not feel rough anymore.

Baby C is half awake here. She has double eyelids on both her eyes. However, the wierd thing is that when her eyes are fully opened, the double eyelids will vanish! I hope the double eyelids will be a permanent feature soon, whether she’s half awake or fully awake! (like Vien’s Cassie whose double eyelids only appeared at 3 months old).

I really can’t tahan how cute she looks when she sleeps and kept snapping her pix away yesterday!

No. of times viewed = 2434

Cassie’s Pediatrician

The doctor who is treating Baby C’s UTI is a super busy pediatrician. He operates his own clinic and also practices at two private hospitals. When I brought Baby C to the hospital to see him for a follow-up check one evening last week, we had to wait for more than an hour for him to arrive. He was rushing from one clinic to the other and his dinner was only a Gardenia bun that he grabbed from the sundry shop outside his clinic. I have to say that he seems to be a very knowledgeable pediatrician but he always pisses me off when he tells me that I ask him too many questions.

The next time he chides me off for asking him too many questions, I will tell him that I am entitled to ask him questions and I am paying him for it. I will ask him to put himself in my shoes and see how he feels. I will also ask him to get free medical applications for iphone from Epocrates instead of referring to the dog-eared notebook that he puts inside his shirt pocket. That notebook makes him look like a student whenever he refers to it for his medical notes and dosages. Referring to his iPhone for medical applications will definitely make him look more professional.

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

No. of times viewed = 223

Training Alycia and Sherilyn To Be Real Chinese

We are pure Chinese but many things that we do make us look ‘un-Chinese’, like I speak to the gals in English all the time, the gals and I only watch TV programs from the English channels, we eat with fork and spoon most of the time and we enjoy eating Western food.

Whenever my mil is back, she will practise Chinese with the gals – she speaks to them in Mandarin and she trains them to eat with a bowl and chopsticks. Now, both the gals can converse in Mandarin quite fluently (especially Alycia) and they can even eat like a Chinese like a pro as seen in the pix here.

And not once have Alycia and Sherilyn dropped the China bowl *knock on wood*!

That’s my plate – I still eat with fork and spoon. I waste no time and always read the newspapers during mealtimes and there’s always a cane next to me (to threaten Sherilyn my tough nut), haha!

No. of times viewed = 318

I Need A Break

I have been missing many family outings lately. Today, hubby and mil brought Alycia and Sherilyn to the shopping mall but I had to stay home with Baby C. Life has been quite miserable for me lately and I feel as if I’m being locked up in a home prison. The only place that I have been going to for the past 2 weeks is the hospital. That’s one of the sacrifices of being a mother. Our pediatrician has advised us to avoid bringing Baby C to crowded places as her immune system could be a tad weak from all the antibiotics that she’s been taking. I told hubby that when Baby C has recovered from this illness, we should all go for a vacation.

One of my dream vacations is renting a holiday home in the beautiful countryside of France. I’ve seen from travelogues how beautiful the French countryside is. Among the many beautiful places to visit in France is Morbihan, Orne and Perigord Pourpre. Self catering rentals in Morbihan is very popular. Morbihan is well known for its beautiful beaches with such activities as boat trips on the Gulf of Morbihan, fishing, sailing, nature trips, bird watching and diving.

I can also consider renting one of the many family friendly holiday gites in Orne. Many tourists go to Orne to find tranquility and unwind from the stress of their daily lives and return home refreshed. Hubby may also wish to get a private chateaux to rent in Perigord Pourpre, one of France’s leading holiday destinations. He will surely be mesmerized by the best of the French scenery and colorful markets.

Hopefully by God’s grace, Baby C will soon recover and my dream of having a family vacation will materialize.

No. of times viewed = 168

Baby C Is Besotted With Sher’s Hickory Dickory Clock

Daddy bought this toy clock for Sherilyn when she was 10 months old. There is music in the tune of ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’ after the clock is being wound up and both the hands in the clock will move with a ticking sound.

When Baby C cried non-stop 2 weeks ago, Daddy dug out the old clock from Aly and Sher’s toys cabinet and wound up the clock. When Baby C heard the soothing soft music and the ticking of the clock, she stopped crying and stared at the clock as the hands were moving. Since then, she has been besotted with this clock and I will use this clock to babysit her whenever I need to take a quick shower or poo (no more than 5 mins coz the music will stop after 5 mins!).

Baby C’s eyes were fixated at the clock here. Sometimes, she will even try to touch and ‘talk’ to the clock and she looked soooo cute whilst at it.

No. of times viewed = 349

I Wish There Was A Natural Way To Treat Kidney Reflux

This morning, my heart broke into pieces again when I saw how hard Baby C puked, till her face became all red. She just hates the antibiotics. Not only does it taste awful, the cold and gooey liquid is a shock to her when it touches her mouth and throat. Poor baby, I wish there was a natural way to treat the kidney reflux, instead of antibiotics. Some of my friends recommended cactus juice, some recommended the liquid from lava and some recommended kava kava, a herbal supplement which is known as the Pacific elixir. Well, I wish I could feed her with these stuff instead of antibiotics. Dear Lord, please help me to find a more natural way to treat my poor baby and I wish I can stop force feeding her with antibiotics once and for all.

No. of times viewed = 138