apple puree

choose the red color ones..not the green sour apples!

Recipee:
I use 2 red apples (taste it first to make sure it's not sour), and this makes into 150ml (2 big cubes and 1 small cube)

1. wash, peel the skin, chop/dice and throw the seeds
2. boil in water (the water just enough to cover the apples) until tender
3. set aside the apples (but don't throw away the water)
4. blend the apples together with 2tbsp of water (taken from the previous boiled water)
5. put in ice cube

Sweet potato puree

orange colored sweet potato are better to choose than the white ones, because they are more dry not as soft as the orange ones.
japan potatoes are more purple skin but they are not as soft as the orange color
the purple ones also turn black easily once you peel off the skin (I've tried cooking it before and didn't like the color so i threw it away ^^)

baby ice cube tray, ready to be frozen

recipee:
250g sweet potato (for 8-9portions)
1. wash the sweet potato skin, peel and chop
2. steam the sweet potato for about 20-25mins or until tender
3. let it cool for a while and then puree using blender (or whatever utensil u have), adding a few tbsp of water (use the water that you use for steaming)
4. strain the puree for a smoother texture (optional)
5. put in ice cubes..and ready to be frozen

notes:
I dont add milk when making the puree because I'm not sure if formula milk can be frozen..but if you're using breastmilk, it definetely can be frozen. ANyway, we dont know how much milk we shoud add..as the thickness of the puree will vary..depends on the baby...let's say day1 baby will have to eat a very smooth texture but as he gets used to solids, we may not need to add so much milk.

Caleb on the launching of "majesty of Your name" album

I thought I wouldn't be able to stay til the end of the event. I was so sad about it.
Caleb's bedtime is at 7pm..so would have to be on the cab by 6.15pm.
But praise God..He really did arrange caleb's nap to fall at just the right time.
I was upset when caleb just took 30 mins nap in the morning.
I told myself..only 30 mins nap...definetely he will be sleepy even before 7pm and I would have to go home even earlier. but hubby was wise enough to remind me that having short nap in the morning can make him sleepy at late afternoon...caleb will surely have an additional nap and therefore extend his bedtime sleep by 8pm.
And he really did!
so mommy and caleb really stayed at the launching til the end.
caleb got to watch the dance..which amused him so much.
sheila and the team really did a great job on the dance!
two thumbs up!

and the launching of NBC 2nd album is fantastic too..
loves all the songs..
and caleb even got to take pic with sari simorangkir..
yipee...hopefully the spirit of true worshipper will transfer to caleb :)

caleb's new friends

Cheng Cheng (4.5m)-Chloe(5.5m)-Alicia(4m)-Audrey(5m)-Caleb(5m)


Are they kissing? (audrey and caleb)















Chloe and Caleb

Caleb can sit!!!

(the 1st pic i took by my handphone...he smiled when I praised him..I think he also amazed at what he could do!)

just yesterday I read an article that some babies at this age (5m), can actually sit without support for a few secs/mins..
wondering about that..I tried to sit caleb...and see whether he can really sit without my assistance or lie on the wall/pillow/sofa..and....TA-DA..... He CAN!

Caleb's first swimming lesson

this is our treat for caleb's 5 months celebration..he enjoys it so much! no regrets taking him there ^^

Caleb's first bump

Huxxx...yesterday caleb fell down from my bed and bumped his head to a wooden cupboard. Luckily we've dismantled the bed frame and put the mattress on the floor..

Actually, my hubby was playing with him when suddenly the phone rang and he picked up the phone...that's when caleb started to roll and roll..flip here and there til finally reached the edge of the bed and hit the cupboard..we heard the "bang" followed by a loud cry..whooaaaa...I knew something bad just happened..so I quickly ran from kitchen to the room (I was preparing milk for him) and so was hubby too..Hubby was the one who got more shocked coz he just left him for 1 sec and never thought he would 'crawl' that fast..since hubby was more panick then me (hehehe...), i took over caleb and hold him..calm him down...check his body..and found a small lump at the back of his head...he was crying for 3mins or 5 mins..so far I remember he didn't cry for long..
I calmed him and prayed in Jesus name, the pain is gone..anyway he's my strong warrior..so within minutes he stopped crying and I praised him...and told him to be careful next time..

then he calmly took his milk. and you know what...after that..he wanted to play again..flipping here and there like roti prata..(gak kapok kayanya hehe)...

anyway, just to be sure..I called dr.kumar emergency line..and the doctor called me back soon..I explained the accident. He told me to put ice on the lump and to observe caleb for 3 days. If there is no sign of drowsiness and vomitting, he should be fine.

well, I know that at around this age, babies get more active coz they can move...sometimes they fall...and we, parents, are not perfect..we can't always watch them 24 hours without leaving them at all..we need to eat, pee, shower, or simply to pick up the phone..so as long as baby is fine, let's not get too worried...we believe that God is still taking control of our babies lives...we just do our part at our best... I think our decision to put our mattress on the floor is wise enough..otherwise, caleb might experience a much worse accident yesterday...

today he woke up with a smile..he plays well too..
oh yeaahh... he is 5 months old today!!! :)
we are thinking to shave his head bald..coz he keeps having hair lost...
but dunno whether looks nice on him..(anyone?? what do u think?)

Happy mummy :)

akhirnya..apa yang didoakan setiap hari terjawab juga..gak nyadar lagi kalo uda dijawab until yesterday baru deh aku realize..iya yah..si caleb kok skrg bisa tidur tanpa pake acara nangis2 atau rewel dulu...enak banget...dlm bbrp menit bisa tidur..bener2 gak ada tangis2an..well, unless dia overtired..of course masih nangis...tapi kalo weekdays dan kita gak ke mana2..he plays and sleeps well..jadi gak sampe overtired and always falls asleep easily and peacefully..

Moreover...udah 3x ini we found him falling asleep on his own!!!
Thank God!
I know that most babies around 4-6months will have the skill to fall asleep on their own (without our help)..but when I read that..I told myself...ah kayanya not happening this soon lah..hopefully by 6 months..but well..so far uda 3x terjadi..2x ketiduran di strollernya pas jalan2!! (how nice is that...mummy no need to carry 8kg along the way home! hehe)...and 1x ketiduran di ranjang for his 1st morning nap..

another development is..

the 2nd tooth has showed up!! yayy... and with that..the next night, caleb is sleeping through again..he only wakes up around 2.30am for milk..I gave him only 60ml..coz i know he's not that hungry anyway..paling cuma haus..

and TODAY...

he developed a new skill again!!!
last time he mastered flipping over from back to tummy..
sekarang..dia udah kayak roda aja nggelinding terusss... uda bisa tengkurap trus balik lagi sendiri...haizz mummy has to watch over him all the time nihhh..
and u know what..he's so cute..the 1st time he did roll on to his back..he was quite amazed himself and he smiled at me..like he knows he has achieved something good! haha...*hugs u kay*

and..my lil boy ini skrg udah tambah pinter aja...
kalo minta gendong uda bisa kasi/angkat tangannya loh...lucu deh...
trus skrg dia lg gak suka ditinggal sendiri...jadi kalo aku ke dapur..dia maunya ikut...walau gak digendong gpp..asal dia masih bisa liat mummy-nya..

hmmm...apalagi yah...OHHH.... he now likes to play peek-a-boo..can laugh so loud! hahaha..so cute...love him more..... and more......... mummy's lil boy :)

caleb and sophie

Caleb's first tooth

my birthday

I never really bothered about my birthday
I thought it was just another ordinary day when we go out for special dinner/lunch


But..
I was wrong
Today turns out to be very special day for me!
more special than last year
Because...

1. This year is my first birthday to celebrate with our new member of family: Caleb Peter Lim^^
(never thought that it'll be so meaningful...really thanks God for caleb's presence in my life!)
2. I'm good at guessing surprises. Of all the surprises hubby planned last last years..I always knew!
but this time around..I didn't have any clues!
oh well...actually I sniffed something when yosafat called and erinna texted me and they both said sorry for not being able to make it for the 'makan-makan' (er...whattt?? makann? when???)... but he was clever enough to tell me that he's talking about the cell group outing. but still so fishy right?? I dont go to cell groups anymore coz I've to take care of caleb. So I quickly texted hubby and interrogated him. He explained that actually they all wanted to celebrate my bday during the cell group outings..but since we can't make it, most probably will postpone til sunday. and so I believed.

and that afternoon...hubby came home from office earlier and took me and caleb for lunch at Tony Roma's (As planned)
when we arrived there...(I still didnt suspect anything!)
there they were....ko hardiman,ci lina, and benny...shouting "happy birthday" to me

errrrrrr.........okay...it was really unexpected but so glad to have them!
hmm hubby is so much cleverer this year! haha

3. another unexpected surprise came. After back at home, we decided to go for a walk at nearby mall when suddenly hubby got a call and told me he had to be home by 6.30 to meet supplier. and so I believed without much questioning.
then when we arrived..I got another surprise.
a basket of flowers with teddy bear in it!
it's from benny,sherly,erinna and yosafat :)
really..really surprised!
and again, hubby was so good at hiding it!

I really think this is one of the best birthday ever!
(my other previous bday was last 2 years when my friends gave me handmade bday card that was sooo cute..thanks to yosafat^^; and another one was when maria arranged a surprise party for me at east coast-thank you mar..)

How I've been doing..

Exactly one week with no maid to help around.
How have I been doing?

this is my schedule everyday:
6.30 am wake up, wash caleb's bottles, and clean the house (always rushing because I need to feed caleb at 7.15 or 7.30am)
7.15-7.45 feed caleb, wash and sterilize bottles, boil hot water, wash caleb's bath tub, wash dishes
7.45-8am clean caleb's room
8-8.30am clean myself, pray, have breakfast (mostly, I skip this coz no time to prepare b'fast)
from 7am-8.30 am hubby will take care caleb --> bath him and put him for his 1st nap

8.30-10am nap with caleb
10-11.30am play with caleb, change his diaper, feed him etc
11.30am lunch while caleb's having independent play time
12am nap again with caleb for 30 mins then i do dishes etc
1.30pm again play with caleb,feed, diaper etc
3pm put caleb to sleep then prepare his bath
4pm bath caleb, feed, play
5.30pm i bath, heat dinner and eat
6pm walk with caleb n hubby at the park
6.30pm put caleb to sleep
7pm wash dishes, bottles, sterilize, clean house, do laundry and ironing
9pm FB time :)
10pm feed caleb, pray
11pm sleep

hee...such a routine now..I'm getting used to it..
the only thing I havent got used is...being left by hubby during evenings. when he has to go for cell groups, gen next etc...esp on weekends..it's harder...being lonely and bored at home is really not easy. Plus I seldom get to do things that I love...my free time can only be used for FB, blog or forum. I can't watch tv serials knowing that I wont be able to consistently watch.

so yeahh..this is my life now..apart from the joy of raising caleb..there are things that I miss...

the sleeping problem is hopefully settled

Well, I purposely did not want to write about this soon.
Caleb was actually sleeping through the night again since tuesday night.
I did not want to write on the blog after 1 successful day and then tomorrow end up he was back on the frequent waking again. So I observed. And so far it was 3 successful nights!!

we put him to sleep on his tummy. he seems to enjoy sleeping in that position more.
we did experience 1 successful night on sunday night but monday night he woke up again so often, but i think it was the teething that made him so uncomfy. But starting tuesday night til now he was back on track :)
what made me happy is because this problem is solved right before the maid was supposed to return to her employer! Just right 1 day before that. How wonderful is that...God is never late, right?

Praise Jesus who really is faithful! :)

Oh, I also came to read a blog posting (chronicles of babywise mom) about progress in spiral. And reading it really made me feel better. It says that sometimes we are walking in a spiral. we are progressing though sometimes we can be up and can be down, but still moving towards the success. let's say about sleeping through the night...our babies may have slept through the night very well, but he may have also suddenly woken up often again..but you know what...there will be time when he will be back on track again, and even better. so during those down moments, just be patient. anyway, there's always God who strengthens us through difficult times :)

it's just the teething effects

hari ini caleb udah balik normal lagi...udah bisa content dgn kegiatan2nya..
he plays well..chit chat well with me too :)

so it's not that he's bored with his toys.
it's just the teething effects! praise God it's over..

Today is my 3rd day without maid and with caleb behaves well..it really helps me to survive my day. I even washed some bottles and dishes with him watching me and he did not even cry (I put him on the stroller and bring to kitchen with me)..just feeling so content looking around the kitchen and watching me and listening to the tap water.

I hope I'll survive tomorrow...esp that tomorrow evening hubby won't be at home..usually caleb is harder to entertain on evenings..I really hope he wont be cranky if I leave him for a while to have my dinner and to wash & strelize his bottles. really hopes everything's well ... really wish hubby won't go..but I know he just can't..it's his ministry...so again, this is my sacrifice... :( saturday night alone at home.. *sigh...

Caleb is teething!!

OMG...just found 1 little tooth coming out of his gum this afternoon!
at 4 months 2 weeks..that's fast!
His PD just commented that tooth should grow normally by 6 months old. and on moday doctor checked and no sign of teething..on tuesday I was cleaning his mouth, and I am sure I didn't see any tooth yet. so the tooth must have showed up last night!!!

well..maybe that's why he seems like losing interest in his toys and hard to entertain. is he really bored with his toys?? i hope it's just because of teething and soon will be over!

anyway, though teething is one of the signs that he may be ready for solid food. but I still want to postpone it maybe til 5 months or 5.5months :) (or 6 months??..hee but surely now now lah)

a full time housewife

now I'm a full time housewife.
marilyn-the maid- is back to her mam's place today, leaving me and caleb alone :(

I've to admit that she's been a great help for us. Couldn't help to shed tears when she left.
I never know a helper like her...so polite and very diligent worker too. Nowadays it's hard to find a good maid-esp in singapore.

Anyway, I have started my full time job now..taking care of caleb during the day and when hubby comes home, I do some cleaning. this morning marilyn still did the house cleaning for me..but tomorrow morning I've to wake up 6.30am to clean the house, wash and sterilize caleb's bottles and prepare breakfast. Next 2 months I might have to wake up at 6 or 5.30am to prepare caleb's food (I'm excited to give him solids though I know it means more jobs for me!).

I am both excited and nervous too. I am excited that I will be busy doing the things that I love: house works! hehehe...but I'm nervous too coz I know there are days that I"ll be tired but I still have to do many things!!

The hardest job is...to entertain caleb. These days he seems to be bored with all his toys. When he doesnt want to play all the toys that I offer to him, I know that this will be the time I'm gonna miss marilyn...coz she usually helps me entertain caleb..you know..talking to him, peek-a-boo-ing him etc..

I hope I can buy new toys soon..I think I'm gonna buy toys for 6m+ ... caleb is just growing up so fast...he's not interested with newborn toys anymore...haizz...

reflux and solid food

Oh i just remember one thing..dr.kumar mentioned that actually once I start solid on caleb, the reflux will reduce because solids are thicker than milk. he actually told me it's okay to start now (thought he told ci jeanny to wait til 6 months) because of the reflux. But because hubby used to have seafood allergy, he advised me to delay first.

Oh well...

a visit to the new PD

praise God caleb doesn't vomit anymore. He just spits up a bit after I burped him.
we decided to bring him for outing today.
we had a really great time at ION and a walk along orchard road :)

We also decided to give a visit to this PD at paragon. his name is dr.Kumar. I received good recommendations about him from ci lina and ci jeanny. Actually, I was not sure I wanted to visit him since caleb didn't vomit anymore but since we pass by paragon and then I told myself if we see there's a long queue, then we just leave. but unfortunately we came around closing time and we can just go in directly after I filled the form.

this is what dr.kumar diagnosed:
it is a reflux. but it is not serious. because the vomit is not so frequent and the spit up is not something to be worried so much. and also because caleb has a good weigh gain (he is now 7.6kg and 69cm at 4 months 1 week).
he only gave me mortalium and only to be taken if the vomit gets persistant. he didn't say I need to change caleb's formula milk or advise on smaller and frequent feeding.
I'm glad to hear that :)

oh about this doctor, he is good. my hubby likes him. but we still haven't decided whether we want to make him as our PD for good. Our concern is that because the place is far from home.
and we do like dr.lilian lim too. she is also attentive to children but her clinic is always long queue although it's very near to home.
so we put this on hold.

in summary, hubby, me and caleb have a really good time today :)
I love monday because it's outing day for us!!

being grateful in all situation

My recent post about reflux will have something to do with my story today.

Let me start with my situation 3 days ago.
As you have read my previous posts, you may have understood that I've been cracking my head to solve my son's night waking which suddenly moved backward to worse. I didn't know exactly what caused it. calories? do I need to add more Oz in his milk? but he wouldn't finish it. or is it sleep transition? which I couldn't help it until he learns how to fall asleep on his own (remember that I don't do CIO!) or is it habitual waking? or is it the time to move him to 4 hourly schedule? Tracy hogg said not being in the right routine might cause frequent waking at night. I've been trying so many methods...until on that friday, I finally came to my limit..I'm TIRED with all these...

and then on saturday..
it's worse..
After I bathed caleb (I let him play in the water a little bit longer than usual), I fed him..he took his milk well..until 1 sec after I put the empty bottle on the table, he suddenly vomitted all his milk..making both of our clothes wet and our carpet too! He was crying after that...luckily I still remember to be calm, not to panic..if not,caleb will feel my panicky and will cry even more. so i told him 'it's okay caleb...let mummy clean you now'
After all settled..my brain was browsing through its archives. I did read about reflux in tracy's book. So I had a quick read again. and OMG...all the symptoms are there...those signs that I didn't really bother it's actually the sign of my son having reflux!
For the past 2 weeks, he has difficulties halfway finishing his milk, sometimes he coughs during his feed, he spits up abit of milk 30-60mins after he has his milk, and now..the vomitting!!
Although, reflux is common in babies and it will actually be gone when the digestion matures..I still got so very worried...thinking that on the next few days, we will have to return the maid to ci lina..imagine I have to do more washing due to the vomit...and I have to divide his feeding into 2 (it is advised not to overfeed reflux baby, so feed frequently in small amount of milk) which means more jobs and bottle washing for me!!! imagining it made me so tired already!

But I also had another diagnose. Was it because I let him play in the water too long and then he got wind in his tummy???

oh anyway, I called ci jeanny and consult with her and she said the same thing. it's common. it happened to jethro and it will be gone in a while. I also called my cousin whom I know she had gone through it too with her daughter. So okay..I'm not alone, at least.

that night..he didn't sleep well too. he woke up every 1 hour. most likely due to reflux. maybe he still had tummy upset.

Sunday morning, he vomitted again. I was so sad. is going to be worse?
I decided to skip church. Can't imagine if he vomit again in church and both our clothes soak in milk :(
Anyway, I gave him gripe water. he seemed to be better. he farted alot anyway. maybe it was really the wind and not reflux. and then a few hours after that I gave him chinese medicine Poh Ing Tan (special for upset tummy). Actually after the gripe water, he didn't vomit or spit up for the rest of the days.

up to this moment, I was thinking how I wish to go back to 3 days ago. I don't mind going through 'caleb wakes up every 3 hours at night', I don't mind and prefer this as long as caleb is happy and healthy. you know..I shouldn't complain so much about the night wakings..I should be thankful that despite the night waking, he is always happy, content and healthy during the day.
So I prayed and asked for forgiveness to God.

and that night, a breakthrough happened!
he is sleeping through!!! for 6 hours!!! he woke up at 4 am for milk and then back to sleep again until 6am. really praise God. I think God just wants me to learn a lesson about this reflux, to learn to be grateful in all situation :)
this sleeping through is also because my caleb has really mastered his skill of flipping over! he flipped and slept on his tummy, People say babies do sleep better on their tummies despite of the risk of SIDS. But I'm not worried about that. caleb has strong neck and head control. if he has any discomfort, he knows how to change his head position.

well..Thanks God for everything :)

Reflux

How does reflux affect babies?

Reflux is the word used to describe what happens when the stomach contents come back up into the gullet or even into the mouth.

The diaphragm is the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. As the oesophagus passes through the diaphragm, the diaphragm acts like a valve - stopping stomach contents from going backwards up the oesophagus. Doctors refer to this valve mechanism as a sphincter.


What are the symptoms of reflux?
Your baby may regurgitate a little milk after a feed or have hiccups. He may occasionally cough a little after regurgitating the milk if a little has gone "down the wrong way". This is normal and as long as your baby is otherwise well, you don't need to worry. Just make sure you always have a tissue or muslin cloth to hand. Both formula-fed and breastfed babies may be affected.

more information pls see:
source: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/reflux/