Norra @ 23months!

Cutting watermelon :)

Her first 'masak-masak' set :)

Sorry Mommy's been so busy (and lazy too) that I haven't been jotting down your milestones.
It's too fast that I missed catching up!

Loving
Stickers! Started having stickers from music teacher and we noticed how much you loved them. Mommy specifically ordered a set of sticker story books for you. That's something you really enjoy playing with us :)

Potty
You're officially on nappy-free completely. Grandma practices with you in the day for a while and now we're confident enough to let you go to bed without one! Not even need it when we're out! Definitely proud of you!

Speaking
Lots of sentences. You can express freely in terms of wanting or "no wan". Calling people morning when we go downstairs after waking up, without me asking you to :)
Part of the bedtime routine, "Mommy, I want, Miggie and, Donner Duck!" demanding for your favourite video clip.
In the middle of the night, sometimes from my deep sleep, I can hear,"Mommy, peez, guhm! Oi Oi Chuuee, dwink nen nen!"

Watching
Love watching Winnie the Pooh. Not even a few times watching and you can already tell me the stories :) after a while you started singing the songs in the videos. Love you!

Listening and Singing
You're definitely loving music so much. Especially the songs we played from your music class. That's a must-have for nap time routine :)

Enjoying going to your music class, of course. Spending time with your peers and oh well, you can actually pay attention to teacher too. Mommy's so proud :)

Learning
You've been playing with crayon for a while, water colours and even pencil colours. Though not much interest in drawing but we're learning colours at least. We're working on numbers too. Almost counting to ten. You often go from "one, two, theee, voh, seven!" Mommy will usually correct you by saying six, seven, then you'll be able to go,"egg, nai, ten!" Gave me a high-five and laughing away.

Eating
Favourite snack at the moment - seaweed! Though raisin still hold its top 3 places but seaweed can calm you instantly without failed.

Loving you more each day.
Proud Mommy
Xoxoxo

Cheesy Tuna Casserole

Cheesy Tuna Casserole!

Happycall Pan! Seen here on my Delicooker

My very first attempt on Cheesy Tuna Casserole! I did some modification, with spiral pasta and "pan-baked" with my newly bought Happy Call Pan.

Here's the recipe:

Tuna chunks in olive oil - 2 can

Spiral pasta - half a packet from 375g

Cheddar/ Mozarella cheese - 150g

Mushroom soup - 2 sachet, stir well in 1 cup of hot water

1 medium carrot - cut into small cubes

1 big onion - cut into bite size

Bacon - cut into bite size

Herbs - basil 1 teaspoon, oregano 1 teaspoon, thyme 1 teaspoon

Black pepper - half a teaspoon

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Nacho - 1 medium packet

Steps:

1. Cook spiral pasta with a teaspoon of salt in water, drain and mix well with olive oil, for later use

2. Stir-fry carrot, onion and bacon till brown

3. Mix all the ingredient in the pan (I mixed mine seperately in a large bowl before transferring the mixture to the pan, whichever easier for you)

4. Bake for 10mins or till brown

5. Sprinkle the top with lightly crushed nachos.

6. Serve warm, enjoy!

Relactation

Of late I've been experiencing extremely low supply, for the whole of last month. I was working extremely busy and often skipped pumping sessions. Most of the day I managed to pump only once at work. Feeling so guilty to bring home only about 3oz of breastmilk.

I've also started going on a no-carbs diet. I can't be going on feeling and looking disgusting. So I'm expecting that will further reduce my supply as I'm cutting down food and carbs intake.

To my surprise, lately I noticed a slight increase on supply. Especially this morning, instead of my usual 2-3oz, I got myself almost a 5oz! That's really something that I didn't expect! So I traced back what I did, only thing I can think of that helped me would be the oats that I've been taking every morning for a week already. I'm glad that my breastfeeding journey is not going to end soon. Next, is to stock up more oats! :)

Seaweed Soup To Boost Your Supply

Thanks Mom for the lovely home cooked seaweed soup. That's exactly what I needed!

Kombu seaweed is rich in protein, calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron and folate. Lower rates of breast cancers have been reported in Japanese women eating a diet high in kelp. Lignans, which help fight cancer are found in high quantity in kelp and may provide protection against certain cancers. In many asian cultures, seaweed soup is considered a must for pregnant and nursing women, as eating seaweed is an effective way of stimulating healthy breast milk production.

Seaweed is also given to students, usually without fail on the night before an important exam, as seaweed is believed to support optimal brain function. Also, because of its high protein, essential nutrients and chinese medicinal qualities it can help support healthy weight loss.
In Korean, this soup is called mi-yuk gook. and can be purchased at most Asian markets and health food stores. Dr. Kim provides a delicious recipe at his website here: http://drbenkim.com/recipes-seaweed-soup.html

Ingredients:
1 package of dried seaweed (1 ounce is fine for four servings), available in all Korean food markets – ask for the kind used to make seaweed soup, or mi-yuk gook (you don’t want the thin kind used to make sushi rolls.)

6 cups of vegetable broth or organic chicken broth 

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

Naturally brewed soy sauce or sea salt, to taste

1 teaspoon of minced garlic (optional)

Directions:
Soak seaweed in water for two hours or until soft. Drain and rinse really well, as dried seaweed can come with a lot of dirt, just like spinach does.

Put all ingredients, including seaweed, into a large pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes to allow all the flavors to come together.

Koreans traditionally enjoy this seaweed soup with a bowl of white or brown rice, sometimes together in the same bowl.

Darling is now 19 Months Old!

My Darling baby gal just turned 19 months old on Monday. Time doesn't seem to wait at all. She's getting really grown up these days.

Solid Foods

She loves her greens. Favourites are french bean, bayam, carrot, yao mak, Choy sum...
She used to love egg and salmon, but lately it seems a bit boring for her. All time favourite is Shiitake mushroom, still loving it from the start till now!
Porridge has became the history, she could spend her while meal just on plain rice or noodles, of course we complete that with her favourite vege and sometimes fish or meat.
Oh yes, she enjoyed her first chicken drum stick last weekend, one was not enough and asked for second one!

Motor Skill

She can twist and turn to open almost any jar with cap. Medications or supplements should be placed somewhere out of her reach.
Going up and down the bed and sofa very skilfully.

Senses

We've been exposing her out of the house without shoes. So she can explore and really feel the tiles and grass barefooted. A bit hesitated to step on the grass at first, but with distraction and company, she started enjoying walking over it. Keeps herself busy plucking Grandpa's plant and peeking over the fishes. Each time we go out to play, one of her usual activity will be "wok wok wok".

About 3 weeks ago, we had a family trip to Kuantan Hyatt, a very nice and relaxing place. Darling was having her horrible first experience on the beach when the first wave hit her legs. She's got a shock and chill, from then onwards she refused to go down to even touching the sand. Basically crying the whole time till we left the beach! :(

Nursing

I'm proud of my nursing champion who still nurse like a pro. That's her usual bedtime routine to chill out on me and have her nen-nen before drifting right into dream land.
Lately she can even unlatch and ask to latch on the other side. Where's my baby who would just nurse quietly till sleep?!

This is another habit that I'm trying to break. Nursing to sleep is something that I wished I did differently from the start. It's easier for moms in the beginning but as they grow, you won't wish to carry on that habit. It makes it so hard for other family members to settle them as they're too used to sleep with nen-nen. So it's almost impossible for mommy to take a break. Hubs tried to help in the beginning but it gets harder till he learned that he could never settle her to sleep as he doesn't have nen-nen. So night time routine has always been my one-man show.

Speech

She's been a little chatter box speaking with her own cutie language. Speaks to her lovey, speaks to the books, speaks to the adults. All in sentences that only she can understand :) We would answer her like we know what she's talking about. But if we got it right, she'll be very delighted.

Also, she sings better now. Used to be just single words from the lyrics but now sings a little longer. She remembers every single song that we played for her. From the CDs, from Daddy's car player, from Grandpa's music videos.

Potty

Darling learned to alert us whenever she feels like having bowel movement. She could even tell us before she wanna pass urine. Whenever we hear "Mm Mm", we'll put her on potty immediately for her to do her business.

It's really a major milestone as we've been trying that for quite some times.

Mommy so proud of you!
Mmmmmmuah!!

Murungai Curry with Sardine

First Attempt of Murungai Sardine Curry!

Finally Mel got me a few sticks of fresh Murungai. And I made an effort to leave work early to cook.

Half way cooking, Hubs join in the fun to prepare the chapatti and roti canai. It took me about 1.5hour for the cooking and finally we ate at 9pm!

It's diluted as we kept adding water to boil but without adding extra curry powder and salt. So we had to top up with a bit of soy sauce to make it edible. Overall not too bad for my first attempt!

Here's the recipe from Mel:

Sardine Curry Recipe

Sautée the onions, garlic, spices 1/2 teaspoon, add 1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seed, curry leaves and green chilli.

Once slightly cooked, put in 2-2.5 tablespoon of fish curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder and one cup of water.

Wait for it to simmer then add more water, put in veges and Murungai.

Halfway boiling, put in sardine into the boiling pot. Once potatoes are softened, ready to serve.

Breastfeeding Toddler

Breastfeeding a toddler!

I'm proud to say that my 19-month-old Darling still a nursing champion, only getting stronger. Each night, that's her bedtime routine to have her nen-nen before falling asleep.

Her favourite position is climbing on me, lie on her stomach comfortably to have her milk. Lately she learned to ask for the next breast after emptying one!

Expectedly, people around us are often amazed that why are we still breastfeeding? My toddler is going to be 2-year-old! Let's see what's the benefits of breastfeeding a toddler.

The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.." * The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that babies be breastfed for at least two years.

Breastfeeding a toddler helps with the child's ability to mature. Although some experts say a toddler who is not weaned will have difficulty becoming independent, it's usually the fearful, clingy children that have been pushed into situations requiring too much independence too soon. A breastfeeding toddler is having his dependency needs met. The closeness and availability of the mother through breastfeeding is one of the best ways to help toddlers grow emotionally.

Breastfeeding can help a toddler understand discipline as well. Discipline is teaching a child about what is right and good, not punishment for normal toddler behavior. To help a toddler with discipline, he needs to feel good about himself and his world. Breastfeeding helps a toddler feel good about himself, because his needs are being met.

Just as babies do, toddlers receive health benefits from breastfeeding. Your milk continues to provide immunities and vitamins, and can help protect your toddler from illness and allergies. If your toddler does get sick, nursing will help comfort him. In fact, a toddler with an upset stomach may be able to tolerate nothing but human milk.

Is any of these benefits convincing enough for you?

18 Months Old, Already!

Enjoying the sun and the greenery :)

It still blows my mind that you're now 18 months old and soon to be two year old within a good few months. Time really does fly, I just wish I could pause in between sometimes.

You've been a real chatty little gal lately, communicating with everyone with your very own language, sometimes Korean, sometimes French. It's such a cute scene when we have to react by guessing what you're trying to mean :) Because we know that you do really mean something especially when you're talking with your serious expression and little arms swinging.

We're implementing manners and you're doing pretty well. Calling everyone very often, learned to express yourself especially to get things you want; learned to say thank you as well. Another cutest things is, you just love talking on the phone! From your toy phone to an apple or an empty hand, you can just pop it next to your ear and talk while walking :) That's taught by Daddy!

We're so proud that we can let u go nappy-free by this early age, such a great accomplishment! We credit that to your PoPo, who patiently trained you on potty. You only wear nappy for day nap and night. Sleeping without nappy is going to be another milestone that we're aiming for.

Some of your major milestones:

- Getting to really love swimming. The most recent swim with Grandpa, you stunned us by lying on your stomach, kicking water and moving your arm at the same time, without guidance!
Later we found out from PoPo that you've been practising on the sofa, finally you got to apply it in the pool! :)

- It was just a while ago that you're learning to walk, now that you're running already :)
Few hiccups here and there when you're learning to pull the handbrake and controlling the speed. Now that you've mastered it :)

- Singing is something that you enjoy too. You love it when we duet with you.
Favourite song of the month:
The Muppets - Mahna Mahna :)

- Learned to jump as you see the neighbour's cats jumping all the time. Enjoying outdoor so much nowadays that you get to say hello to next door's cats and dogs.

More to add on later :)

Happy 18 months old my dearest Darling.

Love you,
Sweet Pea Mom

Medela Service Center

That's a breastfed baby! :)

I'm always proud of myself and Darling that we made the breastfeeding journey through her 18months of age, and still going strong. Though I'm struggling with low supply of late. In the dilemma of supplementing other milk for her. Feeling bad that I'm not providing enough for her needs. Loads of complicated emotions adding into the frustrations.

I'm using one of the best breast pump in the world, Medela Freestyle. It's been so great battling with me through the hardest times. Such a wonderful gift from Hubs. But recently I'm having a bit of problem with the pump. The battery just not charging. Problem starts surfacing right after the 1year warranty over.

Yesterday finally paid a visit to the Medela Service Center in Ampang. After a general diagnosis, it's concluded that the machine is not communicating with the battery. So my only choice is to send it for repair, pray hard that it won't cost me a bomb. Paid RM500 (!!!) for deposit to get a loan unit until my machine is back.

Managed to speak to the service staff for some advice on boosting milk supply. She recommended to take fenugreek, the actual seed instead of powder, since I'm having trouble swallowing the mixed powder drink. About 10-20 seeds, wash, soak in hot water, chew the seed and drink the water. Twice a day. Alright I'm gonna give it a try.

She also mentioned that I should be pumping not more than 3hours interval. Each pump I'll use the massage mode for at least 6mins before going into the pumping mode. Massage helps open the milk ducts and stimulate the let down. By doin that I should be getting more milk than usual. Really?? Why didn't anyone tell me that special technique when I bought the pump?! Well I guess it's better late than never. Tried that for my next pumping session, it seems working well!

Medela Service Center
Lot B2-G Jalan Selaman 1
Dataran Palma Off Jalan Ampang
68000 Ampang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel:  603-4270 1128
Fax: 603-4270 6451
cs.ampang@lacta-equip.com(
Mon-Fri: 10am - 7pm
Sat: 10am - 2pm
Sun & Public Holidays: Closed

Happy 17 Months old!

Favourite food of the month: Egg!!!

My Darling turns 17th months old today. Feeling so quilty I wasn't prepared for her list of milestones. Been really packed with the handmade soaps lately.

In terms of solid foods, she's been eating adult foods quite often and she loves it. Of course, we try to limit that so majority she still be eating her usual steamed vege, fish and egg, without salt or any flavouring.

Yea egg is one of her favourite right now. So excited by just seeing it. Keeps saying,"Aedgg, Aedgg, Aedgg!"

She's been playing with hard boiled egg for quite a while. She knows how to knocked it slightly and break the shell. 2 weeks ago, she managed to peel egg for the first time! By a little guidance, she peeled off bit by bit, gently scraped off by nail, and, tada! There you go a nicely peeled hard boiled egg! Such a great accomplishment! She can't wait to send it right into her mouth and take a big bite :)

Mommy love ya,
Xoxoxo