Week 19

This week Tobey mastered the art of sitting unsupported when he concentrating on what he's doing (not when he's focused on his toys). He learned that if he's tumbling to his sides, he could use his hands to push himself upright again, and when he's tumbling backwards, he can head forward to avoid falling on his back. He's still practicing hard and relentlessly every chance he gets! During nap times, when he's got other ideas other than napping (like chewing on his toys), he'll try to sit up (It'll be interesting when he can climb down his cot). Sometimes, I had to resort to literally pressing him down (with all my might, as he's one strong boy) just to keep him horizontal. This boy can get really stubborn and this newfound skill of his (or rather ab strength) enable him to choose play over nap even though he badly needed some sleep! A bit like mommy.

He also managed to flip from front to back in his play cot. This came as a surprise to us as he hasn't really champion the skill of flipping from back to front yet. SK defended his dear son by saying that there's no benefit for him to flip from back to front,but by flipping from front to back he can actually get into a restful position. I think that's just the father in him talking. In my opinion, my son just hates to be on his front as it stops him from getting to his thumbs comfortably.

Current favorite habit would be swinging his toys really hard left and right until they flew off onto the floor. Can't wait to see what's next :)

Firsts

This weekend, it's Tobey's first propper attempt on the high chair...lasted 30 mins, I am happy!

and first time allowing us to keep a hat on his head throughout a trip

Chili Prawn

Thanks to Mae Pranom Brand- Chili Gravy for Fried Fish...a sauce that actually gives you want you expected of it.

Smile!

I think Tobey finally understands that he's suppose to sit still and smile when we point the camera at him.....

Week 18

We had a wonderful time over the weekend. Sk finally had a work stress-free weekend with us. It was so relaxing. We just went shopping leisurely, sat in a cafe, played with Tobey and had lots of walks. Tobey definitely enjoyed his time with his daddy and as for me, it's definitely a bonus when SK can take over in looking after Tobey whilst I had extra few hours of sleep on Sunday morning. Darn, I miss lie ins!

This week, we took Tobey to register his birth with the Malaysia Embassy in London. We also managed to get his passport done. Since we live no where near London and we needed to get there by 8:30 am so as to ensure the collection of passport falls on the same day, we left the house at 5:35am to avoid traffic congestion into London. Not nice. But it was a first for us to be driving through the central of London. We drove on Baker St., Oxford St., and even drove through Tower Bridge! Usually, we would be walking, clutching our backpacks, camera and map. London drivers are one hell of a confident bunch. Delivery vans would criss-cross impatiently and fast cars would go...well fast, in the middle of the morning traffic. The funny thing is there were still those brave souls who cycled to their destination!!!!!! Just imagine a cyclist in KL morning traffic. Then there's this cute little electric milk truck that zoomed calmly by. I thought those things only worked in places like kampung Norhampton, so it was a delightful sight.

We went to visit Tsulin and her lovely daughter Shean Wenn

Tobey was happy to meet Shean at last. Both babies are born 2 weeks apart and their mummies have been discussing about them since they were still in their respective mummy's womb! Shean and Tobey didn't really talk much to one another, but they are not shy to sit near together as well...infact they are quite comfortable with one another

see Shean even allowed Tobey to have his nappy change in her turf! Such a lovely host she is.

In terms of development, Tobey has been practicing 'sitting-up unsupported' alot this week. His fav place would be his cot as the mattress is softer for him to elbow himself up to sitting position. When he's sitting up, he would look over the rail and he finally saw where I've been sleeping all this while. Can't pretend I am not in the room anymore, he knows where to look for me now.

Since he's so into sitting, we finally assembled the travel cot for him to play in. No longer can just place him on the sofa and expect him not to tumble onto the floor

We've also put him in this empty nappy box when we wanna cart him into another room when needed. He loves it!

As for solid food intake. I've made my first homemade combi puree this week, made from rice, sweet potato, carrot and broccoli cooked over slow fire. He had no problem with it. But I discovered it was a task to not make too much as these homemade puree is awful for freezing as their texture doesn't stay smooth after defrosting. So the solid journey continues...

Week 17

Tobey had his 3rd vaccination jab this week (3 needles!!!). He was a brave boy, just cried for like several seconds and looked at the third needle going into his thigh. On that night itself, he had his first fever. We didn't think he mind that much, probably just thought the night just became really warm. We gave him some Infant Calpol (150mg of paracetamol for every 2.5ml) and that did the trick of bringing his temperature down. The next day, he refused his solid due to lack of appetite. But in true Tobey form, he bounced back on Friday and all energetic again.

Started him on solid, once a day ( except for that Thursday when he wasn't feeling well). Staple of rice cereal and rusk mixed with his formulae milk. Introduced him to sweet potatoes puree (he didn't like it. Could be too thick, will try again this coming week) and banana puree (he loves it but it gives him funny looking poo, so I'll leave that off for now). Looking forward to give him spinach and carrot puree soon.

He sits better (supported) nowadays. Often caught him balancing on his rocking chair whilst watching tele.


He also developed this strange habit of pursing his lips in all sorts of manner since starting solid. My guess is that he is experimenting in ways of keeping his food in. Funny boy, sometimes when he pulls such faces, he looks like an old man chewing without teeth!

Tobey is also more playful nowadays. He's would repeat a same action again and again as if it's a funny game. For example, when sitting on our lap, he would tilt his head back to look at us and give us a smile, then look back at his toy, then repeat the tilting action again and again till something else caught his attention. He also perfected his skill of putting his arms out and calling out to us if he wants to be carried. He would do so whilst looking into your eyes, making it much more difficult to ignore him.

His sleep pattern changes each night. But still at 5-6 hours stretches. So I am not too bothered. Probably just reaction to the starting of solid.

My Page Turner

Tobey has been perfecting his skill of 'turning pages' for a couple of weeks now. I know it's not much of a skill, but it's the first channel for him to show me that he understands what I say to him sometimes. When I sit him on my lap and read him his poem or story books, I would leave the next page/leaf loose from my grip, then I'll asked him to “ Flip the page for mummy, baby” and he would do so in his own way. Sometimes midway through the flipping process he would lick the bottom corner of the page first, then continue to flip it. There are times when he would not be intrested in what I am reading at all, he would just proceed in flipping one page after another without me asking him to do so, which can get quite annoying, as I could only read the first line of each page before he flips it over. I suppose it's not time to instill manners yet, but instead just allow him to practice his hand-eye co-ordination and pincer grasp techniques for now.

Week 16

My baby is finally 16 weeks old( 4 months)!!!!!!!!! :)

Over the weekend, we didn't get to do much as SK had to work. On Monday, we took Tobey to SK's office for the customary 'bring your new baby in to show us' stunt. It's only fair as his colleagues actually showered Tobey with so many gifts! And also a lovely bouquet of flowers for me after my delivery ( I wanted to post this flower pic up long time ago...kept putting it off as it reminds me of the difficult first weeks)

Back to the main character...Tobey warmed up to SK's colleagues quite quickly. Initially, he was quiet, then when they started letting him hold their fingers, he started to see them as friends as he kept trying to put their fingers in his mouth. Lots of smiles and laughs as well. They thought he looked too tall and too big to come out of me (according to one of them I was petite..HAHAHAHAHHA) and that he looked more like a 8 months old baby rather than a 4 months old. We also managed to go to McD as I was craving for some. I saw this grotty old high chair at a corner and decided to let Tobey sit on it, as the chair looked pretty safe.

He enjoyed being on it but I took him off after a minute as he was still abit wobbly in that position.

I discovered that Tobey finds the "A-Boo-Chuk" game hilarious! It's a simple game - one of us would hide our face behind our hands, say "a-Boo", wait a little and then open our hands whilst saying "chuk" loudly to provide that element of suprise to the baby. We tried that game on him when he was a few weeks old, but to no effect. But this time, he would giggle and laugh each time we "A-Boo-Chuk" him. When we hide behind our hands, and wait , he would try to pry our fingers open impatiently as he don't want to be shocked! These are some of the faces he pulled



Funny boy. Oh, we've done some trial run sessions in feeding him solid, just to see what he thought of it. Basically just some rice cereal or some Farley's Rusk mixed with his usual milk to a gooey consistency. He loved the rusk and just tolerated the rice cereal. In fact, each time I took the spoon away from his mouth to scoop more rusk, he protested, as he thought the rusk came free-flowingly from his spoon! Towards the end of the meal, I just gave up and let him have his magic spoon....One thing I noticed, he would still want his milk at the end. I guess he sees these feeding episodes were just another one of mummy's crazy games...he'll understand more when I incorporate it into his routine this coming week.



What else....oh he started to drool alot, dunno why. His sleep pattern became more erratic as well. He still starts his sleep at 9 pm but would still wake up twice between 9 pm to 9 am. SIGH! Nevermind, I shall be patient..at least until he's 6 months old. His sleep stretch is now between 5-6.5 hours. It would be nice if he can go without for longer. I roughly measured his height the other day and he's measuring about 70 cm.

Week 15

Over the weekend, we went to London to visit friends. Tobey's first time to London. He also met 2 years old Dominic. Cute Dominic touched Tobey's foot and quickly ran back to his dad, so funny! It's a shame that we stay so far aways from them, else, it would be nice for Tobey to have a 'big brother' to teach him the ropes ;)

We also managed a trip to Abington Park in Northampton. It was serene and it's nice to stay away from the malls for a weekend. But SK is adamant that I should bring Tobey out to be amongst many people, or to people watch. So, I'll have to bring him to the mall in Milton Keynes again tomorrow. Thank God it's a weekday. This time, I don't plan to stay out with him for long. I am also too lazy to walk much. Probably just plonk ourselves in Costa or Starbucks to people watch.

This week I witnessed Tob's first flip to his front. It happened after his bath yesterday. He was on the bed and I just went away for a split second to get his lotion. When I came back, he was doing it, turning to his left side until his tummy touched the bed. He got his left hand stuck though. Most probably just a one-off as he's not that keen to practice and would scream at us if we try to roll him around. Well, hopefully he'll make that part of his activity when he's ready, in his own time. Speech wise, he's been babbling more as well.

He's showing signs of readiness to wean to solid food, such as

• Holding his or her head up and controlling head movements.



• Sitting well when supported.



• Making chewing motions.



• Doubling his or her birth weight.



• Less interest in his milk
  



• Attempting to put things in his mouth all the time.
  



• Displaying curiosity about what we eat.
  

It's not recommended by the health profesionals in the UK to introduce solid to an infant below 16 weeks of age. Such a bummer as I am very sure he's ready now. I'll probably do several testing sessions on Week 16, just to see how ready he actually is. Week 17 will be THE week. We've got all his weaning utensils, rice cereal and Farley Rusk all stocked up in the cupboards, ready for his new adventure!

Week 14

Nothing much has been happening, out little charmer has been...well...charming every stranger that comes his way. He's been very generous with his smiles, even to strangers. When in shopping malls, crossing the road or in the shops, I'll often get some 'awww's and 'hehe's. That's Tobey working his magic!

It's been a busy week. We had a small dinner party, visited Birmingham (Tobey first long distance), went to Milton Keynes shopping centre (just mummy and Tobey) and the usual outdoor walks (it's more like chilling out in the garden nowadays... LAZY...hehe).

Tobey has also been showing his short temperness. Usually to his dad in the evenings, when he's whining for his bath and bottle. He would gnaw at his dad's chest and shriek at the same time! SCARY. Good thing it's only to his dad ;)

Week 13

The weather has been extra kind this week. We managed to spend alot of time outdoors. I took Tobey to town on my own for the first time this week. It was managable and I would certainly do it again. We've also spent some time in the garden where I attempted to introduce my son to whatever lifeform I can find in the garden. Not sure whether he absorbed any information, but he sure did enjoyed putting things into his mouth. Over the weekend, our little family went on our usual mini adventures as well. Oh, we bought a rug for the hall where Tobey usually play, in preparation for winter.

This week, Tobey improved on his movement. They are now more 'purposeful', for example, when he's sleepy, he would rub his eyes with the back of his hands instead of rubbing using his fist. Or when he touches his feet, he would touch only the toes. He also developed this weird habit of scratching on surfaces. He would scratch his toys, the sofa, US, and whichever surface that catches his attention.

I've been introducing him to flash cards and alphabet booklets. His attention span for those kinda things is rather short. He prefers putting them in his mouth. I don't mind, as I mentioned, it's just introduction to some learning materials. However there's this poem book that I try to read to him daily, that he loves. Most of the time he would sit through the whole reading and stares and gurgles at the colourful pics. He probably finds poems 'calming'.

I hope that in week 14, the weather will once again permits us more time to be outdoors.

Curry mee

instant one of course...but soon, very soon I can have the real thing in M'sia. Can't wait!

Rash update

As a result of his dry patches/rashes




We planned to put his mittens back on, but took it off again as he couldn't suck his thumb with them on (thumb sucking is his new found passion btw). But big mistake, he scratched them whilst asleep and resulted in THIS!



ARRRRRRGH! So heart sick! That was when we closed our eyes and put his mittens on disregarding his protests....at least until his rashes subside. It did, thankfully. That was after me being obsessed with keeping his skin moist and ensuring his nails are well trimmed and filed.

This pic was taken this morning

Gosh! hard being a mum.

Victorious!

Preparing to go out no longer just involve taking a shower, decide on what to wear and hop into the car. It involves packing the nappy bag with enough disposable nappies, wipes, disinfectant spray, a change of clothes, a blanket, a muslin square, pacifierS, nappy rash cream, plastic bags, a toy and of course the obligatory bottles, formula, hot water for feeds. Then come the loading of his gears into the car. The car seat, the stroller and the baby carrier. We would then ensure Tobey is well fed, burped and changed into suitable clothing.

I remember clearly the first trip out we took with Tobey. It was nerve wrecking.

It was to our usual shopping haunt. Our main focus was on him, everything around, the shops, the sales, the people, the weather, the fashion were lost on us. They were just some blurry images that we passed as we pushed our stroller along. For me, it was like a trip that marked the start of normalcy, the finish line that signified my readiness to rejoin the outside world. What used to be just another boring trip before Tobey’s arrival became literally a life-changing event. We knew if we can endure the first trip without breaking down, the subsequent trips would gradually get easier…and hopefully one day it would be a breeze and we would actually enjoy shopping again. So we took off every weekend without fail. To the park, to the shops, to restaurants, we even try to do evening walks on weekdays; weather permitting of course…each trip taught us more on how to manage a baby whilst trying to achieve other goals. On learning Tobey’s preferences on the stroller, on the carriers, on crowds, and more.

Glad to say that today was the day we 100% enjoyed ourselves fully without the slightest doubt of our competency to attend to Tobey when being away from the safety of our home. It felt as though we were back to our pre-child couple days, except now we are actually with child and have his needs to attend to along the way.

We were out for 5 hours today. Tobey was a gem. He slept when he wanted to, he sat up and look around between naps, he smiled and laughed.

I am positive that all three of us enjoyed ourselves.

Week 12

Tobey has been having some sort of dry skin patches on his face. I suspect it's because I've been giving him longer baths nowadays as he truly enjoys his bath! He would kick and laugh happily each time. Unfortunately long bath times means his skin gets wet longer and prunes up. When it prunes up, it's extra sensitive to the drier air nowadays and hence dries up. When it dries up, it itches and he would then scratch it. When he scratches, the outer lining get bruised and his skin gets even more sensitive and even more itchy. It's a VICIOUS cycle!!!!! So my plan is to break this cycle by giving him short baths (just to hydrate the skin) then quickly dab a little lotion on whilst it's still damp for maximum absorbtion, then put mittens on his hands and try hard to stop him from rubbing those dry patches. Hopefully my diligence will help his skin get better. Breaks my heart to see him like this. (The pic was taken before his skin got worse)

Stats as of today: 7.26kg and 64cm (91st percentile on his growth charts)

Homemade Seafood pasta

Ahhh...mussels, not allowed during my pregnancy and confinement duration. It's nice to regain the freedom to indulge in all types of food, without worrying about issues such as mercury content or the effect of certain food to my baby. Bliss!

Week 11 -The Thumb Sucking Week

Tobey's Week 11 developments:

He enjoys sucking his thumb this week.He would place his thumb right in front of his face, look at it for like 3 seconds and then in slow motion position it in his mouth. SO FUNNY! Then he would make it sound so delicious..HAHA!

He's also discovering his feet. When we place him on his rocking chair, he would bend over and stare at his feet. He's using them alot nowadays to kick his toys.

Also trying to turn to his side when put on his back. We are encouraging him to flip to the front, hopefully he'll get that soon.

His hand-eye co-ordination improved. He can grab hold of our fingers or his rattle/toy and bring it to his mouth.



Oh, SK says he has a ROUND face...what say you?

Week 10

9 Weeks old

- 7.5kg and 63 cm

- Tries to pull himself to sit up whenever he can

- Make bubbles with his saliva, starts drooling as well.

-Definitely recognises mummy and daddy as he would purse his lips and cry pitifully if others carry him

-Gurgles alot, as if talking to you...and when you gurgle back, he would smile or laugh as if that's funny

-Movements less jerky and he would place his open palm on your shoulder or chest when you carry him

- Can see further

- Flirts with himself infront of the kitchen mirror.

-Dislike big groups of people, love peace and quite, definitely mummy's boy!

Things I love

I know I should concentrate more on milestones and yadi-yada, but these are some of the instances that make me happy beyond words...

* How he would smile endlessly at me when I sing and do silly actions
* How he would try so hard to immitate my silly actions
* How he would sit for 30 mins on his rocker chair silently in the kitchen whilst I cook and never once complain about the cooking smell
* How he would complain (in his own way) when I finally carry him after letting him cry for a while (usually when I need to dash across the house to do some housework in lightning speed)
* How he would sleep on my shoulder blissfully even if I am carrying him in the most uncomfortable position (usually when I need to use my other hand for something else..like eating..hehe)
* How he smells like when he wakes up
* How his hair feels
* How he snores when he's in deep sleep
* The many faces he pulls that make me laugh and laugh and laugh...for example this





and each of the million times he makes me feel like the most fortunate person to walk the earth...

I love my Tobey