Trip to UK?

hmm... I am so vexed today.

I emailed to my supervisor in UK, telling him that I have decided to finish my degree and I want to get it done by the end of this year. And I need his help to achieve that. I received his reply today. He's very positive that I will be able to finish the thesis and graduate at the end of this year. He's fine with me doing it via email totally, and going there for 1-2 days for my oral examinations. I am so touched that he's very committed to help me this time. I must make use of this opportunity. I am thinking of going over to the UK for a week or two... But what about Aloysius and my hubby :(

I was thinking of going there in September, but my hubby cannot take leave, cos he will be on reservist for 2 weeks. Then if bring Aloysius on my own, I will also be very busy and maybe cannot achieve what I want. If I bring my mum instead of my hubby, then my hubby will miss Aloysius. And if it's in Oct or Nov, it's getting a bit cold over there... I also dun wanna leave baby in Singapore... And there will be accommodation problems starting from Oct when the term starts... My supervisor is very supportive of getting everything done via email, but I am not comfortable with it... So "fan" leh...

"PhD PhD PhD"... These alphabets keep whirling in my mind :( My motivation is that I must show Aloysius that I can do it! And he will be able to go as far as his mommy...

Tears...

I was reading a blog by a mother of 2 who has just gone back to work after 3 months of maternity leave. After reading her blog, tears flow down my eyes. And I felt quite emotional. She was describing her feelings about only having 1-2 hours with her children every nite. And she will sit beside them and watch them sleep, cos she's afraid that she haven't got enough opportunity to see them grow very fast. Babies really grow very fast. Everyday is different with them, as I am experiencing it myself now. At work, she will cry too, thinking of how the children are doing.

I really felt something there as I read, thinking of my situation at the back of my mind... I think I will be very sad too having to leave Aloysius under someone's care, and only having a few hours with him everyday. Haiz... come to think of it... I have been thinking of whether to go to UK to finish up my studies these few days. I wanted to finish it as soon as possible and get on with what I wanna do to expand my business. If I were to go in the next few months, it will be winter. I hated the cold and gloomy winter, so I am not sure if I want to bring Aloysius there. If I were to go there alone, leaving him behind, I will be very sad and will certainly missed him. It's a matter of not being able to see him grow and change daily, nor hear him cry/chuckle/talk, nor hug him, nor shower my love for him, for weeks, if not months... I have thought of going there just for a week, but I cannot bear to leave Aloysius :(. The desire to be with Aloysius might push me to the max to finish up my thesis in a week when I am in the UK. It's a decision that I have to take... I hope I have the strength to face it...

Aloysius is 12 weeks old!

Hello blogger...

I am writing this while eating my lunch :) What's for lunch today? hmm... it's salad with iceberg lettuce, red capsicum, green capsicum, carrots, celery, raisins, and almond slices...

Aloysius is 12 weeks old today :) So far, he's been a very good boy. This morning, when he woke up, I showed him the flashcards, bathed him, massaged him with his baby lotion, fed him and put him down on the bed...

hmm... what shall I write now... Let me write about last weekend :)

On Saturday, hubby and I went for a workshop at GDBaby with Aloysius on how to do flashcards as a beginner. It was an informative and useful workshop. There are 4 other couples in the workshop too... Aloysius is the youngest... lol... and the oldest is 30 months. Lawrence shared some useful tips about starting flashcards with kids of different ages. For older kids that can already talk, gotta start with the more difficult words to keep them interested to look at the flashcards. Lawrence told the parents with the 30 months old gal that she will be able to read independently within a year if they follow the program.

From the video, Janet recommended that we make the flashcards more interesting by doing them in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, etc. hmm... I asked Lawrence if it's required. He said it's fine if parents prefer to have flashcards sessions at a particular place. hmm... I am thinking it will be a bit difficult for me practically with the different categories of cards everywhere the house... I prefer neatness... lol... We were taught how to hold and flash the cards for different sizes.

Lawrence told us some interesting stories that he came across. There's a baby who can crawl at 8 weeks! And that's the 4th kid of a mother who has been following Glen Doman since her first son. Her eldest son is now in the gifted program. Lawrence did mention about baby's brain development and nutrition. It's very important for babies to have enough nutrition in order for their brain to develop well.

hmm... I already read about the importance of good nutrition from the books by Shichida. Hence, I am very particular about Aloysius' nutrition since my pregnancy :). Nowadays, when we think we had enough nutrients from the food that we eat, is that really the case?? Is there a possibility that nutrients is lost during the freight/shipping to Singapore? Is there a possibility that nutrients is lost through handling?? What about the nutrients loss from washing and cooking?? hmm... I am more "kiasu" than many other mothers. Hence, I make sure Aloysius has enough nutrition by me taking in organic food supplements and feeding him with that since birth :). In the market, there are very few supplements that are suitable for babies as young as 2 days old... Well, the ones that I feed Aloysius with are suitable :) If you wanna find out and know more about the supplements, you can email to indinine@gmail.com. Sorry it's too long to elaborate here... :)

Another very interesting and out of the ordinary story is a kid whose parents do not have to teach him. The 4 grandparents will take turn to teach the only grandson. Each grandparent will take either chinese, malay, english or maths... I was like "wow"!

Lawrence tested Aloysius' vision. He was surprised that Aloysius has very good vision :). He just move his hand left and right, and Aloysius' eyes followed his hand movement. hmm... maybe it's due to all the visual stimulation that I gave him ever since he first came home from the hospital. I started him off with the checker boards, then the visual cards consistently everyday. From the book, it was recommended to show baby the visual cards 10 times a day, but it's not easy to achieve that, I find. So I just show the visual cards as many times a day as I can achieve :). So far, Aloysius is still interested in the visual cards. I also thought Aloysius already can see quite far and very well since 8 weeks old. Cos his eyes followed my hubby when he moved left and right. Since last week, he can see his visual cards more than 3 meters away...

Ok, I think I better sum up... I gotta do my work already... From the workshop, I realised a mistake while doing the flashcards to Aloysius. I gotta be very consistent with the Maths program. It's a must to do it consistently everyday. For the English cards, it's fine to have a little break, but not for Maths. I need not shuffle the dot cards between the two sets for every sessions.

Oh yes, yesterday, my hubby and I brought Aloysius to support my sis in the marathon. After that, we went for breakfast. During our breakfast, Aloysius was a very good boy. He slept through in his stroller :) He woke up cos it was too hot and stuffy as the air-condition of the restaurant broke down... When we reached home, my parents in laws came soon after. They carried and played with Aloysius whenever he woke up :). This leave me and my hubby to have some rest :) My parents came in the evening. All of us went for dinner at Upper Thomson Road. Aloysius was a good boy again... He slept in the stroller throughout our dinner. He woke up when we had finished our dinner and ready to go home :).

Lastly, I will be attending another workshop for the Glen Doman program again in two weeks' time for the next stage :) I am waiting for a "schedule" in powerpoint and excel for the beginner program to follow :)

Ok... really gotta stop writing already :)


Later all...

Organic babies.

It's the first time that I have heard of "organic babies". What about you? What's "organic babies" all about? hmm...

Recently, I came across an article in the chinese newspapers (published on 16 Aug 06) narrating about "organic babies". It's an interesting read. The mother (Yanni) went on an 100% organic vegetables and fruits diet for 5 years before they decided to conceive their first baby. Their second baby is now 3 months old, about 1 month older than Aloysius. Throughout the two pregnancies, Yanni took only organic vegetables and fruits. Although her doctor keep telling her to take some meat during her pregnancies, but she did not. Her elder son was 3.75kg at birth. At age 1, he's already learning how to play golf. At age 2, he's already wearing clothes for ages 3. At age 2.5 now, he's already wearing clothes for ages 4 and the cutting of the clothes are those for foreigners. I guess "foreigners" refer to the Europeans and Americans... It's amazing, isn't it??? Yanni's elder son has not taken any medications prescribed by the doctors since birth, and has been on full organic vegetables and fruits only diet.

hmm... Reading about the growth of Yanni's elder son, what's the impact on you??? The message that I get from this article is that it does not mean babies cannot grow well without meat and fish... Babies will still grow exceedingly well on a diet of fruits and vegetables.

Well, I have been taking organic food products and supplements starting from a few months before my pregnancy, and throughout my pregnancy. My hubby and I have changed our diet to that of more fruits and vegetables. We do not take seafood anymore. Though we would want to be healthier, but it's not easy to change our diet totally in a short time. Actually, from the point of view of alternative health, fruits and vegetables are good. The nutrients and minerals are natural, and there's no risk of consuming too much of a certain types of nutrients that will cause harm to the body. Our body system will just remove the "extra" nutrients through urine, sweat and faeces.

There's a common believe about Vitamin A during pregnancy. Maybe if I tell you, you will probably warn me about the danger of vitamin A overdose during pregnancy. Let me tell you... Throughout my pregnancy with Aloysius, I took 2 - 4 mugs of carrots and green apple juice every morning. 1 mug of juice will consist of 3 carrots and 1 green apple. Sometimes, I will add some lemon or beetroot. Beetroot is very rich in folic acid, which is very good for preventing neural tube defects, and also for baby's brain development. A lot of people will think that the Vitamin A in carrots will harm my baby. However, after reading through several books, especially Dr. Bernard Jensen's (father of holistic health in America) books, I have a different view. I think that the Vitamin A from carrots is natural, and will not harm our body nor the baby. It's the Vitamin A overdose from meat and non-natural products that will cause harm... During the pregnancy, my lunch will mainly be fresh salads, and I do not eat lots of meat, which is not a common believe here... My typical breakfast is organic food supplements and fresh carrot and apple juice. Dinner will be mainly vegetables too, with little pork. I did not take any soft drinks nor fast food throughout the whole pregnancy. There's once when I went to KFC to buy the chicken salad for dinner. I had no choice cos it was late at night. I only ate the salad and removed the chicken pieces...

Aloysius was very alert on the first day of his life. He was a curious baby. He opened his eyes and already could respond to noise. He could also turn his head from side to side even on the first day! My parents and visitors were like "wow"... I can remember, on the second day, he did not sleep from 9am till 4pm! Terence and I were tired out in the hospital... lol...

Ok, that's all for now... I gotta do my work already :) I wanna graduate asap :) I will scan the newspaper article and post in here soon... Stay tuned...

Aloysius' growth.

Recently, I uploaded Aloysius' photos on the internet. And also brought him around for gatherings with our friends. The feedback that I have gotten was that Aloysius is growing very fast. Some commented that he's bigger in size and heavier than most babies. Some commented that he's also very alert with strong neck at 2.5 months. Some even commented that he looks "bak bak" with substance...

Do you think so too???

testing testing 1 2 3...

ahh.. finally I know how to upload photos in my blog! Hooray! The above is Aloysius in his new England World Cup jersey. It was given to him by my friend working in Cambridge,UK :) It's a really special gift, and we love it very much. My hubby suddenly had an impulse to buy a jersey for himself and me. hahaha... We will get them next week :). kekeke... How about a "chuen jia fu" in England's World cup jersey? lol... Keep tuned...

Let's have a few more photos... :p Blogging is getting more fun now...

How's about a crying Aloysius? kekeke...

And a yawning baby while in his rocker...

And a curious boy...

Ok, that's all for now... I will start uploading more photos to my previous posts when time allows... :) Stay tuned...

Breast feeding in Singapore.

So far, I have been going out with Aloysius quite often to meet my friends and also shopping. I have used the nursing room or family room at several shopping malls. The one that I like most is at Suntec, Kidzmall. In the family room, there are 4 changing stations, and two room for nursing in private. Inside the nursing room, there's a wash hand basin and a sofa. It's big enough for my stroller to go in too :).

I have used the nursing rooms at Takashimaya, Centerpoint, Marina Square, Paragon too. The one at Takashimaya is at level 3, at the kids' section. It was very crowded indeed. The nursing area can accommodate 4 nursing mothers in an area blocked off by a curtain. Not very private though...

The family room at Centerpoint is at level 3, near where the saloons are. It's quite secluded, and there are a few changing tables in there. The nursing area can only accommodate 4 nursing mothes at one time too. hmm... So far, this is the worst that I have been, cos the family room smell...

As for the ones at Marina Square, there are sevaral family room around the mall. It's for individual use, hence privacy. There's a mirror, wash hand basin, changing table and a sofa for two inside. The rooms are a little bit small, just enough for the stroller to get in. However, the family rooms are too near the toilets, and it can smell of toilets...

The family rooms in Paragon are at level 3 and level 5, near to Metro. It looks newly renovated and is quite nice. There's a changing table, wash hand basin, hot and cold water. The nursing room is separated with a door. There will be privacy for breast feeding here :). So far, this family room is the second best that I like.

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Slimming after pregnancy:

Recently, I have been going out and meeting my friends to catch up. Many of them commented that I have slimmed down very fast. hmm... I am not too sure... You judge for yourself ok?
I can wear my pre-pregnancy top and skirt, but a bit tight, when I went for my first check-up at my gynae after my discharged from hospital. That was 4 weeks after delivery. And I could wear my pre-pregnancy tops, jeans, skirts, dresses at 2 months after my delivery. Do you think this is fast??

If it is, I think it must be the many Indinine that I took immediately after delivery. A few days before my scheduled delivery, I met Yanni who had given birth to her second son in May06, by C-section too. She slimmed down to her pre-pregnancy size in one month! I asked her what's her secret recipe. She shared with me that Indinine does help a lot. She took 2 Indinine per hour for 24 hours immediately after her delivery this time. It's much more than her previous delivery. I was like "wow"!

After hearing her story, I decided to take 1 Indinine per hour, hoping to save some $$$. hahaha... Well, when I was in a lot of pain after the surgery, my hubby fed me 2 Indinine per hour for the first 12 hours, then 1 Indinine per hour for the next 12 hours. Then 1 Indinine every 2 hours for the next 48 hours. After the 3 days of high dosage of Indinine (1.5 box in 3 days, which is equivalent to $400+), I resumed my 2 Indinine per day. At that point in time, I was just hoping that I am pain-free. You know, the excruciating pain after surgery is not a joke! If you have read my previous posts, you would have known that morphine cannot let me be pain-free anymore, cos I am immuned to painkillers already. My anaesthetist thought that I was a drug addict before... hahaha.. He even told me I might need to take heroine in future surgery! ***faintz*** After being on morphine for 12 hours, surprisingly, I did not need anymore painkiller! The nurses keep asking me if I want oral painkiller, but I was not in much pain to need painkiller! I think if I took the painkiller, my "addiction" to painkiller will worsen. And worse if my liver gets affected in the long run... What would my expenditure in medical fees be if that happens? Do you think it's worth it? Well, I think it is...

hmm... maybe if you are going for c-section or any surgery, and do not want too much post-surgery pain, you can consider taking some Indinine.
If you want to slim down fast after delivery, you can consider Indinine. The high dosage that I took is cheaper than going to slimming centers! And by the way, I did not engage in any post-natal massage...
Wanna find out more about Indinine? Email to indinine@gmail.com.

Pssst... My weight now is less than when I had my wedding, and when I exercised a lot in the past :). Amazing??? I dunno... You judge for yourself... I think it's incredible, cos I have been named "fat" since kindergarten... lol... Even the "pui mooi" (fat gal) like me can slim down soon after giving birth, so can you...

2 weeks without a camera?!

I gonna be without my camera for two weeks! I lend my camera to my parents who went to the silkroute. Now waiting for them to come back. My sis's camera is too professional for me to learn. I missed my camera already. I wanna take photos of Aloysius. His hair is growing in patches... lol... It's due to the uneven shave he has got...

Last Sunday, we went back to my parents-in-laws place for dinner with Aloysius. I fed him when we reached. Therefore, he was a happy baby while there :) My MIL even washed the bedsheets clean, and prepared for Aloysius to be back! So nice... My MIL carried him while me and hubby ate our dinner. Good idea, eh! And my FIL talked and played with Aloysius. After dinner, we took a cab home :).


Motor and language skills stimulation:
I started the motor and language skills program seriously since last week. I recorded down and followed the recommended plan. However, I did not do everything daily, cos it's too much to do in a day. And the program is also weight training for me since Aloysius is getting heavier! I got sore muscles... Imagine having to lift up and down a bag of 5kg rice, or carry and trot around the house... So far, Aloysius can flip many times at one go! I was like "wow!"

He's starting to "sing" twinkle twinkle little star with me :) He will respond when we talked to him too :). He's starting to laugh and smile more now... On Sunday, my hubby was talking to him on the bed, saying "hello" to Aloysius. Everytime he said "hello", Aloysius will go "ah". lol... so cute... On Monday, my sis asked him to say "hello". He made a two syllable sound which sounded like "hello"! This morning, after feeding him on the bed, he gave me a very happy smile... I suddenly dun feel tired anymore to continue sleeping... hahaha...

Having read that we should read to babies. I started to read "san zi jing" more to him. I will recite the "san zi jing", read the explanation and the story behind it. Yesterday, the "san zi jing" booklet was not within my reach, so I read a couple of paragraphs to him from my "feng shui" magazine... hahaha... He fell asleep after that.


Flashcards:
I have already started the English words cards and the Maths dot cards program :) Today is Day 8 for the English program, and Day 3 for the Maths dot cards. I tried to flash 3 times a day, 3 sets of English cards, and 2 sets of dots cards. It's 9 sessions per day! I cannot achieve that. The most I did was 6 sessions per day. Each session is only 5 seconds, but gotta be at least 15 minutes apart.
Today, Aloysius doesn't seem to be interested in the words. I wonder if it's becos he's bored. hmm... maybe will try to change more new cards tomorrow :)

I wanna complain!

Last Friday, I went to Marina Square with Aloysius. He was hungry and I found a family room to feed him. Soon after I entered the family room, someone (a man and a father) came knocking on the door to see if anyone is inside. His elder son keep on making strange noises outside, while his younger son, keep crying. The family wanted to use the family room. I tried to hurry Aloysius to suck. Halfway when I dislatched him, he cried loudly :(. Soon after Aloysius cried, he came knocking loudly and shouting outside saying that they waited for 20 minutes already! Geesh... It's at most 10 minutes. I had no choice but to continue feeding. I did not meant to be slow and hang on to the room, but Aloysius cried cos he's not had enough. I did not burp Aloysius, and decided to put him on my shoulder to burp instead of burping first. When we went out, we get a super black face from his wife! I wonders if she did breastfeed her kids! This family is pretty not very understanding at all. hmm... Ok la, I dun wanna talk about it already... I just hope that fellow breastfeeding Singaporeans mum can be more understanding and polite to others. We need a lot of patience when baby is concern. I find it stressful on myself and my baby when I get pushed to hurry with breastfeeding... By the way, there's many other family rooms around Marina Square. Almost at every toilets area, there will be one family room.

Aloysius is two months old!

Time really flies... Aloysius is 2 months old already. And I have been breastfeeding for 2 months! I never knew I can survive breastfeeding though I keep telling myself that "I can". hahaha...

Terence bought a new showerhead that can remove chlorine, with added Vit C for smooth skin, and negative ions for a refreshing shower. I have been using water from the showerhead for Aloysius. His cradle cap on his forehead is diminishing. I think this is a good investment (less than two hundred bucks) to shower in chlorine free warm water :). Next time, when I start to bring Aloysius downstairs to swim, the water from the showerhead can be used to remove the chlorine from his body too. Then we will save $$$ on the shampoo and body wash to remove chlorine. In the long term, it's good for Aloysius' health... So far, (*touchwood*) he does not have nappy rash, and I do not use any barrier cream. Everytime he poo-ed, we will use our filtered, drinking water to clean using cotton wool.

For the past two weeks, Aloysius has been "training his lungs". Sometimes, I do not know what he really wants though. He can start his "training" suddenly after bathing, with tears rolling down his cheeks. He can "train" till he got choked with his own saliva too. hmm...

We brought Aloysius to JB over the last weekend. I am now contemplating of bringing him to Penang next month :).


Glen Doman Program:
I wanted to start the English single word flashcards after finishing the visual simulation cards. Not knowing exactly how to start after reading the book, I called up GDbaby. I remembered Lawrence recommended a different schedule from the book, so I was a little bit confused. Finally, I got Lawrence to do a home visit :). When he came, Aloysius was awake in his cot, in the living room. Lawrence saw him staring at the checker boards that I made. He commented that the checker board that I have is very good :). I did not follow the dimensions recommended in the book "How Smart is Your Baby". He also agreed with me that the recommended size is too big. hmm... ok.. that's a good start :). I was told to start the English word flashcards when Aloysius is 3 months and no longer interested in looking at lights. hmm...