packing ... packing & packing

Into our 2nd day of packing, done with 10 boxes

More to go.... jia you!!!!

Feel so thankful

After giving Xavier a big dose of love
Thankfully, he got better today
He woke up in the morning, with a smile -- they say laughter is the best medicine!

Xavier is sick!!!

Our little darling boy exhibits his first signs of common cold - lots of sneezing. I was sick too, down with flu and cough again!!! I was hoping and praying that the virus will not spread to him. Monitored him and his demeanour, appetite and sleeping habits were pretty normal. By Friday night, though, it was cleared that we were facing our first sick baby. Brought him to the PD this morning, fortunately it was a mild case - mainly just nasal congestion with no fever. Came back with lots of medicine-- nasal spray, nasal drop and oral for allergies.

His milk intake still the same and he was as full of life as ever. I think babies are smart. Xavier knew when he was going to have the medicine and he was all ready for it. At first, I thought he will scream or even push away before I spray the medicine into his nose but to our surprised, he took it very well. I think he knew that the medicine is good for him.

Praying hard that Xavier & mummy will get well soon!!!

first root vegetable - sweet potatoes

My little one first foray into solids, after the initial organic wholegrain baby rice cereal introduction, was sweet potato puree. From everything I have gathered, sweet potato are universally love by most babies because of their sweet taste, and Xavier was no exception. He loved them immediately.

Jarred or Homemade baby food?

Well, my husband and I had a collective agreement of choosing homemade baby food over jarred baby food. This decision was concluded last night.

I personally like to make my little one baby food from fresh veggies and fruits. I love the thought that I made it myself. I truly enjoy doing it. Moreover, I love the idea that what we give him comes from unprocessed produce.

The freshness of the baby food we feed him is just one of the two primary reasons why we opted to continue making him homemade treats. The other one is, "financial practicability."

I am not against jarred baby food. Don't get me wrong. We just realized that making baby food ourselves sounds more practical and delightful knowing that we feed him new variety of veggies and fruits each week, made from fresh produce, prepared with love. And of course, the bucks we save each week is awesome!

I am not saying that we will no longer give Xavier jarred baby food. There should be special situations where commercial baby food is more suitable for an occasion than the homemade one.

Milestone - Rolling over from left

Witness his first roll over to tummy from his left side --- yeah! Now Xavier can roll over to his tummy on both sides.

He will rock on his stomach, kick his legs and swim with his arms to move himself in a circular motion just to grab for his toy or just to get a little closer to me. He is such a sweetie little guy... Muacks :))))

Random Updates

Just an update:

I'm on leave from 14 Mar till 19 Mar to spend time with baby
Carton boxes for packing will arrive tomorrow
Have tender my resignation officially on 9 March. My last day of work should be on 8 April but I have postponed it to 30 April to cover duties for my colleagues.
Extracting my 2 of 4 wisdom tooth tomorrow. My dentist has advised me to remove them as, it is vulnerable to decay, it will affect other teeth, due to improper angulation.
Our USA visa are ready, tentative flight on 4 May
Xavier had his first home made root vegetable today - sweet potato with Breast milk. He loves it lots. Will blog more about it!!!

Xavier 5 months old

Time keeps ticking away!! I can't believe Xavier is five months old, such a big boy. Sometimes I feel like you have been with us forever. Your dad and I are getting used to this whole "being parents" thing and I would say we have a nice routine down by now. Sometimes though I get kinda frustrated, or tired, or just overwhelmed and I feel like a bad parent, but then I remind myself that I've only been "on the job" for 5 months, and it takes most people at least that long to get used to a new job and then I feel so much better.

Xavier has made a lot of new discoveries this month. Here's what he's up to:

Found his feet and loves to play with them

Had his first taste of something other than breast milk and he LIKED it. We started with Rice Cereal and he literally knew how to eat from the spoon, the second I put it in his mouth. He will take my hand, when I'm holding the spoon, and try to shove the spoon in his mouth faster than I can get it there. Boy, oh boy is he going to love the "real" baby food! Stay tuned for that!

Still our "go with the flow" baby. When it's nap time, whether he's at home in his bed or in a stroller out & about, he takes his nap. Love it!

Become a lot more vocal lately too. He loves to talk to his papa

Can sit up on his own for quite sometime. tripod method, of course

One of my absolute favorite things he's doing lately is laughing! He laughs at me making faces or funny noises, and is the most ticklish little thing.

Drink 150ml every 3 hours. still using a medium flow nipple. in size M diapers and wear primarily 3-6 month clothes

Rolled over from your front to his back at 4 1/2 months (from right side)

Hand eye coordination is also improving. Now you actually reach for things and get semi close to actually touching them. Every now and then you will get what you are reaching for and get really excited

Still sleep through the night

Go to bed between 7.30 - 8pm and wakes up by 7am. He lay there so quietly and happily that I don't know exactly when his sweet eyes open for the day.

Nap 2 or 3 times a day. The times and lengths are different every day.

Love his baths & swim

He knows his name

Don't have any teeth yet

Enjoy giving Papa & Mama High Five

Learning "flying kisses" & "bye bye" in progress....

2nd Dip @ Baby Spa

Went for 2nd dip @ baby spa with yi yi & ah ma today
Instead of going to the small pool, we upgraded Xavier to the big pool
Big pool has more space for him to manoeuvre
He is so much happier & calmer than his First

After a while, a 9 months old baby boy joined Xavier for a swim in the big pool . He started to fuss the moment he was placed in the water. He is not happy at all but after a little coaxing and with the hlep of pacifier, he was ok.
Ah ma feels that Xavier is a little affected by him... can feel that he is a little tense. But after a short while, Xavier is back to his usual self... Thumbs Up!!!!

Thank you yiyi for paying for my swimming class today!!!!

All Smiles

Very Happy everyday, especially after a long good nite sleep :)

USA posting in May 2012

Something great is going to happen in 2 months' time :)
I'm going to announce it officially.....
That is.... Hubby will be posted to USA for 2years in coming May 2012, this time is so different, I will be traveling with my baby and my mum. Definitely something to look forward to and be happy about it :)
There are lots of things need to be done, arranged & organised..... so much so until I 'm not sure what needs to be done first. But, we know that baby will always be our utmost top priority.


Next thing on my mind is my job. I love my current job, colleagues and the working environment. I feel kinda sad to leave such a nice place with such wonderful colleagues...... Haiz!!! What to do, in life there are always sacrifices we need to make!!! If you were to give me an option again to choose between job vs family... My choice will always be family.

I know that some people feel that I'm not being realisitic. Many tends to equate success to with money, power & fame. To me, success = cultivate family bonding that last a lifetime. I strongly believe in this "A tightly knit family is like a rock which can survive the toughest storm. In time of crisis, family is the one who is always there to support and help one another."

So, I will never ever trade family with anything else!!!!

Did you know

rice cereals, bananas, and applesauce are some of the most binding foods around and are common causes of constipation.

breastfed babies may be more prone to constipation when solid foods are introduced. This is because their tiny tummies are used to processing the easily and highly digestible mother's milk.

There are many things you can do to help relieve baby's constipation. You can change baby's feeding pattern and/or engage in some physical exercises. Exercises to Help Relieve Infant Constipation include:
Tummy Massage -- Gently massage and rub baby's tummy in a clockwise direction. Place your hands at baby's navel and massage in a circular motion, moving your hand(s) out and away from the center of baby's belly.
Bicycle Legs --- Place your baby on her back and lightly hold her legs in a half-bent position. Gently begin to move your baby's legs as if she is riding a bicycle. Alternate "Bicycle Legs" with Tummy Massage. *"Bicycle Legs" also may help to relieve a baby who is gassy.
A Warm Bath --- Some medical professionals suggest giving your constipated baby a warm bath. The thought is that this may help relax baby and "get things moving" again. Give a tummy massage as you are drying baby.

Relieving Constipation in Babies Younger than 4 Months:
Try giving one to two ounces of diluted fruit juice such as grape, prune or apple-prune twice daily and practice some of the above exercises. (Always consult your pediatrician about the appropriateness of new foods/liquids to help alleviate constipation) Learn about Fruit Juice in your baby's diet. Relieving Constipation in Babies 4 Months to 12 months + by Changing the Food DietAdding more fiber to baby's diet may help get things moving again. Try strained foods that contain high fiber such as:
apricots
prunes
peaches
plums
pears
peas
spinach