Toys for Your Baby

Baby J is 3 months, 2 weeks and 6 days.

The very best toys for your baby's first year.

Toys to consider

	Baby-safe mirror Many babies find their own reflection interesting and entertaining
	Musical or chime toy To soothe your crying baby at bedtime or any time
	Cloth toy Easy to hold, with textures that encourage little hands to explore
	Developmental toys Fun ways to help babies develop coordination, recognition, and other skills
	Gym or playmat Puts toys where young babies can reach them and encourages tummy time
	Rattle A satisfying noise rewards your baby with each shake
	Teether Relieves pressure on sore gums and doubles as an easy-to-grip toy
	On-the-go toy Small enough to tuck into a diaper bag for fun in the car or stroller
	Stuffed animal A reassuring "lovey" gives some babies a sense of security
	Soft book Easy-to-hold books made for grabbing, chewing, and exploring
	Activity center Stimulation and exercise for your baby and a welcome break for you
	Household items Unbreakable measuring cups, plastic bowls, and wooden utensils can make fun toys

Nice extras for babies 9 to 12 months old

	Push toy Gives your cruising baby a chance to practice walking with support
	Shape sorter Fitting the shape to the hole is the perfect challenge for older babies
	Blocks Babies get a kick out of stacking things up and knocking them down
	Bucket and shovel Filling and dumping are a hit with this age group

Tips:

• Whether you're playing peek-a-boo or stacking blocks together, stop when your child seems bored, fussy, or tired. That's your baby's way of telling you it's time for a break.
• To keep things new and interesting for your baby, rotate toys regularly. Put some away for a week or two, then reintroduce them and stash some different toys in the closet.

The Pacifier

Once your toddler has her first supermarket temper tantrum because her beloved pacifier was left at home, you will most likely want to wean her off the pacifier for good.

When should you wean your baby from her pacifier?

Although there is no specific age a child should be weaned from her pacifier, a good age to start would be about 18 months. When we say start, we mean to start the gradual process. Although some parents go “cold turkey” with removing the pacifier, we recommend a more gradual approach.

Why wean?

Possible side effects of prolonged pacifier use include:

• Tooth Misalignment: Depending on how long your child sucks on her pacifier, she could end up with a small deformity in the upper jaw, which could cause her upper teeth to misalign.

• Slowed Language Development: With a pacifier stuck in your baby’s mouth all the time, she is less likely to babble and experiment with sound. This lack of practice could lead to slow language development.

• Increased Ear Infections: Pediatricians say that pacifier use has caused a 50% rise in ear infections.

How do I wean my child off her pacifier?

-Start Gradually

Start with only giving her a pacifier at nap or bed times to soothe herself to sleep. Tell her that her pacifier is only for sleepy time. Gradually work the pacifier out of the nap time routine, until she is only using it to sleep at night. Eventually “lose” the pacifier for bedtime. Your toddler should adjust within a couple of days.

-Substitute Other Tools

If your child won’t give up the pacifier, have her trade it in for another toy or a special activity. At night, give your toddler a stuffed animal or special blanket instead of the pacifier for comfort.

-Peer Pressure

Keep your toddler playing with other children so that she models her behavior from them. (Choose non-pacifier sucking playmates)

-Rewards

Try a Reward Chart and give her stickers for getting through the day without her pacifier, if she is old enough to understand this. Give her lots of hugs, kisses, and “I’m proud of you”s.

-Be Consistent

Do not give in to your toddler through a tantrum or bedtime crying. If you eventually give in and give her the pacifier, she will become confused. Stick to your guns and she will come around.

Yummy Little Thumb

Baby J is 3 months 2 weeks and 6 days old

Recently,baby J has this new addiction of fingers sucking. It happens quite frequently lately. And sometimes when he is excited or stressed, he will try to put two hands together in his small little mouth which can't even fit in... :) Now, even when he is trying to sooth himself to sleep, I see that he will suck his fingers.

Sometimes you will even hear his sucking sound... so loud and cute! :) Now, the question is should I stop him from doing it?

Expert Answers

The BabyCenter Editorial Team

Babies generally suck their thumb to soothe themselves, which is good, because they need to learn how to rely on their own resources. The ability to regulate or control one's behavior and emotions is an important developmental challenge. When your child sucks her thumb, she's finding ways to make herself feel better without your help.

You don't have to stop your child from sucking her thumb right now. In general, thumb-sucking is more irritating to parents than it is harmful to kids. Your baby will stop when she's ready and has developed other ways of soothing herself.

Member Comments:

My husband and I are both dentists with a 3 month old that loves her thumb! Literature seems to say irreversible damage to teeth is most likey to occur at age 5 and beyond. So as long as baby is content, so are we. But we do plan to ween her off the thumb when she is beyond the infant stage.. We'll see how that goes?! - posted 10/11/2007 by Anonymous

Three of my children are thumb suckers, it helps them to calm themselves. Some nice bonuses are that they never loose it, you don't have to help them find it in the middle of the night, it is almost always clean, and you don't have to remember it when you travel. They will quit when they are ready. - posted 9/10/2007 by Anonymous

My older boys used pacifiers, but our little 3 month old spits his paci out and loves his yummy thumb. At first I was a little distressed over worries about weaning him from the habit when he's older, but for now he is sleeping unbelievably well and can soothe himself so easily. Thumbs up for the thumb! - 2007

I am a speech-language pathologist who works with kids 2 and older who have "tongue thrust" speech caused by thumb and pacifier sucking!!! They have incorrect sound production and narrow, forward protruding upper jaws. It isn't just the teeth, but the shape of the palate and jaw that are affected. I now have a 3 month old with an addiction to his thumb. As much as I enjoy him sleeping and self-soothing, thumb sucking is a terrible habit! It should be broken before they rely on it. A pacifier (preferably a straight nipple, NOT the orthodontic shape) IS better because you can take a pacifier away, but I understand you can't make them like it....my guy hates his! If he isn't self-soothing, just enjoying it, I pull it out and distract him. I also get excited and praise him when he takes it out himself. I give him other things to do with his hands and feed his oral fixation through mouth toys and wash cloths to provide stimulation WITHOUT the thumb!!! -posted 10/27/2007 by Anonymous

My daughter is 7 years old and has an appliance in her mouth top and bottom to reposition her jawline , also braces on the bottom to straighten her teeth. She unfortunately didn't quit when she was ready. I did the hot sauce on the thumb at 3 years old and the little cutie found her finger instead. She sucked her finger until she was 6 (said it tasted like chicken). I have slowly weaned her off of this habit by taking other things away from her when I saw her doing it, like My Little Ponies. It's been over a year now and her mouth has dramatically changed with these instruments. I have a 3 month old that I ENCOURAGE the binkie and she takes it just fine only for soothing. My husband and I introduce our oldest daughter to parents of children we see with the thumb or fingers in the mouth! Please try the binkie, a little inconvenience for you in the beginning can save you a ton of headaches and money later on!! -posted 12/27/2007 by itsabellything

First 3 Years Last Forever

I found this website which provide a very essential info on baby's development which we never know. The best part of this article was they actually done research on that! :) How cool! Please read on. For more info. pls go to: http://brainwave.org.nz/about-2/the-first-three-years-last-forever/

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** * ***** * * ** * ** * ** * * * **
A baby’s brain is unique and precious. The way it develops will determine who he or she will become. Genes may establish a child’s potential, however it is the day-to-day experiences that will help the child to fulfill that potential.
At birth the baby’s brain is only 15% developed. Most of a baby’s brain development actually occurs after the birth – in the first three years of life. It is the child’s experiences during these years that enable the brain to grow. In particular it is relationally-rich experiences which provide children with the ‘brain-food’ they need to grow into happy, secure and well functioning adults. Poor experiences during this time can have lasting negative effects on a child’s brain…and who they become.

The Recent and Evolving Additions to the Scientific Knowledge of the Brain

What has been learnt about the brain and its development in recent years is vitally important. New ways of visualising how neurons are formed and located under genetic guidance prior to birth and of how the child’s personal experiences then take over to connect these cells so that the messages they carry can be delivered to specific sites in the brain, provide the basic parts of this revolution.

It has long been known through observation and from paediatricians and psychologists interested in child development that children raised with nurture and care have the potential to grow to be a creative, affectionate, and understanding adults. Also obvious is that trauma from babyhood onwards can deflect or deviate children’s development in ways which leave them open to damage to their physical, emotional, cognitive and social development. At the worst these children can become continuing victims or relentless violent offenders. We have learnt too that the most significant impact comes while the brain is beginning to form and the child is too young to communicate.

This first section of this knowledge came with new ways to view the brain to show its structure and how large parts work together. Computerised Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging were first used. These techniques have since advanced to show more clearly delineated images. Current research by Neuroscientists and Neurobiologists centres on the atoms, the molecules and the ways chemicals and other components of these systems work. Exciting research is being carried out at the University of Otago looking at the synapses – the connections between brain cells –and how glutamate, a molecule that binds to receptors in the post synaptic area can regulate gene reception and through this control the memory of events. This and other research are now being used to design specific drugs to counteract or enhance the effects of systems of neurons and for producing programmes for healing that are designed to suit the individual child. Of the last the essentials are to make a comprehensive assessment of each child, observing his or her behaviours and looking at the social context of their lives as well as the nature, timing and likely effects of the harm.

New too is so much of what is now known to be effective therapy with this backed by scientific evidence. This involves removing or ameliorating the harm where possible and looking at what the child has missed in their early development. For many this includes the responses babies and infants need to develop – in touching, being given praise for what they do, and corrections for negative activities cited in ways that give the chance to learn without imposing more harm. This can be very long term and difficult, requiring constant reviews in a school aged child, but with a parent who wants to do this as well as the child’s teacher and other important adults in their lives, it can be done. Moving on from this and overlapping with it, means bringing to the child some of the necessary feelings they have missed building – their self esteem, the knowledge that they are trusted and loved being the imperative. In the absence of a protective adult at home or in the school, a mentor can be provided or the work given to an adult already close to the child – a neighbour or relative.

Other advances are coming with gene therapy. At presenting this is evolving in the adult world with things like altering the part of the gene that controls muscle growth and using this in athletes to enhance their chance of success. Its use in diseases that destroy or damage muscles like Huntington’s chorea or Parkinson’s disease in adults, or Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy in children are obvious advances. In the adult brain the recent discovery of the earliest cells that change to produce all the cells required and using the same response, can fill the gap made by cells that are damaged or destroyed has been described by the team working with Dr Richard Faull, Professor of Anatomy at the Auckland Medical School. Learning how to accelerate this process is their current task. Imagine what this may be able to do for children affected by brain loss or damage through a host of different causes.

Another area focuses on the glial cells. These cells outnumber the neurons by nine to one and have traditionally been regarded as cells with a maintenance role for neurons, bringing nutrients, maintaining a healthy balance of ions in the brain and warding off pathogens. In the past several years, sensitive imaging and listening instruments have shown that glia communicate with neurons and with one another about messages travelling among neurons. Glia can also alter these signals at the synaptic gaps between neurons and can even influence where synapses are formed. Given these powers, glia may be critical to learning and forming memories as well as repairing nerve damage. Experiments are now underway to find out.

Above all we need to remember that the brain is the most important organ we possess. It controls our body and our mind, and ultimately determines who we are. The challenge of this knowledge focuses on protecting the brains of all our children, especially in the early years, by ensuring the responses they require are available to them. In doing this we will alter the current downward trend of our communities and our country by raising successful children and countering the current enormous growth of harm to these sensitive and vulnerable young people with all the long term effects this carries.

Written by Dr. Robin Fancourt July 2004

How Well Do You Know Baby's Cries?

I have to say I cound;t bear to just stand there to hear my baby's cries. My heart and head will go weak and it felt painful to see him cries so sadly.. :"(

Below are some test which I took to see how well I know my baby cries. You can go to this website to check it out yourself: http://www.babyzone.com/baby/nurturing/crying/quiz/how-well-do-you-know-babys-cries

My score for this test was 24 out of 30! Not bad huh! :P

And I am 100% agree with answer number 5! :) There's no too much love! In fact we are lacking to give love love... don't you agreed! :D Answer 9, however, is something new to me... :)

Happy day to you & good luck with the test!

More Details:

25-30 Great job! You’re a super sleuth when it comes to decoding your infant’s cries and recognizing what to do about them! Now learn about another way to soothe Baby’s tears through infant massage.

17-24 Not bad! You’ve got a pretty good handle on what your baby is trying to tell you with her tears, but you could learn a bit more. Our tips will help you decode Baby’s wails using the Dunstan Baby Language Method.

10-16 There’s no cause for tears, but you could stand to learn more about your baby’s cries. Infants cry to communicate, so it’s a good idea research why your little one cries and what you can do to help soothe the tears.

Answers:

1. Infants use cries as their method of communicating with their caregivers.

2. Swaddling is one of the best ways to soothe a crying newborn, while a bath or a diaper change can be more jarring to Baby’s senses.

3. The “eh eh” sound means Baby needs to be burped, according to the Dunstan Baby Language Method.

4. Babies use the “owh” cry when they are sleepy.

5. It’s impossible to “spoil” a newborn with too much attention, so don’t feel guilty about picking up your crying baby!

6. A gassy baby makes a “eairh” or “air” sound, according to the Dunstan method.

7. Pediatricians say it’s typical for a newborn to cry from one to four hours a day.

8. The “heh heh heh” cry means Baby is uncomfortable.

9. False. Newborn babies do often fuss at night before settling down to sleep. Experts say this might be your baby’s way of trying to discharge the wound-up energy that's been gathering during the day.

10. When Baby is hungry her cries sound like “neh” or "nah", according to the Dunstan Baby Language program, a system that helps parents decode what their babies are trying to tell them.

No Schedule Yet

Babies under 3 months of age follow internal cycles of sleeping and eating. By around 3 months old, though, they begin to be influenced by the combination of this internal wiring and the external world — the routines you create. Some babies naturally and easily fall into the rhythms of their household. Other babies have a more irregular sensibility and are more resistant to the cues you provide.

You can help settle an erratic baby's temperament by building a daylong schedule of feeding, playtime, bathing, and other activities that's consistent. Try to work around your baby's natural inclinations. Keep a diary to see whether there are certain times of the day when she exhibits certain behavior. For example, if she's fussy in the afternoon, make that the time you give her extra cuddling and help her settle before she grows frantic. Match the number and timing of naps to when she most often seems tired, but let your schedule, not hers, determine when things happen from day to day. Don't try cramming in errands at a time when she should be napping, or you'll undermine the schedule you're trying to create.

Finally, let go of ideals of perfection: If you have a baby who resists a regimented schedule, the best you can hope for is more regularity in your household — not a complete absence of disorder.

~ The above advise is from barycenter.com ~

Another Gift for Baby

Today, mummy & daddy went to collect another present from grandma's friends (her gym classmates). It's a baby hammock! :) Mummy been wanting to buy it for baby since she broke her thumb while carrying baby to sleep. However, mummy also unsure if it is safe for baby since baby J since he is only 3 months plus (??).

Anyway, thank you for the present from granny's friends! Never knew that baby hammock could look so good and mummy loves the baby blue colour too! :)

At first, after daddy finished installing the baby hammock, mummy tried to put baby down to see if baby will likes it. Amazingly, baby loves it! :) At first, baby J seemed a bit confuse about this new toy, but within 10 mins he fell asleep in the hammock!!! :D WOw! this is cool!

Never know that this could be so easy...

Mummy couldn't wait to tried it tomorrow to see if baby really sleep through the afternoon as well. Till then, happy sleeping my dear baby! :)

The 100th Days

Yippieee.... today is the last day of my Confinement Day! :D Been waiting for this day to come for so long... heheh... Now, I can eat whatever I want!!! heheh... Still, I have to avoid certain "cold" foods and drinks to maintain a good health & since I'm still breastfeeding I have to watch what I eat too.

Today also marked the 100th day my baby was born! :) Geee... time flies... It has been about 4 months already?!? WOW! I don't want to waste any day not seeing my baby growing up... It seems that time doesn't wait for you and that's why I have to grab every single opportunity I have to spend it with my dear child.

There's so much I want to teach him and share with him. Looking forward to grow old with him too! Hopefully he will grow up to be the man I want him to be - what else.... to be a healthy and happy child, of course! :)

Inspiring Monday

Happy Monday everyone!

Here's an inspiring phrase which I would like to share with y'all today: I have no time to look back as there's so much more life ahead of me & waiting for me to fulfill it.

BABYBJÖRN On the Move

Haha.. today, we brought the new babybjorn out to shopping mall to "test drive". To my surprise, my dear baby likes it! :) He seems to enjoy it especially his daddy is in motion... but the will screams the moment his daddy stop walking. :D While daddy is walking baby enjoys the bouncing movements from the carrier and he has chance to see things from the front.

This is truly great! Now this will be a good tool for daddy to work out... so he can now kills 2 birds with one stone! :D (1) his arms will not pain anymore due to carrying baby (2) he can work out & burn some fat! :D Daddy seems to enjoy it too! Well looks like here's another product money well spent! Well done! Thanks to the hard work on doing all the research ;-)

Allerhand

Today we bought this diaper bag by Allerhand. The reason we choose this type of bad is because 1. it is very handy (most important for me) 2. can fit into our stroller basket 3. unique shape 4. u gotta love the vibrant colour 5. daddy must love this! - it has discount! :D

Daddy has been wanting to buy this Tiger from winnie the pooh for baby... and baby seems to like it too! Hope he will enjoy playing with it.

BABYBJÖRN

The sturdy, comfortable baby carrier. With a BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Active, you can walk for miles and still stay close to your child.

BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Active is a sturdy baby carrier, designed to carry heavier children for longer. The comfortable lumbar support and the wide, padded shoulder straps provides an even weight distribution. The baby carrier provides excellent support for your little child’s back and head, making sure his/her legs and arms are in a physiologically correct position. When your child is a little older, the neck-rest can be folded down so the child can face forwards and look around.

From newborn (at least 3.5 kgs/8 lbs and 53 cms/21 ins) up to 12 kgs/26 lbs. Approved in accordance with the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, class 1. Machine-wash at 40˚C. Wash separately. Use a gentle, bleach-free detergent.

Choice Magazine's Number One Choice of Baby Carrier!

Choice Magazine voted the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Active their number one baby carrier in April 2008. Out of a test field of 20 baby carriers, Choice recommended only two, and both of them were BabyBjörn carriers.

Choice commended the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Active as being:

• very easy to use
• very comfortable to wear
• very secure for baby, even when wearer's hands were occupied and while bending down
• very easy to follow the instructions, which are printed on the carrier itself
• experts said it provides good support for both baby and most wearers without putting too much pressure on the wearer's shoulders and neck

Today, daddy decided to buy a baby carrier for baby. After saying it for like more than 3 months! After researching for a few weeks, he finally got this BABYBJÖRN baby carrier active for our baby. Hopefully baby will enjoy it as much as daddy.

Establishing Good Sleep Habits

Typical sleep at this age (3-6months)
By now your nights of getting up every two or three hours are behind you -- we hope. By three or four months, most babies are sleeping 15 hours a day, around 10 of those hours at night and the rest divided among three daytime naps (that number will drop to two when your baby is about six months old). You may still be getting up once or twice a night for feeds at the beginning of this stage, but by the time your baby is six months old, she'll be physically capable of sleeping through the night. Whether she actually will depends on whether she's learning sleep habits and patterns that will encourage this.

How you can establish good sleep habits :

At this age, these are some of the best things you can do to help your child settle and sleep at night:

Establish set bedtimes and naptimes -- and stick to them
When your baby was a newborn, deciding when to put her down for the night was as easy as watching for her signs of sleepiness (eye-rubbing, ear-pulling, and so on). Now that she's a little older, you should establish a specific bedtime, as well as consistent naptimes, to regulate her sleep patterns. A good baby bedtime is usually between 7pm and 8.30pm; any later and she's likely to get overtired and have a hard time falling asleep. Your baby may not seem tired late at night -- on the contrary, she may appear very energetic, almost bouncing off the walls. But that's often a sign it's past her bedtime. You can set naptimes the same way you set bedtimes -- plan them for a specific time each day -- or go more by feel, putting your baby down when you know she's tired and needs to recharge. As long as she's getting enough sleep, either approach is fine.

Begin to develop a bedtime routine.
If you haven't already done so, now is also a good time to start a bedtime routine. Your routine can include any (or all) of the following: giving your baby a bath, playing a quiet game, getting your child ready for bed, reading a bedtime story or two, singing a lullaby and giving her a kiss goodnight. Whatever routine works for your family is fine, as long as you do it in the same order and at the same time every night. Children thrive on consistency, and this is no exception.

Wake your child in the morning to reset her daily clock
If your baby tends to sleep more than 10 hours at night, it's okay to wake her up in the morning to help her reset her daily clock. While it may seem like 10 hours at night isn't a problem, your baby needs to follow a regular sleep / wake pattern and recharge with naps during the day. Waking her at the same time every morning will help keep her sleep schedule predictable.

Potential pitfalls

Night waking and developing sleep associations which depend on your presence -- when your baby learns to depend on something like rocking or breastfeeding to fall asleep -- affect newborns and older babies alike. By four months, your child will probably be able to soothe herself, but you may still need to help her develop self-comforting techniques.

Some three- to six-month-olds may have a new problem: difficulty falling asleep. In these cases, putting your baby to bed can be daunting for new parents. You never know if she's going to scream her head off or whimper softly just to get the last word in.

If your baby is having a hard time getting to sleep at night, first make sure she's not staying up too late (as we mentioned, an overtired baby can make for a difficult bedtime). If that's not the case, she may have developed one or more problematic sleep associations. If you want her to sleep through the night without calling for you, she needs to learn to fall asleep by herself, not because she's been soothed to sleep by your arms, your breast or a pacifier.

If that's not the case and your baby is still having difficulty falling asleep, there are various strategies you can adopt. Some of these are outlined below. Of course, what will work best for you depends on your personal beliefs and sleep philosophy.

Approaches to sleep problems

What's the best way to respond to your child once you've tucked her in? Experts are quite divided on this issue. All agree, however, that the way to calm or ease your child to sleep changes over time. A newborn needs cuddling, while a toddler needs a consistent routine and a firm goodnight. When it comes to getting your three- to six-month-old baby to sleep, look through some of the suggestions below from a variety of experts and choose a strategy which you feel could work for you:

Approach 1
Do a simple checking routine. If your child is crying, go back into her room. Pat her on the back and tell her that everything is okay, but that it is time to go to sleep. Don't pick her up or cuddle her; be gentle but firm. Leave. Wait about five minutes, then check again. Do this repeatedly until she falls asleep, extending the time between each visit.

Approach 2
Take a close look at your bedtime routine. It's important to put your baby down when she's awake so she'll learn to settle herself to sleep, both when you first put her down and if she wakes up during the night. If you're not doing this, consider changing your nighttime routine.

Approach 3
If your baby is crying and you're sure she's fed, dry, and healthy, wait five minutes before going to her. Then reassure her you're there by talking to her -- don't pick her up, turn on the lights, or touch her. When you go in, stay calm and keep it brief. If she keeps crying, wait a little longer each time before you go in, then repeat the above sequence. The key is to be consistent and firm.

Approach 4
Don't put your baby to sleep by rocking her in your arms or letting her suck at the breast or bottle; she'll learn to associate these things with settling to sleep rather than depending on herself. Instead, get her in bed while she's still awake, sit by her, give her a transitional object such as a blanket, pat her, and generally reassure her without words.

Approach 5
Comfort your baby to sleep: rock her, and lie down together until you see that her face is motionless and she's in deep sleep. Establish and stick with a bedtime routine, and try cuddling up, pretending to sleep, and firmly letting your child know it's bedtime.

There is no "right" way to encourage your child to settle and sleep through the night. You need to choose an approach that will work for you and your family.

Migraine

Oh dear, oh dear.... I think my migraine came back to haunt me again... This was the first symptom I got during my confinement and it didn't cure until now. Today's weather also not very good... too HOT! It may be causing my migraine to come back. The pain has become worst!!! Worst than before I got pregnant! :'( This isn't good!!!! I feel like my head going to explode!

Lucky, my baby is very good this evening. He was very co-operative... after feeding him breast-milk, he straight away goes to sleep. I manage to get some rest while waiting for my hubby to come home.

Guess what? My baby slept through the night until 12-ish a.m.! Brovo to him!!! :)

Thank you hubby for coming home to rescue. It helps a lot. Love you always & forever.

Bravo Baby

My baby is 3 weeks and 2 days old

Yesterday, (at around 4-ish a.m.) my baby suddenly woke up in the middle of the night (I suspect maybe he is too cold or he had a bad dream)... with our heavy eyes and mind that is still half asleep, both my hubby and I were waken by his cried.

We then tried to feed him milk but he refuse to drink his milk so we later gave him the pacifier and wa-la he suck on his pacifier and before he managed to go back to sleep my hubby off the light. I first thought he is going to cry out lout but to our surprise, he soothe himself to sleep with the pacifier without the light!!... that was magic! Although I have to say, this does not happened every time we feed him the pacifier... :)

Thank you baby for understanding, and giving daddy & mummy a good night sleep. We love you!

Every time he smile, my heart melt like ice-cream... :) Since his arrival (in my womb), my singing has improved tremendously... I even amazed myself!!!! Looks like what they said is true... you will change for good for your baby... :-) Have you change for good since your baby arrived?

My Wish

Found this very meaningful song as I stumble on a blog today.... Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Although I don't have a "good" mother, but it never stop me from learning to be a good mother to my dear baby.

Dear Lord, please show me & my hubby the right path on how to be a good parent to my little baby. Thank you Lord for the wonderful blessings You have bestow upon us and we are truly grateful for everything. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

To my dear hubby, the video below is dedicated to you and my dear baby who are growing up beautifully each day. We love ya sweetheart... xoxo

Happy Mummy's Day

Baby is 3 months and 1 day old

Today, I woke up at 9 a.m. (a little late coz normally 8.30 a.m.) and as usual the two fella were still sound asleep. I quietly went down to the kitchen to prepare and clean my baby's bottles, hang the clothes, make sure everything is clean in the living room before my baby wakes up (my usual chore in the morning). And finally, I prepare my breakfast before my baby wakes up.

As predicted, my baby wakes up before I even have time to finish my meal. Then, his daddy brought him downstairs to me... I knew he is not very patient with baby especially in the morning because he prefer to read his email / sms / comic / news than playing with his baby. So I quickly ate my meal and took over from him.

But before that, my hubby and baby wishes me Happy Mother's Day. . This is the first time I celebrated Mother's Day! :) Feel so old now... Anyway, I'm very happy because I am now a 'mummy' to my dear baby. I'm looking forward to spend many more happy mother's day with the two most important man to me.

As usual, my hubby did not prepare anything to celebrate "my day"... (~_~) All he can do is to bring me to his favourite bak-kut-teh restaurant and window shopping in a shopping mall... zzz.....zzzz..... How boring!

Now wonder his fucking-mother always complaining about his fucking-father... Now, I see clearly where he got the GENE from... from his hopeless and useless father! Oh God, I don't think I want to have such unromantic husband! :'(

As usual as well, baby getting very cranky as the hours goes by... I don't really have time to enjoy shopping or a proper meal... I don't even have time to check my sms... or read newspaper or magazine. So after dinner at a Japanese restaurant, we head home.

Back at home, I bath my dear baby and make him sleep.

There goes my 1st time celebrating Mother's day.... The end!

Happy Mother's day to you... Hope you got to spend a wonderful day with your family and not spend it so boringly like me.

3 Months

Today my dear baby is officially 3 months old! :) Daddy brought him to SP because he has work to do... so he has lost some valuable time with baby today as this morning he was doing some housework and rite after that he has work to do. Time spent with baby is very little...

Apart from that, when he is with baby he kept looking at his HANDPHONE! One day I'm going to crash his hp into pieces! (>_<)

I have to say SP is not very baby friendly shopping mall... they don't have a nappy or nursing room!!!! :( We brought him out today but he cried a lot... poor baby... BUT good news was he poop twice today!!! Once in the morning and once in the late afternoon.

Good job baby!

First Hair Cut

Hahah... finally after a few attempts of trying to shave my little darling hair, we managed to shave 99.9% of his hair this morning!!! (^_^)Y

I have to say, it not easy to shave little newborn hair because their skin and hair are so so soft. We were very worried that we might cut his skin with the very sharp blade. Thank the Lord for the safe and successful shave! :)

The secret? Do it while your baby is sleeping! Then, he is a lot more calmer and not moving around his head thus, easier for you to shave.

It was horrendous on the first attempt we tried to shave him (on Monday, 03.05.2010). Well, thanks to his daddy who did not do more research & get all the stuff ready for shaving. So my poor baby hair looked terrible at the first attempt... one patch here botak and there... not even. (>_<) So sorry dear for your daddy is always not professional at handling anything!

Now my dear sweetheart looks much better! :)

We managed to shave all of his hair... just left 0.01% which is a bit hard to shave as his head is not even (skull still very fragile). Now, we just need to wait till all of his new hair to grow. We even shaved his eyebrows. This is to make his brows appear to be darker and fuller when it grows out.

Oh Baby

My dear baby is going to be 3 months old very soon. :) I can't believe how fast time flies... It has been wonderful taking care of him and seeing him grow since he was born. I still remember his first smile, his first stool, his first response to me, first bath.... and most of all the first time I held him in my arms. He was so so sweet.

He has now grown a bit of height and baby-fat compare to when he was born (then he was just so tiny and skinny but long). Now, he is into biting his own fingers... if it gets too excited he will bite both of his fingers together.. :D Also, he slowly started to make eye contact with us while we are talking to him.

Apart from that, he also started to enjoys his bath more... :-) compare to the first month I guess he was traumatized... cried each time during bath time. Lucky, he is now starting to enjoy his bath.

Besides, he started to sleep longer through the night (Thank God for that). Now, he only wakes up one or twice for feeding compare to first few weeks. It was really a sleepless nite for both of us. But afternoon nap has been hard... it seems that he is very hard to put to sleep in the afternoon... may be it's because of the hot weather. But he sleeps like angle during raining time... not to mentioned the thunder (trouble sometimes)!

He also prefer us to carry him horizontally rather than vertically. I guess his neck muscle has slowly develop (although it has not 100% strong yet). Occasionally too, he will likes his pacifier especially when we are out & about. :)

Not to forget, today I found this wonderful website to answer all my baby questions which I could find previously. Check this out - www.askdrsears.com . Do drop by if you have any questions to ask, this is very useful especially to first time parents.

Although my arms and wrist is still in pain, I wouldn't trade one day of my life for him. Mummy & daddy love you baby J. xoxo

Smitten with Terror

I'm not a good pretender.... I'm not good at it I admit.

It has been a few days I've buried this feeling inside me. I don't think I could stay stronger any longer... I couldn't sleep well and it has been disturbing me and my life. I'm really sad, worried and angered! How could they!!? These selfish idiots just won't give me and my family a break... like the saying goes, they would like to see you fall down than give u a helping hand... and I agreed with this statement.

I have a very strong urge to call my dad today and give him a few good words!!! One day he will just get it from me!!! How dare he brought those rubbish to my grandma house! and how dare him kee-poh around with my business with that bitch!!!

I don't care anymore!!! Respect my foot!!! These OLD folks think they are doing it for me but deep down they just equally stupid and being coward! They can't even handle their own problems... how can he even want to protect his own family(???). That's why I do not depend on him since young especially if I need moral support or personal advice!!! Yeah, the person whom I called dad does not act like one in my life... I'm very disappointed in him! That's why he always said, among all his children, he is less worry about me because I can managed on my own.

Also, the bitch who thinks she is the most important person in this world, I swear I will one day haunt you down!!! If not because of your son, I have already give this bitch a piece of my poop! This bitch has been going around with her pathetic stories and telling all sorts of non-sense asking for sympathy! How sickening!!!

From her shallow behaviour I do not think she has a life and I think she wants to see her son suffers... What on earth is this mother-fucker-bitch is doing to her son & his life??! I don't think she care neither! She is making me hate he even more and her doing & her shallow behaviour has makes me disrespect this old frat even low! I hope your son is receiving lots of "love" from your selfish behaviour! So called "mother"! puik..... !

The more we ignore her, the more nonsense she is making everyday to destroy my hubby's life!! I trust God & I believe God will take care of those evil people. What comes around, goes around. It's wise to just let God dealt with! I felt ashamed each time I mentioning about her immature attitude & behaviour!

Every time we wanted to move on & start fresh, this bitch will do something to destroy it! This will make me & my hubby hate her even more... and I think she knew it and enjoys it! I know I shall not care about her shallow behaviour or doings, but I'm just a person dealing with an evil here... an old-frat-evil! I also hope that my hubby would be more open to talk to me about his feelings anytime...

Dear Lord, please protect my family from those evil people. Keep them away from us. Please lead us to a safe and healthy way of finding our own happiness and peace. Almighty Lord, please guide us everyday on how to bring up our baby Your way. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

More Wisdom

I find this word of wisdom very interesting as I stumbled on a blog today... They are all words from experienced mothers.. hope you will find it useful in your daily life. =)


If you want something, get it. If you want to do something, do it. Life's too short.

Those who anger you, control you....

a dream is a wish your heart makes

You will get through this, and it WILL get better.

Never settle, always go after what you want.

Kids grow up so fast, so try and soak up as much as you can, before memories are all you have!

It's better to have a strong will then to be taken advantage of!

"Love yourself for who you are.. do not try to become what others want you to be, cos you'll spend your entire life trying to please others and end up pleasing no one..." enjoy your kids while they are young, before you know it they will be grown

always give your kids lots of hugs and kisses.

you better behave or your kids will be just like you.

Raising a Bilingual Child

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? What about your child?

The best time to learn a second language is as a child. During childhood, the brain is more receptive to language learning than at any other time in life. Aware that a second language can enrich their child’s understanding of other cultures and bring future job opportunities in a world drawn ever closer by globalization, many parents today are motivated to raise their children bilingual.

This book helps parents in both monolingual and multilingual families determine and achieve their bilingual goals for their child, whether those goals are understanding others, the ability to speak a second language, reading and/or writing in two languages, or some combination of all of these. The authors explain how the brain learns more than one language, explode common myths, address frequently asked questions, and reveal an array of resources available to families. Packed with insightful anecdotes and powerful strategies, this is a one-of-a-kind guidebook for those seeking to provide their children with a uniquely valuable experience.

Step #1: Building the Foundation for Your Child’s Bilingualism

Every child can learn multiple languages from birth. It is normal for children to mix languages in speech as they learn them. Children learning two languages sometimes start talking a little later, but no research has shown that bilingualism typically leads to anything more than a temporary language delay. Monolingual parents can raise a bilingual child. A child’s brain is wired to learn different languages, but adequate language stimulation is a must. A poor language environment can lead to a child becoming a “passive” bilingual (able to understand the language, but does not use it). A child’s brain adapts to her language environment and a child can learn a language well beyond 5 years of age.

Step #2: Making It Happen: Defining Your Goals

Decide which languages are important to you and why. Identify your motivations for—and your reservations about—bilingualism. Choose which language(s) you and your partner are going to speak to your child. Set a start date and determine how proficient you hope your child will be in a second language. Do a reality check and determine if your proficiency goals are realistic for your family. Take into account that one language will be dominant.

Step #3: Becoming a Bilingual Coach

Make bilingualism a priority for you and your child. Ensure the correct amount of language input for the level of bilingualism you’re aiming for your child to attain. Teach or arrange for bilingual instruction. Determine who should speak what language when. One popular method is OPOL (One Parent One Language)

Step #4: Creating Your Bilingual Action Plan

Fill your home with multilingual media from the Internet, television, educational games, and activites. Make the most of community resources such as your local library, babysitters, extended family, and travel. Find school support at your local public school, Saturday or Sunday language schools, and summer camps.

Step #5: Leaping Over Predictable Obstacles

There are steps you can take to boost your child’s language development, such as keeping it natural and not overwhelming the child. It is a normal developmental step for a child to switch languages and you can redirect him or her to the other. Mixing languages is a normal part of language development, simply help them fill in the language gaps (without correcting your child every time). Don’t be self-conscious about speaking other languages in public; it does have a significant impact on your child’s learning. Both parents must be actively engaged with the language if not fluent, so it’s important to recognize your partner’s support and help. Children recognize the attitudes of both parents towards the language so if one is unsupportive, the child could become discouraged.

Step #6: The “Two R’s”: Reading and Writing in Two Languages

Reading is powerful and reading alone can lead to the strong acquistion of a language. It offers an additional and complementary kind of language exposure and leads to increased vocabulary and better understanding, which in turn leads to greater facility and enjoyment when using the language. Reading leads to higher level language skills and incresaed cognitive benefits. It can also help develop and safe-guard language skills over a lifetime.

Writing helps reinforce vocabulary and both learn and practice grammar skills. It helps develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the language and develops higher language skills. It also helps improve spoken language skills.

Step #7: Adapting to School

There are five things you need to know about foreign language study in U.S. public schools: (1) know what bilingual education programs your school system offers; (2) know that true bilingual programs are relatively rare and extremely popular; (3) know that in most school districts, rigorous foreign language study happens at the high school level; (4) know that language choice is often limited; and (5) know that “sequencing” (putting your child in the correct level of difficulty course) is probably going to be an issue for your bilingual child.

Help your child identify positively with the language. Adjust your bilingual goals and plan as needed and let your child know you love him just as he is. Trust the process.

Adapted from 7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child (AMACOM 2008) by Naomi Steiner, M.D. with Susan L. Hayes.