Toy of the Day: Touch-&-Feel Baby Board Book (6M25D)

10 December 2016 (6M25D) Baby FECS loves touch-&-feel baby board books now. She touched the fabric, and she seemed to love to touch the whiskers of the cat best.

Amazon has similar touch-&-feel books:

http://amzn.to/2hmyMSo

Some even come equipped with sounds:

http://amzn.to/2gpDFbu

Toy of the Day: Montessori Sandpaper Letters Sensory Basket (6M24D)

9 December 2016 (6M24D): Baby FECS loves touch-&-feel baby board books now. So as an extension of the same touch sensory idea and concept, I prepared this Montessori sandpaper letters sensory basket. You simple pick a letter, trace the sand-paper textured letter with baby and say its sound. This is just to give her a foretaste and fun, and familiarity with letters, not to hammer in learning letters at this young age.

8 December 2016: Oops... Before I could put the basket away, I was away for a split second and she started playing with it now... It was supposed to be for tomorrow!

9 December 2016 (6m223d): Baby FECS found the sounds of letters really funny. We traced b, m, k, g, s, o, u, q and v today. She found it fun to sit in the basket and picked a letter.

Here is a video on the sound of letters by a fellow mom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWZ_8vRdZM

Toy of the Day: Musical Box (6M24D)

9 December 2016 (6M24D): Musical box 

9 December 2016 (6M23D): Mommy, how come there is sound coming out? 

Toy of the Day: Measuring Cups (6M24D)

9 December 2016 (6m24d): Measuring cups - for her to remove each layer and to bang and shake. 

Also good as bath toys.

Toy of the Day: Teddy-Bear (6M23D)

8 December 2016 (6M23D): I noticed recently that C loves to crawl over to touch the teddy bear the instructor is holding at Babysalmesang, and was totally delighted when the instructor hold the teddy bear and sing. Maybe she is into cuddly soft toys now, so I prepared this for her. I must find time to also make a play with the teddy bear, when she plays with it.

Picked this up from baby-swimming, and so I sang that to her:

"Teddy-bear, Teddy-bear, up and down

Teddy-bear, Teddy-bear, turn around

Teddy-bear, Teddy-bear, to-&-fro"

Hmmm... after 30 seconds, C preferred o play with the basket, rather than the teddy-bear, which is also fine. The basket is more interesting, and it is the toy to the her now.

Toy of the Day: Montessori Bottles & Containers Sensory Box (6M22D)

7 December 2016 (6m22d): Baby FECS loves to dig into baskets and boxes now. So today I prepared a Montessori sensory box made of bottles and containers for her to dig into.

Toy of the Day: Montessori Letters Sensory Box (6M22D)

7 December 2016 (6m22d): Montessori letters sensory box. Pick a letter and say its sound to your baby. Then just let her explore on her own with some independent play time.

In Loving Memory of Ah Ma

Today is the day of cremation. It felt like a second death - finality - with the body pushed into the burning furnace. Excruciating, but we should not depend on our feelings. The physical body is reduced to ashes, but God promises eternal life to those who trust in Jesus. In loving memory of Ah Ma, who is now in peace and joy with God in heaven, where there will be no more tears, pain and suffering.

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his godly ones." - Psalm 116:5

Toy of the Day: Nesting Cups (6M18D)

They say babies at 6 months love measuring cups and love knocking it down. All ready for Baby FECS when she wakes up :-)

According to Babycenter: "Toys to handle and manipulate: Your baby's getting the idea that he can make things happen, so poking, twisting, squeezing, shaking, dropping, and opening things will fascinate him. Nesting cups, stacking blocks and ring cones, toys with levers, and toys that let him fit one object into another will be a big hit. At bath time, he'll love filling a cup and emptying it out again."

4 December 2016 (6M18D): 1, 2, 3... down :-)

C Summary (6M18D)

Oh baby, baby... not just challenges with food, nowadays it is hard to even squeeze in the daily D-vitamin drops. When you were younger, whenever I opened my mouth and said "Aaaah," you would be amused and open your  mouth and try to say "Aaaahhhh". Then I can drop in the drops. Now at 6 months old, when I do that, you would just grin at me and keep your mouth shut :-(

My day now...

At baby-swimming two days ago, a fellow mom said, "Oh your baby has strunk in size." Wow, even she could see it! And she is totally right, C hasn't been growing much... Doctor has set me another appointment to see her regarding C's weight, or rather weight loss... so now I am paying more attention to her diet - increasing solids from 1 time a day to 4 times a day. So far, it is improving...

But this means this is how my day looks like now:

Wake up, cook, feed, nurse, walk her to sleep, clean up... cook, feed, nurse, walk her to sleep, clean up... cook, feed, nurse, walk her to sleep... cook, feed, nurse, walk her to sleep, clean up... cook, feed, walk her to sleep... in between feeding, I feed myself, then I collapse in bed... and it is the next morning... And Joshua? He has grown so much... so mature now... he is managing himself...

But I am not complaining... cos' in war-time and in death, there is no opportunity to do such simple things... poignantly and sadly, my granny has just passed away today. My granny could no longer cook for me. She could also no longer eat. And the Syrians in war-torn Syria do not have the chance to cook and take proper care of their babies :-( I am really so fortunate. I am grateful to have the health to do all these now. I am glad that I am still able to cook for Chastine.

Here is cheers to a brand new day... another day of cooking and washing up... oh what simple joys of life :-) And I am enjoying every minute of it... :-)

Toy of the Day: Pots & Pans (6M17D)

 2 December 2016 (6M17D): They say babies at 6 months like to play with pots and pans. All ready for Baby FECS when she wakes up :-)

How do u like it, Baby FECS?

Making Play Pen Fun

2 December 2016 (6M16D): Found a way to entice her to spend time in her play-pen without complaining or crying - fill it with balls. Idea credit: Christianskirken Lyngby

J Summary (7Y8M27D): Broke a Toy...

2 December 2016 (7Y8M27D): J broke this while playing hard, told me not to be angry and said, 

"Mommy, if u want to have kids, you got to accept that kids break stuff. And besides, u need to get better quality toys that don't break easily."

Grrrhhhh.... double whammy!!!

Toy of the Day: Leap Frog Activity Center (6M13D)

28 November 2016 (6M13D): Felt that Baby FECS started to have an interest for cause-&-effect. So decided to let her try this toy. This was our Little FECS favorite, when he was a toddler.

Why did God allow suffering?

Why did God allow suffering? God, I used to be angry with you for the suffering in this world. But now, I no longer.

The greatest love is sometimes not about withholding suffering. The greatest love is going through the suffering with the person, and suffer alongside the person.

The easiest solution is just to remove suffering. No one suffers. No love needs to be shown. Life is easy. When life is easy, it is easy to love. That is self-love. True love is tested in the face of suffering.

Suffering shows the true heart of men. Many of us men fail miserably in the face of suffering, in the test of true love.

In face-to-face with suffering, I come to see my lack of growth and maturity. It shows that I have much to learn. Thank you for the continuing lesson.

God, You don't look the other way. You suffer alongside us. You are in pain, as much as we are in pain. By suffering alongside us, and winning the victory, You showed us the greatest love. Jesus didn't remove the suffering. He went through it courageously and came out victorious. For the love of mankind, He went through the suffering.

Sufferings

We asked God, "God, why all these sufferings that my granny has to go through?"

My granny is panting for breath.
My granny cannot eat as she cannot shallow.
My granny lies in bed.
(But she is mentally alert, and amazing her dementia seemed to have totally disappeared. She is so mentally alert.)

God asked, "My dear child, do you remember, when you were a child down with a cold and a fever, how your mum tender loving love, waking up and staying up with you in the night, sponging you with ice-cubes, made you feel so loved and cared for?"

Me: "Yes God, I remember, and I am doing it for Joshua now. If I haven't been down with cold and fever, I would not have experienced such tender loving parental love."

God: "Similarly, it is a chance for you to show tender loving care to your granny, to clean her, to make her feel comfortable."

Sufferings is a result of the fallen creation. God does not take delight with sufferings, but He sometimes allow it.

Late in the night, I asked my Auntie Siew Hong, how she is able to give up her job and work part-time, to clean my granny her mother-in-law, to stay up in the night to watch and hold my granny, day-after-day, night-after-night.

Auntie Siew Hong said that she couldn't do it by herself. It is by walking with Jesus everyday, that Jesus enables her to do it.

The depth of what human love can show is only tested in the depth of sufferings.

In sufferings, love is glorified.
In sufferings, God is glorified.

I look at my granny.

She looks so loved.

She looks like a baby, like a child bathed in parental love.

She smiles, she is pampered.

She is bathed in love. She is enjoying it. In the evening, when her eight children come to visit her, I could see that she really enjoy the evening. She is mentally so alert (perhaps God has granted her the alertness to enjoy this, as her dementia seemed to have amazingly disappeared), so happy to see her children. All these years, how she long for her children and her grand children to visit her, few came. Now they all come. She is so happy.

In the end, it doesn't seem like she is suffering.

She is enjoying all the love that she is receiving.

She is still panting for breath.
She still cannot eat and cannot swallow.
She is still lying in bed.
Despite that, she is not giving up on life, she is still treasuring it, and living it courageously.
And she seems to be enjoying all these love, all these visits, that she has longed for for years...

Yes God, I understood it now. We have to be thankful for this opportunity, for this time with my granny. Our sufferings have meaning, although we may not have fully grasped it yet. It will in your own time, God. For now, I thank you God that you have answered my question sufficiently.

In sufferings, love is glorified.
In sufferings, God is glorified.

Of course, we should not only gather together during such a crisis. But alas, such is the down side of human nature - we don’t learn in good times. But God worked everything for the good, He used it to pull the family closer together.

There is a lesson to be learned in everything that comes our way. We are learning it the hard way. But we are thankful for this extended time given to my granny, and this extended time given to us.

God helped us realized that what my granny is going through is an opportunity to show love. In the midst of sufferings, love increased. Bonding tend to take place in the midst of sufferings. It helped the whole extended family to come together and unite the whole family.

A Letter to Granny

Birthday gathering with cousins at Telok Blangah... I am the girl in yellow

Dearest Ah Ma

I have so much I wanted to say to you, but each time we Facetime, words just disappeared, and I didn't know what to say. It seemed so awkward and mushy. Each time I put the phone down, I am filled with regret.

I thought that I have learned, since my father passed on, that I should take the courage to say words of appreciation to my loved ones, while they are still with us, even if the words may come out awkward and mushy. But alas, I couldn't. I just couldn't. It feels unnatural.

Perhaps it is the Asian up-bringing. We don't hug and say "I love you," to our kids or to our parents. But deep down inside, we know that we love our loved ones. And deep down inside, I know that you know that I love you.

Asians are men of few words. We are not as articulate, even with our loved ones. But that's ok. I know that God has accepted me as I am, for my reticence. We have accepted one another. It's alright. It is the presence that count, even if it is just silent presence. We say "I love you" with our hearts.

But, Ah Ma, I am the type who writes, so I will write to you instead. Perhaps that's why most reticent people are very lasting bloggers.

Dear Ah Ma, I will write you a letter. I will pen down my heart-felt words to you. I hope I will have the courage to read it to you.

I want to tell you how much I appreciate you, and how much I have learned from you, how to become a loving grandmother.

I remember when I stayed with you occasionally during the school holidays at Telok Blangah. How I would wake up, and you would ask me, "Ler ai jiak me gai?" what I would like for breakfast - milo with kaya, noodle soup, roti prata sprinkled with sugar or curry? I would make my choice and you would always fulfill my wish.

My favorite is your Yee Mee noodle soup. You would marinate the chicken and cook it for me, while I brushed my teeth and get ready.

Your voice, your loving tender singsong teochew voice, still rings in my ears.

Years passed, I moved to Denmark... you could no longer cook. I sometimes try to re-create your Yee Mee noodle soup, but it just doesn't taste like yours. I wish I had ask you for the recipe, while you still could cook, before dementia catches up with you. Your special noodle soup will be lost forever...

Although I don't quite make it like you did, it still reminds me of you, each time I cook it. Do you know that I make Yee Mee noodle soup for J now, and he loves it?

As a child, after dinner, Ah Gong and you would say, "Come, let's go for a walk, good for food digestion." You would say in teochew, "kia, nan khee kia kia," Did you know that my heart would leap up with joy? I had never tell you, but I guessed you could see that in our expression as children. Each time I thought of it, I could still feel the joy I experienced as a child. You love jalan jalan, and I love jalan jalan. We would walk up to Stream Garden at Telok Blangah Hill. Dear Ah Ma, did you know that I was observing Ah Gong and you? Ah Gong and you would walk side-by-side, leisurely and lovingly. I don't remember if you guys held hands, but you would walk together and you could walk for long. You showed me how to be loving to your spouse in marriage, in your own special Asian way. Ah Gong and your marriage was a tower of strength, even though Ah Gong was a man of few words. You showed me how to be tolerant. I asked my mother, and she told me that Ah Gong and you hardly pickle.

My brother recalled that Ah Gong and you brought us for jalan jalan at Chinatown. We would ask to ride those small electric cars at People's Park, and you would give us the coins for it.

I remembered how you would call out my baby sister, "Meimei..." These are my memories of you.

Dear Ah Ma, in your younger days, you were the central source that gathered the family. I remembered how during school holidays and birthday celebrations, all our aunties, uncles and cousins would gather at Telok Blangah. My mum, Aunt Alice, Aunt Misah, Dua Kim would be busy in the kitchen making Mee Rebus or Mee Siam for lunch and preparing steamboat for dinner. Then at night, the whole living room will be turned into the sleeping quarter with mattresses all laid out on the floor end-to-end. All the cousins would sleep side-by-side on the mattresses on the floor, and it was so much fun. That was one of the best things I looked forward to as a child, the simple joy of camping at your place in the living room. Now that is one of the best time of my life that I look back with joy. Long before I learned about the American family tradition of Family Fun Night, you have already taught us that concept. Our childhood were so much more enriched, because of you. Each time when my tiger-mom tendency rears its ugly head, I will remember you and let J and C have the kind of bonding time that you had given me with their grandparents.

Days passed, years passed... Ah Gong passed on... you could no longer live on your own... the Telok Blangah flat was sold... we no longer have the Family Fun Night with the cousins like we used to do... and I look at all that I missed with sadness.

But towards the very old age of your life, you once again become the central gathering source... through the very trying period that we are now going through, seeing you going through a very trying period... You pulled the family together, speaking forgiveness in our hearts, breaking down pride and bringing healing as we all gather around you by your bedside with the love that surrounds the silence.

Dear Ah Ma, although you didn't have an education and can't read a single character, yet you trusted Jesus with a simple child-like faith that touched my heart. Although everything that takes place in church is in English, you wanted to go to church and went to church regularly. When you got weaker, you still asked to go to church. Although you didn't receive any education, I am really amazed and touched that God could reach deep down to your heart and touch you, and enable you to believe in Him. You are in good hands, Ah Ma, you are in good hands. God will take care of you forever.

Dear Ah Ma, do you know that you are an amazing and admirable woman? I have learned so much from you, as you model your life for us, simply just by living it the way you are. When I become a grandma, I hope to learn to be as loving like you have been to me as my grandma. I hope to learn to speak in the warm tone like you do to my grandchildren.

I need to pray, that I would somehow know how to translate this letter to you in Teochew.

Day 7: Baby's First Food - The Precious Peas/Ærter/豌豆[wān dòu]

I introduced the peas to Baby FECS today. Seemed like she preferred broccoli to peas though. It could also be that she was too tired today, as I introduced this food late in the day, although she still ate the full saucer. Although t is recommended that new food should be introduced in the early part of the day, I never could get it all ready, and always ended up feeding my baby at dinner time. Well, life is not perfect, and things don't fit so beautifully together, but she survived. 

I also didn't manage to make any food for her yesterday. When the two boys (Daddy FECS and Little FECS) are home, one should think that I would get more help, and thus more things done. The reality is that I always become less efficient. Thankfully, a ripe avocado came to my rescue :-) 

I noticed that she is getting more hungry now, and my breast milk does not seem to satisfy, even though I have now increased the frequency of nursing - to the point of tiring myself out. So after more than a week of food-sampling, it looks like solid is more seriously needed now (Have to say, the Danish health nurse is right). So now I have to take the job of making baby food more seriously and plan it into my daily life now :-(

I made a cup and froze the rest in the freezer.

If you wish to see how I prepared peas, click here.

Here is a picture of her today :-)

30 October 2016 (5M7D)

J Summary (7Y7M21D): Positive Feedback from His Teachers

We had met the teachers day today. Both of his Danish and Maths teacher told us that our Little FECS is doing very well in school - among the top in his class for Danish and Maths. He is also reading very well in Danish and among the top in his class. His class has 22 students. The teacher also told us that J is highly popular, in fact the most popular person in his class. This means that he has a moral responsibility to be a good role model. We were pleasantly surprised.

Daddy FECS commented that he noticed also that J has a very strong grasp of numbers. Daddy FECS credited to my efforts in doing Montessori with him. However, I think it is more to Daddy FECS' credit. He managed to make learning fun for J in their daily day-to-day conversation. If we ask J, I am sure, he would say that it is Daddy FECS who inspired him.

This doesn't mean that Montessori is not effective. I think Daddy FECS and me complemented each other - thankfully. Montessori is really good, but I just need to make sure that I don't have too much of a Tiger Mom, and in the process of educating J, become a kill joy. It is a humbling experience, but I am still learning, and hopefully I improve.

Day 6: Baby's First Food - The Beneficial Buckwheat/Boghvede/荞麦籽[qiáo mài zǐ]

24 October 2016 (5M1W2D) Baby C loved it.

I decided to introduce buckwheat today. Buckwheat is one of the grains recommended by the Danish health authorities for babies 4-6 months old, as it does not contain gluten. Apart from that, buckwheat is also very nutritious, a very good substitute for the less nutritious white rice that we Singaporeans eat. Thus, I wanted to accustom Baby C to it at an early age.

Baby C liked it very much, and finished the whole saucer :-)

You can read about how I prepared it here.

She finished the whole saucer :-)

Here is a picture of Baby C today

Day 5: Baby's First Food - The Mighty Ginger/Ingefær/姜[jiāng]

As Chinese, we all know the mighty goodness in ginger, but it is an acquired taste, easiest to cultivate when young. 

I decided to go ahead to introduce ginger to Baby C today, although she is shy of 6 months old.

My experience is that once the window of introducing food to baby is past, it is an uphill task, and there are so many food I want to introduce to Baby C. With J, because I was afraid of the allergy that tomatoes may cause, I introduced it to him too late when he was 1 year old. Until today, he refused to eat tomatoes. He is also not fond of yogurt for the same reason. In general, experts said the window is between 8 to 9 months old, and that seemed to match my experience with J.

So if baby starts on solid at 6 months, and one has only 2-3 months to introduce 50-60 items (those items on my list), and if one also waits 4 days in between each new introduction, it would essentially be a close to impossible task.

Ginger is not on the list of food causing allergy, and in general Asian kids are not so prone to allergy.

I would like Baby C to get used to the flavor of ginger - not necessarily eating it. So I added a piece of ginger while cooking her millet puree, and then fished it out again after 5 minutes. In this way, the ginger's flavor gets into the puree, but she is not eating the ginger.

As expected, Baby C wasn't clapping her hands and asking for more. This, afterall, wasn't candy, but ginger. But she has tasted it, and it is a step towards acquiring a taste for it. Rome isn't conquered overnight.

Add a slice of ginger when cooking porridge/puree for baby.

As I want only the flavoring, take the ginger out again after 5-10 minutes, depending on how strong favor you desire.

You can read my original post on ginger as baby's first food when J was a baby here.

Toy of the Day: Sensory Cirlce (5M7D)

23 October 2016 (5M7D): Baby FECS started creeping around a little. So I placed Lamaze baby toys all around to encourage Baby FECS to creep one round

Let Baby Play with Wooden Train Set

Make a ring of moving trains to encourage baby on the tummy, to move and reach out to grasp. This is J's idea.

J improvised further by making a bigger ring and placing Baby C (5M7D) within it to encourage her to creep around. It worked like magic :-)

I used to try out all the child development on J, when he was a baby. Now he has surpassed me, and came up with original ideas that surprised me. I think he will grow up to be a very hands-on and involved father, when he grows up :-)

Here is another idea of J: Let a toy train move towards baby and see how she/he grasp it :-)
Here is a video demonstration:

It is available from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/2hOpq4z

Day 4: Baby's First Food - The Out-performing Olive Oil/Olivenolie/橄榄油 [gǎn lǎn yóu]

I chose to introduce the olive oil as the fourth baby food to Baby C. The Danish health authority advises that it is important for baby to consume sufficient fat in the diet for healthy physical and brain development, and recommended adding 1 tsp of fat per portion, whether it is butter or vegetable fat, if the baby food is not prepared with breast milk. However, it is important to use only good fats, of which olive oil out-perform all.

Olive oil has a strong taste, so I am excited to see if Baby C will accept it. I mixed it with a portion of broccoli puree saved from yesterday.

She ate the whole saucer full, unlike yesterday, where she ate only 6-7 scoop. What a difference when introducing the same food again. She seemed to like it a lot. Here is a video:

You can read more about how I prepare it and olive oil as baby food here.

References:

Mad til Børn: Fra skemad til madpakker, Gode råd og godt at vidt

http://canigivemybaby.com/olive-oil/

Let Baby Touch Leaf

From 3 months old

This is a touch sensory experience for baby with leaf. J plucked this leaf from our balcony this morning and gave it to Baby C to feel and touch :-) Trust the little brother to think up of sensory activities for Baby :-)

23 October 2016 (5M7D): But the little rascal at 5 months old, is at the exploring stage and likes to mouth everything, so we had to take it away from her, and only let her touch with supervision. It would have been easier if she was 3 months old.