9 Months Old

As far as physical milestones, I can only say that she has grown taller and heavier the past month. Since we did not go to the doctor's this month, I can't say for sure exactly how much...

Formula feeding is going well. She no longer cries when the bottle is offered and seems to have forgotten her nursing days (can't say the same for myself). I still have my moments.

Recently we noticed that she can now turn the pages of a book! I guess all the 'reading' has paid off. Now when we sit her in front of a book she will reach out and turn the pages (in the correct direction too)! She's also 'cruising' (walking while holding on to furniture) quite adeptly but has yet to take her own steps. I also notice that her fingers are better at grabbing things. She's yet to actually pick up stuff using her thumbs but its slowly improving. Have started to give her little snacks (finger foods) to improve her grasp. Lately she's started babbling alot. Her first words were 'mama' followed by 'dada' then 'tata' and lately 'nana'. Strangely enough it seems to go through a phase. She'll say each word for a few days and then move on to the next. So for a while I got to pretend that she was calling me 'mama' but now she never says it.

Success!!!

This is actually a continuation of my previous post to recap the whole weaning to formula 'experience'.

The cold turkey method lasted all of one day cos I was too chicken (I was convinced she would die of hunger or go into hypoglycemic shock or any number of other medical ailments ... ) Plus the Dr. also suggested we could try mixing formula with breast milk (she did not recommend this at first but seeing that we were determined to wean she said it would be ok for a period of time but not to do it long term). So on day 2 that's what we did. For the whole day we gave her a mixed bottle starting with 120ml EBM (expressed breast milk) and 20ml FM (I used Snow brand...which the doctor had given me the previous day. Previously I was using Babynat (this organic formula) but when I tried to mix it with breast milk, the smell was still so strong! So I tried Snow instead which was quite mild smelling (and tasting as well) By the end of the day it was 90 ml EBM and 30ml FM. She wasn't exactly happy about it but with her hunger and our persistence she drank most of it. Day 3 I mixed half and half. She drank it but still not happy (had to keep shoving the bottle in her mouth to get her to take it.) Day 4 and 5 we were at a 2:1 ratio and by the 6th day 100% formula. However during this whole time every time we offered the bottle she would cry. It was quite heart breaking cos it sounded like as if we were poisoning her or something. The strange thing is once she tasted the milk she would drink it fine. I think she was more averse to the bottle than the milk itself.

It's been almost 2 weeks now since I stopped breastfeeding her and looks like she's adjusted quite well. She doesn't cry at the bottle anymore. Thankfully! There were a few times when it was a bit hard for her to nap. But I just kept rocking her until she got tired and fell asleep. She was also a bit clingy during the first few days (I guess she missed the physical comfort of nursing) so I made sure I carried and hugged her extra.

I expected to feel quite sad about weaning her but it was not as bad as I imagined. I guess after reading other people's experience with it and how badly they felt I was prepared for it and maybe that helped me come to terms with it. Also since I did continue longer than my initial plan of 6 months I was emotionally ready to give it up. Of course there are moments when I do feel a sense of regret but at the same time I realise this is all part of Meera growing up. As they say....we gotta learn to loosen the apron strings.

I also wanted to add another note: when we were at the doctor's she said that she usually advised mothers who planned to wean early to introduce formula once a day to the baby once breastfeeding was established. On hindsight this would have been a good idea. unfortunately we never really discussed this with the doctor at the time so we never considered this option. Besides I was so hung up on exclusively breastfeeding I probably wouldn't have considered it anyway. Guess I learned the hard way. Thankfully it all worked out in the end.

The End Of Breastfeeding...

at least I hope so...Since my initial plan to wean was at 6 months, I dare not say for sure that this is the end. Meera has other plans in mind or so it seems.

I was starting to think that maybe I would extend breastfeeding her till 1 year old... especially since that is the recommended age. But personally I feel 6 months was what I was prepared for and I've gone longer than that. And lately I've noticed that Meera has started to develop the habit of nursing to sleep which I do not want to encourage. It all started once she got more aware of her surroundings and would only nurse well when she was sleepy. This created a vicious cycle: when she was wide awake she wouldn't nurse well so I had to nurse when she was sleepy. Pretty soon it got to a point where nursing before sleep became a routine. Since I wasn't sure how much she was drinking I could never be sure if she was hungry or it was just a habit. Added to that she started to wake in the middle of the night to feed as well! This was so unlike her who has pretty much slept thru the night since she was around 3 months.

As far as I can see it's time to start her on formula. That way I'll know exactly how much she's taking and I can feed her enough so she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night.

But so far Meera does not seem on board with this plan. I had tried to offer her formula once in a while but everytime I did she would just push the bottle away. I even tried mixing it with her food but somehow it had such a distinctive smell that she wasn't fooled. I even tried to mix it with breast milk but she refused. Some people suggested trying different brands, so we did (Enfapro, Anmum and Babynat). But honestly, I myself found that they all tasted (and smelled) quite different from breast milk. It was no wonder that Meera was refusing.

And so we arrive at today....Trying to wean cold turkey (in the belief that if she's hungry enough she sill take formula). So far it has been extremely nerve wrecking (to say the least.)

Her last feed (nursing) was yesterday at 5 p.m. After that I gave her some solids (her regular amount for dinner) and that night we offered formula. As expected she fussed and cried. After 30 minutes of persistence she finally took 3 oz! and proceeded to fall asleep (maybe cos she was exhausted from the whole ordeal...I know I was!) She woke at 1.30 a.m., we offered formula, she refused and went back to sleep. Next day she woke up at 8...we offered, she refused. For the rest of the day we continued to offer and she finally took 4 oz. at 3 p.m.! At 5 p.m. I fed her dinner and she went to bed at 6.30 p.m. It's 9 p.m. and she's still asleep....not sure if she'll wake up or calling our bluff (I'm about to fold as it is).

I should add that being the worry wort that I am, we scheduled our pediatrician's visit today so I could make sure that what we were doing was okay. The doctor was not exactly on board with it but she did say that we could keep trying for a day or two but longer than that would not be recommended. She suggested we offer formula before each nursing and with time Meera would come to accept formula. HUH??? Call me a pessimist but how can that possibly work...all you're doing is telling the baby that if she holds out she'll get what she wants. How is that suppose to convince her to take the formula?

For now....I am hoping that my next post will have something good to report. Wish me luck!!!

8 Months Old

Weight: 7.75kg, Height 70.5 cm, Head circumference: 41.8cm. In relative terms she's slightly taller and thinner than the average baby. All this was done during a well visit to the peds. However I should mention that the well visit was actually schedule because we had decided to start Meera on formula and since the past few attempts did not go well ( she basically pushed away the bottle and refused to feed) we decided to go cold turkey. Which meant offering formula and waiting it out until she was finally hungry enough to take it (this whole 'endeavor' will be another post in itself. Fingers crossed it end on a positive note).

Back to the matter at hand: Meera is now 8 months old! As with each month I marvel at how quickly time has passed. Seems like only yesterday I was in the hospital meeting her for the first time.

Now she can crawl, pull up on furniture and take a few hesitant steps from one 'prop' to another assuming of course she is interested enough to move.

I've also started to give her 3 solid meals a day and so far she's taking to it quite well. Although there have been a few occasions where food landed where it wasn't suppose to (due to her over enthusiastic attempts at grabbing for the spoon.)

She has also started to understand object permanence. That is if she looses sight of me she will sometimes cry (provided there's nothing else more interesting to her).
But she still sleeps in her own room so I'm not sure if she truly gets it yet or not. Hopefully she's just got an independant streak in her and is okay sleeping alone. My theory is since she has never slept with us she can't know the difference....only time will tell I guess.

STTN...Not!!!

If you don't know...STTN means sleeping thru the night. Which is basically every new parents wish for their child. And depending on which source you follow it could mean as little as 6 hours a stretch! Not exactly the 8-12 hours you would imagine.

Meera has been pretty decent in allowing her parents to sleep well. I say this because from about 3 months old she has basically slept thru the night...and quite often it would be the 8-12 hours kind!

Unfortunately for the past 2 nights that has seemed to be a thing of the past. I cross my fingers and hope its a phase. But I am also searching all over for a possible reason as to why my sweet angel is waking up every 3-4 hours! Is she hungry? (so far I nurse her and after 5-10 minutes she drifts off to sleep), is she lonely?(in which case the nursing is probably just for comfort)...

Needless to say this is just a rant on my part since no solution has been found. I continue to Google and search for answers. Hopefully I have some good news soon! Meanwhile I shall try to increase her solid food in the hopes that she is waking up hungry and more food during the day will tide her over.

First Halloween

We had quite a hard time getting a costume that would fit Meera. Most of the ones on sale were for much older kids. Not surprising since Halloween is not exactly a holiday Malaysians observe. Finally managed to get one at Toys R Us which was a little large for her but....




And she deigned to wear it for all of 5 minutes before deciding it wasn't to her liking! Hopefully next year she'll like being a pumpkin... (or we have to get another costume)

Deepavali

I realise that I have yet to post anything about Deepavali. Seeing as it's Meera's first festival, it should at least get a mention in my blog...

or at the very least pictures ;)

My Baby is 7 Months....

This marks the first time that we do not have a visit to the doctor's to mark the passing of a month. So in terms of physical development I can only assume that it's progressing as normal. Having said that I did try to weigh Meera at home....7.4kg which is the same as last month so either it's inaccurate (highly likely) or she's not gaining weight (hopefully not). However, considering the amount of activity in her day it would be no surprise if her weight gain plateaus for a while. Ever since she started crawling she is constantly on the move. Added to that she has also started trying to pull herself up on furniture, or anything else that she can hold on to (namely my legs or other body parts).

I had initially planned to stop breastfeeding at 6 months but it looks like Meera has other plans. We tried giving her formula a few times and she refused. Strangely the first time we gave her she took it without a pause (making me think it was going to be easy switching her to formula) but after that firsyt time she has consistently refused to have anything to do with formula. I even tried mixing 1 part formula to 4 parts breast milk and she still refused! Add to that she seemed to develop an aversion to the bottle (we usually give her a bottle of expressed milk at night but she started protesting to that as well) So I've decided to wait a while before trying again. I do not want her hate the bottle which would result in my lack of freedom! Sigh....mom plans and baby laughs...

On another note, Meera is getting much better at eating her solids. After the initial success of rice cereal, I tried feeding her sweet potato (which I had prepared myself). Surprisingly she didn't take to it. However I kept offering it to her every day (I read that you have to give it to them like 15 times before you can actually tell if they hate something) and now she seems to like it. However when I started her on pears she took to it immediately. That was from a Heinz jar though. I try to feed her twice a day although sometimes I only manage to do lunch and on weekends if we're out then I may not even bother. Right now she eats so little it hardly counts and its more for practice than actual nutrition.

Crawling!

That's right...Meera is now mobile! She took her first tentative crawl on the 15th. A few days before that I could see her trying to move herself...she'd get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. But she couldn't quite figure out how to propel forward. Prior to that she was dragging herself with her arms ( I call it the combat crawl...like a soldier out on the field). My extensive reading (of countless mommy blogs) told me that she would start crawling soon but I never expected her to start so soon.....thought it would take weeks or months before she actually crawled. Well she figured it out within days and life has not been the same since.



Now, I am constantly having to pull her away from stuff and I can no longer leave her to sit by herself (she mastered sitting up on her own on the 7th). Luckily hubby has already fixed the security gate so I don't have to worry she might fall down the stairs...although there are other things to worry about!

Beyonce, Here I Come!

Finally... Beyonce will be performing in Malaysia (crossed fingers it doesn't get canceled last minute). As soon as I found out, my first thought was "who's gonna babysit Meera". But hubby said he would take care of her and I could go with 'All The Single Ladies' ...if I could rope some to come along. So I immediately started looking and by the end of the day...mission accomplished!


Being 'kiasu' I went to get the tickets the minute they went up for sale. Actually reached there 5 minutes before the window opened. And surprisingly there was no queue. Maybe because the tickets went on sale during the Raya Holidays and I went to the Axcess office at Alamanda which might explain the lack of ardent fans in queue. So there I was waiting and waiting and waiting (I swear it felt like hours...but the guy was only 15 minutes late). Bought my 3 tickets (rm583 each) which were 2nd row (after the VVIPs and VIPs block) and come 25th October I will be at Stadium Bukit Jalil!

Quitting Cold Turkey???

When I first decided to breastfeed Meera I told myself "six months or when she starts to teeth" would be the endpoint for me. But now that she has turned 6 month I'm not keen on stopping. Aside from the convenience of breastfeeding (no bottles to carry among others), the idea of starting on formula is pretty daunting. I have no idea how much to feed and prepare since she basically nurses on demand. I'm also dreading the extra work that comes with feeding formula (extra bottles to wash, water to boil plus having to prepare the milk... you get the idea, right?)

So I guess it's only understandable that this mommy will be quitting in stages ;)

Meera is 6 Months!

I can hardly come to terms that my little baby has passed the half year mark.


Went to the pediatrician and her stats are weight: 7.37kg, height: 66.3 cm head circumference: 41cm. Basically all this means that's she's on track in all physical aspects :)

After this visit we won't be coming to see the doctor for another 3 months! Although I should be relieved, I can't help feeling a little nervous... who's going to check if I'm doing things right? For the past 6 months I was always reassured by our monthly visit to the doc. For a qualified person to check on Meera. So now what...I'm off by myself? Needless to say I'm gonna be paranoid. Hopefully I resist the temptation to call the doctor for silly reasons (I asked the nurse if the doctor would answer questions over the phone and she said yes. So that helps...a bit!)

We've also started her on solids. That will be another post in itself.

And we've switched her from her infant car seat to a bigger convertible one...so much more comfortable (at least it looks that way).

Sweet Potato Puree Anyone?

In preparation for starting Meera on solids, I've been reading numerous websites, blogs, forums...(well you get the idea). So with all the advice I gathered I decided that the first thing I would try would be rice cereal (it's easy to prepare and supposedly the least likely to cause any allergies). After that I'd give her sweet potato...which requires a bit more preparation. So with that in mind I bought some sweet potato from the market.

I decided to steam the potatoes and puree it with my magic bullet. The 'precise' method for preparing baby food is not explained anywhere. (I like specific instructions i.e. steam for x minutes with x amount of water, etc...). Unfortunately most instructions went something like "steam till soft and puree till right consistency" Huh??? To a novice cook, I can't help but wonder what is soft and as for consistency...


Well, in the end I steamed till almost mush and pureed till smooth. As for consistency....I now understand why the instructions lack detail...there ARE no words to describe it. I figured I'll add water is it's too thick for Meera when the time comes to feed. For now I've just put it in the ice tray to freeze.

It Pays to Complain!!!

Yesterday, we decided to go out for a nice dinner (or rather I decided and informed husband who complied). This was due to the fact that his boss had acknowledged the hard work he'd been putting in for a recent project and was rewarding him. In his e-mail: take your family out for a nice meal (worth $200). I think he meant RM though.. ;)

So we went to our favourite Italian restaurant: Tuscany at Marriott Putrajaya. Over the years, we have been there a number of times for special occasions and have never been disappointed. Service is good and the food is great.

It being Ramadhan month, they even had a 4 course menu for RM68: Appetiser (soft shell crab), Soup (chowder), Mains (choice of salmon or lamb) and Dessert (dates cheesecake). Hubby decided to take the set. I wasn't too keen since I wanted pasta and the dessert was a bit odd to me (cheesecake with dates did not sound like a match made in heaven). So I decided to order a mushroom soup and angel hair pasta with pesto and salmon. They also had a goose liver appetiser for RM75 which we decided to share. Now this would definitely be above and beyond the allocated reward but we LOVE goose liver so figured we'd top up the balance of the bill.

Normally there would only be two or three tables occupied but this time around there were like 30 plus persons (some company function I guess). This should have been an indication of things to come....

Well...I figured we'd have to wait longer than usual so the wait was expected. When the crab finally arrived it was deep dried but cold. It wasn't very nice but we didn't complain cos I figured maybe it was supposed to be cold. Then the goose liver arrived....that was lukewarm! WELL.....for 75 bucks I was disappointed! And it was such a pathetic amount of liver too. Decided not to be a doormat and informed the waiter. He took it back to the kitchen and they warmed it up. Of course by then it didn't taste as nice anymore. Can you actually warm up liver??? They should have made it over.

After that my soup arrived and it was sooooo hot. Too make up for my liver, maybe? Well unfortunately, I think it was so hot that the cream curdled and left a sour taste to the soup. Hmm....either that (since I'm no chef I'm not sure that can actually happen) or the cream was bad (is that even possible in a fine restaurant???) By this time I was quite upset...my nice dinner was turning into the worst one of my life. Hubby could see how upset I was and asked to speak to the manager (I'm more of a 'keep quiet and suffer in silence' type). He informed the manager about the past 2 dishes, who apologized and said it was due to the large crowd. We even said we wanted to leave before the mains arrived and asked how they would charge us for the meal. But the manager said he would take off the appetiser and soup from our bill. I was so hungry by this point that I said we might as well stay and finish dinner. So we had the lamb (which was quite tough) and pasta (which was alright). And the cheesecake (I had low expectations by then so it was better than I imagined). We asked for the bill, the manager came over and said, "It's taken care off." Huh??? I was in shock...taken care off? It took me a few seconds to realise that our dinner was free (as bad as it was)! So we got up and walked out without paying our bill. :)

Coming out of the restaurant the manager came over and apologised again. We chatted for a few minutes and again he said it was due to the large crowd. So the take home lesson is: don't eat there if there's more than 10 people? Hmmm.....doesn't sound good does it?

But we will be giving them another chance. If for nothing else than to get another free meal (is that possible?). Besides....we still have a RM200 meal to claim!

The Highchair

In anticipation of Meera starting on solids we went and got her highchair.

Despite the relatively few choices in the market (relative to the US that is) I had quite a hard time deciding which one to get. First off was cost...cheap (IKEA/ similar basic chair) or expensive (with A LOT of features i.e. adjustable height, recline, etc...). Decided to go all out for this item since 1) I wanted something safe that I could put leave her unattended without having to worry she would tip over and 2) we would be using thia for a few years so better buy one that would last. And so began the scouting (and researching) of highchairs available to us. There were quite a few contenders...Chicco, Fisher Price, Sweet Cherry, Graco, Little Bean, and then some. (same manufacturer as Chicco. Looks exactly like the Chicco but when we went to test it out it just didn't meet expectations...like a Petaling Street knock off!). Fisher Price was a close second cos it had almost the same features (very good reviews online but a bit more expensive and I didn't really like the design). But in the end decided to go with the Chicco one. Plus it has a parent tray at the back which I think will be quite useful (to keep baby's hands away from the feeding bowl). Got it for RM649 (NOT CHEAP!!!) and that was after discount.

Must make sure Meera sits on it during feeding times. Hopefully she's not one of those kids that's running all over the place while eating. Otherwise....well...let's see how it goes...

Look Who's Talking...

Well...not quite there yet but it's a step in the right direction (or so i'm told). Lately, Meera has developed a love for her own voice (or should I say squeals). Right now, I'd say its quite cute to hear her version of a conversation. But ask me again in a few days and I'll probably say it's downright annoying!

It also seems as if whenever she's sleepy she's start a very particular kind of babbling...like she's trying to sing herself to sleep! Or so it seems...

5 Months and Sitting Pretty

Today Meera is 5 months! Time flies...have I said it before? Well, I'll say it again...time flies!!!

Ever since she rolled over from back to tummy, she LOVES sleeping on her tummy. In fact she doesn't seem able to sleep well on her back anymore! She's also able to roll from tummy to back (since the 17th) so if we put her on a large enough area she can roll from one end to the other. Noticed that she usually rolls over towards her right...hasn't quite mastered rolling to her left. So for now it's predictable which way she'll go.


During her doctor's visit last Friday she weighed 6.8kg. She can roll over from tummy to back now and yesterday I saw her try to suck her toes for the first time. She's been making a grab for her toes lately but yesterday it finally made it into her mouth (like every other thing she gets her hands on!)

As with each passing month we made sure to take photos of her on reaching the 5 month mark. So we took shots of her in her bouncer (not sure how much longer we can continue cos she's getting rather big for it...only a matter of time before it collapses from the sheer weight of her!). We also took some with her and the HUGE cow my mom bought for her. As we were placing (posing) her with the cow we suddenly realised that she could sit up! WOOHOOO!!! That's another milestone reached. Wonder when she acquired this new skill? Unfortunately the ability to sit did not come with the knowledge of gravity so we have to prevent her from tipping over constantly.

Meera's roll over

Meera rolled over! We've been anticipating this milestone for quite some time now. Not to mention since EVERYONE keeps asking about it!

Well..this morning it finally happened. I noticed yesterday that she would roll halfway with her legs but her upper body wouldn't follow through so we were kinda expecting it to happen soon. I think she was practising all night cos when we went to bed at 10.30 she was wide awake in her crib (she normally sleeps straight from the time we put her down till the next morning). And this morning she was fussing from around 6.30 a.m. I figured she was hungry so I nursed her and put her down after that. But could still hear her fussing....and then around 7.15 a.m. she was crying. Went to check and saw she was face down. Poor thing had rolled over and couldn't roll back!

Now every time I put her down she's trying to roll over again.

Two plus One

Last weekend we took part in a treasure hunt organized by hubby's company. I was a bit apprehensive about it as this would also be Meera's first time participating! The hunt started at 7.30 a.m. and took us all over KL, parts of Seremban and finally ending in Melacca at about 4 p.m.

We've taken part in this annual event for the past 4 years but it was always with 4 active participants in the car. This time though it was gonna be just 2 of us with baby. Overall it went quite well: Meera slept quite nicely in her car seat for most of it but being a baby she did require attention here and there. Plus it was really tiring since it was just 2 of us having to drive, navigate, decipher clues and spot answers...not to mention taking care of a baby all at the same time!

We reached Melacca after the 4 p.m. deadline (so points would be deducted) and that was despite skipping a few questions towards the end as we realised we were running late. By the time we submitted our answers I was totally exhausted. We both decided we were never going to attempt doing this again with just 2 of us and a baby to boot!

The next day...results were out. We got 12th placing! Considering our 'team', it was a pretty good position. And....the next hunt is in November. So here we come...baby and all. ;)

4 Months Old...

Meera is already 4 months! As each month passes I marvel at how quickly time flies. She's grown so much now and changed right before my eyes.

She definitely recognizes who her parents are (cos we get the biggest smiles), and she recently started laughing (although its few and far between...guess we're not funny enough for her). Her head control is really good now....very steady and she can put both hands together and just recently has started to reach out for things that catch her interest. Has yet to rolled over but seems to enjoy tummy time for short periods at a stretch. Sleeps thru' the night (a blessing for me) and feeds about 5 times a day. Lately when nursing she's easily distracted by loud sounds. We were in Midvalley last weekend and when another baby started to cry in the nursing room, she started crying too and refused to nurse! Empathy or what?! Needless to say I will have to look for more private (and quiet) rooms to feed her in the future. Hopefully it's just a phase cos I don't think I can shush other babies just to get her to nurse!

We took her to the doctor for her vaccination and got her weighed...6.51 kg. And the doctor says she's hitting all her milestones in time.

Sleeping Beauty

For the past few months I have been constantly noting down Meera's daily schedule in the hopes that it would give me some idea of how to fix a schedule for her. But I notice that her routine keeps changing every so often so was never able to see any discerning pattern. One thing that is pretty constant though is her bedtime. She'll normally go to bed around 10 p.m. and (thankfully) sleep till about 9 a.m. (with one feed somewhere between 4-7 a.m.).

We haven't really got a bedtime routine since most nights she falls asleep with her pacifier in her bouncer. We just carry her and put her in her crib where she continues to sleep.

I love the way she sleeps!

Laughter...the BEST Medicine!!!

Yesterday, Meera laughed for the first time! It was such a sweet wonderful sound. Truly brings joy to the soul. At first I wasn't sure if she was really laughing... Lately I've been blowing raspberries on her and she'd just stare at me with this puzzled look on her face. But yesterday she finally found it funny and laughed. I couldn't resist doing it again and again...and she laughed everytime, which made me laugh as well!

But today when I did it....no response. Guess I overdid it yesterday???

My New Hobby

During one of my regular trips to Border's at The Curve I came across this book that had a pattern for a really easy but cute baby cardigan.

Decided to buy it (it was on sale!) and thus began my journey into crocheting. It was quite difficult to find the thread but finally found a shop, Jen's Handicraft, at Atria. The owner was really helpful. Showing me how to do it and even going so far as to start of the first row for me.

Unfortunately, being left-handed, it was a bit confusing for me to follow her (thank God for the internet and YouTube!).

BSER???

Today we took Meera for a BSER (BrainStem Evoked Response) test which is basically a hearing test. Why? Because when she was 5 days old, her jaundice level was so high that she had to be admitted to the hospital. Which apparently is quite a common thing. So initially we took it all in stride. But by the time she was admitted and they did another test her levels had reached a dangerously high level! She had to be put under 4 photo lamps and I was made to sign a release form in the event that they had to do a blood transfusion for her (to clear out the bilirubin from her blood). Needless to say I was freaked out. Well, after a few days in the hospital she was discharged but the doctor told us that because the jaundice level was so high there was a risk that it may have entered her brain which would affect certain developmental milestones. One of which was her hearing.

Which brings us back to today's visit to the hospital to check her hearing. Because she's still a baby they use a special device which can detect her brain waves as the device emits sounds into her ear. Thankfully, she passed!

We're not completely out of the woods though. The doctor said we have to get her evaluated at least every 4 months to make sure she meets other milestones on schedule. But for now...yippee!!!

Breastfeeding

After reading and hearing about all the benefits breastfeeding provided (to baby AND Mommy), I was quite determined to breastfeed my baby. But as I asked around, no one I knew had managed to successfully breastfeed their babies exclusively despite them having the best intentions to do so prior to the arrival of their baby. It seemed as if there was always some reason for their failure. Needless to say, I was quite concerned...

3 months down the road, I'm proud to say that Meera has been exclusively breastfed! (with the exception of about 2 weeks when we thought she had breast milk induced jaundice). So far it has been a rewarding journey although not without its fair share of challenges. Thankfully I did manage to find a few friends that breastfed successfully. And the numerous breastfeeding forums and blogs helped tremendously whenever I was just about ready to give up. But the most important support came from my husband who was just as committed to it as I was. Could not have done it without him!

Nowadays, breastfeeding is a joy. I treasure those moments when Meera nurses. The expression on her face is one of pure contentment. And once she's had enough she purses her lips, gives the sweetest pout followed by what I refer to as her 'drunken smile'. No bottle feeding ever gets those expressions from her.

3 Month Dr.'s Visit

Last Saturday, we took Meera to get her scheduled vaccination. As usual we got her weighed and measured. Meera now weighs 6.17kg...double her birth weight!

This time around she developed a slight fever (the previous vaccines were problem free) and it lasted for the next 3 days. Other than that she was fine.. no fussiness or anything.

The doctor also did a few checks to see if she was on course as far as her development was concerned. She passed a rattle from left to right to see if Meera would follow it across her field of vision (which I already knew she could do for the past few weeks already). Then Meera was put on her tummy to see if she was able to lift her head and shoulders up (and she could!). Surprisingly she did it quite well at the doctor's. Guess her neck muscles have developed some. Must continue doing this at home. The doctor also checked if Meera could bear her own weight on her legs (I usually did this with her during bath time). So it looks like our little girl is right on schedule.

Haven't started on the flashcards yet since she's having a slight fever. Will try to start soon (hopefully)...

Meera Turn's 3 (months)!

Can't believe its been 3 months of motherhood for me. So far it's been an adventure (to say the least). A real roller coaster of emotions (though the hormones probably had something to do with that).


From a tiny little baby she has doubled in weight already! She can smile and coo especially at her mommy and daddy, which leads me to believe she recognizes us! She recently 'discovered' her hands so she's constantly staring at them or trying to stuff them in her mouth. Her neck is fairly steady though there's still room for improvement. She hates tummy time and I hate putting her through it. Recently discovered that a nursing pillow can double as a tummy time activity (just lay your baby chest down on the pillow) so we do more of that.


As for a routine: it's still a work in progress. :)

She's exclusively breastfed so I have no idea how much she eats but once a day we feed her with a bottle (so Daddy gets to feed her and she gets used to a bottle). Lately we've upped the amount to 5 oz. All in she gets about 5-6 feeds a day. She's usually goes to bed around 10 p.m. and wakes up about 8 a.m. with one feed somewhere in between. As for naps, she usually takes around 3, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. I plan to get her into a fixed routine soon...

Also plan to start her on my 'baby enrichment' plan which will include flashcards (based on Glenn Doman) and VCDs (Dr. Titzer). Hopefully they really do work in helping a baby to read!

Waiting...

Meera will be 3 months old tomorrow. As I'm typing this, she's sleeping (or napping) and I'm waiting to give her a bath.

It seems as if my life is spent waiting on (for) her. Waiting for her to wake up, to sleep, to eat, to bathe... and in the long term to roll over, to crawl, to walk...

I read a poem recently that reminds us to live life in the moment and enjoy each day. I try to remind myself of this each time I find myself 'waiting'. Already 3 months have flown by so quickly and before you know it, she'll be rolling over, crawling, walking and one fine day leaving the nest.
So reminder to self: enjoy the here and now!

Besides, everyone seems to tell me that as they (children) get older they sleep less. So with that in mind, shall make the most of the time I have while she sleeps.

My First of Many

Finally...my very own blog!!!