Misha: 28 months

Sleep
Still having issues...seems like this is the new norm. Not sure if she's ready to stop napping but I feel like its too soon! She is averaging about 11 to 11.5 hours of sleep a day...I've read they should be getting at least 12 hours so it's not really that low but less than ideal. Maybe she just has low sleep needs. For now I am still putting her down for naps and she will usually sleep about 45 minutes.

Eating
Misha loves fruits! and is quite adventurous to try new things. Let her have pomegranate and the seeds didn't faze her a bit...she just chewed through it and kept asking for more. Also gave her pineapple and although her tongue felt funny, she still continued eating it.

Tot School

Starting to have more regular session with her...she loves using the scissors and glue. She also likes doing puzzles. She can do the wooden ABC puzzle quite quickly and loves doing it! And she is very proud when she completes it







Playgroup
We had our last session of playgroup as school holidays have started. The last session was in a playground and Misha had a lot fun. Can see a lot of improvement from the time we started in August. She is more willing to participate in the singing and dancing...most of the time.

Talking 
She is quite good at telling us what she wants and getting her point across. Notice that she can't really say words with c or k well...comb is tomb,

Misha: 27 months

Finally made the move to a toddler bed for Misha (10/11/2015). So far no major issues. Initially, I put a thin mattress on the floor just in case she fell off the bed...but she doesn't move much. After a few days I removed it and just put her small sofa bed instead. She did come down from the bed after her nap a few times but I quickly went in and put her back in bed and told her she has to wait for the bell. Within a week she seemed to understand what was expected and after opening the door she would say 'bell', I would say yes and then only she would come down. So I think the transition was pretty smooth. At this point she was still having sleep issues (very short naps and protesting naps) but she was quite good with obeying the rule of staying in bed.

Sleep
This has been an issue for the whole month although it is slowly improving. Initially she was crying for a long time before each nap and the minute she woke up (after a very short nap) she would start screaming or crying till I got her. But for the past 2 weeks it's been slowly getting better. Right now she will be calling out for a few minutes then sleep. And when she wakes up she will also just keep calling out (no more shouting...much). Usually she just says things like, 'Mummy go downstairs' or 'Mummy enough sleep'.

Talking
She is really talking a lot now. Sometimes in full sentences. Her favourite thing to say is 'I wanna...'
She will even say 'I wanna don't want...' sometimes.
She is also singing a lot of songs...Twinkle star, ABC (she knows almost the whole thing), Row your boat

Squint
Took Misha to the orthoptist on 3/11/15 to check her eyes and confirmed she has a squint in her right eye. So we now have to wear a patch on her left eye every day for an hour to help strengthen her right eye. She has been quite good with wearing the patch. It's quite sticky so removing it is a bit painful but I use the same patch for 2-3 days so its not always so sticky (not to mention it saves cost as well).

Potty training
She pooped with me holding her over the toilet...only happened once so far. Most times she insists on the toilet insert and she never poops when we are out of the house.

Halloween
We went 'trick or treating' at BSC and Misha was quite excited about it all...she even learnt how to say trick or treat and raise up her pumpkin container for sweets!

Cameron Highlands trip
Went for 3 nights with my parents and brother. We stayed in one room and she managed to sleep well in the Kinderkot. No naps though. Surpirisingly at the end of the day, after changing to pajamas she would simply go inside herself and lie down. Most times we were still getting ourselves ready for bed (bath etc)  but she just went in and slept! Must have been really tired I guess.



Sunway Lagoon
Jing had a company event there and this time Misha really loved the pool! Initially she was very hesitant to go in but after  awhile she put her feet in and slowly she got braver...even went down the slides! At the end of the day she kept saying 'I like it...swimming.'

MIsha: 26 months

Perth Holiday
We went to Perth again for 12 nights during this time and Misha was able to participate a lot more this time. She picked fruits, fed animals, played in the playgrounds. So different from our last trip. Surprisingly she was quite keen to feed the animals. Totally different from our trip to Farm in the City in July. We used the Kinderkot...took her a few days to get use to it but by the end of the trip she was going inside by herself.
Eating wasn't so difficult this time since she could eat whatever we ordered. I tried to give her a proper breakfast every morning (yogurt and fruits). Surprisisngly she actually gained a little weight after the trip!
She was having her 'independent streak' during this time so we did have issues with getting her to sit in the car seat (had to let her buckle herself - which took ages!) and wearing shoes.

Sleeping
Sleep issues again right now. After we got back from Perth she was sleeping quite a bit (3 hr naps!). Not surprising since the whole trip was quite tiring (for all of us!). But after a week of this, she started taking really short naps (like 1 hr or less) and then cry until I got her. Night time seemed okay though.
I have been ringing a bell since Monday to let her know it was time to wake up. So far not sure if she gets the connection. Lately the minute she wakes up she starts shouting 'Mummy!' over and over till I open the door. I remember Meera used to do it at one stage as well. Hopefully it passes soon.
After that she started calling out as soon as I closed the door. Usually looking for ways to get me to open the door. She'll say things like 'pee', 'drink milk', 'open door', 'enough sleep'. So funny (not!)
Basically sleep has been a MAJOR issue!

Teething
Not sure if it related but I notice her bottom right molar is coming through. Tried giving her paracetamol before naps but it doesn't seem to make a difference...she still wakes up very early.

'Daddy Put Bed'
All this while I put Misha to bed at night (every night for the past 2 plus years). Decided it was time Daddy also took a turn on this. First night (Sunday) she seemed ok. She walked upstairs with him. Did the whole bed time routine (brush teeth, story, pee, diaper, sing song and put down). The minute he closed the door, she started crying (loud sobbing and wailing ) for a really long time (like 30 minutes or more). Finally slept though.
The next night she seemed to expect what was going to happen and started crying as soon as it was time to go upstairs. Had to carry her up crying and the whole bedtime routine was her trying to run to the door (Jing had to lock it) and being very resistant to everything. Took a really long time to put her down and she was still crying when he left. Kept telling her 'Daddy put bed' and she kept saying 'Mummy put bed'. But after a few days she slowly got used to it I guess. Thursday night she willingly went upstairs and bedtime went off without a hitch. I heard her saying 'Bell ring, wake up'.


Eating
Eating is going well. She is eating quite a bit now. And also seems to be ok with chewing meat again.

Toilet training
One night we went out for dinner (3 Little Pigs,Tropicana Mall) and I wore a pull-up for her. In the middle of dinner she tells me she wants to pee. I kept telling her to go in her pull-up cos there was no potty but she kept saying no. So I took her to the toilet and I said I'd hold her. Initially she didn't like it but then she really had to pee I guess...so I held her and she peed. Since then we have done it a few times and she seems okay with it. But sometimes her pull-up still has pee...maybe during the car ride? For now I still wear a pull-up when we go out but if she tells me she has to go I try to take her. Luckily the toilets have been quite clean so far.
Pooping still has to be at home..she is not comfortable to go with me holding her.
Lately she also wants me to hold her when we are at home..so most times she is peeing without the toilet insert.

Milestones
Can jump off the floor.
Can sing a few songs..bits & pieces of it - Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald, Row Your Boat, ABC

Misha: 25 months

Eating
Eating is going well. Have started to put salt into her food...but minuscule amounts (sometimes...rarely). Obviously I'm still not comfortable giving her salt! LOL
Also letting her eat what we have for dinner sometimes.
She still has this habit of spitting out anything that she doesn't like (usually meat or skin from fruit etc) but a lot better now.

Sleeping
No issues...Most times after I put her down she just rolls over to her tummy and sleeps quite quickly.

Ear infection
During this month Misha had an ear infection. Noticed she would wince and cry in pain  when she sneezed. Took her to see the doctor and he confirmed her ear was sightly swollen. Had to put ear drops for a few days and it was fine after that. Not sure if she injured her ear (she sometimes tries to put things in to her ear) or maybe it happened when I cleaned her ears.

Potty training
She hardly ever poops in her diaper now. But still can't differentiate between pee and poo. At least not verbally. Stopped rewarding with chocolates...initially she would ask but I just said it was finished and she seemed ok with that.
She doesn't like us to watch her though...she will say 'stand there' and point outside the bathroom. She also seems ok to pee in other toilets. I took the insert to my parents place and she was fine to use it there.
Also when we go for playgroup she will ask to pee before we leave and luckily they have a toilet insert there. But she wants me to stand outside.
I still wear a pull-up when we go out but she very rarely pees in it...

Independent streak
Lately she is starting to insist on doing things herself. She tries to buckle her highchair. Also wants to war her own shoes (but can't actually do it). Wants to open her milk thermos (the water bottle is a bit harder s o she doesn't insist on that).

Talking
More verbal now. Calls her self - 'Sisah'. Can count from 1 to 10 (started reading a lot of number and counting books with her). Better at colour recognition - blue, pink, red, green, purple, yellow, orange.

Milestones
Likes to jump...will try to jump down on the last step of the stairs or when going into the bathroom. But can't jump off the floor yet.

Misha: 2 years old!

Milestones
She can recognize a lot more letters now. She can also count 1-10.
Can identify blue, pink, orange, purple. She seems to be a bit mixed up with red, green and yellow.
She is walking up and down the stairs but I always make sure one of us is holding her hand.

Fall Down
One afternoon I put her down to sleep and as usual she started to cry but she also stood up and held on the railings. I just left her and closed the door. Few seconds later I heard a loud thud and I found her face down on the floor. She actually tried to climb out of her cot! She was a bit shaken up but I got her back into bed and she was fine. After that she never stood up again. I also kept telling her she would fall and it would be 'pain' and she seemed to understand that.

Sleeping
Towards the end of the month things got better...no more crying. Not sure what changed. I tried all sorts of things. Lastly I started talking through the monitor. I would tell her  not to cry and it was time to sleep. That seemed to stop her crying and talking. After a few days of that, she seemed to stop crying altogether. Maybe it was just a phase (lasted quite long though).

Potty training
Very good progress. Sometimes she wakes up dry from her nap and will pee before we go to fetch Meera but usually she will pee in her diaper when she is sleeping. If we are out of the house for a long time she will pee in her diaper but she seems to be able to hold till we get home.
She is also pooping in the toilet quite consistently but she can't seem to differentiate between pee and poo when she tells me its always 'pee'. But after she poops she will always ask for a chocolate (I let her have a mini choc chip - from my baking supply).

Eating
Nothing much to report. She used to eat dates with the skin but lately she will try to spit out the skin. She also tried to do this when she eats corn or anything else with 'skin'.

She has quite a sweet tooth....managed to finish a whole slice (quite a generous portion) of her birthday cake! But she also loves eating fruits. (durian included)

Schedule:
7-8 am : Wake up (depending on how tired she is)
8:00am: Milk - 3.5 oz. (in a straw cup. If she wakes up late she drinks it in the car. Otherwise it's in front of the TV)
8:45 am: Breakfast - usually 3 oz milk with Weet-Bix and fruit
12:30pm: Lunch
1:45 pm: Milk - 3.5 oz
2:30 pm: Nap (2-2.5 hours.)If she gets up early I give her a snack...fruit and yogurt
5:00 pm: Fetch Meera
5:45 pm: Dinner
7:30pm: Bath
7:45pm: Milk -3.5 oz
8:15pm: Bedtime

Playgroup
I recently started taking her to a Playgroup in Puchong. The first time she was quite clingy especially during song time but we have done  classes so far and she is starting to get used to the people and routine of it all. She can even tell me 'Playgroup' when I put her in the car.

Tooth issues
Recently I noticed she had a bit of discolouration on the inside part of her bottom front tooth. Tried cleaning it (toothbrush and floss picks) but didn't help. Finally took her to the dentist and confirmed it was plaque. The doctor said I could have it removed but it was fine to leave it for now and just monitor. Guess I wasn't brushing her teeth well enough. :(

Birthday
We celebrated her birthday during the weekend with just the family...a small affair. She was quite excited with her cake...even blew out her own candle and cut the cake (with some assistance).
Prior to this we noticed she got quite upset when everyone would sing Happy Birthday but we practiced a bit with Jing's birthday and I think she got used to it.

Misha: 23 months

Milestones
Can recognize: A,B,C,M,O,T
She can also identify a few colours. Thanks to the threading beads she know blue, red, yellow and green. She can also say pink (from her rubber bands).
Lately I notice she is trying to jump. Especially when she is going from the hall into the bathroom (which is a bit lower) she will try to hop down.

Cleaning up
She has really improved on this.
After playing with the wooden blocks (which she likes to pour out of the box) she will pick up all the pieces and put them back. She even tries to carry the box back to the playroom (it's quite heavy so I usually try and help her).

Toys
She is loving stickers right now.
She also likes playing with the wooden blocks...she can stack more than 5 pieces at a time and will applaud herself when she does it.
Dolls are still a favourite. She will even get one to sit with her and watch TV.

Talking
After dressing her she is always touching her clothes or hair and saying 'nice' . LOL
She is also learning to count and say her alphabets. For some reason she is learning the numbers backwards. She first started saying '10'. Then when we count she would say '9, 10'. Then '8,9,10'.
She will sing a bit of Twinkle Little Star when I put her to bed.

Eating
Milk is getting easier although we have had to resort to letting her watch TV while she drinks it in the afternoon and before bedtime. In the morning I let her drink it in the Thermos during the drive to Meera's school. She is getting around 12 oz. a day...not a lot but enough I think. After all the conflicting info on milk (amounts and whether it's really necessary) I've decided to just give a minimal amount. I try to also give cheese and yogurt but most days there is just no time for a snack.

Most days, she will start feeding herself but after a few mouths she will want me to feed her. She usually indicates this by tilting the bowl of the tray towards me. I usually rush to get it since I'm worried it will fall down (yet to happen though).

Right now she is still having Weet-bix with fruit for most breakfasts and rice with soup for lunch and dinner. Once in a while I make pasta or fried rice. But soup is usually the fastest for her to eat.


Sleeping
Lately she has been crying whenever I put her down to sleep. Sometimes it"s just for a minute but sometimes it goes on for 5 minutes or more. Nap time is also a challenge cos after I close the door she will start screaming 'PEE!'. I try to make sure she poops and pees before naps but sometimes she seems to only be able to go after I put her down...this results in later naps.
She is also waking up and crying. Unlike before where she would just play quietly till I got her. Not sure if she is teething?


Potty training

She is doing quite well. After 2 weeks, she was doing well with peeing in the toilet. (I started using the toilet insert and by the 3rd week no longer needed to use the potty). Pooping however was still a challenge. Most times she was pooping in her diaper when I put her to bed. Sometimes she would poop in the toilet (sheer luck I think) or potty (but she was standing over it). And it was quite hard. She was not going as regularly as before and it was coming out hard (I think cos she was holding it in). Starting giving her Duphalac to avoid it getting painful.
By the 4th week she suddenly got it. She was starting to poop in the toilet (but not really comfortable about it). Had to put her on the seat a few times before she would go. Also notice that she is more comfortable using the toilet upstairs in her room. She will usually poop when I bring her upstairs for her nap. Not sure is its cos the insert is more comfortable (the Potette Plus is upstairs). But she has been quite consistent in going daily. Also able to stop giving her Duphalac.

Usually when we go out I would either put her in a pull-up or diaper and I notice she would hold her pee till we came home (if it was a short outing). She also doesn't poop when we are out of the house.
When we went to Melacca she had no problems peeing in the hotel toilet with the insert.

Potty training

The dreaded potty training is finally here. As with Meera there weren't really any signs of readiness (she is not waking up dry, not pulling off her pants herself...). She is aware when she poops though...she will say 'chow-chow'.

So I merely went with her age...22 months = potty training time :)

Day 1 (15.6.15):
After sending Meera to school, we came home and I took off her diaper and showed her the potty. I explained she was supposed to pee and poop in the potty but I doubt she understood.
I tried to watch her like a hawk but while I was getting breakfast she pooped on the floor! She did look distressed though. I picked it up and put it in the potty hoping she would make the connection. While I was cleaning up she peed on the floor.
After breakfast, another accident. I tried plying her with more water...even resorted to giving her juice but she wasn't drinking as much as her normal amounts. The whole day I was trying to get her to sit on the potty but she refused...a lot of accidents and I was never able to get her to sit once!
It was quite a failure.
That evening got Meera to pee on the potty hoping she would get it...


Day 2:
After a bit of delay (she kept clutching her bum) she managed to poop on the potty (but standing over it). At 12...she peed...on the floor. Just like day 1 no success. She was learning to hold her pee though so there were less accidents. But still no success.

I went out and got chocolate and more juice. (so far she wasn't too keen on drinking whatever I was offering)

Day 3:
Pooped on the floor again just a bit then later in the day stood over the potty and pooped. she was holding her pee and finally had accidents in the afternoon.

Day 4:
Still no success. Tried to get her to sit on the toilet insert (Geetha came over to help for a bit) but she wouldn't sit long.
No pee success but at night I brought her up to her room and she sat on the potty and pooped!
I was beginning to think she was never going to get it. And was prepared to give up but I figured I would just see it through till the weekend.

Day 5:
Around 11 am she stood over the potty and peed! Finally. Gave her a Smarties and kept saying good job. (For the past few days we were getting Meera to pee and giving her a chocolate)
Overall we had 5 successes and 4 accidents.  She was finally willing to use the potty but she had to stand over it.
By night time she was soo tired I didn't try to get her to poop upstairs.
The whole night she seemed to not sleep well...Kept crying out many times.

Day 6:
Kaka in her diapers (maybe that's why she didn't sleep well).
It also seemed like something finally clicked. She sat down on the potty and peed.
Had 1 accident but was starting to get the hang of it.
She was also holding her pee when we went out for lunch. She kept saying chow-chow but she never peed/ pooped.

Day 7:
We went out a lot today so didn't get much practice but she she manged to actually hold her pee in and continue peeing in the potty while sitting

Day 8:
Peeing in the potty regularly. She has also embraced the reward system..and I'm wondering if the chocolates are giving her constipation.
Even woke up dry from her nap. But wet her diaper while we were out fetching Meera.

Day 9:
Pooped 3 times but still not on the potty..can see she's not comfortable with using the potty although she knows what needs to happen.

Day 10:
Still pooping while standing over the toilet

Day 11:
Still standing to poop

Day 12:
Pooped in diaper (quite hard). Realise she is holding her poop until bedtime so she can poop in her diaper.

Day 13:
No progress on poop. Pee is going well.

Day 14:
Started to give her Duphalac. Don't want her to get traumatized by hard stools. But she is consistently holding her poop until she gets a diaper. Looks like she is following Meera's behaviour.

Misha: 22 months

Talking
Teaching her how to say her ABCs and 123s. She has started to say a few 2 word sentences. 'Sit chair' is a favourite cos she like me to sit with her when she plays.

Milestones
She can recognize a few alphabets: A, B, C. I think cos she likes to watch the Starfall site.

Cleaning up
Getting better at this. Sometimes she will say clean up and put stuff back on her own. and just a few pieces. But if I do it with her she's a lot better at cleaning up.

Kissing
Finally..she is kissing us! Had to keep showing her how to do it till she finally got it. Initially she keeps trying to give us her cheek but now she can say 'mwah' and put her mouth to our cheek :)
She doesn't really like to do it though. Every night before going up to bed I will take her to say goodnight to Daddy and  Meera...most times she will resist kissing them. She will kiss me but only right before sleeping time.

Hugging
She loves to hug though. Sometimes she will just come up to me and hug me or when I carry her she put her arms round me and just lies there. Awww...

Health Visit and Hospital Follow-up
Had a check up at the Klinik Kesihatan this month. Weight: 9.7 kg. Height: 80cm. Tried to ask how much milk I should be giving her but they just said 'ikut kemampuan'. So vague!

Also had our follow-up at Putrajaya Hospital this month...Stats - Weight: 10 kg, Height: 80.1 cm, Head: 45.1 cm. Neutrophil count DROPPED (ANC: 1.85, Percentage is 26.8). So basically still have to monitor. Every time we go its a different doctor so this one said we still need to come for follow-up every 6 months. Feel really bad that they have to keep taking samples of her blood but better safe than sorry I guess.

Toys
Dolls are still a favorite. She also likes playing with the Mega-bloks and can fix quite a few of the single blocks on her own.
I let her try out a lacing activity and she was really good at it right from the beginning. She also spent a really long time threading the beads.

Playground
We starting going to the playground. Initially she was a bit hesitant ot sit on anything but after a few trips she got interested. She was really good with the swings!

Zizi
Most of the time she will hug Zizi to sleep as soon as I put her down to bed. During the night I can see her hugging it most of the time. I've also given her 'Russ' (a Rhino plush) and she seemed fine with the substitution.


Melacca

During this month we went for a 2 night stay to Melacca. We stayed at Swiss Garden Hotel which had a really nice pool for kids (Misha was a bit young to really enjoy it though). Initially she was terrified of the pool but slowly got used to it. We used the Kinderkot again. For some reason she could sleep in it during the night but naps were impossible. She only manage to nap while being carried by us. On the second morning she woke up and figured out how to open the zip....next thing I know she is standing next to my bedside!
Mealtimes: I brought Weet-bix for her breakfast but lunch and dinner she had whatever we ate.

One Week Later

She doesn't usually hold Zizi when she nurses

Its been a week since Misha last nursed. So far the transition has been going well. Not without its challenges though. Since she made the call, it's not like I can go back to nursing so we are doing the bestt we can with the situation we're in.

Getting her to drink milk has been a challenge. I'm not exactly sure how much to give her. I was aiming for 16 oz. (2 cups) but maybe this is too much for her. Luckily she was already taking milk from a straw cup before this but the most she ever takes in one sitting is 4.5 oz.

Right now I'm give her 6 oz. in the morning. but she will usually only take around 4 oz. Then I give her 4 oz at breakfast with her Weet-bix and fruit (a really watery breakfast!). I offer another 6 oz, before nap time (again she only drinks around 4 oz). Then I give her another 4 oz at night. Ideally that should come to 16 oz. but somehow she will only take around 12 oz. (14 at most). I'd like to think she is slf regulating but part of me also worries it's not enough.

She will also drink better if I let her watch TV or you-tube so for now I am doing what works. Hopefully I can do away with this later.

As for me...it was a bit sudden to stop nursing but luckily engorgement wasn't too bad. After a week, its not so painful. Emotionally a bit shocked it ended just like that but I'd rather have it this way than having me be the one to end it when she's not ready.

Misha: 21 months & Self weaning

Eating
All going well. Most times she eats about 5-6 oz of food. I recently increased the amount...2.5 oz of rice. 1 oz meat and 2 oz. veg. I usually make soup so there will be dates and longan as well. She seems to really love soup. I usually give her a bit to drink from the doidy cup after she's done eating. She can manage quite well on her own (she gets very upset if I try to hold the cup and feed her).
She will usually eat about half by herself and then she will try to lift the bowl off the tray and refuse to eat unless I continue feeding her. Unless it's something she likes...which she is happy to eat it all herself. Strawberries seem to be a favourite. (right now its in season - Korean)

Stopped giving her the aniseed medicine for good.

Her meals are usually separate from ours but she does try our food when we have our dinner.


Sleeping
No major issues. Afternoon naps are usually 1.5- 2 hours. Bedtime is 8 pm and she usually wakes up around 7 - 7.30 am. She usually sleeps off within 10-15 minutes after putting her down with minimal fuss and is quite content to lie in bed till I get her once she wakes up.


Hair tying
Much better at leaving her hair alone. She is also quite patient to sit and wait for me to tie her hair.

Talking
A lot of new words. She likes to imitate us but sometimes her sounds are way off from the actual word. Lately she has stopped signing a lot of words and will say it instead. Her water sounds more like 'baber'. But I get it ;)

She can say 'tata'. She seems to recognize everyone else but doesn't seem to call them. I haven't been very good with naming everyone so need to focus more on this.

Whenever I tell her 'no' and she gets upset about it she will suddenly say 'pain'. I think she thinks I will come comfort her. LOL

She also says pao pao when she wants to be carried but it sounds more like 'bao bao'. And if i'm sitting on a chair she will say 'turn' and turn herself so I can hoist her up on my lap.

After she coughs or sneezes she will say 'achoo'.

Singing 
She is loving this right now. Sometimes she even tries to sing with the radio...totally off key and unintelligible though.

She will also ask me to sing sometimes. Especially "Row Your Boat'.

Toys 
Her favourite right now is playing with the dolls. She will try to feed them and carry them around. She even cuddles them while watching TV. Meera used to love playing with the kitchen but Misha hardly ventures there. I always notice her holding one of the dolls and feeding them. She even talks to them...saying eat, sit, no!

She is getting better with the shape sorter but I still have to guide her with it. She can stack boxes quite well but most times wants to push them over before she gets to the last box.


Cameron Highlands
During the long Labour Day weekend we went up to Cameron Highlands for 2 nights. It was so packed....the drive there took more than 4 hours (didn't help that we stopped for lunch at Bidor).
She had her normal Weet-bix for beakfast and jarred food but also had steamboat for dinner.
We let her sleep in the Kinderkot this time. The first night she cried a bit but a few minutes later she just lay down and slept till the next morning. Second night she slept with no issues
Nursing her was impossible though. She refused every time I tried to feed her. Not sure if it was the room or everyone else distracting her but for those 2 days I had to supplement with boxed UHT milk. This was just a sign of things to come....

Weaning
Last Friday (15/5/15) Misha stopped breastfeeding! On her own! Little did I know that Thursday night was the last time I would be nursing her. Part of me is sad but a larger part is relieved she was ready to stop on her own. Saved me from trying to wean her at 2. Can't figure out why she stopped though.... Like she just decided it was time I guess. So now I am trying to give her cow's milk. Luckily she had been having it on and off so it's not too difficult.

Misha: 20 months

Singing
Previously Misha seems to be really averse to my singing (except when I sing 'Twinkle Little Star' before bedtime). Maybe she thought I was telling her to sleep whenever I sing...
But I kept trying to get her to enjoy it and lately it seems to be working. She can even say Row when she wants to hear 'Row Row Your Boat'. And she'll try to follow the action when I sing 'If You're Happy..'

Teething
Her bottom left and top right canines have made an appearance but without the drama of her last tooth. Phew!

Sleeping
No major issues. There was a few days in the middle of this month when she was having trouble with naps. Shorter than usual and she would wake up crying quite badly. Before that she did have a runny nose but nothing serious. After that she went back to taking regular naps.
There was 1 night when she cried quite badly and I had to go back in to console her. This has never happened before. She has protested naps but never bedtime. It was quite late so I didn't brush her teeth and read a story so maybe that was the reason (but I have skipped it before with no issues).
She is usually quite cranky after her afternoon nap (noticed this ever since I stopped nursing her). I usually have to bring her straight down and distract her with snacks before I can even change her diaper.

Schedule
7:15  am: Wake up (sometimes she's up by 7am but she just waits for me)
7:40  am: Nurse, then change her

• she can lift her bum up to change and put her legs into her clothes. 
• I've also started tying her hair. She is quite patient about letting me tie it but sometimes removes it later in the day. Trying to be consistent so she gets used to it. 

8:15  am: Send Meera to school
8:45  am: Breakfast (1 Weet-bix, 2.5 oz. milk, fruit - banana, kiwi or strawberry)

Every time I put down the bowl she will wave bye to me and expects me to leave her to eat herself. Most times she eats everything (or almost all) herself.

She will try to fish out the fruit but I always mix it up really well 

she is quite neat. If she spills she'll keep pointing at it till I clean it up.

9:30  am : Watch TV (Playschool is on at this time and she seems to really like it.
12:00 pm: Lunch (usually rice with soup)

• she also eats herself (but only about half then I have to take over. Occasionally I have to distract with books or You Tube...especially if it's something she doesn't really like. 
• she loves soup! Will even say soup when I start cooking. And can say date and longan

1:30 pm: Milk (4.5 oz in a straw cup)

• will usually drink about half  then I have to cajole her into finishing the rest (sometimes You Tube comes to the rescue)

2:00  pm: Nap (usually around 2 hrs)

4:00  pm: If she's up and there's enough time I give her a snack (pancake,cheese,yogurt, fruit)

4:45  pm: Fetch Meera

5:30  pm: Dinner

7:30  pm: Bathe

• she is quite distressed about water over her head. She will cry and protest the whole time. We haven't been using the tub for a while now (she stands on a rubber mat) so not sure if this makes things worse. 

7:45  pm: Nurse, brush teeth, story, bed

Toys
She loves playing with dolls. She will carry them. Try to feed them, pat them.
She also loves the Vtech Ride on toy. She can only move backwards though
Still likes to draw.
She loves to watch TV! Can sit and watch quite a bit before moving on (especially if there's songs or kids). She tries to dance when she watches Hi-5.
She likes books especially if there's things she recognizes in them

Tot School
Have not been doing this lately. Need to start back up on this

Zizi
Sometimes I see her hugging it when she's sleeping but most ties it's just left at the side. She does know it's name though

Misha: 19 months

This month has been very challenging. We are dealing with teething/ terrible twos/ sickness and who knows what else! Sigh....
But like all things...this too shall pass...
 
Chinese New Year 

She was quite happy to take 'ang pau' this year. Even trying to grab the whole stack from people's hands. Got her first taste of a lot of New Year snacks.
We went for a few Lion Dance performances but she did not like it. She hated the loud noise but was quite fascinated with the lion (tried to touch it when it came near).

We went to Penang again this year for the 8th day prayers but of course she slept thru that. Even the fireworks (which was really loud) did not wake her.



First Cinema Experience
Jing's family has a tradition of watching a movie during the CNY break. So this year we thought we 'd go along (we stopped going after Meera was born). Misha did really well....the poporn helped (ALOT!). She sat on our Jing's lap till almost the end and then stood between our chairs towards the last part.

'Door'
I notice she says this when she wants to close something...the room door , her closet or even her water bottle. I keep saying close but she will say door.

Toys
This month I switched up the toys a bit. I've kept aside the Leapfrog Table (which she has never shown much interest in).
I took down the Mega Bloks and she seems to love it...I've seen her sit and build up a few of the 1 block pieces together but because it doesn't stay together so well she gets frustrated when it comes apart. But she spends quite a while building with it.
She also likes drawing (especially on the easel) with crayons and can say 'draw'.
we also brought down the VTech Ride-On toy. Initially sge refused to sit on it but after a while she got on it herself and can now push backwards on it. Has yet to figure out how to move forward.
Another favourite is 'wiping' with a piece of cloth from the Duplo set.

Bad week (7/3/15- 10/3/15)
Saturday evening she felt quite warm so I checked and she was having a slight fever. On Sunday it reached 38.5 but she seemed fine and active. On Monday she didn't have a temperature but she was super cranky. I have never seen her like this before! She would cry and scream for the smallest things....if she couldn't do something, if I said no to her even if I wasn't paying her any attention. Even eating was a struggle. She cried and screamed so much she vomitted out her breakfast. Tuesdy was just as bad...and she only napped for less than an hour. She was also crying alot at night but still managed to sleep through. she didnt have any fever though. I began to suspect teething. Wednesday was no better, cranky, short naps, difficult to feed. I started giving PCM. Thursday..her appetite was better but she was still super moody. That night noticed she had a rash on her torso. ( roseola?). Friday she was much better and I noticed her top right canine was out.
This has been the most difficult teeth yet! Hopefully the other 3 don't give this much trouble. She was truly a different child the past few days and am so glad she is back to her normal cheerful self now.

Car seat
We have finally switched her to forward facing. (According to the manual it's rear facing till 9 kg and she has only just passed that weight).


Nursing
I have dropped the afternoon feed so she is now down to 2 feeds a day. She was a bit unhappy for a few days...kept signing milk when I picked her up from her cot and got very upset when I brought her downstairs. I started on a Monday and by Friday she had stopped signing milk and seemed to accept the new routine. I tried giving her milk after her nap but for some reason was quite unsuccessful so I started giving into her before nap time. Right now it's about 4 oz. I do not see how she is ever going to drink a full cup. I am going to try for 5 oz 3 times a day so that should be sufficient. She also takes 2.5 oz with her Weet-bix so it should manageable.


Routines
She is starting to recognize routines in her life. Every night Jing will give her the aniseed medicine before taking her up for her bath and lately when he tells her it's time for medicine she will go to the dry kitchen and wait for him to pour it out, sit on his lap and drink it and then walk straight to the stairs and wait for him to open the gate so she can go up. And she will keep saying bye and waving and she climbs up.
And after nursing her at night she will say brush teeth. I am trying to make it a routine where she will brush teeth and get read a story before bedtime but sometimes it's late so I skip it.

 Whenever she sees the phone or camera she will say baby and want to have a look so its starting to get difficult to record her.

Misha: 18 months

Personality
It's really starting to show now...She loves to make us laugh. And she is always smiling. She also knows what she wants and wants it NOW!

Terrible Twos
It's started :(
Caught glimpses of it this month. When she wants something and doesn't get it she will just stand and scream and cry till she is quite red in the face. I never give in so eventually she will stop but it can go on for like 10 minutes. It's usually cos she wants something which I refuse to give her. Sometimes distracting her works... This happened a few times early in the months but lately seems to have stopped. It helps when I acknowledge what she wants and then tell her no. (a tip from 'Happiest Toddler On The Block').

Bedtime Routine
After nursing, I take her to the bathroom to brush her teeth (she seems to like the toothpaste...which she hasn't learned to spit out. Then I read her a book (initially she kept grabbing it but within a week she was content to just sit and listen while I read (usually The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton)

Talking
She is starting to imitate animal sounds when she looks at the picture books. Meow (cat), Bah (goat), Roar (Lion). Favourite books right now is anything with animals.
New Words (a lot of new words this month!):
Sit
Chair
Wear
Draw
Brush teeth
TV
Cat
Bird
Frog
....a lot more which I can't remember.

She can also sign a lot, so between talking and signing most of her demands are met ;)

Tot School
Slow start to this. Tried to do it every day but was not very consistent. I only started with 2 activities.
1. I gave her some pom poms to put in a bottle
2. I let her have some crayons to draw/ scribble with

She seemed to really enjoy the activities. The first day, we did it after breakfast on the table and the next day she tried to indicate she wanted to do it again. Kept pointing to the cupboard and when I opened it she immediately went and sat at the table! LOL
She can also kinda say 'pom pom'.
Another activity which I did (but it requires close supervision...although she has yet to try and put the coins in her mouth)

 

 

 


Eating
So far so good. I try to give her a variety of things to eat so she doesn't get bored. Some days she has a snack after her nap (if she wakes up early) and I usually cut up fruit (fork practice) or yogurt (spoon practice) which I let her feed herself. She has been pretty good (minimal mess) with it.

Favourites
Toys: She loves playing with the nesting blocks. Right now she is always taking them out but can't really put them back in.She also likes to stand on Meera's motorcycle.
Books: She loves any book with dogs in it. Right now Dear Zoo is a favourite as well as Spot the Dog (lift the flap type).
Foods: Banana is still a favourite (she will always point it out when she sees it...on our fruit bowl, supermarkets and along the travelator at D'Pulze)

Discipline

Discipline: 'Start As You Mean To Go On'
This has been something I have tried to practice with Meera (and now Misha) and I think it really helps to teach them to listen and follow instructions.
Sometimes it's challenging to implement especially at a younger age since they can't really understand but overall it has been my main mantra when it comes to discipline.
It pretty much works on the same line as prevention better than cure and you never miss what u never had. :)
Like I never let her touch something so she never tries. I never let her go to the wet kitchen.

Today, I let her watch "Your Baby Can Read'. Initially I put it on the TV console so she had to stand and watch but it's not really a good position. So I thought it would be better to put it on the floor and let her sit and watch. I was worried she might grab the I-Pad but I told her 'no touching' as I put it down and she was quite compliant :) She did test a few times but overall she was good.

Misha: 17 months

Talking
wet wipes - 'wuh waip' (she ony said it for a few days then no more)
lift - 'chif' not sure if its the lift or the buttons in the lift
finish - 'ish'
hold - 'hol' she will say this whenever she wants to hold the spoon/fork during feeding time
ball - 'bawh'
MUMMY! - finally she said it :)

Post holiday
After we came home I weighed her and she had lost like 300g. Sigh...Not surprising since she only nursed twice a days and solids were also not much.

Eating
She is no longer willing to eat porridge! Have to resort to all sorts of distractions to even get her to start eating let alone finish the porridge. Started giving her rice but she didn't seem to eat much. Initially I was giving her almost 5 oz. of solids but  then I looked back at Meera's old photos and saw that at 20 months she was only taking 4oz of solids! For some reason I thought Misha should be eating more. Once I changed my expectations feeding Misha has been improving. I also make finger foods like banana pancakes which she loves eating.
Right now I try to feed her 4 times so a typical schedule is something like this:

 7:30 am - wake up, nurse
 8:45 am - breakfast 4.5 oz. usually 2.5 oz milk, 1 Weet-Bix, fruit (typically banana or avocado)
12:00pm - lunch 4 oz.
 1:00 pm - nap (around 2 hours)
 3:30 pm - nurse
 4:00 pm - snack finger foods or yogurt with fruits
 5:30 pm - dinner 4 oz.
 6:30 pm - the rest of us has dinner so she'll usually get a few bites in
 7:45 pm - nurse
 8:00 pm - bed

Sick
Misha had her first case of vomiting (food poisoning?). Not sure what triggered it but I think it was a piece of 'Babybel' cheese I gave her before her nap time....not really sure though. She threw up a few times during her nap (she actually continued sleeping) but woke again to puke and I saw it on the video. When I went to get her the crib had quite a few areas with vomit :(
She vomited a few more times during the next 2 days and after that was fine. I gave her a lot of rice water and not much else. She nursed as normal but also puked after nursing (one time) She was also having a cough during that time so not sure if the cough was triggering the vomiting.
 
Hospital Visit
Had her follow up at Putrajaya (8/1/15) and got her measurements. Weight: 7.89kg! (she lost weight from the holiday and past 2 days she vomited her food and is having really low appetite) Height: 76.6 cm. Head circumference: 42 cm
I also asked the doctor about her yellow palm and feet but she didn't seem too concerned.
Good news on the neutrophil count! ANC is now at 2.89 so well withing the normal range. Doctor said I will only have to bring her in 6 months from now.
Although her weight seems to be low the doctor didn't seem too worried. Although her weight is low she looks healthy and plump (I guess she is also short so the weight evens out). But she did advise me to give her more high caloric foods....even said it's okay to add salt and give chips!

Teeth
Not sure when her teeth came out but she now has 12 teeth! It's quite hard for me to see when the molars came through. She doesn't like me poking around in the back :)
She is quite willing to let me brush her teeth. Recently started using tooth paste which she doesn't really like.

Personality
- whenever we carry her and try to do something she doesn't like (wipe her mouth, or feed her something) she will put her head down on our shoulder
- she will point to the TV when she wants us to turn it on. Then she'll pull herself up on the couch
- she points to her ear and says 'sh' or something to that effect when she wants to watch 'Your Baby Can Read' on You-Tube.