Caitlin and shapes

Caitlin can already distinguish individual shapes. I know this because since we had her puzzle mat arranged in our living room, she will always look for the fish, strawberry, and lion. There are also numbers and other shapes of fruits and animals on the floor, but she only prefers to play with the three. When she began biting them, we had to re-arrange the puzzle pieces. But somehow, she always manages to find them.

This has been the fourth time that the fish has been re-arranged but Caitlin always finds it.

She fancies the lion's head too - its red eyes, specifically.

This is why we had to re-arrange her puzzle mat often - to save the puzzle pieces from her biting fury. 

According to this article, babies bind specific features to objects at 7.5 months or just about the same time that we observed Caitlin's preference for the fish, strawberry, and lion. So, even though I am tired of looking her in the eye, putting my index finger on her lips and telling her "bawal isubo yan," I am also happy that she can already tell one object from the other. Good job, baby!


- Mommy Smiley 

Baby, teething, and other milestones

Caitlin began drooling heavily at three months old, and her first set of teeth appeared two months later. The weeks before her teeth erupted was a tough one for her. She gnawed on anything her mouth had contact with, and got irritated when we take it away from her such as our clothes. There were nights when she found it difficult to sleep. When she learned how to sit up by herself at four months old, her sleep pattern changed once more. She felt worse when she had her first cold at around this time. Not only was she feeling bad, but because of the milestones of sitting up and teething, she found it harder and harder to go to bed at night.

She stopped salivating when the teeth emerged. But she was at it again at seven months. This time, her teething was coupled with learning how to stand up by herself. Again, her sleep pattern at night got disrupted.

At eight months, she has four teeth. Yesterday, I saw her drooling again and realized that there are two more (upper) on the way. 

I have asked our dentist when is the best time to bring the baby in for cleaning, and I was told to wait until she was one year old. If her teeth has emerged before that, we have to clean it with a wet washcloth every now and then to prevent milk build-up. 

Today, however, we started her on a toothbrush. For the baby's first toothbrush (2-3 milk teeth), the idea of holding a toothbrush is introduced. We are using Pigeon's Baby Training Toothbrush. It has a soft elastomer rubber head that is soothing to the baby's tender gums. We have put off using a toothpaste until Caitlin gets familiar with the toothbrush though. Unfortunately, I get mixed information regarding the kind of toothpaste to use. babycenter has recommended using a tiny amount of flouride toothpaste, but this site did not until the baby is 18 months of age. We have a Pigeon's children toothpaste here that contains no flouride and says it is safe for the child even if swallowed so I guess I'll go use that first. 

Caitlin's teeth came out at five months.

At eight months.

Pigeon's training toothbrushes.

And now there are three toothbrushes.

The appearance of Caitlin's first set of teeth was also a milestone for me because that was the time she began biting me while breastfeeding. Experiencing it for the first time was traumatic. But I took it one day at a time. Whenever she bit me, I stop breastfeeding, look her in the eye, place my index finger against her mouth, and tell her sternly: "No, biting." She seemed to get the message until she bites me again. It went on for a couple of weeks before she completely stopped. We are happily breastfeeding still. 

- Mommy Smiley

        

Medela's breastmilk donation drive

It is still not too late. Meleda Moms will resume collection of breast milk and storage containers on January 3, 2012 to benefit the babies affected by typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. It began its breast milk and container donation drive on December 27 at Medela House, and has since collected at least 650 oz. in one batch alone. The breast milk and containers on hand have already been shipped to the affected areas in a number of successful breast milk missions. But the donation drive continues until the end of January. To donate, or for more information, please contact 725-3723/738-6272/964-7331.


- Mommy Raquel

Christmas gifts

Babies are so adorable at times. Between an expensive toy and the packaging that came with it, Caitlin, most of the time, chooses the packaging.

 Opening gifts at home.

Stack of toys.

She likes wrappers more.

- Mommy Smiley

Drinking and breastfeeding

The holidays are here and the festive air smells of food and alcohol. But is it safe for a nursing mom to drink?

Yes, but in all else, alcohol should be taken in moderation. What is moderate for a breastfeeding mom is an occasional one or two units of alcohol, according to research.

"One unit of alcohol is approximately a single (25 ml) measure of spirits, half a pint of beer, or half a standard (175 ml) glass of wine, although it depends on the stregth of the drink," according to NHS Choices. 

If you want to be more accurate, compute your alcohol intake.

Strength (alcohol by volume) x volume (ml) / 1000 = units

For example, for a 568 ml of beer with 5.2 % of alcohol content.

5.2 x 568 / 1000 = 2.95 units

If you want to skip the computation, a rough guide on how to drink while breastfeeding was provided to me by breastfeeding advocate and founder of Babymama Mi Ann Reyes-Oblea. According to her, for every unit of alcohol, let two hours pass before breastfeeding. One unit is equal to one shot, a cocktail drink, or a bottle of beer. There is no need to pump and dump because it will not hasten the elimination of alcohol from the milk.

"But even if you can't follow the two-hour rule strictly, baby will be fine," she said.

That is also the information you will get online. See for example, Kellymom's basic guidelines on breastfeeding and alcohol. What struck me was a research by Hale published in 2008: "Mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal."

Feeling neurologically normal is being sober. So when you feel sober enough, you can go back and nurse your child.

More tips on breastfeeding and alcohol may also be found at babycenter.

My first drink was a few days before Christmas. I had a beer after breastfeeding Caitlin. Since it has been roughly a year and a half since I last drank, I took it slow and only had a few sips. Come bedtime though, I feel more sleepy than usual. The alcohol may have had its effects on me or my sleep-deprived body finally told me it's really tired. But it hit me that if I had consumed more alcohol, I would have found it hard to breastfeed my daughter at night. So I took that in mind and told myself to drink only by sips until I can handle a full unit or two of alcohol.

I drank again on Christmas eve, but even if I was more prepared for it (I have stored milk in the fridge), my daughter was too clingly and only wanted me by her side. Because she's my priority over alcohol (duh!), I stopped drinking. I tried to offer her breastmilk in a bottle, but she refused and only wanted to nurse from me. Since I only had a couple of sips an hour earlier, I let her.

Also, although there is no need to pump and dump, it may be done to ease any discomfort a nursing mom may feel for skipping feedings.

Cheers!

Ooppss. Not for babies.

- Mommy Smiley

Get-together with lamaze classmates

It's amazing how Mommy Raquel and I started this mommy blog eight months after we last saw each other during the farewell lunch of our childbirth class. Through emails, texts, and calls, we kept in touch and talked about everyday mommy stuff from breastfeeding to our baby's poop.

Finally, we meet again one Saturday for dinner with our little ones, and we again talked about everyday mommy stuff from breastfeeding to our baby's food this time. But it was a whole lot better talking personally while seeing the daddies play with the babies.

Apart from our husbands, Rosie, Jing, and their daughter Isha also joined us.

Attending the lamaze class was just one of the many adventures the three of us shared together. Apart from being first-time moms, Raquel, Rosie, and I gave birth at the same month and breastfed our babies at least up to six months. Raquel and I are still at it. But we each have different stories to tell regarding our experiences during labor, and our lives after that.

Rosie developed PUPPP, a skin allergy, on her 38th week and had to undergo an emergency C-section when her nails turned purple. Isha was a small baby at around 5 lbs when she was born, but she quickly packed on the weight and she's now the heaviest despite being the youngest among the three babies.

Raquel told us how she had tried to stay away from using an epidural during her labor, but eventually relented when the pain was too much to bear. At that time, she was already dilated by nine centimeters. It was a quick three-hour labor and delivery for her though.

I had a natural childbirth. But unlike Rosie and Raquel who were both prepared with their balls and other lamaze paraphernalia, Jay and I only had ourselves. We may look unprepared, but we managed using the breathing techniques and by keeping calm throughout the six-hour labor and delivery.

Among us, Raquel probably had the most interesting story to tell when she underwent a strict one-month po ge lai diet after giving birth. For thirty days, she was restricted to warm food and drink which also meant no water and bath for her to regain the warmth lost from her body during labor. Just imagine how she managed not to take a bath for a month, and I am sure you'll have lots of questions in your head. And so did we. Did you know that she had to use gloves when she bathes Sam just so she won't have contact with water? How she also reconciled breastfeeding Sam successfully by only drinking mostly tea and not water is one for the book. But enough about that, you'll hear more of her triumphant po ge lai story when she tells us about it on this blog or in any other medium. Wink, wink. =)

Less words, more pictures this time. Oh, and have a merry Christmas everyone!

Mommy Smiley with Caitlin and Mommy Raquel with Sam.

 Jing and Rosie with their daughter Isha.

Mommies' day off. It's the daddies turn to take care of the babies.

Mommies' turn.

L-R: Jon, Raquel, Sam, Rosie, Jing, Isha, Caitlin, Jay, and Smiley. 

 - Mommy Smiley

Taking baby's pictures

Here’s another idea for trigger happy mommies out there. Take a picture of your little one wearing the same clothes and position her in almost the same way every few months. You could do it against a favorite chair or sofa, a toy, or a pillow on a bed like what I did and watch your baby grow.

L-R Caitlin on July 2, Oct. 17, and Dec. 19. This is her usual home outfit. We dress her light to keep her cool.

- Mommy Smiley

Tutorial: diaper cover with frills

The design is not original. You'll see this kind of diaper cover in a lot of stalls selling clothes for infants. But what made this extra special is the fact that it was made with lots of love.


The free diaper pattern and tutorial posted here is courtesy of Prudent Baby. I love her site, and often visit for free sewing patterns and tutorials. What's more wonderful about it is that she has a baby girl, too! So Prudent Baby creates a lot of stuff for girls from infant to toddlers. 


So, do you want to try it out? Click and print out the free diaper pattern and cut your diaper cover pieces. But save the elastic for last.


For the added frills, here's the tutorial.  

Cut three 3 inches x 30 inches strips and sew the bottom and side edges using a sewing machine. For fuller frills, you may lengthen the strips to 3" x 50". Hand stich a running stitch on the top and pull to gather the fabric together.

 

Lay the right side of your top strip on the right side of your back diaper cover only, making sure that you've covered the lenght of it. Sew the strip an inch above the holes for the legs. 

Sew your second and third strips.

 

For added embellisment, make frayed rosettes. I've posted the tutorial here. But I modified it here. Instead of gluing the fabric, I decided to sew one side of it.

 

Secure by hand stitching the back. Hand sew the frayed rosettes on your front diaper cover.

Once you have your frills and frayed rosettes sewed on, put in the elastic. And there you have it.

Front piece.

Back piece.

And here is my model, posing for mommy.

- Mommy Smiley

Survey: How did you find out you were pregnant?

We suspected that I might be pregnant when I woke up not wanting to drink and smell coffee. I usually have a cup every morning then. It went on for a few days before I realized that I may be pregnant. At about the same time, a friend from my college organization asked me for baby news. I told her there was none yet and asked how should I know. She told me the usual signs will be missed period and tender breasts. Check to both, but I thought that my tender breasts may be attributed to my period coming soon. It has not come since. Two pregnancy test kits and a visit to an Ob-gyn the following Saturday confirmed it. I was six weeks and six days (+/- 5 days) pregnant when I formally found out.

- Mommy Smiley 

Caitlin's first words

Writing on a journal kept me sane and calm when mood swing hits due to the hormonal imbalance brought by my pregnancy. And when I gave birth, it helped me battle the post-partum blues. Now, I continue to write for a different purpose. I keep tabs on the little and big things that I do with Caitlin then I write them down.

So while I was reading my diary again, I chanced upon my entry on Caitlin’s first words.

Nov. 1

"Ay, dada."

We heard it, but I guess our ears were just playing on us. So my husband said, "Ok, let's not count that as her first word." I easily gave in, of course.

But after a few days, we heart it again: “dada.” No, it couldn't be. I spend more time with Caitlin than her dada does. Why should dada be her first word?

Then it came in quick successions today at six and a half months old: "Dada." She'll look at me and say, "dada," while on my lap or while I carry her she'll say, "Dadadadadada" out of nowhere that I can't pretend "dada" isn't her first word over "mama" any longer.

Nov. 11

8:30 pm

So ganun pala ang feeling. Ang saya kapag una mong narinig sa anak mo ang katagang "mama." Kahit na umiiyak siya habang sinasabi niya ito, ok lang. Lalo ko pang ipinaramdam na gustong-gusto ko siyang kargahin - kahit ilang oras pa! Marinig ko lang na tawagin niya ako, maiibsan na ang pagod ko. Dati pa man, alam kong ako na talaga ang gusto niya at hinahanap sa gabi. Pero ngayon lang niya ako tinawag ng “mama.”

Nauna na niyang sinabi ang "dada,” "daddy," at "ate" bago ang "mama." Kapag sinasabi  niya ang dada, kung hindi man siya nakatingin sa daddy niya, pinagmamasdan niya ang pintuan na tila ba inaabangan ang pag-uwi ng kanyang ama. Noong una niyang sinabi ang “ate,” sakto namang pinagmamasdan naming nagluluto ng hapunan ang kasama namin sa bahay. At sa kanya nakatingin si Caitlin. Kaya noong nag-iiiyak na siya, gustong magpakarga, at habang karga ko ay ilang ulit na sinabi ang” mama,” alam kong kilalala na niya ako. Ganun pala ang pakiramdam, ang sabi ko sa daddy niya. Ang saya at hindi mawala-wala ang ngiti ko.

- Mommy Smiley

Celebrating Sam's monthly birthday

Born on April 10, 2011, Saffron Matthew “Sam” B. Chua turned eight months old on December 10, yey!

Every month, we celebrate Sam’s birthday with a cake as we rejoice over his milestones. So as we record these joyous monthly events, you'll notice the many cakes that we've devoured for dessert. For our entree, we always have spaghetti to symbolize long life.  

Here’s a quick tour of his eight months with us: Happy 8^th month Sam!


1st month:

My nephew Tristan came over and we celebrated Sam's birthday with a chocolate mousse. On his first month, he is no longer jaundiced.

2nd month:

Sam sporting a mohawk. We had his daddy's favorite manggo pie.

3rd month:

 This time, we had my favorite caramel cup cake.

 We had him baptised this month at Mary the Queen where Jon and I also tied the knot.

His first designer clothes were made by his godfather Francis Libiran.

Our first family picture outside our house which was taken by professional (and our wedding) photographer Erron Ocampo.

4th month:

Fourth month of breastfeeding. Lots of hair loss for both of us. Oh, and here was his debut on sling. 

5th month:

We're still on breastfeeding. We celebrated his 5th month with caramel and chocolate cupcakes.

6th month:  

Happy breastfeeding!

He ate his first cookie.

7th month:

He is finally enjoying his stroller.

His first costume.

His first treat or treat.

 8th month:

We're still breastfeeding. He is now working with mommy.

 On his first grocery cart ride.  

To my little buddy,

Always love mommy and daddy. Always be a good boy. Thank you for making us smile with your laughter, cute smile and eyes. We love you so much! When you're big na, you'll be the one to cook and do the grocery for us na. : ) We love you always and forever!

Daddy

To my dear Saffron,

Always be a good boy. Thank you for completing mommy. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for always making us smile. Cheers to more laughter, milk, hugs, and kisses. I love you.

- Mommy Raquel