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Month: June 2013

Food Diary Day 3 – Still Brown Rice Cereal?!

Food Diary Day 3 – Still Brown Rice Cereal?!

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Yums! Today 小小宝贝 has graduated from having one meal (breakfast) of solid food to 2 meals (and dinner).

The ultimate aim is to serve him solid food for all 3 meals, while cutting down on his milk, which will eventually not be able to fulfill his needs. He’s currently still taking all milk feeds on top of his meals.

Today is the 3rd day of his first food – brown rice cereal. 3 teaspoons of cereal for breakfast and lunch. He’s been eating up the cereal in record time. He’s probably a food lover just like his elder sis!

Tomorrow he will be trying another low allergenic food for the first time.

Food Diary Summary…

Food Diary Day 2 – More Brown Rice Cereal

Food Diary Day 2 – More Brown Rice Cereal

Still Brown rice cereal?! Of course! The 3 days food test. For all new food introduced to the baby, the proper way is to feed him with the same food for 3 consecutive days. In this way, if the baby develops a reaction, I can easily pinpoint the root of it and even trace it back to the previous food.

With my first child having a history of food allergies (luckily I did the 3 day food test with her), it pays to be super duper kiasu. The allergies come and go. Initially she was allergic to formula milk and berries.

Today I gave him more brown rice cereal as compared to day 1.

2 teaspoons of brown rice cereal
4 teaspoons of freshly prepared breastmilk (gosh! I sound like a cow.)

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There he is. Sitting up, prim and proper, armed with his bib, eagerly waiting for his food.

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Today I managed to take photos…

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Kind of blurry because…. I took them with my feet….

Hahahaha. Of course not! I was trying to balance my phone with my left hand and trying to feed him at the same time, making sure that I didn’t thrust the spoon into his nose while taking photos. =.=”

He has learnt how to suck the cereal off the spoon today. Great learning curve. He must have got a kick out of it because he finished everything in a jiffy and whined for more…

I prepared one more teaspoon of cereal for him while he threw a tantrum during the short wait. Men are so impatient when it comes to food… Even 5.5 months old ones. Sigh. So typical.

He guzzled it down too. But with some hesitation near the end. Looks like 3 teaspoons is the right amount, for now.

Stay tuned for yet more brown rice cereal feeding. :)

Food Diary Summary…

Food Diary Day 1 – Brown Rice Cereal

Food Diary Day 1 – Brown Rice Cereal

This marks a milestone in 小小宝贝’s life, the beginning of a whole new world of food, apart from Mommy’s yummy ultra nutritious breastmilk.

I started with the least allergenic food – Brown rice cereal with fortified minerals (he needs iron. According to the pd, he looks pale. Since I’ve paid him handsomely, I just have to trust his professional judgement. Although I’ve adamantly defied his orders to supplement 小小宝贝’s milk feeds with formula milk. He kind of gave up ordering me after 2 visits. Well, he did try.)

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Healthy times brown rice cereal. Prepared in anticipation of this all important day.

I started him off with just 1 teaspoon of cereal mixed with 2 teaspoons of freshly pumped breastmilk.

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He wasn’t used to being fed with a spoon. His little tongue kept thrusting at the spoon and cereal dribbled out of the corners of his pouty mouth. Of course, the precious freshly pumped fresh milk mustn’t be wasted. I scooped up the leftovers from the sides of his face and returned them back up his mouth. No wastage starts from day 1!!

I wanted to take a photo of his first feed to commemorate this memorable day. But with one hand holding him back against his bumbo (he was more intent on transferring his mouth fluids to his bumbo seat by licking it vigorously), the other hand holding the spoon, busily scooping up the cereal, there’s no way I could snap a photo. Unless I grew 2 more hands or my feet can handle the phone. Hmm… Maybe I can train my feet to take photos like how Daniel Day Lewis painted with his feet… Now, THAT’s a thought!!! Think of the numerous things I can do with my feet.

Sorry… I digressed….

At the end of the feed, he was able to eat the cereal beautifully without dribbling and even protested with a little whine when I showed him the empty bowl.

A promising start.

Food Diary Summary…

Starting on Solids

Starting on Solids

小小宝贝 is now 5.5 months old. I was trying to hold off the introduction of solid food to him til 6.5 months old. (宝贝 started on solid food at 6.5 months.). However, after the visit to the pediatrician this morning, it seems that it’s not possible anymore.

The pd thought that he looked a little pale and checked the underside of his eye sockets, suspected that he may need more iron. So he was prescribed iron supplements and I was instructed to start him off on his solids as soon as possible.

As I sniffed his sweet smelling hair (after his bath of course!), for the last time, I would be missing that. Even his poo (which smells sweetish because he’s fully breastfed) will start to stink.

Sigh! He’s going to stop smelling like a sweet baby. He’s growing up ever so quickly. He doesn’t even fit into the curve of my body when I cuddle him now. To think he was so little when he was born.

I miss my little baby. You are growing up way too quickly!

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Facebook

Facebook

Hub : In a few years’ time I’ll get a Facebook account!

Me : Why “in a few years” and not “now”?! I thought you said social media is a waste of time and is bo Liao?! (He’s one of the extremely few persons I know who doesn’t have a Facebook account and he’s in the IT line! Heck! Even my dad who’s a retiree is my friend on fb!!)

Hub : Well, kids are so techy nowadays. When 宝贝 gets a Facebook account, I want to be her first friend. *beams*

Huh?! The mountains and seas couldn’t move him to register for a fb account. No wonder there’s a Chinese saying, “Daughters were their Daddies’ lovers in their previous lives!”

Hmm… That means my friend who has 3 daughters must have been quite a Casanova in his previous life. :p

Happy Father’s Day!

P.S. Darn! That means I can’t complain about him on Facebook anymore!!!! Never mind. There’s still twitter!!

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Sunday Morning Snapshot – Turtle Flip

Sunday Morning Snapshot – Turtle Flip

It’s Sunday again. Why are the snapshots always of 小小宝贝? Because we are always home alone while Daddy brings sis to her morning classes. Our pastime is photo taking!

I didn’t really mark the milestones of 宝贝’s development. I should have kept better track of all her firsts… First steps, first crawl, first flip etc.

At 5 months 1 week, 小小宝贝 can now flip himself onto his tummy and back again. I foresee good days ahead… When we don’t need to rescue him every 5 minutes when he accidentally flips himself over and can’t flip back. When he shouts for rescue, the whole neighborhood hears him… Yes… His diaphragm is amazingly strong.

小小宝贝 in the most unglam position. In the process of a flip! See! iPhone can be used to take motion photos!!!

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Easy Peasy Oat Cookies

Easy Peasy Oat Cookies

I’ve been saving up this oat cookie recipe so that we can bake it together. I love it because it’s really idiot proof (you can call me an idiot. But yes idiot proof is for me. No complicated stuff please!)

It doesn’t contain the normal salt and sugar and horrendous amount of butter. The base ingredients are banana and oats. I used the instant oats. You can add dried fruits. I added some raisins and had the intention to add other fried fruits in the fridge. But it’s mission impossible to chop up the dried fruits while carrying 小小宝贝, so we made do with just raisins.

It’s so easy that even a 3.5 year old can do it. That’s 小宝贝 mashing up the bananas and mixing the oats and raisins.

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The result of her relentless mashing. She was pretty neat with it and everything remained in the bowl.

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I helped her scoop them up into little balls and placed them on the greased baking tray.

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The cookies baking in a pre heated oven of 180°C for 15 minutes.

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The result!! Sticky chewy oat cookies!

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Ingredients :
Bananas
Instant oats
Raisins
Dried fruits

Just make sure you don’t add too much dried fruits that the entire mixture doesn’t stick together.

For the detailed people who need exact weight you can follow the recipe here.

Recipe from AnnCool journal. Brilliant piece of work. Healthy and yummy!!

Air Fried Salmon Bits Tomatoes

Air Fried Salmon Bits Tomatoes

My folks are away on a holiday and I’m home alone with my 2 宝贝s!! *gasp*

Meals at home must involve the least bit of preparation, washing and yet still be nutritious. Not easy arh!!

I came across a picture of this in pininterest. I made a few minor adjustments to reduce processed food and minimize dish washing. The pininterest recipe called for bacon (which has a high salt content but undeniably yummy!) which I replaced with salmon and it was baked. I did everything in the air fryer so that I only needed to wash the one and only baking tray.

I chopped up a huge piece of salmon. Air fried it for 15 mins at 160°C in the baking tray, stirring it once in a while. The pieces were merrily cooking in salmon oil. Once the pieces were crisp, I chopped up a large tomato into 2 and top them off with cheese then put the salmon pieces on top of them. Still using the same tray, I air fried them for 10 mins at 140°C.

宝贝 walked herself home after alighting from the school bus at the pick up point. She appeared at the door just as the food was done.

Served right up to her nice and hot. *V*

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As usual, it’s condiment free. Served with a slice of pumpkin bread we made together yesterday and finished off with a banana.

Yummy and simple. ~signed off by a very hands full temporary sahm. Can’t wait for grandma and grandpa to come home…

Sunday Morning Snapshot – A New Friend

Sunday Morning Snapshot – A New Friend

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He spent a good 15 minutes talking animatedly to his new friend. His friend responded with lots of arm waving and head bobbing. They even sighed at each other in bliss.

Little memories like these should be tucked away and relived. Very soon, he’ll outgrow this stage. What bliss it is to be an innocent babe!

Part of My Childhood – Sesame Street

Part of My Childhood – Sesame Street

This picture brings back fond memories of my childhood tv programmes – Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, The Electric Company. Ah! Now you know which era I belong to. If the last one sounds familiar to you, it means that you are as young as I am!!

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Oscar the grouch was still orange at that time. *grin*

The everlasting song…

Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Street

Come and play
Everything’s A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That’s where we meet

Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street

It’s a magic carpet ride
Every door will open wide
To Happy people like you–
Happy people like
What a beautiful

Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame street…
How to get to Sesame Street
How to get to…

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/sesamestreetlyrics.html