Gabrielle's Firsts - Rollover

. 18 Sept 2013 . 

 

Time flies!! Turning 6 months old in just a few days time!

 

Determine, initiative and strong, she strive and strive and on 18 Sept 2013 morning, she managed to rollover :)

 

And not to mention, there goes my tiny teeny weeny freedom when she  would stay put either on her back or tummy while I go about with my daily routine or attend to Isabelle.

 

Nevertheless, bravo my little love!  You did it!

Isabelle excited to witness Gabrielle's first rollover

 

Adios Pacifier & Bottle!!!

Isabelle finally weaned herself off pacifier & bottle, totally!


....Pacifier...

Her first attempt to sleep without the help of pacifier was short lived.  However, this time around, we know it is for good and she is all for it.  She punctured her own pacifier and we told her, the shops do not sell pacifier for big girls like her so we will not be able to replace it for her.  She took our words and this is her 2nd week without it.  No, she didn't even fuss over it or ask for it.

*image sourced from google search*

BYE BYE PACIFIER!!!

...Bottles...
 

We started to train Isabelle to have her milk fix using bottles with straws throughout the day about few months ago except her first bottle of milk in the morning.  Last 2 weeks, again, she bit the bottle nipple and we told her the same thing, that we can't find any to replace for her.  So she will have to drink her milk with cup and straw.  And she did!!!

*image sourced from google search*NO MORE BOTTLES!!

Looks like Isabelle is all ready to be a big cherh cherh and I am so proud of her. :)

Goodbye Diapers & Hello Toilet/Potty!!

Updates since last potty/toilet training progress, I am so happy to share that Isabelle has now finally and officially graduated from diapers to toilet/potty!!

This is a backdated post.  Infact, she initiated to move on to poo in the potty when I was recuperating from my nausea at my parents' place about 2 months ago.  It happened one night, right before bedtime, she just automatically, told me that she want to poo in the potty and said she do not need diapers anymore!! Probably due to previous failed attempts, I find it hard to believe so I waited for to witness it again for the following few days. This time, it is for real! 

Diaper-free Night ~ 1st Trial

Image sourced from google search

Isabelle suddenly decided to ditch her diapers last night when we try to put it on for her just like everynight before she go to bed. I was doubtful and do not really like the thought of getting up from my slumberland and change the wee wee stinky sheets at 3am, just in case she wet the bed. Hence, I line double layer of towels under her sheets.

Reminded her over and over again that she will need to wake me up should she feel the urge to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. She gave us her promise but I was not convinced. I woke up several times to check on her. Okay, she was dry and so was the sheets.

Morning came, no wet sheets!! Looks like my baby is a big girl now. Not bad at all for her first trial. We shall try again today! 

I am one happy Mommy for 2 reasons.  My girl can go diaper free completely, soon and no longer have to purchase diapers anymore!  Oh, and we can really travel light from now on. DH was happy with our little precious' achivement yet feel a little bitter because he feels that our daughter is growing up too fast and will need us lesser very soon.

=D

Diaper Is Not Your Toilet!

Dear Isabelle, 

My lovely, cheeky and intelligent 3 year old little girl.

Mommy needs to tell you something.

Diapers.  They are for babies. Not for a 3 year old like you.  

Not for a big girl who has been toilet-shh-shh trained.

Everytime I think about having to do this, it breaks my heart.

I do not want to do this to myself everytime you ask for a diaper when
it is time to poo poo.
So, I am going to forget about this. Give both of us a break.

Hopefully, in no time, you will find poo poo in the diaper for a 3 year old is a disgusting act.

And you will finally get it done, in the toilet, just like how and where it  is supposed to be done.

Yours sincerely,

Mommy who loves you very very very so very much

13 Totally Gross Things I Don't Want My Kid to Do in Public

I had a good laugh reading this last night, imagining Isabelle putting the below 13 'taboos' into action. I had to share this!!

"I'm supposed to feel guilty. Ever since the kid hit kindergarten, I've been hitting one discipline technique hard. When she starts up with some not very appropriate for public actions, I remind her she'd best stop ... or the other kids won't like her.

You call it shaming. I call it socialization. To-may-to. To-mah-to. And guess what? It works. Because telling your kid that they should stop eating their boogers because a giant booger factory will grow in their stomach just makes them sample more snot to see if it's the truth. Telling them that the other kids will find them kind of gross, on the other hand, is both the God's honest truth (remember that kid? The one you all called Picky Picky?) and effective.

Come on in, take a gander at the disgusting things I'm drumming out of my kindergartner one "ewww, gross, think of the CHILDREN" at a time, in the hopes that one day I may actually be able to marry her off (or at least send her to college without her blanket):

Picking Her Nose in Public. If you can't use a tissue, and let's face it, there are those little hard suckers that just never want to come out, there's a room down the hall for digging. Please use it.

Picking Her Nose and Eating It. So it may taste better than broccoli. That doesn't mean I want to see you sample the merchandise.

Pick Her Nose and Wipe It on Things. Noticing a theme here, are you? Yes, we are at the 5 1/2-year-old stage, when the hands are NEVER too busy to inch upward toward the schnoz.

Butt Scratching. Yes, it itches. No, people don't want to think about why.

Screaming From the Bathroom to "Come Look." So my daughter will one day Google herself and find this gem? Good, because the horror on her face will probably come pretty close to that on mine when I come running, thinking my little darling has fallen off a stool and put her nose through her skull or something similarly catastrophic ... only to be presented with a smiling face, the smell of something that died a week ago and has sat in her bowels ever since, and her pointing into the toilet. No, dear, just no.

Eating Sand, Grass, and Dried Up Raisins From Inside the Booster Seat. When I said I wanted a kid with an adventurous palate, I was thinking shellfish. I was not thinking that kid who everyone points to on the playground when a slug is procured from the monkey bars. The clear indication being, of course, that said person at the end of the finger-points will be willing to have a taste to see if it kills kids. Oh no, not my kid.

Stripping. It was OK two years ago, and truth be told there is a butt nekkid picture framed in our living room. That's art. Walking around the park at this age without your panties is just asking for sand in uncomfortable places.

Announcing Her Poots. MUCH better to blame it on someone else (Daddy? The dog?).

Bathroom Talk. I know, for a certain age group, this IS how to converse. We can't kill the art. But when you ask a teacher if they'd prefer to eat diarrhea or drink their own pee, they start making little marks in your permanent record. Let's just finesse that one out of the convo. Thank you!

Entering the Bathroom Without Knocking. Yes, it's lonely out there for the whole 3 minutes it takes someone to pee and wash their hands. Go chase the cat. Crayon on the walls. Play in traffic. SOMETHING.

Wedgie Picking. Like digging for gold, something that has to be done, but can be done even better in the bathroom!

Chewing With an Open Mouth. What's the image you want people to have in mind at your 20th reunion? A nice, smart kid from school or the one who masticated bovine muscles LOUDLY in front of you on hamburger day? If you must eat cows, please don't act like one kids.

Wet Willies. Funny thing, I haven't found ANYONE who enjoys the feeling of a damp finger in the ear. If you know anyone, send them over, she's rather talented at it.

With all these warnings, calls from the school have thus far been limited to "your kid was marked absent today" and "Mrs. Sager, thank you for bringing the fruit plate to the class party." I'm thinking as long as we keep reminding her that she'll be a social pariah if she doesn't quit it, I can keep that tone going.

What are the most disgusting things your kids do in public?"

This article was copied from here and for more of such entertaining posts go here.

 

Have a happy Friday and weekend everyone!!

Our Little Chat

Picture sourced from google search

Me :          Are you happy being with Mommy?
Isabelle:   Yes... of course (apparently this is her latest most favourite sentence)
Me:          Are you sure?
Isabelle:   Yes... of course
Me:          Can Mommy go to work in the office like Daddy?
Isabelle:   Yes... of course
Me:           Are you sure? Mummy can go out to work?  Whole day?
Isabelle:   ***Pause***
Me:           Mummy will go to work soon okay?
Isabelle:    No.. I want to stay with Mummy (hug).  You no go to work.  You must promise me.
Me:           Teary eyed

Shh Shh Success - Part 2

Since her last bocor incident, we have had very dry floor, dry pants and skirts till today!  We even dared ourselves to bring her out of home for outings without her diapers and no accidents.  Her success record of being out without diapers on her ranges between 2-5 hours.  She would asked to be brought to the washroom when it was time.   Isabelle praised herself good girl and claims that big girl needs no diapers.  *clap clap*

picture sourced from google search

However, she still refuse to poo in the toilet. She asked to put on her diapers whenever it is time for poo poo.  We have tried all ways to persuade her to do it in the toilet.  From rewards of chocolates (TABOO!), sweets, stickers, cartoons and even some threatening.  Still, alas!  Yet, she opt to hide behind curtains and under the table and would rather not have her rewards.  We asked her what happened to the 'big girl no need diapers' policy of hers.  She said 'Isabelle, me baby!'.  

picture sourced from google search

I am out of ideas to encourage her.  My patience and hope is running thin.  Maybe I should just wait and when she is ready, it will just happen.

Leakage... Bocor...

Isabelle has been without diapers and survived accident-less days for many months now, except  with her poo-poo (still in diapers except for a few times I got lucky and she did it in the toilet).  

Yesterday evening, she wet her pants.  I was disappointed with her at first.  Then I remembered I should not  because it was my fault for forgetting to ask her if she wants to go to the toilet.  But then again, she didn't remind me or ask to be brought to the toilet.  

I gave her the benefit of doubt.  Maybe she got too carried away playing and all that she forgot the signals.  

Is this normal? What went wrong?

What's With Two?

She wants to take all of his stuffed animals into bed with her and her stinky bolster, almost everywhere she goes.

She hides behind the curtain and under the table when she poops in her diaper but very obediently wee wee in the toilet.

She transforms into a total brat when she sees Daddy-- throwing food, hitting, climbing on Daddy's head (literally) and soak all her biscuits in her milk and juice and water.

She pitches a fit while I cut her fruits she just demanded asked for.

She pushes my hand away whenever Daddy holds my hand and take away Daddy's hands whenever he puts his hands over my shoulder.

This is overwhelming for me.  Am I alone or does most 2 year old behaves like this?

She Is All Grown Up

Tonight marks the 3rd night in a row she went to bed without her best friend aka pacifier. Hooray! I didn't anticipate that she would wean herself off it, this soon and this easily! Pacifier is only given to her to lull her to sleep at night and nap, and we pull it away from her once she dozes off. She hardly cries for it in the middle of night and would go back to sleep quite instantly. Although she was not seriously addicted to it or can't live without it (and occasionally does fall asleep without it at all), 80% of the time, she needs it to go to bed.

*picture sourced from google search - modified

We had initially planned to wean her off at 1.5 years old. She is now 2 years and 4 months. Yes, we put our plans on hold. I can't even remember why. Lazy parents, I guess.

I had previously thought and imagined of countless ways to wean her off it. I was also afraid and worrisome of how was I going to cope with her tantrums during the process. But now that it happened, on her own accord, I am SO relief! And shame on me for having so little faith. I should have had more faith that when she is ready, things will just fall into places. "Isabelle, Mommy & Daddy is very proud of you! And thank you for making this such a breeze for Mommy"

*picture sourced from google search

Apart from feeling a great sense of achievement, I have a mixed feeling. This milestone dawned on me that my girl is growing up fast. I am missing her being a little baby. She is growing to be independent and I miss having her relying on me. She can do so many things on her own now that I feel she need me less. Sigh.

Does any Mommies out there feel the same or is it just me?

Makeover On Wednesday

I am home bound.

I am bored with the look of my blog. Been over a year with the same look and color.

Been lazy to do anything to change the look of Pink Bibs.

Isabelle's toys boxes and baskets need some spring cleaning.

I am out of idea of what to post today but I do really want to post something.

So this is what I did today.

~ Gave Pink Bibs a make over she deserves ~

~ Cleaned up Isabelle's toys. Put away her old toys and gave her some new ones (LEGOS!) ~

~ Sharing a picture of my little She-redder (SHREDDER) at work ~

Took this picture few days ago. Look at the damage done.

Hope you have a beautiful Wednesday with your loved ones!

Can't Let Go

*picture sourced from google

A friend recommended us a playschool near our home and her daughter went for a trial class there. We tagged along and check out the place. Isabelle seems to like it. The principal did a simple assessment on Isabelle and found her to be bright and independent. She knows all her numbers, alphabets and very good motorskill for a 2 yr old. So DH and I discussed if it is time for us to send her to 'school'.

After much consideration, if the fees is pretty, we will send her 3 days a week. I see no reason for her to attend a full 5 days classes. Initial plan was to send her for a trial class this morning.

Overslept. Got up at 9.45am and even that was because a phone call came in and woke us up. And yes, it was my friend, whom I have 'dated' to walk our girls to school this morning.

Looking at the clock. We are way too late for school. My mind was trying to crack up reasons why should we just stay home and forget about the school thing till next 2 years.

Here's the conversation :

Me: Do you want to go to school?

Isabelle: Silent

Me: Do you want to go to school? All the friends you met yesterday will be there.

Isabelle: Ok. Let's go. Change change. Let's go

Me: Are you sure? Do you want to go? School?

Isabelle: No... don't want. Home.

Me: Or do you want to stay at home with Mummy?

Isabelle: Ok. I want to stay home and Mummy.

Me: Silent. Happy yet guilty.

3 hours a day, 3 days per week still seems like a lot of time. Maybe I am just not ready to be away from her. Or I am just a Mummy who wants to spend every moment of the day with my little baby. Or could I be a mean Mummy to manipulate my little girl to stay home and not to go to school?

*picture sourced from google

Our Sleeping Child

*picture sourced from google search

Since we move into our new home, Isabelle graduated to her own bed but still in the same room as us. And still sleeping right next to me, undivided by any crib or railings (I have shared in my older post about our effort to try to put our co-sleeping to a stop). This too allows DH to finally migrate back to our bed and off the mattress on the floor. DH has been sleeping on another mattress so that Isabelle and I could have the whole bed to ourselves. And I have been sleeping in guilt for the past 23 months! Sorry my dear for what we put through and thank you so much for your unconditional love and sacrifice. Really appreciate it and glad that you don't have to endure the 'nightmare' anymore. :)

Isabelle's transition from co-sleeping with me on my bed to her own bed was smooth and she took it in real well. I still remember the first few nights, when we tested her and ask if she want to sleep with us on our bed, she just waved goodnight to us (ignored our question) and walk straight to her bed, climb in and tuck herself in.

From then on, she made real good friends with her bed. Some mornings, I would wake up to her singing to the ducks and sheeps cartoons on her sheets and pillows. Music to my ears and heart. And on some nights, she would (maybe unconsciously) snuggle into our bed. I like having her next to me but unfortunately, our little 5 ft width bed cannot accommodate 3 of us through the night.

*picture sourced from google search

But on top of all that, this is working well for us. Isabelle gets her own space. I don't get bruises and all from her kicks (kidding! But she does really turn 360 degrees and kicks A LOT). DH gets to sleep on a real bed. Most importantly, I have my two babies right next to me.

I won't rush into training her to sleep in her own room just yet, until she is ready to. Co-sleeping, sleeping in the same room, the need for us to tuck her into bed, diapers, these are signs of their neediness and reliability on us. All these will diminish as they grow up. I want to cherish these little things as long as I can, for, as they grow older, they will need us less and less and these will be just memories.

A Night In The Hospital .... Not...

I was in the kitchen making Isabelle's milk for her supper. DH was out for a discussion meeting with his staff at a nearby cafe. Mom was in the shower. Dad was watching the news. Isabelle was playing on the floor.

Suddenly, she was wailing and Dad carried her up in his arms. She slipped off the pillow she was trying to sit on and then landed on her elbow. She would usually cry for as short as 1-2 minutes when she hurt herself. But last night, she continued crying for as long as I can remember! She did not want to move her right hand and did not allow any of us to touch her.

DH rushed home after my 911 call to him. Checked and then we decided it is best to make a visit to the A&E at a hospital nearby.

The journey to the hospital itself and packing up for us (just in case she need to be admitted) is a nightmare for me. Her first and last visit to the same A&E was when she had croup. And I never thought we had to come back here, again, this soon. At the same time, I can't stop my imaginative mind from running wild. I was already picturing my little baby being wrapped up, need to be operated, all bandaged up etc....

Anyway, registered her and the nurse took her temperature and other details. Waited for the doctor on call to see us. Then waited again for the radiographer to take her X-ray. And here comes the drama.

Our little drama queen took the whole team 30 minutes just to take a shot of x-ray which actually requires only 2 seconds the most. As much as it annoys me that the team did not know how to coax a little child to get it done, it broke my heart into million pieces to hear her cry and struggle. DH took her into the X-ray room first time. Radiographer came out and told us the shots were not clear so we had to do it again. I went in with her 2nd time. Probably she had used up most of her energy to fight during the first round. So 2nd round was way much faster and easier as she fought more subtly.

*picture sourced from google search

Waited for the doctor to see us again and thank God (Hallelujah!!!!), X-ray shows no fracture or dislocated shoulder or anything at all. Despite feeling the big relief, it still puzzles us why was she in pain earlier. The doctor explained that it could be a pulled elbow and most probably went back into its original condition after the struggle in the X-ray room. We were sent home to observe her a day or two.

Well, above all that, we were all just so grateful and thankful that she is alright and spared from what-could-have-been-worse.

Thank you Lord!

Shh Shh Success!

*picture sourced from google search

After our last several failed attempts to potty train Isabelle, we had totally chuck it off our minds. But she gave us a series of surprises since last week. She finally reaches the stage when she can hold her pee and enough time to alert us that she need to go to the toilet!!! But... the only thing is... she doesn't really fancy the potty and she let it go on the floor in the bathroom.

Well, I am not particularly bothered by that because we can skip the potty training part and graduate her straight to toilet training!

This case taught me and DH that there is absolutely no need at all to rush our little one(s) to do something they are not ready to do. And that too, saves us from a whole lot of headache, & emotional breakdown which was what I went through when I gave up half way potty training her. (I was so disappointed with myself!)

Now, all that is history and my little precious has pass another important milestone :)

Crib or Co-Sleep

*Picture sourced from google search

Few weeks ago, I decided that it is time for us to return Isabelle to her crib. I anticipated it will need a LOT of getting used to after having her co-sleeping with me since she was 5 months old.

So the adventure begins. We tried for 2 nights. And as expected, I had the worst and most dreadful 2 sleepless nights of my life. I woke up like a million times to check on her and to hold her hands poking my hands into the crib through the railings (holding her hands while we sleep is a habit I picked up when she starting co-sleeping with me). I miss having her next to me, I miss turning over and smelling her hair and sometimes, with her legs in my face.

Here are some pictures of our co-sleeping milestones and mostly taken when I woke up in the morning before leaving my bed or in the midnight. They are also reasons why I simply can't just wean myself from sharing my bed with my little precious.

Isabelle at 6 months old, sucking her fingers in her sleep.

Picture taken when I woke up in the morning.

Isabelle at 7 months old.

Picture taken in the midnight when I return to bed after a visit to the washroom.

Isabelle at 14 months old.

Picture taken in the morning when I woke up.

On the 3rd night, I was a happy and blissful mummy again ... because Isabelle was back in my bed... sleeping and snoring away, right next to me.

I guess there are things we need not rush into. There are things in life with kids that we should cherish as long as we could. Cuddling, co-sleeping, carrying them when they are as heavy as 20 bags of rice. I even miss having to rock or pat Isabelle to sleep which she doesn't need that anymore now. They are going to grow up and we are going to miss doing all that with them one day, soon. And did I mention, I think our babies do grow up, way too FAST! So for now, I am going kiss and cuddle her as much as I can while she still allows me to!

2 years being a Mom

*picture sourced from google search

Come this May 8th, I would have achieved my first 2 years of being a Mommy (and yes, I have a long long way to go still). What have I learn throughout this journey?

• my time is no longer mine alone but I don't mind
• patience is the key to everything
• not everything will go our way all the time
• practise what I preach
• multitasking & priority setting is the best life saving skill one can learn being a parent especially a sahm with no extra help at home
• how just a smile from our precious little one can take away any anger and frustration
• how simple things in life can make me smile ~ a hug and when Isabelle finish her meal
• now, I know, how my parents get their grey hair! :)
• I am so so so so extremely grateful for what my parents has done for me, truly
• I now know how much parents would sacrifice for their child and their love is so unconditional
• I love my parents even more now
• Leaving my job is the hardest yet best decision I have made in my whole life!
• There is a chinese saying that goes like 'raising a child for 100 years but worry about him for 99 years' and I can't help agreeing to that.
• God is so awesome and amazing in creating a life itself

Cheers to mummyhood!

Progress of Our 22 month old Isabelle

General Words/People/Names/Animals/Objects/Body parts etc

Ants

Snake

Monkey

Elephant

Crocodile ~ Co Co Dull

Sorry ~ So Weee

Thank You

Shoulder

Knee

Elbow

Bicycle

Ocean

Take out

Fall down

Give me please

Give you

Go down

Go out

Come out

Careful

Octopus ~ Oc-toe-past

Hippo

Lotion

Swimming ~ Shermain (sounds like a name!)

Swimming Pool ~ Shermain pool

Mikhail ~ Kyle

Aarika

Jude

Shawn

Audrey ~ Awe Lee =D

Short Sentence ~ Mama come out, Papa go out let's go, I put back, What is { object }, This is { object }

Numbers ~ One, Two, Three (Tee), Four, Five, Six, Seven (Salmon), Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven (ee leh men), Twelve (twelfff), Thirteen, Fourteen

Alphabets ~ A thru Z

Favourite Music/Songs (Able to sing the whole song/chorus/part of the song/hum the whole song)

ABC Song ~ She can now sing the whole song! :)

Ke Ren Lai (Mandarin song) ~ She can now sing the whole song too! :)

You & Me (by Olivia Ong) ~ One of her favourite non-children song and can even sing the chorus

Jesus Love Me ~ Whole song!

My God is So Big ~ Chorus

Jingle Bell ~ Chorus

She can even invent her own song by filling in the tune of ABC song with other words spontaneously.

Hobbies/Motor Skills/Physical Activities

- Walking up the stairs (without assistance but with close monitoring)

- Walking down the stairs (without assistance but with close monitoring)

- Loves to arrange objects/toys (that includes chairs and some of my kitchen stuffs) according to size, shapes and color.

- Loves to build towers and blocks

- Likes to talk on the phone

- Very good memory, likes and can remember her routine specially bath times.

- Likes to tickle us and laugh very loudly :)

- Painting with water colors

- Likes to help take out and put on her clothes

- Enjoy pretends to feed her dolls and bears, and sometimes check if they poo-ed.

- Can balance on 1 foot and jump with both legs

- Can name her friends by name (Mikhail - Kyle, Aarika, Shawn, Jude, Manfred - Man, Audrey - Awe Lee)

Bravo!

Sleep ~ Isabelle learn to fall asleep by herself since she was 5 months old (no rocking or patting) and it has been a good 17 months!

Potty Training ~ This is an on & off progress. We have been trying to train her for the past week with a few successes and countless accidents. I am trying not to give up and at the same time, not wanting to push her too hard and create fear in her. So will take this one day at a time.

My Little Picasso

My little picasso at work today :)

Tools: Water color, brush, recycle paper and used toilet tissue tube.

Result: Loads of fun and a very happy toddler