6.50am !

Yesterday morning Emily woke up around 6.50am requesting for her early milk milk, probably she was hungry. Normally her feeding time is around 8am or 9am in the morning. Recently she has not been eating much of her solid food and has been quite challenging to try feed the food that we prepare.

As usual, she does the Koala Bear hug, with her hands around my neck and her pairs of legs on top of my big round belly. And as she was hugging me, she was actually rolling my hair with her little fingers and I felt that it was very very sweet.(She has this habit of rolling her hair too when she is drink milk.)

At the same time, little one inside my tummy was kicking me furiously. Meaby because little one is also feeling hungry already and it is always almost the same time I start to feel the movement in the morning. I am sure that Emily felt the big movement in the tummy but she probably does not know if it was from little baby.

I had this sudden burst of happiness & joy that I am the luckiest person on earth. The joy of being able to hold both my baby in my arm physically and 'virtually'. I just don't know how to pen this experience down, but you will know it when you experience it :)

8 things to prepare before childbirth

Time is passing by very fast. I have around 8 weeks to go before the MLOA (Maternity Leave of Absence) starts to take effect. I have been extremely busy with the preparation of ensuring that my work in office is being passdown and coordinate during my absence. Along with that, there are like 1001 things that needs to be prepared before the arrival of new baby in March.

Below are the 8 things that I think comes in pirority will need to get prepared with in the coming few weeks.

1) Preparing myself emotionally and mentally. Even though, it has been around 18 months after the delivery of my first baby, I can still remember the event of the day (very clearly). Every contraction, every pain that run through the entire body except the hair (no epidural) and the wonderful moment of carrying my new born baby in my arms is the happiest moment in my life. Preparing myself emotionally and mentally for this time helps me to be able be able to relax more and able to enjoy the process childbirth more this time.

2) Spending time with Emily. For the next few weeks, I will try to spend as much time as I can with Emily, because I know that when little baby is born, the time that I will have for her will definitely be lesser. I am very concern that she may not understand that change that may be happening and I am concern that she will be jealous if she see me nursing another baby but I have got some advice to help to help reduce some of the 'jealousy'.

3) Preparation at work. I don't know why but this is the first thing that comes to my mind when I am writing on the 10 things to prepare. I guess it is one of the most important things that I need to ensure a smooth transition to my back-up before I start to go on MLOA. There are a lot of documentations that needs to be completed and process that needs to be recorded so that it can be easies for my back-up to handle the daily task at work.

4) Preparation for Breastfeeding. Starting to prepare myself mentally is a very important step towards a successful breastfeeding of a new born. Basically, the will of the mind is very strong and our body will eventually produce the required milk supply for the new born.

5) Cut my long hair. I have very long and thick hair and based on the experience on the 1st pregnancy, it was too hot and very difficult to manage. I beg my mother to allow me to wash my hair after 14 days into confinement and of course, its a quick splash only and then another few more days not washing my hair. This time round, especially after CNY it scares me off how hot the weather can be lately. I have just visited my hairdresser and she has given me a new short hairstyle.. the shortest hairstyle that I can ever recall cutting in the past 10 years! But I am very satisfied and feel much cooler now.

6) Cleaning & Washing in other words nesting... I did this the first time and I am doing it again. I have been trying to keep our house, wash and re-wash baby cloths, blanket, traditional lampins and cleaning out the closet, drawer as clean as possible meaby its due to the nesting instinct that every woman/mom has. I remember I read in the books that it is very normal for expecting mothers to clean and prepare the environment in preparation of welcoming a new born baby. Or another reason is meaby because it is nearing Chinese New Year and I find the need to clean the house for that reason. This also includes starting to pack the delivery bag that needs to be brought to the hospital anytime

7) Walking...more walking. One of the exercise that I don't have time to commit and do. I use to walk for around 30 mins for at least 4 times a week previously as advice given by my mom and alot of friends. This time round, I have lesser time to go walking after dinner and hopefully it will not have any negative impact on me.

8) Resting more when time is near, which means don't be to "pek chek" as Chinese use to say and try to relax more. Its really hard trying to rest more especially after I come up with the list of 1001 things to do before childbirth, but getting the sufficient rest and energy is one of the most important aspect in preparation for the long hours of labour and delivery.

I think I better stop at no. 8 else, I will just stress myself more with more things to prepare :)

Waistline expansion

The title says it all. I have been feeling very stretch from all sides lately, from my growing belly and also the work related requirements lately :(. The skin is feeling very itchy and I need to remind myself constantly that I need to apply more cream and oil to avoid stretch mark !!

Last night, I finally took out the measurement tape and measure my waistline and it reads 38.5 inch. Putting 38.5 inch on my petite body frame, actually makes me look a bit funny. :P How amazing is our body being able to stretch itself to accommodate for such a growth !

Compared to my previous pregnancy, I am quite sure that the . However I regret that I did not record it down. So starting this week, I will be measuring this waistline expansion till delivery :)

32 weeks = 38.5 inch
34 weeks = ?
36 weeks = ?
40 weeks = ?

Toddler Food Guide

Recently we have a problem with Emily starting to select the food that she is taking. Up till 17 months, she does not have any problem finishing 2 bowls of porridge per meal which is a very happy thing for parents to see. The porridge that we prepare for her has a balance diet, cooked with various types of vegetable, meat, fish and pumpkin.

However, we have started to allow her to explore her taste buds by allowing her to taste different types of food. This has definitely generate more curiosity and also she has developed a preference towards certain types of food.

Right before I start to feel stressful, she started to reject the nice porridge that we have provided to her for 11 months. She started to spit out food and swing her head away when the spoon is near her mouth. I think I went through one of the most stressful time in feeding her for the past few weeks when she really does not wish to eat anything as compared to a few big bowl of nutritious porridge. Luckily during this time when she refuse to eat the porridge, she has increased her consumption of milk from 3-4 feedings of 6oz per day to 5 feedings of 6oz per day. Guess she is really hungry from not getting enough 'solid' food.

I have went on several website and reading about toddler's eating problem. Its a really true problem that is affecting a lot of toddlers around the world. One of the advice that I get from majorities of the moms is I should be stress out due to this. The toddler will select the food that she likes to eat and her appetites will change from day to day.

Below are some nutritious guidelines for toddler age 2-8 yrs old.

Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children Daily Guide for 2- to 8-Year-Olds

Grains = Make half your grains whole
• Look for the word "whole" in front of the grain name on the list of ingredients

Vegetables = Vary your vegetables
• Eat more dark vegetables
• Eat more orange vegetables
• Eat more dry beans and peas

Fruits = Focus on fruits
• Eat a variety of fruits
• Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit
• Go easy on fruit juices

Oils = Know your fats
• Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils
• Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard

Milk = Get your calcium-rich foods
• Go low-fat or fat-free
• If you don't or can't consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources

Meat & Beans = Go lean on protein
• Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry
• Bake it, broil it, or grill it
• Vary your sources with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds