It's been about a week since my last post so it's time to check in. Yesterday was a beautiful day and we took advantage. It was also mid-Autumn festival day and I partook in some mooncake! Yummy but super fattening! Hitting the gym next month! I told myself I would give myself 6 months and then it would be time to fit in some exercise. We also signed up for the Unicef 3K family run so no too much pressure. I'm breastfeeding so I was worried to start too much cardio which could affect my supply and since we're exclusively breastfeeding, I didn't want to chance that until we start introducing solids.
So, to celebrate the stat holiday, we met with some friends at Middle Island for a bbq. It was a bit of a journey to get there but it was well worth it. S and A were awesome! We couldn't have asked for better babies! The weather was amazing the food was fantastic. S missed her nap and managed to last quite a few hours with running around outside. She didn't really meltdown until we got into the taxi to go home and then she passed out. All in all, a great day!
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Mechanically Reclaimed Meat...WTF?
Ok, so someone sent me a link to this video today from Jamie Oliver's food revolution. He does this experiment in the UK which was successful and then in the US where it failed miserably...what is it, you ask me? Well, he shows them where chicken nuggets come from and I've known that it's pretty suspicious stuff, but now I really don't want to be ignorant anymore and eat them...basically, they take all of the chicken leftovers (bone, cartilage, skin) and grind it all up and coat it with flavour enhancers (all those E numbers), bread crumbs, salt, etc and then deep fry them for you...mmmm...NOT! That is what mechanically reclaimed meat or mechanically texturized meat. The links are to the videos on youtube. The first one is in the UK and the second one is in the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSoiDtdi9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9B7im8aQjo&feature=related
It really does make a difference that we know where our food comes from. More and more I really want me and my family to eat better and more knowledgeably so I will continue my efforts to feed my family food that is less and less processed and made from scratch. I know it's not always easy, but as usual, we just need to try our best!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSoiDtdi9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9B7im8aQjo&feature=related
It really does make a difference that we know where our food comes from. More and more I really want me and my family to eat better and more knowledgeably so I will continue my efforts to feed my family food that is less and less processed and made from scratch. I know it's not always easy, but as usual, we just need to try our best!
Monday 5 September 2011
It's all about positivity!
So today we had a great little moment between big sis and little bro. As I was in the kitchen, all I could hear were Baby A's giggles and S's jumping up and down, throwing down a wet cloth onto the floor. S was making her little brother laugh! It was really cute and I really wish I could have got it on video! S is still teething, but we had much brighter moments today and I tried my best to use some of the suggestions from Positive Discipline: The First Three Years. This includes encouraging autonomy and trying to get toddlers involved instead of doing everything for them. For example, I let her drink from a normal cup and instead of getting upset when she spilled, including her in the cleanup.
I finished reading this book on the weekend and I highly recommend it if you have kids 0-3. It was recommended to me by a very dear friend when I asked her for some help with disciplining S. It covers everything from sleeping, eating, discipline and development so that you can understand where your kids are at in their development. It's easy to expect so much from our children that we forget sometimes they just aren't ready for certain situations. I've also learned a lot about myself in the process and I know I'll continue making mistakes, but the emphasis is on that we can all learn from them. I also have to keep reminding myself that I have to watch how I behave as we are their greatest models at this stage and we need to model the behaviour we expect from our little ones. So I'm gonna try my best and hopefully little S follows suit :)
I finished reading this book on the weekend and I highly recommend it if you have kids 0-3. It was recommended to me by a very dear friend when I asked her for some help with disciplining S. It covers everything from sleeping, eating, discipline and development so that you can understand where your kids are at in their development. It's easy to expect so much from our children that we forget sometimes they just aren't ready for certain situations. I've also learned a lot about myself in the process and I know I'll continue making mistakes, but the emphasis is on that we can all learn from them. I also have to keep reminding myself that I have to watch how I behave as we are their greatest models at this stage and we need to model the behaviour we expect from our little ones. So I'm gonna try my best and hopefully little S follows suit :)
Saturday 3 September 2011
Sleep is Overrated...NOT!
I've been trying to convince myself that S is not sleeping well recently because she's getting her last painful incisor in...last night, at midnight she wouldn't stop crying so I went in to see if she was ok. She had her arm stuck in between her cot bars...poor thing. So, instead of letting her cry it out again, I tried to comfort her and let her sleep with me and baby A. Hubby has taken over the couch to catch up on some missed zzzz's due to A's inappropriate timing for conversation the last few nights. Anyways, S took a few hours to finally crash out and sleep before the day started all over again today. S and A took turns crying through the night which meant mama did not get the few hours she needs to get through the day happily. I think it is her teeth since her cheeks were super rosy and her gums looked pretty sore where the tooth is coming in. So I thought since she had a crappy sleep, she would definitely need a nap...unfortunately, she would not go to sleep and she cried for over 30min. When I went in to see her, the room smelled like poo...yes, poo again! So this further confirmed my suspicion of teething as it was a pretty soft one...ew! I checked her gums so I tried some Teetha and that helped for a few minutes and then I gave her some baby ibuprofen.
With the teething, S is also super whiny. Thank goodness for my helper. She took her out for a walk so that maybe I could catch a couple zzzz's but then baby A started. He slept for about 30min! ugh! Just as I was falling asleep, he wakes up! So we got up again, played for a bit and every time I would put him down, he would cry! I really was starting to lose it. I kept reminding myself that the day is going to be over soon and he will go to sleep.
Now it's 8pm and both are sleeping, albeit a little whine from S. On the dummy front, she seems to use it for the beginning of her sleep but then she's ok. When she came to my bed last night she didn't look for it or ask for it...so I'm hoping there's some progress there. Signing off now as I finally can go chill on the couch til I pass out and go to bed.
With the teething, S is also super whiny. Thank goodness for my helper. She took her out for a walk so that maybe I could catch a couple zzzz's but then baby A started. He slept for about 30min! ugh! Just as I was falling asleep, he wakes up! So we got up again, played for a bit and every time I would put him down, he would cry! I really was starting to lose it. I kept reminding myself that the day is going to be over soon and he will go to sleep.
Now it's 8pm and both are sleeping, albeit a little whine from S. On the dummy front, she seems to use it for the beginning of her sleep but then she's ok. When she came to my bed last night she didn't look for it or ask for it...so I'm hoping there's some progress there. Signing off now as I finally can go chill on the couch til I pass out and go to bed.
Friday 2 September 2011
My Favourite Mommy Gear Part 1
I decided to start compiling some of my must-have favourite mommy gear that I rarely leave home without! A few of my friends have been either getting preggars or just had their babies and they often ask me what is needed when you're going to have a baby. So here goes...
1. The Ergobaby Carrier
When we had S, we tried all different carriers. We started out with the Baby Buddha Carrier which is sort of like a pouch/sling which is quite easy to use and comfortable when S was quite small. Then we got the Pikkolo carrier which was great for me, but not so comfortable for my husband. So we moved onto the Sleepywrap which was great for both of us and because it's one big piece of fabric, you don't need different sizes; however, that got harder to wear as S got bigger and heavier which brought us finally to the Ergobaby carrier. By the way, the Sleepywrap is great from newborn up and I used it with baby A until HK summer arrived and it got too hot to wear. With the Ergo, we chose the sport carrier as the material is a bit lighter. We got black since it was the only colour but now they carry it in blue and red! The ergo is super comfortable for me, hubby, and baby. It's recommended to use from 4 months up but if you want to use it from newborn, you just need to purchase the insert. Don't forget to get the sucking pads too so that you can just wash those and not the carrier everytime you use it. We also now have the Ergo original as it has a nice big pocket on the front so you can have pacifiers and keys handy if you don't want to carry a big bag for little errands.
2. Miracle Blanket
I wish we knew about this one before S was born, but when we did find out about it, it was GREAT! The first week or 2, the regular swaddling blankets were fine, like the Grobag swaddle, and the Aden and Anais blankets. However, these little babies get very strong and can get those little arms out and wake themselves up! The Miracle blanket makes it almost impossible for that to happen. There are 2 extra little flaps where you can secure their little arms in and then wrap the 2 other flaps around them so they can sleep a little longer. S is now only using her Grobag sleeping bags at night now to prevent climbing out of the cot as one of the main reason. We now are trying to transition baby A into the sleeping bag. First keeping one arm out of the swaddle and also using the Halo sleepsack once in awhile to see how he sleeps with arms out.
3. Lansinoh Lanolin ointment
If you are breastfeeding, this is an essential product to have and bring some along with you to the hospital before baby arrives. With S, I had a much more challenging time breastfeeding and this stuff was a huge lifesaver. Even though baby A had an easier time, I still use this stuff EVERY day!
4. Medela Freestyle Breast pump
If you're planning to go back to work and still breastfeed, then you're probably going to be looking to buy a breast pump. You can also rent them, but I knew that I would be having more than one baby so I wanted to purchase one. I was definitely not going to do manual pumping so electric was the only way to go. The freestyle had the smallest pump machine and it also gives the option of double pumping if needed. I also found it could easily fit into my bag and it wasn't as noisy as some pumps that I have seen. The set also gave me the storage bag with an ice pack for easy transport.
5. Muslins
I needed all kinds of sizes of muslins. The Aden and Anais ones are beautiful and soft and are versatile in that you can use them as a swaddle, a nursing cover, a shade for baby while they're in the pram or carseat. But you will also need some smaller ones like these which are good for spit ups and reflux-y babies like mine are.
To be continued as both babies wake from their naps...
1. The Ergobaby Carrier
When we had S, we tried all different carriers. We started out with the Baby Buddha Carrier which is sort of like a pouch/sling which is quite easy to use and comfortable when S was quite small. Then we got the Pikkolo carrier which was great for me, but not so comfortable for my husband. So we moved onto the Sleepywrap which was great for both of us and because it's one big piece of fabric, you don't need different sizes; however, that got harder to wear as S got bigger and heavier which brought us finally to the Ergobaby carrier. By the way, the Sleepywrap is great from newborn up and I used it with baby A until HK summer arrived and it got too hot to wear. With the Ergo, we chose the sport carrier as the material is a bit lighter. We got black since it was the only colour but now they carry it in blue and red! The ergo is super comfortable for me, hubby, and baby. It's recommended to use from 4 months up but if you want to use it from newborn, you just need to purchase the insert. Don't forget to get the sucking pads too so that you can just wash those and not the carrier everytime you use it. We also now have the Ergo original as it has a nice big pocket on the front so you can have pacifiers and keys handy if you don't want to carry a big bag for little errands.
2. Miracle Blanket
I wish we knew about this one before S was born, but when we did find out about it, it was GREAT! The first week or 2, the regular swaddling blankets were fine, like the Grobag swaddle, and the Aden and Anais blankets. However, these little babies get very strong and can get those little arms out and wake themselves up! The Miracle blanket makes it almost impossible for that to happen. There are 2 extra little flaps where you can secure their little arms in and then wrap the 2 other flaps around them so they can sleep a little longer. S is now only using her Grobag sleeping bags at night now to prevent climbing out of the cot as one of the main reason. We now are trying to transition baby A into the sleeping bag. First keeping one arm out of the swaddle and also using the Halo sleepsack once in awhile to see how he sleeps with arms out.
3. Lansinoh Lanolin ointment
If you are breastfeeding, this is an essential product to have and bring some along with you to the hospital before baby arrives. With S, I had a much more challenging time breastfeeding and this stuff was a huge lifesaver. Even though baby A had an easier time, I still use this stuff EVERY day!
4. Medela Freestyle Breast pump
If you're planning to go back to work and still breastfeed, then you're probably going to be looking to buy a breast pump. You can also rent them, but I knew that I would be having more than one baby so I wanted to purchase one. I was definitely not going to do manual pumping so electric was the only way to go. The freestyle had the smallest pump machine and it also gives the option of double pumping if needed. I also found it could easily fit into my bag and it wasn't as noisy as some pumps that I have seen. The set also gave me the storage bag with an ice pack for easy transport.
5. Muslins
I needed all kinds of sizes of muslins. The Aden and Anais ones are beautiful and soft and are versatile in that you can use them as a swaddle, a nursing cover, a shade for baby while they're in the pram or carseat. But you will also need some smaller ones like these which are good for spit ups and reflux-y babies like mine are.
To be continued as both babies wake from their naps...
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