She’s 19 months!
And we’re still nursing. Amazing!
Dear daughter, Mommy and Daddy love you always.
~ Touringkitty
…And just like that…
categories: Uncategorized
Month: March 2012
On sharing God’s gifts
Share your blessings, so that they will come back a hundredfold.
Yesterday, I shared the following status message in my Facebook account:
—
Today, I was fortunate to visit the baby who benefits from my excess frozen breastmilk–Baby S. One brave little girl. She’s a preemie, feeds through tube and bottle but only breastmilk is given to her. She’s made progress already, reaching 1.1kg from 0.95kg in two months!
I’m fortunate to have helped her with the two batches of milk stash I’ve given. I told the nurse who was feeding her that I’m really humbled to have helped her, and that I hope I could still save some milk for her. This while my supply is also dipping as my toddler doesn’t nurse as often as before. The nurse asked me if my baby was normal and if I was exclusively breastfeeding my own and I said yes to both. Now I realized all the sacrifices I had to do since pregnancy (despite the endless fretting) paid really really well!
As I was leaving the room, I can’t help but cry. Here I am stressing myself on the small problems about myself and the family while that little girl is fighting for her life. She’s fighting well, and with our prayers and help, she will continue experiencing the wonder of life.
Friends, please pray with me and if anyone has excess breastmilk let me know please! Every drop counts for baby S!
To the parents of Baby S, you’re doing a great job! Continue fighting with Baby S. Claim victory in God’s Name!
I may have provided for my own baby but I didn’t force myself to provide for others. I’m just lucky to have stored some intended for future use but might as well share some for someone in dire need. I didn’t ask for money, even milk bags, because I know they needed the money as well.
This post is not to brag about anything. I just want other moms to understand that’s it’s not our obligation to provide milk for others. Mind your OWN baby first. If there’s excess, thank the Lord for it. If you wholeheartedly want to donate, why not? But don’t obligate yourselves to donate.
—
I posted the super long message to just take off the heaviness that I felt yesterday. It was a bittersweet day spent with my darling toddler who ran around, ate a lot, took a long nap while waiting for me while I was having a derma treatment (fortunate are those who have silky smooth faces), ran again at Gymboree, and got her new shoes.
But before all of it, I spent a few good minutes with a stranger, a little girl who is trying her best to survive. It was hearbreaking. I fret on a lot of things but I know I shouldn’t because there are far more people struggling in the battle called life. Newborns like this little girl deserve far better than their situation now.
Life is good. Life is beautiful. Why not let others experience it?
~ Touringkitty
N.B.: I would like to give major props to the nurse who was feeding Baby S. When I went to visit, only the yaya and the nurse on duty was with baby and the nurse was feeding her through the bottle. Her dedication is truly laudable. And when she asked me if my baby came out normal, I said to myself, thank you, Lord! You kept your promise to me. I pray that this little baby will live long enough to experience what my daughter has been experiencing. Life is indeed good.
Ten Things I’ll Do for Baby Number Two
No, we’re not pregnant! But it just dawned me that I could have done a lot better with my first pregnancy and the first few months postnatal. I realized I could have traveled more, accomplished more. I could have even avoided postpartum depression which lasted many months!
Anyway, I just wished I was able to do the following with number one early on:
1. I can travel with baby in tow. And it’s much easier if she’s still a baby! Mobility will be your worst enemy I tell ya. I have not gone for a long trip lately only because my baby is malikot.
2. I will still breastfeed and never make it a hindrance to working, meeting friends, serving the church, and doing so much more. Not that I’m that lakwatsera, but I will act normal because breastfeeding is normal! The modern generation makes this impression that breastfeeding is a big challenge and that formula is the norm. Not true!
3. And in line with number two, I’ll master babywearing! Started this too late, and this could have saved my hands from De Quervain’s syndrome. And with babywearing, I can do anything!
4. Cupfeed! So I could have transitioned easily from breast to cup and skip bottle. Occasionally my daughter drinks from the bottle and I do hope we could skip it altogether soon.
5. I will still not use pacifier like I did with my daughter. This is to avoid nipple confusion.
6. I will go for baby-led weaning. Weaning means transition to solid foods. We were so afraid to give my daughter foods so we delayed weaning to seven months or even later. It’s usually common for second children to go for BLW mainly because the first-time parent is testing waters for her firstborn.
7. Will still co-sleep because it’s much easier for the family. Fathers usually benefit from this a lot because they sleep longer. Ask my husband!
8. Will never panic about spit-ups! It has unnecessarily sent us twice to the emergency room. Spit-ups are usual.
9. Will act normal. I realize the family was filled with so much panic, confusion, doubts that we all went frantic instead of happy that we have a baby at home. And will not believe pamahiins or voodoos still.
10. Shower our baby lots of love. That’s what they need. We don’t spoil newborns for carrying them the whole time. They bond with you more when you do it.
How about you moms, did you change anything with your parenting styles when number two came?
~ Touringkitty
Sous-sous Chef Recipe: I want to Siomai love for you!
categories: Food
Hello, WordPress, it’s been a while!
I have not blogged so much lately mainly because of work. Work means sending emails, following up, coordinating, making memos, typing in the good ol’ fashioned typewriter. But the best part of work: Watching FREE shows, attending (and singing for!) masterclasses (like the one of Arthur Espiritu!)
So to make up for the lack of post, I’ll just make a quick one, no pictures attached, and share with you my yummy treat I made today: SIOMAI!!!
I super love siomai. Anything siomai, actually. But this is the first time I tried making one. And wow my daughter LOVED it!
Here’s the recipe!
1/4 k ground pork
1/2 grated carrot
1 minced onion
1 egg for binding
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack of molo/wanton wrapper (we used the smallest size, we thought it won’t hold the filling but it did!)
water for sealing the wrapper
…and the magic ingredient… 1 MINCED PEAR!
You read it right, pear. And it adds sweetness and fruitiness to our siomai. Only because I wasn’t able to buy singkamas. Tee-hee!
How we did it:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except water and molo wrapper.
2. Scoop small amounts that will fit in the wrapper and seal it with water, whatever shape you want it.
3. Steam for about 30 minutes. We have a 3-layer steamer at home so we also steam some veggies along with the siomai. We did Sweet Potato strips this morning! You can also use a pasta cooker or rice cooker, or still, a pot half-filled with water and a steamer or strainer.
4. Serve with toyomansi.
And that’s how I Siomai love for my family!
How about you, how do you show your love for the family?
~ Touringkitty
Say my name!
categories: Parenting, Uncategorized
“Me, Ah–nee!”
In baby talk, it means “My name is Ariadne!”
And that little girl who only says “ungeee” and eeewww” and “owww” when she was barely two months now says a mouthful and more!
Yes. Our baby is now a toddler. 18 months. And we’re oh so happy and proud!
We’re still breastfeeding (yay!) and I’ve been juggling mommy duties and full-time work for almost two months already.
I have the kindest boss and workmates. I can go home for lunch and still pump milk and cuddle with the little one if she’s awake. And I work for four days a week only, so I got three days of weekend (except when concerts and projects are on weekends, though).
Just this week, two articles from Yahoo came out with a checklist on words a toddler should know. I tried listing down what Aria already knows at 18 months and here’s what we’ve got:
FAMILY
1. Mommy/Mama
2. Daddy/Papa
3. Nonna (for her Lola, my mom)
4. Tita (my sister)
5. Ate (our helper, and any other older girl she sees)
6. Ya/Kuya (any older boy she sees; before she can say this, she calls everyone Ate)
7. Lolo/Lola (my husband’s parents)
PARTS OF THE BODY
8. Eyes
9. Nose (she says it “Nos!”)
10. Ear
11. Hair
12. Chin
13. Lips
14. Teeth
15. Fingers
16. Hands
17. Toes
18. Bi-bu (belly button)
19. Dede (Mommy’s! When she wants milk she just pulls my shirt!)
20. Dodo (yes, that of Daddy’s!)
21. Feet
22. Knee (but she says Me!)
23. Elbow (and she says Elmo!)
FOOD
24. Apple (all fruits are apple to her eyes! I’m amazed because she knows the difference between fruits and vegetables)
25. Puffs (her favorite snack – Happy Baby Puffs! Get yours from Ygo’s Organics–they’re cheaper than the ones in Healthy Options)
26. Mamam (water)
27. Milk
28. Eat (or namnam)
29. Elmo (the character of when she wants the cookies)
OTHER WORDS
30. Kitty (Hello Kitty)
31. Jollibee
32. Hello (hawo!)
33. Babay!
34. Elmo
35. Bi-bo (Big Bird)
36. Baby Einstein
37. Car
38. Boat
38. Dog (she says Dug!)
39. Shoes
40. Socks
41. TV
42. Coming
43. Down/Sit down
44. Up
45. Sleep (with handsign)
46. More (with handsign)
47. Done (with handsign)
48. Watch
49. Ball
50. Inside
51. Jump
52. Slide (yes, Temple Run!)
53. Amen! (yes we pray, she tries to recite Angel of God and our morning prayer)
54. Play
55. You
56. Me
57. How
58. Sun
59. Star
60. Now
61. House
62. Toothbrush
63. Open
64. Close
She surprised us recently by reciting 1-10 and the alphabet! Complete with “Now I know my ABCs!” She sings the Do-Re-Mi and sings almost everything and on the right pitch. She memorized TV commercials, much like I did when I was four. And she anticipates, so much! She even mimics us, her parents, when we sing opera. She also sang Happy Birthday Aria last night as it was her 18th month birthday.
Warning: this is not a guide to measure your own children’s verbal ability. Unlike the Yahoo articles I mentioned which they say toddlers MUST know, these words are what my daughter knows, without sticking on the standards that they say. I saw JUICE in both articles, and since Aria hasn’t had juice yet, she doesn’t know the word. She’s eating the real fruit anyway!
I was also stressed when at one point I felt Aria was way behind her peers her age. Especially in walking. She’s quite delayed actually because we can’t still let go of her hand knowing how likot she is!
Different children have different learning curves and styles. It really depends on your child how he or she absorbs what you teach.
What I noticed is by repetition, Aria easily remembers things, even if she heard it long ago and maybe only once or twice. She retains information long-term that way. Her attention span is that of a goldfish and since she’s the explorative one, she wants to discover so much at one time, like playing her xylophone while driving her car. Pretty preoccupied I know. But that’s how she learns and that’s how we teach her.
And now that she officially turned into a toddler, more challenges await her. And us. We can’t wait.
How about you, moms, what are the challenges in teaching your toddler?
~ Touringkitty