peek-a-boo

Caden loves to play peek-a-boo now. Today, we play peek-a-boo in the living room sofa which has the height just right with Caden's so he could hold on to it by himself -- sort of like assisted walk. When he got so exited, his whole fingers, yes...all ten of them.., went into his mouth. hehe....

PS: soon he will not be able to play on the sofa...because he will get taller and heavierr!!! I will definately miss this "tiny" Caden soon....

present from ii Valerie

Ii gave this for Caden's 7 months birthday! Thanks, ii! But next time, please buy me a toyy, I think I like toy better! hehe.... ^_^

the family

Caden with mommy and daddy

Caden @ 7 months

Caden @ 7 months

April 28, 2007

-- bald and no tooth but definately happy!!! --

@ home

Arrived at home at around 2.30pm.

I was playing peek-a-boo with him and he was laughing so loud...seems like he don't remember what had just happened (which is a good thing!!)

after shaving...

--- After the haircut ---

Caden was still sobbing distressingly. Poor Caden.... Mommy promised not to shave you again until you understand that it's not going to hurt at all!!

during shaving...

Caden was crying frantically throughout the shaving process....

shaved again...

After the last haircut, Caden's hair actually grows faster than before. In less than 1 month, his hair looks like almost his previous hair (which took 5 months to grow). Seeing this improvement, I was tempted to go for another haircut. So this morning, right after Caden woke from his nap, I decided to go to the saloon.

We went to same salon as last hair cut, it's 'Junior League' saloon in Suntec City branch. I like the hair-dresser, he is kind and gentle to my constantly crying son. Yup, Caden was crying throughout the process; he was already cried even when the hair-dresser put his robe on. I expected him to cry as he cried when he was shaved last time, but not like this...it was much WORST! -- worst even compared to when he was given his immunizations.

In the end, Caden was shaved half 'botak' (bold in Indonesian), the hair-dresser left the front part, which is the most difficult one, as Caden was crying and moving his head so much. He told me to come back when he was asleep, so I went to nearby stores and made sure that Caden was really asleep when we are back to the salon. Unfortunately, once the hair-dresser turn the razor on (it was a silent one) and put it on his head, Caden woke up right away! haiyah...what a sensitive head it was!!! So then, Caden now has a half 'botak' head; luckily it wasn't really obvious though cos' his hair is so fine and thin. ^)^

my 'mut-mut' ... my friend

I have been introducing Caden to ‘mut-mut’, Caden’s security blanket, since he was born. Why the name ‘mut-mut’ you might ask. Auntie Venny gave us the idea, she told us to give a cute name for it and she came out with ‘mut-mut’, which is short from Indonesian word of blanket, 'selimut.' So since then we’ve been calling it ‘mut-mut.’

Caden loves ‘mut-mut’ so much. It is the only friend that is and will always be ‘there’ for him everyday, everytime; when he is in his crib alone at night or when he is in new and strange places. ‘Mut-mut’ is also the thing that could comfort him, the thing that he could not go to sleep without and when he needs to snuggle in times of ‘stress. Having ‘mut-mut’ helps Caden at times when he has to be separated with me and being left only with suster. Experts say it’s a wonderful way for a babies/toddler to cope with the fears and frustrations of growing up, and we should not worry about it or try to persuade him to give it up.

Why I choose blanket over a stuffed animal or other toy? A blanket has no small parts, like eyes or buttons, that can fall off and pose a choking hazard and they are difficult to wash, too. I bought four this small cute ‘security blanket’. Yes, that’s right! FOUR! I am quite a clean freak and I could not image if Caden is using his ‘mut-mut’ everyday without me being able to wash it….NO WAY! So I wash ‘mut-mut’ twice a week now and rotating between the four of them.

Although usually around baby’s first bithday that the attachment are stronger, I can see that Caden is pretty much attach to it now. Such as, when he gave him his ‘mut-mut’, he will grab it and cuddle it quickly, but when I tried to give him other things, such as his bath towel, his reaction won’t be the same at all.

I just hope by introducing ‘mut-mut,’ Caden will be more secure and calm in times when we need to travel away from home.

i love teacher amy!

This is my first teacher ever, her name is Teacher Amy. She taught my parent-infant class every Wednesday at 9am @ The Little Gym. She is a very nice teacher and pretty too. She taught me how to do all kind of gym tricks that could help me develop physically, cognitively and emotionally.

I loves Teacher Amy's class. I would look up at her attentively whenever she is singing or giving directions to the moms cos' she is pretty and her voice is so nice to be heard. I always have fun as I gain strength, balance, coordination, fine and gross motor proficiency, agility, flexibility as well as social skills -- as I get to see my little friends to play with.

PS: Teacher Amy likes to call me 'Little Buddha' for my bald head and round cheeks!! ^_^

Thank you for everything, Teacher Amy!!

drollingg...

The arrival of the first tooth can be a long, drawn-out process. As for now, Caden is still toothless but I believe soon he will have his first tooth as he has been drooling heavily this past few weeks. What I mean by heavy is REALLY HEAVY!! We have to change his clothes every hour or two as it gets soaked very quickly -- so 'suster' has been doing a lot of washing lately. ^_^

There is nothing I can do to make teeth appear quickly, but I can comfort him when I think the process troubles him. One way is by giving him something to bite or rub his gums on, such as a teething rings -- which he start to love so much that we have to bring it everytime we are out. One thing to my surprise, he may also get some relief from eating cold foods such as applesauce or yogurt. Now I know why Caden sometimes likes his food cold.

Breastfeeding is never a problem though, at least so far has been great!! I love breastfeeding him. Eventhough Caden likes to put everything in his mouth and try to bite it, he never bite mine at all. He breastfeed very well and I hope to give him the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding for a few more months, and even years afterward. HUH???!!!

lil' model sexy pose

Caden now able to lift his legs all the way, leaving only the hands and the feet on the ground. Stronger legs for crawling soon..!! ^_^

flu flu flu....

We went to the doctor today. For this past 4 days, Caden's nose has been blocked by mucus that stuck in his nose -- but only every 2-4 am? Morning and afternoon were always okay, no sign of mucus in his nose at all. Isn't it weird, huh? I wasn't thinking of going to the doctor but last night at 4.30am, Caden cried so loud for about 15 minutes, leaving me worried and confused of what to do. he was so unconfortable because his nose was blocked up completely; I tried to give him a solution to ease the nose blocking but the solution went back out!! I was shocked as that was never happened before and confused of what to do to calm him down and made him feel better??

Then, I tried to suck his mucus using a syringe, which I bought a few weeks earlier, that made specially for flu infants that could not blow his nose just yet. Although he cried when I sucked his mucus out, but he was feeling better afterwards.

Soon, he calmed down and start to laugh again. (I always amazed how quickly a baby turn from laughing to crying and vice versa). So at around 5.15am, he was brand new, just finished being breastfeed and wanted us to play with him.

But this incident worried me, so I thought I shouldn't wait for his thursday appointment (which he supposedly get his first flu shot) and came by today for a walk-ins. I was afraid he get an allergy just like his daddy (I still hope he won't get any at all).

Doctor said, he get a mild flu and mucus development is at the peak in the middle of the night. Fuih...!! At least it's not an allergy! So the doctor gave me a stronger solution to get rid of the mucus and told me not to bring him for swimming for a week!! hiks hiks...Caden loves to swim!! But it's okay, this week he will be better soon and next week we will go on swimming again! I promisee!! ^)^

'stars' eating and 'sippy cup' drinking

Caden seems ready to start feeding himself — by grabbing the spoon that I feed him with or snatch his food off his plate. Therefore 3 weeks ago, I introduced him "Gerber Finger Food" and he takes it really well. At times when he doesn't want to eat his food or in a bad mood, he will still open wide his mouth for the 'stars' to come in.

Starting last week, I want to teach him how to eat the 'stars' himself. Although I know he will not be able to developed the so called pincer grasp until he is around 9 months, I want to encourage Caden to self-feed as much as possible to help him develop independent, healthy eating habits. I scattered four or five pieces of finger food onto your his highchair tray and continue to add them as he eats them (although actually most of them are thrown away to the floor).

At his age, food play can get messy, but I won't be too quick with the washcloth cos' I know Caden enjoys this important hands-on learning experience.



Along with 'stars' feedding, I also introduce Caden to a 'Sippy Cup' feeding. A sippy cup is a training cup with a screw- or snap-on lid and a spout that will allow him to drink without spilling. I believe, this will improve Caden's hand-to-mouth coordination and prepare him for weaning from the breast or bottle to a regular cup later on. A sippy cup can give him some independence while keeping cleanup to a minimum. For now he is still learning the idea of the 'sippy cup' -- sometimes he will suck the spout for the water but other times he will bite it just like bitting his teether. Not to worry, I am sure soon he will be able to mastered it soon.

just me and my laptop!

Caden loves his dad laptop so much so we thought we bought him his own laptop to play. Found this at Mothercare, it's a disney laptop and has all the learning experience for prescholler (3 years and above).

I just hope this will last that long... ^_^

fun day with daddy

After almost a week without seeing daddy around, at last he has time to play with me today! Yey....we had fun!!! More time for me, please daddy!!!!

all I can eat...

into my mouth...

=> Caden is eating his "handphone" which I bought a month ago for him to "call" his daddy when he is away for work. Poor Mr. Handphone!!!

Eventhough we always take his fingers out again and again, since about a month old, Caden loves to put his finger/s into his mouth (that's why we introduced pacifier to him). Now, Caden begin to use his fingers and thumbs together in a mitten or clawlike grip or raking motion, therefore he manage to pick up many things and this past few weeks has been the craziest. Besides of finding how interesting that his hand able to grab things, I think the other reason for this "all I can it" is because he is teething, too. Caden would easily bring interesting objects to his mouth; which basically everything that is in his hands.

Now, Auntie Valerie called Caden, "the cannibal boy" cos' he too likes to eat people's hand, fingers, thighs, etc.

Caden is also interested in everything that is in my hand. No more carrying him in one hand and holding a handphone on the other, no more reading book or eating while carrying him because he will try to do everything he could to grab it (including bending his body downwards, so low that he could probably fall).

That's also means...we HAVE TO watch out...CHILDPROOFING!! Not that bad compared to when he will start crawling/walking but could not be taken easy too.

Very amusing how he changed since birth. He wasn't able to do anything except holding my finger/s but now he could grab bigger object, transfer objects from hand to hand, turn them from side to side and twist them upside down. That's a big leap from where he was before. Well done...!!!

crawling...

Caden has mastered sitting well enough by himself, he is now confident enough to go to the next step, that is crawling. Crawling start by learning how to balance on his hands and knees, then he'll figure out how to move forward and backward by pushing off with his knees. At the same time, he'll be strengthening the muscles that will soon enable him to walk. WALK? Yes right!!! Soon, he will be "everywhere"....

Until that time, I will continue to encourage him to crawl by playing 'reaching and grabbing' with him by placing toys and other desirable objects or myself! ^_^ just beyond Caden's reach.

Having fun together

Bring a friend day @ The Little Gym

Today is bring a friend day @ The Little Gym. Caden had asked Noah last week to join and he agreed to go. Here are some pictures from today's exciting day!!!

Caden's scariest experience

I told Suster (that's what we called our baby-sitter) to bring Caden in his new stroller to the park down at the lobby of our condo so that he'll be used to it therefore he won't be crying when we bring him out with this new stroller. Caden's previous stroller consisted of a car-seat and car-seat stroller but being at 7.5 kg now, I feel heavy and difficult to bring Caden out from the car on his 4kg car seat. Fortunately, Caden loves this stroller that I had bought before he was even born. I was afraid he would not feel as secure as he would because he could not see our faces as this stroller is facing to the opposite direction compare to the car seat stroller which was facing to me. But I don't think Caden miss my face at all, in fact, I think I am the one who misses his face as I stopped once in a while to see how and what he was doing.

At the end of the trip, I wanted to capture him in his new stroller but Caden's did not want to smile or look at the camera at all. Suster wanted to make him laugh so she jumped up and down (it failed), called out his name for hundreds of time (if failed) and lastly, out of desperation, she let go of her hair and tried to act like a ghost and see if that's going to help him smile.... unfortunately, she failed again!!! "Sorry Suster...I am just not in the most right now! Maybe tommorow we'll try again!"

first swim lesson experience...

Caden loves to swim and mommy thought a swim lesson for him might be a good experience for him. Finding an infant swim lesson is not easy in Singapore, maybe because the demand is not high. So mommy has been looking for one for quite sometime now by searching through the internet or try to find it on baby magazines. First, I was debating between private lesson or non-private one and I choose the non-private one as I thought it would be more interesting for Caden to see his friends too. Second, choosing which school to go to. There is one that is quite well known here but they use public pool as their teaching pool. When I was about to have a trial lesson with them, I found this swimming school that is located in Holland Road (not far from home) that has their own small swimming pool. It's owned and run by Australian/British permanent Singapore residents, called it 'Marsden Swim School'. I thought this could be the best swim school for Caden, so I called them up and set an appointment for a trial lesson today at 11am.

The pool was great...it was heated...thank GOD! and clean too... Both of us had a great experience. Caden was not crying nor smilling throughout the half hour lesson, maybe he was just surprised of the new surrounding and activities. In the mean time, I will continue to bring him to his once a week swim lesson and I am sure soon enough Caden will loves his swim lesson as much as he loves his gym class.

Fell from the bed!

I was in shocked when I heard "bang", loud noise just like something has fallen to the ground, and followed by very loud cries of Caden. I was trying to call my mom to let her know that someone was waiting for her down at the lobby of our condo then this incident happened.

Ok, let me start from the beginning. Caden and I were sleeping together on my bed for our afternoon nap. Then there was a call from the guard downstairs that someone came for 'Merry' -- that's my mom. My mom did not tell any of us, so my maid who picked the call did not know if she should let the guy in or let him wait outside and she asked me. I wanted to tell her to call my mom but for some reason I woke up slowly (making sure not to woke Caden up) and call mom by myself. I went into the next room to make the call. Unfortunately, mom did not picked it up right away even after a few calls. I tried to call Paul who was with her but he only picked up after the 3rd call. So then I asked Paul to asked mom, and mom answered to Paul then Paul told me what mom said....in short...I was too long leaving Caden, who is able to toss and turn by himself, alone in my bed. In the end, because of my carelessnes, he fell.

I never been so scared before... Caden must be in shocked and in pain, I thought! Caden cried so loud and I told him 'sorry' many times and hoped he will understand what I was saying. I held him closely into my arms and rocked him slowly and tried to calm down. I know that if I did not calm down, Caden would not calm down, too. I called my baby-sitter, asked her to see if there was any scratch or bump on his head but we could not find any. I told her that maybe it's too early to see if there was any of them.

Caden calmed down pretty quick and he started laughing again but I was still worried if Caden will remember this day forever or worst, something might happen to his head. So I waited for an hour and still could not find any bump. The baby-sitter told me maybe there wasn't suppose to be any bump or scratch at all. I said that was not possible because there was a small side table and a small chair next to where he was fallen, furthermore, I was sure that his hands were not strong enough to hold his head up-- therefore there should be at least one bump on his head. Then she said something that embarrassed me. She said, "What if GOD protected him? There was a pillow that fall with him, maybe that was what protect Caden from the bump. You will never know how GOD works." Oh my godness, I was the one who believe in Jesus Christ but she was the one who reminded me of HIM. I should have trusted Caden in HIS hands entirely and not rely on my own self thought.

It's been more than 8 hours from the incident and there is still not a single the bump or scratch on any part of his body. I thank GOD for his protection on Caden and thank you for reminding me of HIM through someone whom I never thought would.

Flu shot?

I have been wondering for sometime now if Caden need to get a flu shot. I hate the idea of him getting another shot, that's mean another painful experience for him. But I think it's worth the pain as I believe Caden will be more unconfortable if he get the real flu with all the running nose or troubled breathing. Furthermore, getting the shot gives the body a chance to build up immunity to, or protection from, the virus. According to a new recommendation issued this year by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC's Advisory Panel of Immunization Practices, even healthy babies aged 6 months to 2 years should be vaccinated. Previous guidelines only recommended the vaccine for young children at increased risk for flu-related complications, such as those with asthma or other lung conditions.

So today, I called his doctor and made an appointment next week for Caden to get the shot. I just hope this will prevent from flu virus in the coming year. *finger crossed*

Noah visit!!

Yey...Noah came!! We thought it was going to rain but the weather was on our side...so we could go out and swim together.

So when are we going to swim again, Noah? Call me, ok?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noah: "hm..this is new to me, Caden!"

Caden: "here...let me teach you how to play this...."

Saturday Lunch...

Grandpa was in Singapore for the weekend, so we decided to go out for lunch on Saturday to a Thai Restaurant in Raffles City. Caden was in such a good mood today. He did not ask for us to hold him up from his stroller as he was busy playing with his teethers and looking around at a new place with so many people moving around. Although we end up hold him for a while to take pictures, he seemed okay to be put back on the stroller. The trip was about 2 hours and at the end of the trip he was sleepy and fell asleep in the car. How I wish every trip is going to be this easy, I might bring him out more often. As for today, Good Job, Caden!!!

lost of appetite

Caden doesn't seem to have his appetite back after the immunization. When he lost his appetite on the day and a few days after the immunization, I thought it would just be temporary and believed that after his fever had gone, everything would back to normal. Today is the 6th day after but still there is no sign that he would be back with his good appetite to eat. *Sigh* I am still hoping that this would just be temporary *finger-crossed* because I believe having a child that has good appetite is always a good thing. We'll see and keep you updated with his latest development.

Caden at school

It is very intersting to see how Caden has grown over the past few months. When he started at The Little Gym at 4 months, he could only sit up for a moment or two with help but by now, he learn to sit momentarily without assistance, though I should stay nearby to provide support and surround him with pillows to cushion a possible fall. He also able to stand by holding unto the pole with minimal support from us.

Fresh after swimming and take a bath

@ Wisma Atria Fish Tank

Mommy bored at home!!! So we went to Orchard (Wisma Atria + Takashimaya). It was the best choice because mommy can go shopping and at the same time, Caden would be able to see the fishes.... ^_^

ready for it...

This time I am ready if Caden get a fever after this 3rd immunization at 6 months. Although I am still hoping for Caden not to get any fever at all, I had bought 'panadol for infants' last week at guardian. And yes...he get another fever but a mild one. This time lasted only for a day, unlike the prevous one which lasted 2 days -- probably because this time I gave Caden a dose of the medicine. Next time I will remember to give him the medicine to ease the pain if any fever should arise because the medicine help him to sleep better and less fussiness too.