Mommy, Can I Have Some Money?

For the last few weeks, KokoD requested that I come late to pick him up after kindergarten. He says he wants time to play with his friends. Seeing that he is enjoying his friends company so much, I said okay. So for the past week or so I've been going late -- giving him about 15 minutes extra time after school to "play".

Unfortunately, this extra time of "play" is turning out to be extra time for mischief. The first few days of extra time, I would pick up a kid that was dripping in sweat. Yes, literally dripping in sweat. Not only was he sweaty, he was dirty as well. One of the days he said his friend threw sand on his head. Another day as I was doing laundry, I threw into the wash his underwear that was the same color as the sandy slope outside his school. I checked his pants, no such color. So I'm wondering, how is this so? Underwear dirty but pants clean?

Well, the last few school days, the dirty boy is no more. He is up to something else. He comes home and tells me that his friends "belanja him makan" (treating him to food). They've been buying stuff and sharing with him. That's nice I guess, but also dangerous since the school was recently hit with H1N1. Well, he asked me if he could have some money because he wants to buy stuff from the stalls outside his school, like his friends. I told him "NO" because he hasn't learned how to handle money and also doesn't know the value of things. When I picked him up on Thursday, he was eating a piece of "jambu". Obviously courtesy of his friend. On Friday, I found him at one of the stalls with a bunch of his friends... HOLDING SOME MONEY! He was very keen on buying the "jambu" and had me wait while he put in his order.

Me: Where did you get the money from?
KokoD: My friend gave it to me.
Me: Did you ask for it?
KokoD: No.
Me: How much was the jambu?
KokoD: Don't know.
Me: How much did you give the lady?
KokoD: One 50cent, two 10cents and one 20cent.
Me: How many times have you taken money from your friend?
KokoD: One time only. Today.

The reason why I asked him these questions is because of what I saw as he was buying the jambu:
1. The lady asked him how many he wanted.
2. He didn't answer.
3. The lady asked him how much money he has.
4. He just put out his hand to show her.
5. Then she packed the jambu accordingly.
ALAMAK! How can buy things like that!

Anyway, we firmly told him that he must give the money back to his friend. Goodness knows what will happen if his friend's parents found out that my son has been living off their good fortune. They might think my son was an extortionist! Later, he declared that he still had another 50cents, also from his friend. Aiyoh! I almost pengsan.

Anyway, this was a good reminder that I need to spend less time on the computer and more time teaching my son stuff like "how to count money."

Mama's Parenting Tip:
1. Sometimes (or most of the time) we cannot put all the blame on our children when they do something wrong. If we don't teach them properly, how will they know to choose the right?

2. Don't just teach children to count money. Have to also teach them the value of money and the value of things. For example, I let him buy a cup of drink which cost RM1. It was not a very big cup. To him it was "very cheap what!" Then I calculated for him, one cup everyday would mean RM5 every week. By the end of the month, it would be RM20. With RM20, we could go to Tesco and buy 1 big bottle of Ribena or about 3 bottles of fruit juice syrup. We could then make many, many, many cups of delicious drink. These are difficult times and teaching frugality is a must! Teach them how to be wise shoppers (of course, we have to be wise first).

3. When teaching young children, don't just use workbooks to teach them. Bring out your wallet and let them touch and see REAL money. For example, RM5 is green color and RM10 is red.

4. We all know that children lose things easily, especially stationeries. You can set up a mini stationery shop at home. Lose an eraser, buy one from mommy.

5. It's good that when children get older, for us to give them opportunities to earn their own money. Not for everyday chores but "special" work like washing the car or weeding the garden. Of course, take into consideration their age and capabilities.

Counting Baby's Movements

Did you ever count your baby's movements when you were pregnant? I didn't do it with my first 2 babies. I had to do it with babyD and I've been asked to do it with this baby too. Many of my friends mentioned that they didn't do it. I've come to the conclusion that when you go to private clinics, this is not a requirement. But when you have your checkups at the government clinics, they suggest you do it and provide a chart for you to do your recording too. It's known as a Fetal Movement Count.

The procedure is as such:
Starting at 9am, count baby's movements until 10 times. For every movement, you put a check mark on the chart. Once you've had 10 movements, record down the time. So, if the 10th movement was at 2pm, you write 2pm on the chart. Now, the trick is, if baby continuously kicks you 3 times (like within 2 seconds), that is counted as 1 movement. And hiccups don't count.

The reason for doing this is to be aware of baby's well-being. By charting baby's movements, you can know if there is a decrease in activity which usually indicates that baby is in distress. If you cannot count 10 movements within 12 hours, you are to go to the hospital IMMEDIATELY.

The problem:
I KEEP FORGETTING TO COUNT!
I'll begin counting at 9am. Then I'll get engrossed in doing house chores and cooking, I'll forget to keep counting. Plus, when the kids do something wrong and I'm in the middle of blowing fire out of my dragon nostrils, how to remember to count? I mean it's almost impossible while you're screaming at the kids and fuming mad to suddenly stop and say "hey, that's movement no. 6". I wish there was an instrument that I could just attach to my tummy that would do the counting for me. I've put up a notice on the wall, just above my computer monitor that reads "don't forget to count." Even then, I still forget.

So, this counting business is good stuff... IF I remember to do it. You know what they say about pregnant women -- memory is not their strongest point.

Gestational Diabetes Update

I did the BSP test (Blood Sugar Profile) on Tuesday. They poked my finger 4 times that day to record 4 readings. Once at 8am, 12 pm, 4pm and 9pm. For the first reading, I had to fast 10 hours before. Subsequent readings required me to fast 2 hours before.

So, what was my result (in mmol/L)?
5.1, 3.8, 4.8 and 3.7

I believe a normal reading for blood glucose levels are between 5-7. So, my readings were pretty good. Met up with the doctor the day after the BSP test and she was satisfied. Said that it is what they are looking for.

So, what did I eat that day?
Breakfast = 2 pieces of wholegrain toast bread with butter and a few raisins.
Lunch = Sandwiches. 2 pieces of wholegrain bread with either a sausage or chicken ham, scrambled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, and salad leaf.
Dinner = "Bangkuang char" with salad leaf.

Seeing my blood sugar level was pretty low during the test, I've loosened up a bit. Still worried but not as worried. Still eating in small portions - less rice, more veges and meat (protein). Also allowed small treats of rambutans and mangoes.

I have to do another BSP test in 2 weeks. We'll see if I can keep my sugar level at a steady low.

p.s.: Doc did a scan and said baby is probably a girl. But she also added "kalau keluar lain, tak tau lah". So what that means is it looks like a girl but there's the chance she could be wrong. Well, although not 100% sure, it's better than not knowing at all. At least now I have a reason to bring out all the girly clothes that I've been keeping for 8 years (yeah, hand-me-downs of jie-jie K). Can't believe I've been hanging on to them for so many years.

6th and 7th Month of Pregnancy

I forgot to post a record of my 6th month of pregnancy. It was very uneventful though. There were no problems and I was feeling great. Enjoying the last month of my 2nd trimester. All that "boring-ness" is now gone. I am now into my 7th month and my last checkup I had to do the glucose tolerance test. Sadly, I failed. My jaw dropped when the nurse said "you're diabetic." I couldn't believe my ears. My last 3 pregnancies were all smooth sailing. No problems nor complications (well, except for retained placenta during birth). Well, I guess this is what happens when you get pregnant at an older age.

Change is never easy. Having to change my eating habits is a great challenge for me. Cutting out rice and noodles is a big adjustment. Especially since it's been my staple food since I was a baby. Now I have to think of healthier food choices - wholewheat bread, high-fiber crackers, no-sugar peanut butter, more vegetables, smaller but more frequent meals, low GI (Glycemic Index) food etc.... My sugar craving is still there. I've had to practice a great deal of will power. No more Ribena and Milo. Only plain water. No more bread with butter and kaya. No more bananas, mangoes and rambutans (okay, got curi-curi eat a bit, but very minimal). Now it's back to apples for me. No more "char kuey teow". Now thinking of the cakes and jelly I'll have to skip during the kids' birthdays next month. I also bought some lemons a couple of weeks ago to make Lemon Bars. Guess that idea has to be thrown out the door. I've also started my morning walks again. They say exercise helps to control the blood sugar level.

Although I'm constantly worried about my condition, this worry is good for me. So, what am I worried about? Well, let's take a look at what complications Gestational Diabetes can bring:

• Since baby has so much sugar to feed on, baby might grow too big. They call it macrosomia. Then I will have problems when trying to give birth. Instead of a normal vaginal delivery, I might end up having a cesarean.
  
• After baby is born, baby may have a low blood sugar level. There is also the risk of breathing problems.
  
• Baby might have jaundice.

Here are some of my other concerns:

• Although gestational diabetes goes away after baby is born, there is no way to be certain that what I have is gestational diabetes. I will have to be tested again 6 weeks after delivery to see if I'm still diabetic. So, is this really gestational diabetes or Type 2 diabetes? There is no way to know now.
  
• If I get pregnant again, it's very likely that I will have gestational diabetes again. I know, I know, some of you are saying, "you already have 4, you want some more babies?" So okay, this is the last one okay (unless have accident-lah).
  
• This increases the chances of me developing Type2 diabetes later on in life. It seems there is a link between the tendency to have gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
  

Although I'm whining about this, it really is a good wake-up call for me. If this is gestational diabetes, then I have to endure this for only another 3 months or so. It's better I start making some lifestyle changes now before I have this condition for life and have to be on medication.

Well, today I have to do BSP (blood sugar profile test). I have to go to the clinic and get my blood tested 4 times - 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 9pm. Before my 8am appointment, I had to fast for 10 hours. The other 3 times, I have to fast 2 hours before. We'll see how today's test go.

On my to do list is going to the hospital to meet with the dietician. That will be good coz' I'm not sure if my diet is correct now. Am I eating enough? Eating too much? Eating the right stuff? Oh, and if you're wondering if baby is a boy or girl..... I DON'T KNOW YET! I'm meeting the doc tomorrow to go over today's BSP results. I'll see if I can get them to do a scan.

Who Says Kids Can't Lie?

Yesterday at church, K and KokoD were sitting in the front row. Me and babyD were sitting directly at the back of them. BabyD feeling a bit restless, snuck up behind jie-jie and poked her back. Of course jie-jie turned around. Immediately babyD pointed to KokoD and said "koko do".

Then, he snuck up behind KokoD and poked him in the back. KokoD turned around and babyD innocently pointed to me and said "mommy do."

Cheeky little fella. Who said kids can't lie?

Kids, Beach, Pool and Swimming

Oooh, it's been a while since I did some digital scrapbooking. Thought I'd give the lazy me a kick in the butt and do one today.

Well, while our American counterparts are starting their summer holidays, we parents in Malaysia have just survived a 2-week school holiday. Kids are back at school again and the noise level in the house is down a notch. The first week of our holiday we spent a night at Port Dickson... courtesy of my mom. We don't go on trips a lot and so I thought it would be a good treat for the kids. Plus, they got to do some bonding with their grandmother.

So, off we go armed with buckets, a plastic spade, swimming floats and a mat to sit on. The kids all ready in their swimming suits, excited and full of energy. I thought we were going to spend a nice evening on the beach, listening to the soothing sound of waves and enjoying the gentle sea breeze. It wasn't even hot out. It was a nice, shady evening. Well, we spent probably 15 minutes on the beach. Yup... around 15 minutes... that's all. You see, we were at the yacht club and they have a swimming pool. The kids would rather enjoy the swimming pool then the beach. In a way, I don't blame them though. Port Dickson isn't the greatest beach around. The water was kinda dark green-blackish. They only went in ankle deep. Even I didn't really encourage them to go in. The water at the swimming pool was definitely more enticing. So, we went all the way to a beach for a holiday, to spend time in a swimming pool. Life is funny.
(Plus, that night was my Desperate Housewives night and right when the show was starting, the tv goes blank on me. Aaargh! Apparently, we share a booster with another room and they must have turned it off, causing me to stare at a static screen. Thank goodness for repeats.)

Anyway, I've always known how much my kids love swimming. I feel bad cause I don't take them to the pool much. Watching my two older kids frolicking in the kiddy pool with floats just didn't sit right with me. So, I finally signed them up for swimming classes. Did a bit of homework and finally settled with Dolphin Sport Adventure at the Panasonic Sports Complex in Shah Alam. It's called "Kompleks Sukan Negara" now. I believe their classes are one of the most affordable ones around.

We've gone for 2 lessons so far. The kids love the idea that they get to swim every week now. Their instructor is very friendly. He seems to handle kids quite well. K is learning quickly. KokoD almost drowned last week. Heheheh. Well, they had to jump from their instructor to the wall. He jumped and didn't quite reach the wall. K said she had to reach in to pull him out. Poor KokoD. He's not so enthusiastic about swimming now. But I know compared to his other 2 siblings, he is the most uncomfortable in the water. I could see that even when he was a baby. So, it'll take him a while to learn to swim. He'll have to get over his fear first.

Anyway, I was watching the instructors a bit when they were having toddler lessons. So, just from observation, here are a few tips.

MAMAS TODDLER SWIMMING TIPS

• Idea is to get your child comfortable in the water. Play with them in the kiddy pool. Splash a round. Part of playing could be to put their face in the water. You could also blow bubbles and have them learn to do the same.
  
• Go to the big (adult) pool. Hold them and bounce them around. You can also let them float, like they are swimming.

Okay, that's not much. I'll need to do more observing. In the meantime, if you have any tips to add, please do so.

Oh, and very important when you take your kids swimming... take a flask of hot drink with you and snacks. They get cold and hungry!

Colic Baby Remedies

One of the things a parent fears and dreads is having a baby that cries and cries inconsolably. We know that crying is the only way baby can communicate their needs to us. But when you are faced with a colicky baby, it's difficult to figure out what that need is.

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN STOP COLIC AS FAST AS 2 DAYS?
CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER HOW

Image via Wikipedia

I remember one night, when my eldest daughter was still a baby, she just screamed her little lungs out. We carried her, rocked her and did all we could think of to soothe her but she just kept on screaming. In the end, we bundled her into the car and went for a ride hoping that would help. Thank goodness, it did.

Now, let me be clear that she was not a colicky baby. That screaming incident was just a one time thing. But it was enough to give me a glimpse of how a mother with a colic infant feels: worried, helpless, sad and frustrated. If that girl of mine didn't stop crying, I think I would have joined her. I cannot imagine having a baby scream like that for several hours, several times a week for several months. It will definitely drive any parent crazy.

Well, to all parents that are currently trying to survive infant colic, I hope you find that magic colic baby remedy that will stop your baby's colic days fast.

Here are a few ideas that might help:

1. Baby Massage.
   If you believe your baby's pain is caused by gas trapped in your baby's stomach, then there are several baby massage techniques that can help to release the gas. Here are some suggestions:
   - holding the baby's knees, fold it up to the stomach and hold for 15-30 seconds.
   - holding the baby's feet, move the legs in a bicycle motion.
   - bending baby's legs at the knees, cross it and then rock from side to side.
   
   Below is a video on how to do a circular massage on baby's tummy. You'll probably understand better watching a video than me trying to explain how to do it.
   
   
   
   Here in Malaysia, the old folks (and some new folks) highly recommend using YuYi oil. It's a blend of oils traditionally used to rid baby’s stomach of wind. What you do is put a few drops in the palms of your hands and rub your palms together to warm up the oil. Then go ahead and administer the circular massage as demonstrated in the video above.
   
   Did I use YuYi oil for my children? Yes indeed. I'm not sure if it helped to prevent colic. All I can say is that my kids were not colicky (crossing fingers coz' another baby is on the way). Of course, YuYi oil is not available to everyone in the world. But there are plenty of baby massage oils available in the market.
   
   
2. Gripe Water
   This is what our parents and grandparents probably used. But, you have to be careful on the kind of gripe water you buy. There are some gripe water that include artificial ingredients, preservatives, sodium bicarbonate and alcohol. It's important you inspect the ingredients when you buy gripe water. Search out gripe water that use natural ingredients such as chamomile, fennel, peppermint and ginger. If you are looking for a brand that you can trust, try Colic Calm. It's got plenty of good reviews.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Baby Wearing
   "Don't carry baby too much or you'll spoil him/her". That's what a lot of well meaning folks tell you. I, on the other hand, will tell you otherwise. If you carry your baby when they need you, they'll grow up to be happy, independent individuals. Of course, your arms will get tired. That's why it's good to invest in a good baby sling. Baby is comforted by your closeness and also the motions of being in a sling. I don't know how those Indonesian maids do it. They just use a piece of sarong and with one hand, tie it into a sling. I had an Indonesian girl I met at the hospital teach me but I wasn't much good at it. Don't know if I was doing it wrong or what but it kept coming loose or it hurt my shoulders. So, unless you are an expert like them, get a good sling that will keep baby snug and your shoulders and back pain-free. HugaMonkey baby slings start at $25. Shipping and returns are free. HugaMonkey baby sling is the easiest sling to use.
   
   
4. Change Your Baby's Formula
   Some baby's colic may be due to the formula milk they are taking. Some mother's have mentioned how changing their baby's milk to a hypoallergenic formula was the trick to getting rid of their baby's colic.
   
   
5. Rhythmic rocking
   Put a baby in your arms and you automatically start to rock or sway right? Well, here is another way to rock baby: Put baby face down on your lap and gently sway your knees. This may help baby get rid of wind or gas in the tummy.

Ok, if anybody wants to add to the list of colic baby remedies, please go ahead. I'm sure there are lots of desperate mothers out there who will appreciate your input.