Finally I have finished my exams and it is raining outside. The papers were difficult, as the answers were so close to each other. It was an objective paper. I am keeping my finger crossed and hope to receive good news 4 weeks down the road.

Since I am stuck in the hotel, by the way, I am in Singapore, right now. I called my children.

Emily: Hello Mummy.
Mummy: Hello.
Emily: Buy me teddy bear.
Mummy: Already bought.
Emily: I few, I few.
Mummy: Ask kor kor to come.
Emily: Kor Kor, where are you? Go, mummy called!
Tim: Buy me teddy bear.
Mummy: ok

*Tim ran away*. So much, for talking to them. I think they will grow up like me, do not like to talk on the phone.

I saw a few incidents with children in Singapore.

Incident #1:

Boy: Mummy, you must buy me this, or this or this.
Mom: *ignore his son*
Boy: Buy me this.
Mom: *ignore him*
Boy: *grumbling* *whining* *very frustrated*
I didn’t hear his exact words but he was very frustrated and scolding the mother. The mother was calm and spoke softly but not answering the boy’s demand. She said “Lets’ go.” The boy was still complaining.

Incident #2

Boy (about 3 year old) crying at the MRT station, I was not sure what. I was observing the boy and the mother’s reaction. There were also 2 other relatives. Mother was ignoring the boy’s cry. He kept crying and holding the mother’s leg. Mother folding her arms and ignoring him. Everyone was staring at the boy by now and he was so cute to be ignored. I felt like going there and saying sweet things to make him happy. It went on for almost 4-5 mins. Then I realized I was on the wrong platform, I didn’t observe further but I had to leave.

I will MIA next week to study and take exam. Please do miss me but pray :pray: for me that I pass. I was telling Jess, when my children grow up to a manageable age, I probably want to go back to do some part time studying.

The thing is I do not know what I want to study? I probably do not want to do a master or a PHD. I have an interest in child development. Anyway, it is a long long way before I reach there.

Here’s wishing all of you:

Finally Emily didn’t cry for consecutive 2 days in the morning when I send her to school. Yesterday hubby and I encourage her, if she doesn’t cry, we will get her a small present. Today we will give her roti canai. It makes us think whether this a motivation or a bribe?

I read some where that we should not bribe our children. Do we consider rewarding for doing well a bribe or a motivator? I watched a TV program whereby the teacher was rewarding the under achiever students with a gift, even though they score 35 /100. The teacher was motivating them to do well. However the principal think otherwise, saying it is not good to attract student to do well, with reward. If no reward, they will slack. Next scene, they show a corporate meeting where the manager told everyone, if they successfully complete the project, they will receive 5 months bonus. Ha! What an irony? :duh:

What do I think? Bribing a child is wrong but rewarding for good behavior is alright. Example if the child is crying, telling the child not to cry if you give him a candy is bribing. Next time, he will cry double as loud because he knows he will get a candy for stopping. However if the child shows good behavior like keeping his toys, rewarding him for doing so is alright.

Reward doesn’t have to be material, praise, a kiss, a clap or taking them to special places like park or playground will be rewarding. However, never over do it because it is no good if the child is always waiting for a reward if he shows good behavior. What do you think?

Emily: Papa, I few.
Emily: Mummy I few.
Emily: Kor Kor I few.
Mummy, Papa, Kor Kor: :think: :eh: :sc:

Mummy: Ahhh….I love you too, Emily. 😀

I found there are readers of my blogs who are interested in Penang, I decided to start a new blog and copy some of my previous post about Penang into the new site. I hope to share more interesting post about Penang to you.

Here is the new URL: http://penang.mybabybay.com/penang/

I still have problem making the subdomain penang.mybabybay.com point to the above URL. Any expert out there who can help? I tried every solution I have in my tiny brain but it didn’t work. Sigh.

I was reading blogs on my computer in the study room. Emily took my calculator. I told her “You cannot take the calculator outside of the room to play, later papa scold”. She froze and took smaller step to try to leave the room with the calculator. “Mummy, take cane”. She still taking smaller steps and she dare not look at me with a deep thought expression. I took the cane and she gave the crying expression. I carried her back to the room. She cried for a short 30 secs. Later she said, “Cannot take out, later papa scold. Bye Bye Cya” :naughty: She left the room after placing the calculator back on the table. Mummy 1 Emily 0.

When I started becoming a mother, I never prepare myself for breastfeeding. My mentality was if it is successful, it will be good. If not, so be it. If I had to do it all over again, I will put 100% effort.

First Time

The very first time I tried, my boy was sleeping when I latched him. No suction from him. Later the head nurse came in and thought me how to hold the baby to the breast. He managed to suck and I can feel it. It was exciting. However it didn’t last long as he fell asleep again. Next session, the holding position was wrong and the nurse could not help me as she is not trained to do. After the third session, everything went down hill. Every time I latched him, my son started yelling on top of his voice. He didn’t want to be near me. Poor me, all the mothers in the nursery gave me the stare.

Confinement

During my confinement, I asked my husband to go get me a battery operated cheapo pump. I had to express milk out every 3-4 hourly, only 3-4oz per session. There was enough milk for the day but not for night. I continued for 2 months and stopped when I started work. During that time, my work place does not provide facility for breastfeeding.

Second Attempt

My pediatric doctor advised me to breastfeed my second child as the first had allergy problem. Chances of second child follow will be high. I read up on breastfeeding and prepared for it. However I failed to latch her too. I decided to fully express for her. I got a better pump this time. I had sufficient supply for day. I carried on during confinement and for 8 months.

After a few moms at my work place started to breastfeed, HR decided to provide a better facility for us. Every 3 hours, I will go to the room to express. I really love the Avent ISIS pump. My first session in the morning, I can pump 12-15 oz, after that it will be 3-4 oz per session. My record was 25 oz per day. However Emily had a great appetite, she drinks every 3 hourly at 6oz. I had to supplement her night feeding with formula. I also gave 3 oz per day added to my son’s milk.

Emily took all my baby fat away. She was a real chubby baby. I lost all my weight right after confinement. Everyone was so surprised that I could wear jeans to work after my confinement. Imagine I shred all 20kg that I put on during my pregnancy.

I had to drink 2-3L of water everyday, drank lots of soup, eat fish daily and no seafood or allergy prone food. Tip for breastfeeding, get a good pump, go for Avent ISIS. Many mothers that I introduce this to, came back with a thump up! :good:

I really missed those breastfeeding days.

I decided to go for fast food as I have to rush home, pick up the children and fetch husband from the hospital. I bought a tub of corn (for the children), some nuggets, 1 fillet o’fish burger with a carbonated drink.

My 2 hungry children, probably school activities created a great appetite in them. By the way the school feed them dinner at 5pm. They came home ate all the corns, all my nuggets and ½ of my fillet o’fish burger. I don’t encourage them to drink carbonated drink as it is not good for their teeth. I allowed them to have 1-2 sips.

What is left for me was ½ of the burger and the carbonated drink. Later at the hospital, they asked me to buy cream puff for them. They came home and walloped 1 cream puff each and drank their milk. What an appetite?!

My hubby is still in the hospital as the doc doesn’t allow him to be discharged. He has no fever but the hemoglobin is a little low. The doc gave him MC till Friday and allowed him to take wad leave to go home to sleep. He needs to return to the hospital in the morning. Thank you for all your wishes. He will be fine.

Tim is a great helper around the house. He is my right hand man in the house. He gets the trait from his father, as both do things for the household. He has helped me to