Hey! Kayden?

At a cafe one day, Kayden was quietly observing a table of little kids next to us. 

I kept my camera pointed at him and said, "Hey! Kayden?" and got this sweet smile!

Kayden at 8 months

My little munchkin is 8 months old! Over the past month, Kayden's development has progressed somewhat quite quickly.

Within the space of a week, he learnt how to sit up on his own. He is however still wobbly, which I am not concerned because I was advised by his maternal nurse that children learn to crawl before learning how to get into a sitting position themselves. Propping them up with cushions is apparently not advised! So we have stopped creating a pillow fort around him now.

And speaking of crawling, when on his tummy like above, he scoots backwards during tummy time.They go backwards before they go forwards. But to get him used to the idea of going Forwards, I place him with his feet against the side of a wall so he launches himself forwards when he kicks.I have caught him balancing on all fours doing a rocking motion a couple of times this week already, so I think it won't be too long to see him in action!

This little man loves his vegies! I have also started giving him finger foods to feed himself with. Carrot sticks, toast fingers, chicken cubes, cheese, cruskits, and pieces of fruit are on the menu here. At the moment, he LOVES broccolini (a cross variety of chinese broccoli-gai lan, with the normal broccoli). He stared at it when I first put it on his tray, then he gingerly picked it up, swung it around in the air for abit, then mooshed it in his fingers before putting it to his lips. A minute later I hear loud sucking sounds and the florets on the broccolini were almost all gone!

These days I am starting to realise my baby isn't such a baby anymore! I visited a friend's new baby girl earlier this week. It was the first time I held a newborn after I had Kayden. It took me by surprise how teeeeeeeeeeeeeny tiny newborns are! Was Kayden ever that small I thought out loud. And my friend and I realised that there was only 200 grams difference for their first weigh ins!

I am making a more conscious effort to cuddle Kayden alittle more these days. It won't be long until his first birthday!! It's going too quickly!!!!!!!! Somebody slow the time down!

Cold winter nights

The mercury has dropped. So scarves on. Winter coat and boots on. Storm cover on the pram during our walks. So sick of winter already and we just only got past a month of it. And you know it is cold when you hear people swishing the ice off their windscreens when they go to work in the mornings.

Even sleeping in a sleeping bag under 2 layers of blankets, his hands are still icy cold (he sleeps with his arms out in a 'I surrender' position). It's no wonder he fusses and screams to be picked up to be put into the big warm bed with us.

I've resigned to the fact that the tiniest person needs the most space on our bed. Now, that I can deal with. What I cannot deal with, is that the Koala insists on being pinned next to me while he is sleeping, and having his hands on my cheek/eye/ear/nose/lips the whole night! And under the doona, he is spread eagle with his foot resting on top of my thigh.

Then in his subconcious state, he fiddles with my hair and pulls it! If i shuffle away from him, he shuffles towards my direction and stretches his arms out to try and reach me. He tosses and wriggles until he touches me.

It goes THE WHOLE NIGHT. My whole body is aching because of bad sleeping posture.

So, last night, before I put out the lights, I said "We're all going to sleep now. No pulling Mommy's hair. Now, go to sleep. Night night!!!" I  reach for the lights and with my back to him, I stay in that position. He screams out in frustration because he can't reach me. Eventually, I turn back, his hands find me. And he is quiet again.

ARGHHHH!!

Who's wide eyed, cheery and awake in the morning?

 Yes, as you can see, his cot is only meters away from our bed. 

Why oh why won't you sleep on your own!?

Not me.

Recipe: Crepes with a berry and chocolate sauce

 A handful of leftover frozen berries in the freezer was calling out to be used. And so I did.

Before Kayden, these soft warm crepes made regular appearances as impromptu after dinner desserts. It was my thing to make for a special occasion . The norm was with just a drizzle of lemon and sugar on top, or for a special day I would be organized and will usually have a more decadent strawberry chocolate or banana caramel sauce to go with it.  But really the options are endless! You could even try filling it with ham and pineapples, or a bolognese sauce for a savoury take on it (which I may try someday).

To me, these crepes remind me of my maternal grandmother, because she was the one who taught me how to make them. I don't know where she got the idea from, it certainly isn't an asian thing to do. And I am sure she knew nothing about those lace like french crepes they serve at posh restaurants at the other end of the world. I never asked, but I am guessing it is one of those things you make from the most basic of ingredients you can get your hands on during hard times. World war 2? I am not sure.

But I remember I used to look forward to my school holiday breaks because I get to go and stay with my grandmother. Both my parents were working long hours and I was in mama's (hokkien for maternal grandmother) care during the weekdays for the first 7 years of my life. Not surprisingly, I was extremely close to her and up till today, I still remember that floral powder scent she puts on, the feel of her soft skin, her laughter and stern words, and of course the many dishes she used to cook.

I digress.

On some days, very often while I am still napping, I am awoken by a very distinctive sweet fragrant smell. I wake from my slumber to find on the dinner table a pile of these soft golden crepes on a plate, protected under a netted cover like in the older times. She would spot me up and awake, appear with a cup of hot Milo and sit down with me to eat them. Mama likes to eat them plain, none of these fancy schmancy sauces we see served at restaurants. If I asked nicely, sometimes she gives me a small saucer of sugar to dip them in and I am as happy as can be! Ahhh... life's simple pleasures!

Sadly, she passed on nearly 13 years ago. But I have managed to watch her make it a handful of times.

I don't have a recipe for it because as most seasoned cooks do, she told me to use 'some' eggs, a few spoonfuls of plain flour, a pinch of salt, and to 'thin it out' with milk. They always make it sound so easy. AS IF!

After enough crepe disasters to set off a choking cough from burnt pans, blackened, thick cardboard tasting or soft soggy limpy crepes, I think I finally got the consistency she was trying to tell me. Today, I don't use measurements anymore, instead going by what she first told me to add some of this and a few of that!

 This time round, I put a dash or two of cinnamon in, hence the brown specks.  

You want to achieve a maple syrup like consistency.

My crepes usually end up crisp around the edges, but I like them that way.

But before I mastered that, I used to go by these basic measurements and thin it out with more milk to get the right consistency for soft velvety crepes almost like what mama used to make. Make or prepare your sauces or condiments first so you have them ready to serve as soon as your crepes are ready.


                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Crepes with a berry and chocolate sauce


Berry sauce

1 cup frozen berries
6 tsp sugar (or to taste)
dash of vanilla paste

Crepes
125gms plain flour
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of milk (more to thin it out to the right consistency later on)
butter

vanilla paste (optional)
cinnamon powder (optional)
1tbsp sugar (optional - I use it only if I am eating them with lemon and sugar. But watch your crepes with this, because they will burn more easily)


Method: Berry sauce
On a low flame, heat up the berries until the juices start to flow. Add the sugar and stir it in until it dissolves. You may need more sugar depending on the tartness of your batch of berries. I usually prefer to use frozen berries because it means I don't have to thin out the flavours by adding water to it, the frozen berries produce enough liquid to make a sauce.

Method: Chocolate sauce
As how you would make a fondue. With chocolate and milk. That's how I do mine anyway. In a microwave safe bowl, put in the amount of chocolate (normal eating chocolate, not the cooking kind) u think u will need and about half the amount of milk. In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much chocolate sauce. You can make hot chocolate with leftovers anyway.

Zap it in the microwave until the milk is just hot enough to melt the chocolate, not too hot! If its not hot enough, just heat it up again. Its better under heated than over heated. Or you might end up burning and wasting your chocolate.

Stir the mixture until the chocolate fully melts, add more milk if you think it is needed.

Method: Crepes
1. In a deep bowl, break the eggs in and lightly whisk it. Pour in the milk and mix it in with the eggs.

2. Add the  flour in little by little, whisking them into the batter until it is smooth without any lumps. I know most chefs do it the other way around, adding the wet ingredients to the dry. But I find it easier to get a smooth batter this way, without the lumps.

3. Add in the salt, and your other optional ingredients and mix them well.

4. Heat up a small pan (mine is slightly bigger than my palm) on low, and add a small amount of butter (about 1/4 teaspoon). Use a spatula to swish the butter around so it coats the pan.

5. Using a soup ladle, pour in the first ladle of batter and swirl the batter around to cover the pan. Don't worry about making a perfect circle at this point. The first crepe never turns out good. I always throw out the first one. Then, without adding butter again, (the pan will have the tinest amount still left from the first crepe), take the pan away from the flame and add the batter, swirling the batter so it makes a nice round circle.

6. Place the pan back on the flame and a cook it until it is a light golden brown. Flip it over and cook it for another 10 seconds or so.

7. You can either fold your crepes like I did, or place your sauces onto a crepe (golden side down) and then simply just roll them up. Or really, if you can't wait to eat them, you can just spoon the sauce on top and eat it as it is. But make sure you serve and eat it straight away while it is still warm.


NOTES

• Halfway through using the batter, I always find that it thickens up, so I add more milk to thin it down to a maple syrupy kind of consistency. Too heavy a batter will result in a thick crepe with burnt edges, undercooked and mushy on the inside. 
• What you are after is a paper thin (as they say on masterchef!) crepe that is still soft and mallable enough to wrap or fold to contain your fillings or sauces.
• I don't put alot of butter to oil the pan, probably a tiny speck of it is enough, just make sure you use your spatula to spread it roughly around the pan. On a non stick pan, I find I don't even need it most of the times. It is however needed to produce that golden swirl pattern you see. Otherwise, it just turns out in 1 monotonous shade. Boring. So, I put a little bit of butter every 4 to 5 crepes.
• Lemon and sugar, banana, strawberry, chocolate, cream, honey,etc I could go on and on about what to go with the crepes. The list is endless, it all just depends on how decadent you want it to be! A splash or two of liqour wouldn't hurt either I am sure.
• Practice, practice practice! If your first attempt don't turn out good, adjust your batter and try again. Up till today, I still adjust it as I go along. 

The great shop shoe drop

 Photo from shop till you drop

 
If you haven't already heard, the shop till you drop team is dropping hundreds of pairs of designer shoes in secret locations in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia!

 Photo from shop till you drop

Now, which girl wouldn't want FREE SHOES!!


From the 14th of July, a scavenger hunt for pairs of Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Wayne by Wayne Cooper, Zu, Converse, Puma, Sportsgirl, Havaianas, etc! VERY NICE! I like! No wonder its one of my favourite magazines to date.


To try and get your hands on a pair, get a preview of the shoes here, and make sure you check their twitter account here starting from the 14th of July to find out where the drops are happening, and then RUN to it, because its finders keepers!


But, if you don't live in the 2 cities, you can still enter their competition to win a year's supply of Tony Bianco shoes. You will check out the August issue to get more details.


Good luck!!! And let me know if you score a pair of heels!


Read more about it here.

Sitting on the bench

Last Saturday, I thought it would be a good idea to start my weekend early by tagging along to hubby's basketball practice with a baby Kayden in tow. I sat at the benches with Kayden tucked snugly in his pram and we both watched them all play.


Kayden sat quietly in his pram, watching them dribble the ball and running back and forth.

 He looked up at the shiny lights.

And at the patterns on the windows.

Then back at me sitting at the sides with him, with a glassy look in his eyes.

 Slowly, his eyes drooped, and he drifted away to sleep again. It is naptime for Kayden, and it is only 8am!

Saturday brunches

For the past 3 months or so, hubby and I have been making it a point to head out for brunch every Saturday morning. At the start, it was because we had house inspections every weekend while we had our house on the market. It is a nice way to enjoy some quality time together as a new family, away from the distractions of the television and the Internet at home! We mostly head to a local nursery where we sit in the cafe, surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of the beautiful flowers, plants and chirping birds.


Eggs benedict is our usual order. The traditional ones come with ham, poached eggs sitting on english muffins, drenched with a creamy hollandaise sauce. We sometimes vary it by ordering bacon with it, or to have it with toast instead.  Then we spend the next 2 hours or so pouring over the newspapers or chit chatting about mostly nothing in particular.

 


Most of the times, baby Kayden is happy playing with his toys in his pram or the high chair and just watching what is happening around him. We take a slow walk around the nursery after and point out to him the ducklings in the pond and show him the birds in the aviary.

Is it Saturday soon yet? I can't wait until our next Saturday brunch!

Kayden the catnapper

 At 7 months old, Kayden is not expected to take as many long naps during the day anymore.

However, when he gets extremely tired out and out of energy, he is like one of those wind up toys that goes into slow motion towards the end of its run.

One moment he could be going "Da da da da Daaaaah " and fiddling with his toys, or bashing my laptop while I am using it next to him, chewing or sucking on his dummy or finger, the next moment I find him fast asleep in positions such as these!

Birthday celebrations

A BIG Thank You to all my dear family and friends who made this birthday extra special! I got spoilt all throughout the day with lovely messages, gifts and gestures right from the stroke of midnight!

The day couldn't have started out any better with baby Kayden waking up before I did and playing contentedly by himself, without having me jumping out of bed, startled from my deep slumber from his cries like most morning. (Usually because he is demanding a feed!)

A lovely surprise early lunch celebration was first on the agenda from the closest around me, right in the comforts of home. Warm and toasty, Roast duck, tulips and chocolate in my tummy!

And as you can see, Kayden was more interested in the candle flame than singing Happy Birthday to me. Oh well, at least there was no one else to fight with for the chocolate mud muffin.

Hubby and I stopped giving each other gifts a few years ago. No Christmas or birthday gifts. But certainly our 30th was an exception? I bought him a BBQ unit and for mine, he got me personalized car licence plates! So, really, I was not expecting him to arrive him early from work that day with more flowers and cake in hand!

That night, grandma and Aunty Stef babysat Kayden. Des and I had a reservation to a new restaurant in town called Maze, of the Gordon Ramsay fame.

All dressed up and about 10 minutes after kissing Kayden our goodbyes, we commented how we have not been out on a date like this for a long time. Just the two of us going out, because we can and want to, not because we have a friend's wedding to attend or errands to run! We held hands and smiled to each other in the car. And there's no baby in the back seat going "Da da da da daah!". Woo hoo!!!!

When first told I was up for a treat and going to Maze, I was beyond excited. We sat in traffic for almost an hour before we actually got to the restaurant. I haven't been to fine dining place quite like this. And, as we inched closer and closer to our destination, I got even more excited and even felt a little bit sick with anticipation!

What if I didn't like the snobbish atmosphere?

Or what if I didn't like or know how to tackle eating the food?

Or worse yet tip my glass over!?

I had read mixed reviews of the restaurant prior to going, and from what I read, I was probably going to be dead blind in there because it was said to be dim. (I have a bad night vision!)

But I am glad I was so wrong! The staff were friendly and welcoming. We were ushered to our table near the floor to ceiling windows. We sat underneath these lights and, Des commented that the lights look like dead
corpses hanging off the ceiling. Whatever, I can see what I am eating!

I relaxed. And the night went off without a hitch.

This was my favourite dish of the evening. I could smell the aromas of the applewood smoked kingfish even before it came to me! That white fluffy ball you are seeing is actually FAIRY FLOSS! Who would have thought it would pair perfectly with the flavours on this dish! IT WAS AMAZING!

We each had 4 dishes and a dessert. It obviously wasn't a cheap place to go to, but for the quality of the food and I might even add, a pretty decent portion for a place like that (they were pretty generous sized tasting portions), we were surprised and more than happy to pay 100 per person (wine and drinks included!) for the gastronomic experience! We will be sure to revisit Maze again.

When we got home, Kayden was none the wiser that we have been out for almost 5 blissful hours!

Turning 30

Today I reach my 30th birthday. WOW. In a small corner of my brain, I never really thought I would actually get to this point. And yes, I have decided it does feel alittle different. Not in a particularly bad nor good way. Grab a drink and a snack, this is going to be a long post.

When I was 12 years old, I was pretty sure I looked forward to turning 13. It was the time I became a TEENAGER. Partial freedom and coolness means I am allowed out to town with my friends (with a curfew of course), my first pager and mobile phone (which never fails to beep and ring whenever that curfew comes) and then later on, the roaring clubbing scene. It starts with waiting at the snaking long queues at the trendiest clubs, and then later on walking right past that same queue and cashiers and having the bouncers click open the red velvet rope line ushering my friends and I in with a nod, avoiding the accusing glares behind us. And then inside the clubs, the long island tea cocktails, killer heels, sparkly tops and dresses and of course... the BOYS! And of course they came with the nauseating hangovers (damn u long island teas) and all nighters every other weekends that 'made' me unwell so I call in sick for school/work come Mondays. 

21 marked the start of my young adulthood. My TWENTIES. That period to me, was in fast forward motion. Still dabbling in the night life, but alot more mellowed out having experiencing a raging night life a couple of years back. With a slightly disposable income, my friends and I bought the latest fashion beauty trends. I left home and did my bachelor and masters degree in a foreign country. Met my husband, took some short trips overseas, I graduated, got married and experienced our first few years of life as a young married couple. We wined and dined, went for regular trips to the movies, went for long drives along the coastlines, basically doing anything our hearts (and wallets) desired.

And then, now I turn 30. But this particular milestone, I found myself umming and ahhing about it. THIRTY. Does it mean I am middle aged? I certainly do not feel that way. I am now also a mother! But it means I am no longer a young adult. The 2s in my age disappear.I am a full fledged Adult now. I have important responsibilities in my life, I should not carelessly wave things off waiting for someone else or sometime else who will 'fix things up' for me. I have a little human being being totally reliant on me for his survival! 

Turning 30 is the start of another new decade in life so, I want to start it off by counting my blessings and highlights of my life to date.

Good Health I am extremely fortunate that I have never experienced a serious illness to date. I am physically well although alot left to be said about my fitness levels!


Good fortune A friend once told me I must have not one but three guardian angels watching over me. That same friend gave me a gift of 3 angel figurines which I treasure up till now. Call it luck or coincidence, things almost always seem to go my way every time. I must have collected unlimited good karma points in my past life! I seem to have the good things in life fall on my lap just like that.I don't mean the money side of things (although that would be nice!) although I don't count ourselves poor either. Am just extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy the many simple joys that life brings. I have a home, a loving environment, food and the many small luxuries in life (thank god for hair colours, pretty clothes and shoes, hot milo, wireless internet and mobile phones!).

Family & Friends I know I can count on them for when I need a listening ear to whinge to, seek advice and for some good laid back company. I am so thankful many are just within arm's reach or a phone call away.

My melbourne family and friends I cannot even begin to say how wonderful they all are. Most of my own family and friends live in Singapore, and in a way I am on my own here in Melbourne. But everybody I meet here welcomes me with open arms into their lives. I call myself a homebody, I like lounging in the comforts of my home but there are times I feel the need to hit the shops! Go out for a nice garden lunch! Do this and that. And these family and friends I know I can count on for great company always. THANK YOU all!

And being so physically far apart, those in Singapore interrupt their daily routines to help me out usually at the drop of a hat, to help me out as much as they can. I spent more than 2 decades of my life with them there. They are the ones I now hold many fond memories of. They moulded my foundations of my being, so cliche, but so very very true.

And then, course my very loving husband who thinks the world of me, even at the times where I think, felt and look horrendous. His support is what drives me to function, especially when things get tough. He rocks my boat, keeps me lifting one foot in front of the other, that keeps me keeping on.

So in short, I think my life is a dream. Baby Kayden is the icing on my rosy pink cupcakes! So with my feet firmly planted in the ground now, let's bring on the 30s!


If you got to the end of this entry, a pat on the back for you! U deserve a medal! =) Well maybe not a medal, but if you check back later on, I might post an entry on my birthday celebration dinner, which I am looking forward to immensely later today!

Jim's pancakes

 

 Photo taken from Jim's Pancakes

  

 

Photo taken from Jim's Pancakes

Hubby sends me random links about things all the time. But this recent one, I HAVE to share!  This guy Jim who is a graphic artist,  has been making some really cool pancakes for his daughter Allison. The bacon and eggs version is my favourite! He also made a 3D looking ferris wheel, a biplane, a construction crane, ones. And then there's also the JP sushi, pancake bling, the golden gate bridge, 'pancake cereal', etc.  So cool!  Be sure to check out his website and Facebook for more of his pancake creations! You know you want to!

It makes me wonder, after reading the website, what Kayden will get up to with Daddy when he gets a little older!

Kayden at 7 months

Kayden is seven months old today. He can now:

• smile and laugh at familiar faces
• grabs hold of his toys and passes them from one hand to the other
• he can also pull himself to an almost sitting position using his dangly toys while on his playmat 
• rolls over from back to tummy
• lifts his head up to do baby crunches!
• lifts legs to grab them (and then into his mouth)
• recognizes voices and faces
• turns quickly to minimal sounds
• puts almost everything to his mouth
• says dadada, lalala, bababa (where's the mamama!?!?)
• can hold his own bottle (if he feels like it)
• is able to grab his own dummy and pop it in and out of his mouth (or throw it out of his cot)

He is a happy baby most of the times, its very easy to get a smile or laugh out of him. But when presented with an unfamiliar face, he STARES. Like what you see above. And stays expressionless for a good 15 minutes or until he decides in his little head 'OK, you're not so interesting to stare at anymore...'.

Baby Kayden is growing up so quickly! 7 months going on 18! People always ask if he is between 9 to 11 months old. He looks tall for his age, he barely just fits into his size 00 jumpsuits. His poor little toes are squished when he stretches his legs.  He is still teething, although it doesn't seem to bother him as much these past few weeks or so.Still no sign of the tooth cutting through, just little white spots under his gums.

I love cuddling my little man! Don't outgrow your baby-ness too quickly! 

Winter 2010

Snuggle up and layer on, its winter time!

Too good to resist!

Sometimes it gets just too hard to strap his nappy or clothes on because he insists on chomping on his toes! Tasty!

Autumn leaves

I wish Autumn would hurry up and make way for Winter.... let's just get the cold seasons over and done with!!! 

Summer please come back!!

I hope I never attempt to actually eat like THIS

I have always been known to have a thing for chocolates, if not then a sweet of some sort. After a meal, I need that something sweet to finish off, be it a fruit, a mint or a full blown belgian waffle drizzled with chocolate sauce, topped with whipped cream and a massive scoop of vanilla ice cream, PLUS a hot chocolate to top it off. (yes, we've ever gone straight out to the waffle place at westfield after dinner, just to do that. No sharing. Hubby gets his own dessert. It's a bit crazy when we do that.)

But hey, there are crazier fruit loops out there!

 I still prefer the REAL variety, thank you very much.

No, I won't EVER be making this for christmas

and to really top it off..................

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 Although it is potentially time saving, so I can catch more rest before Kayden is up again...

I prefer having several courses rather than just a single course of this

Spaghetti frosted chocolate cake topped with Ferrero Roche 'meatballs' smothered with raspberry sauce.

Somebody please bring me a bucket.

See many more crazy food photos via thisiswhyyouarefat.com. Some are just bizarre! And a few are actually being sold out there at the shops!

Eczema

Since about 3 months of age, Kayden has been diagnosed with atopic eczema. Eczema is a very common dry skin condition here in Australia that affects 1 in every 3 Australians.  Unfortunately, Kayden is one of them.  The skin becomes red, dry and is extremely itchy. Eczema is not contagious, but when infected, it may weep, bleed and crust over, and so, as you can imagine, it is extremely uncomfortable. It can be caused by many factors including allergens, (eg.washing detergent, dust mites, pollen, foods, pets, soaps, cosmetics) and clothing such as wool, fleece - 100% cotton is preferred); irritants ( changes in weather hot/cold , dry/wet;, cigarette smoke, airconditioning and overheating) and even stress. Particularly so if there is a family history of eczema itself, hayfever and asthma. There is currently no cure for eczema.

Keeping the skin well moisturized is crucial here. I apply moisturizer on his face at every single nappy change! And I try to apply them on his body as well whenever possible. It is important that he uses something that is non fragranced and natural. His skin is pretty dry, and to keep it looking the way it is (soft and baby smooth like its supposed to be!) we've tried so many brands of moisturizers! Some keeps him sufficiently moisturized for a week or so then stops working the next week! It has been A LOT of trial and errors for months now!

Ointments are better than creams and lotions, they seal in the moisture much better. 

At the moment, dermeze is working for him

Kayden recently had a flare of the condition, it got so bad we had to bring him to a specialist. He was so frustrated and was constantly grumpy. He didn't know where to put his hands! He was sooo itchy! He gorges holes into his scalp with his fingernails when he scratches, it was a sore sight.

And what you see below is his daily 'facial' routine' now. The treatment to ease it, is a regular application of steroid creams on the affected areas. He uses more products than I do!

He is currently on a eczema treatment plan as instructed by his allergist. We apply the lot about 3 times daily and I also moisturize him at every nappy change.. We first put on the Elocon ointment (sometimes Sigmacort) on the affected areas on his face, then Elocon cream for his body, Elocon Lotion on his scalp, moisturize his whole body and face with dermeze and then put his nappy barrier cream on before we dress him up. Bonjella is also applied to soothe his gums if necessary. 

He is also on oral antibiotics twice a day and has been instructed to take bleach baths. Yes, you read me right - BLEACH. A quarter cup of household bleach goes into his bath instead of his soap free bath gels. It is a bit like taking a swim in the pool, the bleach helps kill off the bacteria that causes the infection.

So as u can imagine, it takes some skill and more than a few minutes to do all of that on methodically  every single time on a wriggly baby! After dinner, he goes for his bath, and it is a 2 man mission  every time! It is getting very cold here at night even with the heater on, so quick hands are crucial! 

After all that frantic application of his ointments, creams and lotions,  strapping his nappy on, and then twisting his arms and legs into his jumpsuit, the poor baby's all tired out  And when put into his cot, he's out like a light, snoozing away usually within a minute or two.

Most children grow out of their eczema by around 5 years of age, but a small percentage continues into adulthood. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the best!

Kayden's eczema is now totally under control, YAY!

Good skin

= less grumpy Kayden

= Happy better rested Mommy!

Routine at 6 months

I have experimented with a couple of routines, mish mashing suggestions and advice from several parenting resources. But in the world of babies, you can never be 100% planned and organized. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

So I wanted to record here, a typical day with Kayden at his 6 months mark. Bearing in mind, he is now teething and had an eczema flare a week ago and hence is currently on oral antibiotics, my poor baby.


 7.00am : Kayden wakes briefly to call out for a feed, then goes straight back to sleep once again. Usually a nappy change at this time as well.

10.30am :  Wakes up for another feed and is up and awake.

Noon : Lunchtime, wash up and nappy change.

1.00 pm : Back to bed for his afternoon nap. But it takes him quite a while to settle down for his nap. Dozes off about 1.30pm and usually sleeps for about an hour.

2.30 pm : Awake and up. I give him abit of tummy time on his playmat or he sits in his bouncer for a bit.

3.00pm : Feed

3.30pm : Out for a walk

4.30pm : Nappy change and he might go for another nap.

5.30pm : Wakes up and a quick feed

6:00pm : Dinnertime

6.30pm : Bathtime

7.00pm : Bedtime

10pm : Dreamfeed


I am currently weaning him off his middle of the night feeds which he wakes up between 3am to 4am. When he cries out, I usually pop his dummy back in his mouth and most of the times now, he goes straight back to sleep.


Trying to wean him off breastmilk however, isn't going as smoothly! I am still feeding him almost as much as before! Other than for his dreamfeed in the evening, this stubborn child refuses the bottle flat out whenever I offer it to him and just screams until he gets me!


Score : Kayden wins 17, Mommy 0

:D

:D

Kayden says...

Don't....even THINK about it.. it's MINE!!!

Nom nom nom nom nom....

 Finger lickin good!!!

Before you think I've gone psycho, I didn't really let him eat the chocolate of course! It wasn't unwrapped, but he had a great time licking and chewing on the wrapper!

Recipe: 5 Minutes Chocolate Mug Cake

It is rare I get a chance to test out new recipes I find ever since Kayden came along. I luuurve chocolate, anyone who knows me will tell you that. And ever since after my pregnancy, my sweet tooth is coming back, at full steam!

So, sometime ago, when I came across a recipe on Ju's blog that will yield me chocolate+cake in 5 minutes. The little chocolate hormones in my head went bersek. And just simply reading and looking at the scrumptious one she made left me salivatating! I skipped to my pantry as soon as Kayden took his afternoon nap and made it immediately.

 One for me, one for hubby

It was delish! And definitely a keeper! Moist with a molten center. Oh my god, it was soooooooooooooooooo good! It is a very useful recipe to have, I gather most people have the ingredients in your kitchen pantry.

It is something quick and easy to make, only 4 things to wash (2 mugs, a spoon and a bowl to mix it in, that's it!) and 5 minutes to make! Although, as with all my baking, I take ingredients out from my fridge to let it cool down to room temperature first. (hubby got used to seeing a slab of butter sitting on the window sill out of nowhere LOL) But that's just me.

5 minutes Chocolate MUG Cake
(adapted from The Little Teochew)

Ingredients
- 4 tbsp flour
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp coffee powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 2 microwave safe coffee mugs


Method
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Add the milk, egg, vanilla and oil. Mix it well.

3. Pour the batter into 2 mugs. (They should each only come up to the halfway mark as the cake will rise, and you don't want it overflowing!)

4. Microwave 1 mug at a time. Cook it for 1 full minute and then leave it for a couple of seconds, then cook it again for a further 30 seconds. Microwaves differ, so I suggest you cook it for 1 minute and see how you go.

5. Voila! and we have CAKE!! I would say dig in! But I learnt that the hard way, it was VERY HOT! So let it sit alittle first and enjoy.

Kayden 6 months : Starting solids

Kayden has started on his first solids.  So far, we HATE apples and pears, except for when Mommy sneaks it in together with the yummy pumpkin which he LOVES. So, the carrots pretend to be pumpkin and I get away with feeding him with it anyway.

 About to get his first taste of banana mush...........

 

................ and he decides it tastes disgusting. 

I tried giving him a 2 or 3 more spoonfuls after this picture, but he spits it all out every single time!

 in the end, the cheeky monkey purses his lips shut and refuses to have any more of it!

Kayden spits out mushed bananas and gives me that incredulous look on his face as if to say "You call that food??? It's DISGUSTING!". Potatoes are a touch and go.

He has gotten the hang of swallowing the purees, sometimes even holding my hand to push his spoon into his waiting open mouth if he likes the combination I give him. Babies of his age still have the tongue thrust reflex, but it looks like he is getting the hang of eating solids.

I give him the same food for 3 to 4 days, just in case he gets a reaction and if so, I know exactly which food is causing it. Which was the case with plain old packaged rice cereal. He developed a dry rash around his lips the morning after.

So really, the food that are going into him are orange, and not surprisingly so, it comes out exactly the same colour! Quite bizarre! So perhaps next week, we might try some broccoli. (green poo? haha)

He now giggles and laughs when spoken to, cries and growls with displeasure, and kicks and pulls at almost anything in sight. And everything, I mean EVERYTHING goes into his mouth! Somebody remind me WHY I am still sterilizing his bottles?

Kayden is also teething! His bottom left front tooth is cutting through. Yay for tooth but nay for the entire household. We had screaming attacks in the middle of the nights. So. Not. Fun. He wakes up frustrated and clutching his gums, the poor baby. Thank god for baby panadol and Bonjella . As the checkout lady at Coles told me earlier this week, it works wonders!

But at other times, where his tooth isn't bothering him, he gives us all plenty of his gummy smiles.

at 5.5 months

Bye bye house

WOw I haven't published an entry for what seemed like the longest time! Trust me, I have a gazillion drafts on the dashboard on blogger and I have not published them all because they are all half complete!!! So, I better finish off one of the drafts I typed out earlier..Just a short one though, I promise there's more coming soon.


I think I need more than 24 hours in a day! Before I know it, its the end of the day most of the times.

Since my last post, we have sold our house, packed up and have moved in with the in laws while we build our new home. We have been extremely busy for the past  month or so, its been CRAZY! We have only just begun to feel alittle settled, hence the time to write this post.

I forgot to take a photo of the board with the SOLD sign on it after it was sold =(

As hard as it is packing up a house, its even harder with a baby who won't let you out of his sight and starts getting clingy, and with that, nothing much gets done! But we got there. Very Slowly.  There are still heaps of boxes to unpack and put away so we don't live out of boxes for the next year or so.

 

 We got bored and stuck Kayden in a box with the blankets, he was not impressed haha