Burnt Toast

Couple of years ago, I think it was on Oprah that Teri Hatcher was a guest on. She was there to promote her book. It has made an impression on me because it was titled "Burnt Toast". It is her account of motherhood and other experiences she's had in life. "Burnt Toast" being the metaphor that the woman takes the leftovers or the least appealing parts for themselves.


Now as a mom, I can totally relate to that because I found myself eating the crusty parts of the bread when I gave Kayden this! A start to things to come I'm sure.

What is THAT raggedly square with holes you're eating mom?  Mine tastes waaaay better!

The boy was eyeing my plate I had in my hand, while he was happily munching on his pretty jam and butter bread cutouts I gave him one rare breakfast morning. He had one in his hand, then decides to multitask and picks up another one in his other hand. Nom nom nom! Yummy!

My manual paper shredder

And I am quick at it too!

Colourful food

 

Every now and then, we should stop and smell the flowers. But, I think with Kayden around, it may not be such a good idea for now. This pansy came as a pretty garnish in hubby's iced mocha at brunch over the weekend. It was pretty, so we took it off and gave it to Kayden to hold and look at.

While he did admire it for a couple of minutes, its beauty was lost on him in no time.


The boy was too quick for us to stop! He plucked a petal off, shoved it into his mouth, chewed it alittle and it was GONE. All within a couple of seconds.

From the moment the petal touched his lips, I had my finger in his mouth trying to fish it out. All I managed was a sharp bite from his 2 little toothies.

It was a beautiful sunny day to spend at the local park after. And despite what you see here, no. He didn't get a second chance to eat (maybe a taste) it again, this time a daisy. We yanked him off the ground as soon as he started it put it to his mouth! Oh no you don't!

You know how they say make children's food colourful so it is more appealing for them to eat? Well, here you go. Perfect example.

And I'm thinking, if they used the pansy as a garnish, its not poisonous. Right?

I have

I have unobstructed views of clear blue skies right here from home

It is not often I slip into the "If only I have/can ..." moments. But when I do, there is always something or someone that quickly yanks me right out of the thought and puts me on the brighter side of things. This morning, Jess did just that. Thank you!

With a cranky baby, waking up to the boy's cries a few times in the middle of the night because somehow he has wet his PJs or a lost dummy leaves me questioning.. "WHY!!".

Or realising, "hey... it feels like we haven't had a getaway for what seems like the longest time ever".

Or wonder why can't we afford this? I WANT this! And this.. and wow! maybe that too!". I don't go for frequent manicures. I don't go out shopping enough to realise the shop has closed down more than THREE years ago!

And what? You are going to watch Avatar? ...Umm, where exactly is it?

Kate Spade, Molton Brown, who are you?

But.

I am acutely aware I am a lucky girl despite all of that.

I have many things most money can't buy. Simple things. And they make me smile and be happy about.



I have the most supportive husband who leaps out to give me a helping hand, to love and make me laugh, making me the happiest girl in the world.

I have an adorable son, who crawls onto my lap, pulling me close to him for a cuddle and a kiss, who makes me throw my head back with a belly laugh.

I have a wonderful family near and far.

I have friends who are merely a text or a phonecall away .. for some non-kiddy chit chats. Even better when they are scattered all over the world,  different time zones means there is always somebody online to talk to!

I have the pleasure of going on day trips exploring places which most of my overseas friends yearn to visit here in Melbourne. I have the pleasure of admiring clear blue skies from this side of the world. I have the opportunity to be all dressed for up all the 4 seasons we get in a single day in typical Melbourne fashion! Woollen coats and scarves, soft and thin silky tops, all hung up in the wardrobe ready to be worn in the rain or shine!



If you are one of those who can't help but say "I don't have time! Why don't I have this?", sit down and count what you actually do have. You will most likely be pleasantly surprised. It could be the simplest things in life you feel happy about.

I have a good life =)

Kayden at 11 months

 

Happy 11 months Kayden!

One more month and you're officially not a baby anymore =( I am going to enjoy all the cuddles and kisses my BABY still wants to give me (when he feels like it).

We were at the playground yesterday afternoon, and I sat Kayden on the swing and went down the slide with him. He was happiest when I sat him on the big fat rubber crocodile. But he reached for the ground playing with the mulch covering instead! Haha! The sparkle in his eyes made my heart sing!

p/s: we're finally breaking out the summer wear!

The grass is not always greener

We had a deliciously warm sunny weekend in Melbourne at long last! Spring was only here half heartedly when it first started. But over the weekend, the boy and I were out enjoying the sun in the backyard! We sat on the grass enjoying the cool breeze as it blew until it was time for lunch.

Kayden was not totally convinced about this green thing Mommy calls 'grass'.

When put on it, he hardly moved from his sitting position! He gingerly touches the grass blades and then pulls his hand back when he realizes it was a little prickly! What a DIVA! If you look carefully, when he was crawling around, his shins weren't really touching the ground, just his knees. He actually had his toes pointing up even. So, in the end, I had to go back inside to grab him a cloth to sit on instead. And he was as happy as a lark after that!

Warm weather = happy days! Can't wait for the weekend to arrive, we're going on a day trip! Yipee!

The very same foot

@First hour of birth

 

@10 months

Kayden says...

Hmmmm, after sharpening my tooth on the cot the other day, 

they went out and got this 'rail guard' thingie which they stuck at the top of my rail.

It's not so fun to chew on anymore! Boriiiing!

 

AH HAH! 

Mom left this inside my cot while she's busy clicking away 

with that metallic box in front of me. Tasty!!

A belated birthday

 
Just coming across from Anna's blog, I too have just only realised my blog had silently turned one a month ago!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY

LIFE WITH A MINI!

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who visit!  I have most enjoyed all of your emails, messages and comments. Thank you also if you are a silent reader, I know there are a few handfuls of you out there! =)
 
Cheers! To my family, friends and new found friends via the world of blogging!

Kayden tells you his routine at 10 months

 
7am   First feed of the day, dreamfeeding. Daddy gets the relaxed me, feeding and changes my nappy with ease. Then he kisses us goodbye and leaves for work.

9.30am   Wake up, roll over and try to pry sleeping Mommy's eye open. Or, if they were heartless enough to make me sleep in my cot the night before, I start bouncing in there, making a nuisance of myself, until Mommy wakes up. And then, when she tries to change my nappy, I show her one of my many wrestling moves.

11am   Milk feed

12Noon    Lunchtime (congee and yoghurt) and then on my playmat for a a bit.

1.30pm  'Ma Ma (Grandma) picks me up and pats me to sleep *Woohoo!* I am out like a light within 5 minutes.

2.30pm   I am up again. But Heyyy! When did you put me down Ma Ma!!!?? Get me out of my bouncer NOW!!!

3pm    Nappy change, and milk feed. Then I wander around the room following Mommy around, entangling myself around her feet and basically learning the word "NO!!!" a million times for the next hour or two from her. When she gets sick of removing me from some sticky situations (see above), she puts me in my playpen (read: cage), and puts something on for me to watch on the telly. And if I get lucky, Mommy gives me some crustkits to nibble on.

4pm    Maybe a long walk in the park, when Mommy decides its not freezing outside and the sun is out.

5pm    Bathtime

6pm   Dinner

7pm   Daddy's home! Time to go bother somebody else and give Mommy a break from me.

7.30pm   Dinnertime for the adults, they put me on my highchair and I sit with them at the head of the table (like Ye Ye - grandfather), and sometimes I get a nibble out of some of their food. But mainly, it's just fun for me. Like yesterday, I stuffed an entire piece of chicken into my mouth. Sneakily, chew and pretend I've swallowed it and Mom gives me another piece... until she realises what I was up to, and tries to dig everything out of my mouth. FUN!

8pm   Hang out with Daddy

9pm   Nappy change and milk feed. Mommy zips me up in my sleeping bag. Bedtime.

Hello spring!

Goodbye winter, and HELLO to you spring! When you decide to show up on some days that is.

The temperature has been slowly creeping up. It is still cold, the temperature sits in the low tens or so. But, the days are getting longer and little green buds are starting to emerge from the cherry blossom trees on the nature strips.

Despite September being the coldest spring Melbourne has had in years, we are taking our long afternoon walks again. All rugged up of course, me in my warm fleecy jumper and Kayden tucked up to his shoulders in his foot muff and hat.

The boy loves the outdoors, and one afternoon in the crisp, warm afternoon spring sunshine, he was 'singing' as we walked through picturesque scenes like these.

Beautiful!

Stuck at a corner

Kayden has started to cruise. He pulls himself up to a stand at a piece of furniture and slowly makes his way around.

We have a big rectangular coffee table in the rumpus room, and Kayden cruises around it a fair bit. Until recently, he wasn't able to go around the corners. He is so funny to watch! What happens when he reaches the big rounded corner of the coffee table? He starts SCREAMING  to psych himself up for the bend. I am not kidding! We all burst out laughing when he starts to scream in fear. It's terrible I know. But I can't help myself. He has this look on his face where he furrows his brows together and turns his smile upside down. Then he S-L-O-W-L-Y inches his way around it carefully. It takes maybe about 2-3 minutes for him to do that corner. 

Screaming the whole time.

Then he stops when he makes the corner...... until he reaches the next one. Now, the thing is, he still hasn't discovered how to get back into a sitting position from standing. So really, he just goes round and round the table for a really long time. It's like a open play pen really! And then, when he gets tired, and his legs start to shake, he starts calling out for somebody to save him. 

I would upload a video of this, but because he takes SO LONG to go around the table, the video will be just too long. So here's a photo of his ugly scowl again to entertain you for a little.

Now it all makes sense

I mentioned that Kayden was teething and his first tooth has just cut through. I expected the drooling, and the incessant need to chew on everything he can get his fingers on. I am fine with it, I get that it soothes his gums so I just let him be, so long he has not been dipping his fingers in his potty beforehand. This chewing thing is really not such a big deal I thought.

At the shops, I have seen rubber rail guards for baby cot rails. And I thought to myself then, why on earth would people waste money on these things? Surely its not such a big issue letting them chew and lick the cot rails?

Then, hubby noticed these teeth (or rather 'tooth', because he has only 1 at the moment) marks all along the inside of Kayden's cot rail.

Then it all makes sense.

So THAT's WHY they say always check that you buy an Australian Standard cot that meets all the requirements (baby safe lead free paint).

So THAT'S WHY his hoodie was covered in these mysterious white specks this afternoon. I literally just brushed it off, thinking it was lint. The marks run all the way along his cot rail, and there really wasn't that much on his hoodie. So if that is the case, it means he has EATEN the paint. Bleh!

And, so THAT's WHY they sell those rail guards! DUH. To stop your baby behaving like a hungry beaver devouring corn on a cob.

Thank god I'm not breastfeeding him anymore too.

Waking up

I don't know about other babies, but when Kayden wakes up, he's a DRAMA KING. In my sleepy state, the distant grumbling starts getting louder and louder. It's as if he's saying "Helloooo.. I'm awake now, I'd like my milk now pleeeeease!". Then it gets even louder and louder, until it is as if he is screaming out "HELLOOOO????? It's morning now isn't it??  I am ready to get up now, why are you still lying there? WAKE UP Mommy! Waaaaaaaaake uuuuup nowwww! Wake up!!! MILK! Milk milk! Now dammit, NOW!"

And by then, if he was sleeping in the bed with us, he would have rolled and shuffled over, with much difficulty in his sleeping bag. It does look pretty tricky to crawl in that thing. Somehow end up on top of me with his hands patting my face, sometimes even trying to peel my eyes open.

You see, if I pretend I am still sleeping, and stay in whatever position I am in, I may get say, an extra 5 minutes of snooze time. Instead of having to jump out of the cosy sheets right away. He thinks I am still sleeping and waits for abit, still grumbling to himself.

So rare he is up and awake, playing by himself, looking somewhat cheery like this, while waiting for me to wake up. Or maybe that's what he does, every morning. Wait quietly. Of which may seem like an eternity to him, because I loove a sleep in.

And maybe that's why it escalates to a screaming match every morning. Hmmm.....

Kayden: Entering Toddlerhood

I was looking at nappies for him and the next size up says "Toddler". And a toddler he is indeed.

Kayden is now well and truly crawling and cruising. He pulls himself up to anything he can get his little hands on. The edge of the coffee table, the couch, a box, my pants, the window blinds! He's experimenting and discovering that he can get to things alot faster and closer. He leans and stretches until he is able to grab hold of something he has his eyes on. Not a spare moment is spared when he spots Mommy seated comfortably in the recliner. He quickly crawls over to me, and in no time, is pulling himself to a stand in front of me with that cheeky grin he gives! Then he does that little bouncy dance so I pick him up.

He is also starting to let go of one hand when cruising. Scary! For me! I picture his little brain bouncing off the walls of his skull everytime he takes a fall, where tears follow. 

After weeks and weeks of tears and grief, his first tooth has finally cut through, finally. I am so glad he is not one of those babies who cuts 4 teeth at one go, ouch! Our dentist said he had a 18 month old who cut 6 all at once! EEeep!

It is early days, but I am getting him used to the potty. Oh boy, he HATES the potty. The first couple of times he sat his bottom down on it, his legs went as stiff as a surfboard. Actually, I take that back, he still does that now. He refuses to sit on the thing! He reacts as if the potty is toxic! The first time it happened,  I found it so funny and couldn't stop laughing. He stops struggling, turns around long enough to stare at me , then he cups his little hand over my lips, meaning "Stop laughing Mommy!".

So to distract him, I started saying "Oh! Look! What's that on the front of your potty?" And it always works a treat. He stops struggling, sits down and peers down to look.

Every time.

How long more before he realises its a trap, I don't know.

Kayden's ugly scrowl

Kayden understands the word No by now and he can most definitely express his dislike for the word! It doesn't help when we laugh at him when he does it, he just scrunches up his face even more when we do. Yikes!

Routines at 9 months

I joke with my friends that these are not Kayden's routines, it is really MY routine.  It's all fun and games for him, and abit of work for me to do. With the help of a popular parenting book, I have followed the suggested routines with HUGE success. We got him onto the routine when he was 4 months old. He used to wake up at least once each night. Shortly after I put him on the routines, he slept right through the night.

And now, he wakes up and goes down for his sleep at expected times. I find it alot easier to plan a trip out, or to book for an appointment knowing what times he will be awake and ready to head out the door.

7am - Kayden wakes up. (He is almost like clockwork, plus or minus 5 to 10 minutes) Hubby gives Kayden a nappy change and his first milk feed of the day. Kayden goes straight back to sleep. By 7.15am he is fast asleep again.

10am - Kayden is awake and ready to start his day. Another nappy change and some playtime with me.


11am - I give Kayden his second morning milk feed.

12Noon - Lunchtime. He sits in his high chair, and I give him some finger foods (snow peas, carrot sticks, broccoli,etc) to feed himself with while waiting for his lunch to be ready. When it is ready,I feed him and have my own lunch after.

1pm - Kayden goes down for a nap while I wash up after lunch.

1.30pm - I do abit of housework, or some me time while Kayden is still sleeping.


2pm - Kayden is awake. Playtime.

3pm - Another milk feed, and maybe some afternoon tea of cruskits or some fruits.

3.30 pm - We head off for an afternoon walk if the weather is looking good outside.


4.30pm -  Back from our walk, I give Kayden some books and toys, sit down with him for a bit and then jump in for a quick shower while he's playing.

 5.30pm - I prep his dinner and leave it to cook while I give Kayden a bath.

6pm - Kayden's dinnertime. Sometimes he has some plain yoghurt with some fruit purees in it.

7pm  - Dinner with the rest of the family. If we're lucky, Kayden would be asleep by now. If not, he joins us at the dinner table in his high chair. Although these days, I prefer if he stays awake at this time as if he sleeps now, its like a power nap for him. Otherwise, almost for sure, he will be up by 9pm, wide eyed and fully awake for more play till late! We watch some TV together, read, play, generally just spending some family time together.

8pm - Kayden has his last milk feed of the day. 

9pm - Kayden goes to sleep for the night.

10pm -  Hubby and I spend some time together, catch up on some gossip and maybe a late night movie on some days.

11pm - Lights out.

A little spot of happiness

I love it when life gives you a little bit of a surprise sometimes. A little spot of a rainbow hidden in an overcast winter sky may just do the trick.

Those were the days...

Thankfully, the above isn't our routine anymore. He was just over a week old. No more of that 2-3 hourly feeds!  Look at my scribbling towards the end (or rather the beginning of a new day which I wasn't ready to start). I was losing it. I never slept more than 3 hours at one go. Geez, how in the world did I manage that! Sheer Supermommy power!

And of course, due to my pregnancy brain which is still hanging around, I didn't realise it actually takes a baby some time to get used to not being breastfed anymore. So instead of stopping the breastfeeds at 6 months as I had preferred, he stopped at 7 months.

In the times I was weaning him off, I still wake up several times in the night. Right up until perhaps 2 months ago I was still doing that. I remember even when Kayden actually slept for 3 hours straight in the early days, I STILL woke up anyway, just to check on him. I was afraid he was starving, but was just too hungry to even cry. I know of other moms out there who jump out of bed in the middle of the night because they thought they heard their baby cry. When you are a new mother, every little sound makes you think your baby is awake and needs you. When I went into his room, of course I found my baby fast asleep, sometimes doing a little baby snore. It was just silly me waking up for nothing. He was fine.

I still jot the times down in the sleeping diary till this day. I don't do it every single day like I used to, but often enough. I like going through it and marveling at how far my baby has come along since.

Today, he sleeps through the night. But he is still like clockwork with his routines! Check back again soon, it'll be for another post later on.

Kayden 9 months update

My baby is growing up right in front of my eyes each day. 9 months! Wow. Where did time go? 

Kayden is doing the commando crawl. To his delight, the treasures stored under the coffee table is now well within his reach. Or the remote. Or my feet. Or better yet, a FULL bottle of water that I stupidly left uncapped on the far corner of his playmat because I FORGOT he can now crawl. Thinking I will be back to claim my bottle in no time, I left it where I was sitting close to Kayden on the carpet right before I walked off . I was right in the middle of preparing Kayden's dinner, when my husband let out a shout and was scurrying around frantically, saying "Need some cloth!!!". He had found Kayden with a bottle of water which he was waving around in the air, the water still splashing out around him. The bottle was almost completely emptied out! Thank god it was not a bottle of red, and just water!

He also has a toy train which he loves. He's only had the train to play with for the past 2 months or so. His idea of 'play' is leaving his finger on a button which plays a tune for as long as he presses it.  Earlier today, I left him playing with his train and all of a sudden he lets out a frustrated cry. Tears and all. He looked devastated. Turns out that he has played with it so much, that it has finally gone flat. When I approached him, he lifted his little finger off the button and put it back on again, and then looks at me and back at his train as if to say "Mom!! It's dead!". I almost melted! Haha! I was amazed he actually knew how to communicate! 

My little baby used to be the length of my arm. Now, he is half my height! No kidding! People think Kayden is a one year old. He looks and behaves like it, except for the walking bit! No hurry with the walking, I am quite happy to cuddle my baby for now.

In denial much?

My real life emoticon

=P

I heart Sydney

 

Last weekend, our little family went on a little trip to Sydney. It was Kayden's first time on board a plane! He was a dream to be with. When he was not sleeping, he would be winning over the hearts of other passengers with his winning gummy smiles and baby laughter. He was happy and hardly fussed throughout the entire trip.

We had a blast during the short trip. The forecast was for possible showers for the weekend. But what are the chances that it was overcast when the plane touched down to only open up to big sunny clear blue skies when we stepped out of the airport? And started drizzling only when we were seated in the plane ready for take off, on our way home! We indulged in going on hunts for fresh food, lots of happy laughter, long brisk warm walks along the harbour, the breeze on a water taxi ride and at the end of the day, long warm relaxing baths to soothe the body and soul.

We all left our hearts in Sydney! Can't wait to head up there again soon one day!

Finding myself a little lost

I have a confession. I haven't always been the person I am. As a teenager, I was impulsive. I make stupid and rash decisions. BUT, I acted on how I feel and followed my heart. I can honestly say I don't have regrets in my life during my teenage years. However moronic my actions were. And back then, I had all the freedom and time in the world. Nothing was too hard or impossible! I did what I did, and I learned not to make the same mistakes again in future. But those mistakes to me, were very valuable lessons in life.

As a young adult fresh out from university, I got married at a young age. We were both just starting out in life. And as a young adult, just starting out life in the harsh world of reality, I found myself having to be alot more accomodating to others because I was inexperienced in life. There was lots to learn. So, I watched. I listened and I compromised. A LOT. So the person I am now, is mellowed out so much, I have come to realise just only recently, that I think I have lost a big part of me.  And I need to find MYSELF again.

Becoming a mother and then turning 30 has been a huge milestone in life for me.

I want to live my life the way I want to. It doesn't sit well with me right now thinking that when I am 50, I am telling Des "I should done this", "I should have done that" or "I should have said that". By then, my life is far from over, but it might be too late to do things a certain way with the same gusto at a time like now.

But, I am not too sure how I am going to go about finding myself while having to juggle being a mother at the same time. I feel like I have taken a backseat in life when I gave birth to my beautiful little man 8 months ago. I desperately want to be a good parent, but I yearn to be a unique individual with a spontaneity for life. I know I have to do and say things with caution, after all I am his role model! (for now anyway)I  have blinkers going on in my head doubting whether it is still possible. I am at a crossroad in my life and I need to think about which direction I want to head toward for my years ahead.

Or is this just my post pregnancy hormones playing up? Tell me! Oh, just don't tell me I am heading towards a mid life crisis!

If you are a parent, or a busy individual, I would love to hear how you prioritize your life, to rediscover you.  Am I making any sense here today? Send me an email, or leave me a comment, I would love to read and learn from your experiences or suggestions!

A first for everything...

Kayden threw his first full blown tantrum yesterday. He picked up an old roll of tape I had dugged out to close up some boxes earlier. He was having fun with it, he held it in his hand, passed it from one hand to the other, wore it as a bracelet and shook it in the air (he loves doing that with anything new to see if it makes a sound).

I had my eyes on the TV, and he was on my lap doing all that contentedly. And then, I realised HANG ON, he's hardly moving much anymore and he has gone all quiet.

Now, as a parent, u instinctively know that something isn't quite right when your child  goes all silent at times. This one one of them.

I peeled my eyes away from the TV, looked down and he was having a ball gnawing away at the dirty old roll of tape. Of course, a game of tug of war ensued when I tried to take it off him.

I pried it off his soggy hands. Kayden took a deep breath and let out a piercing loud scream. The type of -NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!GIVE IT BACK TO ME! I WANT IT! type of cry.

You should have seen the look he gave me! The look of sheer stubbornness and mischievousness! To be honest, I wanted to laugh! Instead, I handed him back the other toy he was playing with before the tape. He forgot about what just happened and continued chewing on that instead.

Babies.

Souffle cheesecakes!

A teaser photo. The other day I baked some souffle cheesecakes! Taste wise they were to die for! They tasted and felt exactly like the ones I used to buy back in Singapore.

Everytime I bake it so far, the cake fairies devour it really quickly. I love it when people (and fairies) love my bakes and ask for my recipe. I have never said no, I always share!

I am still going to play with the recipe abit more because it didn't keep its height after I took it out of the oven. I am about to go and try another batch sometime soon with cream of tartar in it. If anyone knows the trick to the problem, please email me and let me know.

One day...

When I was standing there taking this picture, I imagine the day Kayden will be tearing through playgrounds in the parks like this one.

Ninja Chickens

Talking about pets one day in the car.

 -  -  -

Kel: I don't think we are going to end up with any pets after all. You and Kayden have eczema. Can't have a dog. Maybe we'll have chickens instead.

Des: No way. Who's going to clean up the chicken poop?

Kel: We don't really have to clean it up much .. we'll just have a dirt floor.

Des: We can't do that! What about the foxes?

Kel: There's no foxes in the area.

Des:  Ok, maybe no foxes, but there might be feral cats or even just normal cats. We might end up having foxes, feral cats and cats sitting outside the chicken coop playing JAN- KEN- PON (ala HxH) to decide who gets the chicken. The only way we can ever have a chicken is if its a ninja chicken, hiding in the shadows and waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting predator.

Kel: *imagining what a Ninja chicken would look like* Hahahahahahahahhaaaa!!! Ninja Chickens!

-  -  -

*Insert picture of Ninja Chicken here... if either of us could draw lol*

Winter afternoon walks

I bring Kayden out for afternoon walks fairly often but, I must confess we go less often in winter. But if the sun is out, chances are we are out for a nice long afternoon walk. Just the boy and I.

 

 

 

There is some parkland next to home and we take long slow walks through it. Kayden loves it when I point out birds on the treetops, or show him the swaying leaves, the water running through the creek and sometimes we stop and try to spot a Koala. There is a little log book where people contribute their observations, we don't have any luck yet!

When we stop for a little break and a sip of water, he tries to make small talk with me. He goes "daaa da dah da da!"  Then he looks at me, and waves his hands as if to be describing to me what he saw before.

And on our way back home, he falls silent, most of the times because he dozes off in his seat.

Sometimes I wonder who was really doing all the walking....

A foodie in the making

To date, at 8 months of age, Kayden has tried a variety of foods. Mostly purees so far, but I have been told by the maternal nurse to stop doing that now. Instead, I should try mashing them with a fork if needed, and to give him finger foods.

I am glad she pre warned me that when some babies first eat non pureed food, they tend to gag. But we will BOTH get used to it I am sure.

He has been eating solids for 2 months now, and he has tried these foods (not in chronological order):

1. Commercial rice cereal (which he reacted to)
2. Pumpkin
3. Apple
4. Pear
5. Banana
6. Avocado
7. Broccoli
8. Corn
9. Chicken
10. Porridge
11. Sweet potato
12. Carrot
13. Cheese
14. Broccolini
15. Fish
16. Wholemeal toast

At his most recent allergy test, he had a positive reaction to eggs (u poor thing, I hope you grow out of it quickly, you won't know what you are missing out on!) and dustmites (who doesn't?).

So I read the labels carefully when purchasing commercial baby food for him and avoiding contamination of it via common utensils we use to serve and prepare his food at home. 

Until recently, he was quite happy with any combination of the food above. But I get a feeling he has finally realised that the steaming hot food we are eating from our plates and bowls are not quite the same as the colourful moosh I am stuffing into his mouth! We don't feed him with the usual food we eat. I think it is abit young to introduce seasonings to a baby's diet at the moment.

Over the past week, he seem to have lesser interest in his baby food. Many a times, he would rather go hungry than to have it. Talk about stubborn!

But the other night, Kayden decided after 3 or 4 spoonfuls of his chicken and potato moosh, that he wanted something else! He got sooo cranky and whiney, and if he could talk, I am almost certain he was screaming " I don't want to eat this! I want McDonald's!". Haha, maybe not quite. But it was that look in his face and his cry that meant he wanted to eat but just not what I was feeding him.

Then, a lightbulb went up in my head. I made him a grilled cheese toast.

I know. Not exactly 'dinner' type food. He loves cheese. And, he gobbled it up. Close to 3/4 of a whole slice of  grilled cheese toast. So he obviously enjoyed it.

He even smelled like cheese afterwards. Much better than regurgitated milk.