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

Finally!

When Kayden was a newborn, everyone commented how much he looked like Dez. He is looking alot like me when I was about his age now!

Soggy

I love Daddy (and my teether)

His thumb, that's what. Because Kayden is almost always chomping on his thumb and index finger these days. Sometimes both at the same time! They say that if a baby sucks on his thumb, he loves Daddy more. And Mommy, if it is his index finger.

I love Mommy (even while sleeping)

A summer sunset beach wedding

We attended Dez's workmate's beautiful sunset beach wedding a few weeks ago. We are only just 2 weeks into autumn, and I miss summer already!!

Kayden at 4 months: Picture this...

2 adults pressing their faces against the sides of the door frame, one kneeling on the ground, and the other right above him, trying to peer at their son who is too busy rolling around in his cot instead of going to bed! Haha! YES. That was us. We actually did that.  It sounds so stupid. And something that you thought you will only see in a Scooby Doo cartoon.

And in case you missed what I said. He ROLLED! Onto his tummy! YAY!


Kayden is now 4 months old. Alittle bit ahead of his milestones. Most babies should be able to roll around 5 or 6 months. Round about the time which they should be teething, which I am suspecting Kayden is also doing! I have had people telling me Couldn't be! Too early!

But this is the same baby who has defied quite a few odds of the universe! The same one people have told me its too early to feel him kicking at 14 weeks when I was pregnant with him and then too early to be babbling at 10 weeks old!

The poor little thing constantly has his fist in his mouth, sucking, rubbing and chewing. And the drool!! Arghh!!! How does one produce SO.MUCH. drool? The tooth has not cut through his gums yet, but I have heard that a baby could be teething for a while before that actually happens. So the middle of the night screaming continues meanwhile.

Who was that person who started the saying that "it will get better after 3 months"? Somebody please tell her she's wrong!

There WILL be light at the end of the tunnel.....calm blue seas...breathe in.....breathe out.................................

Things you learn about a newborn

I mentioned sometime ago in a previous entry that I will post about new things you learn about a newborn. Here are things I may not have mentioned before, and according to my own little 'mommy brain'. It makes me feel warm inside remembering the times Kayden was just a teeny tiny little thing! Small and squishy!

Kayden at 5 days old
• Babies come out looking puffy. Their environment when in utereo is nice and warm, so they put on extra weight before they are born, to protect themselves from the cold outside. They then lose up to about 10% of their weight a few days after they are born. And if born via a natural delivery, their eyes are probably puffy too, because of the pressure their little heads go through during birth.
• Even without feeding right after they are born, babies may pass a black coloured, tar textured poo called meconium. It is from the liquids and other substances they take in while in utereo. I don't know why its black though?
• They then feed at very short regular intervals. It's their way of making sure that the supply is there because the more they feed, the more milk you will produce.
• A newborn's stomach is tiny. It is the size of a small coin, possibly just only about 2-3cms in diameter. At 3 months of age now, Kayden's stomach is probably only just slightly larger than the size of a ping pong ball.
• All babies stomachs look puffy. It is NOT wind as many of the older generation will tell you. Its alot of innards to fit inside a small body!
• They will recognize Mommy and Daddy's voice straight away and be able pick it up from a room full of people. They will probably calm down from hearing mommy or daddy's voice.
• The have 2 spots on their heads which are soft. Their skulls are not fully closed to allow their heads to fit through the birth canal during birth.
• Newborns are very noisy breathers! Their nasal passage ways are tiny so they sneeze alot due to the dust and fluff. Remember I did this?
• When you see a baby suddenly throw their arms out while they are sleeping, it is called the 'startle reflex'.
• When you put a finger into the palms of your new baby, he/she will always curl their finger on over it - the 'grasp reflex'.
• If you sweep your baby's cheek or near his/her mouth, they will turn towards it to suckle. - the 'rooting reflex'.

When I was pregnant with Kayden I read up alot on things before he was born, so I knew what to expect in the early days. Luckily I did too, there is just no time nor energy after baby arrives!

Kayden's already outgrown some of those newborn milestones. He's growing up too quickly!

Sometimes I wonder who was doing all the pushing and walking...

Routines at 3 months

I think at 3 months of age, Kayden has finally fallen into a routine.

8 am     : Nappy change, first feed of the day

8.30am : Back to bed for his morning nap, where he usually sleeps for 2 sometimes 3 hours. I either go back to bed or am up for my breakfast.

11am    : Feedtime again but this time he keeps up for abit more and I put him in his bouncer and its playtime with mommy.

12pm   : Ideally, it is nap time again. And I am able to have my lunch while watching daytime TV.

2pm    :  Kayden wakes up after a 2 or 2.5 hour nap and is up and very alert this time round. Nappy change and it is time for another feed. After that, I sometimes put him on his playmat and plays, or he is in his bouncer while I go around the house doing some household chores. But around this time is also when he gets grizzly and clingy. He may then transforms into a baby koala, meaning he insists on me carrying him for at least the next hour or so!

4pm     : Hopefully back in his cot for another nap. Sometimes he wants another feed at this time. By this time, I am usually exhausted and I may also go for a nap while he's asleep.

6pm     : Nappy change when Kayden wakes up, and if he's happy to be back in his bouncer I put on something on TV for him or put him on his playmat while I am in the kitchen preparing dinner for the evening.

7pm      : Dez is home from work and he gives Kayden his bath. I feed him and we have our dinner after.

8pm or 9pm : Bedtime for Kayden or he spends some time with us, or Dez and I watch some TV.

11pm    : Kayden is up again for his last feed of the day. Dez changes his nappy, gives him a bottle of formula and puts him back to bed.

12MN  : Dez and I go to bed.

4.30am  : My boobs wake me up and I attach myself to the pump while I surf the internet using my mobile (I need something to do during don't I?).

5am      : I slump back into bed until Kayden is up again.

********************************************************************

So you see, 4 to 5 hour sleeps is the best I get! I said my goodbyes to my 8 hour night sleeps shortly after I fell pregnant. I don't see us reuniting at least till June, where I may wean Kayden off, but I'll see how we go then.

Showers of blessings...which he didn't share...

And thank god for that! It was the first morning of Chinese New Year and I was all dressed and ready to head out for yumcha with the family. I usually have us all ready, Kayden's nappy bag packed and then leave it to the last 15 minutes or so before I do one last nappy change before we step out the door.


I have just finished wiping him down and only turned sideways to place the soiled nappy into the bin. It was a mere 2 seconds later when I turned back, to see my son with a stunned look on his face.


Somehow, he had managed to wee onto himself! His face and body wet from him giving himself a golden shower!! I know that urine is sterile, but it still didn't stop me from giving out a loud yelp which brought Dez running into the room. Smelling like pee isn't the best baby scent, especially on the first day of new year! So we made a mad dash to give him a quick bath.


Funny now, when I think back about it! And oh boy, what a story we have for his 21st birthday speech! Haha!

Kayden at 3 Months

Kayden is 3 months old. He now weighs 6kgs and is 60cms tall. My newborn is not so new anymore! I used to get  the"what a tiny little baby!" comment from other moms in the parents' room. Now, I get the "he's big for a 3 month old!".  Indeed, Kayden is alot taller (I find it weird to say longer, even though he's not standing) and bigger in comparison to other 3 month olds I see.

The poor little man is suffering from cradle cap at the moment, I call it cradle crap. A dry crusty layer that forms on the scalp because of excessive oils or something like that. It does no harm to babies, and was told it shouldn't bother him. But my poor baby is obviously bothered by it. His face full of scratches when he misaims, trying to reach for the top of his head.  3 to 6 months it may last for, the doc says. So lots of olive oil before bathtime to help soften it, but only to come back again the next day, argh!

He is quite a chatterbox! When left in his rocker, he babbles to himself, sometimes for a good half hour or so. And he babbles right back when being spoken to.He does the "auuughhhh" and the "aughh gooos" to anything in sight!

2 weeks ago, Kayden also discovered his hands. He waves it in front of his face with his eyes transfixed at it! It was hilarious when I once caught him dozing off in his rocker still with his arm held up to his face! Funny as!

He has also finally started to sleep longer hours at night. Once or twice a week, he surprises me and sleeps all the way through! But I still crawl out of bed in the middle of the night anyway, breastfeeding moms will know why!

He loves his cot mobile! It is just a simple one, its not battery operated so it doesn't turn unless we do it for him. And when we do, the little fella looks at us, and almost always gives a wide grin as if to say "Thanks Mom/Dad!",  before resuming the conversation with his pals!

I love my little man!

Harumi's carrot and tuna salad

When I saw this recipe from The Little Teochew I was itching to make it. And I am so glad I did, it was so yummy! I love tuna, and I love salads, perfect for the hot weather we have in Melbourne this week too! It is named Harumi's salad because the original recipe hails from Harumi Kurihara - the Martha Stewart of Japan! Interesting, you learn something new everyday. I might do a little bit more research on her later..
I ate this as a main meal, but you could probably portion it as an entree or a side salad. So depending on big you want your portion to be, it could serve either 1 or 4.

Recipe

(Original recipe from Harumi Kurihara and adapted from The Little Teochew)

2 carrots julienned

90g canned tuna (I used Sirena brand and drained most of the oil)

50g finely sliced onion (I had a lonesome red one sitting by itself)

1 tsp finely minced garlic

oil for frying

Dressing: (mix all of these first before dressing the salad)

*2 tbsp white vinegar ( I only had red wine vinegar so I used that, tasted fine!)

*1 tbsp mustard ( I used wholegrain mustard)

*salt and pepper to taste

*splash of soy sauce

*1 tsp honey ( I tasted the dressing before and after the honey. Like Ju, I think the honey is needed to adjust the tanginess of the vinegar.)

1. Mix up all the ingredients for the dressing.

2. Heat some oil up in a saucepan. Lightly stirfry the garlic, onion and carrots. The carrots should still be crunchy. Just cook to remove the rawness of the vegetables. Remove from heat.

3. Drain the tuna, add the vegetables and dress the salad.

4. Chill and serve.

When the tree fell down...

Ok. It wasn't a tree, but it was a very BIG branch! We live in an extremely green area with lots of trees in our suburb. Many of the trees have been around for god knows how long. So, naturally, alot of the trees are tall and have extremely big and heavy branches. We came home one evening to find a note on our gate from a very kind neighbour who said she had witnessed a branch fall from a tree belonging to a restaurant on the other side of our fence fall into our backyard! It was late, so we couldn't see a thing. But the next morning, to our horror, this was what we saw.

The branch was obviously getting too heavy, and with the winds we had that week when it happened, it was no wonder this happened. It was no one's fault really. But I was annoyed because we are actually in the midst of selling our property and our perfectly manicured hedging is now all ruined! So were the fence and lattice.

But it was a relief when the owner of the restaurant took action almost immediately when informed about the damage. Within an hour of a quote, the tree people came, chopped off the monstrosity into blocks and took it away. And then it looked like this...

Open inspection was in a day and it wasn't a great way to showcase our backyard (which is big, and honestly part of the feature of our property). The fence guy who got the job from the restaurant owner didn't have enough materials to start work right away, but toddled off to get some wood from somewhere ( I suspect Bunnings from around the corner), came back to our place and quickly patched it up for us. It isn't the best job, but it will have to do for the time being!

*Inhale*. *Exhale*. Things happen for a reason.... happy thoughts... happy thoughts...

Just chilling out

Having a moment

People ask me how I am coping everytime they see me. I say fine and mean it too. Most of the times anyway. But with a new baby to cope with, things aren't always rosy. 

Right after Kayden was born, I was lucky enough to have my parents and aunt to help me out around the house. But they have since gone back home, and hubby has returned to work after the holiday season break too.

Sometimes I think "hey! I've recovered from the labour! I can jump, I can bend down,  and I can somewhat run again!". So I go about doing all the housework despite warnings from my mom and aunt (they were here to help me out during confinement) totally forgetting that the doc said it takes up to 3 months before I may fully recover from it all.

There was a night feed where I felt nothing seem to be going the right way. I was exhausted and Kayden was struggling as I was feeding him. Naturally all that wriggling brought up quite a bit of his feed which spilled onto his clothes, my clothes, the chair and the floor. Then I saw annoying baby spiders in the corners of the room as I was burping him. And just as I was putting him back into his cot, his cot door slided up and I was having difficulty pushing it back down, so I pushed and I pushed and all that noise woke hubby up and he came into the room.

I broke into tears. Nothing is going right!!! Everything is just wrong wrong wrong! Why is he puking so much? Why are there so many spiders in his room all of a sudden? What is wrong with the stupid cot door! Waaaa!!!!!

But my lovin husband immediately hugged and consoled me, telling me it is all part of having a new baby. There are many other first time moms out there who are trying to cope with it all too. I also know it is also due to my hormones settling down after the pregnancy.

Feeling reassured about it all, we both went back to our bed. Leaving Kayden soundly asleep in his cot, after all that commotion from before. He didn't stir one bit! Ahhhh... life of a baby...

Bath time

It has been just over 2 months since Kayden was born. I am still learning how to care for him and I think I have a touch and feel for most things so far. Except for the one thing. His bath! I have had a bad back for the past couple of years which required regular visits to the chiropractor's. I have only bathed him possibly just 5 times or less so far. Bending over while carrying him strained my back too much, so we are still thinking about solutions on how to improve this!

So hubby now gives him most of bath, it is great bonding time for father and son. He used to scream and squirm but now, the little man is as relaxed as he can be whenever he is in his little tub. He gives contented little sighs and kicks around,in the water and coos. He only lets out a little cry of annoyance when he is lifted out!

My happy Mr Chucker

Oh yes, he chucks up that much we usually have more than 1 piece of hanky/cloth on standby!

Happy New Year 2010

Greeting from hot and sunny Melbourne! It has been hot most of this week! My favourite way to start the new year! Whatever you are doing, I hope you are doing something nice with your loved ones!

Eat, drink and be merry! Happy new year 2010, from my family to yours!