Mummy's entry - The end of Rye Li's "nen-nen" journey

It's been one a half weeks since I last breastfed Rye Li. She just don't want her "nen-nen" anymore. I stopped pumping more than 2 months already, leaving it to just direct feeding and this is mostly at nights. I prayed that my supply will last at least till Rye Li's a year, knowing the fact that when I've stopped pumping, my supply will be lower as I only feed her once a day.

In the last month, she mostly drinks from me unconciously, when she wakes up in the middle of the night for milk. When she is fully awake, that is before her bedtime, depending on her mood, she will want her "nen-nen", if not, it will be formula in her bottle. I knew then that this breastfeeding journey for both Rye Li and I is coming to an end.

I'm glad (in a way) that it has been easy weaning her off as I hear stories of how difficult to wean babies off their mom's milk. All in all, she had 90% breastmilk till she was 7 months and after that, it became lesser gradually as it was difficult for me to pump at my new job.

I'm also glad that I've reached my goal (this had changed from 3 months to 6 months and then to a year along the way). It is not easy as I thought it would be but I survived it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the breastfeeding part but definitely not the pumping part. Any regrets on breastfeeding? Nah...it was worth the journey (yes, even waking up several times in the middle of the night to pump and also having to work around the pumping schedules; not just during working hours but also over the weekend).

A few nights ago, I tested Rye Li on this...she knows the difference between "nen-nen" and her "milk-milk" in the bottle. I asked her if she wants "nen-nen" and she looked at my chest. Then I showed her my breast and she gave me her grin. And then she shook her head from side to side to indicate "no" (a new found trait of hers to say no to us and now it's always no when we want her to do things). And she did this smiling... I smiled back sadly as I know this is it already. I will miss that special bonding we had.

Prior events to walking steadily

We've been asked by Lucas' mummy to blog on how I started my adventures in walking. Thanks for the suggestion as this will do us some good... you know, we humans can't remember alot of things for long (that's what I'm told).

Anyhow, I started taking that few steps forwards around 11 months old. It started with a few steps (perhaps 2-3 steps) and I was very excited when I did that, my face litted up with the shocked-happy-smiley expression...I guess I was too excited as before i knew it, I came tumbling down (well, more like my bum-bum falling backwards to the ground or my 2 hands falling forward to the floor first). This went on for the next 2 weeks, with more steps at one go (like 5-7 steps) but like always, with my over excited expressions, I would fall down.

The week heading towards Christmas' weekend, all of a sudden (to everyone's surprise) I started walking more confidently (definitely more than 10 steps). And by Christmas weekend, I can walk steadily already. Of course this were with falls and bumps but that didn't stop me from wanting to walk more. In fact, I tried walking faster and of course I tend to fall down more too.

Now, I want to walk at every chance I get and I don't like to hold anybody's hands when I walk. Mummy and Papa (more like Mummy) have threatened me a few times that if I don't hold their hands, I will be carried. No fun, I have to give in at times.

Walking

This video was taken a few days before my birthday...

1 year old!

My birthday came and went...just like that. So fast...and yes I am officially a year old! Big girl I am...

getting ready for my party!!!

I had my birthday party at A&W's with loads of people...I was so occupied with the balloons around me that I didn't pay much attention to my guests. How rude of me and yet I still got alot of attention from everyone. Hehe.

I'll let the pictures explained themselves...

acting all grown up!


birthday bear? hey, where's the birthday girl?


i was more engrossed in my biscuit than the people singing around me



hello under there!

I also received alot of presents... Thank you to everyone for them!

below....my presents all opened! take note of my tired face but still didn't want to take my nap then

Later that evening after dinner with Ah Kong and Ah Por (paternal grandparents), we went over to Grandpa's office and hung out there. I got to play with my cousins, RW cher cher (elder sister) and JT kor kor (elder brother) and also with my grand aunties and uncles. I had so much fun walking around on my own, screaming and laughing away. I think I got away with staying up so late coz it's my birthday...hehehe... We got home towards midnight that day and while Mummy got me ready for bed, we heard alot of fire crackers sounds and we managed to see the fireworks from Mummy's bedroom window. It did catch my eye but I soon got bored with it and Mummy made me sleep. I think I over exhausted myself that day as I woke up twice in the middle of the night crying-screaming.


The next day on new year's day, Mummy and Papa decided to take me swimming! We went over to Kai Yeh's (Godfather) clubhouse and we swam with Auntie PS and Uncle R as Kai Yeh is not feeling well. Both him and Kai Mah (Godmother) couldn't make it for my party and I was not allowed to see him till he gets better.

aunty PS and I....see how happy I am...it's been too long since I last swam!

trying to explore my surroundings under very tight supervision

As the pictures say it all....I really had heaps of fun on both my birthday and new year's day. I wonder if I'll be having fun like this in the years to come?! Mummy and Papa are getting worried now...hehe!

Mummy's entry - My baby all grown up!

My baby is surely growing up. Just yesterday morning, she actually waived bye-bye at me from the nursery and not just that, she also gave me her bye-bye kiss (her kiss is just her hand at her mouth without releasing it at you). It's a big deal to me as this is her first time doing so from there. Usually, she will just stare at me or she'll be too occupied with the other children at the nursery when I say bye-bye to her. Do I really want her to grow up that fast?!! Sob Sob!

Other things that we have been getting remarkable responses from her the last few months (it surely pays off from all those times when we feel like we're talking/singing/dancing/reading to the wall when we are doing these things to a non-responsive baby back then)...

• she will sit down/come here when i tell her to (just the other day, i told her that we were going out and that i will need to wear her skirt so i will need her to sit down and she just sat down there and then, she does the same thing when i tell her i need to put on her socks)
• she will touch her head/show her tongue/"hands up"/pass things to me when i ask her to
• she will clap her hands when i sing "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands"
• she will dance when she hear songs she's familiar with or when we ask her to (the music classes really doing her/us some good - she will remember some actions from the songs from her classes and she will act them out on her own)
• she can now sleep on her own when i leave her in her own cot and all i need to do is to tell her to sleep (of course i will need to be around in the room too)
• it's so easy to bribe her now...if a person who is not familiar to her wants to carry her, all we need to do is to tell her that he/she will take her go to see "fish-fish" or take her go "kai-kai" (for a walk) or to take her go and see whatever that fancies her
• when it's bedtime, i will tell her to go lie down as it's time for her milk and she will go to the pillow herself (i do not have my pillow anymore as she is now using it in her cot) and will wait for me to pass her the milk
• and now Papa can do it too, she will go lie down on her pillow and let Papa feed her and half way through she will pause and "show" that she wants to get into her cot to finish her milk and go to sleep. And this can be done even when she sees me around...(yippee, time for me to go partying once again!)
• since she can walk independantly, she does not want to hold our hands most of the time
• when we go out she used to like us carrying her than sitting in her stroller but now she wants to walk on her own
• when i have to give her a quick rinse (when she is all sticky from sweating so much), i will tell her to sit on the little stool while i shower her and she will just sit and stay there
• we have been teaching her how to put her toys away after she plays with them, although she has yet to master this, she knows where to put her ball back and she also knows where to find some of her toys that we have put away

Why is it when she was so dependant on us, I was wishing she'd grow up fast and now that she has gained her independence, I'm feeling all so sad (and of course proud at the same)?! You're only a year old girl and Mummy's feeling this way already...you better not hit 18 that fast ok?!!