My dear Micaiah is three months old today!

2012 has been a blessed year for me. It is the year i realised my dream as a mom. The year God gave me the greatest gift in life. I cannot comprehend how blessed i feel; when i look at my baby son, when i cuddle him, when i kiss him, when i feel his skin, and when he gives me his sweetest smile. Of course, my blessings include dear hubby who has been so understanding and persistently stood by my side through the ups and downs. Who supported me emotionally, mentally, physically and financially. Who tried his best to provide the best for his wife and son. What more can i ask when i have such a loving family? Each night i say my gratitudes to God. He has indeed given me more than i could ever imagine.

In the blink of an eye, my dearest Yaya is now three months old. That also means, he has been breastfeeding exclusively for three months (YEAH!!). My wish is to breastfeed exclusively for six months before introducing solids. SO far so, i think my breastfeeding journey has been an easy and smooth one in comparison to many other moms. All thanks to my mom in law who dilligently boils fish soups for me and God who is the Jehovah Jireh! :-)

Like my sunglass?

At three months old, Micaiah is turning into a beautiful smart little boy. He can laugh with sound now;give his cheekiest look and grin and amuse us with his various expressions. LOL, he even likes to watch TV. He throws certain tantrums, and has his own methods of getting things he wants. Sometimes i have to remind myself that he is only a baby;  but with how he has been behaving and growing, it's hard to believe.

Micaiah with his new 2012 teddy bear

Mommy prays that you will grow up a bright and happy boy always



He is weighing 7.9kg (huhuhuhuhu) and measuring at 67cm now. Such a big and tall boy for his age! LOL.

Happy new year to all of you guys! I pray that 2013 would be another exciting and wonderful year with lots of blessing for you and your household.

Pictures at Week 10

Mommy got me a new bandanna. Like it? Mommy also put me in this shirt to warn all parents with girls to lock up their daughters .... coz she said i may break many hearts when i grow up. LOL. Grandma in KK said i am already breaking many aunties' hearts. 

On 12.12.12, Mommy dressed me like Popeye the Sailor Man in hope that i will grow up strong and healthy!  Too bad, my June yiyi and grandma said i look like a girl. To show them my masculinity i gave them the below look.

I love my daddy a lot eventhough he likes to kiss me 'flat - flat' until i cannot breathe.

I am growing very well and maturing well ahead my age. Mommy said i don't look like a 2 months plus baby. I am now at least 64cm long and 7kg! Huhuhu, i will be a 6 foot tall handsome man when i grow up. 

My latest obsession

I am addicted. Addicted to snapping pictures of my dear son, editing and collaging. LOL. And guess what, hubby dearest got me an Iphone5. Hehe, yeah i was the happiest girl on planet earth four days ago. 

Well, here are the produce from my latest obsession:

The puzzle of the day: Who's who?

My lovely sweetest baby son

Regrets

Have you ever pondered and thought about the past and how you could have done it much better? Have you ever regretted the decision you once made that changed your life forever? Have you ever thought that you may be happier today if it was another path taken? Have you ever blamed yourself for what's happening? You put it on yourself.  You have chosen something which is not intended for you. You are not happy. You did not receive because you asked with a wrong motive. You have wasted too much, way way too much time. 

I don't wish hate anyone. but i have never disliked anyone as much as this before. Please let it go away, Lord. 

My priceless treasure at 9 weeks old

Huhuhu how time flies. Little Micaiah is 9 weeks old dy. I am going to keep this post short and let you drool over the pictures of my little delicious. *wink*

One of those 'modelling' days.

I must say, this is my no 1 favourite photo. Such priceless expression and grin!

Melbourne had one of its hottest days last Thursday (reaching 40 degrees C), and poor baby struggled to keep himself comfortably asleep. Look at his hot red cheeks; it's not that obvious in the picture but he sure looked like a little pig roasting in the oven on that particular day. And pity boy, he had heat rashes all over. :-(

The best part is despite the heat, he was still a happy jolly boy!

Trying to keep himself cool

Did i mention hubs went to Singapore for training last weekend? I had a long shopping list for him and well...how could i not miss these delectable treats from Bengawan Solo?

Have a nice weekend folks! :-)

Micaiah is 8 weeks old now!

Hey you beware!

 LOL. This is my baby at eight weeks old, getting chubbier and rounder and cheekier...

His night feed routine is getting better with 1-2 feeds and longer hours of sleeping. Tat means mommy has more hours of sleep now! He is still bit tad yellow though getting fairer. Maternal health nurse said mommy's milk is too concentrated and baby is still taking his sweet time to process the concentrated nutrients. Nevertheless, baby Micaiah is growing so well, gaining heaps of fat, stretching longer and giving us lesser difficult evening fusses. He sleeps more nowadays, especially after his immunisation jabs. and mommy goes out more too. hehehe.

He doesn't look like a two month old baby, does he? His wobbly fat thighs, double (or triple?) chin, and big tummy ... hahah, i have a  chubby boy looking exactly like his father when he was a baby. And growing more and more like his dad too ... not fair isn't it?

I find it funny that my baby son likes to pose like an 'aqua'. Above is a picture of him acting like one with a tudung. LOL, this is my mother in law's latest hobby: making up baby and taking pictures.

And, baby seems to be happy with all the 'makeovers'.

My little Bajau boy just awake and had his morning wash. Isn't he cheeky? LOL. 

I cannot believe i had finally survived the first two months newborn ordeal. It was difficult but when i look at this little boy, all hardships seem to fade away. Breastfeeding has its ups and downs, milk seems to be more on certain days and lesser when i wanted it to be more. Nevertheless, milk supply is sufficient for baby although i wish i had much more extra to store in the freezer. Will talk about my breastfeeding journey in another post. 

In overall, this week has been a great one for mommy and baby though i would expect baby to fuss more after jabs. Instead he has been sleeping and sleeping ... which means mommy can steal some time to finally ....

BAKE!! 

Here's my nutella hazelnut chiffon cake in an attempt to finish the expired hazelnut meal.

Cheeky and Innocent

Phew time flies! Today is Micaiah's 50th day on planet Earth and so far he has been everyone's apple of joy. Though he fusses a lot in the evening. Though he poos and farts like a big pig (despite his tiny size). Though he bullies mommy a lot. Though he is as cheeky as ever. Haha.

Have i ever explained why i chose the name 'Micaiah'? Micaiah is the hebrew translation of the name Michael which means 'Who is like God?'. Michael initially thought that Micaiah is a greek word; if i remember carefully, he got it from a Greek teacher. Later then we found out that it is actually Mihael (mee-kha-eel) and not Micaiah (mee-kay-ya). Micaiah is a prophet in the Bible, who is less well known but significant enough to leave a meaningful figure example (1 Kings 22:1-27). He was a man after God's truth and though it meant losing his life, he prophesied nothing but only what God has told him. I named my dear son Micaiah hoping that he will grow up to be an honest man, a man after God's words and heart who will also stand up for His truth. 

Well well, let's look at what this 'hoped-to-be-honest' little boy has learnt throughout his last 49 days. 

Little Micaiah loves to stick out his tongue. I admit this habit of his is my fault. Trying to prove that my son has good imitating skill during those first few days of his life, i constantly stuck out my tongue at his face  and til today, he does this whenever people stares at him. 

This is the cheeky look he loves to give sometimes and a cry always follows afterwards.

Often, he likes to pop out his eyes and makes an innocent look. Pretending to be cute, i supposed.

His skin complexion is gradually turning 'milk chocolate' ( a mix of yellow and red??). People have been commenting that he looks 'dark' in the presence of his dad or me, which i am currently doubting if it's due to the piles of chocolate i consumed during pregnancy. He was a pinkish baby when he was born, but after jaundice took over, he turned darkish yellow. Oh.....Micaiah please turn fair soon!

Baby Micaiah - Week 6

Hello i am Micaiah, and i am six weeks plus old now. I just had a bad growth spurt (again) and was demanding for milk the whole night. I couldn't help it but hunger seemed to be taking a toll of me. I knew mommy was tired and exhausted, so i gave her a big smile the next morning and more smiles throughout the day. 

I love to practise singing everyday. Although it sounds more like WAH, Ahhhhhhh, ahehhhhhh.... i always succeed in getting everyone's attention (hehe) and it remains my little secret trick (shhh..don't tell my parents this). 

I am a strong boy. I can lift up my head for two minutes when mommy puts me on my tummy. 

I am enjoying planet Earth so far. Things around me are colourful and bright. I love starring at the greens and listen to the birds singing. It's my favourite past time. 

My playful son - Week 5

Little Micaiah experienced a really bad growth spurt last week, so bad that mommy ended up teary. He was fussy and unsettled whole night long, and worse still, he remained similar the next day. It went on for few days. Yet still, when i looked at him, all anger and distress faded away naturally and my heart just melted...yeah just like tat. People say it's a love hate relationship. Though i suffered a great deal to bring this boy to the world, the pain, sleepless nights, stress and anxieties are all worth it. Yeah, Micaiah is my most most treasured creation. 

Well, my boy is growing and growing again this week. As he enters into his 5th week on planet Earth, he hits nearly 5kg and is feeding up to 9-10 times a day. Sometimes he takes more, sometimes less. Though i am not sure how much he is feeding during direct latching, i am giving him 4oz of expressed breastmilk each time i decide to bottle feed him. His head and size is rather big for a baby his age, but then again like what his health nurse said, that only means he has a bigger brain and he is a tall baby. Like mother like son ehh? LOL. I was a bigger baby than him when i was his age. *shy shy*.

Still playing after a restless night 

My daddy shaved me nearly bald. Wuuwuuuuuu ... I'm worried i am not cute anymore. 

Let's look at Yaya's milestone so far:
1. He is starting to make vocal sounds like eh eh eh.. ah ah ah...
2. He can put up his head and turn left and right when put on his tummy.
3. He is starting to smile a lot. Always gives mommy a sweet smile in the morning, i reckon he's trying to make up to me for depriving me of my precious sleep.
4. Loves being tickled. And grins whenever mommy tickles him.
5. Can stare people in their face now.
6. Imitates the cluck cluck sound that mommy and grandma always make to him.
7. Loves to practice standing with his little feet.
8. Loves to open his eyes big big and 'daze' people.
9. He is starting to adapt to the routine mommy sets for him: facial and gum wash in the morning and a romantic bath at night. By adapting, i mean 'no more cries'.
10. Loves mommy's little song.

I made up a song for him to soothe him during nappy change and it goes like this:

There once was a little boy whose name is Micaiah,

He has two lovely big round eyes and a chubby little nose,

Micaiah is fearfully and wonderfully made,

and Jesus loves him so!! 

Tummy time: 'I am naked' *shy* shy*

People r commenting he's taking after daddy's look. But this photo resembles me a lot when i was a baby.  Those eyes and lips, don't you think?

Yup, it was a tiring and restless week for mommy. On top of that, mommy did tons of other chores which include grocery shopping, washing, ironing etc. It's really hard being a mom. Sometimes i just want to quit and do nothing but sleep whole day, however when i think of this little boy; i told myself that i need to be strong because Micaiah needs mommy. To reward me,  my bestfriend Sandra brought me some tapioca cakes all the way from KK! Hehe, don't tell the custom officer yeah....Thank you :-)

Hehe, i was too eager to take a bite n nearly forgot to snap a photo.

Micaiah is a month old!

Hello, i am Micaiah and i am a month old now!

Though still a bit yellow due to breastmilk jaundice, my boy is thriving and growing well. To date he measures up to 59.5cm (measured by mommy) and we will be confirming his weight gain this Thursday at a checkup. A rather tall and big baby for a month old, isn't he?? 

Little Micaiah is a wakey baby who doesn't sleep much. He stays awake most of the time during the day starring into space. Nowadays he wails a lot to seek for attention. And the last three days have been hard for mommy. Ya Ya has not been sleeping at night, and crying a lot. Maybe he misses grandma and great-grandma? My mom and grandmom left after his fullmoon celebration on last Sat night and Ya Ya has been fussy since. Hopefully he is getting better. **fingers crossed for mommy**.

I am feeling a bit depressed at the moment. Feels like i am all alone and my world is revolved around Micaiah only. Need to arrange my schedule better and get out to do what i should be! And the strange part is I miss KK all of a sudden. The comfort of local foods, tapioca cake and po lo bao .... only in my dreams now. 

Little Ya Ya - Week 3

Little Ya Ya is currently experiencing what the nurses call, growth spurt. He gets very hungry during the night (between 8pm to 12am), and feeds every hour. Which makes mommy very tired. I was warned during one of the maternal care visits by the midwives, but didn't really fully 'understand' it until it happened. I nearly lost my temper to this little boy, who was still unsettled after many continuous feeds and kept wailing. Thank God you have a daddy who is patient with you. As a result, he ended up sleeping with us on our bed for the last couple of nights. The peculiar thing is, he doesn't feed as much during the day as he feeds at night! 

Apart from the growth spurt he is experiencing, he has been a wonderful baby. He sleeps most of the time during the day (please note: during the DAY) and is growing well! Measured at 49.0cm at birth, he stretches up to 55.0cm now and we predict him to grow out of his current changing mat in two weeks. He is sure a big baby for his age (2 weeks and 4 days?), weighing more than 4.0kg in comparison to other babies around; but he doesn't look chubby or fat, just tall and strong. LOL. 

Mommy, i am only 5cm away from the mattress end.

His jaundice has not totally cleared but he looks better and better each day. And mind you, he is a very cheeky boy. Mommy will feed you lots and lots till your jaundice clears! The sad thing is there isn't much sunshine nowadays, and it has been cloudy and moody. 

The hungry look

This year was a special one for me, not only because i am now officially a mother but because my son was born on the 28th on my 28th birth year! And i even got two red eggs from my mom and grandma!

Thank you Hubby for the cake! 

Baby Ya Ya - Week 2

Little Micaiah did not have a good start to his Week No.2. He was admitted to hospital on Friday, 5th Oct for jaundice and had to be put under phototherapy lights. My heart sank when i witnessed my little pumpkin stripped naked (apart from his pampers), forced to wear an eye mask and put into an incubator to be sunbathed. I stood by him the whole night, constantly telling him that there is nothing to be afraid of because mommy is beside him. He was taken out every four hours for feeding, and i am proud to say that my boy is really a good boy. He didn't cry. He didn't fuss. He slept through most of the time, and waking up only to feed on mommy. Thank God, his bilirubin level dropped after 24 hours and the doc finally discharged him the next day. 

Micaiah has been feeding very well. In fact I am starting to worry if he has had too much. Since birth, i have been exclusively breastfeeding him, either by direct latching or expressed breast milk. During his time in the isolette under the fluorescent light, the midwives told me that i need to produce more than enough milk to keep Micaiah hydrated otherwise, they may have to top up with formula milk. I determined not to introduce formula but only breast milk to Micaiah so i persevered and to their amazement, i managed to express out more than enough for him. God is indeed the great Jehovah Jireh isn't he? :-D Till today, i know Micaiah is having enough because he has been wetting and pooing as much as the number of times he is being fed. And, he's gaining an average of at least 70g per day! 

One of Micaiah's favourite times; bath! 

My little pumpkin sleeping soundly in his cot.

When mommy calls him, he covers his little face with his little hands. 'I don't want to wake up'.

Poor feet; poked many times for jaundice blood tests.

Mommy is getting used to motherhood now. These include waking up at nights, reduced sleep, 100% attention to Micaiah, milk and poo all over, and bubbling baby language. My baby darling, mommy loves you so much!  

Little Micaiah @ Ya Ya

Meet my prince charming, Little Micaiah Jiang ( 蒋米) who looked small from mommy's tummy, but came out 3.84 kg! I didn't have an easy labour, but it was all worth it (will write further about this when i have time :-D).

Little Micaiah (Ya Ya) born on 28th September 2012 at 3.40pm

People have been commenting that he looks more and more like daddy each day, but he has my lips and hopefully my eyes?! LOL. 

My two princes, i love you both so much. Happy 4th Anniversary, Hubby! 

Crossing my fingers for 1st October?

Received a parcel from my youngest sister yesterday; Am so happy i nearly cried. Thanks Kimmie. Didn't expect you to send and make me a birthday card. Am 100% sure that Little Ya Ya would love the pressies too. The booties are soo cute! 

My parents are here and I have been bringing them around. It still feels surreal that my due date is in 4 days and i am about to be a mother to a little boy. What is it like to raise a boy? Am i going to be a good mom? In a week's time, the little buddy who has been kicking me for the last few months would be sleeping in the cot next to me. My own flesh and blood. My dearest pumpkin. The feeling is indescribable. 

My hub's latest slogan is 'da mei nu kuai bian cheng xiao mei nu he xiao shuai ge le' (direct translation: big momma soon become small momma and small handsome boy). He is so excited; he has been telling our boy to come out on the 1st October which happens to be his birthday. I am even told to start eating pineapples and papayas on Sat? Well let's pray and hope that is the case.

Finally tasted the Healthy Grilled Burger. Yummilicious.  Such a big big portion; enough to feed the three of us. 

My hub is a flower boy. He would buy flowers for me and arrange them in the vase. So often that he even doubted if he is a man 'man'. LOL.

My grandparents are arriving tomorrow. Grandma and mom would be staying till the end of my confinement; and in laws would be taking over before they leave in end of Oct. I am so blessed huh? Do pray for my labour. And crossing my fingers to Hubby's birthday wish.