tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89959983519021760622024-03-05T18:39:01.585+08:00Our love journeyChildren of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-11672543012275388012017-09-28T14:47:00.000+08:002017-09-28T14:48:07.827+08:00Sad to leave the snuggles behind<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So hard to believe, but this was the last leap of her infant months! She will be 1 year old shortly and becomes a toddler. The time is flying by; the baby times are dwindling quickly. It is amazing and emotional all at the same time. So glad to see her growing up, so sad to leave the snuggles behind.</span>Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-63285308149672442502017-08-17T10:29:00.002+08:002017-08-17T10:29:57.029+08:00Baby's 7 months updateI was going to do monthly baby update for the first 6 months (or at least I tried) and then wait till a year. I was thinking that her development might slow down a little bit after 6 months but this month, she's literally been doing so much stuffs that I would like to update about it.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>She's now crawling on her four, pulling to stand, walking along a standing bar, sitting up independently, trying to talk (first words; mama mama and papa papa), eating everything. It seems that suddenly she's doing so so much. She's also teething right now. She now has 1 middle tooth on the bottom. She has been very calm during teething, thank God. Now that she's crawling, she crawls real quick. She picks things really really fast. When she wants to get something, she will get to it. She's becoming really high energy as well. She loves being held standing up while holding her and jumping a lot.<br />
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In terms of food, she still doesn't eat very much. I give her 3 meals a day. She's still breastfed, so I am not so worried she doesn't get much nutrients. I am still feeding her on demand. I feed her when she needs or wants it. I also introduced her baby straw bottles which she really is very good at drinking from it. So far I only serve her plain water and nothing else.<br />
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Everyone still comments on her big round eyes <3. She's babbling and screaming a lot. She tries to talk to me and my husband and her grandparents. She loves to cuddle. She's also been extra clingy lately due to mental leap 6 and teething.<br />
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She's really a sweet and happy baby. Still my little shadow, comes everywhere with me. </div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-40984177291813811912017-08-08T13:04:00.000+08:002017-08-08T13:06:42.276+08:00World Breastfeeding WeekLooking at her face today while breastfeeding, seeing her so dependent on me to fulfil her physical and emotional needs even after carrying her for 40 weeks and going through the arduous experience of labour and childbirth, I was overwhelmed at how amazing and powerful the female body is with its ability to grow, to sustain and to nurture life.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's so deeply humbling yet empowering at the same time and I was filled with a great sense of awe and gratefulness for the privilege of being in this thankless and relentless season of my life as a stay at home mum. Through the highs and lows, the RAINBOW joy and the pain, I rest in the knowledge that His grace is more than sufficient for me, and His strength will be made perfect in my weakness.<br />
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I am extremely proud of myself, my body to be able to breastfeed her and to persevere from the start of her life until now that she's 7 months old. I don't have any plan to stop her forcefully. I will follow my body's and her lead.</div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-20485488556434233912017-07-11T20:19:00.000+08:002017-07-11T20:24:44.648+08:00Introduction to play - wooden ball<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Last week I introduced 2 wooden balls to her. At first I placed the balls in front of her within her reach. She managed to grasp them well but since they are round in shape, they tend to roll away easily. She would scream for my help (she started learning how to scream at the highest pitch) and of course I helped to bring the balls back. After a few rounds, I started placing the balls at a further distance and as expected she screamed for my help but this time round I sat there quietly and gave he<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">r few minutes to figure out. She started by using 'eye power' but of course that did not work. She tried stretching her hands and wiggling her fingers but couldn't reach as well. She then started raising her butt and moved her legs forward. </span></div>
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Life is definitely not a smooth sailing one. Not everything that we want, we get it. A lot of times, it requires our perseverance. </div>
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Romans 5:3-5 says; Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.</div>
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We, as her parents, hope to prepare her for the road and not the road for her. Instead of helping her or trying to remove all obstacles and pave the way for her, we should instead equip her to deal with the difficulties she will encounter on the road ahead. No matter what lies ahead on the road through life, we hope she's prepared and equipped to face it in the strength of the Lord.</div>
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It’s a wonderful privilege and responsibility of us as parents to share God’s Word and His plan for our lives with the next generation and the generations to come. The greatest inheritance that we can give to our next generation is not material kind, but God's Word.</div>
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-9989264543225961452017-07-08T13:15:00.001+08:002017-08-08T13:06:33.635+08:00Introduction to solid food - Baby-led-weaning way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Her trying beetroot for the first time</span></div>
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We have started Rainbow on solid when she turned 6 months. We are doing it the baby-led-weaning (BLW) way.<br />
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BLW is another alternative way of introducing solid food to baby. It's a way of starting solids that lets the baby set the pace. There's no spoon feeding and no purees like traditional feeding. It starts with baby playing with the food and gradually choosing what to eat and how much and how fast they want to eat. The good thing about BLW is she learns how to eat on her own, independently. We do not need to feed her at all. We can all eat together during mealtimes.<br />
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She's really loving it! She's always having fun trying to get the food into her mouth and smushing up the pieces with her fingers. We love that she eats whole food and we can expose her to fresh produce food; vegetables, meat, fish anything. It is also great for developmental and hand-eye coordination. I would recommend doing at least a little bit of whole food introduction.<br />
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As expected, she gagged few times at her initial attempts. This is a good thing because gag reflex is a safety mechanism that moves food from the back of the throat to the front, preventing choking. So whenever she puts too much food or pushes the food to far back, she gagged. It is also a way to teach her what not to do the next time she eats. It's a learning process. Most of the times she ain't bothered by it at all and will happily continue eating.<br />
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Things to consider though:<br />
1) Do a lot of research and read-ups on this method first before deciding whether or not to do the BLW way.<br />
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2) It can be time consuming - It's not just a few spoonful and we are done. She gets a few pieces of food on her try and tries to pick them up and aim them at his mouth. We also have to watch her all the time (especially at the beginning) to make sure she doesn't choke because when baby gets choked, they can't make any sound.<br />
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3) It can get really messy - The end of the first feeding and even with a bib that covers her fully, there will be food in her hair, on her face, hands, chin and legs. however this tray her helps us a lot to contain all the food pieces.<br />
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4) Even though she doesn't require "special" food, it is important that the food be the right size and shape for her to grab and gum on. Long thin slices (I called it french fries size) are the best.<br />
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5) Let baby learns her own way at her own pace - The first not-to-do thing for BLW is never to feed the baby because they are the best person to know how much and how fast to eat. We do not!<br />
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6) Do not get panic when baby gags. Remember it's a learning process. Again, do a lot of read ups to find out the difference between gagging and choking.<br />
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Ever since she started eating solid, we have seen what determination is. Such an easy task for us adults but to her, it takes a lot of effort. We are able to pick up a piece of carrot stick, put in our mouths, chew and swallow easily, within seconds, but to her, it takes so much effort. Every single actions take so much effort. Many times after she manages to pick up one piece of carrot successfully, the piece of carrot would drop when she tried putting into mouth. But she didn't fuss or get frustrated easily. She tried again and again and again until she did it. The happy look on her face when she managed to swallow made our day. So far she has improved a lot since day 1. She knows how big piece to eat and when she is unable to aim the food to her mouth, she will change hand.<br />
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Whereas we adults, very tempted to help her in every way because those actions are so easy for us to do. I was so tempted to help her put the carrot into her mouth but I stopped myself and told myself to have faith in her because she has faith in herself. Once again, her determination did not fail to surprise us. She made us her proud parents.<br />
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<i>We adults need to learn from these little fellows determinations, really. The spirit of not giving up easily, not fussing and getting frustrated easily when we fail. Babies are really smart in their own ways. What we learnt through this process is that she has the capability to do so much and often times, we take the opportunity away by helping her. Now we learnt to let her learn her stuffs in her own ways with minimal guidance along the way. We let her make mistakes. We let her realize the mistakes. We let her learn through the mistakes. After all, life is also about making mistakes and learn through them, ain't it?</i></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Day 1: touched and found out she could press down the white keys, no sound</span><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Day 2: touched and moved forward to touch the black keys, no sound</span><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Day 3: touched and press both white and black keys, no sound. Wanted to grab the white cloth, tempted by the holes</span><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Day 4: no mood</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><br />Day 5: hitting them hard using her wrists and discovered got sound! She found the strength required.<br /><br />Ever since then, she know that this thing called piano can make sound! For the whole week, I was so tempted to show her that she can press down and make sound out of the keys but I was patient enough to sit still and wait for her to discover it by herself. 5 days and she got the picture! She continues making us so proud of her.<br /><br />Oh, today she used her legs <span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/fbe/1/16/1f926_1f3fb_200d_2640.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">🤦🏻♀️</span></span>so creative. Legs also can actually</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><br /></span>Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-30233164913533946222017-06-18T08:17:00.000+08:002017-06-18T08:37:06.018+08:00Happy Father's Day<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_5945cb09886be0226734593" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">
I try to make it a point to say "thank you" every day, for all the things you do to help take care of me and Rainbow. However, "thank you" hardly seems like enough sometimes...<a name='more'></a><br />We have missed each other plenty of times since high school and at the night of your proposal, saying 'Yes' was a no-brainer because you are just the one who can 'handle' me even better than myself. Then we got married to <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">each other. Then, we experienced some storms in life and went through them together. Now, we are parents to our daughter.<br /><br />The birth of our daughter has definitely strengthened our marriage and although it took some effort, I feel we are raising her well and we are capable of what we believe to be impossible.<br /><br />As I've shared before how lonely motherhood can be. But I see that fatherhood can get lonely too especially when my attention is always on our daughter, no longer just you. You also get those helpless moments when you want to help but you are unable to. But I must say, God really made us women stronger than man in terms of sleep and cleaning poo! I can still strive with little sleep (I'm writing this when you're still sleeping like a log) and I can clean poo single-handed ly (praising myself <span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f20/1/16/1f61c.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">😜</span></span>). That's what you can't! But I'm just grateful that we have each other that makes even the toughest thing easier. Thanks for keeping me in sane.<br /><br />I am proud to have you as my husband and my daughter's father. Without you, this family would not be what it is. The happiness of our daughter is our own and we know we can achieve what we want as long as we’re always together seeking over God's guidance.<br /><br />You are an excellent Father figure in my eyes (still need to be justified by our daughter in future) and your unconditional love deserves to be rewarded with much love from me and Rainbow. We love you. Please continue to handle these two women of your life with care. We gonna stick to you for as long as we live. <span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f4/1/16/1f60f.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">😏</span></span><br /><br />Happy Father's Day! Even if today is your day, you're not excused from your daddy duty! Thanks for being a 21st century dad. <span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f4f/1/16/1f601.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">😁</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><br /></span>Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-55518393117534266042017-06-16T10:19:00.001+08:002017-06-18T08:17:28.016+08:00Reflection - Quiet Time<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: 'San Francisco', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
These days, Rainbow has learnt that she has the capability of self settling to sleep on her own in her cot. Once we put her down in her cot, pray, kiss her sleep tight, sweet dreams, she will rollover to tummy and going round and round her cot, babbling and maybe fuss for awhile before she closes eyes and fall asleep. Once she wakes up she will be the happiest girl in the world with the widest smile, ready to explore the new world.</div>
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This made me reflect on how a lot of times when we are faced with difficulties in life, we panic, we fuss. We forgot that God has given us the capability to self settle ourselves. Just like how Rainbow self settles by having her own quiet time before she falls asleep and finds rest in her cot, we also can self settle by having our quiet time with God and find rest in Him. Once we wake up, we can also be the happiest one, ready to explore the world.</div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-38649365822653744702017-06-13T20:17:00.000+08:002017-06-14T12:19:59.669+08:00Invitation to play - Sensory bottle<br />
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Now that Rainbow is more interested in playtime especially on things that are colourful, I made this sensory bottle for her to play, inspired by the DIY projects on the internet. This sensory bottle look especially aesthetically pleasing to the eye, adult eye if I may add. She is currently in the stage of mouthing EVERYTHING. If it gets into her hands, it goes into her mouth. Thus, I cannot let her play with these pom pom alone. My strategy has been to put things in bottles and ziplock bags so that she can still engage in sensory play but this mama doesn't constantly hover around her mouth because I HATE saying 'NO' to my baby. I just want to let her play and discover the wonders behind every game/activity. Of course I will take into account the hazard before giving it to her.<br />
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The very first time I offered this sensory bottle to her, she immediately pulled the bottle to her mouth and lick it as I would expect. As the bottle is big for her tiny hands to hold, it kept dropping on the floor. So I lay her down on tummy on the bed and slowly she discovered that she could use her hand to roll the bottle and she would be amazed when the pom pom inside the bottle rolled together.<br />
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Then as she hardly able grasp the bottle well, I inserted a handkerchief around the lid and she's able to grab it easily and she can insert the handkerchief into her mouth too as expected.<br />
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For the whole activity, I was just sitting there by her side without teaching her what to do or how to play. It's fun seeing her making her little discovery there.<br />
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It's amazing how she begin to explore the same material differently when presented with it repeatedly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Another sensory bottle with pom pom and sounds made from bottle caps and beads</span></div>
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<br />Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-86384714282555314782017-06-12T21:40:00.000+08:002017-06-12T21:40:07.998+08:00Baby's 5 months update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rainbow is five and a half months' old now! She's getting so so big that I cannot believe she's this big already. Where did the time go? I know I always said this but time really go on so quickly. She's still such a happy little fellow. Such a good and smart girl. She learnt many skills on her own. We didn't have to teach her really. She figured them out all by herself. I love giving her a certain toy and let her explore rather than teach her how to play it right. Most of the time, she surprised me. She has learnt how to rollover; first from back to tummy and then from tummy to back. She's pretty mobile now. If we lay her down on bed and turn away for a minute and then turn back, she will be in a completely different position or completely different way. Couple of nights when she first started learning how to roll over to the front, she fussed because she is a tummy sleeper and when she rolled over to the front, she would wake herself up and wanted to be picked up. But she adapted to the skill really really well. She still loves standing up. When we hold her upright, she loves stamping on the floor.<br />
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She thrives really well on routine. We first started getting her into nighttime routine when she was 1 month old. Now, we just started nap time routine with her. She's thriving really well. She can now fall asleep in her cot on her own without our help, which is really good for her. We are so proud of her. She's such a big girl already. We didn't really have to train her to sleep by herself. One day, she just discovered her way. Then, I just realised, all along I wasn't ready to let go of her to learn things on her own. When I really let go, then she has the chance to find her capability. Most of the time, she didn't disappoint us.<br />
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She still sleeps almost 10-12 hours every night and wakes up once or twice for feeding in between. Mostly twice and she's able to fall back asleep after feeding most of the time. Otherwise, she will just dance around her cot for at most an hour and then fall back asleep. The night before, she managed to sleep through for the first time. Only that one night. haha.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">11th June 2017</span></div>
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She still loves putting her fingers or things into her mouth. She's blowing bubbles all the time, babbling all the time. She gags more often now as well which is good for her reflex when she learns how to take solid when she turns 6 months in 2 weeks time. We are now in the process of getting her ready for solid food. We would sit her on high chair for most of our mealtimes. She can sit up quite well on high chair. At first, she didn't like it but now she's no longer fussing over it. She stares at our food. She observes how we eat. She will grab our plates if within her reach. We will let her go the baby led root for her to learn how to eat rather than we feed her. Like I always say, baby is really smart in their own way. Baby led weaning will be a lot messier than the traditional feeding but I have heard a lot of good things about it and have experienced it with my nieces.<br />
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She still goes everywhere with me all the time. We are attached at the hip. No matter where I go, who I'm meeting, she will tag along. She's my little shadow and I never really leave her except when she's sleeping. I love my little shadow and if I'm not with her then I will miss her a lot a lot.<br />
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<i>For as much as life will bring about change, some things will always remain the same: the love that we have for you and the place that you have in our hearts. You are a dream came true. We feel so special to have a daughter like you! It hurts to know that the memories that we created now when you are still a baby will probably be forgotten when you grow up but thankfully papa mama will remember them. Even if you do not remember, we hope that you can remember the love that we made you feel every time. Rainbow, can you don't grow up so fast????</i><br />
<br />Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-2933728743686540052017-06-09T21:41:00.001+08:002017-06-09T21:54:41.847+08:00Letting go of herBear with me. Tonight's post is an emotional one.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I put Rainbow to her cot and she just self settled and fell asleep on her own. I am missing her so much already and I can't wait to see her tomorrow morning.<br />
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Every night when we are lying on the bed side by side, her tiny mouth latches on my boob, her tiny hands grabbing my hand so hard and doesn't want to let go. I would think of how great our day has been. As she learns new things each day, more excitement and anticipation I feel about her next new skills that she will surprise us.<br />
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I used to rock/babywear her to sleep for naps and nurse her to sleep for nighttime. On Tuesday, she decided to sleep on her own, without my help. Just like that. Without any warning. As usual, I rocked her but she was crying and screaming and arching back so much. I did not know what else to do but to try putting her in her cot (I have made sure she has clean diaper and full stomach). I pat her but she continued crying. I decided to walk away but still in the same room. To my surprise, after just 10 minutes of on and off crying, she self settled and fell asleep! Since then, she has been able to fall asleep on her own without my help. Initially, me and Tubby was thinking to sleep train her after 6 months but looks like that was the unexpected sleep training. Of course, we did pray for her sleeps and God has been good to us.<br />
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She was so ready and she didn't give us any hard time. She didn't have any hard time herself. She's such an amazing learner. I am glad that she was so ready but I wasn't ready. I am not ready to let go of her. Yes, at certain point of time, I get tired but I love seeing her dozing off in my arms. I really miss rocking/babywear her. Such a mixed feeling.<br />
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When she first got here, it took me awhile until I was bonded to her and enjoy her because of the difficulties in the start of breastfeeding and not knowing how to handle a newborn etc. She just make our days brighter. Waking up, seeing her giving us the biggest smile is the best gift ever. She's so cute. How can she be all ours. She's my firstborn and the one who truly made me a mother. It made me thinking that for the 9 months carrying her, she was in me and we were never never apart. Even now I realise, we will never be apart because she will always be a part of me.<br />
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As each day goes, I feel more love for her but at the same time, I feel more emotional, thinking that she will slowly needing me less. It's a bit of bittersweet feeling because I know that she will grow up. That made me thinking, at certain point of time, I have to let go of her (I have to learn) and let her learn on her own. That's part of growing up. I'm really cherishing this time and as she grows older, I know that she will become more and more independent and probably need me less. So, I'm cherishing these days so much.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Where did our infant go? The one who moves in slow motion, the one who sleeps almost all day all night, the one who gets startled very easily, the one who takes at least half an hour to finish one boob and need to be fed at every 2 hours, the one who screams at the highest pitch, the one who wears the cute NB diapers, the one who cries at almost all the baths, the one who still has floppy neck. The one who struggles at all tummy time. The one who needs me to guide for all latching. We miss you! </span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">No matter how old you get, Rainbow, you will always be my baby, my firstborn. </span></i>Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-33593725643563339942017-05-15T10:11:00.001+08:002017-06-09T21:44:49.480+08:00Happy Mother's dayThis is my FIRST mother's day.<br />
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So surreal!<br />
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I am now a mother!<br />
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How did that happen???<br />
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Happy Mother's day to myself and to all the mothers in this world who are struggling and surviving each day.<br />
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Now that I am a mother myself, I feel that all mothers are amazing (literally) and I am blessed with two; my mother and mother-in-law. Motherhood is not a temporary thing that stops when a baby becomes adult and independent. Motherhood is forever.<br />
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I thank my mum for being such a great mum role model to me and my sisters and showed us what a great mum is or should be like. She is selfless yet strong even until now that we are already married and have our own little families, she continues her role as our mother. She is the most beautiful woman I know.<br />
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I thank my mother-in-law for being so helpful ever since I got married into this family. She is one strong and independent woman. She has been taking such a good care of the whole family from the little little matters to the most important ones. Can't thank her enough. <br />
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Motherhood to me is a tough job, the toughest job in the world. It can really be difficult. Now I really experience it myself. When rainbow fusses or whines, it can be real overwhelming. However overwhelming at times, those moments remind me that motherhood, though it's tough, it's a gift. That's why I think God made us women stronger in many ways (sorry, man but I think it's so true). We hold many roles: a mother, milk producer, sleep helper, shower the bub, a wife, man's helper, we have to take care of ourselves etc and it's always a thankless job. Even so, I am still very encouraged each time I see her smile, so wide, so brightly. Yes, I will not get instant gratification all the time, but every time when she smiles at me, I will feel that her little hearts are thankful for me. The rewards are always intangible.<br />
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This day now holds a special place in my own heart because of Rainbow who made me a mum.<br />
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Thanks Rainbow for giving me this status.Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-51402963859063876232017-05-08T08:24:00.003+08:002017-05-09T11:31:32.182+08:00As a new mum in the first month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Long overdue post.</span><br />
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The first month with Rainbow were full of ups and downs really even though many said that confinement was like honeymoon. I personally do not think so. It was intense and I am glad that it was over and I remember it as blur. Good thing, I wrote some of my thoughts down and my notes have given me some clearer picture of what those days and nights were like.<br />
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Day one being home after delivery. It felt weird to be a mother, a parent and responsible for this tiny, floppy necked human being. After putting her down in her cot for the first time, the first thing I did was taking a nice hot shower in my own bathroom. It was not easy. I hate the water hitting my sore and engorged breasts. Shower no longer was a quick affair. I was in the bathroom for at least 45 mins from showering very gently, wiping myself dry very gently, cleaning the stitches down there, applying coconut oil on the nipples to wearing clothes. Then, I continued my new role as mom: breastfeeding her. This is not an easy job as it sounds. I always thought that breastfeeding is very easy since it's so natural. It should work by mother and child's instinct, but nope. I was wrong, so wrong. In the beginning, it hurts. It hurts lots! Rainbow is very natural but I was not. I tensed up when she opened her mouth and quickly shoved my nipple in before she could clamp down correctly. It was nerve-wracking then.<br />
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Day two was the same. Rainbow had her first bath at home.<br />
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I wasn't that exhausted yet because she was still sleeping most of the time. I would wake her up every two hours for feeding but she fell back asleep right after. Then, I also stole some sleep when she was sleeping. She could still sleep in her own cot.<br />
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Day three morning, I walked to tubby's room and cried, for no reason. I guess the emotional part of me started kicking in because of the hormone. I couldn't control myself. Old people usually said do not cry during confinement but I don't care. To me, crying is good. Crying let me released the tension and helped me destressed. I think if I controlled my tears and bottled up my emotions then I would end up getting depression even easier. I thank God for hubby who let me cry. Then, I continued my day three by feeding rainbow every two-hourly. Exhaustion started kicking in because of the two-hourly feeds. She would feed for at least half an hour per boob (so, that's an hour gone) and I had to feed her AGAIN after an hour or she could demand for another feed earlier. We took rainbow to the paediatrician to weigh her and measure her jaundice level. She did not increase her weight much to the desired number. She still had jaundice but at a safe level. She had not poop since day 1 of birth. So, I cried again because I was worried. As long as she didn't pass out meconium, she would have jaundice. I felt I wasn't doing well enough as a mother. We went to see the lactation consultant as well for advice because my nipples were so pain I dreaded every feed :(. She gave me some good advices and tubby bought breast pump for me to pump out milk for time being to increase my supply as well as give my boobies some rest from the latching.<br />
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Day eight, she pooped! Black poo! We were so happy we wanted to celebrate! When things seem better, she started having difficulty falling asleep while we put her down in her cot. She would fall asleep after feeding but when we put her down she would wake up. So, confinement aunty had to carry her to sleep. Really grateful to have her. At least I could catch up some sleep. Only some sleep. I got really exhausted because after each feeding, I had to pump out the milk to clear my boobs to increase supply. Each pumping session took half an hour.<br />
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Week two, we started our routine by waking her up every 8am to start our day. First thing was bringing her to the balcony to catch some sunlight. This helps her body to differentiate day and night, adjust her circadian rhythms. Then, shower, change, feed, burp, tummy time, nap, wake up, feed, burp, tummy time, nap and repeat. She was still not at the desired weight. I got so emotional and cried again. I felt I wasn't worth being her mama. Yeah, those thoughts just kept bugging me. Since I was breastfeeding her exclusively, we did not know how much actually she was taking. Plus, I had cracked nipples with milk blebs which blocked some of the milk ducts and thus, she couldn't get full milk. So, after some calculations, lactation consultant gave me a guideline. All her feeds were expressed breastmilk fed by confinement aunty and tubby and each feed she must have 2 ounces at least. I got really exhausted because of all the pumping sessions. Apart from that, I had to take care of the blebs on my nipples which took some time too and it hurts so bad I cried each time! I don't even want to remember that!<br />
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Her umbilical cord stump fell off! I kept it and framed it.<br />
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Week three, we saw progress. She got the desired weight! Again, our happiness were indescribable! Praise the Lord for all the hardwork. When one problem solved, another arises. After a week of without direct latching, she had forgotten how to latch correctly! Because of the wrong latch, I got milk blebs again. Since she had gained her weight, I started guiding her back to direct latching. Thank God my girl learnt fast and she could latch correctly again after few sessions. You know how powerful baby's suction is? She managed to help me cleared all the blocked ducts. Now, she could get out the whole breastmilk. I had never seen her so contented and in milk coma before that.<br />
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Week four was a bliss and a smooth-sailing one. No more weight issue, no more black poo but yellow mustard poo, no more jaundice, no more milk blebs, no more blocked ducts, she could self-latch already and I no longer dreaded every feeds but loving it! even though the exhaustion was still there. My body kind of adjusted back to pre-pregnancy condition.<br />
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Now that the confinement ended, confinement aunty went home. Left the three of us. First few days and nights were a mess. Though I will find myself saying this many times, it seems like we're finally getting the hang of taking care of this newborn on our own. Tubby and I are feeling more confident about being parents. We can give ourselves a few pats on our shoulders. Of course at some point of her life, she will go through growth spurts, mental leaps or wonder weeks which will or might cause some chaos but we will help her and go through all together. We as her parents sometimes need to put ourselves in her shoes. She's still experiencing new things and we have to be patient to guide her through every milestones.<br />
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Though it has been exhausting and sometimes upsetting, I would not call this first month or the next few months horrible. Even when I feel tired from the lack of sleep or upset when rainbow cries or fuss, all I have to do is look at her and feel that unbelievable love and it somehow worth every minute. She will be young and small just for this short while. We give thanks to God for this creation.<br />
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-1977106939022135522017-05-06T11:25:00.001+08:002017-05-09T11:31:23.782+08:00Becoming a mother, a mistake???<div>
I used to share about how lonely motherhood is. It’s strange to feel alone when you are constantly attached to another human being (she's just like my shadow) but it truly is a lonely experience. No one told me how lonely motherhood can be. I felt so isolated in those first few months that I found myself wondering if I had made a mistake by becoming a mother. I love my baby, but I didn't love my new life with new role.</div>
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Now, after 4 months, motherhood became much less lonely over time. I have became more confident taking care of my baby. I could even bring my baby out on my own without the man and reconnect with my friends. As my baby became older, she became more responsive, making motherhood so much more fulfilling and less lonely. She is the greatest gift that God put into my life. She helped me gain a lot of confidence being a mother. I'm also grateful for the support from the man and family.</div>
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Yes, I still feel lonely at times but seeing her grow so fast each day, I just want to embrace every moments while she still allow me to. When I get lonely, I will remember why I call her rainbow. Becoming your mother is not a mistake at all.</div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-42844275917078429182017-05-01T03:48:00.002+08:002017-05-09T11:31:12.690+08:00Motherhood can be so lonely<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As much as I love being a mother, I didn't expect motherhood to be so lonely. I know I shouldn't be because it's part of the parenthood package. I know that as they say, this too shall pass<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">, </em>but it can be hard to remember that when it's just me and my baby girl again and again and again, day after day after day. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In all of the loneliness though, the person I feel the worst for is my husband, believe it or not. I know he wishes he could help me more. I can see it on his face whenever he watches me struggle with the baby. But sometimes baby just want me and no one else. I know I should be thankful for this special mother-daughter bond but it can cause a lot of frustrations out of me, take my sanity away sometimes when I'm burnt out. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I may often be consumed by my loneliness, but I remember we are in this together; my husband and I. For a minute, for a second, for an hour — the memory that I am supported carries me through my darkest moments. Even though he can't help me much, just knowing he is there with me somehow helps a lot. I thank God for those interventions. I thank God for him.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I know that as she gets older, I will miss these moments. </span>Don't get me wrong. I am still being thankful for being a mother, for having my baby girl. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Writing this post reminds me to savour each moment now </span>even when I feel so lonely at times.<br />
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My girl is my new shadow.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Would like to dedicate this post to my mother and all mothers in this world. All mothers must have felt this sort of loneliness sometimes. So, thank you!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Also, not forgetting the fathers. Thank for being there for us and with us even just for few seconds. </span></i></div>
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-69721018558568908492017-04-14T10:53:00.001+08:002017-04-15T15:25:46.888+08:00Baby's 3.5 months updateRainbow is currently 3.5 months. She has become so chubby, roughly at 7kg now. She's updated to wearing 3-6 months old clothes. She has really chunky thigh, double chin, I would describe it as baby fat. She still has her 2 big eyes. Everyone still commend on how big and lovely those eyes are. Overall, she is really well. She's definitely more awake and more aware of the surrounding now and she needs a lot of stimulation. She loves laying on the bed and looking up and about. During breastfeeding, she will feed for few minutes then look around for few minutes then back again. I am still watching silent movie while breastfeeding because she gets distracted with sound!<br />
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She has gotten better at bathe time. She used to hate it and cried every bathtime previously but now she seems to loving it. I'm still breastfeeding her exclusively. Don't intend to start bottle yet since it's more convenient for me. I don't have to express out. When she's hungry, I just lift up my shirt and there she can drink. She's getting enough and still growing. So, that's good and I'm happy too. </div>
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She chews on her fists a lot more now and makes the chewing sound which is so cute. She's bubbling up her saliva and dripping lots, so much that she will soak her clothes and few handkerchiefs in a day. She has discovered her voice and loves talking to people. She sometimes loves voicing out her opinions too.</div>
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She still doesn't sleep through the night. We start our night routine at 7pm and she will fall asleep probably at 8pm or 9pm after feeding. Then she will wake up every 3-4 hours for feeding and feed for 5-10 minutes but she's good at going back to sleep right after feeding. Generally she sleeps 10-12 hrs at night. We used to co-sleep but now I will transfer her back to her cot next to our bed once she sleeps. She still needs to nap on baby carrier during the day. She needs 3-5 hrs nap in spread of 3 naps. When she's sleepy she will yawn, rub her eyes and ears and then I will settle her down from activities to nap/sleep before she starts getting cranky. </div>
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She definitely has strong head control now. She tries lifting up her head when we lay her down in a reclining position. We started her tummy time since she was 1 month old. She used to hate it (every babies hate tummy time) but now she loves it. Probably because she sleeps on tummy and that helps with the muscles. Also, if we hold her in a standing position, she's really strong on her feet. She will really try to stand up. Overall, she's quite an easy baby. She's happy and contented once she's filled up and have enough sleep. </div>
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As for me, Im feeling really good. I'm pretty much gone back to my normal self. The confidence being a mother has definitely improved. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><i>It's definitely been a roller coaster ride since her arrival, with blissful moments that gradually increased but with traumatising ones we'd rather forget. She's now a delightful mini version of us and a true clown making us laugh out loud most days. I've never seen such determination, fearlessness and joy to live in another human being. She can be tricky when she doesn't get her way but when she's happy she brightens up my world and her smile and giggles fill me up with inexplainable joy. Papa mama will persevere! We love u our rainbow!</i></span></div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-45946309359626999012017-04-11T11:22:00.000+08:002017-04-11T18:51:54.982+08:00Labour and delivery storyHi everyone! Wow, this blog has been in a hiatus since last year! and I can't believe how time has passed so quickly! 3.5 months post partum! My baby girl is 3.5 months old.<br />
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I was due on the 29th December 2016, 5 days early. Baby rainbow was born on the Christmas eve, 6.33am last year.<br />
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My labour didn't go as birth plan and how I hoped for. I wanted to give birth using natural painkillers such as gas and air, breathing, walking around, no epidural or anything like that. Sometimes things just do not happen the way we want them to. On Wednesday morning, which was on the 21st Dec 2016, I had a bit of bleeding and felt menstrual-like cramps since the night. It happened that I had an appointment with the government clinic, I told the nurse my symptoms and she advised us to go to our private gynae to get examined. So, we went to our private gynae. I got accessed and I was only 1cm dilation. So, we were told to go home and wait. At that point me and tubby looked at each other and we were like sigh, still have to wait. We were so excited and were thinking that; this is it, we are going to have our baby. That didn't happen and so off we went home.<br />
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We went out for the next two days, trying to walk more. I still had contractions but they were bearable. They were about 10 mins interval but went away after a minute.<br />
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Finally on Friday night, which was 23rd Dec 2016, while me and tubby were watching movie on bed, contraction started getting so intense. We timed the contraction and they were 3-4 mins interval. Tubby called the hospital and the midwife asked us to go have a check. I was wheeled in through A&E and got examined again. I got admitted at 10pm with 3cm dilation. Changed into hospital gown, was given suppository. Midwife asked whether I wanted epidural, I replied no. From 10pm-2am, I was bearing the pain. For the 4 hours, I couldn't sleep. In fact, I had not slept well since the contractions started on Wednesday. My energy level had gone down. Tubby was next to me holding my hand, he couldn't sleep as well. At 2am, I really couldn't bear with the pain anymore. The contractions were 2-3 mins apart. My pain level went from like 5-9. Normally my pain tolerance is pretty high but at that moment, it was excruciating!!! It felt like my backbone was eaten up bit by bit and I started getting intense pain shooting down the back of my leg and butt. I asked for gas and air but it did nothing, nothing at all! I was in such an agony, I started screaming, I couldn't control my pain. I couldn't lie still on the bed. I was fidgeting and crouching to find the most comfortable position but I couldn't. I was on the verge to push my baby out already but midwife said not ready yet. My dilation was only 7cm at that moment. All the breathing exercises that I practiced went out of the window. Nothing helped at all. Finally I surrendered and asked for epidural. The anaesthetist didn't take long to arrive, thankfully! I was given epidural at 3am. The moment she injected the epidural to my spine, I felt numb from belly down almost immediately. No more pain but relieved. My breathing went back to normal. It felt like the whole world stopped. Everything was quiet. I could only hear the voice of the anaesthetist. I was then asked to sleep and finally I managed to sleep for a good 3 hours until I felt a soft 'pop' in my pelvis area. Yes, my waterbag broke. Midwife helped to clean.<br />
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At about 5:45am, midwife came in to prep me to practice pushing before gynae arrives. At every contraction the midwife would ask me to push like passing motion. Apparently at every push-relax-push-relax cycle, baby's crown would appear a little when I pushed and went back in when I relaxed. Because of epidural, I couldn't feel anything belly down, I wasn't screaming at all, not like how we watched on TV. I could even ask tubby to remember taking video of the whole process.<br />
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And then gynae walked in. Once I saw him, I was in such a huge relief and sure that things are going to turn out good! After all, he had looked after me and baby for almost 9 months. During the appointments with him, he was all smiley but that morning, he was so focused. Suddenly I find him so charming :P. Through his spectacles, I could see a little bit of reflection of what was going on my down there.<br />
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After 5 pushes, with a lot of encouragement from gynae and midwife, Rainbow came out. At that moment, all the pain washed away. All I could think of was; Thank you! to God, to tubby, to Rainbow, to gynae, to midwife.<br />
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Gynae placed rainbow on my chest for skin-to-skin and she reached for my boobs and suckled gently for the first time. That special first bonding, I will never forget. While she was on my chest, my gynae stitched me up but I couldn't feel anything. Then out the placenta. I was on a total euphoric high even though I should have felt exhausted. We facetimed my sister and my 2 nieces.<br />
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Even though my labour didn't unfold exactly as I wanted it to, labour was still a very positive experience and it taught me many things. All in all, I'm just happy that everything happened really fast during the labour. That pain, I don't think I have ever felt such pain in my life before. I don't want to scare anyone here. Every birth story is different. I just want to record mine and reminisce in the future. Our birth story is one I will be forever grateful for and immensely proud of. It brought the sweetest baby girl into our lives and that is all that mattered to us in the end, no matter how she came into this world. We love her to pieces and can't imagine life without her.<br />
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After 3 days staying in hospital, everything was good and we were cleared to go home. Thumbs up!<br />
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-57182251478587832342016-12-19T10:42:00.000+08:002016-12-20T12:54:45.536+08:00Last bake of Year 2016! - Mascarpone cheesecake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn39O6aUQriySRc2af-3Wx82TXLsOmvs_NIAeAJqwyLrZzFkmm5QmZNxrnZM2DwoTfRNZRzmQIgAPp-nHP4MLepJcF_EWaRlZbx4Vm02-OXMN_KUaxZpsdQZSkoalcN3f96VK8SR6Mo7sj/s1600/567866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn39O6aUQriySRc2af-3Wx82TXLsOmvs_NIAeAJqwyLrZzFkmm5QmZNxrnZM2DwoTfRNZRzmQIgAPp-nHP4MLepJcF_EWaRlZbx4Vm02-OXMN_KUaxZpsdQZSkoalcN3f96VK8SR6Mo7sj/s400/567866.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo taken from google</span><br />
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This is really the last bake for this year! Need to try finishing all my baking ingredients because it's going to be months before I bake again! Next time round, will be 'baking with rainbow' ;). I needed to finish up the mascarpone cheese, so, I was searching for cheesecake with mascarpone cheese in the recipe. It turned out creamy and light with tad of lemon fragrance, just right to my liking!<br />
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Recipe adopted from<a href="http://cupofjo.com/2013/01/the-best-mascarpone-cheesecake-youll-ever-have/"> <span style="color: blue;">Cupofjo</span></a> with some minor adjustments.<br />
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Some handy tips for cheesecake success from Cupofjo:</div>
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"— Make sure the ingredients—especially the cream cheese—are at room temperature before you start mixing the filling. Cold cream cheese and eggs will result in a lumpy cheesecake batter.<br />
— If you forget to take your eggs out of the refrigerator beforehand, you can warm them in a bowl of hot tap water for about ten minutes. Dry them carefully before using.</div>
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— Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil and cook the cheesecake in a water bath to prevent cracking. Also, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool with the door slightly ajar to prevent cracks.</div>
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— For clean slices, make sure the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, and slice using a long, thin knife that’s been run under hot water. Dry knife between cuts."</div>
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<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
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<b>Crust</b><br />
~100g graham cracker crumbs<br />
2 tbsp sugar (optional)<br />
4 tbsp salted butter, melted<br />
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<b>Filling</b><br />
900g cream cheese (room temperature)<br />
1/2 cup granulated white sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 whole lemon zest<br />
4 large eggs<br />
250g mascarpone cheese (room temperature)<br />
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional, for citrusy fragrance)<br />
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<i>Steps:</i></div>
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1) Preheat oven to 180dC and butter the baking pan. Wrap the bottom of the pan with double layer aluminium foil and place the prepared pan on baking sheet.</div>
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2) In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add butter and stir well to moisten all the crumbs. </div>
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3) Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and use either your fist or back of spoon to press gently into an even layer. </div>
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4) Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until it is lightly browned and fragrant and take out and set aside to cool down.</div>
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5) In an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and very smooth.</div>
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6) Add in sugar and beat for 3 minutes.</div>
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7) Add in vanilla extract and lemon zest.</div>
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8) Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each egg. Scrape down the bowl.</div>
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9) Add in mascarpone cheese and mix thoroughly.</div>
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10) Add in lemon juice for the citrusy fragrance.</div>
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11) Pour the mixture into the prepared crust.</div>
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12) Place the pan into a roasting pan (same height as or higher then the baking pan) and place on the center rack of oven. Fill the roasting pan with enough boiling water, halfway up the sides of baking pan.</div>
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13) Bake it for 60 minutes (or 90 minutes max) or until it is lightly golden on top and the filling is set but slightly wobbly in the centre. </div>
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14) Turn off the oven and leave the door open slightly to let the cheesecake cool for one hour in the water bath.</div>
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15) Gently and carefully, remove the roasting pan from the oven and lift the baking pan from the water bath.</div>
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16) Carefully remove the aluminium foil and set the pan on cooling rack.</div>
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17) Run a knife around the cheesecake to release it from the pan.</div>
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18) Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight before slicing using a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water. Dry knife in between cuts.</div>
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-67698913802233685642016-12-16T18:12:00.000+08:002016-12-17T10:46:57.841+08:00My pregnancy journey (38th week)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKdMPFopxbwYG5hgMIW9mheULNThBPzN_m7OSWvZgI7ZWdNUyzuSCmzHCDeLZhMaSUDLXJE2TQTpJL6r5AHKcbZjc0Bs7Ts5HOL7vcxemp5cxV0jkRwkypbTnmghosW4Llezf8Pbe1nBf/s1600/IMG_2543.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKdMPFopxbwYG5hgMIW9mheULNThBPzN_m7OSWvZgI7ZWdNUyzuSCmzHCDeLZhMaSUDLXJE2TQTpJL6r5AHKcbZjc0Bs7Ts5HOL7vcxemp5cxV0jkRwkypbTnmghosW4Llezf8Pbe1nBf/s640/IMG_2543.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby bump at 36th week</span></div>
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We are 38 weeks now and I am so ready to go into labour although I know being pregnant is the best part and I am so going to miss having her inside me and this first bump! I do really enjoy and content being pregnant even when I don't feel comfortable at times. In fact, I haven't been really uncomfortable. Being pregnant just not as bad as I thought it would be. When I heard some mums feel really uncomfortable, how they are so ready for it to be over, I don't feel like that. I think that I have been embracing all that as much as I still can. <br />
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I will probably just going to repeat myself over and over, these final weeks because this is the part of pregnancy that seems to be going soooooo slow. Every single day, I was like, "Really? why haven't you want to come out yet???" Every time anyone talks to me or texts me, will ask whether or not the baby has arrived yet.<br />
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So, 38th week, we are officially at the point where we are considered fullterm, which means the baby has really developed, which means when she comes out, she will be a ready-to-go baby. So basically from here onwards till 40th week, she will just be gaining weight. Everything is pretty much good to go and that's really exciting.<br />
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For these past 2 weeks, I have been feeling kind of emotional because it's like these are some of the last pregnancy updates here that I'm going to talk about pertaining to this pregnancy but we still do very looking forward to seeing her soon. Mixed feelings, really. I'm getting very anxious for her arrival. Not scared but I just want it to happen, like right now! We are getting impatient. It's probably has to do with the fact that she's already full term and it's like something snapped within me that she's ready and I want her to be here. I'm just so ready to grab my hospital bag and go to the hospital and let them do whatever they need to do for the labour :P. I just want her to be here and know that she's safe. So, that's where I am right now; anticipating for the surprise from our baby girl because you really don't know when it's going to happen. It can happen anytime!!! I'm just getting impatient to hold her and see her and that has been hard for me this week. I even dreamt that I had bloody show and I asked tubby to call the ambulance. Tubby also dreamt that I went into labour.<br />
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We just had our Ob appointment this morning. We had a scan and baby is looking perfect, everything is looking good. Ob said my fluid levels have always been good, so thats a great thing. Our baby is measuring average; she's not measured super big or super small; just right on track. So I don't need to worry about wiehgt wise because you guys know that I was kind of worried that she might be a big baby due to my gestational diabetes. Ob said that I have been controlling my glucose level quite well so there is nothing for me to worry about. Baby's head has already gone down to my pelvis which is a good position to prepare for labour. So now, I feel more space on my upper body and I can eat more now. However I feel more pressure on my pelvic area, which is normal at this stage. Now, I would wake up at least once every night to pee, usually at 4am. I guess that's kind of a way to prepare myself for the need to wake up many times at night to breastfeed baby. </div>
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I started preparing myself physically for the labour; making myself to walk a lot, whenever I have the chance; climbing stairs, doing squats, practising breathing and other techniques learnt from youtube. I also started preparing baby mentally by telling her what it's like outside my womb. Hopefully, she can be a bit mentally prepared also before coming out. HAHA</div>
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Well, we can never be 100% prepared for labour because every labour is different, every mum experiences labour differently. It's definitely very helpful to listen to some mums' experiences and get some tips but we still go in to labour room with an open mind for whatever situation that we might be in during labour. I just can't wait to experience the labour myself!<br />
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<i>Baby, when are you coming out???</i><br />
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-72013332288039368232016-12-15T10:00:00.004+08:002016-12-16T22:39:16.447+08:00My pregnancy journey (Baby project 11 - Baby Boy's bow tie)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lniAvjCiUbZK5xNAPx0Z2-D0tOfnXpeutiUE8AEwKksN8oZYCwhFgAUouru-l1-e70rELPc4eh-7BeJxQxU3Yg9Y2CEYd2gMwpGXHXPeek-p8ohhqwHXo6mRcxPaPmBLwwGphdE9liw0/s1600/IMG_2549.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lniAvjCiUbZK5xNAPx0Z2-D0tOfnXpeutiUE8AEwKksN8oZYCwhFgAUouru-l1-e70rELPc4eh-7BeJxQxU3Yg9Y2CEYd2gMwpGXHXPeek-p8ohhqwHXo6mRcxPaPmBLwwGphdE9liw0/s640/IMG_2549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Little baby boy's bow tie - super easy to make! Instructions taken from <a href="http://seekatesew.com/double-bow-tie-tutorial-for-boys/"><span style="color: blue;">SeeKateSew</span></a>. Since I have some leftover fabric scraps, why not, right?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>First, cut out three pieces, namely, a neckband piece (13" x 2"), bowtie piece (9" x 4") and a middle piece (3" x 3").<br />
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<u><b>Neckband piece</b></u><br />
1) Press in the edges piece so they meet in the center.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb65MOwAQPKMQ7rsXFE-ub18FvU_Y2LNEjUx7mnI_c5QB7v4Iec-KOLVvUcmaW9i_Sjsu_jHk2mEnbFf_qCcjoK9ITUBJiypbCK9Ca38fhMc6JNWOJX5qLtiC89xHv9EIyushayy5YyRrO/s1600/IMG_2458.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb65MOwAQPKMQ7rsXFE-ub18FvU_Y2LNEjUx7mnI_c5QB7v4Iec-KOLVvUcmaW9i_Sjsu_jHk2mEnbFf_qCcjoK9ITUBJiypbCK9Ca38fhMc6JNWOJX5qLtiC89xHv9EIyushayy5YyRrO/s320/IMG_2458.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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2) Next, press it in half again and pin. Sew it up along the edge.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e4rp36vmt_9G-fqAeHCHnPwQpwiJEFAUZDhYCaqqYHEFU0M8aV-e5ZaQ6F_syyXaz0ZkfSwOFxjJYs7koIfNdWvh8LeZZvk05Ewp_67JbpHpw2kAcJzC0O_H9bryg_9CpzPGWoPOy9ho/s1600/IMG_2459+2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e4rp36vmt_9G-fqAeHCHnPwQpwiJEFAUZDhYCaqqYHEFU0M8aV-e5ZaQ6F_syyXaz0ZkfSwOFxjJYs7koIfNdWvh8LeZZvk05Ewp_67JbpHpw2kAcJzC0O_H9bryg_9CpzPGWoPOy9ho/s320/IMG_2459+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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3) Sew velcro onto both ends to meet.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82xtXoB2eJlutCtB80T0r3W1gAyxtHL7OJMKrtp-lWaLd3Tcy9oq_G4EVRgBn2A2sV75FCoz8y63MqzevZLCSrlHm4q0coRkOGN9A40MTVEsU5nGkHbQwkLIT57qJgp3mhHshEx5glRU4/s1600/IMG_2459.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82xtXoB2eJlutCtB80T0r3W1gAyxtHL7OJMKrtp-lWaLd3Tcy9oq_G4EVRgBn2A2sV75FCoz8y63MqzevZLCSrlHm4q0coRkOGN9A40MTVEsU5nGkHbQwkLIT57qJgp3mhHshEx5glRU4/s320/IMG_2459.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b><u>Bowtie piece</u></b><br />
1) Sew the long edge.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0mMCxgVp_ew2MueWEhjn7P3LDXwt_4hr9H0FCVaR3Tu5f6Fwg04OvXshcgzfBHW5YNtVORSK_GzuOgZg5Fz37Wm96suJUFc3vau0BmtXXLIfFtsXtEXsDZmGGtfth4NF5r-0tjkCoSNQ/s1600/IMG_2460.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0mMCxgVp_ew2MueWEhjn7P3LDXwt_4hr9H0FCVaR3Tu5f6Fwg04OvXshcgzfBHW5YNtVORSK_GzuOgZg5Fz37Wm96suJUFc3vau0BmtXXLIfFtsXtEXsDZmGGtfth4NF5r-0tjkCoSNQ/s320/IMG_2460.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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2) Turn and press.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0mZ_47yaOkdhn6gqkUtx44ilsYcDp_O3wOTNg026zuyLbMNARq1Bjanng77jhYANow5CHD0x7l5Y1bdE0tGi5K9nn3miQe5wxS7nDN4q9zZmISElPLZQ08XQMTq1J1MXzKhTQ2NzSrB/s1600/IMG_2461.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0mZ_47yaOkdhn6gqkUtx44ilsYcDp_O3wOTNg026zuyLbMNARq1Bjanng77jhYANow5CHD0x7l5Y1bdE0tGi5K9nn3miQe5wxS7nDN4q9zZmISElPLZQ08XQMTq1J1MXzKhTQ2NzSrB/s320/IMG_2461.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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3) Fold the edges in so they meet in the center. Stitch in place.<br />
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<b><u>Middle piece</u></b><br />
1) Fold the middle piece the same way as neckband piece.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcg_xxLkM0S9hqYpSyAtVsSdeZ-QXh0WyxouEMyyAHRbspt2sMDOeOD7bO3cHu0z9KFTCrnuXFXKKYDV3kviyAFxiyLIt4zcGFbmeRDweH86YHihhBGze0LncyBkZKBwsjNYXxYiAMbWk/s1600/IMG_2462.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcg_xxLkM0S9hqYpSyAtVsSdeZ-QXh0WyxouEMyyAHRbspt2sMDOeOD7bO3cHu0z9KFTCrnuXFXKKYDV3kviyAFxiyLIt4zcGFbmeRDweH86YHihhBGze0LncyBkZKBwsjNYXxYiAMbWk/s320/IMG_2462.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b><u>Assembly</u></b><br />
1) Stack the middle piece, bow tie piece and neckband pieces in this order shown on picture.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippNusMtJcDhL6Z446Si1oWdEbF6KC0fHqgjT99nFIZOnpWYjbZLOaMzkBhM-hHar0dl0BqAIlCtlpVWSep0-SFCyINpOFVE87NzW08cVBpM6q-bkA7xv08j07e-8jceWjvScQ33Yc76DV/s1600/IMG_2463.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippNusMtJcDhL6Z446Si1oWdEbF6KC0fHqgjT99nFIZOnpWYjbZLOaMzkBhM-hHar0dl0BqAIlCtlpVWSep0-SFCyINpOFVE87NzW08cVBpM6q-bkA7xv08j07e-8jceWjvScQ33Yc76DV/s320/IMG_2463.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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2) Wrap the middle piece around the bow tie and neckband pieces. Sew the middle piece together on the back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHVFyCT2Wphfjv-Tp_fLJ4BBB8VVdrnansSEdeRYc1PFr68b_EwAsw9AceZF3W-znp2Y6dAZrMMuxWODSZjpf_kV4Dw9FGkARaBdmCIlFobW_3JFKGyW_09WCu9AcRW-gbK6eW0nyc_yR/s1600/IMG_2464.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHVFyCT2Wphfjv-Tp_fLJ4BBB8VVdrnansSEdeRYc1PFr68b_EwAsw9AceZF3W-znp2Y6dAZrMMuxWODSZjpf_kV4Dw9FGkARaBdmCIlFobW_3JFKGyW_09WCu9AcRW-gbK6eW0nyc_yR/s320/IMG_2464.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Done!!!Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-1956932960359700762016-12-12T19:53:00.000+08:002016-12-12T21:28:27.549+08:00Fudgy Chocolate BrownieI craved for brownie and I just had to bake it on my own to control the level of sweetness. I love baking brownie because it's super easy and only 2 big bowls are required. Love it when washing is kept to minimal. :)<br />
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<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
340g dark chocolate (coarsely chopped) or 2 cups of chlorate chips.<br />
113g salted butter<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1/2 cup granulated white sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
3/4 cup all purpose flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
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<i>Steps:</i></div>
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1) Preheat oven to 180dC and butter the baking pan.</div>
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2) Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, set it aside to cool to room temperature.</div>
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3) In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until frothy.</div>
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4) Fold in melted chocolate and butter.</div>
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5) In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and add into mixture 4) until well combined.</div>
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6) Bake for 30 minutes or until brownie just starting to pull away from sides of pan and toothpick comes out with lots of moist crumbs. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HrvH09mPtUWNkWsYTOTykJCJltGoBReBu8iN-OOCOo9TiOW7KK7MtHEylDQ6ojE4ISybrhCG7GrpV3ghK_dOiHyASmda5V20GFzmZhAl1_vc9HeyrT-DYQpxlIF0oMMnhEG9zWw8pxR9/s1600/IMG_2546.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HrvH09mPtUWNkWsYTOTykJCJltGoBReBu8iN-OOCOo9TiOW7KK7MtHEylDQ6ojE4ISybrhCG7GrpV3ghK_dOiHyASmda5V20GFzmZhAl1_vc9HeyrT-DYQpxlIF0oMMnhEG9zWw8pxR9/s640/IMG_2546.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Tada! Let it cool to room temperature and then cut into squares. It can be chilled for serving later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxW8ZzUgYnnt6RdYordS1GRVqw-JjypbDdaO9AYFRe1B9nW8yo99R-GZUHUK3HfYfASCaDrduddy0D3TmEsHZMz8XPE6oU6V_etAIXwGzqTwvcJhTyyi_dGlL9n5iTqe0z86Ia9PSIWx9/s1600/classic-chewy-brownie-32467_l.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxW8ZzUgYnnt6RdYordS1GRVqw-JjypbDdaO9AYFRe1B9nW8yo99R-GZUHUK3HfYfASCaDrduddy0D3TmEsHZMz8XPE6oU6V_etAIXwGzqTwvcJhTyyi_dGlL9n5iTqe0z86Ia9PSIWx9/s400/classic-chewy-brownie-32467_l.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb2Zs5YTpTHc_XAGnKaJhEEcoxVWU0L3xmGG-0lYSphWOa0GLDcKvx1VYe3ZGiecR2iE6KgGMsbB35BS9Gru_BUl194OZ0Ze50cX2y4JzEbUlWqQfKDU0PIKygFf6ZFj5SNFLwcIHuew6/s1600/baked-brownie-30-600.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb2Zs5YTpTHc_XAGnKaJhEEcoxVWU0L3xmGG-0lYSphWOa0GLDcKvx1VYe3ZGiecR2iE6KgGMsbB35BS9Gru_BUl194OZ0Ze50cX2y4JzEbUlWqQfKDU0PIKygFf6ZFj5SNFLwcIHuew6/s400/baked-brownie-30-600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Craving satisfied! Yums!</div>
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This could be the last time I bake before baby rainbow is out.Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-37106890589355006292016-12-08T19:32:00.000+08:002016-12-16T22:38:54.726+08:00My pregnancy journey (Baby project 10 - Circle skirt)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXOC8o9kQSYdnn3vP-ZY5eCK46Bm8ws-HmBMNsE7TFBKPs1i2o9489VUvDsHGxOWezKg3IQLHf_hYhm7PWcdi_x6MFbckn_8cWGaaWHcjH4Co7flkrOJiCNX3RhhHP8fNpYvww1l2sovM/s1600/IMG_2270.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXOC8o9kQSYdnn3vP-ZY5eCK46Bm8ws-HmBMNsE7TFBKPs1i2o9489VUvDsHGxOWezKg3IQLHf_hYhm7PWcdi_x6MFbckn_8cWGaaWHcjH4Co7flkrOJiCNX3RhhHP8fNpYvww1l2sovM/s400/IMG_2270.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Little baby circle skirt - super easy to make! Instructions taken from <a href="http://www.madeeveryday.com/2012/04/celebrate-baby-tutorial-and-pattern-little-baby-circle-skirt.html/">MadeEverydaywithDana</a>. You only need to use a small amount of fabric. The one I made is for 0-3 months. I know that she's going to grow very fast and I should make bigger size but like I said, this skirt is super easy to make, I can make more when she grows bigger.<br />
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Steps:<br />
1) Fold fabric in fourths, lay pattern from <a href="http://www.madeeveryday.com/2012/04/celebrate-baby-tutorial-and-pattern-little-baby-circle-skirt.html/">MadeEverydaywithDana</a> on the folds and cut along the curves which gives you a fabric circle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP8vUvJTZsTq6CbilF7YkHRAhDU-Sb7td27FzaIIEEmY2eWv2cspJQA1omkvOfswk1g4fuDw5SJuPMcrv9D3CtrB9IPsg_TNQ6vsONmjK7HptyEUPnc1sEC1HcoSzWp56bTDahVuOL-HV/s1600/IMG_2266.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP8vUvJTZsTq6CbilF7YkHRAhDU-Sb7td27FzaIIEEmY2eWv2cspJQA1omkvOfswk1g4fuDw5SJuPMcrv9D3CtrB9IPsg_TNQ6vsONmjK7HptyEUPnc1sEC1HcoSzWp56bTDahVuOL-HV/s400/IMG_2266.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small; letter-spacing: normal;">2) Iron the edges and sew.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small; letter-spacing: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskzNWfCjkNZSCtA1vie-deFlyn-IzfUG25zl1fidOEU6mV4lNTWmL1IC2IWx4DOjyddJ7YWG0i3q3zjuZHfdpmmxlIXBnFDkstUowas81QXdU0J7XE6jk7GeMZjFC3KW3xyWg5r6-UliM/s1600/IMG_2267.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskzNWfCjkNZSCtA1vie-deFlyn-IzfUG25zl1fidOEU6mV4lNTWmL1IC2IWx4DOjyddJ7YWG0i3q3zjuZHfdpmmxlIXBnFDkstUowas81QXdU0J7XE6jk7GeMZjFC3KW3xyWg5r6-UliM/s400/IMG_2267.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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3) Cut approximately 15-inches (depending on your baby's waistline) of 1-inch wide elastic. Sew the edges of elastic together and sew the seam open. Pin the elastic to the waist circle then continue splitting the difference, pinning all the way around the waist. Sew from one pin to the next, stretching the elastic as you go.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinW2DopQf9njbPhdmjb5WpqXkVbPcELUz-D6FRhfr-72FoEhoLpNUS8Yo1Qv8MvjhHtS0VOvn2znZbSG7if1ArS-aJ8OtJ2Q8ZWjBNAlI-cU5KcDeg6QxmlWNqXYs7tZh0LCLBYxFEU-1g/s1600/IMG_2268.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinW2DopQf9njbPhdmjb5WpqXkVbPcELUz-D6FRhfr-72FoEhoLpNUS8Yo1Qv8MvjhHtS0VOvn2znZbSG7if1ArS-aJ8OtJ2Q8ZWjBNAlI-cU5KcDeg6QxmlWNqXYs7tZh0LCLBYxFEU-1g/s400/IMG_2268.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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...and you're done! Easy right???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx_-hMnveXtwEkSGRKsi0bfOgkTTwzjCHEMgS_iUHA1R232n43zPfoUFZMj2-3DhdxP_gjuP1w3FIX8s5eHBk5xz_jKuc-eBFf2kVUtGPCkgch5265Y5ssFPVzse7Oy8ZJV3hj2bJ766V/s1600/IMG_2269.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx_-hMnveXtwEkSGRKsi0bfOgkTTwzjCHEMgS_iUHA1R232n43zPfoUFZMj2-3DhdxP_gjuP1w3FIX8s5eHBk5xz_jKuc-eBFf2kVUtGPCkgch5265Y5ssFPVzse7Oy8ZJV3hj2bJ766V/s400/IMG_2269.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRkG6bod7nHOAodv2RL4HK-1tDYXOyvfakgRJZdNLTYVa-MQ0lsaCXqyM-5MRbpY1NhO3CRo54g0bGlS3qv6f9cCsKkS6PYZyHFJJR06mzTSmDgbcT8yfJsoobDexhYZe1K96jC7MBMbC/s1600/IMG_2270.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRkG6bod7nHOAodv2RL4HK-1tDYXOyvfakgRJZdNLTYVa-MQ0lsaCXqyM-5MRbpY1NhO3CRo54g0bGlS3qv6f9cCsKkS6PYZyHFJJR06mzTSmDgbcT8yfJsoobDexhYZe1K96jC7MBMbC/s400/IMG_2270.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-58038558122726241642016-12-01T17:56:00.001+08:002016-12-12T21:27:40.084+08:00Baking in December<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqI3Lrjjvq6k89Ri-lEbofbBZRkKSxvsi9rmzEML4hRiOc399GWwRgmu3ia5-Ff-T93rMDJW0ITFTULyiZ77oWhYikgeMX_7i7Vc69iYO_Ix29ADoNGtAJs6IP_l_S6n3C6E3-O1MhMY-7/s640/blogger-image--927533171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqI3Lrjjvq6k89Ri-lEbofbBZRkKSxvsi9rmzEML4hRiOc399GWwRgmu3ia5-Ff-T93rMDJW0ITFTULyiZ77oWhYikgeMX_7i7Vc69iYO_Ix29ADoNGtAJs6IP_l_S6n3C6E3-O1MhMY-7/s640/blogger-image--927533171.jpg" /></a></div>
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Have been wanting to bake gingerbread man cookies for the longest time. Since we have entered into December and it's Christmas month, I have the best reason to bake them!<br />
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Most of the recipes found online contain molasses which add on the fragrance of the cookies. However, I do not have that and do not intend to buy, so I searched for recipe without it and found this recipe from <a href="http://www.melaniecooks.com/easy-gingerbread-cookies-recipe-without-molasses/6608/"><span style="color: blue;">MelanieCooks</span></a>. This recipe is very easy.<br />
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Recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.melaniecooks.com/easy-gingerbread-cookies-recipe-without-molasses/6608/"><span style="color: blue;">MelanieCooks</span></a> with some minor adjustment.<br />
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<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
3 cups all purpose flour<br />
4 tsp ground ginger<br />
2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1 tsp ground mixed spices<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
340g salted butter, room temperature<br />
1/2 cup light brown sugar <br />
1/4 cup honey<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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<i>Steps:</i></div>
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1) In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground mixed spices.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu5Y01JshSF2eZuc3d7-9qUytIdbvjwr3SK6dtDOuU2Vl0-GlXaPd0jpTi3nZ4THu2PX3_PQaomp9EzeBfatLCM77vtjLAcLSx0gKcJsrIKw04OYj4bBtMt6zJEmIKvo63z5tXwujXeCS/s1600/IMG_2491.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu5Y01JshSF2eZuc3d7-9qUytIdbvjwr3SK6dtDOuU2Vl0-GlXaPd0jpTi3nZ4THu2PX3_PQaomp9EzeBfatLCM77vtjLAcLSx0gKcJsrIKw04OYj4bBtMt6zJEmIKvo63z5tXwujXeCS/s400/IMG_2491.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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2) In an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.</div>
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3) Add in light brown sugar until well combined.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityKUUQuoDYRRdiAtovF2hSKUOwtHo-PGsklE9nO0YGP_sDkKU01ZOqP8Au1cYACYBDcBljOFSggrF4neynZvjDLPXwHrs70ZDpt_r3-w6L-H2CAMJLZ6Jqfmb2Gg9M-qcKe7hFNk-qAAU/s1600/IMG_2492.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityKUUQuoDYRRdiAtovF2hSKUOwtHo-PGsklE9nO0YGP_sDkKU01ZOqP8Au1cYACYBDcBljOFSggrF4neynZvjDLPXwHrs70ZDpt_r3-w6L-H2CAMJLZ6Jqfmb2Gg9M-qcKe7hFNk-qAAU/s400/IMG_2492.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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4) Add in honey, egg and vanilla extract.</div>
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5) Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture and beat until incorporated and then add the remaining.</div>
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6) Scrape dough onto parchment paper. By using a rolling pin, roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and wrap around. Freeze the dough until firm for 20 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.</div>
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7) Preheat oven to 180dC.</div>
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8) Line baking tray with parchment paper.</div>
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9) Remove dough from freezer or refrigerator and place on work surface. Peel off the parchment paper and lay it back in place. </div>
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10) Fun part!!! Cut the dough using ginger bread man cookie cutter (of course any cookie cutter is fine). </div>
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11) Transfer shapes to the prepared baking tray. <i>Optional: By using a toothpick, draw the eyes and mouth.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMlRDbMsXgG4eUKvYRAjhmPB4quWUzUproDwO6X9N8zcMGLUDLzJ8G_pK3yNlaNXG64Ug0FUPEMmyosgAtMqN70HmW7Md2R4-Ne238IrPkvh5xksN4tsSqMVmCRhvFQttsScdAaNftmhB/s1600/IMG_2498.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMlRDbMsXgG4eUKvYRAjhmPB4quWUzUproDwO6X9N8zcMGLUDLzJ8G_pK3yNlaNXG64Ug0FUPEMmyosgAtMqN70HmW7Md2R4-Ne238IrPkvh5xksN4tsSqMVmCRhvFQttsScdAaNftmhB/s400/IMG_2498.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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12) Bake for 15 minutes.</div>
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13) Cool completely on wire rack.</div>
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14) Gather scrapes and repeat rolling, cutting and baking. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used up.</div>
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15) <i>Optional: Once cookies are cool, decorate with icing sugar, if desired.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndLstFhtq0wGKaQn9escCZ0xVh3DT2wBMZ5k99Cf-66xT3vVz5gbj54Dpi2dQOsd2hZyeTQ0ZYRiSirmV2PKVQsNt4EF7R1_wAjug0YFu9ZQPTwlGmTT0J8JLlan-Yu5FP7Mz66QdaIz_/s640/blogger-image--350335292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndLstFhtq0wGKaQn9escCZ0xVh3DT2wBMZ5k99Cf-66xT3vVz5gbj54Dpi2dQOsd2hZyeTQ0ZYRiSirmV2PKVQsNt4EF7R1_wAjug0YFu9ZQPTwlGmTT0J8JLlan-Yu5FP7Mz66QdaIz_/s640/blogger-image--350335292.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The happy gingerbread man!</span></div>
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Tada! Can't wait to bake this again with baby rainbow next year!</div>
Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-54908742931558956202016-11-28T11:12:00.001+08:002016-11-28T11:39:28.218+08:00My pregnancy journey It is very common for a pregnant mum to get diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Thus, it's very important to maintain normal blood sugar (for all pregnant mums, really) to ensure the health of your baby and yourselves.<br />
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So, what is <b>gestational diabetes</b>?<br />
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It is usually defined as diabetes that is developed during pregnancy, which is resulted from insulin resistant, which means the body does not have the ability to tolerate large amounts of carbohydrates without experiencing high blood sugar. Technically all pregnant mums experience some degree of insulin resistance during pregnancy as it's natural metabolic shift that serves to shunt glucose and nutrients to the baby.<br />
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If the mum is diabetic during pregnancy, chances are high that the foetus will also be diabetic and also bigger in size thus making it harder for the mum to deliver later.<br />
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Moreover, gestational diabetes is increasingly believed to be an early indicator for the later development of diabetes, which means a mum's insulin resistance continues or worsens years after giving birth. Mums who have gestational diabetes have a 7-fold higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.<br />
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Usually the screening is done during second and third trimester when the placental hormones are at their peak and insulin resistance spikes. I was diagnosed with it in my 5th month into pregnancy. The screening is called modified glucose tolerance test (MGTT). It is a mandatory test to be done in Malaysian government clinics. This test is done by taking a blood sample first thing in the morning after fasting for 10 hours. Usually the fast begins at 10pm the night before and blood is taken at 8am the next morning. Then, you will be asked to drink a cup of warm thick sugary water then rest for 2 hours. During this 2 hours, cannot eat or drink anything. After 2 hours, another blood sample will be taken. Basically, a comparison of glucose level in these 2 blood samples will show if your body can successfully process the glucose or not.<br />
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Since I failed the glucose test, I am required to take blood sugar profile. This is a test done for glucose level after 2 hours of every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Initially, I took the readings for pre-meals as well to learn my body's unique pattern and response to different kind of foods (and combinations of food). From there, I adjust my diet accordingly, knowing that carbohydrates tend to raise my blood sugar the most, fat and protein tend to stabilise my blood sugar and exercise tends to lower it.<br />
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So now, I have to maintain normal blood sugar during pregnancy by controlling my diet well (emphasising foods with plenty of good fat and protein), taking more low glycemic foods, reducing my intake of sugars, exercising and monitoring my blood glucose level every 2 weeks until I deliver my baby. So far, I have been doing quite well except I have been lazy exercising :(. Although it can be quite troublesome and frustrating especially when I have to control my craving for sweet stuffs especially, but it's for the sake of my baby's health and mine. I know that as long as I keep my blood sugar levels at normal, we both will not have the risk or low risk of complications.<br />
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One more month to go! or less??? Excited!Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995998351902176062.post-11316774470517507482016-11-22T11:43:00.002+08:002016-11-22T13:42:40.624+08:00My pregnancy journey (third trimester)I am currently into my 35 weeks of pregnancy. Woho! Which is totally insane. Ever since I hit 30 weeks I have been feeling crazy. The weeks gone by so quick! According to Glow app, our rainbow is the size of a muskmelon. She was about 2kg when we went for scan 2 weeks ago. It's a good hefty size and that's true because I feel like my body is so compressed and squashed and full right now. I got a lot of comments from a lot of people saying I don't look pregnant from the back or when I'm wearing loose dress which is very sweet and I take it as a compliment. I guess different mums gain weight in different ways whether carrying a boy or carrying a girl. Now, I can't take in full breathe, because I just don't have a lot of space in there. Same goes with food. I can't eat as much as normally. I get bloated easily even after a small meal.<br />
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Sleeping has been kind of hit and miss. Even when it's enough; like enough hours, I still wake up maybe once or twice each night. There have been multiple times during my third trimester I would wake up middle of the night having these horrible leg cramps. Sometimes I don't even wake up to leg cramps or to pee. I just wake up, think that it's morning, checked my phone, saw the husband still snoring and realised it's 5am and then wished that I didn't wake up at all. </div>
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Emotionally, generally I have been good. I feel pretty normal most of the days and I have even been impressed that I don't get the tiredness as strong compared to first trimester. In contrast, I am full of energy most of the times. Maybe this is what most mums termed as "nesting instinct". I just have a lot of energy to do some minor cleaning, rearrange some stuffs, do some simple home workout and pick up some sewing skills. The only downside is the increase physical discomfort.<br />
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I don't know if it's just me but when I sneeze or cough, I pee. Although we don't get period during pregnancy, I still wear pad/pantyliner throughout my whole pregnancy. </div>
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In terms of craving nowadays, it's weird that I am not a super fan towards sweet stuff before pregnancy. I mean I eat sweet stuffs once in a while but I could live without. Throughout third trimester, I think about chocolate, I think about cake, I think about ice-cream, I think about brownie all the time! I guess you start having things that you don't usually crave for. What frustrates me is that I am diagnosed with gestational diabetes and thus I need to control my glucose intake. When I crave for sweet stuffs, I can't eat them whole but just a few small bites :(. I can do it!</div>
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So, until third trimester, I still don't get the pregnancy glow everyone talks about. Up till now, I still breakout like a teenager. Maybe my rainbow is stealing my beauty? haha. Hopefully my skin gets better after delivery.<br />
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Obviously it has been quite a lot happening in there since my last pregnancy update. Now when she moves around, they are no longer kicks and punches anymore. It's like my whole womb is turning 360 degrees. She moves a lot these days. Feel like she doesn't even sleep. </div>
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Anyhow, we certainly are looking forward to her arrival very very soon! Baby crib is coming in today! Will be decorating her nursery corner. <3</div>
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Till then...........<br />
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Children of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12825337371612075998noreply@blogger.com0