We were playing and cuddling and I just happen to look at the clock. With a start, I realise it’s time for your milk again when I felt like it was just minutes ago when you last had your milk. Time flies really fast baby. Tomorrow you’ll have your first solids. Soon you’ll go to day care. Before Mom knows it, you’ll have your first boyfriend already! Time flies really fast. Grow up well, honey. And Mom and Dad hope you’ll grow up with a kind heart.
Category Archives: parenting
BCG stamp
‘Tis the third day yet her BCG twice-stamped skin is still swollen. 🙁 The mark of 18 (!!) needles. 🙁 All other vaccinations were on her thighs and only single needle at that save for BCG that has to be on the left arm and stamped. Supposedly this is to avoid keloid formation/scarring of the injection site. Hopefully it really doesn’t leave her a lifetime mark like the ones I and my brothers have.
This by the way is the stamp. From Wikipedia.
Incomplete, an act of kindness, Yui’s first solids preps
Tonight and tomorrow night, Hubs is away for a stay-in workshop organised by the company, him being one of the lecturers. I’m happy for Hubs for this opportunity but I sorely miss him; this being the first night we’ve been away from each other ever since our church wedding two years ago let alone the first since Yui was born. Yui seemed to be out of sorts herself as well this evening. Not crying thankfully but more clingy than usual. Nighttime is actually her bonding time with Dad as I go about doing household chores. Funny how she finally settled for the night after hearing her dad on the phone when Hubs called to say goodnight. I am more tired as well since I have to take care of the baby AND do household chores; this after coming home carting a baby in my arms, a bulky baby bag on one shoulder and dragging a stroller/baby car on one hand (Mayumi carried the shopped goods thankfully). But still I’m real thankful because Yui at least wasn’t cranky this evening. In fact she was smiling a lot. So even when I was already very tired, I found myself still having the energy to do some household chores at 1:30am. Thanks to Yui’s help. The miracles of being a mom – you thought you’re tired already yet you still find yourself going and going and going. But really, aside from the lending arm that Hubs gives when he’s around, it definitely is lonely without Atsushi around. Two nights seem to be very long.
Yui is soon to start her solids already and I planned for today and tomorrow to buy the stuff necessary for the first few weeks at least. Been researching on giving baby solids for quite some time now and it’s finally time to actually buy the stuff for us to get started.
For today’s destination, we had to ride the JR train. Unfortunately however, the station we went to doesn’t have an elevator. We had Yui on a baby car and it’s really quite a feat to climb a long flight of stairs with a baby and a big bag albeit Mayumi will carry the folded stroller. The train master however kindly offered to carry Yui’s baby car and even offered that I put my big bag on the stroller for him to carry which of course I had to graciously refuse. When we got up to the platform, he didn’t leave us immediately the moment he set down the stroller. He waited till I was able to safely tuck Yui in in the stroller. Such a kind act. Thankful. Touched. Impressed.
The baby goods shopping was successful. Was really happy with these girly cover-all bibs; hello kitty and suzzy’s zoo being washable cloth type and the owl and flower design being easy to wipe plastic type. We’re ready for solids yey!
one boon in having a baby girl….
…is you can dress her up in the cutest dresses there are.
Or use the cutest gadgets! Yes, even with thermometers.
Happy Hearts Day everyone!
the health clinic check and colouring book wall posts
Early yesterday morning (the earliest appointment Yui and I had together so far at 8:45), the whole family went to the children’s health clinic floor in the Ward office (Japan equivalent of the city hall) for the required 4~5 months checkup.
We actually also have the required (and free!) regular well baby checkups – first week, one month, 3 to 4 months, 6 to 7 months, 9 to 10 months, 1 year old, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years old – which can be done in private hospitals and clinics. These, on top of course of the vaccination schedules which of course doesn’t necessarily coincide with the scheduled checkups.
But the government’s health department also required regular checkups on top of the ones above that will be done by the government health personnel. Guess this is the government’s way of ensuring that their baby citizens are taken cared of well. Quite impressive isn’t it?
We actually thought we’d be the only ones there, similar to the personal visit we had from the ward office midwife when Yui was just five weeks old. Hence we were surprised to see a lot of babies with their families. Turned out they’ve called all the 4~5 month old babies in the area for the required checkup and organised a checkup system that’s quite reminiscent of company checkups.
The group is only supposed to be for 4~5 month old babies and only in our area at that. And yet there was quite a number of babies. Far cry from my first assignment here in Japan some ten years ago when I haven’t seen a single pregnant woman.
When we came to the room to have Yui’s statistics measured, I hesitated a bit when I put down Yui on one of the cots. She was still sleeping and I was wary that she’d cry a lot (like most of the babies there!) when I had to strip off her clothes since I’d be waking her up and the room is a bit cold (I was wearing a coat yet I was just comfortable with the temperature). But when she woke up, the first thing she saw were the drawings of Pooh Bear and Doraemon and Hello Kitty and a smile spread and stayed on her face even when I was taking off her clothes. After the body measurements, we had to wait a bit for our turn for one of the doctors to check on Yui and so to keep Yui warm (yes she still has no clothes on!) I put her again in her oversized bunting.
Her oversized bunting (oversized so that she can hopefully wear it again next winter. But since she’s already 65cm at barely 5 months when supposedly 60cm clothes are up to 6month old babies, I’m not sure if this will still fit her next winter).
Anyway I digress. While we waited, Yui just calmly looked at all the screaming and wailing babies and looked curiously at the wall drawings as well; making me decide that it’s high time to put up drawings by yui’s crib as well. Meanwhile, we are thankful the check with the doctor went smoothly and Atsushi and I were again very proud to see Yui propping up herself strongly when the doctor had her on her tummy.
We also had lectures on how to take care of our older baby, first solids (recommended at five months) and teething basics & care.
After the checkup we went to a mall to look for posters that I can stick on the wall by Yui’s crib. But we had difficulty looking for hello kitty posters nor pooh bear posters. So we decided to buy this one instead and have the colouring time as bonding time as well, yet another opportunity to tell Yui a story.
I would have to delegate the drawing from scratch to Atsushi. 😀 😀
baby diaries: love and kisses
When I kiss you good night starting from your forehead, you lift your neck up to lift your mouth, as if telling me to hurry and kiss you goodnight in the lips. And when I do so and kissed both your cheeks too, you look at me like you’re very much in love with Mom.
Or it could be that you raise your lips so you could kiss Mom. Any which way my heart soars.
You do that too even in public. Last Sunday, we had a family day and hung out somewhere. When we were in a coffee shop (mainly to feed you) and I took you from Dad after I got back from the toilet, you looked at me with beaming eyes with a smile on your lips, yes, like you were so in love with me.
Thank you Moirraine. Grow up well and don’t break Mom’s and Dad’s hearts. Please?