Dr Richard Ferber

oopss.. forgot the link:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babysleep/3522.html

Ferberizing

Last night, Jia Wen went to bed a little earlier than normal because she was very tired and already sleepy at 8 PM. Anyway, in the hopes that she would sleep through the night because she was tired, well she didn't!!

She woke up at 1.30 AM and didn't want to go back to sleep. So I decided to "ferberize" her. I was reluctant at first because she was having a a very mild fever but after seeing her still as active as usual and showing that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, I left her in her room alone. Of course she cried! (Click on the link above to see what "ferberization" mean) Her cry lasted for more than an hour and that's when I went in to check on her. She was standing on her usual corner of the cot crying. Even after crying for more than an hour, the cry didn't seem to be fading off or it didn't tire her at all! Checked her temperature and decided to give her a dose of paracetamol (I think I needed it more than she did at that time) and after that carried her to sleep. I sat on the chair for about half an hour and she didn't sleep. She was tosing and turning because she was hot from our body heat. So I decided to put her on the bed next to me so that the both of us would be comfortable. Wrong choice! She almost jumped for glory then and started crawling on the bed, kicking me, digging my nose, etc. So I put her back into her cot and yes again, she cried. She cried while I slept on the bed next to her. After a while, I carried her and sat on the chair again to try to put her to sleep. By the way, it was already 4.22 AM by then. So she did fall asleep... only at about 5.30 AM. Seeing that she was sleeping quite deeply, I put her back into her cot and went back to my room to catch a wink (haven't slept since 1.30 AM). She started crying again at 6 AM! From then onwards, I switched off the baby monitor and continued to sleep. Believe it or not, she cried till 7.40 AM when my alarm rang!!

Now she's downstairs reading her books and making some noise while I had to blog and waiting for Oscars to start!

It's Raining

It is 1 AM now and it is pouring very heavily outside with some quite furious thunder and lightning. Thank God it is raining and I hope it'll rain till tomorrow morning so that the haze can clear out a bit. Haze situation yesterday and this morning was really really really bad. One of the worse I have seen!

Sleepless Nights

Jia Wen woke up at 4 AM this morning and refused to go back to sleep again. I tried carrying her to put her back to sleep but she refused, instead kept on playing with my ears, digging my nose, digging my eyes, pulling my hair. Put her back into the crib and she started to cry. Repeated this cycle for a few times till finally I got fed up and put her back into her crib and she started crying like a mad kid for almost an hour while I sat on the chair near her. She just refused to go back to sleep eventhough the cry made her very tired. So I finally picked her and cradled her to sleep (which was pretty immediate) and the moment I left the room to go back to sleep, which was by the way at 6.15 AM already, she started to cry again!!!!!!!!!!! So I decided to bathe her and get her ready for our journey to Melaka. Since she wasn't going to sleep and I wasn't able to sleep, we might as well get ready to leave!

Jia Wen has been doing this for the past one month and more!! And every night, my stay in her room gets longer and longer. I am getting very very frustrated and tired. As for help from Shien Wei, hmm..... he is sort of already numb to the baby monitor making noises. He doesn't hear it anymore!!! And sometimes, when she cries, I will try to wake him up but either he pretends to ignore me or he is really dead to the world!

Nodding Off

This evening, at about 8 PM, Jia Wen was so tired that she was literally nodding off at every position I put her. I sat her down on the couch, she nodded off, I put her on my lap, she nodded off. It was quite funny really. Cute. You would think that she was really really tired but a minute after the episode of nodding off, she woke up and started laughing and was all active again! Interesting!

Anyway, today was pretty much a normal day except that we went to IOI Mall for a walk. Actually we went there for the aircon. It was so so so hot at home that we had to get out and go to a cooler place. We walked for a while and went to Starbucks for some cold beverage while Jia Wen napped in her stroller. Just as we walked into Starbucks and was about to order, I suddenly thought of Secret Recipe which is just next door and thought that we should have gone there instead. I saw the cakes in Starbucks and it didn't look half as interesting as Secret Recipe's. But since we have walked into Starbucks, it wouldn't be nice to walk out and go to the competitor but I must admit, I was thinking of "Chocolate Indulgence" the whole time... till now! Just thinking of it is making me hungry now.

Leaving for Melaka for the weekend first thing tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it actually because the house in Melaka is fully airconditioned! Yipee!

Anyway people, have a good weekend and see you in my next blog!

Why God Made Mums

Why God Made Mums

WHY GOD MADE MUMS Enjoy the answers given by primary school age children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of them when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel-hair and everything nice in the world, and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string. I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mum?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me.

What kind of little girl was your mum?
1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between mums and dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home, and dads just got to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but mums have all the real power cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

Chap Goh Meh

Chinese New Year came and went so quickly. It is the 15th day of Chinese New Year which is also the end of the "shebang". The Rooster has entered though not promising a lot for everyone but I hope that everyone makes the best out of the year.

Jia Wen kept me up till 2 AM last night. She just wanted to play and not want to sleep. Everytime I put her into her cot, she'll start to cry and scream for attention (even put in the cough action) and when I go to carry her to put her to sleep, she'll start laugh and not want to let me carry. She wanted to get down on the floor and play. She started pulling my hair, taking away my glasses, etc. I finally got her to sleep at 2 AM.

Woke up early this morning one because Jia Wen woke up at 7 AM and two because I had to send my sister off back to Labuan. Had Tosai for breakfast (which was really good) at Syed Bistro before taking her to the Putrajaya train station to catch the transit to KLIA.

Came back quite tired and decided not to do anything today. But Jia Wen decided to stay active and stayed awake till almost 3 PM where I slept with her till 5 PM.

And tonight, being Chap Goh Meh, lots of crackers were lighted making it hard for Jia Wen to sleep. It woke her up like every 5 minutes so I decided to put her next to me and sleep until the noise were over. I guess I must have either slept through the noise or there wasn't much being put off at midnight.

It is 1.30 AM so till my next posting, good night.

Tribute To Canny Ong

Ahmad Najib Aris was today sentenced to death for the murder of IT analyst Canny Ong. In addition to the death penalty, he was also sentenced to 20 years jail and 10 strokes of rotan for raping Ong.

Finally, after what must have been the most difficult one and a half year for families of Canny Ong, they now have a certain closure to their lives. Of course this verdict will not bring Canny Ong back but I pray that she can now rest in peace knowing that the person who had brutally harmed and killed her (on 13 July 2003) is no longer wandering in the streets and no longer a predator to other people. To her family, God Bless.

A Prayer for Canny Ong

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! Abase not him whom Thou has exalted through the power of Thine everlasting sovereignty, and remove not far from Thee him whom Thou hast caused to enter the tabernacle of Thine eternity. Wilt Thou cast away, O my God, him whom Thou hast overshadowed with Thy Lordship, and wilt Thou turn away from Thee, O my Desire, him to who Thou hast been a refuge? Canst Thou degrade him who Thou hast uplifted, or forget him whom Thou dist enable to remember Thee?

Glorified, immensely glorified art Thou! Thou art He Who from everlasting hath been the King of the entire creation and its Prime mover, and Thou wilt to everlasting remain the Lord of all created things and their Ordainer. Glorified art Thou, O my God! If Thou ceasest to be merciful unto Thy servants, who, then, will show mercy unto them; and if Thou refusest to succor Thy loved ones, who is there tht can succor them?

Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou! Thou art adored in Thy truth, and Thee do we all, verily, worship; and Thou art manifest in Thy justice, and to Thee do we all, verily, bear witness. Thou art, in truth, beloved in Thy grace. No God is there by Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

-Baha'u'llah-

Shall We Dance

We've just been introduced,

I do not know you well,

But when the music started

Something drew me to your side.

So many men and girls,

Are in each others arms.

It made me think we might be Similarly occupied.

Shall we dance?

On a bright cloud of music shall we fly?

Shall we dance?

Shall we then say "Goodnight and mean "Goodbye"?

Or perchance,

When the last little star has left the sky,

Shall we still be together

With are arms around each other

And shall you be my new romance?

On the clear understanding

That this kind of thing can happen,

Shall we dance?

Shall we dance?

Shall we Dance?

*****

Went to watch "Shall We Dance" by Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon & Jeniffer Lopez tonight with May. Didn't expect the show to be good but went anyway. Turned out it was better than what I expected. Was romantic in a different kind of way. Not like any other romantic movies but nice. Richard Gere is just so romantic!

It is almost 1 a.m. now and Jia Wen has been awake since 1.5 hours ago and refuses to sleep. She wants to play but when I leave her, she cries like there's no tomorrow. She is cutting my fuses very short! Better go put her to sleep so that I can go to sleep!

Chinese New Year

Kuala Lumpur - Kulim (Kedah) - Kuala Lumpur - Melaka - Kuala Lumpur

Chinese New Year came and went by so quickly that it hardly sank in. It really amazing how time flies by when you are having fun, travelling, gambling, eating. It is already almost Chap Goh Meh which marks the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration. We had quite a celebration this year, a hectic one I must say. We spent most of the time on the road (as you can see above) plus a little visiting here and there in KL. It was quite stressful for me especially the few days before Chinese New Year and during the few days of travelling. Planning and packing for a roadtrip with a baby isn't easy. What to bring, what to pack, what not to forget, what to put in the car-boot, what to put in-front, how many portions of porridge to prepare, what sort of entertainment to provide in the car (for baby of course), clothes, milk, etc. And to add to the already stressful list of things, packing for Shien Wei and I had to be done too. As we were travelling up for Chinese New Year, I had to make sure that I packed the correct clothes with the correct shoes, ang pows, etc. Of course the unpacking wasn't too exciting either. Anyway, I hope it'll be easier next year if we do attempt to do such an extensive travelling again. Jia Wen will be 2 by then and hopefully things will be a lot easier but for the time being, I am NOT looking forward to it!

Below are some pictures of us taken on the first day of Chinese New Year. Isn't Jia Wen simply adorable?

Aren't we beautiful? 

Happy Family 

Jia Wen and I 

Hot Spell

Honestly, I am not liking this weather at all! It is freaking hot and it is making my mood swing all over! Certainly not appreciating the boiling, blistering, blazing hot sun! The thought of just stepping outside to collect laundry is beyond me what more getting into the car to go buy newspaper from 7-Eleven! Argh! I am really looking forward to our trip to Nagoya next month where the weather there will be my kind of weather - cold!

Jia Wen is napping right not and I am supposed to catch a wink or two myself but knowing me, once I am on the computer, it can be pretty hard to leave. Not doing anything important on the PC but amazingly, time passess by very fast when you are doing something you enjoy. Hubby is lying on the bed behind me going through thoroughly today's paper.

This is indeed my first blog and I really hope that I can diligently continue blogging for a long time to come. Have been thinking of starting handwritten diary for myself but I think this works better for me not having to worry about mood-related handwriting, finding a good pen. And I do type faster than I write. So let's hope that this will live on.