From Marie and me

Back in England

It is a week now since Marie and I arrived in England. The temperature has been getting colder by the day but still no snow. This past week it is down memory lane for me as I have been going round looking for the places that I used to work at and lived in. It is sad to see the hospitals that I used to work in are all demolished and gone. These are:
The London Jewish Hospital
The Bromley/Farnborough/Beckenham Maternity Hospital
Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital

Surprisingly, all the places that I used to live in are still there albeit slightly different from when I was living there. Will post the photos when I am back in M'sia.
Do we miss Malaysia? The answer is definitely YES!!

There is nothing like being in your own home wherever that may be.
There is nothing like doing your own things at whatever time or day.
The internet connection in Malaysia is faster.
Our hosts feed us very well but we do miss the food in Malaysia especially when out shopping.

All said and done, it is sale, sale, sale everywhere and we are enjoying this aspect of our visit very much. The saddest part is seeing the closing down of Woolworths on Boxing Day. As a matter of fact, not many of the famous big name stores are left as I notice when walking down Oxford and Regent Streets.
Chinatown has not changed much with the same restaurants like Loong Fong and Lee Hau Fook still there. The Chinese supermarkets are still there selling more or less the same things.

We are off to Paris later this morning so will post again when we come back.

Wei Jun and Jeun Yip's progress

Most babies will roll over onto their tummies at about six months but here Wei Jun has made it at 5 months. In fact he can roll over and over across 4 mattresses. A word of caution, if your baby starts rolling over you have to be extra careful when he is on a high surface as the chances of rolling off onto the floor is increased. Pillows and bolsters as a barricade will not stop him falling down.








Hi, I am Jeun Yip and I love playing with my hands








They are making such a big fuss because Wei Jun can turn over onto his tummy







I am sure I can do it too







Ok, here goes…….









Nearly there…..








Oh no, I am not going to make it







Looks like I did’nt make it this time








Oh well, guess I’ll stay with playing with my hands and toes for now.

3 more girls

Finally I have managed to get nice photos of the 3 latest addition to the centre and it is nice to have a few more girls.










Rhyannan











Mirabelle and Marissa are twins.

Weaning baby - the first feed

When it comes to weaning baby onto solid food there are some controversies about when to start and what to give. I would like to share with you the technique that I have used over the years and so far all the children that I have weaned have fantastic appetites and will eat anything as they grow older. This makes it easy for the parents when they want to eat out and there is no fear that the child will not have a balanced diet.

A few pointers to remember:

• Do not start until the baby has completed 4 months of age.
• Do not force the baby to eat if he is not ready.
• The amount given does not replace the milk feed.

I like to start after 4 months instead of 6 months because eating something thicker in consistency and drinking milk requires 2 different actions. I find that the baby learns to coordinate taking food into the mouth, moving it to the back of the mouth and then swallowing it faster than if left to 6 months. Always start with 1 teaspoon baby rice powder mixed with water and stirred to a very fine slightly watery paste.


Wei Jun has completed his 4 months so we will try and see if he likes it.






Aunty Cecilia says that I am eating baby rice today. I wonder what it is all about.






Maybe I don’t have to eat it if I pretend to sleep.









Maybe if I look away?








Oops, guess I better open my mouth cos I can see Aunty Cecilia’s stern face looking at me.







Ok, it’s in my mouth, so what do I do with it?








Oh Aunty Cecilia says to swallow it, but how do I do that?








Ugh oh, it is all dribbling out and she is scooping it back in.








I think I have got it and it is not so bad after all.








Hey!! I am really enjoying this stuff.








Waaah! I want some more.





The video below shows you how to mix the baby rice powder.

Growth and development progress

Beginning this month I will be posting a monthly report on the growth and development progress of 4 new babies in my centre. The objective of these reports are to hopefully show you that each baby will grow and develop at his own pace even though they are given similar stimulation and care. This is a photo of the 4 'mouseketeers'. They are 3 boys and 1 girl. The reason why I added a girl is because it is generally believed that girls develop faster than boys so we shall see if this is true.


















Starting from the right, the babies are:

Wei Jun - born end of July, is 4 months and 1 week old

Jeun Yip – born middle of August is 3 months and 2 weeks old

Gavin – born end of August is 3 months and 1 week old

Renee – born middle of September is 2 months and 2 weeks old


The videos below are to see how each baby tries controlling their heads.


Wei Jun



Jeun Yip



Gavin





Hi, I am Renee and Aunty Cecilia says it is boring watching all the boys lifting their heads so I will show what I can do.





See? I can hold my head quite well without support.

Welcome and goodbye

Lately I have been having a lot of boys to my centre so it is nice to welcome a little princess to the 'family'




Renee











Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to




Julia who is moving to Australia









Sze Wei who has graduated from the centre and going to preschool