Hot Milk

Hot Milk - The unbottled truth about formula
John Hoffman


It’s a safe bet that most parents who use infant formula — and the majority of Canadian parents do at one time or another — know little about it. One reason is the difficulty in finding an unbiased, unpoliticized source of information about formula. There are those who would prefer parents didn’t use it; they don’t like to talk for fear of promoting formula. Others openly promote it, offering vague and sometimes misleading marketing info but few details. Still others try to be more balanced, but in an attempt to avoid guilt trips, they soft-pedal the differences between formula and human milk.*
The one thing all these sources agree on — at least they all say so — is that “breast is best,” which leads to much discussion and, at times, debate about breastfeeding. All the while, formula sits quietly on the shelf, relatively unscrutinized. We hear and read a lot about breastfeeding, but little about formula. It’s time to correct that with some straight answers.

What is in formula?
Most infant formula comes from cow’s milk (the exception is soy formula), but a lot has to happen before it goes from the cow to the can and, ultimately, babies. The short, blunt version is that the manufacturing process literally takes cow’s milk apart and puts it back together again with some components left out and others added.
Cow’s milk is very high in saturated fat, which human babies have trouble digesting, and low in monounsaturates, the main fats in human milk. So the first step is to remove all the fat. The resulting skim milk is heated, then dehydrated if it’s going to be in powdered form. Then new fats, in the form of vegetable oil blends, are added along with proteins, milk sugar (lactose) and a long list of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are required by federal regulation to approximate their levels in breastmilk.
Cow’s milk has three times as much protein as breastmilk. Calves need this because they grow so quickly, but for human babies it would put too much of a load on the liver and kidneys. Cow’s milk also has a higher proportion of casein to whey — the two kinds of proteins in mammal milks — than breastmilk does. So formula manufacturers must reduce the overall amount of protein and add extra whey to mimic the protein balance found in breastmilk.
Other ingredients prevent the mixture from separating or going bad. Some formulas have thickeners, and specialized formulas for premature babies have enhanced levels of nutrients. Any newly developed formula must meet a number of safety and nutritional standards, including clinical evidence that it is nutritionally adequate to promote normal growth.

What’s not in formula?
Human milk is a complex substance which, even now, is not fully understood. The list of known breastmilk components not present in formula is too long to go into fully and includes enzymes, hormones, growth factors and substances that fight infection and help develop the immune system.
Simply put, human milk is alive, says James Friel, professor of human nutrition at the University of Manitoba. “Some components are biologically active. They play a role that goes far beyond nutrition,” he explains. “For example, if you put an oxidant stressor — something like cigarette smoke — in breastmilk, it resists the stressor, and breastmilk does this better than formula even though formula contains more antioxidants. That strikes me as odd and I wish I understood it better.” Friel thinks it might one day be possible to add biologically active material to formula, but doesn’t expect to see this any time soon.
One important biologically active component of human milk is a protein called secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), which has the ability to bind to foreign substances (including harmful bacteria) so they can be eliminated from the body. It lines the wall of the gut, which is one of the main entry points for infection. Colostrum, the thicker milk that a mother’s body produces in the first few days, is especially high in sIgA.
Formula contains these little fighters as well, although they’re less plentiful and they’re bovine (cow) immunglobulins which are programmed to recognize micro-organisms that cause disease in cattle rather than humans, and operate in the bloodstream rather than the gut. Bottle-fed babies still develop immune systems, obviously, but they miss out on some of the early and long-term protection provided by sIgA.
The most immediate threat from lack of sIgA is during the first weeks of life, when a baby’s gut is vulnerable to infection. Advances in hygiene and sanitation, plus ready access to treatment, have made life-threatening gastrointestinal infections rare in Canadian babies. But they still cause considerable illness and many infant deaths in the developing world, where powdered formula is sometimes mixed with contaminated water.
Another biological capability, present in breastmilk but not formula, is the ability to alter itself. Breastmilk changes, both as the baby grows and during each feeding. Foremilk, which is produced at the start of each feeding, is relatively low in fat. As the baby sucks, the level of fat rises, satisfying him and lulling him into that blissful state a nursing mom loves to see. The fat levels of human milk also change in the baby’s second six months, when his growth rate slows. In recent years new formulas, called follow-up formulas, have been designed to more closely match some of the nutritional needs of an older baby.

How close is formula to breastmilk?
Both are milks that can sustain fledgling human life, but the similarity ends there. Nutrients in a man-made substance do not work the same way as they do in a naturally occurring substance. As dietitian Cristine Bradley, senior manager of medical affairs for Indiana-based formula maker Mead Johnson, puts it: “Compositionally, I’d call it apples to apples but functionally, it’s apples to oranges in many ways.”
A couple of examples: Iron was added to formula in the 1980s. However, the iron in formula is not nearly as well absorbed as that in breastmilk, so formula must contain considerably more for a baby to get the same amount.
Another example is nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA and help strengthen the immune system. After they were added to formula in the ’90s, Bradley says, the expected immunity benefit was not borne out. “There was some excitement about this for a while, but after inconsistent research findings it was generally agreed that this was not as promising as we first thought.”

What are they doing to improve formula?
Although formula is still fundamentally different from human milk, several significant improvements have been made in the past 30 years, including fine-tuning to improve the balance of proteins and the blend of fats. Manufacturers have added new varieties, including lactose-free formulas, special formulas for premature and ill babies, and hydrolyzed formulas with predigested protein, for infants with digestion problems.
The most recent innovation is the addition of two long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid). Both play a key role in brain development and it has been theorized, though never proven, that the presence of DHA and ARA in breastmilk may explain why breastfed babies score higher than formula-fed babies on toddler mental development tests.
This past winter Canadian babies got their first taste of formula with DHA and ARA (made from algae and fungus, respectively). The question is, will these additives make formula-fed children smarter, as the “A+” in one product’s name implies?
Sheila Innis, a professor of paediatric nutrition at the University of British Columbia, says the clinical research is mixed. “I would be very cautious about making that statement for a healthy full-term baby. In one small study, 18-month-old babies fed formula with DHA and ARA scored higher as a group than babies fed standard formula, but four other larger studies showed no difference. The evidence is much clearer for premature babies, who are born without stores of these and other nutrients.”

What are the risks associated with formula?
There are risks associated with formula feeding. To help mitigate them, parents need to fully understand them.
Improper mixing: Formula should be mixed exactly according to directions. Some parents have made mistakes, sometimes because of literacy or language problems. Some have over-diluted powdered formula, which can lead to malnutrition, or failed to properly dilute concentrated liquid formula, sometimes in a misguided attempt to increase nutrients. The result can be dehydration and kidney problems.
Contamination: Formula manufacturers say their quality control and product safety are the tightest in the food industry. Still, any man-made food carries the risk of contamination. In recent years there have been several small, isolated outbreaks of serious illness and a few deaths (mostly premature babies or those with immune problems) caused by a bacterium called E. sakazakii which was found to have come from powdered formula. (The outbreaks prompted Health Canada to recommend liquid formula — which is less likely than powder to be contaminated — for bottle-fed babies who are immuno-compromised or in intensive care.)
The take-home message is that powdered infant formula is not a sterile product and must be handled and stored properly. Dawn Walker, a nurse and former executive director of the Canadian Institute of Child Health, says that one of the most common infant feeding questions she hears is, “Can I reheat formula?” “The answer is no,” Walker says. “Once formula has been warmed up for use, if you reheat it, bacteria growth increases exponentially. It’s very risky.”
Illness: Statistically, formula-fed babies are more likely to get colds, ear infections, milk allergies, diarrhea, urinary tract infections and bacterial meningitis. How much more likely? That’s hard to say. Obviously, few babies (formula fed or not) get meningitis, so the risk is very low to begin with. With more common illnesses like ear infections, other factors also increase the risk — such as whether mom smokes or the child is in group daycare. One large study of two- to seven-month-old babies found that the risk of ear infection increased with the proportion of formula in the child’s diet; those fed entirely on formula were twice as likely (13.2 percent) as those who breastfed exclusively (6.8 percent) to have had an ear infection in the past month.
Bottle-fed infants are also at greater risk for becoming overweight; they grow and gain weight more quickly and, on average, are less lean than breastfed babies. One large German study of five- and six-year-olds found a 4.5 percent rate of obesity among those who had been bottle-fed, compared with 2.8 percent for breastfed children. Since it’s mom or dad who decides how much goes in the bottle and when, a formula-fed baby may not learn to read his body’s signals as easily as one who nurses on demand. Stephanie Atkinson, professor of nutrition in paediatrics at McMaster University, comments, “I’m concerned that there may be some kind of metabolic programming going on that may explain the increased rates of obesity in formula-fed children.”
Another concern is that formula-fed children may face an increased risk for developing Type 1 diabetes. Some studies have found a higher incidence in children who were exclusively formula-fed or who were breastfed for less than three months. Other research has found that early exposure to cow’s milk increases the likelihood of developing a type of antibody that can be found in children with diabetes. No clear link has been established, but a major ten-year international study was launched in 2002 to compare the rates of Type 1 diabetes in babies fed standard formula versus those fed hydrolyzed formula.
When you add up all the risk factors, it sounds daunting. However, trying to predict the likelihood that any one child will get any one illness is impossible. Likewise, lower risk is no guarantee; some breastfed babies get ear infections and some bottle-fed babies don’t. And let’s face it: There are a lot of healthy adults walking around who were raised on formula.
If we look at formula as a medical intervention, a way to nourish a baby when breastmilk is not available, it stands up fairly well. The problem is that this substitute became a competitor. And formula simply can’t compete with human milk. Here’s how James Friel views it: “We’ve been making formula for over 100 years and I’ve spent 20 years of my life trying to make formula better. All the people I’ve dealt with in the industry are honest, hard-working and dedicated. In spite of that, we are still unable to make formula that comes very close to human milk and, for me, that’s a disappointment. We try to break human milk down into its components and put it back together again, but it really doesn’t work that way.”
Formula’s greatest achievement may be that, although it still doesn’t really compare to human milk, it has become a reasonably safe substitute that has improved over the years. Perhaps that is all it ever can be.

Soy: Who Needs It?
About 15 percent of the formula sold in Canada is soy based. Soy formula was developed because many babies had trouble digesting cow’s milk formula. In recent years concerns have been raised because soy formulas contain high levels of isoflavones, a plant-based form of the hormone estrogen. Isoflavones have been found to affect the fertility and sexual development of rats. No clear link has been made to problems in humans, although researchers are paying attention.
According to Stephanie Atkinson, professor of nutrition in paediatrics at McMaster University, the real story about soy formula is that too many parents are using it inappropriately. “Very few infants actually need soy formula,” she says. “Non-breastfed infants who have trouble digesting regular formula would do better on the new hydrolyzed cow’s milk formulas [where the protein is predigested]. But many parents are still switching to soy formula when there is a digestion problem. The only sound indication for soy formula that I can think of would be a non-breastfeeding mother who wants her baby to follow a strict vegan diet.”
* The terms human milk and breastmilk will be used interchangeably, as will formula-fed and bottle-fed.

Originally published in Today's Parent, September 2003

Child-led weaning or Nursing strike?

+click on the text for the full article+

From Kellymom:



From La Leche League International:
Possible Causes of a Nursing Strike


Update:
Wed: <1oz
Thurs: 1oz
Fri: 1.5oz

I just have to keep pumping in the mean time. It's hard to get a letdown! But stressing about it it's not gonna make it any better. She's refusing to BF still. She has slowly cut down, last week she nursed for a while and then just grinned... with dripping BM around her mouth *too cute*. I did mention to DH, and wondered if BM tasted different to her.

My plan of getting sick with her backfired. I wanted her to get passive immunity form BF, but since she didn't BF, I'm left with just the disease *sheesh*. Apparently I'm not fighting it well, I'm feverish again, so off to the clinic in the morning.

calcium


  1. Yogurt: Calciyum, (adult yogurt) Nestle, Marigold, Dutch Lady, soon to try Anlene. 
  2. Yogurt drink: Calciyum, Marigold, Bliss.
  3. Milk: Dutch Lady- fresh/UHT, Tesco- fresh, F&N milk with oat , Magnolia- UHT. Plus those small bottled one. She has Milo (small boxes, or freshly mixed)
  4. Cheese
Oyher sources : chocolates, icecream, frozen togurt. Heck even though those are daddy's food, it has dairy in it. Life is supposed to be an a fun adventure *LOL. 

Pumped twice yesterday..to yield just 1oz

counting

We have the board books, poster, flash cards. But the way to teach are:

Daddy - lets her count the jellies
Mommy - sings nursery rhymes

Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?

*****
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for my master,
One for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

*****
1 2 3 4 5
Once I caught a fish alive
6 7 8 9 10
Then I let it go again
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right


*****

Trying to teach her to just use the easel, not anywhere else.

cars

unfortunate incidents of Arianna's mom with cars

  • reversed and hit a double parked car (not my fault) - pre uni days
  • got told off for driving fast (uni days, but DH was driving)
  • did I have a flat tyre in Penang? Had to jumpstart once
  • someone stole my W off the plate number (HUKM days)
  • hit the central divider and swerved 3 lanes to the left (post call)
  • hit the toll booth gate (it opened too slow, and I was rushing home for breaking Ramadhan fast)
  • got lost in PJ while going to pick up my new car (post call 36 hours in labour room)
  • got a flat tyre early morning (post night shift ED)
  • had a scratch at front bumper (small parking space with double parked cars)
  • driver dented my car...hallloooo parked car ok?!
  • small scratch on bumper by a patient's car?
  • today... as I went to submit my masters form... a flat tyre, thank God we were home, DH was driving

tire

2[tahyuhr]  Show IPA ,noun, verb, tired, tir⋅ing.
–noun
1.a ring or band of rubber, either solid or hollow and inflated, or of metal, placed over the rim of a wheel to provide traction, resistance to wear, or other desirable properties.
2.a metal band attached to the outside of the felloes and forming the tread of a wagon wheel.
–verb (used with object)
3.to furnish with tires.
Also, Britishtyre.

downhill journey...

... of BF.

She didn't BF today, nor yesterday. Not even early morning, not even before sleep during her groggy period.

My mistake, is not pumping.
Mon (18/5) pumped once at work
Tues - went home lunch time, but she did not BF
Wed - took afternoon off, took her to paeds, also did not BF
Thurs - whole day away&did not pump, NO MORE NIGHT FEVER&slept through the night 
Fri/Sat/Sun - BF less, slept through the night
Mon (25/5) - BF early morning, night. Pumped 2oz evening
Tues - no BF. Pumped NIL!
Wed - no BF. Pumped<1oz

The day hasn't ended, but she took her first nap at 3pm, and she fell asleep at 8.30pm, in my arms! Got tired learning about preposition with mommy.

prep⋅o⋅si⋅tion

1[prep-uh-zish-uhn]  Show IPA
–noun Grammar.
any member of a class of words found in many languages that are used before nouns, pronouns, or other substantives to form phrases functioning as modifiers of verbs, nouns, or adjectives, and that typically express a spatial, temporal, or other relationship, asin, on, by, to, since.
Origin: 
1350–1400; ME preposicioun <>praepositiōn- (s. of praepositiō) a putting before, a prefix, preposition. See pre-position 


prep⋅o⋅si⋅tion⋅al, adjective
prep⋅o⋅si⋅tion⋅al⋅ly, adverb


The often heard but misleading “rule” that a sentence should not end with a preposition is transferred from Latin, where it is an accurate description of practice. But English grammar is different from Latin grammar, and the rule does not fit English. In speech, the final preposition is normal and idiomatic, especially in questions:
What are we waiting for? Where did he come from? You didn't tell me which floor you worked on. In writing, the problem of placing the preposition arises most when a sentence ends with a relative clause in which the relative pronoun (that; whom; which; whomever; whichever; whomsoever) is the object of a preposition. In edited writing, especially more formal writing, when a pronoun other than that introduces a final relative clause, the preposition usually precedes its object: He abandoned the project to which he had devoted his whole life. I finally telephoned the representative with whom I had been corresponding. If the pronoun is that, which cannot be preceded by a preposition, or if the pronoun is omitted, then the preposition must occur at the end: The librarian found the books that the child had scribbled in. There is the woman he spoke of. 

MyCheekyBoo

(missed Tiny Tapir giveaway..by few hours of its dateline..procrastinor)

Bonnie (look forward to get to know her better) gave me a link:

There are:
  • CD and accessories
  • BW - ring sling/pouch (Baby Wombie made by my ex classmate in med school, Dr.Jamie)
  • CP
  • Kids Apparel
  • Natural Soap
  • Bento accessories
  • Bargain/seconds
I shop most things above... but bento accessories?! Yay!!! I want, I want, I want.
Readers know how fussy my lil girl is *LOL*

beginning of an end...

... to our breastfeeding journey?

Since she has reverse cycled, BF more at night... I've been grateful as my pumping output isn't great these days. She is made to take few ozs of EBM during the day, but she isn't very enthusiastic about it anyway.

She's reaching 18 months next week. I'm starting at a new place next week too. I was thinking about pumping at work...just can't imagine how my new work would be. So I thought, okay- maybe fresh milk/formula daytime, BF evenings/nights.

Then she fell sick after the holidays. Even when I stayed home, she wasn't BF. Was that one of the reason she took longer to recover? We thought it was blocked nose, she just wasn't BF as much even at night. Okay, I lied.... she didn't BF (at least not like a reverse cycler)! She probably BF once before sleep, once at 6am.

Is she:
  1. Weaning off breastfeeding?
  2. Blocked nose? (still blocked till now with thick, green mucus when she sneezes)
  3. Hating me because I forced medicines into/onto her?
I welcome any advice, stories on forum/FB/blog/email. Hatemails not welcomed yeah?

Sunday lunch


(flash reflected by mirrors, sorry for the bad pic)


We went to see Dr. Eric for the 4th time, but at his clinic in Sri Petaling. Coincidentally it's the same area with the restaurant (DH has been dying to bring us there)
We had:
  • Macaroni Tuna
  • Mendy Lamb with Al Diafah Rice
  • Falafel Sandwich
  • Mango drink
She passed on the macaroni, and had lamb instead. She had minced lamb before, I guess with 7 teeth she can eat carnivor style *LOL*

Ambience, food definitely surpass Al Rawsha in Jalan Damai (didn't blog about it due to slow service, and didn't entice my lil girl).

road to recovery

(supposed to be yesterday's entry)

Woke up earlier at 9-10 despite sleeping at 12.30am on Friday night. She had her 5th dose of 'Zithromax' Azithromycin antibiotics. 

Breakfast with daddy in bed (can't remember what) but she threw up after a bout of coughing. Great! Better out than in (phlegm that is)

She had mango yogurt drink and cornflakes, but skipped that after seeing her dish of the day: Cheesy Penne Pasta.

Then we went off to mom's house. There, she joined the ladies for lunch (mom, aunt, sis, niece and myself). Surprisingly she ate more (little bits and pieces la):
  • apam
  • karipap
  • kek lapis
  • nasi impit (only 1 cube though)
  • nasi lemak
  • kuah dalca (with nasi lemak)
  • roti canai
Funny, because she took a small piece (1/8th) of roti canai from Kakak Lyssa's plate. Despite serving nasi lemak specially for Arianna, she went on to eat nasi lemak from Alyssa's plate. Her way of saying, I love you, Kakak Alyssa?

We went home after going to Tesco. She was still in cookie-monster-mode. She practically wanted everything in sight:
  • (mommy's) Twister drink 
  • red bean bun
  • pizza bun
  • Iko biscuit (took 1/4 threw 1 3/4 away)
  • jellies and more jellies
  • chow mein noodles
  • cous cous (bleah... she only took 2 spoonful)
We had supper (DH was hungry). We had cheese scrambled egg and bun. She ate that too!! Slept like log from 10pm-9am.

nap time

She's down for her 2nd nap of the day at 6pm!
These days..she still takes 2 naps. 
  1. Used to be midmorning. Now she sleeps at 11/12pm
  2. Afternoon nap is getting later. 4/5 or even as late as 6pm.
Bed time is no longer 10pm. She's tucking in at 10.30-11pm. Argh she went to bed at midnight the other day. I was feverish last night, but I knew she slept past 11pm.

Past 1 week she has been sick, she woke up (read: mom woke her up for meds) at 7+am and continued sleeping till 11-12!! This is so weird for her.

She still indicate her sleepiness by sucking her thumb and holding her blue blankie Charlie Brown's friend: Linus style. Now she switches off the floorlight as well.

a BF mother goes shopping

I'm sooo not a shopaholic (unless it's baby stuff).
But today I was awaken by my partner in crime (yes, that's u Azlina Nam!) ... she was on her way to Munawwarah.
So okay, I woke up, baby is sleeping still *she didn't have a fever spike last night!! yay!!!*, got ready and got some hijabs for myself and 2 as gifts for beloved Dr Zuzana and Dr Jemah. I've worked with them for the past few years...but I just couldn't think of anything else.

I like those hijab coz it's easy to BF in it. I never tried nursing cover, coz I was already travelling in my first week of pantang (to hospital/clinic). Didn't have time to explore nursing covers.

And I stick to button front shirt/blouse.

I remembered the (betul tak nih) Chantek2 BF wear contest (I voted for u Hanz). I'm so unfashionable haha... I think there are plenty nice ones in the market already hahaha.

Now, I need some new shirt/blouse....

pocket diaper for sale

I'm no pocket lover.
I bought this green Coolababy (it comes with 2 microfibre insert) because:
  1. I don't have a green colour diaper
  2. I was curious what's a pocket diaper
I bought it maybe 2 months ago, used it 10 times the most.
I bought it at RM46, so I'm selling it off at RM35 o.n.o.

I'd stick to AIO, AI2, fitted. Pocket doesn't work for me coz I don't have other pocket CD to work with, thus it wouldn't be a cheaper option.

Any takers? Leave me a note.

my sick baby

So it wasn't croup. She still has cough, runny nose and fever. And I haven't slept properly past 7 nights. We sleep in shifts 10-1, 1-4, 4-7. 

She has seen Dr Eric twice.

I hate my job, I had to work coz we're very short staffed. So DH and PIL took Arianna to see Dr Eric on Monday. Had a round of nebuliser... did the trick. I had to meet big boss for his signature etc. 10 mins : Kepong-Selayang.

Tuesday, I struggled to give meds early morning, and rushed home during lunch. 12 mins : Kepong-KL haha.

Today, Wednesday... went to work with a heavy heart. I finally had everything in order, and next week I should get my blood/urine test back. I went back during luch, and brought Arianna to see Dr Eric for the 2nd time. DH popped in at the last minute. He gave the neb for a while, before the lil girl started her tantrum, thus mommy-turned-bad-cop took over.
Now:
Ibuprofen - no more PCM
Azithromycin - no more Cefdinir antibiotics
Ventolin/Polaramine - no more Rhinathiol/Aerius
inhaled Salbutamol

croup scare

I'm home today...down with flu. Since there are no swine flu cases in Malaysia...I think I'm safe despite being on the frontline.

It's my 2nd MC in the year! *applauding myself* despite seeing average 80 patients a day, these days up to 100+. This time, I got it from my dearest toddler. 

2 sleepless night, well, in shifts actually. DH does tepid sponging too. Last night was a scare. I was contemplating visit to ER. Heard really odd cough...we call it barking cough. Also heard weird whistling sound during inspiration... we call it stridor. Thank God it wasn't continuous!! I thought she was having croup (laryngotracheobronchitis).

It subsided when she was cooled down by tepid sponging, sleeping on us. Saves her from steroid nebulisation in the middle of the night.

A visit to Dr. Yong Junina (should get a picture or her, but then her face is always on a parenting magazine- pane doctors)... and here's the result:
  • Syrup Paracetamol
  • Syr Carbocisteine "Rhinathiol"
  • Oxymetazoline "Oxynase" nasal spray
She's ony 10.4kg (after substracting 0.6kg of her 3-yes 3 blankies she lugged around today), 81cm 2 weeks ago.

weekend break

An hour journey from PD, we then stayed at Palace of Golden Horses. Arianna's checking out the palatial facade :pDidn't want to drive to Mines, so we took the boat instead. RM17 per person per trip : hotel-Mines (I think driving would be cheaper, but more hassle, U turns here and there, chaotic parking)



Our usual activity: swimming at the hotel pool. No swimming in the ocean yet.Quite a few achievement from this trip:
  • able to float
  • said guyap - gelap
  • said Akbar - Allahu Akbar (solat)
  • said come in 
  • more mobile (she thinks she's a fish on land)
She doesn't speak much except for commands (haha!)
  • says up
  • says out
  • says mamam
  • calls all 6 at home (mom, baba, wah- wan, mama, bik, ook -the cat)
  • vroom indicates car
Commands thru action
  • waves come here
  • waves bye bye
  • goes over/under
  • pickes her own snacks (raisins/biscuits/cereal/jelly)
  • holds hand up - for dukung

weekend break


We love the sandy beach. Of course the east coast have cleaner beaches... but PD is quarter tank of fuel away.

Mr. Daddy is teaching Arianna to build sandcastles :) 

runaway maid....

..or so I thought when we came back yesterday. She wasn't in her room, but she wasn't upstairs either. Found her note to my PIL saying she's sorry but gotta go off and do something.

We came back at 1pm (after 2 nights away), while PIL went for a day trip (left at 6.30am).

She had the back door key coz it was too early to tend to the gardens. She did lock the back door when she went out. But the small gate was unlocked when we got home. 

I locked up the gate...so she had no choice but to ring the bell when she got home 2 hours later.

I asked where/how/why she went out. This morning she had another round of questioning from PIL. There are some discrepencies in her facts.

To her: she did her job as usual yesterday. And she was acting/eating the same today. 

To us: not to trust her... but to keep her? She's a big help for the household chores bit.

Beautiful Girls Award

tagged by Nadnye

Syarat2 menerima award ini:

1. Pastikan jantina anda ialah perempuan
2. Copy badge sebagai award anda
3. Nyata 7 sebab kenapa anda bangga menjadi perempuan

  1. Perempuan boleh mengandung dan melahirkan anak
  2. Perempuan boleh breastfeed
  3. Sememangnya makhluk yang cantik
  4. Mampu menggegarkan dunia
  5. Mampu multitask, jadi anak, isteri, ibu dan indispensible staff to the organisation
  6. Syurga di bawah tapak kaki ibu
  7. I'm a mother to Arianna and angel Adam...

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers


This is a day late, but I've only got home :0

We stayed at Corus, PD is the nearest beach DH can think of. Daddy and daddy's girl love the sand, something we guessed when we were in Cherating. It's 1.5 hours away, real short drive especially when Arianna decides to take her afternoon nap the whole way. We weren't exactly celebrating mother's day, just so happen it's a 3 day weekend due to Wesak Day. Corus was packed, treasure hunt, courses, meetings going on during the weekend.

After the short break at the beach, we headed to another hotel an hour away. Stay tuned.

Oh when we came back, the maid wasn't home. She helped herself out of the house to meet her sister and sent her off to Klang? She arrived back 2 hours after we got home. We've already locked up, so she had to ring the doorbell. Nothing was missing, so she probably did see her sister?! DH told me to let her in. PIL has some things to do, and they're away from morning till night. Opportunistic maid!! She could actually go off for a few hours. Imagine if we were home later, we wouldn't have noticed she was gone.

This deserves another post, but will have to wait for PIL for next course of action.
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17 months


  • Babbling more
  • ...but more often she uses the right index finger to point out her needs
  • Has 2 molars coming
  • ... and 1 lower incisor - all 3 at the same time
  • Loves chocolates/choc drink
  • ... but daddy bought java chip drink from Starbucks?!caffeine???!!!
  • Picky, picky eater
  • ... but eating more table food like ikan kari, ikan asam pedas, murtabak
  • Refuses her highchair
  • ... wants to sit on the normal dining chair
  • Separation anxiety only with daddy, not mommy
  • ... will throw a Hindustani like episode every morning for daddy dearest
  • Brushes her teeth
  • ... or rather playing with the electric toothbrush
  • Still pretty shy around guys
  • ... and hides her face (hand or blankie)
  • She's teething, and last night had cupcakes and fruits for dinner
  • ... just fruits for lunch
*mom is praying hard for this stage to be over*

BEFORE pic

AFTER pic
(I had 2, so that I can arrange it back in the box)

Cupcakes courtesy of Aunt Rayhana *THANKS A MILLION*
Not too sweet, just nice.
The icing is not overwhelming, you can always scrap it off if you want to, but hey...kids need the pretty decorative icing, and the sugar rush occasionally.