Mommy's Diary

July 1, 1999

Tiger said: "MaMaBaBaWaWaPaPa!"
And he repeated: "MaMaBaBaWaWaPaPa!"
And he repeated that repeatedly.
Tonight was Tiger's first time to visit somebody else's home. We went to Du Hong's apartment. He was very excited. He kept looking around and resisted sleeping until we went out at 11 o'clock.

June 30, 1999

Message at the Feb 99 Baby Board:

Alexander will be 5 month next Monday. He was 16lb8oz and 24.5 inch at his 4 month check up. He rolled over when he was 2 and a half month old but does not roll over any more now. I don't know if it is because he is heavier now or he is too lazy to do it. Most probably he is preoccupied by other things. When he is on his tummy, he'll move his hands and legs as if he is swimming. He can alternate his arms to turn himself 180 degrees. He can sit up in his carseat and somehow manage to move two or three feet in his walker. Started solids at 4 month but stopped now for constipation. Cries "Mama" all the time. Makes great effort to say "b" and "a" but can't say "ba" yet. Sleeps without nursing for 6 hours at night in good days. Started drooling when he was 3 month old with no tooth coming in sight still. Wets at least 5 bibs per day. Used to smile to everybody, now smiles big to mommy and daddy and studies everyone else. Loves to go out and watch leaves in the winds. Also loves to grab everything especially hair and fingers then put them right in his mouth.

Wow! Isn't he a perfect baby?! I can't believe one can make so many accomplishments in such a short time and at the same time grow 2.5 times as big. It was as if just yesterday that he was so little and fragile and now here he is, strong and energized. But hey, are they all perfect babies and aren't we all proud moms.

June 29, 1999

Today it's again the fourth day that Tiger hasn't made a bm. I don't know if I should be worried. I know it's normal for bf babies to have several bm one day or one bm in several days. Recently he hasn't been sleeping well. He would fuss, throwing his arms, and scratching his ears at 4 or 5 o'clock every morning. And he sometimes arches his body when he is nursing. I don't know if he is trying to make a bm or it's just because he is teething. Other than that, he is very happy. Yesterday when I got home from work, he was sitting in the walker and actually moving around the kitchen! His daddy was so proud! He told me that he put Tiger in the walker, put some toys in front of him, and then turned around to cook. Then he heard some noise. He turned back to see that Tiger had moved himself to where we store plastic bags and was chewing on the bags! It seems to me that it's the time for us to babyproof our house now!

June 27, 1999

We went to St. Louis on Saturday to extend our passports. Tiger was really good. He played and slept on the way to and back, smiled to other people who liked him so much, and sat up in his car seat all by himself for the first time.
He pooped once Friday night. That's about 4 days. I'm still hesitate to resume his rice cereal. He wants to eat, though. He looks at me intensely and reaches for my food everytime I eat.
He has been sleeping with daddy these days. He will sleep through the night when he is with daddy. But if he sleeps with me, he would wake up and want to nurse in the middle of the night.

June 23, 1999

I'm exghausted. After seven days nonstop working I'm seeing stars. Tiger is doing great, though. He has developed a very nice schedule at night. He would eat at around 8:30pm and 11:30pm and then sleep right through the night until he wakes up at 6:30 in the morning. I am very grateful. Thinking back how much worry I have had about when he would sleep through the night, I feel that I am spoiled that this happened so natually. We didn't have to work on this at all! He is still in our big bed. I guess we have to work on something after all.
His constipation is getting better too. He pooped by himself Monday night. So that's about two days. If he poops again today, I would think everything's fine.

Daddy is becoming SOOO capable. I couldn't help laughing everyday when I get home and see him cooking with one hand and holding the baby with another hand. He is such a nice daddy and husband. He could have waited for me to cook but he cooks for me.

June 21, 1999

I am so sleepy! I worked for two nights from 8:30pm to 3:00am on Friday and Saturday for the testimony that is due Tuedesday. This is what happens when you are busy at work. You can only work at home after your baby goes to sleep. I wanted to catch up some sleep when he naps in the daytime, but after cooking for myself and cleaning the table and so on he's about to wake up again.

Tiger adjusted pretty well after Grandma went back to China. He is again his happy little self. We took him to the free open concert on Shelton Garden last night. We had a great time. Alexander is a big music lover. And there were so many kids runing around and playing. All he could do is to look around all the time and open his big mouth to smile at us.

His constipation problem still hasn't gone away. We had to use the what-ever-it-is-called medcine again on 4 o'clock Saturday morning because he had cried in pain for not pooping for 5 days.

June 18, 1999

My mom left for China yesterday. I feel very sad. Yesterday when dh drove her to the airport in early morning I stayed home with the baby. We wanted to go too but we couldn't. It was a 4 hour drive to and back. Too long for the baby. And 5am was too early for him too. Tiger woke up at 5 by himself. It was not even his feeding time. It was as if he knew that Grandma was going to leave and wanted to say bye-bye. He stayed awake for the whole time before Grandma left. Grandma was all tears when she hold him and kiss him. She changed his diaper the last time. Tiger went back to sleep right away after they left. When we woke again at 8 o'clock, the house seemed so quiet. I'm used to hearing grandma talking to the baby loudly and happily whenever I was home. I really miss that. I'm more of a quiet person. Tiger is always very happy to talk with Grandma. He would laugh out loud when she tickles him. I think Tiger is real lucky to be able to be with Grandma for 4 month. I tried to imitate her but I almost burst into tears. Poor baby, he probably doesn't know what's going on. Where did Grandma go? He didn't laugh out loud the entire day. But he didn't cry either. He is so good. I took him to ToysUs and bought some toys for him. It felt strange in the car. Every time we went out, Grandma would be sitting besides the baby. Now with Tiger at back seat facing back, I couldn't help wonder how he was doing. I tried to talk to him a little, but he can't talk back yet. It was assuring when I heard the rattle in his hands. He fell asleep on our way back.

Our family associate Sarah came to visit in the afternoon and brought Tiger a cloth puppy and a colorful board book. He looked pretty happy with us. He reached for the puppy and smiled to Sarah. He waved his arms and kicked his legs when I hold him. He was himself again.

Daddy maybe the one who's going to miss Grandma the worst. Now it's his turn to take care of the baby when mom works and nobody to hand to if the baby cries. This morning when I left, he said, "Come back early please!" And Tiger was all smiling to me. He is such a sunshine.

June 14, 1999

What's new this week? Constipation! Tiger will never run out of ideas to keep us busy. He pooped once on Thursday and then none for four days. Dad was really concerned. I think he might have felt a little guilt because he gave Tiger quite a big bowl of thick rice cereal on Friday. Although he refused to admit it. Daddy will never make any mistakes. Or will never admit that he does.

I called the nurse 24 hrs hotline on Sunday afternoon and gave Tiger a baking soda bath. It didn't work. Then we tried to give him some apple juice but he didn't want it. He had never had any juice before and I think it is much less desirable than breastmilk for him. We tried again at his feeding time. We gave him 4 oz of apple juice in stead of breastmilk and he took it down without a blink of eyes. I felt bad though I think that we were cheating by not giving him "real food" when he was hungry. The apple juice didn't work either, unfortunately. The next morning when we tried to give it to him again he still didn't want it. We ended up go to the doctor and bought two jars of prune juice and a jar of Karo dark syrup. He liked the prune juice although he still didn't poop. At last I put a half pill of glycerin suppository into his bottom. Poor guy, he didn't like it at all. He didn't care much when I put it in. But he made faces and cried when the medicine started working inside. Within less than one minute he pushed something out. I thought it's the pill. But no, he pushed everything out. Dad and Grandma were very happy and relieved. I, however, feel that maybe we should have gone a little slow. He made two more bowel movements although there wasn't much to it. We must have over worked. Poor little guy.

June 11, 1999

Last night I was hanging Alexander's clothes when he watched his mobiles. And suddenly I heard some noises like somebody is sucking. I looked at him and guess what I found? He somehow managed to pick up his pacifier and put it in his mouth! All by himself! I laughed so loud. He is a genius!

Recently he tries to stay up later and later into the night. It is not that he is not sleepy. He is sleepy but he won't sleep. He'll nap for 10 minutes and then open his big eyes and looks around again. He won't really go to sleep until 11 o'clock. I tried everything to put him to sleep. Nothing works. Not singing, not rocking, not even nursing. I guess he feels that life is so wonderful for him, he just doesn't want to miss it! And he won't get up until 7 too. And he still nurses in the middle of the night.

June 9, 1999

He slept though the night for the first time! I fed him at 11:00 last night. He usually only takes one breast and that's what we have been doing for a long time. Last night I thought, maybe I can offer him the other side, see if he'll want it. And he nursed for another 10 minutes! I woke up this morning hearing one cry from him and saw the light though the window and I realized that it was 5:30 already. I went to see him and saw that his father has put a pacifier in his mouth and he was still sleeping. But I picked him up to nurse when I heard another cry. I don't want to starve my baby.

June 8, 1999

We took Tiger to his 4 month check up today. He is 16lbs8oz and 25" now. His head is at 90% percentile, weight at 80%, and height 45%. I started to worry a little about him not being tall enough. He is a little chubby baby! The doctor said he will not be overweight because he is breastfeeding. I still doubt that because this little guy just doesn't know when to quit! Now we have added solids too! He simply loves his rice cereal. When I make his cereal he always stares at his sip cup with great anticipation. When I feed him, he would grasp the spoon every time earnestly and put it right into his mouth. And then he'll eat the spoon and won't let go. Before I can take it off his little hand and get another spoon of rice cereal, he would jump and grasp the spoon again and spill everything all around. When he finishes every bit of the cereal I made, he still wants more. He'll reach for the cup and try to get it close and see if there is any left. I'm making him more and more cereals. And the doctor said that if he wants one spoon, give him one spoon; If he wants one bowl, give him one bowl; If he wants more, make him more!

June 7, 1999

Last night we took Tiger to an outdoor concert and he loves it so much! It has been real hot this weekend so we haven't taken him out much. We were afraid that hot weather will make his rash worse. Last night when I put his safety belt on before we went out, he got all excited. I think he knows that safety belt means going out. Last night he slept pretty good. This morning when I looked at his beautiful and peacefully sleeping face, he woke up and beamed a big smile to me. I was so happy!

He likes to look at grandma, daddy and mommy affectionately and he'll use his hands to touch your mouth and face and you'll just can't help but to kiss his little hands. EAch time he sees us, he'll open his mouth big and give us a BIG smile. He grabs my hair all the time too.

We heard from several people about mine eating chicken would cause his rash. So I decided not to eat chicken anymore. Last Saturday we bought a duck and it was real delicious!

June 6, 1999

Today dh showed me how Tiger can hold his own bottle. First dh will hold the bottle when Tiger starts to eat. Then Tiger will grab the bottle while sucking vigorously then dh will let go his hands and there, he is holding his own bottle! It is so cute! And dh is so proud!

June 5, 1999

Yesterday the psychologist from the Family Health Foundation came to test him. It is a nationwide research program. They try to decide whether early intervention will encourage a child's development. He finished all the tasks well except for one. She put a small pill in front of him and want to see if he is interested in it. He paid no attention to it at all. I don't blame him. If I were at his age, I wouldn't have any interest in a small pill either. Haha. It was not too easy for us to get him finish the task of following object from one side to another side, though. He kept looking from one person to another. He is much more interested in people than in some dull blocks.