Mae Update December 2013

Here are some updates from the last few months. Mae is now 14 months and we are enjoying her so much! I am just amazed at her development each day.

We celebrated Mae's first birthday back in September with a morning tea. She got her first haircut that week too!

Mae started walking about a week after her birthday. She's pretty fast these days but still tumbling all over the place. She is so curious to explore and get her little hands in everything and anything. She is a cheeky monkey often giving us this big grin before she's about to do something naughty like raiding the spice cupboard. Sometimes she would take off with a certain item of mine and I have to chase her. She particularly likes helping me with the laundry, passing me the pegs to hang the washing or dressing herself from the clean laundry basket. She knows that bags go on the shoulder and anything with an opening goes over her head (one time she had 4 pairs of our underwear around her neck hehe).

Mae has six little teeth and one just pushing through. This teething business goes on and on. The drooling and the irritability makes some days more challenging than others. She bit me a few times for attention mainly, it hurts likes crazy!

Most of the time Mae is quite outgoing and can socialise with other people. Maybe it's separation anxiety but she's quite attached to me. I can't leave the room without upsetting her. I just take it in my stride that we're bonded for life and she needs me to feel secure. I am fine to drop everything to be with her but it gets challenging when I need to get chores done.

I'm back at work now for 2 days a week while my MIL looks after Mae. I cannot express how grateful we are for my MIL. She does an amazing job looking after Mae AND cook us dinner so that when we pick up Mae after work we don't have to worry about dinner. We are so blessed!

On the days that I don't work, Mae and I have our little schedule of craft group, playgroup and women bible study. I like being out and about with Mae. We'll go for a stroll into town, stopping by the fruit shop, the library and maybe getting a coffee. We get particularly busy during the weeks we have her appointments on at The Shepherd Centre.

Mae is sleeping a lot better these days. She still has 2 naps a day, a short morning nap and a longer afternoon nap. She usually has her bedtime at 7:30 pm each night after a bath, a breastfeed, some books, prayers and songs. She'll whinge for a few minutes after I close the door but will be sound asleep after that. She'll wake up a few times for a feed and cuddle but does her longest stretch of sleep between midnight and 6 am. That's sleeping through the night for me!

In terms of her language development, she's doing well for someone learning two languages and is hearing impaired. She had her 12 months (since fitting of hearing aids) language assessment recently. Her listening skill is still much better than her vocalisation. She can say clearly "dad" or "dada" when she wants Tan. What's funny is that she calls me "na na" instead of mummy. When she wants food she'll say "nan nan". Most of the time she just points and yell really loud. In terms of verbal skills, Mae knows how to fill in the gap to some songs (this is known as auditory closure). Here are some examples:

But we all know frogs go... *ra ra ra (la did a did a)

A tissue! a tissue! we all fall... *da! (down!)

Row row your boat gently down the stream, if you see a crocodile don't forget to... *AAAAAAAHHH!

Her listening skills are still better than her speaking skills for now. She demonstrates her understanding by using hand actions:

Crocodile go... *snaps her hands*

Incy wincy spider... *does the hand action really fast

Twinkle twinkle little star... *move her fingers (she also recognises the star shape)

Open shut them... *opens and close her hands

Chim (bird)... *opens and close her hands

All the fish are swimming in the water... *hands together and moving (she recognises real fish and picture fish in the books but have mistaken some things for fish like a silverfish bug, leaves in a book, fried eggs on my PJ)

Buom buom (butterfly)... *flaps her arms

Ghost... *bbb boo!

Beu beu... *fingers swiping the cheeks

Baby... *rocks her hands

Mae understands simple tasks especially in Vietnamese:

Mae thuong me khong... *nods

Mae cho teddy an di... *feeds the teddy

Mae oi, den gio an roi... *comes with her mouth making eating noise.

Mae di mac giay di...*goes to the door and put on her shoes

Mae pack away di... *packs her toys away

Lau mom, lau tay, tay kia... *wipes her face and hands

Lai me... *comes to me

Dua cho me... *gives me whatever is in her hands

Thom me nao... *gives me her cheek to kiss

That's it for now. I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

6 months old

I can't believe our little Mae is already 6 months old! That was scarily fast! We just had a little tea cake to celebrate her half birthday on Good Friday last week. Today Mae had her 6 months needle, tough kid she didn't cry much. She now weigh 8.2 kg, 66 cm long and has a head circumference of 45 cm. She's doing well for her age, a bit of a chubby baby hehe. Some updates in the past two months:

1. Mae started solids! well rice cereal for now. We started a couple of weeks ago. At first she was keen on the rice cereal but I think she's bored now. Even if I mixed in apple purée she doesn't eat much of it. She has tried some banana and avocado but she doesn't like it either, maybe the texture gross her out hehe. She does like bread though and happily chomp on a bit of crust. I checked with the doc as I worry about her not getting extra iron from the rice cereal and she said it's fine to take it slow as long as I'm still breastfeeding.

2. She is sleep trained! Gosh remember how I said we were losing the battle hehe we parked the sleep training since then and tried again over the Easter long weekend. I did some research and decided we should use the extinction method which means letting her cry it out without going in. I know it sounds cruel but up until that point I was getting up multiple times at night to settle her. The broken sleep was driving me crazy! The first night of sleep training she cried for almost an hour, second night 15 min and third night she barely fussed for 5 min. It's been around 5 min for the past few nights now so we think she got it. She sleep so much better at night too now that she can self settle. She'll sleep around 12 hours with 1-2 feeds. Both hubby and I feel so much better with longer sleep too! I know this topic is quite controversial but I believe this is for the better health of our family.

3. Some milestone watch: she has been sitting unassisted for the last few weeks now. I love seeing her straight posture! She can sit in the high chair and join us for meals. She can grab things and starting to use her hands for example trying to hit the stick onto her xylophone. I think I caught her trying to clap too, it was so cute. She prefer to sit surrounded by her toys. She doesn't like to roll or being on her tummy. Sometimes she'll go forward from her sitting position but she can't crawl yet. However she can move backward, it's weird hehe

4. We have started early intervention at The Shepherd Centre and it has been a big learning experience. We've also enjoyed the group therapy sessions which are always fun singing and laughing. We are learning so much about auditory-verbal therapy and how to utilise the techniques in everyday life. Hubby and I are so impressed with the quality of service.

She roll!

Yep Mae rolled over for the first time today! I don't know who was more surprised, me or her hehe. We are enjoying her so much. She is 16 weeks now and very happy baby. Just this week she found her voice and has been squealing and laughing a lot. It's quite cute! For more cute pictures follow me on Instagram @emeraldflare.

The nurse at the clinic said she's heavy (6.8 kg) for her length (60 cm) and suggest I give her some water instead of breast milk. I checked with my doctor and she said not to worry about it, she's a healthy baby. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding her and hope to do so for another two months. It was tough in the beginning (problem latching, engorgement, the lot) but I'm so glad to have persisted. Now I'm really enjoying it, such a special time between us.

We're getting used to putting her hearing aids in most of her waking hours. I've checked out the Shepherd Centre and was quite impressed with their staff and facility. It's such a blessing we live in a first world country where all of these services are available to us. Looking forward to starting her early intervention program this year and meeting other parents in the same situation.

She is sleeping average 11 hrs a night which is great. The only downside is she doesn't nap well during the day. She have 3-4 naps of around 30-60 min. We're still training her to self settle although I'm starting to think we'll never win this battle...

3 months

Mae is 3 months now, here is a milestone watch: she can follow things (a toy or my face) with her eyes, she can turn her head from side to side when lying down, the last few days she seem to be able to hold things with her two hands like her toy mouse above, she smiles and 'talk' saying 'ahgoo' alot, she likes new faces and smile at strangers, she kicks really hard when she's excited and ready to play, she even pushes herself up by pressing her feet down.

She got her hearing aids fitted recently so we are still getting used to putting them on for her when she is awake. I haven't notice much difference but that's the thing about mild hearing loss, it's subtle. The audiologist said people with mild hearing loss can hear almost everything but conversations may not be as clear. The hearing aids will help stimulate and develop auditory pathways in her brain. It makes sense exposing her to all the clearly spoken words and sounds now so she can have this reservoir of language to fall back on when she's older. They say development may be slower for her as she's in a bilingual situation. We checked out the Catherine Sullivan Centre in Strathfield for early intervention program and I really like their playgroup. Still need to check out the Shepherd Centre in the new year.

As for sleep and settling, she loves to be cuddled and rocked to sleep in our arms. We are trying to teach her to self-settle but not having any luck. It's been hard as she's used to the rocking. Wish we started earlier but its always so hard to hear your baby cry. We moved her from the bassinet into her cot a couple of nights ago and that has been a challenge as well. She seem to know something is up and wouldn't go to sleep until 10-11PM when her usual bedtime is around 8PM! Once she's asleep though she'll sleep through the night (around 11 hours) with 1 or 2 dream feeds.

I'm excited she will be celebrating her first Christmas tomorrow. I probably won't post again until next year. Until then have a merry Christmas celebrating God's gracious gift to us and happy new year!

1 month

Mae is just over 1 month now and so cute and chubby. At her recent doctor's check up she weighed 5kg and measured 57cm. She has outgrown some of her newborn onesies which were quite loose at birth. Her once tiny body has begun to fill out and even her face has changed a lot! How time fly by so so fast.

As for sleep and feeding, I've been putting her on a routine with the aim of helping her sleep through the night by 8 weeks. It is a flexible routine and she seems to be responding well. She still feeds every 2.5-3 hours even at night. During the day, she's been giving us lots of smiles and starting to coo too. She dislikes tummy time on the floor though so we get her to do it on our chests. She can't hold her head up for long though, we'll keep persevering.

Mae was diagnosed with mild hearing loss not long after birth so we've been having visits to the children's hospital and Hearing Australia. Even though it's mild, she'll need hearing aids as a baby for her speech and language development. We'll be putting her through early intervention program as well for the same reason.

Apart from that she's a healthy baby who's happy and playful most of the time. I say that because she still has her fussy time of the day which is usually early evening. She'll be quite unsettled, cry a lot and wants to be carried all the time. Apparently this is common in babies at this age and they even have a name for it - witching hour LOL.

As for me, I'm healing well from my cesarean wound. I can finally drive and get out of the house! I haven't yet ventured out with her by myself though. Really looking forward to going to play group and other baby social things. We've had a few play dates at our place already. It is nice having friends with babies at the same stage. I recently celebrated my 30th birthday. It was low key celebration with my family. I feel so blessed to be here at this stage in my life, just think I'm finally a mum! It's exhausting but exciting and I do love mothering.

Hubby and I also recently celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. Seeing my husband become a parent is such a joyful thing - he is quite hands on too. Parenthood is hard work so we hope to keep building a strong marriage and work things as a team. We actually went out to dinner for the first time since Mae was born. We left her with my sister and a bottle of breast milk (so thankful that she can take the bottle!).

Birth story

Wow I can't believe our baby girl has been with us for over a month! I feel like she's changing so fast I haven't had a chance to document everything! I'm trying to hold on to these precious early days of her life so here is her birth story.

At my 39 weeks appointment on the Thursday, the doctor noticed my blood pressure been really high so I received a membrane sweep to bring on labour naturally. This turned out to be quite effective as my water broke 3AM on Friday morning. We called the hospital but they told us to come in at 8AM. At the hospital we had breakfast and I was scheduled in for an induction at 10:30AM since it was going to be a public holiday long weekend. Hubby and my sister were there to support me. After 16 hours of labour using an assortment of pain relief (TENS, gas, morphine and finally an epidural!), my labour was deemed 'failure to progress' by the doctors and we made the decision for me to have a cesarean. Good thing bub wasn't in distress so the whole thing wasn't rushed.

I remember lying there with hubby beside me, both anxious and excited to meet our little one. Then at 2:09AM, the doctor finally said it's a baby girl! I cried tears of joy and thanked God for her safe arrival into the world. Mae didn't cry but sort of shrieked and went silent. When they handed her to us, she just stared at us with her wide eyes like we were the strangest things. It was funny and quite a precious moment! We didn't have long together as she was whisked away while they stitch me up. That wait to see her again felt like forever and I remember being so thirsty! Finally when they wheeled me back to the room, I was able to have skin-to-skin with my baby and attempted to breastfeed her. The first few days in hospital was a bit of a blur. The physical pain, tiredness and the hormones-induced emotional roller coaster was overwhelming. Fortunately I was able to establish breastfeeding and just looking at my peacefully sleeping baby girl made all those negative things easier to overcome. We had to stay in hospital for 8 days because my blood pressure got higher and I was placed on medications. It turns out I have pre-eclampsia.

When we were finally discharged to go home, I felt the world has changed. Indeed our lives have changed forever. We couldn't believe it. She's finally here. We are parents.

New life

Announcing the birth of our baby girl. Her name is Mae and she came into the world at 2:09 AM last Saturday 29th September. She weighed 3.26 kg and measured 50 cm. We are so thankful to God for this precious gift of life.

Pregnancy update

I thought it was about time I share a pregnancy update here. I've just started my third trimester yay! I am 28 weeks which means about 3 more months until we get to meet our little one. Everything is progressing normally. I was however diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 19 weeks. The antenatal clinic requested I take the glucose test early as I'm in the high risk category due to my being South-East Asian and having strong family history of diabetes (both my parents had Type 2 diabetes). I've been able to manage it with diet and exercise so no drama. Sometime I think it's a blessing in disguise as I haven't gained much weight (3 kg since becoming pregnant!). My belly is quickly getting bigger every week that I'm slowly outgrowing my clothes (I only started showing at 6 months!). I haven't had to buy a whole heap of maternity clothes as I normally wear quite loose clothing. Sleeping has become a bit uncomfortable so I went out and bought a special pregnancy pillow (this one). I've had it for one night and it's been good. I'll probably work up until about a month before I'm due. I'll take my annual leave up until my due date and start my maternity leave from there. I'm quite fortunate that my workplace provides 20 weeks maternity leave at full pay and on top of that in Australia we get another 18 weeks of government maternity leave at minimum wage pay. I'll be taking off at least a year and will decide after that whether to return to work part time or not return at all.

In terms of preparations for bub, we've got most of the big things like a bassinet, cot, change table, capsule for the car and a pram. Most of these are bought second hand or given to us. We're going to try out reusable cloth nappies (these ones) and reusable wipes (this one) since some of our friends with kids recommended them. That's a lot of washing but in the long run it will save us money and the environment. I've also started to buy bits and pieces for bub especially handmade things that I can't resist because they're too cute hehe. I've also got a few sewing projects that I have to complete for bub - maybe when I go on leave. It's a nice feeling to be finally buying and making things for my own baby as oppose to gifts for others.

Bub has become quite active, kicking me harder everyday. I love feeling bub move around in my belly even though at times it seem quite tight. Maybe bub is doing a rolly polly or star jumps haha. I try to remember to take time out to bond with bub - talk to bub, sing to bub and sometimes read to bub. I'm having another ultrasound this week to check on bub's growth.

one. big. update

One day, we hope to have a house like this one...just keeping that dream alive

Hi there. It's me again, yes I'm still alive even though I haven't posted anything here in almost half a year! I'm still figuring out what I want to do with this blog. Initially its purpose was for documenting my crafting adventures/inspiration then over time I used it as an outlet for procrastination PhD-related thoughts. After finishing my thesis, my computer died and I found that I didn't enjoy blogging on my iPhone or iPad that much. Anyway let's update you on some major happenings in my little corner of the world.

1. I am officially DONE with my PhD! I had my graduation only a couple of weeks ago. I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am. Getting my PhD was something I wanted to do before I turned 30. Even if I don't get to use it, I'm just happy to be able to achieve my goal and prove to myself more than anyone that hey some dreams do come true. Of course there were a lot of sacrifices made along the way, on my part as well as my husband. I'm so thankful for his support and that of our extended families, I couldn't have done it without them.

2. The more exciting news I wanted to share here is...drum roll... wait for it...we're expecting our first baby! I am about 18 weeks now. I feel great. The first trimester was tiring but thankfully I didn't have any morning sickness. No major cravings and no issue with any food. The food I had to give up didn't feel like much at all. I can still fit into most of my clothes so I'm not showing much just yet. We probably won't find out the gender of bub. The most beautiful thing only happened recently. I can feel my baby moving! The first time it happened (about 16 weeks), I was lying in bed and I felt something in my belly like someone was poking me twice. The poking and fluttering have increased as the days go by. Every night before I go to bed, I spend some time 'bonding' with bub. Sometimes bub kick really hard and even my husband could feel it. We are so thankful to God to have gotten this far in this pregnancy. I can't wait to see bub at my next ultrasound on Friday!

and we're off!

I love these vintage wall flying swallows. Hubby gave them to me for my birthday this year, he's just the best!
Anyways just dropping in to say hello and goodbye! We are flying out today for our annual holiday. We're visiting our motherland Vietnam for 3 weeks. Excited because we haven't been back in 10+ years! We'll be making our way from north to south getting in touch with our roots, visiting families, eating good food and soaking up the scenery. I'll probably won't post until I get back so have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Union Restaurant

Just posting some pictures of this cool place that Jane took me for my birthday. The Union Restaurant in Penrith is a relatively new and hip place to be. I really liked their decor - rustic meets industrial. I like the naked light bulbs, the giant mixer, the chairs...even the toilet was tastefully done. And the food was good too. Thanks for sharing this place with me Jane and thanks also for Mr Owl (as seen here).

Colour me mine

I'm so excited to share this with you! For my birthday this year, a friend who is very creative got me a gift voucher to paint ceramic at Colour Me Mine. She organised a Saturday night session for us and another friend a couple of weeks ago. I chose a split serving bowl and after pouring over all the inspiration pictures, I settled on a 'nature' theme (note my raindrops and flowers). This may look simple but it took me the full 3-hour session to finish it! They have special ceramic paint which you have to do three coats of to get an opaque colour. One of the girls finished a 'landscape' mug engraved with a bible verse and the other girl hasn't finished her 'doily stencilled' tile. She'll be back for another session. The studio glazed and cooked my bowl and it was ready a few days later. I'm very happy with the result and what a thoughtful birthday present!

handmade Christmas

This is my loot from Finders Keepers last Friday

My family have been doing kris kringle Christmas for the last few years (partners are included as well). This year hubby and I got boys so for their presents, I've been eyeing these handmade neck ties from Marcello Neckwear. Not to worry they don't read my blog, well not that I know of anyway. I love the tie made out of the vintage liberty print! team this with a white shirt and grey vest for a wedding perhaps. The checked one reminds me of the intended recipient so much, very hipster LOL. For myself, I got a couple of laser cut perspex brooches from A Skulk of Foxes, a pack of Ten to Sen washi tape and some Christmas cards. That 'craft is the new black' badge is a gift from my sister's craftsy workmate. There were so so many more cute. pretty. eclectic handmade things that I wanted but I had to be kind to my purse. I really enjoyed the market but I gotta say I've never seen so many trendy hipster-type people concentrated in one place LOL. I'll definitely be back next year!

Finders Keepers tonight!

So much to tell you

Join me for a cup of tea and a chat. It's been awhile I know. So much has happened in the last few months but I just wanted to share a few noteworthy things. These are not craft-related things but since this is my personal blog, I want to write it down for reflection.

1. My thesis was passed by all 3 examiners back in July! I had to make some emendations which was more painful than writing the thesis itself if you ask me. Anyway, it is awaiting approval from my Head of School as we speak. I gave up any hope of graduating this year so sometime mid-2012 it will officially end. There was a short time where I grieved for my student life. Isn't it funny how in the mist of it I wanted it to end so badly and now that it's over, I'm actually sad? Apart from being poor, the student life isn't so bad. I felt sheltered and care-free knowing that I had all the time in the world to focus on something that I love. I'm thankful to God for all that he has taught during the last 4 years - about himself, about the world and about myself. For all the friends I made along the way, they are the ones who made it so much more fun and interesting. 

2. Life post-thesis is pretty sweet too. I decided to stay in my job and not pursue a career in academia for now. Well I'm still working at the university just not climbing the academic ladder. I thought long and prayed hard about this before coming to my decision. Right now at this point in my life, I really want to have a family more than anything. Personally I don't think I can handle both a demanding career and be a good mother.

3. I turned 29 in October. The last year of my twenties and how do I feel? grateful and deeply content. I'm so thankful to God for all the blessings he has given me and all the truths that he has taught me over the course of my life thus far. I'm really excited to see what he has in store for me. As long as I continue to trust him, I know that everything will be OK.

4. Hubby and I celebrated 5 years of being man and wife earlier this month. What can I say, married life just keeps getting better! It does require constant hard work otherwise it's easy to become complacent. As an investment in our marriage, we attended a 7-weeks marriage course back in July. It was quite practical and no team work involved. Every session we get a delicious home-cook candlelit dinner followed by a DVD session then we go off to do our booklet exercises. Topics explored include communication, resolving conflict, forgiveness, impact of family. We really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

My sister's first quilt

This past weekend my sister also finished her first quilt! I'm so proud of her as this is all new to her. After all the stitching and unstitching (not to mention gnashing of teeth), she's finally done. I've really enjoyed our times together and looking forward to our next quilting project!

My first quilt!

I'm still alive! It's been far too long...I will slowly update the happenings of the last few months but for today I just wanted to share this. I have been learning the quiet art of quilting since late last year with my sister. Instead of making a big quilt, I decided to make 2 baby quilts. Above is the first completed one. I chose all the material, cut all those squares and assembled the whole thing just by following a book. What do you think? I love it so. So much so that I think I will keep it for my baby one day.

Seeker Lover Keeper

SB wearing my hummingbird broach to her subsequent show! Source: theaureview

Hi there! Just dropping in to share some non-craft news. Last Friday, hubby took me out to see Sarah Blasko and her new band 'Seeker Lover Keeper' at the Factory Theatre. I quite enjoyed the show and Miss Blasko, she never disappoint! Now here is the best bit. Being a long time fan of Sarah Blasko, what do you think could've topped my night? That's right! I got to meet the lovely lady in person! As the venue was small, they were able do signing after the show. I bought a SLK tea towel and got that signed. So what does one do when one meet their favorite singer of all time? I gave her my vintage hummingbird broach. She was pleasantly surprised and said she will wear it with pride (before popping it on her coat awww). Gosh I felt like a 16 yo again! but let me tell you, she is one beautiful lady in real life!

Getting cozy

Brrr! The weather has certainly turned cold which is perfect for comfort food eating (food full of warm fuzzies). The pic above is steam boat at Ken & Grace's a couple of weeks ago (thanks for hosting us!). We've been eating a lot of soup at home as well. Nothing much to update here except I went to Equip women conference and it was great as usual. I also got a haircut too not that you would notice lol. I've been finding it hard to find time to craft. Between work, chores and catching up with friends, I feel like I have no time left. However I shall endeavor to make time to create as it is therapeutic for me. I will share one of my more exciting projects soon!

Seam allowance guide

I got this in the mail the other day. It's a seam allowance guide which I won from a blog giveaway by Novita AKA verypurpleperson. I never win stuff so it was quite a nice surprise - Thanks Novita! Maybe this will help me to take the plunge into sewing clothes. Why am I so scared [?] [!]. I found it quite funny the fact that this nifty Australian innovation was made in China and came to me all the way from Japan lol