Why Ching Ern (婧恩)?

Even since we got to know Ern is a baby girl, I already wanted to name her as "X Ern" or "Ern X". Why? For 1 simple reason, we want her to be "appreciative" (感恩).

I actually got a good friend of mine to recommend some good Chinese names. Also, both KK and myself also have several names we think can go well with "Ern":

1) Jing Ern (靖恩）
2）Ching Ern (婧恩)
3) Ern Tong (恩彤）
4) Zhi Ern (祉恩）
5) Yu Ern (予恩）

My first choice is actually # 4 as I like the Chinese meaning of "祉". 2nd choice is # 1 as "靖" means peaceful. I want the child to be peaceful and appreciative. After "family voting", obviously most votes went to # 2. Well, I have no problem with that as it's a beautiful name anyway. :-)

Other than the meaning, I intentionally choose "Ern" as it can turn into an English name as well - Ernie. Well, this is what i can tell her when she grows up. However,if she wants other English name like Suzie, Rebecca,etc, I am ok with it. After all, it's just a name. LOL!

Why Compare???

Let's accept the fact there are some parents like to "compare" their child with our child. Well, I am sure of all us as parents are proud of them (of cause we SHOULD)! But hey, even if we want to compare, also need to be sensitive and tactful mah. :-)

2 weeks ago, I brought Ern to the latest shopping mall, Queensbay Mall as her weekend outing activity. Other than to introduce the beautiful world to her, i am also taking the opportunity to let Ern meet people. Need to expose Ern more as she started to show her "uncomfort" whenever friends/relative carry her. To me, this is unhealthy! Hopefully by doing this, it will change her. Well, I am keeping my finger cross. :-)

Back to the topic. I was using the Baby Room at Jusco to feed Ern. I sat on the sofa as the rooms are meant for nursing mothers (I never nurse Ern in public as I find it uncomfort to both of us).Few minutes later, a mother came in with her daughter and her mother. She sat next to me while her mother preparing the milk for her grandaugther. I smiled to both of them as a friendly gesture. Then, the Grandma started a conversation.

GRANDMA: How old is your baby already?

ME: She is 5 months old

GRANDMA: Oh, our baby seems to be bigger size even she is only 6 months old (she was actually talking to her daughter)

DAUGHTER: Ya, mum.

ME: Keep quiet but deep inside, I was like "why want to comment,women!!??"

DAUGHTER: Oh ya, i breastfeed my baby since birth and only introduce formula like last week. That's why she doesn't drink that much. (her daughter only drank 2oz)

ME: Smile back but didn't comment anything.Inside already #$$@


Obviously, the daughter is proud of herself as she breastfed her daughter till 6 month old. So am I as Ern is still a "breast milk exclusive" baby till now! But hey, what is there is "show off" lah! It's individual mother's preference and choice!!

Well, every child has their own development progress and it's absolutely ok if your child is slower/smaller size than other baby similar to his/her age. As long as your paediatrician said ok, then ok lah! Why compare???

Sleep Through

Ern started to sleep through when she was around 2+ month old. Ok..ok, my definition of "sleep through" means I don't need to get up between 12am - 5am. Some mummies would comment this:"Wow, how lucky you are!". Well, even the paediatrician also commented the same thing as breastfed babies normally don't sleep through at this age.

Well, well, let me tell you this. Ern is able to sleep through at night because she hardly sleep during the day!!! Guess what, her nap can be as short as 15mins per session and she only nap twice in the afternoon. Morning session, she sleeps a bit longer, like 1+ hour and it's 1 session only. So, obviously she will be exhausted after a long active day. Pity my mum who babysits her, need to be with her most of the time.

I have to admit i am lucky. Getting up middle of night to breastfeed a baby is TIRING as it takes easily 30-45mins. If a baby gets up twice middle of the night, a mum gets to sleep like 4-5 hours only.

For the past 2 weeks, Ern started to take longer nap, from 15-30mins to 1-2 hours, depending how exhausted is she. Normally, she sleeps longer on Mondays or the next day after a holiday. That's because we are taking Ern out and she missed her nap.

Ern is a night person. Why I said so?? Since small, she only goes to sleep like 10pm. Generally, baby sleeps like 8-9pm. Even I have tried to pull in her sleeping time, she still wakes up after a short nap and sleep like 10+pm. Lately, Ern's sleeping hour changed again. She only goes to bed like 11-11.30pm and sleeps till 9am. My mum said she "inherit" from her dad and "mah mah" (KK's Mum) as both of them are night person. LOL

Though I don't need to nurse Ern, I still get up 2-3 times middle of the night to "check" on her. I guess it's "mother ins tint" kua!!

At times, Ern still makes noises with her eyes close and I will normally do this:
1) Pat her back/chest
2) Cuddle
3) Get her to sleep next to me
4) Give her pacifier
5) Give her warm water to drink(4-5 sips only)
6) Nurse her (last option after I have tried the above)

Counting the Blessing

Ern has a birth mark on her left lower cheek, which is getting darker and bigger spot as she grows up. While her paediatrician told me not to worry as the mark can be removed via a laser touch up.

Also, Ern has a sensitive skin as I noticed it took her a while to heal from a wound. In addition, a mosquito bite can easily leave a scare on her skin. :-(

Well, after going through so much during pregnancy, what matters to us is a healthy development. Instead of asking for more, we are counting the blessing. :-)

I Want to Eat As Well

Ern is able to see and follow an object when she was 3 months old. Right now, not only she sees and follows but STARES at you. See below and you know what I mean.Ern was sitting on my lap while I was drinking coffee.



From top down view:


What is she trying to tell me??? I think it's this - "I Want to Eat As Well,Mummy!!"

Cliff Hanger

Lately, we noticed Ern likes to move/kick her right leg to touch on something. This morning while putting Ern on her bouncer, she did it again. I was sitting on the sofa and she looks like rock climbing from my view.



Does that mean she will be a rock climber one day?? I don't know but I am ok with it if she really wants to take up the sports. Dangerous?? Every sports comes with danger. As long as she knows how to take safety precaution and knows what's the max limit, nothing can be done further. It's all destiny, i believe.

I Am A TV Fan （我是电视迷）

Ern likes to watch TV since small (can't recall since when). So, whenever the TV is on, she will WATCH! How?? see below.



A closer look..


We need to do something to distract her like:
1) Use a pillow to block her view
2) Turn to radio channel (either channel 103 or 111 from Astro)
3) Switch off the TV completely

Well, does that mean Ern has the potential to be the winner of "I Am A TV Fan"?? Ahem, let's see.

PS: "I Am A TV Fan" is a movie game show shown in Astro Channel 30.

Latest Development of Ern

It is really amazing as baby grows and learns new thing almost EVERYDAY! So, your baby is like a "surprise present" to you as they will show you something new everyday (almost lah). Sames goes for Ern as she begins to:

1) Flip over on her tummy and flip back on her back on both sides (she only knew how to flip to her right when she was 4 months old)
2) Flip like nobody business whenever we try to change her diaper/clothes
3) Shout very loud when she is happy or complaining
4) Recognize stranger by showing "sad face" when she is being carried
5) Take out or put in her "chit chit" (pacifier)by herself. Sometimes, even terbalik and she can sucked happily and with a "chut chut chut" sound.
6) Hold her milk bottle (we need to help her holding the bottle a bit though!)
7) Push away the milk/water bottle when she doesn't feel like drinking it anymore!

Comments on Hair

Ever since Ern was borned, we have received many compliments from family members, friends and even strangers on her hair. Here goes:

1) "Wow, she is so cute as her hair is standing"
2) "Wow, rambut panjang macam berus!"
3) "Comelnya, rambut baby you macam Trojen"
4) "How nice, she has so much hair!"
5) "How come her hair is still standing?? Not dropping even after month 4?"

See below and you would know why we get these comments. :-)



PS: My gynae even measured the length of Ern's hair when she was in my womb. LOL!

A Letter to Ern

To My Little Princess,

A glimpse of eyes, you are 5 months 1 week old now. To Mummy and Daddy, it was as if you were still in Mummy's womb.

It wasn't an easy pregnancy journey for Mummy.Mummy has to go through many hurdles throughout the whole 37 weeks (both physically and mentally) before you made your grand entrance.

1) First 12 weeks, Mummy has spotting and bleeding almost every alternate days. Other than bed rest, Mummy has to go for Proluton injection every 3 days to stabilize you.

2) Week 18, you were suspected a potential Down Syndrome baby from Mummy's Triple T Test.Mummy collapsed and cried non stop as Mummy cannot take it! We were told to make fast decision as it is better to stop pregnancy before week 20. BUT...Mummy started to feel your movement when you were 16 weeks old. In the end, Mummy and Daddy decided to do amniocentesis test to confirm. The 3 weeks waiting period was the worst experience Mummy ever had. Thank god the result overruled the earlier report. By then, we were 100% sure you are a girl (it was XX from the chromosome test).

3) Week 22, Mummy diagnosed with pubic synthesis, which should only happened to a pregnant lady around week 36 to loosen up the muscle around pubic area in preparation for delivery. BUT Mummy has it at week 22. As you grow bigger in Mummy's womb, it took longer time to get rid of the pain whenever Mummy get up from a sitting position. First it took Mummy 2-3 steps to get rid and in the end (around week 34 onwards), the pain is there all the time.

4) Week 24, Mummy's started to feel the back ache, which was something Mummy expected. Mummy had slipped disc on L4 & L5 back bone way before conceived you. Uncle Orthopedic already informed Mummy carrying you will not be easy as other mothers. Towards the last 2 months, Mummy has to lie down on bed every 2-3 hours.

5) Week 28, Mummy bleed HEAVILY at 2.30am. On the way to hospital, Mummy thought we are going to lose you again as the chance of you surviving outside Mummy's womb is extremely low. Again, you were brave enough and we survive again!

6) Week 35, Mummy had breathing difficulty as it shouldn't happen to Mummy. Why? Mummy is a national swimmer, regular sports person and still swim while carrying you. This sudden breathless is unusual. So, Mummy has to see a cardiologist and again, confirmed nothing wrong but Mummy just need to inhale harder to get in more oxygen.

7) First day of Week 37, you were naughty and poked the water bag at 2.30am. 9 hours later, you are in Mummy's arm already.

8) You had pro-long jaundice that last 1 1/2 months! You were under light for 5 days but from 3rd day onwards, you stopped crying so much because you started to get used to the light. Mummy had crack nipple and unable to nurse you directly. So, Mummy has to walk "zombie-ly" to the nursery every 2-3 hours round the clock to express the milk for you. Sleep deprive and stress out!

9) When you were 3 months old, Mummy suffered breast abscess as you bite so hard until Mummy had crack nipple (again). The best part is, Mummy had it TWICE!

It was challenging throughout the whole 37 weeks but Mummy is lucky enough to have Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Kau Foo and closed friends to support Mummy. What's more, it was YOU that keep Mummy moving.

Ern, Mummy loves you...

Ern's Wardrobe Collection & Photo Corner

Check out Ern's latest photos and wardrobe collections at the side panel!

Happy viewing..:-)

PS: The intention of creating the "wardrobe collection" is to help me to remember what clothes Ern used to wear. See, normally we tend to give away the clothes to relatives/friends as passdown when our baby grows bigger. If we don't snap the picture, how to remember ler! So, don't get me wrong in trying to "hard sell" the brands or "show off" ya..:-)

ABC & 123

You may be wondering why the title is "ABC & 123"...Well, nothing special but it's the latest toy of Ern - CLOTH BOOK

KK bought it during his recent business trip in Manila. Prior to that, I have been looking around but couldn't find a cloth book that comes with either alphabet or numeric numbers. Bingo, Daddy found it and somemore it's 2-in-1! (great job, Daddy!)

There are only 6 pages in this cloth book - ABC & 123. Obviously Ern doesn't know how to flip the book but only put into her month. Of all the pages, I noticed she seems to like the "A" page, that comes with a red color apple. Maybe the red color attracts her. :-)

Ern's Wardrobe

Well, I thought it’s a good idea to snap some photos on Ern’s wardrope collection, especially those received as gift from friends and relatives as a remembrance. They were all LOVELY!

Before Ern made her grand entrance, ‘kong kong’ (grandpa) has bought close to ~ 15 suits for her from Shanghai. Well, “kong kong” is a experience “children’s clothes shopper”. Why?? Because “kong kong” bought mostly Mummy’s clothes when Mummy was small. Unable to snap all of them but these are few of Mummy’s favorites.



Some nice body suits from friends:


Ern’s Osh Kosh collection:


I bet you agree with me they are lovely and cute..:-)

Private Domain vs. Public Domain

Originally, I wanted to create a blog for Ern with a private domain - chingern.com Other than personalized, who knows one day it may be useful to Ern, ie when she becomes a super star or something. At least I can save the domain name for us before other people take it. KK always said Ern will be the future Sarapova

Huh, after searching around and comparing price among the web hosting companies, the cheapest i can find is RM199/year maintenance cost (with 5GB capacity). Then, I hold back the thoughts because:

1) Don't know where to start
2) KK is IT-savvy but he is super busy with his work. So, no time for us to sit down to explore and I can't wait anyway.
3) Once I start to have it, I need to pay RM199 (or more) annually.
4) If I decided to have 2nd child, I need to do similar thing to be fair to the 2nd child. Do I have the time?

After considering all these, I decided to use the public domain simply because:

1) No cost incurred (at least for now!) :-)
2) Formatting and settings are available. I just need to write and post. Simple as 123.
3) Decided to donate the RM200 to those needy people out there. Hope this is a good start to teach Ern about doing good deeds.

Ern turns 5 months old

Time flies...I can still remember what had happened 5 months ago, where i was in the labour room to deliver Ern. Today, she turns 5 months old!! The photo below was taken on the evening when Ern was borned.




There are so MANY things I need to write and post photos about Ern. See, that's the result of late blogging. :-( I guess I need to list down the topics so that I can remember them. Ever since pregnancy, my memory has been poor and if I don't write down, i tend to forget what's need to be done.

Daddy came back from his business trip late last night. He bought 2 blouses and 1 pant (from Osh Kosh) and a clothe book. I really like the clothe book as it was what i want to buy for Ern. It has only 6 pages - ABC & 123. I guess for a start, that's just good enough for Ern. Will post the photos of gifts from Daddy later.

I am still exploring how to do digital scrapping as I really love it. It's so lovely to see photo paste on top of the nice scrapping paper...hopefully, I can get something up soon....

First Day of Blog...

After struggling for 5 months, decided to create this web site to capture every growing moments of Ern to share with friends and family. It's late obviously but i guess it is better than nothing (huh, what an excuse!).

This is the first time Mummy is creating blog and writing! So, bear with me on the language and trying to make the blog more interesting. Decided to keep this unannounced until when I feel it's more ready to share with others.

Since it’s 5 months late in capturing the growing of Ern, I have decided to skip those milestones prior to this posting.

As of 17th November, 2006
Weight: 6.95kg
Height: 64cm

New milestone of Ern as of this week:
1) Can flip over on her stomach and back to her back real FAST! (she started to flip over on the day when she turned 4 month old).
2) She started to scream out loud..
3) She started to recognized stranger :-( She will start to make a fuss