New Foods And Allergic to Peanut Butter

Hello my baby Lina<3,

With your allergies to soy products, Mommy is always concern that you will have a reaction to the soy milk that you are drinking.  You do not drink more than 20oz of the soy milk.  Since you drink soy milk, we do not add any more soy products to your diet, after learning from a mistake.

Daddy and I decide that it was time to try other milks.  After extensive research about the different types of milk in the market, it was hard to decide where to start.  We always believe that regular cow's milk is a no go.  There are pros and cons to everything. 

While at Whole Food supermarket, we decide that it was time to try almond milk, unsweetened, and organic.  The vitamin content is sufficient as well as the calcium level.  You have been drinking it once a day for a week now.  At first, it was probably weird to your taste buds, because it was new, and you drank it slower.   So far, you are enjoying, and there are no allergic reactions.

Mommy thought it was a good time for you to try peanut butter as well.  Mommy was hoping to find a different alternative to lunch.  But unfortunately after a couple of spoonful, and an hour later, you threw it up.  An allergic reaction to the peanut butter.  You vomited it all.  My poor baby, it was terrible to see you so uneasy from the peanut butter.  We will not be trying that any time soon.

We tried yogurt with coconut milk.  You had allergic reaction to organic yogurt.  You do not like yogurt so much.  I am hoping that it will grow on you.  We will see, it has only been a three days.

We will be trying to coconut milk soon, and I hope that you will like it.

I love you baby. Muah

Gluten Free Foods

To My Lina<3,

We have been trying gluten free foods for the last few weeks.  So far, it is good for your skin and does not make your symptoms of eczema worst.  You enjoy it very much, and cannot tell the difference.

The products that we are trying are:
1. Happy Baby organic puffs, gluten free.  We have tried all the favors except for purple carrot and blueberry.  Yes, when I said we, I meant you tried it, and Mommy tried it as well.  Whatever goes into your mouth, Mommy make sure that I try it too.  These puffs are go to snacks.  When you know it is snack time, you go to cabinets where the puffs are stored and point to it and tell Mommy that is the snack you want to eat.  These are easy to find in supermarkets, Babies R Us, WalMart, and Target, just to name a few.

2.  Rice Krispies Gluten Free Cereal from Kelloggs.  I was so glad that I found these in the supermarket.  Although it is not organic, I thought you should try it, to see if gluten free is better for your skin.  This are a good alternative for breakfast, and for snack time.  You do not like it so much but will eat it.

3. Pasta, Gluten free TruRoots fusilli pasta, gluten free and elbows pasta, gluten free.  You enjoy eating these pastas.  You enjoyed picking the pasta with your hands and eating it with your fingers.

4. Glutino blueberry breakfast bars, gluten free; pretzel twists, gluten free; and pretzel sticks, gluten free.  These snacks you love.  Mommy needs to be extra careful about the pretzels, only give you a small piece at a time.  The blueberry breakfast bar, you love but I tried to not to give it to you so often, since the sugar content is high.

5. ArrowHead Mill organic sprouted corn flakes: Mommy was so glad to find this.  It is a nice alternative for breakfast.  You like it, but not too often.

6. Bread, gluten free as well.  It was hard to find this bread, but so glad that I found it.  It is a gluten free, raisin cinnamon bread (I do not recall the brand, once I do, I will update).  You love to eat bread.  I found this in Whole Food supermarket.  We are also trying gluten free waffles, but you do not like it so much after one try.

Gluten free products are doing well for you skin.  The redness of  your cheeks does not appear as often.  These gluten free products were fairly decent in price except for the bread.  We will try to stay as gluten free as possible.

I love you, Lina<3.  I hope that you continue to eat everything that Mommy gives you.

Mommy's First Week of Work

My Little Lina<3,

How are you doing today? I know that you must be enjoying Mommy's day off.  We have two entire days to spend with each other and it is going to be All About Lina<3.  Lots of hugs and kisses, laughing and smiling, playing and reading; just a  lot of fun time.

Okay, we got through the first week of work.  It was so hard to be away from you.  I know that you hate to see Mommy leave you in the mornings.  For three days, you stay with PorPor, and you two are getting into a schedule, which is good because you are eating a little better, and sleeping a little better.  You enjoyed going out to the park, supermarket with PorPor.  You love to spend time with PorPor.  PorPor is teaching you to use the potty more often. Every time I dropped you off at PorPor's house, you cried a  lot, and it breaks my heart.   For two days, you are spending the day with Daddy.  The two days are easier because we are not rushing in the morning and it is more relax.  You take a ride with us, to drop Mommy off at work.  You did not cry at all, gave me a kiss, and that was that.  It still breaks my heart to see you and Daddy drive off.  I want to be my two babies (Daddy and you).  You had a lot of fun with Daddy.  At the end of each work day, I come to you, and you give me the biggest hug and kiss, it completes my whole day!  When we get home, the only person you want to play with me (and you are also very clingy), which I love (even though I can be tired).

I feel so lost with you during the day.  Although I do call often, and sometimes you "talk" (baby talk) to me, it just does not seem like it is enough.  I love to look at  your pictures, and reminds me how much I miss you.  I feel like I am missing out on you playing in the park, and interacting with other children (or chasing boys in the park or trying to touch other children, lol - Daddy said).  Ahhh, my little Lina<3, it will get better for the both of us.

I love you so much.

Trial Run at PorPor's house

My Precious Little Lina<3,

These past three days including today, have been extremely hard on both of us.  I am uncertain whom is taking it harder, you or I?  I guess that we both are.

Mommy is going back to work so we are doing a trial run with PorPor, where Mommy leaves you with her for hours, and you have to get use to me not being with you all day long.  PorPor (grandmother in Cantonese) will take good care of you, with all the instructions and guidelines that Mommy had prepared for her.  You played with PorPor, go the park, go for walks, go to the market, and play at her house.  From what PorPor said, you are well behaved, not too much fussiness, scratching, crying or temper tantrums.  You listened well.  The only thing that Mommy is concerned about are diaper changes, (we are on the third and last day of the trial run, and you have a terrible diaper rash), nap time (you are refusing to go to sleep in the travel crib, and does not want PorPor to put you to sleep even though you are tired), and meal time (when PorPor feeds you, you are not eating that much).  I believe that you will just fine, and dainty.  With enough time, you will no longer cry that much for Mommy, you will take naps, and you will eat from PorPor. 

Mommy misses you very much, when you are not with me.  I felt lost without you.  I want to turn around, and see you.  I want to hear your voice in the next room.  I  want my little baby to be right with me.  I know you are probably thinking, what am I going to do when you go off to school... homeschooling is always an option, maybe, lol.

I know that you miss me very  much as well, because when I come back to PorPor's house, you have the biggest smile on your face, and reach over for me to hold you.  I got a lot of hugs, and kisses from you, which I love.  You hold me so tight that you do not want me to let you go.  I love it so much.  I love you so much.

So next week, on Wednesday is "D-day" ("Doomsday"-means that the day is finally coming), we need to brace ourselves.

I  love you very much :)

Mommy's Going Back to Work :(

My little Lina<3:

I have something to tell you.  Mommy is sure that you heard it already, with Daddy and I talking about it a lot.  Mommy already talked to you about it, and how I am going to miss you so much.  Mommy is going back to work full time.  I know that there has not been a day where Mommy left you for a entire day.  It will be a big adjustment for you, not having Mommy around during the day, to beat up, to hug, to hit, to kiss, to pull, to scream with, to play with...  Mommy know that you will be just fine, after a few days.  The plan is that PorPor is taking care of you for three days a week, during the day, while I work.  Daddy and I will drop you off and then we will see you at the end of the work day.  Do not worry, it will only be a few hours...about eight hours or so.  Mommy promise to call you during the day and once Mommy shows PorPor how to use Skype, we can see each other during the day.  It is going to be so hard to leave you for the day :(  Mommy knows that you will be in good hands, but I still worry because your Mommy is not there with you.  You are going to have so much fun with PorPor, you will spend your days at her house, take walks, play, learn Chinese, and go to the park.  And before you know it, Mommy will be right back at her house to pick you up.

So April 10, 2013 is the big day for us.  We will doing a trial run this week for three days to see how you can handle being away from Mommy.. (or how I will handle it...ahh!)

Know that Daddy and Mommy loves you very much!  Mommy will always be a phone call away. 

In The News: How Pointing Makes Babies Human

The article of the week that was published on March 26, 2013.

""The infants didn’t just want attention to themselves. They wanted someone to share in their experience of the world. “It’s just so rewarding to have somebody else share your opinions about something,” Carpenter says. “Especially for a 12-month-old baby, but also for us. Imagine if you had a friend who never found the same things interesting that you did. It’s really rewarding for us, too.”


Read more about it here.

Lina<3 is at the stage where pointing has become one of the ways she communicates with us.  This article makes understand me more about why she points and that it is more than just wanting something.

Last few days of March....

To my little Lina<3:

Hi princess, it has been a while since Mommy has written to you here. It has been extremely busy on my part. I know that you may not notice the difference, but there are many things to prepare for and many things to look forward to in the next few months.

First things first: let's catch what has been happening in the last two week.

During playtime, you had learned to stack, and sort shapes :) Mommy is so proud of you, and will continue to practice with you every day, so you can get better at stacking, and sorting. You have learned how to throw, and kick a ball.  When Mommy watches you throw the ball, it is so funny, because you use all your strengthen to throw the ball but it does not get very far.  The way you kick the ball is funny as well, you just walk into the ball, and that is what you call kicking, when Mommy says kick the ball.  You are learning to slowly swing your foot to kick the ball, but that is nerving wrecking because it looks like you are going to fall.  Mommy does not remember when you first started to run, because it feels like it just happen so naturally a few months after you learned to walk.  At times, you run so fast, and Daddy & I always worried that you are going to fall or run into something (like the wall).  You learned to climb up on to the couch, by lifting your legs up to your toy next to the couch, and onto the couch.  Today, you had climbed onto the couch with no difficulties at all, and you went to the couch by yourself, (without Mommy there).  Mommy explained to you that you should always have Mommy or Daddy on the couch with you, so that you do not fall and hurt yourself.  It is fun watching you toss yourself around on the couch. throw yourself on the pillows, and laughing up a storm.  Lina<3, it is fun watching you empty and fill up containers, toy boxes, tissue boxes, and your old diaper boxes.  You love to hide things behind your back, underneath your legs, between the couch (when you are on the couch), and underneath the blankets and pillow (when you are playing on Mommy's bed).

Reading time is always fun for you.  The favorite books for nap time and bedtime are "The Runaway Bunny" and "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown.  Those two books are a must read before nap time in the afternoon, and bedtime in the evening.  Sometimes it is not about reading, but turning the pages that is most exciting to you as you hold your bear with the other hand.  You turn the pages so fast that Mommy do not get to read the entire book.  Once we get to the end of the book, and Mommy says, the end and bye by to the book, you wave to the book good bye.  As we read, we sit on the rocking chair every afternoon, and evening.  I love reading time, it give us more chances to snuggle, hug, and cuddle.  It is also a way to relax you as well :) before sleeping.

The symptoms of your eczema has been minimal to none.  We are continuing to moisturize your skin daily because it is good for your skin, and keep you nice, and soft.  Your scratching has been kept under control with daily doses of antihistamine, as prescribed by your doctor.  With less scratching, the discoloration on your skin has almost disappeared, and your skin tone has even out.  The cradle caps on your scalp has been controlled with daily brushing, and moisturizing with extra virgin olive oil after washing your hair.  For the two weeks, you have a diaper rash.  The Triple Paste diaper cream works well but does not make it go away.  The diaper rash always comes back, sometimes it is bright red, and other times it is light pink.  The rash have bumps but that usually disappears fast.  Mommy is changing your diaper every two to three hours.  I do not understand why the diaper rash is sticking around for so long.  Even when you were a newborn, your diaper rashes never last two weeks, not even a week.

There are many new dishes that you have been trying.  Some you like, and some you do not like.  I will posting that later on with pictures, and recipes.  You are feeding yourself with a spoon but not more than a few spoonfuls...either you get tired of feeding yourself, or you are not getting enough food into your mouth because some of the foods fall down on your bib.  When it comes to using a fork, it is a little more difficult for you to use.  You could put the fork in your mouth if there's food on it already.  We are trying to transition you to a training cup without a soft sprout, but you do not like it at all, and it is something for you to get use to.  It has been harder to ween you off the bottles because you do not like to drink your milk from a straw or from a cup.  Maybe Mommy needs to put away all the bottles, and just use the cups.  The amount of water you are consuming has been very little, since we started using your new cups.  Every once in a while, you get some orange juice from a cup through a straw.  You have been a little bit of a picky eater, if you eat all your lunch, it is not guarantee that you will eat your dinner and vice versa.  That has been frustrating because you did not gain much weight from your last two doctor visits.

You walk up, and down the stairs now, with me holding onto your hands.  There is no more crawling up the stairs, even if I let you.   You would rather hold onto the wall, and put your foot up on the step to walk up.  You like to walk down the stairs :) even if I am carrying you down the stairs, you make indications that you walk.  One step at a time, sometimes it is a big step.

The sleeping process at night time has gotten a lot better.  You are sleeping through the night.  Sleep for you means sleep for Daddy and I.  There are some nights where you get a little fussy but you fall back to sleep on your own.  It is so cute when Mommy goes in to check up on you.  Most of the nights, your buttocks is up in the air while you sleep.  Or you are still holding your doll and bear to sleep.

Temper tantrums has been more frequent and short variables at a time.  You have developed this whiny nature though, that can last the entire day.  It can be so frustrating because you do not give any indication about what you want.  You point at everything, and just whine. It does not happen that often, maybe once or twice a week.

Looking back on the past two weeks, makes me realize how fast you are growing.  Your milestones are becoming more subtle and more frequent.  You are now almost 16months, wow! enough said right, lol

I love you very much.  I continue to be amazed by your adorable nature, and learn from you.