According to Dr Ling (my baby’s paed), I can now give some fruit juice to the little princess (half an apple or orange).

So, I prepared some apple juice by steaming half an apple with some water, and crushed the soften apple with spoon - I don’t have a special blender for her yet.

Then, I diluted with more water and put in a bottle. Baby Izzah likes the taste but the teat then got stuck with some apple pulp. So, the sweet tasty juice stopped flowing into her mouth.

Hmmm… I really need to get a fruit juice blender.

Anyway, my husband went to a shopping mall and bought…..

No, not the blender.

But, Heinz Strained Apple Juice and Gerber Pumpkin & Sweet Corn. Don’t worry, it’s all suitable for 4-month old babies.

By the way, Dr Ling said we can start giving her solid (rice cereal) at 5 months and a more variety when she turns 6 months old.

So, I bought all these feeding equipment (BPA free). It’s all for you, honey-bunny baby!

Munchkin Soft Tip Infant Spoons and Bendable Infant Spoons. And, The First Years Take & Toss Infant Section Bowls.

Munchkin Baby Food Grinder - hot stuff. I like it so much. A little turn is all the power I need to turn any food into healthy, natural baby food in seconds. Veggies, fruit and meat are ground down to safe-to-swallow pieces. It’s also compact so good for travelling.

With the food grinder, I can say bye-bye to the expensive bottled baby food!

And, for her teething - Munchkin Twisty Teether Ball. Looks like 12 nipples of different texture in one ball isn’t it? Yumm..yumm… ha..ha..ha

Excuse me? You’re using cloth pad? In such a modern time? Urghh.. yuck!

Yeah… yeah..

It sounds disgusting and need of job to wash. And, almost unpractical.

After all, you are used to using disposable menstrual pads - you like the convenience - so why suddenly revert back to the old time?

Well, the answer is same as using cloth diaper for your babies!

• Cloth menstrual pad is CHEMICAL FREE. It is for the healthier you. As we know, to make disposable pads they need lots of chemicals to make them super absorbent, super white and trim.
• Your genital tissue is highly sensitive, and these chemicals are easily absorbed into your body, causing irritation and discomfort in the process. We already live in increasingly polluted environments, so it makes sense to reduce your exposure to chemicals in any way you can.
• It is more comfortable and soft to your skin and your body and to our environment! Cloth pads that are made of Bamboo fabric can absorb 60% more than cotton and it is naturally antibacterial, so it`s more hygienic and more healthy for your skin.
• You will save money - investing in good quality cloth pads will cost you only a small percentage of what disposables are costing you now. 

What about the blood stain? Isn’t it disgusting? That’s up to you if you feel your own blood is disgusting. Some cloth pads used difficult to stain cloth to keep your pad looking fresh even after years of use.

And, washing cloth pad is easy. Just wash them during a shower and soak in cold water (from as little as 2 minutes to 24 hours).

Oh yes. After more than 20 years of using disposable pads, I’m 100% using cloth now. I just started last month.

And, I never feel much better and happier. Actually, I was feeling really good (might be due to the super soft flush velour in contact with my skin).

No more terrible odor. No more itchy rashes. No more feeling hot & uncomfortable. Definitely, a happier period!

A soft fluffy cloth in contact with my sensitive area is absolutely feel good great compared to the irritating plastic of disposables.

By the way, have you ever think why there are so many infertile women nowadays? Me, for example, was having no luck in conceiving a baby (naturally) after 3 years of marriage. I need to get help at LPPKN and finally got pregnant to the now 4 months old little princess.

That was also after 7 months of trying using various procedures and consuming various fertility drugs. Yes, it was really hard!

For those who easily got pregnant, please be grateful of the blessing of motherhood. There are thousands of infertile women getting help at LPPKN nowadays. Perhaps, years long of using chemical laden menstrual pads is the major cause of this?

My husband is so patriotic that he became the first one to raise Jalur Gemilang at our neighbourhood. The picture below was taken few weeks ago. Those were only some small flags being hung on my little cottage’s fence but they look ummm.. so spiritual.

p/s Hubby has added a pole to raise a bigger Jalur Gemilang. Selamat Hari Merdeka ke 51 Malaysia! 

Although my baby is only 4 months old, I already teach her to read books!

Isn’t it too early? No, it’s not.

Infact, this is the best time to teach your baby of everything, especially the language.

According to Dr. Robert Titzer, babies and toddlers have a natural window of opportunity for learning language from age 3 months old to 4 years old. After 4 years old, it become quite difficult to learn a language or to read.

You see, babies and toddlers learn to understand language and speak naturally simply by listening to language. When babies hear a second language, they learn to understand and speak the language naturally without an effort if they hear the language frequently enough.

That’s explain how we learn our mother-tounge language - through early exposure!

If babies are allowed to see the language, they can also learn written language just as naturally. Fascinating, isn’t it?

So, if you want your baby to learn (and read) a second language(s)(English, Arabic, Mandarin, French etc) - get some books or flash cards in that language. And, show it to your baby at least 5 minutes a day. Not so much efforts required for your baby’s future, right?

Let’s see what I have bought for baby Izzah.

• Baby Signs Books: Circle Time (teach baby sign language)
• Your Baby Can Read! flash card (compact, good for travel)
• Your Baby Can Learn! book series (love it so much!)

And, I’m also thinking of buying her Qiraati books as well as teach her Mandarin and Korean (I’m learning both languages so why not teach her too… he..he..he).

By the way, I really love Dr. Titzer’s book series. Your Baby Can Learn! for example, are great for teaching:

• Shapes (Babies will learn geometrically-related shapes instead of the typical shapes found in most baby books.)
• Numbers (Dr. Titzer uses research from infant perception studies to help your baby learn the concept of number as well as learn to read numerals.)
• Patterns (This book teaches logic patterns using colourful photographs and words. For example, “big dog, little dog, big dog, little dog, big dog, little dog, big dog, What comes next?”)
• Colours (This book teaches lighter and darker shades of colours.)
• Prepositions (Some of the most frequently used words in English are prepositions. Most babies are not specifically taught these words. Imagine how much more language your baby will understand if she or he comprehends prepositions.)

Baby Izzah really showed a big interest in learning and reading the books. Her eyes actually look at the words as if she is reading it (from left to right). Very impressive!

Pre-school today, Harvard tomorrow!

Update: 

Fyi, I bought the books online at http://www.mybbstore.com/. It’s a Malaysian online store which also has a shop at Jalan Kuchai Lama (map available at the website).

I’m not sure whether it’s available or not in the major bookstores. Perhaps you can ask if they carry Dr Titzer books (Your Baby Can Learn, Your Baby Can Read) by The Infant Learning Company..

For more information on Dr Titzer’s books, visit the Infant Learning Company at http://infantlearning.com/ (you can watch videos of little babies reading!)

I was so surprised. She is only 4 months old and can do that already?

Last weekend, I put baby Izzah on her tummy for her 15-minutes tummy time on her mattress (to strengthen her neck muscle). And, I just left her for a moment when I heard her crying out loud.

This pretty baby has flipped over from her tummy to her back with her head landed on the carpet beside her mattress!

Oh good baby… you just acquire a new skill. Most likely, she was amazed with her new ability (reason for being crying)… he..he..

So, let’s the pictures tell the story.