Long flight? Gripe water, Boon and Arrowroot cookies to the rescue!

We recently came back from Hong Kong and Raychel came along too. Toronto to Hong Kong is a long 16 hour flight (this is of course direct, which wasn't the case for us since we connected via Chicago) for any adult, so I spoke to my doctor in advance about the precautions I could take and any advice for taking care of a 6 month old baby. My doctor is quite well-spoken and I enjoy my relationship with him a lot so his advice is very valuable to me. Since Raychel was already an experienced flyer (we travelled to Florida in Feb), it was pretty much the same pointers: bring something for her to suck/swallow to help with ear popping, keep hydrated, gripe water to help alleviate any tummy pains, gas, or hard crying from teething. One thing he said to me really resonated: Babies will cry on the plane and yes you might become the parent that everyone despises on the flight, but in the end, there's not much you can do about it. It will pass and if you can't stand it anymore, take him/her for a walk around the cabin to distract them for a bit.

Gripe water became my best friend on the flight and it did work when the crying became too much. When I could see that clearly she was in pain and frustrated, I gave her the proper recommended amount and a bottle of water/juice to drink afterwards. She even received Arrowroot cookies (3 in total on the whole return trip) just to show her that she behaved well on that long journey and also to show her that we loved her dearly. She was very happy to see me pull out a cookie each time I felt she deserved it.

One other thing that was a huge life saver on this trip was my Boon for feeding her, especially with tight quarters and lack of table space. I would fill the Boon spoon up with the right amount of baby food, squeeze and voila! No mess, no fuss dinner. Ray and I first saw this spoon in the summer of 2009 when a couple was feeding their infant down at Harbourfront and we always told ourselves that we needed to buy it. It can be a little much - $16 might not be worth it to parents but I think it was a wise purchase.

Attending Baby Shows/Fairs

Product Sample Definition: A product sample is a sample of a consumer product that is given to the consumer so that he or she may try a product before committing to a purchase.

Baby Shows/Fairs can be quite exhausting and sometimes information ovcrload, especially if you're attending with a baby who requires your attention 24/7. Nonetheless, I find these fairs fun. I am guilty that the prime reason I go is for the free samples of anything that they give out. However, I would say that 75% of the time I will purchase the item if I feel that the product is ideal for me or my baby. It's important that the show is in a venue that has A/C for hot weather and heat for cold days. Also, there needs to be plenty of space so that you can easily manouver your stroller around. The baby show I attended recently was a great experience and I did learn a lot about all the food I can give her at certain stages of her life. So many innovative devices, strollers, storage containers, etc...I could have easily spent another day there just to take in all the informative seminars they had to offer. And of course, get another round of freebies LOL!

I have a happy child

"Education commences at the mother's knee, and every word spoken within hearsay of little children tends toward the formation of character."
-- Hosea Ballou

Raychel is over 5 months old. She laughs, coos, makes bubbles, screams, sticks out her tongue, and of course smiles at you if you call out her name. Ever since she was first born, I would always sing to her b-c that's my form of bonding and teaching. This quote above really depicts her character development and I'm happy to have so far raised a bright, happy and loving child. When people compliment Raychel by saying she's a good and happy baby, I feel very proud and blessed - I'm doing a good job.

The following songs I sing to her which help her growing process:

• The alphabet in both English and French
• BaBa Black Sheep
• Frere Jacques
• Alouette, Gentille Alouette
• Twinkle Little Star
• You are my Sunshine
• Row your Boat
• 1234567 Violet Bicyclette

Interestingly, Raychel enjoys me singing to her even if I make up a song - like impromptu. I made up this song called, "Let's sing our Manner" which incorporates Cantonese and French terms. Also, I made up a Cantonese/English song for her when she drinks her milk b-c I don't know any Cantonese songs or nursery rhymes and I feel that it's important to keep up with her Cantonese. It's actually quite funny b-c I learn a new Cantonese word ever day so all the songs I make up use the words that I've learned and I basically repeat them so that we both won't forget. Ray thinks I'm funny but he is impressed that I'm making an effort and I've clearly improved my skills tenfold.

When life gives you poo...

...get a good quality diaper genie to dump the soiled diaper in.

Or, you can be like Ray and just leave the soiled diaper on top of the diaper genie so that it covers the lid and all its contents spill on the floor when you're changing a diaper in the middle of the night and trying to lift the lid to put in the new diaper (because of course, why would anyone not put the used diaper inside the genie?). It really only takes 3 seconds to wrap the soiled diaper and insert it into the genie; perhaps he's leaving it out to show me that "Hey, I changed the diaper. I'm so helpful. Look; now you put it away". I will never fully understand a man's way of thinking.

Last week Raychel was forced to become self-sufficient because I was occupied with my studies. I did feel guilty about this; but at the same time not. She got a chance to learn more herself and she was learning how to play. I would leave the bottle with "nai nai" (milk in cantonese) beside her and she figured out that if she was hungry, the only way to get her milk is to pick up her own bottle and put it inside her mouth. This only worked of course because since she was 1 month old she has been semi-holding her bottle so she made the connection from bottle to mouth early on.

Yesterday, out of pure curiosity, I gave her a Nuby sippy cup with handles on it and see whether or not she would drink from it. It was only filled with water. Sure enough, she put her two hands on the handle and after 4 or 5 times the spout finally reached her mouth. I was very proud. She was disappointed because it was "soy" (water) instead of "nai nai". Nonetheless, she drank it anyways. Ray came home in time just to catch her drinking from the sippy cup.

I think we need to buy more Nuby sippy cups - cool design, BPA free, easy to use and spillproof. I'll be on the lookout for them on sale.

The beginning: My Inspiration

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." -- Lin Yutang

In Spring 2008, I had lunch with two good friends. Everyone was sharing about the direction they wish to take for their future and what goals they'd like to accomplish within the next five years. When it came to my turn, I was surprised by the response that came of my mouth: I wanted to be a mother. I didn't have my career or traveling on the top of my list- this was it. I love being in the workforce, learning more about society, being involved in my family and friends lives and working towards improving my self both physically and mentally - but what would truly make me feel like I was empowered is by being a mother to someone.

November 14 2009 I felt my first feeling of empowerment. Raychel Lai Ying Johnson-Kam was born at 2:50 PM. It's almost 5 months now and everyday; I feel myself growing and getting stronger with empowerment.

Here's my personal equation: My empowerment=Inspiration+Raychel

*Thank you in advance for taking this journey with me...