The Joy of Cooking

I started cooking when I came here to Toronto and lived in an apartment with Os. Back home, we had the cook to prepare the meals for us. When I initially came here, my Uncle/Aunt cooked for us. There was no chance for me to try cooking. Yes, I cook simple things here and there but nothing special. Now I can cook following the instructions in the cookbook. I also attempt to alter some of the ingredients. I can transform raw materials into a meal. Even the simplest ones. Maybe watching cooking shows made me want to cook. When I was younger, I loved watching Wok With Yan. In fact, it was one of my favorite shows as we don't get much TV stations back in my hometown. I remember it showing on Sunday mornings on Channel 5. And we used to joke around the way Mr. Yan talks. Hi hi hi. Anyways, I also tried baking and I really suck at it. The baked good is either too soft, too mushy, too hard, too dry... arrggh. I vow not to try baking again. HAHA. Chinese cuisine is one of my strength. It's stir-fry easy. Guess Mr. Yan inspired me at an early age. I also love cooking pasta. But I suck at lasagna. We've tried once and it turned out too soggy that we decided to eat it as a regular pasta. HAHA. When I watched the show East Meets West, boy was I appalled at how Ming Tsai can mince garlic is a split of seconds. I guess all professional chefs have that art of mincing garlic or anything that fast! That's it.

Nap time

Aeisha is about to take her afternoon nap. Before doing so I told her to pose for me. HAHA. And she diligently obliged. Her naps in the afternoons usually lasts for about 2hrs maximum. Minimum would be 30 minutes or so. Normally, I would let her wear just shorts to taste the coolness we get in the ground floor. But today for no apparent reason, it's way cooler. So I put on some pjs on her but still sando on top. He he.

Bed of Air

This is where Aeisha is sleeping during daytime or when we are on the ground floor. It's so much cooler down here rather than the 2nd floor. There are days when the day temperature is high even that you can actually be cooked had we stayed upstairs. She still prefers her own crib though. I can understand that. So I rock her to sleep before putting her in the airbed. Then she sleeps soundly. He he. This picture was taken when she just woke up from her afternoon nap.

A Walker & A Wagon

We bought a new Walker Wagon combination last Saturday for Aeisha. It was a price grabber so what better way to buy it? First time she used it, she slipped. So now she's scared to use it. Then yesterday I made her sit beside it on the floor. Then let her play with the toys that's attached to the walker itself. Hopefully, she will regain her courage to push it when she can stand on her own. Right now, she stands on our laps then we put her down on the floor and help her stand and make itsy bitsy tiny walks. She loves it! One way to calm her is to put her on the floor and help her walk around. Hehe. But be prepared to stretch after doing so. Our backs usually turn sore after.

Oops.. pardon my feet in the picture. I have to hold the wagon with something!!!

After an Arrowroot

This is what usually looks like after Aeisha consumes an Arrowroot biscuit. She's satisfied with a good sigh. I used to give her just 1/4 piece. Then gradually, I increased it to 1/2, then 3/4, now it's almost 1 whole. It's 2hrs before dinner time so I don't want to give her that much. :)

So far, this is her 8 month menu:

Breakfast: 2 Tbsp. of Barley or Oatmeal cereal (alternate)

Lunch: 3 Tbsp. of Single veggie

Snacks: 3/4 Arrowroot biscuit

Dinner: 2 Tbsp. of Rice cereal, 3 Tbsp. Fruits

Then there's the 7oz. of her Step2 milk when she wakes up and every 4-5hrs. After a day or two from now, I'm going to switch her to Step 2 baby foods.

Growth Chart

This is Aeisha's growth chart so far. We didn't visit the clinic since her last hepa shot. And I haven't weigh her using the mom-carry-baby-minus-moms-weight method either. He he he. I will do that soon. But wait til you can see my arms how big they've grown. Aeisha loved to be cuddled most of the time. Loves to when she's sleepy especially at night time. But during the day, she can easily sleep by herself. I have tried to leave her wailing during the night but I couldn't. I just have to carry her and rock her til she sleeps. And she still sleeps at least 12 midnight. Guess she's really a night lover. Ha Ha

Aeisha's Playground

This is a make-shift playground for Aeisha. Since she doesn't have her own room yet, we allocated this area for her. That way, I can just put her here while I do my work in the kitchen. I didn't include the books here yet. They are activities before bedtime although we often miss it since we are both exhausted for the day. Have to include that back again! She loves to read. She loves it more if you read it to her. He he.

While waiting for Daddy...

One day last month, when the weather was a bit friendly, Aeisha and I went strolling along the neighborhood. We went to the GO Train station to wait for Os. He took the 6pm train. So the train will arrive at around 7pm. So by 640pm, we started strolling. I put on Aeisha's denim hat on her. And boy! it was cool that day despite the sun shining. I had to cover her with a blanket as she was not using the Bundle Me anymore. So we marched along the pathway. To my big surprise, one of the nearby neighbors' dog was playing outside. I knew this particular house always has their dog playing on their front yard, which is in front of the path way. So I detoured and used the rear path. He he he. That's how I don't like dogs. Anyways, we reached the station about 10 minutes before the train is due to arrive. I checked on Aeisha.. and what did I find?? She was sleepy!!! Ha Ha Ha!!! So she loved the stroller ride to the station. :)

Eating Money

Why is it hard to get a driver's license here in Ontario? We have to go through stages in order to get a full driver's license. There are 3 stages actually. First you have to take a written test called the Knowledge test. It's a 2 part exam - Traffic rules & Traffic signs. 20 questions on each part. If you pass this, you get the G1 Driver's license. You then wait for 12 months in order to get the G1 exit road test then you get G2 Driver's license. If you attended an MTO certified driving school, you only have to wait for 8 months in order to take the road test. I let my G1 license expired after 5 years because there is no way I can pass this road test. So I went back to square one. I took the knowledge test AGAIN. And happily I passed it. I was told not to wait for 12 months to get the road test. I can take it right away. So now is a time to look for a good school. So after being G2, you have to take another road test again in order to become G. And that's where it really sucks! One mistake and you fail. You take it again. Another single mistake, you fail again. Each time G2 road exam is taken, it's a big $75. Just imagine, me?! taking the G1 exit road test... it will take me 10x to get this @#$%^$% license. What more to become G? Will I be spending thousands???? GGGRR this system is really eating money!! People's money. It's not that you minimize accidents by having this graduated license??!?! Duh??!?!

Pears

I gave Pears, organic & non-organic, to Aeisha for the past 5 days. And she is neutral about it. I've also gave her rice cereal, oatmeal & barley cereals alternatively. By her age, she should be eating the step2 group of foods. Maybe I'll give her 1 more round of the Beginner's foods then I'll switch to the next group. Tomorrow, I'm going to start Applesauce, then Peach is last. Then I will give her the cereal 2x a day with a combination of veggies & fruits to her menu.

Lost Bib

Last night, we went to TNT for our usual chinese grocery shopping. And guess what? Aeisha threw her bib on the ground. We only noticed it gone when she had tears in her eyes. Earlier the night, Os noticed her trying to take out her bib. Little did he know that she'd already taken it out from her neck. It's velcro, easy to use and take off. Then she threw it somewhere. We never found it. So bye bye Bib#1. For sure there will be other instances of the Lost Bib in the near future. Ha Ha

Our First Ever Crocs

Os and I splurged on $40 (tax included) Crocs footwears today. I've been wanting to buy this ever since it started some 3 years ago. But I didn't since I didn't like the designs that were present then. Now, they branched out their designs and came up not only the classic design, but a variety more. Os opted for the slip in one, called Schutes, with a wide exposing the toes. It looks similar to his Adidas slippers but this has more cushion and he loves it the first time he tried it on. The price for the past 3 years is still the same. So we thought that it will be go on sale anymore. For me, the design I chose is the Athens. I love the color and it's very soft and cushion-y. Crocs footwear is known for its slip resistance and non-marking on the sole of the slipper though it's soft. There are other products from Crocs but I don't see them sold anywhere else except online.

Two Teeth

Ok, so it's official. As my sis would say, Aeisha is now "dalaga". Her two lower teeth has already sprouted. HAHA. Os first found out about it. I guess I wasn't too observant since being around me, she doesn't cry. Her mouth is always closed. Hahahahaha. We went

Banana Blech

Good heavens Aeisha doesn't like banana! I gave her the jarred one from Heinz and she hates it. Actually Heinz didn't store them in jars anymore. Instead they packaged pureed fruits in plastic containers. But I still saw Pears in jars. Anyways, Aeisha gave me a blech face again. Just like when I gave her the Potato before. HAHA. I think she didn't like the sour taste of it. I checked the label and found out that Heinz included lemon juice as preservative. No wonder Aeisha didn't like it. I guess babies don't like sour taste. HEHE. I will give her Pears next as Applesauce might contain the sour taste again.

Last Shot

Today we had Aeisha's last HepaB shot. She didn't cry. She was just irritated as if someone pinched her on her right thigh. The nurse this time was good. She was very quick. Guess she must have much experience with babies as I have seen her since I went there to have my first check up. That was around 2003. Aeisha now weighed 23 lbs. And is 74in / 29cm long. At 7.5 months, I guess she is on the 95th percentile or more. Her two lower teeth are about to sprout! So she won't have a toothless grin now. HEHE

Check your Rx

I'm ranting today because I wasn't able to buy Aeisha's HepaB vaccine. I went to the drugstore and dropped off the prescription. Little to my knowledge that the prescription was for ME! The doctor mistakenly wrote my name on the Rx instead of Aeisha. Geesh! Now, the pharmacist needs to call the doctor to confirm (come from the horse's mouth) that she indeed made a mistake and will authorize them to proceed on with the Rx. It got me so infuriated!! It was almost 9pm that time. Tomorrow is Saturday, no clinic. They won't issue the vaccine eventhough Aeisha has a file with them because the 2nd vaccine (this is the 3rd and last shot) didn't specify that it's a REPEAT. It was only for 1 dose. Tomorrow I am going to try the other drugstore where I bought the first vaccine. I checked my own file and YES! it says that it's a REPEAT. So I just need to call them up and ask for a refill. Hopefully they will allow this. Otherwise, Os has to ask for another half-day off from work! So, lesson learned here... check your Rx after your doctor has written it.

Tooth Fairy?

Last night Os showed me Aeisha’s two lower teeth starting to sprout. Oh boy was I astonished. I just hope that she won’t go through the diarrhea and drooling and the crying stage again. She had this bout when she was 5 months old. But we didn’t see any teeth springing although we saw two small bumps on her lower gums. Then after 3 days, she was ok. Feeding was stable and so is her pooing. So I duno. Maybe she just ate something dirty??? That was hard cz I had to change her soiled diapers every hour. And she wouldn’t want to drink her milk. I had to use a medicine dropper for her milk intake. On Monday, we’re going to the doctor for her third and last heap shot. I forgot to buy her $25 vaccine last night. So I have to keep in mind tonight if we go back to the drugstore. That's it for now.

Peas

Aeisha started peas yesterday. She loves it!!! Maybe because of the sweetness that comes within. The potato is the most blechiest that she ever tasted. HAHA. It's tasteless, no wonder she didn't like it. But she still ate it. :) 5 more days or if the bottle is empty already then I am switching her to Squash. Then it's fruits time. I've got Applesauce, Banana, Pears and Peaches. Then I will be coming up with a menu for her. The more homemade food, the better. A friend recommended boiling some chicken meat or beef meat. Then blend the meat with the broth. I guess I'm going to try that when my 'experiment' is completed.

Today

Today is Papa's 61st birthday. All of my siblings are home in Zamboanga celebrating this special occasion. Only me is not there. Boo hoo hoo. I can't wait to visit them this September. Many are saying why I ain't home since it's been 5 years since I've last seen my siblings. Well, my parents were here last year. One of my friends will spend her maternity leave at home. Me? Nah! I'd rather stay here. In a way, it's more convenient for me to be here although everything is convenient back home. Still, I'd prefer to be here. Besides Aeisha needs to spend time with her Daddy. :)