Tino developed a fever on Saturday afternoon. All evening she was feverish and whimpering, poor baby. I wrapped her up in thick blankets to make her break out a sweat and bring her fever down. I tried wiping her down with a cold cloth but she hated it and screamed and cried until I stopped. On Sunday she was up and babbling away as usual. Then in the afternoon she became feverish again. In the evening I took her to see Dr H Peters. As was expected, he was in a rush to write the prescription without any explanation as to what was wrong with my bubba. He said she had the flu and slight pneumonia and prescribed benadryl, amoxycillin and panadol. That was it. Finished. Goodbye. No advice as to how to bring her fever down or what to do if it worsened. Stupid bastard.
Pneumonia. Scary thought of my baby catching pneumonia. The common cause of child/infant deaths. I made sure she was covered from head to toe. Her fever broke out again and her clothes were soaked in perspiration. She went to sleep at 10 pm and woke up again at 11:30 pm crying pitifully and heat emanating from every pore in her body. I quickly dunked her in cold water (while she was screaming fit to wake up everybody in Malie), dried her off and waited for her fever to subside. I gave her water, because the milk made her vomit, and she eventually went back to sleep. Poor poor baby.
Yesterday was better. She was fine all throughout the day and only became feverish once in the evening. Her cough however is bad and I rubbed baby vicks on her chest and back and wrapped a small cloth around her throat to ease the cough. She refused to have a sheet covering her and I fanned her back to sleep, while she was blabbering away and complaining all the while. This morning she was fine, though she still looks sick. Funnily enough, she hasn't lost any weight at all from her illness coz she's still eating like a pig. Lol.
Thank goodness Grandma comes back from NZ tomorrow, then she can take over. Nothing like experienced Nana to bring Tinto back to health and her normal self. Please God rid my Tinto of this illness and keep her safe in Your protection.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
More steps in her little loyfe
Tinto is now 8 months and four weeks.
She's such an adorable baby (biased though I am). She's not as temperamental as she used to be. She smiles all the time and laughs at everything. She's such a soso. The way her face lights up in a grin just makes me want to cry. I love my baby very much. She has a special smile for me the moment I get home. She grins until you can't see her chinky little eyes, and kicks her legs as if she wants to fly to me. Ok so she does it to Cheeku and the babysitter and my mom, but I still feel she smiles that extra bit more for me. Hehe.
There are so many people in the house and everybody is carrying her. Although I see that she's overwhelmed at times by it, she still holds her own, and loves to be with anybody. There are moments when she sees her father and cries and won't take her eyes off him. She stops crying only when he's carrying her.
Her first tooth popped out. Yay!! You can only see the tip but my God, it's a TOOTH. Finally! She loves chewing on her chilled teething ring and won't let it go until she's gnawed the coldness out of it.
Her grand-aunty Nydia came from the Philippines and brought her a new batch of clothes. They are lovely. Thank goodness too, because she's outgrown some and others have vanished, probably stolen by the previous babysitter.
She still can't crawl. I don't think she ever will. It'll be straight to standing and then walking. Leaps and jumps, that's how my baby goes through life. She has a walker and will only go backwards in it. When I put her down to walk, she goes sideways. She's clearly going to be a rebel, that little girl of mine.
She's such an adorable baby (biased though I am). She's not as temperamental as she used to be. She smiles all the time and laughs at everything. She's such a soso. The way her face lights up in a grin just makes me want to cry. I love my baby very much. She has a special smile for me the moment I get home. She grins until you can't see her chinky little eyes, and kicks her legs as if she wants to fly to me. Ok so she does it to Cheeku and the babysitter and my mom, but I still feel she smiles that extra bit more for me. Hehe.
There are so many people in the house and everybody is carrying her. Although I see that she's overwhelmed at times by it, she still holds her own, and loves to be with anybody. There are moments when she sees her father and cries and won't take her eyes off him. She stops crying only when he's carrying her.
Her first tooth popped out. Yay!! You can only see the tip but my God, it's a TOOTH. Finally! She loves chewing on her chilled teething ring and won't let it go until she's gnawed the coldness out of it.
Her grand-aunty Nydia came from the Philippines and brought her a new batch of clothes. They are lovely. Thank goodness too, because she's outgrown some and others have vanished, probably stolen by the previous babysitter.
She still can't crawl. I don't think she ever will. It'll be straight to standing and then walking. Leaps and jumps, that's how my baby goes through life. She has a walker and will only go backwards in it. When I put her down to walk, she goes sideways. She's clearly going to be a rebel, that little girl of mine.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Maagao visits
Tinto visits her uncle and aunty and the kids at Maagao every weekend. This is Chee's mother's brother and his family. They love Tinto like their own. Here are a few pics of Maagao days.
Who's the maka-pintiest of them all? Moyself, Tinto & Chee at Maagao where Chee grew up.
At Mulinuu, retracing Mommy's footsteps. Lol. Tinto with cousins Mafina, Katerina and errr some other guy.
Tinto and her cousin Fina. See how tall the little rascal is now. 
Tinto looking spaced out, with cuz Lina
Looking sick of the camera already. Too much limelight for one day.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Tinto is growing up
Tinto is now 7 months and 3 weeks old.
Some updates:
Some updates:
- How time flies. Not that it fazes her at all. She's still the same happy bubba she always was, making milestones at her own pace, but STILL toothless. Yes she still has no teeth. Not even the smallest hint of one. Babies begin to teeth between 4 and 12 months. Who knows, Tinto might get 'em all at one time.
- Yesterday we were having a chat and Cheeku spilled his drink on Tinto's dummy which was lying on the chair. I told Tinto "Look at your clumsy father. He spilled his drink on your dummy!" She started laughing. Every time I said "on your dummy" she would squeal and giggle. Cheeku was enchanted by her laugh. He tried saying it, but she just gave him the "Who are YOU" look. Hehe.
- Tinto has made a new friend. I gave her a small bright green toy telephone to play with. It's shaped like an old-style phone which you actually dial. She talks to it, shakes it, hits herself on the head with it, and dribbles as much saliva as she can onto it. As soon as she sees it, she props herself up with her hands and looks long and hard at it, willing it to come to her. After about 5 minutes, she realizes it's not going to come to her, she shouts at it. Still not reaction. A louder, longer shout. Still nothing. Puzzled, she looks at me. I pretend to be looking somewhere else. Finally, she decides that if the Mohammed is not going to come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed. She wiggles and pushes herself until she can reach it. She grabs it and then immediately throws it on the floor. She then looks at me, her pick-up person, to get it for her. She gives me a big grin when it's placed back on the bed in front of her. She's such a funny girl.
- She is now using Johnson & Johnson Baby Moisturizer after every bath because her skin is getting dry. Too many baths and too much soap is making her skin dry. She loves the feel of the cool lotion on her body. She smiles and coos every time I apply it on her.
- Her favourite game is the "Little Piggy" one with her toes. "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy went home, this little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy (to her little toe) went wee wee wee wee all the way home." It ends with me tickling her and she loves it. As soon as I say "This little piggy", she lies still and waits for the tickles.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
She's doing push-ups!
Finally my Tinto is doing push-ups. I tell you, that girl takes her sweet time to develop. I can just hear her saying "Look. I'm just a baby. Just because other babies are doing it, doesn't mean you have to rush me! Let me enjoy my baby days while I can. Hmph!" Hehe. That's my girl.
She's been doing mini push-ups for ages, but now she's doing big ones. Ones where she gets right up off the floor and looks down at the world, saying "Who are YOU, muli boo?" This means she should be crawling soon. With Tinto, "soon" could mean tomorrow, next month, or next year. So we shall wait patiently, fingers crossed.
Tinto also has a funny smile which she started making 2 days ago. She give a big wide smile, with her mouth and eyes closed and her face all scrunched up. It's so funny. And yes, remind me to get the camera fixed!
And here's her favourite food at the moment.
She's been doing mini push-ups for ages, but now she's doing big ones. Ones where she gets right up off the floor and looks down at the world, saying "Who are YOU, muli boo?" This means she should be crawling soon. With Tinto, "soon" could mean tomorrow, next month, or next year. So we shall wait patiently, fingers crossed.
Tinto also has a funny smile which she started making 2 days ago. She give a big wide smile, with her mouth and eyes closed and her face all scrunched up. It's so funny. And yes, remind me to get the camera fixed!
And here's her favourite food at the moment.
Ripe bananas mashed into a pulp. She can finish a whole banana at one feed, the little piggy.
Ripe esi. She loves this too, probably because it's sweet. She also likes it cooked as supo esi.
Pumpkin. She likes it boiled and usually in a soup preferrably chicken or beef. With potato.
I cringe imagining the future, especially when she discovers McDonalds. Lol. We'll never hear the end of it.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
According to Dr. Adams
My mom took Tino to the doctor last week.
They saw Dr John Adams, the best paediatrician in town.
He said:
1. Tino now weighs 21lbs and is 75 cm in length. 21lbs is actually overweight (waaaay overweight) for a baby her age, but in relation to her height, she is perfectly fine.
2. Her muscles lack tone. She needs to drink more water to tone up her muscles. Keige pe ua unfit. Otherwise her bones and everything are great. Her reflexes are good. Her head support is good. She does all the things she should be doing at 7 months.
3. She had nappy rash which wouldn't go away and seemed to be spreading. John said we should have brought her in earlier (bad mother me!) and that it's developed into excema - a skin irritation of red, tiny, flaky skin with cracks or tiny blisters. It didn't look that bad! But yeah. So he prescribed an oral antibiotic and a skin cream.
4. Don't let her use a walker until she is 9 months old. It's not good to force her development. Give her time and she'll get there. Phew. Tino just got a walker and I was unsure about that. Now we know!
5. Her feet are facing outwards. We need to massage it inwards at least 5 minutes every night to make sure that she doesn't become a duck. Hehe.
6. Otherwise, she's perfectly normal.
Apparently Tinto was squealing and talking and laughing at the hospital. What a charmer. Dr Adams was laughing at her and all the noise she was making at the hospital.
I felt bad not taking her to see John earlier but at least she's alright now. It's a lesson for me - thinking that I am paranoid is not a bad thing. I should take her to the doctor as soon as I notice something not right about her. The thing is, in the past I've done that, and I've taken her to Dr Herbert Peters, who keeps saying she's fine and I'm just being paranoid!!
Oh well, as long as she's fine, I don't care about anything else.
They saw Dr John Adams, the best paediatrician in town.
He said:
1. Tino now weighs 21lbs and is 75 cm in length. 21lbs is actually overweight (waaaay overweight) for a baby her age, but in relation to her height, she is perfectly fine.
2. Her muscles lack tone. She needs to drink more water to tone up her muscles. Keige pe ua unfit. Otherwise her bones and everything are great. Her reflexes are good. Her head support is good. She does all the things she should be doing at 7 months.
3. She had nappy rash which wouldn't go away and seemed to be spreading. John said we should have brought her in earlier (bad mother me!) and that it's developed into excema - a skin irritation of red, tiny, flaky skin with cracks or tiny blisters. It didn't look that bad! But yeah. So he prescribed an oral antibiotic and a skin cream.
4. Don't let her use a walker until she is 9 months old. It's not good to force her development. Give her time and she'll get there. Phew. Tino just got a walker and I was unsure about that. Now we know!
5. Her feet are facing outwards. We need to massage it inwards at least 5 minutes every night to make sure that she doesn't become a duck. Hehe.
6. Otherwise, she's perfectly normal.
Apparently Tinto was squealing and talking and laughing at the hospital. What a charmer. Dr Adams was laughing at her and all the noise she was making at the hospital.
I felt bad not taking her to see John earlier but at least she's alright now. It's a lesson for me - thinking that I am paranoid is not a bad thing. I should take her to the doctor as soon as I notice something not right about her. The thing is, in the past I've done that, and I've taken her to Dr Herbert Peters, who keeps saying she's fine and I'm just being paranoid!!
Oh well, as long as she's fine, I don't care about anything else.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Saga of the DUMMY
Tino's favorite thing in the whole world is her dummy or pacifier. Tino's Nana bought it for her from Maria's Healthcare. We began giving it to her when she was almost 2 months old. She has become very much attached to it.
She gets antsy, complains, or can't sleep without her dummy. Whenever we go anywhere, we make sure that her dummy is safely tucked in her bag or in her mouth.
About 2 months ago, the dummy started looking worse for wear. It looked like Tino had sucked the life out of the poor thing. The teat was thin and worn. I bought her another one. I put it in her mouth and she immediately spat it back out. I tried a few times, but she kept wrinkling her little nose and spitting it out. I gave her the old one. She sucked happily on it.
I have bought dummy after dummy for her and she hates them all.
Yesterday, her dummy dropped on the ground outside. We noticed about 5 minutes later and were looking frantically everywhere for it. We found it a few metres away. The teat was chewed off and mangled. The dogs had gotten to it.
I was SO MAD. I wanted to kick something. I wanted to kick the babysitter who should've seen it drop. And I wanted to kick the damn dog who ate it.
That night I got Tino's other dummy. It's the same kind as her old one, but with a bigger teat. She would pop that one out too. I pressed on the teat until the air had all seeped out, and it looked thin and over-sucked-on like the old one.
I gave it to her and she was happy. Whew!! The sky would've fallen and the world ended if we didn't find another dummy for her.
She gets antsy, complains, or can't sleep without her dummy. Whenever we go anywhere, we make sure that her dummy is safely tucked in her bag or in her mouth.
About 2 months ago, the dummy started looking worse for wear. It looked like Tino had sucked the life out of the poor thing. The teat was thin and worn. I bought her another one. I put it in her mouth and she immediately spat it back out. I tried a few times, but she kept wrinkling her little nose and spitting it out. I gave her the old one. She sucked happily on it.
I have bought dummy after dummy for her and she hates them all.
Yesterday, her dummy dropped on the ground outside. We noticed about 5 minutes later and were looking frantically everywhere for it. We found it a few metres away. The teat was chewed off and mangled. The dogs had gotten to it.
I was SO MAD. I wanted to kick something. I wanted to kick the babysitter who should've seen it drop. And I wanted to kick the damn dog who ate it.
That night I got Tino's other dummy. It's the same kind as her old one, but with a bigger teat. She would pop that one out too. I pressed on the teat until the air had all seeped out, and it looked thin and over-sucked-on like the old one.
I gave it to her and she was happy. Whew!! The sky would've fallen and the world ended if we didn't find another dummy for her.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Picture day
I have a few flicks I was able to save on a floppy disk. Couldn't find my USB anywhere. I have a sneaky feeling that either Cheeku or Tino ate it.
"Hello. Is anyone out there?"
"Don't anybody disturb us. We are fat, bloated, and will be sleeping for the next 10 hours."
Not even a month old. Can you tell where she gets her height and COLOUR from. Haha.
The Malie kiddies Paleni & Junior. My boys.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Food for thought
As Tino has now turned 6 months, she's ready to eat. Yay! Not that she needs to eat any more. She's turning into one big fat baby. Hopefully that baby fat will fall away when she's older, and not remain forever fat like her parents. Har! Har!A few days ago I bought her rice cereal as shown in the picture. I mixed it with some of her formula and fed it to her. She tasted the first teaspoon-full. She dribbled it down her chin. The second lot, she spat out. The third time, she pursed her lips tightly together and refused to open her mouth. Haha. Obviously she wasn't too taken with it.
Tonight I'm going to make chicken soup with potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and round cabbage. And taro, all mashed together. I hope we do better this time. I'm reading up on starting solids and hopefully we will get it right and be able to feed her something she likes. Heh.
Friday, May 19, 2006
A new addition to the household
Yesterday, May 18th at 3:30AM, my sister-in-law Nele gave birth to a baby boy. He weighed in at 8lbs 12oz.
Tino's newest cousin!
I came home yesterday afternoon to find the failele already at home. Wow. Quick recovery. I bought a mosquito net cocoon (like Tino's one) for the baby. He felt so light in my arms. So tiny. Another of God's miraculous creations. He looks like his eldest brother Paleni. Same features except fairer. Six year old Paleni is very proud of his little brother and of course, that he looks just like him.
Nele & Gordon were hoping fervently for a girl. Now they have four boys. As one of the uncles said, "o le koga kama le mea". Heh. Looks like Tino will end up a tomboy with all these boys surrounding her.
He's a funny looking little bubba. His face all screwed up and wrinkled, just like Tino who looked like a monkey when she was born, and now acts like one. Lol. He's a big eater and wants to feed all the time. He cries the moment he is put down. Attention getter, that one.
I'll post some pics up soon. Yes, my neverending promise.
Tino's newest cousin!
I came home yesterday afternoon to find the failele already at home. Wow. Quick recovery. I bought a mosquito net cocoon (like Tino's one) for the baby. He felt so light in my arms. So tiny. Another of God's miraculous creations. He looks like his eldest brother Paleni. Same features except fairer. Six year old Paleni is very proud of his little brother and of course, that he looks just like him.
Nele & Gordon were hoping fervently for a girl. Now they have four boys. As one of the uncles said, "o le koga kama le mea". Heh. Looks like Tino will end up a tomboy with all these boys surrounding her.
He's a funny looking little bubba. His face all screwed up and wrinkled, just like Tino who looked like a monkey when she was born, and now acts like one. Lol. He's a big eater and wants to feed all the time. He cries the moment he is put down. Attention getter, that one.
I'll post some pics up soon. Yes, my neverending promise.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Re-styling
I am slowly recreating and refurbishing this baby blog of mine in an attempt to make it look as Tino-friendly as possible. Heh.
I'm skipping a couple of months because there's just so much I want to recapture and I'm getting all muddled up. So, to the present we go.
Tino is now almost 6 months. She turns 6 months in 2 days. Then she is officially ready to eat!!! Yay!! We're gonna have a real celebration. We'll have fried chicken and faalifu taro and potato salad and Tino will have cereal. Haha.
How time flies. My little baby is now a big baby. She's about to crawl soon. She can turn around 360 degrees and can move a few inches from her original position, using her legs but still can't get her arms to support her. You can tell she gets really frustrated, and she starts to perspire and her brow is wrinkled in concentration. Then she lets out a big "WAAAAHHH!" which means "I'm tired! Pick me up now now now!"
I'm skipping a couple of months because there's just so much I want to recapture and I'm getting all muddled up. So, to the present we go.
Tino is now almost 6 months. She turns 6 months in 2 days. Then she is officially ready to eat!!! Yay!! We're gonna have a real celebration. We'll have fried chicken and faalifu taro and potato salad and Tino will have cereal. Haha.
How time flies. My little baby is now a big baby. She's about to crawl soon. She can turn around 360 degrees and can move a few inches from her original position, using her legs but still can't get her arms to support her. You can tell she gets really frustrated, and she starts to perspire and her brow is wrinkled in concentration. Then she lets out a big "WAAAAHHH!" which means "I'm tired! Pick me up now now now!"
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
New babysitter
Nora, Tino's first babysitter was causing us problems. She called me at work at around 11 in the morning and said her father called and wanted her to accompany him to the hospital. She wouldn't take long. Now this annoyed me greatly for several reasons. 1. Tino would be left in the clutches of my sister-in-law at Malie. She has 3 kids of her own and she's pregnant. How is she supposed to look after a baby as well? 2. This is her bloody job! She cannot just get up and leave whenever she feels like it. 3. She should have told me earlier so I could make arrangements to either go home and be with Tino or have my mother pick her up.
When we arrived home that afternoon, I was ready to blast her away. Before I could do that, she dropped a bomb on me. She told Cheeku and I that she was going back to Savaii because her son was sick and there was no one to look after her parents as her brother had been kicked out of the village. Okay fine. I was pissed, but her leaving would mean having to look for another babysitter and that's hard. She cried, said she was sorry for all her past mistakes etc etc. In the morning, she cried again and kissed me goodbye. One week later I discover she had not gone to Savaii. Her son wasn't sick. Her brother was still living in the village. She was living from house to house and telling people she had left because she didn't like her salary which was $100/week, and she was forced to do ALL the work, slaving day and night both at Malie and at Siusega. Omg I could strangle her, the ungrateful wretch!
So we found a new babysitter, also from Taga, courtesy of Apo again. Her name is Taele. She is 35 years old and has 3 children. She's separated from her husband. She and Tino get along like peas and carrots. Tino laughs at her every time, and sometimes I get jealous when she smiles at her and not me. Lol. She is a very good caregiver, and I am very happy to have found her, and so is Tino.
When we arrived home that afternoon, I was ready to blast her away. Before I could do that, she dropped a bomb on me. She told Cheeku and I that she was going back to Savaii because her son was sick and there was no one to look after her parents as her brother had been kicked out of the village. Okay fine. I was pissed, but her leaving would mean having to look for another babysitter and that's hard. She cried, said she was sorry for all her past mistakes etc etc. In the morning, she cried again and kissed me goodbye. One week later I discover she had not gone to Savaii. Her son wasn't sick. Her brother was still living in the village. She was living from house to house and telling people she had left because she didn't like her salary which was $100/week, and she was forced to do ALL the work, slaving day and night both at Malie and at Siusega. Omg I could strangle her, the ungrateful wretch!
So we found a new babysitter, also from Taga, courtesy of Apo again. Her name is Taele. She is 35 years old and has 3 children. She's separated from her husband. She and Tino get along like peas and carrots. Tino laughs at her every time, and sometimes I get jealous when she smiles at her and not me. Lol. She is a very good caregiver, and I am very happy to have found her, and so is Tino.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Five months & 4 weeks
You can read my other blog for the details of the baby deaths I heard about yesterday.
All I want to reiterate is how much I love my baby girl and how it would crush me if I ever lost her. She is my world. My heart breaks for all those mothers who have lost children by any means (except maybe those who murder their own children).
Tino is now 5 months and 4 weeks old.
Milestones for her so far. She:
All I want to reiterate is how much I love my baby girl and how it would crush me if I ever lost her. She is my world. My heart breaks for all those mothers who have lost children by any means (except maybe those who murder their own children).
Tino is now 5 months and 4 weeks old.
Milestones for her so far. She:
- can roll over like she's been doing it for years. Sometimes she can roll over on both sides.
- amuses herself by playing with her hands and her feet. She loves chewing her toes.
- turns to new sounds. When the door opens, she looks straight away.
- recognizes her name and will turn to you if you call her name.
- immitates speech sounds like "ga-ga", "grrrr", "goooo" (lol)
- reaches out for objects and brings them to her mouth - hand to mouth reflex
- can bear weight on her legs and stand with little support for long periods.
- laughs and smiles
- does mini push-ups
- can sit momentarily without support
- blows bubbles (big ones)
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Back to work
Now that it's time to go back to work, I don't feel like going. I've become to comfortable in my ways - waking up at 9AM, giving baby a bath, feeding her, going back to sleep when she has her nap, going to town etc. I told Cheeku that I want to stay home...for good. He can do his job and earn money for his family. I'll be the one who stays home and looks after the kids like a good housewife. He refused. I had to go back to work. Okay okay!
We had to look for a babysitter for Tino. I asked Apo, our housegirl at Siusega to go to Savaii and look for one. She returned on Sunday afternoon with a girl. In the evening, we went to Siusega to see her. First impressions? I thought she looked slightly retarded. Cheeku thought she looked doped out. Lol. Her name is Nora. She's from Taga, Savaii. I was unsure about her, but my parents said we should try her out. So we did. We took her to Malie and showed her the ropes. She has an 8-month-old baby boy so she was familiar with child care. She actually wasn't retarded or high. Hehe.
And so back to work I went. It was hard. I called home 10 times a day asking about Tino. She was okay. I went home every lunchtime to feed her. I missed her immensely!
We had to look for a babysitter for Tino. I asked Apo, our housegirl at Siusega to go to Savaii and look for one. She returned on Sunday afternoon with a girl. In the evening, we went to Siusega to see her. First impressions? I thought she looked slightly retarded. Cheeku thought she looked doped out. Lol. Her name is Nora. She's from Taga, Savaii. I was unsure about her, but my parents said we should try her out. So we did. We took her to Malie and showed her the ropes. She has an 8-month-old baby boy so she was familiar with child care. She actually wasn't retarded or high. Hehe.
And so back to work I went. It was hard. I called home 10 times a day asking about Tino. She was okay. I went home every lunchtime to feed her. I missed her immensely!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Who's WHO...
So that Tino does not forget where she comes from, and the members of her family on her mother and father's side, here is a little rundown of who's who.
ALOAINA SIDE...
Grandparents:
CHU LING SIDE...
Grandparents:
ALOAINA SIDE...
Grandparents:
- Leilua Dr Faalii Aloaina & Elita Garin-Aloaina
- Lealaiauloto Arona Aloaina & Iota Imo - Esala Julius, Maylani, Vaelua Julia, Ipulasi Milo
- Aloaina Iluminado Aloaina
CHU LING SIDE...
Grandparents:
- Si'a Sifuiva John Chu Ling & Gafatasi Tautinoga Malele Chu Ling
- Mapu Mapu Utumauu
- Fili Chu Ling & Patsy Bryce - Gethsemane Billy John Fili, Nadezna Limasene Patsy
- Ailao Simanu - Nicholas, Kiona
- Gordon Chu Ling & Nele Kolotita - Paleni, Junior, John Nuualofa
- Sione Chu Ling
- Esekielu Chu Ling
- Petimara Chu Ling & Vaigalo Maua - Rumanusina Francine, Michael John, Madiu Hughes, Belize Beethoven Benjamin
- Ainslie Marietta Chu Ling & Leapai Lau Dr Asofou Soo - Ainsof Julius Cheeku, Hilton Samuelu
- Geneva Martel Chu Ling & Tauiliili Isaako Saufoi - Andrew
- Sherry Senerita Chu Ling & Rev Uikilifi Vaifale - Wycliffe Jr, Nigel, Tufaina, Malua
- Zano Vaiema Chu Ling & Dennis Thorpe - Dylan
- Cin Chu Ling
- Lucy Chu Ling - Tautinoga Hazel, Hossanah, Hallelujah
- Catherine Logo Chu Ling & Tuilaepa Eti Faolotoi - Paletasala Chantelle, Henry John, John Robert, Chardonnay Maletina, Edithmaria Fontayne
- Telesia Chu Ling & Sigfried - Chanel Tiare
- Mafalu Chu Ling & Kaiona Manuleleua - Logonai, Alexander
And that's Tino's big drama-filled family. As you can see, my family is tiny compared to her father's one. One big baby factory over there huh. Hehe.
A graphic post...
A few pictures from the Tino archives. The rest are all in Gramma's pc and we'll post them up soon and very soon.
3 weeks old and already giving us the FINGER. And yes she has my colour.
Tino at 3 and a half months. She's the image of her father; round cheeks and chinky eyes.
3 weeks old and already giving us the FINGER. And yes she has my colour. 
*yawn* Already tired from all the paparazzi. Lol.
Being held by Aunty Reesa.
Looking suspiciously at the camera.
Tino's mosquito net. She's entranced by the flowers.
Tino at 3 and a half months. She's the image of her father; round cheeks and chinky eyes.Friday, April 07, 2006
Flash Forward
After hours of trying to remember all the things that have happened to Tino, I finally give up.
I'm gonna start from TODAY because if I wrack my brains any longer, it will explode.
Tino woke up bright and early this morning. At 3AM. I put her on the bed, fed her and went to asleep. An hour later I woke up to hear her cooing and and blabbering away to the fan oscillating in front of her. I patted her tummy and she went back to sleep.
Today was "kui day" again. Her last shot until her first birthday. Whoopee!
She slept all the way to the hospital, probably exhausted from her early bird activities. She woke up when she was injected. As soon as the needle pricked through her skin, her eyes shot open in surprise. When the pain registered, she wailed and let a tear trickle down her cheek. I put her to my breast and she was suckling away, desperate to make the pain go away. Poor girl.
I'm gonna start from TODAY because if I wrack my brains any longer, it will explode.
Tino woke up bright and early this morning. At 3AM. I put her on the bed, fed her and went to asleep. An hour later I woke up to hear her cooing and and blabbering away to the fan oscillating in front of her. I patted her tummy and she went back to sleep.
Today was "kui day" again. Her last shot until her first birthday. Whoopee!
She slept all the way to the hospital, probably exhausted from her early bird activities. She woke up when she was injected. As soon as the needle pricked through her skin, her eyes shot open in surprise. When the pain registered, she wailed and let a tear trickle down her cheek. I put her to my breast and she was suckling away, desperate to make the pain go away. Poor girl.
My fans are leaving!
Why are all the faces I see every day disappearing? I have loved being held by a variety of different people with different smells, colours and voices.
I remember hearing my mommy and daddy talking about my people who carry me and love me. They said these are my uncle and aunties who came for Ma and Pa's unveiling.
I was sad because they all left and took their smells and voices and colours and laughs with them.
First Uncle Pepe left. When he was here, there were two Pepes. Me and him. I like Uncle Pepe because he has a loud hearty laugh and he likes to play with the children. He gave me a hot water flask with little silver cups. I don't really know why I need it, but it looks nice on the shelf.
Then Aunty Vaiema and Uncle Fono were gone. Aunty Vaiema is one of my favourites. She would look after me when Mommy had to go to town. Or when she was busy. Aunty Vaiema knew how to put me to sleep. She gave me two white embroidered tops for me to wear to church. I hardly to go to church because Mommy sleeps in on Sundays. Uncle Fono is Aunty Vaiema's son. He's fun too. He carries me and takes lots of pictures of me. I like pictures. Uncle Fono would go out alot with my Mommy and Daddy and came home late at night when I was already asleep. I wonder where they go?
Uncle Isaako went too. He is Aunty Niva's husband. He was only here for a short while. I only remember him when we went to the beach and I couldn't sleep because he was talking alot and drinking a brown liquid out of a paper cup. He gave me a bag with the name Wild Turkey on it. Mommy puts my warm blankets in it and keeps it in the cupboard.
Aunty Geneva, Aunty Zano and my cousins Andrew and Dylan left soon after. Aunty Niva bought me lots of clothes which will fit me when I am bigger. I hear Mommy saying that I would look adorable in them. Mommy also said she has lots of money. She told Daddy that she wants to take me back to Sydney with her. She can't have babies of her own and she told Daddy to think seriously about giving me to her and Uncle Isaako when I turn one year old. Mommy told Daddy that he could...over her dead body. Aunty Zano is Aunty Cin's twin sister. Aunty Cin is the one who lives with us at Malie and talks alot and laughs even when it's not funny. Uncle Gordon calls her a 'vale'. Aunty Zano brought me a baby bag, and pretty dresses with hats. She carried me alot. She showed Mommy how to put me to sleep on my tummy. I like sleeping that way. Mommy said she didn't want to because she was afraid about cot death. I didn't like my cousins Dylan and Andrew. They were noisy and pulled my hair. Andrew is 7. He smelled of poo all the time because he would poop in his pants.
Aunty Telesia and cousin Chanel left too. Aunty Sia always smelled nice. Mommy said she wore a lot of perfume. She was always talking about drinks. She's very pretty too. Her daughter Chanel always smelled of repellant. She had big red bites all over her body. I have none because Mommy always puts a mosquito net over my cot.
I can't remember any more people because I'm sleepy now and Mommy put my dummy in my mouth and I can't think when I'm sucking my dummy.
I remember hearing my mommy and daddy talking about my people who carry me and love me. They said these are my uncle and aunties who came for Ma and Pa's unveiling.
I was sad because they all left and took their smells and voices and colours and laughs with them.
First Uncle Pepe left. When he was here, there were two Pepes. Me and him. I like Uncle Pepe because he has a loud hearty laugh and he likes to play with the children. He gave me a hot water flask with little silver cups. I don't really know why I need it, but it looks nice on the shelf.
Then Aunty Vaiema and Uncle Fono were gone. Aunty Vaiema is one of my favourites. She would look after me when Mommy had to go to town. Or when she was busy. Aunty Vaiema knew how to put me to sleep. She gave me two white embroidered tops for me to wear to church. I hardly to go to church because Mommy sleeps in on Sundays. Uncle Fono is Aunty Vaiema's son. He's fun too. He carries me and takes lots of pictures of me. I like pictures. Uncle Fono would go out alot with my Mommy and Daddy and came home late at night when I was already asleep. I wonder where they go?
Uncle Isaako went too. He is Aunty Niva's husband. He was only here for a short while. I only remember him when we went to the beach and I couldn't sleep because he was talking alot and drinking a brown liquid out of a paper cup. He gave me a bag with the name Wild Turkey on it. Mommy puts my warm blankets in it and keeps it in the cupboard.
Aunty Geneva, Aunty Zano and my cousins Andrew and Dylan left soon after. Aunty Niva bought me lots of clothes which will fit me when I am bigger. I hear Mommy saying that I would look adorable in them. Mommy also said she has lots of money. She told Daddy that she wants to take me back to Sydney with her. She can't have babies of her own and she told Daddy to think seriously about giving me to her and Uncle Isaako when I turn one year old. Mommy told Daddy that he could...over her dead body. Aunty Zano is Aunty Cin's twin sister. Aunty Cin is the one who lives with us at Malie and talks alot and laughs even when it's not funny. Uncle Gordon calls her a 'vale'. Aunty Zano brought me a baby bag, and pretty dresses with hats. She carried me alot. She showed Mommy how to put me to sleep on my tummy. I like sleeping that way. Mommy said she didn't want to because she was afraid about cot death. I didn't like my cousins Dylan and Andrew. They were noisy and pulled my hair. Andrew is 7. He smelled of poo all the time because he would poop in his pants.
Aunty Telesia and cousin Chanel left too. Aunty Sia always smelled nice. Mommy said she wore a lot of perfume. She was always talking about drinks. She's very pretty too. Her daughter Chanel always smelled of repellant. She had big red bites all over her body. I have none because Mommy always puts a mosquito net over my cot.
I can't remember any more people because I'm sleepy now and Mommy put my dummy in my mouth and I can't think when I'm sucking my dummy.
The second shot
After Tino turned one, it was time for more vaccinations. God I hate the things. I hate how it makes my baby's face scrunch up, turn red, and she lets out a pitiful wail like the sky is falling. Ia ua lelei Chicken Little. But really, it churns my stomach every time my daughter feels pain because it seems like I feel it tenfold.
Despite the pain, Tino loves going to the hospital. It's where she was born and everybody knows her. The doctors stop by and say hello, and the nurses all coo over her and know her name. It's like her second home.
She was due for her BCG shot. The second one, this time on her thigh.
She screamed of course. Yelled the whole hospital roof down. The sheep up the road could hear her.
After a while she carefully opened her eyes and looked around. The pain, where is it?? It was gone. She had imagined it after all. She promptly fell back to sleep.
She was also weighed. At one month, she was 14lbs and 10 ounces. A strapping bouncy fat bordering on obese baby. The obesity genes are from her father. Lol.
Despite the pain, Tino loves going to the hospital. It's where she was born and everybody knows her. The doctors stop by and say hello, and the nurses all coo over her and know her name. It's like her second home.
She was due for her BCG shot. The second one, this time on her thigh.
She screamed of course. Yelled the whole hospital roof down. The sheep up the road could hear her.
After a while she carefully opened her eyes and looked around. The pain, where is it?? It was gone. She had imagined it after all. She promptly fell back to sleep.
She was also weighed. At one month, she was 14lbs and 10 ounces. A strapping bouncy fat bordering on obese baby. The obesity genes are from her father. Lol.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Feelings
I have often wondered how it would feel to have a baby. My very own baby. When I became pregnant, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have one, whether I liked it or not. I was afraid of the difficulties of giving birth and of taking care of a newborn baby. This just wasn't me! But as the months went by, I became calmer. I wasn't exactly ready, but I was accepting of the fact that it was indeed going to happen to me very very soon.
When Tino was placed in my arms, I cried. I was emotionally overwhelmed by her. I couldn't believe that I had carried her in my womb for nine months and she was a part of me. Okay so you've heard this from a thousand other mothers. But it's always different somehow. The first few hours of her life, I spent watching her. Running my fingers over her face. Her little stub of a nose, her pursed up lips, her soft downy black hair. God's love is great, and he has bestowed much of it in my little girl.
Up to this day I am thankful for my little girl. I love her dearly and would commit serious damage if anything ever happened to her. Every day is a new day with her. She does something different and new which never fails to her amaze her parents. Tino baby, we love you more than anything. I just hope that when you grow up to be a naughty little girl, and an unruly teenager (just as we were), you will remember the love and blessings showered upon you.
When Tino was placed in my arms, I cried. I was emotionally overwhelmed by her. I couldn't believe that I had carried her in my womb for nine months and she was a part of me. Okay so you've heard this from a thousand other mothers. But it's always different somehow. The first few hours of her life, I spent watching her. Running my fingers over her face. Her little stub of a nose, her pursed up lips, her soft downy black hair. God's love is great, and he has bestowed much of it in my little girl.
Up to this day I am thankful for my little girl. I love her dearly and would commit serious damage if anything ever happened to her. Every day is a new day with her. She does something different and new which never fails to her amaze her parents. Tino baby, we love you more than anything. I just hope that when you grow up to be a naughty little girl, and an unruly teenager (just as we were), you will remember the love and blessings showered upon you.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Baby's first Christmas
Tino spent Christmas Eve at Siusega because her parents were going to the airport to pick up her Aunty Sherry coming from Sydney.
I woke up early on Christmas morning to pick up my baby and bring her to Malie for Xmas. She was hugged and kissed and cuddled within an inch of her life by Aunty Sherry. She was then handed over to her great aunties Lucy and Vaiema for more smothering.
Santa was late. It was almost 12 noon and we were still waiting for Santa and her reindeer. Meanwhile, more family had arrived - Aunty Ainslie and Uncle Asofou and kids Ainsof and Samuelu, Aunty Petimara with Sina, Michael, Madiu and Pelise, Uncle Fili and Aunty Patsy with Nadezna, Aunty Geneva and Uncle Isaako with Andrew, Aunty Zano and Dylan. Tino meanwhile was fast asleep in her cot, amidst all the laughter and shouts and more noise from the kids.
Santa finally arrived in a white nissan pick-up. Santa dressed in a sexy red Mena boob-tubey dress shouting "Ho! Ho! Ho!" It was Aunty Sia, along with Aunty Logo and the whole caboodle - Pale, Henry, JR, Chardonnay, Edith and Chanel. There were plenty of gifts to be handed out.
Tino got the most. All clothes. Enough to last her until her 5th birthday at least! It's good to know my baby is loved!! Hehe.
I woke up early on Christmas morning to pick up my baby and bring her to Malie for Xmas. She was hugged and kissed and cuddled within an inch of her life by Aunty Sherry. She was then handed over to her great aunties Lucy and Vaiema for more smothering.
Santa was late. It was almost 12 noon and we were still waiting for Santa and her reindeer. Meanwhile, more family had arrived - Aunty Ainslie and Uncle Asofou and kids Ainsof and Samuelu, Aunty Petimara with Sina, Michael, Madiu and Pelise, Uncle Fili and Aunty Patsy with Nadezna, Aunty Geneva and Uncle Isaako with Andrew, Aunty Zano and Dylan. Tino meanwhile was fast asleep in her cot, amidst all the laughter and shouts and more noise from the kids.
Santa finally arrived in a white nissan pick-up. Santa dressed in a sexy red Mena boob-tubey dress shouting "Ho! Ho! Ho!" It was Aunty Sia, along with Aunty Logo and the whole caboodle - Pale, Henry, JR, Chardonnay, Edith and Chanel. There were plenty of gifts to be handed out.
Tino got the most. All clothes. Enough to last her until her 5th birthday at least! It's good to know my baby is loved!! Hehe.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Her Baptism
On December 18, Tino turned one!! Well, one month that is. The next day (Monday), she was baptised at the St Theresa Lepea Catholic Church.
Priest: Fr. Simone Ah Lo
Godmother: Catherine Logo Chu Ling Faolotoi
Godfather: Iluminado Aloaina
Present: Elita & Leilua Aloaina, Nydia & Cheeku Chu Ling
It was a simple ceremony with just the six of us. And Tino of course. She was fast asleep throughout the entire thing, even when her head was dipped in water and oil. A tornado couldn't have woken that little baby up. She looked so pretty in her baptismal dress, courtesy of her grandma.
We decided to choose one person of each family to be the godparents. Logo is Tino's aunt, and Cheeku's closest sister, and Ilu is my one and only brother. They are also both Catholics, though one is a non-practising one, and the other is a staunch church-goer and plays an active role in their church community. As godparents, they must be responsible in bringing up their godchild to be strong and knowledgable in the Catholic faith and live a good Christian life. I hope they do a better job than my godparents did...hehehe.
After the baptism, Logo gave us some gifts for Tino - dresses, photo frames and shoes. What a lucky girl!
And then we went home to Malie, to celebrate with a feast of stew elegi.
Priest: Fr. Simone Ah Lo
Godmother: Catherine Logo Chu Ling Faolotoi
Godfather: Iluminado Aloaina
Present: Elita & Leilua Aloaina, Nydia & Cheeku Chu Ling
It was a simple ceremony with just the six of us. And Tino of course. She was fast asleep throughout the entire thing, even when her head was dipped in water and oil. A tornado couldn't have woken that little baby up. She looked so pretty in her baptismal dress, courtesy of her grandma.
We decided to choose one person of each family to be the godparents. Logo is Tino's aunt, and Cheeku's closest sister, and Ilu is my one and only brother. They are also both Catholics, though one is a non-practising one, and the other is a staunch church-goer and plays an active role in their church community. As godparents, they must be responsible in bringing up their godchild to be strong and knowledgable in the Catholic faith and live a good Christian life. I hope they do a better job than my godparents did...hehehe.
After the baptism, Logo gave us some gifts for Tino - dresses, photo frames and shoes. What a lucky girl!
And then we went home to Malie, to celebrate with a feast of stew elegi.
Not enough "tutu"
Tino's paternal great aunt arrived in Samoa from LA for the unveiling of both Cheeku's parents' graves. Yeah something like that. Her name is Aunty Lucy. Now Aunty Lucy is partially deaf and wear a hearing aid. I'm not sure if it works, because we talk to her and she turns the other way, and when she talks to us, the other side of Malie can hear her loud and clear.
Aunty Lucy loves holding her great niece. At this stage, Tino was 3 weeks old and had colic. Colic is characterized by incessant crying with no known cause. Tino didn't cry all the time, but she hated lying down and always wanted to be held, and sometimes no matter how much I fed her, she seemed unsatisfied. It was frustrating at times, and people had also sorts of diagnosis - it could be "la'ofie" (some Samoan infant sickness which required a fofo to have it removed), or gas, or the heat, or not enough milk.
Not enough milk. It annoyed me to have someone tell me I wasn't producing enough milk for my baby. I was, dammit! Total self denial huh. No really I believed that Tino was crying because her tummy hurt, and she automatically turned to my breast as a comfort zone, and she continued to cry even after feeding because...it still hurt! And that was one of the symptoms of colic. But no, Aunty Lucy kept saying "o lega e kagi le keige leaga ailoga o suasua lelei ou susu." I had the perfect retort to that, but felt like keeping the peace.
I always intended to feed my baby with breastmilk alone. The thought of formula never entered my head. Cheeku bought a breast pump so I could express milk if I had to go somewhere and leave Tino. When these people suggested that perhaps my milk production wasn't enough, I started thinking seriously about putting baby on both breastmilk and formula. And it would be convenient too. I even researched on the ingredients and whatnot of formula milk. The clincher: I was fed formula milk from birth because mother didn't have any milk at all. And see, I didn't turn out too bad.
I bought S-26 Infant Formula. At first Tino scrunched up her nose at the taste. Yep, at 3 weeks she could do that already. Gradually she got used to it. But of course her main source of comfort was my breast and I only gave her the bottle when I wasn't around.
Aunty Lucy loves holding her great niece. At this stage, Tino was 3 weeks old and had colic. Colic is characterized by incessant crying with no known cause. Tino didn't cry all the time, but she hated lying down and always wanted to be held, and sometimes no matter how much I fed her, she seemed unsatisfied. It was frustrating at times, and people had also sorts of diagnosis - it could be "la'ofie" (some Samoan infant sickness which required a fofo to have it removed), or gas, or the heat, or not enough milk.
Not enough milk. It annoyed me to have someone tell me I wasn't producing enough milk for my baby. I was, dammit! Total self denial huh. No really I believed that Tino was crying because her tummy hurt, and she automatically turned to my breast as a comfort zone, and she continued to cry even after feeding because...it still hurt! And that was one of the symptoms of colic. But no, Aunty Lucy kept saying "o lega e kagi le keige leaga ailoga o suasua lelei ou susu." I had the perfect retort to that, but felt like keeping the peace.
I always intended to feed my baby with breastmilk alone. The thought of formula never entered my head. Cheeku bought a breast pump so I could express milk if I had to go somewhere and leave Tino. When these people suggested that perhaps my milk production wasn't enough, I started thinking seriously about putting baby on both breastmilk and formula. And it would be convenient too. I even researched on the ingredients and whatnot of formula milk. The clincher: I was fed formula milk from birth because mother didn't have any milk at all. And see, I didn't turn out too bad.
I bought S-26 Infant Formula. At first Tino scrunched up her nose at the taste. Yep, at 3 weeks she could do that already. Gradually she got used to it. But of course her main source of comfort was my breast and I only gave her the bottle when I wasn't around.
Immunization tears
At birth, Tino was administered with two vaccination shots on either thigh to protect her from Hepatitis B. When she was one week old, we took her back to the hospital for her next dose of pain and tears. This time it was for BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) to protect her from serious forms of Tuberculosis.
Before her shot, she had her well-baby check with Dr John Adams, the hospital paediatrician. Everything is perfect, he told us. However, her navel was slightly infected because water had accidentally gotten into it (remember at this stage a tiny part of the cord was still attached to her nacl with a clip and it was supposed to eventually dry and fall off, and voila, a nice tiny puke). He prescribed an antibiotic for it.
She was also looking slightly yellow, meaning she had jaundice. John said he wanted to have her blood tested first for the amount of bilirubin in her blood. Bilirubin being a yellowish-red pigment found in the bloodstream. When in excess, the skin colour turns yellow. So my baby was pricked in the big toe for blood. She screamed and a tear came trickling down her cheek. Poor baby. We waited for the results. 20 minutes later, John came back and said she was fine. The jaundice was caused by our different bloody types. Mine is O and Tino's is AB. All she needs is a little sunlight every day and the colour will return to normal.
And now for her BCG shot to her left upper arm. Yes it's the scar that we all have on our arms. Baby took it well. She cried pitifully for about 30 seconds and then decided that it didn't hurt that much. Coz she's a tough little cookie.
Before her shot, she had her well-baby check with Dr John Adams, the hospital paediatrician. Everything is perfect, he told us. However, her navel was slightly infected because water had accidentally gotten into it (remember at this stage a tiny part of the cord was still attached to her nacl with a clip and it was supposed to eventually dry and fall off, and voila, a nice tiny puke). He prescribed an antibiotic for it.
She was also looking slightly yellow, meaning she had jaundice. John said he wanted to have her blood tested first for the amount of bilirubin in her blood. Bilirubin being a yellowish-red pigment found in the bloodstream. When in excess, the skin colour turns yellow. So my baby was pricked in the big toe for blood. She screamed and a tear came trickling down her cheek. Poor baby. We waited for the results. 20 minutes later, John came back and said she was fine. The jaundice was caused by our different bloody types. Mine is O and Tino's is AB. All she needs is a little sunlight every day and the colour will return to normal.
And now for her BCG shot to her left upper arm. Yes it's the scar that we all have on our arms. Baby took it well. She cried pitifully for about 30 seconds and then decided that it didn't hurt that much. Coz she's a tough little cookie.
Bloody Nappy
When Tino was about 4 days old, I noticed a bloody discharge in her nappy. It wasn't much, only a slightly reddish tinge but still I was worried. What was happening to my poor baby??
I showed it to my dad, who happens to be a doctor, and one we never ever consult when sick...lol...and he said I should take her to see a paediatrician straight away.
That evening, Cheeku and I took Tino to see Dr Herbert Peters. He was surprised to know she was only 4 days old and already coming to see the doctor. He checked her nappy and laughed. Like WTF? I'm worried sick here and the guy laughs it off.
"Your baby has what is called pseudo menses", he told us. What's that? It's like she's having her period, and is a result of maternal hormones, and should pass very quickly and you'll see it again when she's menstruating. My God, my baby has her period and she's 4 days old. How's that for development? Lol.
Dr Peters was right. The very next day it disappeared.
I showed it to my dad, who happens to be a doctor, and one we never ever consult when sick...lol...and he said I should take her to see a paediatrician straight away.
That evening, Cheeku and I took Tino to see Dr Herbert Peters. He was surprised to know she was only 4 days old and already coming to see the doctor. He checked her nappy and laughed. Like WTF? I'm worried sick here and the guy laughs it off.
"Your baby has what is called pseudo menses", he told us. What's that? It's like she's having her period, and is a result of maternal hormones, and should pass very quickly and you'll see it again when she's menstruating. My God, my baby has her period and she's 4 days old. How's that for development? Lol.
Dr Peters was right. The very next day it disappeared.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
First Visits
On the day Tino was born, she (and I) received her first visitors.
First of course was her grandmother. She wasn't there at the birth because Cheeku called her only when my contractions began to worsen. Hello, we thought it would take hours. My mom rushed to MedCen. She met one of the nurses outside who guided her into the room (where we were to sleep) and they changed the sheets and pillowcases. My mother kept asking "How's Nydia? Is she okay? Where is she?" The nurse looked calm and smiled at her. "Yes she's fine. We'll go and see her now." As they neared the delivery room, Mom heard a baby crying. Surprised she asked "That's not Nydia's baby is it?" The nurse laughed and said "Yes it is!" Mom was like, "But why didn't you tell me! You made me help you fix the bed and she's already had the baby??!" The nurse laughed again and said "Sorry but I didn't want to excite you. What's the point of rushing when she's already had her baby?"
Second set of visitors consisted of Erika, Des and Henry. After being taken back to the room, I immediately called Erika and told her the news. She couldn't believe. No, she didn't believe it. She'd seen me two hours ago and it didn't look like I was about to have baby yet. Well she sure had to believe it when she walked in and saw baby lying in a cot next to me. "Awww she's got your colour Nyd," were the first comments. Thanks, I really needed to be reminded that Tino is a blackie like me.
Third group to arrive was Logo and her whanau. Logo is Cheeku's sister. She was all smiles and carrying baby and "she's long", "she's cute", "she's...rah rah rah". She brought a huge bag of gifts and baby clothes for Tino. Her kids JR, Chardonnay and Edith were all taken with the little baby and kept wanting to touch her face.
Lastly was Apo and my mom again. Apo is our housegirl at Siusega. She practically waited on me hand and foot every day when I was sick during my pregnancy. She was very teary-eyed when she saw the baby and she and my mother took care of Tino while I had a nap.
Tino, basking in the attention, sighed and exercised her jaw, opening her mouth, pursing her lips and letting out a tiny wail every now and then. Oh what it is to be loved and adored!
First of course was her grandmother. She wasn't there at the birth because Cheeku called her only when my contractions began to worsen. Hello, we thought it would take hours. My mom rushed to MedCen. She met one of the nurses outside who guided her into the room (where we were to sleep) and they changed the sheets and pillowcases. My mother kept asking "How's Nydia? Is she okay? Where is she?" The nurse looked calm and smiled at her. "Yes she's fine. We'll go and see her now." As they neared the delivery room, Mom heard a baby crying. Surprised she asked "That's not Nydia's baby is it?" The nurse laughed and said "Yes it is!" Mom was like, "But why didn't you tell me! You made me help you fix the bed and she's already had the baby??!" The nurse laughed again and said "Sorry but I didn't want to excite you. What's the point of rushing when she's already had her baby?"
Second set of visitors consisted of Erika, Des and Henry. After being taken back to the room, I immediately called Erika and told her the news. She couldn't believe. No, she didn't believe it. She'd seen me two hours ago and it didn't look like I was about to have baby yet. Well she sure had to believe it when she walked in and saw baby lying in a cot next to me. "Awww she's got your colour Nyd," were the first comments. Thanks, I really needed to be reminded that Tino is a blackie like me.
Third group to arrive was Logo and her whanau. Logo is Cheeku's sister. She was all smiles and carrying baby and "she's long", "she's cute", "she's...rah rah rah". She brought a huge bag of gifts and baby clothes for Tino. Her kids JR, Chardonnay and Edith were all taken with the little baby and kept wanting to touch her face.
Lastly was Apo and my mom again. Apo is our housegirl at Siusega. She practically waited on me hand and foot every day when I was sick during my pregnancy. She was very teary-eyed when she saw the baby and she and my mother took care of Tino while I had a nap.
Tino, basking in the attention, sighed and exercised her jaw, opening her mouth, pursing her lips and letting out a tiny wail every now and then. Oh what it is to be loved and adored!
Meet the "Breast"
Tino's first encounter with her food factory was about 2 hours after she was born. The nurse didn't even bother to show me how to breastfeed and said instead "kuu iai lou susu." How's that for professionalism. I held Tino to my breast and her mouth immediately opened but she didn't know what to do with it. Heck, I didn't know what to do with it either! Eventually she latched on and was able to suckle for a bit. I won't go into any nipple details for your sakes. Gradually she became a pro at it, as she is today.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Entrance into the world
Name: Tautinoga Felicity Chu Ling
Born on: 18 November 2005 at 2:10PM
Weight: 7lbs 14ozs
Height: 56cm
Where: MedCen Hospital, Vailima, Samoa
Proud Parents: Nydia & Cheeku Chu Ling
I was admitted to the hospital on Thursday 17th November. During my pregnancy I was diagnosed with pre-eclempsia, a pregnancy disorder characterized by high blood pressure, edema (fluid retention) and kidney malfunction. Yes I was one big sick momma. The scan predicted my birth to be on November 21. However, Dr Emosi Puni (my obstetrician) was worried that my condition might create difficulties during birth so he told me I would be having an induced birth.
I was given an IV of some sort which would speed up the labour process. This was at 12PM on Thursday. I waited until 6PM and I was having a few pangs but that was about it. Emosi came and checked how far I was dilating (don't ask how he checked). Hello, 1cm and I'd been sitting there for 6 hours. I was running up the bill in my head. I knew I should've gone to the public hospital but then again, the doctors were on strike. I waited some more. At 10PM they wheeled me into the delivery room to have my tummy monitored. Still no change. I was tired and frustrated and pretty much terrified. 1AM...2AM...dammit still nothing. So they took me back to my room to sleep until morning.
At 7AM on Friday, Emosi increased the dosage of my IV. At around 12PM, I was starting to feel stronger pains. Erika and Des came in to visit and see how I was doing. We chatted and every now and then I'd take a deep breath while a wave of pain rushed over me. Clearly I was in labour. Not long after they left, I was taken into the delivery room again. This time it was for real. I was so scared I wanted to cry. The pains were getting longer and closer apart. I was 5cm in dilation. Emosi came to check on me and told me that by 6 or 7PM I should have had baby by then. It was farking 1:30PM. I told him, "what about 2?" and he just laughed.
The pains were killing me. The midwife went off to have a chat and I was about to die. My whole body was wracked with extreme pain and my back felt like it was shattered to bits. Cheeku was so worried. He didn't know what to do and I was too incoherent by that stage. And then WOOSH! My water broke. It felt like I'd peed ten times over. It was warm and sticky. I immediately jumped off the bed and screeched at Cheeku and the nurse to change the bedsheets. I felt like I really badly needed to take a crap so I made a dash for the toilet, Cheeku running after me carrying the IV connected to my hand. I sat on the toilet and pushed as hard as I could and only blood and water came out. At this point I was crying and whimpering and had the worst back cramps I had ever experienced. The midwife, probably back from her smoke break, fucking-bitch-couldn't-she-see-I-was-in-pain-ahhhhhhhhh, rushed in and dragged me back on the bed.
It was 1:50PM. How do I know? Coz while I was trying to rid myself of the pain and think rainbows and ice cream, my eyes were fixated on the big clock on the wall across from the bed. I desperately wanted to push baby out. The midwife was like "sela! sela! aua ke oogo e lei oo i le kaimi e oogo ai. Sela!" Easy for you to say, dammit! I didn't know what to do. I was in agony and Cheeku was almost in tears, beside himself with worry. I felt like kicking the bastard for doing this to me. The nurse told me it was finally time to push. She said to take a deep breath and push as hard as I could. I did. And I let out a scream as I did it. The nurses and midwife were like "se e le lava ga kamaThe nurse said that as I pushed the second time, she was going to cut me to allow passage for the baby. Oh farking hell no. I was more afraid of being cut than anything. So I pushed. Hard. And the pain was excruciating. I wanted to die. "Think of the baby, think of the baby", a voice in my head reminded me. So I pushed with all my strength, and with a woosh, water gushed out, and so did baby. The midwife was soaked and almost didn't catch the baby in time. I don't know who was more surprised - the midwife, me or the baby.
And there she was, Tautinoga Chu Ling, bawling to the world, wondering where her warm, safe haven had disappeared to. She was placed on my stomach, while I pushed for the afterbirth. She was a dark red, pinky colour, all fuzzy with soft downy hair. They wrapped her in a warm blanket and handed her to her father, who was by this time, mentally exhausted, physically hurting from the punches I threw, and relieved that our baby was perfectly fine.
Born on: 18 November 2005 at 2:10PM
Weight: 7lbs 14ozs
Height: 56cm
Where: MedCen Hospital, Vailima, Samoa
Proud Parents: Nydia & Cheeku Chu Ling
I was admitted to the hospital on Thursday 17th November. During my pregnancy I was diagnosed with pre-eclempsia, a pregnancy disorder characterized by high blood pressure, edema (fluid retention) and kidney malfunction. Yes I was one big sick momma. The scan predicted my birth to be on November 21. However, Dr Emosi Puni (my obstetrician) was worried that my condition might create difficulties during birth so he told me I would be having an induced birth.
I was given an IV of some sort which would speed up the labour process. This was at 12PM on Thursday. I waited until 6PM and I was having a few pangs but that was about it. Emosi came and checked how far I was dilating (don't ask how he checked). Hello, 1cm and I'd been sitting there for 6 hours. I was running up the bill in my head. I knew I should've gone to the public hospital but then again, the doctors were on strike. I waited some more. At 10PM they wheeled me into the delivery room to have my tummy monitored. Still no change. I was tired and frustrated and pretty much terrified. 1AM...2AM...dammit still nothing. So they took me back to my room to sleep until morning.
At 7AM on Friday, Emosi increased the dosage of my IV. At around 12PM, I was starting to feel stronger pains. Erika and Des came in to visit and see how I was doing. We chatted and every now and then I'd take a deep breath while a wave of pain rushed over me. Clearly I was in labour. Not long after they left, I was taken into the delivery room again. This time it was for real. I was so scared I wanted to cry. The pains were getting longer and closer apart. I was 5cm in dilation. Emosi came to check on me and told me that by 6 or 7PM I should have had baby by then. It was farking 1:30PM. I told him, "what about 2?" and he just laughed.
The pains were killing me. The midwife went off to have a chat and I was about to die. My whole body was wracked with extreme pain and my back felt like it was shattered to bits. Cheeku was so worried. He didn't know what to do and I was too incoherent by that stage. And then WOOSH! My water broke. It felt like I'd peed ten times over. It was warm and sticky. I immediately jumped off the bed and screeched at Cheeku and the nurse to change the bedsheets. I felt like I really badly needed to take a crap so I made a dash for the toilet, Cheeku running after me carrying the IV connected to my hand. I sat on the toilet and pushed as hard as I could and only blood and water came out. At this point I was crying and whimpering and had the worst back cramps I had ever experienced. The midwife, probably back from her smoke break, fucking-bitch-couldn't-she-see-I-was-in-pain-ahhhhhhhhh, rushed in and dragged me back on the bed.
It was 1:50PM. How do I know? Coz while I was trying to rid myself of the pain and think rainbows and ice cream, my eyes were fixated on the big clock on the wall across from the bed. I desperately wanted to push baby out. The midwife was like "sela! sela! aua ke oogo e lei oo i le kaimi e oogo ai. Sela!" Easy for you to say, dammit! I didn't know what to do. I was in agony and Cheeku was almost in tears, beside himself with worry. I felt like kicking the bastard for doing this to me. The nurse told me it was finally time to push. She said to take a deep breath and push as hard as I could. I did. And I let out a scream as I did it. The nurses and midwife were like "se e le lava ga kamaThe nurse said that as I pushed the second time, she was going to cut me to allow passage for the baby. Oh farking hell no. I was more afraid of being cut than anything. So I pushed. Hard. And the pain was excruciating. I wanted to die. "Think of the baby, think of the baby", a voice in my head reminded me. So I pushed with all my strength, and with a woosh, water gushed out, and so did baby. The midwife was soaked and almost didn't catch the baby in time. I don't know who was more surprised - the midwife, me or the baby.
And there she was, Tautinoga Chu Ling, bawling to the world, wondering where her warm, safe haven had disappeared to. She was placed on my stomach, while I pushed for the afterbirth. She was a dark red, pinky colour, all fuzzy with soft downy hair. They wrapped her in a warm blanket and handed her to her father, who was by this time, mentally exhausted, physically hurting from the punches I threw, and relieved that our baby was perfectly fine.
Why I'm doing this
Well 4 months after her birth, I have decided to be a copycat and steal Reesa's idea to record baby's life in a blog. This is really for my benefit because I have a very forgetful memory, and also for Tino when she grows up and wants to read about the terrible parenting she received as a baby. Hehe. So really, I do not expect anyone to read this because it's all baby and goo goo and diapers and milk and...do I hear you snoring? I warned you!
My baby's name is TAUTINOGA FELICITY CHU LING and this is her life.
My baby's name is TAUTINOGA FELICITY CHU LING and this is her life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
