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.
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