Lennox & Me

It's 27 june and we are 3 weeks into Ramadan! It didn't feel like it went quickly (especially in the beginning) but Hari Raya (Eid / Suikerfeest) is just over a week away! After a few compulsory non-fasting days (hello period), i was full on fasting while breastfeeding. I must admit, although I did the research and science says that milk supply would not be affected, it was still something i thought about a lot during the first days of fasting! It was all just in my mind though. After 2 days i was sure my milk supply was lesser than usual... but on the 3rd day (as though also a sign from the guy up there) when breast feeding, i was spraying milk from one side and leaking on the other just like the first newborn months!! Ok, so no dip in supply then! :P Totally what i felt like on day 3 :P

For me it's somewhere in the middle. I did not bother about organic products at all even when i started cooking daily after i moved to the netherlands in 2008. I have a few friends who ONLY buy organic products and i never really understood why they would want to pay extra for their groceries. BUT, somehow after Lennox was born and was starting solids, i started reading more about organic products and in general about what we put into our bodies. Especially when that body is a small baby's body! Read this TIME article which succinctly puts it: "Organic food is a healthy choice for all of us but especially for kids. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to chemicals, in part because their immune systems are still developing and in part because, pound for pound, they’re exposed to more chemical residues than adults. Another reason is that children and babies tend to eat a lot more of certain foods than adults — think bananas or apples." I won't g...

I love Ella's Kitchen products. From the smoothie packs to the little puffit snacks to the spelt cookies, it's so handy for Lennox to eat, especially on the go! I was actually introduced to it from a free 'pregnancy package' kit that we receive here in the Netherlands once I got pregnant. I tried it for myself and i loved their packaging and how clean the items were. Best part is that Nox loves it too! He's been using them since he was 6 months, especially when we were out of the house. I was happy to also find it in Singapore when i was there in February this year. Seems like it's a pretty well known brand. Since i'm breastfeeding and it's always not convenient to breastfeed Nox (let's say we are rushing and he's in his stroller), I give him a smoothie pack instead to keep him quiet... haha. I always make sure there's 2 of it in the diaper bag at all times! Anyway these smoothie packs cost anywhere from €0,99 to €1,99 each. So the past ...

Our elderly neighbour lady likes to walk into our house whenever she wants. No really, she doesn't a key or anything but when we meet at the lift landing on our floor (there are only 3 other apartments on our floor) I always have this dreaded feeling like, here we go again.... Don't get me wrong, she's a sweet Old Dutch Grandma (let's call her ODG). Probably in her mid-80s, living alone with her husband also in his 80s. It's pretty cool to see 2 old people just doing their thing. People always say, don't smoke you will die sooner, but nope this rule doesn't apply to these 2 oldies coz they smoke like CRAZY in their apartment. It's so bad that whenever they open their door, the smell of smoke just hits you and the stank just hangs around the lift landing. Yuck. Anyway, ODG is also kinda deaf so i have to face her and speak (dutch) slowly. Even then I think she probably doesn't understand 50% of what i say. ODG and her husband are a cute couple tho...

Tomorrow marks the first day of Ramadan in 2016. Last year i did not fast as Lennox was born on the 5th day of Ramadan, my little ramadan baby! :) This year I plan to fast as usual. Only difference is that I'm breastfeeding. Lennox is almost 1 and nurses on average 4 times a day: in the morning, before nap #1 (about 1130am), before nap #2 (about 5pm) and before he goes to sleep at night (about 830pm). Throughout the night he still wakes up sometimes and the quickest way to get him back to sleep is to nurse him. The night needs are comfort feeds i think, i don't think he's having a full meal in the middle of the night. There are fears that my milk supply might run out when i fast. But I guess since Lennox is already almost 1 and also having solids, it would be very different than a newborn or 4-5 month old exclusively on breastmilk. I did some research about breastfeeding during ramadan and it pretty much says it's up to the mom whether she wants to fast or not. Re...

Lennox (like most babies i think) loves to grab rattles and shake toys especially those that make a sound. He is intrigued by the fact that he is the maker of the sound; the look on his face is priceless! I filled our bottle with uncooked penne pasta and rounded up all the (unmatching) ribbons i could get I rounded up a couple of things i found easily at home and made this music shaker bottle. He plays with it almost daily! On top of making the sound he looks at the contents and pulls at the ribbons.  Although it keeps him entertained only for awhile most times, I feel pretty accomplished that it's a toy i made from scraps! haha