Melamine found in Taro biscuits from Bai Rong

Malaysia's Health Ministry has ordered that the Taro brand of biscuits from Bai Rong be withdrawn from shelves with immediate effect after they have found melamine contamination. I have not seen this brand of biscuits before as I am personally not very fond of biscuits or chocolates. Will walk around some to see whether we can still find them on our shelves.

Meanwhile, in Manila, it was reported in the Star today that health ministers from the 10-member Asean have agreed that the melamine "should not be added deliberately in food, even at the minutest amount". As far as I am concerned, no health hazardous substance should be added in our food at all, although I know that this will remain elusive as our society evolves and with more and more businesses striving to make more money.

I have lost loved ones and many close friends to cancer of every kind in the last couple of years. I am still hearing `so and so' is having cancer or `so and so' had passed on. Some of these people are non-smokers and non-drinkers and yet they are struck down with liver cancer or lung cancer. So, how on earth, were their bodies contaminated? The polluted air that they breathe in? The food that they have been consuming (with melamine or other cancer causing agent)? The water that they drink? Being a father, how can I protect Ryan from this in the future. What pre-cautionary measures can I take now? Or do we leave all this to chance and luck? I am one confused father.....

Are you a new generation daddy?

I notice that many fathers today are taking a more active role in parenting. During the recent Raya holidays, we took Ryan out to Sunway Pyramid as well as Pavilion. When we went to change Ryan's diaper in Sunway Pyramid, I noticed fathers taking over the role in changing diapers. When I was feeding Ryan at Pavilion, I noticed many fathers carrying their babies or pushing the stroller instead of the mothers. Is this the new generation daddies?

I remembered that man (especially in the Asian context) are less likely to show public affection to their children years ago, let alone taking an active role in preparing the bottle, feeding or even changing the diapers. It is almost a taboo to even talk about it. It is the woman's responsibility and the mother's role. In most cases, not many husbands are prepared to go into the labour room.

But all that seemed to have changed dramatically today. It is very common to see fathers lovingly carrying their babies in the public. It is common to see fathers skillfully feeding and burping their babies. It is almost expected of the father today to be IN the labour room with the mother and women nowadays would have it no other way. In fact, I have known some fathers who are more knowledgeable about their babies than their mothers.

I guess all these changes have to do with more working wives and mothers. At the same time, I believe man are beginning to understand and appreciate their spouse and knowing the need for them to help and work together.

I am a different father today, as compared to when I had my eldest son 15 years ago with my ex-wife. I don't recall feeding him, changing his diaper or bathing him. In fact, I don't even remember carrying him until he was at least 2 months old because he looked so fragile.

With Ryan, I was in the labour room watching him literally `bursting' into our lives. I was there video taping every moment from his first cry. I was there holding and cuddling him, forgetting that he was only 2.2kg. I bathe him, feed him and change his diapers. Today, when the babysitter called in sick, I had to take care of him the entire day all by myself and I am so relieved and in a way `proud' that I have pulled it through.

So, am I part of a new generation of daddies? Or there are already many active daddies out there and it is me who was the exception with my first born years ago? Whichever way it is, I am just glad and proud that I have been given an opportunity to take an active role in Ryan's growth and life.

Pullovers Vs Shirt with buttons in front for Newborn?

Just like every excited expecting parent, we were busy buying up shirts, pants, mittens and booties, preparing for the arrival of our baby. We walked into every baby shop that we knew or came across, hoping to find some good deals. We were grabbing anything that we thought was a good deal. When Ryan finally arrived, there were some clothes that we really regretted buying because they were so difficult to put on, especially when you have a premature 2.2kg fragile baby.

From our experience, avoid pullovers and go for front buttoned shirts. Even our confinement lady (who have years of experience handling newborns) would not want to use the pullovers that we have bought. When I have to put one on for Ryan, I quickly found out why. To put on a pullover, I have to lift up Ryan's fragile head and neck and pull the collar of the shirt through. Once that is done, I have to somehow manipulate his two tiny and extremely fragile hands into the two sleeves. Every time, I held those hands, I had this extreme phobia that I will somehow break them. To make matters worse, Ryan was not cooperating every time by laying still. Believe me, it was a real struggle.

Putting on a shirt with buttons in front on the other hand, is much simpler and less stressful. For one, I do not have to manipulate his head to pull the collar through. It is much easier to manipulate his hand into the two sleeves before buttoning up the shirt.

I have to admit that babies wearing pullovers are so cute and we definitely have a soft spot for cute nice pullovers. Today, we have a dozen pullovers for Ryan but it is a much simpler task now for two reasons. Firstly, Ryan is already four months old and his neck is much stronger now. Secondly, I am more experienced now although Ryan still dislike having his face covered (even for a brief moment) every time I put on the collar of a pullover.

White Rabbit's Melamine contamination 54 times over permitted limit

The Star reported today that the Malaysian Health Ministry has tested samples of White Rabbit Creamy Candy and found them contaminated with melamine. The shocking discovery is that the contamination is 54 times above the permitted level.

They found that the melamine content was 135 parts per million (ppm) while the permitted level by the Health Ministry is only 2.5ppm. If this is not contamination, I really don't know what is.

Therefore it is sufficed to say that if we consumed one piece of contaminated white rabbit, the amount of melamine that we consumed in that one piece is equavalent to consuming 54 pieces at one go!

So, for those who have been popping 2 or 3 of these candies a day in the past, you are actually consuming melamine contamination level equivalent to eating 108 to 162 ppm a day!

We all read about the contamination of White Rabbit but I would never imagine the shocking level of contamination found. To think that this candy have received such an acceptance worldwide and the number of stores that carries them, and the number of people and children who have consumed them unknowingly worldwide is mind boggling. I just can not imagine how many thousands if not millions would still be consuming this `Candy of Sweet Poison' if the melamine contamination was not detected in infant milk powder.

How to give baby a Bath

Giving your baby a bath is a wonderful time to bond with him/her. It's a special time shared between us. As he enjoys a bath more, the time is even sweeter as compared to when he was apprehensive of the touch of water.

Ingredient: 1 bath tub of lukewarm water, baby bath, 1 dry towel

• Lift up baby's head gently and place your left arm at the back of his head with your left hand holding his left armpit. Make sure that your left arm is supporting the baby's head and neck especially for newborns and infants as their neck are still fragile. Refer to picture (1).
• Using your right hand, gently pick him up by holding on to his left leg. For infants or newborns, it would be advisable to support them at their buttocks with your right hand. Refer to picture (1).
• Place them gently into the bath tub.
• Allow the baby's head to rest on your left arm while you apply bath bath and wash him. Refer picture (2).
• To turn him over, gently sit the baby up and place his chin to rest on your right arm with your right hand holding his left armpit. Refer to picture (3).
• Once you have him secured in your right hand and arm, gently lift him up and then lay him down tummy first into the bath tub.
• You can now apply baby bath and wash him.
• Once done, lift him up by supporting his buttock with your left hand and place him on a dry towel to dry.

The above task can be quite taunting to first timers or when you are handling infants or newborns. As they grow older, it will become easier.

Tips:

• Newborns tend to be apprehensive of water for the first few times. Ryan gets scared every time he touches the water and he would cry. To give him more comfort and assurance, I would hold him very close to my chest and lower him down into the tub while trying to maintain our bodily contact while doing so. I found that this brought him comfort and security. Of course, I ended getting wet as well in the process.
• As they grow older and stronger, watch out for that sudden `kick' when they are enjoying their bath. If you are not careful, you might just drop him into the water or his head knocking against the side of the bath tub.
• You do not have to invest heavily into your baby's bath tub if you don't want to. I have seen bath tub costing close to RM90. The reason is because they will outgrow the bath tub within 4 to 5 months and you would have to buy a larger one for them.
• Have all the necessary items ready and within reach before placing your baby into the bath tub.

Ryan is now enjoying his bath so much that sometimes he does not seem to want to get out. He is also beginning to learn to play with water and bath bubbles. When washing his back, he is happily kicking his legs away, just like a little frog learning how to swim. Those moments are precious and priceless.

How to wash baby's hair

Giving our baby a bath or washing his/hear hair can be quite a taunting task, especially when they are so fragile. Our confinement lady was doing all the bathing and washing during the first month. However, towards the last few days before she leaves, she wanted to pass the skills to someone in the house to take over. My wife naturally, nominates yours truly. Stressful was not even the word to describe the first attempt. I was sweating all over and my back aches after due to the strain and tension. Nevertheless, it got easier as the days go by and as Ryan's neck got stronger. So, this post is share what I was taught. Hopefully, it will be useful to you too, especially if you are expecting your first born.

Ingredient: 1 bath tub filled with lukewarm water, baby shampoo, 1 dry handkerchief, 1 willing baby.

• Lift your baby's head and put his head in the palm of your left hand. Make sure that it supports the baby's neck. Refer to picture (1).
• Using your thumb and your index finger, gently fold and cover your baby's ears. This is to prevent water from getting in. Refer picture (2)
• Once you have him firmly in your grip, place baby under your left arm as shown in picture (3).
• Wet his hair with the lukewarm water and then apply small amount of baby shampoo.
• Rub his hair and head gently and wash off with water.
• Dry with dry handkerchief.

Simple right? It is simple if your baby is not kicking up a fuss or throwing his/her usual tantrum. Otherwise, it could be a real struggle to hold him/her while he/she is kicking away. I would advise to leave him/her alone until he/she has calmed down. As the baby gets older and definitely heavier, it would also be increasingly demanding on your left arm to hold him/her in place.

Tips:

• Place the bath tub at your hip's height so that you can stand to wash/bath your baby. I find it extremely difficult and tough on my back and spine to bathe Ryan, when I have to bent over when the bath tub is placed on the floor.
• Get all the needed stuff such as shampoo ready (with cap opened) and handkerchief easily within reach before bathing him.
• Try not to panic when he/she starts screaming half way through. I used the word `try' because often times, we can get easily rattled when our baby starts screaming away.
• This is good. Make sure that your baby's diaper is still on while washing his hair. Ryan has the tendency to wee-wee while I'm washing his hair. I tend to get `drenched' and have to take a shower myself afterwards.

We will talk about giving him a bath in the next `How to' post.

How to put on a cloth nappy?

We have previously explore how to fold a cloth nappy. Now we would explore how to put that nappy on. Cloth nappy is definitely cheaper to use because they are reusable. We would use cloth nappy at home especially in the afternoon. A word of caution though, make sure that we change the nappy once it is wet. It would not be healthy for the baby if a wet nappy is left on, causing nappy rashes.

Ingredient: 1 willing baby, 1 cloth nappy and 1 nappy holder

• Lay baby down on his back on a cloth nappy. Spread his/her legs apart gently.
• Pull the bottom portion of the nappy over the baby's groin as shown in picture (3)
• Pull the left wing portion of the nappy over the baby's stomach as shown in picture (4)
• Fold the right wing portion of the nappy over the baby's stomach as shown in picture (5)
• Using a nappy holder, first hook the bottom portion of the nappy. Then Pull the right hook to hook the right portion of the nappy followed by hooking the left portion of the nappy to hold it together.

There you have it. A simple way that I was taught how to fold a cloth nappy. If your baby is still smiling at you by now, you have achieved and pass the acid test of the speed required to fold a nappy. If he/she is yelling and kicking, well, you just need more practices. Don't worry over it. In time, you will be an expert like a all mothers or fathers would be.

Be Prepared for Pre-mature Arrival

Baby Ryan arrived when he was only 34th week and he really caught us by surprise. Being our first child, preparing for his arrival was already a challenge and we were not really prepare for his pre-mature arrival. Luckily, we got a few things done early and did not wait to get those preparations done during the eight or nine month (like many parents do) with good advice from some very concerned friends. Be prepared as early as the sixth or seventh month. List of things that you might want to get ready by now should be the following (based on our own experience):-

• get all the required baby stuff by now. Have a checklist and start buying them (especially if you see any of them on sale with discount). I will share the checklist that we have and an indication of how much they will cost.
• decide on where you are going to have your baby delivered.
• if you wish to get a hair cut before delivery, it is a good time to get it done now. A lot of old folks do not allow you to wash your hair after you have delivered (at least for the first week, if not for the entire month of confinement)
• if you are working expecting mum, please prepare your boss or your collegue for a pre-mature delivery. Start planning your hand-over during your maternity leave.
• prepare the bag that you are going to bring to the hospital should you go into labour.
• if you are planning to have a confinement lady, you should have already confirmed her appointment by now. However, do have contigency plans that she might not be available if you deliver early. (This actually happened to us)
• if you plan to have a live-in maid, you should get your maid in and working for you by this time. You would want your maid to be ready rather than having to train her when you are busy with your pre-matured baby, confinement lady, your mum and your mother-n-law. You could go totally crazy.
• for Chinese mothers who have a whole range of chinese herbs to purchase for the confinement meals and diet, it is a good time to start buying them now.

How To Burp a Baby?

One of my first challenges when our confinement lady left was to feed Ryan and more importantly, how to burp him. I've seen the confinement lady did it a dozen times, but when it's my turn to do it, it doesn't seemed so simple after all, especially when Ryan is only one month old and he is so fragile. Anyway, someone has to do it. I hope that I could share two basic techniques that I have found useful.

A baby will take in air into his tummy during feeding. Therefore, it is necessary to help him let off the air through burping less he throws up. It is advisable to burp him when changing breast (if breast feeding) or after every 2 to 3 oz.

The first technique that I've learnt was to place Ryan on my lap. Using the left hand, place his head against your left hand, supporting his chin using your index finger and thumb. Use the base of your left hand to gently press against his tummy. Lean him forward slightly and gently pat or rub his back or shoulder using the right hand. (See second picture)

The second technique is to place his against your chest with his head slightly over your left shoulder, supporting him with your left hand. Using the right hand, gently pat or rub his back or shoulder. (See picture on the first picture). Make sure you have a napkin placed across your shoulder unless you want him to throw up all over you.

Burping the baby takes a lot of patience. He will sometimes burp after a few pats or immediately the moment you sit him up or lean him against your shoulder. Other times, it could take a good 5 to 10 minutes before he will burp. The other trick that I've learnt is to put him down and sit him up again a couple of times if he refused to burp.

Believe me, there is a great sense of unexplained satisfaction when he burps and it is pure music to my ears. And it is interesting to note that no two burps are exactly the same! Pay attention and you will find out.

How To Fold a Nappy?

When Ryan was born, there were lots of things to learn and there are still many things that I'm learning on a daily basis. So, I thought I will start a `HOW TO' series to share on some of things that I've been taught as I explore the wonderful journey of parenthood.

My confinement lady was the one folding all the cloth nappies when she was around during the first month when Ryan arrived. I knew that I would probaby be the one asked to do it when she leaves. So, I asked her to teach me.

1) Fold the nappy along the center line, making it into a rectangular as shown in figure (1)

2) Fold the rectangular nappy along the center line, making it into a square as shown in (2)

3) Lift the top right hand corner and fold it down, making it into a triangle in front as shown in (3)

4) Turn the nappy over. Fold the square over to get the overlap as shown in (4)

5) Fold the small rectangular that you have obtained in (4). You should get a long narrow rectangular as shown in (5). This part is the thickest of the nappy, he part to hold the wee-wee.

6) Fold the nappy liner along the center and place the nappy liner on the thickest part of the cloth nappy. The nappy is now ready for use.

Next episode of `HOW TO' - How to put on a cloth nappy?

Ryan's reading habits - How long would it last??

We are pretty amazed on how much Ryan is attracted to his baby book. We gave him his book this morning again and he really made himself looking like a real scholar, burying himself in his book. Take a look at his pictures. You might just agree. His mother of course is totally excited and on a constant lookout to buy new books for him. I guess before too long, he would probably have his own library. I wonder how long would he continue his interest in books before he starts getting interested into computer games (which will the beginning of our next nightmare!) I don't think his mom will be that thrilled........

My first Baby Book

"Mommy bought me my first book today from Wonder Tots at Sunway Pyramid. It is colourful book made of clothe that can be washed (in case I stained it with my wee-wee, poo-poo, or milk) and it's also an activity book where mommy and daddy can read it to me and play with me at the same time."

Ryan turned 4 months old yesterday (30th September 2008). His neck is pretty strong now and he can hold his head up without much support needed. In fact, when he wakes up from his sleep, he will use his shoulders and arms to push his head up (he sleeps on his stomach). He will then start turning his head to look for us. When he sees us, and when we call out to him, he will flash his charming smile. We have found that he has started to recognise our voices, our presence and even our facial expressions. He loves it when I start making funny faces and he will break into his mischievous charming giggles. We have also noticed that he loves going shopping but only interested to see things that are colourful. Hence, he truly enjoys a walk around a baby's store with lots of colours or a toy store. He can be so excited that he will be kicking his feet non stop.

We brought him to Wonder Tots today at Sunway Pyramid and got him interested in a book. The owner shared with us that we could use to book to play with him but their attention span is nothing more than 5 to 10 minutes now. When we got home, we tried it out with him and true enough, we got his attention for the first 10 minutes (as you can see from the pictures of how interested he was in the book) and then...that's it! It's back to funny faces just to make him smile...

Tainted Milk - Safe List from Malaysia Ministry of Health

From going through the circular as issued by the Malaysia Ministry of Health dated 28th September 2008, they have declared 994 products from 35 companies as `safe'. You can find this list as updated by them in their website here:

http://www.moh.gov.my/MohPortal/newsFull.jsp?action=load&id=353. They have indicated that they have given the approved list based on warranties given by manufacturers as well as testings conducted on samples. As indicated in their website, as at 28th September 2008, they have tested and cleared a total of 26 samples, which means that the remaining 968 products declared as `safe' are based on the assurance and warranties given by the respective manufacturers that the raw materials were not sourced from China.

Bookmark this website to learn of new products being cleared as `Safe'.

Meanwhile their 'Lampiran 3' which is supposed to highlight the products tested only shows 13 products to-date. There are listed as :-

1. Chocolate Coated Wafer (Passion)
2. Oreo White Chocolate Wafer Stick (Kraft)
3. Mini Cornetto Chocomint & Tiramisu Flavoured (Wall’s)
4. Moo Soft Cookie Sandwich (Wall’s)
5. Susu Tepung 123 Honey (Dutch Lady)
6. Susu Berperisa Strawberry (Dutch Lady)
7. Susu Tepung Rumusan Bayi (Frisolac)
8. Mini Poppers Vanilla Flavoured (WALL’S)
9. Mini Poppers Strawberry Flavoured (WALL’S)
10. Honey Stars (Nestle)
11. Drumstick Minis Chocolate (Nestle)
12. Drumstick Minis Vanilla (Nestle)
13. Soft Cookies Sandwich (WALL’S)

Baby Taboo - No Shoe Until One Year Old??

Ryan got his first pair of shoes the other day. My sister Jenny bought him the first pair. It's Carters, white, made of cloth and is totally comfortable and stunning on him. He looks so cute and handsome with his shoes on. We bought it at a 20% discount and it still cost her close to RM20. Anyway, we reckon that he will be able to wear the shoe probably for another 3 months before he will outgrow them. I guess I would have to `persuade' Jenny to replace it with a larger one then.

The funny thing is, we are totally ignorant of all the taboos or `pantang larang' that the older folks have when it comes to children and believe me, for Chinese, they are lots of it. We were a little surprised when we brought Ryan out recently for a function, nicely with his shoes on and showing off when someone asked us whether we got the approval from my mum. Emmmmm....stupid as it sounds, we were like ...errr...."WHY??""

Apparently, according to the Chinese taboo, babies should not be wearing any shoes until they have celebrated their one year old birthday. Ryan is exactly 4 months old today. Don't ask me why because I have no idea or glue whatsoever that prohibits babies wearing shoes. Anyway, since we were ignorant of the taboo, we have not asked and went ahead. Luckily, my mum didn't say much about the shoe wearing issue when we brought Ryan home to visit her during the last weekend, except, for a brief moment, when she was queried by another `auntie'. She brushed if off saying something like "modern couple nowadays". I didn't want to ask her for the reason in order not to aggravate the incident or create an issue.

If you have a story to tell about why a baby should not be wearing shoe before their one year old birthday, we will be happy to hear about it. There are lots of other taboos. For instance, we are not supposed to comment in front of the baby that he is a good boy or he has grown well. In fact, come to think of it, we not supposed to say anything positive in front of him. The reason is that the baby might just react negatively to such comments and behave negatively. How on earth can we start implanting positive thoughts in our babies if we can't tell them that they are OK?? And there are also a load of superstition and taboos for an expecting mother. Probably more of that in my next post. But if you any to share, it will be interesting.

So what Is SAFE??

It was reported the Yahoo News on the 26th September 2008 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080926/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_tainted_milk) that baby cereal from Heinz and Silang House steamed potato wasabi crackers were also found to be contaminated by the Hong Kong authorities. As a precautionary measure, Heinz have issued a recall of the affected product. Meanwhile, it was also reported that Marudai Food Co, in Japan has already pulled back it's products including cream buns, meat buns and creamed corn crepes from supermarkets. Macau, too have reported to have detected melamine contamination at 24 times the safety limit in Koala March's cookies, made by Lotte China Food Co.

On the 29th Sept 2008, it was reported that Cadbury, the British chocolate maker, was ordering a recall of it's Chinese-made products after saying that tests "cast doubts" on their safety. Two other US food makers have also started their investigations on Indonesian claims that high traces of melamine had been found in China-made Oreos, M&Ms and Snickers, but they stressed that the same goods had been tested negative in other Asian countries. By the way, Kraft Foods Malaysia has declared that their entire Oreo range including Oreo Wafer Sticks does not contain milk ingredients sourced from China while Mars Malaysia have also declared that "we are confident that none of our chocolate or confectionery products made in China (Snickers and M&Ms) include any dairy ingredients adulterated with melamine - and they remain safe for consumption."

Cadbury is said to have recalled 11 chocolate products made at the Beijing's factory distributed in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia. Kraft Foods Inc and Mars Inc meanwhile, said that they would adhere to a recall order of Oreo wafers, M&Ms and Snickers in Indonesia, but insisted that they wanted to conduct their own tests with outside experts. As a precaution, Hong Kong supermarket chain ParknShop was also reported to have pulled Chinese-made Oreo, M&M and Snickers off their shelves.

We, in Malaysia, have been a list of products declared as "Safe" over the last couple of days. I am personally uncertain as to whether, all the products were actually tested by the Ministry or were they declared safe based on the assurance given by the respective manufacturers. As of now, I will try to stay off dairy products as much as we possibly can and make sure that Ryan is on breast milk as much as he can until we have more positive news that the worst is over. But seriously, how would we, a small normal consumer, would ever know?????

10000 more down as a result of tainted milk

It was reported by Reuters that as many as 10,000 more additional cases of children who have developed kidney illnesses after consuming tainted milk (as reported by the The Star 27th September 2008). If this true, we are looking at a total figure of close to 64,000 babies or children becoming victims to the greed of a few man wanting to make a few dollars more. No additional deaths have been reported (four reported so far), and the WHO representative in China said that effective medical help made many more deaths unlikely. I certainly hope that they are right although I'm doubtful given the high number of children reportedly affected, the duration of which the scandal had been allowed to continue (closed to 8 months after the tainted milk incident was discovered) and the manner of which the truth has been reported so far.

It was reported that much of the additional 10000 cases were detected in Hebei, the northern province where Sanlu Dairy group is based. There were also no reports so far from China's big commercial hub such as Shanghai but the state media said that many infants may have been affected. We are likely to see more victims and possibly deaths not only from China but probably other countries where the tainted milk powder have been exported to and consumed.

In Hong Kong, a fifth child, a 10 year old boy was reported to be found suffering kidney problems related to drinking tainted milk.

StemLife - A Gift of Love, An Insurance of Hope

Collecting and storing stem cells for my baby was introduced to me a couple of months before Ryan is due by a good friend of mine. He strongly advocate the advantages and said that the benefits far outweighs the cost. I wasn't exactly paying much attention to it until 2 days before we knew Ryan would be delivered. My wife was asking me whether we should go ahead. Honestly, I have no idea then what stem cells are and what they could do. Anyway, we got in touch with one of their sales personnel who came to pay us a visit at the hospital the night before Ryan is to be delivered (Talk about last minute decision!) She came at 8pm and share with us what stem cells are and what is possible now with stem cells technology. Being a layman, I don't think I can fully comprehend the entire thing (especially when our minds were more on the arrival of Ryan the following morning).

But in nutshell, stem cells are the body's master cells that create all other tissues, organs and systems in the body and these cells are found aplenty in the cord blood which forms the building blocks for our blood and immune system. They are apparently able to reproduce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. So basically, if we harvest and store these stem cells for Ryan, these same stem cells can be used in the future should Ryan's body needs these building blocks to regenerate or reproduce new healthy blood cells or tissue to replace those damage. If you ask me, I would prefer that these stem cells would NEVER be needed at all for Ryan. Can stem cells do all that it claims and even more in the future? Why not? Who knows what science and research could do with stem cells 20 to 30 years or even 40 years in the future.

So, amidst the limited understanding that we could gathered during the 30 minutes presentation, we made the calculation of what it would cost us (painful), made the decision, filled up the forms and got the collection kit, all ready for Ryan's arrival the following morning. The basis of our decision is simple. The cost is not exorbitant. We are talking of a one time cost for RM2500 and a yearly storage fee of RM250 (with credit card installment payment). The benefits right now might not be clear but the potential of what it could do for Ryan in years to come (with ever growing and advancing technology) is definitely intriguing. The question that we asked ourselves therefore, was, "What if stem cells could do all that it claims now and more in the future when Ryan really needs them, and we have failed to provide him that opportunity?" So with that, Ryan is now a StemLife baby. For us, it is a Gift of Love and an Insurance of Hope.

For me, there goes my plans to purchase my new XBOX 360 and the portable steering wheel to simulate the speed of a Ferrari F1 tearing down the Sepang circuit or take on Hamilton at Monaco. There is still a need for speed nowadays. It's the speed of how fast I can change the diapers for Ryan before he starts yelling and the speed of preparing his bottle before he brings down the house!

I guess that is what being a parent is all about.

I am an ADDICT!

Seriously. I'm an ADDICT, and a serious one too! I'm totally and hopelessly addicted to the smell of my baby. How you ever smell them especially their head? He has a distinct baby smell and it's so pleasant and sweet. So addicted am I that I would quietly smell him as he lay sound asleep next to me during the night. I have got my wife addicted too...hehe... So now, we would both take turns smelling him at night. If you have not try it, I would strongly encourage you to try it. The best time to smell them is just after you have given them a bath or a wash up. They will smell so clean and fresh. I've not smell other babies before but I strongly believe that each baby has his or her own unique smell. And I can guarantee you that you will be an ADDICT like me before long. In fact, even my babysitter told me the other day that Ryan smells nice too! The best part is when you smell them while they are awake and they smile right back at you (like the time I did in the picture while we were holidaying at Shangrila KL). The moment is priceless......

List of Safe Dairy Products in Malaysia

The following products were declared safe by the Malaysian Government as reported by The STAR on the 24th and 25th September 2008

Company : MEAD JOHNSON
Enfalac A+;Enfalac Routine Infant Formula;Enfapro A+;Enfapro Routnine Follow Up Formula;Enfagrow A+ Vanilla;Enfagrow A+ Original;Enfagrow A+ Honey;Enfakid A+ Original;Enfakid A+ Honey;Sustagen Junior Honey;Sustagen Junior Vanilla;Sustagen Junior Chocolate;Sustagen Kid Honey;Sustagen Kid Vanilla;Sustagen Kid Chocolate;Sustagen School Honey;Sustagen School Vanilla;Sustagen School Chocolate;Enfamama A+ Chocolate;Enfamama A+ Vanilla;Enfalac A+ AR;Enfalac A+ HA;Prosobee;Enfalac LF;Enfalac A+ Premature Powder

Company: DUMEX
Bebelac EC;Bebelac FL;Bebelac Kid Step 3;Bebelac Kid Step 4;Bebelac Step 1;Bebelac Step 2;Dugro 1 Plus;Dugro 3 Plus;Dugro 6 Plus;Dulac Infant Formula;Dupro Follow Up Formula;Mamex Gold Step 1;Mamex Gold Step 2;Mamex LF;Mamil Gold Step 3;Mamil Gold Step 4;Mamil Mama
Nutrakids Cereals

Company: NESTLE
Cap Junjung sweetened beverage creamer;Cappuccino Topping;Carnation Evaporated Creamer;Coffeemate;Coffeemate Lite;Coulis De Tomato tomato sauce;Everyday Instant filled milk powder;Favorita range of products;Honey Stars breakfast cereal;Ideal Full Cream Evaporate Milk;Kit Kat range of products;Lactogen 1 with DHA;Lactogen 2 with DHA;Lactogen 3 Nan 2;Maggi fixes and Maggi soup containing milk;Mat Kool range of products;Milo Balls/Milo BFC;Milo range of products;Nan 2 with Probiotics;Nan 3;Nan HA Alcalese;Nan HA1;Nan HA2;Nescafe 3 in 1;Nescafe Body Partners;Nescafe Cappuccino ;Nescafe Latte;Nescafe Mocha Freeze;Nescafe range of can drink products;Neslac 1+ Honey;Neslac 1+ Original;Neslac 3+ Honey;Neslac 3+ Original;Nespray 1+ Honey;Nespray 1+ Original;Nespray 3+ Honey;Nespray 3+ Original;Nespray 5+ ;Nespray Cergas;Nespray Instant;Nespray UHT;Nesquik UHT;Nestle Bliss Zero;Nestle Cereals (Premium infant cereals);Nestle Complete Mashed Potato;Nestle Crunch;Nestle Dairy Sterilised Reduced Cream;Nestle Drumstick range of products;Nestle Fat Yogurt Drink;Nestle Full Cream Milk;Nestle KFC desert orange sherbert;Nestle Low Fat Milk;Nestle Milky Bar and Crunch;Nestle Nan 1;Nestle Natural Yogurt;Nestle Omega Acticol;Nestle Omega Plus Everyday Instant Filled Milk Powder;Nestle Omega UHT;Nestle Original Lime/Vanilla;Nestle Potong read bean;Nestle Prebio 1 (infant cereals with milk);Nestle Prebio 2 Rusk Banana;Nestle Prebio 2 Rusk Original;Nestle Premium Fruit;Nestle Pre-nan;Nestle range of ice cream;Nestle Sundae cup KFC Vanilla;Nestle Sundae Cup Vanilla;Nestle Tea-Time Creamer;Nestle Teh Tarik;Nestle Tropicana Lime/Vanilla;Nestle Yogurt Drinks;Nestomalt;Nesturm Cereals 3 in 1;Nesturm Sarapan Berkhasiat;Nesvita 3 in 1;Nesvita Hi Cal UHT;Nesvita High Cal Non Fat;Nesvita UHT;Nesvita with Actifibras;Nutren 1.0 Vanilla;Nutren 1.0 with Fiber Vanilla;Nutren Diabetes;Nutren Junior Vanilla;Nutren Optimum;Peptamen Junior;Peptamen Vanilla;Purell Mashed Potato Granules with skim milk;Whole Water Soluble Milo; Yoco range;Yogurt

Company: FONTERRA BRAND
Anchor butter;Anchor Colby Cheddar blend shread;Anchor cream cheese;Anchor culinary cream (UHT);Anchor full cream milk powder;Anchor mozzarella cheese;Anchor processed cheddar cheese;Anchor whipping cream (UHT);Anlene Concentrate UHT;Anlene Gold Milk Powder;Anlene Regular milk Powder (Plain/chocolate);Anlene Yogurt;Anmum growing up milk powder 1+;Anmum growing up milk powder 3+;Anmum Infacare followup formula;Anmum Infacare Infant Formula;Anmum Lacta Milk Powder;Anmum Materna Milk powder;Chesdale slice cheese;Fernleaf Calciyum yogurt;Fernleaf full cream milk powder;Fernleaf growing up milk powder 1+;Fernleaf growing up milk powder 3+;Fernleaf Instant Milk Powder;Fernleaf Kuat milk powder

Company: MAMEE
Nutrigen Cultured Milk;Nutrigen IQ3 Cultured Milk;Nutrigen Liteyo Stirred Yogurt;Nutrigen Liteyo Yogurt Drink

Company: DUTCH LADY
Completa Evaporated Milk;Dutch Lady 0% Fat Drinking Yoghurt range of products;Dutch Lady 2;Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk Powder (plain);Dutch Lady Growing Up Milk 123 range of products;Dutch Lady Growing Up Milk 456 range of products;Dutch Lady Iced Latte range of products;Dutch Lady Instant Filled Milk Powder range of products;Dutch Lady Langkah 1&2 range of products;Dutch Lady Low Fat Eating Yoghurt range of products;Dutch lady Sterilised Milk range of products;Dutch Lady UHT Milk range of Products;Frisco range of products;Frisolac 1 Gold;Frisolac 2 Gold;Frisolac Comfort;Joy Fruit Juice range of Products;Shine 0% Fat Cup Yoghurt range of products;Sweetened Creamer range of products;Yes! Grape;Yes! Orange;Yes! Strawberry;Yes! Tutti Frutti

Company: ACE CANNING
Drinho Rose Bandung;Dutch Mill;Nugrow

Company: MAESTRO SWISS FOOD
Darry's;Vico;Vochelle

Company: WYETH MALAYSIA
Enercal Plus;Nursoy;Progress;Progress Gold;Promil;Promil Gold;Promise;Promise Gold;S26;S26 Gold;S26 HMF;S26 LBW;SMA;Wyeth Mama

Company: MALAYSIA MILK SDN BHD/CORTA ENTREPRISE SDN BHD
Marigold Cream Yogurt;Marigold evaporated creamer;Marigold evaporated filled milk;Marigold HL Milk;Marigold Pasturised Milk;Marigold Sweetened condensed filled milk;Marigold sweetened creamer;Marigold sweetened creamer (From Singapore);Marigold UHT Milk;Marigold Yogurt Drink;Vitagen Collagen cultured milk drink;Vitagen cultured milk drink

Company: GLAXOSMITHKLINE
Horlicks 3 in 1;Horlicks Instant cereal drink;Horlicks Malt Food Drink;Horlicks Malties

Company: ABBOT LABORATORIES
Alimentum ;Ensure Glucerna;Gain Kid Advance EYEQ;Gain Kid EYEQ Advance Shield (NEW);Gain Plus Advance EYEQ;Gain Plus EYEQ Advance Shield (NEW);Grow 3+;Grow 6+;Isomil + Advance EYEQ;Isomil Advance EYEQ;Pediasure;Pediasure Complete;Prosure;Similac Advance EYEQ;Similac Advance EYEQ with Iron;Similac Advance Shield (NEW);Similac Gain Advance EYEQ;Similac Gain Advance Shield (NEW);Similac LF;Similac Neosure\

Company: YAKULT (MALAYSIA)
Yakult Ace

Tainted Milk - Cover up since December 2007

It was reported that Sanlu Group, the dairy firm first found to be selling melamine contaminated milk powder that sparks off a world wide panic on Chinese exported dairy products, knew or were aware of the problem as early as December 2007 when they received complaints of sick children. It was also reported that officials in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, where Sanlu is based, delayed referring the matter to higher authorities for more than a month after Sanlu finally told them about the problem on the 2nd August 2008.

The company did not act, conducted test or recall any of the products between December 2007 to 2nd August 2008 and during the eight months, have continue to allow their contaminated products to be distributed and further consumed by thousands if not millions of innocent babies.

If the problem was reported and acted upon immediately upon discovery, the damage and effects would be probably be less devastating. However, reporting an immediate problem does not seemed to be China's strength. In fact, when it is reported or when their government seemed to be aggressively reacting, often times, the problem would have already `exploded' beyond cover up. SARS vividly brings back similar sad memories of how the government has tried to cover up the problem until the problem became an international health issue and many innocent lives were sacrificed.

I can't imagine what else is still being covered up or dressed up from within. I am just waiting for the next `explosion' and only God knows what it will be. I wonder how many more lives will be affected or lost by the next cover up................

4 reported cases from tainted milk in Hong Kong

The Star reported today that Hong Kong authorities reported yesterday that two more children had fallen ill in the city with kidney stones after drinking Chinese dairy products. Hence the total number of cases reported is now four.

We have yet to hear cases reported in other countries where the milk powder has been exported to like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Africa and Taiwan. And I'm quite certain the number of cases will not stop at 53,000 in China as more parents are bringing their children into hospitals for test and treatment. Only God knows what is the actual number of affected babies as a result of pure human greed.

www.mypositiveparenting.org

I was a little caught up with the current milk contamination issue for the past few days. As expected, the news get worse every passing day, as reports of higher number of victims, widening effects of the scandal, bans and recalls by numerous countries and panic stricken parents continues to roll in. As I look at my own baby, I can only pray that he would not have to go through the pain that many babies are going through now in China. When he was taken ill when he was only 2 months old with flu, cold and cough, we were already worried sick. I just can't imagine what a wreck we will become if he too is caught in the scandal. My heart and prayer continues to go out for every single affected parent world wide. May they find the strength and endurance that is greatly needed to pull through this difficult times.

I came across an extremely helpful site by the Malaysian Paediatric Association of Malaysia, known as Positive Parenting. The site contains many useful information to both expecting mothers, parents as well as to parents with growing infants and kids. There are sections on Maternal Care, Child Care and Paediatrics, Family Matters and Nutrition (which include topics like breastfeeding and complementary feedings).

Bookmark this site for your future reference. I certainly have because I've found that bringing up a child responsibly is no easy or laughing matter. Enjoy the site and I certainly hope that the information there would greatly assist you as much as it has enlightened me.

www.mypositiveparenting.org

White Rabbit Candy - Second Time Around

The Singapore's AVA was reported to have found traces of melamine contamination in the While Rabbit Candy 2 days ago and have issued a ban and recall of this product. Following Singapore's discovery, our government has issued a similar directive. But what is interesting to me was the fact that this is not the first time that the White Rabbit Candy was caught in the limelight. An article by the Star Online dated 30th July 2007, reported that the Malaysian government has already instructed stricter checks (especially in Sabah) on this brand of candy after reports in the Philippines that samples were tainted with formaldehyde, a preservative and embalming chemical that can cause cancer. However, AP reported that China has resumed shipments of candy to the Philippines after tests by the Chinese government showed the chemical was not present in the product.
According to Shanghai-based candy manufacturer Guan Shen Yuan Company, distributors in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong had performed their own tests and found the confection to be formaldehyde-free. One year later, I guess all these governments would have to ban the same product that is now tainted with melamine. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/30/nation/18433637&sec=nation.

Malaysia was reported to be imported a total of RM58bil worth of goods from China in 2006 and is the third largest buyer of China-made products. Given the current melamine contamination scandal and the list of products banned by many other countries due to various contamination, this is definitely not welcoming news for a normal consumer in this country. The question is, can we live without any China-made products in our lives?

Is this safe?

The Star Online reported today that the Malaysian government has widened it's ban on dairy products imported from China to include confectionery that include milk, chocolate, chocolate milk, white chocolate and other foods that contain milk. This decision was apparently made following the discovery by Singapore's AVA that the `White Rabbit Creamy Candy' imported from China was found to be contaminated by melamine.

Out of curiosity, I was browsing through a supermarket to see whether are there any dairy products or confectionery products manufactured in China that are still on our shelves. I came across this bar of Skittles Candies (shown in picture) that cost me Rm1.49. A closer check revealed that this candy was manufactured by Mars Foods (China) Co Ltd. Made In China. Although there is no specific mention of milk or dairy related ingredient (as understood by a man on the street like me), the question is therefore, is this bar of candy safe for my child? Are there any other similar products in the market today? Honestly, I don't know but I am totally agreeable to ban all such related products from China.

In fact, I'm curious as to how our government safeguards the consumers against imported products to ensure that these products are safe and free from any contamination, or unsafe additives. Whenever we pick up a can of imported luncheon meat, corn beef, a packet of imported sausages, or a can of pickled vegetables or a bottle of imported oyster sauce, how can we be sure that they are safe? Or we would never know until someone somewhere falls seriously ill before we start banning such products. Are we therefore passive and reactive instead of pro-actively ensuring that all imported food products undergo stringent tests before they are allowed into the country? I wonder.............

Tainted Milk - Tip of an Iceberg

As I predicted, the damage of the recent tainted milk scandal in China has spread like uncontrollable wild fire. Japan Today reported that the Chinese Health authorities have reported over 39,000 cases reported as treated and recovered while another 13,000 infants are still hospitalised. Yahoo News reported today that over 13,000 infants were taken ill and 80% of the those affected were under 2 years old. http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/health-officials-say-50000-sickened-by-tainted-milk-in-china

Contaminated products now extend beyond just baby milk powder. More contamination were reported found in regular milk (reported by Star World 19/9/08) while it was reported that Hong Kong authorities have found melamine contamination in drinks, ice-creams and yogurt made by Yili, one of the big brands that was selling the contaminated milk on the mainland. It was also reported that Hong Kong's two main supermarket chains were recalling milk powder made by Swiss manufacturer Nestle after a newspaper reported it contains melamine. It's a case of better be sorry than wrong.

As the damage spreads, countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and Brunei have been reported to either ban or recall all China imported dairy products. The first case of kidney stone as a result of drinking melamine tainted milk was also reported in Hong Kong over the weekend to a 3 year old girl. Meanwhile Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has also issued a warning that White Rabbit Creamy Bar, a popular Chinese brand of sweet milk was also found contaminated with melamine. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080922/wl_nm/china_milk_dc_5. It was reported in the Star World news on the 20th September 2008 that Singapore's AVA have also found traces of melamine in their Dutch Lady-brand strawberry milk manufactured in China.

Taiwanese company King Car Co. was reported to have announced recalling packs of it's Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk powder imported from China.

Fonterra, the New Zealand based multinational company and world largest exporter of dairy products who owns a miniority 43% shares of the scandal related Sanlu in China, assures consumers in Malaysia that their products which include Annum, Fernleaf, Anlene, Chesdale and Anchor are 100% safe. It claims that all it's dairy products in Malaysia have been using only imported milk from New Zealand.

Although Malaysia has assured that we do not import any dairy products from China and have banned the import of such products, I'm not sure whether the government could control the entry of such products via other `means'. There are many greedy businessmen out there who would `go all out' to earn an extra dollar and Chinese products with their low cost would certainly looked attractive. In fact, during one of my conversation with one of the retailers, he was taken aback and told me that While Rabbit Creamy Bar was found to be contaminated. He claimed that he apparently have carried such stock in his store before although he doesn't have any of them now. Well, although this claim could not be vouched, but there is a real risk that such products could have entered the country unknown to our government.

It was reported in the Star World news today (22/09/08) that more than 40 tonnes of Chinese-imported food products has been recalled in South Korea since 2006 because they contained inedible and harmful substances. It was reported by Yonhap news agency that 40.6 tonnes of imports had been discarded as bacteria, carcinogens (any substance that is any agent directly involved in the promotion of cancer) and other banned additives were found in them. Their food safety regulators reports Chinese-imported cookies and cakes were last year found repeatedly to contain cancer-causing substances like cyclamate nitrofuran. 13 tonnes of Chinese-imported snacks were also reported recalled earlier this year.

It's shocking. For now, I am checking the manufacturing and packaging country of all the products that I'm picking up from the shelves and anything that distinctly looks like there are being from China would definitely remain on the shelves and not my home.

Tainted Milk Reported found in Australia!

The Australian Online newspaper reported on the 17th Sept that they have found melamine contamination in 69 brands of baby milk powder nationwide, including an Australian-China joint venture, Torador Dairy Industry, (one of the 22 companies reported with tainted product) located in northern Tianjian. http://article.wn.com/view/2008/09/16/Australian_venture_in_baby_milk_scandal/

Meanwhile, the MiamiHerald.com reported that the Chinese government is acknowledging that up to 10,000 babies could have consumed the tainted milk powder. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/international/story/687844.html

The circle of damage is certainly widening!

Made In China, Imported from Hell

Tainted milk in China claimed the 4th victim yesterday. As the government finally cracks down on the baby milk production companies, they have found nearly 70 milk products tainted from 20 companies. Out of 175 companies, at least 66 have been reported to have stop production. What is even more alarming is that their largest production company, Mengniu has also been tested positive while another large company found positive is Yili. Although most claimed that the tainted milk powder were marketed and distributed domestically, these companies are known to export their product to several other countries such as Taiwan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Chad, Burundi and even Hong Kong. I'm not sure whether any of the products were exported to Malaysia although I remembered reading it in the papers that one of the companies do. Our ministry has assured us that none of the tainted products were imported but then again, who do we trust anymore. In fact, what product and whose product should we trust now? The world is in a crisis. In fact, it was reported that Hong Kong has ordered for a recall when melamine was found in ice cream bar made by Shanghai Yili AB Foods. So, we are talking of a much wider impact as the test and search has expanded to include and indicate contamination of food other than milk powder.

If any of the exports did include the tainted milk powder, the impact and damage is going to be much more widespread and what we are seeing in China is probably the tip of an iceberg.

China has been outrageous and not new to all these scandals. This is the second reported scandal involving baby milk powder. It was reported in 2004 that 13 infants in eastern China's Anhui province died of nutritional deficiencies after being fed sub-standard milk powder and over 170 infants fell sick in what the Chinese press said involved pirated Sanlu products.

Melamine was also reported to have tainted pet food in US (again reportedly imported from China) in 2007 resulting in a high number of death among cats and dogs. The investigation conducted raise the alarm of the possibility of melamine contamination not only in pet feed but also all animal feed as well as the human food supply. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_protein_export_contamination.

So, what do we buy from China? Or rather, what do we dare to buy from China anymore? If you pick up a can of luncheon meat with the Made from China label despite being 50% cheaper as compared to other imported brands, do you buy? If we don't buy, and opt for the imported brands, they are so much more expensive and burn an even bigger hole in our home budget deficit. So, what can we do?

For me, we will stick with home manufactured good old breast milk as much as we possibly can for Ryan. And we will try cooking more vegetables and rely less on canned and preserved food for now.

Nothing good comes out from China!!

6244 babies sick and 3 died from tainted milk powder in China!! How outrageous! I just can't imagine the length that some people will go just to earn an extra dollar. Just because for the extra profit, many more innocent young lives are now on the line. Looking at the pictures of these pitiful faces, my heart aches and cried out for justice. I do not even want to begin to think what if the child laying in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment is mine. I can truly feel what the parents must be feeling....anxiety, fear, pain and above all anger.

China again hogs international limelight. I'm watching astro even as I typed this post, and they are showing videos of the number of parents with their babies packing hospitals seeking treatment. It seemed that nothing good and honest will ever come out from China. To mask their watered-down milk to make it appear higher in protein, these heartless `businessmen' added melamine, a banned chemical used in plastics. It was reported that infants who have consumed these tainted milk powder between 3 to 6 months have developed acute kidney failure. More news here : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_china_baby_formula_recall;_ylt=ArmdX5PhKCkBc1wiCwB.zmuaK8MA

My search on melamine and what it is used for is shocking. Melamine is apparently invented in 1830's. Composed of nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon, melamine is a material used to make plastics and laminates. When combined with formaldehyde and at extreme heat, melamine will form a moldable material that once cooled off, will hardened and is virtually UNBREAKABLE and is dishwasher safe. Although not toxic to the body, it will quickly creates kidney stones and renal failure once consumed. I shivered at the thought of these foreign materials being consumed on a daily basis by babies whose fragile and tiny bodies are yearning for nutrient to grow.

I pray that the poor affected babies will recover and that the affected parents will be given strength to go throught this very difficult times. I pray that the culprits be bought to justice. For now, I don't think I will place too much trust in anything made in China (not that I have all these years).

Watch him grow..PRICELESS!!!

I was sick with a very serious throat infection since last Friday. The fever drained me of so much energy that I was literally sleeping almost 20 hours a day for the first 2 to 3 days. The fever, the blocked nose, the sore throat, the body aches were unbearable....but what is more unbearable is that the fact that I have to distance myself from Ryan and minimize my contacts with him over the last one week. He was infected with a flu when he was only 2 months old and the poor boy was so miserable. His nose was blocked and he throat was sore. He would coughed and coughed and coughed and round it up with his typical frown and a sigh! It's so painful and pitiful to see him going through that. He is a tough boy. He didn't cry excessively, but we did in our hearts. Now that I'm better, I'm so surprised to see him grow so much! He has definitely grown a little longer. His neck is so strong now that he can literally support himself and he loves every minute of it. He is so chatty nowadays that he wants to chat and play even well past 1 in the morning! AND he LOVES CARTOON! How I missed him the last one week and seeing him grow and develop. Seeing him grow is such an adventure. I don't think I can imagine myself being away from him for more than a couple of days. Maybe it's because I'm getting older or maybe it's because I didn't take the opportunity with my two elder children from my first marriage. Family becomes more important to me now as compared when i was much younger. I have my regrets of not really being there to watch my elder son and daughter grow and those years missed shall never return. And for that, I don't intend to make the same mistake with Ryan. If you are a father reading this, I hope that you too will take some time off to watch them grow. It's priceless!!!!

A bit of an `Uncle' Everyday

Ran out of milk powder the other day. Wow! It was like yesterday that we bought that tin. He is on breast milk mostly at night and will only take milk powder when he is with his nanny or when we go out. Can't imagine what if he is fully on milk powder. Anyway, it is time again to go shopping and the prices of baby formula is exorbitant! He is on Enfalac A+ now. I was checking every hyper mart, medical hall, pharmacy or superstore that I was at and mentally taking note of the price and trying hard to compare to the last price checked. I found that the price for a tin of 900g Enfalac A+ varies from RM58.90 to as high as RM69 at different outlets! Can you imagine spending an additional RM10 per tin if I had not checked or compared the prices! I bought 3 tins immediately at RM58.90 at the Pasaraya MegaHerbs and Food Sdn Bhd located at Taman Megah,Petaling Jaya. (..and I did check the expiry date and it's 2010)

And suddenly it dawns on me that I am becoming more careful when it comes to spending, or, many would probably said that I'm becoming more `Uncle' or `Auntie'. I guess unconsciously, the amount of money that we have spent on Ryan and are still spending has made us more prudent. It's definitely financially heavy to bring up a baby especially with today's escalating cost and expenses. I am not sure how much we have already spend on him but i am certain that it's going to cost A LOT MORE! Emmm....maybe I'll compile a list of items that we have spent preparing for his arrival and his daily expenses now...I guess many would be parents or young couples might put off the idea of starting a family once they look at that list! Hehe.....

For those who are already expecting, congratulations and too bad...there is no turning back. Just got to be more `Auntie' or `Uncle' like me and march on. Watch out for the hot deals that I'll try to update this blog from time to time, and share with the rest of us if you have a better deal somewhere. I'm sure all of us here (me definitely) will be grateful.......:)