Mummy’s entry – One stubborn chilli padi

Haye Li is one hard headed little lady. She has been pretty vocal as a baby and believe you me, if she can really talk properly in our lingo, we would be hearing a whole lot of from her. Already, we are having an earful of baby jabbers!

She wants her way ALL the time and if we do not give in to her, she will use her crying tactics in which I would just let her cry it out (okay, it also depends on what she wants). At times, offering alternatives works but there are times, she only wants that one thing and will start going into a tantrum fit. I seriously dread when she goes into the terrible twos stage.

Recently, I started her on actual brushing on her 6 tiny teeth. Before this, it was just wet facial cottons over her gums (this was before she had real teeth) and this also she disliked it which was why I gave up till recently. She loves the actual brushing, too much in fact that she wants to brush on her own. I will let her after I have brushed it proper for her. But little miss independent doesn’t like me brushing for her that she insist she brushes her own. And by insisting means not cooperating with me, pushing my hands away, start lying on the toilet floor with some kicking, screaming, crying and whining (my neighbours probably think that I’m slaughtering her). I had to force it on her while telling her over and over again that I will brush for her first before she can do it herself. This struggling went on for like a week before she finally got the message. She lets me brush for her after she sucks off the ‘toothpaste’ (Orajel Toddler’s training toothpaste that I got from the States) in which I have to do it really quick before she starts grabbing the toothbrush. I have to praise her so that she knows I’m proud of her that she allows me to brush for her, etc.

I think this is also after a night of CRYING-IT-OUT session 2 nights ago. She woke up finding herself in her cot (which she totally hates now and I seldom use her cot and allow her to sleep with me on my bed) and she went into a fit! So I took her out and put her on my bed thinking that she would fall asleep again but I was wrong. She asked for nen-nen (she will say "nen-nen" when she wants them) which I didn’t want to give since she just drank like an hour before (I’m still trying to train her to sleep longer which I’m failing miserably as she STILL wakes up 3-4 times every night!) so I told her that my nen-nen has finished and that there’s no more. She didn’t buy it and went into her fits session. So I told her that I can make her milk for her and she cried even louder (like I said, when she wants something, she only wants that!). So I just let her cry on the bed.

Rye Li was already sleeping on the bed and this girl was squirming around and kicking all over and poor Rye Li was getting all the kicks and hearing all the screaming she made. Rye Li must have been really tired and she was still sleeping and didn’t wake up from all that disturbing. LOL!

Anyway, by this time I was really mad at Haye Li and brought her out of the room to make her milk. She was still crying so loud and wriggled in my arms while I made her milk. I was so tempted to leave her on the floor and just let her cry it out there and then but I didn’t and tried to manage not to drop her from her struggles.

What a waste of my time making her milk as she refused it and continued crying in the room. I got so fed up, I brought her out of my room again thinking that she may want her kakak instead but she also refused the maid. And even though she wanted me, while I was carrying her, she would pushed me away as if she doesn’t want me and if I let her down, she would scream for me to carry her. So it was basically, “this cannot, that cannot” mood with her. So I brought her into my room again and just let her be on the bed crying. She went on screaming and crying, refusing her bottle of milk.

By this time, I just had about enough and put her down on the floor which of course, she cried louder but I didn’t care this time (and since Rye Li could sleep all through that noise anyway). So while she cried, I just watched her cry. Interestingly, she was standing up, holding on to the bed (I thought she would be lying down on the floor and do her tantrums thingy) and just cried while going “pah-pah” (suppose to be “pau-pau” which means wants to be carried in mandarin). After several minutes or so, hubby just got home from Penang and walked into the room. In all that noise, she didn’t hear him walk in and I went “see who has come back? papa came back already”. She didn’t even look at the door but instead screamed louder as if she sense there was a ghost and her eyes had that shocked look. So I picked her up and she hugged me close and screamed and screamed as if she really saw a ghost. Hubby talked to her but it was of no use.

I brought her out of the room again and she cried for another 10 minutes or so. When finally she has calmed down, I brought her back into the room. She still asked for her nen-nen and I told her that it has finished. She wasn’t happy, cried again a little and after I explained again and again, she finally took the milk bottle and fell asleep.

By the way, no, I’m not weaning her off her nen-nen yet. It’s just because it was only like 10pm then and usually her next feed from my boobs would be after 12am onwards which is like another 3 times before we all wake up in the mornings.

Anyway, the next day, she was better behaved and allowed me to brush her teeth without a fuss. And she also allowed me again today. So the crying-it-out method is working. :D

This girl knows that hubby and I will scold her which is why she loves the maid as the maid is the only one that doesn’t scold her. She prefers her kakak over hubby and hubby has gotten the cold treatment from Haye Li already. Many times in fact and by being cold means she won’t even look or acknowledge hubby, she will push his hands away when hubby wants to carry her or touch her.

When she falls down and hurt herself badly, we will carry her and try to soothe her. Most babies will just hold on to you and want to be hugged or soothed in these situations. Not my Haye Li, she will push you away and struggle herself free while crying.

She is one stubborn little missy alright! [Anyone wants to adopt her? :D Just kidding! Haye Li, we love you still no matter how stubborn you are!]