Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Some pics to share ... a leisurely evening swim, relaxing on the rocker after an early morning bath and sibling love.

Monday, 20 October 2008

Over the weekend, we brought nat to Jacob Ballas. It's been some time since we visited this playground for kids and of course, our little sweetheart had a great time. Weather was kind of hot and after some time, her cheeks looked really rosy. Look at the pics!

Today, didi lucas went for his first injection. Just like nat, his pediatrician is Dr Terence Tan. A really nice and good doctor, he always makes you feel that your kid is in very safe hands with him. Dr Tan commented that didi is growing well, he is a big boy with a growing appetite for milk. At about 1.5 months, didi is weighing 5.3 kg and has a height of 54 cm. I asked him about didi's slightly jaundiced look as well as the white pimple spots on his face. He reassured me that these would naturally go off after a few months.

Love my kids ... although sometimes when both are crying at the top of their voices, it can be quite a pain but well, that's all part and parcel of motherhood, I guess.

Friday, 17 October 2008

It's great staying at home with the kids. Although I feel that half the time, my maid and I are stressed out trying to handle the needs of both. Nat has taken to running around at full speed these days and we have to watch out for her to make sure she doesn't fall or bang into didi.

I'm still trying to introduce new and creative activities for her to do daily, as you will see from the pics. Jigsaws and stuff ... she's also progressed from her chinese reader on spiders to another book. I am glad though that she loves to read. Whenever I ask her if she would like to read a book, she will drop whatever she is doing and quickly take out her favourite book, make herself comfy in mummy's lap and read.

Tantrums are still a daily occurence, including loud screaming sessions which I have managed to capture in a video. I look forward to the day when nat is all grown up and she and I will look back at these videos and laugh :)

Didi's sleeping habits seem to have improved slightly, at least we are not taking 2 hours to lull him to bed and he is sleeping slightly longer before waking up for his next feed. It's interesting though, it is these first few months that the babies change so much, every week you look at him, his features seem to change slightly. He is starting to remind me more of nat when she was his age ...

Love the kids to bits and there's this pic I took just yesterday, of both of them sleeping together, very sweet, that's wat you call a truly Kodak moment.

Monday, 13 October 2008

This weekend, we brought nat to Mimolette for brunch. Heard that the brunch there is pretty popular, so we decided to check it out. The other great attraction is that Mimolette is located near the horse riding club so nat had plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with the horsies. In fact, on the morning that we went there, they were having some kind of horse riding competition and we got to see the horses trotting to the fast rhythm of catchy music, quite cool. It's really quite a nice place to spend a lazy weekend morning and the kids will surely love it. Just look at the pics and you will know that nat really enjoyed herself thoroughly.

My little sweetheart is now a full fledged toddler, always clear of her likes and dislikes. When we play certain songs/music that she does not like, she will put up her hands and say "don't want". The other day, I was just singing the "Ten green bottles, sitting on the wall" song to her (I know it's not the most creative song but I was trying to lull her to sleep.) and she said "don't want". Haha, I was hurt, how could she reject mummy's nice vocals.

As for baby lukie, he has really filled up since his newborn days. Not sure if he is going through a growth spurt but he sure is drinking lots of milk. Only thing is that these past few nights, he has been wide awake from 12am. Wonder if it is because he sleeps too much in the afternoon? Anyway, mummy has been having not much sleep because of his nocturnal preferences. Let's hope he will settle down into a better sleep routine soon.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

I have decided to make a more diligent effort to introduce various activities to nat, since I am on maternity leave. I have since been reading up on homeschooling and am trying to source for different activities for her. For today, we started off with reading the alphabets and a Chinese story book.

Looks like Chinese is something very foreign to nat. I read to her a book about a spider and she was very keen to tell me that it was a spider. However, when I spoke in Chinese and told her the spider was also a 蜘蛛, she looked at me in surprise and burst out laughing. After reading the book a few times though, she seems more receptive to the language and even ventured to pronouce 蜘蛛, although it really sounds nothing like the real thing.

Today, she also did some simple scrawling and drawing on white paper, haha, definitely ain't no artist but at least it lets her unleash some pent-up energy.

Didi lucas blissfully slept through all the noise.

Monday, 6 October 2008

Baby Lucas had his first month celebrations yesterday, down at our condo function room. There was a kind of deja vu feeling, after all, nat's one-month celebrations was held, just a year ago at the same place. Lucas slept amidst all the noise, that's the thing about my kids, they are kind of trained to sleep with the tv, radio and all kinds of noise ongoing in the background. Nat also had fun hanging out with her friends, it's interesting to observe them, think they are getting to an age where they can interact with one another already. Nat was chasing after Jamie for biscuits ... and Jamie was "not pleased" haha ... they are really quite cute to watch. Luv my baby's pretty dress, these days, she is not so tomboy! We put some pretty clips in her hair and ask her to look in the mirror and she really does! After she checks herself out, she'll run back and ask if she's pretty, such a sweetheart hor! That's one of the joys of having a baby girl.

Saturday, 4 October 2008

Today, we brought nat to Dempsey for breakfast. There is this neat little cafe called The Pantry near the Lowen Gardens section that is a great place for kids. They have a large playarea with slides, ride-ons and even a trampoline. Nat had a really good time jumping on the trampoline. Let the pics speak for themselves. Do check it out if you have the chance.

Also, more updates on nat's potty training endeavours. Every morning, just before her bath, nat will sit at the potty. She seems to have accepted this routine without much resistance. While sitted at the potty, my maid will talk to her and entertain her and before you know it, she's done her morning poop for the day. I think I read somewhere that potty training comes naturally, the child will show that they are ready for potty training, either through actions or verbally, when they are well and ready. From my experiences with nat, I think this is true. Also heard somewhere that boys usually take longer to be potty trained ... well ... will let you know when lucas is ready for his potty training.

Thursday, 2 October 2008

My confinement lady will be off next week, so fast hor, time flies! And baby lucas will sleep with gary and me for the next few months, until his sleep routine is more stabilised. Nothing too exciting to update for the moment, after all, this is confinement period :) Here's a pic of my little pretty miss, just after her bath.

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Good news ... today marks nat's first successful attempt at the potty. In the evening, while we were playing with her, she suddenly gave her "poo" face and went "poo poo". Swiftly, we whisked her off to the bathroom and made her sit at the potty. A few minutes later, she successful pooed. Now, we just have to be more diligent in her potty training and before long, I'l be able to save on diapers :) hee hee what a glorious thought!

Monday, 29 September 2008

This mummy has been very bias, I took many pics of nat when she was first born but somehow, not capturing as many pics of lucas. Never mind, it's not too late to start now. Here is a pic of lucas at 2 weeks 6 days old. Lukie has filled up over the past 2 weeks and is not as scrawny as when he was first born.

Sunday, 28 September 2008

2 weeks into confinement is a good time to share my thoughts on breastfeeding. As with nat, I always feel that breast is best and if possible, will try to give lucas breastmilk for up to 6 months. With nat, I lasted for 4 months, sigh, got lazy when I went back to work.

It's important to let baby latch onto you right after he/she is born. This latching should continue throughout the first few days, although, it seems a bit silly as the milk supply is not established yet. But believe me, it's worth it. My milk supply has since been increasing ... much to lucas' delight. In fact, sometimes, the milk supply is so much that I end up spraying "fountains" of breastmilk on him. To prevent this, I sometimes pump some of the milk out so that when lucas latches on, it's just right. Interesting hor, never knew there was an art behind breastfeeding?

Milk supply can also be increased by consuming the right kinds of food. I've been drinking lots of herbal soups, milk, milo, red dates longan tea and any other form of liquids that I can lay my hands on. It sure is nice though, being served food and drinks at all hours of the day, one reason why I always enjoy my confinement time.

As for nat, just like some of my mummy friends, we are all facing our toddlers' entrance into the terrible twos. She's a real sweetheart most times but when she throws a tantrum, you really wanna throw up your hands in exasperation.Screaming and crying are common occurences throughout the day, especially at meal and sleeping times. This weekend though, nat spent a lot of time bonding with daddy. Running around the playground, swimming at the pool, she's really attached to daddy and I'm glad for that.

These days, her favourite activities are drawing using chalk at the balcony and building stuff with megabloks.It's really not easy to come up with creative ways to entertain nat and sometimes it is so much easier to just put her in front of the television, but persist I shall ... and will look out for more interesting things to do with nat. Oh yes, if you look at the pics below, I am pleased to announce that my baby has given me my first flower :) am mighty pleased with that. Look closely, it's a small yellow flower in her hand.

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Today, I went to the doc for a check-up. At the doc's, I saw a picture of a smiling baby. After that, I suddenly felt a lot happier, I'm not sure why either. I guess it's been a really stressful time, since lucas was born, having to juggle the demands of 2 kids. And somewhere along the way, I forgot what it is like to be happy.

At times like this, you need to remind yourself that life is not just about catering to the logistics and physical needs of the kids, it's also about loving them with all your heart every day. Children are blessings in your life, bratty as they might be. I often look back at nat's baby photos and find myself smiling at her cute little antics. As for lucas, although only 2 weeks old, I have fond memories of him in my tummy, kicking and stretching away. These are feelings and emotions that cannot be described in words but one of the greatest experiences in my life.

Moving on, I think gary and I will be working hard to adapt our relationship to life with 2 kids. No relationship stays static always and I think it is necessary for a couple to learn to re-adjust the relationship as life moves on. After all, after the kids grow up and leave the roost, it is back to us as a couple and it's always nice to have an occasional spark and excitement in the relationship.

Sunday, 21 September 2008

Good friends are people you may not meet often but who keep you in their hearts always. And hermity as I am, I am glad to have a handful of good friends around me. It's especially heartwarming, after the birth of both nat and lucas, when my frens drop by to visit, chit chat and shower the kiddos with gifts. Another friend even got her mum to make some nice yummy soup especially for me. These are really nice gestures that make me feel really happy. While the first month after delivery is usually an emotional time for me, especially on days when I feel very tired and fatigued, surprises like this diaper cake from my good friends usually help lift up my spirits a lot.

Another person that is close to me and deserves a special thanks is gary, of course. After all, he put up with 9 months of emotional highs and lows from me and let me assure you, that's a real feat. In fact, during the actual delivery, his being there and supporting me really helped make the birth process easier. His holding my hand while the doc was administering the epidural, his falling asleep at the lounge chair while waiting for contractions to set in, his witnessing the birth of baby nat and lucas (and confidently cutting the umbilical cord for lucas ... it took 3 tries for nat), his encouragement for me to push (although I was really too numb from the epidural to feel anything), his excitement in taking the pics of both nat and lucas after their births with his stylo-milo SLR camera, these are memories that both of us will remember and treasure for a long time to come. I'm documenting this down in the blog though, just in case both of us get senile.

Friday, 19 September 2008

The truth about confinement traditions, revealed in my latest post. When you are in confinement, it means that you are to be confined at home, not to venture out unnecessarily. I've always pooh-poohed at this suggestion. How can one stay at home for one month without getting out? So yesterday evening, I popped out for a quick cup of coffee with my friend. When I got home, I felt increasingly tired and lethargic. The stomach felt a bit queasy, as if there was a lot of wind. I've since slept off the tiredness and now at 2:30am, after feeding baby lucas, am feeling slightly better. I guess I have also learnt my lesson, no more gallivanting around the neighbourhood, at least not for the next month.

Another interesting observation I would like to share is on confinement ladies. I think they are a good source of support and help during a mummy's first month of delivery. That's when the wounds are still hurting and baby is at his/her most needy stage. But they are not for everyone. From my experience with 2 confinement ladies so far, here are my observations:

1. They are likely to play you out last minute, be prepared for that. It's happened to me twice already. Near the date of delivery, when I call the lady to confirm the date she will need to be at my place, I am given some excuse or other about her unavailability. In the end, they will end up recommending a friend and as it is pretty late to source for another one, you will often end up taking on her recommendation.

2. They talk you to death. I think it's because they get really bored just managing the baby all day and night. Whenever they get a chance, they will jump at the opportunity to chit chat with people who visit me, be it friends of relatives. Even in the wee hours of the morning, when I am feeding baby lucas, my confinement lady likes to chit chat ... I guess it's ok for me, I just sit and listen.

3. Yet, casting all the irritations aside, if you think you can stand the above 2 points, you should seriously consider getting a confinement lady to help you through this period. After all, it's nice to have someone there to pamper you, bringing baby to you when he/she is in need of a feed, ensuring that you have 3 nutritious meals, making you a milo or oats at all times of the day, changing baby's nappies and allowing you to take a nap or two in the day. I don't know, maybe I am just a lazy mummy ... because I know many friends who would rather manage their newborns on their own, without someone interfering along the way. Oh well, let me just trudge on along on my confinement journey and try to enjoy it. After all, it's only a month.

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

Lucas is just like his sister. We just went to the pediatrician yesterday and found out that he has jaundice. So we rented the phototherapy machine once again. The friendly old man who delivered the machine asked us "Didn't you just rent it from us last year?" haha he sure has the memory of an elephant.

I have also begun my post natal massage for 2 days already. I think its quite good. The lady uses enough pressure, combined with the hot oil, effect is really quite shiok! After the whole session, she binds the tummy. I asked gary and he said my tummy seems to have shrunk ... and I don't look like I am still 3 months pregnant anymore. Phew!

Nat is a really good jie jie. Every day, she will ask the confinement lady to carry didi and she will plant a kiss on his cheek. She really is a sweetheart.

Sunday, 14 September 2008

Milk flow is starting to trickle in, it's always a nice feeling when your milk supply is kickstarted, it means baby is finally going to get more milk and nutrition. Today, we tried letting baby lucas sleep on his front and he seems to like it. He managed to sleep through most of the morning. Nat is a real sweetheart, she loves her didi and even offered to carry him ... haha ... maybe later when is a bit more sturdy.

Saturday, 13 September 2008

Baby names - a subject we'd been mulling over for months prior to the birth of No. 2. Many good names, some compelling, others unremarkable. We'd earlier decided to name baby Isaac, but fate has pushed his name back to the original name we'd liked and loved many months earlier - Lucas. In a sense we've come full circle :)

So there you have it - baby Lucas. Just hope there won't be any more changes before the 2 week name registration deadline is up!

Saturday, 13 September 2008

A quick update on life as a mummy of 2 :)

Nat seems to have adapted well to life with didi around. When didi cries, she runs into his room excitedly, running circles around us and attempting to climb up the cot to see all the action. When she realises that the cot is too high, she will turn to me and say "carry" ... so demanding hor. With the frequency of breastfeeding Isaac, I sometimes feel that I am not spending enough time with my darling nat. Although she doesn't seem too affected, I do feel guilty. Hopefully this will pass, I guess the most difficult period is these first few months, once we settle back into a routine, things will be fine. Meanwhile, every morning, I ensure I go into nat's room and tell her how much I love her when she wakes up in the morning and in the evening I always make sure I kiss her when she goes to bed.

Isaac is starting to show his fiesty little personality. When he demands milk and he doesn't get it fast enough, he lets out the loudest wail possible. I certainly do not recall nat having such a loud voice. Whenever you put him near the breast during feeding, he will open and close his mouth, chomping excitedly. He is definitely a night owl like his daddy. Come nightfall, he is curious and alert and always ready for milk. Luckily, I am used to surviving on little sleep.

I guess after the excitement of delivery, the hormones start to kick in again and I find myself being kind of moody. I guess it will pass, for now, do pardon me if I am being crabby.

Thursday, 11 September 2008

Here's baby Isaac's birth story:

Our darling Isaac was born on 9 September 2008. On Monday, I had gone to my doc for my regular check-up. Was getting mighty irritated as there wasn't any sign that baby was coming. At the clinic, got hooked up to the CTG monitor to check on baby's heartbeat and contractions, but it seemed rather unlikely that Isaac was ready.

Surprisingly, when doc did a check, she said I was already 3cm dilated. Goody, finally some action. She said that we could wait and let baby decide when he wanted to come out or I could just pick a day and she would break the water bag and induce baby to come out. Of course, i chose the latter. Was getting quite uncomfortable and grumpy already.

So, we chose to have the baby induced that evening. It was quite stress-free as we made our way to the hospital after dinner. My doc dropped by at about 8pm, broke the water bag and got the action kickstarted. As usual, I asked for epidural very early on.

This time round, the epidural seemed very strong and I drifted in and out of sleep. Din feel much pain anyway due to the epidural. Before I knew it, I was already 9cm dilated. This time round, I had some difficulty pushing the baby out, could be due to the numbness from the epidural or the fact that Issac is almost 500g heavier than his sister. Anyway, I huffed and I puffed till my face turned red and he was still not out. Doc decided to use a vacumn to assist me as baby's heartbeat was showing some distress. A good move, as I was getting tired and I seriously doubt I could have continued pushing him out on my own. With the vacumn, Isaac came out in 1 or 2 pushes.

Seeing Isaac in my arms, hearing his first cry and having gary there to support me through both Nat and Isaac's births ... these are truly blessings in life that I am forever grateful for.

Thursday, 11 September 2008

We are back! With a new member added to our brood. Meet Isaac :)

I'll blog about Isaac's birth story later ... it's a bit more dramatic than nat's birth story ... but nevertheless once again, I am glad for this little blessing in my life.

P.S: Doesn't Isaac look like a little gary? Especially in the second pic.

Thursday, 4 September 2008

It's me ... still here ... haven't popped yet. I guess it's too early, only 37 weeks. Have experienced some tightness in the tummy, but nothing too indicative that #2 will be here this week. So patience I guess ...

Nat is currently going through this phase where she likes to scream. Anytime she doesn't get her way, she screams ... it drives me nuts! I try to be stern with her and it seems to work sometimes, but 5 minutes later, she's at it again. Well, let's hope it's just a passing phase.

On a positive note, she has been talking more lately. She is quick to learn new words from us and chatters all day long. We bought her this DVD called Leapfrog Letter Factory about 2 weeks ago, and she loves it. I think it's a great way to teach kids the alphabets and phonics. After just 2 weeks, she is able to articulate the sounds of A (ah), B (ber), C (ker) ... etc. The interesting thing is that she never gets tired of watching it. I fall asleep watching her watch the DVD haha!

Well, I hope #2 decides that he's ready to come out soon. I'm kinda tired!

Monday, 1 September 2008

Still here, haven't popped yet. Not too fond of this waiting game, hope #2 is finally ready to come out this week. They say that walking induces labour so this weekend I've been walking around, everywhere, let's see if it works.

On Saturday, my old maid finally went home. Brought nat along to send her off at the airport. As expected, Nat cried when she went off through the gantry, it's amazing how an 18-month old toddler understands that the maid is leaving and never coming back again. Anywayz, she got over it 10 min later when i bribed her with some MacDonalds.

The new maid has been quite good, but I shall reserve from praising her too much, it's early yet. One thing though, she's not a bad cook. Last week, she cooked fried noodles for dinner, this week, she cooked chicken rice. It's quite yummy!

All in all, have had quite an ok weekend, now just waiting for #2's arrival.

Monday, 25 August 2008

I'm 36 weeks and so ready to pop. Getting tired a lot more easily and backaches as well. My new maid just arrived over the weekend and my current maid is going home next weekend. Lots of new activities over this week, like settling the new maid in, getting nat accustomed to her, re-organizing the furniture in the house in anticipation of #2's arrival, settling outstanding stuff at work. Quite tiring just thinking about it. Due to a sudden lack of energy, it's been harder to handle nat these few weeks. So i'm hoping I'll pop quickly.

With the impending arrival of #2, it's also dawned on me that life will be different with 2 kids, of a young age running around the house. It's quite intimidating and scary at times you know? But I guess that whichever path we take, we just have to grit our teeth and embrace the experiences as they come along. Of course, there will be stress but we shouldn't forget the joy that will accompany these experiences too.

Monday, 11 August 2008

Nat learns Chinese. We've been speaking English to nat since she was born, she listens to a French boy choir and sleeps to Malay music on the radio (courtesy of my maid). We realise we have not been exposing her to the Chinese language. My mum decided to teach her a Chinese nursery rhyme, just to see how she would react. It's very interesting, kids are just like sponges and they absorb just about everything you teach them. Here's her favourite and only Chinese nursery rhyme she knows:

排排坐
吃果果
你一个，我一个
妹妹睡了，留一个。

Nat's really cute. She loves to fill in the blanks for me, so when I get to the part that says 吃 she will quickly follow up with 果果 and then she will go on to say 妹妹. Only thing is I have been trying to teach her to say 弟弟 instead, but she's been quite resistant ... haha ... well ... she's gotta realise she is going to have a didi after all.

Monday, 11 August 2008

Yesterday, nat had a great time. We met up with her baby friends at Go Go Bambini, an indoor playground for kids. And the good thing is that the entry fee for babies below 2 is free till 31 August 2008. What a good deal! These days, when we meet up, we always have to think of a
kid-friendly place where our growing brood of 4 toddlers and 1 infant can run around and have fun, while we adults chat. This is the perfect place!

It's been a while since I met up with these friends and their babies. How everyone has grown, they have all become toddlers, who can walk around independently on their own and can even say a few words. It will probably be the last time we meet for a while, till i pop anywayz so it was nice that everyone could make it.

My friend brought along her 2-month old infant, a beautiful little girl. I had forgotten just how small infants are ... too used to handling my struggly, squirmy nat. Infants are nice, they just sit in your arms, sleep, eat and coo/smile at you when they are in a good mood. Realised that bringing 2 kids out is really stressful, with one super active toddler trying to run off half the time, and a fully dependent little infant slinged 24/7 onto you, it really is no easy feat.

I'm officially 34 weeks now ... mentally ready to pop already. Sick of carrying this heavy tummy around and of course, looking forward to #2's arrival. One thing I am happy about is that nat seems quite open to the presence of an infant. She enjoyed playing with my friend's baby and was quite gentle too ... haha ... so unlike her usual self. I hope that when didi is born, she will show him that kind of gentleness as well. Was just telling gary that we must make a conscious effort to ensure that she is not neglected and that she knows everyone still loves and adores her just as much.

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

I was just looking at my ticker tape on the blog. Baby nat is officially 18 months/1.5 years old already. Time seems to have passed by in a flash. I remember the time when she was first born, the helpless pimply little thing wrapped up in a blanket. I used to spend hours just staring at her, sleeping in her cot. My little baby has grown so much since. She has her own likes and dislikes e.g she only eats apple without skin; oranges and grapes must be peeled; she can hold her own little cone when eating ice-cream; she bestows you with a kiss only when she is in the right mood; she dances to rock music.

I just read a friend's blog, a friend who had been in a dilemma about whether to go back to work or continue to be a stay-at-home mum for her 2 kids. I'm glad that she finally made her decision to stay at home with the kids. Sometimes, I wish I had the courage to do it as well. For now, I'm just glad that nat has loving grandparents who are willing to spend the time caring for her. Of course, that doesn't lessen the guilt I feel sometimes, but well, life goes on ...

Monday, 4 August 2008

I think it has reached that stage in the pregnancy when things start to get mighty uncomfortable. What this means is that the tummy is big enough such that it makes it hard to sit down for long and one gets breathless easily. Sleeping is an intermittent thing as one is always waking up to pee and backaches become very common. Yesterday, when I went for my daily walks with gary and nat, I felt kind of tired. I suddenly had this panic moment when I wondered what would happen if I was walking alone with nat and #2 decided it was time to come out to see the world. I guess all these just indicate that the big day is coming and I'm starting to get jittery. I don't think I felt so insecure with nat. But gary just reminded me that in the last month before nat was born, this was exactly how i felt too. Hmm ... oh well ... another month to go ... wish me luck!