BAD dreams - Matty obviously had a nasty dream last night when he kept mumbling for 15 whole minutes "my... my.... my Yizong".
BAD throat - Mummy is down with a sore throat and flu. What a way to end and start a year.
Monday 31 December 2007
BAD
Thursday 27 December 2007
Princess' First Christmas
Well... this year's Christmas is nothing more different than the last 2 years - Same Christmas tree, same honey-baked ham from Marriot Hotel, lots of food which we couldn't possibly stomach in one meal, lots of presents under the tree. The only difference is that we have our princess to share the joy *beams*.
Mummy is in a generous mood this year and splurged a little more on the presents this year. It has been a good year for Mummy... a promotion, a great increment and a salary adjustment. But after this (or probably after another round of spree at Old Navy if I can lay my hands on that hooded-toggle overcoat for Matty!) I really need to give the shopping a break before I break my bank and deplete it completely. Somehow I can never convince myself that Matty and Elaina have enough new clothings for the coming Chinese New Year even though what's hanging in the wardrobe can last them past the 15 days plus the eve of Chinese New Year.
Anyway back to the topic... Matty and Elaina each received a grand total of 8 presents. Most came in big boxes so much so that some were presents under the tree and some become "presents behind the sofa" because we ran out of space under the tree. After much anticipation, Matty finally got to lay his hands on the presents. I must salute him for the perseverance in continuously and consistently pleading to allow him to open the pressies and the patience nonetheless for actually holding out 3 full weeks before he get to see his toys. Elaina surprised us by her ability to stay up late that day. 2 hours past her bedtime and there was no sign of crankiness from her - the wonder of Christmas or should I say toys (lots and lots of them).
The person who got the most expensive toy is none other than moi. Daddy bought me a new mobile phone because the old one had been wonky for a while. It had done well to survive this long despite the many knocks and drools from Matty and Elaina in the last 2 and half years. To prevent the new phone from going through the same ordeal... we are keeping the old phone for those long car rides when you need a gadget or 2 to entertain the 2 kids.
Monday 24 December 2007
Round One ~ Fight!
Yesterday marked the first war between Matty and Elaina.
Both of them never played well together - Elaina will try and grab whatever that the big brother is playing with (despite all the efforts that we try to distract her away from his toys) and Matty will push her hands away while trying to protect his territory. Understandably... since most children only learn how to play with peers at around the age of 3. The ignition of the commotion? Elaina actually snatched a toy out from Matty's hand when she would usually just take things that Matty leaves on the floor. Matty burst out immediately as though the whole world did him some big injustice. I reprimanded the little princess for her doings and gave the toy back to the big brother. She ended up brawling too. Frankly, as the mother... I can only say that both were in the wrong. She should not have played rough and he could have avoided the whole episode if he had agreed to share his toys with the little sister.
As much as I would like not to deal with situations like these, it will not be the last unfortunately... especially tonight when they get to open up their Christmas presents. I can just about imagine Matty trying to have a go at Elaina's toy while she lacks the ability to stop him... and her trying to get a feel of his toys while he tries hard to keep her away. I can only hope that not much tears will flow and end the Christmas eve with a not so nice note.
Both of them never played well together - Elaina will try and grab whatever that the big brother is playing with (despite all the efforts that we try to distract her away from his toys) and Matty will push her hands away while trying to protect his territory. Understandably... since most children only learn how to play with peers at around the age of 3. The ignition of the commotion? Elaina actually snatched a toy out from Matty's hand when she would usually just take things that Matty leaves on the floor. Matty burst out immediately as though the whole world did him some big injustice. I reprimanded the little princess for her doings and gave the toy back to the big brother. She ended up brawling too. Frankly, as the mother... I can only say that both were in the wrong. She should not have played rough and he could have avoided the whole episode if he had agreed to share his toys with the little sister.
As much as I would like not to deal with situations like these, it will not be the last unfortunately... especially tonight when they get to open up their Christmas presents. I can just about imagine Matty trying to have a go at Elaina's toy while she lacks the ability to stop him... and her trying to get a feel of his toys while he tries hard to keep her away. I can only hope that not much tears will flow and end the Christmas eve with a not so nice note.
Sunday 16 December 2007
We All Get There Somehow
Weighing 8.1kg, our little princess will be turning 9 months old in a few days. Time seems to be creeping extremely fast since Elaina came along. Unknowingly she has hit many milestones as well.
Elaina is now a professional when it comes to changing position. Rolling over, sitting up, going onto her tummy, pulling up to stand and cruising... are no longer challenges to her. The only challenge is when we try to keep her still.
Mummy tried getting Elaina to drink through the straw yesterday and she actually did it even without being "formally trained" with any training cup and spout... unlike Matty. But of course Matty was able to drink through the straw at 7 months old. Maybe this is a good illustration that a child will somehow learn new tricks even without the parents nudging them to... other than the reluctance to do it when they are older and that they know how to express their unwillingness.
I can now fully understand why a second-time parent will start to get more and more relaxed about alot of things unlike with the firstborn. It will start out as the lack of time to worry too much and gradually you realise that the kid will still grow up and go through the same phase with or without the anxiety that parents go through.
With Matty, during the first year of his life we wonder about alot of things - when he will stop waking up for night feeding, how to make him sleep better and wake up later in the morning, is he napping enough hours, if he should be eating food that are more chunky to get him to learn to chew, if he is getting enough practice in self-feeding, is he hitting his milestones, if he knows how to wave bye bye, do we talk to him enough so that he will say his first word and the list just goes on and on and on. When it comes to Elaina, fortunately and unfortunately... we are thankful if she goes to sleep at some point, that she eats something regardless what texture it comes in, that someone actually remembers to change her diaper.
Elaina is now a professional when it comes to changing position. Rolling over, sitting up, going onto her tummy, pulling up to stand and cruising... are no longer challenges to her. The only challenge is when we try to keep her still.
Mummy tried getting Elaina to drink through the straw yesterday and she actually did it even without being "formally trained" with any training cup and spout... unlike Matty. But of course Matty was able to drink through the straw at 7 months old. Maybe this is a good illustration that a child will somehow learn new tricks even without the parents nudging them to... other than the reluctance to do it when they are older and that they know how to express their unwillingness.
I can now fully understand why a second-time parent will start to get more and more relaxed about alot of things unlike with the firstborn. It will start out as the lack of time to worry too much and gradually you realise that the kid will still grow up and go through the same phase with or without the anxiety that parents go through.
With Matty, during the first year of his life we wonder about alot of things - when he will stop waking up for night feeding, how to make him sleep better and wake up later in the morning, is he napping enough hours, if he should be eating food that are more chunky to get him to learn to chew, if he is getting enough practice in self-feeding, is he hitting his milestones, if he knows how to wave bye bye, do we talk to him enough so that he will say his first word and the list just goes on and on and on. When it comes to Elaina, fortunately and unfortunately... we are thankful if she goes to sleep at some point, that she eats something regardless what texture it comes in, that someone actually remembers to change her diaper.
Monday 3 December 2007
Siblings Rivalry
If Matty and Elaina can communicate (in a better way) with each other, here's probably what they will say to each other....
Matty to Elaina:
Mei-Mei, I really love you as a little sister and I will give you all the hugs and kisses that I can, but there are some things which I do not share - Mummy, my toys and my ex-toys which by some miracle now belongs to yo, and all the new toys... even though some may belong to you (or so I was told by the adults).
My little bimmer and F1 car belong to me too... I am only letting you have it because it sounds more fun when I have you in one car chasing after me while I am in the other.
By the way, you are not to touch or smell my books... including mouthing them. In case nobody has told you this yet, yes those books belong to me. Likewise for my mega blocks and lego blocks.
Yes, there are times when I will allow you to set your hands on my toys and books only because I was told that otherwise I will not have access to your toys in the future.
Matty to Elaina:
Mei-Mei, I really love you as a little sister and I will give you all the hugs and kisses that I can, but there are some things which I do not share - Mummy, my toys and my ex-toys which by some miracle now belongs to yo, and all the new toys... even though some may belong to you (or so I was told by the adults).
My little bimmer and F1 car belong to me too... I am only letting you have it because it sounds more fun when I have you in one car chasing after me while I am in the other.
By the way, you are not to touch or smell my books... including mouthing them. In case nobody has told you this yet, yes those books belong to me. Likewise for my mega blocks and lego blocks.
Yes, there are times when I will allow you to set your hands on my toys and books only because I was told that otherwise I will not have access to your toys in the future.
Elaina to Matty:
Gor-Gor, you are my role model. I look at you in awe whenever I see you jump and run about on your own. I can't wait to grow up and be like you.
But growing up can be a painful process especially when you refuse to let me have a go at your toys and books. They look yummilicious. I'm sure that it is the same reason why you ate my biscuits... the whole box of it when I only managed to eat one.
I want to learn from you... including how to switch the discs and press the "play" button. At least next time when you take out my Baby Einstein discs and load in your Blue's Clues I know how to get my Baby Einstein back. I can't understand a word uttered by Elmo, Blue, Big Bird or Dora... so can't we stick to something more universal like Baby Einstein?
By the way, the feeling is mutual when it comes to me having to share my toys and Mummy with you. I will not take it lying down from now on and will not hesitate to scream at you like I did yesterday morning when you tried to play with the button on Mummy's shirt while I was at it.
Thursday 29 November 2007
Sticky Superglue
Not only has Elaina picked up the habit of waking up in the middle of the night for milk, she has also morphed to became a clingy baby like Matty. She sticks to Mummy like glue and will cry her lungs out if she sees me walking away. Not only that she will refuse the first feeding in the morning and the night-feed unless Mummy is the one cradling her and feeding her.
Our king-size is also shrinking - because on most nights these days, only the smell of Mummy can calm her and lull her back to sleep (aromatherapy??). So naturally she ends up sleeping in-between Daddy and Mummy... but mostly closer to Mummy's side. Some time ago, Matty also decided for some unknown reason that the best place to sleep is next to Mummy... and he ends up next to Mummy too.
Mummy is flattered to know how Matty and Elaina adores the person who brought them to this world... but in the middle of the night when I can barely keep my eyes open or in the morning when we are rushing like mad to get ready for work... you would wonder if this is a good or bad thing.
Maybe I should just enjoy this phase while both of them are still willing to be my koala bears and me their big gum tree.
Our king-size is also shrinking - because on most nights these days, only the smell of Mummy can calm her and lull her back to sleep (aromatherapy??). So naturally she ends up sleeping in-between Daddy and Mummy... but mostly closer to Mummy's side. Some time ago, Matty also decided for some unknown reason that the best place to sleep is next to Mummy... and he ends up next to Mummy too.
Mummy is flattered to know how Matty and Elaina adores the person who brought them to this world... but in the middle of the night when I can barely keep my eyes open or in the morning when we are rushing like mad to get ready for work... you would wonder if this is a good or bad thing.
Maybe I should just enjoy this phase while both of them are still willing to be my koala bears and me their big gum tree.
Monday 26 November 2007
Christmas Toys... Where?
Christmas Toys... Where?
Those were the exact words from Matty one day after the Christmas tree is up. Talk about efficiency!
Those were the exact words from Matty one day after the Christmas tree is up. Talk about efficiency!
Saturday 24 November 2007
The Tree is Up Once More
Our Christmas tree sees the daylight yet again. Unbelievable how the year has zoomed past. It didn't feel like that long ago when Mummy was last shopping for Christmas pressies and decorations. This Christmas will be another meaningful one because it is Elaina's first Christmas. Somehow she doesn't seem to have taken notice of the tree though.
This year, Mummy has Matty buzzing around while putting up the tree. He still remembers that all the balls and bells need to go on and was frantically trying his hand on hanging the stuff.
We had to get the lights replaced... since quite a number of bulbs have blew. I wonder how long more will the tree last before we need to get another new one.
(Oh and for the records, Elaina only put on 50 grams in the last one month although we swore that she felt a lot heavier than that!)
This year, Mummy has Matty buzzing around while putting up the tree. He still remembers that all the balls and bells need to go on and was frantically trying his hand on hanging the stuff.
We had to get the lights replaced... since quite a number of bulbs have blew. I wonder how long more will the tree last before we need to get another new one.
(Oh and for the records, Elaina only put on 50 grams in the last one month although we swore that she felt a lot heavier than that!)
Thursday 8 November 2007
What Happened?
Oh dear... it has been 2 weeks since Mummy last updated this blog. Let's see what have we been doing for the last ten days or so.
Matty's playgroup at My Gym finally came to an end.... I think he is starting to feel very bored at home with no where to burn his energy.... which probably explains why he seems to be screaming alot more (not like he wasn't capable of doing it in the past!!), messing up the place by throwing his books all over the place and so on. Perhaps all these help to channel his energy out from his system.... which inadvertently also causes everyone to be drained of energy. Now that he has given up his afternoon nap (because Mah-Mah has given up on making him take his afternoon nap) he has even more time on hand. Quite often he ends up spending the afternoon in Parkway for one reason or another. Talk about loitering the shopping mall... here's a true blue Singaporean in the making. We are starting to be a little bit concerned about his eyesight. Not too sure if it is a result of skipping the afternoon nap or overdose of the television, he seems to be rubbing his eyes alot more lately. Anyway the issue of watching too much television is an aged-old one. With Matty... alot of things cannot be helped. How else to make a hyper-kiddo sit down for even a minute so that you can at least get some rest yourself or even to have something entertain him when he use to wake up at 5 in the morning while his (poor) parents needed that extra one-hour of sleep before getting ready to work.
As for Elaina, she got her 2nd tooth shortly after sprouting the 1st one. However even with her 2 lower teeth in... it doesn't seem to deter her from sucking her thumb. Hopefully we won't need to resort to the unthinkable. She is starting to crawl her way around. Not quite the commando-style though like most babies. She will dig her feet and elbow into the bed and push her way forward. Elaina is also starting to be able to stand with support. Because of that.... she fell while in her bumbo seat just the other day. Yes... she tried to stand up and reach out for a toy and fell over. Lucky thing that the bumbo seat was on the floor and not on the bed.
Mummy is again busy with work, work, work and more work. I can't wait for the day when we can finally get an admin person for the department... provided if I am not made redundant in the coming re-organisation. Other than working... I have been busy doing retail therapy. Elaina seems to be growing fast and furious since she started taking solid food.... which means she needs more clothes (not like I hadn't been stocking up). It has gone to the extend that Mummy had to "abort" my plan of buying more pretty dresses until we get more pink hangers. So now what??? Found some sites that sell clips and custom-made bows. I think I must have spent almost a hundred bucks in 2 weeks on hair accessories for Elaina. Since she has so much more hair as compared to most babies of this age... why waste it right?? And since she has got so many pretty outfits of course we need clips of different colours and designs to match the outfit.
What about Daddy??? What else other than busy with his online game *rolleyes*
Matty's playgroup at My Gym finally came to an end.... I think he is starting to feel very bored at home with no where to burn his energy.... which probably explains why he seems to be screaming alot more (not like he wasn't capable of doing it in the past!!), messing up the place by throwing his books all over the place and so on. Perhaps all these help to channel his energy out from his system.... which inadvertently also causes everyone to be drained of energy. Now that he has given up his afternoon nap (because Mah-Mah has given up on making him take his afternoon nap) he has even more time on hand. Quite often he ends up spending the afternoon in Parkway for one reason or another. Talk about loitering the shopping mall... here's a true blue Singaporean in the making. We are starting to be a little bit concerned about his eyesight. Not too sure if it is a result of skipping the afternoon nap or overdose of the television, he seems to be rubbing his eyes alot more lately. Anyway the issue of watching too much television is an aged-old one. With Matty... alot of things cannot be helped. How else to make a hyper-kiddo sit down for even a minute so that you can at least get some rest yourself or even to have something entertain him when he use to wake up at 5 in the morning while his (poor) parents needed that extra one-hour of sleep before getting ready to work.
As for Elaina, she got her 2nd tooth shortly after sprouting the 1st one. However even with her 2 lower teeth in... it doesn't seem to deter her from sucking her thumb. Hopefully we won't need to resort to the unthinkable. She is starting to crawl her way around. Not quite the commando-style though like most babies. She will dig her feet and elbow into the bed and push her way forward. Elaina is also starting to be able to stand with support. Because of that.... she fell while in her bumbo seat just the other day. Yes... she tried to stand up and reach out for a toy and fell over. Lucky thing that the bumbo seat was on the floor and not on the bed.
Mummy is again busy with work, work, work and more work. I can't wait for the day when we can finally get an admin person for the department... provided if I am not made redundant in the coming re-organisation. Other than working... I have been busy doing retail therapy. Elaina seems to be growing fast and furious since she started taking solid food.... which means she needs more clothes (not like I hadn't been stocking up). It has gone to the extend that Mummy had to "abort" my plan of buying more pretty dresses until we get more pink hangers. So now what??? Found some sites that sell clips and custom-made bows. I think I must have spent almost a hundred bucks in 2 weeks on hair accessories for Elaina. Since she has so much more hair as compared to most babies of this age... why waste it right?? And since she has got so many pretty outfits of course we need clips of different colours and designs to match the outfit.
What about Daddy??? What else other than busy with his online game *rolleyes*
Monday 22 October 2007
First & Last
FIRST.....
Elaina finally sprouted her first tooth on 18 October 2007... at her bottom left front. Exactly on the day she turned 7 months old. Mummy thinks it is so cute when the baby has a little tooth to show off.
She's weighing 7.7kg at the checkup last Saturday and able to sit and balance herself without support... although she still topples when she forgets that she needs to keep her balance
LAST...
It was Matty's last day at the playgroup on Friday. His favourite teacher, Lara (or known as Teacher Wa-Wa... due to his lousy pronunciation) was almost tearing. She even reminded him to come visit her whenever he passes by to get to the post office.
Elaina finally sprouted her first tooth on 18 October 2007... at her bottom left front. Exactly on the day she turned 7 months old. Mummy thinks it is so cute when the baby has a little tooth to show off.
She's weighing 7.7kg at the checkup last Saturday and able to sit and balance herself without support... although she still topples when she forgets that she needs to keep her balance
LAST...
It was Matty's last day at the playgroup on Friday. His favourite teacher, Lara (or known as Teacher Wa-Wa... due to his lousy pronunciation) was almost tearing. She even reminded him to come visit her whenever he passes by to get to the post office.
Monday 15 October 2007
Diving Yet Again
It was just 2 weeks ago when Mummy wrote about Elaina's first dip. She took another dive over the weekend... albeit that it was a "dive" from the bed unto the floor. The first fall (and definitely not the last!) that Elaina suffered. Naturally... she cried buckets and it was made worse because she was hungry and tired then.
Should have been more careful and put up some "barriers" to protect her. Blame it on Mummy's over-confidence!! I was only walking away to drop something into the laundry bin and I didn't think much about it since it was only going to be a split second. Besides she usually rolls toward her right and she should have rolled towards the pillow going by the natural course that she takes.
We never quite worked out where exactly she bumped because until today there is no visible bruises on Elaina. But one thing for sure was that being a seasoned mummy... I picked her up from the floor in a matter-of-fact manner and tried to give her some comfort as though it was just another fall (actually come to think of it... it is and it will be). When Matty first rolled off and fell to the floor... I almost broke in hysteric and broke into tears myself. It was devastating. Not sure if its a good thing that I have grown used to such occasions and became immune to it.
Should have been more careful and put up some "barriers" to protect her. Blame it on Mummy's over-confidence!! I was only walking away to drop something into the laundry bin and I didn't think much about it since it was only going to be a split second. Besides she usually rolls toward her right and she should have rolled towards the pillow going by the natural course that she takes.
We never quite worked out where exactly she bumped because until today there is no visible bruises on Elaina. But one thing for sure was that being a seasoned mummy... I picked her up from the floor in a matter-of-fact manner and tried to give her some comfort as though it was just another fall (actually come to think of it... it is and it will be). When Matty first rolled off and fell to the floor... I almost broke in hysteric and broke into tears myself. It was devastating. Not sure if its a good thing that I have grown used to such occasions and became immune to it.
Thursday 4 October 2007
Sticky Affair
Matty's latest craze - stickers!!! I think we all do fall in love with stickers at one point in time in our entire life... so yes Matty is in this stage of his life.
His first sticker books were freebies we get from buying his milk powder, Dr Chan's clinic... and bits and pieces of sticky stuff that we just stick on his hands for fun. Somehow he got caught on with it. Now the stickers serves as reward for every successful "business deal" that he seals. We are toilet training him at the moment... get the picture?? Or to distract him from whatever distress that he goes through... like being denied access to the computer. Mummy bought some Blue's Clues (another love of his love at the moment!) sticker books online recently. I hope he will be thrilled when he receives them.
Anyway... the stickers have become his life, his world, his everything. Nothing else is more important than his stickers. Just the other day while rolling all over the bed, Elaina nearly crushed Matty's sticker book which was placed on the bed. It was a near miss... Matty pulled his sticker book away from Elaina in the nick of time. Last night, he actually screamed at Elaina when she tried to grab the stickers. I don't think Daddy's effort in trying to educate Matty after that episode that he needs to learn to share saw any results. Even his mummy dearest (moi) wasn't able to persuade him to give me one little sticker. Biscuits, crispy, ice-cream... yes he will willingly give me a bite... stickers?? Nay! I think we now know where we stand in his list of favourite things.
His first sticker books were freebies we get from buying his milk powder, Dr Chan's clinic... and bits and pieces of sticky stuff that we just stick on his hands for fun. Somehow he got caught on with it. Now the stickers serves as reward for every successful "business deal" that he seals. We are toilet training him at the moment... get the picture?? Or to distract him from whatever distress that he goes through... like being denied access to the computer. Mummy bought some Blue's Clues (another love of his love at the moment!) sticker books online recently. I hope he will be thrilled when he receives them.
Anyway... the stickers have become his life, his world, his everything. Nothing else is more important than his stickers. Just the other day while rolling all over the bed, Elaina nearly crushed Matty's sticker book which was placed on the bed. It was a near miss... Matty pulled his sticker book away from Elaina in the nick of time. Last night, he actually screamed at Elaina when she tried to grab the stickers. I don't think Daddy's effort in trying to educate Matty after that episode that he needs to learn to share saw any results. Even his mummy dearest (moi) wasn't able to persuade him to give me one little sticker. Biscuits, crispy, ice-cream... yes he will willingly give me a bite... stickers?? Nay! I think we now know where we stand in his list of favourite things.
Tuesday 2 October 2007
Big Dip
Nope... the "dip" we are talking about is not some lucky draw but the Elaina's maiden swim. She took her first dive (head above water dive to be precise) last Sunday - 30 September, at the club's pool. Its been a while since Matty last swam... in fact it was one weekend before Elaina was born. That was how long ago!
It was a last minute decision to bring both babies for a dip because Mummy hasn't been able to find the time and opportunity to scout for Elaina's swimsuit... eventually Daddy did manage to get one at Kiddy's Palace after he got his haircut on Saturday. Although Elaina didn't shrill in excitement like Matty did back then.... she did enjoy the big "bathtub" on the whole.
Matty on the other hand couldn't contain his emotions. First it was the anticipation of jumping into the pool but later he ended up brawling... I think he wasn't too used to seeing so many people at the pool. Took a bit of pacifying to get him smiling again. Somehow he doesn't mix well with strangers... takes him a while to warm up.
Daddy is planning to bring Matty and Elaina swimming again this weekend. Let's see if Mummy is up to it... a short swim requires one hour of preparation and another hour of washing and cleaning thereafter.
It was a last minute decision to bring both babies for a dip because Mummy hasn't been able to find the time and opportunity to scout for Elaina's swimsuit... eventually Daddy did manage to get one at Kiddy's Palace after he got his haircut on Saturday. Although Elaina didn't shrill in excitement like Matty did back then.... she did enjoy the big "bathtub" on the whole.
Matty on the other hand couldn't contain his emotions. First it was the anticipation of jumping into the pool but later he ended up brawling... I think he wasn't too used to seeing so many people at the pool. Took a bit of pacifying to get him smiling again. Somehow he doesn't mix well with strangers... takes him a while to warm up.
Daddy is planning to bring Matty and Elaina swimming again this weekend. Let's see if Mummy is up to it... a short swim requires one hour of preparation and another hour of washing and cleaning thereafter.
Friday 14 September 2007
Matty's Cover Version
Matty re-wrote (or sing to be precise) 2 well-known children's song one night while trying to fall asleep... talk about inspiration! The lyrics in Matty's exact words...
Oh MacDonald Had a Farm
Oh Mac... e-ya-e-ya-yooT (note the distinct pronunciation of the letter "T")
And a moo moo here and a moo moo there
And moo and moo and moo and moo
Oh Mac... e-ya-e-ya-yooT
Alphabet Song
A-B-C-D-E-F-G
H-I-J-K-L-M-OH-OH-P
Q-R-S
T-U-V
W-X-Y and Z
Now I know my ABC
Next time (2-seconds pause).... single me
Monday 27 August 2007
Textbook Baby
We have a textbook baby on hand! Everything that is written in a textbook is as good as describing our little princess.
Just when Mummy was wondering when will she do her first flipping over... she finally did it 2 days before she turned 5-months old... hip hip hooray!! According to the health booklet this is something that was "scheduled" to happen at 5-months old. Mummy got a bit worried initially probably because Matty was able to roll over (all over the place!) when he was only 3 and half months old but all the tummy time that Elaina had didn't seem to spur her on. Then again Matty is a bad benchmark because he was really advanced in some areas but slow in other aspects. It never happened on the dot or around the dot for Matty. With Elaina it was a different story.
Elaina started to sleep through the night at 2 months old as "predicted" by alot of books that I have come across without even the need to replace her night feeds with water. It never worked with Matty no matter how hard to try to deny him the milk. Elaina's sleep cycle is usually very regular. She will need to take another nap after being awake for 2 hours. At night, she needs her bath at 8.30 pm and followed by milk. By 9.30 pm she will be off to lala-land until 8 the next morning. Matty's sleep and nap time was a guessing game. It took us forever to get him to sleep (still does) and staying asleep was a big challenge.
The only problem is that when we are out... it is an uphill task to pacify Elaina. She will be tired and cranky but unable to sleep because she is not in a familiar environment. A textbook baby needs to have all things constant which can be tough on certain occasion... and when it is nap time she better get her nap otherwise all hell break loose. There is no room for negotiation. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about Matty feeling cranky when we are out of the house. As long as there are things to keep him occupied he will be a happy baby... much happier than when he is forced to sleep. When the zee monster gets to him... he will just doze off in his stroller easily.
We are lucky in a way that both of them are opposite in this area... at least we only need to deal with one cranky baby be it out or at home.
Just when Mummy was wondering when will she do her first flipping over... she finally did it 2 days before she turned 5-months old... hip hip hooray!! According to the health booklet this is something that was "scheduled" to happen at 5-months old. Mummy got a bit worried initially probably because Matty was able to roll over (all over the place!) when he was only 3 and half months old but all the tummy time that Elaina had didn't seem to spur her on. Then again Matty is a bad benchmark because he was really advanced in some areas but slow in other aspects. It never happened on the dot or around the dot for Matty. With Elaina it was a different story.
Elaina started to sleep through the night at 2 months old as "predicted" by alot of books that I have come across without even the need to replace her night feeds with water. It never worked with Matty no matter how hard to try to deny him the milk. Elaina's sleep cycle is usually very regular. She will need to take another nap after being awake for 2 hours. At night, she needs her bath at 8.30 pm and followed by milk. By 9.30 pm she will be off to lala-land until 8 the next morning. Matty's sleep and nap time was a guessing game. It took us forever to get him to sleep (still does) and staying asleep was a big challenge.
The only problem is that when we are out... it is an uphill task to pacify Elaina. She will be tired and cranky but unable to sleep because she is not in a familiar environment. A textbook baby needs to have all things constant which can be tough on certain occasion... and when it is nap time she better get her nap otherwise all hell break loose. There is no room for negotiation. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about Matty feeling cranky when we are out of the house. As long as there are things to keep him occupied he will be a happy baby... much happier than when he is forced to sleep. When the zee monster gets to him... he will just doze off in his stroller easily.
We are lucky in a way that both of them are opposite in this area... at least we only need to deal with one cranky baby be it out or at home.
Tuesday 21 August 2007
Moving On
It was an extremely crazy period for Mummy the last 2 weeks... moving both house and office. In between, I had to get a root canal treatment, nurse both Matty and Elaina back to health from a nasty flu, deal with a bad throat and runny nose myself and not getting enough rest due to the constant late night crying and screaming from both babies (a result of blocked nose and new environment). The good that came out from this episode was that Mummy lost 2 kg in just one week. Haven't been able to get on to the weighing machine over the weekend... hopefully I managed to lose (at least) another half kg. Guess I will know if I should find the time and energy to replace those dead batteries in the weighing machine.
To Mummy... it was mixed emotions to move out from the place that I knew so well. Even though it was only a short two years in Sea Avenue, it was a place where lots of memories held. Matty's first dip in the pool, the 3 flight of stairs where he learned to first climb, the kitchen where I first learned to make baby food, Matty's first Christmas party... and the list goes on. I was initially worried that Matty will miss "home"... but the truth is that it didn't bothered him a bit. We walked past the house just last Sunday and he didn't even stopped to look at it. Somewhat glad that Matty was not the least bit concerned... otherwise it would have been tough trying to pacify him and explain to him why we are not allowed into the place which he used to call "home". As it is... we are having a tough time dealing with his tantrums every night getting him to go to bed. He now has his grandparents around him 24/7... see the link?
Changes in life are inevitable... we somehow survive it all no matter how reluctant we are to move on initially. I'm sure we will continue to have many more happy memories to add. It is who we have that counts and not where we are.
To Mummy... it was mixed emotions to move out from the place that I knew so well. Even though it was only a short two years in Sea Avenue, it was a place where lots of memories held. Matty's first dip in the pool, the 3 flight of stairs where he learned to first climb, the kitchen where I first learned to make baby food, Matty's first Christmas party... and the list goes on. I was initially worried that Matty will miss "home"... but the truth is that it didn't bothered him a bit. We walked past the house just last Sunday and he didn't even stopped to look at it. Somewhat glad that Matty was not the least bit concerned... otherwise it would have been tough trying to pacify him and explain to him why we are not allowed into the place which he used to call "home". As it is... we are having a tough time dealing with his tantrums every night getting him to go to bed. He now has his grandparents around him 24/7... see the link?
Changes in life are inevitable... we somehow survive it all no matter how reluctant we are to move on initially. I'm sure we will continue to have many more happy memories to add. It is who we have that counts and not where we are.
Wednesday 1 August 2007
Boys will be Boys and Girls will be Girls
There was an episode in "Child of Our Time" which touched on the topic of girls going for girly stuff and boys doing the boys' stuff. It is amazing how each child is borne with an innate ability to have a preference over what is deemed "appropriate" for their own gender without being told.
Like most boys, Matty has a love for cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes, tractors... of course there will be others who prefers airplanes or trains. When we are on the road, it thrills him to see all the transportation machines going by. He has cars on his shirts, shorts, bedsheet and toy cars in all sorts of form, sizes and colour. You name it... he has it. If you think Formula 1 is an adult's sport.... you are so wrong! The Formula 1 race is something that Matty watches other than his usual dose of Baby Einstein and Hi-5. I think it is not hard to imagine that he will share the same dream car as Daddy (for the record... it is Ferrari we are talking about) in years to come. Of course that shall remain in his dream... how else would it qualify to be a "dream" car.
We had loads of soft toys that we received as presents when Matty was only a newborn but he instinctively chose car over the stuffed toys even when he was as young as a few months old. It wasn't deliberate... it just happened to be this way.
Elaina started to show interest in her cot-mate yesterday morning. The gaze in her eyes, her cooing and her sweet smile gave her away. Anybody could tell instantly how she adores the Pooh Bear that shares her cot and watches over her every night while she is away in lala-land. Whereas Matty never ever notices such stuff at this age.
So we can conclude that girls will be girls and boys will be boys... if they behave otherwise I think we probably will go into panic mode.
Like most boys, Matty has a love for cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes, tractors... of course there will be others who prefers airplanes or trains. When we are on the road, it thrills him to see all the transportation machines going by. He has cars on his shirts, shorts, bedsheet and toy cars in all sorts of form, sizes and colour. You name it... he has it. If you think Formula 1 is an adult's sport.... you are so wrong! The Formula 1 race is something that Matty watches other than his usual dose of Baby Einstein and Hi-5. I think it is not hard to imagine that he will share the same dream car as Daddy (for the record... it is Ferrari we are talking about) in years to come. Of course that shall remain in his dream... how else would it qualify to be a "dream" car.
We had loads of soft toys that we received as presents when Matty was only a newborn but he instinctively chose car over the stuffed toys even when he was as young as a few months old. It wasn't deliberate... it just happened to be this way.
Elaina started to show interest in her cot-mate yesterday morning. The gaze in her eyes, her cooing and her sweet smile gave her away. Anybody could tell instantly how she adores the Pooh Bear that shares her cot and watches over her every night while she is away in lala-land. Whereas Matty never ever notices such stuff at this age.
So we can conclude that girls will be girls and boys will be boys... if they behave otherwise I think we probably will go into panic mode.
Monday 23 July 2007
Checked!!
Both babies were back at Dr. Chan for their jabs last Saturday. Luckily there were no tears this time round.
Matty's weight remains stagnant at 12.5kg, "towering" at 88.5cm tall with a head circumference of 50cm. As for Elaina, she has only put on 500gms in the last one month... bringing it to 6.3 kg in total. Looks like she will be one petite little princess. Height was measured at 60cm and a head circumference of 40.5cm.
Thinking that Elaina can finally start taking some cereal after her check-up, we were told to hold it off for at least another month because the recent recommendation from World Health Organisation was to start semi-solid only after the baby turns 6 months old to lower the risk of developing allergy to certain food. Looks like it will be a while more before Elaina get to taste some yummy stuff.
In the meantime... our little piglet doesn't seem to make much effort to try and roll over. Mummy remembers that Matty will be frantically trying to flip over when he was only into his third month. Then again... Matty is always so impatient about alot of things and tries hard to get ahead in everything. Elaina enjoys just lying around and wait for something to happen. Hopefully it also meant that she will have a milder temper and more patience as compared to the rest of us in the family.
(For the record... Matty caught the fireworks of the National Day Parade rehearsal when we were dining at Pan Pacific Hotel last Saturday!!)
Matty's weight remains stagnant at 12.5kg, "towering" at 88.5cm tall with a head circumference of 50cm. As for Elaina, she has only put on 500gms in the last one month... bringing it to 6.3 kg in total. Looks like she will be one petite little princess. Height was measured at 60cm and a head circumference of 40.5cm.
Thinking that Elaina can finally start taking some cereal after her check-up, we were told to hold it off for at least another month because the recent recommendation from World Health Organisation was to start semi-solid only after the baby turns 6 months old to lower the risk of developing allergy to certain food. Looks like it will be a while more before Elaina get to taste some yummy stuff.
In the meantime... our little piglet doesn't seem to make much effort to try and roll over. Mummy remembers that Matty will be frantically trying to flip over when he was only into his third month. Then again... Matty is always so impatient about alot of things and tries hard to get ahead in everything. Elaina enjoys just lying around and wait for something to happen. Hopefully it also meant that she will have a milder temper and more patience as compared to the rest of us in the family.
(For the record... Matty caught the fireworks of the National Day Parade rehearsal when we were dining at Pan Pacific Hotel last Saturday!!)
Monday 9 July 2007
Dump the Diaper and Take a Dump
After months of agonising over when Matty will take to using the potty... we are finally making some headway!!
In the span of 1 week, he actually managed to poop into the toilet bowl 3 times. We didn't manage to get him to the throne on time yesterday and he had to let it out in his diaper. Before last week, he will cry and scream and hold back his bowel everytime we take off his diaper and attempt to put him on the potty. The mere fact that he knows that he needs to poop and pee and can hold back in when we show him the potty... and let go the minute the diaper in on his butt again is a sign that he is can be toilet-trained. Somehow he just resisted the idea of letting go except into his diaper.
Hopefully it won't be long before he decides to pee into the potty... that will surely save us a lot of money getting disposable diapers.
In the span of 1 week, he actually managed to poop into the toilet bowl 3 times. We didn't manage to get him to the throne on time yesterday and he had to let it out in his diaper. Before last week, he will cry and scream and hold back his bowel everytime we take off his diaper and attempt to put him on the potty. The mere fact that he knows that he needs to poop and pee and can hold back in when we show him the potty... and let go the minute the diaper in on his butt again is a sign that he is can be toilet-trained. Somehow he just resisted the idea of letting go except into his diaper.
Hopefully it won't be long before he decides to pee into the potty... that will surely save us a lot of money getting disposable diapers.
Monday 2 July 2007
Matty Turns 2!
Yesterday was Matty’s 2nd birthday. Can’t believe how time flies. It wasn’t so long ago that we could still cradle (a lot of cradling done in those initial days!) him in our arms.
Again… there was no big bang celebration this year. We didn’t think it was necessary because he will just end up having a lot Mummy’s and Daddy’s friends at his birthday party. It would have been quite pointless. Maybe when he is a little older and has got little friends of his own.
We did however got him two cakes like last year – one strawberry shortcake and another one which was made up of many many many small cupcakes. One for Mummy’s family and the other for Daddy’s family. The lady at the pastry shop reminded that it won’t be long before we will need to get three separate cakes when he starts schooling. Hmmm… guess we will deal with it when we get there.
Matty got to enjoy his favourite Fish and Chips on his birthday. I didn’t think he would be very pleased if he was to eat some boring stuff on such an important day.
Wai-Gong bought him a pair of cool Reebok shoes that lights up with every slap on the bottom of the shoe (yes he was literally hitting the soles with his palm) and Daddy got him a Transformer toy… which Matty calls it a “robot truck” (I wonder who it was actually meant for…). And more ang-pows to add on to his five-figure digit bank account. Sounds like a Christmas and Chinese New Year all rolled in to one… minus the Christmas tree and Gong-Xi Gong-Xi that he was forced to say every time he gets an ang-pow.
Hopefully Matty had a great birthday even though he may not recall this day years down the road. At least I think he did from the grin on his face when we sang him the birthday song. Oh yes… he managed to blow out the candles on his cake this year.
While we take joy that the boy has grown another year older and celebrate this important day… it is also to mark that Mummy and Daddy has survived another year of parenthood!
Again… there was no big bang celebration this year. We didn’t think it was necessary because he will just end up having a lot Mummy’s and Daddy’s friends at his birthday party. It would have been quite pointless. Maybe when he is a little older and has got little friends of his own.
We did however got him two cakes like last year – one strawberry shortcake and another one which was made up of many many many small cupcakes. One for Mummy’s family and the other for Daddy’s family. The lady at the pastry shop reminded that it won’t be long before we will need to get three separate cakes when he starts schooling. Hmmm… guess we will deal with it when we get there.
Matty got to enjoy his favourite Fish and Chips on his birthday. I didn’t think he would be very pleased if he was to eat some boring stuff on such an important day.
Wai-Gong bought him a pair of cool Reebok shoes that lights up with every slap on the bottom of the shoe (yes he was literally hitting the soles with his palm) and Daddy got him a Transformer toy… which Matty calls it a “robot truck” (I wonder who it was actually meant for…). And more ang-pows to add on to his five-figure digit bank account. Sounds like a Christmas and Chinese New Year all rolled in to one… minus the Christmas tree and Gong-Xi Gong-Xi that he was forced to say every time he gets an ang-pow.
Hopefully Matty had a great birthday even though he may not recall this day years down the road. At least I think he did from the grin on his face when we sang him the birthday song. Oh yes… he managed to blow out the candles on his cake this year.
While we take joy that the boy has grown another year older and celebrate this important day… it is also to mark that Mummy and Daddy has survived another year of parenthood!
Thursday 28 June 2007
No Big No Small
Matty is a true blue ang-mo. Not only does his Mandarin come with an ang-mo accent... he started calling his elders by name. Mah-Mah is now "Ya-Mei"... Chek-Chek is now "Kai Teck"... Gu-Gu is now "Kai Ling"... and Ah-Yee is now "Ah-Zhen". Amusing it may be... we hope he will not continue to do that. Afterall we are still Asians.
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Sucker!!
Elaina is a sucker... thumb sucker I mean.
Whenever she is bored with nothing to distract her, in goes her left thumb. Sometimes in the middle of the night she will instinctively pop her precious lollipop even though she is only half-awake.
We woke up one morning to find her little nose covered with dried-up blood - the result of her thumb sucking. While the thumb goes into the mouth, her other four fingers will rest on her nose... which will end up scratching the nose every time she takes a suck.
Elaina is now back to wearing mittens for the night. The mittens didn't stop her from sucking (we know cos there are times when the mitten is soaked with saliva the next morning!!) but at least it helps to prevent her from scratching her nose badly.
Tuesday 15 May 2007
Leaps and Bound
In the last two months, Baby Elaina has put on a whooping 1.7kg... which is pretty much on target. At least Mother Cow's efforts had not gone to waste. Now we just need to wait for her first milestone to come.
As for Matty, he has been picking up new words so fast that we have totally lost count how many words he has added to his vocabulary. On days, he will surprise us with words which we never knew he knew. At times, he will repeat our words back to us... and stringing words together is no longer a challenge to him. BUT the fact that he is conversing mainly in English and has not been picking up Chinese is something we cannot comprehend... because we do use a mix of both languages with him since Day One. Even if he does try to speak (rarely) in Mandarin, it comes with an accent that sounds like an Ang-Moh grappling Mandarin. I can't help but laugh when I hear the Chinese words that come out from Matty's mouth. I think I have given birth to a "kantang" (which so happens to be one of Matty's favourite... cos that's what french fries and hash browns are made of !!).
As for Matty, he has been picking up new words so fast that we have totally lost count how many words he has added to his vocabulary. On days, he will surprise us with words which we never knew he knew. At times, he will repeat our words back to us... and stringing words together is no longer a challenge to him. BUT the fact that he is conversing mainly in English and has not been picking up Chinese is something we cannot comprehend... because we do use a mix of both languages with him since Day One. Even if he does try to speak (rarely) in Mandarin, it comes with an accent that sounds like an Ang-Moh grappling Mandarin. I can't help but laugh when I hear the Chinese words that come out from Matty's mouth. I think I have given birth to a "kantang" (which so happens to be one of Matty's favourite... cos that's what french fries and hash browns are made of !!).
Friday 13 April 2007
Day to be Remembered
Elaina is finally turning 1 month old in a few days time. As we celebrate this special day... tomorrow is also a day of remembrance of our two angels.
Our family picture is now complete with the birth of Matty and Elaina... but yet it seems so incomplete.
Our family picture is now complete with the birth of Matty and Elaina... but yet it seems so incomplete.
Tuesday 10 April 2007
Weekend Schedule
Here's a glimpse of a typical weekend for the past 2 weeks...
he-eats, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, I-eat, he-eats, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, I-eat, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, she-eats...
Mummy is getting all burnt out trying to satisfy the hunger-pangs of both babies. The whole day is spent feeding away. Can just about imagine that when Elaina starts having solid food... "I-eat" will be dropped completely out from the equation!
he-eats, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, I-eat, he-eats, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, I-eat, she-eats, she-eats, he-eats, she-eats...
Mummy is getting all burnt out trying to satisfy the hunger-pangs of both babies. The whole day is spent feeding away. Can just about imagine that when Elaina starts having solid food... "I-eat" will be dropped completely out from the equation!
Tuesday 3 April 2007
Little Professor
Matty understands the benefits of "starting young" and had recently given his little sister her first lesson to build up her language skills...
(Matty shows toy dog to Elaina)
Matty: wow-wow
(Matty shows toy truck to Elaina)
Matty: truck
***
Matty is into addition lately as well but he still has a long way to go
Us: 4 plus 4 equals... ?
Matty: 8
Us: 1 plus 1 equals... ?
Matty: 8
Us: No... it should be 2
Us: 4 plus 4 equals... ?
Matty: 2
(Matty shows toy dog to Elaina)
Matty: wow-wow
(Matty shows toy truck to Elaina)
Matty: truck
***
Matty is into addition lately as well but he still has a long way to go
Us: 4 plus 4 equals... ?
Matty: 8
Us: 1 plus 1 equals... ?
Matty: 8
Us: No... it should be 2
Us: 4 plus 4 equals... ?
Matty: 2
Thursday 22 March 2007
We Are Home!
We are finally home with our newest family member!
Elaina was born on 18 March 2007 at 8.24 am. Weighing at 3.06kg, with a body length of 49cm and head circumference of 34cm... she is so much smaller in size as compared to Matty when he was born. Then again, that's the size of most newborn... Matty was just alot bigger than average.
Taking after the character of a pig (she has afterall a "piglet" since this is the year of the golden pig)... getting her beauty sleep matters most to her. Not complaining... and in fact Mummy is going to enjoy this moment while it lasts. We had peaceful nights so far and hopefully it will stay this way.
Elaina drinks alot lesser as compared to Matty. One feed of 30ml can sustain Elaina for 2 hours at least and if her appetite is good and can down about 50ml in one go... the next feed will only come 4 hours later.
Despite all that... Elaina is not too far from Matty where her temper is concerned. She is calm and relaxed at most time but when she is upset... all hell will break loose and without any warning.
Matty seems to be taking well about having another baby around the house and will "sayang" the little sister when asked to... and sometimes even voluntarily. Mummy and Daddy miss having Matty and his ongoing chattering. If all goes well tonight again... we are likely to bring him home earlier than expected.
Sunday 18 March 2007
Today's the Day
In another 3 hours, we will finally get to meet Baby Elaina and for her to meet the world.
The past 38 weeks seemed to have zoomed past so quickly but the last 6 hours felt like forever. On a normal night, Mummy would have complained about not getting enough sleep and the night was too short... but last night it was the opposite... the night felt so long.
Things will be different tonight when we start our life of waking up every 2 to 3 hours to clean poo and feed milk... and feel completely deprived of sleep. But like what everybody will tell you... it will get better (just a matter of when!).
The past 38 weeks seemed to have zoomed past so quickly but the last 6 hours felt like forever. On a normal night, Mummy would have complained about not getting enough sleep and the night was too short... but last night it was the opposite... the night felt so long.
Things will be different tonight when we start our life of waking up every 2 to 3 hours to clean poo and feed milk... and feel completely deprived of sleep. But like what everybody will tell you... it will get better (just a matter of when!).
Wednesday 14 March 2007
See Ya on 18 March!!
Mummy has been so so so tied down with work since the beginning of the week that I didn't even have the opportunity to jot this important piece of news down here.
The date has finally been set... Baby Elaina will be out this Sunday, 18 March. She is still in a breech position and so Mummy is going to get herself cut again. I don't know what is labour pain or contraction but I sure know how it feels to have a 10-cm cut on the lower abdominal... two times.
As at last week, Mummy has put on a grand total of 7kg for this pregnancy. 2kg lesser than the last time round... but I can feel my tummy so much heavier. Wonder why.
Mummy has bought a present for Matty which will be given to him when he visits for the first time and pretend that it is from his little sister. I don't know if it works but almost everyone I know seems to say that it helps to prevent the older one from feeling sore that he or she is not the "star of the day". Anyway... better to err on the right side.
The date has finally been set... Baby Elaina will be out this Sunday, 18 March. She is still in a breech position and so Mummy is going to get herself cut again. I don't know what is labour pain or contraction but I sure know how it feels to have a 10-cm cut on the lower abdominal... two times.
As at last week, Mummy has put on a grand total of 7kg for this pregnancy. 2kg lesser than the last time round... but I can feel my tummy so much heavier. Wonder why.
Mummy has bought a present for Matty which will be given to him when he visits for the first time and pretend that it is from his little sister. I don't know if it works but almost everyone I know seems to say that it helps to prevent the older one from feeling sore that he or she is not the "star of the day". Anyway... better to err on the right side.
Monday 5 March 2007
An Acrobat in Action
Just when we thought that there was a possibility of trying natural birth at the earlier checkup two weeks ago, Princess Elaina decides to get back into breech position again. We are not hopeful that she will find the heads-down position more comfy before the next checkup (which is only a mere five days away). In the meantime, her breech position may be the best position for her... not so for Mummy. Her head is pressing against my tum tum and it feels like I have suffered a bruise. The only relief that I get is when I lie down on my right side and with her weight pulled down by the gravity... the tension comes off.
Mummy is all prepared for another caesarean this time round... which is likely to happen either on 17 or 18 March depending on the availability of Dr Lim. Not too far away... just another two weeks more to go to get to D-day. The good part is that because we know when exactly it is going to happen, there are alot of things which we can plan beforehand and get everything in place. On top of that, Mummy is gorging myself silly with all the good food before "confinement" begins. Doesn't bother me much since my weight has been stagnant over the last two weeks and not likely to see it go sky high before D-day.
Not sure if its really so true... Matty is getting more and more clingy these days. It worries Mummy what his reaction will be when he needs to be parked with his grandparents for at least a week while Mummy recuperates from the 10-cm long wound and keeping sane with a cranky newborn. One thing that we should really get done is to bring Matty for another swim. It has been ages since we last did that... either because of the bad weather or someone down with a flu.
Mummy is all prepared for another caesarean this time round... which is likely to happen either on 17 or 18 March depending on the availability of Dr Lim. Not too far away... just another two weeks more to go to get to D-day. The good part is that because we know when exactly it is going to happen, there are alot of things which we can plan beforehand and get everything in place. On top of that, Mummy is gorging myself silly with all the good food before "confinement" begins. Doesn't bother me much since my weight has been stagnant over the last two weeks and not likely to see it go sky high before D-day.
Not sure if its really so true... Matty is getting more and more clingy these days. It worries Mummy what his reaction will be when he needs to be parked with his grandparents for at least a week while Mummy recuperates from the 10-cm long wound and keeping sane with a cranky newborn. One thing that we should really get done is to bring Matty for another swim. It has been ages since we last did that... either because of the bad weather or someone down with a flu.
Friday 23 February 2007
The Gong Xi Gong Xi Festival
This year... Matty celebrates his second Lunar New Year. Just like Christmas, he definitely understood better. At least to him, it is "just not the same like any other day".
For a vain-pot like him, he was simply excited to be dressed in new clothes the whole day starting from Chinese New Year's eve. He even insisted on holding the joss-sticks on his own like everyone else when offering prayers to the Gods and ancestors. Then came all the food that he got to taste.
Matty also got into the drill that when anybody hands a red colour packet with stuff in it... he takes it and gives it to Mummy for safekeeping instead of returning it to the giver (like what he always did in the past). Not just that... he also learnt that when we start chanting "Gong Xi Gong Xi" it means he is to clasp both hands together and start shaking them. Anyway all these are worth his while especially since he collected $1,200 ang pow money in just a few days. It is indeed one prosperous piggy year for Matty.
We had our second round of Yu Sheng last evening and Matty was already able to work out that he needs to grab the chopsticks, dig into the huge mountain of vegetable and start tossing... whereas the rest of us got really concerned about the Yu Sheng spilling onto the table while he did his share of "lo-hei". Is that the reason why he is more "prosperous" than the rest of us? *shrug*
Anyway, we had our fair share of "glitches" for this period. Firstly, Matty was a cranky baby just days before the New Year. Came down with a bit of flu due to teething but luckily the leaking tap stopped on the first day of Chinese New Year. He was better during the Chinese New Year weekend... at least Mummy got to sleep till at least past 8 every morning. Then the hot and dry weather got Mummy edgy and lethargic. I could really feel that it was the year of the pig... as I was sweating like a pig day in day out... and even starting to smell really bad.
Elaina got herself a new dress by accident. Mummy bought a sleeveless "t-shirt" for Matty and specially kept it for Chinese New Year without realising that it was actually a t-shirt dress. Mummy only started to suspect something wasn't quite right when the top fits really well but the bottom was longer than a normal t-shirt. I even thought that it was due to lousy cutting initially. It was only after Matty ran off with the "t-shirt" could we tell from the back that it was actually a dress. Come to think of it... it was pretty amusing. I blame it all on the salesgirl at Isetan who told me that for Disney's apparel... the range for boys will come with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse for girls. On top of that the "t-shirt" had blue lining along the collar and armhole. Who would have suspect that it was a girl's dress.
For a vain-pot like him, he was simply excited to be dressed in new clothes the whole day starting from Chinese New Year's eve. He even insisted on holding the joss-sticks on his own like everyone else when offering prayers to the Gods and ancestors. Then came all the food that he got to taste.
Matty also got into the drill that when anybody hands a red colour packet with stuff in it... he takes it and gives it to Mummy for safekeeping instead of returning it to the giver (like what he always did in the past). Not just that... he also learnt that when we start chanting "Gong Xi Gong Xi" it means he is to clasp both hands together and start shaking them. Anyway all these are worth his while especially since he collected $1,200 ang pow money in just a few days. It is indeed one prosperous piggy year for Matty.
We had our second round of Yu Sheng last evening and Matty was already able to work out that he needs to grab the chopsticks, dig into the huge mountain of vegetable and start tossing... whereas the rest of us got really concerned about the Yu Sheng spilling onto the table while he did his share of "lo-hei". Is that the reason why he is more "prosperous" than the rest of us? *shrug*
Anyway, we had our fair share of "glitches" for this period. Firstly, Matty was a cranky baby just days before the New Year. Came down with a bit of flu due to teething but luckily the leaking tap stopped on the first day of Chinese New Year. He was better during the Chinese New Year weekend... at least Mummy got to sleep till at least past 8 every morning. Then the hot and dry weather got Mummy edgy and lethargic. I could really feel that it was the year of the pig... as I was sweating like a pig day in day out... and even starting to smell really bad.
Elaina got herself a new dress by accident. Mummy bought a sleeveless "t-shirt" for Matty and specially kept it for Chinese New Year without realising that it was actually a t-shirt dress. Mummy only started to suspect something wasn't quite right when the top fits really well but the bottom was longer than a normal t-shirt. I even thought that it was due to lousy cutting initially. It was only after Matty ran off with the "t-shirt" could we tell from the back that it was actually a dress. Come to think of it... it was pretty amusing. I blame it all on the salesgirl at Isetan who told me that for Disney's apparel... the range for boys will come with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse for girls. On top of that the "t-shirt" had blue lining along the collar and armhole. Who would have suspect that it was a girl's dress.
Monday 12 February 2007
New
New Bed - Matty finally had to vacate his cot for Baby Elaina and upgrade to a super-single sized mattress last Saturday. His new bed is big (for his size) and comfy... so comfy that it is comparable to Mummy's and Daddy's bed. The three big worries we had were that he will roll off the mattress in the middle of his sleep, bump his head against the wall and walking out from his own bedroom and tumble down the stairs. Thankfully it has been an uneventful weekend.
New Year's Day Haircut - Chinese New Year is just round the corner and Matty had to get his hair trimmed two weeks beforehand in order for his hair to be at the right length. Although he has been a brave boy for the last two haircut, he was still looking a bit traumatised...
New toilet roll - We had to replace the toilet roll even though it was half used because someone was mischievous enough to throw it into the toilet bowl. I don't think we need to spell out the name...
New Year's Day Haircut - Chinese New Year is just round the corner and Matty had to get his hair trimmed two weeks beforehand in order for his hair to be at the right length. Although he has been a brave boy for the last two haircut, he was still looking a bit traumatised...
New toilet roll - We had to replace the toilet roll even though it was half used because someone was mischievous enough to throw it into the toilet bowl. I don't think we need to spell out the name...
Tuesday 6 February 2007
Just Around the Corner
At 32nd week, Baby Elaina is still lying in a breech position with her head on top left-hand side and legs strapped across to Mummy's right-hand side... a position that she has been in since Day 1. As we proceed into the late stage of pregnancy, the possibility of Baby Elaina turning head-down diminishes... and in another 4 weeks the chances will drop to zero. But we are all prepared mentally to go through another cesarean. End of the day... alot of things are beyond our control and as long as Baby Elaina arrives safely... nothing else matters.
For elective cesarean, we could be looking at 16 March (though Mummy is hoping to target 23 March so as to be nearer to the actual due date with the blessing of Dr Lim) and which means we are only slightly one month away from the D day. A very daunting thought especially when we are not done with all the washing and setting up the place to accommodate a second baby... the wardrobe needs to be rearranged, the cot needs to be moved back into Daddy's and Mummy's room, the kitchen has to make space once again for the steam steriliser and more milk bottles, the changing station needs to be mobilised again... and not forgetting that the hospital bag is only half-packed till now. So many things to do but so little time. The one good thing is that since the D day is a planned one, Mummy can always start maternity leave one or two days earlier just to get everything organised before we welcome Baby Elaina home.
In the meantime, Mummy's energy is seeing another nose-dive despite Matty has been sleeping quite well at night and hasn't been too much of a terror. Sometimes I wish for D day to come soon but then again... maybe it won't be as tiring dealing with a pregnancy than a newborn baby. Hopefully it won't be wishful thinking on Mummy's part that Baby Elaina will sleep better like most babies. Imagine having to deal with Matty's bad sleeping pattern two fold... hmmmmm....
For elective cesarean, we could be looking at 16 March (though Mummy is hoping to target 23 March so as to be nearer to the actual due date with the blessing of Dr Lim) and which means we are only slightly one month away from the D day. A very daunting thought especially when we are not done with all the washing and setting up the place to accommodate a second baby... the wardrobe needs to be rearranged, the cot needs to be moved back into Daddy's and Mummy's room, the kitchen has to make space once again for the steam steriliser and more milk bottles, the changing station needs to be mobilised again... and not forgetting that the hospital bag is only half-packed till now. So many things to do but so little time. The one good thing is that since the D day is a planned one, Mummy can always start maternity leave one or two days earlier just to get everything organised before we welcome Baby Elaina home.
In the meantime, Mummy's energy is seeing another nose-dive despite Matty has been sleeping quite well at night and hasn't been too much of a terror. Sometimes I wish for D day to come soon but then again... maybe it won't be as tiring dealing with a pregnancy than a newborn baby. Hopefully it won't be wishful thinking on Mummy's part that Baby Elaina will sleep better like most babies. Imagine having to deal with Matty's bad sleeping pattern two fold... hmmmmm....
Thursday 1 February 2007
Are we seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?
Either due to a stroke of luck or maybe our prayers have finally been answered by the angels... Matty has been able to fall asleep on his own without the need to be rocked and patted for the last three nights in a row. It is an easy task for most babies but not ours. We totally gave up on sleep training him gazillion moons ago (yes it felt that long to someone who has been sleep-deprived for more than one and a half years).
Daddy has been able to coax Matty to drift off to la-la land on his own for one or two nights since last week... but had not been successful all the time. It really only started on Monday night when Daddy had to work late and Mummy has left alone to "face the battle" with Matty. Matty as usual was a handful and kept squirming even though he was being cuddled and walked around. I completely lost it because his squirming on my rock-hard tummy resulted in a dull pain. In a fit of anger, I left him in his cot and sat next to the cot... refusing to carry him. Trying not to agitate his Mummy dearest any further, he was smart enough to lie low (in every sense of the word). Any attempt to sit up was dealt with a stern lecture from me asking him to close his eyes and go to sleep. Thirty minutes later... Matty was off to dreamland.
Mummy decided to try it again on Tuesday night when Daddy was out again for a "team building session" (at the Crazy Horse) with his colleagues. It felt like a miracle when it worked again... and this time round Matty was snoring away in just fifteen minutes. Last night was the same albeit that he woke up shortly after that and ended up crying when he realised that nobody was there next to his bed as guardian angel.
Finally at 19 months old... our boy has decided to give his Daddy and Mummy a break! We are keeping our toes and fingers crossed that our hopes will not be dashed. We can only be sure if Matty is able to keep this up for at least two weeks. After this hurdle is crossed... hopefully we will not have the same issue with Elaina. Guess that only time can tell.
Daddy has been able to coax Matty to drift off to la-la land on his own for one or two nights since last week... but had not been successful all the time. It really only started on Monday night when Daddy had to work late and Mummy has left alone to "face the battle" with Matty. Matty as usual was a handful and kept squirming even though he was being cuddled and walked around. I completely lost it because his squirming on my rock-hard tummy resulted in a dull pain. In a fit of anger, I left him in his cot and sat next to the cot... refusing to carry him. Trying not to agitate his Mummy dearest any further, he was smart enough to lie low (in every sense of the word). Any attempt to sit up was dealt with a stern lecture from me asking him to close his eyes and go to sleep. Thirty minutes later... Matty was off to dreamland.
Mummy decided to try it again on Tuesday night when Daddy was out again for a "team building session" (at the Crazy Horse) with his colleagues. It felt like a miracle when it worked again... and this time round Matty was snoring away in just fifteen minutes. Last night was the same albeit that he woke up shortly after that and ended up crying when he realised that nobody was there next to his bed as guardian angel.
Finally at 19 months old... our boy has decided to give his Daddy and Mummy a break! We are keeping our toes and fingers crossed that our hopes will not be dashed. We can only be sure if Matty is able to keep this up for at least two weeks. After this hurdle is crossed... hopefully we will not have the same issue with Elaina. Guess that only time can tell.
Monday 22 January 2007
Spoke Too Soon
Matty had his first gym lesson last Tuesday. It was a good start with him hardly fussing except when the trainers tried to make him do something against his own wishes. Although he didn't quite warm up to the rest of the toddlers... he showed no distress as well even when he was left alone with the rest of the children and us watching by the side. We seriously thought that he was adapting to the class alot better than we had anticipated. His excellent "performance" didn't last that long. By the second lesson... he was crying buckets and grandma had to stay with him throughout just to pacify him. Think it will still take a few more lessons before he will take this in his stride... just like when he gets his haircut.
Just when Mummy thought that Dr Lim is off my back this time round for not putting on enough weight... I was totally wrong. During last Saturday's checkup... it was noted that Mummy had only put on 4 kg (the fats piled on before pregnancy wasn't allowed to be taken into consideration). Ideally for a 30-weeker, I should have added 7 kg to the weighing scale. I have my serious doubt that I can ever bridge that gap in the next 2 months. As it is, Mummy has much difficulty trying to finish my meal at anytime due to the stomach capacity being reduced with Baby Elaina's head fighting for more space. Speaking of Baby Elaina's head, it seems like she has caught on with the size chart and is looking to be on target.
Just when Mummy thought that Dr Lim is off my back this time round for not putting on enough weight... I was totally wrong. During last Saturday's checkup... it was noted that Mummy had only put on 4 kg (the fats piled on before pregnancy wasn't allowed to be taken into consideration). Ideally for a 30-weeker, I should have added 7 kg to the weighing scale. I have my serious doubt that I can ever bridge that gap in the next 2 months. As it is, Mummy has much difficulty trying to finish my meal at anytime due to the stomach capacity being reduced with Baby Elaina's head fighting for more space. Speaking of Baby Elaina's head, it seems like she has caught on with the size chart and is looking to be on target.
Thursday 11 January 2007
Never Been This Bad
It started with just occasional coughing last Saturday... but by Monday night it started to get rather serious. The phlegm was really bothering Matty and he didn't have a good rest at all (which means Daddy and Mummy too!). As far as we can recall... this is the first time that Matty is getting the cough. He had fever and flu before and they usually go away pretty fast.
Decided that it was serious enough to get Matty some medication from Dr Chan on Tuesday. Dr Chan don't usually advocate prescribing of medication for minor ailment and will normally advise us to wait and see... which was what we did over the weekend. But the throat is giving Matty so much grief that he hasn't been able to sleep well and only deteriorate the situation further.
Matty's teething came at a completely wrong time. He was a little feverish as a result and it made him even more cranky.
By Tuesday evening, Matty was looking completely worn out. His big eyes were reduced to only half the normal size and he was clearly taxed out from fighting the bug and the lack of sleep. But thankfully with the medication and putting the fan on instead of air-conditioner so that the air will not be too dry and make his throat uncomfy... he managed to get some good rest.
Before Matty makes a full recovery... Mummy is on the verge of catching the bug myself.
Decided that it was serious enough to get Matty some medication from Dr Chan on Tuesday. Dr Chan don't usually advocate prescribing of medication for minor ailment and will normally advise us to wait and see... which was what we did over the weekend. But the throat is giving Matty so much grief that he hasn't been able to sleep well and only deteriorate the situation further.
Matty's teething came at a completely wrong time. He was a little feverish as a result and it made him even more cranky.
By Tuesday evening, Matty was looking completely worn out. His big eyes were reduced to only half the normal size and he was clearly taxed out from fighting the bug and the lack of sleep. But thankfully with the medication and putting the fan on instead of air-conditioner so that the air will not be too dry and make his throat uncomfy... he managed to get some good rest.
Before Matty makes a full recovery... Mummy is on the verge of catching the bug myself.
Thursday 4 January 2007
Big & Small
Mummy is getting bigger (looking as if I was about to be due in a few day's time) as we slowly creep into our 3rd Trimester. Less than 100 days to get to D Day. We were back to see Dr Lim last Saturday and that should have been the start of the 27th week.
Finally hit the big "6" on the weighing scale. Never ever have I been this big and heavy in my entire life (hopefully this will be the first and last time!). Even when Mummy was wheeled into the operating theatre on Matty's birthday... I was only 59kg. Well at least I can console myself that Dr Lim will not be hounding me to put on more weight this time round. Actually if we look at the records, I had only put on 5kg thus far for this pregnancy. It is just that I was a bit (correction... it should be "alot") heavier at the onset of this pregnancy as compared to the last.
Dr Lim took measurement of Baby Elaina's head and it appeared that her head is smaller than average. The measurement was taken from left to right rather than that the circumference of the head. He used the word "narrow" rather than "small"... not sure if it was because he didn't want us to worry unduly or it was because of the shape of her head. From the ultrasound scan, the shape of Baby Elaina's head looking from top down is oblong rather than round... similar to the head of Daddy and Matty. At the detailed scan... her head definitely looked rounder and the measurement was just right. Nevertheless... Mummy is starting to question if it was because I haven't been eating enough or maybe because I haven't been disciplined enough to take my supplements daily as ordered to. Trying hard to be a good girl and not forget to take those yucky supplements regularly since last weekend.
The good news is that the placenta has moved upwards... giving us a glimmer of hope that we might have a chance to try natural delivery. Most importantly... the risk of premature birth is lowered. Have heard too many horror stories of bleeding from the placenta due to the pressure added by the baby lying on top. I don't think I want to be confined to the bed. I know I am going to feel the stress of having to deal with a newborn for the first few months and will be reluctant to travel too far from home. Mummy used to lack the drive to venture out with Matty when he was alot younger. The motivation really starts after Matty turned one-year old and we could bring him places to enjoy the good food and it became even more fun when he starts to toddle around on his own. (By the way... Matty's favourite phrase lately - go walk walk!).
Finally hit the big "6" on the weighing scale. Never ever have I been this big and heavy in my entire life (hopefully this will be the first and last time!). Even when Mummy was wheeled into the operating theatre on Matty's birthday... I was only 59kg. Well at least I can console myself that Dr Lim will not be hounding me to put on more weight this time round. Actually if we look at the records, I had only put on 5kg thus far for this pregnancy. It is just that I was a bit (correction... it should be "alot") heavier at the onset of this pregnancy as compared to the last.
Dr Lim took measurement of Baby Elaina's head and it appeared that her head is smaller than average. The measurement was taken from left to right rather than that the circumference of the head. He used the word "narrow" rather than "small"... not sure if it was because he didn't want us to worry unduly or it was because of the shape of her head. From the ultrasound scan, the shape of Baby Elaina's head looking from top down is oblong rather than round... similar to the head of Daddy and Matty. At the detailed scan... her head definitely looked rounder and the measurement was just right. Nevertheless... Mummy is starting to question if it was because I haven't been eating enough or maybe because I haven't been disciplined enough to take my supplements daily as ordered to. Trying hard to be a good girl and not forget to take those yucky supplements regularly since last weekend.
The good news is that the placenta has moved upwards... giving us a glimmer of hope that we might have a chance to try natural delivery. Most importantly... the risk of premature birth is lowered. Have heard too many horror stories of bleeding from the placenta due to the pressure added by the baby lying on top. I don't think I want to be confined to the bed. I know I am going to feel the stress of having to deal with a newborn for the first few months and will be reluctant to travel too far from home. Mummy used to lack the drive to venture out with Matty when he was alot younger. The motivation really starts after Matty turned one-year old and we could bring him places to enjoy the good food and it became even more fun when he starts to toddle around on his own. (By the way... Matty's favourite phrase lately - go walk walk!).
