Peekaboo - Kallang Leisure Park

It never occur to me to bring B to an indoor playground because I have always had my mind set about taking him to parent & child classes. And I never knew such play gyms and indoor playgrounds were suitable for babies. But a conversation with an ex-colleague over lunch had me think otherwise. I had planned to bring B to Peekaboo at Leisure Park alone today but turns out one of the mummy from our group is on leave so we went together.

By the time we got there, it was time for B's nap and he slept. So I let Canny and D go ahead while I sat on the couch in the cafe area with B sound asleep in the carrier. It was 230pm on a Friday afternoon and there was no on in the playground except us. Someone say yoohoooo!

Took this pic while B was sleeping. 

Young friends engaging in happy conversation. "Listen to my plan, Bradley. Let's tackle the ball pit first"

"Come follow me!"

"Hi!" Turns out B loved this the most. He went in and out, and in, and out, and in and out.

It wasn't a big playground, but it was enough to get two adults totally knackered. By the time we got to the second level, I was panting.

"Freedommmmmmm!"

"When I grow up, I want to be a firefighter. How about you, D?"

"You are funny, D!"

Needless to say, what was originally the intention of letting B use up with his energy ended with mummy using up hers. It was a workout. 

The place was a little rundown and old, but given the proximity and how often we go there for groceries, I would definitely return. And best part, I'll have DH take B while I go for a massage.

Next Monday, B and I shall venture to Hokey Pokey at Millenia Walk. Stay tuned.

10 Months Old

Yesterday, our darling turned 10 months. He will be 1 in just 2 months. Where has the time gone to? I still look at him occasionally thinking who is this fellow. When I'm alone with him, observing him play, I get this incredulous feeling every single time. I wonder if I will ever get used to it.

Now as he gets older, you would think everything should get easier too. Sadly, there are different issues and challenges at different stages and phases.

In the newborn stage, it was trying to sort out breastfeeding and his feeding schedule. Then it was the fatigue from pumping milk. Then it was his sleep regression plus teething. And now, it's keeping a close eye on him as he crawls and cruises around. Not forgetting cleaning up the warzone everyday day. It's a good form of exercise.

The Little Things That Matter

Today, B did something incredible. To me, at least.

As I was putting him down for his first nap, his pacifier came off and I did what I usually do, bite the handle end of it an put it back into his mouth like we are sharing a kiss. It came off again but this time he managed to catch it. What happened next had me screaming and laughing.

He took the paci in his hands and put it back to my mouth.

Everybody say awwwww.

The little things that matter.

What's In Your Diaper Bag?

I am constantly on the lookout for great diaper bag. My definition of great: big yet not too big, otherwise it would be too bulky to carry esp when I'm out alone with B; deep yet not too deep so that I won't have to dig too far in; wide yet not too wide so that it fits the stroller when not in use; pretty yet not too feminine so that DH can carry it without looking too gu niang.

I have a few bags that I rotate usage but do send your recommendations along! One can never have too many bags, diaper bags included.

This was the very first bag I bought before I delivered. Chanced upon it at one of those pushcarts at a mall and I thought it was cute. Well, cute aside, a FTM has no idea how much space a diaper bag should have. This was ok, but when we were bringing ebm and hot flask + container out, it was nearly exploding and every time we needed to take something out, we had to remove its content first. Good for short trips like across the road to the pd.

This sling bag came with the Avent breast pump and turns out we have been using this quite a bit as DH can sling it without looking too cutesy. Anyway with B on solids, we have to bring another small bag for his utensils, food, water etc, so this is just nice for the diaper stuff and my wallet.

I bought this bag at the Robinsons expo and have used it the most especially when I'm out alone with B because it's huge.

In it, I have a bag organiser to put: 3 diapers, diaper cream, powder, lotion, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, pacifier wipes, hand&mouth wipes, changing sheets, airsick bags, cotton wools/buds and a fresh set of clothes. I still have space for his totseat, snack bag, paper fan, my wallet, a small pouch for my tampons, a small story book, nappy cloth/towel.

Then, I can still shove one milk bottle, one hot water flask, one small water bottle and fm dispenser! It's like Doraemon's pouch- bottomless. 

It's great, I quite like it, BUT, I still haven't found THAT bag yet. Have you?

Keeping Friendships & Relationships Alive

I am so blessed that over the years, I've come to make many good friends. Coworkers, clients, schoolmates and sometimes just by pure stroke of fate, friends like Karen whom we met on the internet and clicked because of similar interests.

Some of my dearest friends started as my colleagues and some of us may have left the company, we are still very much involved in each other's lives. My ex-clients still ask me out for coffee/meals to catch up, some have become my friends. Even the agents from overseas in Malaysia and Korea are still in touch it warms my heart when they sent gifts over for B.

Next 2 weeks I have luncheons planned with different ex colleagues. I guess as with all relationships, it takes both hands to clap. For every effort a friend takes to keep in touch, do know that I appreciate it.

Thanks for being in my life friends!

Like Mother Like Son

This was what I was talking about, DH was freaked out. So were my siblings. I couldnt figure out how to rotate the video, and no idea who my text are centralised. Oh well.

My Little Foodie

Every day I spend some time in the kitchen to prepare B's meals. I used to cook in a slightly larger quantity so that it can last for 2 days, but sometimes the quality is compromised after chilling, so I have given up that thought. And since my Sinchies review, I've bought the Avent steamer-blender, which, OMG, is the best invention ever! Previously I was steaming it the conventional way, then using a hand blender to purée. There's so much washing to do, but with this, ahhhh... It's just a breeze.

Anyway, back to my point, so B has home cooked food almost every meal, but on weekends it's tough coz we are out most days, so his last meal usually is cereal with fruit or veg purée. Sometimes I will cook porridge before we leave and keep it in the thermos jar, but I try not to keep it in there too long. So I decided to buy some food pouches to go along with his cereal for convenience sake, and also bought a couple jars of pasta sauce for "no time to cook" days.

Today, I rushed back home after lunch in time to cook his pasta, and when he tasted it, his face cringed and spat out the food. It continued for like 10 spoons full before I decided it's not gonna work. But his expression had me laughed sooo hard he stared at me like I was crazy. Ahhh, way too funny.

So happy with his food and milk intake of late. With his 3 solids, 3 milk feeds of 210ml and plentiful of snacking in between, it leaves me to wonder why he's lean. Everyone keeps telling me because he's too active. Oh well, just keep doing what you do and be happy and healthy!

Coincidence Much?

When I was a little kid, I had tons of weird habits. Damn it, I still do.

One of the habits stuck with me till today, and I'm kinda embarrassed to admit. So you know how babies are given their 'chou chou' or 'zai zai' to hold on to when they sleep? It's their security blanket. Well, I had mine and for some strange reasons, the corners of the pillow case appealed to me so much I had to rub it against my thumb. It brings me a strange high up till today. So much so that the balls of both my thumbs have a raised surface that resembles a corn on foot, except much smaller. These days, I make do with anything that can give me this high - pillow corners, hubby's boxer shorts, baby's shorts, my shirts, anything that is somewhat sharp to rub against with. 

Another crazy habit which I'm glad I managed to kick off eons ago was to use the sharp corners of my pillow and... wait for this.... poke the inner corner of my eyes. I know this is stupid and ridiculous. Don't ask me why, but it felt good! It probably started when I was one year, and stopped perhaps around four?

Several days ago, I was putting b to sleep. As usual, he was doing this thing in his cot - rolling, standing, fake laughing. When he was finally tired, he laid down and took the tail of his cat pillow and poked his eyes!!!! My eyes nearly popped when i saw that, but I thought, ok, maybe just this once because he went on to tickle his ears with it later. 

And it happened again the next night, and the next, and the next. And then I knew it... Bradley is as crazy as mummy!! DH was lost for words, he said bb inherited his looks and even his bad habits from me. Too funny. But I told him, he inherited his fine hair (or lack of) and snores. We're even.

This gives me a strange high too.

恭喜发财！

After what felt like forever, B seems to be going back to his usual self of sleeping thru the night and no more fussing. 

It was really bad for the last 3 weeks. He would sleep at his usual bedtime, only to wake up an hour later, crying so badly nothing could stop him. He doesn't want milk, doesn't want water, doesn't want his pacifier and when being carried, he jumped and squirmed. When all else failed, we turned to the tv for distraction or the carrier. He would be up for 1-2 hours before going back to sleep, only to get up 3-4 hours again. And because of this interrupted sleep for him, he wakes up super cranky which last thru the day.

A few days before cny, it changed. He slept thru the night, took longer naps during the day and happy when awake. Sighs. I really hope it's over. He now has 7 visible teeth! 4 on the top and 3 bottom. Cute!

His appetite has also up, which I'm glad. His solids intake have always been great, but milk so-so. Unfortunately I have no idea why he hasn't put on weight for the last 2 months. Given the amount he eats, it was a surprise. I hope it's because of his activities and energy level.

Other than life back to usual, a 9-monther is really a joy! He had such a ball over cny and today, as I was trying to make him nap, he kept cracking me up which ended up with both of us laughig and giggling. Such a joy.

Sunday Times - Tee Hun Ching's column

My tears welled up as I went through the paragraphs written by Hun Ching. They sounded extremely familiar and exactly what I went through. Towards the end of the article, I was all snort and tears and my hubby was exasperated. "It's the Sunday papers for goodness sake!" I flashed him a grin, you'd think he's used to it by now.

I have been a SAHM for a grand total of.... 9 months now. The first 3 months went by quickly. It was all crying and feeding, sleeping then crying, then more feeding. Before I knew it, it was almost time to go back to work. Just when I finally thought baby and I had established a good routine and I am finally able to enjoy him instead of just feeding him. Not forgetting I was expressing my milk every four hours - you do the math: pump milk, feed baby, play, naps, pump milk, baby wakes, feed baby, play, naps, pump milk.. yeah, you get the gist. Whatever happened to enjoying motherhood and baby and witnessing all the milestones? I was (still am) so attached to my baby I cannot imagine going back to work. They say baby get separation anxiety bad - I think they got it wrong, its the mums who can't let go. So hubby and I decided that I will do the "unthinkable" - I will resign when my maternity leave is up. Shocking, how could I do that to my company? Thankfully I had a very understanding and supportive boss and it made what was supposedly a very difficult task, well, less difficult.

Yay! I am now a self-proclaimed tai-tai! I don't need to drag my feet up when the alarm rings in the morning! I don't need to work anymore! Finally, after so many years of bugging hubby, I get to be a housemaker, I get to spend all day with my baby. Yay! Or not.

For one, people have always associated SAHMs as well-manicured tai-tais sipping skinny lattes while their bubs quietly and happily sit in the pram or high chair. I wake up everyday before its considered decent (its still dark outside), I don't need to work in front of a computer or handle difficult clients anymore, but instead, my office has expanded to my kitchen, bathrooms and anywhere my baby crawls. My multi-tasking skills have never been better - I wash and prepare the ingredients for dinner while baby is napping, the porridge is sitting in the slow cooker. Baby wakes and its play time, then meal times, then its nap time again. Out comes the baby carrier and baby dozed off while I do the dishes and throw the dirty laundry in the washing machine.

Like Hun Ching, I had a routine and schedule in mind. Every baby book I read said baby thrives with routine. I worked hard to stick to it and get very upset when baby messes with it. Instead of sleeping for 30 minutes, he decided to sleep for 47 minutes and hence his lunch time is dragged, which in turn will drag his next nap time. How can?! What if he turns cranky in the car? I beat myself up desperately and sometimes go a little crazy when baby messes with the schedule. It happened one day when I spent about 1 hour trying to rock my baby to sleep, futile attempt obviously and I was losing all my patience that I decided to let him out and into his play yard when I saw the happiest smile on his face. Then, it hit me. For goodness sake, I'm raising a baby, not a puppy, not a robot. Just like us adults, there are days where we simply don't feel like eating so much, there are days where we aren't tired and just wanna use up our energy! And just like that, over tears and snort again, I tried to let baby tell us what he wants. Of course, we still stick to a schedule, but with plenty of flexibility. That in turns, brought me much more joy of being a SAHM.

Yes its extremely tiring, I'm severely lack of sleep and if allowed, I think I can sleep for 24 hours straight. My nails are in desperate need of a good mani/pedi, my body a good strong swedish massage, my feet perpetually needs a good rub. It is the most difficult job I ever had (as opposed to a flight attendant, hospitality, management consulting) But given a choice, I choose this all over again. Nothing beats waking up to my baby's coos coming through the baby monitor, going in to see him flash the sweetest smile. Nothing gives you the sense of satisfaction when baby gobbles down the food you prepare every day and asking for more. More importantly, witnessing every milestones from his first flip, first crawl, first babble, his first tooth (though that came with a whole load of teething problems) and the first time he crawl to you and cling onto you like you are his favourite person. Its all worth it.