Somewhere over the rainbow…

Dealing with Light Sleeper

Read MG’s post about ways of putting babies to sleep. I did ALL the wrong things mentioned by books, and will carry, rock, nurse or just anything to put Justin to sleep.

When Justin was a newborn, I had to nurse him on demands, and he’s a frequent eater. After each feed, he’d poo and I needed to clean him up. By the time everything is done, and he fell asleep for a while, then he’s up feeding again. This cycle has to repeat itself every 1.5 – 2 hourly. I was really tired and complaint to hubby and my paed that Justin just won’t sleep!!!

The only one who’s really cool about this is my MIL who has lots of experiences with babies. She told me that my hubby who’s born premature had digestion problem, and would throw up his milk at every feeding. It’s a lot of work to do, and hubby also refused to sleep because he might be hungry or just not feeling well. MIL and FIL would take turns to carry and rock him at night, without sarong cradle or pacifier. Then, at 6am she needed to prepare breakfast for the whole extended families while FIL needed to go to work. She said it’s normal to have a difficult baby, and most babies will grow up healthily and things will get better. That’s what keep me shut my mouth from complaining and “cherish” every waking moment I had with Justin.

She’s right, things really got better. Now at 15 months old, Justin still wakes up a few times at night, but with some patting, comforting, singing, or maybe a night feed, he is able to fall back to sleep. I’m still yet to have a night which I can sleep thru like a pig (not baby lah), but I find that I feel so much better about the condition.

Of coz, some people will try everything to make their babies sleep thru the night, like let them cry until tired, feed water but not milk, give some chinese medicine, etc, so the carer can sleep well too. I didn’t try any of those.

I know in a few more weeks, I maybe going through the whole sleepless process again. But I told myself it’s part of motherhood. And at least this time I’m more experienced, not kelam kabut like before.

Taking Care of Justin

Every afternoon, Xin Yi, Li Wei and Justin will take naps together in the same room. MIL will put a few mattress on the floor and they’ll take their spots to sleep in.

Before nap, Xin Yi will read to Li Wei, as I’ve been told by MIL (mommy is at work in the afternoon). Then, if the two older kids wake up first before Justin, they’ll take care of him by fanning him, or patting him.

I came back early one day, and saw Li Wei fanning Justin. It looked sweet to me, and I quickly grabbed the camera and took this photo.

Ever since Justin was born, Li Wei began to show a big koh koh role. He likes taking care of him, but sometimes they’ll fight over toys, or if Justin kacau his things, he’ll scream his lungs out. They’re godbrothers, I hope they’ll grow up liking each other’s company.

Don’t Touch Mommy!

When we’re watching TV last night, I asked hubby to give me some back massage. I sat on the floor while hubby was sitting on the sofa. Justin was playing around us.

Hubby: Which part pain? Here?
Shoppingmum: All my back, just massage lah…*Eyes clues on TV*

Suddenly, Justin walked towards me, shaking his head, and kept saying “eh, eh, eh…”

Hubby: What’s wrong Justin?

Justin pushed hubby’s hands away, stood between him and my back and started “massaging” me.

Shoppingmum: Oh, you wanna massage mommy? Good boy…Ok, go and play lah…

Hubby continued massaging. Justin came back again. This time, he looked angry and annoyed.

Justin: Er.. er..er
Shoppingmum: Why? You want massage too? Mommy massage you.
Justin: *Shaking his head, pushing hubby’s hands away* Er…er….
Hubby: I think he doesn’t want me to massage you.
Shoppingmum: Really? Lets try again.

Hubby massaged again, and Justin repeated the same sound and action.

Shoppingmum: Ok lah, Justin, daddy will stop.

Justin smiled happily and continued playing.

Oh boy, one day, I want to try kissing daddy in front of him and see what’s his reaction!

15 Months Old

Justin turns 15 months old days ago, but I was unable to log on and write about his progress that day. So, this is a “replacement”.

Physical Development
He doesn’t look like a baby anymore, and has slowly shown a boyish look. He has grown up so fast and being more independant. Luckily, he still very clingy to me.
I didn’t measure his weight and height lately, but he outgrown his shoe size and some of his clothes. My maid said his tummy looks rounded too.
He walks by himself in and out of the house, but luckily he lets us hold his hands when we’re going out. Sometimes I think he tries to run by walking faster to catch up with the 2 older kids at home, and when he can’t catch up, he’ll crawl.
He is learning how to kick a ball, even if he’ll fall off sometimes, but still enjoys kicking it.
Starts nodding his head, but he still needs lot of effort to do it.

Speech
He begins to form simple phrases, like “go kai kai”, “umm (eat) bread / ket (biscuit)”, “tat bath”, “no more” etc.
Sometimes, he’ll follow what we say, like when I called my hubby’s name, he’ll follow. But he doesn’t remember it.

Interests
Golf : Plays outside with hubby whenever he comes back from work. If hubby’s not around, he’ll play with his toy set by himself, hitting anything within his reach, and that includes me! So have to be watchful.
Books : “Bok bok” is his favourite word at the moment. He wants me to read to him every morning before his morning nap, and before bedtime at night. I’m really sick of Peter and Jane books 1a – 4a already!!! He likes the two characters and Pat the dog.
TV : Begins to show some interest watching Barney or Animal Planet, even if not more that 10 minutes. At least I can do something during that short period of time.
Video Clips : Whenever he sees me sitting at the PC, he’ll ask me to carry him and turn on the speaker, then show him those clips taken when he’s younger. He’ll smile and laugh when he sees himself, expecially those captured when he’s playing with daddy.
Cleaning up : He likes to use his handkerchief to clean up the coffee table, his drawers, playpen and the sofas. He knows how to keep his toys already even if I’m not helping out, but just telling him to do so after playing.
Dancing : Only dances to London Bridge…

Eating Habit
Getting harder to feed him since he knows how to walk. The highchair is collecting dust now ever since he knows how to get himself out from the straps.
Fish balls are his favourite food when we’re eating out.
Not good at spoon feeding yet, but likes to feed himself with a spoon and makes a mess for me or my maid to clean up later.
He’ll spit out the food that he dislikes, so it’s getting harder ensure him taking a well-balance meal.
Taking lesser milk, only about 5oz per session and not more than 3 times in 24 hours.

Sosial Skills
Likes spending time with Xin Yi cheh cheh. They’ll do funny facial expression together, and Justin likes to imitate her. He only let cheh cheh plays or touches his stuffs, and will scream when Li Wei koh koh joins in. Dunno why he prefers to play with a girl than a boy.
He’s stopped hitting other babies, which worries me for some time thinking that Justin is a violent kid. I didn’t scold him, but talked to him whenever he did it last time. The habit just went away.
He’ll cry and say “pah pah” when he meets any strangers who look unfriendly to him.

Memory
Begins to recognise some landmarks, like Li Wei’s school, Jusco, coffee shops, my parents’ place, etc.
If we say we’ll give him something, we better make sure we keep our words. He’ll throw tantrums if it’s not fulfilled.
He remembers where he fell or what hurts him previously, and tried not to go near that place or touch that stuff. MIL said kiasi is better than bold.

Unusual Pets

Went I was back in Penang last weekend, Justin saw a real monkey for the first time. Not at Botanical Garden as my mum is pantang of me seeing a monkey during pregnancy, so still doesn’t have a chance to bring Justin there.

The monkey is just staying opposite my house. My mum told me the neighbours have been keeping it as a pet for a few weeks. Justin was very excited, and would visit their house during the morning and evening. They have a “musang” too. I saw it from my house, and I think it’s a fox. It was kept in a cage with limited space for it to move around.

I wonder where they got these 2 animals from. I’m not sure if it’s legal to have a fox as a pet. They surely don’t walk the fox like walking a dog, but keeping it in captivity only. Poor fella, the cage is really too small for it.

My MIL told me that a few units next to my SIL’s flat in Singapore keeps some mice at the hallway, just outside their house. She didn’t think much about it whenever she walked past that unit when she was staying there. One day, she saw the owner of the unit took out a few mice, brought them inside the house, and fed a huge snake. My MIL almost freaked out looking at the snake! She’s afraid of the snake, and also felt pity for the mice which became the snake’s food. The owner was breeding them freely for the snake. Furthermore, he has kids at home helping him to feed the snake, yikes!

I had a dog, 11 hamsters, and 2 tortoises before as pets. Even if I’d allow Justin to have a pet later, I’ll still choose normal animals from the pet shop, not those exotic kinds. It creeps me.

Preparation for Confinement

Another 6 weeks to pop, and I’m getting very anxious. Baby is very cramped inside as there’s lesser space for her to move around. During my previous scan on last Saturday, she still hasn’t turned head down yet, but lying across. Hopefully she’ll turn head down so I won’t have to go for C-sec.

My mum and some friends have been asking what’s my arrangement when baby comes, as Justin is still very young and needs lots of attention. BTW, my maid has to do the housework, and MIL is too old to help out. Here’s the alternatives they suggested:

1. Get a confinement lady:
I didn’t have a confinement lady last time because I was afraid that she’ll protest strongly to my effort in breastfeeding, no pacifier to avoid nipple confusion, and no sarong cradle. Anyway, I don’t take most of the Chinese traditional confinement food and am allergy to alcohol. My MIL can do simple cooking for me, but she’d add a few slides of gingers only in the dishes. Of coz, without any extra help or a maid at that time, and with hubby’s working in KL most of the days, I was really tired taking care of newborn Justin by myself. Even if I have one, baby will still be taken care by me as I have to bf her on demand and the confinement lady won’t have much to do. On top of that, it costs a lot too.

2. Send Justin to my mum in Penang
My mum has been suggesting to me that she can take care of Justin for me during confinement. But hubby feels that we’re neglecting him by sending him away when there’s a new family member, and worries that he might reject baby later. I also prefer to have Justin by my side, even if I know he’ll probably get jealous and fussy over new baby’s arrival, and it’ll take some time for him to get adjusted to having a new baby sister. I’ve mentally prepared for the worst behaviour I’ll have from him. But who knows? Maybe he’ll be good!

3. Get my mum here!
This is the best option ever. But my mum hates staying in Ipoh! Why? She has this attachment of sleeping on her own bed and has problem sleeping elsewhere. That’s why she seldom travels. She was here before for a week, and didn’t sleep well until she got sick when she got back. But if she agrees to come, she would be one great help to me as Justin likes her a lot. Whenever I mention option #3, my mum will suggest #2. We’ve yet to find a solution.

4. Hubby stays at home for the first 2 weeks
This is very unlikely to happen. I’ve been persuading him not to play golf during the first few weeks but he gave me the super-sad-and-disappointed look as if it’s the end of the world! He can still go to work, but I’ll appreciate it if he can come home straight after work, but not heading to the golf course / range before and after work plus during weekends. This is the last option, as hubby prefers options #1 and #3!

Sigh! Next time, if he wants another baby, I’ll make sure he lose his golf set first before going for labour. Now, surely can’t do it because he’s protecting his precious extremely well as I threatened to throw his set away!

No Net No TV Days

I’m EXTREMELY bored these days as TM Net still slow, and we haven’t come out the decision to get Streamyx yet. So, can’t log on most of the time. Got the form from TM, just have to think of which package is more suitable.

I’ll normally go online when Justin’s taking his nap. Since there’s a poor connection, I have nothing much to do except reading and taking nap together with him in the morning. As the results, these few days have been the days when I get more than 8 hours sleep, since I’m entering motherhood. The best thing is my complexion is getting better, and dark circles have reduced too. So ladies, go slumber yourself in your sack, no need SK11!

Then, a few days ago, our TV has some problem and couldn’t be switched on. It’s been sent to the shop for repairs but still no news about it. Maybe it’s getting old, so can’t get the spare parts. Without TV, the living room is very quiet at night. Justin is confused why after pressing the remote control for so long and no sound or picture coming out. Of coz, I’ve been telling him the TV is no around for a while, but he’s still confused.

So, we’ll go up to our room earlier than usual at night, and Justin has an hour extra to play and listen to my reading. He’s getting interested in books and likes me to read to him everyday. I admit that it’s very tiring reading out loud, but still obliged to do it as I don’t feel like killing his interest. Hubby and MIL want to help me out by taking turns to read to him, but Justin refused to let them touch his books. Gosh, what should I do when baby comes out? Carrying baby in one hand and reading at the same time is easy only if baby’s not fussy or crying. Well, hopefully Justin won’t mind daddy’s doing that part by then.

What happened to TM Net?

Sh*t!!! It took me an hour to log on the net. There’s nothing wrong with my password, but just poor connection. Hubby is also complaining about it, and it’s been days!

Seriously, do I need Streamyx? I’m not on the net most of the time, that’s why I thought it’s a waste of money to get the blue hippo. TM called us a few times, asking us to get Streamyx, but hubby just thinks, thinks, and more thinking only. Maybe we don’t use the internet much, that’s why no action has been taken.

But now we can’t even log on to check our mailboxes!!! Don’t even mention about blogging.

Anyway, I’m not sure how much is Streamyx. Is it expensive? Very malas to go and enquire from TM. Mmm… Should surf their website for more info then.

Evening Routine

Every evening, I’ll try to come back from home around 5pm, when Justin has waken up from his afternoon nap. He is eager to see me around this hour as he knows that we’ll play outside the house if the weather permits.

Normally, we’ll go next door first as he wants to see the 2 doggies, Dao Dao and Girl Girl. He only likes to look at them but dares not touch them. Then, he’ll go and looks at the fish in the aquarium. We don’t have animals in my house, except 2 stray cats who come once in a while, and some birds.

Then, he’ll come back and play with his golf club and balls on the grass, while waiting anxiously for daddy to be back and play with him. Sometimes, he’ll explore the garden, looking for ants, tasting grass (yikes!), playing with dirt, or just getting himself dirty. Besides that, he likes us to push him on the tricycle too. He still doesn’t know how to ride on it, just pushing the tricycle lah. If he gets bored of walking, he’ll just crawl on the ground or grass, so I’ll have a messy toddler to be cleaned up before dinner time.

New Daddy’s Joke

Went to visit my friend and her 1 month old baby. She told me something funny about her hubby.

Scene 1:
In the middle of the night, baby was crying in the background, asking for his milk. Wife was getting up, making formula milk, and asking her husband to bring her something.

Husband: Huh? Can’t you see I’m carrying the baby? (He was actually carrying his small bolster)

Wife: What do you mean? Please help me to bring xxxx

Husband: At least let me put down the baby (his bolster) first. (Husband placed the bolster slowly and carefully on the bed)

Wife: (With eyes wide open) You “ci sing” ah? That’s your bolster lah, baby is here!!!

Scene 2:
In the middle of the night, again. Wife heard husband’s mumbling, like singing lullaby to baby. She woke up and saw…

Husband: yeee ahhh yee yaaa (while patting his bolster) *Kiss kiss bolster*

His husband thought his bolster was the baby, and trying to put it to sleep!!!
Again, wife almost fainted.