Turning 11 months

And suddenly, didiN is merely a month away from turning 1. Where has all that time gone? 😔

DidiN is still a joy to feed. He tries any type of food, in fact, anything that i bring close to his mouth. So if he refuses any food, and that’s usually after he has tried it once, we know for sure that he has decided he doesn’t like that particular food.

I’ve also come to notice that unlike jiejieN who screams when carried by strangers, this dude is quite happy to be passed around. Even if he is unwilling, he remains quiet and will allow people to carry and pass him around. Not too sure if this is a good thing – i probably have to keep a tighter watch on him!

This past month also saw didiN attempt many firsts 😁 Things that jiejieN attempted for the first time at a much later age. Guess this is what happens to #2.

This lil’ dude is also very eager to join in fun. His favourite companion is jiejieN – always looking for her when he wakes, always smiling and laughing at her crazy antics. I guess that’s also why he’s crawling so quickly, climbing onto things, and already wanting to learn to walk 😆

Temperament-wise, he is yet another stubborn kid. Wants his way and makes it known. Ge’s chatty, making lots of sounds, and his demands are 响亮.

Now Mommsy needs to start planning for his first birthday!

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10 months in, 10 months out!

DidiN has spent just about the same amount of time out in this world as he had been in the confines of my tummy. From the sound of it (he screams a lot, and very loudly), he clearly is having the time of his life.

He’s a joy to everyone around him. He’s playful, smiley, laughs out loud. I for one, loves tickling him. He laughs uncontrollably! At the same time, he can be quite the handful. So very active, refusing to sit down in his chair for meals, screams. Popo and Aunty Anong have been properly tested by his little terror.

He still is a joy to feed, and i’m counting my blessings. He opens his mouth as long as food (any kind!) is brought to him, and he eats a big bowl of porridge everyday 👍🏻 Yet, he is still on the smallish side 😞

He’s a very curious boy. Loves to explore on all fours, refuses to sleep while in his carrier so he can look around.

He loves playing with the door. Using all his might to get past barriers (like me) to get to the bedrails and reach out to attempt to open the door. He also loves playing with jiejieN. When she comes close, he laughs and scurries away 😄 In fact, we believe didiN’s first word is 姐姐!

He’s still very much attached to his chouchou – spot the white nappy cloth in the pic below? He can be really uncomfortable without it.

How fast time flies. Another 2 months and we’ll be celebrating didiN’s first birthday. I’m so curious to know what he’ll grow up to be.😘

02 May 2018

Tinge of sadness, i passed 417 on my way back to home #1. End of a chapter.

My 小J turned 8 months old a month ago…

… and now he’s 9 months old!

(Out of sheer lack of me-time and exhaustion since returning from NZ2018, this lousy mom did not pen a post to celebrate 小J turning 8 months. I promise i will do a backdated post!)

The past month must have been fun in his little world. 小J begun to pull himself up to grab/swipe at things, is a speedy-gonzales crawler, loves climbing up on things especially the window grills, gotten more playful and cheeky, learnt how to play with his sister (read: snatch toys), and likes to ‘walk’ around. He now knows how to clap his hands too! And i’m teaching him how to high5 👋🏻

He has also started taking more solids, and in fact much more experimental than his sister was! He has since eaten beehoon, porridge, ramen, 包, bread, cereal, fruits etc. i gotta say he’s a very curious boy! Oh by the way, he has 6 pearlie whites now 😬

He’s also quite the chatty boy. Making a variety of “ng”, “ge”, “te”, “mmh” sounds. Cute when he’s attempting to talk, but really annoying when he uses those sounds to get attention and try to have his way. He can get quite whiny, especially when he’s hungry 🙄

小J’s favourite pasttime is to lay by the bay window and stare out into the open while munching on his little cloth/blanket. Love to watch him do that when he wakes up (too early!) in the morning.

Turning 9 months old was also when 小J suddenly came down with high fever for a few days. Wasn’t sure about the reason but it got us quite worried. Thankfully we passed the ordeal safe and sound.

Meanwhile 姐姐N has also learnt to look after her lil’ brother. Perhaps coz we stressed it upon her but i hope she does learn that she plays an important role in 小J’s life, both as a caregiver and as a playmate.

Happy birthday, dear jiejieN! 😘

Turning 4 must have been challenging as you grabble with making sense of all that new information you are gathering as you become more aware of what’s going on around you.

You have demonstrated a new level of maturity and intelligence, asking questions like how pumping petrol works, what is considered expensive, where/which shop do i buy things, and what buying on the internet means. You have an acute ability to observe your surroundings and process the information. The very first time i was made aware of this, and i still remember distinctively, was when at 2.5 years old, you asked me who was driving the cable car.

You have a keen interest in learning. You are asking questions ALL THE TIME, want to learn how to tell the time, is now able to write birthday greetings with help in spelling, spelling simple words, speaking in Mandarin (not all the time), and you often want to help out around the house (from keeping the clean laundry to folding and putting them away). But, you are still reluctant to pick up swimming, preferring to just waddle in the baby pool and imaginary play.

You are also like a “小大人”; the things you say and the expressions that come along are simply… well, like hard ‘slaps’ to my face as that’s probably how i look when i talk to you 😒 In many ways, you are a mature and understanding child. You get it when we tell you the plans and activities for the day need to change. But yet in other circumstances, you are as stubborn as you can be, like refusing to wear black pants and would rather nap on the floor with your diapers on. Must be tough being a 4yo.

You are still extremely shy in front of friends; only being your true self at home and in school (although you do become extremely shy when mommsy and daddcy appear in school). Our friends never get to see the bubbly and chatty you. But those who do, love you! The teachers (past and present) in school, especially, love you and heaps praises!

You are a cautious child. Jumping steps and climbing walls feel like impossible tasks to you but with assurance and tireless ‘training’ from daddcy, you have somewhat conquered these fears.

You love to wear dresses and can be choosy about which dress to wear – key criteria being how much the skirt lifts up when you spin, likes princessy/hellokitty things even though mommsy tries not to expose/indulge you in them, goes on and on about how pretty you look after u put on hair clips, and likes looking in the mirror.

You have vastly improved from being a fussy eater – current faves are homecooked soup, noodles in soup with salmon and tiny tiny tiny broccoli, bolognese spaghetti, rice with chicken wing, sweet & sour fish with rice. You are eating more meat than vege.

In the past year, you also had to learn to deal with a more impatient mommsy, who like you, is learning to grapple with the new realities of juggling work and children.

Mommsy can’t help but impose certain expectations and standards on you. Part of me thinks doing so can challenge you to become more independent. But i forget, you are still just a young child. You throw tantrums and become “irritating”, but you are really just constantly seeking affirmation and love from daddcy and me.

We are learning to be parents. We hope that as your mommsy and daddcy, we have not failed you as parents, that we have not failed to let you enjoy a meaningful and fun-filled childhood.

Know that daddcy, mommsy and babyN are your safe haven. We’ll never let harm in your way. We love you, girlgirl 😘

小J @ 7mo

Didi! 😍

Sorry that this is coming 3 days late 😞

Turning 7mo has been eventful for this lil’ boy.

He started the month recovering from bacterial infection and a round of anti-biotics, he began to crawl, we started him on solids, he is sprouting his third and fourth teeth, he continues to endure a jiejieN who can be too loud at times, and he experienced his first CNY!

babyN hasn’t taken well to solids, eating couple mouthfuls of cereal and absolutely hating pumpkin puree – he actually gives a look of extreme disgust and shakes his head!! It was HILARIOUS. Wish i caught it on video..

Physical development wise, he loves to stand, started crawling and is now pulling himself up onto inclined surfaces. He is also what i call, “bo see diam”. Holding him while seated on the sofa is no longer a relaxing activity. It takes alot of energy to hold him still!

didiN got through his first CNY like a champ despite the early mornings/late nights and frequent repetitions of picking him out of the carseat and plonking him back in throughout the day. Fussy at times, naturally, but the curiosity he had as we went about going from place to place and meeting new faces sustained his energy levels. Oh, and he didn’t cry when he experienced his first lion and dragon dance!

In terms of expressions, as daddcy has repeatedly said, he is ever so endearing. From the slight smile and glimmer in his eyes when we pop into his line of vision, to the laughter that erupts during play-time with jiejieN. Combining jiejieN’s infectious laughter with babyN’s hearty laughter is really quite heartwarming 💕 Let’s hope we hear more laughters than fights in future 🤞🏻

7 months of nursing and counting!

2 years ago, i weaned jiejieN and wrote an entry commemorating that. Thought it’s befitting to now talk about my new cycle of breastfeeding babyN.

It’s the first time i’m breastfeeding as a working mommsy. Never have i used a pump as much as i have now. The start of this journey was wrought with uncertainty. Wasn’t sure how convenient it was to pump at work, if i could pump 3 times to replace every time didiN feeds while i am working, whether and how much supply will dwindle, etc.

Well, it’s been 7 months and counting, and didiN has been drinking 200ml up to three times while i’m away. He may be on the small side but i’m gonna attribute that to his high metabolism. While there has been days when i get frantic coz i don’t have an extra feed for surprise occasions, we have survived, and will be surviving.

💪🏻💪🏻

Happy 6 months & 7 days, 小J!

Penning a belated entry coz the poor boy fell ill with bacterial infection, and is on a round of antibiotics 😔 He’s thankfully on the mend!

Even as this lil’ boy has been a handful (bouts of bad rashes, fever the day before vaccination which means it needs to be postponed, frequent runny/blocked nose), he has compensated that by always offering his charming smile and endearing glances.

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n terms of physical development, he seems to like skipping milestones. Sitting up is still wobbly and he hasn't begun crawling but he loves being propped up at standing position! In fact, all i have been doing is place my hands close to his pits as he pushes his feet against the ground. Let's see when he can accomplish these confidently 😏

小J got his 2 bottom teeth post-Xmas so it’s time to start solids soon! Let’s wait till you have fully recovered before we do so 😋

This lil’ bro has also clearly been looking up to his jiejieN. He wakes every morning looking forward to welcome jiejieN coming over to say hi, and he watches his sister’s crazy antics intently. Methinks both of them combined will be ultra annoying in time to come 😑

小J’s first X’mas & turning 5mo!

This little guy may be on the smallish side but he sure packs a punch. He’s often smiley and fun to play with, but is inconsolable when he cries of hunger or when sleep deprived. Actually, not sure why he’s on the smallish side when he’s drinking 160-180ml, and at times 200ml, per feed! Probably fueling his strong kicks and finger-holds 💪🏻 Changing diapers is no longer an easy task and not just simply about preempting and avoiding projectile pees 😏

Other than letting 小J munch on his fat fingers, the now more lassie faire mommsy has also started letting 小J have the occasional taste of food, mainly fruits like apples and watermelon. From the initial apprehensiveness to now grabbing the fork and shoving into his little mouth to suck on the fruit, hopefully this early introduction to food will help nurture a less fussy eater!

小J has also begun showing a preference for the sitting and standing up positions. His eyes light up when we prop him up, and finds it funny when we let him sit up unaided and he falls to the side like a 不倒翁.

His favourite game is peekaboo and he chuckles himself silly when jiejieN plays the game with him ☺️

😘

#原来是这种感觉

The reason why we planned to have more than one kiddo was so that our kiddo has a companion to grow up with. As jiejieN approached 3 years old, we figured it’s perhaps a good time to start planning. 

JiejieN was the second (first being daddcy) to know of baby #2’s existence. We brought her along for the first gynae check after we returned from holiday in NZ, and she had a look of wonder as she saw and heard the little heart beat. While the rest of the extended family were kept in the dark, jiejieN apparently went around telling everyone that there’s is a didi/meimei. This ‘baotohkia’ 🙄

We’ve always known that Nae will be a good jiejie, and this new role was growing on her as baby #2 grew in my belly.

I was told it is very important to create the perfect first meeting between the siblings. We had wanted jiejieN to meet didiN in an exclusive setting at the hospital but while that didn’t go as planned, i think it was as perfect as it could have been.

JiejieN was apprehensive, curious, shy and sweet about the occasion, and kept wanting to be close to and pat didi. 

Since then, she has created her own daily rituals. She comes over from her room to say hi and play with didiN every morning, attempts to soothe a fussy/grouchy didiN when neither of us are available, and takes the initiative to entertain didiN when he is alone.
One evening in particular left me all warm ‘n fuzzy inside…

I was busy in the kitchen and had left the kiddos to their own devices. I began hearing laughter coming from the room; not one but two sets of laughter. I crept into the room wanting to spy on them, but jiejieN saw me approaching. She beamed and said, “when i did this just now, didi laughed!” and proceeded to re-enact what had happened.

#原来是这种感觉 The bond and closeness between kiddos is the best gift parents can give to our kiddos.