My brood :)

Still can't quite believe that I can proudly say "my brood" now. What a surreal feeling, this Mom-of-two thing :)

I'm very proud of Adam. He has wowed me again, when I least expected it.

"What is this Mummy? Is it a doll? A puppy?"

Adam is very protective of Ashton, although he displays jealousy sometimes.
For eg. When the helper gets close to the baby, he will tell her to go away, in a very protective, authoritative way.
Last evening I was holding Ashton and telling him to wake up otherwise if he is wide awake at night I will smack his bum.
Adam heard me and he cried, telling me, "Mummy don't beat Didi." Such a sweet child!
.
.
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By the way, our helper the clucky mother hen has been found to be a bit obsessive at the moment. She has been noticed to be staring at the baby many a time.
Not in a "icy cold murderous look" way, but just... staring.
In the mornings, I ask her to put Ashton in his rocker in the balcony to get some sun (for his jaundice), when I wake up an hour later, she is still sitting beside the rocker and doing nothing but staring at Ashton.
In the middle of the night, when Ashton cries for milk, she will wake up and ask me if she can feed the baby. This morning, she actually suggested that I let the baby sleep with her. I asked her why would I want to do that? Her reason was so that I could rest at night. I then told her that I can rest in the day if I'm tired but she has to work, so she'd better get her proper sleep at night.
She later reasoned that since I'm "not breastfeeding at night, can let her sleep with the baby". Making a bottle or two in the middle of the night doesn't mean I'm not breastfeeding at night, and what kind of audacity is that to suggest I let my baby sleep with her?


I told my MIL, Aunt LY and Hubs about it and they found it bizarre too.
My MIL told me that sometimes when we do not notice, our helper will kiss Ashton.
What???!! I told my MIL to please tell her off the next time she catches her doing that.
In my household, no kissing or sharing food with my children! They are my babies and Hubs & I kiss them all the time, the thought that we could have been unknowingly ingesting her saliva makes me want to throw up!!

My Aunt asked if it's because she misses her son and is therefore treating my baby this way?
Am I being over-sensitive? Or is my helper going overboard in her displays of affection to my children?

My head might explode.

Ashton Tan Tian Yang says Hi to all

24 August 2012
This is the day I was scheduled for my Elective Csect because I'm 2 days away from my EDD (26 Aug 2012) and still no signs of Ashton coming out.
I had to be admitted to Mt Alvernia Hosp by 5.30AM because my op was listed early: 7.30AM.

On 23rd August night, I couldn't sleep a wink. I was just too nervous. I waited and watched the clock. Hours passed, still no signs of labour. I'm gonna be "cut up" again like last time. I drifted slowly into Dreamland.
24 Aug 2012, 4.00AM: I woke up to the alarm after just 2 hours of sleep. Oh no... D-day is here. I woke Hubby up, we picked up my hospital bag and made our way to MAH.

5.30AM: I was in the ward getting dressed in OT gown and getting my vital signs taken, and did the necessary. The nurse fleeted me with Enema and this is sooooo uncomfy, I felt like I was having the runs and sat on the royal throne for 15 min!

7.00AM: The OT staff came to wheel me off, with my excited Hubby all ready and eager to see his newborn.

The squirmy newborn is out!

Ashton says Hello Daddy.

By the 1st day of posting up his photo on my FB page, Ashton has garnered 65 Likes and 62 comments!

My cousin and my niece visiting.

My Mum is a proud Grandma once more.

A familiar routine which was once a distant memory has re-entered my life.

My brood. Adam is happily painting after he came home from school and a blissful Ashton in Lalaland.



On the Hospital stay:
Armed with my experience 3 yrs ago, this time I'm taking things really slowly. I didn't ask for Ashton to room in, instead, I had him sent back to the nursery and the nurses and Lactation consultant were the ones who kept wheeling him back to my room and urging me to breastfeed.
Hahahah this is because once you've been there, done that, you will know the hospital stay is probably your best vacation in a long long while, compared to what's waiting for you at home.
Sure, there's no place like home. But at the hospital, you get 24/7 nursing care, you get food served to you and all your needs attended to.
Best of all, I asked Hubby not to lodge with me so I could for the first time in 9 mths, sleep peacefully, alone. No snoring. No night-wakes to soothe nightmares/thunder scares.
It was just pure bliss.
On my first night home, I told Andy that I wish to extend my hospital stay for another week and I don't want to be hooked on the breast-pump and a latching baby all the time. To which, he promptly replied, "Sure. Then pay me back for the AVENT Electric Pump which I bought you".

On confinement and the new addition:
I have Dwi and my MIL helping me out so all I do is eat, sleep, nurse. Repeat 500 times.
In the day, after Hubby has left for work and the baby is sleeping, I feel so quiet and alone. Of course I'm not entirely alone, but I wonder how I still feel so lonely. Maybe this whole Mom of Two business hasn't really sank in yet and everything feels so surreal.
I also haven't bathed and washed my hair in 4 days. I wonder how long I can hold out.
And also, peeing and pooing the first week of your C-sect can kill you. I actually teared when I sat in the toilet pooing the first time.

Meanwhile, my MIL and Dwi have transformed into clucky Mother hens who keep hovering around Ashton and cooing, talking, tongue-clicking to him. With Adam, I was the possessive mother, insisting on doing all the baby care myself and religiously pumped, latched, washed, sterilised etc. Now, I'm just totally laid back and enjoying my confinement because this is my last confinement, no matter what Andy thinks, and I'd better make the best out of it.

On Big Brother Adam:
How shall I put it? Hmm. Adam is suffering from the typical First Child Syndrome.
He is demanding and attention-seeking and wants to be in the limelight all the time.
He gets upset if we are not quick to notice his little achievements and triumphs. Boy he just takes up so much of my energy.
He is also sometimes jealous of Ashton. When Ashton is sleeping on the sofa, he wants to sit in the exact spot, so we move Ashton to the rocker. Once his bum hits the rocker, First Child reacts by jumping up and racing to the rocker as well.
With my Csect wound, I cannot carry Adam and he seems upset about it, no matter how many times I've showed him my wound dressing.
Still, I can cuddle him when I'm sitting on my bed and him standing at the edge, and that familiar body-to-body contact feels great. I do miss my tyrant First Child.
We've been totally tolerant and understanding of his jealousy to Ashton. After all, how can we expect him to love somebody he doesn't even know?
Adam, we still love you even if you think otherwise. Even if you are a PITA sometimes.
Yes, Daddy, Mummy and the whole village who's raising you at some point or other loves you.

Baby Adam's Full Month Baby Showers Part I & II

Baby Shower Part I
Venue: at my mum's place
Buffet, Vinegar & ginger pork trotters and wine chicken

First thing in the morning, a staff from Tai Mao Bi centre came to shave Baby Adam's hair.


The toughest part was choosing the material and what to engrave on his brush!


Then Harry arrived to deliver the cakes.
The blue boxes were for the relatives. I like the pretty box and the personalised card with Adam's photo on it.


The pink ones for ancestor prayers.



After shuttling from our place to Adam's great-grandma's (Adam's zhor zhor because she is Nonya) place, we went back to my mum's for the final ancestor prayers.
This is the only photo I have of him that day.
Because I was simply too tired to take any photos.. My mum was playing mahjong the whole day and when she had to excuse herself Andy had to take over, which left me with little or no help.
And I had to look after the baby, entertain her mass of friends (90% of whom I dont know), serve them drinks and make sure everyone is fed, express BM every now and then... Oh my gosh it was a nightmare.
I told my mum I wont ever attend her gatherings again and YES I really mean it.



Baby Shower Part II
Venue: NSRCC unit number 39
Buffet, BBQ and Chris' cuppies!

Siling and Norman came early. I'm glad they did because I had so much to catch up with her. I packed some of Adam's newborn diapers and other pregnancy/baby stuff for her but when I have more time I will pack the rest. Can you tell she is already coming 5 mths preggy??


I know what you are thinking - I need to do something to my hair!
Do hair salons have breastfeeding-safe rebonding and color?





erm.. Check out the father & son expression!


Chris baked these cuppies even though she is taking a break from baking. That's totally so sweet of her! And they are really yummy., Towards the end of the night, several people tapao some home.




With Charmaine & Meena.


We received many gifts again from generous friends and relatives :)

I dared not invite too many of my own friends this time because I was worried that it would be a nightmare again like at my mum's. But thankfully my MIL was around the whole time to help me carry, feed and burp Adam so I could have some time to sit down and catch up with the guests.
We didnt have to delegate anyone to help us this time, Andy's relatives volunteered their help in cleaning, washing, BBQing, carrying all the hampers and presents home (including a car seat!)

Baby Adam says a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who turned up.
I really appreciate your presence at our bundle of joy's party and have to apologise for not being a good host.

Some random updates while I have time

About the dogs:
Mavy loves the baby as always. He licked his ears and feet yesterday but Baby Adam decided he didnt like it and he cried out loud. Poor Mavy. Hahaha
Alice has taken to eating Adam's soiled diapers from the bin. Maybe the digested remains of breast milk curds is the cure she's been looking for all these years. Eeew. Stupid dog.

About breastfeeding:
We've cleared out the freezer compartment of the refrigerator to store my "inventory".
These are what I've been pumping out after every latch-on feed and through-out the night.
Initially I used the 80ml Medela bottles which my Mum gave me from KKH.
Not alot initially...

But after my supply increased (and so did Baby Adam's demand), the 80ml bottles were no longer enough, so I bought milk bags from Chris' contact which could store up to 250ml (refer to below pic). Bravo!

My BF routine now is to latch him on as much as possible because I really dont want to give him FM. It's tiring as hell because after latching I still pump out the excess for inventory but thankfully Andy and MIL helps with the last bedtime feed so I can sleep early and take over the night feeds. Sometimes he wakes every 2 hours to feed, on good days he only wakes up once at 4am which isnt too bad.

About the little man:
We received so many MANY gifts for his 1st shower at my Mum's, and I have to say, some are really useful.
Like this Disney Baby infant pillow with breathable pinholes and a "dent" in the centre to mould infant's head.

And the many clothes which fit just nicely now even though the sizes state 3-6M and he is only 1.5mths.
As a result? He is wearing all the nice nice Disney Baby and Mothercare rompers at home.

And I really do miss his hair...
Cant wait for the Tai Mao Bi centre to call us for collection of his Calligraphy brush!

My beloved boys

Dr Lilian (Adam's PD) remarked that Adam is so active, babies at his age (few days old) usually feed and sleep but Adam has his periods of active wakefulness.
I wonder if he's got my active genes?

And also one more thing I noticed - the dogs have been acting all wierd lately.
Alice doesnt finish her food anymore, always eating only half bowl.. and Mavy refuses to go potty in the toilets anymore. He prefers to go potty in our corridor and I wonder why??
Is it because he can smell Adam in the toilet? He bathes in the toilet and his clothes are also washed there.. Maybe that's why Mavy doesnt wana dirty the toilets? Hmmmm

A little update on the little one.

Daddy after changing Adam's nappy


The dogs are always hanging around Adam's cot. When he wails, Mavy will act flustered and keep looking at me as if to say "Quick Mum! The baby's crying!" hahaha

Received a lovely little parcel on the day we came home from hospital. It's a really thoughtful gift from my dear friend in Aussie... She knitted the booties herself! I'm impressed! She's really good with her hands. You can see all the stuff she makes, plus her 2 bubs HERE. :)

Enjoying a nap after a feed

So far I've been enjoying motherhood, getting to know my newborn and settling into a routine.
Despite my initial fears, I am currently giving Adam total breast milk.

TBM = Total breast milk
BM = Breast milk
BF = Breastfeed
FM = Formula milk

Thanks to Meena for recommending Fenugreek, and all my other yummy mummy friends (namely J in Aust m/o Rach & Josh, Chris m/o Nat, Shannon m/o Tristan) who are constantly giving me great advice on BF, caring for a baby etc.
It's wonderful to have all of you kind hearted mummies as friends!

Okays time to logoff. Ciao! :)

Fruit of our labour

Mini Andy is out!
It was 4am on 17 May 2009 Sunday. I woke up drenched in cold and slimy fluids. Anxiously, I quickly woke Andy.
Andy: Are you sure your waters broke? Can smell it to see if it's not pee?
Me *sniff sniff* : No hon it's not pee. It got no smell and there's a pool! My waters really broke!
Then Andy got nervous and jumped up. He was supposed to help grab a towel but stood at my cupboard looking into space.
Fed up, I decided to climb out of bed and stagger to the toilet, but every action triggered more water to gush and leak out. Yikes!

(Actually, there was a slight embarrassing incident just the other night a week prior to this... Here's what happened...)
I woke up to pee but realised my shorts and undies were soaked.. In a panic I woke Andy up saying my waters broke.
Andy: Huh? your waters broke? *looks at me* Cannot be... if your waters broke it cant be so little.
Me: Oh you think I wet the bed?
Andy: Yah could be.
I changed out of my shorts and we got back to sleep. The next few days, Andy wouldnt stop teasing me about my "waters broke". How was I supposed to know pregnancy can make me incontinent!
Yeah... and you'd think husbands should be more supportive of their wives during pregnancy.

So anyways, this time my WATERS REALLY BROKE so we packed up, took a shower and went to the hospital.
It was 4.35AM and I felt my 1st contraction. That hurt ALOT! I winced and grabbed Andy's shorts and let out a small scream.
When we reached hospital at 5AM, my contractions were getting more and more frequent and increasingly PAINFUL!
Nurse did a last ultrasound on me to see if Baby is really still breech. Unfortunately - YES. No chance of delivering naturally.
In between the contraction, I got onto the bed and the nurses checked to see how far I've progressed.
To everyone's surprise, I was already 4cm dilated! Almost halfway there.
The nurse announced to everyone in the room that she can feel Baby's leg at my cervix already!!
So they called Dr Don and said he has to come soon to perform the Emergency C-section on me.

After that, it was all a blur. I only remembered being wheeled about in a trolley, the OT was damn cold, I was shivering and damn scared, Andy was told to wait at the holding area for Baby,
Dr Don and the Anesthetist came dressed in scrubs looking all professional and important, I felt pain in all directions - from the IV needles to the contractions.
And then, it was over! Baby A is out!
Too fast and too furious! I didnt even know what happened next... Only, I was showed pictures of Baby A taken by Daddy Andy.



Wet and slimy and fresh from the oven




Eh, can stop fussing over me already? *scratch head*




Pale and tired me with a sleeping Adam.


Daddy carrying Adam for the 1st time.


Daddy also very tired and looks scared Hahaha


My Mum told Adam when he was still in my tummy that she wouldnt spoil him, but when he came out the first person to smother him is her. Tsk.


Trying hard to refrain from pinching him.


My Dad, beaming.


My brother JJ and his Gf Liping. She's the best candidate to be Nanny because she is so patient and totally adores Adam.


They bought Adam this cow outfit.




The fruit of my labour...