Hitting the 8th month mark

Marc eats a phenomenal amount. He pooed a total of SIX times today - that's normal for a newborn, he's not a newborn though! He's starting to become more expressive and more affectionate. He'll touch the faces of family members that he recognises and puts his hand on your arm and grabs you if he wants you to come over. When he sees food, he stretches out both his arms and yells in excitement. No one taught him that! But there's no doubt that he's my son! Like mother like son!

His sleeping habits have gone bananas as well. At one stage, he woke up at 12midnight and refused to go back to sleep. He wasn't hungry, refused his milk, and just wanted to sit on his feeding chair and play. The Husband and I were ill so we let the helper take care of him. She put him back to sleep at 3 and he kept waking up every 15 minutes. At 8am when I saw him, he was alert! He woke up at odd times for a few more days and has reverted back to his normal sleep patterns. But we can't seem to shake certain bad habits. He sometimes wakes up yelling, and only falls back to sleep after his pacifier is popped back into his mouth. Other times he yells and falls back to sleep on his own. I'm tempted to start some form of sleep training on him, but I don't have the guts to let him cry it out.

He's also able to crawl and pull onto things around him for support when standing. And he moves fast!! He's had a total of 2 falls already. The recent one resulting on him landing on the tiled floor - thankfully his bumbo seat was still attached to his bum when he landed and it broke his fall.

And he's VERY ROUGH. When I play with him, I always end up tired and secretly asking God to make sure my next child is a girl. He loves being thrown in the air, wrestled, or anything remotely like rugby. I can't get him to settle to read a book. But he will sit down and watch Baby Einstein for a good half hour. And he won't just watch, he'll watch and burst out laughing! Its quite hilarious observing him. I notice that the particular segment that he likes is when the Crayola crayons start dancing and drawing shapes.

Thank God for a good helper. I've learnt to let go and not let the jealousy get to me. Now that Marc is more expressive, he shows his excitement when he sees me. I make sure that I'm the one comforting him after a fall and at times when he's fretful, he is only comforted when I carry him. He loves my helper and vice versa, I count it a blessing because I know she won't hurt him and takes care of him out of genuine concern. I think its good for young kids to form attachments and have the security of knowing he can rely on adults around him to give him unconditional love. I still miss him heaps when I'm at work and I try to give him my undivided attention when I'm home.

And he's said his first word - no prizes for guessing what it is. "Mum Mum", which unfortunately doesn't mean mummy - it means food!

The end of a momentous journey

Marc's coming to 8 months old and I'm thankful I've managed to continue to breastfeed him thus far. He's decided that he doesn't want to suckle anymore - I don't blame him, drinking from a bottle is so much easier and faster. Plus sucking on a pacifier has its benefits - he can sink his teeth right into it and the pacifier won't react. So my milk supply has been dropping steadily but surely. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to freedom again - no more lugging around my pump (which every male colleague thinks is my gym bag) and I'm free to wear anything I like (nursing bras aren't fun, trust me)...on the other hand I miss having my baby nestled close to me and being able soothe and nourish him at the same time. Its a bittersweet journey but I'm glad I persevered!

Marc's latest adventures include his first injury, jumping himself silly on the Jumperoo and flirting with secondary school girls at NTUC Finest Supermarket.

1) Injury
It was 9pm after we returned from dinner with the in-laws and Marc was drowsy and sleepy. I placed him at the foot of the mattress on our Japanese platform, turned and walked a few steps to get something from his basket...at the same time, my helper walked into the room with his sleep sack getting ready to dress him for bed. Literally - in the twinkle of an eye, he managed to fall headfirst onto the floor. Neither of us saw how it happenned, my helper lunged forward to catch him, but neither of us got there on time. The result - screaming at the top of his lungs for half an hour...after which he was so tired he fell asleep. The next day he had a small bruise above his left brow. I still can't figure out how he fell, from the position where I left him and the way that he fell. All I know is that he landed on his head.

Needless to say, I was worried all night, madly smsing my doctor friend to see if I needed to watch out for signs of concussion. She assured me that he would be perfectly fine and that her kids have fallen out of the playpen countless times.

I thought that would teach Marc not to peer over the edge of the bed and attempt to jump off. I couldn't be more wrong - he wanted to jump off again! I'm thinking he'll be into all sorts of extreme sports next time...I better start getting him an insurance policy!

2) Jumperoo
I'm convinced that by the time I return it in May - it will be damaged! (Don't tell the good folks at rent a toy.com) Marc has figured out how to jump in the Jumperoo and he jumps with all his might. The poor toy is wobbling away but he doesn't seem to care. We've resorted to making it one level higher so that he has less leeway to propel himself upwards. Now I'm worried about damaging his knees from the impact!

3) Flirting with girls
The Husband brought Marc supermarketing the other day. He was amazed - looking around at all the food from his trolley seat and attemping to grab as much as he could reach. Then he spotted 3 secondary school girls and turned to face them, yelling at them to attract their attention. They turned to look at him and started cooing at him. The Husband told Marc that he was too young for them, to which one of them replied and said "its ok, I'll wait for you!".

I've got 2 teeth!

We brought the kid to the zoo yesterday. The only animals he really looked at were the zebras and the lions, probably cos there are pictures of them on his bedroom wall. He was most enthralled not by the animals but by a little Japanese girl that ran past his stroller - he almost climbed out of his stroller looking at her....sigh...its back to older women again. (at least she was pretty, he has good taste!)

He has sprouted 2 little teeth on the bottom row of his gums - very cute but also a source of amusement for him. He keeps chewing on things and using his tongue and lips to play with them. Just today, he bit me 3 times while trying to nurse him. I think I shall have to stop soon or risk drawing blood as he sprouts more teeth. We clean them with a pigeon baby tooth cleaner twice a day.

He's now able to sit without support, but he's so gung ho that he throws himself forwards and backwards, with no regard of his personal safety. What's even worse is that he's not afraid of pain. Just the other day he was crawling around on our bed when we heard a hollow knock - from the position he was in he must have knocked his head on the chest of drawers at the foot of our bed. He yelled a little, then continued thrashing around. A little while later we found a little red patch on his forehead - he didn't seem to care one bit! He's still causing us pain when he knocks into us but he doesn't seem to be fazed by it. I reckon he can play rugby when he grows up.

He likes his jumperoo. There are little toys around the jumperoo that fascinate him. hat fascinated us was how he could use his tiny fingers to spin the little wheels with such dexterity - he doesn't just use his fingers to manually spin them, he knows how to flick them with such force that they spin at maximum speed.

He is also starting to show how greedy he is...just the other day he yelled at his Aunty Eunice because she was eating in front of him - he wanted to eat her vegetarian bee hoon! I experimented with a beef stew recipe on Saturday and my helper tells me he ate half a bowl! She had to stop feeding him because she was worried he would overeat.

I'm still finding it a struggle to spend enough time with Marc. He sleeps a little later, around 8 when he's tired and 9 on a very good day. Including a short while in the morning before I leave for work, I get maybe 2 hours with him a day. I think its hard to really be close to or build a relationship with someone you see 2 hours a day. At times, I feel like I'm being drawn and quartered - pulled in many different directions, doing many things at once and not excelling at any. I think its something many working mothers struggle with. I had a conversation with the Husband and told him I worry that Marc will become a latchkey kid - we have no choice but to leave him with the helper for extended periods during the day and sometimes on weekends when we serve at our young adults ministry. The Husband thinks I'm crazy and he's far from becoming one, but I can't help worrying. Before I became a mother I thought that I would take him along to all our meetings but I've come to realise these are ideals that are not practical in reality. If I bring him along without the Helper, I have to be prepared to not participate at all in any meaningful discussions or meetings. Everyone else offers to help but it also means that they miss out on the discussion. For the rest, he serves as a distraction - not a good idea at serious meetings or prayer. Plus he still gets really cranky at nights. So we leave him at home. Which means I feel torn again, between work, motherhood and ministry. I miss him when I'm at work or at ministry meetings, but I feel guilty if I stay at home with him and don't attend these meetings. I remember feeling totally cooped up during maternity leave, but now that I'm back at work I can't wait to get home to see him. As a working Mum, you can't win!

I spoke to a colleague this week who travels a lot for work and has 3 children at home. She is from an European country, where domestic helpers are not easily available. She has a babysitter that comes in the daytime. I ask her how she manages to look after all 3 of them, cook dinner and do all the chores when she gets home. She answered saying she doesn't do it well - dinner is a half baked job and her kids miss her all the time. But we make a choice as working mothers and we have to live with it. I could see the emotions behind her eyes as she spoke to me and I shared the feeling.

I realise that even if I'm a stay at home mum and saw Marc a lot, it doesn't guarantee that he will turn out "right" - he could still be a real terror. At the end of the day, I realise that I have to trust God more, do my best, pray and leave the rest to Him. If I depend on myself, I will always lose whether I work full time or not. Life is full of choices and I just pray that I'm sensitive to that still small voice to always make the right ones.

Everyone tells me Marc is so sociable and and its nice that he doesn't mind letting anyone carry him. I tell them it makes me a very insecure mother, as he doesn't show a preference for me above everyone else! Just this week, he appeared to display a little stranger anxiety. He burst into tears after seeing me when someone unfamiliar was carrying him. The Husband teased me and said I must be pleased - its really selfish but yes, it felt good!!! Maybe he does know who is Mummy is afterall!

Cutie Pie

The Husband and I love this shot, especially his cheeky smile! My Dad took this picture...



I have emerged from this weekend rather injured. I have a cut on my lip cos Marc rammed his head into my face and my lips split against my tooth. He also decided to bite me whilst breastfeeding. Yup, not fun.

His latest trick, rotating both his hands whilst keeping them extended, so he looks like he's hula dancing. Very cute.

I've rented a jumperoo for Marc since he loves jumping so much. It should arrive early this week...apparently looks like this:



I figured I might as well let him jump this heart's content and expend all his energy so that he can sleep better at night.

First No Baby Trip

The Husband and I have just returned from our first holiday without Marc...Marc did cry when we left the house and I insist that its because he knew we were leaving him but the Husband thinks he just wanted to sleep. Doesn't matter, let me indulge in my fantasy. Marc was so happy with his grandparents, I don't think he even realised we were gone! All I heard was that he jumped around all day and ate a lot, pooed a lot and played again. Friends tell me that I should be grateful he's not clingy, but tell that to an insecure working mum and its cold comfort...

We were gone for a total of 3 days 2 nights to Bangkok - shopped till our feet ached, ate lots of sharks fin in hot pot and had a great spa massage. Was a good trip and probably the maximum time I could endure being away from Marc. We had such a bad experience with Tiger airways however and swore we would never fly Tiger again. Just comparing how they conduct their affairs, we've concluded they really cut corners. Whilst every other budget airline boarded and departed on time, ours was delayed, without even a notice as to how long the delay was. Thankfully it was only 2 hours, we've heard stories of overnight delays.

Marc is still crawling backwards, but he's able to stand with support, jump continously and just today - push himself from a crawling position to sitting with support on his arms. We'll have to drop the cot one level down again. He's still exhibiting very boyish traits. Not sentimental or clingy, loves to play, is very rough when he plays, eats like a pig, shouts loudly...we were out at a Chinese restaurant recently and Marc flirted with a pretty waitress. Not that he was in a good mood, he was actually fussing away but he managed to put on his sweetest smile when she came round to play with him.

We're slowly building up his culinary repetoire. He's tried carrot, pumpkin, avocado, yoghurt, sweet potato, zucchini, brown rice cereal, apples, bananas and pears. He likes them all but his favourite are the items that are sweet. I'm thankful for a very efficient helper who loves Marc to bits, so I know he's in good hands.

Carrot Face

Yes - he is every bit as greedy as he looks! He LOVES his food, especially pumpkin and sweet potato.

Busy week for me leading up to Easter. Going away for a couple weekend with the Husband for 3 days 2 nights. He's convinced I will miss Marc so much that I'll cry all the way to the airport. I denied it all the way and said I will be fine. I'm not so sure now....!!!

The 6 month mark for Marc!

You are 6 months old tomorrow Bubbles! I've decided to write a blog entry addressed just to you - my baby who won't be a baby much longer. I got the idea from a friend of Aunty Daphne who also has a baby blog. I was inspired to finally write when I read about a Mum who chose not to abort her foetus despite having breast cancer and carried her baby to full term, only to pass away 3 months after her baby was born despite intensive chemotherapy. It made me think about what I would want to say to you after I've left this world. And I realise there's lots....but God willing, Mummy will still have lots of time left to be with you. Yet each day of life is a gift from God - if today were my last I would want to leave with no regrets.

With each month that passes you are growing and learning more. The past month saw you eating solids. And after you figured out how to swallow, you can't eat fast enough! Daddy knew for certain that you were my child after an incident on Sunday. Ah Gong and Ah Mah put on a Baby Einstein DVD for you to watch. You were so engrossed until it came to a portion which showed a baby eating cereal. You started hyperventilating and yelling till you were fed your cereal. That's the same reaction Mummy has watching Japan Hour!!! You have the genes to become a true foodie my son! Keep it up! So far you've tried carrots, avocadoes and pumpkin along with plain rice cereal - and you like them all!

You've also started to become very demanding. You yell to be carried, to be fed, to be shifted and to be entertained. Daddy and Mummy love you very much, which is why we have to train and discipline you when you are out of line. This hurts us very much, yet it will be much worse if we didn't do anything about it. So we let you yell till you realise it doesn't get you things. Unfortunately not everyone is very consistent in this approach, I'm guilty of this myself. I'm worried you'll grow up to be a spoilt brat.

Your strength grows with each day. You've started INJURING your parents. Yes Daddy was boxed in the eye by you the other day and thought how embarassing it would be if he had to go see a doctor and explain to them he got beaten up by his 6 month old baby. You've scratched Mummy countless times and I'm short of being covered in bruises. We're convinced you can be a really good rugby player next time! Where did you get your strong genes from?

And we know you like taking pictures - we didn't realise how much till recently. You smile with your mouth wide open with each shot - just like in this post! We were so amazed. Maybe we should send you for child modelling so that we can earn some money. :)

Time flies and you still show no attachment preferences to anyone. Whoever is happy to strain their arms and carry you around the place is good enough for you. You seem to exhibit very male traits, and I think its a good thing for you to not be too clingy. Which makes Mummy feel really insecure at times!

Your preference for girls (and not just any girl but PRETTY girls) is still consistent. So you like food and you like women. Mummy thinks you will like Italy. :)

I'll dedicate more posts to you in the future. Parting thoughts from Mummy - remember to always be a gentleman, give up your seat to those who need it when travelling on public transport, offer to carry bags and other heavy items for female and elderly friends/family members and always be grateful for what God has blessed you with, no matter how miserable your lots seems to be. :) Mummy loves you more than she ever thought she could love another human being and misses you a whole lot when she's away from you. You've given Mummy a whole new meaning to life and she wouldn't trade the sleepless nights, mastitis, lack of free time (not to mention less shopping money!) for anything else. Till my next post, sweet dreams my little one!