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I may be wrong but I think it may be a rite of passage for every parent to be embarrassed by her toddler. Since we had been eating a fair bit of pomelo, mini-b often gestures that he wants his share with, "anna (Finnish: give) porno".
And because it is tricky for a 2 year-old tongue to wrap around the 'tr-' sound, it often sounds like he's saying, "f**k, f**k, f**k" when he was simply pointing to his 3 trucks. We have some explaining to do in front of friends.
microbeanie is 3 months, 1 week & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year & 4 months old toddler
For a few months, mini-b has referred to himself as "boy". It always brings a smile to our faces when he says, "mama, dada, baby, boy", "boy cwwhy" (cry) or "BOY!" when he wants to express that something belongs to him. On this trip to Finland though, he has finally learnt how to say his own name. Quite a feat considering how long his name is...we could have been nice and chosen a 1 or 2 syllabi name like John or Tomi. mini-b introduces himself as "Hasasan" or sometimes "Hassan" :D
It also amazes me how fast he's picking up language now. Before we came 2 weeks ago, he said, "hands pois (Finnish: away) please" and from his playschool teacher, he apparently said, "Everybody 洗手 (Chinese: wash hands)". I suppose it's inevitable that he mixes the languages he's learning everyday.
Thanks to his fav Ten Little Ladybugs book, mini-b can now count to 10 in English & Chinese. We also talked a lot about colours. M&Ms are great teaching tools ;)
microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 5 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year 3 month old toddler
Yes, it was a fluke! Judging by mummy's red eyes this morning at 7, and micro-b's wailing that woke up dada and minibeanie. It was time for the boys to get up anyway and go get flu-jabs for mb. Well, we can't expect micro-b's sleeping pattern to change in one go. The trend is for the better anyway
-dada
microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler
micro-b slept through the night for the very first time last night! He had his last feed until 10pm and I thought, well, he'd be up 3 or 4am as usual. But no, I woke up at 10am. Yes, 10 o'clock, a sane hour to get up when it's considered day, not 4am when the only things up at that hour are drunks lumbering home and crickets. You see, I got to get up at 10 because dada took the 7am shift AND micro-b was a perfect baby.
Was last night a fluke? We'll see...
microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler
There's always something that makes one distinctly Singaporean, Finnish, Chinese.... It could be eating certain strange foods or some ritual that's totally based on culture. Today, mini-b climbed onto the dining chair and started rummaging through its stuff. He came to me all sheepish and said, "eat". I thought he had found the bag of M&Ms on the table and helped himself to a chocolate buffet but when I went to the table, lo, it was the box of salmiakki.
To non-Scandinavians, salmiakki is the black stuff that everyone else on this planet hates. It was once banned because it was made from ammonia. And this particular box was actually bought from the pharmacy :D Personally, despite my adventurous spirit towards exotic foods, I stop short at salmiakki (even if I crave for salmiakki ice-cream, go figure ;) mini-b is more Finnish than I thought.
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microbeanie is 2 months & 1 week old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler - and up to no good
It had been FOREVER since the last post :P I do know that some of you are following this blog so I'm sorry to disappoint. Besides the fact that I hardly have time for anything these days, it had proven impossible to log onto Blogger (& Facebook for that matter) recently. Either the proxy server I'd been using needed some new config or that China's Great Firewall had finally caught up with it, I don't know. My tech support guy had for some reason been quite busy as well ;)
Well, tons had happened in the last month or so. In a nutshell, here's what happened in October 2009.
- We took a whole week to 're-tune' mini-b's sleeping habit back to sleeping alone in his own room. A month of molly-coddlying by his paternal grandmother did some damage. The worst night was when mini-b came to our room crying for the 3rd or 4th time after being accosted back to his bed and I was ready to cave and let him climb into our bed at 6am. Thankfully, DH held his fort.
- mini-b started half day playschool at Eton House! We're really proud of him for he didn't cry a single bit. All he needed was to be shown the train set and he would settle right in :D The main focus was on gaining independence such as eating by himself, washing his hands, putting on his shoes etc. He also learnt boundaries, respecting others' rights & group work such as there's a time for art class and Chinese class (<-- I was told by the teacher, Miss Lauren, that he isn't so hot for Chinese class... fell asleep once! :D the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, I thought. I think school had done mini-b a world of good. Just 3.5 weeks into it, I noticed that he'd begun using a lot more words. The stimulation he received in that 3.5 hours everyday was certainly a lot more than what I could give at home even without a certain bundle.
- Speaking of the bundle, micro-b had grown! He had started smiling and sleeping for longer stretches of time. Hallelujah! Right before we left Chengdu for Finland, the longest he slept at night would be 5 hours - waking up just once to feed in the night. It was a huge improvement over the last week when 2 night feeds actually meant at least an hour of sleep less.
I'd put up some pictures if I could. Here are a couple from the first week of micro-b's birth. Already feels like ancient history.
19 days old
Big brudder the tutti pusher
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler
The first week of breastfeeding had been hellish. True to form, this little guy who had been doing gymnastics in my belly at 1am, was most restless at that hour from day 1. I recalled (just 17 days ago but it seemed like a lifetime already!) being kept up for most nights in the hospital soothing and breastfeeding him. It was especially frustrating when the milk hadn't 'come in'. I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy this thing called breastfeeding. The whole process would take me at least an hour and that was being optimistic.
Unlike some lactating mums who are like cows, I never had an overflowing problem. And although I was assured by my lactation consultant that eventually supply would increase with demand, the process of enduring 2 days of continuous sucking that result in sore & tender nipples, not to mention keeling over a baby perpetually tethered to my breast, the thought of bottle feeding became an increasingly attractive option.
Bottle feeding also allowed DH to share in the load and bond with the baby. The shorter time taken to feed also meant more time could be spent with my elder bean whom I felt had been neglected by me of late. Such is the complexity of the decision! Parenting today is all about guilt management. Guilt from depriving a baby from the 'best' milk; guilt from not spending enough time with the child; guilt from choosing a career over the home... At the end of the day, there wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution for every issue. What mattered most was a judicious weighing of costs versus benefits. With that, I'm at peace with my decision to supplement with the bottle. And just like that, I got out of my breastfeeding hell.
microbeanie is 2 weeks & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler
It's now a week since Lucas was born last Sunday in the wee hours of the morning.
1900 hrs, Saturday
After a day of being out and about, I was relieved to get a moment to sit down before dinner. While DH was in the gym, my water bag burst. There was no doubt about it. I wasn't about to make the same mistake as the last time when I mistook it for a show. In fact, I think I saw bits of the mucous plug in the trickle. No need to press the alarm button by summoning DH from the gym immediately as it'd still take awhile. On DH's return, as I was blogging and logging onto Facebook I calmly told him that we had to go to the hospital. The look on his face was priceless :D
2000 hrsThe hospital was a mere 5min ride away. We sauntered into the delivery ward as pre-admission was all done a week before. I was in a great mood. Everything felt right.
I was given the hospital gown to change into which btw was the most undignified piece of garment ever designed because it exposed one's posterior in the most inglorious fashion. Told to pee into a cup which was a very difficult thing to do for preggies or 300lb folks because our bellies extend so much we just couldn't see down THERE much less pee into a tiny cup.
The fetal monitoring device (CTG) was strapped on. Everything normal there - no signs of fetal distress, healthy heartrates and contractions 8-10 min apart. Only minor discomfort felt.
2045 hrs2 cm dilated.
2130 hrsWe got the ok from our gynecologist, Dr Kowa, to have our dinner. DH trooped down to Takashimaya's foodcourt for some takeaway. Excellent minced meat 'mee tai mak'! (despite having to pause occasionally for surges to pass). Contractions 7-8min apart.
2330 hrsDr Kowa arrived for the preliminary assessment. 3-4cm dilated. Great that it's progressing without the need for oxytocin. Contractions felt stronger but nonetheless bearable. He estimated delivery to be at 0500-0600. Remembered kidding with Dr Kowa and midwives.
0000 hrsSurges coming on strong. As with minibeanie's birth, I reached for the laughing gas (50% nitrous oxide & 50% oxygen) though one had to be out of her mind to laugh at that point.
DH had a coffee to stay awake. Moto GP was on the overhead tv. Surreal.
0100 hrsStrong contractions that reached the peak of the CTG scale. 5cm dilated.
0120 hrsHuge surges 3min apart. The air-condition which I had requested to be colder made DH don 2 shirts, wrapped a towel around and huddled beneath the baby heater. Meanwhile, I was perspiring buckets.
DH requested a second cup of coffee. Hmm...
0137 hrsDr Kowa was called back. 8cm dilated! Glad that the end was in sight.
0150 hrsThought I felt rectal pressure. A VE showed that baby had descended but he was still too high up. Guess it was a false alarm. Maybe an earlier prediction of delivering by 0230 would come true...
0210 hrsContractions on CTG started to 'merge' i.e. long & frequent. I recalled using the f-word at some point.
The midwife started laying out the equipment on a trolley.
0300 hrs10cm dilated at last! The stirrups were brought out. Time to push! DH said he was worried when Dr Kowa rolled out his arsenal - scalpels & what-nots of all sizes.
No idea how many times I was told to push. All I remembered was being told by midwife to push for 10 counts 3 times with each wave. The contraction pain which had me grabbing the pillow were now secondary; instead, the main sensation now was the intense need to get the baby out. A stinging sensation was felt that only intensified with each push & surge. Finally, when the sting was at its most intense, the baby's head emerged. The rest was easy.
0323 hrsLucas was born! :)
Relieved that there were no tears and no episiotomy needed .... and no painkillers of either pethidine or epidural used. We stayed in the delivery suite for an hour or so to breastfeed. At 0530, I was transferred to a gurney and wheeled to our room where we would all room in for the next 2 days.
It was a great birth experience :)
minibeanie is 2 years, 1 months, 2 weeks old
microbeanie is 1 week 1 day old
I've been having contractions on & off since this morning but they have been irregular. No need to push the panic button yet. After all, they last barely half a minute and they feel like mild menstrual cramps.
Not just any day but any time now.
10 minutes ago as I was putting 2 yoghurt bars into The Bag for the hospital, a sudden wetness was felt. It was the water that had been cocooning microbeanie for the last 38 weeks. It wasn't a gush but it wasn't just a little either. And from what I learnt the first time, this is it.
Funnily enough, dada is still in the gym. No need to run to get him. I can wait and so can microbeanie :)
minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month & 1 week old
microbeanie is 38 weeks 3 days in utero
In my second trimester, I bought a support pillow that's filled with styrofoam-beans (think beanbag) in the hope for a good night sleep. Well, it worked. The support pillow moulded to my belly and gave the support needed. At last, I got some restful sleep. Not now, however. I've 'outgrown' the pillow and didn't bring it along with me to Singapore. Now, the belly just plonks itself on the bed like a huge boulder :D Turning on the bed was also akin to Obelix hoisting a boulder - with 2 hands on the belly!
My hips are even more achy now. The baby's head is already engaged rather low down. This is in sharp contrast to the time I was carrying minibeanie. I think it's because since this is the 2nd pregnancy, my hips/pelvis have 'stretched' so microbeanie's head is able to descend earlier. Proof irrefutable that a woman is NEVER quite the same after childbirth! In fact, when i walk these days (or waddle, more like it), there's a slight pressure in my pelvis...quite uncomfortable and much worse than the first time when I pretty much didn't feel anything.
As to being back in Singapore, the food is awesome. We've been drinking lots of local coffee (kopi), tea (teh) etc. DH just discovered a very nice teh-cino in the neighbourhood coffeeshop.. Hmm, I wonder if I should play my pregnant card and get him to go down to buy tehcino and prata for me sometimes :D
Today was a busy day. Besides going for my weekly checkup, we did the hospital tour as well. I'm up to my head with all the forms I've to fill for the Baby Bonus and admission etc... And I'm kicking myself for forgetting to bring our marriage certicate!!! I set it aside a few weeks ago, made a note of it but OF COURSE I forgot to pack it when the time comes! and it's needed for birth registration :(( will have to call up ICA or ROM tomorrow........
We did the Mt. Elizabeth tour today. Quite nice. It was the first time that DH saw a nursery because in Finland, it's 100% rooming in with the bb. I definitely prefer the option of having a nursery just so that I can get some rest *if* I want. But on the other hand, pain management techniques & birthing positions are still rather old school in SG. The traditional stirrups are still the default position. In Finland, birthing balls (for pain management), birthing tubs, birthing stools are on the cards... even though in reality, not every woman gets to use the tub.
Tomorrow we're going to the zoo! I hope I won't be too tired :P With a 2 year old and a waddling preggie, I think it'll be a huge achievement just to go on the tram, take in 1 show and briefly visit the 'Kidzworld' before minibeanie or me call it quits!
minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month & 1 day old
microbeanie is 37 weeks 1 day in utero
microbeanie is officially full term today :) With each passing day and with it the increasing likelihood of birth, I'm feeling nostalgic that these are probably the last few days where I can give my semi-independent toddler my undivided attention. But my love for him certainly won't diminish... Love's a strange thing, I realize. It isn't a finite resource, having one more claimant in fact increases the total pool and that's the wonderful thing about increasing the size of the brood.
minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month old
microbeanie is 37 weeks in utero
We've been in Singapore for 6 days :) What a relief to be here... The first few days had been taken up by visits to doctors and attending to boring things like banking matters. Now, things have settled down a little and we're trying to take a little breather before the little one comes. There are occasional Braxton Hicks episodes (like now) but at least I know I'll be in good hands just a brief taxi ride away :P
minibeanie is 2 years & 4 weeks old
microbeanie is 36 weeks 6 days in utero
Thank God it was Braxton last night!!! It was definitely contractions...I could feel it radiating from front to back and my belly actually felt hard and tense. I was lying in bed with my alarm clock, turning on its night light whenever a wave comes. At one point, it was every 10min even if each lasted only a couple of seconds. After 2 hours or so, it tapered off. By then, I'd been alternating between sleep and wide-awake heart-thumping anxiety for 3.5 hours until day broke.
In the light of day, I'm just glad that it as a false alarm. But when it was actually happening, who could have assured me that?
microbeanie is 35weeks 5 days in utero
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