At Play

Bubbles is a morning person (unlike her mummy). She's the chirpiest after her morning bath and thoroughly enjoys her playtime, with or without her mummy around!

Talking to her Mr Lion friend.
Oops, I drooled a little, Mummy!

With Mini Lion :)

Lost in her own playgym world...

My little sausage roll

How can I bear going back to work leaving this little one behind?

:(

Relaxing...

Bubbles is now really fun to play with. She responds to people talking to her with different gurgly noises.

She is experimenting with her voice and I get a thrill from identifying new sounds she makes each day :) Some are soft and gentle, others are loud and boisterous. Each one comes with accompanying facial expressions.

It is hard to photograph or video record her though. Many times when I whip out a camera, she stares at it and often shuts up in awe!

Being Ill

So I woke up yesterday feeling unusually tired. My boobs also felt full and painful. Thinking it was because of engorgement, I went to pump after delivering my morning feed. Unfortunately the pain persisted even after the pump, and I started to get the chills.

Soon, I realised that I was running a temperature and my boobs began to feel even more painful. I immediately called an SOS to my mum, asking her to come over to care for Bubbles so that I could see a doctor.

Thank God for mums - mine cancelled her facial appointment to rush over. She arrived seeing me shivering under a duvet.

The doctor's diagnosis proved my suspicions right. I have been given a 5-day dose of antibiotics. My immediate concern was whether I could continue breastfeeding, and my doctor assured me that I could.

Still, I am now pumping 4 hours after I take an antibiotic pill and throwing that batch of milk away. (I have been told that after 4 hours, stuff in the stomach gets into the rest of the body's system) So less of it gets into her. I am not sure how much that would help, and it is painful seeing the milk go down the drain, but for her I have been doing it.

Mastitis

Am feverish now :(

Mothering an infant is full of challenges!

Night Bird

One night this week, Bubbles had her usual last feed at about 11pm. Strangely, she didn't fall asleep after having her milk. Instead, she was wide awake and babbling. She wanted to play!

I obliged as I thought perhaps she hadn't had enough milk to last through the night. At 1am however, she was still very alert. I latched her on again, but she still remained wide awake after drinking.

To cut a long story short, she was up till 6am! (Guess who else had to stay awake)

Thinking back of her day. I figured out why:

Sleeping on the tummy!

As I ascertained that her neck is strong enough, I tried that day to let her nap on her tummy. I was so happy that she slept much sounder and longer. I rejoiced that I didn't have to soothe her when she startled, and thought 'Yay' more time to do my own stuff.

Little did I realise that more (and better) sleep in the day could result in such an energetic night baby.

Thankfully, we managed to reverse the situation the next day by keeping her awake a lot more in daylight!

The Bottle

This is a bottle of expressed breastmilk (EBM) that Bubbles refused to drink last night :(

150ml gone to waste! (Mothers who do this will know what this feels like)

Bubbles has always preferred latching on (me) for her feeds. From the start, we occasionally gave her the bottle so that she can get used to it. Then, about 2 weeks ago, we started her on one bottle everyday, fed at night by her Daddy. She would protest but still drink, and then insist on latching on after, even if for a short while.

Last night though, she screamed murder when Roboman tried to feed her. She screamed and writhed so violently that we thought she was hurting somewhere. So we changed her diaper to a different brand, and checked her for any causes of distress.

In the end, helpless with a screaming baby in our hands, I decided to latch her on. What do you know, she suckled so blissfully, as if the ruckus just before that never happened.

As a friend puts it, I'm going to have a very boobful social life if this continues! Eep

Play Area!

Since she crossed over to her 2nd month, Bubbles has been staying awake more often. I decided then to set up a play area for her, since we have not done up her nursery.

I made it comfortable and colourful. New toys are introduced to her every few days. She is already starting to show favourites.

Now, she is able to amuse herself for about 10-15 minutes (on a full stomach and clean diapers) with no adult interaction. I am careful to respond quickly to her when she 'calls' for attention though. She's quite reasonable and will show her appreciation when someone comes to her by smiling :)

Grobag!

A pretty one sent to me by Aunty Stella :)

See how it allows my arms freedom of movement!

Flash (Name)cards

What can you do with old namecards?

Turn them into flashcards of course!

Bubbles may be too early for this, but it was fun making them.

She does seem to like the red triangle!

Tummy Time!

@ 6 weeks 1 day old

"Look Ma, I got my cheeks off the ground!"

Favourite New Toy

Enjoying her musical book of nursery rhymes with daddy.

Snot Buster

I probably spoke too early about Bubbles sleeping through the night.

At around 3am these few nights, she would wake up uncomfortable. Her breathing would sound difficult, and you can tell that she has a blocked nose.

Poor Bubs would wriggle and make pitiful noises. Her eyes would be closed and she would swing her arms around, occasionally making a swipe at her nose and mouth. Once in a while, she would let out a little small sniffly cry.

The paediatrician gave us a nasal spray and a nose sucker. The poor girl screamed her head off the one time we used the spray. After all, it is kind of yucky to have something sprayed up your nose when you are half awake in the middle of the night. Now, I just use the nose sucker to try to get out any loose snot.
Hopefully she gets out of this phase soon. We've already resorted to having the air-conditioner automatically turned off in the middle of the night, and once even letting her sleep in her little rocker chair. The reclining position seems to help her breathing. Poor baby :(

I too, want uninterrupted sleep again.

The Light

She is like a little plant.

She enjoys looking towards light.

Be it from mummy and daddy's big bed...

...or from the little rocker chair inherited from Little Missy...

The Dinner Date

Roboman and I were given a chance to go on a dinner date.

The parents offered (with much pleasure on their part), to babysit Bubbles for one evening.

They came over the night before, and I orientated them to all the gadgets they might have to use. Things like the steam steriliser, the bottle warmer and the various types of bottles and teats. I showed them where my expressed breastmilk is stored, and gave instructions about how much and when to feed.

They were also shown which diapers to use (some are now too small), and where diaper changing neccessities are kept.

On the evening of the dinner date, Bubbles woke up late for her feed. We 4 adults were hanging around waiting for her to wake up, as I planned to feed her before leaving. Our reservation was for 7pm, and our little girl woke up at 6.30pm! I went ahead to latch her on anyway, then passing her to her grandparents for a diaper change as I took the opportunity to dress up.

I put on my contact lenses, patted on some make-up, and wore a pretty top that I couldn't have worn with a nursing bra.

At the door, I decided to wear a pair of 4 inch heels. Boy did it feel good after not wearing heels for a couple of months! I actually felt pretty and didn't smell of milk.

It was a lovely dinner - good food and time alone with the husband with no interruptions. Except for interruptions of the mind! I couldn't help but keep thinking of how Bubbles was doing, and perhaps spoke of her once too often during dinner. I guess that's what it means to be a mother!

Special Bling

I met Aunty Imp for the first time recently. She is very pretty and had on a beautiful ring. She took the ring out and put it on my finger. I could feel the weight as I wriggled my hand. All the faces looking down at me laughed. I wonder why?

Maybe someday mummy will explain to me why people were laughing and what the ring means to Aunty Imp.

I like Aunty Imp :) She makes me feel snug in her arms. Yeah!

God is Good...All the Time

I have a piece of thanksgiving to share.

I did think hard about whether to post this or not, and decided that if I don't, I am not doing justice to the sheer wonderfulness of God.

Those of you who have been following this blog would have read this entry. It was written in early August this year, when we heard the bad news.

Bad news of Roboman losing his job. It was a most sudden and unexpected occurance, given that it was something new he was asked to set up and head. We received the news right after our Babymoon and his last day was just 2 weeks before I was due to deliver.

There was no one to blame for it, as serious illness had caused the pulling out of the key player and owner. Still, a new person was just hired to run the operations, and a company bash was already being planned, so a closure was the last thing anyone expected.

I still remember feeling stunned when I heard the news, just as Roboman must have felt, when he did.

We prayed for God to intervene, and trusted that He will provide. I have to admit that there were times when I allowed worry to seep in, especially with the knowledge that many friends in the industry have found it difficult to find new jobs after losing theirs. And we were expecting a new mouth to feed.

But God has provided. Not just to the brim, but till our bowls have overflowed.

He let my husband be with me during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. Through my challenging confinement period, and even 2 weeks after. The new father got to spend lots of time with his little daughter. Bathing her everyday and taking charge of night-time diaper changes. He had the opportunity to see her grow, hear her first gurgles, help organise her first month parties, and take her for doctor check-ups.

And as an icing on the cake, a new job has been provided. Roboman is starting work soon.

In God's perfect timing. Praise Him!

Let Sleeping Babies Lie

I'm excited!

I think I've reached the end of the choppy sleep tunnel!

Bubbles has been self-regulating to sleep through the night. Well, 'through the night' now is a total of 5 hours - which is bliss for sleep-deprived new mummies like me.

On Tuesday night, she started binge feeding (ok, it is called cluster feeding) every hour from about 8pm till 12midnight, then slept for about 4 hours through. On Wednesday night, she freaked me out by demanding to be fed every hour from 5pm till 12 midnight. We struggled with her as we didn't think (silly us) she needed to be fed so much. I even tried to give her the bottle to give my boobs a rest, but she flatly refused it. Then, like a reward to us, she slept all the way through till 5am!

It was with disbelief when I woke up at 5 to her hungry cry. I stared at the clock, thinking I was seeing things!

Finally, she did binge feeding again last evening. But in a calmer manner, and at every 1.5 hours rather than 1 hour. Then she slept from about 1am to 6am!

I'm a happy mummy, and so proud of my baby :) She's only 5 weeks and 3 days old!

Let's hope this keeps up!

Little touches at the parties

The star of the parties

We had to hold 2 parties one week apart as we had too long a guest list. The first party was Bubbles' first experience being outside of the home or the hospital. It was also the first time she was meeting so many people.

She was a complete angel. She laid in her stroller totally mersmerised by the many faces peering down at her. Her eyes were wide, and she turned her head this way and that to absorb all the many things to see. She lasted almost the entire party like this, until it was time to feed. I then came to her rescue with my mobile milk bar.


She was a little less chirpy at her 2nd party though. Awake yes, but not as impressed with the party ongoings. It was probably our fault, as after my confinement period ended a few days before, we took her out almost every day either for lunch or dinner or both! Still, our little trooper only fussed when it was feed time, where I struggled to feed her under a nursing poncho. She then wanted to sleep, but I left her out still as there were still many guests milling around.

I didn't intentionally steer away from pink! She looks nice in pink too - but I also love these chirpy colours on her :)