Two days ago I started to 'train' HY not to wake up for milk feeds anymore.
Afterall he is almost 3 and I've been struggling to wake up up to 3 times a night or even up to 4 times a night to make milk for him.
Because of his constant night feedings and whinings, I felt my patience for him wearing thin and I do not know how to deal with it.
I spoke to a good friend who had a 10 yr old child and she advised me to give him an additional meal ( supper) before bedtime so two days ago I tried it.
Of course I had to use some tricks to make him take some more of the porridge.
But that is not all, I had to be firm and almost intimidating to reject him when he requested for milk at night. On the first night, HY woke up twice asking for milk even though he had the 'supper'. I had to threaten him to keep quiet to avoid waking up HK.
On the second night, he woke up once. For both days I only gave him the milk at 7am.
I'm sure my method to stop his night feedings will work but just hope it will happen soon.
In a recent conversation with my hubby, I was telling him that I felt that I was incompetent as a mother and my inexperience made it worse. HY is picky with food and doesn't take breakfast. Recently I started to coax him to have a slice of bread with cheese. He only finished the bread and cheese on one occasion when he was told to share the bread with others.
Hence, I am very determined not to make the same 'mistakes'... Therefore I came up with a schedule for HK. And I'm still trying to make changes in HY's mealtimes and diets.
HK's meal schedule:
Breakfast
1/2 slice of wholemeal bread with fresh milk in cup
Oatmeal with fresh milk and honey
Biscuits With fresh milk
After bath and before morning nap
Prune juice or other type of juices
Lunch
Porridge with vegetables and/or 1 type of meat
Before Afternoon nap
Milk ( and biscuits)
Dinner
Porridge with vegetables and / or meat
Fruit
At the advice of the friend, I had also cook some green beans with porridge twice weekly to reduce heatiness of the kids. My boys were very prone to inflammation of the throats and I hope the green bean will relieve some body heatiness from them.
Ok time for recent Milestone records:
HK could now stand up with support but he could barely walk yet.
He's enjoying music and will shake his body when the music is catchy.
He does plenty of funny expressions and knows how to kiss on request, do the 'gong xi' gesture and high fives. We started to put him at the potty when he makes the ' going to poo' face.
For HY, he could speak in longer sentences at times but is currently crazy over angry birds.
His latest loves are jay jay jet planes DVDs.
We are going to start potty training him this week.
So far he had gone to the toilet and pee on the floor without cue from us.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
It is now end of August..
and HY had been going to The beehive playgroup for almost 2 months since 12 July 2011.
He managed to settle into school ( without all the fuss and crying ~ finally!) in about one month and he likes Teacher Yvonne, his small group of classmates namely Matthew, Ana, Kazumi, Yu-Han and a big sister from the K2 class name shayna. :)
HY can now sing twinkle twinkle little star song, baa baa black sheep, incy wincy spider, two little dicky birds. Can also recite numbers 1 - 10 very quickly. Also recognizes alphabets A-Z.
He has became more active, vocal and at times mischievous. As a mother for a boy like this, I am almost always exhausted but I count it my blessings.
We feel very happy that he has came out from his former self and is now a livelier boy, less whiny and less afraid of strangers.
Some milestone for HK:
can flip on 21 march 2011 (4 mths plus)
can sit properly and upright on 20 July 2011 ( 8 mths plus)
can officially crawl well commando style on 2 Aug (9 mths)
started 30ml similac on 17 Aug, 60ml on 18 Aug (9 mths wk 2) and Increased intake to 120ml on 19 Aug to prepare him for the switch to formula milk by one year old.
He managed to settle into school ( without all the fuss and crying ~ finally!) in about one month and he likes Teacher Yvonne, his small group of classmates namely Matthew, Ana, Kazumi, Yu-Han and a big sister from the K2 class name shayna. :)
HY can now sing twinkle twinkle little star song, baa baa black sheep, incy wincy spider, two little dicky birds. Can also recite numbers 1 - 10 very quickly. Also recognizes alphabets A-Z.
He has became more active, vocal and at times mischievous. As a mother for a boy like this, I am almost always exhausted but I count it my blessings.
We feel very happy that he has came out from his former self and is now a livelier boy, less whiny and less afraid of strangers.
Some milestone for HK:
can flip on 21 march 2011 (4 mths plus)
can sit properly and upright on 20 July 2011 ( 8 mths plus)
can officially crawl well commando style on 2 Aug (9 mths)
started 30ml similac on 17 Aug, 60ml on 18 Aug (9 mths wk 2) and Increased intake to 120ml on 19 Aug to prepare him for the switch to formula milk by one year old.
Demise of Wang Wang
My Parents in law's favorite chihuahua passed away on 13 Aug due to kidney failure. His condition worsen very quickly. He was just 4 years going on 5 years old then. He was such a beautiful chihuahua of the right size and cute little face. The last time I saw him was when he sneaked through our metal gate to come in. He was never really friendly with me but on that day he came into our house to give my toes a lick. I didn't expect that was the last time I would see him.
Til today my in laws still feel very sad about his death. Wang Wang was buried under a patch of grass and soil behind my inlaw's home along side with his siblings who did not survive at birth.
May Wang Wang rest in peace.
Til today my in laws still feel very sad about his death. Wang Wang was buried under a patch of grass and soil behind my inlaw's home along side with his siblings who did not survive at birth.
May Wang Wang rest in peace.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Probia of school
We had tried unsuccessfully to coax HY into attending school. I had tried to bring him to the nearby schools for some exposure but he would throw tantrum before we could reach the entrance of the school. Hence we decided to keep him at home probably til he turns 3 before we would sign him up for classes.
One thing to be happy about is that he had been taking his meals well. Just earlier today he finished off a big piece of Sara lee cake moments after having lunch. Usually he would play with food and throw them all over the place and I'm glad he is at least making some progress.
For HK on the other hand, had started cruising around on his walker and is very responsive when he sees me and other people that he knows. He also started to become fearful of strangers but we are trying to bring him out more often. His meals are getting more varied and had since tried broccoli with sweet potato too. Will let him have a taste of more food and fruits to avoid him becoming a fussy eater like his big brother.
One thing to be happy about is that he had been taking his meals well. Just earlier today he finished off a big piece of Sara lee cake moments after having lunch. Usually he would play with food and throw them all over the place and I'm glad he is at least making some progress.
For HK on the other hand, had started cruising around on his walker and is very responsive when he sees me and other people that he knows. He also started to become fearful of strangers but we are trying to bring him out more often. His meals are getting more varied and had since tried broccoli with sweet potato too. Will let him have a taste of more food and fruits to avoid him becoming a fussy eater like his big brother.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Developments updates for HY and HK
Hk finally recovered from his diarrhoea after 10 long days or almost 2 weeks. Spent $100 plus on his medical bills. At the last visit to the PD I was advised to feed him soy milk instead as it was suspected that my breastmilk might contain lactose. My parents and hubby were telling me it must be my breastmilk stored in the fridge that is causing his diarrhoea. And that made me quite upset and worried about not being able to feed him breastmilk. Nevertheless, I decided to give him a few more breastmilk (bm) feeds to see if he still pass loose stools. I was quite surprised that his diarrhoea did not return.
Developments
It is a relief to me that Hk is back to his happy self. He started to make cute funny faces at us. He'll pout his lips or open his mouth widely when laughing. He has also become very active, flinging his arms and swinging his legs and trying to flip even when we carried him.
He had also recognize us and would stick to me in the evenings.
Food
HK had tried rice cereal and oatmeal cereal so I started him on potato puree (which he doesn't really like) and brown rice cereal from happy bellies. I'm going to
start feeding him pureed vegetables like carrots/pumpkin/broccoli etc.
We got him the Phillips Avent steamer blender recently and so making pureed food is a breeze now! Hk is taking two meals per day in between milk feeds.
Developments
It is a relief to me that Hk is back to his happy self. He started to make cute funny faces at us. He'll pout his lips or open his mouth widely when laughing. He has also become very active, flinging his arms and swinging his legs and trying to flip even when we carried him.
He had also recognize us and would stick to me in the evenings.
Food
HK had tried rice cereal and oatmeal cereal so I started him on potato puree (which he doesn't really like) and brown rice cereal from happy bellies. I'm going to
start feeding him pureed vegetables like carrots/pumpkin/broccoli etc.
We got him the Phillips Avent steamer blender recently and so making pureed food is a breeze now! Hk is taking two meals per day in between milk feeds.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Diarrhoea
Poor baby HK had diarrhoea and today is the 6th day. Brought him to the PD on Monday and she diagnosed him as having stomach flu. HK also had the running nose and phlegmy cough.
Up until yesterday his diarrhoea was quite severe as he would poop almost immediately after he had drank his milk or taken his cereal. Dr Loke advised to feed him rice water or finely cooked porridge. I wanted to feed him freshly cooked porridge so I mixed the Bellamy brand rice cereal with some rice water and soft porridge rice. He seems to take it well and as the porridge had been well cooked the rice is very soft and could mixed very well into the rice cereal. I was feeding HK oatmeal previously as he had constipation then and oatmeal made his diarrhoea worse.
Today he had pooped watery stool once in the morning after milk.
I am still worried about him and hope he will recover soon and revert to his happy cheerful self soon.
Up until yesterday his diarrhoea was quite severe as he would poop almost immediately after he had drank his milk or taken his cereal. Dr Loke advised to feed him rice water or finely cooked porridge. I wanted to feed him freshly cooked porridge so I mixed the Bellamy brand rice cereal with some rice water and soft porridge rice. He seems to take it well and as the porridge had been well cooked the rice is very soft and could mixed very well into the rice cereal. I was feeding HK oatmeal previously as he had constipation then and oatmeal made his diarrhoea worse.
Today he had pooped watery stool once in the morning after milk.
I am still worried about him and hope he will recover soon and revert to his happy cheerful self soon.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
first time...
Today is the first time I smacked hy once and on his shoulder/back. I really really lost my temper.
I never believe in hitting my child but i just lost it when I returned to the room and saw that hy has shaken hk's rocker roughly, causing hk to wake up from his sleep, despite telling him not to do so. It was not the first time he did this and usually i let it go after lecturing him. I didnt really had a hard time rocking hk to sleep but I am feeling very tired and hasnt been myself. Probably because I am down with flu, throat infection and slight cough. The night feedings and coping with two kids during the day had taken its toil on me. I suspect that I am also under stress from staying at home since the birth of hk and rarely going out for relaxation or enjoyment. The last time I had gone out for a date night with hubby was for our 3rd year wedding anniversary on 30 march.
Anyway,I had explained to HY why I had hit him after he stopped crying. He just kept quiet and listened. He did not apologise and neither did i ask for one.
Well during the day, HY would busy himself with throwing toys everywhere, taking things out frm the drawer and throwing them on the floor. Otherwise he would watch cartoon, play applications on my iPhone or nap for a while. If the weather is good, we'll visit the playground nearby and do some marketing at the supermarket. Hy is like an energizer bunny always moving, exploring, doing things with his hands around the house. I wanted to teach him at home but it had been very difficult ever since i had hk. I felt tired easily and overwhelmed by the kids everyday.
I was just thinking to myself should i decided not to send him for playgroup i should really sit down for 15 to 20 mins a day to do some activities with him. He is getting bored and frustrated too. But then again teaching him at home will be different from what was being taught in school.
I never believe in hitting my child but i just lost it when I returned to the room and saw that hy has shaken hk's rocker roughly, causing hk to wake up from his sleep, despite telling him not to do so. It was not the first time he did this and usually i let it go after lecturing him. I didnt really had a hard time rocking hk to sleep but I am feeling very tired and hasnt been myself. Probably because I am down with flu, throat infection and slight cough. The night feedings and coping with two kids during the day had taken its toil on me. I suspect that I am also under stress from staying at home since the birth of hk and rarely going out for relaxation or enjoyment. The last time I had gone out for a date night with hubby was for our 3rd year wedding anniversary on 30 march.
Anyway,I had explained to HY why I had hit him after he stopped crying. He just kept quiet and listened. He did not apologise and neither did i ask for one.
Well during the day, HY would busy himself with throwing toys everywhere, taking things out frm the drawer and throwing them on the floor. Otherwise he would watch cartoon, play applications on my iPhone or nap for a while. If the weather is good, we'll visit the playground nearby and do some marketing at the supermarket. Hy is like an energizer bunny always moving, exploring, doing things with his hands around the house. I wanted to teach him at home but it had been very difficult ever since i had hk. I felt tired easily and overwhelmed by the kids everyday.
I was just thinking to myself should i decided not to send him for playgroup i should really sit down for 15 to 20 mins a day to do some activities with him. He is getting bored and frustrated too. But then again teaching him at home will be different from what was being taught in school.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Looking back
While looking at HK's face as he was asleep, it suddenly occur to me how fast he had grown. It also brought back memories of the period where i was pregnant with HK and also with HY.
For HK, it was not a smooth pregnancy. Throughout the whole pregnancy, i was constantly having horror nightmares where i always dreamt that i was harmed or that i actually harmed someone. There was always alot of darkness and blood. I was always thinking to myself that the number of nightmares that i had during that period could easily exceed the number of nightmares or dreams that i had since i was a child.
I was also plagued with serious blocked nose, tightness of the stomach, bad migraines, headaches and heaviness at the cervix. I was also constantly feeling unwell (whole body aching / heaviness at the head or headaches) and there was a period in my 2nd or 3rd trimester that i was down with flu and severe blocked nose. I had to be absent from work for 2 whole weeks. I had to seek the help of my parents to care for HY as all i could do for the whole day was lie down on bed. It was the worst period of my life.
I was very accident-prone too. I fell down twice; once at the pavement at the bus-stop near my home and the other time was at home.
During that period all i prayed for was the safe delivery of my second child and i count my blessings that HK was borned safe and sound. :)
In HY's case, the pregnancy was more uncertain. At 10 weeks' into the pregnancy, we almost lost him. My gynae detected that the sac was an irregular bean shape instead of a healthy round circular shape. I was put on 4 days' bed rest and on hormonal pills as i was heavily bleeding. I prayed and prayed for his safe delivery and that i could hold my first precious bundle of joy in my arms when he is due. My gynae said there was only a 50% chance of survival for my baby. And that was not all, after my pregnancy was stablised, i had terrible backaches, headaches and bad morning sickness. Occasionally i had frightening nightmares as well though not as horrifying as the nightmares that i had when i was pregnant with HK.
Now HY is 26 months old while HK is turning 7 months soon, its still a long way before they will become independent.
At times, when HY is mischievous and super active, i had to remind myself to have more patience for him telling myself that everyday is a new experience with my very precious children. I will truly treasure these periods where they still need me and I'll do my best to be a good mommy.
For HK, it was not a smooth pregnancy. Throughout the whole pregnancy, i was constantly having horror nightmares where i always dreamt that i was harmed or that i actually harmed someone. There was always alot of darkness and blood. I was always thinking to myself that the number of nightmares that i had during that period could easily exceed the number of nightmares or dreams that i had since i was a child.
I was also plagued with serious blocked nose, tightness of the stomach, bad migraines, headaches and heaviness at the cervix. I was also constantly feeling unwell (whole body aching / heaviness at the head or headaches) and there was a period in my 2nd or 3rd trimester that i was down with flu and severe blocked nose. I had to be absent from work for 2 whole weeks. I had to seek the help of my parents to care for HY as all i could do for the whole day was lie down on bed. It was the worst period of my life.
I was very accident-prone too. I fell down twice; once at the pavement at the bus-stop near my home and the other time was at home.
During that period all i prayed for was the safe delivery of my second child and i count my blessings that HK was borned safe and sound. :)
In HY's case, the pregnancy was more uncertain. At 10 weeks' into the pregnancy, we almost lost him. My gynae detected that the sac was an irregular bean shape instead of a healthy round circular shape. I was put on 4 days' bed rest and on hormonal pills as i was heavily bleeding. I prayed and prayed for his safe delivery and that i could hold my first precious bundle of joy in my arms when he is due. My gynae said there was only a 50% chance of survival for my baby. And that was not all, after my pregnancy was stablised, i had terrible backaches, headaches and bad morning sickness. Occasionally i had frightening nightmares as well though not as horrifying as the nightmares that i had when i was pregnant with HK.
Now HY is 26 months old while HK is turning 7 months soon, its still a long way before they will become independent.
At times, when HY is mischievous and super active, i had to remind myself to have more patience for him telling myself that everyday is a new experience with my very precious children. I will truly treasure these periods where they still need me and I'll do my best to be a good mommy.
Royal Carribean Family holiday Cruise in Jan 2012
Yes!After much persuasion, I finally proceed to confirm the RC cruise for us as well as for my parents. As agreed with my hubby, i will fork out the money for my parents to join us on this holiday as i didnt felt it was fair for him to pay for everything since i became a SAHM officially in March.
Anyways, for this holiday we will spend less than $2.5K for 4 adults and 2 kids exclude insurance and land excursions.
Im looking forward to this trip even though hubby said it was merely a change of place to care for the kids...>_<*.
Anyways, for this holiday we will spend less than $2.5K for 4 adults and 2 kids exclude insurance and land excursions.
Im looking forward to this trip even though hubby said it was merely a change of place to care for the kids...>_<*.
Many updates
Been a while since I've posted. However much I wanted to, I could not find the energy to do so even though I know how important it is for me to record the happenings no matter how nitty gritty it is :)
Hy is getting more active by the days. Alot of things happened to him recently and I find myself struggling and fighting mental strain to bring up this precious son of mine.
I shouldn't talk about it as there are too many to touch on but it is indeed uphill tasks that many things happened between the last time I wrote and now. (Hy, if u r reading this now, and would like to know, I could tell u if my memory does not fail me). But I'm glad things had improved though he had started to be picky about food again and simply would not eat something without nagging or coaxing from his granny or me. I do feel my life shorten each time I had to sit down with him to make sure he eats properly and not play with his food. Not sure if I had wrote about this but hy had also joined us in our bed since April. He had been having night tremors / crying hysterically at night for prolonged periods for whatever reasons that we know or may not know of. It had been getting on my nerves and eating into my patience. Now we are more or less used to having him sleep in with us and I actually liked to having him in our bed because I could feel a stronger bond with my son. But Of cos I don't feel like this every day especially when he would wake me up rudely after giving me a forceful kick at my waist or flung his fist on my chest.
We had also pulled him out frm half day childcare as he was unable to fit in and told us he's afraid of school. Teachers in school had assured us that he is doing fine but he would come home upset or super cranky. Hence, we put a stop to school for hy 2 mths after he started. Currently he's happier and we are considering putting him in a different sch next year when he's more ready. Hy fell ill again as i am typing this and his cough had became quite bad compared to last night. He will cough until he is awake. On one hand i am very upset with him because he doesnt listen when i ask him to drink more water but what does a 2 year old know what's good for him? It is an almost impossible tasks to get him to drink or try new food/drinks and every time he fell ill it is a mental torture and physically challenging for me (or us) to force feed him his medication. I hope he recover soon. Seems like his running nose is under control but his cough is getting from bad to worse.
Hk had passed the 6 months mark and also becoming more active with each day. We can see he is
a smart and curious little guy. His smiles and laughter is contagious. And he is always ready with a grin for me. I just love this little bundle of joy more with each passing day. Sometimes he'll laugh out loud at the sight of his kor kor HY and I'll wonder what is so funny. I had started him on Bellamy rice cereal on 1st may at exactly 6 mths old. He seems to take it quite well except it caused him to have constipation. So I went to get Healthy Times oatmeal cereal and prune juice for him as I heard it does helps with kids who are prone to constipation. Started him on 1 meal (2teaspoons) of rice cereal for the first week and increased it to twice daily at 1 tablespoon of oatmeal cereal per meal. Trying not to overfeed him. He seems to like the taste of oatmeal better as compared to rice cereal. I'm contemplating on getting a Phillips avent steamer blender but
thinking what I should do with it after hk is weaned off from puree foods after he turn one. I do not want to spend so much and then keep it as a white elephant. So I'm still considering whether I shld spend that money.
Our maid, Siti had been here for the 3rd month and I can see she is more or less settled in our home. Im not entirely pleased with some things she does, eg. the way she does things around the house and her high and mighty behaviour at times really got on my nerves. She also tend to rush through her tasks at times and thus does a sloppy job. I am particular when it concern hygiene issues eg uncleaned or oily milk teats and pacifiers. But I stopped telling her off and held my tongue because as sad as it seems we needed her around the house to help with the chores, cleaning of the house, cooking, watching after the kids and helping to pack work related stuffs at home for hubby. We are tolerating and trying our best to have another stranger in the house.
I just tell myself that I am going to endure her until her contract ends (if possible) and then I'll take over the household chores myself. Not sure if I can do it well but I rather have that than to put up with the attitude of a maid. For the sake of my kids, to ensure that they are entertained when I've to bathe or when I am occupied with one of the kids, I told myself I have to endure the inconvenience and frustrations of having a maid.
Recently been harbouring thoughts on a family holiday with my parents. Wanted to bring my own parents for a short cruise holiday with hubby and the kids. Frankly speaking going on a cruise can be expensive. For 4 adults and 2 kids, it can cost close to $3k but it is one of my wish to travel out of Singapore with my parents. I decided that our holiday to be on a cruise as the kids are young and it is near impossible to have the usual type of sightseeing/ shopping holidays.
I hope to spend more time with my parents as I know I had neglected them for so long. I only came to appreciate my parents after I got married and had to raise my own family. Only now I realized their hardship to raise us. Side track a little- Another wish for me is to travel to Taiwan with hubby for our second honeymoon after the kids are older but that will be another 'story'.
Hy is getting more active by the days. Alot of things happened to him recently and I find myself struggling and fighting mental strain to bring up this precious son of mine.
I shouldn't talk about it as there are too many to touch on but it is indeed uphill tasks that many things happened between the last time I wrote and now. (Hy, if u r reading this now, and would like to know, I could tell u if my memory does not fail me). But I'm glad things had improved though he had started to be picky about food again and simply would not eat something without nagging or coaxing from his granny or me. I do feel my life shorten each time I had to sit down with him to make sure he eats properly and not play with his food. Not sure if I had wrote about this but hy had also joined us in our bed since April. He had been having night tremors / crying hysterically at night for prolonged periods for whatever reasons that we know or may not know of. It had been getting on my nerves and eating into my patience. Now we are more or less used to having him sleep in with us and I actually liked to having him in our bed because I could feel a stronger bond with my son. But Of cos I don't feel like this every day especially when he would wake me up rudely after giving me a forceful kick at my waist or flung his fist on my chest.
We had also pulled him out frm half day childcare as he was unable to fit in and told us he's afraid of school. Teachers in school had assured us that he is doing fine but he would come home upset or super cranky. Hence, we put a stop to school for hy 2 mths after he started. Currently he's happier and we are considering putting him in a different sch next year when he's more ready. Hy fell ill again as i am typing this and his cough had became quite bad compared to last night. He will cough until he is awake. On one hand i am very upset with him because he doesnt listen when i ask him to drink more water but what does a 2 year old know what's good for him? It is an almost impossible tasks to get him to drink or try new food/drinks and every time he fell ill it is a mental torture and physically challenging for me (or us) to force feed him his medication. I hope he recover soon. Seems like his running nose is under control but his cough is getting from bad to worse.
Hk had passed the 6 months mark and also becoming more active with each day. We can see he is
a smart and curious little guy. His smiles and laughter is contagious. And he is always ready with a grin for me. I just love this little bundle of joy more with each passing day. Sometimes he'll laugh out loud at the sight of his kor kor HY and I'll wonder what is so funny. I had started him on Bellamy rice cereal on 1st may at exactly 6 mths old. He seems to take it quite well except it caused him to have constipation. So I went to get Healthy Times oatmeal cereal and prune juice for him as I heard it does helps with kids who are prone to constipation. Started him on 1 meal (2teaspoons) of rice cereal for the first week and increased it to twice daily at 1 tablespoon of oatmeal cereal per meal. Trying not to overfeed him. He seems to like the taste of oatmeal better as compared to rice cereal. I'm contemplating on getting a Phillips avent steamer blender but
thinking what I should do with it after hk is weaned off from puree foods after he turn one. I do not want to spend so much and then keep it as a white elephant. So I'm still considering whether I shld spend that money.
Our maid, Siti had been here for the 3rd month and I can see she is more or less settled in our home. Im not entirely pleased with some things she does, eg. the way she does things around the house and her high and mighty behaviour at times really got on my nerves. She also tend to rush through her tasks at times and thus does a sloppy job. I am particular when it concern hygiene issues eg uncleaned or oily milk teats and pacifiers. But I stopped telling her off and held my tongue because as sad as it seems we needed her around the house to help with the chores, cleaning of the house, cooking, watching after the kids and helping to pack work related stuffs at home for hubby. We are tolerating and trying our best to have another stranger in the house.
I just tell myself that I am going to endure her until her contract ends (if possible) and then I'll take over the household chores myself. Not sure if I can do it well but I rather have that than to put up with the attitude of a maid. For the sake of my kids, to ensure that they are entertained when I've to bathe or when I am occupied with one of the kids, I told myself I have to endure the inconvenience and frustrations of having a maid.
Recently been harbouring thoughts on a family holiday with my parents. Wanted to bring my own parents for a short cruise holiday with hubby and the kids. Frankly speaking going on a cruise can be expensive. For 4 adults and 2 kids, it can cost close to $3k but it is one of my wish to travel out of Singapore with my parents. I decided that our holiday to be on a cruise as the kids are young and it is near impossible to have the usual type of sightseeing/ shopping holidays.
I hope to spend more time with my parents as I know I had neglected them for so long. I only came to appreciate my parents after I got married and had to raise my own family. Only now I realized their hardship to raise us. Side track a little- Another wish for me is to travel to Taiwan with hubby for our second honeymoon after the kids are older but that will be another 'story'.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tiredness is in my name
Ever since HY started school, he had been having night tremors, screaming episodes and night cryings. Frankly speaking, our limits and tolerance are stretched. I feel awfully tired. Hy had also started to refuse to sleep in his own cot and in his room next door. Therefore, 3 days ago we allowed him to sleep in our bed. Night time became more peaceful though he still screams during pjs changing time and he'll wakes up crying for milk once in the wee hours!
If I refuse it to give to him, he'll cry loudly waking up hubby and hk. Thus, I really have no choice but to give in. This also mean ive to wake up twice: once to give milk to him and the other time to give milk to hk.
To make matters worse, with Hy sleeping in our bed, I'm left with very little space. I'm often left with sleeping at the edge of the bed. This means the quality of sleep I have is often very poor as I can't flip around as much anymore. We tried transferring him to the old and smaller cot in our room but he will wake up screaming and crying to be carried to our bed.
I'm considering taking my mil's advice to sleep on the mattress on the floor. Hopefully HY would follow suit and I'll get to 'jump' right back into bed once he falls asleep.
If I refuse it to give to him, he'll cry loudly waking up hubby and hk. Thus, I really have no choice but to give in. This also mean ive to wake up twice: once to give milk to him and the other time to give milk to hk.
To make matters worse, with Hy sleeping in our bed, I'm left with very little space. I'm often left with sleeping at the edge of the bed. This means the quality of sleep I have is often very poor as I can't flip around as much anymore. We tried transferring him to the old and smaller cot in our room but he will wake up screaming and crying to be carried to our bed.
I'm considering taking my mil's advice to sleep on the mattress on the floor. Hopefully HY would follow suit and I'll get to 'jump' right back into bed once he falls asleep.
Rare moments
I didnt get to sleep due to my freelance work on sat morning. I had to wake up at 2am and start working at 3am until 6am. After that I had to rush home to express breastmilk and try to rest for a while. I dun usually get jobs so early and this was the first time that I had done it.And it had indirectly caused my own mother to be inconvenienced as well. She came over to help me care for my boys and was worried that I oversleep, so she didnt sleep much either.
Therefore until today, I am still feeling tired and decided to sleep abit later.
Around 9plus or 10am, I was partly awoken by hy who came into my room. Saw him peering at me and then he climbed up my bed to snuggle next to me. I moved to the middle of the bed not touching him to give him more space and he followed suit. He pressed his small body against mine and buried his head into my chest.
My little boy is so sweet. He didn't try to wake me but just laze around in bed with me. It is the first time he didn't make noise or disturb me because he is always active and constantly walking or running around, playing with toys or things loudly.
Therefore until today, I am still feeling tired and decided to sleep abit later.
Around 9plus or 10am, I was partly awoken by hy who came into my room. Saw him peering at me and then he climbed up my bed to snuggle next to me. I moved to the middle of the bed not touching him to give him more space and he followed suit. He pressed his small body against mine and buried his head into my chest.
My little boy is so sweet. He didn't try to wake me but just laze around in bed with me. It is the first time he didn't make noise or disturb me because he is always active and constantly walking or running around, playing with toys or things loudly.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Morning class
I wrote to HY's principal today about discontinuing his afternoon class at his CC.
At the recommendation of the principal, she mentioned that she could assist to appeal to the Ministry to extend an extra slot for HY for their morning class if we are keen.
HY usually needs to have a nap at 1pm and his afternoon class clashes with that.
We had earlier signed him up for the afternoon class at the advice of his ex-nanny but unfortunately it didn't work out for him.
Anyways, the Ministry would review and let the school know of the outcome in a week's time.
Hopefully he will be granted the slot and I can let him remain in the same CC.
At the recommendation of the principal, she mentioned that she could assist to appeal to the Ministry to extend an extra slot for HY for their morning class if we are keen.
HY usually needs to have a nap at 1pm and his afternoon class clashes with that.
We had earlier signed him up for the afternoon class at the advice of his ex-nanny but unfortunately it didn't work out for him.
Anyways, the Ministry would review and let the school know of the outcome in a week's time.
Hopefully he will be granted the slot and I can let him remain in the same CC.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sickly HY
20 days after starting preschool at the Childcare Centre near our home, HY fell sick.
Gave him some of the medicine prescribed by the GP but there's no improvement.
I suspect he may have sore throat which requires antiboditics. Looks like I have to quickly bring him to the GP again. Just last mth he was down with sore throat, flu and cough.
Each time he cough, I would feel as if someone stabbed me at my chest, felt so heartpain.
Gave him some of the medicine prescribed by the GP but there's no improvement.
I suspect he may have sore throat which requires antiboditics. Looks like I have to quickly bring him to the GP again. Just last mth he was down with sore throat, flu and cough.
Each time he cough, I would feel as if someone stabbed me at my chest, felt so heartpain.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A test of patience and perserverance
Poor HK had a very bad tummyache earlier and was red faced screaming at the top of his lungs for a good few minutes. At the same time, HY stopped drinking his milk and decided to play with his milk bottle on our bed. His milk bottle was taken away after he spilled some milk onto our mattress. He threw a tantrum, screaming and whining away.
Then he accidentally slide off our bed, fell and banged his head against our safe.
More loud cries and screams. Mommy screamed in fear upon seeing him fall. HK screams loudly from fright and from tummy pain.
Needless to say, the whole bedroom was exploding with noise. I'm dead certain our neighbors could hear us loud and clear.
At times like this, I do feel my patience stretched to the max.
I could feel the old and tired bones cracking in my body. Suddenly my shoulders felt heavy.
And I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs too.
But...
I will hang on and get by the ups and downs of motherhood. A true test of patience and endurance.
Another reminder of the demands of being a mother to two young kids!
Then he accidentally slide off our bed, fell and banged his head against our safe.
More loud cries and screams. Mommy screamed in fear upon seeing him fall. HK screams loudly from fright and from tummy pain.
Needless to say, the whole bedroom was exploding with noise. I'm dead certain our neighbors could hear us loud and clear.
At times like this, I do feel my patience stretched to the max.
I could feel the old and tired bones cracking in my body. Suddenly my shoulders felt heavy.
And I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs too.
But...
I will hang on and get by the ups and downs of motherhood. A true test of patience and endurance.
Another reminder of the demands of being a mother to two young kids!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Nanny's last day and new start for me
Today is HY's nanny last day. From tomorrow onwards, I will have to take care of him full time and bring him to and fro school along with the maid. I felt a little sad that the nanny could no longer help to care for HY but i believed he will be much happier cared for at home and by mommy. And so from tomorrow onwards, I can officially declare myself a SAHM (stay at home mom). I would not declare myself a WAHM (work at home mom)even though I will be continuing my freelance which is also my interest. I will mostly be out and about during some of the weekends and sometimes during the week (if I'm needed) and my mom will help us care for our kids with lots of help from our maid. My mom is quite old in her sixtes and in poor health, therefore she is unable to help me care for my active HY and HK for more than 2 straight days.
My mother in law is also unable to help us care for the kids for long periods as she is assisting my hubby with his business matters plus she has lotsa other activites too.
My mother in law is also unable to help us care for the kids for long periods as she is assisting my hubby with his business matters plus she has lotsa other activites too.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Managing a maid
Siti has been here in our home for 2 weeks already and she is still independent in her tasks.
She is a stark difference from Wati, our first maid who needs to be told what needs to be done and would pretend to do some work when we are around.
Til date, I had been an employer to 2 maids and I have plenty to learnt with regards to management of maids. What I do know is that they are different from your usual employees and needs to be treated and motivated differently.
If you are an employer of maids who also happens to manage people in your company, you may identify with what I've just said.
Having a maid at home means you will have to safeguard your valuables and monies to avoid possible theft. You will also need to manage your own moods and behaviour so that things will work out between you and the maid. Afterall they are humans too and doesn't deserve to face a black-faced employer all day long.
My good friend gave me some advices on how to manage maids and I think it will be good to share:
1) Buy her phonecard and let her call home often.(Being away from home can be daunting for a fresh Maid or even an experienced maid who has worked in Singapore).
2) If she is not entitled to any off-days, let her have some breathing space, bring her out
for strolls or leisure.
3) Lavish praise for good work done.
4) Don't criticize her for work not done well. Speak nothing of it. If she doesn't do the work or she doesn't do it well, do it yourself to set example so that she will follow suit. Trust that she will be embarrassed and do the job better.
5) Take things easy dun be uptight abt it and things will work out well. Smile and be happy.
If things doesn't work out with maid, simply replace her and not let her bring grief or
problems to you.
Frankly speaking, I do not know if the above advices will work for me as I had a very bad
experience with my first maid. But I'm willing to try provided my current maid has a willing attitude.
She is a stark difference from Wati, our first maid who needs to be told what needs to be done and would pretend to do some work when we are around.
Til date, I had been an employer to 2 maids and I have plenty to learnt with regards to management of maids. What I do know is that they are different from your usual employees and needs to be treated and motivated differently.
If you are an employer of maids who also happens to manage people in your company, you may identify with what I've just said.
Having a maid at home means you will have to safeguard your valuables and monies to avoid possible theft. You will also need to manage your own moods and behaviour so that things will work out between you and the maid. Afterall they are humans too and doesn't deserve to face a black-faced employer all day long.
My good friend gave me some advices on how to manage maids and I think it will be good to share:
1) Buy her phonecard and let her call home often.(Being away from home can be daunting for a fresh Maid or even an experienced maid who has worked in Singapore).
2) If she is not entitled to any off-days, let her have some breathing space, bring her out
for strolls or leisure.
3) Lavish praise for good work done.
4) Don't criticize her for work not done well. Speak nothing of it. If she doesn't do the work or she doesn't do it well, do it yourself to set example so that she will follow suit. Trust that she will be embarrassed and do the job better.
5) Take things easy dun be uptight abt it and things will work out well. Smile and be happy.
If things doesn't work out with maid, simply replace her and not let her bring grief or
problems to you.
Frankly speaking, I do not know if the above advices will work for me as I had a very bad
experience with my first maid. But I'm willing to try provided my current maid has a willing attitude.
Our Home
Our home is located at level 3 of a flat in a populated neighborhood.
There are amenities such as schools, supermarkets and clinics around our home.
In 2008/2009, even though our flat is considered less favoured as it is on a low floor, we are considered quite lucky to be able to purchase it with a cash payout to the previous owner at $20k 'only'. That was on top of the substantial loan amount repayable in 25 years to the Housing and Development Board(HDB).
You may be wondering why I am talking about this here where the motive for starting this blog is to talk family issues, to record our kids growing up etc. I really thought it will be good for the kids to know of the family's situation and their parent's efforts to set up our home. We are not rich but with just enough to live comfortably with 2 kids and a maid. Hubby is running his own business and I'm a full time employee with a freelance sideline which happens to be my interest.
I never thought it was not easy until I had my own family. Neither does hubby knows what he's in for until we had our first child.
I grew up in a middle class family to a father who is a sole proprietor of his own company and who is also the sole breadwinner. The kids at home never had to worry about money and all we had to do was to extend our hands. We also never thought about money and how to manage it.
Thus we never treasure money and thought money comes easily.
Hubby has a similar family background as mine though his family was a tad complicated.
Anyway, Times are very different now and I worry about our offsprings in the future as I forsee that it is only going to get tougher for them to get a roof over their heads or get a job with the competition from the new immigrants etc.
Perhaps, my worries are unfounded but I cannot help but to feel pessimistic now.
As a parent, I can only hope my kids won't have it so tough.
There are amenities such as schools, supermarkets and clinics around our home.
In 2008/2009, even though our flat is considered less favoured as it is on a low floor, we are considered quite lucky to be able to purchase it with a cash payout to the previous owner at $20k 'only'. That was on top of the substantial loan amount repayable in 25 years to the Housing and Development Board(HDB).
You may be wondering why I am talking about this here where the motive for starting this blog is to talk family issues, to record our kids growing up etc. I really thought it will be good for the kids to know of the family's situation and their parent's efforts to set up our home. We are not rich but with just enough to live comfortably with 2 kids and a maid. Hubby is running his own business and I'm a full time employee with a freelance sideline which happens to be my interest.
I never thought it was not easy until I had my own family. Neither does hubby knows what he's in for until we had our first child.
I grew up in a middle class family to a father who is a sole proprietor of his own company and who is also the sole breadwinner. The kids at home never had to worry about money and all we had to do was to extend our hands. We also never thought about money and how to manage it.
Thus we never treasure money and thought money comes easily.
Hubby has a similar family background as mine though his family was a tad complicated.
Anyway, Times are very different now and I worry about our offsprings in the future as I forsee that it is only going to get tougher for them to get a roof over their heads or get a job with the competition from the new immigrants etc.
Perhaps, my worries are unfounded but I cannot help but to feel pessimistic now.
As a parent, I can only hope my kids won't have it so tough.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
HY is two!
On this day, at 38 weeks, little HY came into our lives and mark the beginning of our parenthood journey. An adorable bundle of joy at 3.22kg with a round chubby face, he brought with him endless joy, sweet surprises and not forgetting disrupted sleep for us. We look forward to new surprises and we are ready to face other parenting challenges that comes with caring and bringing up of this special little child in our hearts! Happy 2nd Birthday dear HY! We love and cherish you always!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Our new maid Marsiti
Our new maid Marsiti came to our home yesterday.
She seems different from our previous maid Ernawati whereby she is more smiley and does her work faster. She also seems willing to learn cooking and will stand by my side to watch me cook.
One thing good about her is she kept herself busy but I may never know as it's still early days. Afterall it's only her second day at our home.
This time round, my Hb and I decided that we will try to be friendlier with our maid so that she won't feel so homesick.
Hopefully this one will work out and work for us for 2 years.
Our children will be 4 and 2 and by then we may not need a maid anymore.
Presently, because of the close age gap of HY and HK. we need an extra pair of hands to help.
HY is turning two next week and is at the 'terrible two' stage while HK is still an infant at 4 months old. Both needed mummy's attention and care. While HK could be left in his swing or on the bed for now until he started flipping, HY is demanding for attention and insist on having his way fast. It's difficult for mummy to cope. But we are trying to make the best out of the situation.
Last night HY blabbered a string of baby language to siti. We felt that it is a good start. However Siti doesn't seems too keen to help with kids though she has a 8 year old back in Indonesia herself. She's not too bad in doing housework, but just a little rough with things at times. We'll just see how things progress.
She seems different from our previous maid Ernawati whereby she is more smiley and does her work faster. She also seems willing to learn cooking and will stand by my side to watch me cook.
One thing good about her is she kept herself busy but I may never know as it's still early days. Afterall it's only her second day at our home.
This time round, my Hb and I decided that we will try to be friendlier with our maid so that she won't feel so homesick.
Hopefully this one will work out and work for us for 2 years.
Our children will be 4 and 2 and by then we may not need a maid anymore.
Presently, because of the close age gap of HY and HK. we need an extra pair of hands to help.
HY is turning two next week and is at the 'terrible two' stage while HK is still an infant at 4 months old. Both needed mummy's attention and care. While HK could be left in his swing or on the bed for now until he started flipping, HY is demanding for attention and insist on having his way fast. It's difficult for mummy to cope. But we are trying to make the best out of the situation.
Last night HY blabbered a string of baby language to siti. We felt that it is a good start. However Siti doesn't seems too keen to help with kids though she has a 8 year old back in Indonesia herself. She's not too bad in doing housework, but just a little rough with things at times. We'll just see how things progress.
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