lazy afternnon at Coffeebean

The little one had lots of fun at coffeebean last Sun. All everyone heard at the little, cozy outlet was Jarrett's screams of laughter. And dun yell at me, I swear I had a decaf.

I left my brain at home this morning

I have been trying really hard to get to the office earlier, so I can squeeze in more work. But it all back fired this morning. Woke up at 6.45am to nurse Jarrett and thought I could start preparing for work right after tucking him back to bed. Wrong....I fell back in bed myself and didnt' wake up till 8.30am. Still alright I thought. On the way to the office, I stopped at Caltex to fill up the tank....only to realise I LEFT MY WALLET AND PHONE at home! Too late to drive off as the aunty had already started the pump! Argh...............panic panic.........went into the station hoping to borrow a phone to call SOS but staff said phone is strictly for staff only and for work! Darn!

I think I must have looked darn desperate cos the aunty in Old Chang Kee (right in the station, yum yum) took pity on me and offered me her personal HP. So sweet of her. I am so going back tomorrow and buying lots and lots of curry puff from her!

My colleague Jack was depatched as the SOS guy! 10 mins later, petrol paid and I rushed off in my blue wheels! So I didn't turn up at work earlier, and got into more trouble instead. Sigh......the brain's not working too well I tell you and I heard it's a common problem shared among all mummies.

Someone sexy's waiting for me in bed

Breastmilk cheap?

I have been stuffing myself with food since baby was born. I kid you not when I say I am eating more than Wx now "GASP"! And for people who know how much Wx can eat, it's scary isn't it? The amount I am eating.

I do not eat huge servings (thou the servings are definitly bigger than what I used to eat) at one go, but I am constantly snacking along the day, right up to before I hit the bed. Sometimes I even grab a snack when I wake up at 3am to express milk. It has reached a point where even my bro-in-law couldn't help but made a remark on it. Wx has been quite concern too and put it very "nicely" that maybe I shouldn't be eating so much.
Well, honestly, I think it's terrifying too but I really cannot help it! I am constantly hungry! If I don't prepare snacks for work, I'll be going round looking for (others) food. I'm like the starving dog in the office. My energy level will also dip all the way down. No food, no energy.
My sis has taken pity on me and has been bringing me snacks (so sweet of her.. infact, she has been doing so since I got pregnant). My mum always let me have the first pick whenever she brings snacks over, which also means I get to have double servings!
I used to share my food with Wx, half of it would go to him. These days, he's lucky if he gets a taste of what I am eating! If I share, I'll end up telling him "Know what? My tummy feels empty" and I am the one who has to keep hinting for supper. The poor dear simply can't keep up with me.

So people who think breastfeeding is cheap, think again. Wx will have to rob the bank soon to feed me, and with my investments in 2 electrical pumps, 1 manual pump, over 2 dozens of milk bottles, hundreds of milk bags and tonics, I really don't think there's much savings at all. Infact, I think we may be spending more. Now..don't get me started on why THEN I want to breastfeed. Seriously...

Botak Jarrett

After months of "fighting" with the Mr., I finally gave in and shaved Jarrett botak.

BeforeThis was why we had to shave him. The Grandma screamed murder the moment I causally brought up the subject of shaving but as one can see, Jarrett has been "plucking" himself bald for weeks! The moment he managed the gripe, he had been pulling out his hair. So to save him the trouble and the pain...I gave in and we shaved him (DIY) 2 Sats ago. All done at home, with a Philips hair shaver. Took us quite a while as the little one got very frustrated and angry. We nearly gave up and wanted to run off to the hairdresser, with half a shaven head. Haha..but decided to try my hand at it and managed to finish the job. So half done by daddy and half done by mummy. We are darn proud of ourselves! Not very easy ok, with a screaming baby, plus with each shave, my heart was bleeding. I really like his hair! If he had not been pulling out his mop of hair, I wouldn't have agreed to shave it all off.

After. Freshly shaven! My Botak Jarrett.
Turned out lots of people like it, they have been cooing over him since then.

Brunch at Mimolette

Very serious about food

still prefers milk....

First trip to Botanic Garden & Grandpa's Birthday dinner

Jarrett's first trip to the Botanic Garden and he was a big hit with the babes.

Grandpa's little darling. Cousin's little cutie.

Lucky Jarrett!

This came in the mail last week, all the way from London.
Mummy's the birthday girl but Jarrett got the present. He's one lucky kid, showered with lots of love from all corners of the world!

Baby Jarrett: Thank you Aunty Tricia! I love the book, I've got "That's Not My Puppy". Looks like my mummy and Tyler shares the same taste when it comes to books!" LOL

and a few of daddy's fav pics

I know this is an old joke..but i really can't resist posting this

We weren't kidding when we said Jarrett loves being Superman.

Wx's getting kick out of the room.

No..we didn't have a lovers' quarrel but Wx is under quarantine. The old man has got the cough since yesterday and in our household, when one of us gets sick, he/she gets boot out of the room! Sorry dear, u are either sleeping on the couch or the guest room tonight. With the baby around, we have to be more careful now. Instead of just sleeping apart, we have also enforced the rule of wearing a mask and washing our hands before we touch Jarrett. Contact with the little one is to be kept to a minimal. So it's the case of "Can see but cannot touch".

Why so fussy? Cos......
1) If the little one gets sick, he will not be able to tell us what's wrong with him, so he'll resort to his only way = cry

2) If we do not know he's crying because he's not feeling well, it will result in a lot of irritation and anger and we may mistaken it as him being cranky and which.... may further result in more irritation which.... may lead to us scolding him for the wrong reasons.

3) As parents, we all hate the feeling of helplessness when it comes to our children. It's not a nice feeling knowing that your baby is not feeling well and because he can't tell you what to do, you don't really know what to do to make him more comfortable. I know of some mummies who break down when their little ones fall ill.

4) Heartache. Please see above point 3. U ever see a baby cry till his face's red, tears all over his face and you don't know what to do?

5) I don't mean to say small = weak, but if you are able to prevent a little one from falling sick, shouldn't u do it?

So Daddy's off duty for the next few days, till he gets well. If U read my earlier post, you'll know I am in deep shit cos I'm exhausted. Of course I love to take care of Jarrett, he's my precious little meatball...but I really appreciate having Wx around. He's been great with the baby whereas I am more like an apprentice. So if u call me anytime these few days and if I sound flustered, u know why.

Exhaustion has done me in..

I'm a bad mummy. I did the unthinkable yesterday. I hit my baby "wail.....................". In case you are thinking, no..i didn't bash him against the wall or kick him in the head...it was a tap on his hand but I am dying from shame and eaten by guilt ever since. How could I hit my precious little meatball??? I am a monster!!! The father has been shaking his head at me which adds on to my guilt.

What made me snapped was exhaustion. I have been trying to be a supermom, and boy, it's not easy. Having to juggle a career with motherhood and being a wife is no joke. After a long day in the office, I return home each day, eager to spend some time with my son, but along the way, there are endless chores to be done. There were a few times where I felt like I was going to black out. I know I should take it easy and probably leave the baby with my in laws who are all too eager to take up the duty of babysitting overnite but I want to spend time with my baby too. 24hrs are no longer enough, I feel like I am racing against time and at times I feel like my heart is going to pop out from my chest as I run from one place to the next. I even feel like sleeping when I am behind the wheels.

So on Sunday when the little one just wouldn't calm down and stopped crying, coupled with my super duper low tolerance level whenever I am very tired, I snapped and hit him on his hand. I am not feeling very proud now. Exhaustion is not an excuse. Mummy's sorry Baby Jarrett.
I now understand the saying "when a parent beats a child, it's the parent who will hurt more".

Jarrett's in the Lourve!

Jarrett's First Mail!

Look what came in the mail yesterday! Jarrett's first mail at 13th week! Aunty Jean had sent him a "Will Work for Milk" T-shirt! How sweet!

Baby Jarrett: Thank you Aunty Jean! MUACK MUACK!

It's a day for celebration!

Pastor Yen Ming came over to give blessing prayers for Jarrett and our house today.

In all the 9 years we have been together, WX had probably said the acceptance prayer a few times, but today was special. I will not say more, but I feel most grateful & blessed. He's not going for baptism anytime soon, but this is enough for me now. God works in miraculous ways.

Sunday outings - Church! and then shopping ;-)

Bumper Mat

We bought this before Jarrett was born. KS? Maybe..but I wanted to use this when I had my post-natal massages which was good cos it protected my parquet from getting oil stain. Since then, it has been kept in the storeroom, waiting for baby to grow up.

For a while, I thought we were a bit frivolous to spend so much ($266) when there are so many more affordable options available, eg. mattress, ABC mat, playmat,foam mat etc. After all, it is just to create a play area for baby rite. Plus, the grandparents thought we are crazy, after all babies of olden days were brought up just fine without any fancy mats at all.

Well, last weekend, we brought it out from the store room, clean it up and put it out. I had a series of activities planned for my time alone with Jarrett (see earlier post). Well, my doubts about the expenditure were put to rest! I must now say, the bumper mat is a good investment! Why?

1) It's colourful and attractive
I also like it that it can doubled up as an educational "toy" with ABC and nouns printed on both sides.

2) Very comfy and cooling
Definitly very comfortable to lie on. Infact, I spent one afternoon napping on it with Jarrett.
As for the cooling part, it doesn't feel like latex mattresses or rubber mats where you feel very warm after lying on it for a while. Or maybe it's due to my ceiling fan? But doubt so, cos there are days where I sit perspiring on my sofa.

3) Low maintenance
Ultra important to me! It can be easily clean with cloth and warm water. I use Dettol, since it's the first time Jarrett's using it, otherwise, warm water is seriously sufficient.
I also don't have to worry about stains (think milk, pee, drool stains etc...baby??), musty smells from storage, dust mites etc.

4) Baby cannot tear out individual pieces to munch on

The only bad thing I can think of (so far) is the weight. It weighs a tonne! But otherwise, I am definitly pleased with our choice.

My first weekend with Jarrett

Yes, I have been a mother for 10 weeks, and no, prior to last weekend, I had never really been alone with Jarrett. There were a few times where Wx had to go out for 1-3hrs, leaving baby and I at home but being a newborn, Jarrett spent most of the those time sleeping.

So last weekend was the first time I was really alone with Jarrett. For one whole week, I was feeling so stressed about THE WEEKEND! I whined to everyone who would listen to me and thought of ways to prepare myself.
For those who are not aware, Wx has been the one doing most of the work when it comes to taking care of Jarrett. I mostly only nurse, comfort and play with him. My sis laughed at my anxiety and told me when the time comes, I would automatically slip into maternal mode and enjoy myself.

Was she right? Yeap..she was! I enjoyed myself alright. There were a few stressful moments like lugging my 12kg pram into the car boot with a fussing baby and Jarrett crying when I was cooking noodles, but overall, the weekend was a success. I have picked up a few new skills along the way, like eating with a baby on my lap, driving alone with Jarrett and operating my stroller which is not easy ok! I did mention it's 12 kg rite?

By the time Wx returned home at night, Jarrett had fallen asleep in my arms. I felt a profound sense of achievement and motherhood had never felt so great. I'm definitly looking forward to more time alone with my baby son.

Taken over the weekend just before he took his nap.

Elvis no. 2!

Constipation??

The daddy says I'm a bad mummy to post this pic. Am I? This is way to cute not to share, no?

Taken when Jarrett was pooing..