Saturday, April 23, 2016

Growing Into The Role Of Mama

It's a little over 12 weeks of being a mother, and I am glad to say that I have more confidence about caring for my little one now than I did when we first started this journey. I'm incredibly lucky to have my mom and nanny help me, and picked up many valuable tips about how to care for an infant. Small stuff that you don't really think about like making sure to clean their ears (so much gunk!) and neck folds, and that babies usually pee after they make a poop so just wait abit before changing the diaper. I've also learned that there no such thing as too much cuddling. 

BabyAC has become quite the efficient feeder, so he usually finishes feeding in about 5-7 minutes. He likes to be kept latches on for a little while more to comfort nurse, and I'm happy to hold him in my arms as well. 

He's definitely a morning baby, and we are starting to get lots of little smiles and toothless grins from him in the morning. He loves bathtime, and is a happy and content little one after. He has discovered how tasty his fingers are, and is constantly trying to shove them in his mouth, sometimes both hands at the same time! I'm not keen on giving him a pacifier, nor let him suck on his thumbs, so I try to pull his fingers out. 

I remember him kicking in my belly when listening to 80s aerobics music, specifically the 1988 (or was it 1987) Crystal Light Aerobics Championship music. First heard it in a Key & Peele sketch and now I play this song when babyAC starts to get a little bored and he just dances along by waving his arms and kicking his legs. 

In other news, our house is coming along! I spent this week going up and down so many times. We sold the fridge that came with our unit because it was bulky and made the kitchen feel cramped. It didn't fit in the storeroom, so we were lucky that we managed to sell it and get a smaller fridge instead. We also bought a dining table set and a TV console, which were delivered yesterday. Spent the afternoon mopping the place and it feels nicer now that the floors aren't so dusty.

The movers are moving our stuff from storage and I'm excited to be able to sleep on our big bed again. Hehehe these days I've been co-sleeping with babyAC on a single bed, and he takes up so much space since he loves sleeping with his arms sprawled wide open- just like his dad. 

So happy days! 2016 has been a year of exciting changes! 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Onesies, Dancing and Being A Supercoolmom

The little one is slightly more than 11 weeks old (11w3d to be exact) and already he is wearing onesies meant for 6 month old kids. Guess we have a tall boy here. Hehehe.

Some new discoveries this week- he prefers sleeping in bed with us, instead of alone in his crib, and he likes using this blue, towel-like blanket. He snores in his sleep too, and occasionally cries out as though he had a bad dream. I wonder what babies dream about?

We also discovered that he likes to dance! All that flailing about of his arms, is actually him dancing! So we'd dance about, and sing silly songs, and he would usually dance along with us. Happy times! 

This week, I met che and her one month old at Great World City. It was the first time I was bringing babyAC out all by myself, and while it was a little daunting initially, I am glad I did- it wasn't so bad. Sure I had to carry him in the ergobaby carrier (we haven't bought a stroller yet), and his diaper stuff in my backpack, but the overall load wasn't too unmanageable. 

Felt like a supercoolmom when I nursed him in the cafe too. Threw a muslin swaddle over my shoulder, popped my boob out, and nursed him. Easy peasy. 

BabyAC likes being out, and looks at his surroundings with such wide eyed (literally) wonder. The ergobaby does get quite hot, as you have him pressed against you, so it's important to take him out once in a while to cool him off. 

I've also concluded that too much fenugreek is probably the cause of my blocked ducts and his extremely bad gas. Things got much better after I stopped taking fenugreek (and in such large doses as well), and now I just take it only if I need a boost in my supply. 

Almost three months of motherhood, and it's something that I really enjoy. Sure there are the things that everyone talks about- being tired all time, having "no life", huge expenses etc, but frankly it's all worth it. Of course, I know that I'm extremely lucky to have all the help that I've got- from +3, my mom and my nanny, which really makes things so much more manageable.

It's so hard to imagine that a year ago, babyAC didn't exist yet and now here he is, snoring in bed next to me. *love* 

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

I'm The Luckiest Girl In The World

Was out the whole day for work, and feeling exhausted since I hadn't slept the night before. The cooler bag that I brought out with me because I needed to pump, had to be washed, along with all the bottles I had in it, thanks to a spilled bottle of milk that I didn't close properly.

BabyAC is tired but doesn't want to sleep, and is fussing in his crib. +3 was about to take a shower but sees that the baby is fussing, comes over and says, "I'll hold him." I don't know what happened after that as I drift off to sleep. 

4-5 hours later, I'm wakened by the sounds of my baby fussing again. He's hungry and his last feed was 5 hours ago. I pick him up and nurse him, and realise that I need to pump. I remember the mountain of unwashed bottles and pump parts. 

When I put BabyAC back in his crib, I see that the steriliser is full. I peek inside and all my bottles and pump parts are there, cleaned and sterilised. +3 washed them before he went to bed! 

It's a small gesture but one that makes me feel so loved and so supported. It's not an easy journey breastfeeding, but I'm glad I am doing it and I'm glad I have +3 on my side.