A typical day for me

I have been back at work for 1.5 months already. Hence the significant decrease in frequency of posts. There is simply no excess time for a working mum! A typical day goes like this:

• Wake up at 6.45am and pump
• Say hi to Kaelyn and prepare for work
• David drops me off at the MRT station and fetches Kaelyn and maid to either parents or in-laws (there is a roster, I will elaborate in my next blog)
• Work, and pump once in office around lunch time
  
• Reach parents / in laws at about 7.30 - 8.30pm depending on whether it is a busy day at work or not
• Proceed to pump before having dinner, or vice versa
• Play with Kaelyn, if she is not sleeping, sleepy or throwing tantrums cos she doesnt want to drink milk
• David, me, Kaelyn and maid goes home
• Settle Kaelyn down to bed
• Time for me to pump again before hitting the sack, which is usually around 12 - 12.30am already...
• And the cycle goes on again....

It really is very very tiring! And it doesnt help if I have a really busy day in office. I can even fall asleep while pumping.. Weekends are used for catching up on sleep, lost time with Kaelyn, supermarket trips and paying bills.

Kaelyn is 5 months old

It's time for my monthly update again. Kaelyn is 5 months old. In the 5th month, she does not have any specific newly acquired skills but overall seems to be more aware of her surroundings. She has also improved a lot on the skills developed in the 4th month.

• She is 6.4kg.

• Can sit unassisted momentarily before she falls over towards her front. But she can sit with pillows supporting her for longer periods.

The little mafia queen
Another use for the breastfeeding pillow

• She's now trying to push her chest away from the ground using her arms, although only momentarily. She's still not strong enough to fully support herself in this position.

• Likes to pull at both her feet and stuff them into her mouth! Needless to say, anything she grabs will soon find their way into her mouth too.

• Is more aware of her surroundings and the people around her. She'll smile at David and me when we got back from work.

• After our trip to Sentosa to watch the "Songs of the sea" performance, her "singing" is now louder and longer, sometimes launching into a "performance". This really brings smiles to all in the family.

• Laughs out loud more often now. Sometimes, when we were not looking, she'll giggle and laugh while playing by herself. = )

• Started on solids (rice cereal) again recently, after a failed attempt at 4th month. I think she likes it now.

• Is able to hold her bottle momentarily and push away the bottle when she has had enough.

• It's easier to make her sleep now. In the past, we had to carry and rock her to sleep. Now, we have trained her to sleep on her own i.e. laying her on her bed when she's sleepy and patting her for a while. Sometimes, she doesnt even need us to pat her before drifting off to dreamland...

• She doesnt scream and cry as often as the past 4 months. She'll only fuss for a while when she's sleepy or hungry, or sometimes when she wakes up from her nap. I think this is a marked improvement from the past months. So it's now much easier to bring her out.

Blogging

Yes, it's been a while since I blogged. I'm on leave today, trying to recall all the happenings this past month that are worth blogging on. So watch this space.

Our first holiday after Kaelyn's arrival

David and I love travelling and we used to travel overseas once or twice a year. We no longer enjoy this mobility now that our angel is here. Bringing her out for a few hours of shopping is already a challenge, I didnt even dare to think of bringing her overseas with us. Our girl is on breast milk but she does not like to latch on direct. So I had to lug my expressed milk in a cooler bag, hot water bottle and my pump machine whenever we bring her out. An afternoon out is like going for an overseas trip, in terms of the number of bags we have to carry.

We finally managed to get away as a family a few days back, just a week before I go back to work. Although it was only a 3D2N at Sentosa, I enjoy the trip very much. And it was really a great achievement. We decided on Sentosa (over the other alternatives like Bintan and Pulau Ubin) because if the little gal decides to make a big fuss, we are still able to "deposit" her with parents and enjoy the rest of the holiday as a couple. But thankfully, she was very well behaved throughout the trip..

Preparation : -

It took me 2 days to pack for the trip - milk bottles, detergent, cleaning sponge, hot water bottle, breast pump, cooler bag, sterilising tablets, diapers, baby's clothes, bibs, handkerchiefs, towels, blankets, beansprout pillow, hat, mittens, booties, baby carrier, toys, milk, baby bather etc etc..... Plus our clothes, swimming gear, track shoes etc etc... Gosh, by the time I get to the end of the list, I had 1 huge suitcase (which David and I used for our honeymoon to NZ for 9 days), 3 haversacks and 2 paper bags. I almost wanted to bring the play pen too! But good thing we found out Rasa Sentosa can provide a baby cot. Phew!

Kaelyn all dressed up for the trip

Day 1 : -
Checked into Rasa Sentosa in the early afternoon. We got a room with pool view so that if we have to stay in the hotel for whatever reason, we still have something to look at. Although the weather was not very good, we were able to go for a swim while the helper and Kaelyn stayed in the room and watched us from the balcony. Later in the evening, we watched the "Songs of the Sea" performance, a combination of musical fountain, laser and fireworks displays. Our gal was mesmerised by the performance and even 'sang' along out loud throughout. It was really funny.

The view from our room

Songs of the Sea musical fountain display and the souvenir shop

Day 2 : -
Travelled around on the beach tram. Kaelyn was complaining throughout because of the heat. Visited the Underwater world with Kaelyn asleep in my sarong. We decided to wake her up in the tunnel so that she can at least look at some fishes and take photos before we leave. We got upgraded to a room with seaview because we complained of the noise coming from the renovation works just above our poolview room.

A happy baby in her new baby cot
A family picture at the Underwater World

Views from our upgraded room

Day 3 : -
Papa brought Kaelyn for a walk along the beach and to look at monkeys and birds while Mama was busily pumping away. Then we all headed to the Dolphin lagoon for the pink dolphin performance. After that, it was home sweet home.

Watching the dolphin performance at the Dolphin Lagoon

Although most the time was spent on feeding Kaelyn, bathing her, waiting for her to wake up from her nap in the baby cot, and waiting for Mama to pump, it was nevertheless a good and enjoyable trip. In the past, we would have visited a lot more places but with Kaelyn around, I have significantly lowered my expectations. I told David before the trip that we should only target 1 attraction a day, which was what we have achieved. And the sea view was a bonus!

First solids

Kaelyn had her first taste of rice cereal at a week after she turned 4 months. I mixed a little rice cereal with my breast milk and tried feeding her with a spoon. Think she was not used to eating out of a spoon, so half of the cereal ended up on her bib and on the floor.... But I think she likes the new taste. Not too bad for a start.

First hair cut

I noticed that Kaelyn started dropping strands of hair around 4 months. Heard many people say that babies will start losing hair during this time. So I decided it was time for me to try my hand at being a barber! David refused to be my guinea pig the last time, so now's my chance!

Result of first attempt on 4 Dec 07, without using a baby comb. Still not short enough.
So the next day, I attempted the second time, this time using a baby comb. My skills are quite good right? I think she looks cuter and less cheeky after the haircut. I get many strangers cooing at her and commenting how cute she is. And following that, they will say "It's a boy right?"... ok, so her hair is now too short for a girl.

Kaelyn is 4 months old!

Another month has wheezed past yet again. Kaelyn is now 4 months old!

At 4 months, she:

• is 6.1kg and 62cm long.

• does not like to lie on her back for long. She'll call out for us to prop her into a sitting or 'standing' position to view the world around her from a different perspective (also see pictures 2 posts before this).

• is now an 'expert' in rolling from her back to tummy (but not the other way round). We often find her on her tummy in the mornings when we wake up. When on her tummy, she seems to want to crawl, often pulling her knees inwards and raising her butt. But her arms are not strong enough yet.

• is able amuse herself by playing with her own fingers and toes, scratching her ears, pulling her hair and clothes etc.

• is able to reach out for objects with both hands when dangled in front of her. And very soon after, the objects will find their way into her mouth!

• likes to watch TV (oh dear!).

• can somewhat recognise voices and faces. She is now beginning to show preference for people. She used to smile at anyone who plays with her. But now, she'll yell when she's in the company of strangers or people she doesnt see often (that would include her Ye ye, Nai nai, Gong gong and Po po).

• is easily distracted by sights and sounds.

• sucks her left thumb, pacifier or my breast for comfort. Whichever she chooses will depend on her mood.

• makes lots of noises. When she's in a good mood, she'll laugh, babble and 'sing' very loudly, which amuses us all.

• is very disinterested in her milk. She can drink only 3 oz and refuse to drink anymore in the next 5 hours!
  

Her character and personality is beginning to show. And I am not too pleased with what I see. She is one impatient, demanding girl! She'll make a BIG fuss, yelling and screaming if she is being forced to do something she doesnt want to. When we feed her or try to make her sleep when she wants to play, her screams can be heard 2 blocks down... Even if we eventually give in to her demands, she'll continue her screams as if she were protesting against being forced earlier on. I hope this trait doesnt stick to her when she grows up!