Worrying..

Babies may seem to be the world's cuddliest and lovable creatures.. That, is only half right. Many of you, especially the non-parents, are not aware of their dark sides. Well, me being a first time mother can't be sure myself, whether those traits of theirs are naturally in them, or caused by external factors. But, they are indeed worrying businesses that if you are a parent, cannot choose to ignore..

Rianne for example, is the typical frail baby who sneezes the minute her clothes are removed. This had my mum believe that Rianne is a baby who's afraid of the cold, and thus she's all covered up from head to toe; with her face & head the only flesh exposed to the environment. But a discovery the other day proved my mum's analysis to be wrong. I had found Rianne's pillow to be wet, and I took a sniff at it. It seem that Rianne has been perspiring, and that might lead to babies having rashes if they are not given enough ventilation. Since then, Rianne was allowed the fan and she was much cooler.

You know the muscle twitch we sometimes get during sleep? Our legs jerk when we subconciously thought we fell into a drain? Babies suffer from that too.. Rianne especially, is the most jerky little person I have ever seen. Her hands and legs twitched so much that she sometimes get woken up by it. I decided to hold her limbs down with a bean bag made from the shells of beansprouts. That kinda worked, but little did I expect Rianne to have so much force pushing her hands out from the bean bag. She had once struggled to get her hands out, and resulted in having her face covered by the beanie. I was almost scared to death, when I found her like that on my bed. It would have been disastraous if her nose got covered too long!

Last night I placed Rianne on my bed again with the bean bag, while I went to do the dishes (finally I am permitted to do the chores again!). My mum came to the kitchen chatting with me, and it was then we heard Rianne's loud cries. As my hands were still soapy with detergent, my mum attended to her. Guess what? Yes, Rianne had covered her own face with the bean bag again! I was mad at ourselves for our negligence, but at the same time I was relieved that Rianne alerted us on time.

The rest of my worries are equally nerve-breaking.. like the confusion Rianne's facing now between a pacifier, milk bottle teat and mummy's boobies. Then there is her throwing up of milk immediately after her feed, and hiccups that come when Rianne had a drop too much. Also the frustration Rianne has when she tries to pass out gas.. she turns red doing it. The list goes on and on, but my latest worry now is the red patch I saw on the back of Rianne's head. I am just hoping it isn't anything related to the genetric disorder which Papa D has, and that could only be affirmed when I bring Rianne to the specialist on the 21st.

COMFORT FOOD

God knows how long I have wanted to blog, but was always halted by Baby Rianne's cries for milk; or if not, attention.

I am glad I picked up the good practice of keeping a record book for Rianne's feeding times and the number of times she pooped or had a wet diaper. The book had shown how my little girl drinks her milk, at ragingly short intervals I mean. It is said to be normal for an infant like Rianne to feed every 2-3hourly, but this isn't what Rianne is doing! She is now hungry and asking for milk every 2 hours, or sometimes, 45 mins to 1hr's time.

My mum reckons I might not be supplying enough for Rianne, thus the frequent wailing for milk. But sometimes after giving her what she wants, she returns everything back to me by vomitting. This means she didn't exactly want the milk I thought she wanted. She could very possibly just need to suck on something to get her to sleep, and that was mistaken to be hunger.

Apart from the comforting effect it has for Rianne, breast milk is no doubt her staple food; and anyone should be able to understand that.. especially a mother-to-be. But for my sis, she was probably disturbed by the fact that we have to keep entering the nursing room at the shopping mall that day. I totally know why, as the nursery was on the 3rd floor, and both of us handling 2 babies plus a pram; just makes it cumbersome. Also, I have to speak for my preggie sis who's heavily pregnant, and with an active kid like Jayden; any expectant mum would have gone crazy!

Well, I do hope I don't turn crazy feeding and changing Rianne, before Annie Mummy stays home with us for good.

My comfort food - Bees on a doughnut!

What the ...??!!

Funny that. You would think being Rianne's father would "akin" to "kinship" as you could possibly get...

Can someone please interpret the above sentence and tell me it ain't what I thought it's supposed to mean? Am I misunderstanding Papa D? Honestly, I don't think so.

Blood is boiling inside of me, as my fingers hit so harshly onto the keyboard. Here I am being confined (Synonym : trapped in/restrained) at home, hot and filthy, thirsty (for H2O), dealing with Rianne's mood swings, and deprived of the simplest things in life. Not seeking for sympathy, or even asking anything from Papa D, I try my very best to bring up Rianne with a decent monthly income and lots of love. Yes, I understand that he is not well; but that doesn't warrant for sarcasm like this.

Right from the start, I have never disapproved Papa D of his fatherly desires; nor have I deprived him of fulfilling his duties as a dad. The only obstacle hindering him from doing all these, doesn't come from me, but the physical distance apart. I know Papa D has always wanted Rianne to be born in the UK, thus narrowing the gap between them to zero. However, I am not a British citizen, so how can I give birth in UK? Even if I can, Rianne will then become a Brit at birth, and how is she going to come back to Singapore for her future development? Maybe she don't have to come back? Hah, is this exactly Papa D's intention?

Growing up in UK is not so bad an idea, provided the parents are well-off enough to feed and give the best to the baby. OK, let's put it realistically, maybe just the standard living, healthcare, education and caregiver. How much does all these cost in pounds? To date, Rianne has used 220 pieces of diaper, 100 pieces of nappy liner, and 240 sheets of baby wipes. She has been to the polyclinic 4 times, and had 2 vaccinations. As for Mama R, she had consumed 14 bottles of Chicken of Essence, 2 tins of Milo, used 72 pairs of disposable breast pads, and countless number of sanitary pads..

This is just a run-down of consumables which cost money, money and money.. I get cold feet just thinking of the other expenses like bedding needs, clothes, toys, furniture, and the killer, healthcare. Many parents would say, it doesn't take tons of dollars to raise a child; but you CANNOT not have money. More true than anything..

Rianne's First Month

No amount of downpour could dampen our high spirits, as we celebrated Rianne's first month old at The Green Room Cafe, Bishan Park II, last Sunday.

It was meant to be a private affair, a small gathering with family and closest friends. Am thankful for everyone's patience (only made it there 1hr later than planned), attendance, and lastly, your generousity.

Hence, my reciprocal..


I was making sure all my friends take turns to carry Rianne, even those who has never held a baby before. And my little princess definitely enjoyed all the attention, coz she was decently well-behaved in the arms of all the aunties and uncles.

The occasion ended with more rain, and my mum was so protective of (no, you are wrong; not Rianne!) ME! I, the confined woman, is not to get drenched at anytime. So, I am sheltered by my dearest friends with umbrellas; all the way til I got into a taxi.

Distributing cakes don't seem a difficult task, but for an elderly (yes, my mum's in this catergory already! Hahahaha!) and a confined mother with her baby in tow; it didn't look as easy as we thought. In fact, my poor mum suffered a fall when she was delivering a box of cakes to our old neighbour - my mum's best pal. She slipped after stepping foot into some wet mud, and you can't imagine how I felt when I saw her down on the pavement! I am so sorry, Annie Mummy! But, you refused to let me help.. Anyway, we were just glad that Rianne was in my arms when my mum fell. Phew..

I wonder is it because Rianne's chinese name has the character 'RAIN', that's why all these days when we went out; it was always pouring! Well, afterall, Rianne is a 'WATER' baby..

Idol Fever!!

Ever since Ruben (the big teddy bear, they call him!) won Season 2 of American Idol, I have concluded that maybe America don't really vote in the way I thought they would.. Clay Aiken, obviously would have my vote.

Well, I guess the audition rounds will not be too boring to watch. Who knows, the infamous William Hung might resurface.. No, he didn't. But from the auditions to the Hollywood weeks, the judges have proved to me that they have their reasons for their harsh critique. It is not Simon's fault that the poorer vocalists got voted off. American Idol is a battle of talents and looks, and this season indeed is a fierce battlefield!

There's the good lookers - Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Megan Joy. The powerhouse vocalists - Lil Rounds, Allison Iraheta, Alexis Grace and Adam Lambert. Multi-talented - Scott Macintyre and Matt Giraud.. and of course, the unexpectedly good - Anoop Desai and Michael Sarver. The final 13 put up an incredible show on Wednesday, with songs from King of Pop - MICHAEL JACKSON.

Some performances touched hearts, while others were simply exhilarating! My personal favourites - Kris Allen's act with his guitar, and Matt Giraud playing magic on the piano. Like Simon said, it would be better if Kris hasn't officially announced he has a wife. I know Paula Abdul was disappointed too, eventhough she commented that Kris was "adorable sexy!". That lucky Kathy! You'd better hold on to your husband!!

After Thursday night's elimination round, the final 11 have just gotten closer to winning the ultimate glory. But with everyone this strong, it ain't an easy task to vote and to bear seeing anyone so talented being voted out. I'm glad that this heavy responsiblity doesn't fall onto the shoulders of the Singapore audience. But I hope America will vote wisely, just like how they have done at the President Election. Cheers!

Poop Attack!!

You would have heard of 'Mars Attack', 'Star Wars - Attack of the Clones'.. but Poop Attack?!

This is what it is, I have been attacked by baby Rianne's poop!! Remember in one earlier post, I mentioned that the little princess seems to be having diarrohea, as she was farting and pooing quite frequently. Her stools are all watery, yellowish with little white bits. Don't ask me what those are, as I had earlier replied my sister-in-law with "I don't know, but they look like rice grains."

I have checked with more than 1 doctor at the polyclinic, and they have all assured me that it's nothing more than normal for breastfed babies to have poop of this kind. Well, what do they think about spurting poop then?!

I was changing Rianne this morning after her feed, and I was prepared to use more than 1 new diaper as usual. However, I managed to 'catch' her poop on the dirty diaper, before a new nappy was dished underneath her bottoms. Pleased with my work, I lifted her little feet to chuck the new piece under. Never did I expect a gush of watery poop to come spurting onto me!! Holy S#@*!!

This is the first time in my life that I am actually glad I am short.. Poop were on my hands, my thighs, my pjs, my bedsheet, but not on my mouth! I was still taken aback at what just happened, and my mind was in a whirlpool - should I clean myself up first or change Rianne?

Parents will tell me, "it is something you will get used to, very soon.." Will I, I really wonder? Or maybe my mum ought to stop feeding me (which indirectly feeds Rianne) stuff that induce farting, or in her own words, wind-expelling.

Poop aside, I need to exclaim, yes, exclaim.. I simply adore Danny Gokey and Kris Allen from American Idol 8! My God, dashing and super vocalists! They are not all the talents in this season.. I'm going to talk more about them tomorrow, watch out for it!

I Miss My Bump..

I remember my best friend, X, told me that she actually missed being pregnant, straight after giving birth to her chubby boy. It didn't make sense to me at that time.. for I have been anticipating, and was ever ready for little Junior's arrival!

I realised the reason for X's statement, was because the living thing inside our stommies have turned into an alive and kicking (my Rianne's a kicker!) creature for real! Not that we depised our newborns, but more like it was a change which we needed time to adapt to.

The sobbing infant laying in the baby cot with soiled diapers, was something we didn't have to deal with before. We only had to talk, sing, and caress our abdomens when we wanted some interaction. Or on an active day when my favourite drama series "Little Nyonya" is on TV, the fetal movement index will be on a soaring incline!

Expectant mothers don't give a heck to their food intake.. they eat whatever they like, they gorge as much as they want, they have the most nutritious tonics like birds' nest and yummy-brewed soups. All cravings fulfilled, and all demands met.

I just have to show ya'all this piece of Israeli goodness.. My friend, X brought it back for me on her business trip. I kept it for 2 months (couldn't bear to eat it because of the memories I hold so dearly of an Israeli guy), and as you can see below, I eventually succumbed to temption..

"It melts in your mouth and your hands too, if you don't pop it down quickly!" Woooo, soft and milky..

Mothers-to-be laze around all day, laid on the couch, and on the bed. Simply, because they are just too heavy to move about! Getting up in the middle of the night ain't a dreadful thing for them, coz it is just a 5 minutes affair to relieve themselves. But for us, the wee-hours waking up means losing almost 1 hour of sleep.. 15mins of breastfeeding, 30 mins to change the nappy, another 15mins to put the baby back to sleep.

It is not hard to see many expecting mothers this year. Stroll down the halls of KK Hospital, and you will see big bellies around every corner. It's weird to see those bellies now, when my own is as flat as a washing board. No, I'm not being smug here. My current weight now (I finally braced up enough courage to jump onto the scale), is 47kg! 8 months back, I weighed only a mere 42kg..

My 14.5kg weight gain is now lying beside me as I write this.. she was being grouchy, and my mum had no choice but to bring her out to the living room. You know what? Her eyes are now fixated on the TV, presumably watching telly I guess.. =)

My happiness bump may no longer be there, but at least now I know how my future happiness look like..