Little Bun is 5 Months Old!!

My little man is 5 months old!! He's getting cuter, bigger, noiser and much more interactive as the days go by. Where is that tiny 3kg infant that I brought home 5 months ago??! I am happy that I have managed to exclusively breastfeed him till now. Initially I didn't think I'd last more than 3 months, but I did! Hoping that I can keep it going till he is at least 6 months. It'd be rather difficult once I start work (yup, I am starting work soon.. more details another time) in April.

Little bun celebrating this little milestone with Daddy... Daddy with a pint of beer and little bun, well, with mummy's milk!

We also marked this day with our very first family 'art project'. Actually we had bought the canvas/paint for a while but just didn't had the chance to do it. It was very fun, and VERY messy. It didn't occur to either of us that at this age, little bun prefers to clench his fist more than spreading it open for us to do the imprint! Overall, I am really pleased with the end result, though it'd have been better if there was enough space to include Huskee and Hershey's paw prints too.

Found these 2 'old' photos while going through the photos on my phone... They were taken on Mark's second independent attempt at changing little bun's diaper. I cannot say that he did a good job, but what it did was it gave me a very good laugh.

I was in the shower when Mark decided to change little bun's diaper and I heard yelling for help.. What I heard was "how come the diaper has wings?". I couldn't figure out WTF he was talking about so I ignored him... Cussing ensued, followed by random punctuations of "stupid wings", "what do I do with the wings", etc. The only 'wings' that I know are those belonging to birds, as well as the other kind that appears on

sanitary pads. I have changed enough diapers for little bun to know that diapers DO NOT have 'wings'.

This is what I saw when I emerged from the shower.

My dear husband had taped the side velcros in such a way that the 'extension tabs' have ended up as 'wings'. My poor son.

What a Difference A Year Makes...

Today marks the one year anniversary of the very first time Mark and I 'saw' little bun in Dr Anu's clinic. I still recall it very vividly cos it was just a day after our 13th anniversary and I told Dr Anu after she confirmed the pregnancy that it is the best present for Mark and I. It marked the start of our long and very exciting journey towards parenthood.

Yup, this is little bun one year ago... that little blob of dark mass/cells in the centre of the picture.

And this is him one year on... With the help of divine intervention, a healthy dose of faith, modern medication and being watched over by my Angels, that little mass is now a thriving 4 and-a-half month old weighing 7kg! (I wouldn't have believed it myself one year ago) My little blob is now a healthy, happy, cheeky, charming little 'Eeeeeeeee Eeeeeeee' boy (that's currently his favourite sound ever since he found that he's got a voice).

Happy 14th Anniversary

Darling, we FINALLY have a reason to celebrate THIS year. Last year was just a prelude to this year's joy. Happy Anniversary, love... thank you for staying by me and loving me even during those times when I wanted to give up on myself and seriously hated myself beyond words. Your indulgence in me and everything I wanted is the reason why we are parents to your 'little champion' today.

Knowing I have you with me in all my tomorrows makes my today so wonderful. Heart to heart, day by day; Side by side, year by year. I love you loads, my darling husband; my best friend; my confidante; my better half; my one person cheering squad and most importantly, the father of my baby and Angels.

H is for ....

A friend shared this on Facebook. This is exactly what happens to us every single night, except that I always face inwards looking at little bun instead of facing out as depicted in the illustration. Somehow I always wake up to find myself being pushed to the edge of my side of the bed (with pins and needles on my entire right arm due to my sleeping position). It has become a nightly routine where I have to re-adjust little bun's position so that I don't fall off and Mark doesn't roll onto him accidentally.

I suppose to some parents, this H-formation is 'Hell', but I beg to differ. To me, MY 'H' stands for 'Heavenly' and 'Happiness'.

Dragon Babies

A friend I recommended to the TCM doctor whom I used to see (she'd been trying to conceive for 2 years) gave me the good news that she's pregnant! She had seen him only for a couple of months before successfully conceiving. I am not sure if she conceived because of that (i.e TCM treatment) or it's just conincidence, but regardless, I am so happy to hear the good news..

This is the 9th Dragon baby (and counting) I know of... The year of the Dragon certainly bodes well to Singapore's fertility rate. Our Prime Minister should be happy.

Poop-ies

Never thought that I would be so obsessed with poop. Little bun's poop to be exact. I've read that as babies grow, the frequency of their pooping may lessen. Since birth, little bun had been a very 'consistent pooper' with a few dirty diapers on a daily basis (which is the norm for breastfed babies). There hasn't been a day without poop until lately where he had gone for a few days without pooping.

I keep an eagle eye on his diapers and counted the days... previously, IT happened on Day 06, and I was hopeful that it will go back to normal thereafter. No such luck. It is now Day 05 and I'm still keeping a close watch.

Dr Google says this is perfectly normal and rather common after babies reach 3 to 4 months. It should be nothing to worry about as long as the baby is feeding and behaving normally, and so long as it doesn't exceed 10 (WTF??) days. Hmmmmmm.....

In one of my earlier post not too long ago, I mentioned a friend who finally conceived a pair of twins through multiple tries at IVF. She just sent me a heartbreaking message that when she went for her routine check-up this morning, the doctor only detected one heartbeat. My poor friend is heartbroken... she is crying non-stop for the unborn life that was snuffed out too early.

I made sure that I didn't give her any of the so-called 'advice' that I received before, which hurt me more than helped me.. i.e. 'things happen for a reason', 'time heals all wounds' etc. I simply let her know that I care a lot about her, and that if she needs a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear, I am available at all hours of the day (the perks of being jobless!). Also reminded her that she should now take even better care of the other little life whose heartbeat is still pulsating. I really hope the miscarriage will not affect the surviving twin.. but since it is fraternal twins, it should be fine **fingers crossed**.

Sigh... very affected by this news. It reminded me too much of my own painful losses and I can feel that familiar wrenching feeling in my heart. Praying hard for the well-being of the remaining baby..

As I type this out, I am looking at little bun sleeping peacefully beside me, counting my blessings and thanking God for the greatest gift of all. At the same time, my eyes are hot with unshed tears... I am missing my Angels.

Clearly I'm no longer the número uno on my husband's life. I'm more like an after thought... Or perhaps simply 'the one who does the ironing' (this role changes depending on the day of the week or the time of the day). It could also be 'the one who makes dinner', 'the one who feeds his son', 'the one who cleans the bathrooms', 'the one who prepares Hershey's meals', 'the one who does the laundry', etc.

Sigh...

Little bun gave my mom and I a heart attack the other day. He was lying in his cot and self amusing while my mom was sitting beside his bed watching telly. My mom suddenly screamed for me (I, the long-suffering housewife, was ironing hubby's clothes) that there's "blood in his ear"!! I dashed to his side and indeed, there was a pool of fresh blood pooled at the fossa section of his ear.. my heart skipped a beat (maybe two.. or three.. perhaps even four??!).

Thankfully, although it bled quite a bit, it was from an external wound. My mom kept asking me if it was from inside his ear, but after a thorough check, Dr Shane confirmed that his ear canal was dry and there's not a trace of blood. The only explanation I have is somehow, little bun managed to scratch himself with his fingernails as I could see a tiny cut. Who would've guessed a small wound like that can bleed so much??!

Off to trim some tiny nails...