My fifth anniversary as a SAHM - Once upon a time

Once upon a time
I held a newborn in my arms
I went home, dreaming of a charming, smiling baby
Only to realise that
Newborns scream, and do not like to sleep
So I was up
Night after night, rocking and singing to a newborn
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
I tucked into my food with glee
To finish it peacefully in one sitting
Only to realise that
Babies need to be entertained even while you were eating
So I played peek-a-boo with my baby
Meal after meal, sometimes almost chocking
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
I wanted to bring my kids for a morning of fun
So I brought them out
Only to realise that
Toddlers throw fits in public
There I was the harried mother
Coaxing my kids, sometimes to no avail
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
I hugged two chubby, giggling children in my arms
We played trains, read books, tickled each other to bits
And I hoped that time would sit still
Only to realise that
Moments like this slip by faster than I could catch them
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
I questioned my decision
Could I have looked more glamourous, my bank account, more robust?
Then I looked at my two children
Running towards me, arms outstretched
calling, "MAAAMAAAA!!!!"

And so I realised
Perhaps I made the right decision after all
Once upon a time

A bit lost

It was the third day of K1 and little dude did not come home.

I was with the baby at the pick-up point, waiting for the school bus to pick little dude up after school. It was a cold and rainy evening, but the image of the school bus pulling into the drop-off point was a cheerful sight. That was, until the door of the bus opened, and the school bus aunty looked at me with a lost look.

My heart dropped onto the floor.

"What is the name of your child ah?" The aunty said.

I replied accordingly and my eyes scanned the mini bus. Little dude was not there.

The aunty did a courtesy walk along the school bus aisle. She put her hand onto her mouth and gasped to me:

"He's not here," she said.

I breathed long and hard.

"Do you have the phone number of the school's office?" I think my tone was stern.

"No," she replied, with the same lost look.

"Let me go home to make a call, I will fetch him back," I turned to walk away before I finished my sentence.

"Are you sure you can manage? It's raining and you have a baby...." her voice trailed, but I didn't look back.

And so apparently there was some sort of a miscommunication and little dude did not get up the school bus. But two of his teachers and his school principal were with him till I arrived. All was well and he got a chocolate bar from his teacher for being a brave boy. No, he didn't cry, but he was pretty upset at being left behind while his schoolmates went home.

The next day, I sent the school a polite note to say that they could, perhaps, strengthen the handover process between the school and school bus. The principal was responsible and prompt, and I was satisfied that something like that would not likely happen again.

Phew.

By the way, the title of this entry is a title of a children's book. It's a good read. Little dude likes the story. You can check it out with your kids.

"Wind beneath my wings"

Little dude and the baby at 2.5 years old and 3 months old respectively

Did you ever know that you're my hero?

And everything I wished I could be?

I can open the fridge door and eat cheese

'Cause you're the wind beneath my wings

The universal rule applies: limited resources, unlimited wants. So it will happen that siblings fight over stuff. You can't have one each for every single thing. Two identical lego sets just so that each kid can have that particular figurine or animal? What about buying two sets of toy food so that there are two onions to prevent the kids from fighting? Don't think so. The siblings fight, learn about sharing, try to practice it, fail, then try again. We're progressing.

The baby, though she complains about her brother pretty frequently, really adores him. He's her hero. He can literally open doors for her. And get things beyond her reach. No room in the house can be kept out of bounds to the fourteen-month-old with her brother around. You want the calculator behind that closed door? I can open the door! It's up on the table? No problem! Big brother will get it.

Best of all, little dude can take the baby to the kitchen and open the fridge door. My cubes of cheese have been disappearing fast. Little dude helps himself to the cheese, but doesn't forget to peel open the wrapper for his sister to have some too.

All in a day's work

Little dude attended a trial art class today. I signed him up because I passed by the community centre and saw the notice on the bulletin board. I thought, "Hey! This is how I can have an hour of peace". So I paid thirteen dollars and fifty cents to have someone entertain him for an hour. It was a good deal.

When it was time for class to end, I was waiting outside the door feeling hopeful that he had enjoyed his lesson (so that I can send him for more lessons and have more peace). The door opened and the kids made a beeline to come out. When it was little dude's turn, the first thing he said when he saw me was......

"I think I need a nap." 

I nearly burst out laughing. Poor guy. I know that he isn't into drawing and colouring and related stuff. I don't blame him really.

When I tucked him into bed at the end of the day, he told me, "Mama, today I draw and draw, and draw until the sky turned dark".

Yes, that was because at 6.30pm the sun was still up when he went in. Then it was 7.30pm when the class ended. That hour must have seemed like an eternity to him. Poor baby.

Anyway, this is the product of today's lesson:

I guess we'll take a break from art lessons. For now.