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

Battle of the bedtimes - The deadly itch

Ho ho ho. I've been struck by toddler bedtime wars again. Of course now that little dude has grown up a little, it's the baby's turn! We've put little dude and the baby into the same bedroom. So bedtimes are now twice as fun... for them (not us parents).

It's bedtime, but look at these guys

Do your children itch as much as mine during bedtime? They're normal during the day but when the lights go off at bedtime, suddenly, their whole body itches. Little dude used to 'itch' a lot when he was a toddler. Just as he needed to sleep, his head suddenly develops this urgent itch which we have to 'spatch' for him... then his back gets it... then his buttocks... hands... legs.... essentially every part of his body.

Now my fifteen-month-old daughter's got it too. But it's mostly confined to her EARS. She'll fidget around and around and around until we offer to put our pinkie into her ear and sort of massage it a bit. And we've got to do this for like... an hour or so. If we stop, she'll remind us by saying "er dor! er dor!" in mandarin, which means "ear! ear!". Sometimes even though we try to continue massaging the ear, she'll grow fidgety again. So I try my luck and give her a head massage, which works and keeps her lying down still for a while. But sometimes, nothing seems to make her comfortable and she had to let out several big howls and cries before finally falling asleep.

Yeah, and I mentioned that little dude was in the same room? After watching her sister get VIP treatment, he asked for some too. So I end up scratching him all over. Just like old times.

This is the best time

The baby was comfortably seated in her high-chair at breakfast. She was feeding herself, enjoying little pieces of bread that I've cut out for her, along with pieces of soft fruit. Sunlight was already streaming steadily into our home, but the the baby's face radiated it's own glow of happiness and contentment that seemed to light up the living room in a way that the sun couldn't.

As bits of bread and fruit dropped onto the floor, and the table was smeared with food, my mother commented: "You must be looking forward to the day that she eats without all this mess!"

"No," I replied. "This is the best time."

I don't like mess. When my older boy started learning how to feed himself, I was taken aback at how frequently I had to clean up, and the extent of the mess. Everyday, several times a day, I dealt with bread crumbs, rice, fruit and other types of food on the floor, smeared on the table, on the face, inside shirts... I tried to minimise cleaning up by feeding him as much as I could, but he seemed to enjoy eating independently so much that I gave in - and gave up on being too bothered by the mess. Gradually, I learnt to appreciate having my children eating happily beside me and enjoying my company with their food. Mess can be cleaned. Moments must be captured.

"I dan! I dan!" (I'm done) The baby cried, satisfied with her breakfast. I smiled and lifted the cubby toddler out of her high-chair. I clean her mouth, we sing a song while washing hands. Then, off she toddles - "piak", "piak", "piak" goes her footsteps around the house. Soon, gurgles and laughter follow as both kids start to play.

Yes. This is the best time. 

"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.

Budding vocabulary

Our children do many things that melt our hearts. Remember the times when they were learning how to talk? Baby talk is so adorable. The baby (who's 14 months old now) has been trying to express herself and these are some of the things she says often, in order of frequency:

Baby talk                     Translation
I dan! I dan!                 I'm done
I ding! I ding!               I drink
Bear                            Bread
Wah-wer                      Flower
Ya                               Yes
Nah                              No
Ngh-Ngh                      I just pooed in my diaper
Ba-ba                           Bye-bye
Juice                            Shoes
Jeeze                           Cheese

And this is her favourite word when she's barricaded outside the kitchen:

OOOHH-PAAAN!!!!!!!!!!

Meaning, open the gate!

My amazing baby

Meet my amazing, newly minted toddler at 13 months old

My children amaze me frequently. They amaze me when they babble, when they take their first steps, when they eat their first foods, etc... Now that little dude is a pre-schooler, the baby who is blossoming into a toddler is enrapturing us with the things she does everyday.

I was mesmerised when I saw her take her first tentative steps, and then as she took more and more steps to start toddling around. I was captivated to see how careful and bold she was when she learnt how to walk, and how she navigates around obstacles in the house. I was impressed at how she could imitate my speech with such close accuracy, and how fast she picks up language. I was wowed when I saw her take turns with a toy. I was tickled when the baby toddled down the MRT aisle and waved to everyone in sight. Everybody waved back at the little tot and I never knew that MRT rides could be such fun. I was speechless when she climbed up a full flight of stairs on her own. She amazes me everyday.

Happy toddling into toddlerhood little girl! Mama will be around to watch over you and make sure that you don't get into any serious trouble.