I remember the first time I...

Today was the day of many firsts. Happy ones.

1. First time I left the baby for a whole 2 hours to see the doctor. And not being with stella for 2 hours make me miss her SOOO much i realised how lucky i was to be able to be with her every hour.

2. First time I created a sleeping station (next to the changing station) with a nursing pillow on my existing table and existing chair. As the little one only falls asleep in ones arms, the best way is to rest your arms on a table. Ahhh... and if there is a pillow on the table, you can slowly release her and so both arms are free. By the evening this method was modified to get her to sleep at 7pm.

3. First time yeechin's mum carried stella for 2 hours non-stop while I was at the doctors. Heh. She realised what a tough month it has been for me.

4. This is the best! First time I placed her in a baby carrier. And she LOVES it. Not just abit but alot alot. I am going to walk to the minimart this evening just cos I can. Now going out with stella seems so possible. I am so glad I exercise frequently so carrying her is not so difficult at all.

5. First time I watched TV while breastfeeding instead of staring in blank space or reading abit of TODAY. Was actually quiet enjoyable.

manyue part 3

With the not so successful manyue part 2, yeechin and I were sorta dreading part 3.

At noon, I was telling yeechin that with the next baby, that is no really point in having a baby shower since the baby cannot really understand and it was probably more disturbing for her to see so many new faces anyway.

So came 3pm and I tried to get her in her best mood. (i.e. feed her alot of milk) It was easier since she is usually in her best mood at 3pm anyway. First guest came at 3 sharp and she was in her best behaviour. Awake and quiet. 3.30 came and there was still no one else. We were anxiously awaiting for more guests... to seize the moment of adorable Stella.

Phew. Soon the guests started streaming in... A61 friends, Aki friends, ODAC friends WA friends and quickly filled up the whole living room and dining room. I think at the peak we had about 40 people in the house. All this while stella was dozing on and off in daddy's or mummy's arms, but was always charming.

I think the party went well. The turn-out was good, the food was yummy, the guests loved the place and most importantly the baby was a great host!

The last few friends left at 6.30pm just before Stella's bedtime.

manyue part 2

It was Manyue party part 2 on saturday.

Manyue part 2 didn't turn out very well cos
1. Stella had a Hep B jab in the morning and it affected her mood (yup, and as first time parents we had no idea)
2. Baby shower was at 7.30pm, past her bedtime. (And she is usually not in a good mood anyway from 7 - 9pm)
and Daddy chin and Mummy xiu spent most of the night pacify the little one to sleep.

Guess it was our fault for making it at that time, but that was the best time for everyone else to gather. Well, to our family for taking time to come and didn't get to see the dad, mum or baby... apologies.

Stella schedule

Hey hey...

save this schedule so you know when to visit.
Stella now likes to play on her own a little now. Usually after feeds and before she gets sleepy.
The little one will be happily playing and then will cry just when she wants her nap. Then you know she is sleepy and wants a cuddle and rock before she can go to sleep. Those books talk about sleep associations... and how if you always cuddle her to sleep, she cannot sleep on her own. But well, whatever works right?

So the schedule is like this.

7.00 - Stella will wake up (she is better than our hand phone alarm) Feeding time
8.00 - Stella plays on her own.
8.30 - Gets a little grouchy. Light wail.
9.00 - Nap time
9.45 - Stella wakes up (if she didn't already)
10.00 - Feeding time then Bath time
11.00 - Stella plays on her own ( grouchy at about 11.30)
12.00 - Nap tim til 2pm (Now usually up by 1.30, 1.45)
2.00 - Feeding time
3. 00 - Stella plays on her own
3.45 - Grouchy time.
4.00 - Nap til 5pm
5.00 - Feeding time and does not play on her own so much. Likes to be carried
7.00 - Bed time

Well if I hit all the 3 " Stella plays on her own" then it is a good day. Usually I will get at least 1.
Like now. She has been playing on her own for 30 mins! Wow!

Manyue

Stella turned 1 month old yesterday or the day before

Well. I thought it was thursday cos it's the 25th Jan right, a month after 25th Dec... however yeechin's mum said it was wed. cos.... (something in hokkien i can't quite understand). Maybe it's cos you count by the chinese calendar. (but that should be 28 days?) Whatever.

Wow. Time really flies. Soon I have to go back to work. And leave stella. That's sad.

Anyway, pics from the day.

bath time

It's 1pm.
If I'm lucky, I'd get to finish this blog and take a shower.
But i hear sniffles... better type faster.

Today mummy xiu (that's me) gave stella a bath.
And on my 6th try, she didn't cry at all!
Not one wail. She even happily lay there while i moisturised her and changed her.

She has just made my day.

So here are the tips to a happy baby bathtime

1. Do not attempt to bathe the baby if she is crying even before you start.
2. Feed her a little before the bath so that she is not wailing for milk-e
3. Feel the baby's movement and what she likes (ah. that is from daddy chin)

ok. baby crying now....

cloth nappies or diapers?

Last Friday, Stella got abit of a nappy rash. (Actually, before that I never knew where nappy rash can occur and what it looks like)

Mummy xiu (i.e. me) got into a panic cos she never learnt from the confinement nanny how to fold nappies. Luckily she was rather good at origami, plus there was the DK "The complete book of mother & baby care" at home. So at 12 00 h when stella was taking her afternoon nap, she learnt it and folded as many 8 nappies. Wah she thought it would last her a LONG time.... maybe she would only have to fold again on sunday.

Boy was she wrong. Cloth nappies last about 45mins (babies pee or have bowel movements that often) and by bedtime little princess had used up all 8 nappies. Plus a few costume changes cos her shorts/pants got wet with each pee and blanket changes.

The hardwork has paid off though. Stella is officially nappy rash free as of yesterday.

Mummy xiu continued to used cloth nappies for the whole of yesterday and til 3pm today until the cloth nappies supply stopped cos they were all in the wash.

[Shit. The nappies are now dry... to use or not to use]

Independence

Today marks the day where I will attempt to get some of my own work done to regain some sanity.
Let's see how far I will get.

So far, I have
1. gone out to look at the facade of the house for the renovation.
2.posted 2 entries on my blog (including this)
3. sent out 2 emails (heh ... though one was for a baby shower and the other on pics of stella)

Wish me luck.

Pimples!

Before

I think looking after Stella day in and day out has made me lose my instincts of problem solving.


Well, little stella has been getting pimples on her little face and it is increasing a little more each day. Forehead.. cheeks, chin all parts of her cute little face invaded.


I guessed it was cos her face was dirty, but that was it.


But last weekend, Daddy chin decided it was time for Stella to bathe in soap water instead of plain water. (despite what the lady at the hospital suggested) And guess what? Her face is so much cleaner now. Just in time for her big appearance on Sunday.




Sheesh.. why didn't i think of that.
[ Will try to post an after if i can get a shot today]

TGIF

Yay! It's Friday!

My favourite day of the weekdays. Cos yeechin will be home for the next 2 days. Looking after stella is more fun! Plus this friday, my mummy will be popping by for a visit. *Bonus*

This week is extremely memorable cos it is the week without the confinement nanny. I think i learnt a few tricks on how to cope with the little princess. I got better at carrying her. Before this week, i was pretty good at feeding her, but when she gets tired and needs a good cuddle my arms knot up and she knows. Now i know exactly how long to carry her for before she falls into deep sleep so that i can place her safetly in the cot.

I am still not too good at bathing her. I think i got all the steps right, but she wails like there is no tomorrow when in the tub. Well, it's yeechin's turn on Sunday. Can pick up a few pointers from him.

1 more hour before my mummy gets here.
5 more hours before yeechin gets home.

time management

If you have 30mins of breaktime, what would you do? Do you,
1. read the newspaper?
2. write an entry in the blog?
3. surf the net?
4. read a short article/book?
5. take a nap?
6. drink lots of water?

The question pops into my head ALL the time everyday.
What i really want to do is 1-4 ... but sometimes the smartest thing to do is to take the nap and drink water cos you regret when you are tired and the little one starts to stir.

Like now... should have take that nap.

New Toy

Stella received a new toy brought home by her daddy last night. Well, she didn't get to play with it cos it was way past her bedtime so we kept it from her. It was a set of 3 mirrors with spinning wheels to be attached to her cot.

This morning eager beaver mummy unwrapped it and placed it by her bedside and she loved it! She played at it for a record time of one hour. Even when she cried, it was softer and quieter. Maybe, she saw how ugly she looked when she cried.

In baby childcare books, apart for the standard reasons babies cry [hunger, soiled diapers, discomfort] there was always one that I find hard to comprehend. That was BOREDOM. Man, how are first time parents like us supposed know when the cause is boredom? We are often stuck at hunger and discomfort.

Well, this first time mummy is learning new things everyday.

Jason Mraz

I think stella likes jason mraz.
Just like her mummy and daddy.

The past few days I suspect that she has colic (condition where babies cry constantly for no reason) and I had to carry her 95% of her waking hour and putting her to sleep is tough. Was contemplating observing her today and then seeing a doctor to confirm that she has colic and is not sick if the condition continues.

So of course with stella - she totally surprises you.
I decided to play what I like (jason mraz) instead of baby music (mozart). And she loved Jason Mraz! I almost see her head bobbing to the music. (or was that mummy swaying to the music while carrying her) I actually had her playing on her own for 15mins. Twice. That is quite an acheivement.

So now the "waiting for my rocket to come" CD is on repeat mode...

... there's no stopping us... the doctor will have to wait.