Friday, August 27, 2010
I won second prize!
I'm hardly lucky when it comes to Lucky Draws. Surprise surprise surprise! Won second prize at the Teachers' Day Dinner, and that's because I picked the number '18' as my lucky number... Yuxi is borned on 18th May... Yuxi, you are my lucky baby!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My New Parenting Journey
Yuxi is now 3 months old. Feels like its been a long time, yet still feels unreal, or perhaps, still reminiscing the days when I could take on the role of a mother in greater confidence. Now, with 2 kiddos, motherhood seems to take on a new meaning - patience, patience and patience... not only am I constantly tested on my patient quotient, I'm also tested on my creative quotient. How can I get more creative in dealing with one active, demanding kiddo who can upset me with her behaviour, frustrates me and testing my limits in being consistent and follow through with the the consequences.... and a new baby so in need of my care, attention and cuddling. On top of that, still having to juggle and struggle to find in-between time to fulfil my motherly duties to provide to so-called best infant food - pumping milk. Not just that... what about my personal time and space? No more left??
I thought I want to begin to list down the creative ways I have learnt in managing these crazy stuff... some of these may come naturally, some perhaps out of desperation!
1. How do I sit down and pump for 20 minutes while Yule is always demanding my attention? Throw away the idea of privacy! Daddy says, my breasts have already become a 'public property'! Involve her as I pump, let her be around, hover around me or read to her - she flips the book (since I need both hands to hold my pump) and I read. Sounds multi-tasking, but at least she gets the attention and I get to pump.
2. Other ways to find the time to pump? Well, easy one is to get her to watch TV, or 'sneak' away when she is eating or bathing, and of course when she is asleep. But not easy all times as she may still pop inside my room and 'interupt' the process.
3. Yet, I have no 'solution' to a scenario where baby is sleeping in the same room with me where I pump, and I wouldn't want baby to wake at that point which means I have to stop my pumping... Yule comes in and 'disturb'. Not interested to play the 'tip toe' or silent game, gets on her 'you cannot catch me mode' (since she knows I'm kinda stuck there having to pump, and cannot raise my voice as baby is sleeping), she takes the chance to scream in delight.. and give a cheaky smile.. or shake baby's bed.. or jump around my bed (with noise of course) testing my patience, excited by doing the things she is not supposed to do and seeing my reactions. What can I do in this situation? Get angry of course. Then having to thraten her with consequences... not always work.. well, she wins.. at least in irritating me!
4. The above 3 scenarios assume baby is sleeping. What if baby is awake? Or worse, baby wakes up while I'm pumping halfway. Well, not easy.. what I do is talk to baby while I keep both my hands on the pump cupping my breasts, make eye contact and conversations, turn on the radio, sing song... whatever it takes, I will just need those extra few minutes before I finish my pump. Not exactly a nice sight, but what to do??
5. Another way to coo the crying baby when I am pumping halfway.. put her on the U- shaped breastfeeding pillow, give her milk bottle and support it when her beanie pillow! Bravo, hands free feeding! (Though this tests my creativity quotient, I do ger emotional over this irony: instead of breastfeeding her direct, I am pumping at the same time when she is feeding my expressed milk in a bottle... haiz... at least the breastfeeding pillow has got other uses...)
6. Bathing baby while Yule is still demanding attention... involve jie jie in the action. Get her to wash baby's feet, sing and dance in front of baby and make bath bubbles.
7. Now there's another problem with bubbles making from bath soap. How do I stop the enthusiastic toddler from stopping her bubbles making? Cos it can be endless, and she will just pump and pump from the soap bottle and 'wasting' the soap! Tried coercing and threats to get her to stop.... battles and negotiations which may just turn out unpleasant... its not wrong for her to play with bubbles, but yet how do I stop it from becoming something that pissed me off? Think think think! My counselling theories tell me to offer a replacement behaviour.. so what I did, fill a hand soap bottle, that's left with a little soap, with water and told her that she can only use that bottle to make her bubbles. So now, instead of getting angry with her for pumping and pumping from baby's soap bottle, she gets her own soap bottle (that's mainly water, so less wastage) and she continues to make bath bubbles while I bathe baby... simple! Why didn't I think of it earlier? Safe those pissifying episodes!
I thought I want to begin to list down the creative ways I have learnt in managing these crazy stuff... some of these may come naturally, some perhaps out of desperation!
1. How do I sit down and pump for 20 minutes while Yule is always demanding my attention? Throw away the idea of privacy! Daddy says, my breasts have already become a 'public property'! Involve her as I pump, let her be around, hover around me or read to her - she flips the book (since I need both hands to hold my pump) and I read. Sounds multi-tasking, but at least she gets the attention and I get to pump.
2. Other ways to find the time to pump? Well, easy one is to get her to watch TV, or 'sneak' away when she is eating or bathing, and of course when she is asleep. But not easy all times as she may still pop inside my room and 'interupt' the process.
3. Yet, I have no 'solution' to a scenario where baby is sleeping in the same room with me where I pump, and I wouldn't want baby to wake at that point which means I have to stop my pumping... Yule comes in and 'disturb'. Not interested to play the 'tip toe' or silent game, gets on her 'you cannot catch me mode' (since she knows I'm kinda stuck there having to pump, and cannot raise my voice as baby is sleeping), she takes the chance to scream in delight.. and give a cheaky smile.. or shake baby's bed.. or jump around my bed (with noise of course) testing my patience, excited by doing the things she is not supposed to do and seeing my reactions. What can I do in this situation? Get angry of course. Then having to thraten her with consequences... not always work.. well, she wins.. at least in irritating me!
4. The above 3 scenarios assume baby is sleeping. What if baby is awake? Or worse, baby wakes up while I'm pumping halfway. Well, not easy.. what I do is talk to baby while I keep both my hands on the pump cupping my breasts, make eye contact and conversations, turn on the radio, sing song... whatever it takes, I will just need those extra few minutes before I finish my pump. Not exactly a nice sight, but what to do??
5. Another way to coo the crying baby when I am pumping halfway.. put her on the U- shaped breastfeeding pillow, give her milk bottle and support it when her beanie pillow! Bravo, hands free feeding! (Though this tests my creativity quotient, I do ger emotional over this irony: instead of breastfeeding her direct, I am pumping at the same time when she is feeding my expressed milk in a bottle... haiz... at least the breastfeeding pillow has got other uses...)
6. Bathing baby while Yule is still demanding attention... involve jie jie in the action. Get her to wash baby's feet, sing and dance in front of baby and make bath bubbles.
7. Now there's another problem with bubbles making from bath soap. How do I stop the enthusiastic toddler from stopping her bubbles making? Cos it can be endless, and she will just pump and pump from the soap bottle and 'wasting' the soap! Tried coercing and threats to get her to stop.... battles and negotiations which may just turn out unpleasant... its not wrong for her to play with bubbles, but yet how do I stop it from becoming something that pissed me off? Think think think! My counselling theories tell me to offer a replacement behaviour.. so what I did, fill a hand soap bottle, that's left with a little soap, with water and told her that she can only use that bottle to make her bubbles. So now, instead of getting angry with her for pumping and pumping from baby's soap bottle, she gets her own soap bottle (that's mainly water, so less wastage) and she continues to make bath bubbles while I bathe baby... simple! Why didn't I think of it earlier? Safe those pissifying episodes!
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