Nightly routine (plus backposts!)

hubbs posted this onto his facebook on 28th July 2011 - he was just done with his 'duty' that night - getting the twins to sleep! :) He'd bring the Asher & Shawna downstairs for a stroll in the stroller while I am upstairs with Isaac going through his night time routine, before bedtime.

Isaac's night routine after dinner is usually
1) play boardgame/s
2) drink chocolate milk (packet UHT)
3) brush teeth
4) read books
5) sleep

Lately though, we've been having problem playing boardgames - coz the twins wish to join in! I think it is good that they wanna join in - that they are showing interest. But then Isaac isn't as patient or as "forgiving"with them as we are, when the twin don't "play properly". I used to insist that we play at the dining table instead of on the floor, where the twins would "disturb" us. But since the twins got more mobile and are very good at climbing the dining chairs in order to join in our games... Isaac has been getting very frustrated. He'd be very pissed when his game is being disturbed and he'd either shout and scream at the twins or he'd end up crying "Somebody, take the babies away!!!" So... we haven't been playing as much as we'd like to lately.
But recently, when hubbs takes the babies down for their night time stroll, I managed to break out a quick game with Isaac before we start reading the books. Like on Tuesday night, we managed to play 5 rounds of Strong Stuff (aka Barenstark) before we went to the bedroom to read.

Reading. Isaac loves reading. Every night, we'd bargain how many books we should read. He'd want 5, I say 2, and then we'd settle on 3. Then after the 3 are read, he says he wants 2 more. And then 2 plus 3 books later, I realised we've read 8 books already... and I'm like "It's time to sleeeeeep!!!!" He'd smile and me and say "Okay Mummy :)". My Isaac is so sweet... when he isn't in a bad mood.

November 2010 backposts!

• Mix with ink and you become black too!
• The twins at home
  

I passed The Milk Trial!

So this is it. I have come to the end of The Milk Trail. I have passed my Milk Trial. The end. Sigh. Yes, I'm actually kinda sad. I have mixed feelings about it really...

On one hand, I feel kinda relieved to have stopped breastfeeding coz... it's a kind of freedom. Freedom from having to wake up several times in the night to breastfeed. Freedom from worrying about whether I need to pump now, or later? or how to store milk? etc... Freedom from worry about whether I'd get blocked ducts, or mastitis or plugged ducts or sore nipples... Freedom to wear other tops during the weekend instead of my nursing tops all the time (Impossible to find Spiderman nursing tops!!!).

On the other hand... I will miss breastfeeding. Already, when Shawna weaned herself off, I was starting to feel a little sad. As Shawna drank more (longer sessions and more frequent) than Asher did, I didn't aspect that Shawna would be the one to stop drinking before Asher did. Neither did I expect her to wean herself off. Silly as it may sound, I felt kinda hurt when she decided to wean herself off. But that's just how my little girl is - she's one strong character who has a mind of her own.

So... why stop? Well... There's a school of thought that follows the theory that: the longer you breastfeed your child, the better it is for the child - nutritionally, and for the mother - against breast cancer etc, and good for mother-child bonding etc. I generally belong in this camp. So I would have been happy to go on breastfeeding for like FOREVER. Plus I really get a kick out of people going like "Wah!!! You so good ah! Still breastfeeding ah!!!" Makes me out to be a super mummy like. *hyuk*hyuk*hyuk* Oh and when one is lactating, you practically EXPEL calories, right?! What's not to like?! :)

Well... yes, all the inconveniences as previously mentioned. Plus there is the other school of thought that breastfeeding past the first year isn't really any much point (they claim the nutritional benefits have largely decreased by then). Also, the lack of a straight night's sleep for almost 4 years straight was starting to have a toll on me physically... And... I really wanted to start losing weight in earnest - you can't go on a diet or lose too much weight when you're breastfeeding - coz the toxins (that you produce while losing weight or whatever) would get into the milk, and we don't want the babies to drink milk with toxins in them (no matter how organic these toxins are... :p)

So, there was another agenda behind my recent trip to Europe - to wean Asher off the breast. Asher had recently (before my Europe trip) been enjoying suckling very much. He'd always enjoyed it, but since we came back from Australia, he's been having it good coz he can have both sides to drink from since Shawna didn't want any.

Ask any mother who's been breastfeeding for quite awhile and you know that it is particularly difficult to wean a child off the breast. Frankly, it's not only the child, but also the Mummy, I feel. I find it extremely difficult to refuse baring my chest (kekeke) to my children when they ask for milk... Breaks my heart to say no. So... I know, the only way to stop, the easiest way rather, was for me to go overseas - without Asher. Hence, this trip was designated The Trip to bring The Milk Trail to an end...

Thus, it is to be recorded, that I breastfed Isaac for more than 24 months, Shawna for 17 and a half months, and Asher for just over 18 months.

Sobz. I miss breastfeeding already!!!

Paranoid Pam feels good to be home =) (plus backposts)

It's good to be home. It really is. I'd just returned to Singapore on Monday 18th July 2011. I was in Europe for a week - Prague and Bratislava - for work mostly. Generally, it was a good trip. I got to meet my bosses and my colleagues. And I got to see two nice European cities. Except, I really missed hubbs and the kidzes.I know it sounds sappy, but really, what's the good of seeing something beautiful when you don't have your loved ones around you to share them with?

In the beginning I keep having running conversations in my head, imagining what I'd be telling Isaac if he was around, to ya know, like "See, Isaac, look at that!" etc... or the comments I'd make to hubbs about the things I see. Very quickly, I wised up that they aren't around. Then I started composing my running commentary on pictures that I take that when I get to see them with hubbs once I get home... it was like I was making a point to remember stuff about Prague just so that I can go home and tell hubbs about them...

I guess I'd never really realised what a part of me hubbs has become, that only when he isn't around, that I feel less than half... absence makes the heart fonder huh :) But other than that... yes, the trip was good. Work-wise, all went smoothly. Colleagues are all generally nice and friendly, bosses all nice and understanding. Prague and Bratislava were both very beautiful.

All my prayers to bring me back to my family safe and sound were answered - I wasn't conned or robbed, wasn't raped or murdered, luggage didn't get lost, didn't drop my camera, didn't lose my keys/money/laptop/passport, plane didn't crash nor fail to land properly. I didn't even get lost, didn't miss my trains nor flights, and all the food I ate all tasted nice. See, you can SO tell I had a great trip! =)

But honestly, I did enjoy the trip to a certain extent. I'm the kind that seriously wouldn't mind going places alone - so being alone on this trip (yes with no other Singaporean colleagues or whatever) is completely fine with me. It is also physically a break for me to be away from taking care of the kids. It would be the first time in almost 4 years that I've had undisturbed sleep. It was also the first time I travelled Business Class - the 12 hours in the air flew past in a jiffy, slept great on the plane. Hahaha... yes, it seems that about the thing I enjoyed and relished the most, was probably the quality sleep I got! :) and in my sleep, I can dream of my kidzes and hubbs! hahahhaa...

The last of the October 2010 backposts...

• Halloween 2010
• Jai Ho! (indian dance!)
  

We're back! (plus Oct 2010 backposts)

Hello!!! Sorry for disappearing for so long! Been busy, kids sick, plus we went traveling! Yes! We packed up all three kids and went off to Western Australia for about 10 days in mid June 2011. Below are the two mobile upload pix that hubbs and I uploaded to our facebook, before we boarded the flight.
Above: hubbs' pic. His description was:"3kids, 3 luggage, 1 stroller, 1 car seat n 2 adults. Perth, here we come! :)"

Below: my pic. My description was:"Our bags are loaded, we're ready to go..."
Rest of the pix would be uploaded soon yeah. Though was quite an effort getting it up on facebook, but I think it would be nice to have them here as well...

It was a fantastic trip. Absolutely exhausting, sure. But great fun. Was totally fab coz it was a Cuzzies' trip! The adults were all cousins, and their respective kids! So, me & hubbs + 3 kids, plus my sister & hubby + 3 kids, plus my cousin, plus another cousin & wife + 3 kids = 7 adults & 9 kids!!! are we crazy, or what?! kekeke... Kids ages range from 8 years to 18 months... The kids had a blast! Playing together all day and night, here there and everywhere, they had loadsa fun!

Ever since we got back from Perth, Isaac still thinks about the trip a lot. He now knew the names of all the cousins and uncle and auntie he had in Australia... Ee Yew Hui, Uncle Joel, Auntie Andrea, Jarrod kor kor, Zachary kor kor and Caitlin - the names just rolled off his tongue.

We could tell he really loved it, and would love to go on a Cuzzies Trip again. The next morning after the day we came back to Singapore, I overheard him talking to Shawna after Shawna did something wrong... Isaac:" Shawna, you better behave yourself ah... if not, you cannot go Australia... EVER AGAIN!!!" hahaha... this was reminiscent of us telling him (before the trip):"Isaac! You must be a good boy. If you're not a good boy, then you don't go Australia ah..."

Then a couple days after that, early in the morning, the first thing he said when he woke up was:"Auntie Andrea, Jarrod, Zachary..."
Me: "Why Isaac? Did you dream of Auntie Andrea, Jarrod and Zachary?"
Isaac: " What is dream?"
Me: "Ermm... dream is when you see pictures of them in your sleep... Did you dream of them?"
Isaac: "Yes..."
Then he proceeded to tell me what Auntie Andrea was doing in his dream, but I couldn't make head or tail of it...

The next day, we woke up, lounging about in bed, talking and then he mentioned his cousins...
Me: "Do you know how many cousins do you have?"
Isaac: "Three! Rebecca, Isabelle and Natalie!"
Me: "Hahaha... yes, they're your cousins, but you have more! Still have Jarrod..."
Isaac: "Zachary and Caitlin!"
Me: "Yes, and Dylan and Daylin too! So how many do you have?"
So we counted them as Isaac said the names out...
Me: "Do you know who are MY cousins?"
Isaac nodded: "Ee Ee Yew Hui and Uncle Joel!!!"
Me: "That's right!!! Excellent!!!"
Isaac: "and Auntie Andrea!!!"
Me: "Hmmm... actually Auntie Andrea is... do you know who she is?"
Isaac: "She is Jarrod & Zachary's mummy!"
Me: "Yes, so she is actually Uncle Joel's wife... Just like Mummy is Papa's wife, and so Papa is Mummy's husband!"
Isaac: "And Uncle Joel is Auntie Andrea's husband!"
Me: "THAT'S RIGHT! Excellent!!!"

And then, a few days later, I was parking the car, and there was a man getting out of the car next to ours, and Isaac exclaimed: "Mummy! That uncle looks like Uncle Joel!!!" I turned and looked, and he was right! The man had the same built as Joel, similarly dark skin tone, short hair and a pair of Oakley sunglasses perched on top of his head - much like how Joel likes to wear his sunglasses. I was impressed :) he DID look like Joel!

Then last night, when we just got home, and we were at the door to our place, taking off our shoes, when Isaac suddenly said: "Mummy! This would be a GREAT place for us to play hide and seek when Jarrod & Zachary come!" This kinda took me by surprise and I managed to stammer out a "Yes, it would..." Thankfully Isaac didn't ask when they'd be coming... coz nobody knows when they'd be back... sighz! (Fodder for a separate, depressing blogpost...).

So anywayz, yes! as you can tell, Isaac had an absolute blast! Now, if I want him to behave, I'd just say... "Isaac, you better behave... or you'd never go Australia EVER AGAIN!!!" ;p

October 2010 backposts!

• Before the water bath...
  
• Asher & Shawna baptised on 3rd October 2010
  
• Swimming again!
  
• Just like Papa & Mama
  
• Morning fun!