Keeping up with the news

Whatever news it was on the cover of today's ST, it didn't go well with her.

Recovering Caterpillar, prayerfully.

Just when we thought her fever came and went in less than a day. Boy, we were so wrong! Heh. Afterall, we are 1st-time parents handling a baby who was flu-bugged for the 1st time. So, here's what happened for the past few days:

Sunday
She had fever & nose block. Saw the GP who confirmed that she was down with a flu. Gave her medication after which her fever subsided.
Mood: Slightly sluggish & mildly irritable.
Appetite: Good! Finished everything as usual

Monday
Another night of restless sleep. Fever came back again at 5.00am. Subsided by late morning. Nose block on / off. Left ear seemed to hurt badly at touch. Not napping much.
Mood: Very irritable. Cried at every little thing. Screamed & howled - scared the crap out of her mommy.
Appetite: Satisfactory. Surprisingly, did not finish her milk during some of the feeds.

Tuesday
Thankfully, sleep was good! She slept through the night. Found some heat rashes on her arms, torso & head after she woke up though. No more fever hereon. Seems to be breathing better through her nose though still stuffy. Left ear is still painful to touch though reaction not as adverse as the day before. Two good naps. Received news that little Ashley who had a playdate with Anya on Saturday (Anya did not show any signs of having flu yet except for the heaving sound which again, due to my inexperience, did not recognize that as a stuffy nose) has come down with a temperature. :(
Mood: Back to her usual cheerful self
Appetite: Slightly off the mark ,Good during lunch & dinner where mashed carrots were served. Milk unfinished at some feed.


Wednesday
The no-direct-fan-nor-A/C policy when she sleeps had evidently taken a toll on her skin resulting in a bout of eczema attack. Plagued with itchiness on her neck, scalp & face, she simple couldn't sleep. After trying out various methods (mild atopic cream, fan etc), we gave in by moving her into our room & turned on the A/C at 430am. With that, she finally went back to sleep. Woke up with extremely blocked nose. Took one good nap.
Mood: Her usual cheerful self
Appetite: Poor! Milk unfinished. Rice cereals were rejected after a few small mouthfuls at every meal. Introduced mashed spinach at lunch, was rejected after 2 mouthfuls, even the dog rejected it when I poured the remaining stuff into her food bowl. (-_____-)

Thursday (today)
Took extra precaution by ensuring that she was well-ventilated the whole of yesterday. Gave her a bath & shampoo before her last feed to ensure her skin is nice & cool. Slept in our room so that we did not have to keep walking back & forth to check on her. Threatening to wake up at 130am. She was perspiring & starting to itch. No choice but to have the fan blowing directly at her. Thankfully she could sleep till morning after that. Nose block seems to be not as bad as the day before. Seems to have no more pain in her left ear too.
Mood: Cheerful
Appetite: Good so far. She finish all the algae, i mean, mashed spinach at lunch!

So, did we learn anything from this episode? Loads! For example, we learned that fever usually peak in the middle of the night. The reason why we need to sponge infants when they have fever is to cool down their core temperature so as to prevent fits. Our caterpillar, she is one little trooper. Despite all the discomfort that she had to endure, she was very much the happy baby she has always been - all except for one day. Even when the eczema kept her up for most part of the night, she hardly whine nor cried

Unfortunately, babies at five months old are incapable of producing their own antibodies. Prior to that, they have passive antibodies that came from their mothers which would have gradually diminish which their own immune system gradually build up. Of course, if the baby is being breastfed, they will still receive antibodies from her mother's milk. In our case, well, let's just quote from my OBGYN and say "Not all mummies are made to be cows", which may not be a bad thing for Anya since I have been plagued by sinus on/off after giving birth to her meaning it would compromised the quality of those antibodies anyway.

Having said so much, my point is to take precaution while she is still building up her immune system. My idea is not to turn into this cleanliness freak who is going to chain my children in a germ-free & sterile environment. No, that will be going the extreme. Instead, we will simply observe basic hygiene, minimize her contact with people who are down with flu / cough  etc, giving her a healthy & balanced diet. For they are still so little and are more susceptible to risks of complications when down with common ailments. What's more, our experience in the last few days tell us that a mere flu can bring us (both parents & baby) so much sleep deprivation, heartaches (that's for the parents only) and stress (Other than sleep, quick meals, quick toilet breaks & even quicker showers, I nearly devote the rest of my time to caring for her). Not to mention the thick layer of dust that has settled nicely over the entire flooring of our flat.

She loves her mashed carrots.

A feverish Caterpillar

Throughout the whole of last night, I could hear her fidgeting and stirring. At 530am, she even woke up. We thought that she could be hungry (as she did the last couple of times when she woke up before dawn), and so gave her milk, after which The Husband soothed her back to sleep.

At almost 8 in the morning, The Husband & I were already up & getting ready for church before waking her up. I was in the midst of my shower when The Husband came knocking on my bathroom telling me that she suddenly cried in her sleep and her body seemed usually warm.

Checked her temperature - 37.8 degrees Celsius. Decided against going to church. 30 minutes later, checked again. It has rose to 38.3 degrees Celsius. Observed her a bit and it occurred to me that her nose was congested and she was panting slightly. No wonder she has been making this funny heaving sound for the past couple of days.

Brought her to our family doctor who confirmed our suspicions that she might have caught a flu bug - though I was hoping that it was due to teething. So, no more sleeping in A/C room for now, nor having an electric fan blowing directly at her. As a result, we moved the playpen once again. This time, to our bedroom - the coolest room in the entire flat n the afternoons.

By the time we came back from the doctor, had lunch and shifted the playpen, it was already 230pm. She was all ready for her nap, and quite frankly, after a not-so-restful night, so were we. Thank God, her fever cleared after she woke up from her nap. Still, we are not taking any chances and thus, the no A/C & direct fan rule remains for now.

P.S. Now we are praying that her congested nose will be cleared quickly soon, and that little Ashley (who had a playdate with Anya yesterday) will not catch that pesky flu bug. 

Hello Mr. Zzz, welcome back!

Despite saying in my last post that I would let the matter of her sleep woes slide, I still cannot help but observe for the cause of her lack of nap. Motherly instincts, I suppose, although it was with a cooler & calmer approach this time.

So, I believe I had some findings. In the day time, we always use a breathable hankie to block out the light from her face. She got used to it and always need to have something against her face (hankie or blanket), like for comfort smell. Now, here's the problem. When she is dozing off or stirring, her fingers will constantly travel to her face, adjusting the hankie, pulling it nearer or farther away from her nose etc. If not, she will be scratching her head or neck, sometimes pulling her hair in frustration. Inevitably, she wakes herself up from her sleepy state & may not go back to sleep after that.

With my newest observations, I spent the whole of Friday & Saturday (The Husband helped too) standing by her cot & holding onto her little hands whenever she went down for her nap. After she fell asleep, I would release her hands but linger nearby because every 15 minutes or so, she would stir again. When she did, I would hold her hands again. All in hope that she would not wake herself up. It was actually quite tiring, having to bent over the cot all that time. So much so that The Husband improvised by setting a stool beside the cot. The result? The longest nap she took stretched to 1.5hours although in the past, she could go down for 2 hours easily at one go. Well, it seemed to work.

 Or so I thought.

On Sunday after church service, we decided to hop over to Marina Square (big spacious isle & lesser crowds!) for lunch and a spot of shopping. While walking along the kids-related shops on the 3rd floor, The Husband & I kept exclaiming how chilly the place was. After all the nonsense that I had to put up with for the past week, it was a welcoming change - chatting and strolling with The Husband in a leisure pace (although A/C is insanely cold and we were really running errands actually).

Then, the most ironic thing happened. There, in The Husband's arm,  propped in an upright posture, was our little girl dozing off. It was quite an endearing sight actually, with her head nodding off. The Husband adjusted her allowing her to lean against his chest while resting her head on his shoulder. And she happily (almost greedily, I would say!) snuggle against her, her arms flinging around his neck, fast asleep.Funny how we had to try so hard to get her to take her naps at home, and here she was, dozing off despite being in an upright position as if it was the most natural way to fall asleep! Just then, it occurred to me. Could it be the works of the A/C?

So, yesterday, I moved her playpen from the living room into the study where an air-conditioner is installed (there's no A/C in her bedroom). After her bath, I put her into the playpen, switched on the A/C, gave her her dummy, brought in her blanket and then I went back to the bathroom to clear away her bath stuff. A couple of minutes later, I came back to check on her. Lo & behold! She went out like a light! For the next 1.5 hours. And during her second nap, she went down for almost 3 hours. Woots! I was pleased as punch. Still am, because she is keeping up with the good record so far. :) Thank God for air-conditioners!

Nothing a good night's sleep can't make right.

Lately, this little flat that I call home is having numerous sleepless problems.

It all started a few weeks back when The Caterpillar will stir in the middle of the night and/or wake up 5 or 6 in the morning. We read it as one of the signs that she is ready for solids. However, she has started eating her rice cereal for almost two weeks now and her sleeping problem is still not going away.

In the last one week, she hasn't been taking much naps. Take yesterday as an example: After her bath, I put her down for a nap. Woke up 20 minutes later by the SCDF siren at 12.05pm (darn!) & refused to go back to sleep. After her lunch & playtime, I tried putting her down for a nap again. She had her usual fussing a bit then fell asleep. "Looks promising!" I thought to myself. I went to wash her bottles & bowls, sterilised them & put them away. Just when I was about to settle onto my own bed to read a book, relieve that I could take a small break, I hear her coo-ing via the baby monitor. Sigh! Checked the clock- she slept for barely 30 minutes. And so, I played with her. She pooped. And then, it was time for her 4pm milk. Gave it to her, read a couple of books with her, played a bit. Determined to try to let her nap a bit more, I put her down in her cot yet again. And just like the last time, she fell asleep after her usual bout of fussing. And then, she woke up again! This time, 15 minutes later.

For the past few days, she was so tired by bedtime that she would fall asleep in The Husband's arms at the last feed. But 20 minutes later, she will wake up again. And we will try soothing her back to sleep. Sometimes, it worked. Other times, we had to try 3-4 times before successfully putting her into her cot. Then, without fail, 3 hours later (around 1- 230am, depending on what time she eventually went to bed), she would stir, whining a little so one of us will go and give her her dummy. There, she would sleep nicely till dawn before she starts stirring again from around 6am onwards all the way till her usual waking time at 8-9am.

As a result of her recent sleeping trends, I have become an even lighter sleeper than before. I wake up at the slightest sound which can be numerous times in a night. The annoying part is that I may not be able to fall back to sleep thereafter. When I do, I'd have some weird dreams that I cannot remember after waking up, except that they involved the little one.


So what could be wrong that renders this change of sleeping pattern? Lack of solid food does not seem to be the right answer. Teething could be the cause although I won't know until a tooth pops out of her gum telling me "Yes, I'm the culprit!". I, on the other hand, is tipping toward the paranoia end.The accumulative effect of having restless sleeps at night and the lack of me-time in the day is a harassed me. By the end of yesterday, what I envisioned was a bleak picture. I was at a point of tearing and The Husband had to be extra careful not to step on my toes.

We talked about it before we slept and came to no conclusion. But at least I bared my soul to him instead of bottling up my frustrations & threatening to spill. My parting words to him before I drifted to lala-land was "All will be good after a good night's sleep.". Boy, was i correct! The Husband took over the night duties of attending to her while I slept. Restful, conked out sleep.

Waking up this morning, everything looks beautiful once more. It feels like the outstanding sleep debt accumulated over the past few weeks have all been cleared. Now, I can think straight again. Rationalizing the matter, at the very least the reduction in her sleep hours does not seem to have any bearing - except that she gets hungry faster as she is active more than usual. Look on the bright side, she is merely stirring in the middle of the night; it is not as if she is waking up and not going back to sleep (REJECT THAT!). So, there isn't really a call for concern.

Therefore, instead of letting my paranoia eat me up bit by bit, I am gonna let this matter slide. Relish the fact that she has more waking hours to spend with me, let the house go messy a bit if need be and savor the few hours of me-time I get when she goes over to the in-laws' place.

Looking Back: 5 months

Hello there, my caterpillar!

The past month seems to have simply whiz by. In fact, since you came into our world, time seems to pass much quicker than before! - which is something that I hope against at times, as I really want to savor & capture each and every moment of the different stages of you. You are growing so fast, my baby!

Wanna go for a spin with my daddy & I?

So what have you been up to this month? There was the much-talked-about (by Mommy) milestone of rolling over. Enough said about that. :) You have also started to wiggle again. With your rolling over & wiggling skills, you have done a thorough exploration of your cot, it seems.

You kicked the baby monitor off its socket a couple of times now

It has been a week since we started you on rice cereals. There has been fair share of hits & misses so far. The first time we attempted to give you cereal was in a fast food restaurant last Sunday. It was an outright rejection from you. You were ravenous and only wanted your milk, refusing to taste any of the gooey stuff. It must have been quite a sight for the other diners in the restaurant! - A pair of flustered parents & a red-faced howling baby.

After this feed, we concluded that you are not ready for the high chair yet.

One thing Mommy has come to realize now that you are on solids: You absolutely love milk!  You seems to be able to tell that we are giving you lesser milk and would scream in protest when you finish the amount given in the bottle. Sometimes, you will quieten down and take in your cereal cheerfully after a bit of coaxing from us. Other times, feeding time becomes a dreary process as you remain indifferent to our coaxing to take in the cereal. So Daddy was right after all! - for nicknaming you "MGM", abbreviation for "Milk-Gulping Machine".

Gone in 5 minutes!

Together with solid food, we have also introduced to you the use of sippy cups. You have taken to holding the cup on your own like a duck to water. So much so that your Ah gong & Ah ma had praised you to the skies when you demonstrated it to them.

Moving on to play time! Now that you are older, playtime is becoming more fun and interactive! You understand that we are playing with you when we blow air against your tummy, tickle you or lift you up and would reciprocate by grinning or giggling. Once you get into the fun mode, those grins & giggles will often escalate into squeals and screams, deafening those in the same room as you!

While you are known to be a squealing baby, there is a quiet side of you too. Just a couple of weeks ago, Mommy has signed you up to be a member of our National Library. You enjoy books & will sit on our lap patiently, taking in all the colors & pictures as we read to you. Whenever we have dinner at your ah gong & ah ma's place, we will put you (& a few toys) in your infant seat where you get a full view of us at the dining table. There, you can sit unobtrusively for ages, playing quietly on your own.

My little bookworm

 In this span of 5 months, you are changed so much. Bit by bit, we see your character developing. From what we observe so far, you are one happy, good-nature baby. Your default mood setting is cheerfulness. If something upsets you, for example: injections or sudden loud noise, you do not dwell over it. We pick you up, cuddle you a bit and you will get over it in a matter of seconds. Then, you go back to that happy, smiley mode again.

Hey! First, we have a happy dog, then a happy baby came along. No wonder there is such copious amount of blissfulness in this flat! :) That said, Daddy & Mommy do not take what we have now for granted. Every night, we give thanks to God for entrusting you to us. You are His biggest gift ever to us. Parenthood, it will inevitably have a fair share of good & bad times. Come what may, we are lovin' every moment of it. :)

A blurry family portrait on Muff's bithday.

A jumble of thoughts

Presently, a whirlwind of thoughts are running through my head - a result of reading up Gary Ezzo's Babyhood Transition. This is part of my preparation for starting Anya on solids & what behavorial training that may come with this new phase.

Information overload? No. Not really. I am digesting the information, sorting them out, deciding what suggestions from the book to adopt and summoning the courage to face what is to come. Heh. "Summoning courage" may seem too strong a phrase to use here, but I reckon it is true to a certain degree, given my experience for the past 5 months. Courage is needed to be confident, and Anya needs us (her Mom & Dad) to be confident in order to feel assured & secured.

As a first-time parent, I prefer to know in advance what to expect (though parents out there will agree wtih me that no matter how prepared they can be, their child(ren) can still surprise them along the way!), prepare my heart by praying for wisdom & guidance, and to come up with a plan as to how to deal with what is to come.

Having a plan is of significant importance, i feel, as I have learned from various sources that children, even babies & toddlers, need consistency! Plus, it is always easier (for both parents & the child) to train than to retrain! And how else to achieve consistency & to avoid minimize retraining if there is no plan in place right from the start?

Anyway, just wanna get this off my chest as the process of digesting all the information & devising a plan can get quite heavy-hearted.

A Day of Being Hounded by a Paparazzo...

... or so it seems.

Some weeks ago, we had an invitation from a friend relative erm.. it's complicated! for him to do a photoshoot for Anya. A date was fixed for him to drop by our place - we were told no need to prepare anything.

So, the day came. As we were coming home from outside and they (the photographer and his wifey) were early, they decided to visit my in-laws who stay in the same block as us first and we would join them there. And so, the photo shoot began in the in-laws place instead. We were told to behave as per normal while he began working. Anyway, we gave Anya her milk, burped her, talked & played with her - doing pretty much what we do with her usually while the big, black, industrial-looking camera went clicking away.Well, now we know how celebrities feel. :)

Fast forward to present, we received a copy of the album that Norman (the photographer) consolidated using Blurb. We thought the effects turned out rather well! He captured the essence of our daily life with Anya giving warm & natural vibes to the album - which I love! It gives me another perspective of how pictures with Anya can turn out to be (though I much prefer my mouth not to be opened widely half the time.. :P).  And as the expert himself said, he prefers taking baby pictures in black-and-white so that the focus is on her expressions, rather than be distracted by the array of colors. So, yep, feel free to take a look at the album that Norman, the photographer, put together here. And if mommies out there wish to know more about what Norman does, I will be glad to share his contacts with you! Just email me or comment on this post! :)

One of our favorites that I scanned from the physical album. :)

Where is baby?

Yesterday morning, like any other morning, the first thing that I do after waking up is to walk over to Anya's room to check on her. This is the view that I had of her cot from the entrance of her room:

Now where is she?

Slightly alarmed, I quickened my pace only to find that she crammed herself against the foot of the cot. Later in the evening after The Husband came home from his reservist, he shared with me that he found her in the same position as I found her when he woke up at 6am in the morning. And he had shifted her back to the centre of the cot. Apparently, our caterpillar had wiggled all the way back to the foot of the bed again between 6-9am. What a queer little girl!

Gasp!

Lately, Anya is into making this gasping sound (almost like a chuckle sometimes) whenever Muffin comes near her. It is as if she is emoting her anticipation of seeing Muffin.

Just two days ago, she was out of my sight in her bumbo seat in front of the couch that I was sitting on, playing with her mobile gym. Then, there is a prolonged gasp coming from her that diverted my attention from the TV screen. Upon investigation, there was Muffin happily licking her face all over while she had her eyes tightly shut, mouth wide opened. And STILL gasping away! It was a hilarious sight!

A

In a hand-me-down onesie that conveys what her fur-sister is always thinking about.