Lilybuff is 4 Months!

This baby over here is becoming quite the little lady isn't she! Look how beautiful the bow looks on her. That smile... those cheeks... that crinkled nose...

She has such a bubbly personality. She really really really laughs a lot. I have so many videos of her laughing but i just don't get tired of listening to her laughter. Sometimes she laughs so hard until she runs out of breath and snorts it's so funny.

This month she's into pulling her head up from the rocker, she likes grasping at her mobiles and hearing them ring. And she absolutely loves books, so much so that she has inspired a theme for her birthday party this November (you really do inspire me sweetheart). When she reads you can see her eyes focused on details on the pages, she wants to help flip but she can't. She loves pressing all the buttons (aided of course) because of the sound they make.

Physically she is not flipping yet but believe it or not i'm glad she isn't. You know wht happened with the first one, 14 stitches before the age of 3. NO NO NO. Not the girl, no way. She's really into kicking and swinging her arms wildly. She laughs when i do physical exercises with her. She weighs 7.2kg, height unknown but she is outgrowing some smaller 6-9M bodysuits!

Her schedule is not really fixed yet, but the eating is at least every 4 hr and about 180ml each feed. I do feed her directly at night and sometimes let her snuggle next to me.  Frankly i'm not keen on doing the CIO until i find her sleeping pattern an inconvenience to me. I never had the direct latching thing with Mountain Boy so I do like the usefulness of my breasts. haha.

Anyway, Happy 4th Month Lilybuff.

Happy 3 months Lilybuff!

You are getting sooo cute nowadays! You laugh and smile a lot and so very talkative! Such an angel to look after. Now that mountain boy goes to full day school we can finally spend time together！

The one with the strangers

Yesterday us 4 were at Lucky Plaza, minding our own business waiting for the lift. And then suddenly this hand came from behind me and gave Lilybuff a pinch on her cheeks. I don't know what came over me but my hand went *piak* and i gave her the you're-dead-to-me glare before exclaiming "please don't touch my child". Turns out that she's this pleasant 50ish lady who seems quite well-groomed and nice, but of course she scurried away probably feeling quite embarrassed. At that instant i feel a teeensy weeensy guilty for over-reacting.

Look, I know i don't have a universally cute baby girl. She's not eurasian or mixed-blood, just this ordinary looking chinese baby whom I think is cute because she's mine. My point is, you don't just touch a baby's cheeks without asking for permission. What if you have SARS? Or you've just unconsciously dug your nose or picked your teeth, God forbid that you may have gone to the toilet for number 2 and didn't wash your hands, with soap.

I'm all for my kids being interactive to strangers in my presence. Mountain Boy for example is somehow very popular amongst the Indians. Once we went to Jurong Bird Park and a bunch of Indian tourists wanted to take pictures with him (instead of the birds, hello?). And on our plane ride yesterday another indian man played with him, to whom Mountain Boy said "nice shu-shu" (nice uncle). Today he almost jumped into the Harbour Front River and another Indian man helped me hold him back because i was busy with Lilybuff.

So anyway, I don't think there is any harm in being friendly to kids IF the kids reciprocate. But please, don't assault babies in strollers. If you wanna pet someone's dog, ask the owner. If you want to pinch my baby's cheeks, ask me.

Mother of 2

Sometimes I feel like an old soul i really do. My friends are mostly unmarried or just married, but here i am unable to join hen parties, attend weddings, go on holidays because i have 2 kids. I know that when my kids grow up and are able to care for themselves, i'd still be young and i'd have plenty of time to pursue unfinished business, but that day is so far away right now that i can only imagine that it exists.

Day to day i feel so pent up. I spend so many hours each day facing a toddler whom i'm constantly fighting with, a baby who just wants to suckle, and a nanny whom i can barely communicate with. My life revolves around domestic issues and i can't help feeling upset over small things like Mountain Boy refusing to brush his teeth. Sometimes i want to just get a life...

But at the risk of sounding like a cliche, i love my kids sooo much. They are so precious to me that i want to hold and squeeze and kiss them all day. How can your bane be also your boon.

Here's some recent pictures of us. Seeing these pictures do make me thankful of my beautiful family.

Trust me, it's hard to get both kids to look at the camera.

Mountain Boy is caught up with a Dora episode. Lilybuff just wants to suck on his hand.

I have a picture of me like this with my older brother.

The 2 boys wearing matchy-matchy adidas sweater. Mountain Boy just loves dressing like his idol.