29 months and i feed myself medicine. 3 months and i will reach out to touch my toys.

Cant believe it is almost the end of the year already and I have survived with 2 kids for 3 months. It sure is tiring and I cannot imagine going back to work and waking up in the middle of the night for feeds. One good thing is most of the time, Zeth can sleep a 5 hour shot during the first sleeping stretch at night before becoming 3 hourly. This didn't happen to us during Keath's time at all. He tortures us. Hopefully this 5 hour can stretch till 7 hours when I go back to work. Zeth is generally a better sleeper than Keath. This month, he is fascinated by the mobile toys at his cot and is able to attempt to reach out to touch them. He will smile at the toys and observe them for a long time. Think his sight is getting better and he is able to see more clearly already. Whenever I carry him and smile into the mirror, he will smile back. Most notably, he is able to laugh with sound now! So cute, everyone will keep making him laugh. Newborns are soo adorable.

As for Keath, the terrible two tantrums are REAL. It has becoming more frequent and intense, but he will become a different person after the tantrums are over. But when he is at it, he wants means he wants, cannot take no for an answer and will keep crying. Then Zeth will cry together with him. I hear things will only get better when they turn 4 years old. So, that's another 4 years for me huh. This month:
- He tells me that he likes mummy and didi
- Calls his father darling sometimes. Cos that's what I call alv!
- Recognises the objects in school and would tell us when he see smth similar from school.
- He's a real observant kid. Small things that you didn't think are important or significant, he would remb the details and surprise you with it. I sometimes didn't even notice it.
- Likes me to engage him in a conversation on the things that happen in school.
- Able to wear his own shorts, diapers and shoes already! Hates it when you do it for him. Basically he wants to do everything himself, regardless of whether he is able to.
- Recognises the numbers 1 to 10 and some alphabets. Was surprised when he said 'B1' in one of the mall lift buttons!
- Can comment on whether his tee-shirt or shoes are comfortable to wear.
- Would often engage with Zeth. Like when he returns from school, when Zeth wakes up, he will say hello and talk to Zeth. When Zeth cries, he will sayang him and say it's ok, don't have to cry. <3 <3
- He would tell us if he got scolded in school/ fell down/ cry etc.
- He can articulate the plot of his storybooks with short phrases.
- He's not a fussy eater since young. This month, he could feed himself with medicine in a syringe. Most amazingly, TCM medicine also can! I dissolved those powder in like 10ml of water and he gulped it down in 3 mouths together with an 'ewww' expression.

28 months and i like my younger brother. 2 months and i love to smile.

It has been about 2 months adapting to life with 2 kids. I don't know how I am able to survive with so little sleep for 2 months. Plus the episode of high fever and diarrhea, really didn't know how I breezed through. Keath has been adapting well to having a little brother around him. He understands the need for me to nurse Zeth and would bring toys and sit beside me and get me to play with him. But of cos there are times when he demands that i carry him instead of Zeth. Weekends are challenging because we have to make the 2 kids sleep. It is difficult cos Keath sleeps late and would wake Zeth up with his noise. End up that the both of them sleep late most of the time. Like after midnight. Zzzz. Still have to find a best solution to get them to go to bed earlier.

Zeth is now able to see more clearly and can clearly move his sight from left to right when we move in the same direction. He also loves to smile. Everytime after he wakes up from his nap or finishes his milk, he would smile when we engage him. He loves engagement, and would be able to give some uh uh response and smile when we talk to him. When you see him smile, you would also smile with him :) The last time i was like would i be able to also love him as much as Keath. I was so focused on being afraid that Keath would be left out but it's true - once you have the second one, your love just double up instead of getting halved. Zeth is so adorable, he is a newborn and his cries for you are because he is so helpless. You would just unconditionally go to him when he needs you.

As for Keath, 28th month, he can:
- Good inference skills. For example, after seeing me in long pants for a month (confinement), i changed into my shorts and he said 'mummy not pain already'. (alv told him i gave birth to didi and was in pain)
- Will correct us when we say things incorrectly
- A very considerate boy. When nanny left and Zeth's bed was in the guest room, Keath asked where would Zeth be sleeping cos he knows Zeth cant be sleeping alone.
- Super good memory. Apart from remembering things we say, he also remembers details like details of car brand. When he saw a Honda steering wheel on Alv's phone, he said it is his gong gong's steering wheel! I was so surprised. I don't even know how the steering wheel looks like hahaha. Maybe it is also because he loves car, like his father.
- Playful and sings gibberish words of familiar tunes.
- Super observant. When there are things in the house that get changed, he notices it immediately and would point it out.
- Loves his brother. Would sayang him when he cries or when he is just lying down and within his reach. When Zeth cries, he would say that he wants to carry his brother. Would also attempt to pat him cos he sees me doing it. Keath would also keep telling me that he likes his brother, awww :):)
- Doesn't like watching video/ reading storybooks with crying or fighting scenes. He would ask to switch channel or skip the page.
- He used to take off lego bricks. Now he puts on the bricks.
- Finally, he showers using the shower head and is no longer afraid of water falling down his face when washing hair! No longer bathe in the bath tub and is able to wash his own hair!

Newborn photoshoot

We went back to the same photographer - Mamamiyo Photography to do the photoshoot cos we wanted the same costumes as Keath. She was also good at handling babies and it was fuss free the last time round. We were worried whether Keath would cooperate at the photoshoot and fortunately, he wants to also be photographed. We had to bribe him with sweets in order for him to smile though hahaha. As for Zeth, he remained sleeping for most part of the session but had to be fed in the middle of the session. But at one point, he pooed on me when he was striped naked during a shoot with me! Hahah, oh well, things you don't see behind the scenes. This time round, we actually were not as satisfied with the photographs as Zeth looked oversized for the props that they brought. For Keath's shoot, we loved almost every shot of the 100+ photos. But for Zeth, there are not many that we like. Still, it is a good memory captured! How long can they be newborns!

27 months and i'm sometimes jealous of my newborn brother

The million dollar question - how is Keath reacting to Zeth's presence? To be honest, it is different everytime and every day. It depends on Keath's mood. Sometimes when Zeth cries, he will run to him and say uh oh, don't cry, don't cry. Sometimes, when he sees us coaxing Zeth, Keath ask us to put him down and carry him instead. When Keath sees me breastfeeding Zeth, he is ok sometimes but at other times, he cries and asks me to not feed didi. If not, he is generally ok with Zeth's existence, will talk to Zeth about his toys and what he is playing and doing. But probably because we still have the confinement nanny with us. She is the main caregiver of Zeth and we can still spend most of our with Keath. I cannot imagine when she is gone, how we are going to manage.... That is in one week's time. Still not sure how will the living arrangements be like when nanny leaves. But right now, he comes over to our house at night on weekdays since I'm home. He still sleeps over here on weekends.

Post delivery - how has it been? I hated the womb contractions whenever I breastfed. Fortunately, the contractions stopped at day 6. The breast was also badly engorged on day 4. There was a stubborn lump and I got Mdm Ida to help me unblock it - but was not that successful as she expected as milk was coming in at that time. After much latching, the lump fully disappeared at day 6 and breastfeeding became easier in the second week. I did the jamu massage and Mdm Ida was saying that she almost fell asleep when massaging me cos there was nothing to massage! Hahaa, she told me not to waste money cos I don't have water retention and have already slimmed down in the first week after delivery. Hahah, so I didn't continue with the massage. Though my tummy went flat pretty quickly, the hips have widened. Horror.... How to narrow it?? Need to upsize my shorts again.

My confinement - how has it been this time round. Actually much as I want to rest, I find that I cant because the kids are sick. Am spending most of the time running to the clinic and TCM. Also spend the time with things like photoshoot, gg to fs master for Zeth's Chinese name, doing up Zeth's birth cert, setting up CDA account, breast massage, jamu massage, hosting visitors to the house, organizing full month party, online shopping for stuff Zeth needs and majorly entertaining Keath. And because I'm breastfeeding, it's also hard to lie down most of the time. Basically I feel that I am unable to rest as much as I want. My lower back is also aching because of prolonged carrying of Keath when he throws his tantrum and refuses anyone else. As for food, I'm generally not a fussy eater and is ok with confinement food. But this time round I ate much less ginger cos of Zeth's jaundice. Nanny also cooked different variety of food, more interesting than the first round. She also said that cos I'm strong and fit, don't really have to avoid a lot of food. She okay a lot of food for me haha. I bathe everyday and wash my hair every 3-4 days. I'm ok with confinement actually. Wouldn't mind to do this for a few months actually. Am enjoying the help that I get for the baby.

How is Zeth - poor thing, he fell sick when he was 2 weeks old. Got flu from his brother. This affected his sleep cause of the congested nose. His jaundice level is also high. Was ok when he was discharged from the hospital, climbed up even when he was 2 weeks old and was still at 141 when he was 3+ weeks old. Went to PD and got some nasal decongestant for his flu but it didn't work. One week later, we brought him to Yu Guo TCM for flu and jaundice and yea, showed results after 2 visits. We have to bring him there for 1 week for infant massage and put the Chinese medicine on his belly cos he is too young to eat medicine.  Other than that, I feel that he is more cooperative than Keath when they were of the same age haha. He loves to be swaddled and can sleep well in the day and most importantly night. Please hope that things remain this way and we would have a smooth and easy time taking care of 2 boys.

Let me continue with the usual updates on Keath. This month,
- He is becoming more social with kids. When he saw kids waiting for the lift with him, he will signal for them to go into the lift when it comes. He will also tell them which storey he is pressing in the lift haha!
- When his friends came over to our house to play with him, he passes his toys to them to play.
- Likes to steer his stroller instead of sitting in it cos he sees us pushing his stroller
- When he opens our wallet, he recognizes which credit card we usually use to pay! Cos he is the one who taps the card when we pay via paywave.
- Recognises milo when he sees it
- Smiles whenever he sees me when he comes back home

As for Zeth,
- He is pretty standard in his timing for feeds at 3 hourly. However if he doesn't sleep after a feed, the next feed would be at the 2 hour mark.
- The max he goes without a nap is 4 hours now (though he sleeps while latching)
- Each latching session is 35-40 min
- If he is bottle fed, he takes about 30 min to finish the bottle. With the pumping and washing, it takes a longer time to be bottle fed than latch
- He is a good drinker like his brother. Can finish 100ml at 3 weeks.
- Has about 6 poo output a day
- Fortunately differentiated day and night since he was born
- Is more patient and can wait when you ask him to, unless he is really really hungry and tired.

 

I popped 5 days after EDD!

On 30 Sep 2am, I finally saw signs of labour - bloody show! 2 reactions came to me - 1) yes! finally, today is the day. 2) oh no, can wait a while first, Keath is still sleeping at 2am, I cant go to the hospital yet. The mucus plug has come off and there was spotting. However, I didn't feel any contractions at all. So, don't really know what to do in the middle of the night then. The next thing was to inform my family, close friends and Dr Ben of the symptom. Have also called TMC on whether I should go to the hospital immediately since Dr Ben was still sleeping and couldn't have replied my msg. TMC asked me to monitor the situation. If waterbag burst, there are contractions or there are decreased fetus movement, then go down, if not can still wait. The next thing I did was to ask darling to buy me supper - ah lian fried bee hoon in case I need to be admitted soon.

So at 3.30am, after finishing my supper, I didn't know what to do. Tried to go to bed but couldn't really sleep cos was paranoid about monitoring fetus movement. Ended up I didn't sleep at all the whole night. Also was hoping that Keath would sleep through the night - and thankfully he did. He is such a good boy. In the morning, my parents came over to see me and we were deliberating whether to go to the hospital now to induce or wait till Monday, the original date which we have decided to induce. In the end, since I still didn't feel any contractions in the morning, we decided to give ourselves more time to do it naturally - don't induce yet. Wait until Monday and by then if there are no contractions then induce. But in the meantime, go to Dr Ben for a checkup to see if anything was amiss.

So we proceeded the day by bringing Keath to mil house. Had lunch there, waited till Keath went for his afternoon nap, then went to Dr Ben's clinic. By the time we saw him, it was 3.15pm. I don't really have much pain, though on and off there were some tolerable pain which I was not sure if it was contractions. Cos I thought contractions are quite regular. So when Dr Ben checked, I was already 3cm dilated and he said that I'm already in labour! I could either admit to the hospital immediately or wait until there are more contractions before I go. But he recommended that we go to the hospital immediately because of my GBS symptoms. If the waterbag bursts before they had time to administer the antibiotics, it would be bad. Earlier on, I was still thinking - wouldn't it be more straightforward if my waterbag has burst, then we would know whether we should go to the hospital. But fortunately, it didn't because it would be a risk to baby and myself! So the answer was rather obvious to us - admit to the hospital now. One other thing that we asked was whether we would be able to deliver by that day because if it dragged on to Sunday, it would clash with my rabbit zodiac. Of course, the answer was it depends on individual. But he could help to administer some oxytocin to speed up contractions.

We reached TMC at 3+pm and I quickly bought a set meal to eat at Delifrance. Who knows how long I would be starved. The first experience of starving for >24 hours was bad. Then, we finally got admitted to the hospital at 4pm. We were brought to the labour ward immediately. Everything at TMC looked the same. Everything was so familiar like it just happened. And now that I think back, I will miss the setting, being pregnant and the process of giving birth and all. Cos we only want to have 2 kids and it would be the last time I would go through all these.

Changed into the hospital gown, cleared my bowels, got checked for dilation and I was 4cm dilated already. Was quite amazed at myself cos I didn't really think it was painful and an hour ago, we were still thinking whether to wait until Monday to be induced! They then started to put drip on me, collect blood for cord blood donation while we wait for Dr Ben to let us know the dosage for the antibiotics to be administered. At 5.30pm, the antibiotics was administered and we had a feeling that I would be able to deliver by the very day because of the rate of dilation. Asked for epidural then. By 6.15pm, where I was 6cm dilated, I finally felt that the contraction pain was getting more intense. Luckily, Dr Lim came and administered the epidural on me. She gave me the laughing gas and the gas made me feel very high and drowsy. It feels like you are going to pass out anytime. The prick at the back was bearable with the laughing gas.

By 7pm, where i finally do not feel any pain, they checked my dilation at i was 7cm dilated. I was progressing at 1cm/hour and i was glad and rather confident that i would be able to give birth by today. Was very glad that we didn't come to the hospital earlier in the morning as we would have thought that i wasn't able to deliver by the day and would have asked for oxytocin to speed up contractions. Then it wouldn't be the baby's choice of timing but based on our interventions. At 7.45pm, Dr Ben came and checked on me. The original plan was to burst my waterbag but upon checking, he said that it's better not to burst the bag as i would deliver very quickly by then. So we decided to let nature take its course while he come back at 9pm again.

By 9pm, the nurses checked me and i was already 10cm dilated, ready to push! Dr Ben was not back yet and the nurses asked me to try pushing. After pushing once, i broke my own waterbag and made quite a mess i guess haha. After the second push, they could already see the baby's head and concluded that i knew how to push and asked me to stop pushing as the doctor was not here yet. Dr Ben came at like 9.15pm and we could really start pushing. I did less than 10 pushes and viola, Zeth came out in less than 10 minutes of pushing! I was so amazed at myself that it was so easy this time round. Somemore, Zeth is a 90th percentile baby at 3.56kg, 52cm and 36cm head diameter! Thinking back, i wondered why i didn't know how to push when delivering Keath. This time round, there was progress with every push and it didn't take much of my energy as the process only lasted less than 10 minutes. I was secretly thinking if we had a third one, i would exactly know the tactic to pushing already hahaha.

After getting stitched up, it was the first breastfeeding time with Zeth and wow, he knew how to suck immediately. I am rather scared of breastfeeding cos I know how much time and effort and pain it would take. But it is for the best of the baby, so I will continue to do it, just not sure how long I would sustain. I bf Keath for 13 months! After some time with Zeth, they pushed me back to the 2 bedder ward (we paid the price for a 4-bedder; quoting Dr Ben's name can give you free upgrade to a 2-bedder room). When the epidural wore off and I was back in the ward, I felt so so so drained off. Totally dizzy, nauseous and tired even though I didn't use much strength to push. The shivering for this time round was lesser than that for the first labour. I could also stomach my supper which I couldn't the first time round. I was lucky that the side effects from the epidural were only these, which wore off when I woke up 2 hours later to breastfeed. Interrupted sleep began from then on!

The next day was Sunday and my parents and in-laws came over to visit me and Zeth. My only concern was how would Keath react to Zeth. So when Keath came, he didn't really dare to come near me at all. Took him a while before he came to my bed but still didn't want to sit on it. He looked at Zeth with a confused expression and didn't dare to touch him. We gave him the present and told him that Zeth asked us to buy for him. He was really excited with the Tomica carpark that we bought and opened it on the spot. Then the whole time, my parents entertained Keath so that he would not feel left out when they took turns to carry Zeth. The first meet-up felt rather positive. At least he didn't show any signs of jealousy! They were here for about 2 hours before all of them left for lunch.

The stay at TMC was great. This time round, the room wasn't so cold and the bed wasn't too short for me. The food was ok and I loved the fact that I could get anything with a press of a button. After feeding when you decide that you do not want to deal with your baby anymore, you just ask someone else to take over. You don't have to burp or change diapers, just lie on the bed or sit up to feed. Too bad both the time I delivered at night. Meaning that I could only 'enjoy' this service for 1.5 days. When I got out of the bed for my first walk after delivery, I didn't feel at all giddy, like the first time round. Everything felt better and I was more experienced and prepared. From our first experience, we learnt that there would be many things to bring home when we are discharged. So we brought home as many things as we could on the first night.

When Monday came and it was time for discharge, we brought Zeth home confidently, without the jittery feeling that we had when we brought Keath home. For the 3 hours when we were home without the confinement nanny, we also didn't fret when Zeth cried. The TMC bill for my 2-bedder natural delivery with epi was 7.4K. After medisave deduction, we paid 4K in cash. This was cheaper than the last round where we paid 4.3K - where we were admitted earlier and required more observations and had assisted forcep delivery. And here you go, I am now a mother of TWO!

It's post EDD!

Today is 4 days post EDD and there are still no signs that I experience. My only conclusion is that there are no good dates the past few weeks and that baby Zeth wants mummy to rest more before he comes out! We went to the gynae yest and baby is 3.3kg. The water level is normal, heartbeat normal but there is zero cm dilation. So, Dr Ben asked that we induce the baby out already cos it's not good to keep the baby in beyond 41w. I read online that it is normal to give birth from week 37-42 but there are risks involved if the pregnancy goes beyond 42w as the placenta may lose its function of being able to provide for the baby.

So, we have decided to induce the baby out coming Monday, 2 Oct, where he would be exactly 41w then. But if Zeth decides to come out anytime before Monday, then so be it. What happened to the theory that the second one will come earlier than the first one? I see many instances of this not happening already. For now, I will just enjoy the break that I have, sleep more, eat whatever I want, go to wherever I want and spend the last weekend alone with Keath without his little brother!

For now, Zeth is still actively kicking me all the time. I am having more backaches when I sit in one position for a long time, have cramps at the pelvic area, feels heavy when I walk sometimes when Zeth's position is very low, goes to the toilet very often and can generally fall asleep quickly. But I am feeling very chill about this and am enjoying the feeling of being pregnant since I will be closing shop after Zeth! At the same time, I also feel ready to welcome our second boy already. Yes, we will be able to handle both of them at the same time and I await the challenge for us!

26 months and i will soon be a korkor

Keath is 26 months and he will soon be a big brother. I have been prepping him for the change in his status by telling him about didi as and when the topic is appropriate. He knows that didi will soon come out and my tummy wouldn't be so big when didi is unloaded. I have told him that I would need to breastfeed didi milk when he is out (he has forgotten that he was a breastfed baby). Told him that when didi is out, I will carry didi and daddy will carry him. He nodded his head to all these that I'm saying - a good sign for now as he didn't reject the idea before seeing what it actually means. About sharing, I also asked him what are the toys that he can give didi and fortunately, there are some toys which he says that he can give. But those that he likes very much, he is not agreeable to sharing it with didi, which I think it's fine. I use language which does not make him seem unwanted because of the arrival of didi. For example, I don't say things like I wont have as much time for you when didi is born but rather I will feed didi and daddy will play with you. I wont say I cant carry you because I am pregnant with didi but rather my arms are tired and I don't have strength to carry you, let daddy carry ok. So far, he seems ok with all of these and I'm counting my blessings to have such a child. Will have to see what reality is like when didi is born!

I am rather surprised that didi has lasted so long in my tummy already! Today is week 39w 4d already and he is still comfortable inside (Keath came out 37w 2d). But it's ok, he is not out yet cos he is choosing an auspicious date to come out. It just means that the previous days were not suitable for him to come out. Everybody says that the second one will be early but didi is not the norm. Haha, but how early can he be when Keath already came out so early right. Didi was 2.6kg at week 36, 2.9kg at week 37, 3.0kg at week 38 and 3.2kg at week 39. Think there is some + - to the reading when Dr Ben scanned him at the weekly checks. Didi is always around 25% percentile and I'm fine cos I am scared that a big baby is more difficult to push. Can always fatten him up when he is out. At week 37, Dr Ben said that didi's head was still floating. At week 38, his head was no longer floating, but there was zero dilation (cervix check is damn painful, absolutely hate this part of pregnancy). At week 39, still zero dilation, cervix is soft but not the very soft stage to deliver. So he said to that there are 2 options. Induce him out this week or wait another week to induce him out. He says that if mine was a high risk pregnancy, he would have asked me to induce now already. By high risk = mum is old, water level is low and there is decreased mobility in the foetus. But I don't have any of these, so it's still ok to wait. Moreover, baby is not big at 3.2kg now, if want to wait still can wait.

It's ok didi, choose the day you want to come out properly. Mummy can wait. Friends and colleagues keep asking me whether I feel any different now that i'm nearing EDD. I actually think yes leh. Right now, I feel that didi is very low already. There are sensations of stinging breasts and they are more painful when you apply pressure to it. The pelvic and lower hip aches more and the bones there have the cracking sound more easily. I also go to the toilet way way more often now and since week 39, keep feeling that food is coming up the throat (shld be not enough space in tummy alr). It's uncomfortable and didi should be out soon.

OK, I will now continue to talk about Keath.
- He can now jump multiple times in a row, yay achievement!
- He can say 14, 15, 16
- When I sneezed, he will say xia si ren. hahaha it was hilarious
- He is starting to ask many questions. Where are we going, what is this, what is so and so doing, what is the sound etc.
- He is an understanding boy (sometimes not). When I say that my arms hurt from carrying him, he will say daddy carry. But definitely not when he is sleepy, he needs me when he wakes up from his sleep and when he needs to fall back asleep.
- He is really excited when daddy and I go home to see him after work. Love the excited squeak that he makes, his smiling eyes and wide grin when we are at the door.
- He can play with kids. So much more if they are girls! =D
- Loves storybooks. Will ask you to read the same storybook for like at least 5 times in a row before he is satisfied. Mummy is patient to do this. He loves the timmy and tammy series and I have started going to the library to borrow these for him.
- When we push him up the escalator using the stroller (bad demo, but so much more convenient than lift), he is ok if daddy is the one securing the stroller while on the escalator. But when he is off the escalator, I must be the one pushing him. He will turn back to spot check who is pushing him haha.
- Keath received a certificate from school for displaying the value of CARING! This term, they learnt about having to care for themselves, others and pets. Teachers said that he did all these well and was able to take part in class discussions and gave him a cert. Awww his first cert, so proud of my boy!

Maternity Photoshoot

It is our second time doing a maternity photoshoot. I was 33 weeks pregnant and decided that we should do one since we did one when we had Keath. So must be fair right. We didn't go back to the same photographer that we went to cos I found an alternative photographer who is much cheaper and nearer! Inessa Studio quoted us $250 for 10 edited images with props and costumes provided. We did a 2.5 hour session for 5 sets of costumes (including one set we brought ourselves - same one as when we did Keath's photoshoot). Their studio is located at bukit merah and is really spacious and clean with lots of cute props suitable for family shoots. What worried us for the shoot was actually whether Keath would be able to cooperate and smile to the camera. At the end of the 2.5 hour session, we walked out feeling relieved cos Keath though wasn't cooperative at some points, we managed to pull through the session and had some really nice shots! The photographer and myself was able to make Keath laugh and smile to the camera at critical junctures and the end product is really nice!

After the photoshoot, they posted all the raw photos at dropbox for us to choose the 10 edited images. So basically you are able to save all the photos at a mere $250 (we had like 120+ photos), but with their logo on those unedited images which I was ok. I thought it was a steal. And here is the end product which I really love! Keath made the photos look joyful. It would definitely be different if he wasn't around.