19 Dec 2010
Hello to J's first tooth! Felt the tip of his first tooth while cleaning his lower gums in the evening. J has been drooling for a long time & I often wondered when he will start teething. I was secretly hoping he'll teeth later cos I've heard about babies biting their mothers, plus J still drinks milk at night. But at least he can go without milk for 5-6 hours at night now, so it's just timing his milk feed, getting him to drink some water, and cleaning his teeth if he sleeps right after his feed.
My hubby thinks that J will no longer be a baby once he has teeth. I was just staring at J as he napped on my bed this morning, and I couldn't help but notice how much taller he has grown. My little boy is growing up alright, but he will always be my little baby, my "small-cute-cute"!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Perspective
16 Dec 2010
Met up with a friend for lunch last week. I haven't seen him for 9 months and boy was he different. He lost 15kg and had a vastly different perspective towards life from 9 months ago.
He attributed his weight loss to his new vegan diet. And he recommended a book - 4 day work week, which changed his perspective about work and motivated him to look for ways to earn money without working.
I curiously asked him how was that was possible. Given that was pretty good with IT, he had written & sold an iPhone app that was generating him some income - without any ongoing labor!
Just chatting with him set me thinking about my own life. I, like many others, grumble about work, but I work anyway for the income and mental stimulation. And truth be told, life is so much more than just work. I spend at least 1/3 of everyday at work...and even longer when I include time spent preparing to go to work, overtime, etc. On an annual basis, this works to at least 25% of my life. If I were to work from 21-50 years old, that is equivalent to at least 7.5 years of my life.
Work-life balance has become priority since J entered my life. He is only going to be a baby once, and I definitely don't want to miss his growing years. Which is why J is my top most priority - I don't ever want to regret not spending sufficient time with him. I know my mum regrets it, and I understand how it feels as a child - so I am determined that my baby gets all my time, love, hugs and kisses possible :) I often hear parents lamenting that their babies grow up too fast, and I want to treasure my time with my precious J before he is all grown-up with little time left for his parents.
So I am thinking hard what exactly I want from life. J is super important, but I am not exactly stay-home mum material. I don't mind working, but I don't want to be a slave to my work. I want to lead a happy and meaningful life, with the freedom and time to do what I want. Yet at the same time, I need some income for sustenance and shopping :)
I think many of us just live by rote - study, work after graduation and we work hard. Some of us may succeed and make a significant mark, but more often we remain worker ants only to be replaced by younger and higher-energy people. And then we retire, and we find that we don't have much time and energy to enjoy life after that.
Do I want that? Not really. I thank God that I am starting to see things from a different perspective, and badly need His guidance on what I should do. Don't get me wrong, people should still work - after all, there is no free lunch in this world. But we should live life to the max, be happy always, & not let work overwhelm us. Work is after all just a means to earn our keep...I am not sure how many people will think fondly of their accomplishments at work at their deathbed. It's a bit morbid to think about death, but that is everyone's endpoint and when we think of this unavoidable ending, it helps to bring into perspective what are the really important things to us.
On my deathbed, I hope I can think about the lives I've touched, the smiles I brought to people around me. I'd wish terribly that I had spent more time with my loved ones & pray that God's abundance of blessings will fill their lives always. That God's love, joy and peace will be with them always, that they will be blessed with excellent health, that they will stay close to Jesus always, and that they will lead a meaningful, happy and fulfilling life. That those who do not know Jesus will believe in Him soon. I hope to be ready and excited that I am going to a better place. Anyway it's great to know that we can indeed live happily ever after when we believe and trust in the Lord!
Met up with a friend for lunch last week. I haven't seen him for 9 months and boy was he different. He lost 15kg and had a vastly different perspective towards life from 9 months ago.
He attributed his weight loss to his new vegan diet. And he recommended a book - 4 day work week, which changed his perspective about work and motivated him to look for ways to earn money without working.
I curiously asked him how was that was possible. Given that was pretty good with IT, he had written & sold an iPhone app that was generating him some income - without any ongoing labor!
Just chatting with him set me thinking about my own life. I, like many others, grumble about work, but I work anyway for the income and mental stimulation. And truth be told, life is so much more than just work. I spend at least 1/3 of everyday at work...and even longer when I include time spent preparing to go to work, overtime, etc. On an annual basis, this works to at least 25% of my life. If I were to work from 21-50 years old, that is equivalent to at least 7.5 years of my life.
Work-life balance has become priority since J entered my life. He is only going to be a baby once, and I definitely don't want to miss his growing years. Which is why J is my top most priority - I don't ever want to regret not spending sufficient time with him. I know my mum regrets it, and I understand how it feels as a child - so I am determined that my baby gets all my time, love, hugs and kisses possible :) I often hear parents lamenting that their babies grow up too fast, and I want to treasure my time with my precious J before he is all grown-up with little time left for his parents.
So I am thinking hard what exactly I want from life. J is super important, but I am not exactly stay-home mum material. I don't mind working, but I don't want to be a slave to my work. I want to lead a happy and meaningful life, with the freedom and time to do what I want. Yet at the same time, I need some income for sustenance and shopping :)
I think many of us just live by rote - study, work after graduation and we work hard. Some of us may succeed and make a significant mark, but more often we remain worker ants only to be replaced by younger and higher-energy people. And then we retire, and we find that we don't have much time and energy to enjoy life after that.
Do I want that? Not really. I thank God that I am starting to see things from a different perspective, and badly need His guidance on what I should do. Don't get me wrong, people should still work - after all, there is no free lunch in this world. But we should live life to the max, be happy always, & not let work overwhelm us. Work is after all just a means to earn our keep...I am not sure how many people will think fondly of their accomplishments at work at their deathbed. It's a bit morbid to think about death, but that is everyone's endpoint and when we think of this unavoidable ending, it helps to bring into perspective what are the really important things to us.
On my deathbed, I hope I can think about the lives I've touched, the smiles I brought to people around me. I'd wish terribly that I had spent more time with my loved ones & pray that God's abundance of blessings will fill their lives always. That God's love, joy and peace will be with them always, that they will be blessed with excellent health, that they will stay close to Jesus always, and that they will lead a meaningful, happy and fulfilling life. That those who do not know Jesus will believe in Him soon. I hope to be ready and excited that I am going to a better place. Anyway it's great to know that we can indeed live happily ever after when we believe and trust in the Lord!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
J's Sleep Pattern
7 Dec 2010
After a few weeks, J slept through the night again! Well, kind of though...he went to bed at about 10:30pm last night after much struggling & wailing whenever my in-laws placed him on his cot. He finally slept when they placed him on my bed instead - J sleeps on the bed with us all the time now. The only times he is in the cot are during diaper change and for short periods of playtime.
So he had solids at 8:30pm, drank milk at 10pm, slept at 10:30pm, got awoken when I tried to trim his nails at 12:30am. But he drifted back to sleep...and to my surprise, slept till 4:50am! So thankful I could sleep for 4 solid hours!
I pray and wish that J can sleep through the night, cos honestly, the sleep deprivation is really taking a toil on me. I haven't slept well for 8 months, & sleep is sooo important for one's well-being.
8 Dec 2010
J slept at 10+pm last night again - which was good cos I then had time to sort out my mails. He woke up briefly at 11:30pm and went back to zzz-land after I carried him for a while.
He woke up again at 2:45am hungry & slept right after his milk feed. Changing diapers when he is in sleep mode is a breeze! Considering his last milk feed was at 9pm & he had solids at 9:45pm - it was almost 6hrs before he drank again - which was really good taking into account J's not-so-impressive track record where night feeds are concerned.
He woke up again at 6am- I latched him even though it was before his 4-hourly feed. I do that cos I am too tired to carry him. Anyway he drank and slept till about 8am.
So I had 2 bouts of 3-hours uninterrupted sleep last night. I am still eagerly waiting for the days when I can sleep 6-hours straight...
After a few weeks, J slept through the night again! Well, kind of though...he went to bed at about 10:30pm last night after much struggling & wailing whenever my in-laws placed him on his cot. He finally slept when they placed him on my bed instead - J sleeps on the bed with us all the time now. The only times he is in the cot are during diaper change and for short periods of playtime.
So he had solids at 8:30pm, drank milk at 10pm, slept at 10:30pm, got awoken when I tried to trim his nails at 12:30am. But he drifted back to sleep...and to my surprise, slept till 4:50am! So thankful I could sleep for 4 solid hours!
I pray and wish that J can sleep through the night, cos honestly, the sleep deprivation is really taking a toil on me. I haven't slept well for 8 months, & sleep is sooo important for one's well-being.
8 Dec 2010
J slept at 10+pm last night again - which was good cos I then had time to sort out my mails. He woke up briefly at 11:30pm and went back to zzz-land after I carried him for a while.
He woke up again at 2:45am hungry & slept right after his milk feed. Changing diapers when he is in sleep mode is a breeze! Considering his last milk feed was at 9pm & he had solids at 9:45pm - it was almost 6hrs before he drank again - which was really good taking into account J's not-so-impressive track record where night feeds are concerned.
He woke up again at 6am- I latched him even though it was before his 4-hourly feed. I do that cos I am too tired to carry him. Anyway he drank and slept till about 8am.
So I had 2 bouts of 3-hours uninterrupted sleep last night. I am still eagerly waiting for the days when I can sleep 6-hours straight...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
All About Little J
18 Nov
I like to stare at him when he is sleeping soundly. My baby has 2 favourite sleeping poses - arms stretched wide open on his back or his thumb partly in his mouth while on his side. The former is my preferred pose, as I can better observe and admire his features, and I also dont have to concern myself with whether his ears are flapped inwards. When asleep, he looks more mature - I can almost guess how he will look like as an adult! His features loses the playful look he has when he is awake.
I love staring at my baby - I can just sit there and stare, and all I care about is his happiness and well-being - above mine. I think I now understand what selfless love is, and how strong parental love is above all others. And then I realise how much my parents probably care for me, even though they are not perfect parents and I still wish we spent more time together when I was a kid.
But above all, I take the love that I have for J and multiply it by 100x - that's the minimum width and depth of love God has for me! Simply amazing...that an omnipotent God can love me so deeply even though I have really nothing much to offer. I just pray that my little baby will grow to experience this perfect unchanging love and the immense joy and peace that comes along with it. God bless you richly, my little darling. Mummy loves you very very much, and God loves you so much more!
22 Nov
J finally slept 6 hours straight last night - what a relief!
It started on Sat evening when he slept from about 9am to 245am, after his 830pm feed. On Sun, he slept from about 9-10:45pm after his last milk feed at 5pm and solids at 7pm. And he fell asleep while drinking his milk at 10:45pm! Slept through till 430pm for his next feeding and finally woke up at 8am this morning.
I hope this continues cos not only is this beneficial for his growth and development, it also allows me to complete my daily tasks much faster. But the other side of me dreads spending less time with him on weekdays if he sleeps earlier. Ha, I always have to worry huh!
24 Nov
Joshua is officially still not sleeping through the night. He has been waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night, but can't really be helped as he needs his middle-of-the night feed. I think we may need to shorten his feed interval in the day so that he doesn't need to feed at night - but it becomes more troublesome when we are out though. Really need to figure out what is best so that A & I can get a good night rest - God, please help!
I like to stare at him when he is sleeping soundly. My baby has 2 favourite sleeping poses - arms stretched wide open on his back or his thumb partly in his mouth while on his side. The former is my preferred pose, as I can better observe and admire his features, and I also dont have to concern myself with whether his ears are flapped inwards. When asleep, he looks more mature - I can almost guess how he will look like as an adult! His features loses the playful look he has when he is awake.
I love staring at my baby - I can just sit there and stare, and all I care about is his happiness and well-being - above mine. I think I now understand what selfless love is, and how strong parental love is above all others. And then I realise how much my parents probably care for me, even though they are not perfect parents and I still wish we spent more time together when I was a kid.
But above all, I take the love that I have for J and multiply it by 100x - that's the minimum width and depth of love God has for me! Simply amazing...that an omnipotent God can love me so deeply even though I have really nothing much to offer. I just pray that my little baby will grow to experience this perfect unchanging love and the immense joy and peace that comes along with it. God bless you richly, my little darling. Mummy loves you very very much, and God loves you so much more!
22 Nov
J finally slept 6 hours straight last night - what a relief!
It started on Sat evening when he slept from about 9am to 245am, after his 830pm feed. On Sun, he slept from about 9-10:45pm after his last milk feed at 5pm and solids at 7pm. And he fell asleep while drinking his milk at 10:45pm! Slept through till 430pm for his next feeding and finally woke up at 8am this morning.
I hope this continues cos not only is this beneficial for his growth and development, it also allows me to complete my daily tasks much faster. But the other side of me dreads spending less time with him on weekdays if he sleeps earlier. Ha, I always have to worry huh!
24 Nov
Joshua is officially still not sleeping through the night. He has been waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night, but can't really be helped as he needs his middle-of-the night feed. I think we may need to shorten his feed interval in the day so that he doesn't need to feed at night - but it becomes more troublesome when we are out though. Really need to figure out what is best so that A & I can get a good night rest - God, please help!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hiatus
It's been a long time since I've blogged...with my hands full with a simply adorable but demanding baby, and sleeping only 4-5 hours every night...I simply had no energy or time to blog. There are tons of things I'll love to do - sleeping for 12 hrs straight, playing my keyboard, catching a nice movie, reading a nice novel while sipping a cup of hot chocolate, etc. - I'm craving for some peace and quiet, and time alone. But that will have to wait for many years to come. Everything is about J now...he is super active and is literally "non-stop action" unless he is in dreamland. I'm tired but happy, and just grateful that J is healthy and well.
But I've decided to resume blogging -partly to remember, partly to grouse and vent. And I'm blogging on my way to work now - have to maximize use of my time :)
Anyway, I'm just glad my life has resumed a bit of normacy - with occasional lunch gym sessions, and now blogging :) Things will surely get better!
But I've decided to resume blogging -partly to remember, partly to grouse and vent. And I'm blogging on my way to work now - have to maximize use of my time :)
Anyway, I'm just glad my life has resumed a bit of normacy - with occasional lunch gym sessions, and now blogging :) Things will surely get better!
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