Em is growing up!

Em's 5 months plus a week today and boy has she grown. Physically (about 7.5kg now) AND mentally :)

This is her trying to sit up just a couple of days shy of 5 months. So cute right... Knows how to use her hands to support herself. Clever girl!

She's also discovered a new muscle in her nose and has been showing off her new cheeky monkey smile, complete with sound effects (like a blowing of her nose as if she means to clear it of boogers). Very cute if I must say so myself :)

I've also been trying to elicit giggles from her but those are still quite rare. When they occur though, they are cute to the max and make me giggle as well. I can't wait for her to discover how to giggle and laugh out loud properly. Heehee ^.^

Anyway, at this age, everywhere I read (and even the PD) tell me she's supposed to sleep through the night. Well... Not happening! I've had a grand total of 2 nights where she's slept a good 5 and a half hours in one stretch and I used to enjoy 4 and a half hour stretches almost every night for at least one part of her sleep. But now even a 3 hour stretch is few and far between! What's going on?!?!?! She sleeps for only 2hrs+ each time she goes down now and then wakes only willing to be settled back to sleep by nursing. Gahhhhhh!!! It's like we've regressed! I seriously hope it's just another phase...

Either way, I've decided not to try and force her to sleep simply by patting or shushing or rocking or singing if she's going to be crying throughout anymore. Nursing her for 10-15 mins back to sleep is so much easier and peaceful for all. Sure, I may be "creating a bad habit", but there's also been research done that shows there's absolutely nothing wrong with nursing a baby to sleep. Except they may like it so much and get used to it so it's the only way they go down. But Em has managed to fall asleep at other times without the boob so I'm quite sure it's not such a bad habit. If anything, it soothes and calms her enough to put her to sleep so why not? I'm happy (for now) to sacrifice my sleep for hers and ensure she's comforted in a way she likes, rather than trying to "sleep train" her for my benefit.

Another saving grace is the Ergo carrier I've put to good use! I'm so glad she fits in it properly now cos seriously I can go anywhere with her as long as I have the carrier with me. She just likes being carried and I most definitely can't support her weight for long periods if not for the carrier. Holding her in it for naptimes is also currently the only way I can get her to nap for longer and wake up a happier baby. Win!

Oh! And I should mention that Em doesn't hate car rides anymore! She now sits smiling, playing with her toys, looking out the window, sucking on Sophie, even falls asleep! This is such a major milestone I didn't see coming so soon, but I'm ecstatic that it did. Car rides are just so much more pleasant and enjoyable for her and everyone now! Yay! Pat on the head for Emma!

Record Sleep Time!

Omigod! Clocked an extraordinary record of 5hrs 45mins of night time sleep last night!!!

Albeit Em did wake and stir a little, all I had to do was pat her back to sleep. At one point, I even sat up, ready to give her a night feed cos I thought "it was time", but to my surprise, just as I was going to pick her up, she quietened down and I saw she had flipped herself onto her belly. So I let her continue sleeping and sleep she did!

Oh, the joy! So this is what it feels like! Let's hope it wasn't a fluke and is the start of better nights! ^.^

The Return of Aunt Flo

Yep, the inevitable has happened.

Aunt Flo is back. Urghhh.

After being 13 months free from her, she has decided its been wayyyy too long since her last visit. I had a feeling she wasn't far away, having had cramps the past two nights (I never used to get cramps before my pregnancy). But I thought it just might be attributed to the medley of "cooling" fruits I had over the weekend (pineapple, cucumber, jumbu, watermelon...). I guess not!

So that's also why I had been feeling ultra emotional the past few days too, not to mention the appearance of a zit right on the side of my nose.

Urghhh... Me no like you Flo!

I just hope it doesn't affect the breastfeeding seeing how Em is right smack in the middle of her "stormy" period (no pun intended)!

Squeals of Laughter

Em is 17 weeks old today and has starting squealing. Like "eeeeeeeeeeeek!" in a really high pitched voice. I think she's gonna be a little terror! That is all.

Em's First Cold

Em caught her first flu virus 2 days ago. It wasn't so bad during the day, but I noticed she woke with a bit of a dry cough (cute cough heh). And then more of a runny nose throughout the day. But it was only when it was evening time again that her nose really started to leak. So much so that it seemed to interfere with her feeding slightly. I prepared myself for a long night mentally as she had been really fussy and cranky the whole day already. What's worse is that she had just worked out sleeping on her belly was much more comfy, but with a leaking nose, it was probably not the best position to lay in as it would drip even more. So as she kept rolling over, after falling asleep, I had to keep picking her up as she wouldn't be able to settle to sleep. It was one of those nights where she really woke after every single sleep cycle. Luckily we were due to visit the PD for her 3rd vaccination the next day anyway so I wasn't too concerned.

Turns out it isn't anything to worry about, doc just gave us some saline drops to help loosen the mucus. Her tip was to then put some on a cotton bud and use that to get the dried up stuff if needed.

True enough, Em slept much better that night and we're back to 1 major feed at night! Yay! Now... to get rid of that micro feed around 5-6ish that she wakes for, which totally disrupts her 7am feed! Hopefully once the cold is really gone, we can work towards that milestone!

Babies apparently will get 8-10 colds in their first year so this is really only the beginning. At least it's only a little one and I think it's helped her work out how to do a little sniffle and suck it back in (since she can't blow it out!). Poor baby, being sick is no fun for everyone, but it's all part of growing up!

Secret to Sleeping Through The Night!

I didn't want to jinx it by writing this post earlier, but I think I've stumbled upon the secret to Em sleeping through the night! Ok, it's not completely through the night, she still wakes up for night feed(s), but the difference now is that she ONLY wakes up when she wants a feed and doesn't fuss in between.

For the third night in a row last night, Em has slept from 9-ish at night till 1/2am and then through till 6.30/7am after her feed. It's a breakthrough!!!

The secret? Sleeping on her tummy! I use the word "stumble upon" above because it was only by accident that this happened 3 nights ago. I was at my wits end, almost wanting to trial CIO and had even kicked hubby out of the room that night. I had enough of waking every single hour from 4am till 7am, it was getting ridiculous. It was like she could no longer self settle past 4am and nothing else apart from sticking a boob into her mouth would soothe her. No amount of patting or shushing or picking up with no bouncing (yeah, no bouncing because I was also trying to disassociate rocking with falling asleep) would get her back to sleep (apart from boob). At the same time, hubby was also getting disturbed (and I sense annoyed) by her incessant crying which to him seemed like an ongoing thing throughout the entire night as he drifted in and out of sleep.

I must add that there were a few things I changed:

1. Took away her headrest (initially I thought it seemed more comfy for her and she had been sleeping in it soundly till recently);

2. Put her in a dressing gown so I wouldn't have to worry about her getting cold while fusing about (because I was going to pretend to be invisible and not attend to her the minute she fussed, in the hope she learns to self settle);

3. I covered myself up and slept slightly further from her so my scent will not be so strong (like dangling hot pies in front of you but not allowing u to have any);

4. Left her to fuss to see if she would settle on her own without any patting or shushing. Both when she stirred and also when she was trying to fall asleep after a feed.

So with the above changes in place, I fed her the last bottle and put her to sleep. When she stirred after only 1 sleep cycle, I was thinking "here we go again..." But as she fussed, I realised she was on her side (as she had been doing recently in an attempt to roll over whenever she's antsy) so I gave her a little push and as soon as she flopped onto her belly, the crying stopped! It was a miracle! I was so surprised I had to sit up for a while and check on her to make sure she was really ok. And she was because then she slept till about 2am! And then after her night feed, she slept through again (on her belly) till almost 7am! I couldn't believe it and so wish we had discovered it sooner. I was just afraid of trying it because she doesn't know how to roll from tummy to back yet funnily enough.

Anyhow, I'm really glad that it was such an easy "problem" to solve. Or maybe it was a combination of factors too... With her maturing slightly with each passing day too. I guess we've made progress! Yippee!

Rolling Over!

At 15 weeks and 4 days today, Em rolled over completely on her own for the first time! She's been trying for a couple of weeks now and could always get over, but her arm would remain stuck underneath her. Today, I left her and she managed to maneuver her arm out from underneath herself! She holds her head up really high too, so proud of my little girl! ❤

Next, we will have to see when she can roll back onto her back on her own because she lays on her front and then doesn't know how to undo it! So cute when she has that frustrated "now what do I do?!?!" face haha!

She has also been moved to her crib - gotten too big to fit the bassinet already. But I think in her eagerness to master her new skill, it could be interfering with her sleep as we've got a couple of bad nights lately where she wakes after every sleep cycle (i.e. every hour!) and is not able to self settle. I really need to know how to teach her to self settle - both for her sake and mine! Waiting on delivery of a book called "Baby Bliss" by Jo Ryan" (recommended by Vick!), let's hope I'll be able to learn something from it before we're destroyed by this horrible sleep (or rather waking) habit!

Putting Em down for Naptimes - 15 weeks

Em is 15 weeks old today and I just put her down for her 11.30am nap - awake! I'm slowly trying to transition her so that she gets used to going into her crib (or bassinet still for now) awake and falls asleep for her naps herself. It's getting to a stage where she's getting too heavy to rock to sleep anymore. My arms just cannot hold all that weight for such a long time anymore (Em is 6.5kg as of this morning).

I've been researching on various methods of putting bubs down for naps, from Jo Ryans vs Tracy Hoggs, to Gina Ford vs Tizzie Hall, so my plan is to follow the "shush and pat" method instead of any CC or CIO methods. For now, I still have to rock her till she's drowsy, but at least I'm putting her into her crib with eyes still open. Hopefully with time (soon!), she'll be able to do without the rocking. I think I need to create some sleep associations next... Let's hope this nap lasts at least her full sleep cycle (i.e. that she won't suddenly wake after 10 mins without falling into her deep sleep!). It would be a bonus if she manages to self settle and has 2 sleep cycles!

On a sidenote, it was the second night last night that Em only had one feed at night (um, apart from one at 11.30pm that I think I could have avoided, but gave in due to my own sleepy state). I have started dreaming strangely lately, where I'll dream it's a particular time, like 2am, so when I hear Em stir, I believe it's 2am, only to realise its much earlier when I look at the time... Strange dreams I've been having!

First night of "success"!

Well, it was a sense of achievement for me last night as Em managed through the night with only 1 feed! I tried really hard not to pick her up when she stirred and made little cries and yay, we kinda made it!

I realized that Em seemed to be falling into a pattern of waking at 1am and 4am every night so my aim is to push the 1am waking a bit later and eliminate the 4am feed altogether so she only wakes once. Last night was pretty successful on that account!

So here's what happened: Em still woke at 1am and I fed her as usual (added in a bottle in the hope it would keep her fuller for longer, although she didn't take much of it so we returned to the boob). And then I put her down to sleep and as usual, she woke at 4am again, which I normally presume is for a feed, but last night, I decided to try to hold it off for as long as I could, just to see if she could let sleep overcome her instead of hunger. And she did! I managed to pat and shush her past one more sleep cycle, but come 5am, she was fidgeting again and made a little cries. I thought I might have to feed her then, was almost going to pick her up, but then realized she was dozing in and out of sleep - i.e cry and fidget then still for about 10 seconds, then fidget and cry a little again and then become still... So I decided to resist picking her up and continued shushing and patting some more. This only worked for 10 mins at a time before she would stir again so by about 5.30, I picked her up to see if she would settle without crying for a feed and she did!

So then I slept with her in my arms, all the while shushing and patting as she stirred through every sleep cycle and we made it! Until I reached for my phone to check on the time and accidentally made a loud bang that woke her. That was alright then because it was 6.45am (yay!!) and she was due for her 7am feed anyway.

I'm so happy!!!

Although she didn't self settle the last few sleep cycles and we broke all the rules - i.e me rocking her and holding her to sleep - at least I know she CAN last through without that extra feed! Let's hope I can do it again tonight!

3 Months is Magic

Em turns exactly 3 months old today and I must say, things certainly DO get better. They weren't lying when "they" said so! I'm trying to think back to the initial weeks and it's hard to remember how difficult it was. I mean, I do remember it was hard - super hard - and it still is, but things have definitely taken a turn. Partly also, I guess, is the fact that I've accepted that I will never ever enjoy sleep ins ever again, or the definition of "sleep in" may be till 8am if I'm lucky. And I'm still waiting for the day to come where I get an uninterrupted 8 hrs of sleep!

Anyway, back to how things have taken a turn - Em actually lets her Dad carry her now! Not just during the day, but even at night! Woohoo! That's one major step towards better days already. Not only so, the hubby is even able to put her to sleep for her daytime naps! Next step will be putting her down for her nighttime sleeps - then I will know for sure she's REALLY gotten better.

The Chinese believe when a baby turns 100 days old is when they stop crying (for no reason) and become "better". For Em, that will be 7th Oct so we shall see if any change happens!

A major 3-month milestone is Em's ability to hold her head up high. She's gotten really good at it and can stay up for about a minute or so - and she loves it! What a strong neck she has :)

I love my daughter!

Putting an overtired baby to sleep

Em missed her late afternoon catnap today and boy was it hard to get her to settle after that! My mistake I guess was putting her down into the rocker a bit too early and she woke because she hadn't dropped off into deep sleep yet. From there, it was an uphill task of trying to get her to take her nap again before the next feed.

The Stroller didn't even work it's magic this time (noooooo! It always works!!!). And so after a quick trip out to pick up some dinner, hoping she'd fall asleep along the way (which she didn't) it was back to shushing and rocking and singing and patting to try to get her to nap before 7pm.

As time grew closer to 7, I knew all hope was lost so I decided to feed Em, hoping she'd then be full and sleep then. It worked! She fell asleep! But she wasn't in deep slumberland yet so I thought I'd hold her while I ate dinner and hope by then she would be in deep sleep. Er... Nope! Wide awake in less than 10 mins! Oh the frustration! Not just for me, but I'm sure Em wanted to sleep just as badly but just couldn't.

By now, I had gobbled down my dinner in under 3 minutes and it was almost 8pm. Em usually goes down for her nighttime sleep by 8.30! Ok, quick feed and maybe this time she'll go down for good. Not quite... So I decide to proceed with her bedtime routine which includes a bath. Finally after the bath, more feeding, a lot of shushing, rocking and singing, one failed attempt at putting her down too early, Em falls into deep slumber at about 10.30pm.

I watch her for a while to make sure and with a huge sigh of relief, finally take a shower and quickly rush to sleep because I know in a couple of hours (if I'm lucky), Em will wake and it will be time to feed again...

12 Week Milestones

Emma is 12 weeks old and achieving new milestones!

Her neck is getting really strong and she's attempting to lift it up when I lie her on my lap or when I sit her up, slightly inclined backwards. She looks as if she wants to sit up on her own already!

We've also been having good tummy times, she hasn't been crying like she used to, I think it's because she realizes she can hold her head up and have a new view of the world. I'm helping her roll over and over and over... We'll see when she masters that art on her own!

Another exciting milestone is her willingness to lie on her playmat for almost 15-20 minutes on her own! Record so far is almost half an hour! She never let me put her on the playmat before so I'm really glad she's maturing in this area. Albeit the tv has to be turned on to maintain her interest... But anything right now so my hands can be freed for a bit at least, yay!

With her fist sucking, she's almost finding that elusive thumb, but still mostly putting her whole fist in her mouth. Very cute but also makes her hands quite smelly ><

E.A.S.Y routine update!

Yay! I'm so glad to say we have a routine established! Well, sort of... It changes a little some days but it's still pretty good! I still get confused in the evenings and try to play by ear, just making sure Em goes to sleep before 9.30! So here's our EASY routine so far:

7am: (E) Feed

7.45am: (A) Give Emma a body wipe and diaper change. Talk and play with her while she lies on the change mat. She's really happy in the mornings and will laugh, smile and coo back at me when I play with her. I do this for about 10 mins then if she looks content, I quickly dash into the shower for a quick morning rinse myself. After this, I take her with me while I make breakfast and sit her on my lap facing me while I eat. All the while singing and talking to her. She loves it!

8.30am: (S) Naptime. Emma routinely gets quite sleepy about 1.5 hrs after she wakes so around now, I start rocking her and putting her to sleep. She'll usually fall asleep around 9 for about 45 mins. This is when I have "ME" time (i.e the Y for "you" in "EASY"). Sometimes I nap as well if it's been a bad night, or I quickly get some work done or do some light housekeeping.

10am: (E) Feed (Emma usually automatically wakes from her nap on cue so I rarely wake her)

10.45am: (A) Diaper change and sometimes a morning walk. This part is really hard to drag out till the next nap time because I kinda run out of songs to sing and things to say without boring myself.

11.30am: (S) Naptime. If we are out in the stroller, Emma usually will stay awake and content in her stroller until its about this time before she will fall asleep.

1pm: (E) Feed

1.45pm: (A) this is where I kinda run out of things to do with her cos by now I'm also a bit sleepy myself. Sometimes I'll wash her hair, sometimes just sing and play with her.

3pm: (S) Naptime - usually I will nap during this time too.

4pm: (E) Feed - usually I will have to supplement this feed with a little formula as I start to dry up.

4.45pm: (A) walk around the house, play and sing with her.

5.45pm: (S) short catnap while we quickly eat dinner

6.30pm: (E) feed - this one is usually a full bottle feed plus both boobs too just to "tank her up" for the night.

7.30pm: (A) bath time - Em loves her baths!

8.30pm: (S) sleepy time for the night! I'll start rocking her and singing to her and usually she'll be asleep before 9.30pm.

These days, Em sleeps right through till about 1am when she wakes for a feed, then at 5am again. Each time I'm usually able to put her straight back into the bassinet and she will keep sleeping. This is a massive change because previously she would awaken and then cry to be picked up. As much as I love sleeping with Em on my chest, it's nice to be able to sleep on my belly without holding onto anything too!

Hopefully soon we'll be able to get rid of the night feeds or reduce them to just 1 a night. Baby steps!

To shave or not to shave...

Emma's balding!!! She started dropping her hair around the 9 week mark and there are ugly bald patches on the back of her head boooo! It's Chinese custom to shave the baby's head when they turn 1 month, theory being they will grow back a fuller head of hair. I don't know how true that is and I've always said I won't do it BUT now I'm mildly tempted just so it will grow back evenly at least! Hubby has the shaver ready as soon as I give the go ahead but I'm still um-omg and ah-ing. What if it doesn't grow back... ><

Update (11.5 weeks): Emma's hair is starting to grow back yay!!! It's still uneven because we didn't end up shaving it, but no more bald spots yippee!

10 weeks old... And very active!

Lil' Em is 10 weeks old today! The amount of energy this girl has amazes me - she can kick her legs for hours on end and even though she may be tired, her legs just keep kicking and kicking... Much like the times when she was still in my belly and I could feel (and see!) her kicking away for hours at a time. Aren't newborns supposed to live to sleep at this stage??? Anyway, I've decided to chronicle a few of her milestones to date:

- Smiling, Cooing and Laughing

Em not only smiles back when I smile at her now, but coos and laughs too when I talk to her! I love having mini conversations with her in the morning - that's when she's at her best. After her morning feed, which is usually between 7-8am, I'll lay her on her change mat for a diaper change, wipe her body down with a warm cloth, bicycle her legs (she loves this and will give a big smile everytime you move her legs) and then spend a few minutes "talking" with her. If she seems happy and content, I'll quickly have a morning wash, brush my teeth and pop my contacts in, ready for a new day. Usually that's all the time I have for before Em starts to make a little noise, which I now recognize as the "pick me up, I've had enough lying here on my own" cry.

- Stronger neck, back and leg muscles

Lil' Em is quite capable of holding her head up on her own without support for a good 20 seconds or so before she flops down again on my shoulder. Her legs are also pretty strong, I swear she can almost stand up on her own! Sometimes I think she will start walking before she crawls...

- Maturing (i.e.Louder) cries

I used to think I could differentiate Em's cries (based on the "baby whisperer" method) but now is when her cries are becoming much more distinct. It's as of she's just discovered her voice and can (and will) actually scream and pout to show displeashre. Usually this sort of cry is her way of saying "pick me up!" or if I'm already holding her, then it means she's simply tired.

- Slightly more settled

The past few days when I've tried putting Em down in the rocker, she has been content to look around and kick her legs for a while (about 10-15 mins) before she would ask to be picked up again. She loved the rocker as a newborn and would sleep for hours in it. I thought it was a godsend at the time, but unfortunately this did not last long and she was soon crying everytime I tried to put her in it. Sitting content in it for short periods again is an improvement! We have hope...

On that note, I've also taken her out twice on my own to quickly grab some takeaway and to my surprise, she is happy to sit in the stroller (as long as she's been fed) and will actually fall asleep in it! Not only so, she wasn't even falling asleep straight away, but happy to sit and look around and be slightly mesmerized by the toys hanging on the front of her stroller. Very optimistic about this because it means I can soon venture out to the shops on my own - as long as I make sure she has a full belly :)

Feeling positive! Now... waiting for that magic "turn" for the better every mummy tells me about!

E.A.S.Y Routine

I'm in need of a routine!!! Em is now just a few days shy of turning 2 months old and I already feel in need of a routine. Surely it would benefit her and us as parents too? All this uncertainty, haphazard sleeping patterns and prolonged feeds one day after another (growth spurt they tell me
- well it feels like one constant growth spurt since she's been born) doesn't feel healthy for any party and I really don't want any bad habits to start forming unknowingly.

So I did a trusty google search and discovered Tracy Hogg's (aka The Baby Whisperer) EASY routine. How did I not come across this before?? Well I guess I wasn't looking because the first school of thought that was drilled into me is to "work around the baby". "Let the baby lead your schedule" everyone said. "Feed on demand". And so that's what I've been doing for the last 2 months but mannnnn it's tiring! And frustrating too! What works one day, doesn't always work the next (i.e. baby has no schedule - how could she possibly?) With no domestic help (I'm alone at home all day with Em while the hubby is at work), I'm feeling so restricted - I need a teeny weeny bit of predictability please.

So, back to the EASY Routine. Is it as "easy" as it sounds? I sure hope so! After reading a few articles on her method of soothing, calming and helping baby sleep, I feel more assured that I will soon have ME time. Don't get me wrong, I love Em to bits and would sacrifice anything for her, but this, I feel would also be good for her! So hopefully I'll work out some sort of routine soon and be able to share it with you!

Liberation!

Today was the first time in exactly 7 weeks that I actually sat down to a meal outside the boundaries of our home! Albeit it was a quick wanton mee + dumpling soup lunch in a food court, but just doing so was so... liberating. I didn't even realize I hadn't had a meal that wasn't cooked at home, or take-out, or delivered, until I actually had my noodles sitting in front of me with my daughter sleeping soundly in the stroller next to me. Ahhh... Such simple pleasure ^_^

On another note, we were out because Em had to get her first vaccination jab today. "I will have to stick this needle into her thigh and then further into her thigh bone." the pediatrician said. OMG Whuttt?? Into her thigh bone?? That just sounds PAINFUL!! My poor baby... So as I held her leg firmly, the hubby watched the needle go deep into her little thigh while I watched her face turn instantly from a calm expression to one filled with distress and pain, beetroot red and crumpled as the pain hit her and she all of a sudden let out a huge wail - so heartbreaking 😥 but she did well! The cry only lasted about 30 seconds and then it was as if nothing ever happened 😊 what a good girl!

Update: The pead said that most babies develop a fever a couple days after the jab, but I'm so glad Em made it through without falling sick! She must have her daddy's amazing immune system!

Hello!

Hello! This blog is exactly what it says it is - a diary of a First Time Mum (FTM). Here is where I will tell my stories and experiences on bringing up my firstborn, Em. I hope to chronicle her life events so I'll be able to reminisce one day and she'll also have something to read about herself!