Squiggles just turned over from her back to tummy! Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. At precisely 2102hrs Singapore time. Oh god I am so sad :))). At the age of 4 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. Get a grip girl. And DD was there to witness it as well which is kind of sweet since he misses most of her 'firsts'. I need to get a life. But I'm so happy.
*trails away skipping and humming tunelessly*
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
A tradition, from me to you
When I was a little girl there was always one festival that I loved and looked forward to above all. The day I would be revered like a deity. The day I was supreme. It was the Ashtami (the 8th day) that fell during the Navaratri (Festival of nine nights). My mom would fast during the Navaratri and it was on the Ashtami that she would break her fast but only after she'd done THE puja in the morning. Every morning I would start my day with, "When are you going to do my puja?". She would always respond smilingly, "It will come, don't worry. Ashtami is till a few days away".
I'd wait impatiently for the week to pass, constantly lamenting the requirement for the puja to be held on the 8th day. Patience has never been my virtue :). Finally after what always seemed like months (in fact exactly 7 days), the morning sun would herald the much awaited day.
The preparations for the day would start early. The prasad had to be prepared. Traditional stuff - kale chane (black chickpeas), sooji halwa and hot puris. Once she was ready she would sit me down in front of the mandir (temple) and bend down in front of me. Very carefully she would pick up my feet and lovingly wash them with water. Then she would wipe them gently with a soft towel and place my feet back on the floor. Reverently she would touch my feet seeking my blessing. A little red tikka would find it's way on my tiny forehead. A little bit of the sweet milk that she prepared specially for me as Charnambrat. A beautiful thali filled with all the yummy treats that she'd prepared earlier would rest by her side. She'd break off a bit of the puri, take some of the halwa and chana and feed it to me. And keep doing so till I'd had my fill. She'd then hand me a token sum of money which was free for me to spend as I chose.
Last night when I realised that today was Ashtami, all the wonderful feelings associated with the day came rushing back to me. I was smiling as I thought about how excited I would get about the day, how special and superior I'd feel because my mom would wash my feet. And how such a simple gesture made me feel so cherished. I thought how lovely it would be for Squiggles to have such memories too.
So, even though there were a number of things lined up for the day, I decided to do the simple ceremony for her. My own tradition for her, handed down to me from my mom and now for her to enjoy and hopefully one day to hand down to her daughter.
Here she is with her dainty little feet bathed in milk.
"Ooh I want one". She truly understands that the whole purpose of the day is to enjoy the food!
"What's this Ma?" She won't be saying that for long!
"Something else that can go in my mouth. Good."Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Night Night
DD's friend from London sent Squiggles this really really cute PJs from BabyGap. They're sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute, I think you get the picture. No really, you get the picture. Here.
I just had to show you guys. I want one too. NOW.
Oh and while I'm at it, I've been going bonkers with the camera today (plus DD is out for dinner so I have nothing better to do) and here are a couple of my favourites.
I just had to show you guys. I want one too. NOW.
Oh and while I'm at it, I've been going bonkers with the camera today (plus DD is out for dinner so I have nothing better to do) and here are a couple of my favourites.
If you look carefully you can see a drop of her drool just below her chin :).
Sweet words and a kind soul
Awards are always nice. You like them and appreciate them. So, when Mnamma dropped by and said she had one for me I went through a range of emotions - excitement, happiness, calm acceptance and then nonchalance. 
That is until I went along to her blog to read about it. And my jaw dropped. In fact I'm still struggling to close it a bit. The generous soul that she is, she not only gave me the award but also had these wonderful things to say about me.
She is smart, funny and writes wonderfully. She has this knack for finding humor in even some of most mundane daily happenings! Here is to you ‘Posh Domestic Engineer’:)
Mnamma - Have you been reading someone else's blog????????????????????
If it weren't for the reference to 'Posh Domestic Engineer' I would have thought she'd made a mistake. So I read it again. Sure enough all these words were being used to describe me. Wow. I know I know but it sure feels strange *shaking head from side to side in disbelief*.
Me???? Wow.
So, even though the award is nice the words mean much more. Mnamma, you managed to find time from your busy life of being so many things in addition to a wonderful mommy of twins to say such kind things. Thank you. It means a lot.
In turn, it's only fair that I don't hog it all to myself but share it with the people who really make this a community.
Desi Momz Club - All the fantastic mommies at DMC. I need to get my rear in gear and get involved too but there's time for that. I have to tell you that I love reading up on what you all are up to.
Kodi's Mom - I don't know why but I like you :). Maybe it was Kodi's cake that did it (I'm still dreaming about it). I love the way you write - straight from the heart. And you always have a warm word to say whenever you visit any blog.
Choxbox - Maybe it's the London connection but you're my link to a world that I no longer inhabit. And so this award is very appropriate as you take me back to a place I love. I know you've already received it but what the heck it's free *oops*.
DotMom - I enjoy reading what you have to say. You write so clearly and calmly that I tend to linger to see if something else will turn up.
Y - YOnEarthNot??? I think you're really funny and I want to see how gracefully you accept this award *cheeky grin*.
Ta da.
That is until I went along to her blog to read about it. And my jaw dropped. In fact I'm still struggling to close it a bit. The generous soul that she is, she not only gave me the award but also had these wonderful things to say about me.
She is smart, funny and writes wonderfully. She has this knack for finding humor in even some of most mundane daily happenings! Here is to you ‘Posh Domestic Engineer’:)
Mnamma - Have you been reading someone else's blog????????????????????
If it weren't for the reference to 'Posh Domestic Engineer' I would have thought she'd made a mistake. So I read it again. Sure enough all these words were being used to describe me. Wow. I know I know but it sure feels strange *shaking head from side to side in disbelief*.
Me???? Wow.
So, even though the award is nice the words mean much more. Mnamma, you managed to find time from your busy life of being so many things in addition to a wonderful mommy of twins to say such kind things. Thank you. It means a lot.
In turn, it's only fair that I don't hog it all to myself but share it with the people who really make this a community.
Desi Momz Club - All the fantastic mommies at DMC. I need to get my rear in gear and get involved too but there's time for that. I have to tell you that I love reading up on what you all are up to.
Kodi's Mom - I don't know why but I like you :). Maybe it was Kodi's cake that did it (I'm still dreaming about it). I love the way you write - straight from the heart. And you always have a warm word to say whenever you visit any blog.
Choxbox - Maybe it's the London connection but you're my link to a world that I no longer inhabit. And so this award is very appropriate as you take me back to a place I love. I know you've already received it but what the heck it's free *oops*.
DotMom - I enjoy reading what you have to say. You write so clearly and calmly that I tend to linger to see if something else will turn up.
Y - YOnEarthNot??? I think you're really funny and I want to see how gracefully you accept this award *cheeky grin*.
Ta da.
Does anyone else also think that...
.... Shah Rukh Khan is going the Michael Jackson way???
I recently saw promos of his latest movie 'Om Shanti Om' and boy oh boy does he look effeminate or what. I am convinced he has had a face lift. It's like his facial skin has been stretched, it's so sleek and smooth. He gyrates like a hijra (eunuch) - chest all waxed out, shiny substance rubbed over....ugh *shudders*.
This is how MJ also started his evolution from black man to RIN safedi white.
SRK's made enough money, has countless cronies, is treated like a King and yet continues with this grossness. Let's see some genuine acting mate. Where's the DDLJ guy who made hearts flutter, I ask.
And for all the SRK fans out there.... I'm wearing a bullet proof vest (I'm not afraid, honest).
I recently saw promos of his latest movie 'Om Shanti Om' and boy oh boy does he look effeminate or what. I am convinced he has had a face lift. It's like his facial skin has been stretched, it's so sleek and smooth. He gyrates like a hijra (eunuch) - chest all waxed out, shiny substance rubbed over....ugh *shudders*.
This is how MJ also started his evolution from black man to RIN safedi white.
SRK's made enough money, has countless cronies, is treated like a King and yet continues with this grossness. Let's see some genuine acting mate. Where's the DDLJ guy who made hearts flutter, I ask.
And for all the SRK fans out there.... I'm wearing a bullet proof vest (I'm not afraid, honest).
Friday, October 12, 2007
Positive Infants
As I mentioned the other day, Squiggles and I did something special this Wednesday. I realised a few weeks ago that I'd been in Singapore 6 months and didn't know anyone besides my parents and cousin. What with being 8 months pregnant, having a baby, moving homes with an infant, hosting guests from India and just getting used to motherhood I'd been lazy about meeting new people. I was getting bored of just sitting at home and only mouthing goos and gaas all day long. I needed to get out there, meet some people, preferably with babies, so that Squiggles could benefit from being in a different environment with other adults and babies too. I don't think going to the mall counts because that's more like going to the circus really. All flashing lights, people rushing about, lots of noise - I'm sure that's how Squiggles perceives the whole thing.
So, when last week I received an email from the centre where I attended my ante-natal classes about a mother-child 8 week session I thought what the heck let me give it a try. This was their excellent marketing stunt.
Combine gentle yoga play, careful sensory stimulation ideas, massage and lots of musical moments, expressive communication and you have here a program that engages young infants, creates and strengthens neural pathways and aids their growth. All these while accompanying parents develop the skills of positive parenting through guided parent forums.'
I'm trying to find ways to meet new people and this seemed a good way to start. Plus they were offering a trial session so I didn't have to sign up for the full 8 weeks till I'd sampled it first hand.
The session started at 2 but I decided to get there earlier so I would have enough time to feed and change Squiggles. It's a good 30 mins away and even though I fed her before we left home I fed her some more when we got there just to be sure she wouldn't be hungry and cry during the class.
There were 5 other Mommies and babies there. The youngest baby there was all of 2 weeks old! In fact Squiggles was the oldest baby there :). I'd almost forgotten what she was like when she was tinier but it was so nice to be reminded of just how oh-so-sweet newborn babies are like. I really must admire that woman. I was so zonked out in the first couple of weeks that heading out of home alone with Squiggles was not something I would have even considered. And here she was all alone with her 2 week old looking so cheerful and happy.
It was a nice friendly group and we soon started chatting as all new mums do. Does he do this? Does she do that? Oohing and aahing over each other's kiddos. Someone even said that they thought Squiggles was younger than 4 months which is definitely a first for us! A couple of people were late so we waited for a bit and chatted to the teacher. I thought she was a bit artificial. You know the kind of people who smile deliberately and are ultra sweet. I've found that here in Singapore people in the service industry are all very smiley and sweet. Now I don't mean that I want sour faced people but rather a lot of it seems feigned and not genuine. Or maybe after the non smiling British it's taking me time to get used to what may be genuine friendliness. Whatever.
Anyways, she was really good at the whole thing. We did little stretch exercises, sang songs, danced around with the babies, did texture stuff. Not rocket science, most stuff that I would do with Squiggles through the day in any case. I realised I didn't know any of the songs except Wheels on the Bus and I was really relieved when we came to that one, so much so that I mentioned it aloud as well. That's when an Australian lady next to me looked at me and said "Me too. I only know ABCD". I realised none of us knew the songs and we were just pretending all along! Phew, I didn't feel like such a useless mom after all. By the way, does anyone out there know any Hindi rhymes or songs for kids? Or if you know where I can find them I would be grateful. I seem to be singing only English ones to Squiggles and I want to rectify that.
It was a lovely afternoon, all young mamas completely enamoured with their little ones, secretly praying "Please don't cry". There was a shared camaraderie and feeling of warmth that pervaded the room. Maybe I haven't been out with like minded people in a long time. But it was very relaxing. The babies looked at each other curiously as they lay on the mat. The older babies cooing and gurgling through it all. Squiggles behaved beautifully which was a relief as she has really developed an attitude recently but that's the subject for my next post.
However the one thing that really made the session worthwhile for me was the realisation that unconsciously DD and I had ended up making very negative comments around Squiggles lately. Typical statements pervaded our home - "She's so cranky", "She's such a tantrum queen", "Oh she's going to cry now". Not that we didn't say anything positive or kiss her or hug her but that the negative statements were there more frequently than is good for any child. During the class, after every exercise the teacher would ask us to hug and kiss the child and "honour them for their participation". Every time we did that I saw Squiggles gurgle, coo and smile and I realised I wasn't doing that often enough at home.
I came back with the firm mind of changing how I said things around her and I think it's already working. For example, she always starts crying when I put her in the car seat, so now when I do so I say, "You're such a good girl. I know you'll enjoy the car ride." and I follow that up with a few smothering kisses. I'm leaving her with something positive while I leave her in an environment which she doesn't like. Or now when she's whimpering during a diaper change however annoyed I am, I bend down and hug her afterwards and thank her for being patient. And the whimpering stops and she looks at me with her eyes wide and her face splits into a grin. She's been very difficult for me to handle lately and I have been feeling very frustrated but this approach makes me feel like I am making an effort to approach everything in a more positive way. I can see that it makes her more relaxed and I find myself feeling better about the time I spend with her.
Needless to say, we're going back :) and I'm looking forward to making some new friends.
So, when last week I received an email from the centre where I attended my ante-natal classes about a mother-child 8 week session I thought what the heck let me give it a try. This was their excellent marketing stunt.
Combine gentle yoga play, careful sensory stimulation ideas, massage and lots of musical moments, expressive communication and you have here a program that engages young infants, creates and strengthens neural pathways and aids their growth. All these while accompanying parents develop the skills of positive parenting through guided parent forums.'
I'm trying to find ways to meet new people and this seemed a good way to start. Plus they were offering a trial session so I didn't have to sign up for the full 8 weeks till I'd sampled it first hand.
The session started at 2 but I decided to get there earlier so I would have enough time to feed and change Squiggles. It's a good 30 mins away and even though I fed her before we left home I fed her some more when we got there just to be sure she wouldn't be hungry and cry during the class.
There were 5 other Mommies and babies there. The youngest baby there was all of 2 weeks old! In fact Squiggles was the oldest baby there :). I'd almost forgotten what she was like when she was tinier but it was so nice to be reminded of just how oh-so-sweet newborn babies are like. I really must admire that woman. I was so zonked out in the first couple of weeks that heading out of home alone with Squiggles was not something I would have even considered. And here she was all alone with her 2 week old looking so cheerful and happy.
It was a nice friendly group and we soon started chatting as all new mums do. Does he do this? Does she do that? Oohing and aahing over each other's kiddos. Someone even said that they thought Squiggles was younger than 4 months which is definitely a first for us! A couple of people were late so we waited for a bit and chatted to the teacher. I thought she was a bit artificial. You know the kind of people who smile deliberately and are ultra sweet. I've found that here in Singapore people in the service industry are all very smiley and sweet. Now I don't mean that I want sour faced people but rather a lot of it seems feigned and not genuine. Or maybe after the non smiling British it's taking me time to get used to what may be genuine friendliness. Whatever.
Anyways, she was really good at the whole thing. We did little stretch exercises, sang songs, danced around with the babies, did texture stuff. Not rocket science, most stuff that I would do with Squiggles through the day in any case. I realised I didn't know any of the songs except Wheels on the Bus and I was really relieved when we came to that one, so much so that I mentioned it aloud as well. That's when an Australian lady next to me looked at me and said "Me too. I only know ABCD". I realised none of us knew the songs and we were just pretending all along! Phew, I didn't feel like such a useless mom after all. By the way, does anyone out there know any Hindi rhymes or songs for kids? Or if you know where I can find them I would be grateful. I seem to be singing only English ones to Squiggles and I want to rectify that.
It was a lovely afternoon, all young mamas completely enamoured with their little ones, secretly praying "Please don't cry". There was a shared camaraderie and feeling of warmth that pervaded the room. Maybe I haven't been out with like minded people in a long time. But it was very relaxing. The babies looked at each other curiously as they lay on the mat. The older babies cooing and gurgling through it all. Squiggles behaved beautifully which was a relief as she has really developed an attitude recently but that's the subject for my next post.
However the one thing that really made the session worthwhile for me was the realisation that unconsciously DD and I had ended up making very negative comments around Squiggles lately. Typical statements pervaded our home - "She's so cranky", "She's such a tantrum queen", "Oh she's going to cry now". Not that we didn't say anything positive or kiss her or hug her but that the negative statements were there more frequently than is good for any child. During the class, after every exercise the teacher would ask us to hug and kiss the child and "honour them for their participation". Every time we did that I saw Squiggles gurgle, coo and smile and I realised I wasn't doing that often enough at home.
I came back with the firm mind of changing how I said things around her and I think it's already working. For example, she always starts crying when I put her in the car seat, so now when I do so I say, "You're such a good girl. I know you'll enjoy the car ride." and I follow that up with a few smothering kisses. I'm leaving her with something positive while I leave her in an environment which she doesn't like. Or now when she's whimpering during a diaper change however annoyed I am, I bend down and hug her afterwards and thank her for being patient. And the whimpering stops and she looks at me with her eyes wide and her face splits into a grin. She's been very difficult for me to handle lately and I have been feeling very frustrated but this approach makes me feel like I am making an effort to approach everything in a more positive way. I can see that it makes her more relaxed and I find myself feeling better about the time I spend with her.
Needless to say, we're going back :) and I'm looking forward to making some new friends.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Busy Busy Busy
It has been that kind of a week. I've had so much on, not one moment's peace and yet I didn't do anything! Do you know that feeling? Well there's loads to tell so hang on to your seats coz this is going to be one loooooong post :).
Where do I start. Oh The Body Shop had a massive massive sale last Friday so of course I couldn't miss it. I cancelled my training session (which is sacrilege) and took Mum, Squiggles and my maid along. It was fabulous. Mum and I were like a couple of chickens, look here pick up stuff, look there pick up more stuff, put the previous stuff back, pick up other stuff, oh the stuff there is cheaper blah blah blah. I bought loads of body creams, gift sets, lipsticks, shower gels to give as presents when I go to Delhi in Dec (oooh I can't wait). I know that I won't have the time to buy specific presents for everyone because of Squiggles so I hoarded. It's such an easy present as well since most people like The Body Shop stuff. And I bought myself a mandarin orange salt scrub which I still haven't had a chance to use but I know it's going to be fabulous. I ended up spending loads but that's besides the point isn't it :).
Then went along to buy frozen foods for family in Delhi since my Mum was going to India this week. Anybody looking at my trolley would be forgiven for thinking there was a food shortage just that they hadn't heard about it yet! My whole family is a foodie just like me so sending food is the best gift you can send. In fact if you send presents but no food people are so disappointed whereas food without presents isn't a problem. Got back home late and just crashed. I had frozen pizza for dinner (like the ones you get in Waitrose back in London... sigh I miss those) and DD was happy with dosas, a win-win situation.
On Saturday went gymming in the morning and couldn't drag DD out of the house until the evening because of the bloody grand prix as well as countless replays of all ODI's that India has ever played. Now I do love cricket but really I can't get the whole excitement of watching a replay when you already know the result! It just beats me.
Saturday evening was fabulous though. When I managed to drag DD out of the home, we went on a long drive with my dad and Squiggles. We decided to navigate without a map and just meandered along, ending up in places we had never been to before. In 45 mins we had covered most of Singapore :) and just by chance we ended up close to a fabulous Italian restaurant where we wanted to eat but didn't have the telephone number to make a reservation. Instincts or what?? So, we booked a table for 9.30 the same evening. Then we headed down to a gorgeous cafe which I'd last been to in my last month of pregnancy. We had some really nice tapas and coffee and headed back home. Squiggles was a model baby through most of it. She slept on the long drive, woke up in the cafe and behaved beautifully, threw a hunger tantrum on the way back so ended up feeding her in the car, very typical.
Barely had we made it back home than it was time to head back for dinner. I nursed Squiggles, put her in her PJs and we headed to the restaurant. She was a darling and fell asleep on the way and slept all through dinner even though it was really noisy. It was a really relaxed dinner. A gorgeous Chianti, great food (pizza just like I've had in Rome, superb), divine desserts. We had this Chantilly cake which really melted in the mouth, honestly I am not exaggerating. I've decided I'm getting that cake for my birthday. Yummy. We headed back home and crashed about midnight.
The next two nights were a bit zombie like because Squiggles woke up during the night for a feed. So the days are a bit of a blur. Actually now that I think about it the blur is clearing. Oh how could I forget, she was super super cranky Sunday and Monday. I cannot express my frustration with her those two days. It was her 4th month birthdhay on Monday and it was really hard for me to stay positive with her throughout the day. I had no idea what was wrong. She kept whining and wanting milk. I felt like I was on demand 24 hours. She refused to go to anyone else. Really tough.
In the midst of all this, we had her 4th month check up on Tuesday morning. I dropped my dad at work, rushed to the doc with the entire entourage (mum, S and maid :)). Her weight gain was stagnant over the last 2 weeks. So, we're back on her reflux medicine. The doc asked me to try giving her a bottle of expressed milk everyday to get her used to taking the bottle. We're back for a review in 2 weeks. If she doesn't take the bottle by then, then we may need to start giving her solids. Here in Singapore the docs don't give solids until 6 months especially for girls because they believe this is the best time for the child to build up on calcium deposits which will help them later on in life. So, that's the answer to your question Rbdans.
My mom left to go to the hairdressers while we were at the doc. I rushed around to get Squiggles' medicines, formula (while we're trying out the bottle the doc didn't want me to waste my precious expressed milk, once she takes the bottle I will start giving her expressed milk), cloth diapers and other stuff. Realised halfway through that my mum had walked away with the car keys!! So we were stuck in the mall until she was through with the hairdressers which was in a different part of town. Sigh. I decided to buy a birthday present for my sis while I was waiting. Left Squiggles with the maid in the nursing room and started shopping earnestly. Mom called to say she was asking her maid to come to the mall with the spare set of car keys. I finished shopping but the maid was no where to be found. She turned up 45 mins later by which time my Mom had already reached home but couldn't get in because she didn't have her house keys and her maid was out delivering the spare car keys to us! Finally we got the car keys and I took my mom's house keys from the maid so I could give it to her on the way back and set on our way. We had barely reached the lift when my mom's maid came running back because the keys to her bicycle lock was with the house keys. Such a comedy of errors. Phew.
We reached home at 1 and barely had time for mother daughter to have our respective showers and lunch before we headed back to mum's with stuff for her to take to India. Took a breather for 30mins then headed to the airport to drop Mum off. Picked up Dad from the office as well as he couldn't bear not to bid her farewell. Mum's off for 2-3 months and I'm mighty upset. For all the usual selfish reasons - where am I going to get good food from, who will help/guide about Squiggles, who will I vent all my frustrations at etc. etc. If Squiggles is even 5% better than me then that will be a big relief. On the way back picked up DD from the office as well and came home and crashed. Had barely put up my feet when Squiggles was at her tantrumy best. Several hours later crashed again. By which time I was so tired that I couldn't sleep. So lay awake in the dark staring at nothing, tossing and turning. And soon it was morning and the start to another day.
It was a much better day and Squiggles and I did something different which deserves a separate post. So, I will promptly do that one as soon as I've finished ranting. Phew.
Now that I have all that out of my system I can relax.
Oh I forgot to mention one very important thing, silly me. The doc said that Squiggles is a high maintenance baby and that I'm doing very well by dealing with her patiently. Now Squiggles, you're probably reading this when you're in your twenties. See, how nice I was even when you were such a demanding little brat. See how nice I was, am and will be. How're you gonna beat that girl???
By being super nice to me you ungrateful one!!! Which means you just need to buy me the gorgeous Ferragamo clutch that I've seen but cannot afford, the Aston Martin DB9 that I'm lusting after and while you're at it a villa on a sea cliff with a fully functional spa would quite nice too :). And no, I'm not joking.
Where do I start. Oh The Body Shop had a massive massive sale last Friday so of course I couldn't miss it. I cancelled my training session (which is sacrilege) and took Mum, Squiggles and my maid along. It was fabulous. Mum and I were like a couple of chickens, look here pick up stuff, look there pick up more stuff, put the previous stuff back, pick up other stuff, oh the stuff there is cheaper blah blah blah. I bought loads of body creams, gift sets, lipsticks, shower gels to give as presents when I go to Delhi in Dec (oooh I can't wait). I know that I won't have the time to buy specific presents for everyone because of Squiggles so I hoarded. It's such an easy present as well since most people like The Body Shop stuff. And I bought myself a mandarin orange salt scrub which I still haven't had a chance to use but I know it's going to be fabulous. I ended up spending loads but that's besides the point isn't it :).
Then went along to buy frozen foods for family in Delhi since my Mum was going to India this week. Anybody looking at my trolley would be forgiven for thinking there was a food shortage just that they hadn't heard about it yet! My whole family is a foodie just like me so sending food is the best gift you can send. In fact if you send presents but no food people are so disappointed whereas food without presents isn't a problem. Got back home late and just crashed. I had frozen pizza for dinner (like the ones you get in Waitrose back in London... sigh I miss those) and DD was happy with dosas, a win-win situation.
On Saturday went gymming in the morning and couldn't drag DD out of the house until the evening because of the bloody grand prix as well as countless replays of all ODI's that India has ever played. Now I do love cricket but really I can't get the whole excitement of watching a replay when you already know the result! It just beats me.
Saturday evening was fabulous though. When I managed to drag DD out of the home, we went on a long drive with my dad and Squiggles. We decided to navigate without a map and just meandered along, ending up in places we had never been to before. In 45 mins we had covered most of Singapore :) and just by chance we ended up close to a fabulous Italian restaurant where we wanted to eat but didn't have the telephone number to make a reservation. Instincts or what?? So, we booked a table for 9.30 the same evening. Then we headed down to a gorgeous cafe which I'd last been to in my last month of pregnancy. We had some really nice tapas and coffee and headed back home. Squiggles was a model baby through most of it. She slept on the long drive, woke up in the cafe and behaved beautifully, threw a hunger tantrum on the way back so ended up feeding her in the car, very typical.
Barely had we made it back home than it was time to head back for dinner. I nursed Squiggles, put her in her PJs and we headed to the restaurant. She was a darling and fell asleep on the way and slept all through dinner even though it was really noisy. It was a really relaxed dinner. A gorgeous Chianti, great food (pizza just like I've had in Rome, superb), divine desserts. We had this Chantilly cake which really melted in the mouth, honestly I am not exaggerating. I've decided I'm getting that cake for my birthday. Yummy. We headed back home and crashed about midnight.
The next two nights were a bit zombie like because Squiggles woke up during the night for a feed. So the days are a bit of a blur. Actually now that I think about it the blur is clearing. Oh how could I forget, she was super super cranky Sunday and Monday. I cannot express my frustration with her those two days. It was her 4th month birthdhay on Monday and it was really hard for me to stay positive with her throughout the day. I had no idea what was wrong. She kept whining and wanting milk. I felt like I was on demand 24 hours. She refused to go to anyone else. Really tough.
In the midst of all this, we had her 4th month check up on Tuesday morning. I dropped my dad at work, rushed to the doc with the entire entourage (mum, S and maid :)). Her weight gain was stagnant over the last 2 weeks. So, we're back on her reflux medicine. The doc asked me to try giving her a bottle of expressed milk everyday to get her used to taking the bottle. We're back for a review in 2 weeks. If she doesn't take the bottle by then, then we may need to start giving her solids. Here in Singapore the docs don't give solids until 6 months especially for girls because they believe this is the best time for the child to build up on calcium deposits which will help them later on in life. So, that's the answer to your question Rbdans.
My mom left to go to the hairdressers while we were at the doc. I rushed around to get Squiggles' medicines, formula (while we're trying out the bottle the doc didn't want me to waste my precious expressed milk, once she takes the bottle I will start giving her expressed milk), cloth diapers and other stuff. Realised halfway through that my mum had walked away with the car keys!! So we were stuck in the mall until she was through with the hairdressers which was in a different part of town. Sigh. I decided to buy a birthday present for my sis while I was waiting. Left Squiggles with the maid in the nursing room and started shopping earnestly. Mom called to say she was asking her maid to come to the mall with the spare set of car keys. I finished shopping but the maid was no where to be found. She turned up 45 mins later by which time my Mom had already reached home but couldn't get in because she didn't have her house keys and her maid was out delivering the spare car keys to us! Finally we got the car keys and I took my mom's house keys from the maid so I could give it to her on the way back and set on our way. We had barely reached the lift when my mom's maid came running back because the keys to her bicycle lock was with the house keys. Such a comedy of errors. Phew.
We reached home at 1 and barely had time for mother daughter to have our respective showers and lunch before we headed back to mum's with stuff for her to take to India. Took a breather for 30mins then headed to the airport to drop Mum off. Picked up Dad from the office as well as he couldn't bear not to bid her farewell. Mum's off for 2-3 months and I'm mighty upset. For all the usual selfish reasons - where am I going to get good food from, who will help/guide about Squiggles, who will I vent all my frustrations at etc. etc. If Squiggles is even 5% better than me then that will be a big relief. On the way back picked up DD from the office as well and came home and crashed. Had barely put up my feet when Squiggles was at her tantrumy best. Several hours later crashed again. By which time I was so tired that I couldn't sleep. So lay awake in the dark staring at nothing, tossing and turning. And soon it was morning and the start to another day.
It was a much better day and Squiggles and I did something different which deserves a separate post. So, I will promptly do that one as soon as I've finished ranting. Phew.
Now that I have all that out of my system I can relax.
Oh I forgot to mention one very important thing, silly me. The doc said that Squiggles is a high maintenance baby and that I'm doing very well by dealing with her patiently. Now Squiggles, you're probably reading this when you're in your twenties. See, how nice I was even when you were such a demanding little brat. See how nice I was, am and will be. How're you gonna beat that girl???
By being super nice to me you ungrateful one!!! Which means you just need to buy me the gorgeous Ferragamo clutch that I've seen but cannot afford, the Aston Martin DB9 that I'm lusting after and while you're at it a villa on a sea cliff with a fully functional spa would quite nice too :). And no, I'm not joking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
