Back to my 20s

This afternoon, I sent an SMS to Sito on something totally frivolous and which could wait until after work. And he replied! I was very happy :)

Sometimes, in the midst of a busy day, isn't nice to contact a loved one and to hear from him? :)

(The SMS - I asked Sito if I should get a new small sling bag that's big enough to hold a brolly and a water bottle. He said yes :) so I bought a cheap one!)

Except that I was hardly busy - I was on the way to town to shop and have a facial! Claiming my off day from weekend events to rest but I was rushing in the morning cos ZK woke later than expected. After sending him to IFC, I rushed to get soy milk for Sito's breakfast.

Then I packed more of ZK's clothes into storage while waiting for the dryer to be done so that I could go out. But I decided to check work email and the dryer was done before I was done with work! Ended up rushing to head out to Ikea where I finally took my time to walk about. But the showrooms were too nice and I lingered too much. Had to rush to pay and go home to put down the stuff so that I had time for Daiso before facial.

Actually, quite busy right? :p

But the facial was relaxing. As usual, had a good chat with my long-time massage and facial therapist before dozing off during the mask. Actually, I think I was out even before that..

But something sad came up too.. I had a body scrub before the facial as I had an extra side treatment that I didn't utilise the last time I was there, which was December last year. And when she was scrubbing my belly..

mf: 肚皮松了⋯⋯
M: 脚也松了。
mf: Huh? Oh, 小腿啊？ (recalling that my calves turned soft after my post-delivery massage drained out lots of water from there)
M: 大腿也是，以前多么firm...

:(

Should have saved the bag shopping for after facial :(

Anyway, that M should say that was interesting. Just two hours before, I felt my 以前...

As I walked into Plaza Sing, I had this odd feeling - I felt strangely single despite the rock on my finger! Not just baby-free, you know, but single! Perhaps cos I saw my reflection. I was wearing this pink and slightly off-shoulder top that I used to wear a lot in my 20s, and a super mini mini skirt also from my 20s that I'd probably have to give up should the cellulite ever decide to take up permanent residence in my thighs.

But I wore those a lot when we were dating too and even after we got married. I figured it was the place - we used to go there quite a bit. But more than that, I think, I felt young today. I felt like I was back in my 20s, going to town all the time, watching movies with Sito, looking for makan places etc.

Do I miss my 20s? I think I do, or at least I miss some specific aspects of then - I miss the freedom I had; I miss the frequent dates and the fun we used to have; I miss being able to do anything I liked at the drop of a hat; I miss my firm body of course!

Do I want to go back to my 20s? In thoughts, yes, it was nice to revisit that feeling today. But I like myself better now, and my 肚皮 is flabby for a very good reason. I was reminded of that very good reason as I dashed by the statue of the jelly babies on my way out of Plaza Sing. Yes, it was time to rush again - home to fetch my baby :)

Eat, ZK, eat!

I was so happy this evening - my little boy finished his bread and drank some milk!

He was feverish on Saturday. Although that went down by Sunday, he developed a slight cough with a lot of phlegm. And he started to take less of everything - breakfast, lunch, dinner, milk. The fever returned every night until last night. His cough got worse. Although he continued to eat and drink in school, probably cos he saw other babies doing so, he refused food and milk at home for the past two days.

Actually, he refused proper food, cos he still wanted his Gerber puffs *.* I was afraid he would be hungry without some milk when he woke so I gave him some puffs to see if he would take them. Of course he did, the little picky eater! Luckily, he was willing to have water. Else I wouldn't be able to give him the puffs. I have been quite worried cos he used to eat everything even when he was ill. The last time, he even welcomed medicine!

Then this morning, he finally took some milk AND some medicine! I put some puffs in the box on his activity table and let him find them. Then I placed his water bottle and his milk bottle on the floor for him to choose. He picked the milk bottle! :) But he didn't hold the thing high enough. After a while, I carried him to drink. I also managed to give him cough medicine when I used his spoon instead of the syringe! Big boy ah..

And just now, I placed a piece of multigrain bread with butter spread on his food tray. He was hesitant at first. And then he picked it up and started his messy eating! He also took his medicine and had some milk after that, better than nothing! And he was smiling during dinner and at the changing table - think it helped that our part-time help was around; he was fascinated with her and the hoover ^.^ Later, he was happy when I played with him in his room. He became even happier when he discovered the humidifier! Yes, every new gadget within reach will become his new toy *.*

I decided on the humidifier on Monday night and rushed through Tuesday lunch to get it - had to go to Isetan Scotts for the discount and send it home before going back to office again! I could hardly stand when I got to my desk. Not to mention that I was feeling unwell too - this baby virus was potent..

Hope he will sleep better tonight and be better when he wakes tomorrow morning. And of course, eat more real food and put on the weight he's lost in the past few days!

Happy Friday!

Because Sito is coming back tonight / tomorrow morning! :))

And my busy period is over - for now at least. Had some survey analysis to do - my first since 2003 hoho! - on top of frequent and super intensive vendor meetings to settle a new IT system at work. The IT system fields are pending final clearance, and the papers have been cleared and submitted for a meeting. Hopefully no change is required after the meeting next Tuesday...

Anyway, point is, now I have time to upload photos! Finally put up photos for August - scroll further down to see a photo parade of my baby, and along the way, enjoy these shots and videos too :)

Cut ZK's hair again on 3 August but we had to wait a little as the baby spa was quite busy.. Nvm, cos ZK was happy!



And he found joy in this old scoop...



Also splashed water around crazily for the first time! He's starting to enjoy himself in water as his membership draws to an end next month.. Oh well, the Buona Vista pool is just downstairs!



That evening, we set him down on the train seat for the first time.. Quite happy!



ZK loves to be with Papa when he's home. We think perhaps he knows he won't get to see Papa on usual days.. He wants to stick to him even on the massage chair..



We also think he likes gadgets. The bigger, the better!



Finally a clear shot of the back of his neck! Curious line down the middle..



This boy has a very clear preference for food. He loves Mum's stewed pear juice.



He also loves chips but only good ones - we had fish and chips for two consecutive Saturdays and while he wanted only chips the first time, he didn't give much attention to them the second time cos they were a bit old! And today, the mashed potato didn't even touch his lips and he pronounced them inedible just by smell - we think he doesn't like cheese unless the smell is masked by, say, chocolate..

His IFC was closed on 7 August so we were home. His morning activity was to play with Papa's instant noodles :)

First I crush them into smaller bits... Then I eat!!



Oh but I should open it first...



Well now! Isn't this a familiar scene?! :p



Day after National Day, I gave him the NDP funpack light stick to play with. At first, the length made him fall backwards to the floor! Then he managed it better and kept trying to pull out the tip - to eat of course!



Same day but his clothes got wet from a leaky bottle. I like him in this sleeveless tee - so beng, so cute :p And I love this series of photos with Papa!

Waving his flag frantically while Sito made a face.



My boys happened to be looking my way :)



Back to his flag..



And I love this expression!!



Wanted to take a picture but ended up with a video instead..



Once, he went behind me and leaned on my shoulders, shifting his head from left shoulder to right shoulder, playing with me! It was so fun :)

Oh, I've decided since that day to let him wear shorts or pants. His legs are getting longer - so long that it seems obscene to not wear bottoms haha! Time to learn anyway.. I'm sure time will fly to the point when we'll have to toilet train him...

The next day, he wore his dried clothes from Saturday am :p And cos he just had some milk, we walked around a bit before baby spa. Found a random bike in Mothercare - he knew how to get on with some support :)



Just yesterday evening, I barely removed his bottle and stuffed in his pacifier when he flipped into this position and continued sleeping. Probably cos his back was very warm against the bed as he was having his milk..



Just now when I went in, he was sleeping in this position too. I bet he would be sitting on the floor when he wakes me later. The past week, he hasn't been sleeping well. I ended up just sleeping on his bed while he rolled around, sometimes onto me. A couple of times, he walked out of his room and came back shortly!

Oh ya, he can walk a lot more now. Quite funny sight cos he's not very steady yet, still walking like a penguin :) And I realised this morning that I should keep a tighter watch on him cos walking is quieter than crawling! No more little hands slapping the laminate floor or little knees squeaking against the tiles! Can't wait to bring him out tmr for a baby walkabout :)

ZK is 13 months old!

And six days... I forgot he turned 13 months on Monday, losing track *.*

So Sito went back to work on Thursday and Friday. And so suay, I had to bring my laptop home on those two days!

But my frustration at that disappeared on Thursday when ZK walked towards me at the IFC. He walked 10 little steps! (Yes, I was counting!) The best part was, when he lost his balance, he didn't start crawling; he stood and tried to walk again. Ah, the internal drive to walk is showing!

Now he can pat his chest when asked who ZK referred to. He did that during his dinner. Super cute :)

This was in school - Teacher D sent me this photo :)


Source: Teacher D

He can also pat his head - quite hard! - when I ask about his head. But he isn't consistent. Sometimes, he would ignore us..

That evening, I also discovered that his upper right front tooth had cut through! The growth rate seemed faster than that of his lower left front tooth, which is still 1 mm with its neighbour showing only its tip for the past two weeks. Just a week ago, I could only see the white under the gums on top.. So fast.. And yesterday, I thought I felt the rough edges of his upper left front tooth too but I'll have to verify that when he next allows me to put my finger into his mouth..

He was drinking milk when he started pulling his hair, his very short hair. Has he just discovered hair?? So fun to watch :)

Friday, yes, laptop home again but I left work earlier so that I had time to drop it at home before fetching ZK. No need to walk down the IFC stairs gingerly balancing my 10 kg baby on my left and three bags - his bag, my bag, my laptop bag - probably totalling 10 kg as well on my right! Now, I just hope that ZK would wake before 7 am (but not waaay before!) on Monday so that I could send him to school then come back to get ready. Else, I would have to do the same balancing act but going uphill. I've done it before - not fun!!

Yesterday, ZK walked around in the MRT train on the way to and from Harbourfront. He was so happy! Will upload pictures and video next week.

I want to hold on to the pole..



... and the hand rail on top too!



And Mama was so busy filming him that I let his stroller roll off!



A digression on his new umbrella stroller..

We got him a new umbrella stroller! He sat in it within an hour of its arrival! What's with that look, baby?



Went to Mother's place but I forgot about all the stairs... Luckily, it was quite light.. Check out the smallness next to a regular stroller:



His second time in his umbrella stroller - with shoes!



Anyway, he's also babbling a lot. And he would point to things he notices. Now he can spot cats and dogs very quickly! Once I thought he was pointing to a passing car but no, he was pointing at the dog across the street!

I had to work yesterday so Sito sent him to school and fetched him back. He told me that when they got home, ZK found the vitamin bottle on the floor - yes, we give him random household things to play with! - and went to his treasure box to search for the cover for it. So smart to recognise the cover but how come cannot pop blocks into the same shaped holes?? He has a couple of toys to match shapes and he would pull up the entire cover with the shaped holes and put the blocks in directly!

This morning, we went out for my breakfast and grocery shopping. But no chance to put him down to walk. When we got home, however, he decided to walk and walk and walk!

Upgrade back to his regular stroller - but with shoes!



He also played a lot on his own, which was good cos there was a lot to do this morning - keeping laundry, preparing his bag for tmr, unpacking work bag from yesterday etc. I gave him a magazine from my work bag and within seconds, the cover was off! He also tore his flag quite badly... And on Friday, I was carrying him when he reached up and pulled a paper crane off a hanging ornament! 破坏王!!



Oh but something happened yesterday while he was playing on his own during the parents' nap. When he got sian and woke me, I found that the orange in his book of fruits no longer had a stem, just like the apple and mango which had also lost their green stem... I found wet bits of paper on the floor BUT none of them was green *.* I don't want to imagine where it is...

Anyway, when I finally managed to sit down with him, it was to cut his fingernails. I took about an hour - an hour! to cut the left side *.* He usually snatched over the clipper and tried to stuff it in his mouth, or running all over the place with him tailing him, sighs.. Managed to cut the right side as he fell asleep just now. He dozed off after less than a minute of struggling in my arms - woke before 6 am this morning.

After a bout of late waking last week, he has been waking earlier this week and more often during the night. Blame it on his teething.. But it was tough on me, me who has a couple of ulcers again.. Last night, I was in pain but luckily Sito was able to calm ZK down for his first waking after midnight. Won't be so lucky tonight - Sito is going to Japan tonight for work and won't be back until the wee hours of next Saturday! :( And the worse :( is that we could have gone with him for free, kindly offered by his boss! But we aren't sure about the radiation, with ZK so small so we pass up the chance.. Man, I miss going to Japan!

Anyway, I'd better go prepare for my lunch appointment later, before ZK wakes. Be meeting a friend whom I haven't seen for a year and who also suffered a miscarriage lately, just a couple of weeks after me. Lots to catch up!

Good vs. great husband

Was it Sunday? I was just thinking 男人真好命，吃了饭可以坐下来看电视, when Sito turned to me and asked if I needed help. Yes, I did! So he helped me to keep ZK's clothes.

Sito has been getting days off - at first, it was just Monday. Then Monday night, he learnt that he would be getting Tuesday off. Then Tuesday night, he learnt that he would be getting Wednesday off! It was all unplanned so I didn't take leave.

But we did meet for lunch at Keisuke Tonkotsu King near my workplace on Tuesday :) We then went to buy diapers as they were on sale! Four big packs! He brought two home while I kept two at the office so that I could bring straight to IFC next time. He walked me back to my office and we parted there. After he left, the lady at the security counter said this, "So sweet.. You should have sealed with a kiss.." So funny!!

Sito fetched ZK on all three days while I packed our dinner on the way home. And with practice, Sito got better at helping out! I came out of ZK's room to a tidy kitchen. No toy on floor, no rubbish on the dining table - I only had to wash ZK's bottles!

Ahhh, so nice to have him around :)

I'm always envious when I hear of husbands who help out a lot, be it in the house or with the kids or, better, both. My husband is, first of all, seldom at home on weekdays. When he's home, he usually wakes up late. When he's awake, he may be clueless as to what to do to help. I have also realised that I need to give very specific instructions. But that's also I'm very precise in where I keep things and how I do things.

Sometimes, Sito would tell me that he's not a good husband. But he's actually a good husband! Just that now that we have a kid, he's thinking "husband" and "father" separately instead of "husband and father", together. There's a lot more to do now. Even when we get full-time help, which we hope would happen by end of next month, I would still need his help cos there are certain things that parents should do, like playing with kids.

Anyway, he can learn, like I did. It's not like I was born with the innate ability to fold his shirts nicely, mop every corner or bathe the little one. And as we watch ZK learn, we should really be motivated. When was the last time we really learnt something new?

Almost walking..

This morning, the IFC teacher went MIA.

I arrived at 7.15 am to find the kindy teacher carrying a five-month-old. Apparently, the usual teacher was on leave for her son's enlistment. But the covering teacher wasn't very well the past few days and she could be on MC. Or she forgot. And the second teacher wouldn't be in until 8 am.

While the kindy teacher contacted the necessary people, I brought ZK around the ground floor - he messed up the book shelf, tried to pull a card out of an older boy's hands, almost climbed up to sit on a little chair, reached out to touch a jiejie's arm (she had food in her hand), took over a toy from under a jiejie's nose, beat the crap out of the box holding the fire extinguisher.

More kids came in, most of them in pre-nursery. Then as I was roaming the room with ZK, I heard her, "oh no, the twins are here!" Poor teacher, she was really stressed with having to watch over so many kids!

But luckily the twins' mum and helper stayed on to help while we all waited for reinforcement. Which came in the form of...the auntie! She cooks and does general stuff at the centre. The kindy teacher asked her to help watch over the older kids while she led the IFC group upstairs. She put the five-month-old in a rocker - he was happy there - and picked up ZK who started crying after I put him down.

Poor boy.. Thankfully, he gets distracted with a toy or a little friend or two.

Poor mama too.. Reached home just before 8 am to prepare for work, which started with a 9 am meeting! And I managed to make it in just after 9 am before they started! Phew!

Oh, ya, walking.. So yes, main point is supposed to be that ZK can walk a lot now just by holding one of my hands! Hopefully very soon, he would be able to let go and walk on his own :)

i-angel hip seat carrier

Na alerted me to this:


Source: Facebook post

We tried it at her place last week, with just the seat. I was quite happy with it - ZK could sit on it comfortably, facing inwards or out. I could imagine that if the harness part was attached, he would be snug but not wrapped too tight. I love his current carrier but with his thighs getting chubbier, it's causing deep red marks on his baby skin - poor baby :(

Happy National Day!

My toes celebrate with me!



Ok, two days late cos I was working on National Day and we were watching a movie last night.. So long as I'm in this job, I'll always be working on National Day, sighs.. No hope of balloting for parade tickets or sitting in front of TV watching the parade.

I like to watch the parade, especially "live" at ground zero where the atmosphere is simply amazing. I like to watch the VIPs march in and catch anyone who doesn't sing the anthem or national songs :p I like to watch the parachuters do their formations and descend to thunderous applause. I like to see the soaring jets fly by and be momentarily deafened by the roar. I like to hum along to the choir as they lead the crowd in the national songs, and the old ones can make me cry. I like the fireworks at the end and the burning smell if I'm at the parade.

Watching ZK wave his little flag happily these few days, like I once did, I wondered what went through his mind. I have been telling him about National Day and Singapore but he's probably too young to understand. Someday, however, he will, and I hope he will love this little country like I do.

Many things now are different from my childhood. Every so often, I get little notes from his school informing us when they are celebrating the various festivals and the school compound will have hanging posters and handicrafts commemorating these festivals. I don't remember much of celebrating festivals before primary school except for National Day, probably because we got to sing a lot and I loved and still love to sing.

I think I just need to be more observant and I would be able to see his world through his eyes. In the words of the judges for all those singing and talent competitions on TV, ZK's personality is really coming through... He has been pointing a lot - to things he sees, to where he wants to be, to whatever he likes.

On Thursday, I brought him to Happy Willow. He was so happy there! We walked a lot between the toddlers' area and the "cafe" because there were so many things he wanted to play with! He could get on and off the wooden horse by himself, although I must keep watch in case he lost his balance. He also pretended to wash his hands under the fake tap! (Although he might not have known it as pretending!) I brought him to wash his hands after my toilet trip which he insisted on coming along while at Na's place earlier. Then at the "cafe", when I asked him to wash his hands, a little girl did that and he followed!

There was a party there and there were balloons on sticks lying around. He was so excited to have found one - and then another! He chose the new one over the old - bah! He simply wouldn't let go even as he crawled around playing with various stuff. But I managed to whisk it away sneakily..



He opened and closed the cabinet many, many times...



Yesterday, as we were walking towards Plaza Sing, he pointed excitedly at the statue of the jelly babies and babbled duh duh duh! We went closer for a look and on our way out, he so wanted to be near it that we took a photo - took a bit of time getting him to face the front though.. Photo to be uploaded soon...



On our way to baby spa, he got excited at the Build-a-Bear Workshop so we went in after baby spa. He was wearing shoes so we held his hands and walked him towards a little stuffed dog. He kept pointing to the dog and almost wanted to sit on the floor!

Love that face full of wonder as we walk past things that catch his fancy. Yes, his personality is coming through indeed :)

It was a very good weekend. We slept a lot! Yesterday, ZK woke at 8 plus - very amazing! I just wanted to go have a look but he lifted his head when I went in - he might have slept more if not for me! Not the first time already.. Perhaps next time I should be less kaypoh..

Anyway, I napped with him a lot. Even after he woke from his afternoon nap yesterday, I just left him on the floor and continued napping :p The room door was shut but everything within reach was safe to touch. He played on his own for some 30-40 min! So proud of him :)

Went to baby spa again today - at Harbourfront. He had a great time too. And we went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop there too! Seems like our malls are quite similar hur... Bumped into gynae's nurse whose daughter is two months younger. ZK was friendly and reached out to touch her face. He even waved bye bye at my first request!

Speaking of baby spa, yesterday, we saw the pretty aunty from Harbourfront who was transferred to Plaza Sing. She was very happy to see us - actually, just ZK! - and told us that she was wondering what if ZK wanted to cut his hair and she was not there, as she was usually the one doing it. We always thought some of the staff at the Harbourfront branch really liked ZK. We feel fortunate that our baby is well doted on by others too :)

Hands

I started hitting my fave pair of hands in the world, sighs...



Last week, I hit ZK's palm when he threw his milk bottle everywhere. He smiled at me and started clapping - fail!

I told and demo-ed to Sito over the weekend and he said it was not painful so there was no impact.

So this week, when he threw his bread all over the place, I hit the back of his hand, and hard. He stared at me, confused, and whined a little. He ate the next few bits but started throwing soon again. I didn't want to use food as punishment so I ended his sandwich time and gave him more milk instead before bed.

My poor little boy - his hand was a little red :(

But at least he's starting to learn that when he does something he shouldn't, he would have to suffer some consequence.

Actually, I didn't want to use physical punishment. But I realised in the past two weeks that at this age, reasoning is not going to work. I hope he can quickly understand more and more.

Anyway, we went to find Na today. I carried QY for a few seconds - both babies didn't like that at all!! Returned QY to her mummy and picked up my baby instead, gee... He's a little bit sticky lately, been whining and sometimes crying when I left him at IFC, and looking for me whenever I was out of sight in the house. I need to assure him more of my existence even when I'm not within sight, and that when I leave, I will always, always come back to my baby :)

Baby randoms

1)
Zk has a wider forehead than me. He's one. I'm 33.

*.*

2)
Last weekend, Sito said ZK looked fatter than a week ago. It's true - just now, I found that his fat thighs could no longer fit into his relatively new PJs! The PJs are now buttoned at the crotch and above - half of them are hanging loose next to his legs! Time to whip out his newer PJs which are the next size..

3)
ZK can now stand for his shower! The first few times we tried, he kept wanting to kneel or sit. Later, he seemed a little scared. Last weekend, I put on a nonslip mat and ta-da! He stood there nicely for me to wash his hair, his face, his body :) He even turned around and pinched his old friend - milk milk factory! Ouch...

But it wasn't easy washing his butt crack and soles so I still carried him up at the end to wash those areas. Good start!

Next milestone - shower him without showering me.

Update 8 Aug 2013:
Showered him without showering me yesterday! Legs got a bit wet though.. Less wet today, and he was very happy! :)

4)
My son is quite the sadist. Recently, he likes to pinch. Besides pinching me in the shower, he also likes to pinch the inner part of my upper arm when he's lying in my arms. That's very painful - try it yourself!

Or he would find my protruding collarbones funny or something and try to scratch them - with his very sharp nails!

He also likes to hit my face with his fists or palms. Maybe he's trying to pat me - I pat him to sleep sometimes and he does the same to me with his left hand on my back. Just that his patting is super hard!

I've been very abused *.*

5)
He loves to sleep like a frog, faced down. Adjust him and he starts stirring! Ok, frog, you shall be then!

ZK's routine

My baby log app tells me that I last fed my baby 23 days and 4 hours ago... Well, I stopped logging his feedings obviously.. His makan is now pretty standard.

I love routines. I love to plan. I get frustrated when plans go awry. But baby routines are just hard to fix. May this be the only thing I cannot control in my little life..

*** *** ***

Weekdays:

5 am - 7 am
ZK wakes. Yes, super wide range. I try to make him sleep again if he wakes too early though. Key word is "try". It was easier when I was breastfeeding. If I'm successful, I'll start to prepare for work before he wakes again at around 7 am.

Anyway, he takes some milk in his bassinet while I do three important things: put together bottle parts on the drying rack, brush my teeth, pee. If I have time, I'll prepare his multivitamins, pack his pacifier and even prepare/have my breakfast.

After his breakfast, I'll give him his multivitamins and some water before packing in his water bottle. If he's good, he'll play a bit on his own while I move around doing chores or preparing for work, depending on the time. Else, it's straight to the changing table.

6.50 am - 8 am
That's when we'll leave the house, depending on when he wakes up. Sometimes, I'll play baby tunes to him on the way to school. His wheels have no stereo but music is music :)

7/8 am to 6.45 pm
School time! He usually takes cereals at about 8.30 am, followed by some milk at 9+, then porridge at 11+, then some milk at 1-2 pm, then some fruit for a snack around 3 pm, and some milk at 5 pm. He would nap two or three times as well, usually after milk. But I prefer that he doesn't nap at 5 pm so that he would be tired enough to go down for the night!

6.45 pm
Hello Mama! The other day, he was playing at the wall mirror and I was watching him from the door. Then he saw my reflection, turned and crawled towards me :)

7 pm
Home! I'll let him down if he's willing or carry him to the bathroom with me so that I can wash my feet. Then, if he's still on me, he has to come down so that I can change into home pants - I can't stand coming in contact with our beds in street clothes. But since I don't lie down with ZK later, changing bottoms will do.

Then, I'll play Chinese flashcards on DVD - he's not too interested until the end when a song comes on! But I haven't done this since his fever. Should resume soon..

Next, dinner time for ZK. Cereals or oatmeal or bread, topped with a biscuit or some Gerber puffs so that I can clean up a bit while he gets busy with his hands. But he's quite smart with the puffs. I gave him his usual 10 or so this morning after his cereals, and he was stuffing his mouth like crazy until the last one - he bit on it slowly before releasing the thing into his mouth..

7.40 pm
Milk after a diaper change. Since his fever, he hasn't been drinking as well for breakfast and for bedtime. He keeps throwing the bottle away! I've taken to reducing his morning feed but bedtime, he's already not having much in the first place so I make him drink it by carrying him instead of letting him lie on his bed. But last night, he was good drinking in bed. Let's see how tonight..

8 pm - 9 pm
ZK rolls in bed for one minute or 60 (!) before falling asleep, depending on when he wakes for his last nap. I must sit beside him or he will knock on the door until I go in! But if I think he needs more sleep, I'll carry him to sleep instead. Then I'm freeeeee!

Um, not really. Time for cleaning up the rest of his dinner, washing his bottles and day pacifier, preparing my dinner, putting his toys away and preparing his bag for IFC the next day while my dinner is too hot to eat, having my dinner finally, mopping (thank goodness for MagiClean!) and showering. That's when I really get to rest, unless it's laundry day - I will have started the machine either during his biscuit/puff time or right after I come out of his room. Then some time after my shower, the laundry will be ready for the dryer or for hanging up if it's ZK's clothes - so small they dry pretty fast.

10 pm - 11 pm
If I'm up to it, or if I'm waiting for the dryer, I come online. Else, it's off to bed! ZK could wake at any time! For the first four days last week, he slept through - between nine and 12 hours! After that, he got up just once - but for two to three hours! Last Friday, after two hours, I wanted to sleep so much I let him cry. He was whimpering and whining most of the time, and I could hear him crawling between his bed and the door. I went in after five min, put him in bed, and left. And he started whining again. Another 10 min, repeat. Another 10 min, forget it, I lay down next to him and we both dozed off. Fail *.* Last night, he finally stopped rolling for two hours but he got up two or three times. That was easier to handle though.

Weekends:

5 am - 7 am
He wakes at about the same time - weekend or not! But ytd, he woke at almost 8 am cos he was rolling too much at night. I slept on even when he was up; he was quite happy crawling about in his room which was bright by then.

On Saturdays when I have events, I'll somehow prepare his porridge to pack into his IFC and send him off before I prepare for work. Otherwise, instead of going to the school after milk milk and diaper change, we go to the supermarket for a walk and get ingredients for lunch if nec and some groceries. Then, we play a bit on the floor until...

8.30 am - 9 am
Cereals! He eats a lot so no need for milk like on weekdays. Then, we play a bit more - just now, we were playing catching! :) Now he knows how to run crawl away from me :p

10 am
Nap time! Next to Papa, no less. If I'm lucky, he will sleep for up to two hours, during which I'll make his porridge (Saturdays only; Mum prepares for Sundays) and do housework. Then, when I'm sure he's sound asleep, I cut his nails - sneaky! :p If I'm tired and there's time, I lie down too. Or blog, like now :)

12 pm - 1 pm
Porridge. This could happen outside - restaurant on Saturdays if he doesn't go to IFC or Mum's place on Sundays - since Sito and I need lunch too.

2 pm - 3 pm
Nap time again! He needs only two naps if they are good. I like him to wake by 4 pm so that he could have some milk and we could go out (Saturday) or play at home (Sunday), and so that he would be tired enough for bed later. But ytd, he slept at three plus and woke at almost 5 pm. We still went out but came back late - just nice for him to be tired enough to sleep.

6 pm - 7 pm
Dinner for everyone if we're outside on Saturdays! Usually we'll give ZK something from our plate, unless it's only ramen - too long, too salty. Then, we return to shower him and put him to bed. On Sundays, we'll shower him first before giving him some cereals or oatmeal. The parents will have something (usually sinful) after he has gone to bed. And I do my usual cleaning up..

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I'll probably update his routine next year after he has graduated to pre-nursery - good luck to him man, cos kids there follow a fixed nap time! Um, good luck to us too *.*