It was on my birthday on 22nd Dec last year when I finally finally decided enough was enough. I am not letting Tufeil any of milk anymore! Don't mention about the pain and discomfort and lack of sleep from his 2 hourly snack through the night, but its more for both our mental well being, I imagine. LOL
Anyway, we just came back from our Turkish/Spanish holiday and were terribly jetlagged. I took one day urgent leave that was followed by the Xmas long weekend to recover from it. And so I thought, let's kill two birds with one day and take this opportunity to wean Tufeil off.
Firstly, was to get a change of scene. Me and Tufeil slept with my mum in her room while my dad had to sleep in mine. For the first 3 nights he didn't sleep till 3am. Dad helped to entertain him and mum helped to shush him when he woke up. He tossed and turned tossed and turned but finally he was too tired and fell asleep. If he woke up and cried for milk i just kept telling him "Mummy's milk is sick" and he would understand.
On the 4th night, we graduated back to our own room. He went to sleep watching videos from the computer. Luckily I have a wireless mouse so i could still lay down with him while at the same time click Replay on whatever is his favourite Youtube video of the moment. Initially I thought that its better to just play a longer video / movie for him so that he can fall asleep easily because there's not much excitement of changing to the next video or whatever. But turned out the opposite is true. A short video of say... 3 min is most ideal because it remains exciting even if you replay 5 times and usually by the 5th time, Tufeil would have fallen asleep.
I was a bit worried that school was about to reopen and his sleeping pattern was still not corrected. But the day before we went out and he got so tired he slept early. and by early i meant 12mn. And then slowly after the first week, his bedtime crept earlier and earlier till now he sleeps at 9.30pm back to usual timing before being weaned off. However, at this point of writing, he's been waking up at around midnight, cried like crazy just as I was about to go to sleep too that I couldn't pacify him. He let himself out, cried at the hallway waiting for my mum to open her room door and slept with her. Although I was relieved to not have to listen to him cry... i found myself not able to sleep without him on the bed with me =( It's been two nights like this. I hope it gets better.
Yes, I totally feel disconnected ever since I stopped breastfeeding him. In good times, i would bear hug him, tickle him senseless and everything but once he started crying, i just switched off. I don't know why he just won't be pacified by me and want his grandparents instead. But then again, kids are clever, they know how to play you. For eg: Tufeil, at bathtime, if it's my mum who brought him to the toilet, who would cry asking for me. And if it was me, he would ask for my mum. Aiyoooo!!
Anyways, immediately following the successful weaning, I had to work late a couple of nights and didn't really get to spend time with him. And our bond, to me, grew distant. When he was having fever, I thought, "Nahh it's ok... my mum can help to take care of him" I did not feel the urgency or need to be with my sick son. Is there something wrong with me? To be clear, i did take childcare leave on the 3rd day and he got well soon after.
So for the record, Tufeil was 2yrs 9 months old when he finally weaned off the Bmilk.
Tufeil's Weaning Complete!
National Day 2011 & Discplining Tufeil
Tuesday, 9th Aug 2011
What a relief to finally have a Public Holiday after a dry season in Jun and July! HAHA Badly needed sleep. Me and T slept till 11am after our pre-dawn meals for the fasting day ahead.
I made a double batch of Sarang Semut (Literally: Ant's Nest), a cookie made of castard flour and Chocolate Rice. Somehow, my second time of making this turned awry. (Read my first attempt here - includes recipe.)
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| It was very very dry!! |
The last time I made it, it was extremely soft!! This time around, I bought the normal Bird Eye's Custard Powder. I dont have the weighing scale at home and I think somehow my conversion from gm to cup is wrong.
200 g castard flour = 1 2/3 cup?
100 g plain flour = 3/4 cup?
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| Before baking |
Because Tufeil had woken up late this morning, I had a thought of not letting him nap so that he could sleep early that night, so I took him out to the playground. We went from one to the next to the next until we ended up at a a Woodhaven condo showroom across the next street (quite far) because T saw this intriguing snake balloon.
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| *SQUEALS!!!* |
We reached home close to 6.30pm. He scraped his knee just a few metres from home on the way back. and became very cranky... he was sleepy I know. So I let him watch the National Day Parade which was just starting.
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| Finally, he saw real soldiers marching |
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| LIfe-sized Food Costumes |
We were so engrossed by the show that we missed iftar by a few seconds. Astaghfirullah!!!
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| These canons looked impressive on this vessel |
By 8pm, Tufeil was already asleep! But at 10pm he woke up and was FRESH!!! He wanted to play and play. At 1am, I decided enough was enough. He had to sleep, or else! So i took away the iphone and commanded him to lie down and sleep. He cried hard. So I left him in the room in semi-darkness and closed the door. And waited about 5 seconds before entering again.
He still asked for his hippo (and dog) on youtube and I said NO, YOU MUST SLEEP! IT'S LATE! When he started crying again, i left him in the room again. After yet another 5 seconds, I came into the room again. I gave him an ultimatum, he could stay in the room alone or nurse to sleep. He cried for a few more seconds while I lied down shutting my eye... and then suddenly he snuggled up beside me and promptly fell asleep. It was 2am. But only after 3am did I finally sleep myself, on the floor, due to a hardcore blocked nose. (Am still having one as I type now 3 days later!)
I can tell you that this is quite a bold move from me. I'm learning to be a FIRM mother by reprimanding Tufeil when need be. I used to just ignore his wails and tantrums, tuning it all out. But I realised that this won't help Tufeil in distinguishing what's good and what's bad as he is in the phase of testing boundaries.
So I consulted with my 11 Besties (on whatsapp as we've been for the past 3 months or so) and we exchanged ideas on parenting and disciplining children. I feel much better now and in control of the situation, sort of, instead of being bullied by my own 2 yr old!
Wish me luck in discplining Tufeil!
Short Holiday, Wish me Luck!
My parents are going to Vietnam next week Mon-Thurs. That means I hafta take leave too to take care of Tufeil. Of course, ideally I should go to. Alas, @ $595 per adult and god knows how much for toddler, I can't afford it. Saving for December holiday, instead.
I'm a little nervous at the prospect of being with my own child 24 hours a day for almost 8 days straight. Almost because, I'll get a brief respite on Fri when I get back to work before the weekend hits again. Having said that, my schedule is quite jam packed already. We'll be going out almost everyday... Or rather, T would. We'll be meeting two of my housewife friends I haven't met in so long and we got a birthday party to get to this Sunday.
Actually, the biggest fear I have is a second start to weaning T off breastmilk. Because I've been through it before in March and it was VERY VERY VERY VERY TOUGH, I almost dread to face it again now. But I told myself, June should be a good time to start. For one, he's almost 2yrs 3 months. Another, it's the school holidays, so whatever sleep he's gonna lose due to discomfort wouldn't affect school.
This time around though, I'm gonna arm myself with vinegar. I'm just trying to figure out how to apply it in the middle of the night when T wakes up and cries. I mean, I can't just leave him in the room to go to the toilet and put it now, can I?
I've heard of a friend's friend who took 6 weeks to wean off their 2yr. He cried for 6 weeks straight. Imagine that! But I bet the child slept through the night, so at least that's bearable. Tufeil wakes up every 2hours. Everytime he woke up the last time I was training him, I'd hafta carry him around for another 30minutes or so before he'd go back to sleep. Even then sometimes, he would instantly wake up again when i tried to put him down on the bed.
Why can't he be an angel and accept my hugs and kisses and soothing voice in place of the BM???
First Silat, Solat, Selawat Lesson
Ok First thing's first. The Good. We were meeting the besties to have our first ever Silat (Malay martial art) lesson for our boys.
VENUE: Pasir Ris Park
TIME: 9am
Luckily, I had the car that morning so I could drive us down all the way that morning. The only problem is I had to trouble Ly to set up the child's car seat. I was quite surprised that Tufeil was very good in the seat all by himself at the back. Of course, I prepared him some toys but mostly, he enjoyed the view asking for the double decker bus every 100m or so and napped (on the way back).
A canvas was set up for the boys to stand on
Warming up Jog
The only thing Tufeil really liked and participated was the jogging / running. He had some difficulties following the punching and kicking actions. I know he can spread his legs apart and bend his knees but he was perhaps just lazy to do it and leant against me instead while I held his arms and legs to act the part.
I did tell the organiser that I'm here on a trial lesson and am not taking this very seriously because Tufeil is much too young and because its much too far and too early for us. It's more for social exposure for him. Let me reiterate that its for HIM because I barely get to talk to my friends at all between holding him, feeding him and taking pictures. =(
Now for the sad part. Tufeil napped on the drive home. I reversed park to a lot in the loading bay. I came out again to adjust my alignment and was about to reverse when I saw another car was reversing perpendicularly and towards my left front wheel. I was totally stunned and froze! And came the inevitable knock.
The layout to help you imagine.
My car's damage
His car's virtually unscathed but he claimed that the bumper line is a bit off
SAHM Day 7 - Last Day at Home
Wed, 16th May 2011
Since this is my last day as a temporary Stay At Home Mum, I thought I'd stay at home and rest amidst household work.
Tufeil was out half of the day leaving me to cook a bit, clean a bit, rest a bit.
In the evening, I was supposed to send him over to Ly's place to overnight so I won't be late for work the next day but I just didn't have the heart. I'll send him the next morning and let him sleepover.
My hopes for an early night was trashed as T cried a lot, making me feel like I should have just sent him over. I think the mistake lied in turning in to bed too soon (8.30am) and taking the iPhone away from him. I bet that if I hadn't, he could've slept in 30min instead of 1hour 30min. Aiyoooo
First Night Away From Each Other
Monday, 7th March,
Following the late Karaoke session, Ash and I came home to an empty house. Mum and dad were out for class and Ly volunteered to help look after Tufeil. And because Mum was gonna send him there also the next morning, she thought T should just spend the night at her place.
I was elated and nervous at the same time! This would be the first time in his lifetime for tufeil to be away from me for a WHOLE night. Actually, I'm not so worried for HIM but more for my sister. I mean can he handle it if Tufeil cries uncontrollable when he doesn't get BM? Or when he wakes up every 2 hours?
My initial intention was to sleep over at her house and go to work from there. But because I reached home like 11pm, and would need another hour or so to settle down and pack my bag, i thought, why dont I give it a shot?
The next day I found out that my concerns were non-existent! He played and played and played with his cousin Syifaa' and they didn't get to bed till almost 11pm. Ly reported that he only asked "Mana Nenek?" and "mana Mummy?" a couple of times and when told that Nenek went for class and Mummy at work, he accepted it. He just played with Ly's iPhone and before she knew it, he was asleep.
And the next time Tufeil came awake was at 7am and he just played w the iPhone somemore and fell right back to sleep. that's like a solid 8 hours straight! MIRACULOUS!! I suspect that he prolly came awake during the light sleep cycle a few times, but because I wasn't there and he cldn't see Ly who was on the floor while he was on the bed, he fell right back to sleep. This is only in theory.
the next day, he slept another 3 hours at noon. WOW.
Er... can I put him there the entire week and he came back weaned? That way, I don't really hafta spend money to travel for a week for the same mission ie trying to get him off BF.
Wishful thinking on my part. So since mum and dad are going for Umrah and I'd be home for 10 straight days with T, I decided to start the training then. At least, I wouldn't bother and be bothered if T cries for long. Shall report it soon, insya'Allah. Pray it wouldn't be too hard for me, my friends.
Our Weekend of No BM Midday Naps
Sat 12th Jan 2011 (22.5 months)
The day started with vacuuming and mopping while Ayah entertained the Kiddo. It was almost noon when Mum suggested we go to the beach for playground time and lunch. I had to decline because I was filthy and still had a few things to do.
But they were gone for so long, I managed to watch 2hours of Australia (its 2hr 40min long). When they came back at 2pm, I was glad to know tt T still hadn't napped yet. Showered him and told him its nap time but Susu will only be there at night. I carried him standing and put his head on my shoulder, patting him while playing the Mukhlis DVD (10 songs followed by karaoke version).
He was quiet and about to go off to DreamLand i think but unfortunately, the DVD stopped after 3 songs. I had to scramble to play it again and with the actions, he got alert and asked for Elmo DVD, changed it, then he cried Tak Nak Elmooo (Don't want Elmo)... Nak Susu... I explained... and changed back to Mukhlis ensuring its in the middle track. And he was out in 10min. No problem laying him down on the bed...
I think we are off on a good start BUT... My back and arms hurt a lot!! I finished another 35min of Australia and wanted to go down for a nap too but the moment I hit the bed, he woke up. DANG IT! Only half-heartedly tried to console him. Because I knew he won't be able to go back to sleep without the Susu.
So Ayah took over and brought him down to the playground. When they returned about half an hour later, Ayah's drilled into T No more Susu! If anybody asked him, "Nak susu mummy?" He would adamantly say TAK NAK. But when I asked him... he would falter... and repeat nak susu mummy. LOL.
Nevermind. I give him 3 weekends at home to let him get used to the idea of no daytime susu even when I'm home first. In March, we'll start to wean off the night feeds lah. Insya'Allah...
Anyway, after maghrib, we went to Jurong Point for dinner at Sakura and grocery shopping.
Now you see him
Now you don't
"Kakakkk"
RUNNNN!!!
Abang Faris showing him to work the bells with a stick
Faris and Faiz going down the slide upside down!
And then Tufeil went down on top of him! BWUAAHAHAHAHA
I. WANT. MY. BODY. BACK.
I wasn't actually all GUNG-Ho about Breastfeeding. I just did it because my friends were and they said it's convenient and all the other benefits... Although I had struggled in the beginning, it suddenly stayed in the scene until now that Tufeil is 23 months old.
Weaning has been on my mind for a veryyyyyy long time. God knows I really want my body back!!! It's getting quite IRRITATING to the point that I sometimes RESENT him. I don't know how many times I had googled for tips and information about weaning a toddler. I read the articles so many times already. but I haven't actually got the guts to do anything about it yet.
Mostly because, I can't stand Tufeil crying. Scratch that. I don't care if he cries (in the name of weaning) for the first few nights, I don't want other people in the house to get flustered by it. And I feel I don't have the support to exercise some of the suggested tips, namely, let another person tuck the kid to bed.
To back it up a little, I totally feel Tufeil is ready to be weaned. For one, he showed total comprehension when I explained to him and kept repeating, "Susu kat rumah" (Milk's at home) when we were out and about and he wanted it. The problem with that explaination is, once we got home, he's stacking claim on it right away! And it wouldn't be right to refuse since technically we were already home.
So I've changed my tactic. My reasoning is now "Nak tido baru susu" (Milk just before sleep). So the last couple of WORK days, it's worked so far. I hadn't caved in but waited till bedtime. Distracted him with going out for dinner, reading and general playing till 9pm.
What I'm afraid is when I'm at home on the weekends and its his NAP TIME. How the hell do i put him to nap without the aid of BM??? None of my research detailed this particular obstacle. I can't go out and walk him in the stroller everyday now, can i??
I do have a fantasy of going off ALONE to Batam or somewhere for a weekend so Tufeil is forced to sleep without the Milk. And when I come home, I will just steel myself and say NO. or preferably, the Grandparents will continue to put him to sleep for a couple more nights and then WA LA, he's weaned! But I can't impose on them...
Big Wailing Fest
It's been two nights in a row that we struggled sleeping.
We went through the usual ritual of going to bed.. ie Salaam all the family, BF while reading book (instead of watch dvd), followed by the string of Surahs and Doas for protection. He was supposed to start nodding off just about now... but instead he asked for "Nak Tufeil punye" referring to his iPod. When I refused, he started throwing a HUGE tantrum, screaming "NAK KELUAR SIIIITUUUU" (Wanna go out there)!
The first night was terrible.
I tried shushing him, explaining to him that it was bedtime, it's already dark, bla bla bla and tried to get him to lie back down again. All to no avail. about 15min later, there was some intervention. But he cried even harder when prised away from me. I really didn't get it. He wanted to go out but when he was out, he wanted his mummy. Aiyooo..
After awhile dad managed to quieten him down and only at midnight was he ready for some more BM and sleep. Even then, he still woke up 7am as I was getting ready for work.
Second night, I was alone at home.
Reeling from last night's bad experience, I was all game to give him a very STERN warning. I didn't give in to any of his requests. When the crying got too loud, I basically yelled "STOP CRYING! STOP CRYING!" Something I had never done before! All this while I would shut myself down and let him be... but this time, he seemed to understand me, somewhat.
His cries became softer and sadder. Then I began to soothing him softly. and also something I hadn't done before was to rock him. I thought rocking could only be done while standing so i was always lazy to do. But i figured how to rock him while still lying on the bed. Basically cradled him a bit higher than my crossed thighs. I held him in a way that he's enveloped around me and could hardly wriggle. And then SHOVED him the breast and gradually he fell asleep.
Fuyohh~
I'm so proud of myself for tackling that situation on my own. I guess you just have to be thrown into a situation to rise to the occassion.
Having said that, i SOOOOOOOOOO hope he won't do a repeat telecast tonight!!!
CNY Days 3 & 4
5th & 6th Feb 2011
The weather was glorious these two days. It didnt rain neither was it too hot. It was super breezy I opened all our windows wide.
Saturday was spring cleaning day for me. Vacuumed and mopped the floor and even did a load of laundry (which I RARELY ever do) while bathing and feeding and playing soap bubbles w Tufeil in between. I could get used to being at home like this but then I would need someone like Ayah to whisk T to the playground so he won't get underfoot.
We were supposed to go swimming at my Uncle's condo, so my parents could meet with my grandparents too but I begged off at the last minute cause I was so beat I encouraged T to take a nap with me despite having napped earlier.
Instead, I brought him to the library (to collect my Insatiable by meg Cabot!!!!) and to Causeway Point for KFC and Each A Cup for me. I purposely did not take the stroller with me to encourage him to walk more = exercise / get him tired. This simple outing lasted close to 2hours because Tufeil stopped often to "smell the roses" (read: watch the ants and shadows and Fire Engine and whatever else).
By the time we reached home, it was Shower Time, snack or dinner time then ....
Read while watching Mukhlis DVD to sleep
Mummy "It hurts" Walk of Shame.
FIRST INCIDENT
We were eating at KFC somewhere in JB and they had a mini playground with one of them single seesaws like the above picture. T wanted to climb it, Ayah guided him there but then decided against it when he saw it was too big for them. After awhile, I decided to let him go at it. Carried him to a sit and rocked the bugger and BAM! Tufeil's forehead hit the metal bar.
He threw his back and shook in extreme agony. It pained me to see him writhing like that. I managed to calm him enough to get him downstairs where my mum was. RED and BLUE BLACK circle was beginning to bulge.
I suddenly recalled Mak Ngah saying "Use ice". And I zipped to the counter and asked for ice and some tissues. I let my mum do the honour of pressing it against his bruise, though, while I tried soothing him. He kicked and wailed in pain.
In a few hours, Alhamdulillah, the swell reduced dramatically. This is his 3rd knock on the forehead. The last two times it took days to go away. And I couldn't help but imagine that if this was an episode of Desperate Housewives, they would have brought the baby to the hospital to check for concussion or something. But unfortunately, we are ordinary Singaporeans who don't bother with such things.
SECOND INCIDENT
This happened just two nights ago. A drop of MY shampoo fell on to his arms and right at that moment, Tufeil also rubbed his eyes using that arm. He began to cry and say "DAHHHH" meaning DONE that signals his wish to come out of the shower.
In my panic, I ran water from the shower head to his face to wash away the chemicals causing him to freak out even more. But he was also quick to brush me off. And i tried a couple more times, i feel, without success. He wouldn't let me wash it off! Now that I've thought about it, I should have used my hands to cup some water instead of sprays from the shower as he's frightened of that.
Managed to distract him with the sponge a few times but everytime the next second he would cry again. I looked at his eyes, no more suds but still a bit red. When he insisted to go out, i resigned myself to finish bathing quickly and go.
He calmed down much when we got to our room to dress up - playing a dvd on the computer helped lots to appease him. He also asked for his milk and i relented seeing what the poor dear just went thru. In 15mins, he drifted to sleep and it was only 7.30pm!
Tufeil still hadn't had dinner and I was afraid he would wake up crying in hunger in the middle of the night. Thankfully he didn't but still woke up every 2 hours for milk as is usual.
The worst part of this is I'm sure he's now developed a phobia of showering and that hit me BIG time after all the trouble I went to instill fun at bath time.
Maybe I should get this for him. Hehe
Tears
It was the first time in my motherhood career that I actually cried.
I was nearly midnight when I finally crashed on a Saturday night. Tufeil slept at 9.30pm. The whole night he has been thrashing around the bed, restless. So I had to pacify him every hour or so. I was prolly in deep sleep at 12.30am or so when he woke up again and i roughly rebuffed him but my handphone had to beep at that time and i checked the sms. Tufeil saw the light and started asking for it. At this point, I was SO FREAKING FED UP I just threw my phone on my table.
It made Tufeil VERY UPSET and he started WAILING and SCREAMING for that miserable handphone! I decided to be firm. I mean what the hell! Want to watch a video in the middle of sleep??? Tried to nurse him but HE cried "TAK NAK Daaaaaa" many2 times.
And then he let himself down from the bed and went to the door screaming, "NAK KUAR NAK KUAR NAK KUARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" I totally had to shut myself off. Pretend I couldn't hear anything. He was really crying very very hard like I'm torturing him or something.
A thought occurred that maybe he's not comfortable in our room, so i read the proper doa's but we was still screaming. Then I had an inkling, "What if he has an infant instinct that something is wrong outside and I should go and look? Or he's asking for us to get out to save us?"
Nahhh. I brushed those thoughts away and insisted that I shouldn't give in! I read somewhere that spoiling your child is about giving in to ridiculous demands at the COST of others and this is surely ridiculous and at the cost of losing precious sleep time!
I tried to reason with him that nobody's outside and that everybody's gone to bed. He didnt take in any of it.
He was still pleading to me at the side of the bed while i lied down when he started hiccuping (?) / tersedu2. I couldn't stop my own tears from coming down. I'm soooo sorry my darling that I made you cry so hard. But I'm sooo knackered - although i know its my own fault for turning in so late - and I'm only trying to instill some kind of values in this incident?
So i tried to hold him. But he refused me! He was sitting on my tummy (me lying down) when he really hit me in the face hard. I was stunned and it seemed it stunned him to silence too. We were both quiet for a minute before I started nursing him and he was more than happy to.
I didn't cry about the sting of the slap. He's known to do that. But i started crying harder when i reflected on how selfish I was that I could lose my patience like that and made him cry like that. He's just a baby. He was probably uncomfortable coming down from a slight fever the day before and still having runny nose. I cried for the lack of parenting knowledge I have to make him a good person. I cried for the family situation we are in.
Mostly, I cried because I think it's due.
The Pump Has Retired
The pump that had served me for 18months has gone to retirement. It was quite accidental that day was.
I returned a bit late from lunch that fateful Tuesday 28th September 2010. So I thought, "Ok I can pump later at 3 or 4pm." But work caught up to me and I was engrossed doing something until I totally forgot about it.
The next day, I was busy too at work and afterwards I went out with my colleagues. It was close to 10pm when Tufeil finally drank from me. And I didn't feel anything with regards to soreness or what.
Even before these two days, I had been tweeting my thoughts, "Why the hell am i still pumping at work when Tufeil absolutely refuses to drink expressed Breastmilk?" Back then, I didn't wanna stop still cause I was afraid I might feel lost at work without anything "extra" to do. In honesty, it was a 20min reprieve from work.
But after those 2 days of lapses, I felt lazier and lazier and never touched my pump since! But I left the equipment here in the office. Just in case.
You know how I feel about it now? Liberated. I feel FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. hahaha
I had been planning to go to the gym during lunch time. But now the previous gym-going boss has left the company, I'm not sure what's the view of this new guy. PLUS, its gonna cost me $90 per month, so I'm still stalling.
But the next thing to look forward to is to totally wean him from Breastmilk so I can start taking slimming pills or whatever ya know.
By the way, I saw Desperate Hosuewives Season 2 Epi 15 or so a few nights ago and there was this lady who was BFing her 5 year old and claimed that she could still eat a lot of donuts and maintain a slim figure because of it. Well i say BS! It didn't work for me after 12 months! The moment Tufeil turned 1 year old, I started to steadily gain more and more weight till now I feel like a balloon. I feel worse when I look at pictures of my slim self from a year ago. T_T
Rare Night Alone
Friday. 17th Sept 10.
Mum brought Tufeil out Eid visiting. It is SUPER DUPER RARE that I get the night off. But Mum was kind enough to bring him out since Syifaa' are also there so they can play.
I took the opportunity to go out shopping for some stuffs I've been meaning to buy for T. Only went Causeway Point though.
Bought for Tufeil:
- 7pcs of 18 - 24months short sleeved bodysuits @ $42 from MotherCare
- A rainbow Spring $3
- A mini 3 to 5 pcs puzzle $3
- Bubble Blower $10
Bought for myself a giant Pooh Mug @ $12.50
Bought presents for Fara's children whose birthday party is the next day.
Met Ash @ the doctor's and afterwards we had dessert!
Longan with Mango Pudding on Ice.
Mummy's Bedroom Walk of Shame
I'm not sure whether to cover him with the comforter or not either. After I turn off the aircon, my room always feel so stuffy tt I'm scared the huge comforter would give him discomfort. But usually ur body temperaute will decrease when u sleep that I'm afraid he would wake up cause he's so cold?
Tufeil's Future.
I think we couldn't help ourselves and speculate what Tufeil would be when he grew up. And we based our insight on his interests as of now. Just some of the professions that we've come up with:
- Chef - Duhhh he kept playing pretend-cook. This is from ME
- Artiste - This is from my Aunty who was amazed Tufeil cld see the abstract Fish painting i mentioned just recently.
- Pilot - This is from my Dad who is amused by Tufeil's fascination of airplanes.
- Drummer - Out of all his musical playthings, he loves the drummer the best. This is ALLL ME cos even when he was still in tummy I told him I will send him for drumming lessons. heheheh
- Football Player - He can't really go a day without playing with one of his balls. Now he knows how to kick with his legs too! There was once that he even slept with it still in his hands.
In retrospect, I wonder what MY parents think I would be when I grew up and I wonder if i had disappointed them. I mean after all i'm just an Underwriting Executive, nothing special.
But I do remember, i was caught on video singing along at the cassette player as young as 5 years of age. I also remember I sang along to Dad's cassette Rahimah Rahim, Smurf CDs any kinda song we had I would've memorised. While I didn't actually become a singer (thank God - my parents must be relieved), it remained the Biggest interest of my life. I got scolded plenty of time by mum for singing so loudly. No mic necessary.
So what I'm saying is, I shouldn't be disappointed if Tufeil didn't become any of those aspirations we have for him. For as long as he's a filial son, a practising Muslim, Orang Yang Berguna (a useful person???), I'm satisfied.
Shame & Achievements
I simply had to report 3 more mishaps of parenthood after the initial Walk of Shame entry.
1. Tufeil had a GREAT fall.
He fell head first from the bed. I left him there to watch his dvd while I moved around the room to clean. He was on all fours at the edge and somehow his hands slipped. =( he had a big blue black spot right smack center of his forehead. For that, my son, I sincerely apologise. Now, if i'm not on the bed with him, I leave him standing on the floor instead. And also he seemed to be scared of coming down from the bed on its own when he wakes up in the morning.
2. 3 day old water
Tufeil lovesssss to play with empty bottles and boxes that we left in a pail to be sent to the common rubbish chute. And recently he begged and shrieked and screamed at me, "NAK MINUM! NAK AIR! NAK MINUM! NAK AIR! NAKKKKKK NAKKKKK NAKKKK" (Want to drink! Want water! WANT WANT WANT!).
I started to give up and unscrew the bottle's cap and about to let him have a sip when mum also shrieked and stopped me.
Mum: What do you think you're doing?
Me: Giving Tufeil a drink
Mum: Where did u get that
Me: From the pail
Mum: DON'T!! That's 3 days old! It must have gone bad!
Me: Oh is it? Sorry.
3. Water in Ear
I feel guilty when sometimes i accidentally sprayed some water into his ears when showering.
These are so depressing to write/read. So I'm gonna write the few life skills that I've achieved to teach Tufeil so far.
1. Put Inside / Put Back
Cleaning up toys is a breeze now that he knows how to put his toys in its box. I started this when he was prolly 7 to 8 months when he started crawling and/or standing on his own. I would give him a block and say "Put Inside" pointing to the box and I would demonstrate to him too. And clap vigorously when he managed to do it.
I especially like it when he returns somebody's thing (mostly handphone, keys) back to the owner or table, etc.
2. Shower Bye Bye
I applied the same theory during bathtimes. He has a collection of toys, brushes and sponges in each bathrooms. But there is always one thing I practise. I would always say, "Ok Tufeil put everything back. Bye bye everybody. See you tmrw." and he knows its the cue to get out of the toilet.
While getting him OUT is not a problem, sometimes getting him IN is. Especially when he just woke up and wanted to play with his Atok first. I would say, "Mummy has a sponge" and sometimes it would work. When that doesn't, his Atok hafta pretend he's gonna shower too and bring him to the bathroom. When he's finally distracted, Atok will go out.
3. Throw
He now understands the word THROW and knows how to throw rubbish mainly used tissues into the bin.
Unfortunately that's not all he throws. His balls, soft toys, assorted mini kitchen appliances, handphones, iPod all got trashed as well! hahaha I'd hafta ask him to "take" or "put back" those items but sometimes the bin has got some food waste and I dont want him to touch it so i gotta do it myself.
4. Lap
I mentioned above that he lovessss to spit out water when he's drinking. As a consequent, I would give him a tissue and told him to lap (wipe) the table. And he would.. wiping his mouth at the same time. Could this be the motivating factor for him to spill and spill? So he could get a tissue to wipe?
Hmmm But I dont believe in reprimanding making a big scene cos i do notice that he tend to do it again just to get some reaction. Mostly when he does something wrong, I will pretend nothing happen and try to get him to do something else - much to my mum's distress. I think she must think like i'm not noticing nor disciplining my son.
Eg: He would hit my face. And i keep quiet kissing him instead. But mum's the one who would shout "HEP! Cannot do that!" and then he would hit me again. I didn't comment her style nor preach mine. Because I feel no one method is perfect lor.
Mummy's Walk of Shame
I stumbled upon http://www.babytoddleretc.wordpress.com/ a few days ago and got inspired to pen down my own Mummy's Walk of Shame.
1. Fan Danger
My room has two fans: a ceiling fan and a stand fan. Unfortunately, the former is useless. More so now that my bed is pushed to the corner and the fan is in the centre. I had to resort to using the powerful stand fan.
Tufeil in blissful sleep with the fan at the foot of the bed.>
However, Tufeil seemed aware or familiar with the room surroundings he had never hit the table. Except for the one time he was squatting and banged his head when he stood. At least that's not the edge right?
4. Baby Seat
5. Ate styrofoam
6. Failing to react quickly
7. Hygiene Failed
Beef Stew
O oh! Tufeil's food's finished! Frantically searched the net for easy recipes and went to Cold Storage on the way home from work. Fortunately, Tufeil had a late afternoon nap yesterday so I let him play with his Atok while I cooked this
"Easy Beef Stew"
This is the original recipe i picked from Cooks.com
1.5 lbs cubed very lean beef
Paprika
2 tbsp Flour
3 Carrots
2 stalks celery
2 Potatoes
Salt to taste
1 Onioin
Brown beef in 2 tbs oil. Add some paprika for colour. Add 2 tbs flour for thickening. Dice potatoes, slice carrots, celery and onion. Cover with water (about 2.5 cups) and bring to boil. Add beef and cook until tender. Salt to taste.
Gosh! 1 lbs or 500gm of Fresh Australian Stew beef cut costs $11 @ Cold Storage.
Measured 250gm
I took paprika to mean the Chilli Ground that we have in the fridge...
First Day of Fast
Fri the 13th or 3rd of Ramadhan was my first day of fast.
What can I say but soooooo glad that it was a friday. Just one day of work before the weekend hits because I was sooooooooooooooooooooo super duper sleepyyyyyyyyyy.
The day started like this:
I woke up at 5am for sahur. We were shocked out of our body when we suddenly saw Tufeil out of the room door and crying towards me. I lost 15min of precious eating time putting him back to sleep. Only to have him wake up not 30min later and refusing to let me go for the next hour. And he woke up when I had to get dressed for work.
But I'm also glad to report that the hunger pang was not-existent. My tummy behaved better when I'm fasting than when I'm not. Just the day before I was eating lunch and snacks in between but it was still grumbling needing to be fed. LOL. PLUS having guzzled a litre of water in the morning, and kept my mouth closed mostly, I was not thirsty.
I DID take an hour nap during "lunch time". It was great. I was even armed with jacket PLUS shawl cos when you're fasting, you just lose body heat.
Milk supply maintained at 120ml. I had to pump twice at 12nn and at 5pm just before clocking out.
At maghrib, I barely got to eat at the stroke of azan because Tufeil was asking for more and more food. Made a mental note to start feeding him first BEFORE 7.16pm.
Time was just flying all over the place. By the time we finished eating and praying and cleaning up, it was almost 8.30pm. Then put Tufeil down to sleep, isya' and everything.. I find myself in bed past 11pm. THAT'S SUPER LATE by my standard. I think this week I really hafta let go of Hell's Kitchen and hit the sack by 9.30 or 10pm LATEST!