Mommy Musings

Talking Tiffany

2011-01-02T10:56:00.001+08:00

List of words Tiffany can articulate (finally got it compiled):
Daddy, Papa, Mummy, Mama, Yeye (grandpa), Gugu (paternal aunt), Ah Ma (grandma), Ah Yi (maternal aunt), Kor Kor (elder bro), cheh cheh (elder sis), Didi (younger bro), Meimei (younger Sis), apple, pear, orange, peach, blueberry (but she says boobear), cookie, no (unfortunately, she learnt to refuse before learning to say Yes), baby, bubbles, bear, horse (she goes HHHHOr), moo (cow), ouou (dog), mehhh (cat), baabaa (sheep), oooh-ooh-aah-ahh (monkey), arrrh (crow), gagaga (duck), guaguagua (frog), more (literally, when she wants more of something) and momo (bf milk). There might be something I've missed out. Oh well.

An Angry Letter to the Director of v.hive Home Interiors

2010-08-28T16:31:00.002+08:00

This unfortunate incident happened to me and I haven't settled it. My next post will be the director's reply. We'll see how the director reacts to this. Then we can decide on what type of furniture company v.hive is. To find out more, read my letter to the director:

Attn: Rebecca

To the Director
v.hive Home Interiors

Request for 1-for-1 Exchange of Fungus-Infested Wardrobe and a Written Guarantee for New Wardrobe

I am writing to highlight my first encounter with purchasing from you and I would like to seek redress with what had happened thus far.

On 07/05/2009, I purchased a wardrobe from your Causeway Point branch. Below are the details of my purchase:
Receipt #: 30204

Transaction: 297936

Item 2945: COTTA 2DOORS WARDROBE CWD09-155F BLACK MOCCA/WALNUT

The wardrobe was delivered promptly and I received it in visibly good condition. Little did I know, there was something very wrong with the wardrobe that was not visible to the naked eye. In a couple of months, fungus started to sprout on the doors of the wardrobe. The first time it appeared, I cleaned it off with a clean dry cloth, thinking it was just dust. Then it came back, this time spreading into the interior of the wardrobe. The fungus appeared in circles and had a dusty disposition. Subsequently, I was simply too busy to deal with the fungus and in a couple of months, it spread all over the wardrobe, soiling all the clothes inside. I removed all the clothes and had to re-launder all of them. That was a ridiculous amount of work that had to be done! The Simmons Beauty Rest pillow that I had placed in the cupboard also had fungus spread to it so I had to throw it away! Because of the fast-growing fungus, I had to discard several items and my clothes had nowhere to be placed for a long time.

Eventually, I made a call to your company and the spokesperson requested that I pay $25 for your worker to check the wardrobe and to treat the wood with a fungal medicine. I paid $25 and the worker came to check the wardrobe and clean it with a bottle of fungal medicine. According to that worker, the COTTA model is “famous” for fungus and he said that he had to treat wardrobes in far worse condition than mine. I was appalled that v.hive sells so many defective goods to unknowing consumers like me. Wardrobes are meant to last a long time, at least a few years, but it had been less than a year and the wardrobe that I bought from you was already unusable. I felt that this matter had to be escalated to CASE, as it seems your company is selling defective goods to consumers. However, one of your customer service officers, Rebecca, whom I had spoken to over the phone, said that it was not a common case and that measures will be taken to ensure this does not happen again.

Previously, my husband had called v.hive and someone called Shirleen (not sure of the name) said that the BEST she could do was to offer a 50% reimbursement of my wardrobe price and give a 5% discount for the new replacement wardrobe. We went to Causeway Point to check the deal out. At the end, the supervisor-in-charge calculated and told us we had to pay about $369 for the new wardrobe after discount. That means I would have paid a total of $413+$369 = $782 for my wardrobe! And in that process, lose $206! And that does not even take into account all the trouble my husband and I had to go through and the disgusting fungus that invaded our bedroom, pillows and clothes. We have not even sought compensation for the irreparable damage done to our pillow and some clothes. All we wanted was a wardrobe. We thought we had a good deal from you as your store seemed reputable since you have so many branches. We were wrong. Now we have to spend so much money and go through so much unpleasant trouble. We told the supervisor that it was ridiculous. Your salesperson said that fungus was not common and that I was just “swey” – ‘unlucky’ in Hokkien dialect. I was quite mad about that. When I asked the supervisor (a Chinese national) if he would give a written guarantee that the new wardrobe we purchase would be fungus free, he said he had no authority to do this and that we should look for someone with greater authority, whom Rebecca said would be you, the director.

After the trip to Causeway Point, I called v.hive again and spoke to the most reasonable customer service officer thus far. She is Rebecca. She apologized on behalf of the company and said that for cases like mine, they replace the wardrobe 1-for-1 and I can request for a written guarantee from you that the new wardrobe I select will not have fungus or any other unreasonable defects.

Thus, I am writing to you now to request for a 1-for-1 exchange of the wardrobe and to request for a written guarantee that the new wardrobe I get from you will not have any fungus sprouting after a few months or any other unreasonable defects.

I hope you understand how upset my husband and I feel about this entire episode. If you have any query regarding what we have gone through, please feel free to call me at 12345678. If I cannot answer, please leave a text and I will revert as soon as possible.

Thank you very much.

Regards,

Priscilla Kek; 12345678

Breast is Best

2010-08-28T16:27:00.000+08:00

'Breast is BEST.' Have you heard this phrase repeated in books you read during pregnancy, on websites you surfed before you delivered, and during antenatal classes - an introductory preview to what your little bundle of joy really is about? Well, it can't be more true, but it also can't be all that easy...

Before I delivered, I read all about natural deliveries and how your newborn baby can suckle immediately once delivered. I even saw this scene on YouTube videos. I was sure I was going to deliver naturally and have my baby feeding naturally straight after birth. My OBGYN was Dr Kek Lee Phin, and she knew what I wanted, but she also warned that my arthritic condition may impede natural delivery and having an epidural may also not be possible. Yet, I just so badly wished for a natural delivery that I almost expected it. I also thought that I'll start breastfeeding immediately after birth.

Yes, you guessed it. Things didn't go my way. I was in labour for 26 hours. Dr Kek tried her best to help make my dream natural delivery possible and she explained each development every step along the way. After 25 hours, my cervix was only 2.5cm dilated and she knew if I didn't deliver soon, my baby would be in distress. Eventually I needed an emergency C-section. The anaesthetist's assessment was that it had to be done under General Anaesthesia because of my arthritic condition. I was promptly wheeled into the operating theatre and baby Tiffany was delivered in less than an hour, at 1747h on 21st July 2009.

Late in the evening, when I woke up, I didn't see my baby. All I saw were my friends and relatives. I drifted off again. I didn't know how long had passed but nurses came in with baby Tiffany and started to help me initiate breastfeeding in a side-lying position. Tiffany seemed to have latched on and she looked like she was nursing so I thought, "Hey, this is easy." Little did I know that Tiffany wasn't latched on properly nor getting any colostrum or milk from me! Nobody said I was not going to have milk! I thought milk just appears once the baby is delivered. How ignorant I was! The nurses then handed me some pamphlets and in it, I read that for some, milk doesn't come in till 3-5 days after delivery. I freaked out when I found out that Tiffany wasn't getting anything despite suckling and crying so hard. I think the hormones were also surging at that time so I was frantic and fearful.

Thankfully, the doctors, the lactation consultants and nurses of Mt Elizabeth Hospital held my hands throughout the entire trying phase.

Dr Kek prescribed some medication to stimulate my milk producing hormones, and she also prescribed rest and relaxation. She asked me to reduce visitations, darken the room, listen to classical music and to sleep as much as possible. She kept encouraging me to eat nutritious food and to drink lots of water and soup. I guess her surgical skills were pretty good as on the very next day after the surgery, I was up and about, attending breastfeeding classes and walking to and from the nursery. I could very quickly start breastfeeding with the cradle hold. The quick recovery with no complications at all made it a lot easier for me to focus on breastfeeding.

Dr Irene Chan, Tiffany's paediatrician, constantly updated and assured me of the health of my little starved infant and she encouraged me to perservere for the sake of giving Tiffany the best. She even shared her personal experiences with me and listened patiently to me as I broke down and cried in despair (I'm sure I had the blues then.) With Tiffany under her care, I was always assured that she was doing okay without the first few days of milk.

The lactation consultants (LCs) were also going many extra miles to encourage and help me establish breastfeeding. The first thing they worked on was the latch. Tiffany has a very small mouth so latching on correctly wasn't easy at all. The LCs came to my room at almost every feeding just to see if I needed help. The nurses also helped me almost at every feeding and encouraged me to keep trying, giving me invaluable tips which worked. After the 3rd day, I still wasn't getting any milk, not even a single drop of colostrum! I was so envious of the mothers who had droplets of milk flowing just at the sound of their babies' cries. I attended breastfeeding classes religiously and worked on the latch. One of the staff nurses invited me to use the classroom to view a video by Dr Jack Newman to learn more about the correct latching technique. Although I was extremely tired, I asked the nurses to wake me when it was time at night to nurse. And during those wee hours of the night, the nurses would accompany me till Tiffany latched on properly before leaving and they always gently encouraged me to keep going. I always remember how comforting the nurses were when I was so fearful and tired then. That happened almost every 2-4 hours. One LC, Guat Choo was her name, was particularly candid and skilled. She tried to brighten things up with her chirpy disposition and she helped me to get my very first drop of colostrum. She was very skilled. She pressed and massaged my breast and nipples until eventually, my colostrum started flowing. Sure, it hurt, but it was only through pain that I gained my very first drop of colostrum! I was also taught how to use the breast pumps and I pumped when my baby was too tired to suckle because of jaundice. On day 5, my milk came in and I was the happiest mother on earth! Every drop I pumped was so precious. I almost couldn't bear to wash the milk bottles. Every drop Tiffany had was the result of perseverence, sweat and tears.

Back then, I felt that breastfeeding was the hardest thing to do. Hearing my baby's cries and knowing that I couldn't nourish her with my inadequate supply of colostrum and milk was especially hard for me. But I am very thankful for the tremendous help I had received. In retrospect, the pro-breastfeeding culture at MEH could probably be what had helped me to eventually give Tiffany the very BEST.

12 months on, I'm still breastfeeding Tiffany. She absolutely loves to breastfeed. Not only is it a source of nutrition, during difficult periods like illnesses, vaccinations and teething, it is also her source of comfort. I love cuddling her while she feeds and lying together with her as she nurses every day. I have also saved A LOT of money as I have not spent a single cent on formula milk. I don't have to wash any bottles now as I feed her directly every day. When she accidentally bumps her knee, breastfeeding comforts her. After her injections, she's rewarded with breast milk. When she wakes at night with a fever burning, breastfeeding helps her to feel better. I thoroughly enjoy the breastfeeding relationship I have with her and I don't intend to stop unless she wants to. In the meantime, let me savour this beautiful gift from God and enjoy breastfeeding for as long as Tiffany wants it!

Mozzie Bites!

2010-07-30T11:25:00.000+08:00

Oh no there's a dreadful mosquito in the house.
I'm so 'sway', I got bitten thrice.
Wonder why it finds my blood so nice.
Heng Tiff wasn't bitten, not once not twice.

Ahh! Here comes another irritating bite.
Right on the previous mosquito bite site.
It's itchy, it's scratchy, it's driving me nuts.
Wait till I find it, I'll whack out its guts!

TWG @ ION Orchard

2010-06-23T12:20:00.002+08:00

So I was saying the other day that I fantasized going downtown to have tea and cake at TWG.

Well... I did it! My lovely colleague and friend, Jeya (actually she's Kavitha but for some bizarre reason, everyone calls her by the shortened version of her father's name, Jeyamalar) invited me to bring Tiffy put on an outing. It was hard with a baby who has naptimes to follow but we made it there.

Well, we still had to queue, as expected, despite the fact that it was a weekday afternoon. Don't these people have to work?! When we finally got in, we crammed into a little table between two other tables. Soon after we ordered, my precious little baby needed to nap. Ahh, that makes the entire tea time all the more enjoyable.

With Tiffy in my sling (cos the pram had to be parked somewhere else), I had the most delicious tea and cake and finger sandwiches. They don't sound like a lot but we paid $30 each for the tea set. I liked Jeya's tea. It was Sakura something. I had my favourite bergamot infused Earl Grey Buddha tea.

Mmm mmm!

My Beautiful Baby

2010-06-23T12:12:00.002+08:00

She has perfect ears.
She has perfect eyes.
She has perfect lips.
She has a perfect nose.
She has a perfect mouth.
She has perfect hair.
She has perfect teeth.
She has a perfect face.

She has perfect arms.
She has perfect little hands.
She has perfect legs.
She has perfect little feet.

She has a perfect little belly button!

And even if there's anywhere imperfect, she's still my perfect little baby.
I love her so much. With all my heart.

Tiffany - my perfect little baby.

Tea at TWG

2010-05-25T16:27:00.000+08:00

Let me introduce all of you to Nat. She's my bestest friend since NIE (although we were supposed to have known each other in JC) and Tiffy's Godma. Her husband's Kugan and very aptly Tiffy's Godpa.

SO. We were playing a game of Words with Friends (as usual, our daily battle against each other) when she said that she was at TWG at ION Orchard having tea and cake. Here I am, stuck to my Siamese twin Tiffy in a bid to nurse her back to nap, stomach growling and mouth watering at the very thought of tea and cake. So I asked Nat to tapow some tea and cake for me. I was kidding lah. And to my HORROR (not), she has left.

Okay, yes, I'm kinda bored. So here's my reply to Nat using Whatsapp:

I was kiddin. But yes, I'm still envious. I fantasize popping Tiffy into my slingalingaling and popping us together into a cabbycabbycab and riding it down to townytownytown and going up to TWG for tea and cakeycakeycake and going yummyyummyyum. Sigh. Pipe dream.

Just fantasizing. In reality, I'll be too lazy to pack the diaper bag, and prep Tiffy for a long trip down town just for tea and cake. Besides, it's almost dinner time now.

Uh oh, the Queen Bee has woken up and no amount of nursing would keep her asleep. It's time for singing and playing and reading (and pottying and diaper-changing) now!

Joke #1

2010-05-24T23:56:00.001+08:00

Q: How many existentialists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Two. One to screw it in and one to observe how the light bulb itself symbolizes a single incandescent beacon of subjective reality in a netherworld of endless absurdity reaching out toward a cosmos of nothingness.

Got this joke from Autumn Sweater's blog. I enjoy reading his blog!

Lights! Camera! Action!

2010-05-21T23:03:00.002+08:00

We liken our precious little daughter to a queen bee. That's cos we work our ass off to make sure she gets the best of everything.

Milk on demand? Check.
Daddy who is willing to change her diaper every morning? Check.
Mommy who sings and does action songs to entertain her (so that maybe she'll be cheery enough to allow another morsel of food through her tightly shut front gnashers)? Check.
Grandparents who visit every day to entertain her so that Mommy can get a lunch break? Check.
Godma who visits at least once a week just to cuddle her? Check.
Godpa who dances in the middle of the mall with her (and taught her the art of dance)? Check.
Laundry washed every other day? Check.
Company at night on a queen sized mattress (cos she's the Queen Bee after all)? Check
Tons of storybooks? Check.
Tons of toys? Check.
Fun bath-time? Check.
Play-yard with tons of toys? Check.
Play-mat so she won't graze her royal butt or knock her royal head against the cold hard floor within the play-yard? Check.
3 dish meals? Check.
Porridge with at least 1 veg and 1 meat every day? Check.

The list is endless.

And on top of all these, a Mommy who tries to chronicle every little development she has made in her journey through childhood.

Here's a list of actions Tiffany (the Queen Bee) can do now:

*LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!*

Clap hands
Wave goodbye
Hold toy phone receiver to her ear
Show her tongue
Dance
Point to her ear
Point to someone else's nose
Point to Daddy's teeth (never works with anyone else's)
Point to Daddy when you ask her where he is
Search for 3rd Aunt's cat when you ask her where it is
Point to her dog when you ask her where it is

All the above will be executed solely based on the Queen Bee's mood.

Food! Glorious Food!

2010-03-26T10:59:00.004+08:00

Why doesn't little baby Tiffany have the same sentiment? Food is such a joy! It's so fun to buy, to prepare, to cook, and it's so nice to slurp and smack lips and feel it mashing up between your cheeks and gums! Oh, have we forgotten to mention the myriad of tastes and aromas that fill your nose as you taste something new each week?

The purée business is so far so good. The following is a list I keep on my phone:

 Rice cereal
 Potato purée
 Avocado purée
 Pumpkin purée
 Banana purée
Banana mash
 Sweet potato purée
 Barley cereal
 Applesauce
 Pearsauce
 Rice porridge
 Oat/Mixed grain cereal
 Carrot purée
 Butternut squash purée
Peach purée
Spinach purée
 Yoghurt
Pork rib porridge
Chicken bone porridge
Sweetcorn porridge
Carrot porridge
Brocolli porridge
Spinach porridge
Ikan bilis porridge

For the foods that I've made and offered to Tiffany, I put a symbol to indicate her reaction to it. Those without iPhone will probably not be able to see those symbols. So far her favourite food requires no cooking or preparation. Sigh. It's yoghurt. I got her Petit Miam. Very ex. 6 tiny pots of yoghurt for $5.50.

Currently, Tiffany's 8 months old. I'm giving her a bit more texture in her food and introducing more solid stuff to her. She's not used to it and resultantly gags sometimes. But I've got to keep trying. She has so far choked on:

Baby rusk
Banana
Oat cereal (Stage 2 Cerelac)
Very mushy pork rib porridge

My friend Edelweiss suggested I put sweetcorn instead of potato into the porridge to make it taste much better. It's stewing in my slow cooker now. The entire house is filled with the fragrance of JAGUNG. Mmmmmm... Mouthwatering aroma! I hope Tiffy will like her porridge better. I've tried cooking it for 4 weeks now, almost every day. After this nap when she takes her lunch, Tiffy will give her verdict.

Rubber Heartie

2010-03-11T20:47:00.000+08:00

My heart is made of rubber
Soft and malleable
It floats on a pool of sweet water
That flows with joy and laughter

It's easy to melt my heart
It is a simple art
All you need is teardrops
And a sprinkle of tiny sobs

Whom does my heart hold dear
My little baby Tiffany
A whimper, a sob, I freeze with fear
Instinctively I crave to hold her

So how am I to sleep train her?
To opt for the extreme extinction
How am I to let her cry?
All alone in the crib by herself
How can I preserve my sanity?
When seconds seem hours ticking by
How my heart aches to hear each sob!
I'll feel I have to stop

It's going to be so very hard
To sleep train my precious daughter
For I know she's bound to break my heart
With as little as a tiny whimper

Magic Number Five

2010-03-08T20:34:00.003+08:00

Five times.

That's how many times Tiffany peed in her potty today. Do you think she has started associating peeing with the potty and the ssssssssss sound? I'm afraid to think so because I'm not sure a 7 month old can learn so fast, but somewhere deep in my heart I believe my daughter can do it! I'm a happy mommy!

*Happy sigh*

A Better Schedule

2010-03-08T10:51:00.000+08:00

Today is a better day already.

I've decided to follow the sleep trainer's advice to stop following popular sleep guides on the Internet and follow her advice instead. I've been doing a popular 2-3-4 waketime schedule but obviously it ain't working for my baby. Instead, the waketimes are adjusted to 3-3-4 and bedtime can be pushed back till 8-9 o'clock.

I started this new schedule yesterday, a day after our Skype consultation with the sleep trainer. Tiffy slept better during her morning nap after we kept her awake for a longer time. We took a walk to the nearby coffeeshop to have breakfast and stimulate her senses a lot more. Afternoon's a no-go cos Tiffy slept during our grocery shopping in NTUC.

Last night's bedtime was pushed to 8.15pm (instead of the usual 6.30-7pm). She actually slept a lot better last night! She woke at 12 and 4.45. After quick feedings, she was back to sleep promptly. Yay! To me, not waking at 2-4am to play and not sleep IS a great achievement!

This morning I tried to drag her waketime to 3h but by 2 & 1/2 h, Tiffany couldn't hold out anymore. She was crying away and after quickly changing her diaper and clothes, she was alling asleep in my arms. After a quick feed and cuddle she was off to Lalaland! That was at 10am. Until now! It's 11.05am now. She's still sleeping. Yay! What an achievement!

Everything is still in the experimental phase. More updates and better news soon, I hope!

Baby Log

2010-03-06T22:00:00.000+08:00

Ok, this post is kinda boring. It's for those who want to know how a 7 month old baby with sleep problems go through the day. This is what I record in my notepad every day. It's for my reference (but honestly, it's for me to record little successes with naps that are past 1 hour, poop in the potty, etc). It just makes me happy to look back on small achievements and remind myself "Today is going to be a better day".

Some typical entries:

3/3/10
6am Wake & milk
6.45am Diaper off
8am Diaper on
8.10am Milk
8.25am Nap. Broken 1h
9.25am Wake & milk
10.25am Porridge & applesauce
11am Diaper off
11.30am Diaper on
12.30pm Nap. Broken 1h 45min
2.15pm Wake & milk
3.15pm Pork rib porridge, pearsauce and mixed cereal
4pm Poop in the potty
5pm Walk
5.30pm Bath
6pm Milk
6.20pm Sleep (...1030-130-430-5.30)
5.30am Wake & milk & carry
6am Sleep. Broken 11h

4/3/10
7am Wake & milk
7.30am Diaper off
8.50am Diaper on
8.55am Milk
9am Nap. Broken 1h 30min
10.50am Wake & milk
11.30am Mixed cereal & applesauce
12.30pm Poop & diaper off
1.35pm Diaper on
1.55pm Milk
2.05pm Nap. Broken 1h 20min
3.30pm Wake & milk
4.30pm Milk, pearsauce & mixed cereal
4.35pm Poop & diaper off
5.30pm Walk
6.30pm Bath
7.10pm Milk
7.15pm Sleep (9-1130-130-430)
4.30am Wake, milk & carry
5.30am Sleep. Broken 11h

5/3/10
7.10am Wake & milk
7.35am Diaper off
8.50am Diaper on

The word "Broken" simply means assistance was needed from me for Tiffy to get back to sleep. It appears every day in the log, which means she has never fallen asleep without my help.

Sleep Consultant Consulted

2010-03-06T19:31:00.000+08:00

Today JD and I got my mom to come to our house to babysit lil Tiffany while we Skype with our newly hired sleep consultant, whose name I shall not reveal until her action plan is carried out and proven to work.

After the one hour consultation, here are some problems with Tiffany's sleep schedule and patterns that were highlighted to us:

1. Sleep associations (Namely nursing and carrying. She needs be given an opportunity to learn how to self-soothe.)
2. Overestimation of her sleep needs (12.5h in total including naps. We doing 12h for night sleep and 1h each for the 2 naps.)
3. Bedtime too early (Currently at about 6-7pm. An age-appropriate bedtime is 9pm.)
4. Bedtime and naptime routine not soothing and obvious enough (Currently just a bath, cd and nursing for bedtime. No proper routine for naps.)

Our sleep trainer is going to give us an action plan on Monday, which we will implement on 19th March, the weekend after our trip to Phuket. I'll have to dedicate 2 weeks of consistent sleep training to solve Tiffy's sleep problems. Wish me luck.

Till then, it's still me using one of the only 2 tools in my box, nursing, to put baby Tiffany to sleep. I won't write much as I have too little sleep every day dealing with Tiffany's multiple waking and inability to soothe herself to sleep. Maybe when she can finally sleep on her own, I'll have time to work on my lappy and do more blog decor like putting up pictures and videos and all.

Teething Pains

2010-03-01T19:06:00.000+08:00

Tiffany's 5th & 6th teeth have started showing (little white dots). Today is cranky day with 4 patches of dribble rash on her chinny chin chin and countless bouts of unexplainable crying.

God help me please.

Sleep Consultation is Postponed

2010-02-24T21:22:00.000+08:00

Thus, so will the actual sleep training.

Yay - cos I don't have to go through my dear baby's cries yet.
Boo - cos I'm still a sleep-deprived mom whose mammary glands are overworked and abused, and whose back is breaking from carrying and pacifying the 8.4kg to sleep.

Why is the sleep trainer's consultation postponed? She had an urgent trip back to the US. We've got to wait for her to come back to SG first. At the rate things are going, sleep training will have to be postponed at least till after our trip to Phuket in March. The procrastination has a valid reason after all. (The previous reason was CNY).

Pot Pot in the Potty

2010-02-24T14:33:00.000+08:00

Started potty training a couple of weeks ago thanks to good advice from Mother-in-Law. She said it was about time. Got kinda tired carrying my 8.4kg to the washbasin to do the Sssss-xercise. (Sssss-xercise = Holding Tiffany above the washbasin and whistling "sssss" in an attempt to make her pee.)

Last week, while JD was on a week long leave (yay!) we went to Kiddy Palace to buy a potty. Its brand is 'Goodbaby' (what kind of a brand is that?!) and it fits Tiffy's well-endowed bum to the T! (Fit = She doesn't fall in!) We saw exactly the same thing at Mothercare but the Kiddy Palace one was way cheaper. Pirated potty.

M-care potty: $30+
VS
Kiddy Palace potty: $15.90 w 10% member's discount.

Anyway, I have news. On 23rd February 2010, Tiffy did her first poop (aka POTPOT) into the potty. It was a fluke really, as I saw yellow goop spluttering out of her bum while I was just about to put on a fresh new diaper. I quickly sat her on the potty and encourage her by saying, "Nggggggggghhhhh, nggggggggghhhhh, pot pot into the potty Tiffany! Come on you can do it, just pot pot into the potty." And when the deed was done, I clapped my hands, showed Tiffany {^.^} face, pointed to the mound of mushy poop and said, "Yay! You pot pot into the potty! Good job! Well done!"

Now I have better news. This morning at 7.55am while I was getting my teeth brushed, I told JD, "Why don't you try sitting Tiffy on the potty while you're waiting for me?" He did and voilà! She peed into the potty! And yes JD gave the whistle cue.

Now things get even better. At 12pm or so, Tiffy had an NTP 'Need To Poop' face so my MIL (she has a wealth of experience reading NTP faces) immediately recognized the face, stripped Tiffy of the diaper and place her little bum neatly on the Goodbaby potty. Lil Tiffany was as good as the Goodbaby potty. She happily pot pot into it for the second time. Double yay!

I scurried into the room to celebrate the moment with MIL and my little pot pot heroine!

Happy sigh. Little successes always make motherhood very satisfying (and keeps one sane).

Happy sigh again.

The Elusive Sleep

2010-02-24T09:46:00.000+08:00

Sleep, oh sleep!
How elusive can you be!
No matter how I shut my eyes
You escape my grasp and slip me by
No matter how I'm rocked and danced
You briefly come by for just that once
Like the shadow that appears when the sun is in the sky
You disappear quickly when the clouds come by

Sleep, oh sleep!
How I need you so much!
I work so hard to shut my eyes
But nothing happens, why oh why?
My schedule apparently is theoretically perfect
But sleep, dear sleep, you are a defect
I'm just so cranky when I don't have you
My ears start to bleed and my mom's heart too

Sleep, sleep, I just don't get you.

So How Does Tiffany Sleep Now?

2010-02-12T09:49:00.000+08:00

Here's what I do:

NAPS
Nurse Tiffany. When she's getting quite drowsy, I carry her for a while and put her down on the mattress on the floor. She will wake between 15 - 30 mins. I immediately pick her and put her in my hotsling and dance away. After about 15 mins of rocking in the sling, I attempt to put her down again. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. If it doesn't work, round 2 of Dance Dance Revolution with my handy hotsling. This goes on till she manages to sleep onthe mattress. If dancing-in-the-sling fails, I'll nurse her again. If even nursing her fails, I'll pull my hair out and relook the schedule of the day. The rest of the day's schedule depends on what time she wakes.

BEDTIME
Simple. Just nurse her. Carrying doesn't work. I mean the dancing-in-the-sling thing doesn't work. I've tried many times. Only one thing works: nursing. I just plop myself right next to her on the mattress on the floor and put her to the breast. Breastmilk is like liquid Valium. Helps Tiffy sleep almost immediately. So I'll shuttle between her room and the dining table during dinnertime to put her back to sleep while having dinner. However, at 4am, it's a different story altogether. Our friend wakes up and is like an energizer bunny. She'll entertain herself on the mattress, exploring the undulating terrain of pillows and bolsters while Mommy, in a state of melatonin-induced stupor, will shove her to the breast in the hopes of getting her back to sleep. It never works. Then Mommy will grope in the blacked out darkness (Sunout curtains from Spotlight) for her handy sling and do the dance thing again. For maybe a couple of hours. Sometimes I'm so tired I feel like collapsing on the mattress with her in my sling. She generally falls asleep at about 6am and wakes at 7am for the day.

Honestly, I'm at my wit's end. I'm so tired of making Tiffany sleep but sleep training is so hard to do. Nevertheless, for Tiffany's good (learning self-soothing skills) and my sanity, JD and I have decided to start sleep training after the Chinese New Year. We found a sleep trainer in Singapore. If she's good, I'll put her URL here. If her action plan fails, we'll do Ferberizing. Wish me luck.

The Facebook Application on my iPhone failed me so I Decided to Blog

2010-02-07T14:42:00.000+08:00

I started this blog when the Facebook application on my iPhone failed me for the tenth time. I've been writing musings as a new SAHM on Facebook as 'Status Updates'. I usually do these when my dear daughter (6 months old as of 21st Jan 2010) is napping. I actually am stuck in her bedroom with her as she wakes in 15-30 minutes after falling asleep. My job is to be armed with my hotsling over the shoulder and pick her up as soon as she stirs (if I'm a tad too late, she'll be too awake to fall back asleep).

Yes, yes, I know this isn't the way to go. I've read enough Ferber, Weissbluth, Babycentre and Kidshealth.org websites to know that I should sleep-train her. Like NOW. But... (There's always a 'but', isn't there?)

Dr Weissbluth's EXTINCTION method of sleep training was carried out a month ago and failed miserably. Basically what went wrong was this:
After the prescribed 1 hour of crying, poor baby Tiffany was covered in puke and poop when JD and I went in to rescue her. It was a heartwrenching sight. I can still hear her pathetic sobs and whimpers. I, being a mother WITH A CONSCIENCE, immediately picked her up and hugged her as tears flowed freely. I was so so sad to have put her through it! For a good five minutes I just held onto poor little sobbing Tiffany, puke and poop and all, and didn't want to let her go. JD was also heartbroken so he hugged the two of us and we all cried together. It was so hard. But for the greater good, we decided to try again. After 1 hour of relentless crying, we went in to rescue our poor baby. She was again lying in excrement. THIS IS CHILD ABUSE! We decided to stop sleep training once and for all.