Where is Oli?

Well, you might like to click it bigger to see if you can find Oli :P

Also, we took this video this morning and it's just too good and too hilarious not to share. While we are on the topic of sharing, the ninth month album has been uploaded on the website: http://home.exetel.com.au/bradley on the baby album.

Baby einstein

This is our little buddha enjoying baby einstein dvd. This phenomena has only started a few weeks ago, during which I put him in front of the TV because I was just so tired seeing him jumping up and down and climbing and crawling - and there is no way I could get him to sit for 5 minutes although you can tell he really needed it.

I have heard so much praise about this baby Einstein. Lots of mothers swear by it, not so much because of its educational claim, but they are saying that the only time they get time-off is when they put the babies in front of the television to watch it. I heard some mothers said that their babies eyes are fixed to the television and not moving an inch when it's on.

New research actually shows that all these development & educational dvds do not making the babies smarter. No surprise to me. I personally think it is a waste of money and the dvds look so much like brainwashing that it makes me sick. The idea of the Baby einstein was to tell a story from a baby's point of view, plain and simple. Interactive puppets and images of toys, children, and other everyday objects comprise the basic format of these videos, which are set to the sounds of classical music. Hence the metronome ticking for half a minute, a cow moo-ing for another half a minute, a ball rolling back & forth for another half, water rippling for another half... you get the point. And it all was produced in the low-budget style production. I was happy that Oliver wasn't interested in it

So all the dvds that I bought because I was lured by other mother's testimonial, and the classical music cds which is said to stimulate their little brains were a waste of money for us. But then all of the sudden it changed. We were driving in the car for quite some times and he started to whinge, as he does when he is a bit buggered, so I put the Baby Einstein lullaby on -- all of the sudden he got mesmerised and got those dreamy eyes and bingo - he was asleep!! We tried it on again on different occasions and it was like magic.

So I put on the dvd just to test it. And voila.. amazing.. he stopped whatever he was doing, and sat still for the whole show. Which is very unusually him.

The funny thing is that Cara, the little girl from the mothers club apparently has been enjoying the baby einstein since she was 4 months old, while Oliver only just picked it up. How bizzare, maybe this really shows that boys brains develop slower than girls!

The Undomestic Goddess

The big tree in our backyard was loaded with beautiful yellow orange fruit, come in cluster and tastes nice and tarty like apricot. After a few trial and errors and no one got poisoned, we found out it was loquat. According to our research, firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup. Loquats can also be used to make wine.

Wazza thought that we should make jam and I felt compelled in doing it, because they just got rotten in the tree otherwise. But let me make it clear from the start, I never thought it was a good idea. And it turned out to be the most ambitious project I have the whole year. Obviously, my kitchen brain is not as big as my kitchen bravery. And believe me, I haven't got any satisfaction in doing it.

Right. So, first of all, we need to find out how to make a jam. Hmm.. mr. google makes it sound easy, just boil the fruit til it's very soft, add some sugar and the pectin -hang on, what? With a little assistance from mr google (how did we survive without internet?), we revealed that we can purchase the thing (it's a thickening agent actually, for the jam) at the groceries stores. Piece of cake. I couldn't find any jam jar anywhere but it's not a biggie either, I could always use old jars in the pantry, only need to sterilise it before putting the jam in (this part sounded a bit tricky as a matter of fact).

You would not believe how much sugar is needed for a jar of jam! I bought a package of 1 kg sugar, thinking that this would be plenty.But the recipe said 2.5 kilograms!! Eeeek.. My creative mind decided to portion down the recipe - this and the fact that pitting 1.5 kg of loquat (according to the recipe) took forever.

3 hours of boiling the fruit later, they are still not soft and Oliver and I had to go to our gymbaroo session. Oh well, the jam can wait...

As soon as we got back from gymbaroo, I picked it up where I left off . But during the period where the recipe said : "bring to boil vigorously and stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes" Oliver woke up and screamed on the top of his lungs! so there you go, no stirring occasionally.

The jam turned out to have too thick consistency, taste too sugary (and I only used half of the sugar!) and... smells like chicken stock (Mppph... this is because I used the jar that I previously used for chicken stock).

Now update on the boy. He's turning into little rebel - and not even a teenager yet! changing nappy is fighting session now, so is bedtime. Rianti said there are times where you need to wave the white flag and admit defeated, but in my opinion, there are times that you need to be 'stepmother' and these are the times. Doesn't really work though, he still gets his way most of the time.

helping mama with the laundry? I don't think so.

Eighth Month

Eighth month pictures are up on the web.

http://home.exetel.com.au/bradley/ or click the link on the right hand side and go to baby album.

In the meantime I am going to be scorching in this ozone hole where the temperature is currently 37 degrees!

Eat my shorts!

doing the bart.

Next Australias Top Model

Ok. I admit it. This modelling thing is -of course- my obsession and Oliver doesn't give rats bum at all. And that I, have had worked for ad agency should have known better and be ashamed about doing it. But in my defence, being an ex- advertising executive, I would be the one who take it least personally if Oliver doesn't get any casting or booking. We just wanted to know if anyone else think Oliver is as cute as we think he is. We just need to know if he's wanted :P.

So. He got his first job after his first casting for Target catalogue. Everyone was confident that he would be his happy-self during the photo session. But of course we were wrong!

Little Buddha was grumpy the whole photosession that he only got to pose for 2 outfits (being the biggest baby in there didn't really help either when most of their outfits were size 000). The first outfit required the baby to sit up right so they can show the front, but he just wanted to crawl. The second outfit has special feature at the back so they actually wanted Oliver to crawl away and show his bum but seriously I am sure they didn't even have a single shot where Oliver was not grumpy. Not to mention dribbling!

When we're done, the photographer then dismissed Oliver "you can go now. Go.."

Well we know who is not going to be the next Australias Top Model!!

Life as a SUBURBAN wife/mother

Here I am. Officially a suburban wife/mother now since we moved into the suburb (at least it is our own home now). My to-do list today includes washing-hanging-folding clothes, cleaning the bathrooms, paying bills (should be doing it now instead of blogging), groceries shopping (maybe), vacuuming the carpet (as if that will happen!) yet I am standing here playing internet (not even sitting down because the telephone cable is not long enough to connect to the computer if I put it on the dining table - just because we still haven't organised the broadband connection and still using prepaid internet), because this is the only time I can check my emails and updating my overdue blog (so overdue that probably no one will ever read this entry because everyone stops visiting this blog).

Ok. Where to start.

Oliver & Moving House

Just my luck of course. As you would expect, during the busy period that I had to do most of the packing, my little Buddha had:

• his first cold, for about a week he got very cranky with runny nose and didn't sleep well at night.
  
• 3 top teeth popped out - and before that he was just as grizzly as a bear. He bites and bites now (ouch) - andhis breastfeeding days are numbered now.
• started crawling 3 days before we actually moving!! (Those boxes and stuff everywhere must have been such good incentives to move). Michelle from my mothers club had actually predicted that he'd be an early crawler but I was hoping she was wrong.. I went to the library last week for baby nursery rhyme time and sat in front of these two mothers who were having conversations about their boys who started to crawl about 2 weeks before - when they were 10 months old. 10 months old! Not 7 months and a few days!
  

Fortunately he didn't seem to have any difficulties settling into the new place (despite that his room is bright orange! - we can't afford painting the house yet), if anything he has bigger space to roam about, although I am still not happy when he ventures to our kitchen and starts licking the refrigerator.
Now he wants to stand up all the time and who would've thought looking after him standing up if even bigger job than when he only crawls? Even his cot is not a safe place anymore, as he would stand up on his cot and rattles the gate and falls on his back, hitting his head on the end of the cot.

He is a little joy that boy is. He starts to show recognition to people (but still doesn't mind having a stranger nurse him, oh dear!). He slightly prefers dad when he wakes up (when dad is around). The other day I picked him up from his cot after his nap, he just cried and cried until he saw Daddy, straight away smiled and jumped in the air. I told Scott that "I think he prefers you" and Scott said, "don't be silly" and the moment he walked out from the room, Oliver just cried again. He was happy in Daddy's arms and I think that was just to cutest and sweetest thing.

He also shows preference to sleep on his side or tummy when he sleeps. This wouldn't matter so much (since he's almost 8 months old) if he only knows how to roll back to his back. Yup - the little Buddha is capable of crawling and standing up but NOT to roll back. We have been woken up by him in the middle of the night because he found himself on his tummy and not able to roll back. I think he needs to learn about priority!

The house & the neighbours

We managed to unpacked most of the boxes apart from the books and stuff that meant to go on the walls. The previous owners have penchant for colours and as the result we have blue, yellow, green, orange and pink walls!! We are hoping that we can have the house painted before Christmas but wiith all the expenses that had accrued the past month it probably won't be happening.

Being a family-oriented neighbourhood, we are surrounded by friendly ones. One that I must note though, is this lovely girl who lives two doors away, Aly, with her best friend Keely. They came out to say hi to us the weekend after we moved in, and we introduced them to Oliver.
Keely: "Where is Oliver going to school?"
Scott" "Mmmph.. I don't know. We still have plenty of time to think about it"
Aly: "Look at his hair" (Oliver's hair just grows out of control at the moment, he looks like Krusty the Clown)
Scott: "yeah.. he's a punk"
Keely: "He's going to be so popular at school!!"

They put a note at our door one afternoon offering their service to be baby sitters or do job around the house (five dollars an hour and when they came and visited they said they will donate some of it to the cancer foundation and some other charity foundations. Scott said they will need to charge more if they are going to donate some of their fee). I told them Oliver is too young and that they will get nervous if they are to look after the baby and Keely said "We will just have to ring you every so often!".

The thing is.. we might be too nice to them and they have been at our door all the time now. They came to visit 4 times the last 24 hours, twice we sent them home saying we were on the way out and last one we didn't answer the door. Help!! We are being stalked by 10 years olds!!!

Saturday morning - 7 am. Oliver's in his bedroom, whinging. Scott and I were fighting about who should get up and let him play on his rug. He had been awake since 6am, we fed him, hoping that he would sleep a bit longer in our bed (he didn't), put him back to his bed (twice),brought him back to our bed (still whingy) - nothing happened, he's just ready to get up and play.

Here we are, 6 months down the road - Boy how difference our life is now.

It's a change of the lifestyle and although I should say it's all worth it, I miss some things. Like the luxury of sleeping in (who doesn't?). But seriously, I looove my beauty sleeps. Actually I just don't love sleeping in, I need it. I need it to function normal. Haven't had that in 6 months. Funny how I was given tips to sleep in a lot during pregnancy, because you wouldn't be able to do it anymore once the baby's born. I did sleep in alot before Oliver is born, but that was then, now I WANT my beauty sleeps again!

Not being able to go out often anymore is fine with us - we're enjoying our time as family. Can't believe this - hold your breath I am going to say something very cliche: He is our joy and watching him grow brings smile on our faces.

I keep thinking that their development is like preprogrammed - first smile by 6 weeks, learning to coordinate hands at 3 months, babble at 4 months etc etc. Oliver's new skill is faking coughs. He's been doing it for days now and he will respond to your cough by coughing back to you. Cute.


We are still learning. Lots of trial and error and I hate that we sometimes do not realise that we are making errors. And when the pennies finally dropped, the guilt trips taken tolls.."Why didn't I think of that before?" "My poor baby.. can't believe I did it to him before for so long...".

Anyway - as someone said, having a baby means you need to get ready to change your lifestyle. If you're not willing to, then you shouldn't have a baby! Oh.. so true...

Oliver & Sign Language

I swear to God Oliver gave me sign to 'milk' this morning. I made attempt to get him to sign to me, and he looked at me tentatively, and really, seriously, I was pretty sure that he did. Scott was in bed also with us and he even noticed it. How exciting!!

Hehe.

Of course I don't know if he really did. Later on today I thought he was tired, but hey, is he making that sign again? Is he tired.. or is he actually hungry?

Like playing charade again. Gave him sign of milk, and I thought he was smiling at me so I got up and got the bottle ready. Got back to Oli and he was happy on his tummy, so I thought.. well, maybe I was wrong. And then he got cranky again.. you get the point. And I fed him and fed him and fed him.. A lot!

Oh all these confusions..

I was like an obsessed mother who kept signing "do you want MILK?" when there isn't any milk around. And even though he might have been giving him 'milk' sign I am pretty sure that he's as confused as me now :P

Yikes!

Parents pressure

Started to wean Oliver a bit so he is not completely on breastmilk - I figured it would be better to get him used to this before introducing solids, and guess what.... he's a muuuch more happier baby now, more content, less grumpy, naps are even better. I feel sad thinking that he must have been hungry (well maybe not exactly hungry, just not quite enough) all this time.

On that note though, I still am not very excited about the idea of solids. I know we have to do it sooner rather than later (he is turning 6 months old in about a week), but to think about the mess, the extra work, extra effort to introduce it to him... mmpppph (blowing raspberry like Oliver's new skill) it sounds soo complicated and I'd love to keep it this simple (although still not as simple as just giving breastmilk) for as long as I could!!!

Oooh.. the pressure of being a mother, the pressure of trying to give the best for your child. Yesterday Scott showed me a picture of this couple's baby looked happy and was having so much fun in a kindergym session. Hang on... What is it? Why is our baby not doing it? Does this mean that I didn't "help (your) child to maximize their learning potential ' since "the activities at the centre are not designed to speed up development but are to ensure that each baby/child gains full benefit from each developmental stage" (according to the website)? But we were already planning to enroll him to a swimming school and in my BC (Before Child) years, I promised I was not going to bombard my child with so many extra curricular that he probably would not enjoy anyway -but here I am considering doing everything at the same time and he's not even 6 months old yet.

Is this parents pressure - to make sure that your baby can have 'the best start in life'? Before I had a child I thought some parents just trying to get their children to do what they (the parents) want them to do, not what the children really want to do, but now I actually get it - you are doing it for your child. You are actually worried that you are not giving them enough learning experience, you are worried that they might be an outcast if they didn't do what the others did, that their developments might be behind other kids, in the nutshell - "not giving them the best start in life".

Question is: Is it true? Is it worth it? Is it really necessary or is it really there is a time for everything?

Anyway - too much thinking. My head is spinning.

Suburban CEO

Are you...

Staying home with kids but thinking about going back to work to save your sanity?
Feeling self-conscious when talking to friends who have careers?
Tired of going to lackluster, boring playgroups just to pass the time?

This site is for you!

Hmm.. I haven't really had time to read it but someone recommended this website to read: http://www.suburbanceo.com/.

It says... This site is for every woman who wants to stay at home with her children but has had to reluctantly admit that she often feels frazzled, overwhelmed and not totally fulfilled. This site will help you identify the five missing pieces from modern life as an at-home mom and become CEO of your own life. By doing this you'll be able to:
Make staying at home with kids as intellectually challenging (and far more rewarding) than any career.
Build a better social network than any of your working friends.
Take your house from quiet isolation to being a thriving hub of activity.
Set aside your resume: "having it all" does not necessarily mean having a job!

Hmm... might be interesting!!! I'll post more once I have time to gulp down the content -although please please don't assume that I am not enjoying being a stay at home mum.

On the Bradleys' news front, we had a busy week. Scott had been swamped with work - always always busy these days. Weekends are not good for relaxing either since we've been busy doing a lot of house inspections with a view to buy. Not very good prospect though, you can be sure that if we like something that we see, we won't be able to afford it. I know beggars can't be choosers but boy we're soo picky!! If only extra $$$$ can fall from the sky!!

Grandma came over from Orange for the weekend. Of course our little boy was a monster the whole time Grandma was here, and turned back to angel when she left. Lucky for us that she's biased hehe.. As always, Oliver doesn't know the concept of strangers. No stranger anxiety when meeting Grandma although last time he saw him he was only 2 weeks old - if someone decided to kidnap him, there wouldn't be any need to lure him with anything (touch wood). Mummy enjoyed having moments where she could hand Oli over to Gran for a few days.

The weather in Melbourne has been soo gorgeous - it is suprisingly 25 degrees today. I decided to take the little monster for his little excursion to the beach. He couldn't care less though *grin*, fell asleep all the way in the stroller.When he woke up and I put him on my lap but he was more interested in looking at his toes than the ocean and when I stood him up on the sand he was just as ignorant. This is really the case of a parent that is ready to show the world to the baby, only to be put off.

new pics

Little monster has been keeping me busy currently to get me going on the blog. But fifth month pics & a movie file have been uploaded on the website if youse all interested on http://home.exetel.com.au/bradley/baby_album/my_pictures.html

Oh no!

We spotted the second tooth popping out from Oli's gum! Maybe just didn't realise it before...

Early teether!

Here you go!
Felt something sharp in his mouth when he bit me yesterday, only to find a little pearl popping out from his gum.

Went to the pharmacy to get teething gel, just in case, and got confirmation from the pharmacist when she saw Oli's gum. And she said, "My boy didn't get it until 12 months!"

It's a day of neverending screams today.

Fly me to the moon - Oli's first big trip

Mummy's diary

21 Jul 07

(Lesson #1: Do not pack at the last minute to avoid overpacking (baby's stuff) and/or underpacking (mummy's))

We're taking the 2pm flight to Queensland. I knew I should have packed at least the night before but that would be unusual of me to do that. It was just unbelievable but there was so much to do! I was so busy that I literally didnt have enough time to sit down and had my breakfast before we left. I wasn't sure what he needed, couldn't make up my mind on what to bring - I ended up prety much taking almost the whole nursery. Packing for him took forever and I just threw some of my stuff in the suitcase at the end of it. In the end, the only thing I probably didn't bring was his cot.

(Lesson #2 - for daddy: Do not say "What would you do if we leave early this morning instead of the 2 o'clock flight?" while you're sitting down having a nice cup of coffee and your breakfast while your wife is running around getting things organised for YOUR boy. It is not very nice and your wife might not want to talk to you for the rest of the day.)

Milestone #1 : Oli tried to sit up without support in the morning on his rocker after breakfast

The flight was suprisingly quite easy - though it would be a different story if it was 5 or six hours flight. The passenger sat next to us moved to another row so we had next seat empty - very very helpful. Oli couldn't get comfortable to sleep but no problem with his ears during take off/landing.

We got our rented car - v annoyed because instead of the baby capsule we got a child seat, facing forward instead of rear facing. Aaargh.. Have to put rolled rug to support Oli's head and sit at the back to make sure he's ok. It is secured in the middle seat so Oli just staired right at the road and too fascinated to fall asleep even though I know he's very tired.

Arrived at poppy Bradley's at 6pm - Uncle Bob & Aunty Carol were there too. Oli went to bed straight away,thinking we should give him a power nap before he said hello to everyone, but we ended up letting him sleep until the morning. Too bad that uncle Bob & aunty Carol didn't even get to say hi!

22Jul

For lunch today we have: Daryl & Ann, poppy's best friends, Karen (Scott's sister) and Shawn & the kids, Paul (nanna Marg's son) and Janelle & the kids -rrrr... that's 15 of us. What a nerveracking time !

Just couldn't believe though that Oli actually had good naps all day, wasn't even bothered by the noise or overstimulated by the crowds. Phew.

Milestone #2: first tickle giggle - not with me or dad, but uncle Shawn.

23 Jul

yawn. Oli woke up twice this morning. Suspecting teething as he began to pull his ears as well as drooling (a garden sprinkler, Scott calls him).

24 Jul

Mummy & Oli went for a walk to the conservatory, looked like a jungle that we turned home halfway.

We went out for dinner with Murray & Marg (poppy and nanna) - the first time! Yay. He slept the whole time. Looks like we'll be having more dinner out from now on!

25 Jul

Oli and mummy were just having a boring day at poppy's place. At least mummy's got her new Harry Potter book. Not reading it as fast as I like though.

26 Jul

Scott's working from home. But Oli and I were going out with Janelle, sister in law, Paul's (Marg's son) wife. Went to the movie - not a baby session though, so when Oli started to get uncomfortable and started to make noise, I got so nervous. Had to put him down in his stroller and move him back & forth while watching.

Milestone #3: degree 'spinning' (very slow spinning!) on his tummy

Milestone #4: Roll over to his tummy. But of course we missed it. He started crying so I put him on his back and then i went to make a cup of tea. Scott was working just next to him, and the next minute he was on his tummy!

27 Jul

Had lunch at the Southbank and walked along the river with Scott in the afternoon.

Last night in Brisbane - we were having dinner with Marg & Murray, Janelle, Paul and the kids at the Thai restaurant not far from where we lived. Again, Oli slept well in the stroller. Yay!

28 Jul

It's funny what happened today. We flew out today , the flight was ok too. Except the nappy changing part in the small lavatory because I thought his nappy was soiled. Little did I know he then really soiled his nappy during landing - and his jumpsuit. He was really smelly, but couldn't change him until we landed.

got in the first parent room we found, but in the middle of changing nappy he decided to go for a wee, and spoilt his spare jumpsuit. I haven't got a spare of spare jumpsuit, we hadn't got our luggage, the only thing i had in the bag was my top that I packed just incase he leaked on me. So here he is, in mummy's top, happy as can be!

New pictures are uploaded on: http://home.exetel.com.au/bradley/baby_album/my_pictures.html

A Handful Oli

with cousins Nic, Chloe & Ben

Mummy's been pigging out.

It started with Oli being very fussy during the day lately, and when I took him him to see the nurse at the health centre, we found out that he hasn't been gaining enough weight (can't tell if you look at his chubby cheeks & creases on his legs though).

The nurse recommended me to start cereal on him. But he's only 4 months old!


Desperately trying to increase my milk supply (hence a lot of food, water, milk and beer!!! We don't have guiness but apparently normal beer helps to increase milk production as well - good enough for me) because I really need him to have good immune system & antibody at the moment:
1. I am catching flu (not looking forward for his first head cold), but this might actually mean that my milk will decrease
2. He's getting his second jabs on Thursday
3. We're going to Queensland to visit poppy Bradley & nanna Marg for a week on Saturday.

So far I'm sick of eating and drinking and not sure if my milk supply increases.

Would be an interesting (and dreading) to see what happens. He's a handful already even when he's not cranky. He's doing half roll now when put on his back on his babygym, trying so hard to roll over until his face turns red and he gets really upset that Mummy needs to step in. The other day he's trying to crawl with his face down dragging along on the baby gym - oouch - that mummy needed to step in as well.

His naps are generally getting better now that I take time to do proper wind down. I'd pick him up when he's whingy and start singing to him (Unfortunately Scott said the only reason Oli goes quiet everytime I sing is because he's hoping that maybe mummy would stop singing? Very funny, dad.) His favourite song is 'over the rainbow' but mummy can only sing the first verse (over and over and over).

what's in the name

Lots.

Apparently, these days parents get a lot of pressure in naming their babies. They want their chidlren to have names that set them apart from the rest of the pack, but also not so unusual that they will be target of the bullies at school.

(In my opinion, people -no matter how famous they are- who named their children Apple, Shiloh or Suri are as weird and nasty as what Michael Jackson did to his sons - just different approaches)

Anyway, some parents are willing to go the distances by hiring a baby-name consultant. Yes, a baby-name consultant.

For $95, BabyNames.com will set you up with a half-hour phone consulting session to find that perfect name for your little one. If that’s too much time and money, you can pay $35 and they’ll suggest 12 names based on a list of preferences you can check off on the site. Do you want ethnic, biblical, trendy, traditional? How about a name of your favourite place? (Sidney? Wiena? As long as it is not Paris).

Or you can shell out more to pay a numerologist to see if your favourite name has positive associations, or get the expert to make up names from the combination of your and your partner's name combinations.

Oh boy, talking about spending money. My suggestions would be that you go to the library and borrow some babyname books or find them on the internet, and spend that $35 or that $95 for coffee and cake or dinner with your partner, before the little one arrives (you can also talk about baby names with him!)

The mind game

I am soo tired. Our little angel has turned into a nightmare this week. He's very moody and cried and cried and cried and unconsolable - and we (I) don't know what we did wrong or if something wrong with him.


I threw soo many theories on him already. Maybe he is an early teether since he is a bit of a drooler now and bites my finger when I offer it to him - not to mention always sucking his own fingers now? (Oh this is funny. He sooo drools now that when Charlie, a 2 years old son of Scott's friend came over and we told him to give Oli a kiss, his first reaction was, "Yiiikes... he's smelly!" And Oli wasn't smelly that time, and believe me, I know how smelly smells.)


Maybe he's catching cold because of the winter weather? He woke up last night during our dream feed or rollover feed or whatever you want to call it, and cried his lungs out when we put him down, which is very unusual of him. So much worries that I decided to give him some panadol infant. The second we squirted that panadol infant on him, he suddenly went quiet and we didn't hear a single squeek after that. Obviously the drug wouldn't work within that 30 seconds, so it was the shock - shock therapy does work!!! For all he knows we could have just squirted water into his mouth.

Maybe he's getting older and he needs more activities? Maybe I misinterpreted his boredom with sign of tiredness?
Who knows.

It is like playing a charade really. Except he can't tell me if it is one word or two words, no cues whatsoever. The only cue, the repetitive cue is that same looooong wail. It is taking so much energy to guess what he wants. And so this little devil makes soo much impacts on my days. When he's happy, I am happy. But when he's cranky, I am even crankier.

"What do you want, Oli?"
"waaa waaa waaa"

"Are you not feeling well?"
"waa waaa waaa"

"Right, if you keep crying, I am going to put you on ebay. As new - very well trained, generally contended and already sleeps through the night."
"waa waaa waaaa" (maybe this one means: hmm not a bad idea, mum!)

Accidental parenting?? (if it's not for Oli)

The book that I am following Oli's routine from, "The secret of Baby Whisperer" said that parents can do 'accidental parenting', such as turning things (or themselves) into prop needed by babies to settle down, allowing them to not be able to independent sleeping by rocking them, putting them in their bouncers, offering breast, using dummies, etc etc. It is a cycle usually starts by a child who can't seem to be settled so parents pick him up or rock him or do whatever it takes to settle him (trust me, we'd do anything to get him back to sleep when he cries his lungs out every hour in the middle of the night) and then the parents do it again next time he cries because 'it worked last time' and at the end the baby depends on whatever the 'prop' is to settle him back.

Being the textbook I am, of course I soo don't want to do any accidental parenting. I reckoned I would.. if it's not because of Oli. You see, i followed everything word by word from the book.. and tried to fix something that ain't broken.

As an example, it recommended to wind baby down before nap/bedtime by holding him in your arms - only when Oli's about 2.5 months old did I realise he doesn't really like a cuddle before bed. It makes him unsettled instead - I think I have a baby who likes to go straight into business, "wham bam thank you ma'am' baby. Life is sooo much easier now - how lucky we are to get a child who doesn't need to be nursed before bedtime. Woo hoo...

The book also recommend teaching baby to self soothe and put himself back to sleep when he stirs from the REM sleep by 'shhh-pat tehnicque (now, babies have approximately 45 minutes sleep cycle where he moves from the REM sleep into deep sleep like an adult - the problem with that is that some babies wake up when they shift gear and can't go back to sleep by themselves and start crying desperately instead). We did it for a while but Oli doesn't like it!! His crying got worse - the 'shhh' and patting on his back actually woke him up. So we gave up - and thought, "what the hell.." and did what is not recommended by the book. We picked him up and let him fall asleep in our arms (it didn't work very well either though, most of the time he got settled this way because he was just too tired and boy, he was a nightmare during that stage!). But who would've thought.. he just doesn't cry anymore and been sleeping so well the past week that I never need to pick him up again... Again - this is him and has nothing to do with any technique. Lucky is an understatement and it has nothing to do with what we do as parents. I probably would have changed him into all the bad things I feared him to be if he's not the one in control *grin*.

But actually..... sometimes I think I am not reading his cues, it's actually him reading my cues. Sometimes I think I put him down too soon but he never whinge, like he knows it's his bedtime and then tries to go to sleep (and laying there for 20 minutes with eyes open and me feeling bad about it, but since he's not crying I can't pick him up). Or he wasn't fussy about food but the minute I put him in position then his mouth starts rooting. I am still convinced that he's actually the one in control but only let me think that I am (whatta a good boy, knows mummy needs this for her ego).

Febi (damn you, Feb!) always said she feels sorry for my child because i am a control freak *grin* but I think she would've felt sorry for me, because if it wasn't because of Oli I am probably too busy pulling out my hair to write this blog entry.

Mothers vocabulary update

Phew. Not much time left beside looking after little Oli - excuse my laziness to update my blog. But I thought I should post this little article found on the web - just for fun!


You knew many things would change once you became a mother, but did you expect your vocabulary would be one of them? Here are some common words that may have taken (or will take) on new meaning thanks to your baby:

Amnesia: The condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to make love again.

Feedback: The inevitable result when your baby doesn't appreciate the pureed carrots.

Full name: What you call your child when you're really mad at him.

Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

Hearsay: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

Impregnable: A woman whose memory of labor is still vivid.

Independent: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

Ow: The first word spoken by children with older siblings.

Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes and socks into it.

Show off: A child who is more talented than yours.

Sterilize: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

Two minute warning: When your baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

All you need is love...

Mum's gone home after 2 months staying with us to help me out. She wanted to stay longer but there wasn't any seat available during June when we tried to change her flight. Although she seemed to be sadder to leave Oli than me.

She left me with hundreds questions: how am I going to survive without her? What am I going to eat? I suddenly feel like a grown up. I am not playing house - I am running a household and a family now!! EEKS...

Anyway, it's now half a week since she's gone. We are okay - Oli and I. Trying to settle into routine without my mother. So far I have only text-ed her less than 10 times regarding my worries. See, this is the only thing I hate about parenting - I am sooo neurotic (and a bit of hypochondriac) and trust me it's not much fun worrying about your little person. And why is parenthood is all about trial and error - I don't want to run experiments to my child, I just want to do everything right for him!).

I saw those mothers I saw walking down the streets with two kids, usually one toddler and one baby and I asked Scott, "How do you think they manage it? If you have a 2 years old child who is still demanding a lot of your time, and you need to feed a newborn every 2.5 hours, and that each feed takes about one hour, when do you have time for the older one?"

His answer: "impossible, Linda, impossible."

PS. We're having a mothers club meeting next week, and as Scott put it, many new mothers only got interested in mothers club after their mothers had gone home.

Brand New Day

Everyday is a brand new day. Well, not exactly right for me, as everyday is a repeat from the other day. Just like the groundhog day. It's a repeat from yesterday - wake up, feed the baby, change nappies, you get the point.

But for Oli, this little baby who did not even existed in the world ten weeks ago, everyday is indeed a brand new day.
Discovering new things. Learning new things. Understanding.

Scott went away for two nights and his comment when he got home was "Oli was like a stranger to me. He's grown, his face is different, and he seems to understand what's going on."
How true. How amazing.

He started talking about two weeks ago and now seems can't get enough of coo-ing and goo-ing. (You'd say: "No more talking, mister. It's bed time" and he starts giggle and talking back). He only just found his fingers (only his left ones, the right hand is yet to be discovered), and he is mastering it by frantically trying to put them in his mouth whenever there is a chance. We put his down for his bedtime, all relaxed and zen, and fifteen minutes later he cried. When we checked on him, he was too busy sucking his thumb and too awake to put himself to sleep. (Though I am glad I quickly realised that sucking his thumb does not mean that he is hungry)

Now I know how proud it feels to be a mother, even though I share it with millions others (being a mother, I mean). I am so proud just looking him grow, looking at him putting on weight, smiling at me - just basically being him. Watching him mastering his body is exciting.

As something that I read somewhere, 'you want to show your baby to the whole world but most important is that you want to show the whole world to your baby'. That is so true. And all I need in return is his smile. That's all I need!

First Mother's day

To all the mothers in the world (and especially my mother): HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I didn't think Mother's day would feel different from usual. But strangely, it did. Granted, I am a Mother now, but still, it feels surreal. I am proud to be mother - which is funny, why would you be proud?

(Because it is the most tiring yet fulfilling job. It is indeed the most important job in the world!)

Things I love being a mother

It might be too soon to find out all the good things about motherhood, but these are the things I found out already - things I love being a mother:

* His first, second, and third smiles... and more

* Feeling a tiny fist curl around your finger when you touch his palm

* Putting the sole of his feet on your cheeks, and see him rewarding you with a smile

* The smell of his hair, the softness of his cheeks, and the warmth of his skin

* Watching him sleeping (for a looong time and never get tired of doing it) and wondering what the future holds for him

* Sneaking into his room to check on him, just to find out the second you step into the room he turn his face around and bright eyes looking straight at you - and cry for attention

* Watching him stop crying when he sees you

* When you cuddle him, he nestles on your shoulder and snugs in the crease of your neck

* When he falls into a deep sleep in your arms

Month 2 - milestone

Statistics:

11 Apr 07: weight 4350gr, height 55cm

22 Apr 07: weight 4760gr, height 55cm

31 Apr 07: weight 5010gr, height 55cm

8 May 07: weight 5420, height 57.25cm

First sleeping in: Saturday 15 April 2007, Oliver slept in from 9.30pm to 5.30pm. Mama did not sleep waiting for him to wak up, worrying sick that he is starving. Anyway, the nurse at the mother & child centre put my mind to rest when she weighed him and he put on 410grams in 10 days (they would like to see children put on between 15-30grams perday so Oli's weight gain is above average - yooouuuuu little piglet!!!!!). She said the reason why he sleeps through is because he has enough during the day, but be WARNED - this will change!!)

First big smile for Mama & Daddy: Saturday, 21 April 2007 with a little goo noise. Made our day!

First lift his head 90 degree: week 6

Control freak 'Stepmother'

I am one of those people who thought parenting was an easy job and that I would handle it just fine and that I would be back to my normal routinity in no time.

You see, I am a textbook person. I like everything to go accordingly to the textbook, I plan everything waaaay ahead and got stressed out when things don't work out the way I plan (which usually the way they end). This is why my friends said I am a control freak and that I would be a 'stepmother' (like the one in Cinderella) to my own kids trying to be in control.

Even before Oli was born, I had my plan on how to look after him perfected in my head. You see other women having babies and you think it's easy, but now I'd say you have to spend at least 24 hours with them to know how it is like exactly being a mother. If you were like me, you'd judge those mothers for only a small amount of time, and already you'd think about things that you would do and would not do if it was your own child -- then your baby comes along and nothing works to your list.

I knew the first few weeks were going to be hard and that I would loose some sleep but I was being a smart ass thinking that it would be a piece of cake. Actually I was being a smart ass about the whole 'I'd be a good mother straightaway' thing and that I can fit the baby in my schedule. It takes a lot of work and practice and it takes your (and his) whole life to learn it.

Going out after the initial shock and restless nights doesn't get much better straight away as well. My baby is such an angel (like all other mums would say about theirs), we generaly don't have any difficulty putting him down for a nap or nighttime sleep. He's been following some routine since he was 3 weeks old, which is great because all we need to do to make him sleep now is by putting him in his cot and he's been sleeping in at nights since he's 5 weeks old but of course there are some odd days when all he does is crying and that is something that we need to be flexible about when planning our day (or mine during weekdays).

The other day Sharon and I planned our first outting, which ended up just having coffee at her place because it all got too hard. You see, you can plan your schedule around, but babies don't have regular schedule. You can plan to go out and come back just in time for his next scheduled feeding time but then he wakes up half an hour earlier than when he's supposed to be up - would you tell him to follow his schedule and go back to sleep?). It takes a lot of organisation and planning to go out. He would need to be fed, changed and by the time we're ready to go, we would only have 1-1 1/2 hours before his next feeding time (three hours slots really doesn't mean anything if you actually only have that much time between each feeding to do your chores in between) . I still can't be bothered to try to feed him outside (eg at babies room in the malls etc., since that would mean spending at least half an hour feeding & changing gim in these early days)

At the end I really don't want to do it to my baby anyway (well, not yet). I would go out and rush my way around just to be home on time for the feeding, or if I go out with him, I would rush my way around so he doesn't wake up on the road and crying and I had no way to console him (Mum said, "Shopping is fun, but not with you because you always in the rush to go home". Hey, don't blame me, it's only 5 weeks since my life changed forever.) It breaks my heart to see him crying either in pain, in hunger, or just searching for comfort. Call me soft, call me undiscipline, tell me that I am making it difficult for myself, but wait until you have your own child and you'll call it mother's love.

Confession of the Milking Cow

Allow me to introduce the new me. I am a mother - a very cranky mother since I hardly remember what a goodnight sleep feels like, my life has changed completely since baby Oli was born. I live on three hour slots basically, starting from the time he screams his lungs out (he's got very healthy lungs by the sound of it), which means it is his feeding time, to the next feeding time. I never feel so much being used by a person - literally - as a milking cow.

Baby Oli is a sucker - or maybe he just loves mummy's lovely milk. But breastfeeding does not come natural to me. Now if it is a natural thing, how come both mother and the baby need to learn to do it in perfect harmony? If it is so natural how come I have been in constant pain from the first day?

From the first day, everyone has different opinion. They said it shouldn't feel uncomfortable but then they said it was normal to feel uncomfortable since I might still be tender and need some adjusting period. What the???

Other girls that I spoke to at the new mother club didn't have any problem with breastfeeding and that made me feel something is wrong with me.

After some soul searching (starting from being a showcase in front of midwives in the hospital to make sure he latched alright, to calling the breastfeeding association lady and talking to the nurse at the mother & child centre), I finally decided to get a lactation consultant. The day I rang the breast lady (Scott has a different term for her, too rude to put it down here), Mum (who happened to be staying with us) objected straight away. See, again we have different opinions. Mum said it has only been a month, while in my opinion it has already been a month.

The breast lady and I went through the technique of latching and some other issues. The day when she came and visit, Oli slept through for 7 hours at night (with mummy not able to sleep waiting for him to wake up). I am still waiting to see if I can actually put all the theories into practice.

Fingers crossed...

PS. New pictures of 4 weeks old Oli are in the baby album on http://home.exetel.com.au/bradley

First time mummy

After the initial shock of being a mother, I realised the hardest part of the motherhood is that we are no longer a couple, we are a family now. You can't just do things impulsively, can't go out just whenever you want to (organising bub to go out turned out to be a very hard work and takes a long time), can't go out too long (need to coincide with bub's feeding time), and your spouse it no longer the only most important person in your life.

It is not all fun but it's wonderful journey (I thought newborn only wakes up to eat and poo and spend the rest of the day sleeping - little did I expect that they are capable of driving mummy crazy with their high pitch cries). I am enjoying the motherhood although it is still feel surreal - it has been 4 weeks but it still hasn't sunk in yet for both Scott and I.

New first things for the first time mummy (moi):

* First nappy change
Eeks.. what is that yellow gooey thing in his nappy? How do you clean him? It is funny how two educated people actually get clueless in these things and need to get someone else (the midwife) to show you how to clean his botbot and change his nappy. Fortunately the blackish sticky poo didn't last for very long (well on the serious side, it's called meconium which is the first baby's poo and they only last for 3 days) Eventually you get used to the smell and the colour and the frequencies (how could a tiny thing dispose that much stuff it's a mistery to me!)

*First poo and wee (on me!)
We bond together looking after bub. It might sound cliche, but looking at Scott talking to Oliver always gives me a warm feeling because we share our love. We share experience and responsibilities like a team when we look after him, bath him, feed him, put him to bed, even play with him. It is just amazing.

And I never thought that I would put up with someone peeing and weeing on me.

*First excursion (with baby)
First baby excursion was to the baby shop to get his first stroller. And I just could not believe so much preparation needs to be done just to go to the shop which almost practically around the corner. Everything is about timing - we rushed out the house just after he finished his breakfast (didnt' even give him time to burp yet) and I kept looking into his little capsule to see if he's awake when it was time for his next feed. In the second excursion to Ikea a week later, we actually got trapped in the traffic and I was so nervous and cranky because I just want to get home before he screamed and I couldn't stop blaming Scott for choosing that route home.

*First excursion (without baby)
.. is as nerveracking as going out with the baby. Grandma was home to look after him when Scott and I went out for Sharon's prewedding barbecue. The minute we left home I felt strong urge to call home straight away. I gave it half an hour, because my hubby said I HAD to. Rang mum after half hour and about 1.5 hours after we left home. "Has he eaten yet? Is he asleep? Is he being fussy?" and mum went, "YES... (now leave me alone).." Well she didn't actually say that but I read between the lines.

New (not so yummy) mummy

2 weeks into the motherhood. Thanks for all the congratulations.

I am still trying to get into and enjoy the motherhood. It is the most tiring job in the world. I don't regret it the slightest - he's the most gorgeous little person in the whole world (and I am sure no one would dare say that I am biased) and the most amazing thing that happened in our life (This little man has grown into an individual with his own characters. He is not just a 'baby' anymore, he's Oliver who gets cranky when he doesn't get his food, always refuses to close his eyes even though he was yawning and yawning, and loves a drive in daddy's car; it is hard to believe he is the same helpless little creature born 2 weeks ago and the same person who was in my tummy for 9 months). But the whole thing has given me a new meaning on the new mummy syndrome:

Banana in pyjamas - No, it is not Oliver's favourite show. It is how I feel since I spend more time in my pyjamas than ever during the day. Most of mornings I would get up just to feed Oliver straight away and do not even have time to have my breakfast first or do other thing first. You just don't have time to look pretty anymore (taking shower is even a luxury) and anyway, the minute you put the baby down after a feed he'll wake up demanding more within an hour -there's no time, and frankly, why bother?

Walking zombie - All flesh and no soul, I am operating on the automatic gear like a walking zombie at the moment. Apart from being the milking cow I am, I switch on by the tiniest coo and sniffle from the little one. I jump straight from the bed instinctively, without thinking or anything. Scott scolded me for doing that when my stitches were still fresh from the surgery room. The other day we went to Ikea with Scott's mum and only in the car I realised I was wearing my home slippers - ugly ripped apart batik slippers. But do I care? Not a slightly bit.

Mixed feeling, baby blues - The third day at the hospital I had my first episode of baby blues. Tired, not enough sleep, incision pain, and been in the hospital all by myself (Scott went to work that day), I burst into tears in front of the midwife (apparently this is normal, since all the pregnancy hormones that gave me that 'zen' feeling suddenly shut off on the third or fourth day). Scott and I have been working as a team from the day we went back from hospital and Scott's mum had been here helping us out for two weeks as well, so I am more less better (although I would love to have ten hours of unbroken sleep. He is so angelic (mostly when he's asleep) but sometimes I still feel like putting him in the basket outside the gate with a little note "free to take home".

Baby boy!

Oliver Asha Bradley was born with C-section on March 13, 2007 at 00:01 after 12 long hours of normal labour attempt. Weighing 3.77 kg and 51 cm tall, apparently he was to big for mummy's petite figure.

Was discharged from the hospital last night (17 March) and am very very exhausted. More details coming.

Week 40 - Countdown

Monday 5 March - 4 days to D date

My book ('the bible') said to be aware of frequent fetal hiccups, 2-4 times a day of more than 10 minutes episode each time, since it might be a sign that the umbilical cord had become tangled around baby's neck (this, and or decreasing fetal activity but my baby has not stopped being active ever). I thought he had a lot of hiccups episodes but I timed them today - he had only 3 episodes but each lasted only around 5 minutes.

Braxton hicks are getting more often tonight and painful. I was not even sure if they are not real contractions when they happened, but they didn't last long enough.

Tuesday 6 March - 3 days to D date

I am still here. It's not happening yet although people started to ring up to check on me. I haven't gained any weight from last week though, which apparently is one of the prelabour signs (either weight gain is slowing down or actually losing weight but with the way I eat, it even surprise me that I haven't put on weight this week. Food turnaround in this household has never been so fast, especially with sweet food like ice cream, chocolate and biscuits!)

Wednesday 7 March - 2 days to D date

Went out with Sharon to her wedding dress fitting, papershop, lunch etc etc to keep myself busy. Not very fun being out when people commenting how big my tummy is, that I must be due anytime soon now (in two days time, actually, if you really really need to know).

Thursday 8 March - 1 day to D date

Probably nesting instinct kicking in, I spent the whole day at home, baking and cooking (and eating the cookies straight away).
No sign yet.


Friday 9 March - The D date

Don't think it's happening today. Had a msn chat with Sinta last night and she asked me if I started dreaming about the labour - and of course I did have the dream after she mentioned it. Not sure if I really felt something but as they are gone in the morning, they must have just been braxton hicks.

Had lunch with Sharon then drove to the doctor. Baby is still in the same position as last week, which is 3 fingers from the pelvic. Scott said, "he kept saying that, did you give him 3 fingers when he's not looking?"

As predicted, baby didn't arrive. All the built-up anticipation had gone away now - I was ready for the pain and the labour but now I am not so sure anymore.

Am starting to feel that he's so stubborn that I might need to be induced eventually.

Week 39 - Full moon baby?

My body:
More than 38 weeks and am still pregnant. Looks like I am going to distance to 40 weeks (or more). Apart from getting uncomfortably bigger I haven't got any concerning complaints.

My baby:
is now about 51cm in length and weighs around 3.2kg. The vernix that has covered him and has protected his skin for the last nine months will assist him to pass through the birth canal and provides a layer of insulation after he is born. It is routine for the remaining vernix to be washed away after delivery.

I must look ready to pop out - the guy at the service station where I was getting petrol pointed at my tummy and being cheeky, took out his measure tape from his drawer. Haha, very funny.

We celebrated our 4th anniversary this week (first of March) - Scott wanted baby to be born on that day but I am happy that we dont' have to share our anniversary with his birthday.

(I was going to get Scott tickets to Little Britain live but given that the show was on the 28th February and was a bit risky, he had to settle with the Little Britain live dvd. Even though we could have gone to the show, it is still definitely cheaper and he can watch it over and over again with the dvd!)

Birgit rang and said that it would be a fullmoon night this Saturday. We're not sure if this is another old wives tale, but it has been believed that there are more women in labour during full moon than normal nights and that if there is a full moon close to their due date, they should prepare to give labour during that full moon, regardless whether it is before or after the due date.

This is from the net:
Contractions known as "Braxton Hicks" -- sometimes noticeable to the mother and sometimes not -- become more pronounced and many travel to the maternity unit in the belief that "it's time" (during fullmoon). Disappointed -- or perhaps relieved -- they return home, the pains having subsided and with no dilation of the cervix.

While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the reason why extra staff are needed, the major difference is found in the number of women whose amniotic sac -- the water -- breaks.

Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it's most likely to happen.

The theory is that the moon's gravitational pull effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and even the water that's otherwise found in our bodies.

As a woman's body prepares for natural childbirth, the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point where it will easily burst if put under pressure. Under normal circumstances, the pressure of labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon's effect on the water inside the sac can cause the same things to happen, but without the accompanying contractions.

When this happens, natural childbirth doesn't always move forward and with no other signs of labor present, the obstetrician may decide to induce the birth. During my own study of this phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose births started with the water breaking at full moon, 5 of them had no accompanying contractions.

Anyhow, this caused us a little anxiety on Saturday. But nothing happened. And I wasn't sure if we were ready anyway, merely because we still have some last minute things to do (get my car organised - not happening though, sadly, get the baby capsule fitted, etc etc).

Week 38 - Watermelon

2 weeks until Friday 9th March 2007

My body:

*Sleeping is a bit of problem with finding a comfortable position to lay down. Even though the best position is to lay on your side (Laying on your tummy is obviously impossible, as you'd feel as if you are laying on a big watermelon and laying on your back is not good either as baby is pushing all of your organs and suppresses the oxygen flow), it still isn't comfortable with the weight that falls down from your side.

My baby:
weighs about 3kg (3000grams) and measures around 50cm in length. He is not likely to grow in length too much more but will still continue to put on some weight (which in turn resulting in my watermelon tummy).
The fine hair that has covered his body, lanugo, has now almost disappeared although some remaining on his shoulders and ears after his birth.

Not sure if baby is engaged yet, but Doctor said he's head is in position, 3 fingers up the pelvic. He can go lower into the pelvic or stay there until the labour, but we would not be able to tell. So that's pretty much saying that the baby is ready anyway.

We went to Anglesea, one of the towns along the Great Ocean Road, 2 hours from Melbourne. Sharon & Warren had been staying at Warren's parents holiday unit (they were there for 4 nights) and we drove there after Scott finished work on Friday and stayed for one night. It is a self contained unit with gum trees and kangaroos hopping around in the back yard (lots of roos poos as well). We just decided to go the night before - last chances before baby's born and all... The boys spent a lot of time fishing (apparently Warren's bible at this time is "Fishing for Dummies") - Sharon caught a fish and Warren caught a crab, while Scott specialised on seaweeds.


I wasn't worried about the possibility of having baby in the weekend, but I guess others were a bit freaked out.
Sharon: "Linda and I were talking about what if she is having labour this weekend. She's like a ticking time bomb."
Me: "Well, getting contractions wouldn't worry me we just need to drive back to Melbourne (about 2 hours drive) but I didn't think about what would happen if my water broke."
Warren: "I did!"

On Sunday we picked up changing table from Ade's place - another loan. It's perfect, except that now the nursery is so full and there isn't really enough room for everything. Despite a little cold feet I am feeling, I am actually feeling pretty excited to welcome a new Bradley into the world!

Week 37 - A little piglet

3 weeks until Friday 9 March 2007

My body:
* To say that my tummy is big is an understatement, that's all I can say about it (Scott said: "and you thought you were pregnant three months ago, didn't you?")
* Braxton hicks are getting stronger, though very irregularly. I assume this is what it's going to feel (but stronger) when the real contractions kick in..
* My brain must have shrunk as a size of my bladder as well. Having trouble remembering things, not very good in holding conversation anymore and I feel so Dumb with capital D most of the time. Scott said there must be a good reason for it, maybe to reduce the tension or stress level but it is making me stressed thinking about how stupid I have become!

My baby:
* At 37 weeks gestation, the baby is now considered to be “full term” and if born now it is unlikely that he would would have any major complications. This week, he is busy shedding his downy coating of fine hair (called lanugo) and his coat of vernix caseosa, the cheesy substance that protects his developing skin. He swallows both of these secretions, which stay in the bowels until birth (eeks..).Then he will excrete a blackish waste called meconium that becomes his first bowel movement (eeks...).
* Lots and lots of hiccups, and when he does have hiccups it can go forever (or feels like it) and my tummy would move along the rhythm of his hiccups.


Scott started his Indonesian class this week. It's my birthday present for him so he can understand when the boy speak bahasa with me and his grandparents & family from my side.
Anyhow, Scott got home from his first lesson and started practicing all night, asking my name, where I came from, what time it was, etc etc. He's been practicing numbers by saying them out loud when he saw numbers on the street (plate numbers, speed signs, house numbers and I've been saying difficult numbers for him to translate either to bahasa or to english). We have also started sticking up post it notes on things in the house with the Indonesian words for them - soon our house will be all yellow from the notes!

We went to Mornington Peninsula on the 13th - wish I could say it's to celebrate our last Valentine's day as a couple but in reality I spent the whole time on my own. He was invited for a golf day and I just tagged along. He played golf all day and had dinner with work in the evening - and I pretty much had Valentine's day by myself. Better than staying home alone though, I got to see the peninsula with little bayside town and the beaches.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year fell on the 18th February this year (not that we are celebrating, although we are making this an excuse to go to a good Chinese restaurant with Sharon, Warren and the twins in Chinatown, which was packed with people, markets and the dragon show/barongsai). I just found out that this year is going to be a year of a pig and I went "oh no, my poor boy is a pig" until Rianti pointed out that Chinese women are racing to get pregnant this year - lucky pig brings fortune to the family. My father say it's a year of super fire pig - turn out he meant a golden pig year. The year of the pig is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity. But this time it is a golden pig year, which happens once in six decades. Yay!! My boy is going to be a rich man and I don't mind having a piglet anymore.

Doctor's visit is every week from now on. This Friday he said the baby is not engaged yet (settling into the pelvic - usually baby is engaged two or three weeks before the labour) so he say chances that he'll be seeing me in labour next week is probably around 10 percent only (and increasing 10% every week). Although he also said there is nothing you can do to stimulate the labour when it's not time yet - all things about raspberry leaf tea and including taking long walks etc are just old wives tales. Makes me feel better because I really honestly can't be bothered to go and about anymore nowadays.

Week 36 - Counting down

My body:
* My tummy is as tight as a drum. I just can't believe that my skin can stretch that far. I can't even wash myself properly anymore since my tummy is too sensitive to scrub and my legs are too far to reach (hehe.. gross..)
* You know that sometimes you don't notice changes in you because they happen so gradually? My tummy grows so fast this week that even I notice how rapid it is expanding. By the end of next week, I will come to full term, which means then it can happen anytime...

My baby:
He may have moved down into my pelvis, or the “engaged” position, around now. They said that this may give you the feeling of “lightening” as your uterus drops away from your lungs and other internal organs that have been pushed upwards by your growing baby, but I can't tell.
His nails and hair have grown quite long while developing in the tummy.
He is still very very active in my tummy, despite every information I read says that he should be settling down by now as he doesn't have so much room to move around in his sac anymore.

My bag is (almost) packed. Just like when need to pack for holiday (I will be staying at the hospital for 4 nights), I can't really decide what to take. It's also not easy to pack things (ie. maternity wears) away when you still need to wear them everyday.
Some of baby stuff have been washed and packed as well, but I am still waiting from some stuff Mum is going to send from Indonesia.

We bought the mattress for the cot in the weekend (which is one size too small - how predictable, nothing can be done well in just one go lately.) and received the baby bjorn carrier from ebay this week. We shopped around for strollers but it is still too hard. So many things to think about - the weight, the size, whether or not we're planning to have second child (the saleslady kept asking this question as some strollers can have additional toddler seats and others can't - I feel like telling her off, leave me alone and let me deliver my first baby first before asking about the second one!).
Scott and I went to the baby & kid market in the weekend. It was madness! Mayhem! Mums and Dads everywhere carrying their babies in their baby carriers, people got stuck behind strollers and prams (and watching parents when they get out of the car is not just getting out and close the car doors anymore but also involves taking out the stroller, unfold it, put the baby in, etc etc). This is exactly what we're going to be doing for the next 3-4 years but my darling hubby couldn't handle it he had to step outside and wait for me on the steps of the townhall where it was held....

(On Wednesday we went to the mall because Scott had to pick up some movie tickets for a gift hamper, and when we got to the cinema there were mothers and babies everywhere, lining up for tickets, having coffee at the cafes surrounding the cinema. Must be Mothers club that day... I thought about what they are really talking about when they are together like that, would they all talk about their own kids at the same times and tell the others that theirs are better than anyone else's? Well this is what I say now, but who can guarantee I won't be like that when baby is born? Scott was making fun of me saying that I will be in that Mothers club in a few week but he will probably also be joining those parents in the competition on whose kid is the best. )

TENS - Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

TENS is a drug free, non-invasive pain management tool - introduced at our birthing class as the most popular form of electro-anaesthesia pain relief. Low-voltage electrical pulses (that come from the TENS unit) stimulate the nervous system. This is achieved via soft conductive pads that are attached to the skin.

Taken from their website:
"Pain is the body’s warning system that registers in the brain as an unpleasant sensation. Pain messages are triggered by receptors in our skin, muscles, ligaments, discs, etc. These messages are transported via nerve fibres to the spinal cord and then to the brain where the sensation is registered.
In the course of these pathways, the nerve centres receive numerous sensory impulses other than pain. According to existing theories of pain, if these shared nerve centres are overwhelmed with electrical impulses (as delivered by the TENS unit) stimulation impulses can partially block the pain signals and reduce the level of pain sensation that is felt by the user.
This 'partially shuts the gate on the pain messages' and prevents them from reaching the brain.
Likewise TENS stimulation generates an endorphin release from the brain. Endorphins (popularly referred to as the feel good factor) are our bodies own natural pain relieving compound. As an additional feature, our patented waveform creates a 'distraction' to the pain."

We picked this machine up for hire in the weekend since a few couples have actually recommended it to us, including Scott's buyer from Bunnings and Ben & Ant Roberts who used it for their second baby (and since I am still freaking out about the pain)
This little machine has electrodes to be attached to the spines and will deliver little electrical impulses (like pins and needles when I tried it on) that can partially block the contraction pains and release more endorphins, and fully controlled by the person in labour. Our hope is that this will reduce the contraction pains and so minimise the need to use epidural or other drugs (but as I always say, I am not ruling it out!). I will let you know how it goes!