I know my boy is growing up when...

- He gulps down his rice cereal, pear and carrots. Although he gulps down the pear more willingly than the other 2!

- He realises that he can bring his hands together to imitate us when we clap our hands!

- He is able to sit by himself without toppling over...although the desire to bring his hands to his mouth is so great sometimes that he bends right down to bring his mouth to his hands.

- He uses his hands to heave his upper body up so that he is able to peep at us over his cot rails. Dangerous skill!

- Instead of crying..he yulps eh..eh..ehhh to get our attention.

- His poop is no longer watery...but sticky and thick (kay..think that was an over share!)

I WAS feeling competent

Last night, i felt like a very competent mother. As Eugene was busy with work, i had to take care of Zach till he fell asleep last night. He took my expressed milk from the bottle without any hitches...drank it without fussing, allowed me to change his nappy without fidgeting...allowed me to put him to sleep without much hassles and even gave me a huge grin before he fell asleep. I felt wonderfully accomplished and proud of myself as a mum.
BUT this morning...everything went wrong...he refused to drink his milk, was not interested in his rice cereal, and fussed and fussed before he succumbed to his tiredness. I felt out of sorts...

Rice cereal...yum yum

We finally did it...fed Zach his first taste of food...other than breastmilk. It was after much deliberation...as he is not quite 6 months yet, but he seemed impatient to try something other than milk. I would say that it went well! He had a few apprehensive spoonfuls of the stuff (with quite a bit dribbling out) and seem willing to allow me to feed him somemore.
And now i guess...we start the world of solid food for him! Next on the menu...puree pear and peas! Yum yum...but sigh...that means more work for me!
With this new milestone, i realised that my little boy is growing up very quickly. Sometimes i am impatient for him to grow up quicker and to be more independent but there are times when i wish that it would all slow down. Although at the moment...i'm leaning towards wanting him to grow up quicker! But i thank God for supporting me through these few trying months...the ups and the downs...and i know there will be many more roller coasters to ride out. With God's grace...
My favourite moment with Zach....when i sneak up on him while he is in the cot,when he catches my face...the beaming smile that accompanies...my heart melts!

Sometimes

Sometimes its hard...i guess it boils down to a cumulation of factors...i'm tired, he is not feeding well, he is not napping well (although thank God that he seem to be sleeping well in the night), i feel abit aimless at times and generally i think my hormones are causing havoc. But in times like these, i remind myself of what God has blessed me with....and i feel a bit better. And of cos...chocolate always helps too.

He is 5 months now...

My boy is growing up...he is 5 months today...thank God for helping us manage! As i pause and take stock of the months that have passed...i made these observations...

Things that have changed...
- He is able to flip and remain on his tummy without "complaining" too much.
- He is able now to sleep through the night. Fingers crossed that he will continue to do that.
- He can now put himself to sleep...after much tossing, turning, cooing, leg kicking, thumb sucking and flipping. But he still has his moments where he wants a cuddle before sleeping.
- He is more willing to sit on his rocker or pram while Eugene and i have meals. Although his patience does wear off after awhile. Working progress
- He doesn't wake up crying all the time...sometimes he is able to just coo and play on his own in his cot.
- He is able to yak alot! Making all sorts of sounds with his mouth.
- He loves his bath times now...kicking furiously. He used to HATE them and we use to HATE bathing him too!
- He is now able to go through the whole day in one body suit...he used to soil himself badly each morning.
- He is able to burp without spewing milk each time now.
- He is able to sit on his own...only about a few minutes before he topples over.
- He able to pacify himself with his thumb.
- He is able to feed more efficiently...thank God for that!!
- He is able to respond with coos and big smiles.
- He is able to laugh heartily
- He is more willing to be alone in his car seat while i drive....but depends on his moods at times.


Some things that have not changed...
- He still fusses when we have to moisturise him after his bath.
- He still arches his back when he doesn't like something.
- He is still not able to keep still for long!
- We still love him lots...maybe even more now....

My dear boy....

A good shopping spree

Went for a quick shopping spree and am excited over what i bought...rice cereal (hoping to start Zachary on it...but am a bit unsure as he is only 5 months, for mothers who are reading this...what do you think? Think he is starting to get a bit bored with breastmilk.), new socks for Zach..those that don't come down and new plastic bibs! Gosh...how i have changed...in the past a good shopping spree would mean cheap tops and shoes for myself. Sigh...i need to get a Zachary-detox once in awhile!

I can...

I can grunt, pull my ears and hair, struggle, poo and drink milk at the same time. Who am i? Zachary!

Hmm...what should i buy?

We were supermarket shopping the other day and i was pushing his pram as well...when Zachary decided to take over from me! He really enjoyed pushing his own pram...as his legs were kicking excitedly and he kept cooing...can't wait till he can REALLY push his own pram...he is getting so heavy to carry!

I like to chew my lower lip

Zachary has taken to chewing his lower lip! Must be itching gums due to prospective teeth...makes him look as if he is thinking very hard!

We are Hougangers

We did it...after months of house hunting...we bought ourselves a flat! When we stepped into this particular unit...both of us had a good feeling about it and we were hooked. After haggling over the price...and a few dramas...we finally put in a deposit...and the wheels are set in motion for us to move in hopefully by next year. Zachary seems to like it too...well at least he didn't cry or fuss when we went to view the unit!
Hasn't really sunk in that we are home owners yet...FINALLY...able to drill holes wherever i want and to be able to paint walls in any colour..those who have rented will know what i mean! But i guess when we see a big hole in our savings...it will sink in! Will post some pictures of the place when i get some.