I just realized my little baby is almost 5 months!
He's seriously my little bear cub... and he makes me so happy!
Unfortunately he's sick at the moment.. gastro when he got back from Phuket, and now, he's on his 2nd cold.
But even when he's sick he such a champ. Poor fella had a terribly blocked and congested nose last night he couldn't sleep. So I decided to use the nasal spray on him and he took it like a champ. Didn't even cry when we sprayed and then dripped iliadin afterwards.
When he's well he's a social bird. Smiling, cooing and laughing with and at people. Where ever he goes he never fails to attract attention!
He loves being with his sisters, and in return they love to entertain him.
He can sit with support now, and likes to 'walk' ie take steps with someone holding him. I think he's starting to develop stranger anxiety as well.
And of course he loves to 'talk' .
Poor guy doesn't really get to have a schedule.. he's frequently tagging along his sisters' activities so he naps when he's really tired. At least bedtime is fairly fixed because the sisters go to bed at the same time everyday. I remember Madison had a strict schedule at this age and Annika was fairly routine too. Oh well... he seems to be doing ok though..
In another month or so I guess I'll have to start him on some solids. I think I'm less stressed about him eating solids compared to Annika. In retrospect I probably rushed Annika onto solids too quickly. I underestimated the importance of breastmilk when she was less than 1.
Here's hoping this round of colds go away quickly...
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Centara West Sands Phuket
We finally had a family holiday! This was the first trip abroad for Liam.
In all, the trip went better than expected.
We took a noon flight on Air asia on the way there, and a late afternoon flight back on Jetstar. Despite being budget airlines, the flights were surprisingly smooth and hassle free.
Madison and Annika had a really good time.. they were so excited and were able to participate throughout the trip. 3.5 years and above is a good time to go away on holiday!
Liam was the tricky one. He's almost 5 months now, less sleepy and becoming more aware of his surroundings. Of course he refused to breastfeed on the way up and down, and of course he wound up being the screaming baby as the plane took off. I think it was a combination of being super tired and overexcited. Thankfully once the plane was in the air, he suddenly fell asleep. The girls slept for most of the plane ride. Easy peasy.
When we got to Phuket, we had a pre-arranged hotel transfer so that took care of transport. (thank goodness, we had an entourage : 2 families who had 3 kids and 2-3 helpers EACH)
The resort was close to the airport so the transfer took 25minutes ( short by Phuket standards, other hotels take 1 to 1.5 hours to get to ) Of course this also meant we could hear the planes throughout the day and night, but when you have kids anyway you don't really notice it that much.
We chose this place primarily because it is located next to a waterpark. Plus we get free entry to the park. The resort had a fairly nice pool and was right next to the beach as well.
Since we were such a large group we booked the Penthouse suite which is basically like a serviced apartment with 4 bedrooms. The suite was a huge duplex and the kids were literally running up and down the stairs the entire time we were there. The rooms were large too with ensuites and it wasn't a problem fitting 2 extra mattresses for the kids.
Breakfast was included in the tariff and was a generous spread. The kids loved the automatic pancake machine and the juice dispensers. They had all their meals in the resort, either in room dining or at the watersplash park. Phuket is troublesome in the sense that getting to a restaurant outside means an extra 20-60minute taxi ride each way. I couldn't imagine trying to wrangle 3 kids there for every meal.
The resort also had a kids club, which is essentially a large indoor playroom that also had a flatscreen TV and game consoles. There were also organised activities for the kids but we didn't try them out. The 4 kids were happy playing with the toys in the room .
In the evenings after we'd spent the day in the pool and sun, we'd leave the kids and helpers at the apartment, and take a cab out to dinner. Phuket is still quite reasonably priced for visitors coming from Singapore.
The only thing we didn't manage to do was to get our massage and go to cocktail hour at the lounge. As we had booked the penthouse suite we were entitled to free drinks every day from 5-7pm at the club lounge. Of course that falls smack in the middle of dinner time for the kids. By the time we sorted dinner out it was usually too late. Baby steps..
Overall... a good relaxing trip that everyone enjoyed.. looks like we might be headed for more regional travel!
In all, the trip went better than expected.
We took a noon flight on Air asia on the way there, and a late afternoon flight back on Jetstar. Despite being budget airlines, the flights were surprisingly smooth and hassle free.
Madison and Annika had a really good time.. they were so excited and were able to participate throughout the trip. 3.5 years and above is a good time to go away on holiday!
Liam was the tricky one. He's almost 5 months now, less sleepy and becoming more aware of his surroundings. Of course he refused to breastfeed on the way up and down, and of course he wound up being the screaming baby as the plane took off. I think it was a combination of being super tired and overexcited. Thankfully once the plane was in the air, he suddenly fell asleep. The girls slept for most of the plane ride. Easy peasy.
When we got to Phuket, we had a pre-arranged hotel transfer so that took care of transport. (thank goodness, we had an entourage : 2 families who had 3 kids and 2-3 helpers EACH)
The resort was close to the airport so the transfer took 25minutes ( short by Phuket standards, other hotels take 1 to 1.5 hours to get to ) Of course this also meant we could hear the planes throughout the day and night, but when you have kids anyway you don't really notice it that much.
We chose this place primarily because it is located next to a waterpark. Plus we get free entry to the park. The resort had a fairly nice pool and was right next to the beach as well.
Since we were such a large group we booked the Penthouse suite which is basically like a serviced apartment with 4 bedrooms. The suite was a huge duplex and the kids were literally running up and down the stairs the entire time we were there. The rooms were large too with ensuites and it wasn't a problem fitting 2 extra mattresses for the kids.
Breakfast was included in the tariff and was a generous spread. The kids loved the automatic pancake machine and the juice dispensers. They had all their meals in the resort, either in room dining or at the watersplash park. Phuket is troublesome in the sense that getting to a restaurant outside means an extra 20-60minute taxi ride each way. I couldn't imagine trying to wrangle 3 kids there for every meal.
The resort also had a kids club, which is essentially a large indoor playroom that also had a flatscreen TV and game consoles. There were also organised activities for the kids but we didn't try them out. The 4 kids were happy playing with the toys in the room .
In the evenings after we'd spent the day in the pool and sun, we'd leave the kids and helpers at the apartment, and take a cab out to dinner. Phuket is still quite reasonably priced for visitors coming from Singapore.
The only thing we didn't manage to do was to get our massage and go to cocktail hour at the lounge. As we had booked the penthouse suite we were entitled to free drinks every day from 5-7pm at the club lounge. Of course that falls smack in the middle of dinner time for the kids. By the time we sorted dinner out it was usually too late. Baby steps..
Overall... a good relaxing trip that everyone enjoyed.. looks like we might be headed for more regional travel!
Friday, November 1, 2013
October
I cannot believe October is over.
Our 2nd helper finally arrived on the 22nd of October, and to be honest I have mixed feelings.
She's been great really, and it's a load off my mind that when I go to work there's enough manpower to look after Liam and get the housework done. It's time I get more hours in at the clinic and I felt really bad that the poor boy was stuck on his bouncy chair while Warni rushed around trying to do the housework. Even though I kept telling her not to worry too much about the housework when I was working, somehow the message didn't seem to get through!
Funny thing though, is that sometimes having 2 doesn't mean things are done more efficiently or more quickly. Maybe it's also because Mylene is still new. And it's also a different stress, now that I have to manage 2 live-in staff. It's still a little treading on eggs trying to work out if they get along. I'm not quite sure.
But overall I think it's the right move... Weekends are much less stressful because Chris and I can actually leave the 3 kids at home and go out for a meal/shopping and spend some time together. Prior to Mylene arriving the weekends were always revolving around the kids' activities and most times it was a 'divide and conquer' mentality. Going out as a family for meals usually meant Chris and I took turns eating.. not relaxing at all.
Liam is now 4 months old and he's at a really nice stage! He's such a happy child and so social. Much more than I remember with either girls. He coos and babbles ALOT, and recently decided he likes socializing more than eating or sleeping. I think he also recognises me and that makes me really happy! I think it really takes 3 to appreciate the baby stage more... and he makes me so happy.
Annika is finally starting to understand a little more, although she has her temper tantrums she can settle with timeouts. She's actually quite motivated to learn, probably as a result of having 2 older girls to learn from. I think she's also accepted her brother, and although she's occasionally jealous that I spend time with him, she understands if I explain it to her. And then bribe her with something.. not neccessarily with a material object.. sometimes something as simple as promising to spend time with her alone.
Madison is already a 'tween'. She's started to negotiate over everything, but in general is still easy going and a really great help now. She has empathy and offers to help me carry things when she sees I have a thousand things to lug from the car to the apartment. She's improving at piano and is really quite motivated as well. I was having trouble with her being unmotivated at tennis, but after sitting her down and talking to her about it she's much better.
And finally.. we are about to take our first holiday with the baby. And it's only because the girls had their annual flu shot and Chris told them they needed it if they wanted to travel. So Madison got it into her head that we were going away... and now we are.. just a short getaway to Phuket with another family. Let's see how that goes... the kids are so excited..
Our 2nd helper finally arrived on the 22nd of October, and to be honest I have mixed feelings.
She's been great really, and it's a load off my mind that when I go to work there's enough manpower to look after Liam and get the housework done. It's time I get more hours in at the clinic and I felt really bad that the poor boy was stuck on his bouncy chair while Warni rushed around trying to do the housework. Even though I kept telling her not to worry too much about the housework when I was working, somehow the message didn't seem to get through!
Funny thing though, is that sometimes having 2 doesn't mean things are done more efficiently or more quickly. Maybe it's also because Mylene is still new. And it's also a different stress, now that I have to manage 2 live-in staff. It's still a little treading on eggs trying to work out if they get along. I'm not quite sure.
But overall I think it's the right move... Weekends are much less stressful because Chris and I can actually leave the 3 kids at home and go out for a meal/shopping and spend some time together. Prior to Mylene arriving the weekends were always revolving around the kids' activities and most times it was a 'divide and conquer' mentality. Going out as a family for meals usually meant Chris and I took turns eating.. not relaxing at all.
Liam is now 4 months old and he's at a really nice stage! He's such a happy child and so social. Much more than I remember with either girls. He coos and babbles ALOT, and recently decided he likes socializing more than eating or sleeping. I think he also recognises me and that makes me really happy! I think it really takes 3 to appreciate the baby stage more... and he makes me so happy.
Annika is finally starting to understand a little more, although she has her temper tantrums she can settle with timeouts. She's actually quite motivated to learn, probably as a result of having 2 older girls to learn from. I think she's also accepted her brother, and although she's occasionally jealous that I spend time with him, she understands if I explain it to her. And then bribe her with something.. not neccessarily with a material object.. sometimes something as simple as promising to spend time with her alone.
Madison is already a 'tween'. She's started to negotiate over everything, but in general is still easy going and a really great help now. She has empathy and offers to help me carry things when she sees I have a thousand things to lug from the car to the apartment. She's improving at piano and is really quite motivated as well. I was having trouble with her being unmotivated at tennis, but after sitting her down and talking to her about it she's much better.
And finally.. we are about to take our first holiday with the baby. And it's only because the girls had their annual flu shot and Chris told them they needed it if they wanted to travel. So Madison got it into her head that we were going away... and now we are.. just a short getaway to Phuket with another family. Let's see how that goes... the kids are so excited..
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