妈妈回去工作了

璇璇，

妈妈星期一已经渡完十六个星期的产假回去工作了，这意味着爸爸妈妈不能像过去的十六个星期一样有较长的时间陪你了。

妈妈生姐姐的时候，产假只有十二个星期，而且上次姐姐有祖母及外公外婆的照顾，所以相比之下这次和你相处的时间会比较长。

过去的四个月，爸爸一下班回来用完晚餐后不久，就要让准备考试的妈妈去休息，然后兼顾起做"奶爸"的责任。妈妈会睡到凌晨三点起床，然后爸爸会等妈妈准备好一切后，清晨四点多才睡觉（有几次甚至到五六点）。

那时候晚上九点多十点要喂你喝一次奶，然后凌晨一两点再喂你喝一次；喂完奶后就是帮你拍背换尿片清理大小便抹身体，爸爸每次那时候就会把你当成三四岁的小孩子一样和你说话聊天。

那时你刚一个月大的时候，只懂得两只眼睛睁大大地看着爸爸；一个多月大后，你开始对着爸爸微笑了。七个星期大时，你开始也跟爸爸说起话来了。

长夜漫漫，有你陪着爸爸说话的日子是不寂寞的。

两个多月大后，你越来越多话，睡醒的时候，不是对着天花板或窗帘说话；就是跟摆在你枕头左右两边的玩具熊说话。

爸爸常常跟妈妈讲璇璇是比较懂事和温柔的，睡醒后不会大声地哭或吵，只是会自言自语，一直到我们发现你原来已经起床了为止。

这几天回到家后看着空荡荡的房间，想你的感觉是特别地强烈。爸爸妈妈俩人隔天都要工作，所以晚上只能带你或姐姐回家，而且这几天爸爸都在病着发烧，只能选择带姐姐回家，你呢晚上必须让外公外婆帮忙照顾你。

妈妈回去工作了，不知道为什么爸爸特别想念你每次看到爸爸时绽露的微笑。

爸爸

Counting down..

Precious Chloe,

Very soon, mummy will have to return to work.. =( These 16 weeks seemed to have gone by faster than the 12 weeks I had with your sister.. How I wish we could have more time together.. Mummy is absolutely hating the counting down... 2 more days only =( To top it off, mummy had to fall sick this week.. Sigh..

The past 16 weeks had been so fulfilling with you by mummy's side.. This maternity leave is very much different from mummy's previous.. Even though this time round mummy was pretty much on my own most of the time, everything seemed so much more manageable than my 1st ML.. =) Maybe experience helped a little.. But to be fair to you, mummy really feels that darling's fantastic behavior deserves the most praise! :)

Mummy will miss our times together when I head back to the office.. Miss our mother-daughter 'chats'.. miss how you always look affectionately at mummy when feeding you.. miss playing with you.. miss your hugs.. miss everything about you..

Precious darling, mummy's so glad to have you in my life... Mummy loves you..

Love,
Mummy

Jabs.. again!

Dearest Chloe,

On Monday, we brought you to the hospital for your check up and vaccination again.. At 16 weeks old, darling was 60cm tall and weighed 5.8kg.. Well, frankly, mummy felt you were pretty much on the lighter side.. Also, you didn't seem to have put on much weight since your last visit to the hospital at 6 weeks old..

When it was our turn to see Prof Ho, the moment daddy sat down with you in his arms facing Prof Ho, darling gave Prof Ho a super sweet smile.. =) Aww... Darling, if you had thought that the smile might have spared you the jabs, you thought wrongly then.. ;p

Anyway, after a series of physical examinations, measurement of head circumference, testing of motor skills, neck strength, Prof Ho seemed to think that you are progressing remarkably well.. Well, I guess if darling's healthy and happy, mummy shan't be too obsessed with making sure you become as chubby as your sister when she was your age.. =)

After the consultation, we headed to the treatment room for your 2 jabs.. Again, mummy must mention that we are so proud of you! *1st jab* Darling was pretty much oblivious to what the SN was doing to you.. And daddy proved to be a very good distraction! =) But 2nd jab.. We weren't so lucky.. Nope, darling didn't cry... But darling decided to give us all a lecture! If I could add words to your baby language, it'll probably be "Yes, I tolerated it the 1st time.. But it doesn't mean I'm giving you people permission to do this again to me a 2nd time!!@#$*&... *angry scowl*"... Hahaa.. But the moment daddy picked you up from the bed, you were all quiet again. :)

Thank goodness, your temperature didn't went up that high.. In fact, mummy's fever went higher and outlasted yours!

Precious lil' darling, continue to stay strong and healthy yar?? =)

Love,
Mummy

Check-up..

Dearest Chloe,

Happy 6 weeks old! =)

Today is darling's first visit back to the hospital since your discharge.. It's just a routine check plus to get your vaccination.. :) But mummy, 外公,外婆 and your sister were all with you to give you moral support!!:) Daddy had to attend a course today and so couldn't make it down to be with you..

Okay, some updates on darling's progress... At 6 weeks old, darling 'stands' at 53.5cm and weights 4.58kg! Yes, finally some signs that the milk is doing its job! Though you still look so slim to mummy.. :)

During the check up, mummy took the chance to ask Prof Ho regarding your 1x/wk poo.. Mummy was expecting him to be appalled at that revelation and be shaking his head in disapproval.. But I almost fell off the chair when he said that's NORMAL!

Well, basically Prof Ho said every lil' angel is different.. Some poo after every feed (reminds mummy of Aunty Kat's description of Jude 弟弟.. hee..), while others will be like darling.. poo-ing so infrequently.. But, he said, as long as darling is eating well (which certainly is the case!) and the stools are not hard (..this too..), there's no real cause for concern.. He also advised us against giving you medication for that.. (Oops.. I didnt mention lactulose.. But he sure knows what goes on in the minds of paranoid parents!) Just so that your muscles don't become lazy... Yup, we are supposed to let 'nature take its course' and let your muscles build up and be strong enough to pass out what oughta come out.. So don't be lazy huh, lil' muscles! :)

After the check-up, mummy brought darling to the treatment room for your 6-in-1 jab.. Well, it wasn't nearly as traumatic (for mummy) as when mummy 1st brought your sister for the jab.. Cos darling seems to have a pretty high threshold for pain.. You merely cried a few seconds.. then pout your signature pout.. and went back to sleep.. =) [To justify my claims, mummy should mention that when daddy and mummy brought you for your jaundice check when you were merely about a week old, you didn't cry.. not even wince in your sleep when the lab technician poked your lil' foot to draw blood for the test!]

Right now, darling is sleeping peacefully... with a huge cool pad on your small forehead.. (I wonder if it's cos this brand's cool pad is bigger or darling is just so tiny..) A low-grade fever coming on...

Precious lil' one, sleep tight and stay cool yar.. Sweet dreams..

Love,
Mummy

Happy one-month old!

Precious Chloe,

Happy one-month old!:)

Mummy can't quite believe it's been a month since your hatch day.. Or rather, it feels as if we've been together for much longer! Wonder why.. Because you and I go way back to the time when you were still growing within mummy?? Or because days have been much longer since your arrival (i.e. mummy's awake time)? :)

For the past one month, daddy and mummy have been diligently trying to catch all your habits.. learn your language (yes, that equates to deciphering the different types of cries) and make adjustments to our lives, just so that we can take better care of you..

Well, I must say that darling has been performing quite well so far.. The 1st hurdle to cross during your 1st week of life was jaundice.. That didn't give us much problem.. It took all but 2 visits to set our mind at ease that your levels were on a downward trend.. And even at your highest, it was nowhere near your sister's level at the beginning of her creep! Thank goodness for that! :)

Subsequently, darling didn't give us too much problem too.. Well, at least not yet! No problems with diaper rash, milk rash, heat rash so far.. Mummy and daddy would love to think that it was with experience from looking after your sister that helped us take better care of you this round.. (Yes, unfortunately, your sister had all those problems that mummy mentioned above..) Either that, or you are blessed with good skin.. :) It is actually quite a miracle that you don't have any outbreaks on your face yet.. Judging from the way and frequency that your sister plants kisses on you.. Or maybe you should thank her - think swallow's saliva vs jie jie's saliva - Who needs bird's nest these days?! Haa.. As for heat rash, or the lack of, mummy suspects that it's cos darling is on the slender side.. and so not so prone to sweating?? (Yes, again as opposed to your chubby sister who is perpetually feeling warm and sweaty...);) Daddy also noticed how mummy needed both the fan and aircon at full blast while expecting your sister but not for you.. Haa..

Whatever the reasons are, stay this way yar?? For both our good... =)

So far, the only problem we have with you is your bowel habit!! Darling poos only 1x/3-4 days!! Just imagine that.. 3-4 days worth passed out in one shot... Can you picture the 'mountain of gold'?? :p Granted, we get to save diapers, wipes.. But by day 2 of 'no-poo', darling would usually show some signs of crankiness.. fidgeting and squirming when drinking milk.. episodes of crying out of the blue.. And it usually gets worse with each no-poo day.. Sigh.. Darling just 'celebrated' your full month by breaking your record.. 4th day with no poo despite lactulose! Right, what next? Suppositories??

Another thing that puzzles mummy.. Darling is drinking 110ml every 3-4 hourly.. Everyone is telling us it's too much for your own good.. But when darling doesn't have enough, you'll get angry.. Suckling right up to the last drop.. And when mummy pulls out the bottle to avoid your sucking in air, your signature pitiful face will appear (mummy is really quite amazed at how you can curve your lips downwards so adorably!), followed by cries of displeasure.. Sigh.. We have no choice but to pacify you with what else but the pacifier! (Cos daddy and mummy have been seriously warned against feeding you too much!)

Mummy hates giving you pacifier cos your pacifier sucking skills ain't that good, really.. suckle suckle, drop out, cry... put back, suckle suckle, drop again, cry.. so basically mummy has to park myself next to you and hold it in place for you.. And that can sometimes go on till its time for the next feed!! Usually, mummy would be happy if you slept past your feeding time.. But on occasions like this, 'Thank god it's feeding time!!' Mummy can officially feed you without breaking 'rules' and darling would then drift off to sleep... Either from satisfaction or the lack of sleep for the past few hours.. Phew... Small but frequent meals aren't your style huh??

Okay, realized I've drifted off topic.. What puzzles mummy is that despite drinking 'too much' for your size and age.. darling still seem to be so puny?! Where has all the milk gone to?? Or are you one of those blessed with 'never-grow-fat' genes?? Well, whatever the case is, continue to stay healthy yar? =)

Lil' sweetheart, hope you are loving life as a lil' earthling.. and more so because you are Our lil' earthling :)

Lots of love,
mummy

两个星期

璇璇，

不知不觉中你已经两个星期大了，虽然爸爸妈妈每天非常努力地服饰你，定时让你喝奶，但是你看起来还是很小。

爸爸妈妈一直把你和当时的姐姐比较，现在的你身材看起来是那么地“娇小”，身体也是瘦瘦的。

这两个星期除了这两天还没有大便之外，你的状况还是让爸爸妈妈满意的；爸爸妈妈不必像当初一样带姐姐去看医生以及担心。

为了照顾你，爸爸妈妈也睡得少了，一天很少超过五个钟头；爸爸星期一晚上甚至将近早上六点才睡觉，睡了一个钟头多后又从床上爬起来去医院了。

对了，你有一个非常疼你的姐姐，姐姐周五到礼拜天在家时，总是不停地走进房间要吻你疼你抱你。

反而是爸爸妈妈过度担心，怕姐姐的过度热情会弄伤了你，所以不停地阻止她。

姐姐跟爸爸妈妈说，她的玩具要和你share share喔。

这几天你对周围的环境越来越好奇，妈妈喂你喝奶时，爸爸站在旁边和你说话，你总是会盯着爸爸看，然后爸爸走到那里你的眼神就会跟到那里。

喝完奶后爸爸妈妈跟你说话时，你偶尔还会对我们微笑，然后嘴巴尖尖的，似乎有很多话要跟爸爸妈妈说。

接下来的日子，爸爸妈妈唯一的希望就是你能健康健康和快快乐乐地长大。

噢，下个星期一你就三个星期大了。

爸爸

Lovely sister :)

Dearest Chloe,

Below is a blog post which mummy had written for your sister, Raeanne.. Mummy has decided to post it on your blog too cos mummy wants you to know how much your sister loves you, even though she's just a 20 months old lil' girl.. :)



Precious sweetheart,

It's been exactly a week since the birth of your lil' sister, Chloe.. And I must say, you have been a very sweet sister! :)

Darling's 1st encounter with Chloe was through Skype.. Mummy was still in hospital then.. and your sister was just a day old when you 2 met.. That wasn't how we planned to let you 2 meet for the 1st time though.. But daddy and mummy missed you.. and we thought we could also let your 外公,外婆 and 阿姨s meet lil' Chloe since they couldn't come to the hospital to visit mummy cos they had to take care of you..

But things didn't go too well that day.. Darling was not your usual self that evening.. You were exceptionally quiet when we introduced lil' Chloe to you.. Normally when we talked to you about your lil' sister, you'd either display affection by kissing mummy's tummy or you'd raise your hand as though you want to hit her when you are in a bad mood..


You were neither that evening.. Darling was so listless and just stared at the computer quietly.. Daddy and mummy got so worried after that.. We were worried that darling was feeling hurt and sad.. Mummy's heart ached to see darling like that..

So mummy was really looking forward to seeing you the next day when mummy and Chloe could be discharged.. 外公 and 外婆 brought you back home.. Thank goodness, darling was back to your usual cheerful self and even requested repeatedly that you want to see your lil' sister.. And not just that, darling would always stretch out your hands and attempt to hug and kiss your sister.. :)

That was such a moving and beautiful sight.. :)


Daddy and mummy also finally presented you with the big carebear that we've been saving for this day! (Took mummy lots of effort to refrain from giving it to you before your sister was born!) And its meant to be a gift from your sister to you.. Well, this was supposed to reduce jealousy, if any was actually brewing within you..



But by the looks of it, we had worried needlessly.. On friday, after daddy and mummy brought lil' Chloe for jaundice check, we dropped by to see darling.. And darling was so happy to see us too.. Especially your lil' sister.. Darling's love for your sister was so overwhelming that we had to try and restrain you! Cos you kept attempting to hug your sister and carry her away from mummy.. Pat her all over and kissing her.. Offering her your fav yakult... and placing your fav handphone to her face asking lil' Chloe to 'Hello'! :) That really amused all of us.. Cos darling used to place your handphone to mummy's tummy asking your sister to say 'Hello'..

Precious lil' sweetheart, you've been an exceptionally big-hearted and loving sister.. and daddy and mummy are so touched by your love for your sister.. :) Sweetheart, daddy and mummy are really proud of you!:)
Love,
Mummy