Must love kids

Vern is away for four days.

Anyone interested to help me?

Experience not necessary, but...

MUST LOVE KIDS!!!



How do you like these "Excuse me, are you a (wannabe) model" shots, that I found it amusing when Jon and Ben gamely posed for me whilst all the camera attention was on Kait the other day? And who would have thought, will come in handy for this ad now?! Hehe!

Seriously, we'll be fine, yah, and your prayers are most appreciated! I've got the regular errands out of the way; here's what remains on my shopping 'wish' list:

- boys to be "guai-guai" and "tinghua" (well-behaved, cooperative)

- baby not to be fussing too much, and

- most of all, for this mommy to have the energy and patience to keep up with them!

Thanks, and you have a great weekend coming up!

I call her Sweetie

Above: Kaitlyn flashes Jon a big smile, two Sundays ago after her baptism, and just before Nana went off a week ago now.

Kait didn't wince when our pastor sprinkled water on her head. And as he carried her and prayed, it felt like we were taking it from the beginning again; Ben was just as little when we called this place our home away from home.

There's more to juggle now than at the outset, and with the boys growing, they do demand lots of energy and patience from us. But whether as parents to two before, or blessed with three now, may God be our guide always.

Good morning, God

This is your day

I am your child

Show me your way.

The simple lyrics of this song Ben learned from his teacher becomes a prayer for myself also, as I sing it to Kait every morning she greets me with her sweet smiles, and especially when she's had a fair amount of sleep! =)

Sweet dreams in the making

Thank you every one who responded with your thoughts, tips, and advice to my plea for some Zzz's!

Trying out your suggestions, I did go on to be a walking zombie sarong for awhile more though, carrying Kait around in a sling, the whole of last week.

"Bo bian" (no choice, as we say in Hokkien), swaddling her strait-jacket style does not work to keep her in slumber mode. Plus, she's giving me, in the day also, not just in the night, the "put me down, I'll cry; pick me up, and maybe I'll take a snooze" treatment, babies are infamous for.

So, anything to help her get some shuteye. That was my main concern, that when I added up the minutes here and there she was sleeping, she wasn't getting enough for a little one her age.

And it's true, quality rest in the day begets better sleep in the night. With this, and the "tanking up" feeds before sleep (different from my just succumbing to being Human Pacifier all throughout the night, nursing her earlier, and the boys last time), I'm beginning to see some results... yay!

Thankful for the progress made, and not wanting her to get too used to being in the sling, I went back to cradling her today. Do hope with time, she'll be better at self-soothing.

Meanwhile, baby steps now!

Bedtime reads
For those who like to read more on the topic of sleep for babies,

• Fay has come across "Babywise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam
• Priscilla finds "Save our Sleep" by Tizzie Hall useful.

One of these is ready for me to pick up from the library. Thanks, gals!

True colours

From this angle, a sculpture in the park frames the forest in the background, providing a sneak peek at the fall colours that are starting to peak show this week.



Here's what we saw on Sunday. The colours are looking quite lovely already, don't you think?



Really thought the fall colours would be nice for Nana to enjoy. This, just before she ends her visit in a few days, besides all the shopping already done, but surely the mall and stores can't beat the great outdoors.


Jon assured me, too, "We (Ben and him) have tons of energy!" -- to burn off, alright! Added reason for the quick stopover after Chinese class that day! It's been a year since we visited this park known for its sculptures.



Plus, I can always use the fresh air, and the fresh look at fall! Now that's what counts as going out, not the day-to-day driving the boys for school, nor doing the grocery shopping!


And yes, more than ever, thank God for His love and mercies, that are new every morning! =)

Goo goo ga ga

Kaitlyn's cooing is my favourite part of her development these last few weeks.

Catch her in a talking mood, and she'll lock eyes with you, and go, "Eh... air... uhhh!"!

I wonder if she'll grow up to be more yakkity than her brothers. But one thing's for sure, this is the kind of talking back we parents don't mind, eh? ;p

New at the 2-month mark:
Kaitlyn started batting at toys hung where she can see them, and especially if these play some happy tune.

Singing to her is also one way to get her to "sing" back!

Grooving along...
...yeah, baby!

What say you?
Meanwhile, still struggling with her night-day mixup. I'll appreciate it if you can drop me a line with your ideas on how to keep a sleepy baby awake and engaged in the evening (the longest stretch Kaitlyn sleeps, but that's when I'm busy settling the boys down to homework after driving them back from school, and having to fix dinner also). A couple of hours is enough to keep her wide wide awake well past bedtime (midnight, 1, 2am...), fussing away into the wee hours (3, 4, 5am...), needing way-too-frequent feeds till it's time for me to get up already to make breakfast and get on with the daily grind.

My dark circles are baaaaaaaad, and the scarcer my sleep, the grumpier I am! =(

A well-rested Kaitlyn is a happy baby...

but how do you sleep-train a 2-month old whose sleep pattern is clearly reversed? Not enough rest in the day, and she ends up being restless after dark. It's a vicious cycle hard to break.

No, I'm not expecting her to sleep through the night, neither boy did, just will like Kaitlyn to fall asleep at a sane hour. Need that for my sanity!