Our first dinner outing as a family

Baby Titus did extremely well on our first dinner outing as a family. 

He slept through most part of the car ride to town, and sat quietly in the baby carrier as we dined at Ryoshi Sushi Ikekemaru. Later, he even remained in a pleasant mood throughout our supermarket shopping!

Thank you very much, darling, for being so cooperative! Mummy and daddy will take you out with us often from now on! :)

Hands free finally!

There are some wonderful blogs maintained by mothers of newborns and young children. I'd love to ask them where the heck did they find time to post frequently?!

Baby Titus is a real darling and I love him deeply, but it has been a little tough - physically - to care for him. You see, he craves human contact so much that he refuses to be put down in his cot (or any surface for that matter) in the day, so much so daddy and I have to take turns carrying him all day. And it isn't just carrying will do for him. He demands that his caregiver walks around. No cheating allowed; he knows when we are seated! :)

As such, the Manduca baby carrier has become one of the best buys I've made so far. The other being the Medela Swing breast pump, for its awesome draining power in a short period of time.

Thanks to the Manduca baby carrier, we have been able to keep our hands free and take baby's weight off our arms. While Titus still insists on us standing and/or walking while he's in the baby carrier, at least we are able to do some light chores such as washing the dishes, doing the laundry and mopping the floor.

And when I'm alone at home with him, the Manduca baby carrier allows me to go pee whenever the call of nature arises! :)  Pre-Manduca days, I had to hold it all in and wait for the husband to come home after work so I could pass Titus on to him. It was crazy.

The Manduca has also give baby and me some glorious moments in the park. I've taken him for strolls in the park, with him in the carrier. And because it is so comfortable, Titus would almost always fall asleep half-way through our little outing.

I shouldn't complain, really. He's only going to be a baby for a while. Before I know it, he will start to crawl and wouldn't want to be in my arms all day.


Alright, gotta get back to baby! Till next time.

Frights

Darling Titus is feeling pretty insecure this evening, a result of a few unsettling events that took place earlier today.

It must have started with his second dose of Hep B jab early in the afternoon. Although the brave boy did not wail at length like all the other babies at the clinic, the jab certainly took him by surprise and he let out a loud, forceful cry that turned his head bright red.

Later, when we got home, I placed him in his cot - he was asleep by then - and went to prep his bath. Little did I know that he woke up soon after, and the sound of running water drowned out his cries for attention. By the time I picked up his cries and got to him, poor Titus was all red and trembling. :(

I held him close to my bosom to calm him, whispering continuously in his ears that I love him and will never abandon him. My poor darling!

When he seemed somewhat settled, I gave him his first bath for the day. Now, if there's anything baby Titus absolutely hates, it is having a bath. He knows it is coming and would cry forcefully once I begin stripping him down. So as I begin unbuttoning his bodysuit, he got all agitated again. Unfortunately for him, a bath must be had.

To make things worse, two minor accidents occurred during bath time today. First, I lost control of my weakened left wrist while turning him from back to front, causing him to slip on the bottom of the tub. It shocked him and made him cry even harder. Then, while rinsing his back on a face-down position, I failed to realise that he was placed too low and his face was submerged in water. When I brought him up, the tortured chap was sputtering.

I COULD HAVE DROWNED HIM!

I AM A HORRIBLE MOTHER!

It took a warm bottle of milk to help him regain his composure, and he fell asleep in my arms soon after.

It was apparent how the string of incidents had affected him; he startled more easily during his nap and I had to keep patting him and telling him I was there with him. Hardly surprising that the nap did
not last long.Unfortunately, when he rose, I was washing his bottles in the kitchen and did not hear him cry. Once again, he was all red and trembling when I got to him.

It took longer to calm him this time, and he would only be quiet when I cradled him tightly.

Now, the sun has set and he is still agitated. Oh man. I think it will be a long night for me.

Got milk?

Got!

What do you mean you know what I had for brekkie?