The kids did a photo shoot for Milk On The Rocks NYC, a super cool, edgy, Parisian kids fashion label last week and they had a great time channeling their inner blue steel pout.
The photos are too cute not to share.
Photos by Lauryn Ishak.
Monthly Archives
September 2012
While there’s still an element of novelty about it, I’ve been getting the 2 bigger kids involved in helping to take care of the baby. It keeps them occupied while I’m occupied and the little help they can provide does come in quite useful.
So when I’m giving Finn a bath, I’ll get them to stand around to watch, maybe help fill the tub with water or squeeze a dollop of baby wash onto his body. Or when I’m burping him, I’ll let them help pat his back until they get bored or tired, which is usually like about 5 pats in.
They’ve been enthusiastic about everything except poop-cleaning.
“It’s so gross, later the poo poo come onto my hand,” they’ll say while pretending to gag.
Yesterday, I managed to convince them to just observe while I gave a running commentary on how to clean a poopy diaper. They crowded in real close as I laid out the wet tissues, cotton balls and diaper cream in preparation for THE MOST FASCINATING DIAPER CHANGE EVER.
“Ok, first, we take a wet tissue and fold it into half…”
“Ewww, why is the poop yellow? How come it’s so soft? Baby Finn got diarrhea? It’s so smelly!”
Well, at least they seemed fascinated by the process so mission accomplished.
Finn must have sensed there was an audience because while they were peering at his bottom, he decided to unleash a fresh jet of poop right in their general direction. I managed to block most of it with his soiled diaper as Tru jumped back 3 steps and held his nose in horror. I turned to make sure Kirsten was poop-free and she was gagging involuntarily, making the most priceless series of vomit faces I have ever seen. I think a little vomit must have come back into her mouth in the process.
“Are you ok, princess? The poop didn’t get onto you right?”
She managed to regain some composure, then stomped out of the room muttering “I cannot do this, I’m outta here…”
Maybe I’ll give it some time before their next poop-cleaning lesson.
This is part of a series of collaborative posts between Mother, Inc and Mothercare Singapore. All opinions and text are my own.
My breastfeeding journey hasn’t been a fun one. While I’m fully convinced by all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding, both Truett and Kirsten had a lot of difficulties latching on. They were impatient and hungry babies who didn’t care much for the joys of drinking it fresh from momma. They were all like “FORGET THE BOOBS, JUST SHOW ME THE MILK!!!”
It didn’t help that I produced very little milk so with Tru, I gave up after a month of partial breastfeeding (via the bottle). With Kirsten, I managed to persevere on with the expressing thing till 9 months before finally reclaiming my breasts.
But I’ve always wanted to be like one of those moms who could pop out a boob to feed the baby anytime and anywhere instead of having to go full battle order and lug around a ginormous pump, bottles, bottle warmer and cooler bag.
So with Finn, I was determined to latch on my baby one way or another. The first couple of days wasn’t so good. I had no milk at all and the lactation consultant who came in to help me struggled for 15 minutes before declaring that my “breasts were too big”.
Um, ok, thanks, I guess?
By day 4, engorgement set in and every session I tried latching on was absolute torture. I thought that labor was the worst pain I could experience but engorgement pain? Comes pretty close. My breasts were like filled with little rocks after being beaten with large rocks and when Finn chomped down on it, I almost threw him an uppercut to the jaw. Except I didn’t because I was determined to power through the pain.
Fast-forward 2 weeks and he’s now latching on like a pro. I occasionally have to supplement with a bottle of expressed milk but at least he’s drinking most of it direct from my boobs, which is a great achievement.
Thanks to Mothercare, I’ve put together a list of all the essentials you’ll ever need to make the breastfeeding journey a little easier. All these, plus a large dose of pain endurance and you’re all set.
The Aden + Anais Soothing Paw Paw Ointment is like salve from heaven for cracked and sore nipples. I applied tons of this the first week and it helped speed up the healing process. After the soreness subsided, the Mothercare It’s Your Body Nipple Cream was great for the days that I wanted something lighter and less rich.
I really love the Serenity Star. It’s the kind of thoughtful product that only moms who have breastfed can come up with. It’s a feeding diary, a sound machine, a night light, a temperature indicator and a clock all rolled into one. It’s the one thing I keep with me all the time and when I’m stoned out of my mind trying to recall the last feeding time in the middle of the night, this is a complete lifesaver.
A pillow that’s ergonomically designed to support the baby during breastfeeding does wonders for the back. I just prop this around my waist and rest Finn on it so I don’t have to be hunched over during feeds. The JJ Cole range also comes with a matching nursing cover for some privacy when I’m out and about and I like that the design is classy enough to not look like a tablecloth.
The downside of breastfeeding: spontaneous leaks. Every time I hear a baby crying or think of breastfeeding or look at a cute baby, my boobs go into feeding frenzy mode and start leaking. These Charlie Banana reusable breast pads are super soft and absorbent, which is perfect for dealing with those embarrassing leaks. And when I don’t have time to clear the laundry (which happens more often than I’d like), there’s always the disposable Tommee Tippee breast pads to save the day.
My milk production is still not at the boob-only feeding stage yet so I’ve got to supplement with a bottle or two. Introducing a bottle is tricky because once Truett and Kirsten tasted milk from a bottle, they refused to drink from the breast. I suspect that these Tommee Tippee bottles really helped in my quest to latch on Finn because the teats are designed to resemble an actual nipple. And finally, if you’re bottle feeding, remember to sterilize!
We had baby Finn out in the living room for some awake time and Tru came over to lie down beside him, making for one of those irresistible Kodak moments.
I think I’m really starting to like having two boys.
Kirsten has been going around telling everyone “I have TWO brothers.” I think she’s enjoying it too.
Kirsten came home with a nasty flu bug on Monday and she’s been spreading it around like the Ebola virus. The moment she started sniffling, I tried to keep Finn away from her but she’s fiercely possessive about her little brother.
I told her she wasn’t supposed to kiss him or touch him or breathe near him until she got better, which prompted a complete meltdown.
“I just…*sob* want to…*sob* kiss baby Finn…*more sobbing* because I love him so much,” as she melted into the floor.
“Ok, drama queen. I know you love baby Finn, which is why you can’t go near him because you’ll make him sick.”
“But I…need to sayang him…*sob* promise, just one time only.”
“You can blow him a flying kiss from across the room, sweetheart. Baby Finn misses you too.”
Despite our best efforts to keep him isolated, my 9-day-old has also caught the flu bug. Just as the husband and I came down with it as well. I think it would be an understatement to say that the madness around here has multiplied exponentially.
It’s heartbreaking when newborns fall ill because they’re so small and vulnerable. The poor boy’s nose is all clogged up and he can’t breathe so he spends whatever time he’s not crying making awful grunting and snorting noises. And because he can’t breathe, he struggles at every feed, gasping for air in between gulps of milk.
There isn’t much I can do to make him feel better, except carry him to keep him upright and offer my boobs for comfort. Well, at least the boobs seem to calm him down. He suckles for a few minutes, then falls asleep so I pat him on my shoulder to help him breathe.
Like Lionel Ritchie, all night long.
I feel like I’m going to pass out from exhaustion.
After his feed at like 3-ish last night, he had a particularly bad screaming fit. Every position I tried carrying him in didn’t seem comfortable. 20 minutes in, his face was all red and blotchy from all that yelling. He was grabbing my shirt with one of his tiny fists and he suddenly stopped and opened his eyes to look at me. Then he slowly closed them back and drifted off to sleep. After that, he slept for the next 4 hours. And so did I.
That’s 4 whole hours. 240 minutes. I haven’t slept for 4 hours straight since he was born.
Honestly, best. sleep. ever.
One of the remarkable things about newborns is the regularity and frequency with which they poop. Like about 8-10 times a day to be exact. Every time I check, there’s almost always a fresh batch baking in the oven.
Finn has set a new record because it’s just 7 days in and I’ve already had to catch poop with my hands twice. When there’s a stream of poop coming right at you midway through a diaper change, there’s no time to think about options. You reach out and block what you can to contain the damage. It was either that or letting it land all over my clothes. Obviously, I choose hands.
With this level of pooping frequency, it’s important to choose the right diaper. Finn has been wearing the new Drypers Soft diapers since he was born and it’s really quite an improvement from the previous version.
Here are some of the things I look for in a newborn diaper.
1. Softness. Everything about a newborn is so babysoft and the last thing you want is to have their bottom chafed by a diaper. Now the Drypers Soft range is exactly that – soft. And cushy. And a little fluffy.
2. Absorbency. It’s a no brainer, unless you want to be cleaning up leaks several times a day. The best part is, not only is it absorbent, there’s a specially designed Stool Lock System TM to draw and secure loose stool away from baby’s skin so just in case I forget a diaper change, most of the poop is stuck to the diaper and not his bottom. I don’t know how that works, but it works.
3. Multiple Fastening tape. Like the Drypers Wee Wee DRY range, the new version of Drypers Soft now come with a Flexi-Tape TM that allows multiple fastening. It’s easy to check his poop status and refasten if it’s all clear. More importantly, removing the tape is quick and quiet so he doesn’t get startled with each diaper change.
4. Design. Ok, this is completely frivolous but a nice design just makes it look extra pretty. Like this.
After 2.5 years, the husband makes a return as a guest blogger. The official reason is because he was my editorial rep on a visit to Legoland with the kids (the 2 big ones). The unofficial reason has more to do with me phoning it in and making him do work while I lie down for a nap.
So despite the wife’s attempts to secure a covert last minute exit to Malaysia a week after giving birth, we all decided it made sense for her not to travel. Being the dutiful husband, I was thus assigned volunteered to bring the kids down to the media preview of Legoland on Saturday.
For those of you thinking of driving down, a quick word – DO IT. It’s just a 15min drive from the Tuas checkpoint, and with hardly any traffic along the way we made it there in slightly over an hour. Of course if you’re the sort that gets panicky with with road names like Jalan Persimuang Berhenti Muas 1/125, you might wanna plot the address into your GPS or something but either way getting there is pretty much a breeze.
When we arrived we were quickly ushered into a world where everything was literally put together, Lego brick by brick.
Now I don’t know your thoughts on Lego as a toy but wading through a darkened room littered with Lego bricks is akin to an ancient Chinese torture for belligerent parents. It was really nice to see them all properly set in their place in the form of Lego architecture and OH WOW THAT’S THE MERLION.
Apparently, over 50 million Lego bricks have been used to build the models, and it shows – the attention to detail is simply remarkable. More than once I had to stop the kids from attempting to yank the miniature figurines from the various recreated cities; heck, even I wanted to steal the Taj Majal below but settled for a picture instead.
On to the rides and attractions, and there were plenty. Legoland Malaysia boasts over 40 attractions and many of them suitable for the younger ones. With Kirsten, height limit was always going to be an issue but I’m happy to report that she made it for quite a few. Usually when I bring the kids out I do the “Are you having fun?” check but I think it was quite evident from her whooping (“WOAH THAT WAS GREAT, DADDY! YIPPEE!”) and frantic waving after every single ride.
Oh, and a big shout out to the very encouraging instructors at the Junior Driving school who egged Kirsten on after a shaky start. She got so good at it after five rides she was waving at me as she drove past with one hand on the steering wheel.
Being the adrenaline junkie that he was, Truett was clamoring for roller-coasters after the umpteenth horse-ride (seen above) which he complained was ‘very, very very slow.’ The boy has seemingly, and rather unfortunately, picked up my penchant for exaggerating stuff. Anyhow, we manage to find one at Lego Kingdoms and six loops later he was beaming with a satisfied grin and an Edwardian hairstyle to boot.
I have to make a special mention for the Lego Build & Test Centre. This is like a builder’s workshop of sorts; you’re handed a set of wheels at the entrance and there are working tables and benches with a variety of Lego bricks strewn all around. Pick a spot and you can just go on to build your own vehicles. There’re even tracks provided with automated launch mechanisms so you can race your prototype against others.
After the brief respite from the blazing heat in the airconditioned Build & Test Centre, we ventured out again and decided to take up the noble task of firefighting.
The station marshalers spiced things up a little by pitting us against three other families in a bit of a competition. There’s a sequence to it; first you’ve got to pump this hydraulic thingee in the vehicle to drive the fire engine towards the house. Once there you dash out of the fire engine, grab a hose, put out the ‘fire’ with sprayed water from aforementioned hose, head back into the fire engine, and pump hydraulic thingamajig to return fire engine to base. First one back to base wins bragging rights.
We did emerge fourth which I suppose wasn’t too bad, with two tots in tow. There were only four lanes, though.
Towards the end of the day we started to wrap up by slowing things down a little. We caught a couple of 4D shows – ‘Spellbinder’ is pretty good – and took our taking our time just exploring the sights and sounds. In between the various zones were carnival booths like this, and the kids had a great time doing a bit of fishing on a extra large version of a toy every child of the 80s should be familiar with.
We spent close to eight hours at the park and while doing a bit of research writing this post I realized we’d only covered about half the park or so! Some of the rides weren’t quite ready at the point of completion and the rest, we missed out just because of the sheer size of the park. Does that warrant a trip back up any time soon? Hell yeah, but the next time I’ll be bringing my sunglasses along and slapping on generous dollops of sunscreen- the kids and I are 50 shades darker from the expedition.
