Mini Milestones

It has been five days since my family left for KK and though I am still sore at heart, I have to admit I’m feeling better now. I guess the recent flow of wonderful weather has put a smile back on my face and a spring back into my steps. For the past three days, the temperatures have peaked at 16 to 19 degrees Celsius and these double-digit temperatures are forecast to continue for another week. Weather experts believe that the shift in the weather and the presence of sunshine in the afternoons are indication of an early spring this year. I hope they are right about this cause I can’t wait to see the cherry blossoms!

As the season slowly transits from winter to spring, my life somehow goes through a transition of its own. I am now a mother of two and in a few more weeks, I have to come out from post-maternity hibernation and get back to campus *shiver*. I can imagine how chaotic my life will be once that happens. Come to think of it, my life at home is already chaotic, with the screaming, “Alden, don’t spill your Milo!”, the house chores “Alden, clean up your toys!” and sleepless nights, “Dear wake up, can you burp her?”. Yes, I am going through a MAJOR transition. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining at all…simply sharing the bits and pieces of what you’d expect to get when you have an adorably naughty three-year-old and a newborn baby to care for. The effects have started to show and they are now etched on my face. My way of handling all this pressure? Anti-aging moisturizers and secret retail therapy….Shhh….

Anyway, let’s take a breather from the chaos at home and focus on baby Alva instead. Alva's first month has flown by and we celebrated her full moon two weeks ago, when my family was still here. She's now 5 weeks and 6 days old and at 4.01 kg, she’s already acquiring quite a vocabulary of coos and murmurs. She's beginning to smile a lot, a habit she’s developed in her sleep and it's so adorable! Her sleeping smiles give me a hint that she’s going to be a fun little girl, just like her brother.

So far, she has been such a well-behaved baby in the sense that she doesn’t drive me up the walls at night with endless cries for food. She wakes up for a feed a couple of times and after burping she goes right back to sleep. With Alden, the midnite feedings and cries were so frequent. When Alva's not asleep, I try to give her some 'tummy time' and show her a picture book in monochrome. According to my midwife, tummy time is a vital part of the baby's development as important muscles used for moving and exploring are strengthened. Sure enough, Alva enjoys looking at monochrome pictures, lifting her head like a turtle, moving it from side to side as she lies on her tummy. After a minute or two, she gets tired and with a few strokes on her back she dozes to sleep. Isn't that wonderful? This time around baby sitting is so much more relaxed and easy. I know it's probably too early to count my blessings but instincts tell me Alva's good behaviour will linger. As spring draws near, I'm not only excited to see tulips bloom in full swing, I'm just as eager to capture Alva's tiny milestones with my camera :-)