Week 19

Charlotte turned over on Thursday!  August 19 was a monumental day with an anticlimactic set up.  Matt was out of town.  I was watching Modern Family on the Slingbox.  I put Charlotte on her back and I looked down (I was watching her out of the corner of my eye) and I looked down and she was on her belly.  Damn.  A big milestone and I was distracted by the TV.

Aside from this - we have become decidedly local and went out during the weekend to escape the (air conditionerless) heat of our house.  So we went to Funan Mall on Sunday and it seriously was the highlight of the day.  Matt changed Charlotte's diaper while she was in her carseat/stroller at Challenger, which was seriously awesome.

I took a short baby massage class today, and Charlotte tried to befriend the boy baby doll next to her, touching his hand.  It was too cute.

In Ho news, I am trying to befriend other moms.  It is fun.  I know things I didn't know 5 months ago and I can talk about them with some level of knowledge and experience!  Stellar.

On with the multimedia!

Charlotte in the shadows, turning over:


Charlotte in a new girly outfit:


Her first stomach nap (don't worry I was watching her and it was during the day):


Furrowed brows:


Driving someone else's car (without a license!):


Making friends with Thomas The Massage Doll:


A smile for mommy:

Zumba!

As I have previously mentioned I am trying to get that stubborn baby weight off. My initial efforts were thwarted by that pesky arthritis (not to mention a month long trip to America, land of the gluttony). I was told that breastfeeding was the weight loss messiah, that I could gain a near skeletal appearance by doing nothing more than putting Charlotte to the breast (not to say that Angelina Jolie's physique is something that I am striving for, but the idea of that was certainly enticing). Needless to say, though I was lucky in the labor time department, I was unlucky in the Skeletor-meets-the-boob department.

In my pre baby life I was a very regular jogger and would log 45 minutes 5 times a week without fail. I also lifted weights twice a week. This seemed to keep me in a happy range, and I am a huge advocate of monotony in exercise - as long as it is efficient. This go around I am trying to be a bit more aggressive - so I am doing cardio 5 days a week, doing Body Pump (think aerobics meets weight training) twice a week, and doing the Power Plate twice a week (which basically is a bunch of pilates moves on a vibrating plate). Although I think I am seeing results it is hard when you look at your endomorph self day in and day out. More than anything I have been sore at least 2 days a week. Although it hasn't been the most comfortable it certainly has felt like I am doing something. The unexpected upside of this routine is that my arthritis seems to be better with exercise - though I am not back in my best push up and dip form thanks to my wrists.

My morning routine is a bit out of whack as I am not getting up as early as I used to - so I am starting my runs around 8 and that is just too darn hot in the relentless heat that is Singapore. So I am trying to be a bit more creative with my cardio. I have an issue with the treadmill - something I link directly to my ego bruising fall on one at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong in early 2004. So at the gym this morning I did Zumba for the first time.

Zumba is an aerobic (read: simplified for the bourgeois moms who take aerobics - o wait a minute, that is me) class that is spiced up with Latin and African music and dance. I thought this would be a good fit for me since I believe I am a decent dancer (a spillover from my stint twenty years ago on my high school drill team) and I love Latin music. Our instructor Rhomeiny was inevitably from the Philippines as they are the only Asian country where the people have any rhythm whatsoever. I had many 'I am a rap star' and 'I am Shakira' moments. There were pelvic thrusts, a small but enduring throwback of competence from my drill team days. Overall though I knew I looked like a doofus, sporting my stretched out Astro Boy tank top (which Matt wanted me to throw out precisely 4 years ago when I bought it).

I wanted to befriend the Caucasian girl in front of me, but she was too uncoordinated and taking way too much surface area and I was too catty at that point to make a (verbal) move. I shirked away from her aqua bodysuit and her flailing limbs.

After several Latin/African songs (that Shakira song would probably qualify for both) Rhomeiny (do you think that rhymes with hominy?) previewed a beat of the next song. The room squealed as it was the Wonder Girls "Nobody." The watered down routine was way harder than the video indicates (or my hand-eye coordination is down several notches). At the end of the song everyone (the fellow moms huddled in the back with their extra belly love and the cliquish gym rat fiftysomethings in the front who were way too old to be sporting lace/lycra/belly rings) cheered. I concluded Rhomeiny was gay or just... Asian.

I made no friends, but I sweated my AstroBoy tail off.

It was awesome.

I will be back, after I watch that "Nobody" video on youtube about a dozen times.

Jokester

I got a joke for you...


Did you hear about the one about the BIG ham who was a pig who wanted to be an actor?


O wait a minute, maybe that was the punchline...

Week 18

We went to the doctor and Friday and Charlotte is 7.32 kg (or 16.1 lbs) and is 62.5 cm. She got jabbed (immunization #2) and cried but was a far better sport than I would have been (sadly Bucky and Charlotte take better to the needles than I do). The doctor called her progress 'super' - and we think so too.

I am considering meeting other moms but am still at the considering phase. We have decided to host Thanksgiving in Singapore - our first one here since we got married our first year and went back to the US last year. This is the hottest place to have Thanksgiving so I hope to be sporting some Daisy Dukes as I sweat my tail off hovering over the stuffing, much to the envy of my stateside friends!

Charlotte is sleeping like a champ most days, though she got up at midnight 3 days ago. Usually she is asleep by 7:20 and we work hard to keep her awake till 8:30 to ensure that she isn't up at 5.

I feel better in general - taking far less Arcoxia. I feel less like I need to muscle through the arthritis and more like it was just a bad, painful, annoying dream.

I think Charlotte has luckily inherited Matt's sour skin - I am teeming with bites while Charlotte remains virtually bite free (in our effort of austerity - we are without air conditioning and in this unusually rainy summer there are far more mosquitoes that now have ample opportunity in my, well, sweet hide if you will). I am taking one for Team Charlotte - by being human insect repellent.

I did a little video on my iMovie of Charlotte's 'walking'. I hope it doesn't get taken off of youtube.




Ninja Charlotte:


Reading a book:


Happy Charlotte:


Happy Part II:


Wearing Aunt Becky's onesie and Bla Bla Mary Janes:


More monkey feet:


7:20 Narcolepsy:

Alone time with Charlotte

So I survived today. What is so special about today? Not a lot, except it was the 2nd time I took care of Charlotte BY MYSELF for a 4 hour stretch. I know, that is not spectacular (and some would say long overdue) but I like to tag team with either Imee or Matt. But knowledge breeds confidence (or some other platitudinous equivalent) and I lived and it was good - more than good. Admittedly Matt is more confident around the baby than I am. He is a bit more laissez faire (in a good way) than I am. If the baby cries I want to fix it straight away but Matt is more let the baby cry a bit, it won't hurt her, it is the only way that she can really verbally communicate. And it is indeed true, you do get de-sensitized to baby cries. What was once a jolt mechanism evolves into more of a 'Eh, the baby's crying, pass the potatoes (well, not exactly this, but closer to this than the sheer and utter panic of a newborn-parent-out-of-the-hospital).'

On a total aside, I wake up almost every night at some point in a panic - generally waking up from a dream that I am pregnant and I am supposed to be taking some series of pills for the babies health and I forget to take them. Does anyone else do this?

Week 17

I have come to the realization that I thought I was among a sea of stay at home moms, but I am the last mom standing!  Everyone I know seems to have gone back to work.  Sigh.  I am glad to be home but I need some comraderie!

I also have gotten on the fitness bandwagon - I just joined a Power Plate studio (as I will try anything Madonna does) and have discovered Body Pump.  So I am doing strength training (to the best of my ability) and running to lose that extra belly love as I am tired of wearing my maternity clothes, dammit!

Charlotte has figured out the Exersaucer as she plays and rotates herself counterclockwise all by herself!  We are considering sleep training.  Although Charlotte is a champion night sleeper (11 or 12 hours a night) she is a crap day sleeper.

I am playing around a bit with Lightroom.  Some results are below (all pics are Lightroomed).

My first attempt at Lightroom (on an older pic):


Charlotte in the swing:


Charlotte watching TV (I know I know we are horrible parents.  But Charlotte likes TV...):


 

Here is Charlotte not quite so angry during tummy time:

Week 16 - Enjoy every moment

When you become a new parent, people tend to say the same comment to you that you have likely never heard before - 'enjoy every moment.' This is a good reminder I suppose, because so many of the moments are simply not so enjoyable. Alas, there is the secret of parenthood - it is the hardest job you'll ever love. But there are many trying moments - especially at the beginning, when you don't know your head from your ass. I remember a mere 4 months ago thinking to myself how this is pretty much the opposite of joy. Pumping and feeding and why is the baby crying? and no sleep and no milk and it pretty much SUCKED. We were so absorbed in the misery of our everyday lives we would sometimes forget how much Charlotte was growing before our very eyes. So if I can provide a public service announcement - don't think that having a baby is all starry eyed Tori Spelling life is beautiful cooing butterflies and rainbows bulls---. It is a lot of hard work and you will sometimes forget that raising a child is a reward in and of itself - especially when you are so sleep deprived you wonder how you will go on or pump any more. That is what I tell myself anyways.

Charlotte is now 16 weeks - four months young. We went to Phuket on Thursday - sort of a spur of the moment thing with Matt's business partner and it was GRAND. We stayed at this place called Villa Yang and it was awesome. We brought Imee so we could have a mini vacation. We stayed at this villa and there was a cook and staff (the guest to staff ratio was 2:1 and it was just like having Charlotte at home - if we had a staff and a private pool and an unobstructed ocean view at home. Charlotte never left the place at all! She tried swimming again but didn't like it as much this time.

Charlotte had wicked jet lag- up 3 times a night on Tuesday night and finally getting back on schedule exactly a week later.   It took her a day to adjust to the US and week to adjust back to Singapore. Maybe it is the weather and the time zone. Her feet and hands are SO sticky - she gets this from Matt for sure.

I am told we are lucky that she sleeps for an 11 hour stretch when she is on schedule - but she probably sleeps no more than 2 hours during the day.

We have new and exciting toys - an exersaucer (thanks Kim for that!) and a tummy time aquarium mat that we have pulled out because our friend Jaime says that skipping crawling is bad developmentally - and Charlotte looks like she may be able to walk any day now - if only she could keep her head from wobbling (which she does a lot less - say only 15% of the time). So for the moment we are sucking up all the angst of tummy time. But she can hold onto the attached mini beach ball like nobody's business.

She also sucks her thumb - not idly but like she is about to suck the marrow out of her bones.

We are glad to be home and on a schedule for a while.

Video overview of our villa:


Sunset on Villa Yang (with a little Charlotte cameo):


Charlotte with Imee at the Villa:


The pool:


Charlotte with her new Bla Bla toy:


Charlotte still refining her hip-hop moves:


Standing on Imee:


Charlotte in her Exersaucer:


Charlotte playing with her beach ball:


Another ball picture:


I am so happy to be back in Singapore!