Baby days

These days, the weeks just whiz by. Ellie is seven and although she started Primary 1 just half a year ago it seems as if she has been in Primary school for longer than that. Caitlin is five going on six. When all three girls play in their room together ask that they be left alone,  I realise my babies are not babies anymore. Of course there is Kristen, two and a half going on thirteen, who thinks she is a big girl, acts like a big girl and is going through a particularly wilful, I-want-to-do-things-my-way stage of her life.

So while it seems like it is pure madness most days (mostly when I am trying to get the older girls to do their work for the day while Kristen whines for attention), other days seem surprisingly easy (when they all decide to play on their own and not want mama).

Sometimes I look at the older girls in Ellie's school when I pick her up and it hits me that in a very short time MY girls will be these older girls. All independent, all grown up, self assured. When I am chasing Kristen to get her clothes on,  thinking of ways to cajole her into brushing her teeth, getting up to get one more thing from the fridge I wish the girls would grow up a little bit quicker. But I know that one day I will look back a realise that the baby days are what I miss most. 

Catching up

It is half way through February, and no post for the month.

In fact this has been a rather lean year for posts.  There just isn't enough time for so many things each day. By the time I put the girls to bed, I have a few hours before my bedtime to catch up on my Mother and Child Project work (that's the onlineshop, photography, facebook publicity I am doing), email, time with KM, newspapers, catching up on whatever reading material I can get my hands on. There is just so little time to blog. Maybe because it hasn't been much of a priority. Just a note on newspapers. We have our newspaper delivered to us on fridays and weekends because I still love getting the real newspaper. Reading the newspaper online just isn't the same. So, maybe making Sunday night my official blogging night will help. You really do need the structure to get the writing going.

I guess I am just not one of those twitter types. Typing in whatever comes to mind at any point of the day. I need my moments of reflection.

This blog is a chronicle of my life. At least bits of it. Whatever I remember or have the time to write about. So what happened in February?

Chinese New Year. We celebrated this year, after missing the New Year last year when we were down with stomach flu. Yucky and messy. Kristen's first new year.

KM's birthday. Took days to plan this surprise party, which wasn't as much of a surprise in end.

"What time do I need to come back from my party tonight." KM asked as he went off to work on the morning of his birthday. What really surprised KM was 1. what we had for dinner. "The best (homemade) Bak Kut Teh in town" in the words of my brother.  2.  The chocolate fudge birthday cake from Lana cake shop. A blast from the past. And wow! this now costs S$37. I think it cost at least S$10 less the last time I bought a cake from there. I love how the deco hasn't changed since I was little. The old mosaic floor, bits of wooden furniture straight from some old grandmother's house. 3. The fact that the guests were early. Ok, we should have thought of hiding the shoes. 4. His birthday presents. The girls and I got KM chips chips and more chips. I stock the larder with healthy snacks. So this was a real treat.  

Kristen starts to eat real food. 10 Feb: Rice Cereal. 11 Feb: Rice Cereal with banana. 17 Feb: Rice Cereal and Pureed apple dessert. Her poo starts to change- now do you really need to know that?

Ellie alternates between defiance and sweetness. She helped to carry Caitlin from the car to the lift today when Caitlin was all whiny and wanted some one to carry her. I really should have taken a photo of Caitlin with her eyes closed on her sister's shoulder.

Caitlin is just plain playful. I know kids are kids, but you just need to yell once in a while to get things done.

Kristen . 5months

Kristen's first tooth came out exactly on the day she turned 5 months. 25th Jan. Two days later, another one popped out. 

I used to take so many pictures of Ellie. Not as many of Caitlin.  And now for Kristen, I have to remind myself to take those photos. Photos of significant moments, photos of the banal everyday life at home because you just don't remember the times when the girls are little when they grow up. Ellie is almost five and Caitlin is three and if it were not for photos I wouldn't have all those memories. They grow so fast. So fast my mom says that suddenly they are 30. She is talking about me. And of course I am much older than that already.

I really got caught up with the phototaking this time round.

 Five months old and loving it. 

 Look at that arm(pit).

Our new fuzzy rug.  Really effective in cutting down the visual clutter in our home. We try desperately to gain some sort of control over a space taken over by toys toys and more toys. At least now every toy looks good against this neutral background.

Caitlin eats anything

It isn't easy to find something that Caitlin doesn't like to eat. Well maybe her baby cereal when she sees better fare on the breakfast table.*

Caitlin has a blankie too

 Ellie can't leave home without her "mama's scarf" and teddy bear called Waffles. Now Caitlin too has a blankie-any blanket really or T-shirt, as long as it is soft. The best thing is finding out that a blankie keeps Caitlin quiet in the car. If only we had found out earlier..*

Tiredness and first steps

Its been a really tiring these last few weeks. Just been minding the kids and doing housework non-stop. Just don’t know how other moms manage without a helper or housekeeper. I leave the girls alone for a couple of seconds and Ellie is leaning too hard on Caitlin or scratching her hand or trying to roll over her. Its just almost impossible to get anything done. I put Caitlin in the carrier to get her away from Ellie and have my hands free and she’s squirming to get out. There is always a table to clear, toys to put away, the laundry to get done, stuff to wipe off the floor. I think I went one week without reading the papers which just moved from the doorway to the pile in the kitchen to the recycling pile in the yard.

Caitlin’s just all over the place. Our portable vacuum cleaner eating everything in her path. Ellie is always drawing, colouring or cutting something so there is always paper to munch and paper to get out of her way. Caitlin’s a lot more active than Ellie was at the same age. She’s already trying to walk. She took her first baby steps two days ago on 18 November and was walking 5-6 steps on her own the very next day. She’ll probably be running by her first birthday. Ellie walked at 13 or 14 months.