Pre-CNY Mommy Brain

It started out with an SMS:

24, L size for Rm 13, wan?

It was strange that my brother would ask me about buying diapers. He never looks at such stuff. I also forgot to ask which brand, but I just thought he was being unusually helpful. So when I called back, I said, "Hey, get me one pack. By the way, where are you?"

"Petaling street. Mom is buying flowers. So is that mandarin orange OK? How many do you want?"

"Oh, err.. two boxes then..."

Mandarin Oranges!! Guess with babies one can't help but to be thinking diapers all the time.

In the midst of running on the usual schedule of playgroups and naps, park visits and getting ready for bed, the cloud brooding over my head was about packing ang pows, getting some cookies, drinks and mandarin oranges. Of course there was this story about CNY that I had to prepare and put down on flash cards for the story at playgroup...and the boys and I have been having running noses that would not go away for the last 2 weeks. Giving them their medication was another thing I had to remember to do. Actually, after two weeks of medication, meaning to have bought and finished two batches of medicine, I think I should just let their body run on its own to build up the immune system.

My mum and mum-in-law were wonderful: compared prices and stocked up on sea food, chicken, arrow roots and lotus roots, eggs and noodles; planned menu for such and such a day of the CNY celebration and shared their bounty with each other. Sigh...what am I to do without these two gems.

I am blessed with 2 moms who can think beyond diapers, bibs and toilet training. Amen.

Happy Chinese New Year.

My Son Thinks I Am God

Micah sometimes makes the most absurd requests. Two days ago, he refused to sleep when it was already 11.30pm and he said to me, "Mommy, I want it to be sunny day (now)." I tried explaining to him in all simple manner of the rotation of the earth and how day and night comes about. So the conclusion sounded something like this, " Go to sleep for a little while now and when you wake up, it will be sunny day." After a little more coaxing and a couple of bedtime stories, Micah finally fell asleep about 12.30am.

His other impossible requests:

I want a rainbow in the sky. (This was God's bright idea, not mine..)

I don't want the moon to come out. (As if I have all cosmic powers!)

I want the stars to come out. (Sure, let me huff and puff and blow the clouds away.)

I want the friendly (stray) cat to come here (NOW... when there is no sight of that cat at all). (Right... like I can order animals to do my bidding.)

I want the dragonfly to come back again (after he had chased it away. Yeah, ... let me order up a swarm of them).

I want the terrapin to hide in it's shell. (Like I speak Terrapin!)

I want the (dead) worm to move its tail. (Of course... if I can resurrect it!!)

I want 10 fishes (when there were only 2 in the tank. Hmmm.. let me look up to heaven and give thanks and make them multiply instantly.)

I want to go to the seaside (in Penang... Sure. If only I had a chariot of fire.)

I want to feed the elephant bananas (in the Singapore zoo... Yeah. Just teleport you over.)

I want to go back to Mommy's womb. (And be born again!!)


Of course all my reasonable answers are met with a load of whining and endless repetition of the requests... Hmmm... so what was that that Jesus said about having childlike faith... Yeah, very often I think I am the "O, ye of little faith." If only I could see the world like Micah and go ask my Heavenly Father for an adventure....

Sigh. I don't think I am as brave as Micah.

You Know there are Kids @ Home when...

You know there are kids at home when...

... you find bath toys in every bath room.

... you find a toy in the refrigerator.

... you find a toy in your briefcase.

... you find a toy in your oven.

... you find a squeaky toy under your pillow.

... you find a plastic fruit in your shoe.

... you find a toy in your laundry basket.

... you find a toy in your basket of garlic.

... you can't seem to clean the toys out of the back seat of your car.

... your noodle strainer is also used as a fishing net when cleaning out the fish tank.

... you can't think of which toy to give away for charity because they will come round looking for it (despite the fact that they have 3 boxes of toys).

... you have to do two rounds of laundry in one day.

... there are three different kinds of cereals opened on the shelf.

... the gifts of sweets and chocolates have to be kept at back of the highest shelves.

... beautiful sugar lollypops were said to be decorations and placed on top of the TV.

... when it looks like it rained toys in your sitting room.

Sleeping Babies

I don't know if you would call it maternal inclination or just a woman's thing: I love basking in the presence of my three sleeping boys. Sometimes in the middle of the night, like tonight, I am awakened by Micah's or Max's crying and can't get back to sleep. I will usually try to be industrious and do some ironing or sort some stuff out (We have lots of stuff that are cluttered in a guest room because we have no proper cabinets to put stuff in, i.e. wedding gifts, old files from previous jobs, some stuff I keep in view of how I may use them for crafts or gifts). But I always allow myself some luxury of time to just watch my boys sleep. Sometimes I lie down among them and "see" us "with my inward eye" (Keats) from a bird's eye view and feel warm and cozy. You know, like how the floating feather in Forest Gump makes you feel at the end of the show. Somehow the boys, especially Max, maybe because he is still a baby, will generate like an aura of warmth and peace and sweetness. Makes me just want to cuddle him or at least to touch him. Sleeping babies are so magnetic. They just draw your heart towards them.

Since Micah came along, I think I have taken so many photos of a sleeping baby. When Max was brought back from the hospital I took at least one photo of him sleeping everyday for the first 40days. The funny thing is, at the moment of sweetness, you think it's just such a beautiful picture, like no other... but when you view the shots, I think other people will just not get you. Unless you are a mommy, or the mommy, I guess, then you see it.


Sleeping babies are sleeping beauties.