Strange Machines

I show Jade how to pet Tuxie gently. He sits like an angel.

Most recently, Jack and Jade have started waking up at night at the same time. Although they still take turns to wake multiple times – Jade twice to thrice and Jack anything from 3-6 times – it is usually only once a night when they wake in tandem.

But last night, twice, I ran into the bedroom to find both kids sitting up in bed beside the other, looking rather dazed. So I hugged them both and nursed them back to sleep.

Talk about a conspiracy but how cute it is to see the two of them sitting together in the dark.

Me: Are you glad to have Jade in your life?

Jack nods.

Me: Why?

Jack: Because she’s so cute!

It is that developmental time again when babies start learning to crawl, even when they wake up at night, a little perplexed why they are on all fours, and that’s when they call for Mom.

In Jade’s case it started about a month ago, I’d find her looking rather confused, on all fours, so cute in her baby night dress, just wavering. I’d take her in my arms and nurse her back to sleep.

Tonight, she even cried when she felt me move an inch away. But soon she was asleep again, till the next 4 legged wake up call, till morning when she discovers cute animals on her bumper walls and looks upon them in intrigue and amazement.

Photo credit: Vital Images

V of Vital Images kindly snapped some shots of us in our Walnut Boba Baby Carrier the other day when we were having brunch (yes, even Barney thinks it is cool now).

Psst… watch out for my review of the 100% organic Boba Baby Carrier in a couple of weeks. There will be a very special coupon code for you awesome readers to order your very own Boba. If you can’t wait, go check it out first at NAP.

This phenomenon is apparently not new, but it certainly is funny to watch! Jade has started crawling but backwards and gets mighty ornery when she gets backed into a corner.

Meanwhile she and her brother are getting along great! Every morning she chuckles when Jack goes to say good morning to her and he watches her while I go get washed up and water the plants, wash the diapers, etc. The great thing about having 2 is that they rarely miss Mom when she has to pop away for a short while. I can often hear them laughing about something funny Jack is doing to amuse his sister.

Today she couldn’t stop laughing at him balancing on the top of the couch while her Daddy carried her. I’m glad she has a wonderful sense of humour, except when she gets backed into a corner. :p

The kids and I had gastric flu last week (or was it the week before) and fart jokes were abound. With hourly wakings and tummy trouble all around, it was a wonder anyone got any rest.

All I can say about this sleepless fugue of motherhood is your body gets used to it.

Soon you too will be scoffing at your partner for needing to nap after a 5 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep.

After all, you’re bright and cheery after 4 hours interrupted sleep with 2 kids in tow (albeit with slurred speech, a glazed expression, and a short-term memory shorter than a gnat’s, and that’s after a big shot of caffeine).

Note: tummies are better but still have an intense dislike for fried oily food and will rebel with aforementioned response if afflicted with.

Speaking of sleep, today Jack woke 2 hours early and fell asleep nursing while standing up as I was carrying Jade in the Boba carrier!

At a babywearing store opening last week, I got the chance to try on the Manduca baby carrier.

It felt great, very soft and made of 100% organic cotton. It wore and fitted and felt exactly like the Ergo, except for 3 differences and reasons why I would not buy it:

1. Design – Each of their bold designs have a cream coloured stripe (see pic) which I find rather unattractive. I felt that they should have kept the colour scheme a matching two-tone like the Ergo or a single tone like the Patapum. The cream may match some colours but not others like the black. They do however have limited edition designs which are quite pretty but cost more.

2. Usability – The release of the shoulder strap is different from the Ergo’s. I found this out when I had to nurse Jade in a hurry and when I tried to remove it the Ergo way, it didn’t work. It wasn’t a one-hand slide action. Pearline had to come to my rescue. Not immediately intuitive, not for Ergo users anyway.

3. Make – The plastic strip holding the buckle runs down the shoulder strap exactly where baby would suck. Note the picture of the woman carrying her baby on their landing page to see what I mean. Jade immediately clamped her gummy mouth down on the strap and I had to remove it a few times. The point of buying something organic is to protect your baby, so having baby suck on plastic kind of defeats the purpose of buying organic.

Still. All in all, a nice addition to the organic baby carrier family. If they change 3. But at the moment, I’d only consider it for an older child who won’t suck on the shoulder straps.

What I am considering is the new Boba baby carrier by the same people who brought you the Sleepy Wrap. At US$99, the Boba costs the same as a Patapum but it is organic and appears to wear like an Ergo and fit like a Patapum except without the complex leg loops to navigate baby’s legs through (see Ergo vs Patapum). Instead they have these awesome foot loops which baby can rest his or her feet in.

My concern as usual is the make. I’ll email them about their Patapum-like waist band and stuffing in the shoulder straps and see what they say.

Above is a picture of me on a sans makeup day with my Posh Beckham sunglasses babywearing 2 kids: Jack in the Patapum on the back and Jade in the Manduca.

2200: Late already. Dang. Put Jade’s diaper on and dress her.

2217: Jack finally dressed after bribery of stories I made up on the spot.

2228: Lights out. Jade nurses. Play Ranch Rush on iPod Touch. Third time already. Quite bored of it. Play Orions. Wonder if still remember after such a long break.

2312: Jack nurses along with Jade. Play Orions. Thrash computer with my fave deck.

0012: Yay! Jade and Jack are out.

0015: Go get supper. Check Facebook. Reply email. Eat some Kettle chips. Drink organic milk.

0035: Jade wakes. Sigh. Play Who’s Got The Biggest Brain game on iPod Touch. Attain Cyborg status by choosing most skilled tests on pro level. Bored now.

0056: Oh no, Jack stirring. Phew! He went back to sleep. Jade still nursing feverishly. Like a deep sea diver breathing.

0058: Try pulling away but she’s not letting go. Sigh.

0101: Try pulling away again but she still holding tight. Sigh. Gonna try to unlatch…

0104: Failed. Wondering if resident roaches eating my Kettle chips.

0109: Unlatched. Jade flailed but went to sleep. Returning to chips.

0147: Jack stirs. I spot a roach on my bed! Run out and get a rolled up newspaper, swat the bastard off, he falls on the ground. I whack but he escapes under the bed. Damn! And Jack sits up rubbing his eyes. Ma, he calls. And I nurse again.

0225: He’s done.

0310: Jack wakes up with a “Ma uh Nan”, sniffle. I’ve finished placing 2 more traps under the bed to catch that confounded beast. Tomorrow I’m buying industrial strength traps. Managed to order a nice silicone case, the Agent18 Flowervest (very pretty!), for my iPod Touch and download a couple of apps. Yawn. Will sleep after this feed.

0328: Jade is up. Does her hyperventilating sound and I hurry to nurse her. Sigh.

0348: Jade finally done. Can I finally sleep?

0354: Brushed teeth, turned off light and net, ready for bed. Checked for roach. None. Jack wakes. “Mom Nan,” he says. I nurse him. Jade wheezes. I cower in fear. she stops. Only sound is Jack drinking milk. Gonna try close my eyes now. Hope the roach gets stuck in one of my traps!

0403: Reclaimed boob. Gonna zzz now.

0607: Jade wakes. Nurse. Sleep.

0715: Jack wakes. Nurse. Sleep.

1050: Alarm goes. I press snooze 3x before reaching for the chilled packet of crysanthemum white tea with Jack still attached. I drink it and feel more awake. Time to get up.

Between the 0715 feed and now, the kids woke again, maybe twice but too sleepy to register.

The kids get 12 hours sleep each which is so important for the development of their brain.

Note: This post was written on my iPod Touch. Yay!

It felt like I had much more time to myself before I had a second child. Jack was bathed, we had plenty of time to read books together and he had time to play games by himself while his Dad and I chatted or he gave me a quick back rub (for carrying his son around all day).

Having a baby and toddler definitely takes more time and energy, especially at night. We must leave wherever we are by 8.30pm or the very latest, 9pm. I bathe Jade while Daddy bathes Jack, in that order. Then I dress both children, read a little to Jack (not as much as before I regret), Jade gets tummy time, and lights out at 10.30pm.

Jade gets nursed to bed first, while Daddy reads to Jack or lets him watch some animals on YouTube. Sometimes he comes in looking for me and I nurse him too. He crawls into a kneeling position while I nurse Jade on my side or at a 45 degree angle facing Jade. Or else, when Jade falls asleep, which can take on average an hour, I call Jack and he nurses to sleep too.

That can take another hour. So if I am lucky, I get off duty (although on call) by 11.30pm. On average, it is midnight. Really unlucky, 12.30pm or 1am because Jade has woken up and needs to be nursed again or worse, wakes Jack up too so repeat and rinse.

By which time I am famished and parched and need a snack, which I enjoy in front of the computer, in the same room as the kids so I can run to them if they call for me, which is relatively often or by 3-4am. Or in Jack’s case, maybe 2am. But usually after my supper.

I wish I and other stay-home moms would not be berated for claiming some me-time at the expense of sleep. We are human too, and need to unwind. And with 2, there is even less time left in the night to claim.