Moments in My Life

Remember in the middle of last week I wrote out the 9:30pm bedtime?  I was following a schedule for the whole week.  We have to sacrifice and have our dinner at 5pm.  By the time my son finishes his, it will be around 5:30pm.  Sometimes I started feeding his dinner before 5pm.  That means I started cooking around 4:20pm.  People in KL are just starting to have tea time and we here are having dinner.  But it all works out great!

1. Feed dinner at 5pm.
2. Some type of activity 6-7pm. (visit MIL’s house, walking around the block, park)
3. Bath time 7-730pm.
4. Mommy own time 7:30pm-8pm. 
5. Daddy play time with Brandon 7:30-8:15pm.
6. Mommy bath time 8pm.
7. Warming milk 8:15pm.
8. Milk time 8:30pm.
9. Mommy reading time 8:35-8:45pm.
10. Getting ready to sleep 8:45-9pm.

This schedule works for me now.  I will stick to this one.  So no going out later than 7pm for us anymore.  We have to be home by 7:15pm the latest. 

So now he sleeps early, it also means he wakes up early in the morning.  At 7am he will be up.  Before, he would sleep till raound 8-9pm.  I will have some morning time to myself.  Now I have the night time to myself for about 2 hours.  Same same. 

Almost forgot to note, by end of the week, I ended up sleeping (teman) with him in his room.  So no more running otut the room, screaming or crying session.  Being inside the room helps much more than the initial plan of staying outside the room.  He slept faster, no more crying and for me, it saved my energy meter.  Both happy.

We went out with another mommy and her boy to La Romeria Park this morning.  They were already there when we arrived at 9:50am.  We stayed till 11am.  I can see my son is start learning to play with another person.  Brandon loves others to chase after him.  He was trying to get Colin to chase him but Colin preferred to play with the other older kids at the playground. 

Brandon was on the slide, climbing the stairs … he is not a swing person.  He has shown no interested in it at all.  I tried to get him sitting on one, but his legs was pushing hard not to get inside.  I am guessing he didn’t like the ‘roller coaster’ feeling when the swing comes down. 

We played at the playground a little while and then went to the grassy field to run.  Brandon was running all the way.  I have to bring him here more often and let the running and playing tired him out for a good afternoon nap. 

We came home around 11:25pm.  Fed him his lunch.  I made fish porridge prior to the park outing this morning so I didnt’t have to prepare the lunch when we got home.  I just need to feed him.  He likes the porridge and finished two plates fast. 

It was at 12pm when I called MIL to come over but she has a guest.  It is now 12:30pm.  I will probably give him a bath at 1pm and let him nap at 1:30pm.  Will see how the napping goes.  I get a little worry everytime when nap/bed is around the corner.  *cross fingers*   

Brandon, he prefers to hard way than soft talk.  Sometimes I have to scold him until he cries then he would at least listen or go to sleep.  I tried being nice and friendly talking to him and he thinks is all play.  He likes to step on my tail and test my patience every single day.  I don’t have much of that left by now. 

For example - Going to sleep/nap.

Mommy says,

You are tired, then you go sleep.  Why do you want to fight to sleep when you are already tired.  You know the ritual.  After your afternoon milk, you go to nap.  After your night milk, you go to sleep.  But even you are very tired, you won’t want to budge.  

It is very simple.  All you need to do is just close your eyes gently and you will go to sleep.  But not.  You want me to scold you because you kept running out from the room thinking I am playing with you when I am nice.  You want me to scold you because I told you nicely to sleep on the bed and stay there, you don’t listen.  You want me to close the door, even I gave you plenty of warnings and try my best not to close the door but you force me to.  You want to cry and scream when there is no reason to.  You hurt your own lungs if you scream like that.  I tell you but you don’t understand.  The chalazion on right eye will not heal, if you keep on crying everyday like that.  All because you want to fight not to nap/sleep.

Yesterday evening I tried my toddler night time schedule again. I gave him a bath around 7:30pm and I remembered to remind him that we were getting ready for bedtime which would be soon. I took my shower a little later at 8:15pm. Finished up around 8:30pm and he was done with his milk. I went to his bedroom and again, reminded him that it would be bedtime pretty soon. We read two books and played a little bit with his stuff animal and by 8:50pm, I was ready for him to sleep.

Constantly, I assured him that I would be just outside the door and would come in if needed. Kissed him good nite and cuddled and I walked out the door. Pulled up the pink Ikea Mammut stool and sat down reading my Reader Digest just right outside the door. The light on the hallway was on. I only started reading the first line, I saw someone standing besides me. By looking at him, I know he still wanted to play. But I reminded him again it was bedtime and he had to be on his bed. I carried him to bid good nite to Daddy and down the bed he went. I gave him another cuddle and more kisses. This repeated for about 5 times. Towards the 4th and 5th time, I didn’t give him any eye contact or cuddling.

The next thing I gave him was a warning that I would close the door if he ever leave the bed again. And he did it. And close the door I did. He cried a little … I was all the time outside the door requesting for him to go on his bed and I would open the door but he would just stand behind the door crying. It was about 9pm then. He asked for Oh Shee (potty) about 3 minutes into the crying. I opened up the door and brought him sitting on the potty. He didn’t go. I put the pants on and wiped his wet face. He walked himself to his bed and laid down. I gave him kisses and cuddle and assured him I would be just outside the bedroom if he needed me. I walked out. He didn’t leave the bed. I was sitting and reading … and I heard no noise. I went about to do my chores.

About 9:20pm I thought he should have gone to sleep by then, so I went inside his room quietly to pick up some laundry to fold. He heard me and turned over. Our eyes met. I told him I needed to fold his cloths, took the unfolded laundry and walked outside. In about 1 minutes, I heard his anklet bells ringing louder and louder. He came to my bedroom. I left what I was doing and went to him. Eye contact with him telling him that is bedtime. I took him to potty and he did go. He went back to his bed on his own. I gave him cuddles and kisses again and left the room. It was about 9:30pm. He slept.

Before, my son’s afternoon nap was from 3pm onwards (could be 3:30 or 4) till around 5 or 6pm.  Now I am trying to get him sleeping earlier at night, I have to move his nap time earlier too.  He has been napping around 1-2pm.  It is better if we have an active morning and that will tired him out.  But sometimes even how tired he is, he still want to fight to nap.

I am also trying to get him taking his nap independently.  It works out fine today after a lot of eye to eye serious conversation as well as a door closing session for 2 minutes.  Initially, he wanted me to sit next to him. I did it for a little bit but he was not much into sleeping so I walked out. Then again he pulled me back inside. Then again requested for me to sit next to him. I could but I didn’t want it to build up as a habit. So I told him NO! Firmly! Then I walked out. He came running out to the dining room (where I work) to play but I again told him is nap time with very close eye to eye contact. It happened 3 times. I repeated the same thing for 3 times. After the last time, we walked back to the bedroom together.

Not too long after that, he left his bed again. I gave him another warning - if he leaves the bed again, I would close the door. I had to close the door for that short 2 minutes. He was asking for potty immediately the door was closed. He knows what to get me to him. I went inside and took him to potty, he did go. Then I took him to the bed and ask him to pretend the ducky is me and the moo is Daddy. I asked him to hug the duck to sleep and pretend that it was me cuddling him. Before I left his bedside, I told him I will be busy making dinner so don’t get up from the bed again. I walked out.

Five minutes gone by, it was very quiet and I knew he fell asleep already. I peeked inside and saw him in the same sleeping position as the moment I left his bedside.

There are so many costumes and we have yet to decide what we should dress Brandon up as this year for Halloween. The first year, we got him a caterpillar and last year, we dressed him as an octopus - very cute! We usually go out for trick or treat at this specific area in South Torrance. The homes are usually decorated very nice for Halloween. I am almost a witch all the time. I have the witch hat, a orange color broom, and a dark piece of fabric which I cut here and there to make it look like an old witch rag. Hubby always in his regular cloth, may be this year we will be able to get him to dress up as someone or something.

This past trip was the first Brandon met his tong-tong.  Amazingly, he was quite attached to him considering it was the first time they met.  He always wanted to take picture with his tong-tong. You see, he even smiled for the camera with my father in it. I can hardly take a picture of him smiling with me in it ok?

My father arrived on 7/3 and we saw him everyday till we left KL. We also spent a full day together when we went to stay at the service apartment next to KLCC. It was a fun day to see how the kids (Brandon and Ethan) interact with their grandfather.

My son is very playful around tong-tong but rarely listen to him when my dad said NO or DON’T do this/that. Well, my son listens to nobody. He will only listen to ME or stop his mischief when I get angry/upset at him.

This is a picture of Brandon and his favorite grand aunty. The above picture was taken at Pasta Zenmai at One Utama. We were waiting for our food and Brandon was playing with the chopsticks and pepper/salt mill. I like this picture.

Unexpectedly, he was easily aquainted with my aunt immediately after we arrived. May be he recognized her from our previous trip. I was not sure. My son is not an easy person to deal with. I was able to go out twice by myself alone. Thanks to my aunt.  Once I went for facial at Lancome Parkson and once for haircut. I left for my errands immediately after my son took his afternoon nap. And my aunt took over to care for him (and Ethan) when he woke up. The first time I left him, my aunt was able to calm him down only after she they took him out for a car ride. From my understanding, he had woke up crying and looking for me. They weren’t able to calm him down with fans, tv, books, toys … but the car ride solved the problem. Second time was much easier. He woke up not crying and was playing with Ethan when I came back from my hair cut.

When we return to LA, my son woke up in the middle of the nite asking for, tam-poh (kam-poh). I think he misses her quite a bit. Well … tam-poh, you better come visit us quickly! Someone here can’t wait to see you again.

I don’t believe this.  Vien had earlier warned me not to talk much about the progress of potty training but I wanted not to believe her.  And as I uploaded this previous post earlier today, I gave a second thought about it and was planning to put a *hope I won’t jinx this* at the end of the post but ended up taking it out. 

And guess what happened?  Brandon pooped in his underwear this afternoon.  He pooped then only he told us that he needed to go Oh See. Hubby was actually sitting in front of him but I guess it was too late for him to notice. We took him into the bedroom to change. I told him try not to move much but he was kicking his legs. And while pulling down his underwear, his right leg accidentally stepped on it. Oops. I had to clean the mess in his undewear then gave him a shower to clean his mess. Man … I shouldn’t be blogging about this topic anymore until I am really sure that he 100% done with it. BTW, we were out of underwear and I had to put him in a diaper. *roll eyes*

Brandon is officially not wearing anymore diapers.  Whenever we are home, he wears the boy’s underwear/brief, even for night time.  Only when we go out, I let him put on a pull-up, just in case. 

He has learnt to let us know when he needs to go to the bathroom when we are outside our home.  But when we are at home, he only let us knows that he needs shee shee when he is on his bed preparing for his sleep at night.  That, he can asks to go for 3 times and 2 out of 3 are false alarm.  During the daytime, I am the one whom initiate for him to go potty. 

He will remain dry if I bring him to potty once around 12:30 to 1am at night.  So far he had only once wet his underwear for his night time.  I only found out when I was bringing him for potty in the morning that his pants and underwear were slightly wet but I couldn’t find any wet spot on the bed.  Also another time when we were at a Chinese grocery store in Monterey Park and was leaving the parking area, he asked to go for potty.  Daddy told him to hold in or if really had to go, just pee into the pull-up.  Brandon fell asleep about 10 minutes later and when we got home, his pull-up was still dry.  We quickly took him to potty and he fill almost half the bowl.  It is exciting and proud for me to see this milestone of him as I had started training him for this since a long long time ago.  Well, Brandon … you are almost there … soon you will only wear underwear/brief, even when we are going out and around. 

With him not wearing anymore diapers, I have leftovers.  I have a big box of Especially for Baby size 5 and a Jumbo pack of Huggies Supreme Size 5 too.  I have to find the receipts if I can and to bring them to the store to exchange for pull-ups.  If not then I will probably need to give them away.