We went to Europe’s largest shopping mall, Bluewater, in Kent 2 weeks ago.  I think it has 300 over individual retailers, super huge and much more varieties than 1 Utama. Their nursing facilities are superb. However, I believe they could do better with more selections of restaurants. There were only 2 oriental outlets and the menus didn’t look good. We opted for Spanish instead. Cameron’s face was filled with amazement when he saw the toys at Disney’s.

http://www.bluewater.co.uk/

It has been a week since I went back to work. A week since my long ‘holidays’ ended. As soon as I’ve returned, I received the news about maternity leave being extended to 9 months for birth after April 2007. Darn!
Anyway, I miss baby-sitting Cameron full-time. Miss being a full-time mum as I’m enjoying motherhood so much. Honestly, I miss those first few weeks of his life. People think I’m lunatic as those were supposed to be the worst moment of all due to sleep and rest deprivation. Some said that once the baby is 6 months old, it would be a lot easier. I don’t think so since Cameron is still not sleeping through the night. Since it doesn’t make any difference to me, I’ve concluded that those first few weeks meant so much more. I do admire the beauty of the arrival of a little human into our lives. It’s like being in a whole new world with a whole new beginning. It’s like a second chance. Looking at his angelic face in his peaceful sleep and the contented smiles after feed were simply invaluable. As a result, Eng and I came to a common consensus that the first 4 months were the best time before he turned into a little monster.
Now the story gets cheesy. Why little monster? That’s because he loves to scream especially when we are having our dinner. He just drives Eng up the wall. We reprimand him but obviously he doesn’t bother. We haven’t really figure out what to do but we will be getting a high-chair this weekend. With it, he can have his snacks and toys while we eat and hopefully that would work.

Still feeling sorry for being a distant from Cameron while I’m at work and not being able to nurture him personally. Then, why back to work? Well, we are probably used to double income and with the money that my parents had invested in my tertiary education; I feel bad for ditching a career.  Old-fashioned thought eh?  Also, it’s due to never ending commitments here and back home. Furthermore, continuous employment is like an insurance for the future. But is it fair to my baby? No doubt it isn’t but we are doing all we can to give him the best attention that we could possibly give. Parenthood means a lot of worthwhile sacrifices. While we are at work during the day, the rest of the time are dedicated and reserved for Cameron. That’s what I mean by owning 2 jobs. Now I’m experiencing the tough ride of raising a kid even before he starts to crawl. Can’t imagine the challenges ahead.

How our lifestyle has changed since 29^th January 2007.

1.       Limited evening events as Cameron needs to wind down by 8pm. Definitely retired from clubbing :p

2.       After 8pm, the noise in the house has to be at the minimum level. We even have to be wary with our footsteps, tiptoe is best; as our wooden flooring is quite creaky.

3.       Shopping list priority goes to baby accessories and baby clothes. There goes all the expenses….

4.       More focused and disciplined in meeting timelines ie. definite hard stop at work by 6pm as need to be home to attend to Cameron’s needs.

5.       Outings are like moving the whole house into the car – baby stuffs.

6.       Possess 2 jobs; 1 office job during the day with pay and 1 baby-sitting job throughout the night and weekend without pay.

7.       Multi tasking skill becomes the most essential and sought after expertise ie. the need to be able to cook and pacify a crying baby at the same time as well as the ability to enjoy meals and attend to an energetic baby simultaneously.

8.       Increased speed in completing tasks eg. Shower, dressing up and meal time cut down by half.

9.       Controlled vocabulary - Eng is forbidden from vulgar language.

10.   3 hours of uninterrupted sleep a day is considered a blessing.

…and one word to describe our life; ‘EXHAUSTING’….I can print more comments but when I look back, they all equate to a newfound happiness; parenthood that we really enjoy and appreciate. A personal experience and journey that is priceless and irreplaceable. So, can’t be complaining all the time…