A Slice of Heaven . . .: Letters to Julianne #3

Dearest Julianne,

What a December you have had!!! You went places, met new faces and did heaps of growing!!

The highlight this month has got to be meeting Yiyi Rene, Uncle Jude and your sweet cousin Sophie for the first time!! Don't you just love all the wet smoochy kisses that Sophie has been giving you? You ain't gonna get them anymore for a while. Hopefully we can all make a trip to California later this year to meet them again! By that time, you may even be able to play with your cousin.

You celebrated your very first Christmas this month and met many of your grandaunts and uncles and Mama's many cousins whom you greeted with your sweetest smiles. They think you are such a cute little pumpkin! Remember Uncle Daryl and Russell whom you charmed the socks off over Christmas? You also gave your great grandma (Tai-tai) such a big smile, she went on and on telling everyone about it over Christmas lunch. Let's not forget the many presents your received over Christmas - there were pretty clothes from Gong Gong and Por Por, books that Mama and Papa bought you, a lovely Tiff & Co pendant and owl poster from Yiyi Rene & Uncle Jude and that cute little Tiff & Co bunny savings bank from grandaunt Sway Kor. That's plenty for a 2 month old young lady!!

On the growth front, Mama has since retired your newborn clothes and promoted you to 3-6 months outfit. Just this morning, we had to get you new swaddles cos Gong Gong has been making so much noise about how your old ones are so tight you look like a nonya dumpling. I'm not sure how you weigh in, I'm guessing maybe 5ish kg? Papa also just measured you today and it appears you've grown another good 3cm making you abt 56cm now.

You've been giving us alot of your mega watt smile especially in the morning when everyone gathers around you giving you all the attention by talking to you. I think thus far, you give Por Por the biggest smile - you sure know who to charm huh? ("better smile at Por Por and make her happy so that she can let me have a fill of a time when she takes care of me after Mama goes back to work!"). You are definitely more alert than you were last month. This month, you discovered the mirror on your gym mat and love smiling to the person in it - that's yourself silly girl! You like how you look don't you? You're also cooing alot more, often responding with your 'ohs' and 'ahs' when we talk to you. Leg-raise has also become your favourite exercise. You have somehow learnt to turn a good 180 degrees from the position we put you down to sleep by doing leg-raisers. Where did you learn that from?

After 2 months, Mama has finally gotten the hang of this breastfeeding business and I must say that I'm enjoying it alot more than those early weeks of your life. I especially enjoy our feeds in the wee hours of the morning, when its just you and me awake in the stillness of our room and you lay close to Mama with that angelic face as you suckle. Its our special time together and I'm going to miss it when we eventually wean you off.

We are unfortunately not doing as well on the sleeping front. You have not taken to sleeping on the bed during the day this entire month choosing instead to sleep in your new found favourite - the rocker. Its an improvement from sleeping in my arms for hours - something you did alot of last month. Although Mama really doesn't want you to get too use to the vibrating effect of the rocker, I have no choice but to cave in since its the only way to get you to sleep for sometimes as long as 2-3 hours. We do well at night in your own crib though as you've started to sleep for longer stretches this month going as long as 5 hours on a few nights. Papa is reading up on establishing good sleep routines and we hope that by your 3rd or 4th month, you will be able to soothe yourself to sleep and we should really start learning to sleep in the crib for your day naps as well. Deal?

On going places, it has been a hit and miss. More misses I suppose. You were good at yesterday's New Year's lunch at Uncle's Han's restaurant. You also did pretty well on your first excursion to the Underwater World where we brought cousin Sophie to see the fishes. But our Christmas Eve dinner at Akashi turned out to me an absolute nightmare when you simply refuse to hear of that Japanese music playing inside the restaurant. In the end, you spent pretty much the entire dinner outside with Mama and Por Por taking turns to carry you. Take goodness Papa saved that fatty chu-toro for Mama! :p I look forward to the day I can successfully bring you out without you wailing in the stroller wanting to be carried in the arms. Can we try that this month? Mama has got to go shopping for my Chinese New Year clothes.

Something else we did this month - moving into our new room and giving you your new crib finally. After sleeping in the pack and play for the first month of your life, your crib finally arrived as we settled into our new room. We created a cosy little corner for you, with your own night lamp, clothes hanger and your favourite toy mobile. You've grown to like your mobile alot and we can actually leave you in your cot for some time (considering you hate being put down) as you stare at your mobile.

You're growing so fast Julianne and Mama is a little sad that I have all but two more months before I go back to work. Already I'm starting to feel separation anxiety on the few occasions I left you for a few hours to run errands, I can't imagine being away from you for 10-12 hours each day. I hate it that going back to work means that I may be missing out on your few 'firsts' so I hope you'll save them for when Mama is around.

It another exciting month ahead with the Lunar New Year round the corner. You're going to meet even more people, receive more Ang Pows (you already got your first from Yiyi Rene) and do more growing. Let's see what new tricks you come up with this month!

Till then, here's your December in photos. Grow well my sweet child and feel all the love you've been showered with every moment of the day!!

Happy 2nd month dear Julianne.

Love much,

Mama