The hospital bag is packed

The last week preparing for the new baby's arrival has been really hectic...and doing the most basic things that we normally take for granted (like breathing and walking) has been quite an effort.

When I look down now, I can't see my toes. Wherever I go, I get huge and long stares at the size of my belly and people asking if I am carrying twins or a boy. I am very close to scribbling "1. NOT TWINS" and "2. I am NOT a BOY" across my belly. hmm....maybe I should design a maternity shirt with these words for Pupsik Studio.

(above) Self portrait/what I now see when I look down at my feet.

The hospital bag is packed and I think we are almost ready...

Hospital checklist

1. Receiving blanket and toy (Baby's First "Welcome to Earth" gift)
2. Pupsik Pouch (to cradle baby)
3. Mon Petit nursing poncho (for discrete feeding esp when visitors come around)
4. Towel, toiletries, hair dryer (I can write this here cos I know my mom does not read this blog! I am definitely showering and washing my hair for sure.)
5. Bible, Gina Ford's "The Contented Baby", "House Beautiful" Magazine
6. Gummies and marshmellow (courtesy of Elaine)
7. Hospital gown, nursing tops and slippers
8. Camera/Video
9. Medela Swing breast pump
10. Nursing Pillow

11. Momagenda (will be using this as a journal and to record baby's feeding time and schedule)
12. Beansprout pillow

Hope I am not forgetting anything...

Thanks all for your well wishes and for enquiring how I have been over the last week. Really appreciate your thoughfulness and prayers! xoxoxo

How to deal with attention-seeking kids

Kids can be quite attention-seeking and manipulative. While it can be quite funny at times, parents do have a responsibility not to let it get out of hand. While it is normal for children to need attention and approval, attention-seeking becomes a problem when it happens all the time.

We recently noticed Vera deliberately doing things that we prohibit her to do. Things like throwing things on the floor, throwing a tandrum and sticking things into her mouth just to see our reactions. Vitali and I are just learning how to respond appropriately when she does this.

Here are some tips we found here on how to deal with misbehaviour:

1. When your child misbehaves to get your attention, ignore the misbehavior. You will weaken those demands and extinguish the misbehavior. However, there are many misbehaviors that you should not ignore. Some misbehaviors should be punished. If you must use a punishment, dispense the punishment without anger.

2. Do not take good behavior for granted: give your children positive attention when they are behaving.

When you attend to the negative and ignore the positive, you teach your children to behave in a negative way. Your child will misbehave to get your attention in the future. When a child demonstrates good behavior, notice it. Look for it. The more you notice, the more you will find. You will get more good behavior in the future.

Sesame St - How paper is made

Another one of my favourite clips from Sesame St. I used to be so intriqued by how the dirty mushy old paper could be transformed into such flat and luxurious rolls of white paper.

Sesame Street Old School

I just love Sesame St. I think every child that grew up in the 70s would love it too. My favourite clips were always the ones that explained how things were being made. Like the one above..."How crayons are made".Vitali recently bought volume 1 and 2 of Sesame St "Old School" from here. These DVDs are aimed primarily at adult viewers who grew up watching the series in the 1970s. Watching this certainly brought back lots of memories.More of my favourite clips...

And this one below never failed to crack me up as a child. I think I can trace some of my idiosyncratic tendencies today to this guy.

Lastest pics

Dear family and friends,

At long last, dada has updated Vera's pics taken over the last few months (12-22 mths). The above is my favourite one showing her sitting on the ledge under the TV proudly (and quite seriously) peddling her movie collection. For more pics, click here.

Pregnancy Pictures

We were really blessed to have our photographer friend, Ron Lee of Eyedeas Photography, join us for lunch last weekend and capture some of my pregnancy pictures for us. As you can see, my belly is now, for lack of a better word to describe, the size of a watermelon.

We had an enjoyable time taking the pictures in the comforts of our own home and the wonderful company of Ron who kept us relaxed throughout the entire photo session. Here are some pics to share on Pupsik...

(below) Some pics of Vera frolicking in her own balcony pool after she woke up from her afternoon nap. To see more shots that Ron took for us, click here.

Ron, thanks for sharing this special time of our lives with us and helping us capture such beautiful memories that we will surely look back fondly upon in the days to come. x