I think I've figured out the culprit. Orange juice and very possibly chocolate and green tea. Jack's slept well and more fuss-free the last few nights without the violent spew fest of the week before. Just a burp or two and he was well off into slumberland.

It's been hard giving up my favourite drinks but for the sake of a happy baby and less sleep deprivation. Cumulative sleep deprivation can cause madness, albeit temporary. I'm starting to recover from last week now (or was it the week before?) but still need a + 3 sleep here and there.

Using my SPCA diary to chart sleep and food choices now. Baby still asleep after his third sleep cycle. Declared day time but let him sleep on.

Sleep: 4.5 + 3 (2) + 3
Dinner: Seafood crispy noodles + crysanthemum tea + dragon beard candy (some milk but no tea all day... *sob*)

Beautiful moment over weekend: Seeing 14 year-old Boy roll around playfully in the sun like a baby kitten. :D

Last night although there was quite some fussing, Jack did let me watch my weekly dose of TV, Lost. There were some moments I had to carry him standing but the viewing was pretty smooth sailing. Afterwards I changed him and fed him again. He seemed inconsolable at one point but I realised he might want to be put to bed already. And it worked like a charm. He cooed and gurgled and finally fell asleep by midnight.

He didn't wake again till 5am (back to normal!), nursed for half an hour. I took the opportunity to trim his nails while he rooted half asleep wiggling like a marionette, and changed his diaper. He slept almost instantly when he returned to his crib.

The next time he woke was 830am. He fed quickly and went to sleep within 15 minutes. I'm not sure when he woke again but he fussed, cried once (as I was getting ready to pick him up), and fell back asleep. The next time - daytime declared - was 1130am. He nursed hungrily (while crying "Gi!") and cooed when I changed him and played him his Mozart.

After a few nights of sleep deprivation, last night was a reprieve. I can only conclude that it was either something I ate or a growth spurt. Probably both.

My Dad is happily playing with him now. :D

Sleep: 5 + 3.5 (3) + 3 (2.5)
Song: Crazy by Gnarls Buckley - yesterday his Dad and I danced him to the song while he shrieked in glee. He likes it more than Be My Baby!

After some fussing and a little spit up, he slept like an angel at 1130pm. Woke at 3.30am, 6.30am, and then 9.30am. The night before must have been an aberration. His chart on Tuesday night looked like this: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2.

My Mom bought him bunny bunkins and he's been sleeping better since!

Meanwhile, he's been saying a lot of Goo and Ah Goo to me, himself, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa, shrieking with delight, and laughing a lot. :D

Sleep: 3 + 3 + 3
Song: Be My Baby by Vanessa Paradis
Fave Flashcards: Cat, Cow, Fox, Hare, Pig

Last night Jack woke every 2 hours, sometimes for a feed, sometimes for a burp. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a once-off. The previous two nights I had the hardest time putting him to bed. Monday night he didn't sleep till 2am. He kept crying and spitting up from 10pm - 2am, and then woke up again at around 5am, 7am, and 9am. The night before was the same except it was from 8pm to midnight. Hence, presenting zombie mom.

Possible causes? They may be separate as last night's 2-hourly thingy seems different from the puke fest the two nights before. Anyhoo, here's a few speculations:

* Growth spurt
* Teething
* Caffeine - been having green tea daily
* Food I ate: dairy, etc

Most likely culprit: growth spurt. It ties in with his age - 10 weeks.

Spoke too soon about feeling lucky. Heh...

Spotted at Rookie Moms:

Activity #423: Say Hola bambino

"Always wanted to polish up your Spanish or learn the basics of French? Do it! Borrow language tapes from the library, or buy them from a bookstore or at berlitz.com. Then practice them around your child. You can also find storybooks in Spanish to read aloud.

Your baby may not actually pick up any words, but research has shown that a baby’s exposure to another language can help improve her mastery of foreign languages down the road."

[Original source: Parents]

Hmm... I should turn on the Mandarin channel and let him immerse then. And maybe play my old Vanessa Paradis CD and sing-a-long with him. It's quite a fun one.

Je t'aime, mon beau bébé!

Apparently the kids had destroyed the final level their cat tree when I was away. It was a good tree. Lasted 3 years. Now we needed another.

We found this one on sale for $69 (originally $99). FiveCatsDad said it was more stable than the rest although rather low. He reckoned they'd break the top few levels anyway.

The kids went berserk over it. First Buffy and Tux swatted the attached fake mouse like crazy and when I brought it to the kitchen for Sam and Kaku, Kaku grabbed it, groomed it, and grabbed it some more. By the time I brought the cam to take some shots, she'd moved to rubbing her face against the corners and sniffing the insides. Sam took a few sniffs too.

By morning, the mouse was lying quite far from the tree...

Kaku examines the tree



Tries to use her laser eyes to zap the mouse



Sam takes a sniff



On a separate note, it is lovely to see Boy, Buffy, and Tux sharing space now. Boy and Buffy are actually sleeping on the same couch head in the living room, although in the far corners.

Meanwhile, Jack slept at 1130pm, woke at 3.30am, 7am, and 10am a happy smiling baby. Even his Aunt Leng whom we had a lovely lunch with today commented how contented he is. :)

I'll bitch-slap anyone else who asks me when I am getting rid of my cats or tells me that my cats will sleep on my baby's face, or any other long-debunked claim. Get your facts straight and then talk to me.

Cats and Babies Can Co-exist
Murderous Moggies

As a new mom of a 2 month old baby, I learnt very quickly that being a mom means having to learn how to multitask very quickly or else you'll be sitting in bed on a donut cushion breastfeeding all day staring into space. This means:

* Doing laundry and carrying baby
* Making a meal and carrying baby
* Eating while carrying baby
* Pouring a glass of water while carrying baby
* Typing with one hand while carrying baby
* Surfing while feeding baby
* Drinking water while washing dishes
* Reading while feeding baby
* Reading while carrying baby

In either case, you'll need to build strong biceps and triceps or suffer the agonising pain of muscle tear for 2 days. I've gotten over that, thankfully.

I've also learnt to do things very quickly, in the time frame it takes for baby to not scream to scream, which could be anything from 1 minute to 4 hours. It's hard to tell sometimes, but depends where he is put.

* Hanging up laundry in 2 minutes
* Showering in 5 minutes
* Peeing in 1 minute
* Cooking in 5 minutes
* Changing in 1/2 minute
* Changing baby's diaper in 1/2 minute

Even sleeping in sessions ranging from 45 minutes to 4 hours (the latter, only 3 blessed times) will become second nature, and people will get used to your zombie-like state.

Technorati: multitask, baby, daily routine, daily schedule