Shoulding on yourself

by | Dec 15, 2011 | Babies

I once heard a Vietnamese Buddhist monk say, “Always saying ‘I should, I should’ – that’s just shoulding on yourself! Hahahahahahahahah!” I love how those Buddhist monks laugh. I have been worrying about how my baby sleeps,...

To cry or not to cry

by | Dec 14, 2011 | Babies

That is the question that all mothers ask themselves probably 82 times a day. Do you leave your baby to cry at some point, or don’t you? Ellie is now 12 weeks old, and we are starting to wonder if now she might be ready for a bit of tough love. According to...

On chocolate

by | Dec 11, 2011 | Babies

Can I just say that I love chocolate? It can be your best friend and your worst enemy – too little and you just want more, too much and you turn into a madly typing demon woman, but just the right amount and you are sanguine, busy, with energy but still able to...

On time out

by | Dec 9, 2011 | Babies

I think I need time out tomorrow morning. It’s a terrible thing, because I feel intensely guilty for not wanting to spend every moment with my baby (I could write a book about mother’s guilt and I have only three months to draw from. Imagine the series in...

On child care

by | Dec 6, 2011 | Babies

I am filling out an application form to be placed on a waiting list for child care. My baby is now 11 weeks and 2 days old, and it is hard to imagine leaving her anywhere away from me. But the reality is, if you don’t get your baby on a waiting list, you might...

On mothers group

by | Dec 2, 2011 | Uncategorized

I went to my mothers group yesterday. It was our first solo flight – after the first five meetings at the early childhood centre, it is up to the group to sort itself out. We met at a really big club, the type where members sign everyone else in. I normally...

The night marches

by | Nov 24, 2011 | Babies

Bubba kept me awake until 3.30 am when I finally caved and took her to bed with me. I don’t want to make co-sleeping a habit, but have to say, last night I took it on with not much more than a wry smile: Ellie 1, Jackie 0. I manage nights like that now by...

On the joy of making a person

by | Nov 23, 2011 | Babies

It’s a lovely thing, having a baby. You have created a little person! It’s amazing to hold your baby in your arms and think, you didn’t exist before. You didn’t exist at all. And now here you are, a human in the making. And you’re mine....

On sleep

by | Nov 21, 2011 | Babies

I have been meaning to write this post for a couple of weeks. But I have been too tired. Every new mother knows why sleep deprivation is included in the UN Convention Against Torture. I don’t need to elaborate on that. Instead, I want to write an ode to sleep...

On loving my baby

by | Nov 8, 2011 | Uncategorized

I did not love my baby the first time I set eyes on her. The first time I saw her, the main impression I had was, “Whose baby is that?” My husband and I both said the same thought out loud: “She doesn’t look like either of us.” Yen...