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| wants to be bathed by mummy |
Jen went through some obvious behavioral change during her third trimester. Before that, she was sleeping most of the time outside her daily needs. Many women swore that their pregnancy was the worst experiences of their lives but Jen had been lucky. She did not experience morning sickness, special cravings or having her stomached turned at specific food. Of course, it wouldn't be comfortable at all living with a huge belly at the late stages but other than that, all she needed was extra sleep.
Since Jen was sleeping most of the free time, I gradually took over the duties of bathing little Albany, as well as making her sleep at night. She didn't take it too well at first. Not at all. Every bath was stressful for both Albany and me because she wanted her mummy to do it and she wouldn't cooperate with me. The initial few baths ended up in bloodshed and tears. After two weeks, she got used to the new regime and our baths went smooth without much fuss. Bed time was a nightmare because Albany would find any excuse possible to get Jen to resume her previous duty. For nights, she cried but gradually had to accept that she was going to share her room with me and not her mummy. It was quite a challenge having to juggle preparing meals and Albany because of a few restrictions I set.
1) Albany's bedtime is 1930 hrs. No negotiation
2) Dinner is to be finished before 1800 hrs
3) We cook every meal and do not eat out (except for friends invite)
These are made possible by knocking off at 14.30 hrs. By reaching home around 15.00ish, I had little time to rest but to start preparing for dinner soon after I spent some time playing with Albany. Since Jen was sleeping a lot around that period, we cut down the plays lest Albany's excited shrieks would had awaken Jen up. So I left Albany to watch her favourite television program from 1530 hrs to 1640 hrs, a rare treat for her because Jen does not allow her to watch much television usually.
Even my Mother-in-law was slightly taken aback when dinner started at 1700 hrs, early even for her standards. But why not? I will never forget having my dinners at 9pm, 10pm or even 11pm during my working days in Singapore. I am sure I wasn't alone. Many Singaporeans take dinner late, some by choice, some not. No matter, no one can dispute the fact doing so put unnecessary stress to our bodies. We do not relish our bosses giving us half the time to do our jobs, so why are we giving our system much lesser time to process the food we consume? Being able to put food on the table at 1700 hrs, and having every meal with my family, is a rare privilege.
That two weeks before baby was born was interesting to observe. Jen suddenly woke from her slumber and seemed to be full of energy. Every day, she transformed the house a little, by cleaning or shifting things around. I was told to put things away in the store every few days. Her attitude shifted from gloomy to upbeat. She was smiling a lot, as if she knew her pregnancy was going to be over soon. I suspected it wasn't the expected due date. I felt that she could feel it coming. The house was ready and I, having taken over Albany's night duties, was ready.