It took me quite a while to get this written because there are so many things that need to be done at any given time! This was a month of many firsts for you. You went to many places for the first time and this included church, several restaurants, your grandparents’ place and your great grandmother’s place. You also gave us what I felt was your first REAL smile and your first laugh. You have been smiling a lot more recently but I haven’t heard you laugh again since that first time! You are a lot more interactive and seem to study the people around you and your surroundings with curiosity.
We have developed a ritual of going to Jurong Point every Tuesday morning when the cleaning lady comes over. I usually push you around the 24-hour NTUC Xtra before heading somewhere for breakfast and then we wait for your Ah Ma to come and meet us. I really enjoy just spending this quality time with you outside.
You saw more than your fair share of doctors this month and these ranged from a GP at Clementi Polyclinic to a paediatric surgeon at Mount Elizabeth. We brought you to Clementi Polyclinic for your jab but decided not to go ahead with it because of the long waiting time. When we went to see Dr Terence Tan a week later, we found out that what we thought was normal hormal swelling of one of your breasts was actually mastitis. We brought you to Dr C.K. Sim at Mt. E the very next day and the swelling had to be incised and drained. You cried so loudly during the procedure that I was quite traumatised. It was also the first time we saw you crying with tears in your eyes! We had to clean and dress the wound every day but we were relieved to see you healing very quickly. A week later, you had to see Dr Sim again for a follow-up and one week after that, you finally went for your jabs at the Kinder Clinic.
You enjoy car rides and usually fall asleep when we hit the expressway. You also love baths and you are always reluctant to get out of the tub. You dislike tummy-time and sometimes will just lie there rubbing your face against whatever surface you’re on. When you do make an effort to push up on your arms and lift your head up, you usually start fussing after a short time!
We were initially worried that you were too light and then for a while, we were worried that you were too heavy! But you don’t seem to overeat and have a way of telling us when you’ve had enough to drink! Many of your nicknames seem to be based on your appearance. Your father used to call you ‘Anya who looks like Ponyo’ but for a period of time, he called you ‘Anya who looks like she ate Ponyo’. You are also Meatball to us, Chubbs to your Auntie Deborah and many other things to many other people.
I look forward to the rest of the time with you but I already miss these two months that have passed. Just know this: you are loved!