Bonding with Lara – The last 4 weeks

Lara was a name I chose for her.  It has a lot of meaning for us, because I feel she brings a special joy and meaning to the family.

Lara as a name was chosen for its meaning of cheerfulness, joyfulness, lighthearted and brightness.

So, with help from my mum, we have chosen 恺晶 for her chinese name.

 恺- 和乐，快乐

晶 – 闪耀發光

In the last 3 weeks Lara has had a real calming effect on me.  I enjoy bonding with her.  This 3rd time round, I approach the whole motherhood experience with a new and different kind of maturity plus peacefulness.  It is also because I have matured even more over the years , became more at ease with myself and most importantly fully embraced the role of being a mum .

The middle of the night feed, when everyone else is alseep is a different kind of experience compared to before.  There I was, with my new baby, quietly nursing her, listening to her every suckle and breath.  Her head snuggly tucked between the crook of my neck and shoulders, the warmth of her tiny little body…that it makes it all so special even when the whole house, whole street is sleeping.

The last 3 weeks have been great, albeit tiring at another level.  It can be very tiring some days, managing 3 young children at home, doing the school runs, the cooking, cleaning, washing, groceries shopping, umpiring the fights between the 2 other kids, making sure everyone still stick to their daily routine…it is hard work, but being organised is the key.  Some days I snapped and roared at everyone around me, but let’s just stick to the good days for the moment.  I am still taking one day at a time, not even trying to do too much but do only what I need for the time being.

Lara is very well loved by all in the family.  Her older brother and sister love her to bits.  They are fascinated by her.  They fight to sit next to her int he car, so much so I have to shift all the child seats around.  JD likes to call Lara “My chubby baby” and sits at the sofa next to her quietly admiring her face and has more than once told me his baby sister is cute!  Jd loves to rub the tip of his nose on his lil sis’s cheeks.  He has been bringing Lara’s photos to school for show and tell, proudly introduce his new sisters to his school teachers and friends.

Chloe has taken to her little sister a lot better than I expected.  I was very concerned that she might feel jealous by a new sister.  But so far so good, she has been full of love for her sister.  She loves giving Lara lots of kisses, cuddles and fusses around her baby sister.  A few days ago, she stood next to Lara’s cot, on her tippy toe, explaning to Lara about her position in the family.  LOL.  This was what I heard “Lara, listen, now you are the baby, and now I am the mummy, allright!  I am a big girl already, not a baby anymore.  You are!”.  

It’s hard for me to find time to write these days, so here’s a recap of the last 3 weeks with Lara.

Lara – Week One

Her waking hours were spent studying our faces, listening to the voices around her.  She spent most of her time sleeping, warmly wrapped up in her blankets, doing what a model newborn should be doing

Lara – Week Two

She seemed more alert.  Here eyes are dark, expressive and lit up when someone is talking to her.  By the end of week 2, we noticed her cry were stronger and we could somehow figure out the cry for milk or “I am so sleepy” type of cry. 

Lara – Week Three

And by week 3, I think she could even do a little dance, hee.  A bit of traditional chinese folk dancing, 嫦娥奔月， you think？  Check out her fingers.  But in just under 2 weeks, this little baby has put on over half a kilo!  My nurse jokingly commented that I should consider setting up a milk bank in my neighbourhood.

The milestone this week is noticing Lara turning her eyes to search for me in the room when she hears me talk. 

Week Four – Lara

Her cheeks are filling up nice and round.  She is a bundle.  She is satisfied as long as she has a full tummy and not sleepy.  When her tummy is happy, she will lay happily in her bassinet in the living room, listening to the noises around her, the sound of soft music playing in the background, the siblings talking, the vacumm cleaner when I clean the house, the exhaust fan in the kitchen…And when she is tired, she will either fall asleep on her own, or if she is sleepy but she has difficulty settling herself, I will wrap her up in a blanket, cuddle her, and she would fall asleep in my arms.