Family Expansion

It's no secret that I've been quite busy lately. So busy was I, in fact, that only now do I have some time to allocate for posting online again (ironically, due to the forced vacation as per corporate short work week directive)....

Besides my dwindling pool of engineers at work, on the other hand, we've welcomed a new member to my family.

Christopher was born last month, same hospital and almost the same time as Charmaine. So now, I have a pair - one son, one daughter. As Charmaine's just 1.5 years old, she still required lots of attention, for the safety of those around her and that of her own. Even before reaching the "terrible twos" stage, she's already using her new-found walking skills (and also climbing skills) to explore her surroundings. Climbing up is easy, but climbing down has yet to be perfected, hence with this added mobility comes the need for someone to shadow her at all times. Well, I've lost 3 kgs already, possibly this is a major contributing factor.

My son, Christopher, is still lying down in the baby cot, spending most of the time drinking milk, sleeping and dreaming of things to come. Unlike Charmaine, most of the sleeping is done when the sun is up, and as night falls, Christopher shows his nocturnal character. I don't blame him, as when you have a stomach the size of a tennis ball, you'll have to eat (or in this case, drink) in small portions very, very frequently. And frequently does he cry out for milk indeed (~2 hours if not less).

Currently, due to a sensitive digestive system, we've put him on some lactose-free formula until things subside. We started out with a locally available brand, Similac, and then later switched to Alfar� (pronounced Al-Fa-Ray), which was "imported" from Singapore courtesy of my brother-in-law, Boon Hock. The pediatrician prescribed some medication for Christopher, which came with a warning on the box - "Keep out of reach and sight of children".

Well, with more components to juggle around in life, planning and resource allocation become more critical. That's what happens when you have a family expansion. Still, both my kids will get equal attention, so there will be more of Christopher and Charmaine to come....