Dear Oliver,
happy half-year to you!
Has it been 6 months already? Gosh..it almost just felt like yesterday when we took you home from the hospital. And now, you are this cheeky little monster who is trying really hard to crawl. Daddy & Mummy will come to tell you that practice makes perfect, so 加油 okay?
I reckon the past three months must have been a rollercoaster ride for you. Your little brain went into overdrive, mapping neural pathways for all the new things that you were experiencing. From being able to raise your head higher on your arms, to being able to roll onto your front when you’re on your back and back front again (6 May), to sitting albeit wobbly (6 June), to your first solids (6 June), to learning how to crawl by lunging forward to grab your favourite toys (July), and to being able to somewhat barely pulling yourself up to a standing position.
Have you discovered the different views of the world yet, my little monster? Are you enjoying the tastes of the various kinds of food suitable for you at this moment? How close are you to crawling? Wouldn’t I love to know what goes through your brain.
Well, at this point in time, you are on your first international trip! We haven’t travelled far, but it is still international no less. Heh. I’m not sure how you will handle the travelling..but I hope you will have fun on this trip and don’t catch any nasty bugs, yikes! And guess what, you learnt how to get on fours today on your trip! I think daddy needs to relook at buying a bed from Holiday Inn if that was what it took to get you started on crawling. haha
It is during this quarter that I made the decision of quitting my job and staying home to look after too. So….we have only been apart for two days ever since you were born, one when I went for a pamper-day-out, and the other when I went to my last day of work. The decision to stay home and look after you..(and some possible siblings in the future) was made when your dad and I first got married. The decision was a little flimsy, coming from a couple who had absolutely no idea how their lives would be turned upside down after having a child, which meant that we could have decided that both of us would work and put you in infant care. The ups and downs throughout the pregnancy basically affirmed the decision to stay home and look after you cos you were too precious, and how else could a carer at infant care be able to tell us how you were developing like the way you were? How else would I get to make your meals for you and watch you “mmmm”-ing away at each mouthful when Daddy feeds you each evening?
And we never looked back, nor regretted the decision. Daddy and your two grandmas would get daily photos of your smiles to perk their day, and little tales about what you were doing during the day. It felt so nice that you would reach out for me when you needed a cuddle, and would stop your tears when I carried you in my arms to soothe your fears away. During our cuddle sessions, the world only existed for you and I. =)
At this point, you are enjoying our nursery rhyme singing sessions, day out to the malls, chewing on Michael the Monkey and on all the labels of anything (swaddle cloth, face towels, toys), smiling & grinning at the littlest things. I still have so much to learn when it comes to looking after you. I realized that I needed sometimes to let go and not be uptight about the slightest thing when it comes to you. Teach you how to explore and be that little man you want to be, yet be there to catch you when you fall.
Well, let’s keep growing together, shall we, Oliver?