It is easy to forget that I have 2 other kids who want my attention equally with the baby around.
I try my best to meet the baby’s needs , i.e. feeding, sleeping, and now more of playing, as fast as I can while busying myself with housework. And when the older kids come back from school in the evening, that’s the most demanding period from the baby. The baby is waiting for his night bath, play time, last feed of the day and after that being put to bed for the night. Yet, these coincide with my cooking, eating dinner, washing dishes, my own bath time and play time with my older kids. Hence, it is really unfair to leave my time with the 2 older kids only after the dishes are done and the baby’s needs are met.
Luckily the older babes are understanding. They entertain themselves each night with an hour tv time, homework time, piano time, and after that, own play time with each other, all the while waiting for me to finish my chores and putting the baby to sleep. By the time I go to them, it is already 9pm or 930pm. It’s left with such short and precious time to spend with them. We played a bit, partied at the dining table (with milk and bread / cookies), make it a must to read to them each and every night, and accompany them in the room with lights out, having our special talk on school, friends, hdb flats, the weird uncle they met downstairs, and anything under the sun or rather.. stars.
We really cherish these short hours we spent while the baby is sleeping next door. I love to cuddle the kids and read to them while they listen to the stories and interrupt me in between words as they point out all sorts of details the book drawings show. It’s amazing how much they really read the pictures in the books, yes.. read the pictures, not read the words. That’s why they love to have me read to them than read by themselves. Sometimes, I wonder if I should not read to kids from young so that they can grow up reading by themselves. It seems the cultivation of love for books by reading to them from young does not work here.
After the older kids are asleep, I will quietly make my way out of their room and back to picking up some final house chores before heading to my room for the night. That’s already 1130pm. Sometimes, I am so tired, I dozed off halfway into reading the books to my kids. And that’s when both of them will start waving hands in front of me, giving my gentle push to wake up and continue reading. These moments will be kept sweetly in my memories forever.
Even though the day hustings make me so tired, but everything is worth it for a loving family and lovely home for my kids to grow up in. Kids grow up so fast, the little baby whom I cradled lots in my arms (I don’t care about spoiling my baby by carrying him lots), is now big enough to refuse cradle position and much much preferred being carried upright so that he can see the world. I have started to miss his baby days and soon he is going to sit up, stand up and start walking around. And my 2 older babes are going to lose their childishness as they grow up day by day. I know I will miss their childish voice, their anytime kisses, their love of being carried by their daddy and anytime hugs with their small arms. Time flies, I have to cherish these moments before they slipped away in the blink of the eye.
Let’s cherish everything about our kids before they grow up 🙂