First week of work

After a looooong break, I finally got back to work. My timetable is very xiong, but I was glad that the week went by very swiftly. Rachael had been good the entire week. She seemed to know that I'm tired after work and she would sleep with me from 8pm till the next morning. I started to dream feed her at 12 or 1am. This is to ensure that she sleeps through till 8am. One of the nights I didn't dream feed her and she slept from 10plus till the next morning 8plus. I think she's ready to drop the midnight feed, but I'm not ready to pump extra. So I will continue to dream feed her. 

Today marks her 4th month on planet earth! I'm so blessed to have such a happy and smiley girl. Thank God for this sweet little darling. 

First Swimming Session

It was Dianne's 1 year old birthday celebration on 12 July! We took the opportunity to go earlier for a swim! I was so looking forward to it. 

It was nearing Rachael's nap time when we reached there. So you see a very grouchy and frowning Rachael. In fact, she fell asleep the minute she was brought out of the pool.

The water was pretty cold too. And it's her first time. So naturally, she needs some getting used to. 

So step by step we lowered her into the water... 

See both our tired eyes!

Chloe and Charis had a lot of fun! 

She cried when we tried to hold her and let her float on her own. That gave her an insecure feeling I guess!

So well, not a very successful first time. But I'm glad we tried. Maybe we need to swim when she's more alert in the afternoon. Hope to do this again soon!

Updates

It's been a long while since my last entry. What have I been busy with? The days just passed without me doing much. Rachael has been sleeping from midnight till 8 or 9pm everyday. After her first feed of the day she will sleep til 12plus in the afternoon before really waking up to play. So I've been enjoying my sleep with her. Half a day gone just like that. 

Last Saturday, we started to bottle feed her again to get her ready for me going back to work. I thought it will be easy because she was bottle fed when she was 1 week old. But I was wrong! The first try was horrible!! She screamed loudly at 6am in the morning and only calmed down after I latched her. 

Then the second time I tried, I hid away from her and let my mum do the feeding. It was hard. Till today, I would say it's pretty back to normal. At times, she will not be able to finish 140ml in one feed. Other times she will finish 150ml at one go. So well, as long as she's drinking enough and peeing enough, I guess it's fine. 

I went shopping for my work/sports attire and shoes a few times this week but to no avail. Instead, I managed to get some stuff for Rachael. 

In my opinion, this is the best buy! Initially wanted to get another one but it cost more than $100!! Then after walking around, I saw this smaller version for only $39.90!! I was so excited!!! 

We also bought a playpen for her to be placed in the living room, as requested by my mum. She can sleep in there or play in there when I'm at work. I'm waiting for Robinsons to call and fix a delivery date. 

Other than that, I think I'm such a boring mum. Rachael is not getting enough play time with me. So I bought finger puppets. 

I'm also preparing to bring her for a swim this Saturday at my cousin's condo. So she must be ready for the sun! So I bought a Babiator shade for her! 

She looks soooooo cute in it, right? And we tried out her swimming costume passed down from many jiejie... 

Hahaha! Cool isn't it? I'm looking forward to Saturday already!! 

New phase

Time flies! Very soon, I will be going back to work on 21 July. To prepare for that fateful day, I started to bottle feed Rachael again. 

The first time I gave her the bottle, she screamed her lungs out!! I had no choice but to latch her on with both breast almost emptied because I just pumped and she woke up. 

 The second time I fed her, she drank half of it and refused to carry on. We continued bottle feeding her that day and she managed to drink only about 100ml at each feed. 

Then when it was night time, I latched her with very full breast. She emptied both happily. Fell asleep as if she was drunk and woke up only 8-9 hours later. 

Yesterday we tried bottle again. I was shocked then she finished 100ml within 2 minutes and wanted more. So well, life has come to a new phase of unpredictability. I hope we can settle back into our routine of 3h feed again, regardless of bottle or latching. 

Here's a nice family photo taken by Serene. I love it sooooo much!!!

Immunization

Rachael went for her 5-in-1 jab on 30 June! Here's how I view her experience at Polyclinic: Nurses are more professional than doctors. 

As a routine, Rachael had to see a doctor before she's able to take the jab. Before the doctor saw her, he commented that usually there's nothing wrong with them and he doesn't seem to wanna check her. So I asked him to check if Rachael had ear infection or not. Great to hear that the answer was no. Then I asked him to check if she's teething. Before checking, he said babies don't start teething so soon. And without washing his hands, he just touched Rachael's face and mouth. So there goes my conclusion for the doctor - unprofessional! I'm not gonna go there to see doctor ever. 

Anyway, after that we got back to the nurse and I realised the doctor did not even check temperature! Oh well... So the nurse took her temperature instead. Rachael was a brave girl! She only cried for a brief moment and stopped. Thank God that she did not come back with a fever. After a week, she's still well. 

Her weight now is 6.1kg and her length is 60.1cm. She's at the 50th percentile. Thank God for the healthy range. I pray that she continues to grow strong and healthy! 

Holidays Are Ending Soon!

Boohoo!! Holidays are ending soon! Hubby will be going back to work on Monday and I will be back to work on 21 July. 

Here's my timetable:

After seeing my timetable, I don't really look forward to going back to work. I'm gonna have to work out a feasible pump schedule to ensure that I don't get engorged. The challenge will be to get the first pump of the day as late as possible so that the second pump which is after lessons, will not be too far away in timing. 

The break time that I have also indicated that I will have to pump and eat at the same time. As all the breaks are during recess, I will have to prepare my own food rather than queue up in the canteen for food. So I guess, I will need to come up with my own breakfast menu everyday. 

When we first started doing full PE load last year, I fell sick at least once every month. This time round, with pumping in between the hectic schedule, I really pray for strength and good health. I pray that this pregnancy has given me a stronger immunity. 

Dear Father, 

I lift up hubby and myself into Your loving hands. I pray that You will strengthen us each day as we go to work. Grant us wisdom to make good decisions when necessary, Zoe life to go through each day with joy and purpose to do our best. Encourage us when we lose heart. Grant us the favour of men and deliver us from the evil ones. All things work together for good for those who love You. So Father, I pray with all my heart that You will bless hubby and me in our work in Semester 2. 

In the midst of our busyness, let us continue to love each other more each day. Let us not neglect each other and Rachael. Help our family to stay knitted and in love. Help us to have a balanced lifestyle. 

I pray all these sincerely in Jesus' most precious name. Amen!

Nursing Room Misadventure

We went out for Sin Heng Bah Kut Teh with my family on Saturday. After which, we went to Katong 112 to shop around. It was 1 hour past Rachael's feeding time. She started fidgeting and so we went to the nursing room next to the foodcourt. The only one available in the mall. 

It was supposed to be new, yet the door could not be closed properly and locked. Nevertheless, I went in and realised there's no air con and no fan. It's stuffy inside and so I carried her in one hand and fanned ourselves frantically with the other. So thankful I brought my towel along. Only regret was to forget to bring out mini fan out. Only nurse her on one side and I couldn't take the heat and left. 

On Sunday, we had an awesome time with Eunice, Jane and Serene at Morton's. 

I took a few sips of martini: lychee, apple and chocolate. Shiok! I managed to nurse Rachael in the restaurant bar with just the nursing cover. 

Then we went to Marina Square for ramen dinner. Before we knew it, it's Rachael's feeding time again. So we went to the nursing room near Mac. Who knows, just 5 minutes into nursing and the lights were off! I got a shock and shouted. Rachael had a rude shock from me. She bit me hard and started crying badly. I let hubby in to help to shine light for us then I realised the milk had squirted on her face when she let go. Milk continued to squirt and leaked on my top. So I continued nursing her, carried and walked to Mac to continue with the nursing. Again, we left again only feeding one side. 

I guess God wants me to practise nursing in public with nursing cloth. If not, why would I always have bad experiences with nursing room? Anyway, we had a great time outside. And it's back to work for hubby again. 

I wonder when we will be able to go out for such fun again. 

Breastfeeding is an addiction

Addiction: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. (Dictionary.com)

Now I understand why breastfeeding mummies are so proud about it and why they feel sad when it's time to stop. It's an addiction. An addiction to the bond that you have with your child. That special feeling that you get when the baby is at it (though I'm feeling pain most of the time). 

Well, I have been direct latching Rachael whenever I can. It really saves a lot of time and effort. She takes around 40min to 1 hour to be done and bond is established. If I pumped out to give her instead, pumping takes 30min at least. Putting it into the bottle and warming it takes about 7min ( which she usually cries crazily loud while waiting). Feeding her takes 10min and washing everything takes another 10 to 15min. 

So after much calculation, the lazy me choose to direct latch instead. 

 

The only thing that stops me from direct latching is PAIN. Imagine someone biting you at the most sensitive area and you have to bite the bullet and bear with it for as long as it takes. But the wonderful thing is you get to see a smile at the end of it all to indicate that she's done (although I wonder if it's her reflex or she really feels happy at the end of it). 

I think I'm addicted too. I tried to rest one day from latching because of peeling skin and pain. During this period, I miss her latching on. Or maybe I'm just plain lazy. 

Whatever it is, I just pray that God will heal the injured areas as soon as possible and prevent them from peeling again. I pray that Rachael will learn to be a better sucker instead of a biter. I pray that she will stop causing harm to her milk source. I pray that she will be more efficient in drinking so that her milk source won't be sore from being suck for too long. 

I pray.

Backdate 17 May - Baby Dedication

Ops! I just realised that I forgot to write about Baby Dedication!!! 

Rachael was dedicated back to The Lord on 17 May!

I always thought every pastor will pray for every baby. I was wrong. The pastors just randomly walk around and pray for anyone that they want to pray for. 

I was a little disappointed that we had no chance to get Pastor Kong and Sun to pray for Rachael. Didn't even see our own pastor, Pastor Zhuang. Pastor Joseph came and prayed for Rachael instead. Nevertheless, no matter who prayed for her, her life is dedicated to The Lord and God has already a great plan for her. It's not other's prayers that will take her to places. It's the prayers of us, as parents, that matters most. And definitely her destiny depends on her own consecration to The Lord when she grows up. 

Nick was so nice to come over to help us take photo. And of cos to take photo with us. 

I pray that Rachael will grow up to know God for herself. That we will be good role models for her to love God and to follow Him closely. And like I always prayed when she was still in the womb, I pray that she will have a heart after God's heart just like King David. I also pray that she will have the wisdom of King Solomon, the beauty of Rachael in the Bible and the favor of men. 

And as for me and my household, we will serve The Lord! 

Alarm clock

Hubby and I are so amazed by the super on time body clock that Rachael has. For the past two days, she has been hungry at 6am, 9am, 12 noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm,12 midnight, 3am!!! 

The day before, she slept through and missed the 3am feed. Yesterday she woke up at 3am but she missed the 9am feed. Whatever it is, she always have her 7 feeds in a day. 

Just 1 hour back, I was observing her. She was already asleep. But at 11.55pm, she started sucking her hands with her eyes closed. A few minutes later, she opened her eyes and was looking at me hungrily. If I don't nurse her fast enough, she's gonna cry. 

And the amazing thing is, she always wanna sleep one hour before her feeding time and always wake on time. God's creation is indeed fascinating!! 

Date with hubby

After giving birth to Rachael, it has really been difficult for hubby and I to go out for a date. Whatever we do, we need to match Rachael's feeding time, which is also my emptying breast milk time. 

Bringing Rachael out means we can be out for a longer time because once it's feeding time, I can just nurse her in the car. If she's not with me, I have to rush back within 3 hours if not my breasts will be super full and painful. 

Anyway, I had a wonderful day out with hubby on 10 June. We went to JEM to have some light snacks at Paris Baguette. 

It's Rachael's first time out at JEM. We then went to Robinsons to look for things to buy. I guessed we've already gotten all the things that we need. We only spent $7 plus on something for Rachael to eat fruits in. 

After that, we went to Bukit Panjang Plaza to have dinner with my FIL. This is to provide opportunity for my FIL to spend time with Rachael, as well as for me to collect my contact lens. 

Though the time that we spent together was short, it's always enjoyable to have time out of the house together, just the 2 of us (including Rachael). 

We went out again for dinner at Aglio Olio on Thursday. Brought Rachael once again. Short dinner but definitely enjoyable. Thanks hubby for bringing us out and spending quality time with us! 

Successful NIP!!

You must be thinking what NIP means... Well, after I became a mother and join a FB Group (Breastfeeding Mums), I learnt many abbreviations from them. Their post can be (fabricated to illustrate):

I'm a mother of 3. I didn't BF my first two children successfully and decided to persevere on for no. 3. My LO is on TBF for 10months! Thanks to my supportive DH. When I'm busy taking care of DD and DS, DH will help to feed LO EBM. I'm thankful that I don't have to give FM at all and I can even have a stash of FBM! 

Can you figure out all the abbreviations?? 

BF - Breast Feed/Breastfeeding (depending on sentence structure)

LO - Little One

TBF - Total Breastfeeding

DH - Dear Hubby

DD - Dear Daughter

DS - Dear Son

EBM - Expressed Breast Milk

FM - Formula Milk

FBM - Frozen Breast Milk

So, what is NIP?? NIP stands for Nursing In Public! So yes!! I finally tried nursing in public for the first time!!! It's a big step for me as I've tried it once at home and Rachael struggled under the nursing scarf. She still did today, just that it was minimized. I guess I need more practice. Nevertheless, I'm glad I tried today and it's successful. 

The embarrassing thing was always to have milk leaking on my shirt. The milk squirted out when Rachael let go of the suckle. And it sprayed on her face and dripped all over my top today. The only thing I could do was, to leave my nursing scarf on even after nursing her. I would say, it's a breakthrough and a success!! I do hope to be able to do this every time we go out so that we don't have to always rush to finish things in less than 3 hours. 

Oh, forgot to mention, my DD is very on time. She needs to drink milk every 3 hours. So yes, I'm definitely more confident to bring her out to nurse her in public rather than the car which is dark, visibility is poor and definitely a waste of time and petrol to stay inside for 1 hour. 

My wish is that, as she grows, she will be more efficient in drinking and thus cut down her nursing time to 10min per side rather than 20-30min per side. This will help us save a lot of time to do other things. 

I hope I have the perseverance to nurse her till she's one year old. 

Exciting days ahead!

Last Saturday we went for a talk organised by Rezt and Relax Interior Design company. The director talked to us about their company structure and who to look for for after sales problems. Their selling point was their lifetime warranty on workmanship which most companies only provide for 1 to 5 years. I must say that both hubby and I were impressed with their quality products. 

The deal for that day was $7888 to have the whole kitchen done up with good material and a free sofa from Cellini. 

After the talk, we had a further discussion with an ID recommended by Joseph (the new neighbour that we are gonna have at Punggol). We were not prepared to have a detailed discussion. But as we showed him the layout plan of our house, ideas started flowing. We started telling him what we want and he gave us suggestions too. 

Anyway, it was a long talk. We were impressed and we signed a contract with them with a deposit of $1000. I guessed it must have been really easy to earn our money. 

What makes me really excited was, as we discussed about space issues, the ID actually assured us that our house is going to be big. We are really thankful that our house is more squarish and it does make it seem bigger than those rectangular ones. Using measuring tape, he showed us that if we get the biggest king size bed, our room will still have ample walking space. Which means, our room is actually bigger than my current room by a lot!

I am really looking forward to stay in a home called our own. The rough quote that the ID calculated for us was $50k!! Way above our budget. I really pray that when he does up the detailed quotation, it will be within our budget and we will still get what we want rather than having to minus some things to fit into our budget. 

We received an email that we will be getting our house by next year second quarter. However, I heard insider news that the first batch will be getting the keys this Nov. Wow! It's really getting closer. I'm super excited as I'm writing all these down. I can finally have a bigger space to put my things. Rachael can have a room to play and sleep in. Even Chloe and Charis can have their own room when we move out. 

Before that day comes, let me just indulge in the excitement of preparation and looking at other people's beautiful home! 

These are the plugs that we intend to use...

Our house will be nicer than these!!! 

A fruitful day

I had a really fruitful day today. Went out to TCM in the morning then went to Serangoon Central to do herbal hair treatment. 

After the hair treatment, I bought some curry puffs from a Malay lady and she said, "Thank you, Aunty." I'm so determined to change my wardrobe and lose some weight. 

In the evening, we went out for dinner at Bistro Cool. I was quite angry that they didn't alert us that there's a 1 for 1 promo going on. That makes it harder for me to go back there to eat again. Especially when asked why they didn't tell us about the promo, their reason was that promo was given by credit card company... So? 

Anyway, the fish and chips and chili crab pasta was good, and pizza was so-so. My steak and fries wasn't too fantastic though because the steak was a little thick. Not easy to cook it well. 

After dinner, I went to Uniqlo to get some tops and bottoms (because I don't want to be called an Aunty again!). I love their cheap and good quality clothes. Imagine a nice cotton top for only $14.90 and a long skinny tights for $19.90. The not so good realization was, I'm wearing L or XL for my pants now. Sad to the max! What has pregnancy done to me!!! 

I need to exercise, yet I can't jog because of my sprain. I definitely can't fit into my swimming costume now... So well, what exercise should I do to burn more fats??? My friend is already starting her jog and is determined to lose weight before going back to work. I feel challenged. I need to do something. 

Dear Father, please heal my foot as soon as possible so that I can start exercising. I need to burn my fats away and be back to at least a M. I believe all things are possible. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

Time flies...

Time flies really fast these days. What have I been busy with? Honestly, nothing much except to feed and spend time with Rachael. 

When she's up, she's hungry. If I latch her, it will probably take 1h. After which if she falls asleep, I will sleep too. If not, I will play with her for another 1h before she sleeps and wakes up 1h later. 

If I said this before, I need to say this again. She is really punctual with her feeding time 90% of the time. Alarm clock already can't wake me up... She can. And she makes sure I wake up to feed her hungry tummy! 

So if I need to do something, I can only do it during that 1h when she naps or do it while nursing her. 

I'm going back to work on 21 July. I wonder how things will be. I know I will definitely miss her. I wonder how I will have time to pump in school. And I wonder if I will be teaching PE or Maths. I wonder if I will be able to cope. I pray that all will be well. 

Look at her dimple! She looks so sweet here!! How not to miss her?

I really want to thank God for making her so beautiful and such a happy baby. When we bring her out, strangers will often take a longer look at her and comment that she's very cute. 

Standard response will be:

1) Wow, she has a lot of hair!

2) How old is she? What?! I she looks like a 3 month old baby. 

3) Her eyes are very big and nice.

4) She's so cute! 

Yea! My prayers of her to be a happy baby, having the favor of men and being beautiful has come to past! Thank God!

As she continues to grow, I hope to see the realization of the rest of my prayers for her. :) 

My heart is filled with gratitude to God!! Thank You, Father!!

Updates on Rachael

Rachael is 2 months 6 days old today!! Time flies when I'm spending time with her. Feeding her every 3 hours has become a routine. Sometimes I latched her and sometimes mum will help me bottle feed her and I will pump instead. 

Latching is more convenient than pumping because I don't have to wash anything after that. So the lazy me latched her more often these days. However, sometimes I realised after latching her left and right, she gets hungry before 3 hours, I will bottle feed her thereafter so that she will be more full. 

She's growing really well. Using a rough gauge, I think she's about 60cm or taller. She's almost outgrowing the diaper changing station as well as the rocker. Even my brother commented that she's very tall. We don't normally notice changes if we see a person daily, but we do notice her change. I'm really amazed. 

She's such a darling when she sleeps. And she loves to talk to us in her own baby language these days. She has such sweet voice when she does that. Hubby noticed that if she says, "Ay, Ay, Ay!", that means she wants us to carry her. 

And yes, she loves to bite her mittens and play with her saliva and tongue. Mum says she might be growing teeth soon. Gosh! That's too fast isn't it? 

My sweet darling is growing way too fast. The days are passing mercilessly! I'm gonna go back to work soon. I can't imagine how it will be like to be away from her for so many hours. I'm missing her already!!! 

Updates on my foot

Wow! It's been a long while since I last posted anything. Well, there's nothing much interesting that's happening these days. 

After spraining my ankle that fateful day, I've been feeling like a handicapped. I went TCM 3 times since. First to time to 放血 and yesterday to do acupuncture. I have to say I'm really impressed by Chinese TCM. After the acupuncture, I could feel all the pain at the ankle joint GONE! Wow!! Impressive! 

Nevertheless, I was told to go back again 4-5 days later because my recovery was too slow. It's still swollen and there's still water retention. 

This was before the first TCM.

After the first TCM.

The sinseh said if I don't heal well and fast, I might end up with this big foot forever! I need to lift my foot up more and massage the water retention part more. Hope to be fully healed soon! Can't stand walking with a limp. This is already causing me a bad backache when I walked or stand for too long. After the foot is healed, it will be time to fix the back.

Pain pain go away!!

What??!! After pregnancy, I'm still calling for pain to go away?? Yes! I need to get away from the curse of pain!

Breastfeeding was painful. But I got over with it. It's still painful, just that it's manageable now. 

Last week, the iPad dropped on my toe on my left foot. It was really painful too! But it was better after one day. 

Today, I sprained my right foot! Heard a super loud crack and for the second time in my life and I sat on the floor. Just that this time round I was carrying Rachael in my arms. Nobody laughed, I cried. (Deb will know why I say that.) Thank God I held her really tightly. She suffered no injury or fear. 

Thank God it was just a bad sprain. Looking at the swell, I thought my bones were dislocated. I will have to move really slowly the next few days. I wonder how to carry Rachael and walk. Sigh! 

Dear Father, please grant me Your supernatural healing power that not only the swelling subside, but the pain will be gone and the ligament healed! Let it not take so many days to heal but let it heal by tomorrow!!! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!!! 

Setting a routine

I've been wanting to sleep train Rachael but I realised that it is really difficult and needs a lot of consistency and support from family members. I really wonder how my friend did it all on her own. 

She slept really well one night and was fussy the other. There's no routine in our daily lives. Sometimes, it's peace and quiet. Other times, there's noise and stimulation. When can we ever get it right? When can she stop waking up at 3am to drink milk? 

Fail to plan, plan to fail. With a plan, I still fail! Rachael doesn't play according to the plan! After feeding her, she refused to sleep and I can't pump... After soothing her to sleep, I started pumping and the noise woke her up. Now I have to resort to pumping in the living room. 

So well, I can pump before feeding her right? No, then she will wake up before the time is up. What should I do? 

I'm feeling frustrated over the inconsistency of this whole plan. Well, you may say I need to be flexible also. Play according to ear. However, it's not such a great feeling when the breasts are in pain waiting for milk to come forth. And it certainly doesn't help when all these little delays here and there are causing lumps to form. I've wasted my $150 on a massage to get rid of lumps and increase my supply only to get all these lumps back. It's all the pain put to waste. Yes, the massage was very painful and I suffered for three days. 

And just because I was so tired, I overslept and didn't pump for 5h, I was down with engorgement and fever on Sunday. The supply of milk drop drastically because of this one stupid fever and it never go up after that. 

Oh God! Why do we have to go through all these pain and hassle? Didn't Jesus already took away all the pain and curses on the cross? Why is life of a mum so difficult? 

I guess, it's time to be back to power pumping again. Sigh! The tedious cycle repeats. 

Stay-At-Home-Mum (SAHM)

I used to think that I want to be a SAHM. I want to spend time with my children as much as possible and be part of their growing process. I thought I could handle everything only to realise that I might not be able to do it. It's really not as easy as one thinks it is. 

First, there are lots of housework to be done and nobody will be there to help unless there's a maid. You will be lucky if the hubby volunteers to do some housework consistently. The key is consistency.

Second, you need to plan your time to pump, feed, change diapers, bathe the child and engage your child in activities. This takes a lot of effort to ensure that pumping time doesn't coincide with the rest. If not, your breasts are bursting or leaking but you have to bear with the pain and do what the wailing child needs. 

Requires consistency too. 

Third, you need to be strong emotionally and physically. You will feel like a single mum most of the time because no one else is more sensitive to the child than you. No one else understands how you feel to be a SAHM. You have to be strong to carry the child whenever he/she needs to be carried. Even if it means carrying the child and peeing at the same time. You must be independent. Never assume anyone will be there to help. If help is rendered, praise God, it's a blessing. If not, take heart and do what you need to do. 

Fourth, never expect any praises from others and again, be strong if there are criticisms. The fact that you are not working in the outside world, people assume that you must be slacking at home with the child. They think that SAHM just eat, sleep and play with the child. What an easy job, right? Wrong! Child's eating time is not your eating time. You eat after your child is all settled. Sometimes you gobble down your food because by the time you finish all the cleaning up, it's time that your child wakes up from his/her nap. So where is your nap time??!! There won't be much time to sleep until your child is much older. Not to mention bath time. 

Fifth, as much as we can plan our time, your child might not stick to your schedule. You still have to be flexible. There will still be frustration especially when your schedule is disrupted. 

After all these are said, it's still a joy to be home with the child. But I'm not cut out to be a SAHM. I look forward to having breakfast in school, but I know I will be even more tired when I start work.

God bless my soul...