April showers, and the month that's passed

April has zoomed by for us, with it's swelteringly hot weather peppered with thunderstorms. It has been one really busy month for us, with our home renovations in full swing ever since we received the keys to the place earlier in the month. 

This feeling of being crazy busy didn't sit too well with us. We were running many errands, trying to check out showers and faucets and tiles, debating on paint colours and layouts and materials. We spent many evenings dashing out to settle some reno matter, then rushing back to feed the kids. I was staying up late to draw and redraw out plans for our kitchen and other parts of the house, and felt like I was almost running on empty.

I am thankful that this really busy period is slowly drawing to a close. I'm starting to catch a little more sleep, and it is gratifying to know that our hard work goes towards building our home where the kids would grow up in (no more moving for me, thank.you.very.much.). On the bright side, me and hubby had more "couple time" together (never mind the little lightbulb), exploring various far-flung areas of Singapore which we would not have visited if not for those errands we had to run.

It has been exciting seeing the home come together, bit by bit, from seeing the tiles being pieced together on the floors and walls, to all the other pieces being delivered from there and there. I've been getting so many questions about our contractor and renovation details, and I really wish I could blog about it... but that will have to wait until slightly later (meanwhile you can track our progress here).

Family time took a hit because of the renovations. We did try to involve the kids as much as possible, and they have been paying occasional visits to the house to explore and feed the fish in the pond. However, it was just such a big challenge bringing four kiddos out on errands (not to mention it took triple the time to do anything!) that we relied heavily on my parents to help babysit when we made our mad dashes out. They are really excited about the move though. 

I am still struggling to find a rhythm that works for us in this current season. It has been hard just getting meals on the table on time, while trying to care for a baby. The toddler is still in the phase of fighting sleep, and takes ages to go down for his afternoon nap. Yet he still needs his nap or his sleep at night is affected, so we're still trying to figure this bit out. 

Yet, amidst these challenges, we've still stuck to certain routines, and these moments of family and togetherness are the things I treasure and cling to these days. The boys have taken to re-enacting scenes from nature documentaries that they have been watching at my parents' place, pretending to be dung beetles and rolling up blankets as dung and carrying them all over the house (much to my amusement!). They are starting to enjoy playing board games together. They fight all the time, but they forgive and forget easily. 

And they grow so so fast. Just last week, I had to change their worn out Crocs, and both the older two needed one size up. Taking those new footwear out made me realize how fleeting these growing up years are, and how we need to treasure these little moments.

And speaking of little, the baby of the family is now three months old. She's had to stay home most days as there were some issues with her recent blood test results. I tend to panic a little whenever someone sneezes or coughs near her, but we're praying she'll get better. Meanwhile, she's been growing well. She's learnt how to flip, and is one chatty little girl! 

I am enjoying and drinking in this baby stage in big, grateful gulps. Everything is simple in this stage: there are no tantrums or meltdowns, no emotional or disciplinary minefields to navigate, just cries to communicate. There's a lot of coo-ing and smiles and finger-holding, and I am so grateful for these times. 

May is looking to be slightly quieter, but we'll be busy packing and decluttering for the move in June. (Side point: I've teamed up with a few friends to sell some of the stuff we're decluttering, and you can browse them here.) I am trying to take it one day at a time, but I am thankful for the new month!