Why Won't Ace Cry?

You know how babies always cry when they want to be carried and want milk right?

I always took special pride in telling people that Ace doesnt cry much at all.. "except when he wants his milk..."

But Ace is a strange baby.

Recently, he has taken to screaming for food and attention. He screamed so much and so loud he was almost breaking my ear drums and I almost wished he would CRY!

I don't know how he learnt that. Me and max do not scream at each other at home leh...

I wonder if he learnt to do it because sometimes when he is home alone with mummy and mummy is bathing when he wakes up or mummy is getting ready to go out and he is hungry... his will start making soft crying noises and by the time mummy is out from her bath (already try very hard to finish bathing quickly liao) and by the time mummy ready to feed him, he is already screaming and so he associates his screaming with being an effecient way of getting attention and getting what he wants.

That day, i went to mum's house but becuase he has not been to wai po's house for quite a while, I think he kind of didn't recognize the place. He was screaming the whole afternoon and whole night and was only quiet when i played with him.

I cant step out of his sight. If I do, he starts screaming. I almost wanted to die. I hate screaming children. It made me think of mummies who kill their children or who jump off their flats from post natal blues. Yikes :S

And it doesnt help that I have been sleep deprived for the past one week.. sleeping everyday at around 2,3 am, waking at 5am to feed, change his diapers (he likes to shit at wee hours in the morning) and then sleeping again and having to wake again at 8.30 or 9 because he doesnt want to sleep anymore. And I couldn't take afternoon naps because my cafe just opened and I am kind of in charge of marketing and had many afternoon meetings.

I repeatedly told him that good children don't scream and ask him, "Can you speak softly? Can you speak softly? can you speak softly?"

I explain to him that good children d0n't scream. It's rude and that me and daddy do not scream at him or at each other.

I almost wish he would cry. Crying I can tahan.. screaming? I really buay tahan.

Then the next day, he got better. I guess it was the fact that he was in a strange place coupled with the fact that he had gas in his tummy.

Anyway, Ace, Mummy loves you no matter what you are. But mummy loves you most when you are a smiling, happy baby, OK?:P

PS: All the "teaching" and questions seem to work. After I finished writing this piece, the next day, Ace woke up with a new stunt. He no longer goes "Ahhh.. ahh... ahhhh.." very loudly when he wants milk. Instead, he purses his mouth and says, "Mmm... Mmm... Mmm.. " when he wants milk. Dun ask me why hor.. Maybe cos M is for milk lah.. Anywayz, since he listens to me.. i tell him he is a good boy and that I like it when he gently lets me know he is hungry ;)