Beach Fun

Oops, haven't written anything for 2 weeks because of all the marking I had to clear. :(

Last weekend, we went to Sentosa with some friends. The original plan was to meet at Sentosa, but it started to pour when we left the house, and from where we were, the sky over Marina Bay was BLACK.

Great.

Time to activate Plan B - another weekend stuck in a shopping centre. -_-

So we pulled into Vivocity (which should be renamed Confusing City, btw) and waited for the rest to arrive. I think they brought the good weather with them from Bukit Panjang coz the sky cleared up. So we packed everyone up and drove to Sentosa. DN's first time at the beach, here we come!

At the beach, PF impressed us with the groundsheet he made at his worksite. It measured 5m x 5m, weighed 20kg and almost broke the carrybox it was in, but our over-the-hill asses would be more than adequately protected from the Siloso sand. (Of course, what does everyone do when the groundsheet is finally laid out? They plonk their bags and food on it and go sit on the sand.)

DN liked the beach. But he liked it in a serious way. Let me explain.

The minute we hit the beach, DN had this permanent frown on his face. He was playing with the sand, but frowning at it too. I think he didn't really fancy the grainy sand. I actually expected him to dive right into the sand, embrace it, toss into the air, roll about in it and basically have a "The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music" moment.

But he didn't. He was actually quite dainty and reserved as he scooped up sand and dumped it into a pail, and he was frowning the whole time. Hmm. It must be all our exclamations of, "No! Dirty! Don't touch that! Eeeks! Stop! No! Dirty! Put that down! Aiyoh! Dirty!" that have instilled a sense of 'cleanliness' in him.

Compare this to Anthony, our New Zealander friend, who invited us over to his condo for a BBQ. As we chatted happily next to the BBQ pit, Levi, his 1.5 year old baby came crawling towards us, clad only his diaper. He crawled over puddles of water, over dirt, over soot and by the time he arrived at our feet, he was black!

Did Anthony know? Yes. Did Anthony do anything? Of course not. He's not bleeding, he's still got 4 limbs attached, what for?

A normal Singaporean grandparent would have scooped him up ... wait, a normal Singaporean grandparent wouldn't have even let him down in the first place.

Even at the Botanic Gardens on a weekend, 9 out of 10 times, the kid rolling down hill is caucasian. The asian kid is the one drenched in mosquito repellent, sitting on a mat and completing page 10 of a Maths assessment book.

It's a very Asian thing.

Will YOU let your baby crawl in soot?


"I'm happy... I think."


If it looks like my feet, feels like my feet and smells like my feet, it's probably my feet!


We had dinner at this great Japanese restaurant at Vivocity after the beach. You MUST click on, and enlarge this picture. It's worth it! ;)

Pressure Cooker

A good friend recently shared about how low she felt when she observed a 16-month old doing amazing things like sing along to songs (!), respond "the wheels of the bus" when asked what her favourite song was (!!!) and construct sentences like "bye bye, see you next week" (!!!!!). Show off!

Let me put things into perspective for those without kids.

DN is also 16 months old. (But I once told someone that he's 14 months old because I was thinking, "Okay, he's 1 year 4 mths... 12 months in a year... 12 x 4 - 5 + 3.5 - 12 + 4... divided by pie 3.14... equals... he is 14 months old!" And I said it with such glee and pride too. PF just shook his head. That's why I teach English and not Maths, honey!)

Anyway... DN is the same age as Wonderkid but the only thing that he says now is "mum-mum" (for food). "Bye bye, see you next week?" What ARE they feeding this kid for breakfast? Brains??? DN only gets mixed grain cereal so I'm still waiting for him to call me 'mummy'.

At 16 months, some babies are just learning to walk and Wonderkid is helping the teacher pack up after class. Whoa nelly.

Attention! Sour grapes alert!

What with newspaper articles about 7 year olds taking O Level Physics, 12 year olds playing Wagner at their own concerts and youtube videos of 10 month old babies naming objects from flashcards, it's not unusual to start feeling stressed about living in such a pressure cooker society. The fact that these other wonderkids come from humble, regular families also makes the idea of one's own kid being a wonderkid all the more achievable.

Saya anak boleh! (I think.)

Last weekend, I started to panic in the middle of "Bob The Builder" because DN and I were lounging on the couch, staring vapidly at the TV. I'll put money down that our eyes were glazed over and our mouths were agape. I got up with a start. "Die! This is not stimulating AT ALL! How ah!? Where are the books? The puzzles? The shape sorter? His brain! His brain! His brain!"

PF, the voice of reason, calmed me down after listening to my latest concoction. (A game where I'll put all sorts of stuff into a box and get DN to take out the ones I name. It's lame, I know. I think MY brain needs stimulating!) The words of wisdom from the voice of reason? "Can you please stop being so competitive and let him enjoy his childhood!?!"

Ho hum. He's right. Do I want to spend my weekends flashing flashcards (it's 1 per second okay!) at DN and teaching him how to read before he talks? Mr Shichida can take his dots and cards and shove it! (Or is that Mr Doman?!)

I will spend my weekends with DN walking around the estate, pointing out the birds, cats and dog poop, reading him books from his little library and just, hanging. When he's older and loses the baby instinct of tearing paper, I'll bring him to the library. When he's older and loses the baby instinct of putting everything into his mouth, I'll bring him to Sungei Buloh. When he's older and loses the baby instinct of using food as an art medium, I'll make muffins with him.

In the meantime, I'll just let him enjoy his childhood so that I can enjoy his childhood!


DN : "Sounds like a good plan, Mom!"

Shopping with DN

It isn't often that we go out shopping with DN. Let's just say that if he carries on in this manner, his future girlfriend will have to rely on shopping with her girlfriends. Unless...

1. She stuffs him with a good lunch prior to triapsing around Robinsons for hours.



2. She packs some munchies for him (even though he's just had lunch).

3. She brings out extra wet wipes to clean up after him.


4. She doesn't forget to keep him occupied with some entertainment as she looks at shoes.



5. And of course, she must reward him with a spin in a fast car after the deadly (shopping) deed is done.

Doragon Boru

Hahahahaha...


Goku



Don King after a dye job gone wrong

On the mend!

DN's fever seems to have broken, yippee. :D His temperature stayed in the normal range the whole of today. He's still a bit on the lethargic side though, and is kinda clingy to PF and me. More hugs for the little one then!

Duration of fever : 4 long days, and 4 longer nights
Highest temperature : 39.9 degrees

He now has false measles which usually follows high fevers. It looks scary, but it's a good sign - the fever has run its course.

Kan Cheong Spider

DN is having a fever... again.

On Monday evening, he started feeling a little feverish and his temperature continued to climb through the night. Thank goodness we now make it a point to always have paracetamol at home. With the paracetamol, his temperature hovered between 37.8 to 38.9 degrees. I can't imagine what it would have been if we didn't have medication.

PF and I were shattered on two levels.

One - DN is sick, and that's no fun, both for him and us.

Two - He was supposed to start school at Julia Gabriel the next day! And it was water play! Alamak. First day of school already "pontang". -_-

When his fever didn't subside on Tuesday, PF brought DN to the GP who gave him some Ibuprofen. It brought his fever down, but his temperature started to climb again when the medicine wore off. At 10+ last night, DN's temperature hit 39.9 degrees!

Kan cheong spider time.

It wasn't time for his next dose of Ibuprofen, we didn't know if we could give paracetamol with Ibuprofen still in his system and we didn't know how to sponge a baby. (Do I really need a sponge???)

So I called a few friends and found out what to do.

What to do when your baby is running a fever

1. Give paracetamol if you have some on hand, if not...
2. Sponge baby by
- soaking a small towel in lukewarm (not cold) water
- place towel on baby's hot areas (neck, armpits, groin) for about 30 secs
- remove towel and rinse
- let the water evaporate off the skin (this takes away the heat)
- repeat until temperature drops
3. If after half an hour, the medicine / sponging is not taking effect, bring baby to the doctor

At about 12am, we decided to bring DN to the hospital. His fever wasn't going down and I really started to panic when he didn't wake up even after I picked him up, carried him and called his name a few times.

Kan cheong spider time again.

Thank goodness he finally stirred and waved his little hand at us. (You scared us big time, mister!) So off we went to Thomson Medical Centre - 2 kan cheong spiders and 1 hot baby. Always a bad combination.

As we approached the counter (we were still a good 5 metres away), Nurse 1 took one look at us and said, "Fever?" I think I know what she was thinking - "Alamak, why do I always get the paranoid parents during my shift?"

Nurse 1 took DN's temperature and said, "38.8 degrees. Not so bad." (Okay thanks, I'm starting to feel sheepish now.) She then called the doctor on his phone - "2 patients, Dr X (He's far from a super-hero. I'm not naming him coz I'm going to complain about him!)."

Anyway, when Dr X arrived 10 minutes later, with his supper swinging from a red plastic bag, he too looked rather sheepish (or-bee-good!). We were called in barely 4 minutes after the 1st patient and our consultation lasted only slightly longer - 4.5 minutes???

I left the room as clueless as when I went in. I didn't really know why DN's fever wouldn't go down, what was causing it and what to do if he started burning again. In fact, he even managed to make me feel bad for asking questions because of his monosyllabic answers. I bet he was thinking of his supper getting cold by the minute.

Thank goodness there was Nurse 2. When she explained to us how to administer the medicine (paracetamol & ibuprofen, both of which we already had!), she unwittingly offered extra information and answered all the questions that were swimming in my head!

What's wrong with DN?
He has viral fever, and it's a strong strain. Apparently, many children have been coming in with these long-drawn fevers that climb to the high end of 39 degrees.

When will he get better?
Not for a few more days. This particular bug has been very strong and she told us to expect DN's fever to hang around for a bit.

What should I do in the meantime?
Just give him paracetamol every 4 hours. If, an hour after paracetamol, he's still feverish, give the ibuprofen. Ibuprofen to be given only 6-8 hourly.

If his temperature goes up to 40 degrees, must we bring him to the hospital?
No. The temperature is just a number. A better indication is the child's behaviour. A child with a temperature of 39 degrees and feeling very lethargic and unresponsive should be rushed to hospital immediately. A child with a temperature of 40 degrees but is still very active needs only paracetamol.

Why is his fever so bad at night?
During the day, children are moving about so they sweat and their bodies are able to expel the heat. At night, they sleep and are inactive, so their bodies aren't able to get rid of the heat, and hence their temperatures rise. This is normal and nothing to worry about.

Am I a kan cheong spider?
(she was very diplomatic about this)
It's natural for first-time parents to get worried. They've never experienced this before and most are unsure of what to do. So we do get alot of first-time parents rushing their children to the hospital in the middle of the night and paying exhorbitant consultation fees which is not really that exhorbitant if you consider the fact that there are 3 of us here on duty tonight and what we want to do most is go back to bed.

i.e. YES!

(okay, you know that I made up that whole spiel at the back right?)

Bless Nurse 2!

Social Butterfly

The total number of Christmas gatherings DN was invited to put us to shame. It is with a leaden heart that I say, "My kid has a better social life than me." He was invited to 4 Christmas parties and us, 2. Hmmph. -_-

1. 15 Dec :: Christmas Party at My Gym
This one was for all the Sept 2006 forum babies. He had loads of fun running all over the place and couldn't sit still during the circle activity. (see pic below) He kept getting up and walking out of the circle. What an errant pupil. I think I'll be getting lots of calls from his teachers next time. :(

jRt, Mrs Peh, Buttons, Cheekz, Pigeon... thanx for the photos!


No points for guessing which kid has attention problems.


I need to have a word with DN about being too forward with girls! (DN and Arianne enjoying a sleigh ride. I'm the horse. -_-)



Okay, this activity was a little scary (for me). DN gets swung about and there's no one holding his legs. (Ack!)




DN doing what he does best now - camwhoring!


















The party was from 4-6pm. By 5.15pm, DN was clawing my jeans and saying, "mum-mum!" Thank goodness we broke for a break soon after because nothing can come between Mr Bottomless Pig Pit and his food! DN was the 1st to sit at the table and start whacking his fruits and crackers. Long after all the rest had lost interest in their snacks, Mr B.P. was still sitting there eating. Sad to say, this trait he gets from me. -_-


DN & Jovann enjoying their snacks.






Rae Ann taking DN for a ride. (LOL!)

2. 25 Dec :: Christmas Party at Kyra's & Ember's
Kristie kindly invited us over and roasted an amazing 5-spice chicken. Oh man, the 'chap' (gravy) that the chicken produced. I was supposed to make shepherd's pie, but I copped out and bought a Don's chicken pie instead. Funny Bee brought the wine.

DN liked playing with Kyra and Ember. I don't know if that feeling was reciprocrated because I saw them looking at him with a wary eye as he played with their pink toys. His favourite was Ember's electric pink violin. In second place was her pink kitten.

3. 25 Dec :: Ex-Basketball Team Christmas Party

PF has a bunch of friends (his ex-basketball team teammates) whose wives all gave birth in 2004. 5 of them became dads that year. Like a pact. Very strange.

So there was a Christmas Party for all the kiddos and DN was invited. He's still about 2 years younger than the rest so he didn't really know how to play with them. He just looked on as they ran around chasing each other, roller-skated up and down the driveway and tormented the koi with fish nets. He really liked the sparklers though.

4. 29 Dec :: Christmas Party at the House of Buttons

DN met up with his friends Jovann, Arianne, Reubern, Clarice and Clarence at the House of Buttons to exchange presents. These little guys started meeting up when they were about 5 months old and it's so nice to watch all of them grow up. They've all developed their own personalities and have become INDIVIDUALS in their own right. :)

:: Arianne :: This one's definitely going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up. I foresee Shawn beating away pimply suitors when Arianne hits 16. (Good luck!) Arianne's such a warm and loving little girl who thinks nothing of hugging every toddler she sees. Awww!

:: Clarice :: She's not the oldest, but she's the "da-jie" of the whole group. She casts disdainful looks on the rest as they run around maniacally, and she's probably thinking, "That is SO 1 year old." Clarice is such a calm and obedient little girl. Precious!

:: Clarence :: Now here's a true gourmand. Clarence has developed an affinity for agedashi tofu and the Buttons Baked Rice. He's currently on his way to a PSC scholarship because he just started school last Wednesday and the brave little one eased into school life without a hitch!

:: Jovann :: This one is an auntie-killer, hee hee. Jovann loves going out and when he does, he charms the socks off everyone he sees. He's always smiling cheekily at fellow diners, salesgirls, aunties... everyone! Now how can you not smile back when he does that?

:: Reubern :: Can you say "shuai ge"? Hee hee. If you told me one of these kiddos is going to be a pop star in 20 years time, I'd have to guess it's little Reubern. He's so tall, dark fair and handsome and he sure knows how to work the camera!

:: DN :: My greedy little one who has impressed many with his unwavering appetite. During the party, he was the only toddler who ate non-stop for about 2 hours. Every now and then, he'd totter up to an adult with a "mum-mum" plea and be rewarded with a cracker or piece of fruit. In fact, in most of the pictures taken that day, DN had food in his hand or mouth. He has also turned out to be quite the camera whore. It's shameless how he's always smiling and posing for the camera now!


Arianne

Clarice

Clarence



Jovann


Reubern


DN


2 hours on the treadmill.