Saturday, July 29, 2006
Seventh Lunar Month
There should be a 'MUTE' button to the getai behind us. It's driving us crazy. The singing's BAD.
One of the issues I feel strongly about
i received a letter from a mailing list today regarding toddlers throwing tantrums. One mother advocated hitting, and I felt strongly against it, so I replied. I don't normally do. Also, since it's one of my heartbeats, I thought I'd post it to just journal it.
Hi mummies!
I have a dd who's turning 24 months old. Generally she's been a lovely baby, *but* as she turned older, she started showing 'signs' of the T-twos (whatever you might wanna call it). I find that it will be a challenging yet really enriching time during this period because my little one is growing up. I believe the reason why they have tantrums and meltdowns is because they really can't communicate what they really want, even though they 'seem' they can. Also, the things they want may not really be feasible, like for instance, they might wanna put on 2 pairs of shoes at the same time.
Personally I do not resort to punishing or labelling the child naughty because all the child wants is to communicate his or her needs (and is apparently having trouble doing so!). Our responsibility is to read the signs accurately, help them communicate properly as well as draw the line between whether they are permitted to have what they request for.
Sometimes I catch my daughter deliberately doing things she isn't supposed to do. Yet, it is precisely during these moments that she needs our attention. So what we usually do is to correct the behaviour, explain that we'll soon be spending some time with her (like in the next ten minutes when we're done with our task) and then get down to spending the time with her. We also use alot of praise and try our best to catch her doing good, so she also uses the positive reinforcement to get our attention. They do need quite a bit of attention simply because they are children and can't quite go about conducting life effectively yet; also, they miss us terribly! If we consistently fail to give them the attention they need, they'll go outside when they are older to get the attention they have been craving for. By then, it might be too late.
At the end of the day, I think it takes effort to see them through this time (esp when mine has just a new baby brother which spells even more changes for her). Like any marriage, we have needs and need to communicate them effectively. If our partner were to 'punish' us in any way just because we can't communicate them effectively - e.g. hubby has been OTing and hasn't been spending time with the kids and instead of telling him nicely, we throw a tantrum expecting him to 'read' the signs - then we'll definitely meet with frustration and have a poor relationship with the other party.
Thus, when your little one is having a meltdown, take a few seconds to observe what the real problem is, such is past naptime/bedtime/lack of sleep, too much sugar, overstimulation, understimulation, wanting parental attention, ineffective communication technique, etc, and then solve the real issue. No point hitting them then get everyone upset and frustrated. It only teaches them that violence is the way to solve situations coz 'mummy hit me to get me quiet' and guess what, they will feel frustrated and use violence to hit whenver they meet with difficulty.
Just my two cents' worth. Hope you'll be able to ride out this white-water rafting waves. :)
God bless,
Audrey
mother to soon-to-be 2yo Abigail and 4.5mo Shalom
Hi mummies!
I have a dd who's turning 24 months old. Generally she's been a lovely baby, *but* as she turned older, she started showing 'signs' of the T-twos (whatever you might wanna call it). I find that it will be a challenging yet really enriching time during this period because my little one is growing up. I believe the reason why they have tantrums and meltdowns is because they really can't communicate what they really want, even though they 'seem' they can. Also, the things they want may not really be feasible, like for instance, they might wanna put on 2 pairs of shoes at the same time.
Personally I do not resort to punishing or labelling the child naughty because all the child wants is to communicate his or her needs (and is apparently having trouble doing so!). Our responsibility is to read the signs accurately, help them communicate properly as well as draw the line between whether they are permitted to have what they request for.
Sometimes I catch my daughter deliberately doing things she isn't supposed to do. Yet, it is precisely during these moments that she needs our attention. So what we usually do is to correct the behaviour, explain that we'll soon be spending some time with her (like in the next ten minutes when we're done with our task) and then get down to spending the time with her. We also use alot of praise and try our best to catch her doing good, so she also uses the positive reinforcement to get our attention. They do need quite a bit of attention simply because they are children and can't quite go about conducting life effectively yet; also, they miss us terribly! If we consistently fail to give them the attention they need, they'll go outside when they are older to get the attention they have been craving for. By then, it might be too late.
At the end of the day, I think it takes effort to see them through this time (esp when mine has just a new baby brother which spells even more changes for her). Like any marriage, we have needs and need to communicate them effectively. If our partner were to 'punish' us in any way just because we can't communicate them effectively - e.g. hubby has been OTing and hasn't been spending time with the kids and instead of telling him nicely, we throw a tantrum expecting him to 'read' the signs - then we'll definitely meet with frustration and have a poor relationship with the other party.
Thus, when your little one is having a meltdown, take a few seconds to observe what the real problem is, such is past naptime/bedtime/lack of sleep, too much sugar, overstimulation, understimulation, wanting parental attention, ineffective communication technique, etc, and then solve the real issue. No point hitting them then get everyone upset and frustrated. It only teaches them that violence is the way to solve situations coz 'mummy hit me to get me quiet' and guess what, they will feel frustrated and use violence to hit whenver they meet with difficulty.
Just my two cents' worth. Hope you'll be able to ride out this white-water rafting waves. :)
God bless,
Audrey
mother to soon-to-be 2yo Abigail and 4.5mo Shalom
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Eventful Day
Had my stapled haemorrhoidectomy today by Dr Seow-Choen and I was knocked out quite badly by the IV sedation. Tried to wake up a couple of times but fell back to sleep again. Extremely horrid feeling in the lower regions, felt like pissing but had empty bladder. Tried going to the toilet twice but no luck - knocked out in bed @ the Day Surgery centre. Was hurriedly dressed around 5pm coz the surgery place was near its closing hours. But the nurse was sweet lah, so I didn't mind. Just couldn't get my act together though - was all over the place due to the sedation.
Last meal was this morning 1am, pumped at 8.30am and next pump was around 6.30pm. Had a pathetic 6oz though breasts were full coz I didn't eat the whole day. Which was also why I was in pain - coz I didn't take painkillers. Argh.
So when I finally had my dinner and painkillers, I was waiting in agony for the painkillers to take effect. It kicked in in about 20minutes time. During then, Abby was with me and saw my agony. She stroked me gently and lovingly, kissed me and was just full of concern. At about the peak of my pain, Ben was explaining to her that Mummy was in pain. Guess what she did? She clasped her hands together and said, "Pray! Pray!" Wow. It takes an angel to remind mere mortals that God is sovereign. We prayed and there was relief.
During the painful moments, I remembered that I had to pump - but I didn't say coz I intended to pump after dinner and after the painkillers took effect. But suddenly, Abby who was just walking about the dining table said, "Pump milk! Pump milk!" She really knows my needs.
Before she fell asleep, she stroked me again, gave me kisses and tried to pat me to sleep. She's really a very sweet girl. I'm so blessed.
Last meal was this morning 1am, pumped at 8.30am and next pump was around 6.30pm. Had a pathetic 6oz though breasts were full coz I didn't eat the whole day. Which was also why I was in pain - coz I didn't take painkillers. Argh.
So when I finally had my dinner and painkillers, I was waiting in agony for the painkillers to take effect. It kicked in in about 20minutes time. During then, Abby was with me and saw my agony. She stroked me gently and lovingly, kissed me and was just full of concern. At about the peak of my pain, Ben was explaining to her that Mummy was in pain. Guess what she did? She clasped her hands together and said, "Pray! Pray!" Wow. It takes an angel to remind mere mortals that God is sovereign. We prayed and there was relief.
During the painful moments, I remembered that I had to pump - but I didn't say coz I intended to pump after dinner and after the painkillers took effect. But suddenly, Abby who was just walking about the dining table said, "Pump milk! Pump milk!" She really knows my needs.
Before she fell asleep, she stroked me again, gave me kisses and tried to pat me to sleep. She's really a very sweet girl. I'm so blessed.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Heartfelt Sorry
We picked Ben up today and went for lunch nearby his workplace. Abby was happily playing with my old pair of sunglasses. She really had fun with it although at times she struggled with it due to its long arms. When we were about to drop Ben back at his office, we parked the car along the roadside as we had a couple of minutes left to chill out.
Abby, who was playing with the glasses, started struggling with it and threw a mini-tantrum coz she was facing some difficulty. Her arms were flying all over the place hit me and I kinda (according to Ben) snapped at her with "Don't hit mummy! Abby, say sorry." She was stunned and immediately tears filled her eyes. She didn't cry but was really really upset and terribly scared. She mouthed the word 'Sorry' but no sound came out. She was really petrified and really very sorry. Then I taught her how to stroke me and gave her a really long hug. She was close to sobbing - normally she just cries loudly. I could tell she was indeed sorry for what she had done. Later Ben carried her and explained the misdeed. She was quick to apologise sincerely when she regained her composure and both Ben and I were just stunned at her reaction earlier. Really heartbreaking to see her really sorry for her misdeed, yet glad that she didn't just apologise for the sake of apologising.
Abby, who was playing with the glasses, started struggling with it and threw a mini-tantrum coz she was facing some difficulty. Her arms were flying all over the place hit me and I kinda (according to Ben) snapped at her with "Don't hit mummy! Abby, say sorry." She was stunned and immediately tears filled her eyes. She didn't cry but was really really upset and terribly scared. She mouthed the word 'Sorry' but no sound came out. She was really petrified and really very sorry. Then I taught her how to stroke me and gave her a really long hug. She was close to sobbing - normally she just cries loudly. I could tell she was indeed sorry for what she had done. Later Ben carried her and explained the misdeed. She was quick to apologise sincerely when she regained her composure and both Ben and I were just stunned at her reaction earlier. Really heartbreaking to see her really sorry for her misdeed, yet glad that she didn't just apologise for the sake of apologising.
Ripped from the Father's Blog
Absolutely adorablicious! :D Ripped from their daddy's blog! :D I think those photos over there were directly uploaded from his Sony Ericsson phone... some model I can't remember - with the 3.2megapixel Cybershot camera. Cool stuff. :)
Friday, July 21, 2006
God is SO GOOD!
The whole family's been down (Ben's on MC today), and the latest have been the kids. Abby took a turn for the worse suddenly this afternoon when she woke up from her nap vomitting her lunch. She just couldn't keep anything down in her stomach. It was already 4 hrs after her lunch at school, but it looked like nothing was being digested. She threw everything up, including sips of water and the paracetomol we gave coz she was running a temperature. During the panic mode, my mother called and said that she was coming over. Praise God. Definitely a God-sent angel. She prayed for Abby (who was really pale, lethargic, and had rather bluish lips) and what was amazing was - during the final episode of throwing up (on hindsight, I can say it's final) Mum prayed for everything unclean to be purged. Thereafter, Abby started being herself again! :D The cheery old self! :D It really thrilled my heart to hear her voice in the evening. She was very sickly for quite a while in the afternoon, and I was already mentally preparing myself to take her to KKH. I even went to their website to check what I should do. God is so good. We're definitely engaging in spiritual warfare especially since last Friday, and we know that Jesus Christ has the complete victory! :D Now to perservere on to pray for Ben. I suspect Shalom's temperature (hovering around 37.5-.7deg) is due to teething or the recent vaccination, but we'll still continue to pray on!
Anyway, finally managed to capture Abigail singing her ABCs tonight! Awesome! Especially after this afternoon! :D Lovely to see her in the pink of health again! :D
Anyway, finally managed to capture Abigail singing her ABCs tonight! Awesome! Especially after this afternoon! :D Lovely to see her in the pink of health again! :D
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Noses for Happy Faces!
Here are some of Abigail's attempts at drawing noses! 'Heh!-face' (Abby's version of Happy Face) is drawn by mummy!
To-Dos
Ben is sick. I am sick. But our to-do list still looks healthy and strong. Clutter is still everywhere around us. We need to cut down on our wasteful living and be more frugal. We have too many things we don't need. Indeed, God has blessed us more than we have enough room to contain it. Remedy? Give them away. :D They are great stuff. All in abundance.
Now I have to make sure my study area is straightened before the final semester. Then I can concentrate and not be bothered by the mess. I'll probably have half my heart on moving stuff to Bedok South (we're shuffling bit by bit) during the semester. So best not to be too distracted. Otherwise another big reason to procrastinate my work.
How hard is it clearing mess? My helper's really good at it. She inspires me to keep going. See, if you can't tell by now, I'll blogging coz I'm procrastinating.
Oh, Ikea's sale starts tomorrow. I need to get well.
Now I have to make sure my study area is straightened before the final semester. Then I can concentrate and not be bothered by the mess. I'll probably have half my heart on moving stuff to Bedok South (we're shuffling bit by bit) during the semester. So best not to be too distracted. Otherwise another big reason to procrastinate my work.
How hard is it clearing mess? My helper's really good at it. She inspires me to keep going. See, if you can't tell by now, I'll blogging coz I'm procrastinating.
Oh, Ikea's sale starts tomorrow. I need to get well.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The Zoo Trip
Went to the zoo this morning with Abby and her school. Ben dropped us off and somehow Abby thought I was leaving her in school - the SOP - but I kept reassuring her that mummy was going to be with her today. She even cried abit. I had to tell her, "Look, mummy's sitting her in this corner. My bag's here. I'm not going away. Now go and give Teacher J a hug." But she didn't want to, afraid that I would disappear by the time she turned around. We don't do the disappearing act on her, in fact if we need to leave, we would tell her as a matter of fact. Sometime later, it finally got into her that I wasn't gonna leave today.
Anyway, she was really attached to me except for the times when I needed her to be, i.e. during our walk around the zoo. She'd go her own way and I'd be calling out to her to "follow the group, darling!!!" Strange, how the 3 kiddos with the 3 accompanying mothers are probably the most non-conforming kids... one boy wanted his mum to keep carrying him, and his mum obliged but kept saying, "Look at your friends! They are walking by themselves! Go and join them!" Repeated rejections. Until during the lunch break, he kept fussing and wanted to be nursed. I suspect it's to regain the confidence that mummy won't totally reject him. Literally nursing for comfort.
See the kids who are walking around? Their mummies are around...
Finally managed to get her to sit down to wait at the entrance with the other kiddos.
As for my little Abby, she gave up asking me to carry her after I kept saying, "No dear. I'll hold your hand instead." In fact, she stopped in mid-request, "Mummy, bao-b..." when she saw that I wasn't gonna carry her during the walk. My hip was giving me problems and I couldn't really walk properly. But I still carried her whenever she couldn't see the animals.
Trying to get the kids for a group picture. Not easy. But really cute.
Excited to see the camels!
This was one great opportunity for me to see the teachers functioning in full capacity under testing conditions. And I am really glad that Abby's being taught by them. They are really very caring and very efficient. In fact, even when there were difficulties - impending rain, the occasional runaway kid, KFC's lousy lunch arrangement, big winds threatening to tear down the pavilion (I had to carry Abby who was seated already away just before possibly getting hit by the huge flyaway umbrella - they were possibly the most calm and collected people I know. In fact, when another group of pre-schoolers turned up at the pavilion during our lunch, they were upset to see that half the place was taken up by us, and some of the teachers started complaining - the typical Singaporean grumble - 'grumble-loudly-about-stuff-but-don't-do-anything-about-it' kind - and gave glares to inefficient fast-food stuff and even to our teachers. Sigh. Our teachers, on the other hand, were just focused on the safety of the kids and even had the mood to laugh and be impressed by this kid who finished his huge unpalatable KFC portion! Very very impressed.
I realised - it's not the curriculum that a school promotes - because even if one can position it a certain way - there are only so many 'special' activities one can do. More importantly, it's the direct teacher that influences the chlid's experience, just like how one article states that it's the direct supervisor that causes employees to stay in or leave the organisation.
Even though up to this point in time, I can't fully grasp the approach that Abby's school uses - except that it emphasises on bilingual literacy skills - seeing the teachers rise above stressful conditions is really impressive. I really admire their quiet perserverance.
Anyway I died before the end of the trip. Left the group early and took a cab back. I was having really bad chills and was about to collapse. Can't be a liability to an already-stretched team. :P
Trying to look good while dying. Such is vanity.
Anyway, she was really attached to me except for the times when I needed her to be, i.e. during our walk around the zoo. She'd go her own way and I'd be calling out to her to "follow the group, darling!!!" Strange, how the 3 kiddos with the 3 accompanying mothers are probably the most non-conforming kids... one boy wanted his mum to keep carrying him, and his mum obliged but kept saying, "Look at your friends! They are walking by themselves! Go and join them!" Repeated rejections. Until during the lunch break, he kept fussing and wanted to be nursed. I suspect it's to regain the confidence that mummy won't totally reject him. Literally nursing for comfort.
See the kids who are walking around? Their mummies are around...
Finally managed to get her to sit down to wait at the entrance with the other kiddos.
As for my little Abby, she gave up asking me to carry her after I kept saying, "No dear. I'll hold your hand instead." In fact, she stopped in mid-request, "Mummy, bao-b..." when she saw that I wasn't gonna carry her during the walk. My hip was giving me problems and I couldn't really walk properly. But I still carried her whenever she couldn't see the animals.
Trying to get the kids for a group picture. Not easy. But really cute.
Excited to see the camels!
This was one great opportunity for me to see the teachers functioning in full capacity under testing conditions. And I am really glad that Abby's being taught by them. They are really very caring and very efficient. In fact, even when there were difficulties - impending rain, the occasional runaway kid, KFC's lousy lunch arrangement, big winds threatening to tear down the pavilion (I had to carry Abby who was seated already away just before possibly getting hit by the huge flyaway umbrella - they were possibly the most calm and collected people I know. In fact, when another group of pre-schoolers turned up at the pavilion during our lunch, they were upset to see that half the place was taken up by us, and some of the teachers started complaining - the typical Singaporean grumble - 'grumble-loudly-about-stuff-but-don't-do-anything-about-it' kind - and gave glares to inefficient fast-food stuff and even to our teachers. Sigh. Our teachers, on the other hand, were just focused on the safety of the kids and even had the mood to laugh and be impressed by this kid who finished his huge unpalatable KFC portion! Very very impressed.
I realised - it's not the curriculum that a school promotes - because even if one can position it a certain way - there are only so many 'special' activities one can do. More importantly, it's the direct teacher that influences the chlid's experience, just like how one article states that it's the direct supervisor that causes employees to stay in or leave the organisation.
Even though up to this point in time, I can't fully grasp the approach that Abby's school uses - except that it emphasises on bilingual literacy skills - seeing the teachers rise above stressful conditions is really impressive. I really admire their quiet perserverance.
Anyway I died before the end of the trip. Left the group early and took a cab back. I was having really bad chills and was about to collapse. Can't be a liability to an already-stretched team. :P
Trying to look good while dying. Such is vanity.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Painful Fingers
Abby burnt her fingers(!) during dinner. She wanted soup, so I went to the kitchen to get some for her. She followed behind me and promptly reached for the pot that was placed terribly near the edge of the countertop by the SICK MAID (who at a million curry puffs to get herself sick!). I could barely warn her when her tiny little fingers touched the pot and then she cried after that. Ran her fingers under the running tap and granny put toothpaste. No point arguing whether the latter works. Just put then when it's 'done', washed off. Shudder to think what would have happened if she pulled the handle down. Thank God. Really thank God indeed.
Then during bedtime - lights out already, Abby and Shalom were having some cuddly time, with Abby holding Shalom's fingers. Suddenly, Shalom cried! instinctively, I knew somehow that Abby bit him. Turned on the light and I SAW TEETHMARKS on Shalom's fingers. Sigh. Separated them and coaxed them to sleep.
I don't feel well.
Then during bedtime - lights out already, Abby and Shalom were having some cuddly time, with Abby holding Shalom's fingers. Suddenly, Shalom cried! instinctively, I knew somehow that Abby bit him. Turned on the light and I SAW TEETHMARKS on Shalom's fingers. Sigh. Separated them and coaxed them to sleep.
I don't feel well.
Family Planning
It's been just about four months since we've had a No. 2, and the thought of No. 3 is on our minds. But looking at the current situation, I think it's been for things to settle first before even seriously considering No. 3. But it's thrilling! :D Come to think about it, Abby was about ten months when I conceived Shalom - we took about two months to try amidst our busy schedule (looking back, it does seem a lil' crazy actually), and I can't for the life of me remember exactly when I stopped bfdg Abby AND tried to relactate. Hopefully I blogged about it. But I don't think I did coz this is STILL public domain nevertheless, with sensitive readers. *ahem* But, since this is MY blog, if you're offended by what you read here, I have excellent links on my right for you to visit and enjoy yourself better. :)
Sorry for digressing. Anyway, plans for No. 3 are temporarily halted, till I settle down with the impending madness from work and when Shalom's secure with a the thought of a younger sibling. Meanwhile, Abby and Shalom seem like long-lost angels who were best friends in heaven. They wake up in the morning looking for each other and are thrilled to see each other. I have no idea what their conversation consists of, but it's amazing to watch them. And also seeing Abby stuffing her bro's pacifier into his mouth. Oh, and he's starting to suck his left thumb. Abby's a right thumb sucker. It's really tempting for me to just let him suck (and self-soothe at night) but weaning is quite a challenge (as with Abby, who apparently knows it's unacceptable to suck coz she prohibits Shalom from sucking but does so herself). Still thinking.
Ok, back to the issue of children. By God's grace, we'll see how things go. Meanwhile, we're enjoying the mad ride. :)
Sorry for digressing. Anyway, plans for No. 3 are temporarily halted, till I settle down with the impending madness from work and when Shalom's secure with a the thought of a younger sibling. Meanwhile, Abby and Shalom seem like long-lost angels who were best friends in heaven. They wake up in the morning looking for each other and are thrilled to see each other. I have no idea what their conversation consists of, but it's amazing to watch them. And also seeing Abby stuffing her bro's pacifier into his mouth. Oh, and he's starting to suck his left thumb. Abby's a right thumb sucker. It's really tempting for me to just let him suck (and self-soothe at night) but weaning is quite a challenge (as with Abby, who apparently knows it's unacceptable to suck coz she prohibits Shalom from sucking but does so herself). Still thinking.
Ok, back to the issue of children. By God's grace, we'll see how things go. Meanwhile, we're enjoying the mad ride. :)
Abigail Before Turning Two
Soon, Abby's gonna turn two. It's almost a two-year relationship, and it's getting more and more wonderful each day. She's learning lots too! Just yesterday, Abby managed to recite the WHOLE ABCs! Including the missing 'E' and the broken 'LMNOP' bridge! She usually tails off after K with a QRST then YAY!!! But somehow she's been watching and observing each time the song is sung, and when we sang it in the car yesterday with Daddy (YES!! HE WITNESSED THE FIRST TIME TOO!) she carefully placed the 'E' and constructed the 'LMNOP' sequence! AWESOME! When her grandparents heard her sing it in the evening, they were swept off their feet! :) She was really glad to accomplish such an awesome feat! :)
Also, she's beginning to be sensitiive to her bowel movements. She'll let us know if she needs to move her bowels, and won't do it till there's a potty or even a toilet bowl (I insist it must be CLEAN) around. As for passing urine, she says it as 'Pah-Ew-Ring' but occasionally mixes up with 'Poo-poo'. She'll let us know only when she goes (sometimes) and also will Pah-Ew-Ring when we put her on the potty. When we ask her if she needs to go, she'll either shake or nod her head. If she nods, she'll have a go on the potty. Two nights/mornings ago, she even woke up with a dry diaper, according to Lina! :) She's taking the lead in terms of potty-training, and no pressure from us. In fact, we need to be more attentive to her needs! Such as going before a car-ride! Poor girl, on Sunday she needed to go, but usually we're on the move especially on Sundays, and she couldn't do it in the mobile potty we got for her, so she didn't go till much later. :P Bad parents. But forgiven. :)
I'm also glad she's bonding well with her two Uncles (13+ and 11+) back from Sweden, as well as her 12 year old Aunt. She has tonnes of fun with them and looks forward to seeing them.
Oh! And in the middle of the night when I was sponging her (she was running a fever last night), I was having a conversation with her and it went something like this...
Me: Dear, you're having a slight fever. I think you might need to stay at home tomorrow. Would you like to stay at home or go to school?
Abby: Stay at home. *smiles*
Naughty Me: But you've got Teacher J in school. Would you like to stay at home or go to school?
Abby: *ponders...* *smiles* school!
Yah, she goes to school for the Teacher. Thank God! But she missed school today coz she was having a cough in the morning. Also, we're going to the zoo with the school tomorrow, so gotta rest to be able to go to the zoo! :D
Also, she's beginning to be sensitiive to her bowel movements. She'll let us know if she needs to move her bowels, and won't do it till there's a potty or even a toilet bowl (I insist it must be CLEAN) around. As for passing urine, she says it as 'Pah-Ew-Ring' but occasionally mixes up with 'Poo-poo'. She'll let us know only when she goes (sometimes) and also will Pah-Ew-Ring when we put her on the potty. When we ask her if she needs to go, she'll either shake or nod her head. If she nods, she'll have a go on the potty. Two nights/mornings ago, she even woke up with a dry diaper, according to Lina! :) She's taking the lead in terms of potty-training, and no pressure from us. In fact, we need to be more attentive to her needs! Such as going before a car-ride! Poor girl, on Sunday she needed to go, but usually we're on the move especially on Sundays, and she couldn't do it in the mobile potty we got for her, so she didn't go till much later. :P Bad parents. But forgiven. :)
I'm also glad she's bonding well with her two Uncles (13+ and 11+) back from Sweden, as well as her 12 year old Aunt. She has tonnes of fun with them and looks forward to seeing them.
Oh! And in the middle of the night when I was sponging her (she was running a fever last night), I was having a conversation with her and it went something like this...
Me: Dear, you're having a slight fever. I think you might need to stay at home tomorrow. Would you like to stay at home or go to school?
Abby: Stay at home. *smiles*
Naughty Me: But you've got Teacher J in school. Would you like to stay at home or go to school?
Abby: *ponders...* *smiles* school!
Yah, she goes to school for the Teacher. Thank God! But she missed school today coz she was having a cough in the morning. Also, we're going to the zoo with the school tomorrow, so gotta rest to be able to go to the zoo! :D
Friday, July 14, 2006
Abby's Tenth Day of School
Abby cried when Ben dropped her off this morning.
Cried when I picked her up.
Then about 2 seconds later (after picking her up) when I asked her to say goodbye to her teacher, she returned to her normal voice and said, "Bye bye!" in her sweetest voice.
Oh well. She's fine, not traumatised. Thank God. :)
Cried when I picked her up.
Then about 2 seconds later (after picking her up) when I asked her to say goodbye to her teacher, she returned to her normal voice and said, "Bye bye!" in her sweetest voice.
Oh well. She's fine, not traumatised. Thank God. :)
Abby's Ninth Day of School
(Gosh, for a moment I couldn't decide whether it was nineth or ninth. Scary.)
Seems Abby was excited to go to school today! :) They had an exciting trip to school (a 1 minute drive) and she was happy throughout the whole time till she got to the 'checkpoint' where they checked the kids for life-threatening diseases. It was a differed teacher rostered today, so Abby got a little apprehensive. Thank God daddy intervened, and all was normal and she was back to her happy self. She didn't even look back to say goodbye to daddy when she followed Teacher J today. *heartbreak*
When I picked her up today, it was a totally different matter. She was sitting on her mattress just kinda stoning out and when she saw me, she started crying. She seemed like she was trying to control her emotions, but the dam broke when she saw me. Seems she was teary when Teacher J put her in a class led by an unfamiliar teacher today. So my darling koala clung even tighter to Teacher J. We'll try again tomorrow. :) Hope things will be better.
Seems Abby was excited to go to school today! :) They had an exciting trip to school (a 1 minute drive) and she was happy throughout the whole time till she got to the 'checkpoint' where they checked the kids for life-threatening diseases. It was a differed teacher rostered today, so Abby got a little apprehensive. Thank God daddy intervened, and all was normal and she was back to her happy self. She didn't even look back to say goodbye to daddy when she followed Teacher J today. *heartbreak*
When I picked her up today, it was a totally different matter. She was sitting on her mattress just kinda stoning out and when she saw me, she started crying. She seemed like she was trying to control her emotions, but the dam broke when she saw me. Seems she was teary when Teacher J put her in a class led by an unfamiliar teacher today. So my darling koala clung even tighter to Teacher J. We'll try again tomorrow. :) Hope things will be better.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Abby's Eighth Day of School
An sms from Ben this morning...
"...Abby didn't cry today even rather excited to go. She called out to a friend's name! So cute."
So cute indeed. Thank God she's starting to like the place! :) I hope she won't cry when she sees me later. It helps that we've been seeing daddy for lunch almost every day since school started! Woohoo! :)
*Update: When I picked her up today, she was asleep! Both of us are alike, such that we can only sleep in places we feel safe in. So that means she's beginning to accept her school! :) Also, the school's taking the kids to the zoo next week! And I get to go too! :) Teacher J invited me. :) Heh. Anyway, she didn't cry at all today, which is great news! :) Praise the Lord! :D
"...Abby didn't cry today even rather excited to go. She called out to a friend's name! So cute."
So cute indeed. Thank God she's starting to like the place! :) I hope she won't cry when she sees me later. It helps that we've been seeing daddy for lunch almost every day since school started! Woohoo! :)
*Update: When I picked her up today, she was asleep! Both of us are alike, such that we can only sleep in places we feel safe in. So that means she's beginning to accept her school! :) Also, the school's taking the kids to the zoo next week! And I get to go too! :) Teacher J invited me. :) Heh. Anyway, she didn't cry at all today, which is great news! :) Praise the Lord! :D
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Teachers' Investiture Ceremony 2006
I kinda gatecrashed today's ceremony. Although I asked Jeremiah, one of my good pals in NIE, for a ticket, I managed to get in without one. It was kinda troublesome getting the physical copy, so I told the ushers at the entrance that I had one, just that it's inside. No big deal, really.
As I witnessed the ceremony, many thoughts flooded my mind. At first when the teaching faculty marched into the auditorium in their gowns, there was supposedly this awe. But then Gulliver's Travels hit me. (Those who know the story may know what I'm referring to.) The strive for 'ribbons' seems like folly in the eyes of the reader - well, it was portrayed that way anyway. And I kinda saw the resemblance today. Well, it provided a kingdom perspective at that moment. To see the cohort in one uniform attire made it awesome, but to see different attires together kinda made it Gulliver's-Travel-like.
The valedictorian was a former groupmate when I was doing Diploma, and I had mixed feelings when I saw her there. She received many awards, and I felt that perhaps others could have been 'given a chance' as well. I don't really want to air what happened here, but all I know is, as I scan through the list of graduands, I felt that a lot of them worked really hard and put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
I was really touched by today's experience. I didn't have to be there, but I was. I was touched because many of my classmates today were graduating, and we might possibly not see each other again, or have that camaraderie we shared during our BA years. I was also touched because many of them showed their support and concern during my second pregnancy. One group - Suresh, Irda, Josephine and Subha - even offered to do my share in our group project and told me to focus on the pregnancy. For that, I offer my deepest appreciation. For Mrs Rosarita Teo who was my partner in Social Studies, she was extremely encouraging and is indeed a shining example who displays the professionalism and passion of an educator. I wished I could have a mentor like her when I graduate. I'm blessed to work with her. For Jeremiah - my Christian brother and same Chua clan brother, he encouraged me throughout my Diploma days to perservere and cross over together - I dream I didn't even dare to dream. He even lent me his notes and was great counsel and company during my dark days in NIE. For Phoebe, my Christian sister whom I could always rely on for a friendly face - she offered herself and her notes and most of all, showed me what humility really means. Same goes for Wendy, a dear sister-in-Christ who blossomed from a young Christian to a warrior for Christ. There have been many others who have extended their kindness to me, and me with less than perfect memory owes them a sincere thanks for their generosity. I have been humbled by all of them. I used to think that groupwork was less than ideal for fear of getting 'less than competent' group members. But through my incompetence, they have demonstrated grace for me to model after. Although I've had terrible experiences with coattail riders, the generosity and hardwork displayed has revealed the commendable spirit I thought was extinct. I am humbled by their industriousness and diligence - for all the effort they have put in to their studies and projects.
As I sat there, I was just so happy for each of them, so proud that they have all made it. Yet I also felt sad for those who felt that they hadn't met their own expectations, especially high scorers and award winners during the Diploma program. That additional pressure from previous results really doesn't help. As for me, I have one more semester to go, to enjoy before I venture out to the teaching world. Most of them strongly encouraged me to 'enjoy my last semester' having tasted a few weeks of teaching, and I will indeed cherish my last days in NIE. I've learnt that grades will be history, but friends made will create the past, accompany the present and hopefully still be around in the future.
Abby's Seventh Day of School
She didn't cry today when Ben dropped her off this morning! Ben prepared her by talking to her before they reached school, then she wanted to go see babies in the Infants' Room. But before that, she offered Hi-5s and goodbye to daddy as Teacher J picked her up. Then she asked Teacher J to take her to see the babies. Though she was slightly reluctant, she still managed herself well. Praise the Lord! :)
*Update: I picked her up from school today and she cried a little when she saw me. But when she had to bid farewell to her teacher, suddenly her voice went normal as she said, "Bye!" Overall, she enjoyed herself today! :)
*Update: I picked her up from school today and she cried a little when she saw me. But when she had to bid farewell to her teacher, suddenly her voice went normal as she said, "Bye!" Overall, she enjoyed herself today! :)
A Lovely Day
Abby went to school this morning with Daddy. She went to the toilet to wash and dry her hands on her own, and even said "HI!" to all her classmates and teachers when she saw them first thing in the morning. But, the waterworks started when Teacher J took over. Ben made his exit.
When I picked her up, she cried a little. Teacher J said she's been good, didn't cry until she saw me. That's quite an improvement. I plan to sneak in tomorrow to see for myself how she's doing. :)
After I picked her up today, we picked daddy up and went to Fork & Spoon for lunch. She wanted to "TRY!" our laksa Yong Tou Fu and we got her a chicken chop instead. She helped herself to the fries and ketchup. Oprah says that ketchup is good, so we give her ketchup. :P
Picked my bro up from camp and we had water play after that. She really enjoyed herself. Extended waterplay in the only bathtub in the home. Heh. :) She recognised HY Gugu and J kor kor and even chuckled when I asked her about them! :) Good sign. :)
Ranz enjoyed dinner thoroughly. Haven't seen him eat so heartily for a long time. Like what auntie mich says, it's very appetising seeing him eat. :) It made dinner really enjoyable.
The highlight of the day was when Mum came upstairs after picking Ranz up. She came upstairs to see her two darlings. After a while, we realised that Abby and Shalom were talking to each other!! It was really amazing! Abby was cooing to Shalom and he was responding really well! Guess what, that cheeky girl actually told her bro to "LOOK! MOOM!" And he actually did look up. Oh well. So much for teasing her. :P
The day ended with Ben and I having couch time in bed. Usually we'll chat and Abby will just rest soundly by listening to our conversation - just assured that her parents are fine and love each other. Now Shalom has joined her. :) We started talking after my bro and mum left when it was lights out, and both of them just slipped into lalaland while listening to our voices. We didn't pat, didn't have to coax them to sleep. Just by hearing the two of us share our day was enough to assure them that all is fine, that they didn't have to get the both of us together. Praise the Lord. It was awesome.
When I picked her up, she cried a little. Teacher J said she's been good, didn't cry until she saw me. That's quite an improvement. I plan to sneak in tomorrow to see for myself how she's doing. :)
After I picked her up today, we picked daddy up and went to Fork & Spoon for lunch. She wanted to "TRY!" our laksa Yong Tou Fu and we got her a chicken chop instead. She helped herself to the fries and ketchup. Oprah says that ketchup is good, so we give her ketchup. :P
Picked my bro up from camp and we had water play after that. She really enjoyed herself. Extended waterplay in the only bathtub in the home. Heh. :) She recognised HY Gugu and J kor kor and even chuckled when I asked her about them! :) Good sign. :)
Ranz enjoyed dinner thoroughly. Haven't seen him eat so heartily for a long time. Like what auntie mich says, it's very appetising seeing him eat. :) It made dinner really enjoyable.
The highlight of the day was when Mum came upstairs after picking Ranz up. She came upstairs to see her two darlings. After a while, we realised that Abby and Shalom were talking to each other!! It was really amazing! Abby was cooing to Shalom and he was responding really well! Guess what, that cheeky girl actually told her bro to "LOOK! MOOM!" And he actually did look up. Oh well. So much for teasing her. :P
The day ended with Ben and I having couch time in bed. Usually we'll chat and Abby will just rest soundly by listening to our conversation - just assured that her parents are fine and love each other. Now Shalom has joined her. :) We started talking after my bro and mum left when it was lights out, and both of them just slipped into lalaland while listening to our voices. We didn't pat, didn't have to coax them to sleep. Just by hearing the two of us share our day was enough to assure them that all is fine, that they didn't have to get the both of us together. Praise the Lord. It was awesome.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Shalom's Sleep & Sunday Activities
Abby 'slept through the night' when she was about 9weeks old. I can't really remember exact details (I think I didn't blog it) but I remember her 'stretching' the hours, i.e. wake up at 3am, then next night 4am, then next night 4.45am, etc... Then one night she didn't wake up till about 6am. I was so engorged I had to get up to pump, so that was when I realised, "Hey! She didn't wake up!"
Now, for Shalom, things have been a bit more relaxed. Until I don't really know what's happening. I intervened only recently after realised that he was still awake and being entertained at 11pm with full lights (coz "Zhi En likes looking at lights)!!! Argh. So after our dinner, I'll give Shalom a wipe down after his feed and Abby her bath (sometimes Lina will give her one) and then it's lights out around 8pm. So far, it's been good. Intervention took place because Abby started waking up at 10am in the mornings! Shalom also will wake up around that time. Usually Abby wakes up around 7.30am.
So with the adjusted bedtime, things are slightly more organised. Abby wakes up around 7.45am now for school. For Shalom, after he sleeps around 8pm, I'll give him a night feed at around 10-11pm, about 3hours after his last feed. Then he'll sleep and wake up around 3am for another feed. There was a period he was 'stretching the hours' then he stopped. However, he'll wake up around 5.30am exactly for another feed though yesterday was 6.30am, which I considered as the first feed of the day and worked wonderfully well for the Sunday schedule which looks something like this: (Sunday's madness!)
6.30am First feed
8am Bathe Shalom (Either Ben or I have to take our bath while the other gives Shalom one so that when Shalom's done, the clean one can entertain him until it's time to leave the house while the wet one will shower. Abby will be taken care of by Lina. Thank God.) Grab breakfast; either that or eat in the car which is awfully messy coz have to feed Shalom also.
9.30am Feed Shalom (usually one side if I don't pump, which I don't on Sundays anyway. If I pump, I'll give both sides. So it works out to be 2oz/3hrs each side or 4oz/6hrs one side. For my record.) Half-hour journey to church.
10.30amService starts. Shalom plays/sleeps. Abby stays with us through Praise & Worship. Children's church is perhaps geared to a slightly older-than-Abby crowd. Toddler group supposed to read verses off the board. A bit too complex for Abby at this stage. I'm just glad she can recognise her ABCs. I happy like bird already.
12.30pm Service ends. Feed Shalom in car. Ben 'tar-baos' lunch and we hide out at new place to eat. And play. And rest. Shalom naps. Then diaper/clothes change. He can't be carried upright after a feed. Otherwise his whole outfit will be drenched in puke. Argh.
3.15pmReach car by this time to leave for Suntec Aquaducks swim lesson. Knowing how we dilly dally, we end up later than scheduled. Argh. Ten minutes to load up car, ten minutes ride to Suntec (feed Shalom in car during this time), 20minutes to find parking lot, 2minutes to take lift to pool, 2.5 minutes to change into swimsuits, 30secs to get to pool and jump in.
4pmSwimming lesson begins. Abby has a whale of a time with mummy-whale.
4.30pmEnd of swimming lesson. Give Abby a shower and then shower myself.
5pmBreathe. Either we shop/run errands/regain our sanity or wait for further instructions for dinner. Possibly head down to wherever for dinner with my mum's family.
6.30pmFeed Shalom.
7pmHave dinner. Interact with family.
9pmLeave for home. Bid farewell. Abby knocks out in car.
9.30pmArrive home. Feed Shalom. Wipe down. Put both kids in bed. Ben rushes back to getting his work in order to catch up the lost weekend - or rather, lost 45 hours.
10pmMe-time. Go online. Take shower. Knock out. Be thankfully glad that it's still the holidays.
Now, for Shalom, things have been a bit more relaxed. Until I don't really know what's happening. I intervened only recently after realised that he was still awake and being entertained at 11pm with full lights (coz "Zhi En likes looking at lights)!!! Argh. So after our dinner, I'll give Shalom a wipe down after his feed and Abby her bath (sometimes Lina will give her one) and then it's lights out around 8pm. So far, it's been good. Intervention took place because Abby started waking up at 10am in the mornings! Shalom also will wake up around that time. Usually Abby wakes up around 7.30am.
So with the adjusted bedtime, things are slightly more organised. Abby wakes up around 7.45am now for school. For Shalom, after he sleeps around 8pm, I'll give him a night feed at around 10-11pm, about 3hours after his last feed. Then he'll sleep and wake up around 3am for another feed. There was a period he was 'stretching the hours' then he stopped. However, he'll wake up around 5.30am exactly for another feed though yesterday was 6.30am, which I considered as the first feed of the day and worked wonderfully well for the Sunday schedule which looks something like this: (Sunday's madness!)
6.30am First feed
8am Bathe Shalom (Either Ben or I have to take our bath while the other gives Shalom one so that when Shalom's done, the clean one can entertain him until it's time to leave the house while the wet one will shower. Abby will be taken care of by Lina. Thank God.) Grab breakfast; either that or eat in the car which is awfully messy coz have to feed Shalom also.
9.30am Feed Shalom (usually one side if I don't pump, which I don't on Sundays anyway. If I pump, I'll give both sides. So it works out to be 2oz/3hrs each side or 4oz/6hrs one side. For my record.) Half-hour journey to church.
10.30amService starts. Shalom plays/sleeps. Abby stays with us through Praise & Worship. Children's church is perhaps geared to a slightly older-than-Abby crowd. Toddler group supposed to read verses off the board. A bit too complex for Abby at this stage. I'm just glad she can recognise her ABCs. I happy like bird already.
12.30pm Service ends. Feed Shalom in car. Ben 'tar-baos' lunch and we hide out at new place to eat. And play. And rest. Shalom naps. Then diaper/clothes change. He can't be carried upright after a feed. Otherwise his whole outfit will be drenched in puke. Argh.
3.15pmReach car by this time to leave for Suntec Aquaducks swim lesson. Knowing how we dilly dally, we end up later than scheduled. Argh. Ten minutes to load up car, ten minutes ride to Suntec (feed Shalom in car during this time), 20minutes to find parking lot, 2minutes to take lift to pool, 2.5 minutes to change into swimsuits, 30secs to get to pool and jump in.
4pmSwimming lesson begins. Abby has a whale of a time with mummy-whale.
4.30pmEnd of swimming lesson. Give Abby a shower and then shower myself.
5pmBreathe. Either we shop/run errands/regain our sanity or wait for further instructions for dinner. Possibly head down to wherever for dinner with my mum's family.
6.30pmFeed Shalom.
7pmHave dinner. Interact with family.
9pmLeave for home. Bid farewell. Abby knocks out in car.
9.30pmArrive home. Feed Shalom. Wipe down. Put both kids in bed. Ben rushes back to getting his work in order to catch up the lost weekend - or rather, lost 45 hours.
10pmMe-time. Go online. Take shower. Knock out. Be thankfully glad that it's still the holidays.
Should I quit my job?
Since this is pretty popular, I thought I might try... but I dowan to quit leh!
| Your Job Dissatisfaction Level is 36% |
 Your job is not bad, but it's probably not a long term thing. You're just not happy enough to stick around for too long... And there's little that can change how you feel. Start looking around for other options, but only quit for something really good! |
Friday, July 07, 2006
A Typical Shalom Day
Have to record this before it gets lost in my mental whirlwind...
Shalom at 3months 3weeks
8am Punch mummy awake for direct feed. Sometimes will nap around 9plus, sometimes no nap. Bath by Granny around 10.30am.
11am Bottle Feed - 4oz. Any more and he throws up. He's been taking 4oz since discharge from hospital from jaundice. Usually when I pump I get about 8oz during this time, so one extra bottle for supply build up. Nap in granny's room.
2pm Direct or bottle feed - depends on whether I'm at home. Usually I am. Bottle feed if there are excess bottles of 2oz. Nap for a short while around 3plus, sometimes without.
5pm Direct feed or bottle feed. If I didn't direct feed at 2pm, I'll pump another 8oz, one to feed and another to store. Nap around 6plus, sometimes without.
8pm Direct feed, wipe down. Bedtime if I'm taking care. Otherwise he gets to decent quiet rest only after 11plus after loud tv in granny's room - after they are ready to part with him.
11pmSleep feed.
5am (Ideally, but sometimes he stirs around 3am... sigh. And will only go back to sleep via nursing.) Stir for feed.
He's supposed to get about 15hrs of sleep (10hrs of night time sleep and 5 hrs from 3naps). I think he does get them... just that he's pretty erratic, so perhaps if I add up on a weekly basis, he gets sufficient sleep. However, I need to go to bed earlier. Sometimes after dilly-dallying, I get to bed around 2am and can't sleep after that when he's fully awake at 8am.
OH. He's drooling like mad. I think I feel something hard on the lower jaw. End of painfree nursing. ARGH. The family is said to TEETHE VERY EARLY. WHY?????
Shalom at 3months 3weeks
8am Punch mummy awake for direct feed. Sometimes will nap around 9plus, sometimes no nap. Bath by Granny around 10.30am.
11am Bottle Feed - 4oz. Any more and he throws up. He's been taking 4oz since discharge from hospital from jaundice. Usually when I pump I get about 8oz during this time, so one extra bottle for supply build up. Nap in granny's room.
2pm Direct or bottle feed - depends on whether I'm at home. Usually I am. Bottle feed if there are excess bottles of 2oz. Nap for a short while around 3plus, sometimes without.
5pm Direct feed or bottle feed. If I didn't direct feed at 2pm, I'll pump another 8oz, one to feed and another to store. Nap around 6plus, sometimes without.
8pm Direct feed, wipe down. Bedtime if I'm taking care. Otherwise he gets to decent quiet rest only after 11plus after loud tv in granny's room - after they are ready to part with him.
11pmSleep feed.
5am (Ideally, but sometimes he stirs around 3am... sigh. And will only go back to sleep via nursing.) Stir for feed.
He's supposed to get about 15hrs of sleep (10hrs of night time sleep and 5 hrs from 3naps). I think he does get them... just that he's pretty erratic, so perhaps if I add up on a weekly basis, he gets sufficient sleep. However, I need to go to bed earlier. Sometimes after dilly-dallying, I get to bed around 2am and can't sleep after that when he's fully awake at 8am.
OH. He's drooling like mad. I think I feel something hard on the lower jaw. End of painfree nursing. ARGH. The family is said to TEETHE VERY EARLY. WHY?????
Abby Starts School
Today marks the fourth day of Abby going to school. It has been very eventful. Let me try to recall (before I fall asleep at the keyboard)...
Ben took leave to accompany Abby (and I) to school on the first day (Monday, 3rd July 2006). New green uniform with funky pink shoes (we didn't realise they didn't match the uniform - oversight on my part) with funky Hello Kitty schoolbag. The arrangement was for her to go halfday, which is from 7am to 1pm. We reached around 9am and was greeted with a health checkup to look for signs of HFMD and other illnesses. There were about 3 crying kids in the greeting area (all from the Play Group). Malay teacher (Teacher S) signaled for Chinese teacher (Mdm L) to take care of one of the crying kids while another one sat sobbing in her lap as she tried to read a story. Teacher J was trying to console another one. We then headed for the PG classroom.
The kids had to sit at the table and Mdm L had a very stressed looking face. She was trying to make the drink water and tried to sound friendly. But impatient. Lotsa impatience oozing out of her every pore. But she was trying to show restraint. Ben saw that I was horrified. I think she was stressed by our presence - a TEACHER and an MCYS OFFICIAL - as well as the 2 to 3 crying kids.
The classroom's decor's simple - nothing too fanciful. They are 'flexible' and don't normally follow the timetable. So they missed outdoor play on Mon and Tues. Also, typical activities include story-reading, puppet show, singing along to the tape recorder, brick-building and some other building set, colouring, pasting and painting (well, at least I witnessed these activities). It's quite impossible to get ALL the kids attending to the current activity, so another teacher would be at another 'station' conducting a different activity - typically hands-on stuff such as painting, colouring or pasting coloured paper on cats' faces by individual kids.
I didn't know Teacher J's face till much later. I got the sense that she seemed frightened of me. Really odd. In fact, it was only on the second day that we spoke. In fact, I was supposed to stay out the second day, but Abby cried so hard during my temporary departures that I had to return to class. In the end, I had about 3 kids on my lap as I read a book to Abby (she shoved one under my nose and asked me to read).
There came some point after the first day that Ben & I both wanted to take her out of school - partly because it was agonisingly boring for us - we were bored to tears and time passed really slowly, and also because Abby wasn't overly enthusiastic about it - not like her swimming sessions. However, we started to notice redeeming stuff which are making us change our minds.
Firstly, Teacher J is pretty soft-spoken and gentle. Though she seems terrified of Mdm L, she's really young and sweet. Abby doesn't like boisterious sounding people, so naturally Abby takes to her pretty well, which is good. Abby seems not to be able to appreciate Mdm L as well.
Secondly, about 80% of the kids in her class (there are about 10 of them, or even more actually) are really very advanced. They are not the 'brain-whiz' kind but in terms of independence, how well-adjusted they are, speech, confidence, etc, they are really impressive. They really remind me of kids in my P2/P3 classes. After Abby cried on the second day, one of them actually came up to me and said, "I never cry you know?" This, coming from a 2yr old plus girl. (The oldest is born in Jan. 04). They know how to go toilet themselves and do the whole routine and most of them are toilet trained. They also know how to put on their own shoes very quickly - like, now you see them barefeet, and suddenly they're heading towards the playground with shoes on their feet. Either I've been looking away for very long, or they are fast. Oh, and there's this girl, when it was time to go for lunch and shower (and they have to take their backpacks with them, know how to carry her own backpack without assistance! Some kids I know still need help in 'retrieving' the second shoulder strap!) One particular kid in the class, E. E., is like the GRO of the school. He's really cheeky and charming, and quite a no. of parents (of kids in older classes) know him. This place gives me the sense that everyone knows each other on pretty familiar terms! Really strange.
Anyway, most of Abby's playmates speak in sentences and it seems most of them 'graduated' from the infant care. They are one amazing lot of toddlers. LIke P2 P3 kids in miniature sizes. I can actually have conversations with them - in sentences.
Although Ben & I weren't overly impressed with the activities conducted, but whatever these kids have acquired reveal that ordinarily, the teachers, when not stressed, do have an enjoyable time with the lil' ones. Most kids are there on fullday care (Abby's one of the rare ones on halfday) coz it's only a $45 difference in monthly fees.
We realise that Abby's been really sheltered by the adults at home - she can't really feed herself very well yet, but after these few days in school, we can tell that she's encouraged to be independent just like her friends. She seems like one of the less independent ones although she's not the youngest. Her speech seems to have developed more, with more Subject-Verb-Object sentences.
Anyway, on the 3rd day of school, we weren't allowed to hang around, and I tried leaving at 9am. By 9.30am I couldn't take her persistent loudly wailing, so I told Mrs L (the P) that I was taking her back. Gosh, all my maternal instincts were flooding out and I was ready to claw out the eyes of the people who were making my baby cry. Me. The superly-overprotective parent. The night before, to prepare for the 'ordeal', I read an article online regarding Attachment Parenting's view on Separation Anxiety. The take-home message was: Listen to your instincts. So I did. Yet, after I took the bag and bottle from the teacher (with Abby sobbing in my arms), I put her down and tried to encourage to play at the school's playground. Soon, the kids from her class came out and all started playing with her at the playground. It then began to look promising. I disappeared, but she came looking for me about 3-5mins later, close to tears. The first time when I 'disappeared' at 9am, I was still at the school grounds and she cried continuously. Teacher S advised me to leave the compound coz she said the kids usually know that parent is still around. Poor Abby was trying to open the gates to get out of the place, crying, "Opem! Opem! MUMMY! Home!" Very heartbreaking. As for the second 'departure', I left and waited in the car. The crying ceased much faster and by the time I returned around an hour later, she was actually having a conversation with her friends during lunch! She was even willing to sit on the teacher's lap! (That's progress!) During my absence, the P called me and told me that Abby asked for milk (in the midst of her sobs). It was really strange as Abby doesn't drink milk anymore - she doesn't like ebm nor formula and drinks only UHT and not very much, about half a packet. So I got a six-pack for her and sneaked in to drop it off. The P must think that I really don't know my daughter.
Oh. MIL didn't realise that we're only allowed to be with her for the first two days (I was waiting in the car yesterday) so when Ben dropped Abby off at school today, MIL thought he was on leave and accompanied her. When I told her she was unaccompanied, she got quite worried and asked to go to the school. I was fine with it (I wanted to see how she was doing also) but told her that Ben was going to pick her up at 12.30pm, so Abby mustn't see granny acting like a commando, hiding behind the flight of stairs while standing on a kiddy chair. Some kid actually took the chair away from the commando granny later when he saw her standing on it. At least she can 'pang sim' and not bug me about going to see Abby in school. :) Actually she couldn't see much also coz Abby was out of sight.
When Ben & I picked Abby up, we saw her teary-eyed. But she was really happy to see us! Oh. Teacher J said that Abby seems to be running a slight fever, but perhaps it's caused by the crying. Or either that (IMO), it is because Abby accidentally took a sip from a water bottle who belonged to a green-mucused boy. Sigh. It was too late when I saw it. Now it gets even more challenging to stop Abby from sharing stuff with people who are not well. Which is expected in school. Now Abby's nose is runny. Oh, she took her MMR last Wed and supposedly may cause a raise in temperature 5-7 days later, but I think the side effects package doesn't come with runny nose. Oh well.
Anyway, we'll give school a two-week trial to see how well she can adjust. Her cousin took one month to settle down, so maybe two-weeks may still be too premature. Hope everything works out fine.
Ben took leave to accompany Abby (and I) to school on the first day (Monday, 3rd July 2006). New green uniform with funky pink shoes (we didn't realise they didn't match the uniform - oversight on my part) with funky Hello Kitty schoolbag. The arrangement was for her to go halfday, which is from 7am to 1pm. We reached around 9am and was greeted with a health checkup to look for signs of HFMD and other illnesses. There were about 3 crying kids in the greeting area (all from the Play Group). Malay teacher (Teacher S) signaled for Chinese teacher (Mdm L) to take care of one of the crying kids while another one sat sobbing in her lap as she tried to read a story. Teacher J was trying to console another one. We then headed for the PG classroom.
The kids had to sit at the table and Mdm L had a very stressed looking face. She was trying to make the drink water and tried to sound friendly. But impatient. Lotsa impatience oozing out of her every pore. But she was trying to show restraint. Ben saw that I was horrified. I think she was stressed by our presence - a TEACHER and an MCYS OFFICIAL - as well as the 2 to 3 crying kids.
The classroom's decor's simple - nothing too fanciful. They are 'flexible' and don't normally follow the timetable. So they missed outdoor play on Mon and Tues. Also, typical activities include story-reading, puppet show, singing along to the tape recorder, brick-building and some other building set, colouring, pasting and painting (well, at least I witnessed these activities). It's quite impossible to get ALL the kids attending to the current activity, so another teacher would be at another 'station' conducting a different activity - typically hands-on stuff such as painting, colouring or pasting coloured paper on cats' faces by individual kids.
I didn't know Teacher J's face till much later. I got the sense that she seemed frightened of me. Really odd. In fact, it was only on the second day that we spoke. In fact, I was supposed to stay out the second day, but Abby cried so hard during my temporary departures that I had to return to class. In the end, I had about 3 kids on my lap as I read a book to Abby (she shoved one under my nose and asked me to read).
There came some point after the first day that Ben & I both wanted to take her out of school - partly because it was agonisingly boring for us - we were bored to tears and time passed really slowly, and also because Abby wasn't overly enthusiastic about it - not like her swimming sessions. However, we started to notice redeeming stuff which are making us change our minds.
Firstly, Teacher J is pretty soft-spoken and gentle. Though she seems terrified of Mdm L, she's really young and sweet. Abby doesn't like boisterious sounding people, so naturally Abby takes to her pretty well, which is good. Abby seems not to be able to appreciate Mdm L as well.
Secondly, about 80% of the kids in her class (there are about 10 of them, or even more actually) are really very advanced. They are not the 'brain-whiz' kind but in terms of independence, how well-adjusted they are, speech, confidence, etc, they are really impressive. They really remind me of kids in my P2/P3 classes. After Abby cried on the second day, one of them actually came up to me and said, "I never cry you know?" This, coming from a 2yr old plus girl. (The oldest is born in Jan. 04). They know how to go toilet themselves and do the whole routine and most of them are toilet trained. They also know how to put on their own shoes very quickly - like, now you see them barefeet, and suddenly they're heading towards the playground with shoes on their feet. Either I've been looking away for very long, or they are fast. Oh, and there's this girl, when it was time to go for lunch and shower (and they have to take their backpacks with them, know how to carry her own backpack without assistance! Some kids I know still need help in 'retrieving' the second shoulder strap!) One particular kid in the class, E. E., is like the GRO of the school. He's really cheeky and charming, and quite a no. of parents (of kids in older classes) know him. This place gives me the sense that everyone knows each other on pretty familiar terms! Really strange.
Anyway, most of Abby's playmates speak in sentences and it seems most of them 'graduated' from the infant care. They are one amazing lot of toddlers. LIke P2 P3 kids in miniature sizes. I can actually have conversations with them - in sentences.
Although Ben & I weren't overly impressed with the activities conducted, but whatever these kids have acquired reveal that ordinarily, the teachers, when not stressed, do have an enjoyable time with the lil' ones. Most kids are there on fullday care (Abby's one of the rare ones on halfday) coz it's only a $45 difference in monthly fees.
We realise that Abby's been really sheltered by the adults at home - she can't really feed herself very well yet, but after these few days in school, we can tell that she's encouraged to be independent just like her friends. She seems like one of the less independent ones although she's not the youngest. Her speech seems to have developed more, with more Subject-Verb-Object sentences.
Anyway, on the 3rd day of school, we weren't allowed to hang around, and I tried leaving at 9am. By 9.30am I couldn't take her persistent loudly wailing, so I told Mrs L (the P) that I was taking her back. Gosh, all my maternal instincts were flooding out and I was ready to claw out the eyes of the people who were making my baby cry. Me. The superly-overprotective parent. The night before, to prepare for the 'ordeal', I read an article online regarding Attachment Parenting's view on Separation Anxiety. The take-home message was: Listen to your instincts. So I did. Yet, after I took the bag and bottle from the teacher (with Abby sobbing in my arms), I put her down and tried to encourage to play at the school's playground. Soon, the kids from her class came out and all started playing with her at the playground. It then began to look promising. I disappeared, but she came looking for me about 3-5mins later, close to tears. The first time when I 'disappeared' at 9am, I was still at the school grounds and she cried continuously. Teacher S advised me to leave the compound coz she said the kids usually know that parent is still around. Poor Abby was trying to open the gates to get out of the place, crying, "Opem! Opem! MUMMY! Home!" Very heartbreaking. As for the second 'departure', I left and waited in the car. The crying ceased much faster and by the time I returned around an hour later, she was actually having a conversation with her friends during lunch! She was even willing to sit on the teacher's lap! (That's progress!) During my absence, the P called me and told me that Abby asked for milk (in the midst of her sobs). It was really strange as Abby doesn't drink milk anymore - she doesn't like ebm nor formula and drinks only UHT and not very much, about half a packet. So I got a six-pack for her and sneaked in to drop it off. The P must think that I really don't know my daughter.
Oh. MIL didn't realise that we're only allowed to be with her for the first two days (I was waiting in the car yesterday) so when Ben dropped Abby off at school today, MIL thought he was on leave and accompanied her. When I told her she was unaccompanied, she got quite worried and asked to go to the school. I was fine with it (I wanted to see how she was doing also) but told her that Ben was going to pick her up at 12.30pm, so Abby mustn't see granny acting like a commando, hiding behind the flight of stairs while standing on a kiddy chair. Some kid actually took the chair away from the commando granny later when he saw her standing on it. At least she can 'pang sim' and not bug me about going to see Abby in school. :) Actually she couldn't see much also coz Abby was out of sight.
When Ben & I picked Abby up, we saw her teary-eyed. But she was really happy to see us! Oh. Teacher J said that Abby seems to be running a slight fever, but perhaps it's caused by the crying. Or either that (IMO), it is because Abby accidentally took a sip from a water bottle who belonged to a green-mucused boy. Sigh. It was too late when I saw it. Now it gets even more challenging to stop Abby from sharing stuff with people who are not well. Which is expected in school. Now Abby's nose is runny. Oh, she took her MMR last Wed and supposedly may cause a raise in temperature 5-7 days later, but I think the side effects package doesn't come with runny nose. Oh well.
Anyway, we'll give school a two-week trial to see how well she can adjust. Her cousin took one month to settle down, so maybe two-weeks may still be too premature. Hope everything works out fine.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Logging Abigail's Milestones @ 23 Months
Talking Milestones
What were the first dozen or so words your child said that you could understand?
Dada, airplane, mao-mao, gougou, bumblebee, ah-ma, gonggong, yeye, mummum, (s)tar, ball...
What are some of the most delightful mispronounced words your child has used?
Sigh, can't remember. Anyway, if she doesn't know how to say a word, she practically doesn't say it till she thinks she can say it. :P 'Seven' would be the closest - can't decipher how she says it. But really cute. :)
What's the most embarrassing thing your child has said in public to a stranger?
'Pump milk!' and proceeds to feed finger puppet or some toy. So far she's breastfed a lot of toys and many cups have been her pump.
Separation & Independence Milestones
What's the funniest thing your child has done to assert her independence?
Say 'Bu-yao!' in the cutest way ever. And carry her own backpack and put on her own hat. Then take off the backpack and hang it where she found it. Perfect. Now she can learn how to drive herself to school.
What's the most ambitious thing your child has ever tried to do on her own?
Cut her own nails. Scary.
What's your child's proudest accomplishment?
Fed herself in school today. Normally helper feeds her under grandmother's supervision, so can forget about self-feeding.
Self-care & Toilet Training
What are your child's favorite finger foods?
Not a picky eater. Eats almost anything, except for mushy stuff.
What's the funniest outfit your child has insisted on wearing?
None. She puts on whatever we choose.
What's the quirkiest thing your child's done in starting toilet training?
Mixes up pee and poop and calls everything 'Poo-Poo'.
What's your 2-year-old's proudest self-care accomplishment?
She can brush her own teeth and bathe herself! Includes hairwashing and bubbles all over body. :)
What were the first dozen or so words your child said that you could understand?
Dada, airplane, mao-mao, gougou, bumblebee, ah-ma, gonggong, yeye, mummum, (s)tar, ball...
What are some of the most delightful mispronounced words your child has used?
Sigh, can't remember. Anyway, if she doesn't know how to say a word, she practically doesn't say it till she thinks she can say it. :P 'Seven' would be the closest - can't decipher how she says it. But really cute. :)
What's the most embarrassing thing your child has said in public to a stranger?
'Pump milk!' and proceeds to feed finger puppet or some toy. So far she's breastfed a lot of toys and many cups have been her pump.
Separation & Independence Milestones
What's the funniest thing your child has done to assert her independence?
Say 'Bu-yao!' in the cutest way ever. And carry her own backpack and put on her own hat. Then take off the backpack and hang it where she found it. Perfect. Now she can learn how to drive herself to school.
What's the most ambitious thing your child has ever tried to do on her own?
Cut her own nails. Scary.
What's your child's proudest accomplishment?
Fed herself in school today. Normally helper feeds her under grandmother's supervision, so can forget about self-feeding.
Self-care & Toilet Training
What are your child's favorite finger foods?
Not a picky eater. Eats almost anything, except for mushy stuff.
What's the funniest outfit your child has insisted on wearing?
None. She puts on whatever we choose.
What's the quirkiest thing your child's done in starting toilet training?
Mixes up pee and poop and calls everything 'Poo-Poo'.
What's your 2-year-old's proudest self-care accomplishment?
She can brush her own teeth and bathe herself! Includes hairwashing and bubbles all over body. :)
My brain
| Your Brain is 47% Female, 53% Male |
 Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve |
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Communicating with Shalom
Perhaps it's mother's instincts, or that he's an excellent communicator, I can really communicate with Shalom. It's almost as if I can understand his whine/cry/yell. I really praise God for that - it really has reduced a lot of frustration. Today, after the swim class, I went to run an errand @ Carrefour. Ben told me later that Shalom was yelling his lungs out in the car. It wasn't his feeding time yet, that was why I thought I could run the errand. He'd stopped crying when I got back to the car, but when I carried him, he started crying again - the cry that said, "Where did you go mummy? I missed you terribly! Why did you not take me along and leave me behind instead?" Quite a heartbreaking cry - plus the tired cry. So I snuggled him close and he fell asleep almost instantly. That's one of the many incidents.
Another type is the hungry cry. Cries when hungry, and stops. Yells again when I'm about to feed him (like max a couple of minutes), as if to say, "where have you been? I'm hungry!" And then he suckles happily. Try taking him off halfway and it would seem like you've just unplugged the earphones off some music player playing loud music! :D
Although I've known him 'proper' for only about 3 months plus, the bond is very evident. It's amazing how they are able to communicate and I really thank God for such a joy in my life! Every morning, he wriggles and jabs me in the ribs unendingly, and when I wake up, he stops jabbing and just gives me such a HUGE SMILE! Very cheeky baby! :D He hates to lie down doing nothing and loves to explore. He loves talking to people, and I swear he said "Huh-low" twice this evening! :D He's just absolutely amazing. :) Praise God for Shalom. :D
Another type is the hungry cry. Cries when hungry, and stops. Yells again when I'm about to feed him (like max a couple of minutes), as if to say, "where have you been? I'm hungry!" And then he suckles happily. Try taking him off halfway and it would seem like you've just unplugged the earphones off some music player playing loud music! :D
Although I've known him 'proper' for only about 3 months plus, the bond is very evident. It's amazing how they are able to communicate and I really thank God for such a joy in my life! Every morning, he wriggles and jabs me in the ribs unendingly, and when I wake up, he stops jabbing and just gives me such a HUGE SMILE! Very cheeky baby! :D He hates to lie down doing nothing and loves to explore. He loves talking to people, and I swear he said "Huh-low" twice this evening! :D He's just absolutely amazing. :) Praise God for Shalom. :D
The Start of July
We went Suntec for Abby's trial swim with Aquaducks. She loved it! Kicked like never before and was terribly excited! It was thoroughly enjoyable! Best of all, she kinda liked Coach Ann! :D It's more affordable than the previous one and it doesn't feel like we're intruding into someone's home/office. :D Hmmm... now thinking if I should get another suit for her coz her bikini kept riding up her chest. But she doesn't really feel cold in the water, so I think there isn't a need to get the thermal suit - plus our current suits are MATCHING! :D Will still think about it. :D Places are limited, so hopefully we can get a decently timed slot on a weekend. :D
Oh, and tomorrow - Abby's startingschool playgroup! She's all ready, but her mommy's not there yet! :P Heh, actually my little girl has been parading around with her Hello Kitty haversack and pink hat - in front of the mirror! :D Really lovely girl. :) Hopefully it'll be a fun day tomorrow. :) Daddy's going with her! :D
Anyway, Abby turns 23 months today. My baby's growing up so fast! :D
Oh, and tomorrow - Abby's starting
Anyway, Abby turns 23 months today. My baby's growing up so fast! :D
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