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Plonked her on my lap in front of the computer and she was happily "typing" away. Its total rubbish but its still going to be filed away together with her other "firsts" :oD
This is what happened on Wednesday T.T
So now I am nursing a VERY bruised thumb.
And if there is ever a time where I wondered what other uses the thumb has besides being a pacifier, there is no better time than now to fully appreciate the "supporting" role my thumb has played in my life.
Within the day, I realised that there are so MANY things I could not do PROPERLY without my thumb:
1. go to the toilet
2. dressing/undressing (basically anything that has to do with zips, buttons and hooks)
3. brush my teeth
4. take a bath / wash my hair
5. turn a key (in the car's ingnition / to unlock the door)
6. sling my bag on my shoulder
7. pick up things (which also includes Janine T.T)
8. take anything out of something
9. use a knife to cut something
10. tie a ribbon
And the list goes on...
I guess it is especially more difficult since I am RIGHT-HANDED and it was my RIGHT thumb that got slammed. Sigh...I am just hoping that the nail won't drop off, but i think that's wishful thinking ;oP
Janine came down with a fever on Friday. And this fever was different from her other fevers. This fever made her very LISTLESS. She didn't want to play, she had no appetite, she was moody...all she wanted to do was to lie on your stomach and watch TV. She was totally out of character.
Then on Sunday, small patches of pink started appearing on her stomach, especially the area around her waist. And I think they were itchy too cos she kept tugging and scratching her diaper, which got her even more frustrated and moody @.@
The last time Janine ran a high fever and subsequently broke out in rashes, we found out from her pediatrician that it was roseola infantum (yes they actually have a name for the viral attack). This time it could be the same thing, so I shouldn't be to worried right? Wrong! Why? It may be MEASLES or RUBELLA!!! or maybe a reaction from her last immunization jab?! So??? Well, honestly in any other circumstances I wouldn't be kicking a fuss, but my very PREGNANT church friend Joyce carried (read: was in VERY CLOSE CONTACT with) Janine on Sunday morning. If Janine has measles or if this is a reaction from the MMR jab, would Joyce and baby be at risk?? ARGH! @.@
So, for the next 24 hours before KY brought her to the doctor, I was somewhat distressed. I did some searching on the internet (oh blessed internet!) and I found out that:
1. Any reaction to the MMR jab would be within the FIRST TWO WEEKS. Janine had her jab MORE THAN A MONTH AGO. So not possible that this is a reaction to the MMR.
2. The child who received an MMR immunisation is not contagious. Yes, even right after the shot. So other children who play with her are not at risk of being infected. So if u extrapolate it, pregnant women (especailly the ones who already had their MMR shots) who carry her are not at risk.
3. An MMR immunisation shot is SUPPOSE to help PREVENT measles/mumps/rubella. Duh!
4. Rashes developed from measles/rubella don't look like that.
5. A child having measles would also have watery eyes, cough and rashes that START FROM THE FACE. Janine wasn't exhibiting any of these symptoms.
So if her fever and rashes is not due to the MMR jab, or measles/rubella for that matter, then WHAT in tarnation is the cause of this??!!! Well, I have my theories:
1. Flu. Naaah...altough she DOES get feverish, but it is ALWAYS accompanied by runny noses. No runny noses so can't be flu.
2. Heat rash. Then what about the fever?
3. Teething. Ok, this would explain the fever but does teething give u rashes??? ABSURD!!
4. Food allergy. Possible. I remember feeding her some rice that was "tainted" with rice wine (from the chicken wine dish KY's mom cooked) which I had on Saturday night. Maybe she is allergic to ALCOHOL? But logically, any alcohol in the chicken would have EVAPORATED during the cooking process. However, while it explains the rashes, it doesn't explain the fever.
5. The fever and rashes are not related. So maybe its combination of theory 2, 3 and 4?
The only way to find out (and appease this paranoid mother) was to seek EXPERT advice. According to the KY, the good doctor took one look at her rashes and declared "VIRAL!" (again!). Not roseola this time but the FLU VIRAL @.@. Huh????Apparently, in some cases, instead of the usual runny nose and hacking cough, the virus can also manifest itself in the form of rashes. Which is really MUCH better cos then we don't have to deal with all the mucus and even more grumpiness.
So THANK GOD! Janine 100% does NOT have measles! and she won't have to suffer all the yucky flu symptoms ;o) and she is back to running all over the place and climbing to places she is not suppose to climb to.
Seeing is believing! Check this out ---> pinkprankproject
Some people can be so bored! But, I must hand it to them, the end result was rather pretty. Haha...But maybe instead of going with the pink look and utilising A LOT of expensive pink paper (203m!!!!), we might try a black and white version instead with NEWSPAPERS! ;oP
"Dear friends, since God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another."
~ 1 John 4:11
The cute little boy, by the way, is 2-year-old plus Caleb son of Ben and Gen, who unabashedly gave Janine a bear hug...two actually so I could catch it digitally. Adorable ;o)
BOO!
Janine's new "hiding place". It used to be my favourite too when once upon a time I was actually small enough to weave myself around, through, under and over those very same table legs ;o)
Nights at our place can get pretty chilly. Sometimes, as KY puts it, it seems as if the air-conditioning is turned on. Being natives in sunny balmy Singapore, cool 20 degrees kind of weather or sorts offers us some reprieve from the heat and humidity. And provides me with the perfect excuse to let Janine sleep in the same bed as us so the three of us can get nice and cosy under the covers ;o)
Its really nice cuddling a deliciously warm bundle that smells babyishly sweet while the cool night breeze wafts in through our bedroom window, lulling us into deep sleep and sweet dreams...well, that is until Janine starts doing acrobatics in her sleep and we are rudely awaken by either a kick in the face/side or a heavy head landing rather painfully on the face/chest/other parts of your body.
This is a no brainer. Its painfully lame but u keep watching just to see the outcome ;oP Trust the Japanese to come up with something like this. I do hope Singapore doesn't attempt to copy it in ANY way. That would be suicide @.@
Here are 3 Cs that Janine hates...
1. Changing.
Once she learnt how to flip over from back to stomach, she would protest whenever we had to change her. She used to start howling the minute we lay her on our bed to diaper her, and then squirm this way and that to escape from our grip. We use to marvel at how one SMALL baby needed THREE people to diaper - one to hold her, another to entertain her and yet another to slap the diaper on.
Everytime we went out, I would pray very hard that she doesn't decide to let go a big one because that would mean I would end up having to "fight" with her on the changing table in the PUBLIC toilets (if there was one). People must think I pinched her or abused her in some way by the way she would scream and cry @.@
But the changing fiasco has since improved greatly. Maybe because we would dangle toys for her to play or maybe because of all the funny faces we pull at her or maybe because she is more self aware and takes an interest in what we are doing to her, in any case, at least now she doesn't put up a fight (unless she is sleepy or just being plain cheeky).
2. Her high Chair.
Ah...this is the place Janine probably does a lot of acrobatics on. Place her in her chair and she climbs out almost immediately. Fasten the safety belt around her but she STILL manages to wiggle free and stand rather triumphantly on top of her chair. And this is just the appetiser before the main course - feeding her in her high chair.
As if feeding her wasn't a challenge enough, we have to (literally) juggle holding her bowl of porridge, her spoon laden with food, a toy to distract her, a piece of fruit to entice her to open her mouth while at the same time trying to stop her from putting her leg up or standing up in her chair or sliding down to escape her tormentors and having to endure the whimperings, screams, crying or whinings.
But thankfully, there ARE days where we get some respite. Some days she is so cooperative that lunch time is done in half an hour with not much protest from her and pleadings from us. And ever since we discovered the wonders of TV, the mealtime battles are slowly becomeing a thing of the past ;oP Nowadays, I plop her down in front of the TV, turn on her favourite programme (Jay Jay) and feed her. And its a breeze! Much as I would like her to NOT become a TV addict (like me), this is like the one method that hasn't failed me yet. So until we discover another better way, we are sticking to it! ;oP
3. Her Car seat.
She hates it with a passion. And so do we because of the tantrums that almost always ensue. The minute her bum touches the seat, she will arch her back and twist this way and all the while screaming her lungs out. Even after we (with much difficulty) managed to strap her in, she will still struggle, wiggle and scream. Sometimes she can be quite the escape artist too by successfully wiggling out of her straps and then dangling rather precariously at the edge of her seat, threathening to either bumb her head on the dashboard or toppling her car seat on top of her @.@
In any case, it's her incessant howling that drives us batty. At one point of time, KY would whip out ear plugs (present from my cousin Liz) EVERYTIME we went on a car trip with Janine because her whimpering always escalates to shrieking. Then he bought those noise cancellation earphones which help drown out some of the screaming while at the same time delivering SOOTHING music so that he can concentrate while he drives. It works for him. In the meantime, the rest of the passengers (me and/or our helper or anyone else) just endure and count the seconds to the end of the ride. Sometimes I manage to zone out. MOST times , I have to exercise every shred of self control in me to not cave in to the screaming and carry her out of the seat to save my sanity. We always come out of our car rides with Janine a little deafer.
In the recent months, her aversion to her car seat had gotten better. She could actually entertain herself with whatever toys we had on hand in the car and we didn't have to put up too much of a song and dance for her to distract her during the trip. But, like every other thing that involves children, she throws us a curve ball and we are left totally stumped.
Just when we thought we can dump our earphones/ear plugs, her raving ways return with a vengence. NOTHING could distract or keep her quiet. We dangle toys, sing songs, point to "interesting" things outside the car...All to NO avail. Out of desperation, I give her my hand (my WHOLE arm even)for her to squeeze, scratch, , pinch, hug...it leaves me sitting in the most uncomfortable position but as long as it will comfort her and keep her quiet, why not?! But while it may work the first few times, the novelty wears off and we are left (once again) with a baby siren!
Last Sunday was probably the hay that broke the camel's back. She started bawling out of the blue while her Mama (KY's mom) was driving all of us (KY, KY's dad, myself) to T2 for lunch to celebrate Father's Day. Her poor Mama was so concerned that several times during the ride she took her eyes off the road to glance at Janine. Then, in the evening, she was howling and screaming ALL THE WAY HOME IN THE CAR! Enough was enough.
KY and I, while we love Janine to bits, are firm believers that sparing the rod will spoil the child. So when we reached home, her Papa delivered 2 smart whacks on her thigh with his bamboo back scratcher, one stroke for each time she misbehaved. For the first time in 16 months, the girl gets a taste of the rotan . Naturally, she howled. It breaks my heart to hear her cry so pitiously, but the thought of having Janine grow up into a possibly unruly, ill-discipline, rude and demanding little girl pains me even more.
After her brief encounter with the rotan, KY patiently and lovingly explained and reasoned with her why she was being punished and then after getting her to say "sorry" to us, hugged, kissed and reassured her that we love her. So kudos to KY ;o) I think he will do a better job at this disciplining business. I may have just whack and leave her to cry while I stew in my anger at my ill-behaved child.
Sigh...I really don't know how much of this episode she understood, but I hope she learns fast...otherwise she may soon learn to hate another C - the CANE. @.@
A Little Girl Needs Daddy
A little girl needs Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding her high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!
Like being the deep music
That tells her all is right
When she awakens frantic with
The terrors of the night.
Like being the great mountain
That rises in her heart
And shows her how she might get home
When all else falls apart.
Like giving her the love
That is her sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
She'll always find him there.
~Author Unknown~
To our papas...
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
WE LOVE YOU!
Since the school holidays have started, KY now stays at home and 'jaga' the little girl. And he has been having a splashing good time bringing her to the pool in our condo for a morning swim almost everyday! ;o)
From when she was 6 months old (once she could support herself in a sitting position), we would bring her for a quick dip in the pool every now and then during the blessed weekends. Of course she was scared of the water initially. See that worried look on her face as she sits in her baby float?
Now she just LOVES splashing about in the water and will put up a 'fight' when its time to go home. Don't try running water down her face too. She will scream big time. Into your ear. (Ouch!) @.@
Anyway, ever since we 'promoted' her from her ring float to arm floats a couple of weeks ago, she has been having even more fun climbing out of the pool, jumping back in again, climbing out, jumping in...she definitely prefers the arm floats...gives her more movement and freedom. And it also gives KY the opportunity to teach her to swim! Here's her 'progress' so far ;oD
Shermaine - Many thanks for your present! We have had so much fun with it ;o)
Somtimes I wonder whether I am bringing up a child or putting a puppy (for example) through obediance school.
I catch myself barking out orders at Janine like "Sit down!", "Stop that!", "Quiet!, "Sleep!", "Eat your food!", "Come down here!", "NO!"
And sometimes, for amusement sake, I get her to do 'tricks' like "dance" , "kiss Mommy/Papa/Mama/etc", "clap our hands", "wave bye bye", "flying kiss", etc...
I might as well throw in "roll over", "heel", "fetch", "stay" (now that would be a good one!)...to complete the repertoire ;oP
Not to mention the many times where we either had to pull/drag her away from dangerous spots (like stairs, the edge of the pool, something yucky on the ground) or be pulled/dragged/spun in circles when we bring her for a walk cos she is always running off in the wrong direction.
@.@
It's one of those yucky things that being parents you know you have to deal with which you hear or read about and, while sometimes the stories may be funny, you hope it doesn't ever happen to you (but of cos that is wishful thinking on my part).
Well, Janine regurgitated part of her breakfast down her front and onto her car seat while KY was driving me to work this morning. And boy, was it a glorious mess! @.@
Earlier on, I had been passing fairly big pieces of bread (her breakfast) to her to munch during the car ride and the girl was busy cramming the pieces into her mouth. And here I was thinking what a fast eater she was becoming.
Usually, this girl of mine, be it a big piece of bread, cracker, biscuit or whatever, she would have the sense to hold it in her hands and slowly munch and nibble at the snack. However, of late she seems to have developed a chipmunk mentality.
She would either take a mouthful of the food, leave it in her mouth and then take ANOTHER mouthful and leave that in her mouth. This goes on until there is simply no more space in her mouth and she would then proceed to throw out everything. Or she would just simply shove the WHOLE piece into her mouth, even if it's bigger than what she can manage and then she would start gagging and eventually, whatever was shoved in comes back out again. @.@
She did the same thing last night while we were out celebrating Dawn's birthday at Hog's Breath @ Vivo City. Fortunately, I had an extra change of clothes for her ready for when something like this happens.
Sigh...
Maybe she thinks the food will somehow dissolve in her mouth without her having to chew or swallow it. Or maybe eating is just such a chore she prefers to get it over and done with by taking huge mouthfuls and hope we don't bug her with another one. It's definitely not because she loves to eat. We STILL have to trick, bargain, camouflage, distract her into finishing her bowl of porridge. (Ok, to her credit, her eating habits ARE improving. Feeding times have been less of a battle in last few weeks).
Oh well, all in a days work I suppose ;oP
We got her and her car seat decently cleaned up when we got to my office. At least she won't be sitting in or smearing the interior of the car with puke (EEEEeeeew!). But the car and her parents still hint of the smell of barf. Please no one be sitting in our car or giving me a hug today until I get our helper to work her cleaning magic on us!
This morning was the FIRST time I left my precious daughter in the care of someone else other than her grandparents.
Ok it was probably only for 25 minutes (the time it would take for KY to send me to work and fly back home) but for this control freak paranoid mother, that's a painful 25 minutes not being able to keep a hawk eye on the little one and our new helper who is minding her.
I was also wrought with worry about what would happen if, the minute we step out of the door, Janine wakes up and finds not only her mommy, but her papa missing as well?? Will she feel abandoned? Even more insecure? Will she bawl her head off and be inconsolable until one of us comes back? Will such a behaviour frazzle our helper and drive her to do things to Janine out of desperation??? Eeeeps!!
Even though every step away from the front door got easier, I was still feeling a tad angsty and oh so helpless. Talk about having to cast your cares on Him and trust Him to take charge of the whole situation! That was the ONLY thing I could do as sat in the car on the way to work.
Well, THANK GOD the little girl slept peacefully right through until her Papa returned home. This anxious mother can breathe easier as her trust in God grows a little stronger ;o)
The weather has been so hot and humid lately. To deal with the heat, my hair would almost constantly be tied up into a ponytail. But the fly away ends and baby hairs sticking up all over the place just kills me. Everytime I look into the mirror I see an Ah Soh. Enough was enough! So on Sunday, I marched into the hairdressers and chopped off a few inches.
Ahhhhhhh...
I like the new do. Its short and fresh, and best of all, its a time saver! Now I don't have to waste time fussing over my hair on bad hair days (which is like almost every day). And KY loves the fact that it also means his wife is finally spending less time in the bathroom (shampooing, conditioning, drying, whatever), but I think he is a little disappointed as well because it also means less time on the computer for him since he claims he only plays when I am in the shower ;op (Hah!)
But there are some things about this short bob that I don't fancy. For one, it means I would have to put aside all my pretty clips and other hair accessories. For another, it reminds me of the bad hair cut I once had in JC which had me looking like a boy and then (because it's so thick and frizzy) a mushroom head when it was growing out @.@
Hmmmm...just as I was beginning to wonder if this hair cut was a good move, I had this rather candid exchange with Janine before putting her to bed...
Janine : *pointing at my face* cut! cut!
Me : ya...mummy cut her hair. Nice?
Janine :*after a shot pause* NIIIICE!
:o)
So I guess this trim isn't too bad lah!
(KY got a hair cut (by me) too. Looking very handsome if I might say so myself *ahem*. The only person in the family who didn't get a hair cut was Janine. And she definitely won't be getting one anytime soon. That's cos, since she was born, her mommy simply refuses to cut a single strand of hair from her head and she intends to keep it that way for until dunno when ;oP its madness but her mommy is just too too too sentimental for her own good.)
