16 Months On...

The lack of updates really is due to a combination of factors: nothing outta the ordinary to update, some days I just wanna sink into my couch and space out, and I landed myself a freelance job curating content for a local site. So am still trying to get a hang of it. So rather than writing for the sake of writing, here's some pictures to do the talking.

School Tour

Some of you might be aware that B is extremely shy in the presence of strangers - he will cling onto me tightly like a koala, and that means even when there are strangers at home.

I am worried for the day he needs to go to school and am trying to start him young to avoid any potential meltdown. I may be kiasu, but my intent is stemmed from trying to minimise any traumatic experience for him.

Whilst I have no intention to let him attend school until he's 3, I've been searching around for playgroups that I can attend with him, in hopes that he gets used to the school's "play and learn" concept. But then again, I doubt it will serve the purpose I had wanted it to. So I decided to check out schools instead, trying to understand how the preschool systems work and how we could potentially make his admission easier.

I toured a school recommended by an ex-colleague whom I trust a lot when it comes to making decisions regarding her kids. Turns out one of my ex-schoolmate sends her son there too. It was my first ever visit to a preschool and I did not know what to expect. So I turned to my mummies' group and asked the experienced ones what to look out for, questions to ask etc.

It was very interesting and B seemed genuinely curious and might even at one point seemed eager to join the kids. As we were walking around, I had a feeling B would do fine and I would be the one in a wreck. Having spoke to the administrator and had my questions answered, I think I am more confident now, as to how I will prep him. After all, he would be almost 3 by then.

I guess I still have some time to go seek recommendations and check schools out. Should be fun, except, the feeling is surreal. Looking for schools for my baby... I can't bear to think of it too much.

Deworming the Child

About one month back, my 6-year-old nephew had a somewhat severe case of worms. It started with constipation, then itchy anus and alas, worms coming out of his anus. I was thankful not to have witnessed it but my mum described it to me.

If you were like me before, I had never, ever heard of worms infestation. I mean, parasites yes, but I didn't know they actually crawled out of you. Some of you might be familiar with the term gam zek, I thought it meant the child was malnutrition, not absorbing the nutrients from food well. But well, worms infestation is the real deal.

I did a bit of reading and it seems some doctors recommend deworming your child every 6 months. While the medicine kills the adult worms in the body if indeed present, the eggs are not killed, hence the 6 months treatment. You can read more about deworming here.

B had his 15th month check up with Dr Z last Saturday, and I took the opportunity to ask if it was necessary to have him dewormed. For Dr Z's practice, he normally does not actively treat for worms unless there are signs of infection. But having heard B in contact with my nephew, he went ahead and treated him as a precautionary measure. The treatment was simple - only 1 dose of 5ml required, the remaining 5ml can be kept for 6 months later. And with that, DH and I felt somewhat relieved. I think its the psychological factor.

That said, I look forward to each pd visit (touchwood! Of course just for his routine checks and vaccine and not when he's ill, which we are so thankful his first year went by without falling ill. Please don't jinx this.) Still extremely shy, he "fought" with Dr when it was jab time, quite a funny scene, and again, the number of people needed to distract him was embarrassing. Even the doctor had to join in singing "The Wheels on the Bus".

I did learn something interesting from Dr Z. He was asking about B's vocabulary and if we had started reading to him. I boastfully yet embarrassedly replied I did that long ago, and got a approval nod and "good" from him. When we told him B even wanted to have a say in the choice of books we read, he said, "ok, but don't give him too much choices." It's good to let him practice making decision via selection of books, but do not give him too many freedom in doing so. Maximum 2 books. As in with clothes selection, do not make the mistake of letting them choose what to wear. Thankfully he doesnt have a say in what he's wearing, but the selection of books, we basically just let him go to the shelf and pick whatever he wants. An interesting perspective presented by Dr Z... we'll try to see if there's any difference when we adopt his method.

Things That Got Me Emotional This Morning

Since B started walking, things have changed. But there's one change that got me rather emotional - brushing his teeth.

When he was about 3 months old, I started using a finger brush to clean his gums, really hoping to start his oral hygiene young. Then when he had 4 teeth, I changed to a bristle brush with a fluoride free toothpaste. Every day, we brush his teeth while he's having his shower, twice a day. But this has since changed. Now, we let him stand on the ikea stool in front of the sink, brush his teeth and clean his face when he wakes in the morning. This simple act, brings about an overwhelming - it signifies my baby has grown.

Him going to nap on his own made me happier. B and I had come a long way with his sleeping/napping schedule. I guess hanging on was worth it.

Don't Rob My Son Of His Babyhood

Today's post is written entirely with my heart, not too much of my brain, i.e. written under extremely emotional circumstance.

Everything about my son is perfect. I bet every mothers feel the same about their child. Can you blame them? They spent almost 40 weeks carrying the little being in them, worrying about whether their uterus is providing them a conducive growth environment, worrying about whether they are growing well enough, fast enough, good enough.

Define enough.

Sure they are the guidelines set by the international healthcare industry. At 16 gestational weeks, the baby is supposed to be this length and weight. At 32 gestational weeks, baby is supposed to be growing and moving at this rate. At 4 weeks old, newborn baby should be 1kg heavier than their birth weight. At 6 months, babies should expect to see teeth sprouting out. At 9 months, baby should be able to... ... ... ...

You get the gist. Even before they are born, they are expected to do/perform something. No pressure.

I fall into the trap too. I read about what are some of the milestones baby are/can/maybe able to do at a certain age. And each time I read about the stage B is in, I give myself an internal pat. B is doing exactly what babies his age are doing, in fact, even earlier, more advanced etc.

But then it comes to walking.

He started cruising when he was about 10 months old. But because he's so fast, and I mean really fast at crawling, I don't think he has any incentive to walk. Either that, or his little body is just not ready. Sure, all of his peers have started walking long ago. But truth be told, I am not worried or bothered because having spend 24/7 with him, I know where he's at. Even the pd is not worried having seen him in action.

That said, over the last 3 weeks, he's been walking. Taking independent steps. But I realised the problem with him is - he wants speed. Instead of taking slow, steady steps, he rushes through and as though he's running. Typically example of 还没学走要学跑。(translation: learning to run before mastering walk). But he stands, squats and walks pretty well. I guess he just prefers to crawl? I'm not sure.

Today, after having one glorious hour of the entire of Petite Park to ourselves, this PRC mother and his Singaporean husband came in with their 18 months old daughter. How did I know she's 18months? Her mother made sure I knew. It all started cordially, when they were very amazed at how fast B was crawling. Then the hubby asked, "how old is he?"

"15 months".

Silence.

Wife: 多大了？(How old is he?)
Husband: 15 月 (15 months)
Wife: 15月还不会走路？那他很迟走。我看要等18月才能走了 (Still can't walk at 15 months? Wow, he's a slow walker. I think he will only walk at 18 months).

At this point, the hubby was a little embarrassed and I was taken aback. B decided to at that point stand up and walked over to me.

Sure, what she said was true. My boy is a late walker.

But, so?

Not wanting to be in their presence anymore, I carried B and left the place. But as I was driving home, I got really mad. Why is a stranger making such a comment? My son is so innocent, and the over protective mother in me got really really upset that he had to be the recipient of such comment.

Then I realised, especially lately with the Primary 1 registration anxiety, society is as such. People tend to compare whether consciously or not. I bet I do that unknowingly too.

But all I ask for, especially from a fellow mother, is please refrain from insensitive remarks and don't rob my son of his rights as a baby.

Singapore Mom Bloggers

Over the years, I have blogged on various platforms to document the different stages of my life. The two most important stages were when I was preparing for our wedding in October 2006 and then of course, preparing for the arrival of B.

It is through blogging that I learned much from others, and also got to know friends like Karen whom we have both gone through similar life stages together.

Today, I am pleased to share I am a member of the Singapore Mom Bloggers - where a group of mummies come together and share our parenting experiences.

I am inspired by how some FTWMs can juggle work-life balance, and how SAHMs can make the best use of their time at home with their children, being a mother to their children and a loving wife to their husband. I too, hope to be able to bring some personal experience to share with all.

Singapore, My Home

Granted, the title is a little cheesy. But I am a true blue Singaporean and proud to be one. Well, maybe proud of my country but at many times turned off by my so-called fellow Singaporeans.

Anyway, today's post is inspired by our national anthem, Majulah Singapura.

You see, lately, Master B has decided to have a say in his lullabies. 10 seconds into a song he chose he decided he wants another. So much so I have ran out of kiddy songs and somehow I decided our national anthem might just do the work. It is soooo s..l..o...w. Turned out it worked. So today I decided to do it again, and it worked again. Then I started singing all the "old" national songs we used to sing and practice in school. "Count on me, Singapore", "Singapore Town", "One People, One Nation, One Singapore", "We Are Singapore".

"We Are Singapore" is one of my favourites, amongst many others. And as I was singing this to B, tears welled. Surprise surprise. We are talking about the Queen of Crying here. But it dawned on me, no doubt not the first time, how far indeed, Singapore has came along.

There was a time, where people said that Singapore, won't make it, but we did.
There was a time, where troubles seemed too much for us to take it, but we did.
We built a nation, strong and free
Reaching out together, for peace and harmony.

This is my country
This is my flag
This is my future
This is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans

Argh, even as I typed this, I get the goosebumps.

Well, I may not be the pioneer generation. Nor have I gone through those said difficult times. But I have heard from my parents and grandparents first-hand encounters, I have read about it and more importantly, I am proud of where we are today. As a young, small and vulnerable nation, we have accomplished much. Not wanting to compare or diss other countries, but there are other nations out there with far more natural resources, stronger, deeper history than us, who are no where near us. That, we have to be thankful of what we have today.

Sure, there are much to gripe about. But gripes, complaints, grievances exist every where. Every country and government has their own issues, pros and cons. That, to my fellow Singaporeans, I say:

Stand up, for Singapore
Do the best you can
Reach out for your fellow men
You've got to make a stand
Recognise you can play your part
Let it come right from your heart
Be prepared to give a little more
Stand up, stand up for Singapore.

I once wrote a letter to the PM (yes I did!) after the Punggol East by-election. And you know what? It was forwarded to the Minister of Culture, Community and Youth and we exchanged a few emails. His ending words to me? "Do your part for Singapore, be louder than the opposition supporters in the social media platform. Do whatever you can to speak up for the people who share the same views as you".

I try. :)