Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

She may not appreciate this shot in ten years time, but I’m going to put this up anyway *hehe* BECAUSE of two main reasons :

1. This is the only period in her life when she would smile and look like THIS =)

2. Anya has been AMAZINGLY ‘good’ these past 3 days! I’m SOOO very much loving her company! *And I’d like to have this on record!*

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You see, Anya is one individual who’s quite a perfectionist.

Since she’s little, she observes, she expects highly of other people, she’s not easily pleased, she pays attention to details and so she’s easily annoyed if things don’t go according to what she hopes or imagines them to be.

And now that she’s seven, she’s even more capable of voicing out her unhappiness about the world around her.

Oh yes. My patience level is greatly tested everyday.

Many times it’s not about feeling mad actually. It’s more about feeling sad when I note her train of thoughts, see her actions or hear her responses.

Her overall negative attitude towards life often numbs my mind. Sometimes it drives me up the wall. It often makes me feel speechless and hopeless too, like I have failed in parenting her.

Yes we teach her the importance of being grateful since she’s very little.

I share with her how a grateful attitude towards life and everything springs naturally from the heart, and when there’s gratefulness towards life’s countless blessings, there is naturally no room for complaints.

I tell her too that we can only have such a joyful, grateful heart if God changes us. When Jesus Christ is in our life, HE can change us to be a better person inside out.

I share how unless God works in her life, there’s absolutely nothing that anyone can do – not me, not Daddy, not anybody –  that can change her.

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Anya seems like a different person though since some three days ago.

It feels like I have a different daughter!

I mean, I pick her up from school and I don’t see unhappiness, sulkiness nor rudeness in her.

As I walk down the road with her, I look at her, I listen and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow! We can actually have a conversation without any frowns on her face nor unhappy tones in her voice today! I’m so enjoying this!’

I’m pleased. Very pleased. And I tell her about it too.

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Well, frankly, while I’m enjoying all this, day by day, I realise I must not expect it to continue this way ‘all the time’. Because she’s after all only SEVEN years old, and just like all of us, she’s still in the process of changing and learning, and growing up.

Just as much as it’s not easy for us parents, it sure is not easy for her too.

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Anya,

When you read this years from today, know that you’re very much loved by all of us. From day one. And I look forward to seeing how God wonderfully works in you and through you.

You’re in my prayers always.

Someone (a parent of 2 small babies) said to me the other day, ‘Oh, it’s so nice that Anya and Vai are older now. They don’t need much physical care and you can get your good night sleep! Can’t wait for my kids to grow up fast!’

I smiled.

Now that I have a small baby and two older kids, I kinda have my personal opinion on this, I guess.

I casually said to him, ‘Parents of small babies are generally physically drained. Parents of older kids may not be as physically tired everyday, but they are more likely to be … mentally and emotionally drained instead’ =)

[10-week old Brie]

I don’t know if it’s because I care for two older kids at the same now that I feel caring for a small baby like Brie is SO much easier.

I mean, small babies mostly cry, drink, pee, poop, smile, coo and sleep. They may ask for feeds frequently (making you pretty much sleep-deprived and physically tired), BUT I must say, I personally don’t mind that at all.

Because as demanding as healthy small babies may be, to me they at least don’t :

– complain or sulk
– question your decisions and intentionally disobey
– talk back or be verbally rude

=)

So, frankly, I’m now just ‘enjoying my moments with my kids’. At whatever age they are now.

I’m enjoying Brie as a small baby, and I don’t wish for her to grow fast.

I’m also enjoying Anya and Vai (who are 7yo and soon-to-be 5yo) as much as I can now, because although they do give me difficult moments everyday, it is possible to communicate with each other when they’ve reached this age. They can help around (though not always willingly =) and they’re pretty much independent by now.

And, one good thing about kids their age is, they do still come to me (even after they’ve been disciplined for their misbehaviour) and that they want TO BE WITH me =) We still go out as a family ALL THE TIME, and they still want to be cuddled, kissed, and hugged.

(Read: They don’t talk on the phone with their friends for hours. And, they don’t tell me, “Mom, can I skip the family dinner tonight because I wanna catch a movie with my friends!”

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Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, bigger kids, teenagers.

I tell myself that each and every growing up phase will have its own sets of ups and downs that we parents will face.

It’s all part and parcel of being a parent.

I also tell myself that (however difficult my situations with the older kids may sometimes get), I really should NOT wish for my kids to be in a different growing up phase than what they actually are in right now.

Because they will grow up. Fast.

Time will pass.

And, I tell myself that I should always treasure my moments with them.

That I should be grateful to God for the one little baby and two older kiddos I have in our family, RIGHT NOW.

One of the things that has been ‘missing’ from our little home is our arts and crafts time.

Anya is in Primary 1 this year, and that means she most likely has homework to finish or tests to prepare at home, everyday. And, when I was heavily pregnant (and after Brie was born), I simply had not much energy nor drive to do crafts with the kids.

But last week, we managed to do some crafts, again!

*So happy*

The kids did some drawings too with watercolour!

Will share the ideas one by one.

For now, here’s a simple craft idea! We made a parachute man, using toilet paper roll!

What we used:

– Toilet paper roll

– Watercolour

– Paper carton (basically, a rather ‘thick’ paper)

– Scissors, glue, coloured markers

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What we did:

1. Halve the toilet paper roll (see photo), and watercolour one of it

(You can choose to watercolour both sides of the roll. Vai only coloured the ‘outside’ part of roll though)

2. Cut two strips of paper (we used a drawing paper, but you can always use paper carton, or even cereal box for this)

3. Fold the strips (see photo), and watercolour them

4. Stick the paper strips onto the inside of the toilet roll (see photo). This will be the ‘ropes’ onto which the man will ‘hold on to’

5. Draw an outline of a person on the other half of the toilet paper roll. Cut it out, and draw the face, hair, clothes, etc on it.

6. Hang the ‘man’ onto the ‘ropes’, and you’ll have a man on a parachute!! =)

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Tips:

If you’d like to really ‘hang’ this craft (or let the child ‘hold’ the parachute in his hand), then you can always:

– make a hole at the centre of the toilet roll parachute
– insert a strand of wool or some sort of string into the hole
– stick the string to the inside of the toilet roll using a scotch tape
– tie the other end of the string to a wooden chopstick, for the child to hold

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Have fun with your parachute man!! =)

Merry-go-round is no longer fun when we can do THIS instead! =)

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Thank God for Daddies, because that’s 21kg on one arm and 19.5kg on another, and I sure am NOT doing that for the kids however much I love them, heh.

We made these for breakfast, for a few times already.

Simple ingredients, easy and fast to make. And most importantly, they’re yummy =)

(The picture above would look yummier with melted butter at the top, or some dripping honey, hehe)

And here’s how you can make some too!

[Recipe is adapted from Hamlyn’s 200 cakes and bakes cookbook, the book that makes me want to bake because they make it look yummy and easy for beginners like me! =) ]

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Ingredients

125g self raising flour

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 baking powder

1 ripe banana

1 egg, beaten

150ml milk

butter, honey, golden or maple syrup, to serve

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1. Put the flour, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add mashed banana with the egg. Gradually whisk in the milk with a fork until the mixture resembles a smooth thick batter (read: all can be whisked using a fork)

2.  Pour a little butter on a nonstick frying pan. Heat the pan then drop spoonfuls of the mixture, well spaced apart on to the pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the top (about 2 mins) and the undersides are golden. Turn over and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the second side is done too.

3. Serve warm, topped with butter, honey or syrup.

[Brie at 7 weeks, weighing 5.530kg]

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I used to think that when babies are exclusively breastfed, they’re pretty much ‘immuned’ to the usual sickness like cough and runny nose.

I saw it happen with Anya and Vai when they’re babies. They were almost always healthy, right up to the age of 6 months at least.

Recently however, I found out for myself that apparently THAT condition does not always happen to every exclusively breastfed baby.

Towards the end of our Jakarta trip (mid July), I noticed how Brie started to cough. It started with gentle, short coughs, less than 10 times a day.

[Note: Anya and Vai had the cough and runny nose bugs too earlier]

Within three days or so, I noticed much more frequent coughs. More ‘phlegmy sounds’ too. From the nose and throat. It was as if our little baby Brie had some phlegm stuck in her throat (and nasal passage?) and she couldn’t get it out (obviously, being only less than 2 months old).

So as you can imagine, Brie would cough and cough in desperation (especially at night) until her face turned all red. She’d stop in the middle of her feed, choke a little, cough repeatedly and cry (all the while I could hear the phlegm being stuck in her nasal passage).

Sigh.

We switched off the air-con at night, I breastfeed her more often throughout the day, and put an extra blanket under her head so it’s elevated. Some also suggested rubbing some Vicks baby balsam on her soles and let her wear socks at night.

Still she didn’t get any better.

My heart ached whenever I saw her cough. Especially since she could be coughing nonstop for more than 20 times in one go.

So as soon as we reached Singapore, we took her to see a doctor at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

That was on Sunday, 17 July.

[Upon registration at KK Hospital, Brie’s oxygen level was checked by the staff nurse]

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We registered, paid a subsidised fee of S$80, and waited for about 20 mins before we finally got to see a doctor.

Brie was wheezing. Her coughs must have affected her breathing all this while.

The doctor also said that Brie seemed to have contracted bronchiolitis, and so to help open her airway, little Brie needed to be nebulised.

(Brie’s chest was x-rayed too. I had to put on a heavy protective gown while holding Brie’s hands during the process)

[While waiting for Brie to be nebulised, the staff nurse periodically checked Brie’s oxygen level by wrapping her little toe with this equipment]

I remember the time when Vai had to be nebulised for the first time (also at KK Hospital).

He was close to turning one year old, he was wheezing and his oxygen level was low. I remember how he refused the mask and how he struggled and screamed with all his might. The nurses wrapped his body with a blanket so that he couldn’t wriggle his arms and legs much, but even then, I had three other nurses holding him down throughout the 15 minutes he was nebulised.

I remember how heart-breaking it was to see him look at me in desperation throughout the process. And within a minute after he was done being nebulised, he slept in my arms out of exhaustion. He was better afterwards and didn’t need to be admitted to the hospital.

[Vai being nebulised, in November 2007 at KK Hospital]

I thought something similar would happen to Brie. But apparently things are done differently to small babies.

Since babies like Brie are not yet able to sit up on their own nor use their arms to ‘reject’ the treatment, the baby can simply lie down on the hospital bed and inhale the ‘medication’ with a box placed over her head.

This definitely is a good approach for babies.

Brie slept throughout the treatment (some 10 – 15 minutes). No struggles. No cries.

(I was told that when a child is about 6 months old or older, they’d need to put on the mask when being nebulised)

[Anya and Vai came along to the hospital. This shot was captured using my Nokia phone, and shared on Facebook that day]

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We stayed back at the hospital for at least 2 hours after Brie was nebulised because the nurses needed to check her oxygen level every 30 minutes to see if it’s all good for her to go.

(Note: If the condition didn’t get any better, the doctor would generally recommend the child to be admitted to the hospital)

Thank God Brie’s oxygen level was all okay after the treatment. The X-ray result was okay too.

No hospital stay was needed.

We left the hospital after collecting the prescribed Salbutamol and a bottle of nose drop from the pharmacy.

(Note: No additional fee was charged for the x-ray and medications. It was all included in the S$80 fee we paid upfront)

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Within a week, Brie was better (gave her the Salbutamol but not the nose drop as I didn’t see the need for that).

And today, I can say she’s 99% well and healthy. How I thank God for that.

(Click HERE to read an old blog post I wrote on Bronchiolitis and runny nose)

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It sure was hard watching a little baby feeling so unwell.

And the fact that we couldn’t do anything much to ease the discomfort and pain made it worse.

Anyway, the whole experience reminded me again of how our health is God-given.

And if we all are well and healthy today, … it’s because of God’s grace.

Nothing should really be taken for granted.

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Here’s wishing you and all your loved ones a great (and healthy) weekend!

It’s amazing how FAST a baby grows.

Today I look at our 9.5week old Brie and I no longer see a newborn.

She’s awake for much longer now during the day, asks for about 2 feeds between 11pm – 6am, much heavier and plumpier and … no longer cries as much during bath time =) And oh, have I told you that just earlier this week she’s started to respond with occasional smiles and coos back to us when we talk and smile at her! *Loveeeeee*

I so thank God everyday for entrusting her in our little family.

She’s loved. Very much loved.

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Btw, I share some product reviews (and promotions!) over on my Facebook (eg. Brie’s apron bath towel, The Four Cow Farm organic products we used on Brie since she’s born, etc). I’ve recently created a direct link to my ‘Review / Giveaways‘ album on Facebook on the left sidebar. Just click to view them yeah (you can view the photos, even if you’re not Facebook).  Thanks all!

By now, the news of the Best Family Blog winner is everywhere.

And, I’d like to congratulate Daphne (Top photo: pictured below my photo) for winning the title! She writes great posts, always peppered with a nice dose of humour too! Am happy for her!

As for me, well … I’ll keep on blogging for sure! =)

I do want to really THANK everyone who voted and supported me all this while though! Really. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you haven’t given up on me since I still haven’t won any official Awards so far =)

Anyway now I wanna show you photos!

[The Award winners! Congrats to you all!]

This year, Singapore Blog Awards 2011 was held at Shanghai Dolly (Clarke Quay) and the organiser came up with the theme ‘History Gets Social’. Everyone was encouraged to come dressed as ‘historical characters’.

And so … both Wilson and I decided to have fun and really come dressed up, according to the theme!

[Photo courtesy of liveshare]

Wilson came dressed as a shepherd from 2000 years ago! And me, … well, of course I came dressed as the shepherd’s wife lah ! Hehe.

[Big thanks to our friends who looked after our 3 kids for four hours while we went to the Awards! So grateful for their help!]

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Why dressed up as shepherds, you may ask.

Well. Firstly, because shepherds of ‘our kind’ are REALLY historical, yes? =) I mean, it goes all the way back to at least 2000 years ago!

Secondly, because as parents, we are like ‘shepherds’ to our children, … guiding, protecting, nurturing and caring for the ‘sheep’ (aka the kiddos!)

And, in today’s digital era, tips and encouragements on how we can ‘shepherd a child’s heart’ can be shared with others through blogs too, which is what Our Everyday Things tries to do over the years.

(Hence, the blog title … ‘Shepherding Gets Social’! Hehe)

[With the Guest of Honour, Major General Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Minister of State for the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts]

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Hubby was btw very supportive and game about the whole ‘dressing up’ thing. Am so loving him for it! =)

Just before we left he said, ‘Life is too short to always be too serious’. Yes. Yes. I agree.

It was his first time wearing such a long robe (which looked like the hospital gown I wore when I delivered Brie, he said! =) And, he kept on stepping on his robe when walking up the stairs! Haha =) Btw, it was my first time wearing such a dress too. I thought I looked big and pregnant again in it!

[Photo courtesy of liveshare]

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And oh, guess what?

Both Wilson and I were asked to go on stage as ‘finalists’ in the ‘Best Dressed Awards’ competition, haha.

We all were asked to do a little catwalk too. Tsk tsk tsk. Luckily I was allowed to do it with Wilson, as a ‘shepherd couple’! And come to think of it, the last time we did something like this was when we got married 10 years ago! =)

And the winners … well, definitely not us! Haha. Not when we had ‘Liang Popo‘ (the one sitting on a stool) and ‘Alexander McQueen‘ (next to Wilson) on the same stage as us! =)

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Now, here are MORE photos, of us with the other bloggers!

From top left : With Hendra Lauw, Keropokman, Mint Leong, and (bottom left corner) with Daphne and her husband, Kelvin.

[

From top left : With Estelle (who’s dressed as a ‘cave woman’ =), and fellow parent blogger nominees Klessis & Sandra, and Edmund & Maryann.

Before we went our separate ways, we parent bloggers got together for a group photo! How nice … especially since it’s my first time seeing so many fellow parent bloggers in person and in one go! Wish we had more time to chat though.

Anyway, I personally thought the event went nicely this year. Even better than last year.

All thanks OMY for organising it all.