Alva and The Styrofoam

This is one of our Christmas ornaments. Inside, you'll find a small, square styrofoam that looks like this.

 

As we all know, styrofoams can easily be torn apart into small pieces. Alva knows this too cos she has experimented with styrofoams before.

Now this is Alva at 15 months. At this stage, she is very inquisitive and adventurous.

Last Sunday, when nobody was looking, she tore apart one of the ornaments from the Christmas tree and stuff a piece of styrofoam ball deep into her right ear. When hubby discovered this he went ALAMAAAAK in the most dramatic manner which sent me running over to the living room  in seconds. The moment I saw Vava's ear, I went ALAMAAAAK too. I guess we both panicked.

My first impulse was to turn Alva on her side and give her left ear a gentle tap. That's what I normally do when water gets into my ear, so I thought this method could work. I did this a few times tap tap tap but nothing came out. Damn! I looked at hubby and his expression read:  Are you nuts? That will never work. My expression read: Shut up. After a few failed attempts: tapping her ear, turning her upside down and tilting her head, I got a bit frustrated cos I still couldn't get styrofoam out. Hubby said there was only one rational thing to do and that was to go see the doctor immediately. Right. Why didn't I think of that?

So we went to the after hours clinic at Upper Riccarton and saw a lady doctor. I think she must have had a tough day cos her eyebrows were not drawn, her hair was a mess and she had eyebags the size of China. That probably explains her unfriendly demeanour towards us. Anyway, she examined Vava's ear with an otosope and confirmed that there was indeed a tiny ball of styrofoam  inside. She asked hubby to hold Alva firmly while she tried to extract the styrofoam with a special forcep. Slowly but surely, she manouvered the instrument into Vava's ear and after a minute she managed to get it out. Phew! I wanted to make sure that everything was okay so looked into Vava's ear once again. When I did, I almost fainted.

OMG!!!! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!!!!

Miss-know-it-all who was already seated on her comfy chair didn't like what she heard. She knitted her brows in disbelief and said Are you sure? Of course I was sure. She stood up reluctantly, took her otoscope and  look into Vava's ear once again. Seconds later she confirmed it. "Yeah. There's another one". That's the bad news. The worse news was, the second styrofoam ball has gone too deep for her to extract using her normal forcep. We were told to wait outside while she made a few calls.

Ten minutes later, she came out with a paper in hand. Due to the delicate nature of the situation, Alva needed to see a specialist at the Ear, Nose and Throat Department in Christchurch Hospital. We were given a referral to see the doctor and the appointment was scheduled on Monday. Before we left, she dropped another bomb on us. During the procedure, Alva would need to be really really still.  If we fail to control her, she may be given an anesthetic. I was shocked. This whole styrofoam thingy had just become my biggest nightmare.

On Monday, we got to the hospital at 9.15 am and headed straight to the 5th floor. After the routine registration, we were asked to wait at the waiting room.

Since there were 5 others waiting there, hubby thought it would be a very long wait so he went to the cafe to get some pastries. I was against this but he said he was very hungry. *Eye roll* Come on la. How can one be hungry when one's daughter is about to be anesthetized right?  I mean, the wise thing to do was to ignore one's hunger pang and just stay put. You're with me on this right? Okay. Whatever. So he went down. No sooner had he left when a nurse came out to call Vava's name. CRAP! Just what I expected. I walked in, all the while cursing under my breath. SHIT SHIT SHIT.

In the doctor's room, I was in a foul mood. The procedure began with the usual Q & A about when and how the 'accident' happened. When that was done, I was told to get onto the bed with Vava on my lap so that the nurse could wrap her up in a white sheet. This was done to keep her still during the removal process. Using an LED otoscope, the doctor showed me the location of the styrofoam inside her ear and told me he was going to start immediately. I suddenly felt sick inside. Oh God! I can't do this alone. Just seconds after that, hubby appeared. Phew! I could breathe again.

Hubby took over and held Vava on his lap while the doctor inserted the slim forcep into her ear. It wasn't an easy task cos Vava tried hard to break free and when we wouldn't let her, she went hysterical. She screamed and screamed at the top of her lungs and she made sure everyone on the 5th floor heard her. You know how you get brain freeze when you drink your smoothie too fast? Well, that's the sensation I got when I heard her scream. I'm sure everyone felt the same way. Just look at the doctor in the picture.

After ten minutes of torture, it was all over. The styrofoam ball was finally out! Yay! Everyone in the room sighed simulatenously when this happened cos all the screaming stopped too. Peace was once again restored on the fifth floor and now everybody could hear themselves think. Me? I was just relieved that no anesthetic was used in the procedure. That was my greatest fear. When it was time to go, we thanked the doctor, bid the nurse goodbye and headed home. Everybody's happy.

My little Alva is okay now. A great lesson to learn from this incident? DO NOT let your babies touch styrofoam. It's dangerous and it'll make your life miserable. The End.

Please Don't Burst My Bubbles

I have a confession to make. I didn't mention this yesterday cos I didn't want my sister to worry. But I can't keep it any longer so I'm going to tell you what happened.

On Thursday, while I was going through our Australian Visa application on the web, I discovered that Alva's emergency travel document doesn't have a passport number. It's a valid travel document but it is not a real passport so she's not entitled for the Australian ETA. Don't ask me "Napa sekarang baru ko perasan?" cos I'm really not in the mood to defend myself. Banyak ba dlm kepala otak sia.  

After staring at the computer screen for half an hour and slapping myself silly, I decided to call the Australian Consulate General office. Someone on the other line told me that there was no way I could get Alva the Electronic Travel Authority via internet. The only way to do it was to send an application to the Australian embassy in Auckland. She told me that this process could take up to 10 working days. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-TEN! Technically, if it takes that long, we would get the visa by 24 July, which is a Saturday. That means, we'd probably get the passport on Monday the 26 - the day we fly to Melbourne. Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

I asked the lady if she could help me speed things up a little but she responded like a robot, telling me the same thing over and over again "..it takes 10 working days bla bla bla". So I hung up. First Mr W's shit, now this? The day couldn't get any worse.  

As I thought about the catastrophic situation, I got more and more worried. Beads of cold sweat started to trickle down my forehead and I could feel my heart pounding a little bit faster. I knew what I needed to do and that was to send the application via courier that very day. There wasn't a moment to lose! But before I could get myself to do that, I needed to talk about it  first. You got to understand something. I was down and emotional and worried and....well I was totally lost okay. I was driving myself crazy thinking about the worst case scenarios - What if the documents get lost in the mail? What if they reject our application? What if we never get the visa done? What if we never get home??? We're doomed!

My first impulse was to call hubby so we could both freak out in misery. So I called and told him the bad news. When I was done, he said "Oh...Jadi macam mana la tu?".  Not worried at all. What's wrong with him? I was expecting something more dramatic cos I was going crazy kan. So I added "mesti post pi Auckland oh!! Abislah!" and  then I emphasised the 10-day processing time so he could really see the magnitude of the problem. But all hubby said was "Ya ka?..Gila juga tu?" Still not worried. GEEEEEEZ!!! How can I make him see that this is serious???  I needed someone to share my frustration. My anxiety. My misery! I NEEDED him to panic like me. But it wasn't happening at all. I got more upset after talking about it so I decided to let  him off the hook.

I wanted to call my sister but it was 6 am in KK. Too early. Mom would start panicking and that would ruin everybody's day. So I decided to suck it and just do what's sensible. I needed to send the application asap. Forget about the 10-day period. The next hour was then spent running around  making calls, printing application forms, typing a cover letter and photocopying documents. After  I got those stuff done, I had to develop Vava's passport photo and get all the documents certified at the Malaysian consulate office. Finally, at 2.00 pm I managed to send the application via courier. Phew! It was a long day for me.

That night, I thought about the visa. There must be a way  we could get out of this mess! So I came up with these back-up plans.

1. We could stay at the transit lounge (in Melbourne) and spend the night there. Technically, we are on a 16-hour transit so we could just camp at the lounge with our sleeping bags! They won't even notice we're there and we won't be breaking any immigration laws. Brilliant idea huh?

2.  Fly to Auckland and do some follow up with whoever is in-charge of our application.

3.  Postpone the flight. We're talking about three flights here. Christchurch - Melbourne - KL - KK.  SOB SOB SOB.

4. Smuggle Vava?

I spent 2 sleepless nights thinking about this.


And then, something unexpected happened this morning. 

Knock knock.


Who's there?


It's the courier guy!


Who?


It's the courier guy with Alva's Transit Visa!!!

WHAT????????????????????????????

I opened the small courier bag and there it was, Alva's travel document and visa. Wow! That was fast!!! Yipeee!!!!!!!!!

I thanked the courier guy, closed the door, ran to the living room and jumped around like a madwoman. Hehehe.

This means, we don't have to sleep at the transit lounge and we don't need to smuggle Vava!

I'm so happy right now! Nothing could spoil my mood, not even silly karabaus with amnesia. We are coming home and that's all that matters!

The Girl Who Rocks My World

Dearest Alva,

A year ago today, you came into the world. It was one of the happiest days of my life and I remember it so vividly as if it happened yesterday. Now before you roll your eyes and say "Come on mom, you said the same thing to Alden.." let me assure you I'm doing this for a good reason. It's my way of displaying fairness and equality in my affection. And writing a letter which closely resembles the one written for your brother is my clever way of doing that. It has nothing to do with my lack of creativity, okay?

Now where was I? Oh yes. The day you were born. The procedure was similar to the one I had for Alden's delivery so I was quite relaxed. Your dad was beside me looking all happy and excited, camera in hand. I told myself, "Be cool. No panicking this time!" and that's what I managed to do - the first 10 minutes. I don't know what got into me but as they started getting ready for the surgery, I got scared. The whir of the medical equipment on the operating table made me visualise how they were going to slice me open. So I panicked. I remember asking for the happy-gas but the nurses said NO. That completely disturbed my state of mind and freaked me out. OMG! OMG! No happy-gas? Matilah!!Your dad tried to calm me down by saying something nice but it didn't work. Then the anesthetist decided to try her mojo on me by saying "Is that your natural eye colour? They're beautiful!". I answered her with a curt "No". But she didn't give up and went on talking bout my lovely eyes or rather, my lenses. After a minute, I forgot all about the gas. I think this is what people call psychology.

So. Back to the story. After  I recovered from anxiety attack, the doctors sliced me open and gave me a little push on the abdomen. I know this sounds disgusting, but I could hear a gooey, slippery, wet sound when they pulled  you out from my womb (like something from Aliens 3). Soon afterward, I heard the sound of you crying - you were terrified to see the light! I got a glimpse of your face and said to your dad, "Eee...she looks like you". It's not that I wasn't happy. I was just erm, surprised. The nurses then took you to the cleaning table where they had you measured, cleaned and examined. To your dad's delight, they let him play doctor and gave him the privilege to cut your umbilical cord. It was your dad's proudest moment. After the cutting ceremony, the midwife wrapped you in a towel and put you on my chest for the skin-to-skin bonding. That's when we met  and fell in love with each other Alva :)

 

Today, you're a big bundle of joy. Twelve months old and officially a toddler. It's just amazing how much you've grown over the last couple of months. You were 2.6 kg when you were born. Now? You're 9kg! Amazing huh? In terms of physical development, you are right on par with other babies your age. You can stand unaided for more than five seconds and you have mastered the skills of baby-walker maneuvering. I reckon in less than a month, you'll be able to run.

Because of the vast development in your physical abilities, you've started to become more independent too. You like to do stuff on your own like brushing your teeth, (more like sucking the toothbrush), feeding yourself and drinking from the sipper bottle.

Unfortunately, at such a young age, you have experienced the negative effects of sibling rivalry. When I'm not looking, Alden tends to do some nasty stuff to you like slapping your face, grabbing your toy and biting your fingers. When this happens, you'd cry for mercy and these huge ginormous tears would trickle down your cheeks. A very pitiful sight. Because of the constant bullying, you are now very anxious around Alden and the slightest intimidation would send you scurrying like a rabbit. But it's no biggie. According to the book:  IT IS NORMAL. It's only temporary and your brother will grow out of it when he turns..I don't know, 18? By then you would've toughen up and gotten used to his bullying. Don't worry, your dad and I are working on this.

What do you like to play? Well. It's not like you have much of a choice since most of the toys you see are boy-oriented. Having said that, I have noticed that you have a deep interest in Alden's train sets. You love stacking up the train tracks and wooden blocks on the floor and watch them fall. This constantly upsets your brother because by doing so, you end up destroying his little Sodor town. To overcome this constant battle between you and your brother, your dad and I will get  you more girly toys okay? For the time being, you can play with mommy's makeup.

What will you be when you grow up? Will you be pretty? Will you be rich? I know you'll definitely be beautiful cos in my eyes, you are perfect (I'm biased of course). It's the rich part that I'm not sure of. This is why I'm encouraging you to venture into the field of cosmetic surgery or a career related to health and beauty. That's where you get the big bucks. Ask your brother, he'll agree with me. I mean I'm not forcing you or anything. I'm just thinking what's best for you. For us. After all, you do seem to like cosmetic stuff. This is a good sign. Think about it Alva.

In terms speech development, you are doing superb. You say mmmmm when you see food and da when you see daddy. You pick up a car when I say car and you give me wet kisses when I say kiss. There are a few more words that you've come to understand but I don't think it's necessary to list them all out. Let's just say, your development is normal and mommy's doing a great job at teaching you. Hehe. We'll keep on working on other more important words like mommy okay?

In terms of socialisation, you are quite the social butterfly. You love smiling, laughing and baby-talking all the time. According to the  carers at daycare,  you are very friendly with other tots and you are by far one of the most well-behaved babies in the centre. You no longer cry when I leave you and even blow me kisses when I say goodbye. You've settled quite well and mommy's so proud of you!

Before you were born, I was really anxious about having you cos your brother has such a unique personality. So unique that it eats up 100% of my energy everyday. Because of this, I wasn't sure whether I could cope with two highly-unique babies at the same time. But a week after you were born, I realised that you are so different from your brother. You're easier to handle and you're more settled at night. Thank God for that. Because of your mild-temperament, I am able to bring you to the office 3 times a week and have you sit  there quietly while I work.  I know you hate it when strangers come in and pinch your cheeks or when some aunty tries to amuse you by talking your language. Believe me, I know how torturous it is. But darling,  for the time being, it's the only way we can make things work. Next time, we'll lock the door and do stuff that you enjoy doing okay? I Promise.

As I've said before, I'm not a perfect mommy yet. I'm still striving to be one and thanks to you, I've  learnt a  lot about mommyhood over the last 12 months.  It means watching a cartoon 1000 times, going  to the office wearing stained pantyhose and cleaning poop 24/7. At the same time, it also means unconditional love, unselfishness and getting heaps of cuddles and kisses at the end of a long, hard day. The cuddles make everything worthwhile. 

 

I think I've said it all Goliva. You are mommy's precious princess and second biggest achievement. Happy Birthday.


Love

Mommy 

A Threesome in A Pick-Up Truck

Hubby brought home a pre-loved toy car from work yesterday. He didn't know how it got into the litter bin but that's how he found it. Since no one seemed to know how it got there, he took it upon himself to keep the unwanted toy.

When Alden got home from school, hubby decided to give him a surprise and show him the red pick-up truck. 

As you can see, it's a bit worn down with one door missing. But Alden didn't mind at all. The moment he saw it, his eyes lit up like fire crackers and he gave his daddy his biggest smile ever. He was so delighted to get a 'new' toy and he started playing with it excitedly. He took it wherever he went; to the bathroom, the kitchen and later that evening, to KFC where we had dinner.

While we were eating, I heard him talking to himself. His animated conversation involved the mommy, the daddy and himself. He pretended that his little fingers were miniature dolls and started moving them into the pick up truck.

"Come on mummy, come on dada. Alden sit down. Dada's divin (driving). Let's go " 

He closed the door and started moving the truck. His little sister wasn't in the picture so I pointed this out to him.

Me: How about Vava? Where's Vava?
Alden: Back...There... (pointing to the bed of the pick-up)
Me: Why is Vava at the back?
Alden: Vava falls down

Using his little hands, he showed me how 'Vava' fell out of the back of the pick-up truck before she hit her head on the road. Ada guling-guling scene lagi.

Alden: Ouch! Vava fell down...cryin.

And then he laughed and laughed cos he found it hilarious. "Vava fell down! Ouch!" he said again. He then moved the truck, broom brooooooooom....leaving little Vava behind. And that's how he ended his little play. Adorable huh?

Just Me and You Baby!

Alva and I will fly to Wellington tomorrow. I have booked the earliest flight at 6.45 a.m and the return flight at 4.00 p.m. (Wellington - Christchurch). We are coming back on the same day and shopping is not, I repeat, IS NOT in the agenda.

It's just a one-day trip and there will be no time for sightseeing or shopping. But anyway, that's not important. What's important is Alva's birth certificate and travel documents. That's the reason why we are going to Wellington, in case someone's forgotten! (that's a self-reminder, by the way).

I will be travelling light and these are the stuff that I need to bring to the Malaysian High Commission:

- A Baby called Alva
- Baby's passport-sized photos
- Baby's birth certificate (copies and original)
- Hubby's IC, passport and birth certificate (copies and original)
- My IC, passport and birth certificate (copies and original)
- Marriage Certificate (copies and original)
- Borang IM 42. Pin 1/97

That's about it.

So. The moment I land at the airport, I'm going to haul a cab, tell him exactly where to go, march to the office at 9.00 a.m. sharp and get all this stuff done. When it's all over, Goliva and I will shout Yay! before we head to the nearest coffee shop and order a big glass of Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino. And then we wait. And wait and wait and wait for our flight at 4.00 p.m.

That's my brilliant plan for tomorrow. During the wait, I'm sure I will be having heaps of Schmigal sessions (talking to myself), entertaining Alva, observing people and checking out every store at the airport. Exciting huh?

And how will I be travelling? Like this of course.

Well, minus the sipper bottle, the pacifier, the 3 other clinging babies and the hot body. As much as I hate wearing the baby carrier, I must say it's the most convenient way to carry a 10-month old baby when one is on the move. I know I'll be looking a wee bit frumpy tomorrow, with my faded jeans, sneakers, messy hair and the baby carrier but I've decided to choose comfort over style. 

That's my plan, from A to Z. I hope everything turns out okay. Fingers crossed - Goliva's and mine :)

   

At Ten Months

My little Goliva turned 10 months three days ago. 

Skills and Abilities: Excels in crawling, is able to stand unaided for 2-3 seconds, imitates language sounds, mimics your every action - from nodding your head to turning on the TV, bops and bounces to the rhythm of good music, listens when you speak to her, makes good eye contact, eats 4 baby meals a day, drinks from a cup, gives you kisses when asked to and most of all, melts your heart with her angelic smile :)

Likes & Dislikes: Loves being cuddled by mommy and daddy, having bubble bath, playing catch with Alden, chewing on her toothbrush, listening to the gummybear song, munching on cheese crackers and picking up bread crumbs on the floor. Hates sleeping alone, not getting what she wants, strapped on the car seat for more than 10 minutes, being ignored and getting bullied by Alden.  

Behaviour: Alva is a very cheerful baby but ever since she started daycare, she's become overly clingy and attached. She's going through a phase called 'stranger anxiety' which normally starts when a baby is around 9 to 10 months old. It's what they call a baby's first emotional milestone. At the moment, she's very anxious around new people and wouldn't let a stranger touch her.  She only wants mommy most of the time and would cry histerically if suddenly approached by a stranger. I don't really mind all this attention cos it makes me feel needed, precious and so important in her little world.

                              * Angelic, soft, cuddly and all mine * 

What's In A Cert?

On Wednesday night before I went to bed, I made a mental must-do list for the next day. In it were my daily routine, the errands I needed to run and most importantly, Vava's passport application. I knew it was going to be a hectic day, so to get myself organised, I went through the details in the list - 1. Wake up early 2. Get ready 3. Feed the kids 4. Send them to daycare 5. Photocopy documents 6. Get Bank Cheque 7. Collect Vava's passport photo 8.Go the Malaysian Consulate office. and 9. Post application! That was the plan. 

Yesterday, I woke up early as prophesied but on the wrong side of the bed. I was troubled by an unpleasant, vivid dream. In the dream, hubby and I were in the car in front of Bush Inn shopping mall. Strangely, I was behind the wheel, not hubby. I began to reverse the car out of the parking space when out of nowhere, a blue convertible appeared behind us. I quickly stepped on the brakes but weirdly, our car didn't stop. I found myself ramming into the blue convertible instead. BAM! After the damage was done, hubby turned to me and said "Dear, tu insurance kreta mati suda kan?". Then I woke up. Crap! I had an accident.

In reality, our policy lapsed 6 months ago (go on, gasp all you want). Thanks to the dream, I finally came to my senses and renewed it yesterday. Phew!

So. Back to the story. I spent half of my morning doing no 1 - 5 plus the insurance renewal thingy. Everything went well. The weather was fine, the traffic was light, the people I liased with were helpful and everything just seemed to fall into place. By 11 am, I had everything ready and got to the Malaysian Consulate office. I was so eager to get it done cos without the passport, we can't get home in July. Unless of course we leave Vava to fend for herself.

So. I finally got to the office and was greeted by a pretty lady at the counter. 

Lady: Good morning
Me: Good morning...I'm here to make an application for Malaysian passport..it's for my daughter.
Lady: Is your daughter with you? (I thought she meant in NZ)
Me: Yes..She stays with me.
Lady: I mean is she with you right now? (Cubuk behind me)
Me: No..She's at daycare.
Lady: You need to bring her along so we can see her. We need to get her thumb print as well.
Me: Ahh..Ok...I'll be back shortly!

As I was about to leave, the lady asked me

Lady: By the way, how old is your daughter?
Me: 9 months
Lady: Oh. Sorry to tell you this but you can't do it here. You need to go to the High Commissioner in Wellington to get this done.
Me: .....(a moment of silence) Wellington? I need to go to Wellington with my baby? WELLINGTON?!
Lady: Yes. You need to take your baby with you because they would need to see her.
Me: Why??
Lady: I don't know why but it's part of the regulations.
Me: Can't I just post the forms? I have to go to Wellington with my baby? Wellington? OMG. (I kept repeating myself  cos the shock made me daft)
Lady: Yes...I hate telling people this and I understand how hard it is for people to.....(her voice trailed off, I wasn't paying attention anymore)
Me: I mean, all the way to Wellington?
Lady: I suggest you contact the High Commissioner office to get a better idea of the situation. Ok? Now is there anything else? (Her expression spells: Kenapa ba dia ni nda faham faham???)
Me: No...Thank you...

After the above incident, all nice wonderful thoughts I had earlier came to a screeching halt. Like brek mati.

I called the High Commisioner to get a clearer picture of the procedure and was told the same thing. This frustrated me cos I thought about the cost of the air tickets, transportation and hotel. More money coming out! But it's not like we have a choice. In order to get Vava's passport done, she needs to have a Malaysian birth certificate first. NZ birth cert is unacceptable. That's the reason why we need to go there physically.

Since it is quite costly for all of us to travel, hubby and Alden might have to stay behind. That's Plan A, which I am not fond of. Plan B? All of us go together, get Vava's cert, stay for a week at a 5-star hotel and go sightseeing. Of course Plan B can only be executed if we win the 8-million-dollar lottery tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Good Timing

Over the past two weeks, I've heard many horror stories of people suffering from chicken pox as an adult. So many that it got me into a spiral of wild imaginations. 

One of them was Alva getting the pox at age 26, a week before her wedding day. Everything's set. The gorgeous wedding dress, the church, the 3-D cake, the catering, the photographer, the invitations and then BAM! CHICKEN POX! Wouldn't that be catasthropic? We'd probably call off the wedding cos she can't possibly get married while having the pox! And the scars. Oh my! At 26, she'll have a hard time getting rid of them and surely no amount of Vitamin E cream in  the world could get rid of her scars in time before the wedding.  We're doomed! DOOMED I tell you! She'll be crying her eyes out all week, looking at the blisters on her face. Then one day, when she's done crying she'll turn to me and say "Mom, it's all your fault!! You should've let me have the pox when I was a baby!!"

Pretty wild huh? Well, most of the imaginations I had were along those lines and they all spell Worst-Case-Scenarios. Because of this, I've come to embrace the thought of Alva having the pox as a baby. I know I was panicky when I found out about Alden's chicken pox but that was two weeks and hundreds of scabs ago. 

All this beating around the bush is my way of telling you that Alva has got the pox. Yep. She's got it! I discovered four cute, little blisters on her back last night and I was thrilled! I shouted  with glee and told hubby the good news. "Dear! Alva dapat chicken pox suda!!!!Yeh yeh! Hubby was perplexed of course. His eyes dilated in surprise and he said "Suka pula..." Never mind him.

So as I was saying, my wish is granted. It's going to be another week of chicken pox-baby-sitting but it's totally okay with me. At least I can rest assured knowing that it's not going to happen a week before her wedding day, 25 years from now. Hehe. 

Chicken Pox Story

We've survived the worst of Alden's chicken pox and at the moment he's doing just fine. The blisters are drying up and in a couple of days they should turn into scabs. It's probably not as itchy as it was a few days ago cos he's back to his old self again - being mischievous and cheeky.

Last Saturday was a total  nightmare cos he was down with fever and the blisters were popping out like hot lava on his body. He was whining and crying and throwing all sorts of tantrums. I felt quite hopeless cos all I could do was give him cuddles and tell him not to scratch. I think he really suffered that night cos the blisters itched  really bad and he could not sleep well. That was a total agony for all of us. His temperature kept fluctuating a lot, going up and down every hour and this got me really worried cos he has had two febrile convulsions in the past. To bring the fever down, we gave  him Pamol every 4 hours and kept an eye on him the whole night.

The next day, I went to the pharmacy and bought him some ZYRTEC, a fast acting allergy and hayfever treatment. This really helped relieve the itchiness and swelling on his face. The effects were quite instaneous and after just an hour of taking ZYRTEC, his mood improved tremendously. It was such a relief cos I didn't have to shout "Don't scratch!" like every 5 seconds.

Yesterday, Day 3, we brought him to the clinic and got him checked. Doctor said he was at his worst at that time and assured us that he'd be better in a couple of days. He still had the fever but it wasn't as bad as the first day.

Today, he's totally recovered from fever and I think the chicken pox is now at stage 3 - drying and forming yellow crusts. I am waiting impatiently for the time when all the spots ultimately scab over so I can see the dead cells fall off from his body. This might sound utterly disgusting but I still remember how much my sister and I enjoyed peeling off the scabs (which were almost falling off anyway) and looked at them in awe. I was 11 and sis was 15 and we were under 'house arrest' for many many days. The drying of the scabs was the climax of our miserable chicken pox ordeal and we had a lot of fun picking off scabs from our head. I was going like "Nah, sia dapat yang basar!!"  and sis was all "Syok oh kan?". There wasn't a lot of entertainment like Facebook or PS2 in those days so you can understand our fascination for dead skin. Right. I think I've totally grossed you out there.

Anyway, I'm just saying everything's okay now. The Doctor says that Alva's probably going to develop her first spot in 10 days' time but at least now I'm prepared. So chicken pox, just pop up whenever you're ready.

Too little too soon?

So this morning I dropped Goliva off at daycare. I must admit it was heart-wrenching to leave her there, knowing she's the youngest baby at the centre. She's so tiny, so little and so kesian.  Don't know why I'm being so sentimental about this. I guess it's tougher than I thought it would be. Having her attend the orientation on Tuesday doesn't help either. I still have this inscrutable feeling of lost and I can't focus on my work right now cos I'm constantly  thinking about her, wondering what she's doing, whether she's crying, whether the care providers are giving her undivided attention, and most of all, whether I'm doing the right thing. I am trying to remind myself that, it is the only way I can get work done and that in time, both Goliva and I will learn to adapt to the situation. It is a struggle for both mommy and baby. We'll get through this.

At seven months

ALVA HAZELLE

Nick name: Vava/ Goliva/ Butod.

Abilities: Crawls, eats 2-3 baby meals a day, imitates language sounds and utters the word nenen and ma ma occasionally, listens when you speak to her, gives you wet kisses when you say the word "kiss", has the constant urge to put everything she sees into her mouth, cries in various pitches and volumes according to her needs and mesmerizes people with her magnetic smile. 

Likes & Dislikes: Loves being cuddled 24/7, playing peek-a-boo games, being swaddled, sleeping with a human body close to hers, seeing colourful moving objects and munching on papers, strings and wires. Hates being left alone, sleeping alone, being static as in strapped on the baby capsule, being forced to accompany mom to her boring office and getting bullied by Alden. 

Special attributes: Possess an infectious laugh, soft, cuddly and adorable.

My precious :)

Mini Milestones

It has been five days since my family left for KK and though I am still sore at heart, I have to admit I’m feeling better now. I guess the recent flow of wonderful weather has put a smile back on my face and a spring back into my steps. For the past three days, the temperatures have peaked at 16 to 19 degrees Celsius and these double-digit temperatures are forecast to continue for another week. Weather experts believe that the shift in the weather and the presence of sunshine in the afternoons are indication of an early spring this year. I hope they are right about this cause I can’t wait to see the cherry blossoms!

As the season slowly transits from winter to spring, my life somehow goes through a transition of its own. I am now a mother of two and in a few more weeks, I have to come out from post-maternity hibernation and get back to campus *shiver*. I can imagine how chaotic my life will be once that happens. Come to think of it, my life at home is already chaotic, with the screaming, “Alden, don’t spill your Milo!”, the house chores “Alden, clean up your toys!” and sleepless nights, “Dear wake up, can you burp her?”. Yes, I am going through a MAJOR transition. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining at all…simply sharing the bits and pieces of what you’d expect to get when you have an adorably naughty three-year-old and a newborn baby to care for. The effects have started to show and they are now etched on my face. My way of handling all this pressure? Anti-aging moisturizers and secret retail therapy….Shhh….

Anyway, let’s take a breather from the chaos at home and focus on baby Alva instead. Alva's first month has flown by and we celebrated her full moon two weeks ago, when my family was still here. She's now 5 weeks and 6 days old and at 4.01 kg, she’s already acquiring quite a vocabulary of coos and murmurs. She's beginning to smile a lot, a habit she’s developed in her sleep and it's so adorable! Her sleeping smiles give me a hint that she’s going to be a fun little girl, just like her brother.

So far, she has been such a well-behaved baby in the sense that she doesn’t drive me up the walls at night with endless cries for food. She wakes up for a feed a couple of times and after burping she goes right back to sleep. With Alden, the midnite feedings and cries were so frequent. When Alva's not asleep, I try to give her some 'tummy time' and show her a picture book in monochrome. According to my midwife, tummy time is a vital part of the baby's development as important muscles used for moving and exploring are strengthened. Sure enough, Alva enjoys looking at monochrome pictures, lifting her head like a turtle, moving it from side to side as she lies on her tummy. After a minute or two, she gets tired and with a few strokes on her back she dozes to sleep. Isn't that wonderful? This time around baby sitting is so much more relaxed and easy. I know it's probably too early to count my blessings but instincts tell me Alva's good behaviour will linger. As spring draws near, I'm not only excited to see tulips bloom in full swing, I'm just as eager to capture Alva's tiny milestones with my camera :-)

The Baby Story: Part 1

I have thought about writing this post hundreds of times but every time I started, words just elude me. I find it to be such an ordeal to describe the emotions of having my second baby that I almost gave up on writing. Yeah, call me dramatic but it was that difficult for me. It wasn't until today that I finally garnered the will to write. Here's the first part of my baby story.

Baby Alva was born via c-section on 26 June 2009 at approximately 10.48 a.m. She weighed about 2.605 kg and measured 49 cm. The moment they pulled her out of my tummy, I must admit I was more surprised than thrilled to finally see her. First of all, she cried so loudly that I was a bit taken aback by her ungirly-baby cries (since she's a girl I was expecting a more melodious sound). Secondly, at one glance, she looked so much like her dad, that I was thinking "alamak, this one has small eyes too?". So, you can't really blame me for not being thrilled automatically. I was after all anesthetized.

After they've weighed, measured and cleaned her, the midwife quickly brought her to me and gave us the "skin to skin" contact. It was then that I could hold her and really see her for the first time after 38 weeks of pregnancy. Bundled in a white towel, she was very quiet and comfortable, looking adorably helpless and fragile. I looked at the tiny bundle on my breasts and it was at that moment that I fell in love with her. "I have finally popped and here she is!" I told myself. The skin to skin bonding was really wonderful and it gave me warm feelings all over. I felt relieved, overwhelmed, happy, amused, excited and in awe. It was so surreal to me that I couldn't believe I managed to go through another grueling c-section for the second time. It was unpleasant, yes. But all the pain was worth the effort. I have finally gotten my Barbie doll :-) Baby Alva Hazelle Alexius