Who is sick now?

The weekend came and is going, going soon. We didn't do much since Johan and I took turns to fall ill, just a cold and a scratchy throat. We think it's mostly from Sera keeping us up for many nights in a row. So anyway, we've been indoors, pretty much the whole weekend. Oh, I did leave the house for an hour this morning to get some groceries, and came back to this ...

It's uncanny how alike father and daughter are at times. The TV is blasting away and these two are sprawled on the floor, fast asleep

How about another close up angle, using my automatic flash? Nope, that doesn't stir them at all. Maybe by the time I noisily lug in all the grocery bags, they'd wake up. Nah, not a chance ...

My chat with the principal ... and school nurse

Yesterday I had a little 'discussion' with the principal of Sera's school. Ha ha, I actually feel like a parent now, not a fussy one but just a concerned one actually. As you all know, Sera has been feeling down in the dumps, especially so since she started school. Of course, the weather at the moment doesn't help since viruses are usually more rampant in hot weathers ( I think so?). Anyway, I wanted to find out from the principal (and to make sure we're both on the same page) about some of their so-called sick child policy. You see, I've noticed that on any given day in Sera's class, there would be at least two kids with runny noses. I'm not talking little dribbles but more like big dribbles from the nose to the mouth to the chin. Ha ha. I'm trying to paint a clear picture here.

So yes, I have been slightly disturbed that these 'not so healthy' kids are at school, probably infecting the rest. Why aren't they resting at home? And I'm getting fed up that Sera just can't seem to recover from her runny nose, which has been running for several weeks, and now has succumbed to a nasty cough. So yah, I'm annoyed.

Anyway, I waited patiently for the principal while she finished her sales tour of the nursery to some prospective parents. The principal is fairly young and attractive and dresses, well not so typically principal-like. Well, not the principals I've had during my school days. But I detract here, because I should know better to equate dressing with one's abilities. So I shall share a snippet of the conversation and you decide ...

Me: "I was wondering, when is a sick child considered 'sick' enough to be sent home?"

Principal: (She doesn't answer immediately so I decide to elaborate for her)

Me: "I mean, is a sick child only sent back if she has a fever?"

Principal: "Yes, the nurse would take the temperature and if it is high, we would send the child back. The child would then stay away from school for 24 or 82 hours."

(err ... 82 hours, I think she got her multiples of 24 wrong here)

Me: "I see, so if a child has a runny nose, she is allowed to attend school?"

Principal: "Yes, as long as the mucous is not green or yellow."

(Then, she tries to assures me with the following comment)

Principal : "Actually, it is very common for the children at the nursery to fall ill, because there are many viruses in the school ... (blah, blah, blah. I kind of lost her there because I just knew she was going to drop that line on me.)

Me :"I can understand that, but there must be SOME CONTROL in the school. I'm not going to send my daughter to school, knowing that she's going to get sick just because there are kids in her class with bad runny noses?"

Principal :"Yes, of course ... "

Me :"Just this morning, I saw three kids in my daughter's class with runny nose, and one of the kid's had yellowish-green mucous. Why is he is school?"

Principal: "Oh that boy has been taking antibiotics for the 5 days already, so he is not contagious."

(ok, I'm no doctor so I don't really know if what she said was true. Why then was his mucous coloured?)

Me :" I thought there was an in-house nurse that checks on every child, every day?"

Principal :"Yes, there is ... oh, here she is."

(With that, she motions for the nurse to come over and I actually notice her relax when the nurse in her 'white nurse coat' Ha ha, I have to laugh, comes over)

So again, I find myself having the same discussion with the nurse who is appeared very happy and smiley. I was starting to like her even, until she made a silly remark.

Nurse :"Madam, it's normal for parents to worry about their child but you know, it is also good to expose children to germs."

(ok, she was going to get it from me!)

Me :"I may be coming across as paranoid but I'm not. I know it's inevitable for my daughter to be exposed to some germs in school. All I'm asking is really for some basic control measures taken by the school - to send sick children back home so as not to get the others sick. To make sure the air-conditioning is not too cold, and that it is cleaned regularly. That the toys are cleaned, every single piece since little toddlers like to put toys in their mouths. I'm not going to send my daughter to school if I know she is going to fall sick each and every time."

(I promise, I didn't raise my voice or even sound stern. I just made my point, clearly)

Nurse: "Yes, yes ... we do ALL that, madam. Ah, madam, maybe you can get a humidifier for your daughter's room."

(Huh??? Just to indulge her, I said I would consider and even asked where I could purchase one)

I looked at the time, and realised I'd 'wasted' an hour waiting and talking to these lovely ladies. I thanked them for their time and made my way to the Jeep. I'd completely forgotten what the goal of my conversation was. Sigh. Anyway, I said my peace to them, and hopefully Sera won't get sick so often after she recovers from this bout of cold and cough.

On a lighter and happier note ... some photos I took this morning!

Sera helping me choose some 'pitas' (potatoes) for the soup I was making for lunch

Sera is in this 'copy-cat' stage where she likes to imitate what we do and say. Here she is imitating me putting the laundry to wash


And ... presenting, some of Sera's artwork from school ...

Flipper

Not the whale but our little Sera. Hey I'm not referring to her size either. In fact, her weight has kind of hit a plateau for the past few months, at 11.7kg. Ok, back to my flipper reference. You see, Sera has kind of developed a strange obsession of flipping the pages of books. Not a page by a time, but she'd use her thumb or both thumbs to fan through the pages of a book, a magazine ... anything she can get her hands on (you'll get the picture from the photos). We noticed this a while back already but just dismissed this as one of those random discoveries she'd made on her own. But, it got a little strange when she'd wake up (in the morning or afternoon), see a book and start her 'thumb-page-fanning' ritual. And when she's at it, it's quite impossible to get her attention away from it. She'd sit or stand in a very focused manner, watching the pages flip.

Needless to say, many of our books are in a sorry state, with fanned-out pages and covers!

After dinner, sitting with Johan, flipping away


Before breakfast, still in her pyjamas, flipping away

After breakfast, flipping away

After school and just a few minutes awake from her nap, flipping away

The Squeal and Run

The weekend started off in a disappointing note, just because Johan had to work. But he made it up by taking off today. So we're all happy now. That also meant he was able to sent Sera off to school and later, pick her up. So actually the delayed weekend turned out for the better.

I've never shared this but picking up Sera from school is one of those surprisingly magical things I've come to cherish as a parent. You see, when I open that classroom door, she'd look up, squeal with so much emotion and run into my open arms. That, to me, is so priceless. So when I related the scenario to Johan, he was, let's say, plain jealous. Ha ha. Not sure what he's complaining about, especially when we all know Sera is utterly crazy, head over heels in love with him. The much anticipated pick up four hours after dropping her off at school was very worth it. As expected, she did the 'squeal and run' to Johan, and he was clearly, very moved. I know, the two of us are absolutely hopeless! Ha ha.


Breakfast to start the day

Arriving at school

Sera with her teacher and classmates

A contented papa, and an exhausted Sera

This is how we entertain ourselves

Today, I bought Sera a pair of sunnies, cool ones that only young children like Sera would wear just because they have no no control over what their mothers make them wear. Ha ha. Anyway, I think they are very funky and very her. Johan merely shook his head and said, "They're just as crazy as mama's!" Why thank you Baby, I shall take that as a compliment!

Here she is wearing her big sunnies ...

Ok, honestly, it was a struggle getting her to wear them. I was wearing mine while taking this photo ... "See Sera, mama is also wearing sunnies!"


"I know ... I'm stunning, but enough already .... "

One week without anyone falling sick ... please!

And I'm asking, believing and receiving! Actually, not to be greedy, but how about for a long, long time. Please?

Sera was struck with high fever yesterday afternoon, just after her afternoon nap. I walked into her room, and she was sitting on her bed crying as loud as she could, drenched with perspiration and was drooling very badly. I was taken aback because an hour and a half ago, when I put her down to bed, she appeared in the pink of health. Honestly, what happened? Poor girl, I could only imagine the discomfort she was experiencing. A sick Sera, and I'm sure with many young children, refuses to stand or walk, just wants to be carried all the time. So with her wrapped around me, I grabbed a few items and headed to the doctor's. Well, it was pretty clear she was with fever but she also had a congested ear caused by her runny nose, from a week ago. Hence her little fingers poking and tugging at her right ear. For her excessive drooling, it was most likely from her new teeth cutting through her gums. Talk about multiple problems huh?

So no gym yesterday afternoon and no school this morning. Confined indoors, yet again. Her fever has been erratic today, her nose less runny, the drooling hasn't stopped. She's not wrapped around me so that means she's doing much better. In fact, she's now on the carpet with Johan, playing. So tomorrow, Sera will be fully recovered, running around and very happy. I'm asking, believing and receiving it!


9.30AM: You wouldn't guess she's sick ... the healing power of a pretty green slipper. She loves my green slippers and today, she tried them on and walked around the house in them

1.20PM: Yup, you can tell she is sick, her eyes are teary and droopy ...

But she still manages a weak smile

7.30PM (just before her bedtime): Johan reads to Sera while she sits on his belly

School days

Sera returned to school last Thursday and she was really looking forward to it. I mean, really. She's having a great time at school and the teacher has reported that she 'participates' and 'plays very well with the other kids'. I'm glad, really. And I even sigh with relief because I was (and till today, still vividly remember) quite a terror in school, in nursery and kindergarten to be exact. Ask my mama, she'll tell you. At such a tender age, I was unable to conform to a typical class routine, and had refused to play with the girls in the class. I gravitated to the boys in the class, not because I liked them particularly but I was simply more comfortable with them. Blame it on the fact that I only played with my uncles when I was young. Yes, I was an absolute tom-boy and remember ganging up with the boys to bully the little girls in the class. Ok, it's not such a 'ha ha' matter but it did seem funny at that time. Anyway, that is why I'm more than relieved to learn from her teacher that she is a 'joy to have in the class'. Phew!


Sera in her sailor dress, a gift from Mei and Ben. It was a hit! She's having an after-school snack of little Goldfishies

And here she's with Gaston, sitting outside our patio unperturbed by the 40-degree heat ...

... sharing cheerios. Sweet!

Sick but still hyper child + not so amused mother + confined within 4 walls = bored child jumping all over near crazed mother

Sera's drippy, pink nose meant - no school, no gym class and no play dates. So these past three days, we have been tucked away at home and trust me, it's no easy feat trying to entertain or keep up with this girl. School has been an eye opener for her, making her realise that there is more excitement beyond these four walls. I suspect she misses school and all the fun it offers. Ha ha. This girl has no idea what's in store for her in the next say 20 years!

Upon seeing this slightly disturbing looking, hairless baby, Sera became all goo goo gaa gaa sweet and loving

She eagerly fed the baby with the plastic bottle, making 'chuk chuk' sucking sounds ... ahhh, so sweet


But to my horror, I discovered the baby doll abandoned under the seat, sadly twisted ... 'gulp'. So much for trying to instil some tenderness in Sera ... maybe it's a bit too early

This mama here is still over the moon that Sera's eating, so here's a photo of her eating her cheese sandwich for lunch

And ... little goldfishies to top it off

Yes ... even she has to work for food

A pink nose

This is a very bad photo, I admit. The sunlight is hitting the camera thus the hazy result but with children, I've learned that it's all about spontaneity, you can't get them to change their position or smile again. So anyway, this photograph is significant because ... 'drum roll please' ... Sera is eating again! After a 5-day food boycott, she decided she missed it. Last Friday evening, out of the blue, she pointed at our dinner and indicated she wanted to eat. So despite all the books and people telling us it's really OK that she's not eating, we are still very relieved and grateful that she is eating again. Phew! But we've also learned that with little Sera (and I'm sure with many other toddlers), the only consistent thing about her is her absolute right to be inconsistent.

Now back to the photo. Not sure if you see it but she has a 'pink nose'. Ha ha. That's what her teacher wrote on the daily communication slip yesterday - 'Sera has a pink nose!' And translated in 'not so cute' terms, it meant Sera got too close to another kid in class who was having a cold (and who should have kindly stayed home, in my opinion). But I've realised that I'm going to have to accept the fact that Sera is going to get sick more often now that she is going to school. 'Groan'.

Eating slump?

I'm having a bit of a meltdown here. It's been three days counting since Sera's food boycott.

I thought it was just the excitement of school thus the lack of appetite or enthusiasm about meal time. But today was no different. She didn't even finish half her breakfast cereal. Milk, her most favourite drink, keeps getting wasted and left unfinished. Forget about lunch. In fact, she slept through lunch today, so I tried to give her something for tea. I made a batch of blueberry muffins, only because I know she likes blueberries and they are thankfully, very healthy. I tweaked the recipe just so it was healthier. I was an emotional wreck just feeding it to her. I was nervously and anxiously waiting for her to spit it out or refuse another bite. She ate most of it. Phew!

I don't know what's up with Sera? She doesn't appear to be sick, still active like normal so my suspicion (after consulting with some books) is that she is acting up, being rebellious and controlling in a way she knows how. I mean, she can't just dislike ALL her favourite food overnight. It just doesn't make sense! I'm not at all angry with her. I'm just close to pulling my hair from stress (ok, I love my hair too much so maybe not to that extent but you get the idea, I'm just plain worried) because my little girl simply refuses to eat. But according to the books, it is so normal for toddlers to suddenly become difficult and fussy eaters. Nothing to panic about. Then there is like a list of five, ten, 100 things we can do to improve the situation. That's good and all, and maybe I'll try some of them out. Maybe ...

Oh for dinner, yup you guessed right. Blueberry muffin. That is, half of it.

Sera Ling, what's up your sleeve?

And to end this day ...

This was Sera, after the five minutes drive back from school. Flat out ...

She didn't want her lunch, all she wanted was to sleep. So sleep she did but when she woke up two hours later, she was surprisingly difficult. Not sure how long she cried, but it felt painfully long. She did, however, stop to drink some water and juice ... and then she continued with the crying. What was happening? Was that her way of 'getting back' at me for leaving her at school? Hmm, I do wonder. To add to my stress, she refused lunch ... and even dinner. She passed on green peas, her favourite. She usually loves to pop them in her mouth, one pea at a time. Apparently, not anymore.

Sigh ... I know I need to chill a bit. Today was a day of much change and impressions, thus the disorientation from both her and even, myself. And this is ONLY play school. Good grief! But I shall remain positive, tomorrow is another new day!

Sera's first day at school

I'm at home now, it's 8.35am, and I'm alone. Sera's at school. Yes, the day has finally arrived ... Sera's first day at school. I miss her already. I am suddenly free, well for a few hours at least. Hmm, I think I'll pick her up early today, just for today ... maybe for this week?

Johan and I dropped her off at her school at 7.30am. Yes, even Johan wanted to be part of this momentuous day. Sera was very surprised to see Johan this morning ... "What, is it the weekend already?" Cool! She reached out for him, gave him a kiss and stayed in his arms, not wanting to let him go. A quick breakfast together, a dip in the bath tub, slipped into her clothes and off we went. Needless to say, the school was a little chaotic, it being the first day for the other kids plus their more excited parents. Hmm, I noticed many fathers were there too. Oh, how sweet.

Enter Sera's classroom. Crying children. Awww ... separation anxiety for a few kids. Sera steps in, completely forgets her parents, gives the crying kids a few seconds of her time and proceeds to explore her new surroundings. She'll be fine, I think. After handing over her tiny school bag and another big bag of the essential stuff to the teacher assistant, we kissed Sera and headed off. I forget to tell Johan not to say 'Goodbye' to her ... too late! We hear her crying and banging at the door. I hear Miss Caitlin (her teacher) talking and pulling her away from the door. She complains a little bit more and then silence. She'll be fine ... no panic.

What, it's only 8.50? This is crazy, I think I am the one suffering from separation anxiety!

Checking out her classroom

Think she'll be just fine ...

TV-less ... for nearly a day

It is still BAKING outside so over the weekend, the three of us spent most of the time hibernating indoors, thank goodness for airconditioning! And if we attempt to venture out, we only have to leave our airconditioned house, drive in our airconditioned Jeep and into the very uncomfortably airconditioned malls. Pretty depressing in my opinion, but that is simply how we can survive the summer heat. Just one of the necessary evils living here, in the middle of the desert.

Yesterday, out of the blue and while having breakfast, I voiced my concern to Johan about our TV consumption especially in the presence of Sera. What??? Ha ha, yes you see I read this article from a 'parenting' magazine (my first time ever) and this particular article advised against parents exposing their children to TV, video, computer until the age of 2 years old. GULP! That old? Sera was placed in front of the TV when she like 3 months old! Apparently, this so-called expert said that children below the age of 2 should be focusing on playing typical toys geared towards developing their motor skills, hand-eye coordination, sensory learning ... the list goes on. Ok, but what if I placed all her toys in front of the TV. Killing two birds with one stone? "No!", screamed the voice in the article. Fine ...

So that was how the TV issue came about. Yes, I can sometimes get a bit nutty, over-analytical and even fall into the trap of worrying about the side effects of excessive media exposure for Sera. But In my defense, this 'suddenly overcome by guilt' and you can even call it, neurotic behaviour lasts but a day, the very most. Johan, usually, indulges without questioning me and yesterday was no different. "Fine ... NO TV in front of Sera!" Err ... ok, I thought. That was easy and actually, I didn't say NO TV, zilch?

Actually, the NO TV mandate given by Johan was kind of forgotten. We spent most of the day at home, snucked out for a quick lunch. We had a very normal and even mundane day together but sometimes, those kind of days are really good ... actually they're the best kind.

p.s. By the way, the silly NO TV thingy lasted like after dinner when I just flopped on the sofa and sheepishly declared that I was turning on the TV, in the presence of Sera. Johan looked at me, gave me a strange look and said to Sera, "Your mother .... !" Whatever did he mean???


Waiting for Sera to wake up

Breakfast ...

What ... no TV!

No TV ... sigh ...

Johan reading 'Rainbow Bob'

Finally, he reads 'Humpety Trumpety' to Sera

Every child's favourite game ...

We did go for a very brief dip in the pool that wasn't so clean (thus the serious face on Johan), well, the deep end was green with you know what. Sera was very happy (can you tell from this photo?) while it lasted but as of this morning, she doesn't seem to be feeling so well. Not so sure if the pool water is to be blamed ... ? Shucks!