Updates

ER
ER started having runny nose about 2 weeks ago. It didn't blossom into the dreaded bronchitis! He's either outgrowing it, or Flixotide did help. It was purely managing the usual cough and runny nose without much emphasis on his panting, which didn't happen for the second time it threatened to attack. Thank God!

ER's potty training is still in progress. I've no guts to take away diapers. Am only putting him on potty on a more regular basis. He's not ready. He pees randomly and doesn't tell me when he needs to go. But he does look down at his diapers as he pees. And he feels the warmth of fresh pee seeping into his diaper with his hands. I'll inform him that he peed and has to tell me if he needs to go.

He is able to pee on command though (unless he peed not too long ago). I'll put him on the potty, he goes "mmmmm" and pee shoots out, even if it's only a couple of drops. Hehe.

He's going through the terrible two. There are extremely difficult days and extremely enjoyable ones.

He's getting difficult to put to bed at night, screaming to be let out to continue playing regardless of how late.

Eating is still his struggle, as is feeding him MY test of patience.

AN
AN is improving on her reading and word recognition BUT she forgot some small letters! I panicked when I realised she forgot how to write "h" in small caps and gets confused with "b" and "d".

Omgoodness....

What else?

Ermm...

These few weeks had been busy. Something's going to change but Mr Liow wants to keep it a surprise. When it finally happens, I'll announce. BUT! I am NOT pregnant

That's about all to update for now.

:)

Terrible Two

This "terrible two" symptoms is worse than his sister's.

I almost forgot the intensity of it, till we're back at it again. Like labour pain, the tantrums, the screams and struggles leave an impression.

AN asked, right after I exploded at ER: "Shall we have another baby?"

What? Another addition to the rivalry, fights, disobedience, tantrums, mess and the list goes on?

She reasoned: "Not just that. You will have one more to sing to you. It makes you happy when we sing together for you right? One more baby will make you even more happy. Ethan and I will teach him to sing."

My sweet girl, thanks for subtly reminding me that mummyhood does not end at "Terrible Two".

With a sweet sister (not without her own set of struggles though), I'm sure ER will learn well..

2nd Potty Successful!

ER peed in the potty for the second time!

He didn't want to sit on the potty so I told him I'm getting him a new diaper and asked if he would wait for me sitting down.

He said "ok".

Before I got back in time, the potty started playing music (their potty does that when water hits the 'contact point').

I'm excited! I'm always taking him at the wrong time. Hope we get more 'hits' so that he gets the idea soon!

First one here:

http://littleflowertwointow.blogspot.sg/2012/10/er-first-pee-in-potty.html?m=0

Decoding Baby Talk

ER had been saying "I b you" for weeks now. Each time he does, he runs after AN with a 'weapon' (anything from lego to pillow). AN runs away screaming for help and I'll have to remind him that beating is wrong!

*sweats*

Then I noticed when he does that with his toys, he merely points the 'weapon' at the non-moving victims and warns: "I b you!"

He had only been mimicking sounds of a gunshot (& obviously not doing it well..). He was not threatening "I beat you".

*phew*

I told AN that yesterday and she stopped running away from him and realized for herself that he hadn't been running after her to beat her afterall. She's less afraid of him when he goes "I b you" now.

Just a while ago, he pointed at a sponge they used for painting and went: "My I b you!"

Ah.....is "I b you" what he calls a gun? I've never taught him about guns. It's now time to teach him "I b you" is called a gun.

And I had been worried that he had been so mean lately.

*heaves sighs of relief*

Violent Tiger

He was randomly throwing a book and it flew right towards AN's nose. In fact, he saw AN sitting in front of him but threw it anyway. It probably wasn't random. Did he mean to aim it at his sister??

And poor AN's nose started bleeding.

OMG.....

He's getting worse each day, increasingly mean and physical.

I need wisdom to deal

4 More Days: His First Poop (Disguising Picture Ahead!) + First Puke of The Month

AN was pooping and since I had to get their sleeping attire ready, I put ER on the potty to wait. I had been randomly putting him there but there hadn't been any success yet.

When I went back, ER was half squatting with an uneasy look on his face. And because he was half squatting, I saw something hanging from his bottom into the potty!

It was SHIT!

His first success, inspired by AN!


---------------------------------------------------------------

Next, his bronchitis relapsed.

He had been dripping mucus for 3 days and is starting to cough since evening.

For now, I'm giving the usual Flixotide plus (additional dose of) ventolin with it for his airway. The last time I puffed him at 8pm, I gave 3 pumps of ventolin.

Dr Lee mentioned before, that for rescue, I can give a maximum of 4 puffs, 4 hourly.

For today, I've given only 3 puffs twice.

He choked on mucus a while ago and couldn't breath. Whenever that happens, I'm thankful the Lord gave human the gag-instinct, so we do not normally suffocate and die when fighting mucus.

As expected, ER threw up, in the sink. Thank God we got there on time!

Both kids are sleeping now. I'm crossing my fingers that tonight won't be one of those horrifying ones. Because AN is also coughing a little too.

A Simple Candle Blowing Evening

The Birthday Boy
 

Happy 2 years old with his loving sister
 

The bad about having a sister for a boy: She turns him into a girl by giving him a "special hello kitty hat because it's his birthday!"
 

The good: his sister repeatedly reminded us to get a cake and sets it up for him..


Finally, the family
 

He went straight for his sister's hair accessories after the birthday song.

We love you Ethan, even with the hairband on your head, but no, it does not look good on you.

Blessed Second!

You are 2, baby! I can't believe it.

One moment you were crawling and now, you are sprinting!

You are my bundle of joy and recently a bit more of terror as well. It's typical of this age and I'll just wait for it to be over soon. I want to enjoy your original cheekiness more!

Blessed birthday baby. Your jie jie loves you, daddy and mummy loves you too.

The world is a complicated place. I pray you will be spared the most extreme and that the Lord will lead you through the common complications. You will grow up a righteous man, sensitive to the Lord's calling.

Inhaler Instructions

Treatment for current bronchitis relapse (after completing 1st 4 days of nebulising)

Ventolin: 2 puffs every 4-6 hours (for 1-2 weeks or till wheezing ends)

Flixotide: 2 puff 2 times daily till 7th December appointment.

September - October: start ventolin (2 puffs every 4-6 hours in addition to Flixotide) the moment ER COUGHS

November - December: start ventolin (2 puffs every 4-6 hours in addition to Flixotide) the moment ER PANTS

ER at 2 Year Old

Baby boy likes to ask questions:

"what chu doing?" (What are you doing?)
"where you going?"
"are you ok?"
"wat ahpen?" (what happen?)
"what zat" (what's that?).
"where zit?" (where is it?)
"where eee go?" (where did 'insert object' go?)
"zit painfoo?" (is it painful?)
"what zis?" (what's this?)
"You see zat?" (Do you see that?)

He's quite a chatterbox. We don't always understand his language but we get by if we observe him hard enough. He usually speaks and acts out his requests.


He's a drama baby

"Argh! So painfoo! OUCH!". All that dramatic exclamations because the tag from behind his t-shirt scratched him.

"UH! OH NO!"
Because mummy dropped a table cloth onto the floor.

"Sowee! Are you ok? Zit painfoo?" (Sorry, are you ok? Is it painful?"
He accidentally stepped on my toes.

"Argh!!!"
Just to warn us about his idea of something dangerous.

Runs hurriedly and jumps into us cupping his ears: "Listen! You hear zat?"
A plane just flew past.


He's also learning to take instructions with repetition. It helps when he recognises what it means to wait (but I have to keep my promise that waiting means he gets to do it, but later. Different from 'No'.)

I love how he'll pick stray items from the floor as he passes them by, and  puts them back where they belong, or into the table.

He's feeling better now. And when he's well, he's irresistibly cute (in his mummy's books at least).

There are also terrible times. He's still learning afterall, and definitely not eloquent yet.

I'm soaking up his innocent cute-ness while it lasts. AN is already maturing in thoughts. Someday ER will too, and by then, I'll only get to envy others who are struggling with their 2 year olds.

Inhaler Note For Bronchitis Relapse

Regular dosage:

Ventolin: 2-4 puffs 3 times daily

Flixotide: 2 puffs 3 times daily

Rescue dosage (panting that doesn't reduce after regular dosing):

Ventolin: 4 puffs every 4 hourly

Flixotide: to be advised

Insomnia Thoughts

Can't sleep well the past few nights but have been getting very tired by mid day lately.

I'm still struggling with ER's food intake :( he is starting to spit out food he doesn't like.

Those he accepts, he takes a long time to swallow. He doesn't chew much. So he doesn't eat much. He likes vegetables just like AN. He eats like his sister, much to my worst fears..

MIL suggested I start cooking for him.

Am I hearing things? I hope she's not assuming I have not been giving him food! It's like adding salt to injury (again...once upon a time, she suggested that AN hated food coz she didn't enjoy my cooking. Very offending...) Already I'm worried (and frustrated) that he eats so little. The accusation is not the least bit helpful.

I have prepared for him, everything I am capable of. He likes some, hates some. He gets my food too and similarly, he eats some and feeds me those he feels nothing for.

We are mostly outside home during weekends, so I don't cook for him. Because he will want the food I buy myself, not what I prepared for him. That doesn't mean I haven't started cooking for him! I started more than 1 year ago! Did she mean to hint I stop starving my children? I too wish they enjoy eating more!

She wondered aloud if I should spank him to force him to eat.

*rolls eye*

I know it doesn't work this way from my one experience with AN. Spanking makes 2 year olds cry but makes hardly any difference...

Her many times experience didn't teach her that spanking only works if the kid understands consequences and if it doesn't interfere with how the body works? And she thought I was too harsh when I disciplined AN when she was 3.

Enough about that uninvited interference. She's truly concerned but lacks the ability to say the right thing at the right time.

I'm allowing him to feed himself. With this new freedom, he starts to play with food in the bowl instead. He does eat too, and I'm extremely excited when he does, regardless of how little the amount is.

And he's starting to 'discipline' people. AN gets it most. He instructs her to 'eat', 'stop please' (my only consolation is that he says 'please', but still...), and proceeds to 'piak' her if she doesn't obey. Sometimes he does that with a verbal warning :"I beat!"

*pulls hair*

We will make it a point not to discipline her in front of him. But then the "I beat" don't know where from leh. We don't threaten AN with that.

During BS 2 days ago, he actually waved whatever he had in his hands at whoever was in his way. I can't tell if he had the intention to beat anyone, or if he was playing. Most of those times, he giggled when he did that. He appears to be playing but it's socially UNACCEPTABLE.

*palms head*

No more Ginny the Giraffe, Tom the Cat, Teddy and other interactive smartphone applications for him. Hitting the giraffe is different from hitting a human. People do not make funny expressions when attacked.

Our mistake. We enjoyed laughing with him when he laughs at the funny expressions they make and didn't foresee how that will affect him socially.

I'm like doing everything wrong with him.

Sigh.....

Many many corrections to do. And I'm still praying that he will enjoy food one day.

For now, I'm thankful for Pediasure that's keeping him alive.

This will pass.

Toddler AN

My Nursing Babies

Time is like very fine sand. It slips through your fingers no matter how hard you try to hold it back.

It didn't feel so long ago when ER was a newborn. Now he's old enough to learn how eat like us, starting from very mushy food.

And deja vu! Those pictures, I've seen them before! Is this not baby AN? Let me link us back to that old post of AN when, and if I hv time to use the desktop.

Edited: Didn't find the link but found the picture on my external HD.

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AN Enjoys Cutting

Having been through terrible 2 and almost coming to the end of her 3s, I should say, terrible 2 really is not as terrible. The smarter they get, the better they are at bargaining and reasoning. Not that it's bad. It's just more challenging.

This was AN doing her lapbook at age 2years 5 months. I soooooo miss the slow, patient and sweet her...

Am going to show her this tonight. hehe.

Adrielle at 2 years 5 months old

Ooohhhh....how I miss her at that age....