Temperature control!!

By the time En was 8 months, we thought we have pretty much mastered most of the essential skills to deal with a baby - bathing, feeding, diaperng, etc etc.. Imagine the shock we had when En fell seriously ill 3 weeks ago.. it started innocently enough with a swim and some tantrums which we mistook for his fatigue...

But when his temperature shot to 39 degree, he got our full attention.. we found ourselves obsessed with measuring his temperature every other minute, both to reassure ourselves that we had his temperature under control as well as to make sure we did not mis-read the numbers shown..

When en started to lose his appetite, and the fever not going down despite the medicine he took, we were seriously worried.. and whenever the number hits 39, it's red alert and we would start sponging him every opportunity we got..

The poor baby could not really sleep nor eat and we followed him in that as well.. doc said it was viral fever and would take time to go away..and true enuf, he went on to develop cough and running nose.. guess it had to get worst before it got any better.. and he even managed to pass the potent virus to us.. while we still had to spend every night monitoring his temperaure.. and sleep seemed a hazardous activity as we feared his temperature shooting up suddenly esp. in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning..

This was by far En's most serious illness to date.. he had always been quite a sturdy baby.. and seeing him so sick was heart-aching and really took a toll on us and the helper..

Still thru it all, i felt it has bonded us closer to the baby.. and it made me realise how close the baby is to our hearts - more than i thought possible, but more on that next time..

Tools of Survival

Although we En has only been with us for 8 months, we now have in our "Xiao Ding Dang"'s Bag a variety of Must Have tools for parental survival.. and here is the count down to the top 5 Must Have List:

1. A trusty Thermometer: every sensible parent must have a reliable and snappy quick thermometer. When En was a few weeks old, dad went to buy one which seems to work well, until 3 weeks ago... when En had viral fever and our lives are consumed with temperature taking.. You will want a thermomter that is fast and accurate in such situations, cuz you will not want to grapple with a baby that is wailing away while trying to determine if the temperature is under control or not

2. Baby Monitor: A life saver for any parent that values his/ her sanity.. In the first few weeks when En was born, we kept creeping into his room to see if he has awaken, if he slept properly (given the horrors we read of SIDS - sudden infant death syndrome), but we also end up waking the baby sometimes with our opening and closing of door.. and it gave us no rest with going in and out of his room every 15 mins.. When we got the baby monitor, life became a bliss - as it picks up every little sound that baby makes -so for peace of mind - get a baby monitor!

3. A power "Distractor" - This is one that needs plenty of trial and error to get it right i suppose - and for us, it was a funny rattle that produce a weird "ee-oh" sound when shaken (left), one that we co-incidentally found from my hubby's old cache of toys - En is just fascinated with the sound and whenever he cries, that cheap rattle (only $1.50 found in Kiddy Palace) never fails to distract him from his crying.. so agai, for peace of mind from the incessant wailing - find a powerful distractor..

4. Snap fast Camera cum video cum sound recorder: When En was about 2 months yrs we decided to ditch our old camera for a new one that enables us to take video and sound recording.. you won't want to lose any moment and for a while, I was camera crazy - so long as En is around, I felt compelled to have a camera nearby.. Babies grow too fast - it's a fact and they change so fast too and when I compare pics of En within 2 weeks of him - he looks so different! and you will want to capture those motions and sounds as well - so to keep the memories alive - camera is a must!

5. Baby Blues Comics: For a comic twist on potentially agonising and distressing moments from parenting - reading these comics is a must - hubby and I are addicted to it now - you can find this in Straits Times Life, or get the series of comic books.. while it makes one scream with hilarious laughter, there are practical tips that really helps to destress and cope with the occasional pains of parenthood. A must have to preserve emotional and mental helath for parents!

Fatherly Bond

Now that En is coming to 8 months. it is inevitable that he will have preferences.. but he demonstrates it mostly clearly in his choice of THE Favorite Person..

En is strongly attached to his dad, he smiles readily when he sees his dad, he whines and pretends to cry when dad walks away..

Perhaps it is written in the stars, after all Cancer is one of Scorpion's soul mate, so what can an Aquarius like me do?

Considering that Daddy is the one who could calm him down when En was in his colicky tantrums, daddy was equally involved in feeding, diapering and bathing him, and daddy is the one who brings him to and fro the sitter's place daily, well, daddy does deserve the rewards of En's spontaneous response..

So long as one of us parents can manage the baby, i suppose i shall not be too overly concerned? Then again, if you are looking for a classic case of role reversal, that is definitely us... hehee. 

A Trip to Mcdonald's...

When En was a baby of a few months, we brought him once to McDonald's where he spent most of the time in his baby sleep..quite blissful..

Now that he is 7 mths, we ventured another trip to McDonalds' and its much more of an adventure for him..

First he sat in the baby sit, and he was fascinated with the surroundings and the kids runnning around the place.. that kept him busy for quite some time..

Then we provided him with some stuff to keep him (or rather his hands busy), and it all went pretty well.. we were able to carry on with our adult conversation and the food, while he was kept entertained by the novel environement... Definitely a potential McDonald's kid in the making!!

But what impressed me more was the fact that we should have more faith in him that he would behave decently when we bring him out to dining places.. my previous encounters of seeing wailing kids had always made me rather wary of bringing kids out - 1. I am worried that we won't be able to control him and 2. that will be such an embarassment on us as bad parents and disrupting the peace of the other diners, and finally, my worry that it will be a futile effort where parents struggle with the kid and will not be able to have our meal in peace as well.

Well, perhaps i should have more faith in En, or faith in myself that things will work itself out.. perhaps En is now at a stage where he is still softly babbling and his cognitive skills has not brought him to the stage of "tantrums as a means to manipulate your parents" yet... Until then, I shall try to bring him out more often and socialise him to the correct behavior at dining places..

then again, if younext see me with a wailing En in a restaurant, pls pardon me for disturbing your peace, I am only a parent trying to lead a normal life - with baby En.. well, I can'talways eat at home yah! :) 

Prints of Our Lives

Guilty... It has been ages since I last blogged.. esp. since I have already decided on the topic for this blog - the long gone Mothers' Day!

Well, It's my first as a Mum.. for a start - a card in my fav lime green cheers me immensely.. and with Baby en's tiny hand prints in them? Priceless...

Of course I am sure all these festives stuff come from a generic account call "En's Debt", where we as parents charge to this account stuff like the uoming Fathers' Day gift, urm, birthdays gifts for mum and dad, urm.. x'mas gift.. etc etc.. when he comes of age to clear the debts, oh dear,i can't imagine what the amount will be.. indebted to his parents En will be.. hmm.. (I have not even decided which bank's interest rate should be the benchmark - foreign banks seem to offer attractive rates hmm)..

Then again, arn't we all born indebted to our parents? Money or not? the above is just one manifestation of the debt - albeit more tangibly..

Still.. the card is indeed lovely, and i am as much indebted to baby en as he may be to us as parents.. without En, i probably will not have experienced the little precious moments of motherly pride...

I am sure there are different facets of motherhood enjoyment/ torment, so for now, carp diem! But I shall always remember this First Mother's day with fondness... as we grow older - there isn't many opportunities when we can still claim our "first xxx", so this first Mother's day must count for something!