Progress

Procrastination is my middle name, I am very sure of that, admit and pronounced guilty! LOL

As mentioned previously, badly in need of an update of Zethan's progress but since the last is eons ago, it can be quite a challenge.

In all honesty, toddlers of their age progress and developed so rapidly that there will be lots missed out if updating is not done on a regular basis. To say the least, Zethan belong to the category of the 'slowest' in development as opposed to his peers. Having said that, children develop at different pace and there should be no comparison or minimum comparison. Easier said than done right, naturally we can't help but compared and can act hysterical over the slow development.

A classic example is speech development. Zethan is extremely slow in this department although I am relieved and proud to share that he caught up quite significantly over the last few months. His vocabulary expanded tremendously (at least I felt it is tremendous improvement). The list goes: -

School Bus - Sgool Bus (with a funny slang, love it)
Uncle - On goh
Auntie - Ah T
Robot - Ah Bah!!!
Floor - Four
Wet - Weet
Mickey Mouse - Mimi mouse
Mr Bean - Bee
Push - Push
Milk Milk - milk milk
Rubbish - Barbish
No touch - no touch
Mei Mei - Mei Mei
Di Di - Di Di
Blue - Boo
Red - reat
Juice - Juice (pronounced very accurately)
Daddy - Daddy
Mummy - Mummy
Grandma - Ma
Wait - wait
Poo - Poo
Apple - Apt ple
Yoghurt - Ah good
Bread - Bao

Zethan finally hit 13kg last weighed at home so it's a plus minus thingy. Height have yet to be established since he don't wished to be measured when we are at PD. He is much more cheery these days though still appear shy when people looked at him. All it take is abit of warm up and he will be all good.

He is accepting varieties of food much better than before perhaps attributed by better ability to chew. What is lacking badly is fruits intake as besides apple, he is rejecting most if not all other fruits.One observation which is yet to be confirmed, his body can't take oily food and rejected by throwing up subsequently.

Zethan is super addicted to TV. Once he woke, immediately requested for the TV to be on. Grandma become his TV menu by switching to his favourite cartoon shows at the respective timeslot. Not very encouraging but too late for intervene. He love to pack his toys in bags, lined toys in a row repeatedly (got me in a mad suspicsion of autism), particular in sorting of toys e.g. single unit of mega blocks must be sorted together, same color grouping, recently developed love for dog stuff toys over Mickey Mouse. He will insist on bringing his stuffed toy dog along when we are out, kissed him goodbye / goodnight including the stuffed dogs, hugged goodbye with him then stuffed dogs too.

Definitely a very fun and interesting stage Zethan is in currently and I am enjoying every bit of it to the extent feeling time spent with him is insufficient. Of course there are days when he drive me up the wall but that's what motherhood is all about especially that of toddler's behaviour. One moment all pleased and happy and the very next whiny, feisty. When we are out, he cling on to me like a koala bear, refuse to walk, rejected the daddy, refuse the stroller or if he ever goes into the stroller, he must make sure he is holding on to my hand or even one finger. Once back home, a total different situation, directly opposite. Rejected me big time, the daddy had to bath him, never be out of sight, put him to bed etc.

A long post indeed, once got started, everything start spilling without any full stops and commas apparently. Till the next post, hopefully not very long..

May 2011

I don't even know how to get myself started after missing in action for eons, 1.5 months to be precise. Let me try my very best to reorganise my thoughts, had better give all the excuses of not blogging a skip in this instance.

May is a very 'hectic' month with the numerous acitivities with the mummies, public holidays, the dramatic General Election (with close to 2 weeks worth of free shows), my very first major dental treatment in donkey years and the housing matters. Phews the list could go on and on but in a nutshell, that's about all.

We had so many gatherings this month with excuses that mummy Ophe will be leaving for the states end of the month (she is having some fun in the states at this moment as I typed, catching up with mummy Sue Lin). So it's almost like gathering every week so much so that the daddy at home raised his eyebrow. We did the various cuisine that Ophe will crave for after she leave for the states, Thai food, Jap food, BKT steamboat etc. We will miss you loads, Ang family!

Not gonna rave too much about the GE but what is notable is being my 1st time voting in 3X years, coupled with the peers' interest in politics, I grew some interest in keeping what with the whats is and whats not. We attended the very 1st rally by NSP at Choa Chu Kang stadium and was fascinated by the crowd despite the continuous rain for the whole evening. The whole area's traffic was almost paralysed, traffic jam everywhere, all carparks closed and so on. Well, all the hoohas and dramas had since settled down and forgottten as usual. So case closed.

Next on the list, my major dental treatment in donkey years. I have had very bad and serious phobia about going to the dentist and of course it is understandable for skipping any dental treatments for ages. No exaggeration here but it is a serious childhood phobia. But the pain is so unbearable that I am very firm in going for a wisdom tooth extraction / surgery. Can you imagine how bad the pain is for me to be so decisive despite the nagging phobia? Checked around for recommendation, surf the net for more information, ring a few clinics but earliest appointment is a day after. Such mixed feeling when I walked into the dental clinic at Mount Elizabeth, trying very hard not to resist the temptation to walk away. And so after the x-ray, consultation by the dentist, made the decision to do the surgery immediately lest I changed my mind again. Throughout the surgery, my eyes are shut real tight and even under local anaesthesia, could still feel the strong tugging at my nerve perhaps which spark off some tinge of pain still! It was all over in about 20 minutes or so, was shown the tooth (out nicely as a whole), rejected the invitation to keep the tooth, half mouth numb, payment and walked out of the clinic. So damn proud of myself for such a great achievement. Sound weird isn't it. Okay thats the saga of my dental treatment. Hopefully at this point, you will not be rolling on the floor, laughing away.

Housing. As mentioned in earlier post, we exercise the OTP for Bishan on May Day with a deposit of $4K and looked forward to the various appointments with HDB lined up for the next few months. Attended the 1st appointment for selling of CCKC which is really very early and nothing major for us as the sellers as the crucial documentation are with the buyers. Officially we should have sold our flat by 6 July 2011. Having said that, we are only due to be the official owners for Bishan in Sept if everything goes well. No major renovation necessary for Bishan except for the kitchen which might require a good 2 weeks. Anyhow as this post is being posted, we are experiencing some issues with our property agent and the buyers for selling of CCKC. Not going to be a spoilsport, don't wish to even go there so no elaboration. I have been on my toes trying to sneak in abit of time here and there to start the packing terror.

Shall dedicate the next post on the developments of Zethan which have been lacking badly ever since don't know when. I am so very glad to have started off this blog then and it is such a emotional experience reading back the blog, the emotions so overwhelming and real it seem just like yesterday! I will make it a point to maintain this blog, promise!

Changes

since the last post, there have been major changes and new updates...

we have given up the Toh Guan unit after some serious consideration. firstly I have this unforeseen worry which I have not been managed to identify even till this point of time. Secondly, after extensive research done on Zethan's future primary school (e.g. distance to any good school, take up rates for past years v.s application rate, phase 2B, 2C, parent volunteer and the related yada yada), it appear to be clear that it is only wise for us to give up the house. Now you might be wondering why think about primary school now when he is barely 27 months and if my concerns are valid. See, the thing is Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP) for HDB apartments have been revised to 5 years and we will not be able to complete in time before Zethan reaches the schooling age. Thus it is very important to factor in the primary school at this point of time. Seriously it is tough to imagine how stressful it can be to look into potential primary schools and how competitive enrolment can be. Yet the last thing we would want to do is to neglect the importance of a good primary school which is crucial in developing a good foundation for our child. Notice I mentioned Good school instead of Top / SAP achool? Nope, it is not in our intention to relocate close to a branded school for that matter but a good school with good environment, academically inclined etc.

Having considered thoroughly, we made the tough decision not to exercise the option and had our $1K deposit forfeited. Then again what is $1K as opposed to the main concern of schooling issue for our son.

So it's back to our hectic weekends of viewings, shuttling between Bishan, Bukit Merah and Jurong. Lost track of the number of units viewed but nothing seem to catch our attention. With the tight timeline looming in, possibility of higher cash over valuation (COV), the stress got to me big time and I am on the verge of breaking down. Thanks to a group of nice mummies who managed to salvage the 'situation' with kind advices and all.

Last weekend, we viewed a unit in Bishan and it is instantly a love at first sight upon stepping into the unit. So much so that I have very minimum detailing of the unit which is a rare for me since I have always been the one to take note of these details. Reluctantly we went on to view the next unit while my heart is all for this. After a quick discussion, we have decided to make an offer and withdrew cash for deposit since we do not have a cheque on hand. It was a tough fight since the property is so hot and it took us quite a fair bit of time, negotiation, waiting game before we finally managed to secure the place, Yes we went through a tough fight and it was a close shave, nearing losing the unit because of the friendly neighbour next door who wanted to offer $1K above our offer for her mother in law, sister in law or whosoever.

Currently we experiencing some hiccups in term of documentation, timeline issue which hopefully our kind property agent will get it sorted out. Waiting in high anticipation to be able to call this property our Home!

House

As mentioned in the previous post, we have sold our house and is house hunting intensively due to the time constraint. Seriously if you asked me, house hunting is no fun at all. Time consuming (travel all the way to destination just for viewing of one unit), exhausting and stressful which has been on-going for close to 3 weeks. Last sunday was a bitter sweet day. Zethan's right dorsum puffed up badly and it was after lunch that I noticed. The swelling is very bad but unable to identify any bite marks. It was not painful (he said no when asked if it is painful) and when touched, showed no sign of pain or sharp reflex. That freaked me out big time and being sunday, made me panicky even more. Decided to carry on with our house viewings which landed us in our future house to be. Yes after much consideration and deliberation, we have decided on our next nest! It will be in Toh Guan. Made an offer, issued a cheque for deposit, only for the seller's agent to negotiate the deal. Further negotiation necessary since owner asking for higher COV, another party offering higher COV which put us in a tight spot to counter offer or let it go. Such a tough decision and balancing the pros and cons. Finally the deal was sealed with valuation of $430K and COV $29K. The last few days settled our HLE and was delighted that we are eligible for a HDB loan with amount more than sufficient so the ball is in our court now to exercise the Option to Purchase (OTP)!

Busy

Busy as a bee, in fact much busier than a bee can be!

explained why this poor blog was badly neglected and collecting cobwebs in all corners possible.

Firstly we sold our flat like finally after being marketed by the 3rd property agent and closed to 8 months of marketing. Even though the Cash Over Valuation is not up to our expectation, we still accept the offer with the flexible terms negotiated and furthermore it is a chinese buyer. Offer was accepted on 1st March 2011 and Option to Purchase exercised on 6th March 2011.

Of course there is not all as the next daunting task is present ~ buying another house. Over the last 3 weeks, we have come to realise that house hunting is definitely no fun and instead is exhausting and the tight time constraints add on to the stress level. Despite the various property measures in place, cov are still alarmingly high and valuation show no signs of coming down which spike instead. To complicate matters, apparently the supply in the resales market is way too low over the demand currently. So we are certainly looking forward to the ideal house pretty soon and we are not going to take any chance here by compromising on our expectation since it should be our shelter for the next 11 years to say the least.

Zethan ended his last lesson at JG on 12 March 2011, the end of Term 1. Initial plan to start him on Zoophonics has been decided to put on hold since we will need the time for scheduled viewings. So the poor guy had been constantly on the move almost every night and weekend attending house viewings which might have bored him to the max. Having said that, it is surely very exciting for him to be involved and decide for the next nest of ours.

Work on my end had been stretched as well since there are additional portfolio but I am glad to have this opportunity to learn a new skill yet contributing to my stress level which is heading for the north intensively.

I got all emotional when the house is sold and is feeling sad oready. Well, no matter what, this is our matrimonial house and we are so totally involved from shortlisting to designing to painting the houses ourselves which burnt many weekends and holidays to holding our customary wedding to the arrival of Zethan. So much fond memories and inclusive of a share fair of 'nightmares'. Wonder if I will cry when the day come for us to vacate the house, im pretty sure I will!

Withdraw

We have withdraw Zethan from JG effective on Term 2 and have secured a place in Zoophonics with plans to start in April thus having a short break in between.

We joined a new class at a new timeslot for JG this week and vast differences were observed as compared to our previous class. Previous class' parents are much more pro active in terms of participation especially that of the theme of the week but not for this class. Perhaps the children in this class appear to be younger than the previous thus parents are overly protective of their child.

Recall this few incidents where Zethan go around hugging his friend over this particular lesson. Somehow uncertain of the reason why, he turn particular loving and friendly that he went around hugging his friends from behind. The mummies are so protective that I caught them shot a look of disapproval when Zethan does it. The look on their face is clearly shocking and perceive Zethan to be dangerous. Why did I say that? Apparently after the incident, whenever Zethan go near their child, they will switch on their 'beware' mood and move their child away.

Now the problem with me is that I tend to be very observant always and caught sights of these parents displaying the weird looks on their face. Apparently caught another daddy watching Zethan in disgust just because he is always on the move, walking around the classroom during storytime. Seriously speaking I feel disgusted at the behaviour of these parents. I would have thought it is quite normal for a child's refusal to be seated even though all the children are and yes Zethan could be overly active in this aspect.

Of course these are not the main factors for withdrawing out of JG. I mean I am not very much bothered by them and not so that I have to consider withdrawing Zethan. The main reasons are Zethan appear to be very bored and restless with the acitivities in class and we would like to try out other classes as well otherwise no basis of comparison to judge which might benefits him. Having said that we are going to miss JG, the outdoor activities and the teachers. Who knows we might be back sooner than expected.

End of CNY

The kiddos had a CNY gathering on 13th of Feb at Aunt Ophe's. We had a popiah party and KFC for lunch. Yumz, a fresh new lunch idea from the usual steamboat. The kiddos had a great time with bowling game, forming their very 1st band while the adults had a game of Black Jack, Casino style.

Of course not to forget our buddy in the States, we had a gathering online and was shown around the nice house. We were glad to bring some joy to Aunty Sue Lin whom is nursing a cough. Spent a whopping 5 hours having lotsa fun and the only thing missing is Lo Hei!

Zethan hit the sack in comfort of his car seat and we decide to make our way to River Ang Bao since it is going to be last day. Nothing fantastic but the whole idea is to for Zethan to take a look at the CNY decor and he is so fascinated at the carnival especially that of bumper car. We had to grab hold of him lest he made the dash which resulted in a meltdown.

The last day of CNY was spent by having a simple dinner at Taste of Thailand with mum. Had the usual dishes of Thai sauce fried fish, baby kailan and sweet sour pork with claypot toufu for Zethan.

There goes the festive holiday which is over, sooner and faster than the wait.

Appetite

Most probably it is due to the aftermath of the serious flu & cough that Zethan's appetite is not doing very well lately. In actual fact, he have not fully recovered from his cough which is weird as there will usually be just 1-2 burst of consistent coughing throughout the day and everything else appear normal after which.

I have decide to stop feeding him medication as apparently the medication did not ease these occasional burst of cough and his cough did not worsen because of the break in medication. Meanwhile I am just monitoring him for any signs of worsening cough for fear of developing phelgm in the lungs and feed him lots of water, hopefully to fight off the cough real soon.

oh, anyway back to the topic of his appetite. I have started him on Pediasure yestersday with the intention to bring back his appetite as well as to make up for the nutrients lost during the period he is unwell which we kept quite a range of food at bay. Previously he had some adverse reaction on the pre mixed pediasure especially the strawbeery flavour. Uncertain if it is coincidental but after he down a bottle of the milk, he puked 3 times through the day and it is the strawberry milk that was removed from his system. As for chocolate pediasure, even though diluted slightly with water, he rejected it totally after taking a few sips.

So this time round we have decided to try him on the vanilla flavour in powder form. So far he has taken 2 feeds yesterday and all appear to be good. No intention to feed constantly but once in a while to boost his appetite thus acting as a form of supplement.

On a side note, Zethan has developed an accquired taste since some months back. He love to munch on raw cucumber and even though it can taste bitter at times, he still love them to bits. Weird huh..

Close shave

Never in my life have I been so frightened before and throughout the 14 years of driving experience, I have not experienced such strong wind and rain.

It happened in a flash, sudden gush of strong wind and rain coupled with darting twigs and branches. Visibility was closed to zero and it was a matter of slowing down or accelerate to dash through. Luckily I have chose to follow the taxi uncle in the next lane to slow down.

5 seconds later when visibility resume, we witness the tree falling across the 3 lane carriage right in front of our car. Moments later, more trees fell everywhere including one that landed right next to my rear passenger door. I was praying hard and trying not to imagine if there might be one which could land on my roof. Called the police and can do nothing except to sit and wait for help to come.

30mins later when rain lighten, few workers working on the opp road came over to help with electric chainsaw, sawing small parts of the tree and manually dragged to the side of the road. It took a good 10mins before the letf lane is passable, grateful to the foreign workers. But the happiness was not for long as there is another built up less than 2m away. More trees fallen, bigger trees. We had no idea how bad the situation is and there are hardly any help rendered except for an ambulance on the opp road ensuring all drivers are fine.

After having been stuck in the car for more than an hour and not sure how long more it can be, many drivers decide to off their engine and step out of the car. I am not exception as any longer staying in the car, gonna get leg cramps. Can't imagine that I can be out in the open talking to 2 taxi uncles trying to assess how bad the situation is. We got too know from kind motorists on the opp road that the situation is very bad and the whole stretch of road is full of fallen trees. End up the wait is a full 2hrs and amazingly caught no glimpse of any civil defence personnel. All I saw was more foreign workers (look like those involved in road works) with more chainsaws, manually sawing and dragging. 1 TP directing the traffic after clearance and 2 policemen who left after 1hr.

When I am safe and sound at home, started to break down and crying non stop, still in a state of shock apparently. A lot of thoughts went through my mind, all the what ifs. What if I have accelerate, what if the tree fell on my roof, what will happen to me, what will happen to Zethan, what if I am paralysed, what if I became a victim of this rare act of god....so on and on forth. The scenes keep playing repeatedly in my mind which made me felt as though I am reborn, had a close shave from death.

Fatigue

I am seriously suffering from post festive fatigue for the whole week.

No amount of additional sleep help. Constantly feeling tired and fatigue peak during mid day, so difficult trying to keep awake.

Hope I can get over it real soon as next week will be extremely busy and stressful with the upcoming event. argh..