HFMD

today's just been absolutely draining.....
it started last night when Nel developed fever.... today morn, rushed her to the pediatrician, my aunt Pauline's clinic, which is a 40 mins drive through crazy traffic. I go to her, coz I don't trust any of the doctors around my place.

Well...turns out, Nel has HFMD . That poor girl had fever the whole of last night and the whole of today...with sores beginning to form on her upper palate...which will turn to painful ulcers, said the doctor. Needless to say, she's not eaten much.

Anyway, after the visit to the doctor, I dropped the kids at my dad's and drove to a meeting at the uni where I will be lecturing part time. I suppose, because my mind was so troubled by my children's health, I actually took sooooooo many wrong turns! a 40 minute drive became ONE and HALF hours! I ended up in the busy KL City .... and arrived at the meeting 40 mins late.

Later I drove by dad's to pick my children up only to find Jo crying and whining...complaining of pains everywhere, mainly on her joints and mouth. SHe was running a fever...and she was crying non stop, refusing any form of liquid or food.

Once again, I found myself on the very busy road, heading towards Aunt Pauline's clinic. By the time we reached the clinic and saw the doc, I was so tired, I thought I was just gonna cry. I know, boo hoo, cry baby. haha.... well i Was just darn tired.

So Jo is down with HFMD too..... her entire throat is swollen.... poor baby.

Really....times like this, mothering is tough....

We have to console the crying baby..

try to soothe away the pains...

carry the baby who's sick and clingy no matter how our back aches..

gently persuade them to take that little bite or drink ...

and most of all, remain strong...for a mother cannot afford to fall sick...coz she has to tend to all her little children...(and sometimes husband)....

ok.....will try to sleep now....though...it seems impossible....am not looking forward to tomorrow...but am trusting the Lord to heal them quickly...

Abstract Art by Nel

Nel's been bugging me for art lessons. Currently she goes to ballet. I suppose if her interests in art is stronger than ballet, we will switch her to art by next year. Still ballet is good....mainly for her to learn working/dancing as a group, memory of sequence (dance steps), confidence etc etc etc.

She's always doodling, and coming up with rather abstract stuff... if not that, then she's into building blocks or stories. She's always asking strange questions and has interesting thoughts which she comes up with every now and then. Anyway, she drew this today. If you can tell it's actually a face with an alien kinda nose :) and some very abstract patterns in the middle. :)

Anyway, it's a long weekend this week, and I'm looking forward to it. Will be heading out of town for an adventure. God bless and have a lovely rest of the week. :)

third child...yes or no?

Another week's gone by...time goes by too quickly. Starting mid year, my schedule will be doubly busy with more teaching assignments far from home . Though part of me dreads the thought of travelling and spending more time away from home, from my children, I will give thanks. One, because i know, while I'm working my children will be in good hands with my own mum. Second, because recently due to all sorts of unexpected events, my bank account has taken a sharp dip, and when I prayed about it, these job offers came. So I will give thanks. :)

Anyway .... other than that, while going through physio this week, the therapist mentioned the dreaded subject, the subject of the third child. Why is it, soooooooooooo many people are asking me to have a third child? My in laws bug me, my mum's friends bug me...almost everyone except my parents. phew, thank goodness they don't.

Do you know all my in laws have 3-4 children? do you know all my nieces and nephew in laws have also 3-4 children? On hubby's side, i'm the only one with 2.

This issue has been bugging my mind like crazy coz I'm not getting younger...and time is ticking.

Reasons why I should have no. 3 ...
1) everyone says I should try for a boy. (What is the probability of getting one????)
2) The older folks tell me when they hit 50's and 60's they look back and regretted not having more.
3) hubby wants one more
4) It might get quiet around when the children all go to school
5) perhaps out of 3, one might be willing to look after us when I am old? haha..

Reasons NOT to have no.3
1) Increased expenditure, less money to go round
2) Go through TERRIBLe pregnancy again with horrible morning sickness
3) All teaching jobs will be affected again
4) Go through the dreaded C-Section again. I hated it and the pain after!
5) Go through post partum depression again
6) Sleepless nights all over again
7) no freedom to do as I like still... meaning travel...and possibly studying again...

See...the reasons for NOT far outweighs the reasons to have. That's why I can't bring myself to it. But on the other hand....I'm beginning to coo at and admire other people's babies... I'm thinking, if I want one i have to have it now.... I just can't make up my mind.......... just can't. So I wish people would stop bugging me about this for a while.....

Anyway, after all that here's some humor found on http://www.engrish.com/ . Michi, I hope you won't mind these jokes? coz some taken from Japan. Just thought the translation of words here are funny. :) Have a good weekend everyone. :)

No thanks...err...but out of curiosity, is his urine sweet or sour?

this one makes me dizzy reading..

Perhaps this one parents should buy for daughter's boyfriends.

no thanks, i don't think slipping is good at all

ok, but how do I know if my refrigerator is anxious?

yeah...I won't.....can feed with other people's ?

More art work by JO

This is just continuation from the last post. As mentioned, Jo suddenly decided that she likes drawing. So she's been practicing doing lots of faces. Today her drawing has gotten more detailed. Check out the nose, and ears. :)

hands and legs still stem from the head. :) Her drawing now has eyebrows and ears!
These are her drawings of her Ah Kong (Grandpa) and Ah Ma (Grandma)
The little one herself with her art and telescope.
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Have a blessed weekend everyone

Art

day 2 physio. They added 2 pound weights to my exercises. The pain persists... but doctor already said it would take a few months of physio. I'm also to start regular swimming. With frequent thunderstorms and busy schedule...I don't know how I'm gonna fit that in...but will try.
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As for my kids... the crazy rainy weather which has not stopped since Jan has prevented us from going out for our regular walks in the evenings. This drives the children (and me) crazy especially if they are cooped up at home the whole day. However, they have been busy with art. I suppose, since I'm a musician and very much into art myself, my children have a natural inclination towards art and music too.

Well today, Jo took out her sketch pad and these are the pictures she drew today at age 2 years and half.

She says, this is mummy. That messy part in the middle is my tummy. and if you look carefully, she has drawn hands on the side, and two sticks for my legs. If only my legs were thin as sticks! haha....

This is her drawing of daddy.
And this her drawing of Nel. Again, a large messy tummy area, and two very curly hands on the side. haha... 2 sticks for the legs which stem from the head. haha...

THis is Nel's work of art. She's very into building blocks...and so is Jo.

Nel's drawing of turtle on the sea. She is passionate about animals, especially that of the ocean. Right now, she's into saving the whales. haha...

Nel's very colorful CHristmas tree.

Nel's half drawn house with colorful roof.
Random doodle from Nel...again more Christmas trees. (You can tell when her favourite time of the year is.)

Day 1 Physiotherapy

Finally ... I started my physiotherapy today. The session lasted for an hour and a half. Some of it was painful, some of it was relaxing. The ice packs were nice. My shoulders have gotten so bad lately it's hard to wash my own hair or do things for the children without some pain. So I figured, time to get it fixed.

Jo sat down quietly and observed what they were doing. She's really good for a 2 1/2 year old. :) but at one point, when she saw them putting stuff on me, she panicked, and the poor little one started crying badly. So I told her to stand by my bed and hold my hand. She did that in between sobs. I'd to assure her that I was ok, and the physio was helping me and not hurting me. Let's hope the shoulders and back will get better with each session. I'm praying hard.

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Tonight as I put the children to bed Jo said "Mummy, I'm so happy to be with you."

As for Nel she said "Mum.....I wish I was a baby again...."

I asked her why she wished that... and she replied "When I was a baby, you hugged me while I closed my eyes and you used to tap my back till I fell asleep."

I recalled back to the days before Jo was born. Nel being the very affectionate person she is, would snuggle close to me, her hand always touching my shoulders to make sure I was right there beside her when she slept. but when Jo was born, we had to move Nel to a different room, coz Jo was a super wakey baby, waking up 5-6 times a night.

Anyway, so today, I snuggled close beside her, and she held my hand with one, and with the other, held my shoulders like she did when she was a baby. Then she said "sing me my favourite song mum, "May The Lord Bless you.."

So I sang..and she fell asleep, soundly like a baby. :)

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As for my weekly cooking/baking sessions with Junee...last friday, me and Junee attempted to make Onde Onde...and here are the pictures. Yup, they turned out delicous and are very easy to make . :)

The Paste - Glutinous flour, tapioca flour, juice from screwpine leaves

Fill each one with palm sugar and roll into balls making sure sugar is properly sealed inside.

boil, drain and roll in coconut

Bite into it and fill it "burst" in your mouth as the palm sugar melts in your mouth. yumm...

Personality

Minni, the mother of Bethany , sent me this linkto Nurture by Nature where you can take a quiz to determine a child's personality type. So I did the quiz on behalf of my kids, and here's the result for Nel's personality. I find it quite accurate!

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INFP
INFPs are idealistic, committed, and deeply passionate, but tend to idealize relationships, and are easily hurt and tend to hold grudges. Spontaneous and highly original, they also tend to be quite disorganized and become overwhelmed by details.
How to Nurture INFPs
-encourage them to talk about their ideas;

-listen quietly and give them your undivided attention
-allow them to watch from the sidelines;

-give them plenty of time to play alone or day dream
-respect the intensity of their feelings;

- appeal to their desire for harmony in times of conflict
-speak softly and maintain eye and close physical contact

Enduring self-esteem for INFPs comes from knowing that their deep feelings are legitimate and that the people they care about love them regardless of the roller coaster of emotions they often ride.

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Results for...Jo ....may not be as accurate...as certain things are not very clear yet...like if she's a thinker or feeler. Yes, she is imaginative, and intellectually curious. She's stubborn, strong willed. However, she doesn't appear emotionally aloof and superior. She's actually very affectionate and shows it clearly, :) ....except in new social environment. Gotta do this test again when she's older.

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INTJ
INTJs are imaginative and intellectually curious but tend to also be stubborn and unwilling to back down. While they are logical, direct, and skeptical, they are usually intensely private, independent, and appear emotionally aloof and superior.
How to Nurture INTJs
-don’t push them into social situations;

-respect their hesitancy and follow their lead
-provide a constantly expanding source of intellectual stimulation
-expect an analytical thinking style, and don’t take their criticism personally
-be fair and consistent;

-offer the logical rational for your decisions
Enduring self-esteem for INTJs comes from being valued and respected for their unique perspective and their constantly increasing levels of competence.

Camel my little poodle

Day 4 Detox. Let's say I'm not going by the diet plan faithfully. However, I've been eating healthy. :) Cannot go without rice as directed. Addicted to rice. ahaha..

Conversation with Jo over breakfast today.

Jo: Mum, does Ivan obey his mummy? (Ivan is a friend from her toddler group)

Me: Well, I think so.

Jo: Jo obeys mummy. I am a good girl. (pause....and after a while she says)

Mum, .............I like being with you mum. (she says it with a smile.)

Awwww....that was so wonderful to hear. It just brightened my day. :)

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Today we took Camel our adopted dog for grooming. his fur was just growing wild. If you read my earlier post on Camel, you'd know he was rescued from cruelty, and we adopted him. Well, here's the little fella after his hair cut. The best thing is the groomer knows Camel, coz it was he who rescued Camel. So he did it all for free! ANyway, Camel now looks Totally adorable! :)

Camel eyeing Nel's food

Sits still when on a leash

Camel posing

Camel is usually a VERY active dog! I had to censor this pic.

no x rated pic allowed on this family site. haha...

Camel jumping to get the treat

He can jump VERY high! I call him a pogo stick.