Mummy's entry - what I like about the daycare

I have no regrets sending Rye Li to the daycare ever since she was one and a half month old. People did warn me then that I will constantly have a sick baby, being exposed to so many kids at the daycare. I was prepared for this and told myself if this is really the case where I will have a sick baby monthly, I will then look for a babysitter.

Luckily, I never had to come to this. Of course, she did become sick now and then in the first year, the most 4 times and it was manageable. Aunty Ng, the owner said she's quite good already compared to the other babies and she thinks it has got to do with the breastmilk Rye Li was having then. Her poor baby cot buddy then, Shon, was constantly sick and sometime last year, his parents decided to pull him out of the daycare although his 2 elder sisters were there as he wasn't growing healthily as he should. I remember the first day I sent the girl there, Shon, who's 3 weeks older then Rye Li was much bigger and taller in size than Rye Li. And he has always been until towards a year old when I notice although he's taller than Rye Li, he was getting thinner and thinner. Rye Li is already petite for her age till today and for Shon to be thinner and lighter than Rye Li then, it was not a good sign. I've not seen him for a while although I see his mom and 2 sisters regularly but the last time I saw him, he was much healthier already.

I guess there are the pros and cons of a daycare but looking at how the girl has progressed with the daycare, I really have no regrets at all.

There are so many things the daycare has taught the girl that shamefully, I admit, I will not have the patience to teach the girl the same things at home.

She is 28 months old today which makes her 2 years and 4 months old and she can:-

1) count up to 20. of course her 11-20 is not as perfect as her 1-10 but that was how she learnt her 1-10 anyway.

2) she knows all her shapes from heart to oval and can tell the difference of a square to rectangular. several months back, I was drawing out shapes for her to recognise and she can tell me all of them. I continued to draw half a moon expecting her to say moon and she knows this and this girl answered "cresent". At first, I thought she meant "present" and wanted to correct her but then it hit me that she meant cresent and she is right. I was really impressed with this and told hubby and hubby asked me back "What is cresent?!" haha.

3) she knows how to colour within the lines but with mistakes now and then. I remember when I was teaching her to colour, she was colouring all over the place and I just gave up, letting her do what she wants but of course on the book and not elsewhere.

4) just last week, I got to know that she also knows how to read about 7 words from the flash cards they use at the daycare. I was impressed with this and tempted to do my own flash card for her. All this while, she only knows her name as we have been spelling out her name since she was a baby and now she can spell her name as well.

5) she learnt how to eat on her own mostly from the daycare. i don't have the patience to see her make a mess at home. now, when I'm in the mood, I let her eat on her own. she doesn't make such a mess like before.

6) she's also potty trained at the daycare. we use more diapers at home than she does at the daycare and only along the way i found out she pees on her own at the daycare. this of course lead me to have her pee on her own at home but she is still not being cooperative to poo in her potty at home unlike at the daycare.

7) although she goes for her music class (kindermusik) once a week, she also learns other songs from the daycare. i'm guessing from the combination of this and what i sing to her at home, i notice she tends to also make up songs on her own at times.

8) and of course her ABCs too but I have always sang to her now and then this song ever since she was a baby.

I guess with the daycare strengths, it also goes to show my weaknesses as a mom. Yes, I'm relying on them to teach my girl things as well and I've never admitted that I'm a perfect mom. ;)

Back to the girl, I was contemplating whether I should send the girl to school when she turns 3 end of the year. Aunty Ng did advise that I don't need to since she is already learning stuff at the daycare and that she goes to her music class once a week. I will still try and source for one around the daycare which provides transport and if I feel if the girl is ready then, I may just send her to one. If not, I will wait till she turns 4 then.

I cannot believe how fast she has grown, as much as I am proud to see her grow, I'm also sad that she's not exactly my baby anymore.

Mummy's entry - still little Ms. Consti now and then

This is an update on Rye Li's constipation as well as to inform Wani who has left a comment on this blog about how we dealt with Rye Li's constipation since that awful day in April last year.

After that episode, we have been giving her the laxative Duphalac as well as to ensure she gets loads of liquids and fibre. Even with this, she will still be constipated now and then but it wasn't as bad as the first time.

I think it is also due to the fact that we 'force' her to poo over the toilet bowl when she had the urge to poo (during her ordeals last year) that till today, she refuses to poo in her potty at home and will only poo in her diaper. She will poo in the potty at the daycare most of the time though. She will only pee on her own in her potty at home.

The laxative has been a constant aid since in which I will add up the dosage when she really struggles to poo and when she doesn't, I will lessen the dosage or none at all for days. When she skips a day whereby, she didn't poo, I will give her the laxative. This has become the norm till Chinese New Year this year when I noticed she was having watery stools so we stopped since then. A couple of weeks back, she was struggling again to poo and she will tell us it is painful so I started this again on and off.

Then just last week itself, one of the nights, she was struggling to poo and even cried when she was having the urges. This lasted over an hour. She managed to withstand the urges for that night and went to bed. I did give her the laxative then and during the middle of the night, she got up and again had this. I had to hug her and console her while she was crying to withstand the urges. I even forced her legs opened as I noticed she was holding it in by clenching her legs together but it didn't work. After like half an hour or so, with the urges gone and of course with no poo, she went back to sleep.

In the morning, after she had her milk, she had another episode. I expected this as her poo needs to come out and she didn't poo for 2 days. So there I was, hugging her, having her head on my shoulder and her crying throughout till her poo actually came out. This lasted for nearly half an hour too and her poo was really thick and huge! Interestingly, there were no trace of blood like last time. But I made sure she had her laxative twice day for the next several days till she poos normal again.

Since then, I've been giving her the laxative once a day at nights but I do skip in between when her stools are soft. I just have to keep making sure she drinks loads of water.

So, I wish I can update that Rye Li is back to poo-ing normal but she's not at times. I can say it is way much better than last year and thus, I'm not complaining. We just need to monitor her constantly and decide whether she needs the laxative or not.

The concern sides of me

As much as Mummy had posted my naughty sides, I do show empathy as well towards others and lately, Mummy notices this.

When Mummy wasn't feeling well and was coughing badly, I went:

"Mummy cough-cough, Mummy cannot eat ice cream"

When Mummy was sniffling, I went:

"Mummy, why your nose stuck? Go blow your nose now"

And when Mummy was puking over the toilet bowl (she's been doing this alot lately) and so happened I was there looking, I went:

"Mummy sick, Mummy vomit"

Mummy has not been carrying me for a while now saying her back has been aching and when I want her to carry me, she will tell me this. And I will go:

"Mummy back pain-pain, Mummy cannot carry Rye Li, Papa can carry Rye Li"

I've been having a bad cough for nearly a week now and when I cough, I will go:

"I cough, I cannot eat ice cream and chocolates ya?" (but I will still ask for my sweets)

On sucking my thumb, Mummy has been telling me for months now that I'm not a baby and that I should not suck my thumb anymore and I will go:

"I big girl already, I cannot suck thumb yea?" and then I will change my mind and go "Mummy, I want to suck (my) thumb"

The cheeky sides of me

It's been a while that I've not had my pics up eh, well, the following are some of the cheeky shots Mummy managed to get off me lately...

i like posing for the camera when i get my clothes stuck at my head, usually before shower time

mummy wanted to throw this toy box away but i had fun with it before she did, i made it into my boat!

mummy was busy doing her stuff at the computer one weekend and so i entertained myself, as u can tell, i love balls!

and i'm still sucking my thumb! mummy has compiled alot of pics of me during our US trip last year of me sucking my thumb and i'm not letting her put these up just as yet!

when i'm in the mood, i will really do alot of poses for the camera....

More on conversations and stuff

I’ve been getting smarter these days in telling Mummy or Papa what I want. Sometimes, I get away with it, at times I don’t. So I don’t really mind testing my limits all the time.

As you know, I like to dilly-dally most of the times and this gets on Mummy’s nerves a lot. Lately, she has been bribing me with sweets to get out of the house in time in the mornings and also to walk to the car. I used to show my temper when she wakes me up in the mornings to go to Aunty Ng’s and by this, she will scold me and I won’t give in. So, in the end, she will be carrying me all the way to the car while I protest.

For the past one month, I guess she got smarter and know what I will ‘worked’ for and she told me if I listen to her, I will get 2 sweets before we leave the house. I’m fine with this and it works out well for her too.

Several mornings ago, I was in one of those moods again and dilly-dallied while Mummy was rushing me to get ready to leave the house. She was nagging and nagging and I didn’t really give into her although she threatened me by not want to give me sweets. In the end, she managed to get me ready and I tried my luck for getting my daily sweets. And she said, since I was so naughty and didn’t listen to her, she will only give me one sweet. I accepted.

The next morning, she used this as an example and said if I don’t listen to her, I will only get 1 or none at all. And so I listened to her and got my 2 sweets while she praised me. And she is reminding me this every morning.


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On another note, I am always told that I have money in the bank so I’m aware that I do have a lot of money in my bank. Usually, when you ask me what I want to buy with my money, I will say:-

“Buy mee, chicken and veggie. Cook for Mummy and Papa”

Last night, Mummy was telling me other things to buy for her. She went along saying when I’m a big girl already, I can take my money out from the bank and buy her a big house with swimming pool and a big car. I listened to her while nodding my head and then I added;

“I buy toy for Mummy ok?”

Mummy was caught off guard and she went “So sweet of you girl to buy me a toy!”

Actually, this is what I have been telling papa to do when he goes on his business travels “I want Papa buy toy for me please”