New Game

Keeping Charlotte occupied when we dine out is a challenging task for the fact that she doesn't eat much and would normally be bored if she has to wait and sit on the high chair for too long.

These days making her a special bento that includes her favorite snacks would be an alternative when we dine out with friends, when it is not very nice to make everyone else follow our little girl's taste buds. Other than that, a book and a pen would be necessary to keep her occupied.

She would normally practise her numbers and alphabets, but she gets bored very quickly. This happened last weekend when we met up with some friends for dinner. She started with her very nice work and then she just scribbled when she was bored.

I then this idea struck me and I introduced this game to her. A simple mathematics game, I draw and she counts and writes down the correct number. To my surprise she mastered it very quickly.

An Incident At School - When Told By Different People

I was tied up at work on Wednesday and Pat helped me to pick up Charlotte from school. I tried to contact Pat in the afternoon to get some updates if Charlotte was fine at school and if she cried when Pat dropped her off at home. Unfortunately, Pat was in meeting all day and we didn't get a chance to catch up.

I got home around 5.45pm and I asked Brenda if Charlotte was alright. The first thing she told me was:

Brenda's version
Brenda: When she came back, her dress was changed.
Me: Changed? Why? She wee wee again?
Brenda: No, both top and bottom, all changed. Sir said she got locked in the toilet and she fell because her friend pushed her.
Me: Huh?? What?? Locked in the toilet?? How come?? Then how did she get out?? (follow by all sorts of questions)
Brenda: I don't know, this is what Sir said.

Charlotte's version
Me: Charlotte, you fell down in the school toilet ah?
Charlotte: Yes
Me: How? Friend friend pushed you?
Charlotte: Yes, friend friend pushed me, then shee shee (wee wee) on me, then I wet wet
Me: Huh? your friend shee shee on you?
Charlotte: Hmm, then kakak pom pom (shower) me.
Me: HUH?? Friend friend shee shee on you? How come?
Charlotte: Yes, my dress wet wet, then kakak pom pom me
Me: Friend friend pushed you or friend friend shee shee on you ? (confused)
Charlotte: ...no, my friend go the toilet next door, then I shee shee wet wet
Me: What next door? How come wet wet?

Daddy's version
Me: What happened at school today? What did the teacher tell you?
Pat: Don't know la, she said something like Charlotte fell down in the toilet and wet her dress. So they changed her.
Me: How come Brenda said Charlotte was locked in the toilet?
Pat: No la, I didn't say that
Me: Charlotte told me that her friend wee wee on her, that's why she was wet.
Pat: Huh? How come wee wee on her? They bullied her ah?
Me: Aiyo, you were the one fetched her how come you ask me back?
Pat: Don't know la, because when the teacher told me Charlotte was also talking to me at the same time. So I didn't actually hear properly

I was so worried, keep thinking about what could be the possibility.
How come Charlotte got locked in the toilet? That was so dangerous! Where was the teacher?
Why her friend so naughty went wee wee on her and how? Where was the teacher?
Charlotte didn't have towel in the school, what did they use to dry her if they really shower her like what Charlotte told me?
Or her friend pushed her and she fell down? Where was the teacher then?
Did she cry? Oh dear, poor baby...I must ask the teacher tomorrow...

Another thing was Charlotte gave away her donut that I bought her, her favorite donut. How come she gave that away? What did she eat? I must ask the teacher tomorrow...

This is the version from her teacher the next morning: Teacher's version
Me: Teacher, what happened to Charlotte yesterday?
Teacher: Oh, there was this new boy in school. Charlotte was squatting down wee wee-ing and this boy rushed into the toilet and wee wee beside her. She was wet a bit because the boy stood beside her. This boy suppose to go to the other toilet, which is for the boys. But since he is new and he must have desperately need to wee wee then, so he just ran inside. I'm so sorry about it.
Me: Oh! No wonder Charlotte told me her friend shee shee on her.
Teacher: Yeah, then we quickly took her to shower and changed her. I'm very sorry about it
Me: Oh I see. (but I forgot about the towel thing, haiya!) and she gave away her donut?
Teacher: Yes, she gave to her friends and she ate her friend's stuff.
Me: Oh! (rushing to work, didn't ask what stuff did she eat, never mind la)

Well, at lest half the story my girl told me was true, more accurate than her Auntie Brenda and her daddy :)

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

This is one of Charlotte's favorite hymns these days...

Jesus loves me this I know

For the bible tells me so

Little ones to him belong

I am weak but he is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me (3x)

The bible tells me so

Obviously, Charlotte had her own version of it. The "s" are missing and she only sang the chorus once instead of 3 times.

Mommy I Want...

I always try my best to fulfill Charlotte's demand if it is within my control, if it is reasonable, if it is not dangerous/hazardous to give. Charlotte has this body suit from Carter which I bought her when I went to the States, it says:

It suits her perfectly until lately, when her demands get more and more challenging...

"Mommy I want rainbow..." it was raining recently and she remembered rainbow after rain as shown on Barney show. How to promise a rainbow? I need to get a prism *make mental note*

One night, she saw a lizard on the wall, it was quite a big one and she pointed it to me and said "mommy see lizard! Mommy take!" *faint*

Sometimes she requests to repeat the show that we watch on Disney Channel, like Little Einstein, Mickey Mouse Club House, My Friends Tigger and Pooh and etc. But they are TV programs, not DVD movies and we can't replay it when it is "The End". When she says "Mommy I want some more...!" how?

We used to have fun getting Charlotte to pay the parking fee at the auto pay machine. Lately, she always wanted to get jackpot (when we don't have small change and the machine will return the 50 cent coins from the return slot) from the machine. Obviously we try to avoid getting all coins when we actually can pay with the exact amount. She will shout and scream "I want coins, I want ding ding ding...!)

We stay very nearby to Penang International Airport, it is very often we see aeroplanes in the sky and that's when she asks "I want aeroplane!". The last time she asked, she got it but dear, your mommy is not a money printing machine ok?

This morning she told me she wants to wear something like Ariel as she was watching the Little Mermaid movie. I didn't understand what she said and I asked again. She said I want to wear this and pointed to my chest. Did you get it? She wants to wear bra! *slap head*

The only thing she doesn't want is "I don't want kool (school), mommy don't go to work". How to not go to work?

Dear, mommy needs money to fulfill your very creative demands ok?

Too Many...

As I was preparing Charlotte's bento this morning, I realized how much we have over spent on her.

I bought too many tumblers, cups, bowls, folks & spoons, bento stuffs. Some more on the way...





I looked further and I found she has too many pillows, bolsters and blankets, she hardly use any of them when she sleeps. She has a queen size bed in her room and a super single in my room when she co-sleep with us.



Too many clothes, towels, hankies and panties too. We even have a separate closet just to hang all her dresses.


Too many pairs of shoes, sandals and socks to match with her outfits.


Too many books





Too many movies





Charlotte also enjoys some of the movies we watched, like...



Too many toys...I really don't know how to take picture of those toys, they are all over the house. I can only take a picture of toys stored at our store room. Charlotte refers to the room as "toy room" instead.

Prepositions

Charlotte has several Little Grammar Books, hand-me-down from her cousin Abraham. These books are specifically written for children aged 4-7 years old. Although Charlotte does not read them (yet), she learns and understands most of it.

A book on prepositions is what she is into currently. She requests to read this book every night before bed. I used to read to her, but now I do the question/answer way instead. She is able to answer correctly with "In", "On", "At", "Beside", "Between", "Above", "Under" and etc.

Back To School...& Accomplishment!

Charlotte is back to school after 1 week of absence. She is definitely doing much better this week and all of us are so glad and relief with this improvement. She cried every morning as we were getting her ready for school and on the way she kept saying "I don't want go kool...". Good thing is she stopped as we arrived at the school front gate, and she said bye bye to us when her teacher carried her over. I usually stood at the corner for awhile before I leave. I just need to know and make sure that she is ok.

On Thursday morning, she wailed the same way except it was a little intense. I used a longer route hoping for her to claim down before reaching school. I turned into nearby market and immediately she asked "where this place?" (her way of asking where are we going?). I said "we go to school". Immediately she wailed, even louder than before "No, mommy go buy mum mum. I want to follow!" She must have recalled that this is the place I bring her almost every weekend, for marketing and breakfast. I continue to drive towards her school and as I parked in front of the school gate, she said "bye bye mommy" and waved to me although she was still in tears.

Today is Friday and so they have the sing and worship session. When I went to pick her up the teacher told me this
Teacher M: We sang "God Is So Good" this morning and I noticed Charlotte was singing with action. So I asked her to come in front and sing, and she did!
Me: Oh, yes! She knows this song! (didn't think it was a big deal)
Teacher M: Yes, we thought she won't do it when she is called to the front but she did!
Me: You mean she solo?
Teacher M: Yes, solo in front of all teachers and children. I wanted to video taped it but too late.
Me: Wow, that's really something! I am so glad and proud!! I would love to see the video if you catch it for me :)

According to the teacher, Charlotte enjoys every activity and participates well in the class except meal time. She cries almost every time meal is served. She prefers to eat her bento instead. That makes me think that her bento needs to include lunch when I make it the next time.

1 To 10!

About 3 weeks back, this was what written on Charlotte's drawing board...

Finally, Charlotte is able to write from 1 to 10! Number 8 and 9 still need more work and sometimes she did get confused with 7 and L, 6 and d but I am very proud with her effort so far.

Good job baby!

Stressed!

I was anticipating the "separation anxiety" challenge when school starts this week but Charlotte was down with fever last Sunday evening. However, after 1 doze of PCM she was alright and hence none of us were paying to much attention to it. Until Tuesday night, she told me she felt very cold for the first time. I immediately checked on her and it was already 39.4 degree C. Quickly I gave her 1 doze of PCM and sponged her as we rushed to the pediatrics clinic. Dr. Sim was only worried if it was due to urine infection and we were asked to return the next morning to do the urine test (the lab was closed at that time). Fortunately, the urine test result was clear and Dr Sim only advised us to monitor the condition since the fever had already subsided throughout the night.

Charlotte's face started to pop up with pinkish rashes yesterday and it has spread through her arms and legs this morning. My first thought was "Oh no, Measles!" and I checked her immunization record the Measles jab was intentionally voided. I then checked with a few of my friends and they all confirmed that the Measles jab was not given to their child too. So what could that be?

Of course Dr Sim was the next person I called. He advised me that it is a type of viral illness among young children called Roseola Infectum. It will appear once the fever has subsided and it will last for 3-4 days. He also said that there is no more Measles at this time and hence the Measles jab is no longer required.

Now that the root cause of the sickness has identified, I am dealing with a especially fussy, easily irritated and very sensitive child. She wants to be "in touch" with me every minute, every second. I can't bath, can't attend to phone calls, can't work on the computer, can't drive (once we got into the car, she wants to continue to sit on my lap), she doesn't want her aunty Brenda, doesn't want daddy, doesn't want Ah Mah. She wails and wails and wails if I fail to meet her "demand". Her appetite dropped significantly, she hardly finish 10oz of milk in a day, and only very minimum on solid.

I already missed work 2 days and I don't know how long this would go on. Her cries really really drive me crazy. This is the worse tantrum I ever experienced since her birth. I need to be really really careful of what I said to her, or offered her. It could easily trigger her sensitive nerve. I am extremely stressed out, Aahhhhhhhh!!!

New Knowledge For Mommy

Charlotte had been complaining (not consistently) while she wee wee. On and off she will say "ouch, ouch, shee shee part pain". I checked but didn't notice any inflammation and thought maybe she was just trying to get attention.

Last Friday, she said that again and I decided to take her to go for a check-up just in case. I explained to Dr. Sim about her situation and as we expected she is required to do a urine test. Collecting urine was a tough job, first because she just did like 15min ago and I had to keep feeding her water. Then because she is a girl, with her squading down was too difficult for me to put the bottle under her. I had to then carry her on my lap with both her legs apart while one hand supporting her and the other placing the bottle under to collect the urine. Both of us had a lot of laugh in the toilet during this process. I'm not sure if other people next door finds it funny while listening to our conversation :p

The result was read as slight infection condition and Dr Sim then proceed to examine her. Thank God that Charlotte was very cooperating, lying down on the bed and spreading her legs apart as told. Dr Sim then said "Oh, it's closed!". HUH??? What's closed? Apparently, Charlotte is having this condition called Labial Adhesion. Shame on me, I wasn't even notice that her vagina opening is different when I checked.

Dr Sim assured us that it is pretty common among girls until age 6. No surgery is required, and he prescribed an oral antibiotic called Augmentin and Premarin cream for external application. He assured us that the labial minora will separate after the 1 week course and we need to bring her back to another round of examination after 1 week. He also said that this could reoccur in the future until she is probably 6 years old or as she grows her body will produce enough hormone estrogen and this problem will disappear.

It has been 3 days and I do notice the wall separation starting to happen. Luckily Charlotte is very cooperative when we need to apply the cream on the infected area.

Mothers with baby girls out there, you may want to pay attention to this and examine your girl once in awhile or attend to her cue.

I have been telling the same answer over and over again to everyone that asked me "how's your girl?", that's separation anxiety. link

On and off, Charlotte's been complaining when she wee wee. She said "shee shee part pain pain" but I didn't take any action thinking mayb

Schooling...(continue)

Day 4:
Getting ready was still a smooth process until we got to the school. I wanted to inform the teacher regarding the missing bread and so I stood there and talked to Charlotte's teacher and the principle while the other teacher took Charlotte to join the rest of the kids. Wrong move!!! Charlotte was keeping her eye on me and after I finished talking she insisted me to join her, she cried!

I know she was still crying when I left. So I left with a heavy heart and mixed feeling. I counted every hour and every second, finally it's 12pm and I speed off to school! The first thing I noticed was she changed to another dress! Not a good sign. Her teacher told me she threw up a bit but she was very involved in every activity. She also finished her bento! I am very sure this time that the kakak (this how the children call the indonesian maid) in the school didn't eat any. But she still didn't want to go wee wee and didn't have lunch in the school.

Day 5:
She woke up around 7.30am, and getting her ready was still pretty easy by offering her "pretty dress". I got ready her bento and water tumbler and off we went after she had her milk. On our way to the school, she said to me "mommy please don't go park car" (this was what I told her as an excuse to leave). As we were approaching the school, she asked "where this place?" (her way of asking "where are we going") and I knew it is not going to be easy. True enough, she held my hand very tightly as we walked to the school. She didn't want to let me go, I had to join her in the singing session. I tried many times to leave/escape but all failed and she cried and cried and cried...I just had to leave and you know what happened.

When I went to pick her, she was still in the same dress. That means she didn't vomit, and she probably didn't cry too long after I left. Teacher Karen told me she had a good time, singing (every Friday they have a sing and worship session) and played with her friends (yes, got friends already) at the playground.

She still didn't go wee wee and didn't have lunch at school.

This basically concluded her first week in school. I know this is not going to be easy come next Monday, but this is the journey that both of us has to go through. I pray that this difficult time will end sooner than it has to be.