I came from a generation where you have pen pals (not cyber friends); keeping in touch means writing letters (on papers) to each other (not Twitting, Face-booking nor blogging) especially those who did not live nearby; and love letters were delivered by postmen.

I was going through a box of letters yesterday after the girls have gone to bed. They were from penpals, friends, and of course from boy friends pledging their undying love (but ironically, all got hitched before I did). Then there’s the many letters from me to Daddy and the few notes Daddy (who never professed his undying love, and who’s not someone who likes to ‘write’ his thoughts) sent to me (together with the grocery supplies from Malaysia) when we were apart for 1 year in different continents.

Paper turned yellow, ink smudges, the various hand writings of thoughts and events on paper. That was the generation I came from.

I was romancing this thought.

One day, the girls will go through my things, and they will find this box of letters (just like in Cape No. 7) and they will understand what I was like in the younger days; who were the friends I had, and whom I’d loved before.

And I wonder, for those who came from a generation where SMS, MSN, emails, twitters, facebook, blogs were the mediums to stay in touch, how will the kids find out of their past, of the loss love? They go through the parents’ portable hard disks? Thumb drives?

How unromantic..

The last the whole family met up was probably during Chinese New Year. Although I had met up with my sisters’ and brother’s family separately on a few occasions, it took my father’s birthday for every body to (agree to) meet up at the same time.

In the car, Zara suddenly realised and asked, “Where is Ah Kong’s present?” When I told her there was none, she asked, “Why we go to Ah Kong’s birthday party with no presents?”

Zara was extremely happy to meet up with the cousins, the aunts and uncles. Zaria on the other hand clung on to Daddy and me (she has been pretty clingy after all the attention we’d given when she was unwell), and kept saying, “I want to go home now.” after we’d stepped into the restaurant.

This is the 6th birthday ‘party’ we’d attended this year (although my dad’s party wasn’t a real party with musical chair and all, but more of a dinner), and the 6th time Zaria cried when the Birthday song was sung. It’s strange. Every party we attended, when the cake was whipped out and the candle litted, Zaria’s lips would start trembling, and the minute the first note of the birthday song was sung, she would cry. We always have to carry her out, away from the singing to calm her down. Her reason, “It’s too loud.” and she told us afterwards, “I don’t like birthday(s).”

Since her birthday last year, she has this thing about birthday song and cake cutting. We just hope she’ll out grow this when it’s her 3rd birthday or it won’t be fun having the birthday girl cry when her own song was sung.

Some photos :

Ah Kong and Zara cutting cake

Zaria cried and just clung on to me

Norman monkeying around with Tasha

Norman monkeying around with Zara

The beautiful girls

The very sociable Sam was too occupied with games

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Not by me, but by 2.5yrs Zaria.

Because of her fall, and the various visit to the doctor, Zaria could do a review on doctors.

She calls Dr Patrick Chan (the chest pead in case you are interested) from Gleneagles, “Toy Doctor”; because he has heaps of toys in the waiting room.

She calls the dentist, “Auntie Dentist”, and she’s the only female doctor she’s seen recently.

And here is her review.
Meimei: “I like boy doctors. I don’t like girl doctors.”
Me : “Why?”
Meimei: “Because girl doctor the whole thing is (was) so painful.”
It took me a while to get it….
The dentist caused her pain (although she was cool throughout), but the rest of the male doctors only listen to her breathing… but I was surprised she used the phrase “the whole thing”.

Like an old lady this one.

Zaria had this cough that has been going on for a few months. Many GP and paed trips, many bottles of Augmentine later, it got well for a few weeks and then back again. Lately, when she coughs, it’s as though there’s a lot of flam in her lungs.

I took off to bring her to see an ENT or a chest physician. When I arrived at the hospital, I was told for her age, it’s not recommended to see an ENT or chest physician instead she should be seen by a paed. As her regular paed was on leave, I let another paed see her.

After hearing her lungs, the paed said, “Her lungs are crappy.”
CRAP! That was my reaction.
Apparently, it’s crepitation. The lungs may be infected (flam caused), causing this ‘crappy’ sound in her lungs.
That explains her on off fever of 38 degrees and above, her cough with the sound of flam.
When the doctor told me she either has to 1) be admitted and go on IV-antibiotic or 2) be treated at home but any worse and she should be brought in again, I felt as though my heart was sliced.

She has been prescribed with Singulair, Zithromax and other cough mixtures.

Is this really very serious? Should I trust this new paed?

So I went to see our regular GP in the night, and showed him the med the paed recommended. He listened to Zaria’s lung and said the same thing. The lungs are crappy (is this the right term?), and the med prescribed should all help her.

Am I satisfied with what the GP said? No. This morning, I brought her to see a Chest Paed recommended by Mom2Ashley.

It seemed it’s quite common these days in kids her age. Just stick to the medicine, and it should work in 5 days. The Paed claimed Zaria has quite a lot of dust in her nostrils too, so he recommended that we change our bed sheets and wash our aircon filter every week, and also get rid of the rugs in the house.

When should I be worried?
If only she became breathless or develop a high grade fever.

So at least tonight, I’ll sleep in peace.

As a mother, I wish that her disease became mine, so that at least I know for myself if it’s serious or not; and I could suffer her pain or discomfort.

Caught her falling asleep after the trip to the chest pead

As for Zara, her rash has gone away after a week; a week of skin recovering; and then it got very dry and itchy; so much so that she scratched until it scarred. I finally succumbed to steroid cream.

I pray all these crappiness will go away soon.

“Ohh KAY” That’s how Zaria says her ok, she emphasises the KAY, and say it with a lot of authority.

We went passed a barber, and Daddy jokingly said, “Come, I bring you go in to cut your hair botak.”
Zaria’s reply, “I don’t want to cut botak, I want to cut bootiful, Ohh KAY?”

We had dinner with the in-laws, after dinner Zaria wanted Daddy to carry her. Daddy pretended, “Daddy very tired, can Yeh-yeh or Mah-mah carry you?”
Zaria’s reply, “They carry, I (will) vomit, OUURK *vomit sound*, Ohh KAY?”

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Lately, don’t know why she’s becoming a tyrant, especially to children around her age or those younger than her.

When we met our neighbour with her 1 year + daughter, Abby, I asked her to go play with Abby, and her reply, “I (will) beat her.” o.O”

Yesterday when Leena came with Shern to collect the cot I was selling, I asked Zaria to say hi to Shern, she replied, “I (will) kick the boy.” o.O”

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She recently calls me by my name, adding Mummy in front, “Mummy Ehk-nes.” Especially when she didn’t get a response from me when she just calls me “Mummy.”
I.e. “Mummy…” ….. (no reply) “MumMY Ehk-nes!! MumMY Ehk-nes!!” until I reply.

And she likes to interupt participate when we’re talking.
“Mummy, sooosh..” “Soosh, don’t talk.” “Mummy Ehk-nes, don’t talk, ohh KAY?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That day, Zara did something wrong, and I asked her to say sorry to me.
Zara said it irritably, “Sorry Mummy.”
Zaria corrected her, “When say sorry, must say nicely, like this (in a small sweet voice) Sorry mummy. ohh KAY cheh?” o.O”

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We saw a lady who was wearing a black burqa in the clinic, and Zaria immediately pointed at the lady and shouted, “Mummy, why the auntie wearing mask?” Loud enough for the whole clinic to hear. o.O”

*Photos taken middle of March.*

One of their favourite pass time, jumping from table to sofa and sofa to table.

Thrilled to be up in the air…

Happy to land safely..

Now, the little one’s turn. She chose the arm chair nearer to the table. Smart!

Up…..

Perfect landing!

Sometimes when the landing is not as perfect….

“Mummy, painful… sayang me…”

(luckily our table is very solid and heavy)

Girls’ conversation About Penis

Zaria : Daddy is not a girl you know.
Zaria : He has no petpet.
Zaria : He got penis at the petpet there.

Zara : You know when boys go to she-she, they must hold the penis to she-she.
Zara : If not, right, the penis will swing here swing there, and the she-she will spray every where.

Zaria talking to Jelly About fierce Mummy
Zaria : Mummy always scold me you know
Zaria : Always shout at me. So loud!
Jelly : Your mummy got smack you or not.
Zaria : Nooooo.. she didn’t smack me.
(haha.. at least I’m not that bad)
Zaria : She shoot me only.
o.O”
(OK, I’m the bad guy at home)

On Working From Home
(This conversation with Zara’s friend took place in Zara’s school, Zaria’s friend, WY, cannot understand why someone can work from home)

WY : You don’t tell your mummy ya..
WY : *whisper* *whisper*
Zara : *loudly* Aigh. I told you before right, my mummy works at home.
Me : What did WY ask you?
Zara : She asked me why you wear like that to go to work.
(I was wearing shorts and t-shirt)
WY : *facing me* What work you do? Why work from home one? My mummy have to work in office.
Me : Hmm.. It’s special for me, that’s why I can work at home.

Another day, when I went to pick the girls up, WY came to me again.
WY : Who do you work for huh?
Me : Hmm.. (trying to find an answer where a 5yr old can understand).. My boss lor.
WY : Oh.. (asthough she understood finally) Your boss goes to your house ah?

Hehe.. I think it’s tough for children who have parents working in the ‘office’ understand the concept of working from home.

The rashes came on Thursday, started with a little on the face, legs and hands. Then, Zara had fever late that night, the fever shot up to almost 39. I’m not sure if it has something to do with the rash.

On Friday morning, her temparature was normal. She attended our neighbour’s birthday party in the morning, and we realised the rash has increased. Zara claimed it’s very itchy, and she kept scratching it even though I’d warned her not to. Her fever came back after her afternoon, but not as high as the night before.

We didn’t think it was measles and suspected it’s an allergy reaction. The whole of last week, it has been really hot, and Zara had been taking naps in the study where I had the aircon turned on. Sometimes, she just lay directly down on the wool carpet, until I noticed and insisted that she brought her matress to sleep on. I suspect Zara is like me, allergy to animal fur (even wool) and saliva, when she was 2+, she got licked by a friendly dog on the face, and she got a rash on the cheek for almost a week.

Then on Saturday, Daddy brought her to see the doctor more for her fever and cough. Daddy just asked about the rash, and the doctor claimed it’s probably an allergy reaction without prescribing anything for it. For the rest of the day and after, she didn’t have fever any more.

However, the rash got worse, probably due to the heat and all the sweating. We tried to relieve the itch by applying some ointment for her. She was using both her hands to scratch at times when she thought I wasn’t looking. The worst was her face, she has a little on the hand, and the legs, none on the body. Although she tries not to, I think sometimes it got too itchy she couldn’t help but to scratch; and the rash got so red, and her face becomes a bit puffy.

She’s feeling very tired most of the time, I’m not sure if it’s caused the rash or her cough medication.

I remember when I was younger, I used to have this kind of rash on my tighs, especially during durian season, but never on my face. My mum had to boil snake or lizard porridge for me as a remedy. I’m not sure I just grew out of it, or the exotic meat helped, I no longer had this kind of rash. Anybody has seen this before? Do you know what this is and if there’s anything that will help it?

Poor girl, I feel so sorry for her.

Thanks for all your well wishes and concerns.

The cool cat, Zaria is in action right after the stint at the dentist.

She only complained on the same night during milk drinking time that her ‘mouth’ was painful, and refused to drink milk, besides this, she was normal, and so was her jiejie, Zara. The normal, rough self, which began her pushing and shoving soon afterwards. Kids, they forget so easily!

I had to warn Zara that if I saw her being rough to Zaria again, I will have to send her to my sis’ place for a week to separate the two of them, just in case anything happened to the Zaria’s already loose tooth. That kept her being careful.

Zaria’s mouth was still slightly bloody on Sunday and her upper lip puffy, but since Monday, I could see the gum had started healing, and the bleeding stopped. Besides the slightly chipped tooth, and the black thread still tying on the tooth, you really can’t tell she had a bad fall.

Photo taken in the evening of last Saturday, after the incident. You can see the blood stain at the corner of her mouth.

Tomorrow, she’ll be going to get the dentist to check on her again and to remove the black thread.