Why is blog titled Sweet at P? Started this blog in the midst of planning my girl's 1st birthday bash. Her name starts with P, and theme of the party is 'Sweet at One'. When thinking what to name this blog, the party theme came into my mind. Sweet at P emerges...
I can hardly believe a year has flown past just like that! From a tearful toddler who cried buckets of tears when she started school at the beginning of this year, she has evolved into a happy student who tells me she will take care of younger 弟弟 and 妹妹 (students) next year! Stay happy, for that's how we want your childhood to be!
P woke up burning hot this morning, much to my dismay. She must have caught the virus from C, and that didn't bode well coz my mom who has been taking care of C while he was sick went down like a bowling pin. It was a strong virus, gosh. I started loading up on Vit C last week, hoping some of it will go into my bm and aid C's recovery, but I neglected P's immunity. I should have boosted her immunity at the same time. Now that both kids are down, I feel so much heartache when I see them struggling to breathe through their blocked nose and coughing their hearts out. P took one step more than C to come down with fever. Holding her burning hot body in my arms really saddens me.
To make matters worse, today is the day of her school's mini concert. I bet they had done numerous times of practice and she has been so excited, kept telling me and hubby that we have to come and watch her perform on stage. She woke up feeling so miserable that she refused to go to school. We planned to get her to a doctor first and see if she feels good enough to go to school after that. In the car and at the clinic, she became very hyper, playing and laughing with me. We finished off at the doctor at 12.15pm and decided to rush down for her concert at 12.30pm.
Honestly, I had no idea what kind of performance she was going to put up. When I asked her, she did a rendition that resembled a ballerina twirling, followed by 拔萝卜 (plucking radish) and ended with a curtsy. It took just 10s and that was the kind of performance I was expecting. I mean, what do they expect a group of 3yo to pull off?
We arrived just in time to see the pre-nursery children enter the hall. They all had some form of costume on her. 叶老师 saw her and quickly put on her costume for her. Her class Daisy 2 would be the second to perform.
Guess what? My girl did such a great job in spite of her high fever. Here's the videos of her performances (she's 8th from left). It turned out her class was performing "Wheels on the Bus" and "泥娃娃".
Today is the day of P's first ever Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC), yet another parenthood milestone achieved! Coincidentally, Clyde hits the 38-week mark today and I was afraid of going into labor, so I had asked hubby to take leave as well. The PTC was scheduled for 9.15am, and I had plans to leave at 8.30am for fear of the morning traffic at Marymount Road. However, the little one decided to sleep in and this is how she looked at 8.20am. This reinforces once again our decision to put her in the afternoon session, really can't bear to wake her up to go to school in the morning. We managed to rouse her and left at 8.40am.
The morning traffic was super smooth and we found ourselves reaching her school just before the clock strikes 9. There were chairs placed outside each classroom for parents who were waiting in line. Mind you, those were kiddy chairs and I was so worried I'll break one with my heavily pregnant frame. A huge board displaying some photos of the kids during lesson time was placed outside the classroom, and we spotted her in the following photos. How cute!
Her English teacher Ms Lyn was occupied with a parent, so we spoke to her chinese teacher 叶老师 first. Her first comment is "可盈很可爱" and goes on to tell us that she is quite engaged during class. In fact, she very enthusiastically helped to translate what 叶老师 was telling the rest of the class, e.g. 叶老师 would say 黄色 and she would proclaim "黄色 means yellow" to her classmates. LOL. 叶老师 did highlight that her attention span needs some working on. She tends to get distracted by what's happening outside the classroom (there's a playground outside the window) and if she sees squirrels, she will go running to the window to see, even if they are in the midst of class. Another thing that we need to work on is how she holds her writing instruments. Both 叶老师 and us have noticed she tends to hold pens/pencils/crayons with her fist, so I will need all her caregivers (mil's maid and my mom) to take note and correct her.
The feedback session was pretty short and I had the chance to browse through her portfolio while waiting for her English teacher to be done. It was lucky I hadn't gone into labor, for the hubby didn't know we had to wait for the English teacher. After meeting 叶老师, he commented "That was short and I didn't understand what the teacher was saying. Shall we go now?" Sigh, I can't imagine what I could have gotten out of him had he gone for the PTC alone. During the entire feedback session with 叶老师, P also looked like she would prefer to be somewhere else. She was restless and kept glancing longingly at the playground outside. It was almost a relief for her when we finished up with 叶老师, haha.
Ms Lyn's feedback on P was quite interesting. She commented that P is doing well in school, and is one of the more popular child in class because of her friendliness. However, like what 叶老师 says, she needs to work on her attention span. Due to her "popularity", she is found to be talking to her classmates in the midst of the lesson. However, she can return quickly when her name is called to get her attention.
It appears she is a bit ahead in terms of numbers and alphabets (thanks to Leapfrog DVDs I guess). Ms Lyn told me they are learning numbers 1-5 this year, but P can go up to 10 already, although she mixes up 6 and 9 sometimes. As for alphabets, I've tested her with alphabet magnets on my fridge not too long ago, and she should be 80% there.
Hubby took the chance to check in with the teacher on potty training, one of the points I missed. Her class has 18 children, and about 4-5 of them are potty trained already. Ms Lyn told us that P is able to pull down her diaper and go if the entire class is brought to the restroom for toilet break. However, if she needs to go and toilet break time is not near, she will do it in her diaper. P told me 2 days ago during bedtime "If I need to go shh shh, must tell Ms Lyn (not mama or papa, but Ms Lyn)." I've been wondering why she said that, and Ms Lyn told us that's exactly what she told P, haha. Based on her previous batches of students, Ms Lyn told us that most kids in pre-nursery are fully potty trained by term 3 or term 4 as the parents help reinforce the concept during June holidays. Looks like I will be very busy cleaning up pee from both a newborn and a toddler come June...
While looking through her portfolio, I came across this entry that made me go "Awwwwww". In case you are wondering, she is holding a photoframe artwork of a family picture with hubby, me and herself. She actually remembered to mention Clyde during show and tell, even though there were no apparent signs of didi in that photo.
Seeing and hearing about her progress in school makes me quite emotional. Within a span of 6 months, we've moved from "I don't want to go school" and hysteric episodes in school, to a "popular" toddler who is so fond of her teachers and school. Every night before bedtime, she will snuggle up to me in bed and go "I want to tell mama about school today" I bet she's having fun while learning and that's how I intend it to be.
Ending off the post with a video of P. School was also closed yesterday because of the PTC and we found ourselves at The City @ Liang Court for 4 hours, where she acted as a doctor, nurse, fireman, supermarket shopper and cashier.
This week marks the final week of Term 1 for P, and she will get to enjoy her first school holiday of her life. I looked back on her first few days at school and marvel at how far she has come, from a hysterical please-don't-abandon-me girl to today's "Yes, I want to go to school!!" It was a roller coaster ride of emotions for us parents too, and parenthood really opens up my eyes.
Look what P brought back from school yesterday!
She looked really proud of her artwork, and happily announced that the picture smacked in the middle is a dinosaur! And dinosaur it shall be :)
As mentioned previously, I didn't have much insight to what she does in school. When prompted with "did you do ___ in school today?", her answers were always "Yes". Looking at all the artwork she brought home really makes a difference. I told hubby I can finally justify her school fees, lol!
P celebrated CNY in school on 30 Jan. Instead of her usual school hours, her school hours were tweaked such that the afternoon session dismisses at 12.45pm. The school sent a letter encouraging the kids to come dressed in CNY clothes and to bring along some snacks to share with their classmates. I took leave for the day, and was able to send the little one off on the school bus.
MY CNY dolly
Hubby and I did one final round of spring cleaning and went out for lunch. We reached mil's place to pick P up, only to see that she is busy emptying her school bag and exploring the goodies. She told me her principal gave her a 红包, which actually turned out to be Hello Panda biscuits in a small plastic bag, haha. She also received some small toys and sweets from school. I checked through her bag and found this! Her artwork is now hanging proudly behind our door.
P's artwork - She told me she painted the red portion
P must have had too much fun in school. We tried to get her to nap so that she wouldn't be cranky when we go to my grandparents' place for reunion dinner later, but she decided that naps are not for CNY eve. Luckily, she held herself well during the reunion dinner and was especially happy to see my parents and sister there. She finally fell asleep at 10pm, with her 压岁钱 under her pillow.
初一 for us is usually a hectic event and the day starts early. For this horse year, events ran in this order
1. Leave at 8.30am to go church
2. Go to hubby's mom's side
3. Go to hubby's dad's side
4. Send in laws home
5. Go to my dad's side
6. Go to my mom's side
We were out the whole day and I had to pack extra diapers and clothes for P. P took her nap in the car between events 4 & 5, and we stayed in the car for an additional 20 min so that she can get sufficient rest. In any case, my bones are usually achingly tired when we got to the end of the day. It made me miss those days before I met hubby. In those days, I only had to go to my dad's side and mom's side and finish off for the day. I really don't dare to imagine getting 2 bubs ready by 8.30am next year, omg.
OOTD for CNY Day 1
Day 2 would usually be hubby's day's side, an uncle who stays in a landed house and have guests over every 初二. This is where lunch always include popiah, and some dim sum items ordered via delivery. After my brother in law has his fill, he will start the blackjack gambling den and is aka the banker. I recalled that P was quite disruptive during the gambling session last year. This year though, that family had a new baby girl and they had toys in the house for P to play. She kept herself entertained and didn't require much supervision.
After the gambling session, we'd head to hubby's nanny's house near Farrer Park. This nanny had taken care of hubby when he was about 5 years old, and is like a second granny to hubby. She is getting on in years but never fail to reminisce on hubby's childhood days each time we go. Hubby and her grandson (3 years younger than hubby) were playmates, and he's now in Boston studying his PhD. In fact, hubby is thinking of going to US in the next few years since his childhood playmate is living there and will be able to show us around.
OOTD for CNY Day 2
初三 was a bad day for P. She developed cough and fever the day before and woke up on Day 3 coughing till she threw up on our bed. None of the laundry shops were opened, so we had to bring the soiled laundry to a 24hour DIY laundromat to get them cleaned. You would load the laundry into their washing machine, put in the required amount of money and start it. The laundry will then run and you can come back later to collect it. They also have dryers working on the same concept. I've only seen such shops in US previously, but they are gradually popping up in Singapore now. The only con is that hubby needs to drive back and forth to stagger the washing machine and the dryer. Apart from that, it's a lot cheaper than going to laundry stores.
We visited my colleague's house in the late afternoon and he has an amazing wife who is such a great cook. He stays also in a private property, and P entertained herself by going up and down the steps, haha. The last stop of the day is hubby's boss' house. He has recently started work in a new company and was pleasantly surprised to be invited to the gathering. It was a nice condo near Thomson, home to his bosses (husband and wife duo) and their 4 kids. Their youngest girl is 5 years old and P and her took to each other immediately. After hubby and I were greeted his boss and exchanged oranges, P had disappeared. We found her in her new playmates room with several trunks of toys. No presents for guessing what she did for the rest of the night.
We had lunch on 初四 at my grandparents' place. P coaxed my grandparents into playing with her outside the house while me and hubby ate. Every once in a while, peals and shrieks of laughter will come from P. It was really very heartening to see them having fun. My grandparents are also getting on in age, and I really need to remind myself to spend more time with them. P is their eldest great grandchild and I hope she will have some fond memories of them when she grows up.
P and her great grandparents
That's so much for CNY. I'm back to work today and P is back to school. Hubby is still on leave today and volunteered to fetch P to school. He told me that she kept saying goodbye to him when she reached the assembly area, as if very embarrassed that her dad has followed her to school. She is apparently adapting well and knows the school routines by now. Way to go, my little one!
It's been more than 10 days since P started school, and I'm really glad to say that she is now enjoying school. I asked her two days back if she wants to go school the next day and the answer came back a resounding "Yes!!" I still do not have much insight on what she does in school. Based on her account, teacher will read Goldilocks and the Three Bears daily, eat noodle for lunch daily and sing the same songs daily. Nowadays, when she look at photos on my phone of her first three days at school, she will point out her Chinese teacher 叶老师 (whom I suspect P is fond of). I won't know for sure what brought about her change of attitude towards school, but I'm really glad for it!
Happy School Girl
Her body clock is also adapting to her school hours, and now she sleeps at about 11pm and wakes up after 8am, as opposed to 9pm and 7am in the past. She still falls asleep on her return journey in the school bus every now and then, and that will be her nap for the day. On such occasions, she will sleep early (before 9pm) and all the way till the next day.
K1 and K2 kids started school on 7 Jan, and it means P has 2 companions boarding the school bus with her. One of the girls apparently likes P a lot, and has been giving her small gifts (stickers, small toys) every now and then.
Waiting for school bus with 2 jie jies
Hubby has started a new job this week, and his working hours were longer than before. That means I will be picking up P from his mom's place after work and have some mother-daughter bonding time before the man comes home.
She told me she built a "house"
Play-Doh fun
We took some time last weekend to head down to Marina Square for CNY clothes shopping where I bombed $200 on maternity wear. We had lunch at a newly opened restaurant (Shallots) at the Dining Edition section of Marina Square. They were offering a 3-course set lunch at $13.80++. The fish was really good, but portion was a bit small. I managed to get P a Staples flowery dress at John Little at a steal. The price tag was $12 (which I was already very happy with), but it turned out to be on 50% discount (happiness x 2). By the time we got to hubby's turn, P was already exhausted. We took a break at Coffee Club where P could lie down and nap, while hubby went in search for his clothes. We probably need to make another shopping trip this weekend, but we'll see how it goes.
All the sweet things...
The little one in the tummy has been really active recently. The popcorn popping feeling I get at week 16 has evolved into amazingly strong 无影脚 that catches me off guard. It's been almost a month since I get to see him on screen, but detailed scan is coming up on 27 Jan and I'm really looking forward to it. As my tummy starts to grow, you can see that P has found a new use for it - a nice cushy sofa to lay back on and watch tv. I should start charging her for usage.
It's 3.45am and I'm lying in bed typing this post. Recounting the day's event brought tears to my eyes.
P had a terrible Day 2 at her kindergarten. Unlike yesterday, I tried to step aside today to let the teachers do their work. P became totally hysterical and inconsolable when she realised I'm not at her side. She cried through her assembly and tried several times to get to us, but was held back by a teacher.
After assembly, I went to her to give her a hug and tried to do a proper goodbye, telling her that mommy and daddy are going to buy her some cheese (her fav snack) and we'll see her after school. She would have none of it, pulling me into her classroom and promptly sat on my lap to prevent me from going anywhere. Attempts to get her to sit on the floor were futile as her radar was on full alert, any distance more than 1cm would trigger crying. I got her out of the classroom to clam down upon hubby's recommendation. She was super clingy and not even hubby can get her away from me. Her Chinese teacher 叶老师 came up to us and offered to bring P to the classroom. She refused and hubby asked the teacher to just take her away. It was the most heart wrenching moment when she screamed and cried and tried desperately to hold on to me. Tears were forming in my eyes and I tried very hard to control. I really can't bear to watch on any longer, and asked hubby to get me out of there for lunch.
I got back to the school just after 1pm to wait for P to take the school bus together, just as I promised her earlier when I tried to do the goodbye. She wasn't crying as she walked the long corridor to the main hall, but the moment she saw me, she broke into tears.
Lessons learnt (in order of importance):
1. Out of sight, out of mind. The kiddo will only cry if she sees her parents.
2. It might have been better if I hadn't turned up with her yesterday. It makes her think that mommy (and/or daddy) can accompany her to school and be with her the whole time.
3. Proper goodbyes should be done the moment we reached school, otherwise it won't work anymore. In other words, drop and go.
P must have gotten so tired from all the crying that she conked out in the school bus, poor girl.
Concussed!
Next Monday will be the final day that parents can accompany their kiddos, both on the school bus and in school. I'm on leave, but hubby asked me not to go. Plan is to get mil's maid to send her up the school bus in the morning (which will be the routine going forward). Hubby will drive to school and peep to see how she's doing, but he needs to stay "invisible" (out of sight and mind for P).
Before bedtime, I had my usual daily conversation of "What did you do today and where did you go?" with P. She was able to tell me most of the day's event, but the only missing part was the duration in school. Sigh, I think she's totally traumatised by today and want to avoid speaking about it totally. Not a good sign!! I must make a mental note to tell my parents and in laws not to ask or say anything about school over the weekend.
Below is the carnage from today's struggles. I was shocked when I removed her badge and the safety pin just crumbled.
