Happy Grandparents' Day!

(This post was written on 6 Sep 2012)

It's Grandparents' Day this Sunday, and DD's preschool celebrated it with a mini song-and-dance performance by the kids and breakfast for the grandparents.

While waiting for all the grandparents to arrive, Dr Khoo, the founder of DD's preschool and a grandparent herself, held a sharing session for the grandparents. I joked that it looked like a self-help group for grandparents. "I really don't like the way I feel when I allow the kids to walk all over me...". "How do I tell my son that I really don't want to look after the grandchildren this weekend?". LOL!

Grandparents waiting patiently for the concert to start.

Dr Khoo giving a speech before the concert, to thank all the grandparents for their continued support and all the things they do for their grandchildren.

The K1 and K2 kids performing. Later, all the kids (including the nursery and toddler classes) sang the Barney song "I Love You".

DD with her granddad! All grandparents received a  "garland". :)

Breakfast with the grandparents!

DD enjoying the food too. :)

The kids whose grandparents were not present helped to clear away the plates and cups after breakfast. DS, being ever so helpful, enthusiastically lent a hand too.

And finally, a lovely picture taken by one of the student teachers on attachment with the school.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents, who have always been ever obliging and ready to help out with DS and DD whenever I need them to. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa! We love both of you very much! :)

My Brave Little Girl!

Well, we really had lots of things happening in August! A day after DD celebrated her birthday in school, she was scheduled to have grommets inserted in both ears. Grommets are tiny tubes inserted into the eardrums to help drain fluids out of the middle ear. She has been having fluids in her middle ear since the start of this year due to recurrent middle ear infections, also known as recurrent otitis media. Due to the fluid in the middle ear, DD has been having a mild to moderate hearing loss in first one ear, then both ears by the time she was last seen by the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doctor. This resulted in the need for grommets. No wonder she was talking so loudly the past few months! Haha.

I was taught in university that by the age of 3, 80% of children in Australia would have had at least one episode of a middle ear infection. In the US, otitis media is the second most common childhood disease after upper respiratory tract infection (ie cough, cold). So I knew that middle ear infections were very common in children in western countries, but not as common in Asian countries. However, the ENT doctor told me that it is still fairly common in Singapore, affecting children in the age group of 3-5. And never did I expect one of the children to have recurrent middle ear infections! Thankfully, it is something that is easily manageable, except that the grommet insertion would require the child to undergo general anaesthesia. :(

Topical anaesthetic cream applied to the back of both hands to numb the area. This is to allow the anaesthetic doctor to set a plug on one hand later on without inflicting any pain. (But both hands have to be numbed just in case the doctor finds it difficult to find a vein in one of the hands)  

In the waiting area just before the surgery. I love the mini armchairs! Lots of toys to keep the children entertained.

DD's favorite corner in the waiting area because of the pink furniture! She loves the play kitchen too.

And finally, the surgery is over. DD recovering from her general anaesthesia.  She had to be monitored for 2 hours after waking before being allowed to go home.

A reward from the nurses for being such a brave girl! :)

DD wanting a final picture of her plug before the nurse removed it. She said she was close to tears when the nurse removed the plug because it was so painful. I think the topical anaesthetic cream was already wearing off by then.

DD's hearing is back to normal now, after the fluids were drained from her ears. We hope that that's the end of her middle ear infections!

Piano Recital 2012

A day after DD's birthday, DS and DD had their piano recital, jointly organised by their piano teacher and two other teachers.. This was DS's second piano recital and DD's first. DD was very excited to be able to go on stage like her brother, whom she admires dearly.

Pic of the piano and trophies in the background before the concert started.

Shiny trophies and medals waiting to be won

DS and DD both got a trophy for participation and DS also won a medal for  performance excellence.

The Little One's 5th Birthday - Pt 3

And finally, DD had a cake brought to her school for her to celebrate with her kindergarten friends. :) This is the first time we've ever done this.

DD was overjoyed and distributed Brave-themed stickers to her friends. Yep, we got a different Brave-themed cake for her for school.

The Little One's 5th Birthday - Pt 2

The night of DD's birthday, we had dinner at Summer Pavilion, the Chinese restaurant at Ritz Carlton, where my granddad and 2 aunts were staying. They were on holiday here from Australia, en-route to Hainan Island. My mum and her other 2 sisters in Singapore will be joining them to Hainan Island.

My granddad with 6 of his daughters, 4 sons-in-law, 2 grand-daughters and their respective husbands, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

DD had her 2nd birthday cake here, courtesy of Ritz Carlton.

On a side note, this is the view from Granddad's room in Ritz Carlton, looking straight onto the platform where Singapore's National Day Parade was held 2 days back. I'm planning to book a room there next year so that we can watch the National Day Parade "live"! :)

The Little One's 5th Birthday - Pt 1

I'm way behind in my blogging and so much has happened since the last time I blogged. :) I have no idea where to start! OK, let's start with DD's 5th birthday celebrations. She had a record 3 cakes this year! And I thought the 2 cakes she had last year was plenty. :)

I wonder if we had the first Brave-themed birthday party in Singapore.

Brave-themed stickers and cup for the goodie bag, ordered in from the US. I couldn't find any Brave-themed party supplies in Singapore yet!

Our family, with Grandpa. :) Grandma was absent as she was spending time with her dad, who was on holiday here from Australia.

With our wonderful friends. :)

A very colorful Brave-themed cake, with Brave cake toppers, also ordered from the US.

The kids were very intrigued by the thick layers of colorful cream, needed to create the Brave-themed background on the cake.

And the moment both kids have been waiting for...presents!!! :)

Diarrhoea 101

About 1.5 months back, DD had a bout of diarrhoea. It wasn't too serious initially and I continued to feed her what she normally eats, sans dairy. However, I found out that it wasn't enough just cutting out dairy and she would feel worse after every meal. I quickly googled (thank goodness for Google!) what she should or shouldn't be eating and here's what I found.

Foods to avoid:
- Diary
- Oily foods
- Sugary foods
- High fibre vegetables and fruits

Foods to eat:
Bland foods, follow the BRAT diet.
B - Bananas
R - Rice (or porridge for those of us who live in Asia)
A - Applesauce
T - Toast
Other food items which can be taken during diarrhoea include chicken without skin on. The chicken should be cooked without oil (eg baked or steamed). Eggs are also fine.