26.1.08
Zoo trip
24.1.08
Ouch ouch
Mama Ann says:
Whenever we are back in Singapore, we'll catch up on Ryo's vaccination. This time he is having the shots for:
- Hepatitis A
- Chicken pox
- Pneumoccocol (3rd and last dose)
- MMR
Since the Chicken pox and the Pneumoccocol shots can be administered at the same time, Ryo had each of them on both his buttocks (see picture). Of course he brawled. The fever was very mild considering two shots, and did not last more than a day.
19.1.08
Sleepless
It's 1.30am, I just can't get to sleep, I guess it'll stay this way for the next few days.
The compeling feeling is creeping back. Really, I wish I could fly back to Tianjin now. If not for Ryo's vaccination, I don't think I like to be back so early. Please please fly time faster to end of Feb.
17.1.08
Complains
I guess I'm always a topic of complains, behind my back that is. But sometimes through conversation I get comfirmation of my guess. It made me miss Tianjin all the more.
I'm gonna stay there as much as possible. Do whatever I like. My way. My idea.
Suck! I dislike acting. Life is about acting.
8.1.08
He can scream
Mama Ann says:
Ryo can scream along with Little Miss Muffet. The nursery rhyme goes like this:
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider and sat down beside her (SCREAM!!!)
And frightened Miss Muffet away
4.1.08
Jam
Ryo says:
Let me show you how to make strawberry jam.
- First you squeeze a strawberry in your hand till you have juice dripping out
- then place the strawberry on the table, pat it a few times to get pulp
- wipe the pulp from left to right on the table
- have a taste and you are done
Making jam is hard work, look at my sweat!
2.1.08
Who's on the dots?
Busy month
We've been back for a month, and I think the past month was a bit busy and crazy. Why?
- Lankston's mummy went back to m'sia, we (3 adults) have to handle Lankston, Brexton and Ryo and that's quite crazy especially at meal times.
- We have a new maid at home, who cannot cook much, we have to eat out most of times. So I spent an average of 5 hours outside the house everyday for meals.
How I miss Tianjin, where I have more time to myself and my maid did most things for me, haha. Next year I won't wanna come back so early.
28.12.07
Baby kiss
Mama Ann says:
Ryo and Brexton just cannot get enough of each other, whenever they see each other, they run towards each other and kiss.
21.12.07
Limping
Mama Ann says:
When Ryo started to limp, his Ah Ma thought the worst, and tried to scare me by saying he is going to get paralysed if he is not treated at all. I for one is not so worried by his limp and thought his limp is due to a normal sprain of his leg and will recover in due time. His leg was not swelling nor he in pain.
But after some nags, I just gave in and we brought him to a chinese sinseh. He was forced to lie on the bed with us pressing him down while the sinseh twisted and turned and made the crack sound and he annouced that one of Ryo' leg was 1cm shorter than the other and if he does not get well in two days he has to go for xray.
Half a day passed and he was still limping, his Ah Ma was already worried sick and continued to think of all the possible things that could go wrong. She wanted to go ask the god, but I said it's not even two days.
Anyway two days passed, we brought him to the padiatrician, after deciding between her and the xray. Lucky we chose her. She said it's the viral infection on the ligament that's causing his limping. Not from a fall, nor a leg pulled too hard. Neither does it require a xray as you can't see ligament from xray. An MRI, which can see ligament, cost thousands of dollars and requires a baby to be SEDATED!!! She prescribed Brufen(medicine for high fever) to help reduce the inflammation and told us to wait for two weeks.
After two days of Brufen Ryo is no longer limping.
17.12.07
13.12.07
Dog pee 2
Mama Ann says:
Ryo has upgraded his dog pee stunt to a standing position. He can even do it when he is running.
Anyway Ryo can walk down steps by himself while holding onto the rails. This morning I brought him to the playground and I made him walked back himself, including walking up and down the stairs and over little drains.
11.12.07
We are back in Singapore
Yippee, I am back to this hot hot homeland. I slept most of the time on the plane, and missed my childmeal breakfast :(
4.12.07
Bear bear jacket
1.12.07
Bowling
Recently so many people have visited me. First it was great aunt Dorothy, then uncle kai and uncle xuan, then great grandma and grandpa.
We went bowling with uncle kai and uncle xuan, can u see me cheering them?
Jealousy
22.11.07
Shyness
Why it happens
If your child frequently hides his head in your pant leg and resists trying new things, you've probably already concluded that he's naturally bashful. He might also be a bit anxious or restless and cry when he's faced with unfamiliar people or situations. Maybe he's a light sleeper. Perhaps he's even more sensitive than other kids to teething and illness. You may wonder where this tendency came from and whether it will last.
Most experts now believe that, to a great extent, a child's basic temperament is inborn — that some kids come into the world outgoing and assertive while others are naturally bashful or reserved. This is a relatively new notion. For a long time it was believed that a child's environment was primarily responsible for shaping his character. But scientists today believe they've found genes linked to shyness, fearfulness, even thrill-seeking behavior. So your child's temperament — largely a product of his neurochemistry — may predispose him to be wary of new situations and make him slow to warm up to the unfamiliar.
Before deciding that your toddler is shy, though, consider that he may be going through a shy stage brought on by separation anxiety. Here's how to tell the difference: If your child has suddenly become more cautious around strangers or fearful of letting you out of his sight, it's probably separation anxiety, which suddenly crops up right around the time most children become more mobile and independent. Almost all children go through at least one episode between 7 and 18 months, and many continue to have bouts of separation anxiety until they're 3 or even older. (These may be triggered by situations like a new childcare setting, a parent going out of town, or a fear of being alone in the dark.)
If you sense that your toddler's bashfulness is more than a stage, try not to worry. The fact that he has a more introverted personality doesn't have to hold him back. He might occasionally need some special TLC from you, though.
What to do
Don't label your child as shy.
It's best not to speak about your child's timidity with others in his presence. He may hear "He's shy" as a criticism or "He's just shy" as an excuse that sets him apart from others. Instead, try saying "He takes his time to get comfortable with people he doesn't know." Try not to always think of your child as shy, either. If you expect shyness, your expectation may influence his behavior.
Be sympathetic.
Let your child know that you understand how he feels. If you walk into a roomful of toddlers at a birthday party, for example, you might say, "It's hard when all the kids are being so noisy, isn't it?" This tells him that his reaction is normal and that others might well feel the way he does.
Offer encouragement.
Any time your child reaches out to make a friend or join in an activity, praise his efforts, no matter how tentative. If you catch him flashing a bashful smile at Grandma after he's spent 15 minutes hiding in your skirt, say, "That's a nice smile. I bet that makes Grandma happy," instead of commenting on how long it took for him to say hello. Coach your child's aunts, uncles, and grandparents to be patient and to avoid pushing him.
Don't criticize or belittle.
Nothing crushes a child's confidence faster than unkind words, even if you think you're just teasing. Remember, there's nothing to be gained from making your child feel bad for being shy. This is just how he is — it's not a trait that he can turn on and off at will.
Don't avoid social situations.
Although you may think you're making life easier for him, don't keep your child away from group activities. He may take a little longer to involve himself in a playgroup or join the table at a birthday party, but the more he's exposed to such gatherings, the more comfortable he'll become. When you expect it to be a big gathering or party, try to get there early, before other children arrive, so your child will have extra time to relax and feel settled.
Find less stressful ways for your child to be social.
Choose activities that involve smaller groups and quiet or familiar environments. If the library is one of your child's favorite places, you might take him to story hour there or invite a friend to join you for a library visit.
There's no way to know whether your shy child will remain shy, but countless people have outgrown childhood bashfulness. In fact, many researchers believe that as a child grows, the influence of experience overtakes that of genetics. Ultimately, they say, only a fraction — perhaps about 10 percent — of an adult's personality is inborn. So try not to worry about the future. Instead, focus on providing the acceptance and support that will help your child face the world. Help him feel comfortable with himself, and the confidence you instill in him will help him succeed.
Gymboree Level 4
Now that Ryo is almost 16 months and had shown no interest in his activities in his level 3 , we are now promoted to level 4. But as always, he did not participate much. I suppose it is due to his introvert self. Particularly if the environment gets very noisy, or many people are looking at him.
This does not mean he is not developing. Other times when we went there to play on our own, he can play very well. He can even venture on his own to find a toy or an older kid. That is why I prefer a smaller class, so that he can participate with others in a quieter environment.
16.11.07
Tap Dance
Mama Ann says:
Ryo has the talent to tap dance. When he tap dances, we laugh at him, and Mr Vainpot will get more encouraged.
15.11.07
黄狗撒尿
Mama Ann says:
Ryo's latest development: he can do a dog pee stunt when I say 黄狗撒尿. And you know what? Today in his Gymboree class, he refused to participate in the activities (as always), instead he was doing this stunt. Lucky no one notice.
7.11.07
The emperor's new clothes
3.11.07
Roseola infantum
It is what Ryo is suffering from. The more common term people use is "false measle" or "baby measle". He has a viral infection from the herpes group (not thru sexually!!!), that explains his high fever on Tuesday. Now his fever has subsided, he is still suffering from tiredness and lack of appetite.
These few days he just wants to lie on the bed, sleep every 2 hourly like a newborn. He also cuts back on 2 milk feedings. For a mother, it's quite worrying to see that he has no energy to play. Then I did a check on the internet and found the term Roseola. I hope it goes away soon.
Extracted from Babycenter.com:
If your toddler recently had a fever and now has a spotty, raised or flat, rosy-pink rash, it could be roseola, also called roseola infantum.
Roseola is a fairly mild and common viral illness that usually strikes children between 6 months and 3 years of age. Roseola is caused by a kind of herpes virus, although not the type that's sexually transmitted.
What are the symptoms of roseola?
It's possible to have the virus without having noticeable symptoms. But roseola usually starts out with a sudden, relatively high fever, often above 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
The fever typically lasts three to five days and may end abruptly, followed by the telltale rash. The rash may last for days or only hours.
The rash is pink and may have small flat spots or raised bumps. These spots may have a lighter "halo" around them and may turn white if you press on them.
The rash isn't itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with the rash itself doesn't spread the illness. It's usually seen on the trunk and neck, but it can extend to the arms, legs, and face.
If your toddler has roseola, he may also be irritable and tired and have mild diarrhea, a decreased appetite, and swollen eyelids. The lymph nodes in his neck and at the base of his skull may also be a bit enlarged. In general, children with roseola don't appear especially ill, considering how high their fevers get.
Occasionally, children with roseola have a febrile seizure. If this happens, your toddler may become unconscious and jerk his arms, legs, or facial muscles for two or three minutes. He may also lose control of his bladder or bowels.
Although frightening, fever-induced seizures in young children are seldom serious and rarely harmful. If you can, try to time the length of the seizure. Your child's doctor will want to know how long the episode lasted.
Yes. If your toddler's fever is over 103 degrees F, give his doctor a call.
Also call the doctor if your toddler has an unexplained rash or a febrile seizure. The doctor will ask about your toddler's symptoms, and she may want to take a look at him.
There's no specific treatment for roseola. Like most viral illnesses, roseola just needs to run its course. The most important thing you can do is make sure your toddler rests and gets plenty of liquids.
Ask your doctor about ways to safely bring down your toddler's fever. She may suggest children's acetaminophen or a lukewarm sponge bath.
Never give a child aspirin. It can trigger Reye's syndrome, a rare but deadly disease.
Yes, especially among young children. Roseola is spread by saliva or respiratory droplets — when an infected person sneezes or coughs, for example — or by fecal-oral contact. Because a child is contagious before he has symptoms, there's often no way to avoid exposure.
Make sure that all family members — especially those taking care of your toddler — wash their hands frequently. (This is a good idea even in the fever stage because you don't know that you're dealing with roseola until you see the classic rash.)
To play it safe, keep your child home from daycare and away from others while he has a fever. It's probably wise to keep him home until the rash is gone, although he'll be less contagious once he has the rash than he was when he had the fever.
The good news: Once your child has had roseola, he'll probably have lifelong immunity to it.
30.10.07
Olympics mascots
Fever
Ryo has high fever starting last night, his fever hitting as high as 39.9 deg. It's quite scary, I couldn't get a wink. We brought him to see the doctor today, he got his blood tested and got a painful shot to bring his fever down. And he brawled real bad.
28.10.07
Papa's birthday
23.10.07
22.10.07
Shopping
Isaac's colleague brought us to 大胡同 yesterday. It was a place which sells very cheap stuff. The place was huge, we spent 3 hours, walked very fast, and only managed to cover a quarter of the area. I think i spent about 500rmb there. OMG, I think i still wanna buy more. It's very near our apartment too.
Ryo was in the care of his grandpa and papa... haha.
18.10.07
Sprain back 3
Spain my back again while carrying Ryo out of his cot at 5am.
Since Great grandma is here, we went to see a chinese sinseh today. He is quite unique, he just looked at our palms to observe our illness. And he's quite correct too.
16.10.07
13.10.07
Grandparents are here to stay
10.10.07
Sprain back 2
Though this is not only the second time, but I like to put it down to see how often I sprain my back.
I sprained it again while showering Ryo last night.
5.10.07
China National Day
Mama Ann says:
They had some performance during their National Day holidays at the 文化街. One of the pictures shows an soldier standing guard at the gate. The other picture shows a volleyball like game take place. But they use their legs only, not hands. Maybe it's football, since football was invented in China. Interesting.
2.10.07
Cute scarf
1.10.07
Baluku
Mama Ann says:
Usually if Ryo fell and knock on his head, he wouldn't have any bumps at all, sometimes not even blue blacks. But last night he fell real bad, tripped and knock on the leg of my chair. As I carried him in my arms, I saw his bump swell in 5 seconds. First time in my life I see a bump swelling... haha. It really looked like the bumps on Crayon Shin.
Ferry along 海河
Sunday I brought them on the ferry along 海河, but they were not operating as it was a working day.Told us to come next day instead. I decided to come for the first ferry at 9am.
29.9.07
水上公园



Mama Ann says:
Brought my parents and Ryo to 水上公园, I expected it to be a boring place, it turned out otherwise. It was decorated in the mood for the mid-autumn festival and the National day holiday, so we saw lots and lots of lanterns. Quite nice. There were lanterns in Chinese zodiac animals, the Olympics mascots, the Journey to the West, etc.
As September is the blooming period for chrysanthemums, there were lots there. My parents quite like the flowers, and Ryo also saw what he loves-- windmill. It was a very windy and cold day, the windmills at the stalls were spinning very fast, and there were many of them, so he was ecstatic. So since everyone saw what they like, I was quite pleased. Hehe.
And silly me, as always forget something, forgot to insert back the memory card into the camera. I remembered to bring the camera, but cannot use. In the end I had to depend on my handphone, but quality not so good.
Side track: Do you know the names for the 5 Olympics mascots? In short their names are 北京欢迎你,their full names are 贝贝,晶晶,欢欢,莹莹,妮妮.
28.9.07
Sprain back again
Sprained my back again while bathing Ryo. My back gets sprained very easily nowadays, since having Ryo. Everytime it gets sprained, I feel a resentment. During confinement, I was already exhausted with the 2 hourly night feeding, rocking Ryo for 3 hours in my arms every night, and picking his pacifier every few minutes. Alone somemore. That was how my back had its worst relapse. Even when Isaac was back for a week he didn't even help me change Ryo's diaper or pick his pacifier as he always have early morning meetings and meetings and reports to do. Sigh.
Ryo is too young to understand my pain, and he does more hurting when he kicks around when I carry him.
Once you sprain your back, it gets sprained for life.
27.9.07
Best night of the year
My favourite season is autumn and favourite weather is a rainy day. That makes last night my best night ever. It was raining not too heavily, with winds, and it was abt 16 deg. As Isaac has flown back to Singapore , I took the chance to open the window to sleep at night. We usually on the air con. Superb, so much so that I lost sleep cos I was enjoying the breeze. Hehe. Ryo did not sweat on his head neither, so it was doubly good. Nice nice.
And following a rainy day, today is a very cool day too. Intended to bring my parents to cruise around 海河, but the driver said they need at least 10 passengers before they start the boat. They told us to come during the National Day holiday. Yeah right, then the boat may be overcrowded that you can only see your own feet and the sky. We are heading to the 文化街 instead.
We always try to stay indoors during weekends and holidays to avoid the crowd. 车水马龙 and 人山人海 are very apt to describe the crowd.
26.9.07
First words
Ryo can say a few words, mostly not very clear.
nan nan: meaning milk, eat or pacifier
mum mum: meaning eat
throw and 丢
ower: meaning flower
there
嘴: meaning 奶嘴
I have more playmates
19.9.07
He can somersault
I think you won't believe this, neither can we until we saw it before our eyes. Ryo, at the tender age of 13.5 months, did a somersault on the bed unassisted. It was a perfect one, meaning it was neither too left nor right, nor stuck in between.
Then when Isaac came into the room, he did it again. Nobody taught him. Maybe he has my athletic genes. Hehe.
My first autumn suit



Ryo says:
Yippee, autumn is finally here. It is such a nice weather today, 19 degree and breezy. Mama helped me put on my new wind breaker and we took a stroll downstairs. Actually we do that everyday. Anyway here is me modeling my first autumn suit. Front. Back. Side. Props: i eat chrysanthemums. Yummy fresh flowers.
18.9.07
Sit properly pls
13.9.07
No more night feeds
When Ryo was about 13 months old, I started feeding him water on his two night feeds. After two days, he finally gave up all his night feeds.
Now I'm just left with waking up to put back his pacifier into his mouth. When I'm lucky he would cry for his pacifier just 2 times a night.When I'm unlucky like last night, it's 2 times every hour, so I had to wake up more than 10 times.
First time on the tutu
10.9.07
Peek-a-boo
My adorable Ryo plays peek-a-boo with me. He likes to slant his head when he does it.
9.9.07
A few development
This video shows a few development that Ryo has achieved.
- He can show the sign 1 when asked how old he is
- Bounce
- Shake his head
- Play fetch, meaning he throw we fetch
Sick
I am down with cough and flu, this is the third time I am sick in two months. After few days of medication I am feeling much better. Sigh.
26.8.07
Autumn is approaching
Autumn, my favourite season of the year, is approaching. It's not so hot already, and today when it rained, it is kind of cold like it's autumn. I looked up the weather forecast and it says the lowest temperature on Thursday is going to be 19 deg while the highest is 27 deg. Yippee... yippee. Gotta change the wardrobe a bit, and pay more attention to what Ryo is wearing. I don't want another bronchitis episode.
23.8.07
Kids hug
Remember this little girl? She quite like to play with Ryo, and Ryo likes that too. I took the video when she approached to hug Ryo, I think it's kind of sweet.
21.8.07
Accidents
Mama Ann says:
Now that Ryo can walk all over the place by himself, he gets into accidents very easily. He'll pull things on the table or trip over if he's not careful. Once I was quite careless and put my coffee cup very near the table edge and he pulled it down and spilled the coffee all over himself. Of cos he got a shock and drank a bit of the coffee... hehe. The lucky thing is, I don't drink hot coffee as I'll add cold milk into my coffee so the coffee was of room temperature. I was even mean (or evil) enough to take some lousy photo of him... hahaha.
In another instance he tripped over and landed his face on his toy truck thus cutting his lips a bit that it bled. Isaac was the one looking after him then, he felt quite bad and gave him a prawn cracker afterwards. This time I never take photo cos I trembled when I saw blood... hahaha.
18.8.07
Sick again
Sigh, talk about my weak and tired body, I all sick again, though not so serious. Just cough and flu, quite irritating. Ryo already missed 2 Gymboree classes. Isaac was also sick for a few times. First he had serious migraine for 2 weeks, then mild diarrhea and now mild flu. He got the latter two from me I suppose.
We seriously need a holiday, were discussing where to go, where it's not too expensive. My choice is Australia but it's summer time at the end of the year. Then there is Korea and England and US or just so small island maybe... Korea sounds good too, since it is very near Tianjin. We also need to think about bringing Ryo anot... sigh.
16.8.07
My friend


Ryo says:
This is my new friend 妞妞 whom I met at the playground. She is 2 years + and attends nursery since 15 months. Anyway don't I look kind of cool in those pose?
Mama Ann says:
Yes I let Ryo go onto the ground and walk all over the place. He plucks out the weeds in between the tiles, and also switch between walking and crawling mode. Many aunties shake their head, they think I'm torturing him. But I believe that he should roughen up a bit. At least when he trips he does not whine one bit, and props up himself the next second.
妞妞's grandma told me the advantages of going to a good nursery. I am already comtemplating to let him attend nursery when we come back from Chinese New Year next year. By then Ryo may be 20 months.
Mr busybody
My mama likes to put this walker so that it blocks my way to the balcony. Why does she have to do this? I'm just curious about the yellow little thing that she says is a vacuum cleaner. I also want to know what auntie is doing with the clothes. Can somebody help me remove this thing?
If not, I think i will one day climb over this darn walker.
13.8.07
To be healthy again
I'm feeling so much better now. Though I was already well last few days, I still feel tired out very easily. So tired that I couldn't hear Ryo cry at night until Isaac nudged me out of my deep slumber.
Why was I so sick? Come to think of it, could it be the one year of breastfeeding that exhausted all my antibodies? It must be the you tiao (fried fritters), that we bought from the hawker stall across the road, that caused the diarrhea but the others seemed to be unharmed from it.
Anyway during the one week of lying on bed, I saw very little of Ryo except meal times. I thought he was enjoying himself in the company of his grandparents, and you know what? Once they went back, he was back to sticking himself on me like a koala baby again. He must have thought I would leave him, that he would forsake his toys and just wrapped himself around my legs. No wonder Isaac sometimes call him girly boy... haha.
9.8.07
Happy National Day!
Happy National Day Singapore.
I spent my first half of the day in the hospital dripping away. My god it took 4 hours. Now my fever is gone, I think I'm better now.
Came back to see Ryo asleep. I asked chenjie did he behave when I was away. She said he was very good and fell asleep very fast. Ya lar I have to say this about this son of mine, he just bully me. But when his ah ma or chenjie take care of him he is very well behave.
8.8.07
On drip again


Mama Ann says:
I woke up still having a fever, so I left Ryo with Chenjie and headed to hospital. Tested my blood and the result was that my white blood cells were a bit high count. I was put on the drip again and had to do it again tomorrow. While lying on the bed, I use my HP to take a picture of the drip.
Anyway they didn't on the aircon cos' most of the "dripping" patients had fever, me included. Before the drip my temp was 38, midway my temp rose to 39 due to the heat coming thru the windows! My dad called me from Singappore to ask what's up with me too. Hopefully by tomorrow I will be fully recovered. This is such a long episode.
7.8.07
Fever
Today my Pils went back to Singapore, I thought I would be well recovered to take care of Ryo. Who know when I took my temperature, it was 38.1 deg. No wonder how much I tried to sleep I still feel wobbly and aching all over. Took panadol and stuck a fever cool pad (took one from Ryo's first aid box) and see how. If by tomorrow I am still running a temperature I think I wanna go test blood .
6.8.07
Gastritis
I had diarrhea starting last Friday and it continued for a few days. Despite taking self medication, it didn't lessen. Worse still, I didn't have any strength at all, had fever, nausea, and can't sleep well. Since my Pils are here, I am lucky to just leave Ryo in their care while I just rested.
Yesterday was the worst day, I felt so terrible. So I just relented and ask to go hospital. The doctor diagnosed me as having gastritis 肠道炎 and the fastest way to recover was to be put on the drip for 2 hours. At least now I am feeling so much better (tho' still having slight diarrhea and sore throat).














