Days of upheaval and ear infection

Over the past week, Karyn has been having diminishing appetite, increased frequency and intensity of tantrums and getting more difficult to pacify. Her wakefulness at night has also intensified, waking up more number of times in her sleep and taking longer time to be pacified back to sleep.

Mummy wonders if Karyn is traumatised by the recent change in routine - Mummy having to go to work and leaving Karyn at Ah Ma's place. The daily shuttle is wearing even Mummy and Daddy out, not to mention little Karyn.

On Friday, Ah Ma noticed that there has been a thick yellowish cakey discharge on Karyn's right ear. Hmm.... Mummy immediately suspected a ear infection and hurriedly, brought Karyn to Dr. Choo.

At the clinic, Dr. Choo inserted a scope into Karyn's ear and saw that it was reddened and swollen. When he pressed on her left ear, she didn't have much of a reaction. But when he did so on her right, she immediately protested and screamed.

"It IS a ear infection," he remarked. "It is quite common in babies. It could have been caused by ear wax buildup and accumulation of water that could have dripped into the ear by accident during bath time."

He had wanted to prescribe antibiotics but was apprehensive. In the end, he gave us a ear drop to be applied 4 times daily and told us to monitor the situation to see if Karyn gets better.

Applying the ear drop was a heartwrenching affair for Mummy. Daddy had to restrain her head and body. When the medication flowed into her ear, Karyn screamed so piercingly that Mummy's heart almost shattered into pieces.

We are still monitoring Karyn's condition and hoping that she will recover soon. If not, we will consult a pediatrician.

In the meantime, Mummy shall continue to bear with sleepless nights, panda eyes, dry flaky skin and a woozy mind.

Life from this perspective

Yup, so I am back in school.

It's been a long time...

Throughout this time, there have been ups and downs.

Most people think I have been enjoying life as a 'tai tai' all this time that I had been away from school.

Well, that's what they "see" from their perspective.

In actual fact, there really is a lot that people don't "see" or "hear" about or even if they have seen or heard, the impression they derive could have been distorted far from the truth, perhaps due to misinterpretation or lack of background knowledge.

And it definitely doesn't help matters when I don't like to post unhappy things in this blog.

This blog had been set up to chronicle my life as a mother. Perhaps I had been too much of an escapist; only blogging about the wonderful, beautiful, happy, successful side.

Hence, my blog audience do not read about the struggles, obstacles, disappointments, failures that I face.

So it can't be helped that people paint this rosy picture of Mummy Tricia and her bundle of joy.

In any case, I shouldn't be lamenting too much here. For I have learnt many lessons throughout this period of new motherhood. Whether I can remember to apply them at the appropriate time is another matter.

(1) Everyone has his own life to lead and his own responsibities and obligations to fulfill
(2) Different people focus on different things - "SHE did it" or "She DID it" or "She did IT"?
(3) (My) perspective, (your) perspective, (others') perspective are never congruent
(4) To each his own
(5) One can never change the world
(6) Nothing in life matters more than the people whom you love and who love you
(7) If you can't beat the crowd, join them
(8) You can't change people, but you can change yourself
(9) There is nothing more certain in life than change
(10) Work life balance - one of the most oversubscribed but underacted beliefs
(11) Pointing fingers is not a solution in itself
(12) One man's meat is another man's poison
(13) You can try explaining but whether people listen is another matter
(14) Do whatever you can within your means and be accountable to yourself
(15) Everyone has their own constraints; do not expect too much
(16) Find your own inner peace for others do not owe it to you

"Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day."
~ Arthur Gordon

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."
~ Harry Palmer

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
~ Henry David Thoreau

Flowers for the madam

The lift door was about to close when suddenly two men entered.

It was quite late, about 9 plus at night.

It was a father and son. The son seemed to be in his early twenties and the father, I reckoned, forties.

The latter was flipping through the mail that he had just collected.

In his right hand was a tiny bunch of yellow flowers.

They looked like they were freshly picked from the roadside; mere twenty-cent sized, about six to eight of them in the bundle, with stalks no longer than my longest finger, meticulously picked and arranged in a small little posy.

It's autumn now; Singapore is no temperature country but the streets are lined with flowers in bloom - white, yellow, pink, purple, red...

Who were the flowers for?

Must be the madam, I reckoned and my heart melted...

Pictures say a thousand words

Looking at my baby...

smile (with content)
gurgle (with joy),
chuckle (in excitement),
scream (in ecstasy),

whine (for people when she's bored or left alone),
fuss (when she's hungry or tired),
exert (as she relieves herself),

push (her feet against the stroller bar),
flail (her arms in wild excitement),
kick (her legs against my tummy),
roll (over to her side),

sit (up using her back and arm muscles),
punch (her fist against my face),
box (invisible enemies in the air),

tug (at my shirt),
swing (her hanky about)
grab (her bottle with both her hands),
grip (my fingers tightly),

spit (her milk out when she has enough to drink)
drool (puddles without control),
suck (her own fingers indulgingly),

everything becomes worthwhile...

even the spare tyres and love handles diminish...

well, at least, that can wait... a while...