I didn't stop work. Told all my customers and business related friends that I am having chicken pox. Some left, some scheduled later appointments, some said "at this age?". A lot more stayed, showed concerns that I don't get rest, shared their own chicken pox experience, some dropped me get-well-soon messages, some said they wish to get infected for a break. Business was maintained at 80% for the past 1 week.
I am worried about infecting others. I closed the door of my shop. Among my 6 staffs, one hadn't have it before. I wear a mask everyday, like a doctor or, a beautician. I made sure I don't go to the public toilet. Knowing that once all the poxes become scabs I will no longer be infectious, I almost poured calamine lotion on myself. It really get dried up faster!
Phew, thank you everyone. I have confirmed 1 scar on my nose (nose bridge actually) so far, definitely not the only one.
Breastfeeding Berton, up to 2yo, is my greatest glory as a mother. How to wean off Berton, when he actually turns 2, is my greatest doubt as a mother. Some plans went through my mind… maybe I should make Berton cry in the toilet, or sleeps on his own bed, or let him sleep with the maid for 1 month, or let him drink water when he asks for milk.
One month before Berton 2yo birthday, I prolonged his crying time
BERTON (cry and shout) MOMMY MILK MILK! MOMMY Berton, it's late at night, time to sleep. BERTON DON'T WANT SLEEP!!! WANT DRINK MILK! MOMMY Don't shout so loudly, everyone is sleeping. Ok? BERTON (whisper) Mommy... milk milk please, last time. MOMMY Ok, but when you turn 2 years old, you will only drink milk from cup or bottle ok? BERTON Ok. Drink milk milk now please.
And then out of a sudden I have chicken pox! I thought I shouldn’t feed him with the virus in me. So when he cried at night, I talked about his school, teacher, playground, chocolate, anything to make him happy and distracted, nothing seemed to stop him. 5 min later, I asked
"Mommy is not feeling well. Berton drinks from a bottle ok?" He thought about it, and he said "Ok" He drank from bottle very happily. He even cracked a few baby-jokes before he slept again.
The second night, he cried but stopped crying once I carried him. No need to drink anything! Third night, fourth night…
And… that's it! So natural, no engorgement, he didn’t ask anymore. Both my weaning-offs were so natural so easy. I weaned off Bevan with pregnancy, and weaned off Berton with chicken pox!
I told my hubby I missed breastfeeding Berton, he just looked at me with I-really-cannot-understand-look.
On Saturday, I felt cold and started to have fever. I thought it's due to my extremely busy Saturday work schedule. Sunday I was bedridden. I was so excited about the bowling game which we promised the kids, the piano lesson, the husband-and-wife-only session which we planned on Sunday, but all I could do was to lie on the bed.
By sunday 5pm, I started to have spots. On my face, neck, which I thought they were mosquito bites. Until more and more appeared. I was instantly worried about my shop! 3 weeks break! What happened to all the solitaire and wedding bands appointments lined up?! What about the solitaire sale that was set tentatively on 7 March?!!
I gathered from Wikipedia that "A person with chickenpox is infectious from one to five days before the rash appears. The contagious period continues until all blisters have formed scabs, which may take 5 to 10 days." Let's pray mine is superfast in forming scabs.
"It takes from 10 to 21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop chickenpox." Which explains why there's a myth that chicken pox is more contagious when its about to heal.
Now I need to buy more calamine lotion, we just finished 2 bottles.
My hubby loves sports. He is the active kind who even while watching TV, he stands up shaking his legs, hands, rotating his neck (while I surf the net and exercise my eyebrows once in a long while). Hubby loves soft ball, soccer, gym, running, tennis. To show my sporty side, I told him I used to play tennis too and my first tennis racket was a Yonnex, he had a very very good laugh on my choice of brand.
The sporty bugs are definitely running within my little boys. The boys are always swimming and running around with their Daddy. At 3.5 years old, littlekohs' Daddy bought the first Tennis racket for Bevan (and it’s not a Yonnex). They excitedly, together with 2yo Berton, carried a sports bag, with lots of tennis balls, water bottles, and towels, went for their first tennis game.
The boys were screaming in excitement, while I sat at the shadiest part, and clapped my hands. That was one of the rare moments that I’m glad I gave birth to 2 boys.
I did a simple muscle tension test with Chiropractic First, and this is my score. There is no green, all pink and red. My hubby got a mix of green and pink.
My backache officially started with my second pregnancy. It developed into a pain that affects me daily when I carry my boy (or boys), carry a bag, or even when I walk, or sit, or when I stand up. I'm just aching everywhere. I didn't know where to seek help until I met this Chiropractic First booth in a nearby mall. They specialized in non-invasive correction (which is really important I dread needles) of nerve and spine.
I went for my first consultation today, was diagnosed with a serious inflammation on few specific spots, and dislocation of spines (something along the line). Not too serious. I should go for a X-ray, and go back for more treatments.
I am beginning to take care of my health, I am happy.
Bevan's chicken pox, in my opinion, only lasted for 1.5 week. But the school and the doctor wanted him to stay from school for 3 weeks. Bevan was really upset. Just when Bevan got his total clearance that he is no longer an endangering species, I've got a new challenge.
Berton started having red spots. I was living in a complete delusional denial, praying and blaming on dust mite because we did all possible and all impossible to confine Bevan and his toys from Berton. Until my 2yo walked up to me, pointed on his face with 3 new spots this morning
"Mommy, chicken pox, eeeiihh." "Like Gege."
So, 3 cheers to littlekohs, another calamine marathon has just begun.
Bevan: Didi, you don't kick the door ok. Berton: Ok! Bevan: Mommy, look, we build our house! Berton: Mommy! Look! House!
This is just another one I like *Berton pushing a toy car on Bevan's HEAD.* Berton: Vroom... Vroom... Bevan: Is this a road? Berton: Yes! And then they laughed together.
The reason why i signed up a piano class for Bevan, honestly, is so that he can shout, hop and jump a bit lesser. Plus he purposely sings ABC in "Ma-Ma-Hao" tune to annoy people, imitates singing the songs that his karaoke-savvy grandparents sing. He is so bored with ABC. So I guess it's a good idea to start Do Re Mi.
The class is again wonderfully located within walking distance to my new home. Though I expected the class to be a lot more fun, to inculcate creativity in the young children. It was almost the same as my lesson 25 years ago. There are 5-parents-and-children in the class. We learnt treble clef, semi breve, crochet, space note, line note, Mr C (the c note), and we went c..2..3..4, and c.c.c.c. on the piano on the first day. There was 3 homework to bring home.
And I thought he might have a bit of talent in music! He is the youngest in the class, but he was really always the first one to recognize the songs that the teacher is playing. Though other parents have, before the class, taught their kids Treble Clef (Bevan calls it a Music Note), C Note (it's Spaceship to Bevan). I am still very happy.
I love learning something together with him. Till he plays his first song.
After all the Moving-House-episodes about new houses, it's time to say good bye to our dearest "old house" (which is not too old its 5 years).
It's a home with lots of sentimental values. It's our matrimonial home. It felt like my hubby proposed with a house. We signed on our first house contract dotted line first then the marriage dotted line. It's our commitment to want to be together forever. It was all so sweet, such a gigantic emotional step. When we got the keys, we're preparing for our wedding. That night we sat on the empty floor from 8pm to 1030pm. I remember I ate fried rice with fried egg with chilli padi. Leaning against each other, we exclaimed how windy the place was, how tasty the fried rice was. We had never thought about moving.
It's a house with very serene surrounding, it's self sufficient with lots of facilities and a market right beside it. Little Bevan and Berton used to sit against the full glass window all day, looking out the the playground with primary school kids having PE lessons. It's the place they spent their newborn-age and toddlerhood. But now we need a place with more choices of schools, more children friendly, more accessible, more convenient for our new workaholic-nature. It's time to say goodbye. But it's not easy.
We stayed overnight in our old house last Saturday. I packed the whole house of toys, clothes, books, shoes, first aid box, mattresses, and memory, into boxes. I saw so many photographs, wish cards from friends, KARAOKE VCDs, conference notes from my previous workplace, sms diary from hubby that I kept. It was hard not to feel anything.
We're packing this time to rent the whole house to a friend. Eventually we still want to sell it. It's like a rehearsal, so that parting is not too sudden.
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