Tuesday 27 July 2021

COVID vaccination

Sito and I are finally vaccinated, woohoo!

Sito went for his first jab on 30 May, two days after being released from SHN. By then, I put in three appeals for him to get early vaccination already as he had wanted to go back to KL soon... 

He didn't get much symptoms or so he said until my first jab. Changed his story to feeling tired from work....! But ya, he was working madly the two weeks after SHN.

And I had my first on 19 Jun. I think MOH was very busy? I didn't get an SMS reminder whereas I got one for Sito's as I registered for him.

One week before that, MOH told me I had a possible exposure on 3 June in Ion *.* Sito didn't mention but he should have got the same SMS! So we were encouraged to swab or we must monitor our health for two weeks. Since it was only a few days shy of two weeks (!), we just waited it out.

My arm was very sore that evening. Yu accidentally landed on my arm and I jumped. Thankfully, it got much better the next day. I didn't feel it unless I pressed it.

Then the news came that we could bring our second vaccination forward. Sito's date for 11 July (just before Kai's birthday!) was already looming and it was the weekend when he didn't have to work so we didn't change that. I brought mine forward by only one week coz I wanted to coincide with a weekend when helper was around.

About 24 hours after his second jab, he felt tired. And he felt tired for pretty much the rest of the day. His arm was also sore. But thankfully, he had no other symptoms. By the next day, he was fine.

I had mine in 24 July. I had purposely chose a Saturday when helper was working on the Sunday so that I could rest on Sunday and would not need to take MC if I were down. But I didn't get anything more than a super sore injection site that was warm to the touch. Only a little sore and warm now. Temp seemed a bit high but below fever range and I didn't feel unwell. I did have a bad runny nose but I don't know if that's just me being susceptible to colds or a symptom!

Much TLC from this sweet boy :)


Also made appointments for helper to be vaccinated. She didn't want it when I first asked her. Then one day, she told me she wanted to go for the vaccination. I registered for her and captured all her declaration on WhatsApp, with the help of Google Translate :p When news for no dining in came in, she cancelled her rest days so I moved her dates forward instead of waiting for the Fridays when she would be working on the Sunday - weekend much less work and she didn't need to spend her rest day recuperating. Quite unlike me, hoho!

Friday 16 July 2021

Swimming lessons are back!

We stopped Kai and Yang's swimming lessons in end Sep last year. Yang was resistant; it was on a Sunday which made going out difficult; it was in the morning so it was cold; and coach wanted to raise fees at that time. Just as well, coz in Nov, AhYe saw that they didn't seem to be able to swim - after learning for two years!

I was looking around for a while and got a recommendation from a neighbour. He's a lot more expensive but reviews are good. So we finally started yesterday!

We decided to start Yu as well so I picked him up earlier. Yang was still resisting the big pool; last time they didn't go to the big pool much coz of this so maybe that's also why they couldn't learn properly. So while Kai and Yu were playing in the pool, Yang stayed dry.

Resting like a boss


This Kai scared the wits out of me when he went out of reach from all sides of the pool. I can't swim!! He continued to do so after a warning so I banned Nintendo this weekend. He was very grouchy about it when the coach arrived. But this coach wouldn't let him have it. Or he let him have it big time? Haha! 

So Coach got them to sit on the edge with legs in the water. He had to tell Kai a couple of times before he did what he said. He knew Kai and Yang had lessons before so he got them to show him. Then he started all of them on the same footing *.*

They had noodles!


Listening properly to Coach


Coz until they got the instructions, they would remain there and be cold! I was so tickled at that and that the boys listened!

They really swam a lot during the 45 min. Swam the width a few times and the length two laps. I was the gan cheong mama watching them, especially Yu who took off his puddle jumper. He shouted out to me when Coach was removing it - I'm taking my float off! :p

I must say they all did well. Kai kept kicking when he wasn't supposed to but he managed to do everything. Yang was resistant but finally got in when he realised he's taller now. Yu had no qualms getting in at all despite this being his first lesson.

Coach's feedback was that the kids were all physically ready to swim - Kai with his long limbs, Yang very good, Yu wasn't afraid. And he apologised for being strict but I have no issue with that - we're aligned in that we want the kids to know how to swim. He continued with two other kids in the estate - both wearing PJs! - while we went to the middle pool to just play.

When I asked them about it later, Kai said Coach was too strict. I told him it should be that way, else he would not listen! Yang and Yu said they like him. But Yu said he was afraid he might drown without his puddle jumper. So I assured him that Coach would teach him. Later, Yu even taught me how to do the steps 123 that he learnt :)

I'm looking forward to seeing them swim well!

Monday 12 July 2021

Kai turns nine!

It's 12 July again - birthday of our eldest and parenthood anniversary :)

A stack of nine doughnuts for the boy who turns nine!


It's pretty tricky when the kid doesn't eat cake *.* Last year's ice cream cake didn't make it coz of a thin layer of sponge... I don't know how I thought of doughnuts this year but it was a hit!

There were nine doughnuts in there - the three under the smiley face had no cream outside. There were three more in the box. I had wanted to buy only nine - six in a box and three in a bag, said the young man at the counter - but a more experienced staff asked me to buy 10 which would come with two free doughnuts. Why not?!

Nine and still so cute?!


I think someone but the birthday boy blew out the candle... As usual!


Sito had two doughnuts, Kai and Yu had almost two each while Yang stopped at one. I had one plus the leftovers :p Including helper and our supper, we finished all 12 on Saturday!

Kai's present "delivery" came during Nintendo time. No boy suspected anything, hee.... Kai opened it up after the doughnuts. He sounded pleasantly surprised to buy a box of circuits! Thanks to the current Saturday 9 am show Apes Love Hypercraft, which recently showed a chap handling circuits etc.

Papa doing a demo


Following experiments in the instruction manual


So happy to see him toying with the circuits and his brothers being all interested as well. I can totally live with another box on the TV counter!

Kai chose KFC for dinner on Saturday, with Yang having wantan noodles. Gave him an original recipe burger - much yummier and bigger than the colonel chicken burger but we had to remove the sauce for him *.* I cooked my one pot pasta on Sunday when Sito had his second jab so he didn't have to go get dinner. 

A jelly cake on Sunday!


The best shot already but his eyes were closed!


Oh yes, we reused the candle from Saturday :p The jelly cake had only one candle and the "9" was still very usable! But no, Sito, we cannot keep it for two more years...! Haha!

Yang and Yu didn't bother with the cake - Kai opened his presents before cake time so they wanted to play the bow and arrows. Kai finished his cake with the adults - this boy likes jelly :) Then they started on a new Nintendo game. They had purposely stopped playing earlier so as to save the time for the new game!

The whining started soon after the grands left. When Nintendo time ended, Kai and Yang resumed playing the bow and arrows. Somehow, Yang received a small set of bow and arrows too - something about the shield toys from his birthday being broken - when it was not his birthday. That meant that Yu was the only one with no bow and arrows, when Yang should have been in the same position too. And Kai and Yang refused to share. Someone suggested swimming, which finally ended the whining.

After coming back from swimming, Yu didn't even bother with clothes when he came out of the shower to find that his brothers were not done yet. He started playing with the bow and arrows, stark naked. Poor boy.

So happy to play with Kai's set when Kai was daydreaming on his bed


He also played when he woke this morning. But Kai wasn't pleased to find that his bow and arrows were not in their original spot when he came home from school :p

Yup, Kai's birthday will usually fall on a school day. He and Yang enjoyed a Magnum on the Monday after Yang's birthday. Today, both of them had a cup of Yole each - neither finished so Sito and I had their leftovers!

Didn't make them do work this afternoon but Yang had homework so we spent some time on that. Then they went to "feel like a boss" on Sito's swivel chair while Sito came out for a break (and had the leftover Yole). When they asked me for Nintendo, I asked Papa. Papa asked if they were good, and so they got their way :)

Coz Kai doesn't like kakak's food much, I told helper not to cook dinner. Instead, I ordered something he likes - satay! Collected 50 satays from the outlet downstairs and bought three packets of nasi lemak for the adults. Got wantan noodles - this time without wantan, hoho! - for Yang who doesn't eat satay, and a char siew bun for Yu who might not eat many satay.

As Yu had speech and drama makeup class until 5.30 pm today, I got most of the food before fetching Yu. When we came back, Kai was done. I counted - he had 19, woohoo! Yu, as expected, didn't have much. His projected 10 became two *.* Sito and I had quite a bit of satay and the remaining will be Kai's lunch tomorrow.

And with that, yup, welcome to your 10th year! Double digit next!

Monday 5 July 2021

Yu's first play date with his friends

I don't think I wrote about Kai or Yang's first play date with their friends... Oh well, I was busier than now :p

Yu's friend invited him over to play yesterday. Her mum didn't say but Yu told me they celebrated her birthday in school on Friday so I bought a present.

Yang was also invited later coz Yu's friend's sister was in Yang's class. But Yang decided on the day itself that he wanted to play Nintendo instead. In fact, Yu also wanted to watch them play but I wouldn't let him off coz we promised to go already. I bribed him with ice cream *.*

But along the way, he wanted to show me a lollipop vending machine that I had never noticed before. I'm sure the last time he saw that machine was months ago too. Second time in a week that he showed us his good memory; on Saturday, he saw a purple box in the fridge and asked Sito if that had the yellow popping balls - yes! But he last had that months ago!

We took a bus from the interchange after he found the right number. Then he sat on a single seat on the bus, which meant I had to stand next to him *.* He kept telling me to sit down though - hello, 你掉下来怎么办?!

The other invited kid was already there when we arrived. I had wanted to do a drop-off too but Yu wanted me to be with him and this was his first time at his friend's house. Luckily Sito didn't have to work this weekend. 

After the initial screaming greetings, the kids went playing. Yu was very taken with the kitchen such that when the rest started playing a dancing game on the TV, he did not join them!

We had cake for tea. Yu and I bought a tub of popcorn as well but I was surprised he didn't eat much of the popcorn. 

Then the slide came out


Sito and I considered getting a slide when we first moved to BP but in the end, we didn't get one. Would have been great to have during the circuit breaker?!

While they were playing, the parents chatted about school, work and life with kids, and sometimes acted as customers for the kids' restaurant. Then it was time to go!

Yu had his lollipop on the way home


Notice all the slopes behind Yu? Yang and I used to pass by this estate on the bus to and from music lesson. Yu and I came from another bus stop but more buses could get us home from this bus stop outside the slopes. We walked down quite a bit and descended only one floor! Thankfully we found a lift to help with three more levels.

Yu gave the second and last lollipop to me. I told him I would share it with Papa later. He ended up coming out of his bed again and again to ask if we'd had the lollipop *.*

He had to park his lollipop in a cup when we got home coz he had to shower. Then Papa and his brothers came home from packing dinner - Macs! It was a very fast and happy meal for them :)

Saturday 3 July 2021

不知不觉

我都忘了上一次宇半夜跑到我床上来了是几时了。现在他只有大清早会跑来找我、叫醒我,所以学校放假时,我不用闹钟还是可以准时上班!

以前,铠和扬也会跑进来叫醒我。不过近来比较少了,通常只是追着宇进来而已。因为我对他们说:“你们都这么大了,不可以一直跑上爸爸妈妈的床了。”

一些日子以后,我想宇也会自觉地不再跑进来叫醒我……

我终于可以睡得再好一点!

可是……做娘的还是有点舍不得……真矛盾!

周末,他们喜欢找窝在床上的爸爸,坐在他傍边看他玩手机游戏。其实我很讨厌他们这样一身汗汗地爬上床,甚至坐或踩在我枕头上!可是看到他们开心地和爸爸一起,我也觉得开心。真的很矛盾!

就等他们有一天自己玩自己的手机游戏吧。

我猜,那时我也会像今天这样,后知后觉地发现孩子又长大了。

育儿的过程中,有多少的不知不觉、后知后觉呢?

Update 4 Jul 2021

And he came in last night for the first time in a long time! 不要讲了……