Archives for September 2008

Kyle is down with the flu (again). This time round I am the culprit as likely the bug was caught from my recent visit to a student care centre last Thursday. I curbed the bug from ‘flourishing’ when I took some vitamin C when I started to experience some sniffles, however that did not stop it from infecting Kyle. Sigh, I wonder what can be done to prevent spreading those germs to him? Maybe taking daily doses of Vitamin C will reduce instances of becoming a ‘carrier’?

I really pity those mothers that have to put their kids in a childcare and the stress that they have to undergo, worrying for and taking care of a child that is ill. For some working mothers, the childcare option is the only choice available, especially when domestic help is so unreliable nowadays. Some of these childcare centres are breeding grounds for infections and it will take a child with extremely high immunity not to fall victim to these infections.

Lately, my mom has been telling me to put Kyle in school. Just because he seems extremely restless and bored during those hours that he is at mom’s place, when I have something to attend to. He often gives me that certain look when I have to leave for my lessons in the evenings or morning appointments, begrudginging waves goodbye while not looking at my direction.

Most mornings when I am at home with Kyle, we usually spend our time playing dough, bubbles, ball, reading, doing art..etc. And he seems content and not at all restless. It is simply not possible to ask for an alternate caregiver to keep the toddler busy with the same sort of activities.

I suppose toddlers this generation are demanding more attention and craving for more activities that will hold their interest. So unlike kids from my generation, when a simple toy set can keep us busy for hours and mom can just attend to her chores or take a breather by watching tv programmes. Must be due to the Omega 3 pills that mothers consume during their pregnancy.

Anyhow, the preschool hunt starts this week. I initially thought of putting Kyle in preschool only when he turns 3 in 2010. However, looking at the tight commitments that I will need to manage in his first week of school (which is also the start of my 1st week of my practicum), I have decided that he should start school when he is 2 and a half, in Q3 2009. So being a k.s. parent, the search has to start now.

Next up, a run down of my first preschool review : Arise Kindergarten at Hindhede Road.

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These words were said to me this evening, ‘Night…Ma-ma.’ It was right after I said his bedtime prayer, kissed him on his forehead and said ‘Goodnight.’ He deliberately removed the milk bottle teat from his mouth, said those words, then put his bottle back into his mouth.

Sigh…such loving words to hear from my little boy, who have spent the last 6 months calling me ‘Ta-ta’. Keith and I have came to a conclusion ‘Ta-ta’ was a sort of acknowledgement like ‘Hey you’ or ‘Aye’. For a past few months, I was content to be reduced to a mere ‘Ta-ta’, while Keith gloated in Kyle’s many variations of ‘Da-da’. ‘Pa-pa’ and ‘Dad-dad’. Every one whom Kyle is close to has a proper name. Even Kyle calls my helper ‘tee’ (for auntie) or ‘bel’.

As for his choice of play materials. He does not have much affinity for train sets or toy vehicles, really not atypical for his gender. Little interest in pretend play as well, although he likes to use the cups from the cooking set and he gives me the other cup. Then exclaims ‘cheers’ very loudly when his cup meets mine for a toast and proceeds to ‘drink’ with gusto. He loves his golf clubs, tennis and hitting and throwing balls, even play dough is used as a golf ball.

Kyle surprised me with his attention span this morning; a full 45 minutes spent blowing and bursting bubbles. Kyle spends most of his time in the mornings blowing bubbles, painting, scribbling with crayons or play dough, playing at his water table, depending on his interest for that day.

He tried brocolli ‘tree’ printing today and he seems to have gotten over the uneasiness of having paint all over his fingers.

and he painted this:

This printing activity was suppose to be part of introducing the letter ‘T’, however mommy could not find the time to complete the felt letter T this week and plan the other activities for the letter ‘T’. Besides Kyle seems so busy with all his other interests, so I have decided that we will take a short break from LetterWeek activities.

Last week, he painted this. He often looks at his creation (which has been put up on the fridge), claps his hands and makes the happy birthday song gestures. Maybe it does look like a multi-coloured birthday cake with lighted candles in an abstract way.

I will be trying out some other more open-ended art activities for him to explore textures and colours soon, since he seems to enjoy doing art. I intend to go slow in introducing him new activities that will get his hands dirty, don’t wish to turn him off the messiness of art so soon.

He asked to try on Keith’s and my sunglasses while we were in the car on Sunday,

i) Sport golfer style with Keith’s Oakleys

and ii) Metrosexual chic with my Raybans

He is getting a little more adventurous lately, which reminds me that I might be able to try to convince him to wear his art smock the next time when he does art.

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