The Desert Song

Gabe absolutely LOVES The Desert Song by Hillsongs.

Honestly, I can't even remember how it all started. But as of now, he would sing it throughout the day and it's such a hit that it can be used to coax him to shower, eat something he's not keen on, etc, like "mummy will sing the desert song if you..."

He doesn't know all the words but knows enough of the chorus and bridge to plague us with it all day. He'd want his bedtime songs to be replaced by it. He'd ask if Sunday's songs include it. He'd ask to view the song on youtube, hear it in the car. He'd even sing "Mari Kita" to the tune of it. (Don't worry, I know the title of our national anthem is Majulah Singapura.)

All this saturation got me looking at the lyrics of the song. It sings of a person living in dark days but his focus is on the character and promises of our God and in the depths of whatever agonizing situation, he cries "I will bring praise", and concludes that no matter what season of life he may be in, God is God, and hence the reason to sing and worship.

It is a humbling lesson and more so when the Lord uses my 2 year old son to convey it.

Gabe tapping his "drumsticks" to his favourite song.

Territoriality: The Sibling Edition

There has been quite a drastic change in the relationship between the two siblings. While Rou is increasingly showing affection for her brother, Gabe has grown antagonistic towards his little sister.

It all started from the time Rou was able to move around (whether by wriggling, rotating or plain butt shifting) and reach out to pick things up. She has such a keen eye for little things lying around and will find her way somehow to get to them. She would pick up Gabe's favourite taxi and he would get upset. She would pick up whatever that belongs to him, and he would get upset. What was exclusively his is now in the hands of another and he didn't like it one bit; his territory was invaded from within the boundaries of his home, which was far worse than having to share toys when he meets with friends once in a while. It came to a point where Gabe would be playing in one corner of the living room, saw Rou make a move towards a toy lying out of her reach, dash past her to get to the toy first and "safeguard" it for himself.

Then Rou progressed to crawling, and at a relatively early stage at seven months. This mobility meant that she could get to whatever she wanted to reach easily. And it didn't help that she's attracted to her brother and would always want to participate in whatever he's doing. Gabe would be piecing his jigsaw puzzle together at one corner and she'd make her way there. Then she'll do what she does best - separating/ tearing apart items and fiddling with them for ages before putting them into her mouth. The brother is obviously not keen at being interrupted at play. He would shout for help the moment she showed some intention of coming towards him. If we weren't fast enough, he would shove her in frustration. And the snatching. All this got him into quite a bit of trouble with the parents.

With time, Gabe got used to having his sister around during play time, and probably gave up on chasing after her to "save" his toys all the time. We saw a sudden magnanimity over the masak masak, then the miscellaneous things that lie around and on good days, his cars and even his straws (which he uses as drumsticks)! But he still hates being disturbed at play, and if she thwarts any of his toy arrangements, we'd have to go back to the old drawing board again. We still see his protectiveness over things he believes are his.

The climate has changed to one where conflict is present, and I'm looking forward to another change, this time for the better. Waiting for the day that Gabe can see Rou as a playmate. Still, our prayer for the two siblings remains the same: that they will grow up close to each other and be able to encourage each other in their journeys in life, and their walks with God.

One of those rare shots

Apple Tree

I was horrified to find out in April that should I intend to send Gabe to school next year, I would have to register him almost immediately. Apparently it is typical of many church kindergartens to hold their registration dates in April. Barely have we celebrated the little boy's second birthday, and I have to get going on his playgroup registration?!

After I recovered from the shock and stress of the impending deadline, I sat down and evaluated the situation. The main reason for sending Gabe to a structured learning environment this early was due to his lack of a preference for interaction with other children. He would stand aside and watch while his peers play. Or turn to his parents or familiar adults and declare that he does not want to participate in the xx activity along with the other children. He'll benefit socially from school, that's for sure.

I needed the school to be within walking distance from home. Then began the search for decent groups within the vicinity. I didn't have high hopes; what could I expect from a few blocks of heartland HDB flats? But I was pleasantly surprised. We found a branch of Apple Tree operating two traffic junctions away. So we went down on registration day and signed him up. My son is starting school next year! I feel so overwhelmed. My little boy, who seemed to have popped out not too long ago, will be dressed in uniform and saying bye to me on the other side of the school gate. Well, such sentiments will probably exist only for Gabe since the novelty will wear off by the time it's Rou's turn.

So, come January, it'll be a new routine for the family. A new phase for the boy, and surely, for the mummy too.

Oh, did I forget to mention how RED the uniform will be?!

Hot Fox!

If you're regular on this blog, you would know that Gabe picks up my weekly copy of a local magazine and flips through them every now and then. It happened that this Foxy lady graced the cover not too long ago. Derod was with Gabe when this incident happened, and told it to me like this:

Derod: I have to show you what your son did when he was looking at the cover.
Cheoklet: Ok...
Derod: He was holding up the magazine and ogling at the picture.
Cheoklet: You used the word "ogling".
Derod: Yes. Then, he used his right pointer and started scratching here. *proceeded to demonstrate the attempt of a peeling motion at the location marked with the red arrow*

The next day, I took a risk at my ego and asked him if "this auntie" was pretty. He replied yes. I pushed my luck further and inquired if he thought "who was prettier: this auntie or mummy?". And with a quick, cheeky slant of his eyes, he answered, "Mummy".

Oh God, give me strength and wisdom to deal with my son when he reaches that age where hormones rage over brain cells.

Stomach Flu Part 2

About two weeks ago, Gabe woke up complaining of stomach pains. It was very unusual but I thought he probably needed a bowel movement and we began the day with breakfast. I made the boy his favourite half-boiled eggs and he happily gulped his food down. Within a few minutes, he threw the whole thing up. Then he needed to use the toilet. Rou was still fast asleep and I was glad to have the time and space to attend to him and clean up the mess.

In the next hour, I would have washed him up at least twice for he soiled his diapers. He also vomited twice on my bed and in the living room. By this time, Gabe was screaming to be changed and cleaned and to be hugged because of the immense discomfort, and Rou was up and she must have sensed something was amiss because she looked at us and just started bawling, which was very unusual for her. I do not remember a time I was ever at a loss of what to do. I called for help and firstjohn asked me what exactly I wanted her to do. I couldn't answer her. I called my neighbour and she volunteered to go to the doctor's with me. We took the two kids (Rou's running nose and cough were getting a little out of hand), left the house in its messy condition and headed to the pediatrician's two junctions away. By noon, Gabe was no longer having pains, vomit or diarrohea. He was constantly hungry and thirsty but we were warned against feeding anything more than three teaspoons of food or liquid. But he was active as usual and in the next week and a half, recovered at an amazing speed.

Two weeks later, we came home one night after dinner and the boy complained of stomach pains while walking back from the carpark. That night, he threw up all over derod, the bathroom, his bed. I gave Derod a list of the medicines the pediatrician gave, instructed derod to request for a suppository to stop the puking and he whisked Gabe to a 24-hour clinic while I stayed home to clear up the mess. Some things I had to throw for they were impossible to clean up. But this time, his condition was far worse. He had stomach cramps for the next two to three days, hardly ate or drank (this time he had absolutely no appetite), was terribly grouchy, needed me to "sayang the stomach" all the time, refused his medicine (as usual)... it was horrid. He suffered and lost so much weight he was reduced to a bag of skin and bones. Poor boy.

We took him to his pediatrician again two days later and she informed that the child's gut requires about six weeks to completely recover. She put him on a course of antibiotics and warned us never to feed him half boiled eggs ever again. We were startled. We were fed half boiled eggs as a child but nothing ever happened to us. Apparently, things have not been the same since the bird flu and the government has encouraged all poultry and poultry products to be fully cooked.

So there goes Gabe's favourite breakfast.