New Work-Out Toy

Today, we went to Toys R Us to get Gabe a new toy. To prepare him for standing and walking. So off we went to Yokohama.

There weren't that many choices to choose from, and since i wanted something to pique his interest to stand first, and then proceed to walking, there was only 1 which really fit the list.

This is a 3-in-1 toy which Gabe could later use it as a toy car to sit on...and push by himself...Mummy has back pain, cannot bend so low to push..ahaha

Umm, we set it up this morning, but Gabe didn't seem too interested in it..yet..so we'll give him some time.

We also let him test out some rides since we were there...here he is on this bicycle...nearly fell out though...not too stable for him

And here he is on the Anpanman truck...this he really liked and seemed so comfortable in it. He was practically bouncing up n down, so happy...but in the end we didn't get it coz (1) our apt is too small for this (2) Sangenjaya's streets aren't too child-friendly.

Here is Daddy n Gabe with Mr McDonald

His Majesty at Gymboree waiting for class to start...see how excited he is...

Is it me or does he look more grown-up here?

How to Catch a Girl's Attention: Tips By Gabriel

You know, i have to admit, my son is a natural charmer. He manages to make friends with people, ahem, specifically girls wherever he goes. And mostly, this happens on the train and on the streets. Err, however, i noticed that there is a great extreme to his so called group of admirers:

1) Ladies in the age gap of 60-80
2) Ladies in the age gap of 22-30

Now, all you single men out there, if the above age gap fits your heart's desire, learn from him. If you can't master it, then i could possibly loan you my son for a few hours, but it'll cost you!

Sample scene takes place on a train ride.

*Both Gabe & Mummy are standing in the train with others. So happens many ladies around and it's kinda packed*

Gabe: *Goo goo gaa gaa, blah blah..aaahhh*. Yes he starts by making these adorable lil noises.

Mummy: *Gabe, shhh, not so loud*

Gabe: *Smiles at Mummy. Followed by a small tug at whoever is nearby. Tugs at either their shirt or handbag*

Mummy: *Gabe!!! No no no..dun pull!!*

Lady: *Turns to look at Gabe*

Gabe: *Innocent look first* (refer below pic)

Gabe: *then followed by killer cute smile* (refer pic below)

Lady: *eee...kawaii!! ahhh.....hello, hello..kawaii*

Gabe: *does cute action* (eg like this below)

Lady: *laughs n giggles while looking in awe at Gabe, and continues talking in mushy language to him*

Mummy: *watches in amusement*

Finally we get to our stop

Mummy: *Gabe, say Bye bye*

Gabe: *waves hands to say bye bye*

Lady: *more kawaiis!!! Bye bye*

There...now that's how you try to snag a girl's attention everyone. So go n make perfect these expressions gentlemen, and you'll be lonely no more in time!

August Doc Check Up

Gabe had his doc check up today. Good and bad news. Bad new....he didn't put on weight. Still maintaining at 7.09kg...sighhhh. Wot to do wot to do. Good news is his pulmonary flow in both shunts are looking good indeed.

So based on this, Dr H says we can still wait and see. For me, i foresee that Gabe's weight is going to be somewhat stagnant here coz his feeding is just well, so-so. And i have a feeling it's going to remain this way till he does the surgery. So i guess now it's just waiting until Dr H thinks his flow is decreasing. Till then i'll still have to try think of ways to make this lil fella eat n eat.

Since we had time after the check-up , i thought we'd stop by Tokyo Skytree to walk abit and feed Gabe lunch there. And i thought that since it was a Wednesday, it won't be so packed. Boy was i wrong!! It was super packed. I couldn't even find a nice restaurant or cafe to sit down and feed Gabe. So, i had to search for the nursing room. And the bummer is that there's only one per floor and not every floor!! Let me tell you something. I was super pissed just searching for it. Skytree is huge, long. So to get to a nursing room when you're at the wrong end is a pain. So damned inconvenient. You'd think that such a new modern mall would have better. That's not the worst. When i finally got to the nursing room...it was TINY..even my neighborhood mall has a bigger n more comfortable room. To top it off, there are only 2 changing tables, 2 private nursing rooms and 2 small benches. Which was occupied by Grandmas, Grandpas and Dads waiting for their wife & baby to finish nursing. I practically had to squeeze myself on the bench.

Bad bad experience. I can't say i'm never going back there, but next time, i'll be sure to go by 11am and plonk myself at one of the nice cafes. And bring my husband along too. It's just not baby friendly for me to handle Gabe alone. And i don't think the crowd is gonna die off anytime soon.

To make the trip worthwhile, i bought the famous Sweet Potato & Apple Pie...yes yes before you all say i'm supposed to lose weight, see the packaging..HEALTHY lerrr....

And here is my Baby Mickey...it's his swimsuit, but till now Daddy hasn't brought him swimming yet....doesn't he look cute

Only thing lacking is a bigger tummy right? This boy really needs to eat..

Roaming the Streets

For the past few days, Gabe & I have been roaming the streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku. Yes, roaming. Just walking around, window shopping (a wee bit of actual shopping too), drinking coffee n quick lunchies. I can't explain it, but recently there's this unexplainable urge to go out with him. even though it's killing my back n shoulders carrying him in the carrier plus carrying that heavy bag of his.

But i don't mind. Beats staying at home sometimes. And mostly, he's a sweetie outside. Today, we went to Takashimaya Times Square at Shinjuku to visit this baby friendly cafe, Tabitha's Cafe. It's a really cozy cafe and the waitresses are friendly and by noon, there were many mamas with babies there. Food wise Ok, more of the environment. Gabe had fun sitting in the Bumbo chair they provided while i gobbled my spaghetti n coffee.

here he is happy with his packet of tissue. Preoccupied him for a good 15mins...enuff time for me to eat my pasta in peace:)

So love this pic of him

We'll be back there again for sure.

Oh yes, recently, the lil bugger has been climbing everywhere...and currently his favourite place is his baby chair which has a tray. He can now use it to pull himself up onto his knees and reach for whatever is there...once i left some tissues there n the lil boy had a party...found bits in his mouth!!! So now i'm very careful. His eyes are laser sharp when it comes to tissue.

And the position you see him in? That's a very promising position..Why? I read from this website, Noah's Dad, that this position is a starting point which strengthens his leg muscles and will be the point where he will start to push up and be able to stand!! Yeah! So i'm overjoyed right now seeing Gabe do this. And besides, this chair is good practice for his kneeling, even his therapist asked me to let him do it frequently, now i know why....

I'm happy coz my books just came today..all about Down Syndrome. How these mamas reacted and learnt to deal with DS and how it changed their lives...for the better. I love reading these stories. It's inspiring and you get a glimpse of how rewarding & enriching these special kids are, changing your life in ways you never expect.

Tomorrow Gabe has his doc check up, so i'll keep you updated once we get the results...here is the cheeky boy before bedtime, still wanting to play

Today's Catch

After Gymboree, Gabe & I went to Futakotamagawa to get him some pyjamas. He is outgrowing his old ones, so we kinda need new ones desperately....ehhehe

He had his dinner and surprisingly was such a good boy. He ate all his food, plus his yogurt plus his biscuit. I kinda think he's easier to manage when we're outside where he tends to like seeing babies n children. We were in the baby room at the mall and while eating he just enjoyed watching other kids come and go. So i think it kinda distracted him and he just kept opening his mouth when i fed him...

So, off we went to H&M after that..now, i know we were supposed to just get some PJs, but since he was such a good boy today and was so smiley, i couldn;t resist getting him some other stuffs too....So in the end, this is our catch

Some long sleeved shirts, a gorgeous electric blue pants and a romper that shows how much he loves Daddy:)...ok that last one was an extra so that Daddy doesn't grumble when he sees our loot

Think he likes the Popeye shirt...

When Daddy gets back we need to go to Old Navy to get some winter clothes...Daddy, get ur wallet ready please...

The lil monkey before going to bed....Tomorrow we're off to Shibuya to get some DVDs with songs n dancing....he loves Mickey Mouse, but is selective...meaning, he watches only the front part where the singing starts, some of the 'Oh Toodle" shouts and the end where the Hot Dog song comes out...so yeah he loves music...that's why we need more DVDs...

Turning Dreams into Reality

Some people say your dreams are actually what your heart really wants to happen. Things that has not materialized in reality but you'd really want it to....For the past week, i've had some lovely lovely dreams in my sleep. So real, sometimes when i wake i think it has happened already.

My dream was seeing Gabe run while laughing. Giggling all the way. Taunting me to catch him. Playing "catch me if u can Mummy".....yes it's a wonderful dream...it hasn't materialized yet...but i know it will soon. Coz it was too real not to be true. I cannot wait for that day to come. That is one of my MAJOR MILESTONE for Gabe. I want to bring him to parks and run with him, see the huge smile on his face when he discovers this sense of freedom.

I don't think I am really that Kiasu of a mum, but yet i know when it comes to Gabe, sometimes maybe i push him abit too hard. In terms of his feeding, eating, sitting and crawling. I make him try as hard as he can, sometimes I am harsh with him. But i only want the best for him. He has to work 10 times as hard and if I don't push him, I fear he'd never get there or get there too slowly. I know the therapists say he has his own pace. But that doesn't mean he can't get there SOONER right?

That's the reason i'm always pushing him to do exercises at home. Before he could sit up without hands, everyday a few times i will sit with him and make him practice. Even while he is at his play station. I'd be forever dangling tissues at him to encourage him to crawl. Now, I am proud to say that he's managed both...crawling he has abit more touch up to do, but it's getting very strong. admit that therapy does help, but i also have to say if i didn't let him do it at home, he'd be much slower.

Some think that raising a DS kid is same as raising a normal kid, just slower. I agree that 80% of the time it is often true. But there is that 20% that outweighs the 80%. It's hard, much harder than you think. Everyday is a worry. Everyday is a challenge to make him do exercises but making it seem like we're playing. Searching on the internet to read what other mums are doing for their child. Applying it to Gabe...Thinking what type of foods help him put on weight faster. What types of food makes it easier for him to swallow. Is he eating enough. Is his heart Ok...the list goes on and on.

It takes a lot of patience and time. That is why if you look around, most mums with DS kids do not hand over their child to others to look after. There is no one on earth who can teach special kids with so much love n patience other than the mum themselves. It's a tiring process needing much dedication. So no i do not want to just hire a maid and let her look after my child. Neither do i need help, unless it's from God himself. Yes it's challenging and tiring for me, but so rewarding. When i saw him crawl i felt so proud. I realized that all my efforts paid off. When i see him sit without hand support now, i thank God for giving me the patience to sit with him everyday, waiting for him to improve.

Now, my goal is to push him to walk. This is the hardest part. His feet, when standing are still a bit curled in, not completely flat. So he needs to work on that. Everyday, we either use his play station as support or the sofa. And i slowly adjust his feet for him. And i'm planning to get a walker to encourage him. And i won't stop until he can do it.

The dream perhaps is telling me that this milestone will happen soon but i need to help Gabe work toward it. And work toward it I will. Once he can walk, i am gonna buy him tons n tons of shoes! Nice shoes in every color possible! We're gonna roam the parks in Tokyo like there's no tomorrow.

Gabe, the grasses and parks are waiting for you to make your mark. Mummy is so waiting to hold your hand and run with you and walk everywhere your heart desires.

I'm waiting for you to turn my dream into reality sweetie.....

Gabe is Sick

My precious boy is sick..again..about a month back he got sick for the first time with cough n flu. Which resulted in him losing weight. Now, he's caught the cough and has a fever of 38.4

We brought him to the hospital and 3 doctors came to see him. First, they called a young doc, freshie i think. Then he too Gabe's oxy and didn;t say much, but saw it was 75%. He called for someone on the phone. Told us another doc coming. I did mention to him that the low oxy is "normal" for Gabe due to his heart problems.

Anyway, another doc came, this one older..got abit white hair i saw. Again, did all the basics eg listen to heartbeat, check ears, check throat. Hmm...keep discussing among themselves. Then he makes a call...soon another doc arrives. Ahhhh..this one confirm, very experienced n senior. The uniform also different, all blue color. So after all the checking and discussions, they asked us to call Dr H tomorrow morning to check if Gabe needs to go to see him as they are worried it could be an infection. Gave us some meds.

Poor Gabe...coughing like crazy and worst part is the phlegm is stuck coz he doesn't know how to spit it out. It irritates the crap outta him coz he even vomits his milk out when coughing. His fever went down to 37.5 the next morning, so thank God for that.

Not sure where he caught the virus from coz he didn't go to daycare for the past 1 week plus...maybe it's the weather, too hot.

Get well soon Gabe...Mummy needs you to work your appetite back up...

Fever patch..but still can play and shout...

Mummy n precious sharing an affectionate moment