I am so so happy and proud...Gabe amazes me sometimes. There are days when i think of his development milestones and i worry myself to death that he is not achieving it soon enough. But this spirited & stubborn lil guy never fails to surprise me.
Just today, he was in PT and he still couldn't crawl as in on all fours. It was still just an army crawl, and he could only be on all fours if he was still eg, not crawling.
But then this evening, i was playing with him to do some exercises sitting, standing and crawling. Then i put the tissue box to encourage him. He loves tissue. I seriously mean it. When he sees tissue, his whole face lights up and he has to have it and proceeds to tear it into bits OR eat it...
So, i thought maybe i could use this to motivate him...and guess what...for the first time ever, he crawled!! Not just a one step thingy, but a few steps..which is a huge improvement..it means that he's so close to being able to really move soon...I've never seen him do it before n my eyes nearly popped open...i happened to record it, but wasn't expecting this, just normal army crawl..
Here it is:
And another time, using his cup as motivation...difference in terms of speed eh...
Ahhhhh, i'm so happy...amazing huh? Yeah i know, such a simple task for normal kids, yet such a feat for DS kids..and all the more amazing..
Also, here's another video, while i was asking him to say bye bye....this is him telling me he doesn;t want to..and it's not just a coincidence..he really knows the word "no" and shows it..
And, i have one video of him doing bye-bye, but unfortunately Terry was holding him and...Terry was in his underwear...so unless you guys wanna see a half naked man too, i'll re-shoot another video and upload it soon.
The lil guy at therapy practicing sitting and playing with toys, he's doing great..smart boy. Ands today, kissed his therapist on the cheek too...charmer..
We had fun today! We took a short trip to Yokohama and the beach at Jogoshima...
At Yokohama, we made our 1st stop at the Yokohama Marina Bayside, where there was a Premium Outlet mall. Gabe & Mummy had yummy Gelato on a super hot day and Gabe did some shopping at Baby GAP. Daddy managed to buy something too...Mummy opted not to coz she's still chubby and besides, her clothes are overflowing already. Gabe was very happy, he always is when it's outing time. Coz of the super hot weather, we made sure he drank loads of water, which he did. Thing it's the Winnie Pooh cup that he likes. Previously while on other cups, he never wanted to drink so much.
Here we are at our apartment, on the way out...
While walking to our car, we decided to let him try the swing..this time he was OK for awhile...good boy!!
Outside the Yokohama Bayside outlet
The water fountain, where alot of kids were playing with water...
At the Marina..beautiful
After having lunch there, we took off and headed to Yokosuka where there was a Ship Museum, called Mikasa..
By the time we finished seeing the ship, it was 3.30pm and well, didn't wanna go home so early, so Daddy suggested we go to the beach area, look see look see. We passed by 2 beach areas, and boy was it packed...we didn;t get down coz there was too many people. So we drove on and landed up in the area called Jogoshima, where you can't go any further, coz it's right at the end. Err..at first, we were thinking wrong choice, coz not many people there and seems to be a very small fishing village...
We decided to park n get down coz Gabe was getting fussy...too long in the car i think. So, we took a stroll and saw people with kids in swimsuits n floats...wondered, where they went...the beach?? So we followed a small trail..and yes..led us to some huge rocky area where we saw people there swimming n playing with water...there was even a small onsen hotel. A really nice place actually for a stroll, but it's not much of a beach as in sandy beach. Too many rocks making it dangerous..but we managed to find an area where there was abit of sand and shallow water. Surprisingly, the water was clear...rare in Japan...
Since we were there, we took Gabe's shorts off and dipped him abit..at first he protested, but soon, he warmed up to the water and kick kick legs in it...ahaha..but i think we came abit too late coz sun was going down n water was getting chilly, plus the tides were coming in...but we had fun there....
Daddy n Gabe with Car of the Moment...
Beautiful
Can get wet, no worries, got extra diaper..n new clothes from GAP
I forgot some pics....our dinner...fresh donburi..yummy yummy...
And....Gabe having chocolate marshmallow...after he finished his lunch of course:
Tiring day, but lovely...Gabe was overall a good boy, plus he managed to eat quite abit...
Next week, in Japan, it's a long summer holiday. So, we're planing where to go, probably to a beachy area....time for Gabe to learn to appreciate Mummy's fave hobby...
Just yesterday, Gabe and i went shopping to stock up on his food. In the process, i got him a cute lil Winnie The Pooh cup. It's the normal mug type with no sprouts or straw. The, i went home and did a lil housekeeping for his stuffs, and realised, over the year, i bought quite a number of cups for him....all trial n error.
We had been searching for a perfect cup, thus the testings. As you know, DS kids have a hard time in terms of drinking from cups, be it holding it by themselves or using straws, etc. Below are the 6 different cups Gabe had:
All different colors to...so pretty hor???
Alright, why so many yah...err coz we were really really confused as to which type is best for Gabe and is easiest for him to learn how to drink. And one of them, due to Mummy's kiasu attitude thinking Gabe would be ready for it...
Alrighty, the first 3 cups you see below
The first one, RED straw cup...Mummy's fault. I thought i could perhaps teach Gabe to try n use a straw much earlier...wrong move, this cup's straw was so hard to suck, coz you have to use ur lips to squeeze the straw slightly, opening the straw to allow water to come up....even i had a damned hard time...so obviously Gabe isn't gonna be able to use it...
The 2nd cup, yellow one. I thought that because the nipple resembled that of his milk bottle slightly, he'd perhaps have an easier time adapting..again, wrong...Gabe hated it, refused to even try to drink..his mouth touched the nipple, he immediately turned away...sigh...another down the drain.
The 3rd one, is a Honey Bear straw cup, specially bought online from Talk Tools, a company selling special therapy tools for kids who have speech problems. Yeah i know Gabe will not be able to learn to suck a straw so young, but the good thing is that I can control the flow by pressing the Honey Bear's tummy...yup..cute huh...And this was a good buy. Till yesterday we were using it. It was so handy, especially outside. But, after talking to some of Gabe's teacher and the Portage instructor, I felt perhaps it was better to use a cup for Gabe to achieve consistency. It's pointless to use a straw now, better to focus on teaching him to use a cup.
Purple cup...also from Talk Tools, good buy too....it's a recessed cup with a lid that has 2 different holes for water to come out from. Slow flow or a faster flow. We had been using this at home during feeding times with meals as Gabe loves the cup. The downside to this is that i couldn;t bring it out as the water would pour out from the holes. So it wasn't so handy.
Middle yellow cup. This i initially thought was good and Gabe would like it, coz the nipple was soft. Ahahha, he hated it at first touch..made a face and turned away. If i tried again he'd bit the tip really hard and prevent any water from flowing out...sigh...
LAst cup, with sprout, a sippy cup...actually Er-Yi gave this as a gift along with a plate set...unfortunately, Er-Yi...sippy cups aren't good for DS kids...they will keep chewing their gums on it..no good...and the cover too lose, always drop off...
So, after all those wrong cups, i decided we needed to have 1 cup only, to be consistent. To use at meal times and also handy outside. That's why we settled (maybe for now...) for this
Easy to use, just like a cup, and has lid to prevent spills. Used it today, and so far so good, Gabe stared at it for sometime, but he managed to get used to it after a few sips...He still has lots of training to do before he can fully hold the cup by himself and drink without spilling much of it from his mouth. But i guess now that we've found a good cup, he'll get there. We have a feeding therapy session end August so i'll bring this cup to see if they approve of it, otherwise it's another new cup?
Yes, i am gonna rant, n hard. Really pissed off right now. This is like day 7 or 8 that Gabe has been rejecting his solids. He doesn't totally refuse it, but he eats a few spoons and starts to fuss. I think it started with his cough n flu past week, but as of now i can see that both are very nearly gone, so i expected him to start eating well again. Previously he had been doing so well, which was why his weight had gone up 0.3kg,which is good. The other day we had a doc visit, and his weight dropped from 7.22kg to 7kg now.
Am i upset? Of course I am. I worked so damned hard to make sure he has enough to eat and got used to eating solids. Then all of a sudden, it goes downhill and worse still he lost weight. Some of you may think i am some psycho mom trying to force her son to eat. How can i not be? He needs to do a crucial operation which needs to see him put on weight faster. Some may think man, i need to chill...yeah as if chilling will make him gain weight.
And yes i feel the stress from Dr to make Gabe eat more. But more so, for the fact that i love him and want him to this op soon so that he can be near 100%, and grow well. Does that make me psychotic? I hate it when people think I do not know what i am doing. Trust me, i have tried nearly everything, n this boy is just a difficult eater. And it doesn't help that Gabe's sleep pattern is still haywire to this day, waking anywhere from 2-4 times a night still. Do i wish i could have my previous 8-10 hours sleep? Of course i do!! But when you have a kid, all this has to be sacrificed. Am i entitled to complain? I sure as H*** think so. But does that mean i hate my life now? No. Does it mean i need help? Yeah sure, from the big guy up there. God. I need him to help make Gabe eat more, sleep more. Grow more. So unless there is anyone who is Him and capable of doing that, then don't tell me i need help.
I do the best I can and i happen to think i'm doing a damned bloody good job.
Gabe's daycare, Wanpaku, had a party today from 5.20pm to 7.30pm. This party coincides with the Obon Festival, observed by the Japanese. Apparently,from what i Googled, this festival is to honor the spirit of one's ancestors. During this event, there are fireworks, dancing and watermelon breaking. Fun Fun Fun!! And so exciting coz it's our first. Plus it allows us to meet other parents and kids too.
Unfortunately, His Majesty was grumpy, sullen and fussy coz he didn't get enough sleep. Anyway, we arrived there at 5.30pm after GYmboree and there were plenty of people there already.
First, we had to take off our shoes and put them in plastic bags, then register. Each kid got a small goody bag, consisting of a fan, a wrist bell and news updates, plus a cloth headband for them to wear later. Gabe got to choose a crown too. Teacher gave him 2 choices, Mickey Mouse or Car theme...he pointed to the Car..i was so sure he'd choose the Mickey Mouse....ahaha, but he looked adorable wearing it!!
Around the hall and in the backyard, all sorts of game stations were set up, so we toured the area. In the backyard, there was a pool filled with small balloons, and the kids had to use a string with a hook attached, to "fish" the balloons out. Since Gabe was too small to do it, Daddy did the task on behalf......and yay!! We got a green balloon!!!
Next, we saw there was a set up of some cartoon characters and kids had to throw some hoops on them...we didn't play that.
Next, there were some boxes with cartoon characters attached and we had to throw beanie bags into them. Mummy did this on behalf, and we scored another prize which we could choose. I chose a small yellow elephant with a basket n ball attached. You blow the elephant's trunk, and the ball will jump up!! We're happy...
Gabe looks cute with the cloth headband huh....
And we saw some of our friends from the center too..
Here's His Majesty with Daddy
Soon, it was time to eat and the hosts had prepare a lovely simple Jap meal of fried noodles, curry n rice, tea, corn and fruit jellies along with some cakes. Gabe had his cereal of coz. Then came the interesting part....watermelon breaking session!
One by one, the kids came forward to use a stick to hit the watermelon. Obviously they're not gonna be able to hit it hard enough to break it. Here's Gabe's friend, Milly n her Dad:
Now....we have to get a strong man to do the tough parts right???? I mean it was fun hitting the watermelon, but people wanted to eat the watermelon too....so they had to choose a strong strapping man to do the job of breaking the watermelon..guess who had that privilege? Yup, our very own Mr Terry On...But they decided to make the task a wee bit harder, by blindfolding him and spinning him round a few times. I got abit worried...what if he mistakenly hits one of the kids' head by mistake thinking it was the watermelon...i mean this is Terry...
Anyways, no worries, no one's head got hurt...Terry took aim...and..."WHACK"......the watermelon in all it's glory, was still there, intact....but his aim was not for nothing...he broke the stick....:(((((( Oh man .......everyone was laughing...sigh...should have seen something like this coming....
See, the girl showing broken stick..
With no stick, they took out the knives and started cutting the watermelon...thank goodness the kids had gotten their turn to hit the watermelon, otherwise we'd be getting dagger stares and probably no one will be inviting us to anymore events in the near future...
After the meal, it was clearing up time and while Daddy was helping, Gabe and i walked around, and i saw that they had updated their "family tree" which consisted of all the students who attended the daycare..and guess whose cute face i saw??? Yup His Majesty...
And, in the newsletter, Gabe's face was also there to introduce him as newcomer
*Me proud Mama*
Now, an Obon Festival ain't nothing without the dancing n singing n music. So all the kids gathered around with the teachers and they started to dance n sing n clap...what a delight
Next, we have fireworks!! Each kid was given a hand help firework first which we lighted up at the park opposite the daycare. Gabe was intrigued by it, and kept watching the lights..
Then there was the main fireworks, just a medium sized one...
After this, we came to the end of our party. Boy did we have fun. Next year i hope to see Gabe dancing and jumping along with other kids instead of watching from the sidelines. I can't wait to watch him...
We had such a wonderful time, thanks to all the staff and teachers at Wanpaku who were such gracious hosts and had so lovingly planned the whole party. We're certainly looking forward to it again next year..
There is a cage, a small lil cage, looks so shiny and harmless. But upon closer inspection, you'll see that it has sticky, super sticky glue all over it. And..gasp...right at the inner corner, you see a small lizard, moving frantically, trying to free itself. But it's useless. It's small, slimy body has been caught in the glue. It can struggle, but it'll only tire itself out. Doomed, yes it is doomed....
Sigh, no, i have not gone mad, no i do not need to see a psychologist. I'm just..moaning...my precious boy has decided that at 1 yr and 1 month, it is time for him to leash out his "i really need mummy" attitude. And by that i mean him being a super glue..and yes that makes me playing the role of the lizard...i'm officially stuck with him, morning 7am till 8pm. And i mean stuck..i cannot leave him alone for 10mins even. He'll start whining and it turns to full on crying within the next few minutes.
In the evenings after 5pm is the worst. I cannot leave him at all. Period. Not even if i am standing in the kitchen, while he is just playing on the mat behind me. In full view. Nope, Gabe doesn't like it at all. I have to next to him, preferably he on my lap. No, i cannot read even, and using my iphone yes he allows it but only for a short while.
Why...pls someone tell me why....why do kids have this separation anxiety phase. And even then, he can see me in full view, yet he screams...why...i really need to know.
And yes it is slowly killing me, coz it's a nearly 24/7 thingy...it's been 1 week and i'm about to scream and tear my hair out. I love him to bits and love to cuddle, but man oh man, this is like...too much..overdose...
I am hoping this ridiculous phase wears out..really soon. So this post you'll see lots of me n him shots...coz i'm practically on the play mat with him the whole day, and since i have nothing to do, i decided may as well capture more pics of us together, which he seems to love...keeping him entertained.
He's a real loving lil boy, he will kiss his toys nearby when i tell him "see, doggie is here, doggie loves Gabriel"..and he just leans in to kiss it. Yes the kisses are the wonderful part when i am stuck with him...but even then....sighhhh, my eardrums are starting to hurt and my arms are about to break carrying him.
The munchkin in some pics
Gabe has recently just started to try and crawl...army weird style. I think his is more like a free stroke...here he is in a short clip. And, you have to entice him with new things otherwise he is super lazy and will not budge. Iphones are a real good motivation for him.
And his whining, he's like an energizer battery..on and on and on...this is just a fraction of his prowess...
Please tell me, this phase thingy will not last for like more than 2 months?Cannot be right??????
