Hives Strike Back in Month #22

Dear Aidan,

This has been a worrying month for Mama and Papa. A few days into December, you broke out in hives again. It was January 2010 all over again, except this round began a month earlier. The upside to this bout has been: no sudden swelling up of your face and lips.

We took you to see Dr. Lam your pediatrician a few weeks ago. And he's convinced you're developing an allergy to something. As to what, he has stated again that it's hard to pin-point unless I've had a food diary all along. Mama has been so careful with your food that it's difficult for me to imagine that you're reacting to something I've not given you before. In fact, you've had licks of peanut butter and gobbled up strawberry yoghurt before with no incident. So, unless it's a reaction to something you've been eating fine all along, you've got Mama seriously stumped.

I do hate seeing how your entire torso, face, limbs and private areas erupt into waves of these itchy bumps a few times in a day. I know how uncomfortable they make you feel once the anti-histamines wear off. And speaking of medication, I'm not even sure in the first place that you should be on so much of these things, safe or not safe. They don't seem to work all that effectively. Not even Zyrtec this time round.

Some good news though. An old acquaintance of Mama's, a copywriter by the name of John Dorai who saw my distress-filled posts on facebook, recently recommended a Dr. Sanjay Woodhull to me. Mama has found out that he works at the Sime Darby Subang Medical Centre. We'll be setting up an appointment with him soon, okay? Mama promises to help you be hive-free as soon as possible!

Did this fall from the sky?

Feels like I'm wearing an animal on my head

Crooked...like the man standing behind it!

Yay! I got the star to sit still!

Oh and we've put up the Christmas tree. You're almost 2 now but nope. No sign of excitement over baubles and bells, streamers and sparkly stars. It ended up with Papa and Mama horsing around, delirious with the prospect of the season of peace, joy and salvation upon us. Of course, some of the euphoria died a little as time went by and you not only showed a general disinterest with the whole affair but a good measure of grumpiness due to your hives. Even the Santa's hat did not cheer you up. :(

Thanks for providing the world with raisins, Jesus

You're in a better mood when the anti-histamines have just been administered. You even decided to share your raisins with Jesus, giving Him a kiss first at the top of the cross by the altar.

Gotta maneuver around the cracking desert floor

Please carry me, Mama coz I've got birds to feed

Last weekend, we did two things. Firstly, we took a morning walk (or should we say 'hike'?) around the Taman Tun Dr. Ismail park a short drive away from home. It was a longer trek than we thought. But heading off in the wrong direction didn't help. And we were fortunate to bump into our nieghbours, Uncle Fairuz and family along the way who pointed us to the right direction. We ended up in the lovely park where you had fun climbing up steps and running down grassy slopes. You also enjoyed running your toy cars over the bumpy sidewalks.

I'm really eyeing that bottle of grape juice in Mama's hand

Secondly, went out for lunch with Grandpa and Grandma. They're feeling sorry for your hive attack but you must be growing up because you don't appreciate being carried anymore. You'd rather much prefer to walk. Another sign that you're growing up? Your feet are growing bigger and we've had to upgrade your shoes to the next size. Meanwhile, the big J (for Juice) is becoming a big favourite, too. You love the orange juice at Dome cafe and most restaurants. At home though, you don't like the pulp in the ones Mama squeezes fresh for you.

Ok, fellas, I'm gonna serve you in these pretty little Christmas plates

You're beginning to show an interest in using your fingers and hands to manipulate things, demonstrating a development in fine motor skills. Apart from your alphabet puzzle, Mama recently bought some cheap, child-friendly dough to see how you'd take to it. And now you're obsessed with getting Mama to show you how to roll out little balls which we agreed to refer to as 'dough balls'. You like some big, some small and some tiny.

Oh it's a little pebble begging me to keep it

At the same time, you're learning to hold colouring pens and pencils the correct way and would scribble quite a bit eve as you change the way you grasp them. Picking up pebbles and sticks are also becoming a new pastime whenever we're outdoors. And Mama's handbag is becoming sandy and dusty from all the knick-knacks you've been collecting.

Eh, Mr. Ink, you gotta come out when I tell you to

I don't know how long this bout of hives will last. I'm praying to Jesus for a miracle again. May he have mercy upon me and grant you a quick recovery, honey!

Bedtime book of the month: "I like Cranky the Crane best, Mama"

Fun, Chatty Month #21 for Eskimo Boy

Dear Aidan,

Papa can't have any because he's too small

These days, it seems you can't stop chatting. A restricted vocabulary does not seem to stop you. Meal times now take 45 minutes because you chat so much. In fact, we're onto you. We know you chat to try and get out of eating. Speaking of food, new and fast favourites this month are banana cake, char siew pau, siew pau and satay. I say 'favourite' because before as soon as these foods first touched your lips, you nodded and said, 'Aidan like'. Kung-Kung and Poh-Poh love bringing banana cakes and siew paus for you on their weekly visits.

Yes, I'm sure I can handle this, Grandma

Any girls watching this? Any?

Besides balls, you love visiting playgrounds these days. On visiting days, Kung-Kung, Poh-Poh and Mama would bring you on your Pooh Bear tricycle to the playground between Aunty E.E's house and our condo. And when we visit Grandma and Grandpa, the football field and playground nearby is always an evening stopover.

I'm ready for some serious tackling, dribbling and scoring

You're really not on form, Papa!

You're deep into the Scientist stage now. Every boundary is worth testing. And it feels like Mama has plenty of reasons to say 'No' although I try to phrase it in a different way sometimes. Like "When you're bigger!" or "Not that!" or the most popular one of all - "Maybe later!" The Time-Out Corner? You've begun to chat while you're there, claiming "I'm ready!" even before the time is up. Some days, when you're sent there for longer, you even sing. It's gibberish mainly but I've heard shades of the A, B, C song that Cheh-Cheh Vanessa (the 5-ear-old whom Aunty E.E also looks after) has taught you.

Look, I'm about to stroke Papa's head the only way I know how...with a big thwack!

You're beginning to appreciate Papa a lot more these days. You're less jealous of him and less particular about who does, well, everything for you. Some days, Papa gets voluntary sayang's, too.

Ah, having your own wheels is just divine stuff

Dusty-ah...

Meanwhile, playtime favourites in terms of toys are still your ride-on car with the knobs and buttons, ball, mega-blocks, A,B, C puzzles and of course, reliable old Dusty.

Ready for a good workout, Papa?

Nice and clean, now

As you can see, the gear is suer important

And here we go...

Mr. Forggy, take me to Australia

The rainy season has started but on some sunny weekends, we do take you to the pool in Block A. You're not super comfortable with the water just yet as you don't like water in your eyes that much (you should ask us what you're like when it's hair-wash day!) But you are getting used to it as we've made dashing under the showers by the pool a fun game. 

It's a ball spa, Mama!

Cake please!

Happy birthday, Seth!

Should I aim this at Papa's coffee cup?

This month, we also took you to Seth's birthday party. Seth is Papa's friend's 2 year old. You're clueless about the art of socialising at the moment. But Mama did catch you staring at the different kids at the party. You're also clueless about sharing but so far, you seem to understand the concept of 'no snatching'. You spent most of the time messing around with the 'pool' of colourful plastic balls on the floor as well as the football Seth's daddy left lying about. There was a bouncy castle that looked like loads of fun but no, it was balls, balls, and more balls for you. 

We didn't stay very long as you had a nap to rush home to. But the goody bag you got from the party contained a little rhyme and song book entitled "Farmer in the Dell." A book that became your favourite bedtime entertainment for a good few months after that. Thanks Seth and Uncle Sacha!

Just taking Jesus and Mary for a walk, Mama

Mr. Giraffe, don't be silly. Dusty won't eat you

Mama recently started saying longer bedtime prayers on behalf of you. You've learnt to fill in the blanks when Mama asks Jesus to protect my friend's kids - it's quite surprising how you can remember all those 20 names! I guess now's a good time as any to help you strengthen your memory. As it is, you're pretty good reciting A-Z and 1-20 at the moment. Just remember though, Honey. It's gotta be because it's fun for you. After all, you're just a baby!


Book of the month has been The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers. It's about a bear who cuts down trees to make paper so he can practise flying paper airplanes for a very important contest. The forest animals conduct some C.S.I to trace down the tree-cutter and eventually the bear is tried in court but forgiven his trespass as he had only so badly wanted to win the paper airplane contest just like his grandpa and papa before him.

He's a naughty bear, Mama

Mama's Going Potty but Eskimo Boy Sure Ain't

Dear Aidan,

I don't understand what the fuss about potty is, really. If I were a kid, I'd use it as a stool or a hat. After all, why switch from a diaper that's like a toilet stuck to your bum 24/7? Convenience is key when you've got the whole world to discover and not enough time in a day. Yes, that just about sums up the potty experience for you. While you're great keeping Mama up-to-date with your bowel movements and bladder stirrings, you're just not into having your pants pulled down and a potty slid between your legs. No, the potty is a thinker's chair. For existentialist toddlers who like to ponder about world affairs as life passes along on a rainy day. Like you, for instance.

Wait for it...wait for it....

...Ta-daaaa...

These days, it's taking you ages to finish a small bottle of milk again. Some babies can't do without their milk. But you? You'd rather Mama not make you a bottle, large or small. That's why Mama has resorted to strapping you to your high-chair until you finish what you're supposed to finish.

Diced fresh apples and pears are a different matter altogether, however. You can't stop popping them into your mouth!

Banzai....apples are the best!

Your vocabulary's growing and your sentences are getting longer. "Oh no! Marge fall down." is your longest sentence to date. The rest are usually couched in an order, i.e "Mama...sit here." or "Mama...hold Chew-Chew." Note to self: Must start teaching you manners when you get the hang of speaking. Meanwhile, Papa and Mama will be on Discipline watch. At least for the next 20 or so years.

You continue to love the great outdoors. And our mid-morning and evening walks are always something you look forward too. Even on rainy days, we'll spend time in the vast, inter-connected basement car-parks of blocks C, D and E where Mama will push you in your Poo Bear tricycle (the kind with a steering stick at the rear for parents) over the humps, grooves and cracks as well as up and down the ramps. Sometimes we'd stop to inspect a parked motorbike, too.

Ok, Kung-Kung, we need a route that has the most humps!

On sunny days, you spend quite a bit of time near the humps outside the guard-house too. So much so that the guards now know you by sight and name. The gardeners know you too, because of the times we spent picking pebbles and palm fruits off the grass in the lawns. Once, you were so intrigued by the lawn-mowing machines they were wielding that you made Mama stay until they were done. And THEN, you had to help them collect the mown grass into rubbish bags, too.

You also love airplanes and whenever you saw one up in the sky, you'd always look up, point and say, 'plane!' Sometimes Mama had to carry you out onto our balcony just so you could see a passing one. Other times, the neighbour's yellow Ferrari would roar to a start and you'd shout, 'plane!' and make Mama take you out to look at the sky. Then you'd say "Why no plane?" even as Mama tried explaining that the 'plane' was actually a sports car.

Thanks Poh-Poh, I'll take it from here, now, thanks!

In terms of play, we notice that you're beginning to love those round little things called...balls! So Mama got you a light, bouncy Pooh Bear ball which you quite like kicking and throwing around. You're also learning to appreciate toy cars - specifically taking them along the floor and over bumpy grooves between tiles or over soft, furry carpets. You're also beginning to climb. One minute, you're on the ground, and the next? Voila! You're up on the armchair. Time for extended Suicide Watch? You bet.

Oh no! An accident!

You're still drooling a lot though. Which explains why you have an extensive collection of bibs that I thought would've been outgrown once you hit a year old. They're no match for your collection of Chew-Chews though...those cloth napkins that have become your oral fixation, your aid to sleep. Now THAT's a collection.

It's just some liquid DNA, Mama!

And because you seem to enjoy counting, the book of the month has been Christopher Counting. You always love the first few page when Christopher the rabbit is in class counting oranges with Miss Goat, the class teacher. You're not one to sit down for longer than 15 minutes but Mama really loves the act that you like to pick up a book even in between your reading times. Books are lovely aren't they? And not just for tearing, too!

I'd like to live in...The Arctic!

Counting down to lights off never happens, though!

Mischievous Month #19 for Eskimo Boy

Dear Aidan,

Shh...it's meant to be a surprise!

The boy factor is starting to show up this month. Rough has been the general theme for September and October. Doors are for slamming. Pages are for tearing. Remote controls are for dropping. Papa's back is for biting. And Mama is all for lecturing.

Look, I can do gentle...

You're beginning to enjoy your books more. (Beyond the sound of tearing pages, that is.) But Papa and Mama have had to teach you to be gentle. Fortunately for your books, you think the action for 'gentle' is rather funny and have begun to mimic us.

I love horsing around with Papa

Food-wise, Mama introduced two dishes to your meal menu this month: (1) Braised chicken in dark and light soya sauce, sesame seed oil and ginger and (2) Braised turnip with carrots in light soya sauce. These are two dishes you really love and you always eat quite a bit when they're served. You also seedless love red grapes and right now, Mama peels them for you.

Gotta defend myself against advancing monsters, Mama!

Now that you're more active and energetic (and blustery), nap-time is usually an interesting display of unusual sleeping positions. Not only do you look genuinely deep in sleep, you look like you're dreaming up a storm. Meanwhile, bath-time is not so much an activity that's a struggle to get you into but out off. Splashing about is fun, of course. But getting whole floors wet is even better.

I know Papa enjoys getting wet. See, he likes it.

September is the month for one of Mama's favourite festivals: the Mid-Autumn Festival! You can read about the history of the festival here. But when I was a little girl, Kung-Kung and Poh-Poh would take us to the sundry shops near their home a week before the festival and buy lanterns made from colourful glass paper. 

Kung-Kung, the guy who's always in charge of lighting up the lanterns and clearing them away later

These handcrafted lanterns came in different shapes -  usually animals (butterfly, fish, bird or rabbit) - or elements of nature (lotus flower). Kung-Kung and Poh-Poh would also buy packets and packets of candles for decorations. In the evening, Uncle Khin and I would light the lanterns with candles and meet with our neighbours' children to go on a impromptu lantern procession up and down our street. When we returned home, we'd light lots of candles and place them on the grille of our gate and fencing. Every home around us would do the same and look the same. After dinner, Kung-Kung and Poh-Poh would prepare some special Chinese Tea and mooncake for us to enjoy in our garden under the full moon.

As Mama and Uncle Khin grew older and went abroad to study, our Mid-Autumn Festival routine ceased. But as far as I can remember, I always looked forward to the occasion and wished we could preserve the tradition.

Butterfly...rabbit and fish. Where's the elephant, Mama?

This year, Kung-kung and Poh-Poh made it a point to come over to our home with candles and Japanese lanterns. Meanwhile, Mama and Papa managed to find some glass-paper lanterns at a shop near Grandpa and Grandma's home. So, we all celebrated the festival with you. I don't think you knew what was going on. But as you've always been interested in light, you were very curious about the lanterns that Kung-Kung lit and hung at the balcony. Papa came home earlier today too and managed to enjoy some Chinese tea, mooncake and a chat with Kung-kung before they left.

Maybe next year, you'll be old enough to appreciate the festival more. Unless of course, you decide to eat the lanterns instead.

A Quick Holiday & then it's Dusty All the Way

Dear Aidan,

15 Aug is the halfway mark to your second year on Planet Earth. To celebrate, we took you to a lovely, cosy and quiet resort up north of Phuket, called Sala. The staff were lovely. The rooms, spacious and nicely furnished. And the constant sea-breeze was so cool and welcoming.

If it's bread, we're all fine

The resort is tucked away from the main, dusty road, and hidden by greenery all round. The 2-story blocks in which the rooms are contained stand side-by-side tall, lush trees, the boughs from which hang rattan swings with cream cushions. which stretch from the dining area and bar out to the sea. There are lawns everywhere, too and a big one stretches out from the dining area and bar to the beach and sea beyond.

C'mon, Papa, horses actually move!

You had lots of fun playing with the fountains that are part of the swimming pool. And you certainly loved chomping on the variety of breadsticks in the bread baskets that came before every meal. During the evenings, we kicked a ball around the lawn, played on the beach, and went for walks around the vicinity.

Why does it keep running away from me?

Sadly, on the penultimate day of our trip, you accidentally stepped onto a fiery red ants' nest. You cried out in pain and Mama managed to brush them off your foot quickly. Lots of red spots popped up on your foot the next morning despite the balm we applied. But they didn't seem to bother you much. Sometimes I reckon you're pretty tough inside. I am reminded of this every time you trip, fall and scrape your knee or injure your lip while dashing about. This is because 80% of the time, you don't cry. For the rest of the 20%, I get tears for about 2 minutes and then it's all over.

Mama caught me; I was just about to escape into the trees

One thing we've noticed about you when you do fall, however, is that you get stroppy as a snake with a spear in its head. While you cry for Mama, you just don't want t be touched or hugged. Nope. Injury time to you is a time to vent, lash out and show the world that you're not happy that it's embarrassed you. This is something we have to work on, honey. While pride is normal, it's not good that it manifests itself into actions that hurt others. Everything we do has consequences. Pride usually leads to ugly consequences.

Dusty's my friend...and accomplice

Do I gotta pay toll?

As General Manager of the house, I demand
to know what's going on here

Back home, Dusty the dog has become your favourite companion for the month. Sometimes he's with you on the changing table. Sometimes, he's in your cot. Sometimes, too, he's with you at the dining table, supposedly encouraging you to finish your meals. But other times, he's just being dragged or driven around. I think your other friends are getting jealous.

Your vocabulary is growing exponentially. You know about 50-80 words now. And you're attempting short sentences now. I can just see my future now: You're 10, I'm 46. And you're giving me sass about being forced against your will to eat green things that make you gag and I'd better not cross the line or it'll be considered abuse.

Sigh.