All About Your Child

Buckled up! This is a super-photoSsss post….

This is what we went through before Chinese New Year arrives on Monday.

Make a lantern to add to the decorations in my Parents-in-law’s house

Enjoy the lovely sights everywhere

I could have showed you a few more photos with my boys in them, but those photos were in Allan’s previous phone, which has been traded-in for his new Song Ericsson W902, few days ago, remember? I don’t have a memory-card reader to extract the photos kept in it. *sigh*

Or you can see more over on Uniquely Singapore

Enjoy lots of Dragon and Lion Dances

Decorating our house

(though this year is the Year of the Cow/Ox, we still prefer to stick to our Mickey-Minnie Decorations from last year : Rat-year)

Lots of Shopping

Glorious Food, food, food…

Mandarin Oranges

Barbeque Sliced Pork (my favourite)

Preparing the Hong Bao(s) (Red packets with $$$ in them)

Remembering our Promise : Lion Puppets for the kids

Getting New Clothes and Bed Sheets for kids and Shoes for me

(Didn’t ‘follow’ the tradition of getting a COMPLETELY New Outfit : from head to toe, this year. It is believed that ‘Everything’ that ‘touches’ or ‘worn’ on the body must be new : symbolizes a New Beginning ~ Fresh Start to everything)

Chinese New Year is just 3 days away… I’m glad we prepared the above much earlier this year…. it feels so relax to be free from last minute preparations and the ‘last-minute-crowds’…. just lazing around as we wait for the 15-days-long of celebration to come.

This year’s CNY post is so much shorter than last year’s. I guess I’m becoming lazier less ‘long-winded’…*laugh*

Many of you know about my big struggle with Keatkeat over his sinusitis, which ‘helped‘ me wrote my longest post ever (3-days long): It took 7 months

I’ve got a feeling his ‘eating condition’ might spike off another huge challenge for me this year.

Ok, this is a CONTINUATION from these three posts:

1. ‘Eat Faster Please’ and
2. ‘Parenting Does Hurt Marriage’ and
3. ‘Clash of the Titans’.

I can’t believe that I’m typing this down. A simple daily thing that everyone does with ease has become a PROBLEM for my boy ~~~ EAT.

If you had read the 3 posts, you’ll know how stressful it is for Keatkeat and myself to eat with Allan. I thought things were better after my ‘proposed plans’:

• avoid dining outdoors
• avoid giving big chunks of meat
• avoid giving more than what he can finish
• serve him food only when he is hungry
• serve him food of his choice

In order to speed up his eating whenever we are dining with Allan, so please RULE OUT the possibility that he is not hungry or the food is not to his liking.

Well, they worked on some days and on terrible days they didn’t.

Recently, it had become worse. Its NOT happening on EVERY meal, but it happens every now and then, so much so that I’m getting really worried.

“Could it be a result of Allan’s punishment on him months back?” OR “Could it be just a development by itself without any reason?”

I DON’T KNOW! That’s what’s worrying…. if you know the cause, at least you can find the solution, if you don’t, there is no way you could ‘TREAT’ the root of the problem!

These are the ‘New‘ eating habits of Keatkeat, even if Allan is NOT AROUND:-

1. Eat a strain of noodle at a time.
2. Can only take in 1/2 spoonful of rice, anything more, he’ll gag.
3. Always in a daze.
4. Twirl the fork/spoon in mouth.
5. Look everywhere except his food.
6. Sings
7. Talks
8. Stir the food in the bowl.
9. Dig his nose till it gets too agitated, he sneezes.
10. Have the need to pass motion in the ‘middle‘ of the meal.
11. Sighs and takes lots of deep breath.
12. He hardly finishes his share of food.
13. Stretches his body.
14. Supports his head on his palm, while elbow rested on the table top.
15. When we are out of sight, he pours the food away. Happened twice.
16. RUB HIS EYES : This is the HUGE SIGN that he wants to STOP EATING.

The following happens (INCLUDING THOSE HABITS ABOVE) when Allan is around:-

1. When he hears, “Eat Faster Or Else….”, he will scoop a big spoonful and STUFF it into his mouth, until he vomits. After he vomits, he is NOT going to touch his food, no matter what you say or do….
2. Woke up from his daze when Allan slaps his palm on the table or shouts.
3. Whenever everyone has finished their share, except him, he will give the I’m-not-gonna-eat-no-matter-what-happens Expression.

Allan being impatient, gives up and gives in. 2 things happen: –

1. Allan picks up the bowl and starts feeding him. OR
   
2. Allan throws away what’s left in his bowl/plate.

As a result, my 5 year old is not interested to feed himself and couldn’t finish what he used to be able to finish, months back.

These few days were worse. Whenever I ask if he is hungry, its “No” all the time, even though its 3 hours passed his normal meal time.

Keatkeat is only 5 cm taller than his 18months younger brother; but because of Binbin’s ‘standing hair’, the difference look more like 2cm only.

If these carry on, very soon, it will be the other way round……*Sigh*

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested in their height difference, its just a passing remark. I’m worried about the UGLY habits, especially the gags and vomits…..