On the mend

Thank you so much everyone for your love and concern for us. Mountain Boy is doing great thanks to your prayers. I only gave him one dose of tylenol last night and he doesn't seem to be in pain anymore today. He even points to his hand and say 'skaa'.

12 part 2

This was already when he was almost sewn up. It had only occurred to be to take a picture then. Dr WC had already done two layers below this.

Poor baby fell asleep.

All done, covered in neosporin. Had to cut open his T-shirt in order to change him into his Pajamas.

12...

... is the number of stitches my poor son got today. We've just been through hell and back.

430pm

Nanny took Mountain Boy down for a walk while i take a quick rest after playing with him all morning followed by real heavy duty grocery shopping.

5pm

Couldn't really sleep so i took a long bath. Washed my hair, while drying up and putting on my pajamas, i heard the phone ring. Uhm probably just some delivery guy so i ignored. Phone rang 2nd time, okay somethings up. Nanny didn't even explain, she just said "We need to go to the hospital Mountain Boy hurt his hand". I didn't ask what happened i just ran out with my hair uncombed and make-up half removed.

I saw the nanny looking super worried and she was clutching Mountain Boy's bloody arm which looked kinda grey. uh-oh.... LUCKILY i stay in a service apartment and the staff had a cab on standby so we hopped on. In the cab the nanny tried to explain that the boy outran her and he fell on a piece of land which was recently leveled next to our apartment carpark.

Mountain Boy was worried, but i knew that he would be worse if we were worried too so i told the nanny to snap out of it and just be cheerful.

530pm

Arrived at the first clinic. I knew that not every hospital in Beijing could handle everything so i called Mountain Man along the way and asked him to send his company car for us.

True enough, Beijing Vista clinic could not handle deeper lacerations (mothers take note). And that was when i first saw the wound. 6cm long, at least 1.5cm deep. Skin, flesh, i didn't dare to look further. Brave front, brave front.

6pm

Company car arrived. Thank god driver was good. He made a couple of traffic offenses to get us to the 2nd hospital but it was totally worth it and we weren't caught.

Mountain Boy was so brave. Other than the occasional whimpers, he was totally happy. Drinking, eating, laughing... Waving to the cars and buses.

645pm

Arrived at Beijing United Family Hospital Emergency. Only 1 emergency doctor (whom i will not name) and he took his time to see us. He was chatting with staff, other patients that didn't have a crying child stuck to them.

745pm (waited almost an hour!)

He came in looking all cool. I wasn't. I didn't care if he was almost 2 metres tall, and that he had chairman written on his scrubs. I told him that there was no sense of urgency in the hospital and it upset me. He said that he had gotten updates from the nurse and if it was really urgent he would have attended to me. BASTARD! I was not happy with that comment. I told him that i was in his plain sight the whole time if it wasn't serious couldn't he have walked over to assure me that it wasn't that serious!? He then had other excuses and i stopped him short and said, "save it".

He looked at the wound and i swore he flinched. He recommended immediately that we put Mountain Boy under GA and stitch him up. Chairman or not, i said i wanted a PD's opinion. He was offended like i was crazy... Anyway he said the choice was mine, and he wouldn't be doing the procedure anyway cos the other doctor was taking over. WHAT A WASTE OF MY BREATH.

All the nurses and PDs recommended going with Chairman's suggestion. Fine i was ready to do GA.

8pm

Went to xray room. He cried murder. I couldn't go in with him so it was double pain for him. Luckily no broken bones.

815pm

Dr William Chickering came over to us in the waiting room and asked to see the wound. He said he had a differing opinion from the Chairidiot and wanted to do a local instead. It would have been easier to go under GA(Ketamine) but it wouldn't be without risks of spasms etc, low but still a risk.

I saw across the room Dr WC and Chairidiot sort of arguing with each other about the right way to go about this. Of course i had doubts, i wondered if Dr William Chickering would trump Chairidiot in his idiocy. But i thought hey... Go with my guts, let's do local.

830pm

4 adults had to hold Mountain Boy down. Dr WC administered local anesthesia, he wriggled and cried like hell.

832pm

I was singing him a lullaby in the operating room and he went to sleep cos it was his bedtime, ALL THESE WHILE Dr WC was still doing the sutures (a word i'd never thought i'd use unless i was quoting Grey's Anatomy).

840pm

Chairidiot peered into the room and gave his thumbs up. He then came in and exclaimed that Dr WC was a magician. Dr WC just humbly said... "I had a feeling he would sleep anyway".

He then very patiently explained to me what i should be doing the next two days and i feel eternally indebted to him. I say God Bless Dr William Chickering- if you're reading, Thank you.

I was unbelievably calm. Not angry with nanny, it could have happened if i were looking after him too. He is very fast and stubborn when it comes to wanting to do his thing. And i guess i was glad in a way that i didn't have to bear the guilt tonight cos i really needed to be brave for Mountain Boy.

I took some pics of his hand. Brace yourself it's coming right up.

Daddy idol

Mountain Man and Boy are doing some serious bonding these days. The boy is in such awe of his dad I find it so sweet. Given the little time they spend together, Mountain Man really goes the distance to make every minute count and that I am very thankful for.

Thankful

I'm so grateful to God Almighty for granting me such a wonderful life, a supportive husband, and an incredibly cute/healthy kid. What i have is all a woman can ask for.

I pray Father that You will continue to shine Your light upon our family, help us grow and bind us in Your love.

Give us wisdom as parents to say and do the right things, help us mould our son into a considerate, self-aware and happy person. Do help us forgive each other's trespasses, and help us bring the best out in each other.

All these i pray in Jesus most precious name.

Amen.

Date Night

Mountain Man and I are watching a movie together for the first time since.... Avatar? Believe it or not I don't even know the title of the movie we're about to watch we just wanted to do something couply. Feels good but I am tired already hope the movie is good. Its battle something los angeles.

whose the boss?

The Office is one of our favourite sitcoms, it has sustained our interests for 6 seasons. The characters are both lovable and loathsome, and the lines are super duper make you cry kinda funny.

If you're a follower, Steve Carrell is stepping down from Dundler Miffin, Scranton branch(sad sad...) and word is out that there are 3 contenders to the World's Best Boss.

Will Ferrell

Will Arnett

Ricky Gervais (Writer/producer of Office, Original Steve Carrell in the British Office)

I am torn. I think Will Ferrell fits the bill as the American Steve Carrell replacement. But he'll just be a replacement with no unique quality to bring to the table. Will Arnett is a little young for the role but he may bring a fresh perspective to the show as the youngest boss to manage a branch perhaps? Aside from being the best looking of 3 candidates, he is also funny as hell in his past projects (Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Blades of Glory). As for Ricky, well i'm not sure America will get him given his controversial globes performance, the dynamics are not right.

So my vote goes to Will Arnett. Now i can't wait to see if i'm right! I'd definitely continue supporting The Office if Will A. gets the part. Go Dundler Miffin!

Piano Lesson 4

To date the most complicated song i've learnt is Jingle Bells. I was told last week to bring the sheet music for something that i'd like to learn. So Mountain Man and I spent days brainstorming the first song we should jam together. Turns out there are 3 main piano bands out there. Coldplay, Keane and The Frays. I downloaded some samples and i think coldplay is a little more familiar.

But for today's lesson i forgot to print out the sheet music! My piano teacher is Chinese so she doesn't know Coldplay. I ended up learning 至少还有你 by Sandy Lam, the ONLY chinese song i can think off the top of my head. elgh... Why didn't i say Jay Chou or Stephanie Sun (not that i know that many songs from them too).

I'm eternally envious of people who can play by ear. It's an ultimate goal i'd like to achieve... I had this classmate in secondary school who could play absolutely anything we asked, her fingers float like feathers over the keys and i used to just stare in awe.

PS: If you know any good sheet music download sites or if you have any good sheet music, please email me!

Access Finally...

It's been a while folks. For weeks i've endured not accessing facebook and blogger so i'm gonna start posting with a vengeance cos there's lots to catch up on.

First up... a video of Mountain Boy. The boy can't really talk yet but he is pretty talented in drawing.

Bloody diarrhea

Mountain boy has been suffering from diarrhea, mild fever and runny nose the last few days. Brought him to pd this morning and he was diagnosed with 'dysentery diarrhea'. I swear I felt stupid in her consultation room cos she was shocked that I'd never heard of the term before. But instead of explaining the term to me she asked me too google it. Uhm then I pay her for what har?

Anyway I did google it and turns out its commonly known as bloody diarrhea (still not common enough for me cos I also never heard of bloody diarrhea)caused by bacteria infection. Sounds scary but it jus means tt there are traces of wbc and rbc. Can be serious depending on the count.

in mountain boys case its pretty serious cos the stool analysis report stated wbctmtc ie white blood count too many to count. Poor thing. Must be his acute teething causing him to put every damn thing in his mouth which led to the ingestion of bacteria.

Anyway, doc then prescribed an oral rehydration drink which tastes like salt water mixed with orange cordial (in case u think it sounds delicious it's not) and tablet antibiotics. The hard part is to feed the crushed tablet. He keeps spitting some out.. Any ideas on how to feed crushed tablet is much appreciated.

I have now replaced the salty orange with glucosin- tt blue can drink from singapore that is sooo yummy. Thankfully he loves it so at least he is not dehydrated.

Ps: I am typing this via my blackberry so some of the phrases are slightly incoherent and china blocked all the vpns so I cant blog.

A new aspiration

I've always wanted to play the piano since I was small. My sister took organ lessons in a music school and I always tagged along thinking that one day I would follow in her footsteps. It never happened cos we moved to singapore and things never fell into place.

I have my second chance now. I've been through 2 piano lessons and I can't wait for more to come.

Thank you mountain man for believing in me! Can't wait for our first real jamming session right in our living room!

Black eye

He got a black eye this afternoon. Don't panic its not real. After the babygroup today the facilitator stamped a bluish logo on the back of his hand and he went to rub his eyes immediately. When I saw his eyes I laughed until tears ran down my cheeks.

Belated birthday post

Mountain man celebrated his 38th birthday last thursday. It was a quiet one, just home cooked dinner and a birthday cake.

Once again, time flies... the first birthday i celebrated with Mountain Man (as a couple) was when he was just 33 years old. It was a Timbre with a bunch of friends... Wonder where those pictures went, stupid kodakgallery decided to monetize and deleted all the photos i think.

Anyway, we were still doing long distance then and he paid me a surprise visit, i was elated by his romantic gesture! I know something is wrong with the equation cos it's his birthday and not mine so why am i the one being surprised but it was good anyway.

My dear husband, Happy Birthday. Thanks for doing your best to be a good husband to me and for being such a wonderful Dad to our baby. I hope next year the celebration will be "bigger", if you know what i mean. Muacks.

I'm not the best at celebrating birthdays but cakes and candles are a must.

FYI he does not like chocolate. Spat out the cake after we fed him.

Our nanny (still deciding if i'll keep her).

Daily grooming

When Stars have no stylist...

I've taken an interest on Anne Hathaway recently, I realise that i always see her in evening gown after evening gown... She is lovely in magazine shoots and premiers. But i never saw her casual before. So i did a search on trusty just jared and found a couple of pics. To my surprise, for someone who kicks ass on the red carpet she is mostly horrific when the limelight is off.

Have u seen this girl she has a great body! This one has the wrong proportions. Not crazy about the jacket, shoes and pants, and makes her hips look bigger than mine!

Dipped your coat in... urine?

Nothing wrong with the outfit. But the scarf makes her look like she's covering up a notti notti!

Again, high wasted pants don't do her justice. and the black scarf is strangling.

Nothing wrong with the outfit but the "I'll be Baacck" sunnies is unforgivable.

Granny dressing... and what's with the earrings? Get better reception??

I get that she doesn't want to be recognised, she can shop at Target and no one will take a double look. Someone should really exterminate the terminators.

Love the shoes, love the skirt, love the top, love the accessory, but not all at once. And this is ON the red carpet what's her excuse!

Xiaoxiong number 2

Mountain Boy has this comfort bear from kingkow gifted to him by a family friend. It's actually part of a gift set which also includes some onesies, mittons and bib etc. We've been quite paranoid about losing the bear whenever we travel. When we went back to Singapore over CNY i was delighted to find the same box set! But i struggled (only for about a minute) with the decision to buy it because it costs S$59! Luckily a friend was going to give birth so that gave me justification to buy, at least the onesies won't go to waste!

Surprisingly, Mountain Boy doesn't mind the newness of 2. Maybe he might have thought that 1 went through a facelift to look a whiter and cleaner. He still hugs 2 like the bear he loves most in this world. Then incidentally the other day he saw 1 tucked away in the cupboard and started squealing for it, i had no choice but reveal to him that there are indeed two bears. Again to my surprise, he hugged both like he loves them equally, for a few days he slept with both bears and i would find him waking with both bears still in his arms. So sweet.

Anyway, i decided to hide 2 from his sight for now because i cannot afford to get two replacement bears if they both get lost!!

What's left of winter...

My least favourite season in Beijing saw it's end with fireworks over the CNY period and the last snowfall of the year....

I'm pretty sure it's illegal but the fireworks went off in my apartment estate. Mountain Boy awoke a few times and went "booom...boom"....All the way till past midnight.

Here's us admiring the fireworks from his makeshift playroom/balcony.

Playing snow for the first time... He saw snow last year but he was too young to enjoy it then. Kids are somehow impervious to cold. He used his bare hands to touch the snow and he didn't even complain. When we got back home his hands were red and icy cold!

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Spring growth spurt

One of the teachers from playgroup said that Spring is a time when children go through growth spurts. Mountain boy definitely shot up lengthwise (unfortunately he isn't bulking up fast enough) and he can climb up chairs and tables with relative ease.

Also he can reach handles to open doors so we have to lock up if we need private time. I think, I think I have also witnessed him jump, by that I mean a considerable lift off for both feet.

Doodling is one of his favourite pastimes, he can draw and draw for hours each day. He knows how to draw circles (not very round of course), straight lines (which looks more like zigzags) and dots. Surprisingly he knows his shapes, only circles, squares and triangles. He likes to sit on his chair by the window and observe the traffic and hunt for dogs, cats and babies.

Suddenly he is also talking a lot. Mixture of english and chinese, whichever is easier.

I know its not time for an update yet but he has really grown up this couple of weeks.