iPhone 17

Nana was the very 1st among us to move to iPhone in March 2023. She said that everyone in her school has an iPhone. We didn’t get her the newest iPhone but an iPhone 12, but she was very pleased about it. 

Since then, we have all moved to iPhones. I actually didn’t quite mind iPhones or android phones but cannot deny that the iPhone face recognition capabilities made life so much easier. 

Auntie S swear by iPhones and said that iPhones can last 4 years, justifying the higher price tags. Android phones usually last about 2 years before issues surfaced. I am not sure if iPhones can really last 4 years. Even if they do, the last bit would probably meant poor battery life and bringing the power bank everywhere. 

Nana’s iPhone 12 is coming to 3 years and she had been complaining about lousy battery life span for the last few months and the lack of memory space. The latter is her problem; she has millions of picture in her phone. I guess she could still survive with lugging a power bank around. It worked for a while but she started complaining again. Other than the bad battery life, the phone works very well otherwise. 

We didn’t get her a Christmas present. The kids didn’t ask for one. So when Nana asked her if we could get her a new phone, we agreed. Not that we wanted to get her the latest model but the cost difference between an iPhone 16 and 17 isn’t significant. It is also difficult to find a iPhone 16 now. iPhones are out of stock in many places. The only 17 ones in stock are the green ones. 

Desperation calls for desperate measures. Nana said that green works. The color is not visible when the phone cover comes on anyway. We eventually found a blue one in Westgate Harvey Norman. 

Nana says “buy!”. 

We got her from tuition and told her that her $1.3k is waiting for her. Oh yes, iPhones are that expensive. This is already the most basic version. No pro, no max, no air. 

We have a very happy teenager. 

While Nana got her iPhone, Daddy Lim got his super mega potato chips. Hoho.

Zaky got protein bars.

Haut ah! 

Mummy Lim

Nana has Influenza A

On Friday, Nana WhatsApp to ask if we have a thermometer at home. I don’t remember and I was in Tokyo. If any, they would be in the kids’ room/ bag, an essential during the Covid months. She thinks that she was coming down with a temperature. Just take Panadol lah. She did that. 

When I saw her on Saturday morning, she was a lifeless lump on the sofa. She said that she was feeling bad and couldn’t sleep. She was running a temperature (as per my hand) and down with a bad flu. I gave her medicine and sent her to bed. She said that it was so bad on Friday. Auntie J came with the kids for worship practice on Friday evening and told me that Nana already looked sick.

She fainted once when she had a stomach flu and fever during Covid, which was likely due to low glucose bcos she wasn’t eating. This time, I made her eat something even when she had no appetite. I gave her a little food whenever the Panadol worked to suppress the fever, which brought back a little appetite. 

The annual Christmas gathering took place on Saturday evening. She was still very sick, and I gave her an option to stay at home. She tagged along. I would too; to be alone at home would be so miserable. 

She had a dose of medicine before the gathering and was feeling fine when we arrived. She was generally low in energy, but managed to lead worship with the group and participated in the quieter, non-physical games. I checked on her constantly and made sure that she had some food. 

The fever came back at 9ish, accompanied by body aches, chills and headache. Uncle C suggested that we get a test kit from 7-11 to check if it is Influenza A or Covid. I forgot that Covid still exist. He also suggested that we give her arcoxia, which is Daddy Lim’s strong medicine for his AS, and also a strong medicine for pain, fever and inflammation. To give her arcoxia, which is at home, would mean that she can’t take Panadol in the meanwhile. 

Nana tahaned and was in such misery during the 18 mins drive home. Even Daddy Lim was compelled to drive faster. Damn stressed. We finally made it home and didn’t dare detour for the test kit. 

Nana went to bed after the arcoxia and whatever cough and flu medicine I could find at home. Daddy Lim and I went to the 7-11 and found a test kit. It is the same swab test but improved!

The line for Influenza A appeared so quickly and strongly

Was I suprised? Not at all - we couldn’t really bring down her fever with Panadols and she had such bad body aches. Then I remembered that the previous Saturday, Daddy Lim had the same symptoms but there wasn’t flu symptoms and he recovered the next day, especially after he vomited whatever that clogged up his system. We had thought that he had stomach flu. Maybe not, and he had passed it on to Nana. 

I had contemplated sleeping in Nana’s room but decided that it was a stupid thing to do, especially when Influenza A is highly contagious. The arcoxia is very powerful; her fever had broke when I checked on her at midnight and she was still fever free at 6am. She was feeling much better on Sunday morning but a visit to the clinic is still a must. 

I found one on the Company’s insurance in Potong Pasir and was opened on Sunday morning. She was given the essential Tamiflu, and the clinic staff said that she would feel so much better by the 3rd dose. Tamiflu is a 5-day course medicine and must be completed. So much medicine. 

Nana was actually feeling much better on Sunday morning, even before the medicine. I told her that it is the power of mummy’s love. I was fussing so much over her the entire Saturday. 

It was obvious that she was recovering. She had energy to scroll social media and even went out for dinner with us on Sunday. Her appetite also improved significantly. 

When I checked on her Monday morning, she was feeling good. She was home alone with Mochi and was very bored. Nana said that cats can get Influenza A from humans. Hmmm.. maybe Mochi shouldn’t spend so much time with her. Mochi doesn’t know how to take medicine on his own and that is another nightmare to talk about. I hope that she doesn’t pass on the virus but wouldn’t be surprised if somebody at Saturday’s gathering fell sick. Fingers crossed.

Get well soon ah, baby. 

Mummy Lim

. 

Taylor Swift Eras Tour 2024

Many months ago, Nana said that she wanted to go to the TS concert with her friends. I said ok and agreed to bear 50% of the ticket cost, provided that she is able to get the tickets. I heard how difficult it was but she got her ticket! It was a physical purchase at duno where and I heard that the physical purchase was actually easier (and higher success rate) than online purchase. I supposed so too in this tech era, where everybody is comfortable with online purchases and the overseas Swifties were fighting for the online tickets too.

Since then, we occasionally talked about the concert. It seems like an event that is so far away. Then in a wink, it happened! Just last week, Nana was bugging me to buy her swifties bracelets online but it was too little time for delivery. I have no idea what those are or purpose. 

On Friday, she rushed off to her friend’s house to make more bracelets. Her excitement rubbed off me as she talked about the bracelets, outfit and pre-concert prep. I was educated that the Swifties exchange these bracelets, signifying friendships. I thought that is such a nice hype to the concert.

Nana was busying preparing on Saturday morning and planned to meet her friend at 12pm. Her pink and white outfit was aligned to the “Lover” theme. 

She was busy looking for pink accessories at home. We have so little bcos she was just in that phase recently about hating anything pink. I suggested sticking pink post-it. So idea. Lol. She almost wanted to wear her glasses that ta-match with her outfit. I had to stop her. She said that she is worried that she can’t see TS properly with her contacts. Ehhh.. with the ticket that she bought, I am quite sure she would be very far away from the stage and wouldn’t be able to see even with her glasses. Plus, there must be big screens, right?

This was what eventually she had.

We sent her to the mrt station at 12pm and I didn’t see her until more than 12 hours later.

There must be a lot of fun bcos she almost didnt at all reply to my texts. She only sent me a picture.

And a video of her and her friend in Kallang Wave Mall NTUC, make-up all done and hiding from the heat. 

Nana said that the door opened at 4pm and the concert only started at 6pm. There was a burger joint in the stadium but she didn’t buy anything, opting to steal some of her friend’s fries. I know that food and drink cannot be brought into the stadium and cleverly packed her snacks and mineral water in a plastic bag, asking her to eat those while queuing and conveniently throw 

them away before entering the stadium.

In the past, Popo would have waited up for her if she comes back late. I have now resumed the role, which was mine to begin with. She texted at 10.30pm that the concert has ended. I had imagined that it would take her a long time to come home, having to fight MRT with thousands of other Swifties. Instead of heading home, they had decided to go to Serangoon Mac for supper. Don’t ask me why Serangoon. 

They hopped onto the train again at 12mm and ended up stranded at Caldecott bcos the trains had ceased operations. So they ended up taking a grab and her friend came for a sleepover, which I thought was a safer option than the originally plan of her walking home alone from BP MRT station, assuming that the LRT would have ended.

I had dozed off while waiting. Not fun. She made it home at probably close to 1am. I duno actually. I saw them home and staggered off to bed. 

Of course the 2 girls slept in. I only saw them when I brought lunch back. They raved about how great the night was and were trying to recover from the post concert blues by watching and listening to more TS songs and videos. So funny, 

Their Swifties bracelets didn’t go to waste. They had so much fun exchanging with other Swifties. 

I have only these few pictures to post bcos Nana only took videos. I can see them having so much fun, singing, shouting and dancing with thousands others. I am glad that she had enjoyed her 1st ever concert… unless we count the Barney show that we brought her when she was 2? Hoho.

Mummy Lim

Visit to the Orthopedic

Last month, after Dr Lam had given Nana the ok to put weight on her aircasted foot, she had given herself the "ok" to progress even further. He had said that she can remove the aircast when she sleeps. I am quite sure she is very deaf bcos her aircast comes off all the time when she is home. Popo is delighted, I cannot be bothered to fight. Thankfully, nothing happens and all good. 

Nana is at least disciplined to have her aircast whenever she is out of the house. She is walking like normal, taking public transport and all. She even went on long outings on her aircast and then complains about her sole and hip hurting. Ya, while the aircast absolutely holds her injured ankle in place, it provides lousy support for the sole and the uneven walking height is bad for the other good leg. 

The wheelchair is now like a baby stroller - we bring it out for long shopping trip and the kids fight to sit on it. Zzzzzz. 

Nana had her monthly appointment yday. Her medical fee is now officially out of our own pockets as the coverage period under the travel insurance has maxed out. While we know the drill - xray then appointment, we can never remember which level the clinic is located and always have to play this "get lost" game whenever we visit Mount Alvernia hospital. 

We can still see the line in her xray but it is supposedly skinnier and one end of the line had fully healed. Yes, that is good news. Dr Lam pressed here and there, twisted her ankle this and that way. Nana said that there is no pain at all. So, she got herself upgraded to an ankle brace! Her aircast can now sit at home. I am thinking how long I need to keep this (and the wheelchair) before I can really throw this (and gift the wheelchair) away. 

He also ordered physiotherapy sessions. We are supposed to make our own appointment and I am hoping to rely on Nana to do that. 

If all good, the ankle brace can come off the next month and she can then be upgraded to an ankle guard. Dr Lam said that she can start with light exercise in a month or 2. We look like we are in good progress to be ankle-mobile for the year end trip. Yes, no snowboarding for her. She can build snowman but at least she would be mobile. 

Mummy Lim

Paika Yet Again Ep 2

The last round Nana was paika-ed, we rented a wheelchair and paid quite some $$ bcos we rented it for a long time. The rental $$ would have gotten us a new wheelchair but we didn't want to end up with a wheelchair that we didn't need after a few months. The crutches were loaned to us for free, from the Chinese sunseh who 1st saw her. 

This time, we had to buy new crutches so that she could get out of the hospital in Bali. We started off with a rented wheelchair; the only one available in the shop. It was missing a holder causing one of the foot pads to drop at times and it was wobbly. 

Enough! We got her a new, low end wheelchair, figuring out that it would offset rental cost. 

This could go to charity when we conform (plus chop) that we no longer need it. 

We have submitted the medical bills to the travel insurance. Approved! The medical bills in Bali and Singapore amounted to over S$900. I am so glad that my subconscious mind made me persisted with the purchase when we already landed in Bali. 

Nana had her follow-up on Thursday. We went back to Dr Lam's clinic. There were many other toddlers. See this toy. So cute!

Dr Lam said that her x-ray indicated that she is recovering well. I asked for a comparison of the latest x-ray vs the one from her last NUH appointment in July. To our surprise, Dr Lam said that her current condition is better than in July. What?! 

Not only is the fracture line better, the bone is generally less porous, a result of exercise/ movement. It is amazing how the last month of exercise helped. 

Nana had been very obedient. The doctor had asked that she not put any weight on the ankle and for the past 3 weeks, she didn't at all. Even the doctor was surprised. She is kiasi. Lol. 

Dr Lam said that she can actually start stepping on her broken ankle, but to start slowly 1st. She is to start with her crutches and aim to do so without her crutches by the end of the week. Yay! It would take some time before she can go for longer walk. 

However, bcos it is a refracture, it would take double the time for recovery. This means that she would have to stay away from sports for probably 4 to 6 months. 

Her next appointment is in 1 month's time. Speedy recovery! 

Mummy Lim

Paika Yet Again Ep 1

Upon knowing that Nana had probably fractured her ankle again, Daddy Lim had decided to turn private this time. Uncle C had previously recommended a friend who specialises in children orthopaedic and had just turned private. We didn't take up the offer then, bcos Nana looked like she was healing well and just needed time. 

This time, we didn't want to take chances. We wanted and needed to find out what happened. We connected with the specialist while we were still in Bali, and arranged for an appointment on Thursday morning. To maximise possibility of insurance coverage, we also did a Whitecoat tele-consultation to get a referral letter. 

Daddy Lim was on leave on Thursday. I tagged along for the appointment, eagered to hear the diagnosis and rushing work in between. The clinic is in Mt Alvernia hospital.  

Dr Lam is a kids' doctor afterall. Nana looked very out of place. Lol. 

We have communicated with Dr Lam while in Bali. Based on the x-ray taken in Bali, he said that there appeared to be some displacement, meaning that the ankle/ bone has shifted. In cases like that, a surgery is likely. Back in mid April 23, the NUH doctor said that Nana had a bad fracture and a case that borderlines between cast and surgery. The doctor eventually decided to treat her conservatively and put her in a cast. 

We took the opportunity to ask about why it happened, the pros and cons of a surgery, if there is anything else wrong with her (bones), aftercare, etc. Dr Lam patiently answered all our questions. We gave him consent and he was able to access to all of Nana's previous x-rays from NUH. He doesn't think that there is anything else wrong with Nana (bone), given that it is her 1st and only fracture so far. 

He compared Nana's last x-ray from NUH (back in mid Jul 23) and noted that the displacement had already existed. He suspected that the bone moved while healing. Given so, it isn't the recent injury that had displaced the ankle and he now opined that it is a 50-50 between surgery and cast. Surgery gives more certainly in correcting the fracture but comes with its risk as it is invasive. When he showed us the last NUH x-ray (Jul 23), I was very surprised to see that the fracture line was actually still very visible. Back at the last NUH appointment, I was also shown the (same?) x-ray, but I couldn't make sense of it, didn't know where to look for the "line'. I was simply told that the line was still visible but faint and would further fade with time. I didn't know that it was so obvious. We probably would have taken more care if we had known. 

Nana was sent for another x-ray. Daddy Lim probably discussed with her and when they came back, she was sure that she wanted a surgery. It is the belief that a surgery will fix things properly, better and faster. Ya, we are all sick and tired of her paika-ness.

Dr Lam looked at her latest x-ray and commented that the displacement looks the same, meaning no further shifting from the recent injury. He then went on to comment that the ends of the bone had started to grow and heal. It also means that she didn't fracture (break) her bone totally this time - it was a through fracture back in April 23. 

After toggling with the many x-rays (she has many), including the earlier ones and in different angles, Dr Lam suddenly commented on one of the initial x-rays that the displacement was actually visible at the onset. However, it was small at 2mm and probably why the doctor decided on a conservative treatment. With that, and the fact that the ends of the bone has started to heal/ grow, Dr Lam now feels that we should give the bone another chance and time to heal. We could still opt for surgery but he would have to break and clean the already grown bone to set things proper. This means more trauma to the bone and not the most recommended option. 

So, we were eventually sent home. There is no need for any plaster cast but to use back her aircast. The aircast needs to be on 24/7 except for showers, with the intention to immobolise the ankle as much as possible. Heng, I didn't throw the aircast. I was already contemplating.

Her foot is still very swollen. 

This is Nana's latest x-ray. She is to come back 1 month later for the review. 

So what the doctor though happened was that her bone was healing but not fully healed. Then, with the months of non-usage of her right leg, her muscles have not built back, though she has started exercising recently and even managed a 2km run on the treadmill. When she landed awkwardly, her muscles weren't strong enough to hold her and thus twisted her poor ankle again and refracture. Is it a new fracture? No. Did she refracture her ankle? That was the term that the doctor used. 

She is likely to be in cast for another 2 to 3 months with no weight. There goes our snowboarding holiday. Fortunately, the snowboarding host is very accommodating and allowed us to shorten the snowboarding trip. Nana will be confined to the lodge when we do snowboarding. Daddy Lim had asked her to build snowman in front of the lodge or sing Christmas carols. We joked about returning from the snowboarding lesson to an army of snowman in front of the lodge. Lol. 

We also tried claiming the travel insurance. I live-chat with the customer service and was told that the travel insurance would cover for medical expenses related to accidents up to 30 days after the trip. Fortunately, I had the foresight to obtain a referral letter via Whitecoat bcos that was exactly what was asked for. Thereafter, I will just have to try whatever is claimable from my company's insurance, which will be minimal bcos it is a non-panel specialist. We will find out in 10 days if the claim goes through. 

Speedy recovery Nana. Let's pray that she will at least be off cast when we go to Japan. All holidays are good, cast or no cast, wheelchair or not, we will have fun. 

Mummy Lim

Not Exactly Paika

It had been 4 months since Nana fractured her ankle and 1 month since she was off cast. The doctor had said that there was still a faint line on the X-ray but that it was normal and would heal with time. She didn't order any physiotherapy and simply told her that she could take off her cast and walk away at the last appointment. There was also no more follow up appointment but ordered her to refrain from exercise for the next 3 months. 

In Zaky's fractured pinky finger case, he was totally pain free, even before his last appointment. Nana still walks with a limp and complains that her ankle hurts after too much walking or impact. While she had tried skating (both ice and land) she has not gone back for her netball training or any other sports. 

The inability to fully embrace sports and the frequent ankle pain must have irritated Nana. So much so that she took the initiative to find and arrange for physiotherapy. My job was to be present and to pay $$. She found and arranged at the Core Concepts. I must say that the clinic and the therapists look very professional. 

The 1st thing that the therapist commented upon examining her ankle was that she had sprained her ligament. The ligament right above the ball of her ankle is swollen. We concluded that when she fell and fractured her ankle, she must have also sprained her ligament. While the sprained should have fully healed along with her fractured, healed ligament is a different animal altogether. The therapist mentioned that healed ligament is often "mashed up and overlapped". 

The therapist did some rubbing and there was some pain, before proceeding to make Nana do some skipping and jumping exercise. It was funny that Nana had forgotten how to skip. Lol. 

He went on to say that Nana's ankle is probably very healed and a lot of the holding back is actually mental than physical. He went on to assign some simple exercise to do daily over the next 2 weeks. 

The aim is to be able to run properly by the end of 2 weeks. 

She was given an appointment for 2 weeks later but said that there isn't a need for her to come back unless the pain persisted, after faithfully doing the daily exercises. I am not sure how much she would follow on the exercises. 

Nana had been reminded to walk normally. There is actually no need for her to limp. Maybe there is still some pain but probably very much psychological. She had wanted to train up her core. She laughed and told me that the very 1st day she walked without the cast, she developed a muscle ache the next day from walking. Lol. 

Mummy Lim

To the Dark Side.. with iPhone

We are an android family. I don't know about Daddy Lim but I gave up on iPhone in the early onset when I wasn't able to properly download my pictures and then the battery failed and the battery was not replacable.

Since than, I had been an android user. Daddy Lim is on android too for as long as I can remember. We are happy android family and there are so many android phone choices. Hoho.

I had in recent years thought if I should switch back to iPhone bcos Nana had been wanting an iPhone, but the price of the iPhone scares me. Why does it cost so much? Zzzzzz.. 

In November 2021, I managed to convince her to stay on android and we both bought the Samsung S20 FE. The phone is good, I am still using it and liking it. I didn't hear complaints from Nana as well and assumed that all are well. 

My kids are very trusting of the world. They think that nobody steals and they leave their belongings (phone, wallet, valuables) out in the open. If somebody wants to steal, the rink is a good place, every other person (definitely include Nana) is leaving their phone on the seat/ bag/ rink barricade ledge). On top of that, my kids also think that if they forgot/ misplaced their belongings, other people will either leave their belongings as it is or pass them to the lost and found corner. 

My kids have misplaced their phones multiple times. Why? Bcos they have this bad habit of holding their phone in their hand in whatever that they are doing. So they either do what they need with one hand or resort to putting their phone somewhere when they finally admit that they needed both hands. Zaky has it easier bcos his shorts usually comes with pockets. Nana just ended up putting her phone somewhere ... and then forgot about it. Zzzzzzz. 

She did that a couple of times and tge last in Melbourne and luckily got it back. She finally ran out of luck back in Singapore, when she left her phone in the toilet cubicle in the Selegie Mall. Of course she was upset but I was even more. 

It had been several weeks since she had been using one of the old phones. She didn't dare complain and had asked for a new phone for her bday. She had wanted an iPhone but didn't dare ask for one. She said that 80% of the kids in her school use iPhone and the remaining 20% are deemed as outcast. Ok lah, remain as outcast lah. 

Daddy Lim said that I must be a villain Queen in my past life and killed all of them. I am here to repay my debts this life. Hoho. Of course I gave in. Her screen has discolored and I think she has learnt her lesson.

Oh no.. Nana has gone over to the dark side. 

She is of course super happy. 

Daddy Lim and I are considering if we should disown her. Lol. Yday morning, she was trying to set up the iphone. We eyed her and her phone with contempt. She was still very happy though and ignored us totally.

This morning, I made myself her wallpaper on her iphone. Hoho. My daughter loves me. 

Maybe not... I didn't last very long as her wallpaper and was switched away. Zzzz. 

iPhone really so good meh? 

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 93: New Skates

Some weeks ago, Lil Shauna complained that her little toes were hurting. It basically means that we would need to change her skates soon. Her current pair is probably about $300 but had lasted her for about 1.5 year. I had expected it to be soon. Her new pair would definitely cost more as she progresses. I was actually more worried about the running in period. She took more than 2 months for her current pair and it was a nightmare with the constant complain of pain and numbness. Her current pain is so comfortable now and she can wear them for hours.

Coach S was recommending either Jackson or Edea skates. She said that there isn't much difference but Edea skates are easier to run in. Lil Shauna is using Jackson now. After checking with the experienced mummies, we decided to continue with Jackson, which is likely to provide more support. We placed an order a few weeks back and finally collected them yday. Her new skates were almost $500. Woohoo!

Lil Shauna wore her old skates for practice. There is no way she could go for her class in her new skates. When she headed to the 1/3 Ice, she was happily chatting with A.

All the while, I was busy lacing her new skates. The leather is so tough! I had a hard time lacing her skates and I wonder how much it would hurt to wear them.

Class was some footwork following by the various jumps and spins. I was thinking what Coach Raymond was trying to teach her.

At the end of the class, Coach Raymond said that we should be able to decide by next month if we are to go for freestyle 3 or 4 during the competition. Ahhh.. Lil Shauna competed in freestyle 2 last December. Freestyle 3 would encompass toe loop, salchow jump, forward-backward-forward spin and 1 backward spiral. Freestyle 4 includes loop, half loop, flip jump, sit spin and both legs backward spiral. Lil Shauna still have problem with backward spin, sit spin and flip jump. I would think that we probably compete in freestyle 3.

Lil Shauna was made to go back to the rink after class, she needed to try out her new skates! The blades are partially mounted and she has to make sure that the alignment is ok before the blades can be permanently mounted.

I expected her to whine in pain and told her to stay on ice for at least 15 mins. She was already whiny when I was putting on her skates. Lol. It was an antagonizing 15 mins. She looked like she was a beginner when she stepped on the ice and she couldn't wait to get off. She said that it was so painful at the end of the 15 mins.

We had the blades permanently mounted and collected them this afternoon. Lil Shauna practiced in her old skates for 45 mins and then changed into her new ones for another 45 mins. She could do most of the stuff though at a lower intensity. At the end, she was limping off the ice. Lol. It was so painful! She had red patches on various parts of her feet. I think we need to wear them and walk around the house to help with the running in. Hopefully, she would be comfortable to wear them for the December competition. Yeah!

Mummy Lim

Strongest of Us All

The winner is.....

The is girl doesnt need much sleep. I remembered how I gave up trying to make her nap before she turned 3 bcos it was too antagonising. After I stopped nap time, she rarely naps. Even on days that she is exhausted, she will resist until bed time. I am not sure of her reason for resisting naps. Like we always say, she will realise how precious naps are when she's an adult. I am speaking from experience. Haha.

When she started the morning session in P2, she barely clocks 8 hrs every night. It was difficult trying to chase her to bed. Things are a little bit better when Zaky joins her in primary school and bedtime is now before 9pm but she never fails to test her boundary and asks for the extra 5 mins to stay up.

With the start of the school year, she had asked for an alarm clock. On several occasions, she mentioned that she woke up in the night to check the time. A month back, she said that she wanted to use the shower before Daddy Lim and is now the 1st to wake up in the morning at 5.25am. The routine goes: she will wake me up to bun up her hair then she goes to the shower while I flopped back for another precious 10 mins' snooze. Daddy Lim goes for his shower when Lil Shauna is done. I don't take morning showers; it is freaking cold. Zaky is just plain lazy. Haha. On some days, she was already fully dressed and had taken her bfast while we were still struggling to wake up.

I don't know if the alarm clock is creating her anxiety. This morning, the same routine took place. After her shower, she commented that the alarms didn't ring like they usually would. We have so many alarms at different timings bcos we are always very tired people. Lol. I chased Daddy Lim to the shower and stole another few minutes of snooze. Then Lil Shauna came back and said that her watch is spoilt bcos it was showing 4.41am instead of 5.41am. O.O

Of course the watch is working fine; it was really 4ish in the morning and I had to break the news to Daddy Lim, who was already in the showers. Hahaha. He promptly dried himself and went back to bed. The girl was fully dressed and it didn't make much sense to change out or climb into bed in her uniform. I got her comfortable on the sofa instead and accompanied her.

I was drifting in and out of sleep. She said that she didn't sleep and she was dead tired after school today.  Then again, the evenings seem to be able to chase away all traces of exhaustion; she was happily playing with the neighbour kids until 7ish.

We took away her alarm clock tonight. I promised that I would act as her alarm clock and wake her up at 5.25am tomorrow. Sob, my beauty sleep! I better keep my promise and I hope she will have better sleep without having to check time.

On the flip side, Zaky has only awoken easily once and that was on his 1st day of school. Thereafter, he recognised that school is no fun and every single morning is a pain. He is the 1st to go to bed, usually between 8pm to 8.45pm and yet the last to wake up. He is definitely his mother's son bcos just like me, he will squeeze in the last minutes to snooze. Lol. Until today, we have to literally pull him off the bed every morning bcos he is always "so tired" every morning regardless of what time he goes to bed. Lol.

Mummy Lim

Mother and Daughter Goal

101 - to wear similar outfit.

I have been waiting for a long time; for her to grow old enough.

Finally... and jumper is so in now. I had never own a jumper and had been waiting to wear one. Hehehe.

Not only matching outfit; we completed it with exact same shoes.

$15 a pair from Rubi. She finally grew big enough to wear the smallest adult size. Yeah!

Daddy Lim says that we are Twindle Dee and Twindle Dum.

Mummy Lim

Pain, Always Pain

Lil Shauna has such low pain tolerance. Wait, maybe it doesn't exist at all.

The intolerance started when she was a pre-schooler. It started off with tummy aches. Then she progressed to pain in the calves and behind the knees. Those were real pain, which kept her awake at bed time and even woke her up in the middle of the night. I googled and those were probably growing pains. The internet also said that not all children will experience growing pain; only those with low pain threshold. Ah ha, that must be my Lil Shauna.

Every now and then, she will complain about headache, tummy pain and even chest pain. When we ask her to rate the pains, the pains are always very high on her scale yet she could function normally most of the time. To add on, she is super dramatic. A little cut or broken skin and she reacted as if she had just been slashed and don't remind me about bath time thereafter. A little pain in her leg and you can see her limping around.

It has come to a point that I can no longer tell if it is real pain or she is faking it. Every pain is very pain. Zzzzz. On Monday, when I picked her up from Student Care, she complained that she felt breathless in the late afternoon. She said that it was as if her lungs didn't get enough air even when she took deep breathes. Of course I panicked. Cough? No. Stuffy nose? No. Headache? Yes, but only when I asked.

I texted Daddy Lim, who didn't think that it was a big deal and told me to monitor. For the next hour, Lil Shauna acted like the most lethargic person in the world and intentionally took deep breathes in front of me every now and then. However, she could talk normally, walk home normally and eat normally. Zzzzz.

The drama continued through dinner but miraculously disappeared after shower when it was free time (to watch TV). Haiz, I cannot tell if she recovered or she exaggerated the discomfort. I have a drama queen at home.

Mummy Lim

Trusted!

After not finding the pair of Heelys with the right design for Lil Shauna in Singapore, I turned to online. Heelys do not ship ouside of US and I have no close friend in US. Dead-end. Eventually, I was trying to decide between Amazon, Taobao and Q10. Of course the price must be reasonable but more importantly, the shoes must be authentic.

With much consideration and people's review, I turned to Amazon. This is the 1st time that I tried Amazon. It wasn't too bad and was quite easy to navigate their site.

I finally ordered a pair of shiny heelys without consulting the little girl. It was the only pair sold by Amazon that caught my eye and would ship internationally. With shipping, it cost slightly more than S$100. Daddy Lim was worried about me not consulting the little girl before buying. What if she doesn't like the design? Don't worry, anything pink or purple or shiny will sit well with her. Lol.

It took less than a week for Amazon to deliver. The scheduled date was 27 sep but we received the shoes yday! I was more excited than Lil Shauna.

It looks new and shiny, just like the picture. It looks authentic  too. I bought 2 sizes bigger than Lil Shauna's current pair and the new pair isn't extremely big as I feared. Yeah! Success!

Does Lil Shauna like her new heelys? Of course, they are so shiny; she can see her own reflection. Lol.

Daddy Lim is now very excited. No, he is not interested in getting an adult heelys for himself. However, he is having all sorts of ideas of what to buy from Amazon after this success. I see the red light. DANGER!

Mummy Lim

Quest for Heelys

Lil Shauna bought her heelys on her 6th bday. She used it so gracefully such that now, the heelys are still in workable condition despite her very frequent uses. We wanted to buy her new heelys during her 8that bday but since her current pair is still usable, we asked her to wait until she really needed a new pair. I too had been wondering why her heelys still fit after 2 years. Didn't her feet grow?

On the other hand, we bought Zaky his heelys on his 5th bday. His heelys lasted less than 8 months and we needed to change the wheels. I am not sure if it is the way he uses it or the quality of the heelys but the boy definitely abuses his heelys. The replacement wheels must be lemons bcos the 1st set spoilt after 2 weeks! Though angry and upset, we bought a 2nd set so that he could continue rolling with jiejie. The 2nd set of wheels lasted another 2 more months and they were also doomed. What the.... each set of wheels cost us almost $40. We gave up and asked him to wait until his bday.

Meanwhile, I was keeping a lookout for heelys and to my dismay, they seem to be disappeared from the market! 1 year back, we saw them everywhere, even Bata shops. The heelys website was not updated and many of the shops either closed down or no longer carries them. Many of the Bata shops are not bringing in new designs/ stocks leaving boring designs (in fact only 2) with limited sizes. I was worried.

Yday, we went for a heelys hunt. I was prepared to buy heelys for both kids before they really disappeared in Singapore. We visited the Star 360 shop in Paragon. The heelys are either only 1 wheel (theirs are currently 2) or out of size. It was pathetic. Zaky insisted that he wanted a 2-wheel heelys. Lil Shauna saw a pink pair but they were the same size as her current pair and I wanted to buy a bigger pair. I also realised that heelys have thick cushion that wears thin along the way, which explains why hers still fit her after 2 years.

We went to Great World City next. They only have 1 design and last pair and they were not his size. We bought the replacement wheels just in case. Dejected, we left and headed to Star Costa, our last hope. Star Vista only carries 1-wheel heelys. We eventually bought a pair for Zaky. He was convinced after Daddy Lim googled the difference between the 1-wheel and 2. Apparently, 1-wheel heelys is more difficult than the 2-wheel ones but they go faster and are easier to manevour.

Zaky took a while to get used to his new heelys, falling down a few times. It reminded me of the days when we 1st bought heelys for him. Soon he was rolling.

We didn't manage to get any for Lil Shauna. The girl wasn't as desperate as didi and glady waited when she didn't see a design that catches her eye. I am going to try online. One of the sales commented that heelys aren't selling as well given that many are turning online and they are cheaper online too. This probably explained the declined in variety and stock in store.

Wish me luck.

Mummy Lim

Happy

Lil Shauna declared. "Today I am very happy. So I bought something."

What!??! Sound like an excuse to buy things instead. She has already bought something on Monday and had used up her quota.

Don't know to cry or to laugh.

Mummy Lim

Shopping Queen

In the very 1st week of primary school, after the "buddy system" had ended, Lil Shauna went without food during recess for a couple of days. Without the senior's help, she didn't dare to buy food. She said that the q was way too long and she didn't have enough time to q and eat.

To make sure that she doesn't go hungry, Popo started packing food for her. We still give her a daily allowance, just in case she needed to buy food or a drink. For months, she had been packing food to school. She did grow bolder and occasionally bought some drinks, ice cream and snacks.  But those remain occasionally.

I had been encouraging her to buy her lunch. She still prefer to keep to her safe packed lunch. So, I encouraged her to try the bookshop, thinking that if she dares to buy things from the bookshop, buying food would come naturally. Again, it took her months before I finally saw her 1st purchase, which was some cheap and lousy toy. I bet the bookshop from plenty of those. Lil Shauna said that she didn't rarely have enuff time to visit the bookshop after her lunch.

I believed her and thought that it must be miserable to have such a short recess until.... new pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, colour pencils and weird whatever started appearing very frequently. Lil Shauna seems to be having some kind of shopping spree very other day. It was so bad until I had to give her boundary - no more than 1 purchase from the bookshop a week. I mean, how many pens/ pencils/ erasers does she need? That was towards the end of the last semester.

School just reopened on Monday. Lil Shauna still packs lunch to school but is now brave enough to buy drinks and snacks on a few days out of the week. And she went back to her shopping spree, totally forgetting the boundary that I had set. On Monday, she bought a notepad. I reminded her that she had reached her quota for the week. On Tuesday, she brought home a fan and lied that it was a gift from her friend! She confessed eventually. Yday, she bought a mini pen but gave it to me and claimed that it was a gift for me. I don't know how to fault her for that.

Sigh, I shouldn't have encouraged her to head to the bookshop. Zzzzz. I also wonder how much allowance does Popo give her. Like all grandparents, she dotes on the princess and thinks that it is no big deal to do a little shopping at the bookshop. It is after all "not expensive". I hope it is a passing phase and she grows out of it. But I didn't, shopping is always good. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Pay Respect

I was never a great fan or hater towards Mr Lee. When I heard that he was very sick and eventually passed away, my only tot was that he was really very old afterall. I mean, no one is immortal, right?

Then I read his stories and sacrifices that he had made to make our home a better place and I realised how much I have taken all these for granted. I was frequently reminded about how safe and prosperous our home is and how female have equal chances in Singapore. There is indeed no other place that I wanted to be.

What touched me most was the devotion that he had towards his wife and family despite being so much busier than a lot of us. A colleague told me, if a man is this devoted and loving towards his wife and family, he cannot be that bad a man. I cannot agree more.

Though I didn't have as much conviction as many to make me q up for hours at Padang, I had wanted to bring the kids to the community site at JE to pay our last respect.

Lil Shauna learnt about the death of the very important man in school. I brought her to pay our last respect early this morning before the ice skating class. I was surprised at how emotional I felt towards this great man whom I have never met.

We said a little prayer and left some words.

It was a good opportunity to emphasis how great Mr Lee was. Imagine that I, who heard about him all my life, didn't realise his sacrifices, how much more would our kids, who barely ever heard of him.

Lord, thank you for sending this great man as the leader of our country May you bless his family and comfort them in ways that nobody else could. Remind me constantly too to not take things for granted. Amen.

Mummy Lim

Sleepover

Lil Shauna slept over at ah kim’s house again on Thursday night. This is the 3rd time she has done so and I think she totally enjoyed herself.

We were at my brother’s place for steamboat dinner (ah, my favorite!) and to pick the kids up when Lil Shauna asked if she could stay over. Well, we have no objections so long as she’s not a nuisance to my brother’s family. I think she’s a pretty easy girl and doesn't need much supervision so my brother and SIL seem pretty cool with the idea.

Lil Isaac did ask if he could stay over too but he is a real scaredy cat. He was easily persuaded to go home with mummy. However, he did ask for jiejie when he was home. Apparently the boy loved his jiejie’s companionship more than the other way round. I am quite sure Lil Shauna didn't miss Lil Isaac too much.

My SIL shared nice pictures on fb. The girls definitely had fun playing and talking late into the night.

Oh ya, before we left my brother’s place, Lil Shauna went to Daddy Lim and told him that the real reason why she wanted to stay over was bcos they were going to have popsicle. She told Daddy Lim not to tell didi. Wah, win already.

Mummy Lim

Snip, Snip

Lil Shauna last visited the hair salon a long, long, long time ago. It was so long ago that I don't remember when it took place. So her hair grew and grew and grew. It was almost at her lower back.

I wouldn't mind if she has long silky hair. Unfortunately, the frequent swimming caused her hair to be dry and frizzy and brittle. Every morning, we had to battle with her hair. Combing her hair caused us a lot of frustration and there will be clumps of dropped hair thereafter.  I am quite sure she will go bald by 10 years old.

When we were in Europe, I have to constantly braid her hair bcos the cold weather makes it even drier and the wind cause entanglement.  

Now that we are back, mummy finally found time to bring her to the salon and she agreed to snip off part of her hair. Tadah!

Her hair is so much more manageable now. She also likes her new length given that she still has long hair and her head feels so much lighter. Haha.

Oh, we also managed to tie her fringe into what we saw on YouTube.  Clever mummy. Hehe.

Mummy Lim