Something's not quite right

I'm sick again! I seem to be falling ill every month! What gives?? There's definitely something not quite right with me.

I had my gynae appointment yesterday morning (the usual annual routine check up) and she said all was fine with me. I told her that I've been having problems trying to conceive a second child and she said not to worry. I wanted to have some tests done to see if I'm infertile. She said that can wait as she thinks I'm normal and don't have any problems. She did say that stress is definitely a factor and yes, DH and I have been so stressed, him with his studies, exams and work and me with work, Osh Osh and surprise, surprise, trying to conceive! It's a catch 22 situation. I shouldn't be stressed about the thing I'm so stressed about!!

My gynae is a really nice lady. She was very positive. When it was time for me to go, I said I'll see her next year to which she replied with a smile, "No, I'll see you when you're pregnant".
After my check-up,I went back to work. That was when I started feeling feverish. Guess there must be something in the air in the office! :P Seriously, the fever was high so I couldn't sit there and do any more work. I went back home to nap.

DH brought Osh Osh back from school together with his parents. I was still sleeping when all of them came home. DH and Osh Osh came into the room to see how I was. Osh Osh was happily carrying a paper star which he did for his art and craft session. As my fever was high and I was slightly delusional, I couldn't quite make out who that little boy was. He didn't look like Osh Osh, rather he looked like an older boy and oddly unfamiliar. Anyway, he happily chattered away (I can't remember what he said) and left the room. DH had to leave too as he had another study session to attend in the evening. My inlaws helped look after Osh Osh the rest of the evening until Osh Osh turned in for the night.

Today, Osh Osh is at my inlaws' home. We decided not to send him to school as there are some cases of Hand Foot & Mouth disease there, one of whom was a boy in Osh Osh's class. As it's highly contagious, we thought it was best to keep him away from school for the next few days. I think I may have it as apart from the fever, I have many ulcers in my mouth! That's one of the symptoms!

So far, Osh Osh is fine. He had a mild fever over the weekend but it subsided 2 days ago. DH is keeping his distance from me as this is a crucial revision time for him with his exams being less than 2 weeks away and he doesn't want to fall ill.

Right now, I'm home. As I'm writing this post, it is quiet outside. I've just done the laundry and hung them out to dry. Not sure what to eat for lunch as my mouth and throat hurt. Maybe I'll just drink some milk.

Back to my hunch that something's not quite right. DH said that every time I go through a very stressful period, I'll fall ill a few days after that. That's what happened to me last month and it's happening again this month. He said I should learn to cope with stress better and have better control of my emotions. I have to agree with him on that. I tend to be very emotional and always seem to mull about things, over and over again until it eats me up!

Maybe I should have a lobotomy! Hmm...that's too severe, isn't it? Take up yoga?? Any suggestions? Don't let me mull alone!!!!!

Moving up!

Osh Osh sleeps in his own room down the corridor from ours. However, all this time, he's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor as we thought he wasn't ready for his own bed yet. We also thought that with him rolling about so much in his sleep, he'll probably injure himself by falling off a bed.

Lately, Osh Osh has been asking to sleep on a bed. We took him seriously and decided to give him a trial run on the guest bed. We started 3 nights ago and he's been sleeping well on it. I believe there's familiarity there as my Mum sleeps on that bed when she visits and he often goes over to play with her and have his bedtime stories read there by her.

Today, we decided to give him his very own bed. DH has an old foldable IKEA bed which is kept in our storeroom. He decided to take it out. It's the size of a single bed and not very high off the ground so it's just right for Osh Osh. DH spent a lot of time cleaning the frame and mending one of its support planks. He also vacuumed the mattress as it was dusty.

We set up the bed together. We leaned his old mattress against the wall and propped the bed against it. That way, when Osh Osh rolls towards the wall, he won't hit his head against the hard wall. Osh Osh chose one of his old bed sheet which has Mickey Mouse and Lightning McQueen (the red car from Cars) on it - my Mum found the material and made it for Osh Osh.

We also put some pillows and his favourite soft toys on the bed. We also put another mattress on the floor next to the bed so that if he does roll off the bed, he won't land on the floor with a loud thud!

Here's the end result! :)

Osh Osh was really happy with the end result too. He leapt onto the bed, declaring that he likes his bed, his new bed, very much. He slept very well in it during his afternoon nap. Well, it's almost his bed time now...so I better end this post here. I guess moving from the mattress to the bed is a step up for him...showing us that he's indeed growing up! :)

Recession and regression

I'm not having a good morning today. Osh Osh was in a difficult, "I refuse to cooperate with you" type of mood from the moment he woke up until he got to school. I asked him to brush his teeth and get dressed and he refused to budge! He insisted on wearing his "sleeping clothes" (that's what he calls his pajamas) and curled up like a ball and covered his face with his hands so that I couldn't get to him. Argh!

When I eventually got him ready, he wanted to be carried and he said, "Like baby". This means I was to carry him horizontally with his head near my breasts, just like when he was a baby. So I humoured him as we were still home. However, my mistake! Osh Osh wanted me to carry him in the same way when we were outside! I don't know why he wanted to be a baby again. I figured it's because I scolded him in the morning for being difficult and he just wanted to be affectionate.

Anyway, he's in school now and I should get some work done. I'm also feeling low, partly due to the difficult morning, partly due to what I read in the papers today that recession has officially started for us here. I wonder what lies ahead with the world economy looking so gloomly. Will we all get to keep our jobs? Will what we earn be enough for our daily needs? Nothing we can do now but wait it out.

Scared silly!

Osh Osh was very well behaved all of yesterday which made it a very happy and relaxing Saturday for me. He even cooperated patiently when I cut his hair yesterday evening. He kept still for what would be a very long time for a preschooler. I normally have to rush when I cut his hair as he can't stay still. However, this time, I could take it slow and do a nicer job.

He asked me to comb it like how Peter Parker combs his (yes, he knows Peter Parker is Spiderman's alter ego) i.e side parting. He seemed very pleased with the end result. :) He said, "Mummy, my hair very nice" when I gave him a mirror to evaluate his new hairdo.

Anyway, DH was at work all of Saturday. After I put Osh Osh to sleep around 10pm (half an hour later than his normal bedtime as I decided to give him a treat for being so good), I sent a text message to DH to check if he could come home instead of staying over at his workplace. He replied he can leave after 11pm. So I decided to stay up and wait for him. I turned on the tv and there was this movie titled The Ring, which was the American remake of the Japanese horror film of the same name. Here's the link to the movie if you are keen:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298130/

I love watching horror films but I suffer from being very scared afterwards and have difficulty sleeping. Needless to say, this was one of those movies that I find myself drawn to although part of me just wanted to switch off the tv and run away! I was watching it from behind a small pillow covering my face (yes, you can start laughing at me) with my legs curled up on the sofa.

DH arrived home after 12midnight just as the movie ended. He found me on the sofa, pale and unable to move (yes, keep laughing!) and asked me, "Was that The Ring you watched?". He knew I was watching it as I had told him earlier that I was going to watch a horror movie while waiting for him. When he saw the state I was in, he smiled and gave me a big hug. Good of him not to tease me!

It helped that he came home just in the nick of time. Otherwise, I would have been too scared to move or go to bed. DH - my lifesaver! Whew! I think I will give horror films a rest! It's not good to scare myself silly again!

Gifts and goodies!

DH is home! :) I took half day leave off work today to be at the airport to meet him. My very excited father in law (FIL) was there too. When I saw DH walking towards the arrival gate, I told my FIL that there he is. However, FIL was probably too filled with emotion to spot him until DH was face to face with him!

It was so good to give DH a nice long hug after 8 long days of being apart. DH looked very tired and worn out because it was a very long flight. Flying economy class in a dry stuffy aeroplane with limited leg room is not much fun! The important thing is that he's home and catching up on sleep, as I type this.

DH didn't have any time during his stay to do any shopping as he was busy studying. However, he managed to buy things for us at the airport just before he left for home. He bought his parents a nice jar of strawberry jam and tea. He bought me a lovely box of chocolates! I was very surprised at the size of it (it's a really big red box, if you can't estimate its size from the photo below) and he managed to pack it into his little carry on bag! It was very thoughtful of DH as this is my favourite type of chocolate.

He bought Osh Osh a model aeroplane. It's just the right size for Osh Osh to hold and play with. When I went to pick up Osh Osh from school, I had brought the aeroplane with me. I told Osh Osh that this is a gift from Daddy. He said, "No, Daddy not back". I said, "Yes, Daddy's home and he's sleeping". I then went on to tell him that as soon as he gets home, he should go and say hello to Daddy and thank him for the gift but I told him he must say it quietly. Osh Osh looked at me and asked, "Not loudly?" I said no and he proceeded to whisper "Hello, Daddy". "Softly like this?" he asked keenly. I said yes and couldn't help and smile as he looked so serious and cute at the same time.

True to his word, as soon as we were home, he quickly took off his shoes and while I was still at the entrance, he was already on his way to our bedroom. By the time I got to the room, Daddy was awake and Osh Osh was asking, "You buy aeroplane?" I noticed that he was speaking very softly to DH. He then climbed onto the bed and hugged and kissed DH after which he climbed down and proceeded to leave the room, to let DH rest. I thought that was very mature and considerate of Osh Osh.

Coincidentally, the model aeroplane wasn't the only gift Osh Osh received today. The teachers at his school (about 8 of them) each gave him a gift for the Children's Day celebration (Children's Day is tomorrow but the party's today as the school is closed tomorrow). I was just as amazed and delighted as Osh Osh was, with all the gifts he received from the teachers - pencils, pencil cases, sharpeners, colour pencils, a portable fan (with soft rubber blades so it's harmless), eraser, a book and lots of sweets!

I told Osh Osh that he is so blessed to receive so many presents today. He said he's a very good boy. He is, indeed, a very good boy! :)

The purpose of my post is not to glorify material goods. It's just to share what these gifts mean for us. The gifts are just gestures of the love that is in our lives. I'm sure DH was very happy to see the expression on my face when he presented the big box of chocolates to me. Likewise, it was a very special moment for me to see how Osh Osh's face beamed when he saw the model aeroplane. It was also such a nice warm feeling when Osh Osh and I opened the presents together. I'm sure DH felt the same when he eventually joined us while Osh Osh was describing his goodies loudly. We shared his delight when he first put the pencils into the sharpener. We were just as curious as he was when he asked us what sweets he had received. We excitedly helped him keep all his goodies into his pencil cases.

Simple things...but oh, so meaningful! It's moments like these that I am so grateful for.