Growing Up: Fixing that Smile

Boy #2 has a minor underbite issue — his lower jaw protrudes out a bit more than normal, and his lower row of teeth would be in front of his top row.

It wasn't particularly noticeable, but we thought we would get it looked at. Our orthodontist, Dr Bernard Low, said conventional treatment is usually for older kids, but he was willing to take the chance and experiment with this 6-year-old.

Taking a mould 

A mould of his teeth to build the mouth guard

New Year. New Look.

Boy #1 is starting school in the morning session now. Thankfully he can wake up and get ready for school in the wee hours of the morning without too much drama. And yes, he is prefect for the year!

In his prefect uniform, eating breakfast.

He also added a new accessory — glasses. Various ones commented that he seemed to squint every now and then. And he said he sometimes has trouble reading the black board as he sits right at the back. So we went for a test at Y. K. Leong Optometry.

Power is mild. Partly hereditary, the optometrist said. I was tempted to hold off on the glasses, but Boy seemed excited to get a pair. And he's been so good with using them. I think he feels a bit lost when he doesn't wear them.

Hopefully his power doesn't increase, and the other kids take after Mummy's 20/20 eyesight :-p

Growing Up: Cyst of the Eye

So Big Boy's first few weeks of school was hampered by a swollen eye. It was big and nasty looking.

At first, we thought it was a stye. But the doctor diagnosed it as a chalazion, resulting from a blocked oil gland. I still don't really know the difference, but you can read more about it here.

After diagnosis, the doctor assured us that it wasn't contagious, so Boy could attend classes as usual, with the teacher's approval. I was concerned that he would be teased for his swollen eye, but his classmates were understanding. They just asked what happened, and then that was it.

The only remedy we were told to do was to wash with salt water and do hot compress on the chalazion and to clean the pus when it bursts. We were also given an antiseptic cream to apply after the chalazion burst — not before, else there will be new skin forming on the surface while the gland is still clogged.

It took about two weeks for it to fully subside. Thankful that we didn't need to do any surgery to remove it :-)

Growing Up: Baby Boy is 5!

It's been a fun ride with Baby Boy, with his cheeky smiles, cute dimple and winning ways. And as he turns 5 this January, he's growing up fast, yet always my baby!

Here are some highlights of the month.

Time to remove the bike stabilizers ... Becoz apparently that's what Peppa Pig did ...

Art at work

A hotel or something

Aargh ... the start of spelling tests ... and the going was really rough at the beginning. Thankfully it's gotten better.

Fun stuff at school too: Demonstrations and experiments 

Learning about solubility

Growing Up: A new addition!

So we've been tied up lately with lots of happenings ... but the biggest news is the arrival of our new babe.

The months of puking and acid reflux were finally over when we welcomed Baby Girl into our family. We are full of thanksgiving to Jesus for our perfect and complete family!

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

at Week 11

Week 15

Week 19: It's a Girl!

Week 37: When I see you smile ...

Week 38: Coming soon!

Welcome Lil' Sis <3

Growing up: Boy in the month of May

Boy is growing fast. Here are some highlights of the month:

We pulled out one of his front teeth. A snapshot of the ever-changing facade of his ivories. Hopefully we don't have to start an orthodontic-treatment fund :-p

He's learning to express himself more via drawing.

He brings Mummy breakfast in bed :-)

He learned how to tie balloons ... after many, many tries!!

 He and Big Sister attended a chess workshop during the school holidays, where he showed off his "skills" with the 4-step checkmate.

He attended the school's sports day as a spectator this round, cheering on Big Sister, who participated in the Brownies' march pass. 

Growing Up: Snapshot of Baby in February

Baby is not really a baby anymore ... especially since he has a little sibling on the way. But it's always a joy to see how he grows in his motor skills, imagination and logical thinking.

Writing can still be a chore for him,
but he more willingly puts pencil to paper nowadays

 

Blocks and tractors still hold an appeal for him.
"Look mom, Tractorland," he said,
in reference to our visit to Tractors Malaysia
more than a year ago (see pix below).

Any reason not to do homework ...
"I don't have to write the zero, because zero is nothing."

Growing Up: HFMD

This is the second time Boy got HFMD. Who knows who he got it from! Especially since he doesn't even attend school. But it was just after the CNY holidays, so it could be from any of those places we visited. Bummer!

It was tough and draining for us all — fever, vomiting, solitary confinement and difficulty in eating.

Growing Up: Par-Tee Time

The boys celebrated their 6th and 3rd birthday, respectively, today with a fun miniature golf party at Mini Putt, Citta Mall.

Our amazing golf-bag cake!

Decor was basically DIY, with a golf ball/tartan theme,
although the mini-golf ambiance definitely helped

Food items were named according to theme too,
e.g. doughnuts = hole-in one; blue jelly = watering hole;
fishballs = golf balls; sandwiches = sand-wedges;
drinks = watering hole; pasta = in the rough;
chicken drummets = club heads; tea = tea off

  

 
It was a great time for us to spend with family and friends. I like activities where parents and children can participate together, and miniature golf was a big hit with all ages.

Growing Up: A Toothy Issue

The Boy's front baby tooth was loose, so we extracted it Mommy's way on Aug 11, 2012.

However, when the new tooth started growing, we noticed that it was shaped as a canine tooth, instead of an incisor (earlier, we thought it was just an odd angle).

So off we went to our friendly dentist, who took an x-ray of the gums. Indeed, it was a canine tooth. An extra one, at that. Otherwise known as hyperdontia or supernumerary teeth. Pretty cool, eh?

Growing Up: First "extraction"

My own mom pulled out our loose teeth with dental floss, and when I grew older, I would pull out my own baby teeth.


Girl's new permanent tooth was actually growing behind the baby bottom central incisor. After checking with a dentist, we were given the option to wait and see if the baby tooth would loosen by itself or not.

Thankfully it did, so Mummy can practise her extraction skills with her trusty dental floss.

Brave Girl hardly shed a tear as the tooth popped out.

And Girl gets to start her own teeth collection, following the footsteps of Mummy, Daddy and even Little C, our household canine.