Dear Sweet Pea,
This is the month leading up to your 3 year old birthday and what an eventful month it has been for you!
You are now 91 centimetres in height and 13 kilograms in weight. For a baby born below the 10 percentile, I think you are doing perfectly fine!
When we were in the car the other day, you were finally able to touch the top of the window pane and was eager to point that achievement out to us. You said to us now that you are taller, you can touch the window!
In many instances, you started displaying the caring and emphatic side of your personality.
During the mid of September, Diffy was whining quite a bit and each time you would ask if there was something wrong with her and if you could offer her a pat to help her feel better.
On the other day, we were driving back from grocery shopping and you reminded daddy not to bang his car into the bus. If that happened, the car would break apart and you would have to help him to build it again. We thanked you for being considerate enough to help if we ever needed to put the car back together.
I like your sense of fairness and justice coming through as well. On 25 September, the teddy bear was accused of hitting the lamb. Obnoxious behaviour if you asked me. Daddy suggested punishing it and you agreed and told us it should be returned to the claw machine. Very harsh indeed.
You have transformed the corner behind the bar into a cubby-house. Since we have a lot more cushions lying around now, you would take them from the sofa and the basket and lay them all out on the floor. Then you would place the throw over it and put some of your soft toys into the house. You invited both me and Daddy to seek refuge inside your house and reminded us of the big grey wolf that lurked around the living room. Apparently, the wolf was my beloved grey leather sofa. And then you became considerate of Diffy again and asked if Diffy wanted to seek shelter in your cubby-house so it did not have to be scared of the wolf. We assured you Diffy would stay out to protect us!
We were very proud of the progress you have made at swimming lately. For the first time on 18 September, you were putting your face into the water without being all dramatic about it. You emerged from the water, wiped it off your face and no longer whined about it! You also managed to swim a short distance away from the platform and towards the wall with the help of Coach Nicole. You also held on to the edge of the pool for a few seconds before finding the right way and swam back to the platform with assistance. Well done Elyse!!
Daddy had to make an impromptu trip to Venice in late September. It would be interesting for you to ask him why you are older. Tell me what you make of this trip! Anyway, he had to transit at Vienna airport and went in search for a Bavarian costume for you to wear on your birthday party. It was farm animals theme so I was scratching my head as well why he got you a Bavarian dress. However, since this trip could win the story of the year award, I would wait till you are older to share with you. Clearly he was not in a delirious state of mind, which was quite funny now that I recalled back.
We attended Nadine's birthday party on 25 September and you fell in love with the walking animals balloons. It became obvious that we needed to included them in your upcoming birthday party! However, our plans were thwarted when the first red spot appeared on your palate above your tonsils. You contracted Herpangina! This meant you were going to be out of action for the next 1 week to 10 days! Nanny was scheduled to arrive just before your birthday for our celebration. Much to our dismay and your pain, it developed into a case of Hand Foot Mouth Disease! I really do feel for you my poor child, you went through a severe case of gastroenteritis when you were just a few months old, and then you contracted Chicken Pox and were not spared of Covid either. Now, you were down with such a horrible disease that would cause you so much pain.
Soon, there were at least 6 to 8 ulcers everywhere in your mouth and a few spots on your hands and feet. The doctor told us that it was important to keep you hydrated but there was no way you were going to swallow anything while enduring such excruciating pain! You refused porridge and milk and all you wanted was to be carried by Daddy and Mummy. We tried to work from home as much as we could to take care of you and we relied on the cartoon, Simon, to keep your mind off the pain and so we could focus on work. You lost close to 1 kg of your weight and this truly made our heart ached as we could clearly see that you were in pain and all you could eat was yoghurt and soup and even that made you winced. It was almost impossible to feed you the ibuprofen let alone any pain relief medication.
Nanny arrived on 6 October and you were already almost fully recovered by then. That cheerful little girl was back and you were no longer looking listless and lethargic. Your parents on the other hand felt completely spent. Since we were cautious in holding your birthday party including having young children over, we have decided to postpone your birthday party to the following week. Nevertheless, you got to spend it with us and Nanny. We took you for a hair cut to symbolize a brand new beginning as you officially turned 3! We had a birthday barbecue at home and bought a small slice of cake so you could blow out the candle and rip open Nanny's presents!
Nanny left Singapore on 9 October and you hugged her really tight before she entered the departure gate. You seemed to understand the feeling of separation and sadness as you held on to her and refused to let her go.
We were amazed at how fast your vocabulary was expanding, you spoke about being surprised and something being fragile, and with probing you knew that meant the item was breakable. I was mindblown.
Happy Birthday Our Dearest Sweetheart!
XOXO,
Your Parents
