Caelyn's first dental experience

Today Caelyn had her first dentist appointment and I must say she did very well and I was so proud of her.

I think one of the hardest thing about being first time parents is figuring out when your child is ready for certain experiences. A lot of ppl (including my in laws) were telling me that caelyn is too little and she'll get scared going to the dentist. Going on my own personal traumatic childhood experience with the dentist I bought into all the reasonings and so kept on waiting despite the fact that the chip in her front tooth looked like it was wearing down. Ppl kept on saying don't worry if it's not hurting her, her tooth will fall out anyway since it's just baby tooth. But one day she came home from school and said she wanted to see a dentist! I had talked to her abt it before and I guess the teacher must've told them about it too.

I agonised over whether to bring her to a normal clinic, children's dentist specialist or somewhere in between. I initially booked an appointment at this dentist in compass point because Daddy had been there before and said the dentist was nice and friendly and their price was reasonable. But I've always felt uneasy there purely judging from it's drab exterior. Waiting room was uncomfortable and there are no toys for children to play with. This part might not be important for some ppl but for Caelyn she's usually very happy to go to the GP because of the toys there. Then I also noticed that the 1 Receptionist also doubled up as the dental assistant. I think this is probably common practice in Singapore right - cut costs etc. I prefer my own dentist at Kovan. Sure they charge more but I feel like I'm paying for better quality service and peace of mind. They use a huge DSLR camera to take photos of your teeth which they immediately upload onto the iMac computer. If u need x-rays done they also have staff and a separate room on site that does that. They also have oral hygienist that can handle children, albeit at a limited capacity.

So today's session we managed to get her teeth cleaned as well as patch the chipped tooth. So now she has a beautiful smile. She wasn't without hesitation thought. She got scared and intimidated and looked like she wanted to cry a couple of times, but I held her hand and she was fine.....a little whinging at times, but the oral hygienist was good at putting her at ease. She had a cavatiy in one of her back tooth and the oral hygienist wasn't confident enough to patch it up for her because she was still so little. So she referred us to a Paediatric Dentist.

After we got home, I called around looking  for a Paediatric Dentist. Their consultation alone is upwards of $80....and over $100 for a filling so I knew it wasn't gonna be cheap. But after looking around, I finally found a Dentist which has a dentist who is very experienced in dealing with children, they even have children friendly rooms, and a new technology that doesn't require painful drilling. Best of all consultation is about $35. So yay, will blog about that experience after Thursday.

So for today's one, the breakdown of the bill was, $20 for consultation, $40 for cleaning and polishing, and $80 for the filling (pretty hefty) and I also picked u this cool toothbrush for her.

So if you're considering taking your little one to the dentist for the first time, I think you know the best whether or not he or she is ready and prepping them at home will also help. But I really don't think you should wait till Primary school for the free dental clinic.

She only wore these initially, after that she didn't want to wear it.

GREAT TOOTHBRUSH, BRUSHES ON ALL SIDES

BEFORE

AFTER

Caelyn's drawing of ME!

I'm very proud of her drawing of me. Despite my big teeth :p

Caelyn's Mid Year 'Report Card'

I was quite impressed when at the end of Term 2 of schooling Caelyn brought home her 'report card'. Ok it's not really a report card but more so a progress report in a big booklet, complete with photos of what she does at school! This impressed me the most that they took time out to take photos of her doing stuff at school and develop the photos and stick it into the book.

Junior League Children's Style Salon at Toys r Us Vivocity

Caelyn's hair had been growing pretty wildly since my last attempt at cutting her hair. I'm not expert and I must've been delusional when I thought how hard could it be? It was pretty difficult to get it all the same length, and I think in the end it still wasn't but couldn't tell much, so left it at that. I told her that this time we'd go and get a proper cut at a salon - just like Mummy and Daddy but we'll go to a kiddy hairdresser and she was like ok. Then we took her the first time to the Toys r Us one at Vivocity, she loves Toys r Us and we told her earlier the hairdresser was there. When we got there she was like....no no no no.....I guess she agreed prematurely. 


Then by chance we were there again and told her ok how about a haircut this time. She said no, so we just went inside and walked around. After we came out we stood outside watching the hair salon. The salon has an open concept, it has a cute set up, the seats had booster seats on them, and there was a small flat screen in front playing Barney show. There were also balloons against the wall and colourful paint on the wall. While we stood outside, it was unfortunate there was a kid crying while his hair was being cut. Both parents were struggling to calm him down so the hairdresser could finish the job. I thought, oh no, that's it, she's gonna get scared and not want to do it. We told her about how she'd get a sticker and balloon at the end and almost as if by magic she agreed! 


The hairdresser was kind and asked us what style we wanted. She had various pictures of kids on the wall and I just pointed to one. Oh and you can also get a free colour spray (which Caelyn politely declined). For the whole duration of the haircut Caelyn sat very still and very quietly. I'm not sure if she was nervous or scared. Even when I asked her to smile while I snapped her picture it was a crooked head down-being-careful kind of smile which made us all laugh. And the cutes time was when the hairdresser asked her to close her eyes. She squeezed her eyes tight and curled up her mouth...so funny...too bad didn't get a photo of it. 


At $20, I thought it was a little steep for a children's haircut. But when she agreed to the cut, there was no time to waste before she changed her mind. I know there are other kiddy hair salons out there that are cheaper, so will probably go to those ones next time. 

Mother's Day 2010

This is my 3rd year being a Mother, but this year's mother's day was more special because my little girl went to school and made a Mother's Day card for me for the first time. And I think this year is the first time she kind of understood there is a special day called Mother's Day. I hope with each passing year, my relationship with my daughter will grow stronger and as she grows up she'll be able to see and realise the sacrifices I have made for her and how much I will always love her.

Hope all the Mummies out there had a very special Mother's Day!

Caelyn's 1st & 2nd Day of Nursery School

1st Day:

Yesterday was Caelyn's 1st day at Nursery. We'd been prepping her for a long time and she was ready. However when we entered the Assembly room, she immediately got intimidated seeing the sea of kids sitting on the floor. I don't blame her, I think I'd feel the same if I was in her shoes. Because we started her on Term 2, parents and caretakers were only allowed to stay for the first day only. I was glad to see she wasn't the only new student in the class. She didn't really require me to stay the whole session, cos halfway I asked her if it'd be ok for me to leave, she said yes. Apart from staying for Caelyn's sake, I was glad to also see what her class was like and what activities they did. It put me at ease to know I made the right choice in school.

2nd Day:

So today I had pretty much predicted that she would cry when i dropped her off no matter how much prepping we did. And right on cue when i dropped her off, she clung on me tightly and wouldn't let go and started crying....and crying....and more hysterical crying as the teacher told me to say good bye and leave. She quickly grabbed my shirt and tried to pull me back. I was so heartbroken to see her cry like that and I had to quickly dab my eyes as I rushed past the onlookers. The end of the day, seeing her huge smile when she saw me waiting for her, was the best part of my day!

The Masked Menace

This was Caelyn earlier when I took her to the Doctors. It was so funny, she got the face mask wet on the mouth area and we had to throw it out and ask for another one. It was so flimsy. It's pretty hot and uncomfortable under these masks.

It's only the first week....

of Caelyn going to school and she's already sick!! She's come down with a cold. I know it's inevitable, but didn't think she'd get sick so fast since it's only the first week. I remembered there was a kid who was coughing in the class the first day we attended.....hate to say it but I think he's the one spreading the germs. I even heard the teacher keep telling him to cover his mouth when he coughs.

People (including us) are getting more sensitive these days anytime anybody coughs or sneeze around us cos of the fast rate that swine flu is spreading. I think other ppl are getting sensitive too. The other day Caelyn was just clearing her throat and was coughing (not cos she was sick at that time), but u should've seen the look ppl were giving her and me. Can't help it I guess, we probably would've quickly walked as far away as possible from whoever was coughing or sneezing.

Let's hope that it doesn't last too long so she doesn't miss out on too many class activities.

Did u know that Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series was also down with the swine flu a while ago?

Caelyn's 2nd day of school

It was with great success when I dropped Caelyn off at playschool today. She was reluctant to go in by herself at first, but I kept telling her I couldn't. I walked her to the area where they take their shoes off and put their bags down and she did it all by herself. She didn't want to go in by herself still then the teacher asked me if it was ok for her to carry her into the room and let her cry. I said sure. So she carried her in and that was that. I didn't hear any crying so that was a good sign. I waited around outside for a while, I think it was less than 5 minutes and when the teacher came back out she said Caelyn was ok and was playing happily. I don't know how true that was, or whether she was just trying to give me comfort.

When I came back later on to pick her up, she was all smiles and happy to see me and was happily lining up with the other children to go out, carrying the artwork she did yesterday.

When I asked her how her class was, she went into telling me a story. She did say she cried tho and told me i couldn't go in because all the other mummies couldn't go in either. But again, I don't know if this was true as the teacher said she didn't. She clung on to the teacher for a little while only they said and then played with the other children.

When we came home I told her we could put her artwork on the fridge and she was so happy. On the bus on our way to buy something later on she was also singing Ring o Ring of Rosies as they had sung that yesterday and seems to be today too. So I think it's safe to say that she's enjoying school.

Oh and you know what else? She never stops talking and singing now! Not just cos of school, but I've noticed this recently. And on the point of waking up early - seems that Mummy is the one with this problem...hehehe.....she woke up before me today :)

Caelyn's First Day at Playschool

Today was Caelyn's first day at Playschool. She's attending Talentplus Playschool just behind our block. So very convenient for me as we don't need to travel far to get her to class. We'd been preparing for this day for a long time and she knows the concept of school because when we were in Oz, her cousin had just started childcare so she understood somewhat about school. One of the challenges was to get her out of bed early in the morning, she was a tiny bit grumpy and even said she didn't want to go to school. But once we were dressed, had our brekky and prepared ourselves she was starting to get excited and was even showing her Daddy her uniform.

When we got there she was great, followed what all the children did, got her temperature tested, used the hand sanitiser, etc. And she wasn't acting like her shy self holding on to me either. I was rather proud of her. There were 2 other new students who's Mummies stayed with them in the class too. The other 2 Mummies tried to sneak away from their kids and the kids then started howling and bawling their eyes out. By this time there's definitely no chance I could've escaped and knew I would have to stay back with Caelyn.

As I watched her in class I got a little emotional thinking how fast my little girl was growing up. I was so proud of her when she went to play with the other children and when she went to sit with the teacher who was reading a book. She actually fared better than the other 2 newbies who wouldn't leave their mother's side.

Tomorrow will be the real test tho. I plan on dropping her off and go. I'm pretty sure there'll be some tears....but I hope it won't last long.

Free Meningoccocal C vaccine

Today Caelyn had a free Meningoccocal C vaccine by the Brisbane City Council. It was a great experience, the nurse was friendly and the jab was given swiftly. But I don't understand why this vaccine isn't compulsory in Singapore, while in Australia it is. It sounds pretty serious if you ever contract the disease.

It's great not to have to pay for the vaccine considering how much it would've cost in Singapore. I wish Singapore would give free vaccines for children. It would definitely help with the lower income families. But as with everything else in Singapore - nothing is for free.

Did anyone get their kids vaccinated against Whooping Cough? It's not compulsory in either country. Is it necessary? There seems to be a vaccine for almost everything now, would it be over vaccinating our children to give them ones that aren't compulsory?

Caelyn's all better now

Caelyn's back to her normal self again since yesterday. After seeing two Drs, we're just putting this down as another mystery non-serious virus. Would've been nice to find out what happened to her, but I guess we'll never know. Thanks for everyone's concern!

Caelyn's first visit to a Dr in Australia

It was unfortunate that Caelyn got sick on our holiday. She developed a high fever overnight and I woke at 5am this morning somewhat panicking when I felt how hot Caelyn was. Gave her some Panadol then went back to sleep, but the fever still hadn't subsided. I was concerned she might've had a sinus infection like before since yesterday under her eyes were a bit puffy and slightly flushed/pink. So I had my suspicions. So this morning I decided to bring her to the Dr. It was unfortunate that my preferred childhood Dr was fully booked till Friday so we had to see another Dr we didn't know. Seriously, how can anyone wait to see a Dr if they're sick and in need of immediate medical attention. I now realise how spoilt I am in Singapore where going to the Dr means just going to the Clinic and taking a number and waiting till your number is called up. You are almost never turned away unless you came at closing time and there's still a lot of ppl waiting to be treated. For the first time ever, I actually missed Caelyn's PD. Caelyn disliked the Dr so much, said she was scared of him and asked me to bring her outside. She was crying uncontrollably.....now I worry she's traumatised about going to the Dr. She used to be very excited about going to the Dr - think she thought today we were going to see her lovely Dr Ellen Tay at Hougang Mall :(

We wanted to see Malcolm's Dr, but alas his Dr wasn't taking in any new patients! Wat tha??? I've never heard of such a thing in Singapore.

I've now realised how Singaporeanised I am. It's taken me A LOT longer to get used to being back here. It had always been my dream to come back and live here with my family, but you know ....... I am now seriously reconsidering. Maybe I'll talk more about that after my trip ends.

Caelyn's first bike riding experience at East Coast Park

Caelyn had been obsessed with bicycles lately so we took her to East Coast Park for her first bike riding experience. We were a little apprehensive that she might be scared sitting in the child seat on the bike or that she'd ask to get off half way through our ride. But she was so brave, saying 'Caelyn not scared', surprising even myself. And she had a rolling good time as me and Daddy played catch-up with the bikes. I hadn't been on a bike in a very long time, since I got pregnant with Caelyn in fact, and when I got on the bike it felt so exhilarating. I had so much fun. I definitely want to do this more often. Only thing tho is that there's quite a lot of people on the bike path and it gets a little narrow for riding. Oh and I had to suddenly stop a few times cos people made sudden turns and in the end my poor sandal suffered as it broke under all the sudden tugging.

Bike rental at East Coast Park is $8 per bike for an hour. But we were given the bike for 2 hours, we assume because we rented at 5pm and 7pm was closing time so they let us have the bikes till closing (which we didn't do since Caelyn was tired). Either that or maybe they've changed to 2 hour rentals? Not sure on this one....

I saw rollerblades rental next door, maybe one day I'll be game enough to give it a try.....

Pasir Ris Beach

Took Caelyn to Pasir Ris Beach playground the other day. She was a little intimidated by the number of kids there, so much so that she didn't even go down the slide (which is her favourite). She moved at a snails' pace while the other kids swooshed passed her up and down the stairs of the playground.

It's been pretty windy recently so it's nice to be at the playground without feeling the heat too much. Pasir Ris Beach is a great place to bring your kids for the playground, but definitely not for the beach itself whose waters were a bit murky. Not nice.

Caelyn and her shoes obsession

She just loves to wear my high heels..... and she can even walk around in them too!

Caelyn's Birthday Cake and Our 6th Wedding Anniversary

We bought a cake to this week's family dinner so that Caelyn could have her Happy Birthday song. She'd been singing Happy Birthday all week since she saw the video from her 1st birthday party so we thought it would only be fair for her to have her 'moment' and have us record it (every year hopefully). Her cake was rather yummy, chocolate with blueberry filling. It wasn't too sweet which was great for the littlies and the oldies...hehehe. On the downside her cousin got jealous and all through her birthday song video in the background you can hear him shouting nooo noooo nooooo. He has this thing where he thinks all birthday cakes are 'his'.


The 16th Dec, which was Caelyn's actual birthday, was also our 6th Wedding Anniversary. So we went off and had our own little celebration. We would've left her with the in laws, but unfortunately one of hubby's Uncles passed away so his parents were at the wake. Too bad, but here are the photos.

I really love the Sourdough Bread Bowl

Caelyn's Spaghetti frm the kids menu...it was lot! And cheap for only $6 at Swensens, came with child sized Orange Juice.

BBQ chicken wings...finger lickin good.

Caelyn's 2nd Birthday Celebration at Harbour City Restaurant

We celebrated Caelyn's birthday this year at the Harbour City Restaurant (3rd Floor PSA Building, Alexandra Rd). We had the a-la-carte buffet. The buffet wasn't too bad, but also wasn't 'terrific'. The price was reasonable but unfortunatley drinks weren't included. And u know those peanuts they serve at the table just like any other Chinese restaurants, well those were also charged separately, along with the wet towels. So if you decide to eat there, be forewarned, although the price is cheap for a buffet, the plus plus plus soon adds up. Would I go back there again? Hmmmm.....most likely not. There's no reason to go all the way there just to have an 'average' type of buffet that you can have in other parts of Singapore and even Chinese restaurants at those mid priced hotels.

Caelyn at least seemed to enjoy herself...running around with her cousin that is. She's usually very good when we take her out to eat when it's just us, but put her together with her boistrous cousin, she follows suit with whatever he does. Unfortunately her cousin has a maid to look after him, so his parents can eat in peace even if he's running around like a kid on a sugar high. We have always insisted that Caelyn sit with us during dinner. I am very against taking her out for walks during meals at restaurants, I think it's a very bad habit.

Here are a few pictures of just some of the food.we had.

Chilli crab, limited to one serving per table. The crabs were small and troublesome to eat and the sauce wasn't tasty. We didn't even finish it.and left it there tilll the end.

Champagne Fried Chicken

No idea what this is

Some kind of meat rolls with a creamy tangy dressing. This one's nice.

With Grandparents (my MIL & FIL)

Edmund's face was waaay too blown up - too close to the camera.