First Day At School

2 years, 3 months, 1 week & 5 days old.....

I think I should call this place a school since it's a pre-school + daycare. I took leave yesterday to send Ethan to his new school. When we entered the school, the children (around 30+ of them, age 3-6 years old) and 3 teachers have already gathered and singing some songs. I was seated with Ethan at one corner doing the registration and paying the fees. He looked at the kids with great interest and he knows some of the songs too.

The fees totalled RM1,200+, which included two months of school+daycare fee, registration fee, two sets of uniform and I can't remember what else. After completing the registration, the principal invited Ethan for breakfast. I accompanied him to the dining area where the 3&4 year-old kids have started to eat. He sat there and fed himself. I saw his teacher, a nice & sweet Chinese lady, feeding one of the girls. She looks so caring and gentle with the kids. I was a bit relieved then.

After breakfast, we adjourned to the study area outside and the teacher tried to warm up with Ethan and played puzzles with him. She thought Ethan is 3 but I told her he's only 2. Ethan was quite absorbed with the games and I sneaked out. Experts said it's not advisable to sneak out but to tell the kids that we are leaving and we will come back to pick them up. Well, it doesn't work for Ethan. I've tried that numerous times. The more I explain to him, the louder he will cry. So, whenever the opportunities arise, I choose to sneak out.

The teachers leave the school in the afternoon and the kids will be taken care by two helpers. Both of them are local and around 40+ years old. There are only 7-8 kids in the daycare session, including Ethan. I picked him up at 5.30p.m. and was told that once he realised that I was gone, he started to cry and clung to the teacher. Other than that, he was ok. The aunty was very surprised that he can feed himself and refused to be fed.

Of all the questions I asked the principal, I forgot to ask whether they are Chinese based or English based. Ethan's teacher speaks excellent Mandarin but not so good with English. So, I think they are Chinese based. Whatever it is, it is still better than being taught by foreign maids. Furthermore, since we plan to send Ethan to a Chinese school next time, it's good to expose him to the language now. My Mandarin sucks, so there is no hope for him to pick up the language at home.

The Search For A Good Daycare

2 years, 3 months & 1 week old.....

Today is Ethan's last day at the current daycare. I can't wait to pick him up and bid farewell to the place. We have been searching for a daycare in our vicinity for the past 2 months. I have called about 10 daycare/preschool and visited 5 of them. Since we have no friends and relatives sending their kids to a daycare in that area, we have no one to refer to. I tried to search for it on the net but the information provided was not helpful at all. Most of the websites just give a list of taska/tadika and the contact details. What we need to know is definitely more than that.

First of all, we need to know if they accept kids of 2 years old. Some of them are actually quite reluctant to take 2 year-old kids and it's even worse if they are not fully potty-trained, like Ethan. There are so many other things to consider such as:

• Location
  
• Opening hours: I work from 8a.m.-5p.m. and most of the centres open at 8a.m., which is a no go for me.
  
• Set-up and facilities
• Education system: There are so many in the markets now but the one I came across are Montessori, Q-dees and Fungate. Montessori is very famous now. The other two are developed by locals. I heard a lot of good things about these 3 systems but it actually depends on how it is being implemented.
• Years of experience
• Teacher:student ratio
• Fees: There are so many types of fees (monthly fee, book fees, material fees, insurance, registration, uniform, bed rental, concert and so many more).
  

Before we found a suitable daycare, we have already informed the current one that August will be last month for Ethan. After interviewing four of them, we still could not make up our mind. Then I passed by one, which I happen to see almost everyday (only the back of the house as it's in a gated community) but never notice that it's a taska because all I could see is its purple colour external wall. By then, I was really desperate so I thought, this colourful building might be one of them. So, one fine night when we were going home, I asked hubby to turn around and check out the tiny piece of brochure on the wall at the back of this building. I was ecstatic to find out they do offer daycare service. We called them, made an appointment and interviewed the principal. Thank goodness, all our requirements are met.

This place was set up 2 years ago but the principal has more than 15 years of experience in running a kindy. She owns another kindy, which is very nearby and her mum owns a kindy too. Other things I found out are:

• They are using the Montessori system. The principal is one of the teachers too.
  
• Classrooms are fairly big compared to the other centres.
  
• Teacher:student ratio for Ethan's group is around 1: 6-8 (I can't remember clearly).
  
• Only 7 students stay there after class, including Ethan.
  
• After class, they will take their shower and lunch and at around 1.30 p.m., they will take their nap in a separate room. This is the only place where there is a separate room for the kids to nap. What the rest do is they will clear up the tables and chairs in the classroom and lay the stacking bed/mattress on the floor for the kids to sleep.
• They allow me to send Ethan at 7.40 a.m and I can pick him up before 7p.m, which I won't. The latest I will pick him up is 6.30p.m. but normally it's 5.30p.m.
• Location is perfect as it's less than 5 minutes drive from our place.
• Their fees are the cheapest compared to the rest we interviewed. The monthly fee is only RM500, not inclusive of other fees but not much.
  

I really hope that we have made a right choice this time and pray hard that they will at least maintain the current standard. I don't fancy another round of surveys for daycare.

Fed Up!!

2 years, 3 months & 4 days old.....

After weeks and months of consideration, we have decided to send Ethan to a new pre-school + daycare starting September 08. The condition at the current daycare is deteriorating fast and become almost unbearable to me. The last straw was when I caught them lying. I called to find out how was Ethan because he just recovered from Chicken Pox. The maid at the centre told me both bosses were not around. That was almost 11 a.m. in the morning. I really really hate this and it happened many many times already. They just leave the kids with the maid. Even though the maids have experience in taking care of the children, they can't just leave everything to the maids. What happened if there is an emergency??? The situation got worse when the number of maids getting less and less to the point now where one maid is taking care of around 8-10 kids!!!

So I called one of the lady bosses on her mobile. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi....
Lady Boss: Hi, how is Ethan?
Me: I thought I should be asking you? (I asked jokingly but inside already boiling)
Lady Boss: No lar.....I ask how is he when he had Chicken Pox?
Me: He's ok...blablabla..........I called the centre earlier to find out how is he coz he was crying when I left.....
Lady Boss: No answer ar?
Me: Yeah...
Lady Boss: Yeah lar, sometimes they are at the back and the phone is in front, so they can't hear the phone ringing.
Me: Actually, I spoke to L and she said both you and A (another lady boss) also not around and there is not enough staff around. I'm worried lar
Lady Boss: Ooh.......... (then she changed the topic)

From then on, my trust on them vanished in the thin air. The more I dig, the more lies I discovered. At the same time, I went to look for new taska (preschool+ daycare) and we already informed them that August will be last month for Ethan. That time, we already found two taska, which are ok but have not decided on which one. Whatever it is, Ethan is leaving. That's for sure.

Just barely a week after we told them that Ethan is leaving, he got HFMD again!!!! That's one month after he got Chicken Pox. Can you see how FRUSTRATED I was?? Two days before Ethan got it, I overheard a mother telling a maid there that her son had HFMD. When I asked them, they lied about it and denied it. Remember the maid who said 'The doctors don't know anything'? She said that kid got virus, not HFMD!! I asked what virus, she cannot answer me. She said 'You know, virus like Chicken Pox can cause something to hand and mouth also.' Mind you that kid already got chicken pox about the same time Ethan got it and he was there throughout the time he was sick (except Sunday lar). How I got to know? My friend's baby is there and she had spoken to the mother. By the way, her baby is leaving also. She's as frustrated as I am.

So what the heck was maid talking about?? I just ignored her. No point talking to her. After Ethan got it, a few other kids also kena and the centre was closed for 4 days. They put all the blame on Ethan and told the other mothers my son got HFMD first. Nevermind lar, he's leaving soon. I just have to tahan for another 3 days.

Things They Pick Up From TV

2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks & 6 days old.....

When Ethan was down with chicken pox, I took leave to stay at home with him. When I had to cook and do some house chores, I relied on the tv to entertain him. If not, he will stick to me like a koala bear. I can't even go to the toilet without him crying outside the bathroom, as if I'll disappear behind the door and never return.

Apart from tv, I tried to do different activities with him like drawing, teaching him shapes, reading and doing puzzles but at times, I sensed that he's bored and he threw a lot of tantrums. I always say I wanted to be a SAHM but I already felt so lost after staying at home with him for four days. Probably all I need is time to adjust.

During that few days at home, I also introduced him to Hi-5 coz I got so sick with all the Barney, Teletubbies, etc. etc. We got the Hi-5 CDs from Judy (thanks again) many months ago but he didn't like it then. This round, he's totally addicted to it. Since he already know how to load the cd and press the play button, I cannot stop him from playing it over and over again. The only way I can switch the tv programme or switch off the tv is to distract him with shower or playing with him (but this does not work all the time).

All this while, I only thought he will pick up words from watching all these shows but recently he's also fast in picking up some actions. The obvious one is playing guitar. He saw a guy in Hi-5 playing a guitar while singing, he also asked for his daddy's good old guitar (since our courting days) and did the same. He does it everytime when the scene is showing on the tv. When the scene is over, he will dump the guitar. As the guitar is too big for him, Daddy was worried that it might hurt him so he bought a small guitar just for the little one. It was actually meant for display but it's the smallest we could find in the guitar shop. The damage: RM60.

I don't know what else he will pick up from the tv but from now on, I guess we have to be more carefull and selective with tv shows. Sometimes, when a thing appears to be harmless to us might cause undesirable actions from our kids. Hubby once told me that his nephew who was around 3 years old (when the incident happened) spat on a kid at a playground. The parents were of course unhappy with that and also wondered where he learn that as nobody taught him so and nobody at home ever did that. They finally figured out that he picked it up from 'Titanic'. Remember the scene where the hero taught the heroin how to spit on board the ship? Amazing ler......

Here's a clip on Ethan singing 'Tingkle Tingkle Eeetle Tar' (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) while stroking the guitar.

5 Years & Still Counting

It's our 5th Anniversary (R.O.M) today. We met eleven years ago when I was still in my first year doing a degree at a local University. He was in his 2nd year, same course but different major. The place we met? In the forest coz we were camping. The camp was part of our course. Good ler.....Just complete your 2-week camp and pass your practical training for that semester. I must say that course was and perhaps is still the most exciting and fun course around in Malaysia. Unfortunately, work prospect is not good. That's why I'm stuck in the same company for 8 years. That is another story....Now, where was I..........Ahaaa........the visits......We got to visit and see so many places. Every now and then were trips. My friends doing other courses were so jealous with me. The things we were supposed to see were not exciting (sorry to say that) but the journey and interaction between course mates were memorable.

Those were the days. I'm still yearning for those carefree, live-free and eat-free days (Expenses all born by parents mar). Now, everything also 'tanggung sendiri'.

Our relationship went through difficult times too. Both our parents were not too happy with our relationship coz different culture mar. Then the financial difficulties. Living under one roof also another story. We have to adjust to the different preferences. We still argue on the toilet seat sometimes - should it be up or down? That's a minor thing but can be irritating. But I guess these are all part and parcels of a marriage. Argument is one way of communication too, right?

We struggled and managed to pull through and things have settled down quite a bit now. We have a wonderful son. What more can I ask for?

Errrr.......perhaps another holiday?????

Chicken Pox: Update

2 years, 2 months & 1 week old.....

When I wrote the last post, Ethan has actually recovered from Chicken Pox. The blisters had dried up. He was as active as usual. Thanks to all the mummies who dropped by this blog and gave your well wishes.

Although Ethan is vaccinated for Chicken Pox, I know there are chances that he will still be infected. I did some searching on the net and I found this from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to share with you all:

While no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease, the chickenpox vaccine is very effective: about 8 to 9 of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected from chickenpox. In addition, the vaccine almost always prevents against severe disease. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case lasting only a few days and involving fewer skin lesions (usually less than 50), mild or no fever, and few other symptoms.

While blog hopping, I also read in other mummies' blogs about the problem of feeding medicine to their children. I'm glad that I don't have to go through this. With the frequency of Ethan falling sick, I think I'll go nuts if I have to force feed medicine to him every time he falls sick. Unlike many other children, he likes medicine (please don't let my words jinx this...pleaasseee........)

I don't know whether or not to be proud of this but I'm definitely glad that he has no problem with medicine. When comes to feeding medicine, I just have to pump the medicine into the syringe and pass it to him. He will then happily pump it into his mouth. See it to believe it...hehehe

Note: Mummy was a little slow. Ethan has almost finished pumping the medicine when the video started. He still wants to play with the syringe afterwards.

Chicken Pox

2 years & 2 months old.....

Today, Ethan is 26 months old. Instead of doing an update on his development, I'm writing a sick post, yet again. Sigh....

It was on a Thursday (17 July 2008) evening at around 5.30 p.m. when I received a call from Hubby. I was at a hotel in KL getting ready for my company's annual dinner, when hubby told me that Ethan might have chicken pox. He had red spots all around his body and they itched. He has no fever though at that time. Hubby was told that a girl at the nursery got chicken pox the day before. After some discussions on the phone, I told hubby that it's better to send him to the paed. for a check. Thank goodness he did. Ethan was running a high fever at the clinic. The paed. could not confirm what it was because:

1. If it's chicken pox, Ethan should have infected from someone at the daycare two weeks earlier. It couldn't be the girl who got it the day before.
2. The red spots are scarce and not watery.

The paed. prescribed fever medicine and calamine lotion for Ethan and advised us to monitor his condition first. If more spots come out the day after, it should be chicken pox. The fever subsided after the medication until the next morning and it was a mild one. I also noticed more red spots on his body the day after, especially four blisters on Ethan's tongue. That got me worried........reeaaaalllly worried. What if it's not chicken pox but HFMD!! Both cause red watery spots on the body, although the spots of HFMD are more concentrated on the mouth, hands and legs, they do spread to other body parts. Ethan already got it twice, I dread to think on the 3rd time.

I spoke to the daycare again and they told me a boy got it two weeks earlier. Yaikkk!!.....how could they missed this piece of important info the day before. We went back to the clinic and told the paed. what we knew. After checking on Ethan again, he confirmed it's chicken pox! I'm kind of relieved, that it's not HFMD. The paed. said chicken pox will also cause blisters on the tongue. We got another set of medication: some pills for chicken pox (to let it heal faster) and a cream for the blisters on his tongue.

Overall, Ethan was active as usual even though his appetite was not very good. As predicted by the paed., the blisters dried up on the fourth day (Monday) and it's not contagious anymore at that time. Some information I gathered on chicken pox and HFMD:

1. For chicken pox, it's contagious at the beginning when the symptoms started until the blisters dry up. When I told this to one of the carer at the daycare, she said 'The doctors don't know anything' cause she believed what I used to believe (that it's contagious when the blisters dried up). I was speechless after hearing what she said.
2. The blisters can spread to tongue. In the case of HFMD, blisters can also spread to tongue and throat area. The only difference I noticed is the blisters for HFMD are more concentrated on mouth, hands and legs.
3. They are active as usual unlike HFMD, in which case they are more lethargic.
4. Fever subsided fairly quickly compared to HFMD.
5. Itchy rashes/blisters in the case of chicken pox.
6. Food wise, I avoided seafood (I fed him grouper though), chicken and egg on those few days until the blisters dried up. No scientific proof on this but no harm doing it, at least for the first few days. According to Chinese, more food to be avoided but I could not remember what else and for how long also.