It was the most horrible 9 days. By the end of it, minibeanie had filled half of Chengdu's landfill with steaming loads of diapers, puked for 2 days, ran a fever for 4 days & lost a ton of weight. Meanwhile, DH & I took turns with the nasty virus. Just as I congratulated myself on escaping the bug, it was my turn to be hugging the toilet & shivering with fever. Crap. That too.
Thankfully, all is fine now. In the throes of it, we wondered several times if we ought to bring minibeanie to the hospital to be hydrated intravenously. This thought crossed our minds each time he gave an explosive encore in his diaper. It sounded just like someone squeezing the end of the Heinz ketchup bottle real hard with just a few drops to go. Any other times, it would be hilarious. But when it was 4:30am or when we'd just changed diaper #8 5 minutes ago, it was a sinking feeling. Not again.
His appetite has slowly returned which was a great relief. I do hope this is the last flu we get for a very long time!
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks & 4 days old
Tuesday, October 21
Sunday, October 12
Saturday, October 11
39.4
It was a horrible start to any day. I woke up to check on minibeanie's temperature (for he had been running a fever the past 1.5 days) at 7 in the morning and was shocked to read 39.4. That number jolted DH out of his sleep and we decided that a trip to the hospital was called for. We would normally have gotten him to the clinic but this being a weekend, it was closed.
I was dreading the hospital because it was after all a Chinese hospital; let's face it, Chengdu was not Beijing or Shanghai. My apprehension was fully justified on reaching the hospital. It was over run by people. Chaos reigned. I managed to locate the reception cum information desk by virtue of a nurse behind a counter being surrounded by hordes of pushing Chinese all asking questions at the same time. I managed to elbow in and finally got my question across and was then directed to a registration booth down the hallway. I registered, got a card for Y9 and was given a thermometer. After 5 agonizing minutes, we gave the thermometer back to the nurse and was told 38.1. There was a collective sigh of relief.
As it didn't seem like an ER situation, we were then directed to the "Children's clinic #1" - a room further down the hallway. We gave our form to the attending nurse who then lined it at the back of a row of forms by the window. This would be our queue. There were 2 doctors facing each other in the room. Little patients and their caregivers would be standing or sitting on the 2 stools facing the doctors.
Calm cannot be used to describe the scene in and outside of the clinic. There were simply too many people around compounded by screaming parents calling after their wayward shrieking kids, crying babies in obvious discomfort and the general population who must talk with raised voices.
We waited patiently for our turn (half an hour, I was told). About 2m behind us stood a security guard which was rather perculiar I thought. DH said it was because we were the only foreigners. minibeanie appeared to be in good spirits. He was entertained by dada's silly antics and the occasional teddy bear cookie, his all time favourite. It was such a relief that he seemed his normal self.
After half an hour or so, it was our turn. The doctor noted the symptoms, listened on the stethoscope, pried open a very reluctant baby's mouth and diagnosed it as upper respiratory infection. Over all, the lady doctor was professional. If she seemed brief it was because the clinic was run like a sausage operation in a non too pleasant environment. She seemed kindly enough and even switched to English when I was struggling with Chinese medical terms.
After that, we took the form with the scribbled prescription (it's a universal fact that doctor's handwriting is illegible!) and headed out to get our medication. First a visit to the cashier where I paid Y54, followed by another queue at the drug counter to get the fever and diarrhoea medications. Finally at 10, we spilled out of the hospital to a bright but slightly chilly day. Relief!
Today, minibeanie had fewer rummy tummy episodes compared to the past 2 days :) Let's pray that he's on the mend. We were told that diarrhoea could last for up to a week and the fever for 3-4 days. It's strange how we left Chengdu in t-shirts and shorts 2 weeks ago but return to long-sleeved fleece sweaters. Thanks to the change in temperatures, it's now the start of the flu season.
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 2 weeks & 1 day old
I was dreading the hospital because it was after all a Chinese hospital; let's face it, Chengdu was not Beijing or Shanghai. My apprehension was fully justified on reaching the hospital. It was over run by people. Chaos reigned. I managed to locate the reception cum information desk by virtue of a nurse behind a counter being surrounded by hordes of pushing Chinese all asking questions at the same time. I managed to elbow in and finally got my question across and was then directed to a registration booth down the hallway. I registered, got a card for Y9 and was given a thermometer. After 5 agonizing minutes, we gave the thermometer back to the nurse and was told 38.1. There was a collective sigh of relief.
As it didn't seem like an ER situation, we were then directed to the "Children's clinic #1" - a room further down the hallway. We gave our form to the attending nurse who then lined it at the back of a row of forms by the window. This would be our queue. There were 2 doctors facing each other in the room. Little patients and their caregivers would be standing or sitting on the 2 stools facing the doctors.
Calm cannot be used to describe the scene in and outside of the clinic. There were simply too many people around compounded by screaming parents calling after their wayward shrieking kids, crying babies in obvious discomfort and the general population who must talk with raised voices.
We waited patiently for our turn (half an hour, I was told). About 2m behind us stood a security guard which was rather perculiar I thought. DH said it was because we were the only foreigners. minibeanie appeared to be in good spirits. He was entertained by dada's silly antics and the occasional teddy bear cookie, his all time favourite. It was such a relief that he seemed his normal self.
After half an hour or so, it was our turn. The doctor noted the symptoms, listened on the stethoscope, pried open a very reluctant baby's mouth and diagnosed it as upper respiratory infection. Over all, the lady doctor was professional. If she seemed brief it was because the clinic was run like a sausage operation in a non too pleasant environment. She seemed kindly enough and even switched to English when I was struggling with Chinese medical terms.
After that, we took the form with the scribbled prescription (it's a universal fact that doctor's handwriting is illegible!) and headed out to get our medication. First a visit to the cashier where I paid Y54, followed by another queue at the drug counter to get the fever and diarrhoea medications. Finally at 10, we spilled out of the hospital to a bright but slightly chilly day. Relief!
Today, minibeanie had fewer rummy tummy episodes compared to the past 2 days :) Let's pray that he's on the mend. We were told that diarrhoea could last for up to a week and the fever for 3-4 days. It's strange how we left Chengdu in t-shirts and shorts 2 weeks ago but return to long-sleeved fleece sweaters. Thanks to the change in temperatures, it's now the start of the flu season.
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 2 weeks & 1 day old
Friday, October 10
Detour
We started the day of departure, Monday, at 0430. Got to the airport all bleary-eyed still and discovered that the flight had been delayed until 2330. Oh man! But it wasn't all bad. You see, we got to enjoy another day in Singapore! :D Air China put all of us up at Copthorne Orchid, a laid back hotel on the outskirts of Orchard Road. And so we checked in and to our surprise, we were given a suite (probably thanks to DH's Star Alliance gold card). We were given meal vouchers for all 3 meals which wasn't bad because we got to have great beef rendang, satay & seafood (the last seafood stop before Chengdu!).
The delay definitely had a silver lining for we got to run some last minute errands & had a last piece of kaya toast & kopi at Ya Kun - where we caught minibeanie's grandmother sneaking out despite her earlier claims of flu!
But it hadn't been easy since returning to Chengdu. I'd a slight flu and minibeanie had rummy tummy. 9 poopy diapers today so far. The last one happened just as we were about to turn in. It's now past 2 after all the brouhaha.
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 2 weeks old
The delay definitely had a silver lining for we got to run some last minute errands & had a last piece of kaya toast & kopi at Ya Kun - where we caught minibeanie's grandmother sneaking out despite her earlier claims of flu!
But it hadn't been easy since returning to Chengdu. I'd a slight flu and minibeanie had rummy tummy. 9 poopy diapers today so far. The last one happened just as we were about to turn in. It's now past 2 after all the brouhaha.
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 2 weeks old
Monday, October 6
Bye Singapore!
We'll have to wake up tomorrow morning at a most inhumane hour - half past four. sigh* Trust Air China to pay for the cheapest timeslot at Changi.
It had been a very enjoyable trip. We met up with friends whom I hadn't seen in ages - Sharon, RJ bunch (Rhu, Mari, Jazz, WeeLin), sky (it's her initials...she's not really called Sky like some girls who are called "Milk" or something..serious!).
We got to do lots of fun stuff like bringing minibeanie to the Underwater World. Despite his young age, I think he knew what was going on. For some reason, he reached for dada to be carried and he gripped dada really hard when he saw particularly large fish & rays swimming above him. And today, typical of so many Singaporean parents on a Sunday, we brought him to a center that will hopefully enhance/increase his intellectual prowess ;) And so we went for a trial lesson at Kindermusik at Tanglin Mall. 45 minutes of singing, dancing & playing on musical instruments. Admittedly, I think the mums got more of a workout what with prancing & swinging 10kg babies. But will I pay good money for that weekly 45 minutes? In the end, I don't think so. It's nothing like what I haven't been doing at home - banging on drums (a wooden spatula and an overturned pot on my kitchen floor!), silly dancing with dada, marching to the mummy calvary's 'trumpet & drums' etc. And if it's for the company of other same age babies, we've neighbours.
Are we done yet?
Oh, and of course the marvellous food! We had a mental checklist of our favourite local food to be checked off such as Hokkien prawn mee, satay, fish head beehoon, nasi padang and uncountable cups of kopi (coffee) & kaya toasts. Of course, Indian cuisine was also high on our list. We'd great Punjab food at Race Course Road and masala thosai & onion bhaji at Saravana Bhavan. And today, we visited what's unofficially Little Burma at Peninsula Plaza. At the basement and third floor are lots of Burmese eateries thronged with Burmese workers on their day off.
minibeanie's first ride
And of course, shopping! This time, we are carting back tons of organic foodstuffs & milk. Geeesh, what else is contaminated in China. Who knows? We're sorry to be leaving clean & green Singapore. With 4 hours to sleep, I think it's time to turn in!
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 1 week old & 3 days old
It had been a very enjoyable trip. We met up with friends whom I hadn't seen in ages - Sharon, RJ bunch (Rhu, Mari, Jazz, WeeLin), sky (it's her initials...she's not really called Sky like some girls who are called "Milk" or something..serious!).
We got to do lots of fun stuff like bringing minibeanie to the Underwater World. Despite his young age, I think he knew what was going on. For some reason, he reached for dada to be carried and he gripped dada really hard when he saw particularly large fish & rays swimming above him. And today, typical of so many Singaporean parents on a Sunday, we brought him to a center that will hopefully enhance/increase his intellectual prowess ;) And so we went for a trial lesson at Kindermusik at Tanglin Mall. 45 minutes of singing, dancing & playing on musical instruments. Admittedly, I think the mums got more of a workout what with prancing & swinging 10kg babies. But will I pay good money for that weekly 45 minutes? In the end, I don't think so. It's nothing like what I haven't been doing at home - banging on drums (a wooden spatula and an overturned pot on my kitchen floor!), silly dancing with dada, marching to the mummy calvary's 'trumpet & drums' etc. And if it's for the company of other same age babies, we've neighbours.
Are we done yet? Oh, and of course the marvellous food! We had a mental checklist of our favourite local food to be checked off such as Hokkien prawn mee, satay, fish head beehoon, nasi padang and uncountable cups of kopi (coffee) & kaya toasts. Of course, Indian cuisine was also high on our list. We'd great Punjab food at Race Course Road and masala thosai & onion bhaji at Saravana Bhavan. And today, we visited what's unofficially Little Burma at Peninsula Plaza. At the basement and third floor are lots of Burmese eateries thronged with Burmese workers on their day off.
minibeanie's first rideAnd of course, shopping! This time, we are carting back tons of organic foodstuffs & milk. Geeesh, what else is contaminated in China. Who knows? We're sorry to be leaving clean & green Singapore. With 4 hours to sleep, I think it's time to turn in!
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 1 week old & 3 days old
Wednesday, October 1
A Memorable Night to Forget
A memorable night for F1 fans and for Singapore but one to forget for Ferrari. What can I say that hasn't already been said?
Great fun and company. We went with Rhu & David, the former whom I've known half a lifetime ago (fancy that!) and whom I've gone for lessons on tennis, makeup, pottery & dancing ... among other crazy stuff like abseiling. So yeah, it was fun especially when we were all decked out in red on race-day :DIt's all Nelson Piquet's fault. Massa was leading and Kimi was steadily catching up on Hamilton. Then Piquet just had to lose it (again!) and as everyone know, the chain of events that happened made this the most disastrous race of Ferrari ever. [If you don't know what I'm talking about, which planet are u from?] It's of small consolation that Kimi holds the lap record.
A poster night for Singapore. Singapore was decked out in style. The skyline was breathtaking and the organization of the F1 was done in true Singapore fashion - well executed and meticulous. All in, much kudos. But does it have to be so bright? :D Yes, it's for the safety of the drivers but after all the touting of being able to see the glow of the disc brakes, the track was lit as bright as day.
Gotta get a bigger flag next year. I was waving a 25x20cm Finnish flag. It felt puny. I resolve to get the materials and get a tailor in Chengdu to make me a much larger one that's at least 4 times the current one :P Then I bought face paint and painted mini Finnish flags on our cheeks. Glad that DH went along with this craziness of mine :D [nope, those flags won't be much bigger next year ;) we also discovered that I'm a better artist than DH]An obviously drunk Finn 4 rows behind us had a flag that was nearly 1.2m across. Before the race began, he yelled his war cry, "Sweden sucks!"
minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 5 days old
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