Goodbye, Pebbles Junior

Having pets in the house means inevitable confrontation with death eventually, amidst the joys of witnessing the vibrancy of life blossom in these pets. Pebbles Junior, the stray hamster who miraculously appeared in our balcony one balmy February morning, passed on in the wee hours of yesterday morning. She went on to join 2 other hamsters of ours, Pebbles the First and Galaxy, in Hamster Heaven. 

We discovered it snuggled cosily in a corner of its home, still and lifeless, yet looking like it just slept...not knowing that this sleep will be its last. 

By now, Big Bee can handle the deaths of her pets relatively well, as we usually prepare her psychologically if we detect tell-tale signs that the end is nigh. For Pebbles Junior, it was moving lesser, getting more lethargic and sporting a growth in its right cheek 2 weeks ago. So she was calm when she learned that Pebbles Junior was no longer alive. Sometimes I wonder if she should stop having hamsters as pets as their lifespans are so short! 

Little Bee, idealistic as she is, accepted the news with wide-eyed wonder and a loud questioning exclaim, "Huh? Hamster DIE?" , probably still grappling with the notion of life and death. 

To Pebbles Junior, a little life that we saved and guarded over for the past 7 months. You were indeed a nice companion to us - quiet, a bit grouchy yet lived a life of dignity. 

Rise in peace. 

Learning At Home: Transportation

We delved into the world of transportation this month. Because the 2 darlings were down with stomach flu for almost 2 weeks, I could not complete the ambitious lesson plan I had drawn up for this theme nor go for any field trips. 

However, we tried to cover as much ground to understand all kinds of transportation and had great fun playing and learning! I also included a fair amount of "academic" work on writing, letter recognition and math to prepare Little Bee for N2 next year. 

Featured books that Little Bee really enjoyed:

Go Maisy Go! (highly recommended as my 2 girls really love this book with lots of flaps to explore!)

The Bus Stop (a fantastic book to initiate Little Bee to start taking the school bus to school!)

Key song: 

Wheels on the bus/wheels on the bike

Games: 

There are plenty of fun games for transportation. Little Bee's favourite is to line several chairs together to form a bus or train, then she will be the bus driver to drive Big Bee and myself to familiar destinations like the zoo, market, school, etc. The standard bus fee that she charges is always $2! 

Video: 

We watched a series of Hi5 videos that featured all sorts of transportation, which really helped to reinforce the theme! It is also a good reprieve for me - where I can "teach" (and rest!) through the TV! 

Craftwork:

Little Bee created a train from 4 recycled toilet rolls, and had real fun choosing and painting different colours for each carriage. This is really good for teaching colours.

 

Choo choo train! 

We also created a "monster truck", using 2 paper plates to form gigantic wheels. I also wrote out the word "TRUCK" which she was able to spell aloud while looking at the word. 

The truck is almost the same size as petite Little Bee!

Little Bee also learned about the circle shape and colours when she created a hot air balloon using construction paper, cardboard and some yarn. 

Up up and away!!

Fine motor skills and writing

I got Little Bee to assemble the components of this car together, and I wrote down CAR for her to copywrite without dots or tracing line. She wrote down CAR on her own, just by emulating the word that I wrote. She was very pleased with herself after writing the word and kept reiterating "C for Car" the entire evening!

I also printed out an alphabet train for her to learn writing through tracing as well as to recognise the "small" letters. She was not patient enough to complete all the letters, so more work needs to be done to hone her concentration skills! 

Letter recognition: "C"

I decided to let Little Bee have a try at a word search game, not confident that she will have sufficient attention span to complete the exercise. I was very heartened when she showed much interest in this game (probably because it was her first time!) and even circled all the letters "c" with no assistance from me! When she circled one "c" successfully, I will clap my hands and encouraged her to find another "c". She would usually furrow her cute little brows and asked me, "Where? Where's c?". Without telling her where the letter was, she was able to pore over the exercise carefully to find all the hidden letters.

Math: Counting to "6"

I developed this little counting game for her to count to 6 and also to link the school bus concept to her new schooling experience. She can effectively count to 18 now, but I want her to recognise the numbers and match objects to the numbers by herself. She was able to do this exercise with a little help from me. She thoroughly enjoyed this, and kept associating the little faces to herself, jie-jie and us, so she will plan where we should all be sitting in the school bus!

Big Bee as teacher!

Big Bee had stopped participating in craftwork as she prefers more "big girl" (and cool) activities like reading and playing computer games. But I got her interested in becoming Little Bee's teacher, so we planned a couple of learning games together. 

Here is one of them. Big Bee drew a landscape depicting the 4 modes of transport and we got Little Bee to match each transportation vehicle to the respective mode of transport, eg car is to road, train is to track. Little Bee was able to do this without prompting from us, and it was really heartwarming when Big Bee giggled and smiled with huge satisfaction after Little Bee completed the exercise. Now I have an able teaching assistant in Big Bee! 

I also tried to involve Big Bee as often as possible, to broaden her general knowledge, though I usually let her choose what to do. She created this sailboat out of paper and a pencil one fine morning. 

I also taught her the various road signs and their meanings when the Bees were playing with transportation-themed lego pieces. So, these days, when we are on the road, Big Bee will point out the road signs and tell us what to do! 

There are still lots of things to learn under this theme, but it is time to move on to yet another theme! 

Her First Party - Alone!

One evening during the one-week September break, Big Bee received a call from her K2 good friend, Elizabeth, and pulled me downstairs to the mailbox. "Mummy! Elizabeth said she sent me a letter!"

So, there she was, holding an envelope addressed to her, with a silly happy grin on her face. She opened it up and there was a letter inviting her to Lizzie's house for a party with her kindy old friends - Mith, Rachel and Lizzie.

Hubby and I decided that she is now old enough to attend parties on her own. So, Hubby dropped her off at Lizzie's house - to Little Bee's chagrin that she has "no one to play with" in her own words - then he picked her up after 3 hours of fun and games.

We are slowly releasing the tight reins, letting her dip her little toes into the deep end of the pool. When I came back from work and asked her how was the party, I was pleased that she sat down with me and related everything about the girlie party - how they played big girlie games in Lizzie's bedroom, how irritating Lizzie's older teenaged siblings are (somehow, she knows the difference between a kid and a teenager!), etc. I felt happy just listening to her chatting on incessantly, giggling away, voice rising in excitement - and I hope she can continue to share every detail of her life with me as she journeys in the path of growing up.

My Sticky Little Baby

I am Little Bee's flavour of the month for a long time, much to Hubby's annoyance. Her favourite mantra these days is "I like Mummy. Don't like (everyone else)!" Then she will snuggle her entire face right into mine, and shower me with little fairy kisses all over my face.

Every night, she will utter "Mummy sleep with me!" and kicks away all other people who tried to lie down beside her, much to the indignation of poor Big Bee, who will always grumble "It's NOT FAIR! Mummy always sleep with you every night!" Then Little Bee will retort back "I like Mummy! Not fair!"

She takes after all the idiosyncracies of what her jie jie says. One lazy afternoon when Hubby and jie jie left for some classes, she complained sadly to me, "No one plays with Little Bee." I suggested that we do some art and craft and she uttered in the very same tone as jie jie, "BOOORRRRIINNNNGGGGG". They are really like peas from the same pod!

Double Whammy

Whilst Little Bee is now recovering well and back to her chatty and bubbly self, poor Big Bee falls prey to that same nasty stomach virus today. She probably caught it from Little Bee when they were playing continuously over the long weekend - at close range - because they miss each other so much after 2 nights of not being around one another. I had never seen them so affable to one another for such a long period of time! It was indeed a tranquil and beautiful weekend.

Big Bee vomited thrice after school today, and sadly, she will miss her Mandarin oral exam tomorrow. It happens that I am away for work as well, so it really pains my heart not to be near her when she is not well. After I painstakingly nursed Little Bee back to health, it is only fair that Big Bee gets the same share of tender loving care (or, in my Mum's words, over-pampering!!) that only mothers can shower to their children.

It is during times like these that I wish I am a SAHM!

Her Great Adventure

Little Bee had an adventurous (and probably traumatic!) week indeed. So did I. 

Monday was her first day in school, and despite her usual sunny and gregarious personality, she still needed my Mum - whom I had asked to accompany her - to be by her side throughout the first 2 days. 

All ready for the first day of school! 

My mother told me the distinct differences between Big Bee and Little Bee in N1. Whereas Big Bee would usually put on a mature and accommodating facade in front of teachers and friends as well as focusing with full concentration on all the lessons at hand, Little Bee will be easily distracted, often hunkering down only for activities she enjoys (like art and singing), and then doing her own acts of singing and dancing when the whole class is sitting quietly for Show and Tell. It will be interesting to map out how their future careers and education journeys will be like, given their very different personalities and approaches in the early years of their social education. 

In the wee hours of Wednesday, Little Bee started throwing up. The vomiting did not stop for the entire day. She threw up a total of 13 times at home, despite not taking in any food and very little fluids - despite hubby and me bringing her to the PD in the morning and letting her take an anti-vomiting suppository. 

I made the difficult decision - in consultation with my excellent PD - to admit her into Mount E hospital. It doesn't help that hubby had to fly off for a business trip on the very same evening, much to his remorse. But it certainly is a blessing that I have the stalwart and dependable support of my Mum for helping out with Big Bee at home. 

I sought the help of my brother who was also a strong pillar of support to fetch Little Bee and me to the hospital. By 8.30pm, she was limp and listless, lethargic and dehydrated, having slept for the entire day. For a little girl who is highly active and animated with constant chatter, this silence, this perpetual drowsiness is indeed alarming. 

She had to be put on the IV drip, and I had to endure her loud screams and cries of pleas when the PD and nurses wrestled with her poor tiny left hand to inject the drip in. After that procedure, when she was well ensconced and settled in her room, she looked at her massively bandaged left forearm in shock and self-pity.

Luckily, the smart PD gave her 2 lollipops, having promised her these in the midst of the earlier struggle. She was a tough little cookie - her cries subsided immediately when she saw the 2 lollipops materialising in front of her after the tube was inserted, and she was back to herself shortly after. 

Feeling scared and grouchy on the first night, with her drip and her lollipop!

My brother also helped me a lot by being there and helping to console Little Bee. She fell asleep holding a half-licked lollipop in her hand and watching TV - after an arduous and exhausting day.

The drip did wonders for her little dehydrated body. The next morning, I woke to a pair of big eyes peering at me, followed by a grumpy "A bit hot", and then Little Bee pushed away her blanket and stood right up on her bed. This was after a scary whole day of not even standing up the day before. 

How I wish there can be some miraculous and painful way to put all little kids with no appetite through constant drip! It gives that powerful boost of energy into all kids, and it was with wonder that I gazed at Little Bee who was transformed back to her usual animated self. 

I had to convince her that she was staying in a hotel room and she was suitably persuaded, although she now viewed the PD and nurses with great caution and suspicion. 

Does this look like a hotel room to you? Little Bee believed my little tale, and Big Bee also exclaimed that this resembles a hotel room when she saw this photo!

The second day was long and tiring, because I had to keep an (overly) active toddler entertained the entire day on the bed as her movements were restricted by the IV drip. It helped that all the grandparents came in the morning to play with her. By late afternoon, the restless pair of mother and daughter were pushing the IV stand around the corridors, much to the amused gazes of passers-by. 

Back to her vain self - posing prettily beside her trusty IV drip stand!

Between the PD, nurses and myself, we nursed her back to eating small amounts of food without throwing up. By the 3rd morning (which was today), she was highly talkative and getting very restless, referring to her bed as a cage! 

She was put off the drip at 10.30am, and we roamed the hospital for a well-deserved walk. She was elated at the liberation! Mum came to help me with the discharge procedures at 1pm, after the nurses ensured that Little Bee could eat a little lunch.

 

Off the drip and liberated! She was using the bed as a makeshift slide.

However, back home, without the drip, she became slightly lethargic and tired, probably due to the lack of appetite, hence lack of energy-providing foods in her little body. We had to deal with a tired and cranky soul the entire evening. 

What was really touching and heartwarming was to see the 2 sisters reunited after 2 nights of being away from each other (very very rare for them!). Both of them started chitter chattering about Little Bee's hospital experience, with Little Bee proclaiming proudly to jie jie that she was staying in a hotel room! Big Bee knowingly flashed a look at me while acknowledging Little Bee's tale. 

I can literally observe the love and happiness emanating from their shiny eyes as they gazed at each other excitedly, and it made my heart sing with joy. I hope they can be powerful pillars of support for each other when they grow up.

There are many ways to look at such unfortunate incidents. Although I am still fairly angry at the source of her infection, I appreciate the wonderful opportunity of spending such quality time with her. She certainly loves the fact that she can get the full attention of Mummy, and now she is super sticky to me!

It will take some time for this severe bout of stomach flu to be fully eradicated from her strong little warrior body. But I am sure she will do fine...I hope! 

Like A Fish In Water

Big Bee took her NASSA bronze swimming test last Tuesday, after just 9 months of swimming classes. A year ago, she couldn't attend swim parties because she cannot swim at all! Less than 9 months of lessons later, she passed the relatively challenging test effortlessly.

To say that I was a bundle of nerves was an understatement! I remembered taking the same test when I was 13, and already, I found it arduous. Of course, Miss Perfectionist kept reiterating to me that she will fail the test, and I kept reassuring her in a bright chirpy tone that she will do just fine. 

She can now swim better than me - in terms of stamina. I cannot even complete 2 whole laps without needing to stop and pant in despair! So Hubby and I now rest our gazes at her with fond respect and just that little bit of warm parental pride. 

I guess photographs paint a more complete picture in this case: 

With her swim buddies before the test - Jessica and Cheryl. It had been ages since I saw a swimming pool with a high-rise diving platform! 

Taking a group shot with her swim coach Michael. He is a gem with the right mix of gentle encouragement and firm discipline. 

1st hurdle: Straddle or tuck jump entry from the side of the pool, and swim 50m in pajamas.

4th hurdle: After treading water for 3 minutes, undress in water and make a float from pajamas. We heard nothing but the tortuous panting of the kids trying hard to stay afloat for 3 minutes in their pajamas and then struggling to make floats - was rather heartbreaking, really! 

Wheee!! I can rest for a little while! 

Brows furrowed in consternation...in anticipation of the next challenge: 8 continuous laps, or 400 metres, in an Olympic-sized pool. 

Taking a well-deserved reprieve before the next plunge.

Go, Big Bee, go! Her 8th and final lap...

After 400 metres and a surface dive, it is with both relief and a triumphant gait that she emerged from the pool! 

"I can relax at long last!" Munching on yummy snacks at the swimming complex's canteen (remember those traditional ones?)

A Beginning And The End

I attended the final session of Little Bee's weekend enrichment school last Saturday with bittersweet emotions. She had spent many happy Saturdays here for more than a year, and had developed a sense of security and familiarity with the environment. We ended the weekend lessons, which are highly enjoyable, because she is starting nursery one next Monday and we do not want her to over-tire herself with too many lessons at such a young age.

Little Bee with her wonderful teachers and classmates (yes, it was a VERY small class!) for a final class photo. Big Bee joined us in this class because it was a term end party. 

So, with the end of this episode, comes a new chapter in Little Bee's life. A daily school. 

Last Friday, I brought her to her new school for an induction so she can get to know her teachers and classmates before the shocking first day. As we had always been accompanying her in her weekend classes, she assumed that she will always have my presence in the class, despite all that I had told her - that school is for big children and I cannot go inside the classroom.

When we arrived, it was playground time, so Little Bee shrieked with excitement and joined her friends amidst much camaraderie and friendliness. She looked like a baby compared to all her tall classmates! She smiled and bounced excitedly with her teachers, and tried to conform to convention when the kids held hands, went back into school and washed their hands. I stayed at a discreet distance away so she could adjust to living this little life without the constant companionship of Mummy. She seemed content just to have me loitering around from a distance - kind of like her security bolster! 

The main hurdle was in class. Experience had taught me (too) well that all kids panicked when they went into a new class with new people. Thank goodness that day was a term-end party day, so there were LOTS of snacks for the children to eat! She trooped obediently to the teacher with a bowl of mashed potato, and the teacher asked her, "Do you want chicken? (nodded) Do you want broccoli? (nodded) Do you want carrots? (nodded)" So different from Big Bee last time who usually just scooted away with the main dish with minimal ingredients! 

Little Bee sat down meekly amidst all her new, strapping tall N1 classmates and started munching on her food very very seriously. She was the only one who finished the entire bowl complete with broccoli and carrots! She even went up to the teacher and asked for a slice of orange after her meal. The party started when teatime was over, and the lucky children were served loads of yummy (and sinful) snacks! I saw her clambering up her chair to reach for a square sandwich and asked for chips. I guess she must be thinking this school is heavenly, nothing but playground and delicious snacks! 

Making eye contact with her new friend whilst eating her mashed potato. Check out her meek and worried look!

I stayed outside the door, peeping every now and then, and I was elated to see her adjusting beautifully, not looking for me! I could even go downstairs to chill out a bit and when I went back up, the door to her classroom was closed. 

The centre manager told me she behaved wonderfully well, and I just sat outside her classroom, beaming with sweet satisfaction. This was such a juxtaposition from Big Bee's major separation anxiety when she was in N1! 

BUT. All of a sudden, I heard a very familiar wail emanating from the classroom and my heart sank. I peeped inside and saw Little Bee crying to the teacher, asking for Mummy. When she saw me, with teary eyes, she clung to me desperately, sobbing quietly away, ignoring all the wide gawking eyes of her fellow classmates. She was calm when I cuddled her but did not want to leave my side lest I did my disappearing act again. Shortly after, I left the school with her. 

That night, as she was sleeping fitfully, fatigued from all the stress of that day, my heart contracted woefully as I think that her carefree liberty has limited days. She will be like all kids, needing to be in school everyday for 3.5 hours, facing the world of kiddy politics and will not be ensconced in the warm love of home. But these will be challenges that will shape her character in time to come, no doubt, very much like how Big Bee has been moulded through a fulfilling education of social interaction and academic immersion. 

I really hope she can adjust swiftly and well, with minimal crying, to the first day of school next Monday! 

(Belated) Happy Teachers' Day!

Big Bee's form teacher - who is a true veteran in her field - warned the students not to give her any gifts for Teachers' Day, otherwise she has to pay for the gifts she received (which we found out on the actual day that it was not true!).

So, all Big Bee could do for her teacher was to create a more creative and fanciful card, and she decided to do this (photo resolution is very poor because I reduced the size)! 

On this day, I thank all the teachers in Big Bee's life, and soon, Little Bee's life. They are such strong influencing factors in the learning process of children, making the difference in their attitudes towards learning. And they spend more time with my children than a full time working mum like me! So, I truly appreciate all of them. 

Big Bee had been blessed thus far with WONDERFUL teachers throughout her learning journey, including primary school. I hope Little Bee will have similar opportunities to learn from such great mentors. 

Children of The Holocaust

It is a derelict landscape when you combine the 2 most incompatible elements of life - children and war. Yet, children are the first to suffer incalculably when war erupted anywhere in the world: from Afghanistan to Iraq in recent times to Germany and Cambodia in not so recent times. 

I had always been morbidly fascinated by the holocaust and its calamitous effects on children, the embodiment of life and idealism. In September 1939, when World War 2 began, there were more than one and a half million Jewish children living in countries soon to be occupied by Hitler's Nazi armies. By 1945, when the war ended, over a million of these children were simply - and quietly - wiped out from existence. 

I had read Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl at least 3 times since I first laid my eyes on it when I was 12. Early this year, I read more 3rd person narratives of Anne Frank from Carol Ann Lee and Jacqueline van Maarsen, her best friend, to understand how her young life was tragically trampled on and ended - just because she happened to be born in an era when her religion and people was not tolerated. 

It is appalling to read entries from her diary that were so vibrant with energy, hope and life, even at the peak of war...and then to be greeted with an abrupt epilogue that she had been captured 3 days after her very last entry. 

It is even more crushing to read from a 3rd person's account of how her sister and her had endured through the Germans' famous concentration camps, only to die within short spans of one another.

Have a read through these books and then take a close look at our children. Feel thankful for their carefree liberty now and pray that no such calamity would befall them ever. 

Party Queens

My Bees are party queens. Because of them, our weekend schedules these days are always packed with parties. In August alone, we were out for parties almost every week. Having kids certainly quadrupled our social network!

Whenever I inform them that they are going for a party, they (especially Little Bee!) will then jump around excitedly and ask me when they can leave for the party. Then, they will happily choose their party outfits (Big Bee has become quite a stylist indeed!), mainly pretty dainty dresses, and set off for these social events. In the car, party queen Little Bee will inevitably grumble all the way, "So long (referring to the car ride). Where's party? *sulk* So far. Where's party? Reaching?" Listening to her rambling continuously is certainly no fun! 

Last Saturday, we were at S's Desiree's one month celebration. The Bees caught up with YL's and SC's kids and were so busy playing with them that I could really have a feast in peace! In the end, we brought the entire brood of boisterous youngsters to feed the many bursting fat koi fishes in Suntec, and we had great fun indeed.

The bunch of kids (from left) Jolene, Uncle YL (trying to be part of the kiddy gang), Joanne, Big Bee, Jeslyn, Little Bee, Nathan, Natalie

 

The girly gang! Little Bee, Big Bee, Jeslyn and Joanne

Then, we set off for Chloe's 2nd birthday! Time passed fast indeed - I still remembered her one month party vividly! 

We can't wait to eat the cake!!! From left, Matt, Chloe, The Bees, Val, another unknown kid (to me)

The Bees had the wonderful chance to hobnob with their cousins and play with the multitudinous balloons, and truly relished singing the birthday song and eating the birthday cake! 

All the same height! Val, Little Bee, Chloe

Big Bee playing big-kid games with Uncle Hao

Birthday parties are truly rituals and symbols of a happy childhood indeed! I guess as we grow up, all we really remember are these moments of fun get-togethers and the close friends and relatives who made them so memorable and fun, isn't it?  

The other parties they attended recently:

At Eugene's 9th alfresco birthday party: Claire and The Bees playing late into the night...

At Auntie Brianna's 8th birthday party, the 2 Bees were decked in full party gear! 

  

Big Bee ventured alone to her friend's Gabby's 7th birthday party! She's a big girl indeed!