Reactive arthritis

On Monday night, Kai stopped walking. He was complaining of pain in his right leg. We got worried, but decided to wait and see what happens in the morning.

Tuesday came, and he still couldn't walk. We brought him to the PD nearest our house, and luckily the doctor on duty that day was Terence's classmate. He diagnosed it as reactive arthritis (ReA).

According to Wikipedia, ReA is an autoimmune condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body. Kai had a viral fever about two weeks back, and that caused an inflammation of his right hip joints.

You can give ibuprofen to relieve the inflammation and pain, and usually it will go away in a matter of days. But the PD says if it doesn't, we will have to investigate further.

Luckily, ReA went away as quickly as it came. Kai was walking gingerly on Tuesday day and jumping on Wednesday.

The episode gave me quite a scare, and it made us sad to see our usually active boy limited by his inability to move. I can't imagine the pain felt by other parents whose kids have debilitating diseases; it must be terrible beyond words.

Travelling with toddler: Survival tips

Check list (Books) for recent Phuket trip

Jorina once gave me this really useful list of what to pack when going on a holiday/plane with your toddler. A lot of it makes sense, and I'm sure she can point you to where she got that list if you write her.

But here're some of mine to consider:

Stock taking is serious business

After a long debate with your worldly-wise toddler, you have finally decided on the toys and the books that you will bring on the trip to keep both parties sane. When you travel on the road (i.e. from hotel to hotel), however, there is a chance you might forget what you've packed. So a toy or a book might get kicked (or thrown) by your toddler under the hotel bed/cupboard/blanket, and you won't miss it until you unpack at the next hotel after a gruelling four-hour car ride.

Your nerves are frazzled by then, and the last thing you want to hear is a toddler screaming: "THOMAAAASSSS!!!"

These toys and videos kept him out of my hair

To help you keep stock on the inventory of toys and books you've packed, take a picture of ALL the toys and books you've packed with your digital camera. It will help you remember if you've brought, for example, five railway tracks, eight books, six Thomas and Friends tank engines.

Whip out that picture to check you have exactly those items in your luggage before you lock it and throw it into the boot of the car.

Minimise the bulk

Don't bring a toy truck the size of your pet cat. And don't bring any hardcover books.

Extra clothes

One of the tips in Jorina's list is to bring one set of extra clothing for you AND the toddler/baby. Reason is clear: Accidents/Spillage do happen.

I did that the first trip, however, it really added to the bulk and weight of the hand carry luggage. I got lazy, but learnt my lesson on my third trip with Kai to Australia. (Think orange juice. Mess.)

A good compromise is to bring an additional set for your toddler (their clothes are tiny=not bulky anyway). Bring just another top for yourself and pray the gravy chicken doesn't land on your pants.

A good squeeze can land you in trouble

Airlines sometimes serve juices in kid-sized tetra packs. Give that to an excited toddler or a toddler who's learning how to drink through straws, and you're heading for potential disaster. Same goes with a plastic cup filled with juice.

Kai has squeezed juice out through straws and spilled juice from cups. A better idea, if your toddler lets you, is to squeeze/pour the juice into his sippy cup. This means: Bring your sippy cup on board.

Going cheap

Warong Nasi Pariaman (stall with yellow sign board) at 738 North Bridge Road

Friends accuse me of being an atas diner. But contrary to popular belief, I DO eat at cheap places. Terence wanted to go Tai Sing to buy some construction site toy cars for Kai to enjoy in Phuket, and so I suggested going to an old haunt--Warong Nasi Pariaman--for some nasi padang.

My memory has gone bad ever since I got pregnant and had Kai, so I can't remember what's so nice about the 'warong' (as Terence calls it). But they are supposedly known for (what Terence terms as the) 'lemak' chicken, just because it is cooked with coconut.

The copycat lemak chicken is in the top left hand corner

The warong was closed by the time we circled round the block four times to find parking. But the good thing about that part of North Bridge Road is that there are plenty of other eateries to satisfy your nasi padang craving. So we stepped opposite the said warong to another Malay stall, which serves the lemak chicken too. What you see^ costs us S$12 in total. Their sambal balachan is quite shiok too.

Next on our cheap trail is Tai Sing. It is a toy distributor and supplier, so expect a warehouse shopping experience complete with dusty, rough round the edges, crumpled packaging. But the toys are pretty affordable. We bought construction car set (three cars) for S$5.90, and huge sheets of stickers for S$1.90 each.

Parents with babies and toddlers might be interested to know they carry Combi products too.

Tai Sing was recently featured in The Straits Times as a cheap place to buy toys. But how I found out about them was from another mother, a complete stranger. Her boy was playing with a nice construction car set at an East Coast beach cafe, and Kai joined in the fun. Terence begged me to ask her where she bought it, and I did.

So friends, trust me, good things DO come to those who go up to strangers and ask for help.

DIY pizza

If your toddler loves pizza and you want a healthier-version of what they serve outside, try making them at home. And it isn't all that difficult.

What you need:

- Pita bread

- Mozarella cheese

- Your kid's favorite easy-to-cook toppings (e.g. ham, mushroom, peppers, pineapple, onions, tomato etc.)

- Tomato paste (optional)

- Your son/daughter to throw on the ingredients

Slice your pita bread in half, spread Mozarella cheese over it, and throw on the toppings (chop them up first!). Then pop it into the toaster oven for 10-15 min (i.e. till things are cooked, cheese melt and brown nicely).

If you want a tomato base, spread a thin layer of the paste before you throw on the cheese. But not too much as you don't want the pizza to taste too sour.

That's it! Kai loves to stare at his creation cook in the oven and snatch pieces of ham from the bowl while making his pizza.

We had so much fun doing it the first time (photos from first attempt) that we decided to do it again on National Day with more toppings.

Bring him, you must

Thomas & Friends Live On Stage! Thomas Saves the Day.

MIL called this afternoon to remind us to buy tickets early.

*sigh*

Mad, mad, mad

Friends from MF Asia/CMP days might remember that I had a thing for scarfs.

Anyway... I went shopping with Corinne after lunch at Square 2, and I went absolutely mad. It was as if I morphed into a terrible creature that delights in throwing cash at the sales girl, screaming at the same time: "Take all my money, it's free!"

I've just woken up from the haze, and now I'm thinking: "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

OK. But I still love the juicy lady bug and strawberry scarf I bought from the shop. Will look great with all the lovely pink and white tops I have. *stupid grin on face*

Things that put a smile on my face

Waking up to loved ones.

Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga at home in the morning on my purple yoga mat.

Hot S#0.80 coffee in my coffee mug.

(Photograph was taken on my Motorola phone, so excuse the quality!)

Flying high on memories that last

Call me suaku but I never knew kites can fly even at such low heights when the wind is strong enough

Next to thinking that Ministry of Sound is actually a church, I have another confession to make: I've only flown a kite once, and I was a teenager by then.

My parents are not the sporty type or perhaps for the lack of opportunity, we never flew any kites when we were young. I can't remember the occasion, I only remembered standing in a field and my dad showed me how to control a kite. It wasn't even our kite.

Memories of when you were growing up. They are such strange things.

I think it is cool that Terence knows how to fly a kite, and that my son will grow up learning how to fly one.

But he must learn not to let go of the string when the kite is high up in the sky, which he did to our dismay.

Of farewells and friendship

I found out last friday that a friend from yoga class passed away about a month ago from stomach cancer. She was around my age, and I remembered she had wanted to start a business selling bags. I lent her my HK guide and she bought me this bauble ring as a thank you gift. It isn't quite my style, but I never threw it away. I don't know why. I suppose it is something to remind me of her.

I remembered our last conversation as awkward. She looked tired, pale, and wasn't chatty. It was a strange friendship. We never talked all that much. But as yogis in Erika's class, you somehow end up sharing quite a bit of your life with fellow yogis. I wish I had a chance to tell her our friendship meant something to me.

# # #

On the same Friday, I decided to do lunch with some girlfriends from French class. It wasn't a great day to meet; a day filled with to-dos, meetings, conference calls. But when is it ever a good time?

Over lunch, Constance told me she was moving to the US with her family on 5 Aug. Another farewell. I was sad; I wish I had known earlier. But as with anything in life and friendship, it'd never be a goodbye. Like Joy, no matter how often we say goodbye everytime she moves, our paths always meet. And everytime we meet, it always feel like we've never said goodbye.

# # #

So Pei Kee, I'm sure I'll meet you someday again. Somehow.