First Dental Checkup

Some of my friends start taking their kids to the dentist from as young as 2+ years old. And when they did, the kids already had cavities.

My friend, whose daughter is at Bryan’s age have had cavities many times. She told me to take Bryan to the dentist ASAP because cavities develop very quickly, and we should take the kids for regular dental checkup.

I had delayed taking Bryan to the dentist because
1. I check his teeth very frequently, and I don’t see any spots.
2. He never complains about toothache.
3. I did not want to scare him by taking him to the dentist too early.

But my fren said that by the time I see spots or when he starts complaining of toothache, it is too late. Yet, I procrastinated.

Until a few weeks ago, i found a very faint brown dot on his two lower incisor. *Panic* I quickly make an appointment with my dentist for Bryan’s checkup.

The dentist is quite popular and I could not secure any slots until today. Luckily I was able to book a slot that is within my lunch time. I took the kids out from daycare after their early lunch. Yeah, I took Dylan along. No harm to let the Dr have a look as well.

Neither kids were nervous about the dentist visit. Since a few days ago, i had been brainwashing Bryan about the dental visit.

Mommy: Bryan, mommy take you to the teeth dr. Dr will just check check to see if there are any chong-chong. If got, Dr will put medicine on the chong-chong so that the chong-chong die. If we don’t put medicine on it, later the chong-chong eat your teeth.
Bryan: Chong-chong eat my teeth, then I got no teeth issit?
Mommy: Yes, no teeth. Then cannot eat “sia ping” (prawn cracker), cannot eat ice-cream, cannot eat McD.
Bryan: No teeth like xxx? (a girl at his day care)
Mommy: Yes like xxx (I had no idea if she has missing teeth )

We had to wait a while when we got to the dentist’s office. So I took the opportunity to talk to the boys about opening their mouth wide wide for dr to check their teeth. There are also photos of dentist in action, so I showed them that this is what the dentist will do for them later.

When we got in, Bryan was very calm. He greeted the dr “hello” and then proceed to sit on the dentist’s chair.

The dentist told him that he will just count his teeth. The whole procedure takes less than 1 minute. And the dentist told me that his teeth are in perfect condition. And very good dental hygiene. *Yay*

The light brown mark on his teeth is just a small pit. It is not decay. It could have been there from day 1. Besides, he told me that the bottom incisors will fall out when he is about 6, and the top incisors 6 months later.

As soon as Bryan got down from the chair, Dylan was anxious to get on. He kept saying, “My turn, my turn”

The chair is pretty big for Dylan, so the dentist asked either hubby or me to let Dylan sit on our lap instead. So I sat on the chair, and let Dylan lay on top of me.

Dylan cleverly opens his mouth, and let the Dr “count” his teeth.. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Just like his brother, his teeth are in perfect condition, and very clean too.. *yay yay* I learned that there are 4 baby molars that have yet to come out. One on each side. Arghh…hope they don’t cause any problem when they come out.

Since I was there, I took the opportunity to ask some questions to the dr.

Q: Bryan fell on his teeth a few months ago. It resulted one of the top incisor to be slightly crooked now. Will there be any long term side effects?
A: If he had a fall when he was about 4, there should not be any damage to his permanent teeth as the teeth would have been in place. But if he fell on the teeth when he was 2 or 3 years old, when the permanent teeth is still not fully grown, the impact could rock the permanent teeth out of its place. And when it finally comes out, it will be crooked. For Bryan’s case, the most there may be a mark on the permanent teeth caused by the impact, but he thinks the teeth should be fine.
=> It shows just how important it is to make sure that their baby teeth are healthy to ensure a flawless smile later.

Dr also asked me if any of them are on the pacifier. I proudly said “No.” In fact, they were never on the pacifier. I asked him why.

He told me that kids who suck the pacifier to sleep tend to have weaker upper incisor caused by dryness. The worst are those who take the milk bottle to sleep. The combination of sugar in the formula and dryness due to continual sucking will cause some of the kids’ teeth to be gone by the time they were 3, if they did not receive prompt dental treatment.

I had wanted to ask if bfg to sleep is ok bo, but I didn’t because I remember that their PD told me before that bm will help protect the teeth due to the antibacterial qualities. That’s why bf children tend to have healthier teeth. Good…because lil Dylan still bf before bed and when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

I am so glad that both kids’ first dental experience had been pleasant. And the checkup is free too! I didn’t even have to pay any admin/ registration fees. Hahaha..I should have taken them there earlier.

Bryan – Standard 1

How time flies…My little boy has to register for Standard 1 already. And the registration opens on Monday. For me, choosing the school is very easy.

1. As close as possible to our house. I never had to sit Bas Sekolah when I was in school. My dad always fetch me to & from school. So I want to be able to fetch my kids at least one way, to or from school. Bryan will most probably be attending the before school care, so I will have to arrange transport from the day care to his primary school. But in the evening, we want to send him home ourselves so that he can get home as early as possible, have dinner, do homework and then rest, play, sleep….

2. Location compared to his day care. If the school is too far from the day care, I may not be able to find transport. Besides, Dylan will still be in day care when Bryan starts primary 1. So I have to consider the route for picking & sending both of them.

3. Ultimately, I registered for the school that is less than 10 mins away from our home and 2 mins drive from their day care.

We took a short tour of the school when we registered this morning.

What I like?
1. The school is not directly ON the main road. It is facing the main road, but there is another smaller road separating it from the main road. That small road is closed except during the pick up/ drop off time. So it is safer to drop & pick up the kids.

2. There was a nice security malay lady around when I was there. Coincidentally, the afternoon session kids were starting to arrive when we were there. She supervised the dropping off of the kids to make sure that they go into the school safely. One little girl was crying as she walked in as today is the first day of school after the long weekend. She consoled the little girl and wiped tears from her eyes. How sweet….. OK la.. I know the lady will not be around when my boy join but it is a nice, warm sight for me as a mother.

3. My husband’s colleague has a kid in this school. Upper primary. He said that this school has a lot of extra-curricular activities (martial arts, 24 drum troupe, etc). Good. I would like my kids to participate in extracurricular activities and being close to home means that it would be easier for us to ferry them to & from school for the activities.

4. The colleague also say that the teachers do not pressure the kids. In fact, he said that the teachers are too lenient. Well, I don’t want my kids to be pressured, so this is good to me.

5. There should not be a problem to find bas/ van sekolah back to my house IF we really need them. My neighbor’s sons go to this school and they take the school van. I personally prefer the van to the bus. Less passenger means less travelling time.

What I don’t like?
1. The school grounds is small compared to my primary school. My school used to be the British government’s headquarters during the old colonial days. So we had big rooms, courtyards, plenty of trees, greenfields..BIG everything. During primary school, my friends and I had to make plans on which field/ garden/ spot to meet during recess or it will be almost impossible to find each other during recess. Too bad that it is not possible for him to go to my primary school. Cause my primary school years are filled with lots of pleasant fun memories. I wish theirs will be the same.

2. There are many classes for each standard. I heard that for 2010’s std 1, there are 9 classes. Yeah, not exactly a small school, huh?

3. I heard that there are a lot of homework.
But then, don’t all Chinese school have a lot of homework. I talked to my neighbor’s son who used to study at this school. He is now in secondary school but his 2 younger brothers are still in this school. He thinks that the homework is manageable and both his brothers are coping fine.
*I oredi delegated half the job to my husb, since I am a banana*

Overall I felt good about this school choice. This is not the most preferred school in the district. There are 2 other more “famous” schools and I am staying away from those 2.

Though I do not want my kid to be in the top/ most competitive school, I also don’t want my kid to be in a too laid-back school as their UPSR results will determine the secondary school choices. This school used to be a just a small kampong school not long ago, but it has quickly grown into an established school in our area. I guess that in a way indicates the “competitiveness” of the school management also.

Anyway, it is still 2 years later. And anything can happen within this period….

New Hairstyle

Gong gong complained that Bryan and Dylan’s hair is too long already, so we took the boys to the hair saloon on the way home.

I watched over Dylan while hubb watched over Bryan when he had his hair cut. I know that hubb just told the hair dresser to trim the sides, nothing major.

But as she worked on Bryan’s hair, she suggested cut here, cut there because, this place is too thick, that area is too tall. Hubb just went with her suggestions and allowed her to work on Bryan’s hair as she please.

Bryan is now very cooperative at the hair saloon, and the lady really could have her way in experimenting with the cut that fits Bryan’s face. Furthermore, Bryan’s hair was quite long already, so she could basically cut anyway that she wanted to cut.

Finally, she settled in a look that “she” is satisfied. Of course, she also keep asking us if we are ok and happy with the new look, that is very different from Bryan’s old haircut.

BEFORE

AFTER

Hubb likes the new hairstyle more..says Bryan looks more “yeng” (stylish). Besides, he have been complaining that Bryan’s old hairstyle is soooo “soh chai.”

I think the new hairstyle is definitely more stylish..but I also miss his innocent mushroom looking hairstyle….Awww..my boy is growing up….

p/s: Dylan also had his hair cut. But his hair is so thin, there’s nothing much the hairdresser could do. Just trim the ends nia… Besides, he is still not as cooperative as his gege yet.

Songkran Party

When I find out that I am pregnant with Dylan, I was a bit worried as their age gap was only slight above 2. I was worried that I will not be able to handle 2 boys.

Now I am glad that their age gap is so close, as they really play very well with each other. Last weekend, we let them out of the house to play on the porch, while I prepared lunch.

It started with bubbles play, then some cooking play with water…and then it turned out to a full fledge water play!

And all these while, what is mommy & daddy doing?

Mommy = Cooking in the kitchen
Daddy = Watching tv at the living room while keeping an eye on them (of course)

I think that they are so lucky to have each other. No matter how much we love them as parents, we can’t play with them as “crazy” as a sibling can. And no cousins or friends can spend as much time with them as a sibling can too! And me and hubby are glad to have some extra time to ourselves since the boys have each other.

Can’t wait for them to grow up and watch how their bond continues to grow deeper. I think they are going to be a great brother and friend to each other!

Where’s my brother?

Yesterday, in the middle of the night, Bryan woke me up
Bryan: MOMMY! Didi is GONE! *I can see panic in his face*

Dylan is a very “mobile” sleeper lately, and he has wedged himself so close to me that I had to sleep sideways to give him more room. And Bryan could not see Dylan because Dylan was too close to me.

Me: Nah…Didi is here la…

Bryan: Oh * Goes back to sleep*

That’s how close both the brothers are. They will look for each other before they sleep and first thing when they wake up. Correction :- First thing when they wake up is MOMMY. Second thing is their gege or didi.

Funny stuffs

Funny things the boys said on the drive back home yesterday night.

Scene #1: Both boys were making a lot of noise at the back of the car.
Me: Aiyoooo…both of you are so noisy.
Daddy: Later the police come and catch both of you.
Bryan: If the police come, I will take the gun and PONG the police
Me: Do you have a gun? No gun, how to PONG the police.
Bryan: Mommy, can you buy plastic gun for me. And put batteries inside so that I can PONG the police

Scene #2: Carpenter’s Close to You starts playing on the stereo
Bryan: Hey, that is my concert song. *Starts singing*
Me & hubb: *Ignores Bryan and continue talking*
Dylan: Hey. QUIET! QUIET! QUIET!
Me: *Oops, din’t know Bryan got fansee and supporter already!*

Life Sciences

Bryan loves butterflies. Everyone who know him knows that.

He’s got lots of books on butterflies – fiction + nonfiction, English, Malay, Chinese. He can name the different parts and lifecycles of butterflies. He can even tell you the difference between a moth and a butterfly, and spot one from the other.

So whenever there are any caterpillars at my mom or my aunt’s house, they will keep the caterpillar for him. Wait for it to turn into a chrysalis (pupa) and transform to a butterfly.

The first few times we kept the caterpillars, he refused to let the butterflies fly away. We will either keep the butterflies in empty aquarium, net laundry basket or a big box with  a netting over it. We will also put some fresh flowers for the butterfy. But butterflies have short life span and don’t survive well in captivity. So they normally die after a few days.

I keep telling Bryan that he must let the butterflies go. That the butterflies are miserable because they misses their friends. But he answered, “If I let them go, then I cannot see them anymore already lo. I want the butterfly die. Then cannot fly away already lo”

*Faints* I was thinking “OH NO! I gotta do something about this.”

So I continued to brainwash him about how precious life is, that everything has a right to live, to be free and to be happy.

On the third time, it was at my mom’s house. Bryan was very excited when he saw that the butterfly had transformed when he came back from school.

So I started my “brainwashing” again.

Bryan: Mommy look. This is a Malayan Mormon butterfly. Same like the one at Butterfly farm one hor?
Me: Yes. Bryan. You can look at the butterflies for a while. Then after that you have to let the butterfly go.
Bryan: But, but I want to see the butterfly for long long time. If I let it go, then I cannot see oredi..you know.
Me: Yes, but the butterfly wants to go home. Back to Butterfly Farm. If I keep you in a room and don’t let you go home. Will you be happy?
Bryan: No. *Think*
Bryan: Why the butterfly don want to fly one?
(Of course la..not much place to fly mah. Only a box)
Me: Because the butterfly is sad. Not happy. It misses its friends.
Bryan: It misses the bee, the grasshopper, the beetle, the stick bug hor?
Me: Yes.
Bryan: *Think* Think* I think I will let the butterfly go.
Me: *Grinning happily*
Bryan: But but I want to see a while first. Wait until I finish dinner ok.

After dinner. He gladly proclaimed that he is ready to let the butterfly go. Dylan, him and my parents took the box outside the house and let the butterfly go. The butterfly was quite lifeless in the box but as soon as it was out, flutters quickly away and fly really high.

Bryan: Mommy, the butterfly is soooo happy to fly out. It can fly SOOOOOO high you know. Now I cannot see the butterfly already. I think the butterfly fly back to butterfly farm already.

2 weeks ago, my aunt found 2 caterpillars on her plant again.

So I took both the caterpillars with some stalks of her plant so that the caterpillar can continue feeding on it. Mana tau, by the next morning, the plant habis kena sapu. I had to go to the market and shop for sommo “food” for the caterpillar. Caterpillars only feed on specific plants depending on the species. Coincidentally, this species feeds on curry leaves.

But after a day, the caterpillars turned into chrysalis.

After about a week, I thought it will be nice for Bryan to take the chrysalis to school for show & tell. And the school can keep it there until it turns to a butterfly, and it should not be long now. I called his principle and told her the idea. She was very excited about the idea. I told her that I will let Bryan bring the chrysalis on Monday just in case the butterfly decided to come out during the weekend.

Unfortunately, the butterflies really decided to come out on the weekend. One on Saturday morning and the other on Sunday morning.

This time, I no longer had any trouble asking Bryan to let the butterflies go.

Jump posing for the camera

Getting a last look at the butterfly

Fly away to freedom

On one of the days, we were so happy when the butterfly flutters to my neighbor’s plants and start feeding on the nectar there for a long time. It gave Bryan and Dylan a chance for them to look at it longer.

Posing with the freed butterfly

I think being able to let go and move on is such an important skill/ value to have in life. And I am very happy to see that my little boy has learnt to be kind to other living things and to let go of the things he loved so dearly. I am so proud of you Bryan.

P/s: To reinforce this value in him, I told his teachers at school to praise him for his kindness too.

Night massage sessions

For some reason, lately Bryan loves having a tummy massage using medicated oil before he goes to sleep. He will tell me, “Mommy, my tummy pain pain. I want ‘fong yu’.”

He would be giggling happily as Dylan and I massage his tummy with the medicated oil. Ya, Dylan loves to pretend to put the oil on his ge-ge’s tummy and helping me to massage. He will ask me to rub my palms together till it is warm and apply it to his tummy.

2 nights ago, he asked me,
Bryan: Mommy, what is Fong Yu in English
Me: Medicated oil
Bryan: No. Fong Yu is Wind Oil
Me: Huh?
Bryan: Fong is Wind right, and Yu is Oil right? So Fong Yu = Wind Oil lo…
Me: LOL

I oblige his massage requests as both him and Dylan seem to enjoy it so much. Besides, after the 2 min massage session, he will happily go to sleep.