If G thought Chen An was throwing tantrums before, she is so wrong.
Chen An was just giving a preview of the mayhem he can create...he is now a walking tantrum machine.
Tear his bread into half - scream!!
Not letting him eat gummy bear cos it's dinner time - scream scream!!
Took his toy away cos he threw it on the floor - scream scream scream!!!
For reasons unknown to everyone - scream! kick! roll!
G has reached the end of her sanity by the time Chen An reaches the last stage. And indeed, that's what a tantrum really is about.
Unreasonable, but enough reason for a mother to break down. G came very close to losing it all...very very close. Fortunately, with that last bit of sanity, G manage to walk away and took a time-out for herself.
Now, everyday is a matter of trying to keep Chen An as calm as possible. Minimal tantrums is the aim...no tantrums is a dream.
Everything happens for a reason, and so G believes that a combo of disruptions of Chen An's routine has led to this season of screamingkickingrolling. Firstly, the 2 weeks in away in Melbourne, including the flights might have kickstarted the whole process. In an unfamiliar land, doing unfamiliar things and eating unfamiliar food...and meeting unfamiliar faces. That's gotta be quite scary for an almost-2 year old.
And then upon return, his beloved sarong has been stored away and transiting into napping on a mattress...then in a matter of days, he no longer sleeps in his cot at night, but on the mattress in G's mother's room.
Then to top it all off, school holidays started and he no longer gets to go to school after his morning milk. In the midst of trying to find his bearings, he fell sick.
Disruptions everywhere...no wonder he's cranky.
And now being 21+ months old, Chen An is starting to learn that he is an independent person, with his own mind and therefore, he starts to try to exert his control over the adults. The fight for independence has begun...
All the reading has helped G understand these points. But understanding is one thing, to apply the strategies is another. Besides, many of the strategies don't work...at least not consistently. And among the family, everyone has their own method of dealing with the tantrums.
So the inconsistencies is yet another disruption which Chen An is taking full advantage of to fuel his tantrums.
Terrible twos...and some say it last till the kid hits 4-5 years old. G can feel herself hyperventilating...
On a happier note, J and G are expecting their 2nd little panda (which J now refers to as MK-II...apparently an improved version). Currently at 16 weeks, and EDD is on G's birthday - 22 Nov 2014 :)
Might be age, or just the G is not as fit, but this pregnancy is very different from the first. The nausea and bloating (and retching and belching) are much worse, the aversion of meat extends to all types of meat, the backache has already kicked in and the cramps are starting to bother G at night. On top of that, G is dealing with the usual symptoms - mood swings, frequent need for toilet and poor sleep. Overall, it's been a trying period, especially with Chen An clambering for G's attention all the time. G is also desperately trying to avoid carrying Chen An to prevent straining her already sore back and wrists...but that little panda has morphed into a little koala, clawing his way up G no matter how much she try to avoid it.
Nonetheless, despite all the discomfort and emotional roller coaster, G is glad that MK-II seem to be doing well so far. In a month's time, G will be going for the detailed scan...and this time round, for the benefit of Chen An (and J's parents), J and G will find out the gender of MK-II. Kind of takes the element of surprise away...but it will be easier to prepare Chen An (and to stop the endless gender-related questions that's been asked since the day G announced her pregnancy...)
Exciting days ahead indeed...hopefully G will start to feel less sick and more upbeat...and Chen An will slowly ease out of this volatile phase soon...
Thursday, 5 June 2014
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Entering the terrible twos
Chen An turned 20 months old in April 2014. And even though he is still 4 months away from being an actual 2 year old, he is very definitely smack in the middle of the terrible twos
From what G can recall, the terrible twos probably started when he turned 18 months old. The tantrums, the increasing need to force his independence and the escalating clinginess (and separation anxiety)
Chen An is a very vocal kid. G is constantly amazed by how much he can talk, and now, he is even stringing fairly complete sentences. Though still not 100% accurate, a few sentences has wow-ed his adult audience:
奶奶家在 Ang Mo Kio
没有 star/moon/狗狗/猫猫
Where is (enter object)?
(enter object) is there!
He has gotten into a habit of asking questions - what is this? where is _____? Fortunately, he does answer the questions himself, though a few times, G got stumped by his question e.g. when he pointed to a heavy vehicle on the road and G has no idea what is the proper name of vehicle.
This vocal nature is best pals with his endless and boundless energy. He can talk and talk and talk, while climbing and running and pointing out a dozen items to ask. He is also a master of mimicking. Not just the words, but also the tone. He hears it once and then next thing you know, he comes up to you and mimics exactly what you have just said.
On a good day, he calmly waits for a response from the adult - be it answering his question or praising him. On a bad day, ignoring him or being slower to respond results in a full-blown tantrum.
On a brighter side, at least Chen An limits his tantrums at home...for now. In public, he does some screaming and crying, but so far, he has not tried the sprawling on the ground and kicking his legs act besides on the play mat at home.
Physically speaking, he is very agile and active. However, his sense of danger and safety fails to improve, and being easily distracted doubles his risk of tumbling and falling. Also at the age to test the adults' limits, the most frequent line heard at home is "Chen An, NO! You can fall/get hurt/break the (enter object)". G is still convinced that he has some form of ADHD - a mild form which manifests as being easily distracted and not able to sit still for more than 2 mins. J argues that all kids are like that...hopefully J is correct and that Chen An will eventually grow out of this phase.
The terrible twos has begun early. G hopes that it means the phase will pass and end early too. One can only hope...
From what G can recall, the terrible twos probably started when he turned 18 months old. The tantrums, the increasing need to force his independence and the escalating clinginess (and separation anxiety)
Chen An is a very vocal kid. G is constantly amazed by how much he can talk, and now, he is even stringing fairly complete sentences. Though still not 100% accurate, a few sentences has wow-ed his adult audience:
奶奶家在 Ang Mo Kio
没有 star/moon/狗狗/猫猫
Where is (enter object)?
(enter object) is there!
He has gotten into a habit of asking questions - what is this? where is _____? Fortunately, he does answer the questions himself, though a few times, G got stumped by his question e.g. when he pointed to a heavy vehicle on the road and G has no idea what is the proper name of vehicle.
This vocal nature is best pals with his endless and boundless energy. He can talk and talk and talk, while climbing and running and pointing out a dozen items to ask. He is also a master of mimicking. Not just the words, but also the tone. He hears it once and then next thing you know, he comes up to you and mimics exactly what you have just said.
On a good day, he calmly waits for a response from the adult - be it answering his question or praising him. On a bad day, ignoring him or being slower to respond results in a full-blown tantrum.
On a brighter side, at least Chen An limits his tantrums at home...for now. In public, he does some screaming and crying, but so far, he has not tried the sprawling on the ground and kicking his legs act besides on the play mat at home.
Physically speaking, he is very agile and active. However, his sense of danger and safety fails to improve, and being easily distracted doubles his risk of tumbling and falling. Also at the age to test the adults' limits, the most frequent line heard at home is "Chen An, NO! You can fall/get hurt/break the (enter object)". G is still convinced that he has some form of ADHD - a mild form which manifests as being easily distracted and not able to sit still for more than 2 mins. J argues that all kids are like that...hopefully J is correct and that Chen An will eventually grow out of this phase.
The terrible twos has begun early. G hopes that it means the phase will pass and end early too. One can only hope...
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Zoom zoom: Chen An turns 17 month old
Yikes, G forgot to update this blog...Again!
Let's see, Chen An turned 17 months old last week. From the last post till now (3 months), he has achieved lots more.
Mobility:
Now a very steady walker, he cannot be bothered to walk most of the time. He runs, and on every kind of surface imaginable. Concrete, grass, sand, bed, sofa, wading pool. U name it, he runs on it.
These past couple of weeks, he is trying to jump. For now, he will bend his knees and then try to propel himself up. G reckons it will take about 2 more months before he can master the jumping action. And he is also walking on tippy toes occasionally, as if trying to strengthen his calves in preparation for jumping. (Not to mention he has really nice calves which G is very envious of).
And climbing up and down obstacles is so easy for him...which makes taking care of him very tiring. Everywhere, no matter what is in his way, he climbs. Now, he has mastered the art of climbing up the computer chair (resulting in a few near falls and 1 rather serious bump on the head). Playgrounds, his favourite location to train his art of climbing, is fast becoming not much of a challenge for him. Up the slides (even the spiral ones), down the platforms which are twice as tall as him. But both J and G feels that it is much easier to look after him at the playground. Cos we only need to watch for his safety, make sure he doesn't fall off or try to pick up stuff from the ground and put it in his mouth. At home, it sounds like this:
"Chen An, no no! Don't touch that! Put that down! What is that? I say give it to me...put it back! NnnnooooooO!"
Speech:
He is one talkative kid. He talks...all the time...and at socially unacceptable volumes :P He also likes to sing. Recently, he has learnt to finish off the lines for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...as well as the last few words of the 青蛙 (frog) song. Goes something like that...
G: Twinkle Twinkle little.....
XXM: TAR!
G: How I wonder what you...
XXM: R.....
G: Up above the world so...
XXM: I!
G: Like a diamond in the...
XXM: S...Ky!
G: Twinkle Twinkle little.....
XXM: TAR!
G: How I wonder what you...
XXM: R.....
G: 一只青蛙一张嘴，两颗眼睛四条腿。扑通...
XXM: gu gua gu gua...pu tong! xia xia shui! (跳下水)
Now that his vocabulary has build up to about...dunno how many words.... he is starting to put words together. Sing some more, Go playground, 喝 (drink) juice :)
Social:
Never a shy kid, Chen An is a popular figure in the neighbourhood. In fact, J and G reckon that Chen An actually knows more people than they do...
He has also reached that stage where he thinks he owns everything. That proves to be a problem when he tries to snatch toys from kids at the playground. Most of the time, he willingly return the toys...but he always goes back to the same kids and try to take the toys again :(
Chen An is also learning that by screaming and crying (i.e. throwing a tantrum), he can get his way (sometimes). For a period of time, G was driven mad by his tantrums. Luckily, the frequency seem to be dropping a little...and he usually calms down after some soothing. The tantrums also prompted G to start reading up on parenting...esp since Chen An is fast approaching the terrible twos stage. Tantrums, sleep regressions, and the much dreaded 'Why' stage is coming...
Scary times ahead...stay tuned for more :)
Let's see, Chen An turned 17 months old last week. From the last post till now (3 months), he has achieved lots more.
Mobility:
Now a very steady walker, he cannot be bothered to walk most of the time. He runs, and on every kind of surface imaginable. Concrete, grass, sand, bed, sofa, wading pool. U name it, he runs on it.
These past couple of weeks, he is trying to jump. For now, he will bend his knees and then try to propel himself up. G reckons it will take about 2 more months before he can master the jumping action. And he is also walking on tippy toes occasionally, as if trying to strengthen his calves in preparation for jumping. (Not to mention he has really nice calves which G is very envious of).
And climbing up and down obstacles is so easy for him...which makes taking care of him very tiring. Everywhere, no matter what is in his way, he climbs. Now, he has mastered the art of climbing up the computer chair (resulting in a few near falls and 1 rather serious bump on the head). Playgrounds, his favourite location to train his art of climbing, is fast becoming not much of a challenge for him. Up the slides (even the spiral ones), down the platforms which are twice as tall as him. But both J and G feels that it is much easier to look after him at the playground. Cos we only need to watch for his safety, make sure he doesn't fall off or try to pick up stuff from the ground and put it in his mouth. At home, it sounds like this:
"Chen An, no no! Don't touch that! Put that down! What is that? I say give it to me...put it back! NnnnooooooO!"
Speech:
He is one talkative kid. He talks...all the time...and at socially unacceptable volumes :P He also likes to sing. Recently, he has learnt to finish off the lines for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...as well as the last few words of the 青蛙 (frog) song. Goes something like that...
G: Twinkle Twinkle little.....
XXM: TAR!
G: How I wonder what you...
XXM: R.....
G: Up above the world so...
XXM: I!
G: Like a diamond in the...
XXM: S...Ky!
G: Twinkle Twinkle little.....
XXM: TAR!
G: How I wonder what you...
XXM: R.....
G: 一只青蛙一张嘴，两颗眼睛四条腿。扑通...
XXM: gu gua gu gua...pu tong! xia xia shui! (跳下水)
Now that his vocabulary has build up to about...dunno how many words.... he is starting to put words together. Sing some more, Go playground, 喝 (drink) juice :)
Social:
Never a shy kid, Chen An is a popular figure in the neighbourhood. In fact, J and G reckon that Chen An actually knows more people than they do...
He has also reached that stage where he thinks he owns everything. That proves to be a problem when he tries to snatch toys from kids at the playground. Most of the time, he willingly return the toys...but he always goes back to the same kids and try to take the toys again :(
Chen An is also learning that by screaming and crying (i.e. throwing a tantrum), he can get his way (sometimes). For a period of time, G was driven mad by his tantrums. Luckily, the frequency seem to be dropping a little...and he usually calms down after some soothing. The tantrums also prompted G to start reading up on parenting...esp since Chen An is fast approaching the terrible twos stage. Tantrums, sleep regressions, and the much dreaded 'Why' stage is coming...
Scary times ahead...stay tuned for more :)
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