Kelvin is growing up supersonically fast.

I envy some of the blogger mums because I’ve been unable to chronicle his progress and many anecdotes. I’m beginning to sound like a big “excuse”. But truly my spirit, heart and soul are willing, but my flesh is tired.

All I wanted to record for now are these thoughts.

Kelvin is sweet and very thoughtful.

Back in April, he told his nursery carer that he was “very upset” because Dad was “sick in the stomach. All day long, according to Rose, he wasn’t as loud & he looked preoccupied.

Two nights ago my train was severely delayed when I was hoping I could join my family for dinner. Kelvin remarked to Dad “poor mum, she’ll be hungry and tired”.

He would often give offhanded compliments.

I wore a dress in our Cuba holiday and was all made up, before hubby even opened his mouth, Kelvin said “you look very pretty mum… I like that“.

These days he would touch my hair and he’d say “I like your hair“.

I mentioned this to our neighbour, where Kelvin stays after school, and she said that she noticed it, too! Turns out my son’s also generous with his words to others.

She got changed and when she came out, Kelvin just blurted out “you look thin in that“.

He’s also frank as most kids are.

I have not showered after a day of cleaning out his room. After his nap, I  sat with him to watch telly. As always he snuggled up to me. But as soon as he did, he turned away and said “you stink mum, you need to take a shower“. Totoo naman.

I think Kelvin also has the funniest and oddest sense of humour. He’s got good timing as well. It’s just that some kids his age, or even adults who wouldn’t expect it of a child, will think he’s strange.

Last night hubby told me this: Kelvin was playing with his Harry Potter wand and was turning hubby into animals like “abracadabra turn daddy into a pig“. Then all of sudden Kelvin bent over and started walking unsteadily and chanted in a shaky voice “i’m an old woman, i’m an old woman“…

There are lots more and I’m sure not all those who would read this can relate. It can use a major edit & rewording but what the heck.

For hubby and I, Kelvin is the best. Mukhang magiging chick-magnet ito. Ahem!

Before hubby fell ill, I booked several activities for the family. And since I was busy at work & I was too tired to blog, you can probably imagine how I itched to blog about them.

Let me start with this.

I first went to the Barbican Gallery to see their Seduced: Art and Sex from Antiquity to Now. It was supposed to be for hubby & I, but he got stuck at work so I went with a friend instead. It was enlightening and amusing at the same time.

Can you guess what’s in each of the photo?

I liked the atmosphere (unpretentious) in the Gallery so much I subscribed to their newsletter.

When I saw they were doing a week’s worth of activity dedicated to “Animation”, I booked Kelvin for the claymation workshop & booked the entire family for the end of the festivities celebration, which included a puppet making workshop, lunch & film showing.

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Around November-December of last year, Kelvin started telling me and his dad stories about this boy in his nursery. In his halting speech, he would explain that Bamboo hits him or pushes him or smacks him. At first we didn’t want to read too much into it knowing how kids can sometimes play rough and that some toddlers still don’t know how to share. Maybe it’s harmless.

We spoke to his main keyworker and she assured us that they will keep a closer watch on the boys.

2 January, Kelvin was back in nursery and the first thing he told me and his dad after school was “Bamboo hit me again”.  I  have not even asked him how his day was. This time the nursery manager spoke to us to assure us that they are taking this seriously. She felt, like us, it could just be boys you know playing rough.

Then last week I dropped Kelvin off and I was waiting for another mummy when I happened to look inside their room again. What did I see? Kelvin was with 3 other kids from his room and they were laughing then this Bamboo reached out and punched my son on the chest!

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Ah finally Halloween is officially over. Before I disappear for a few days, let me try and show you how Kelvin enjoyed this year’s treats.

He dressed as Spiderman for his Nursery party. The costume was reversible and he chose to wear the original red and blue. Daddy asserted he liked the black version better and spent a good few minutes trying to convince his son. But Kelvin knows what he wants now.

After nursery, we picked him up and I told hubby we should start with the rounds while there’s still light. Hubby bought this Harry Potter costume because the “cape” allows us to put a proper jacket on Kelvin without the fuss. It’s already cold and thankfully it was just 10C, not as bitter as last year. (more…

I think Kelvin is spending too much time with me. Or perhaps Daddy’s not spending enough time with him when he’s doing his “manly” routine?

In any case, so far Kelvin knows about “lip balm” & demands I put some on his lips every time he sees me dabbing them on. He knows that an eyelash curler is used like so. He runs for the mirror when he likes his shirt/costume. He knows how to slather himself with body lotion. And when he was 2-years old he keeps wearing my brassiere around his neck.

I know I have nothing to worry about. A friend said that the bra-wearing incident is really typical of a man. Men like breasts but hasn’t got a clue what to do with them… hang on is that really applicable to Kelvin? :-P

x’s
8 years from now Kelvin will hate me for posting this picture but I do love my mama’s boy…

Before Kelvin’s nursery opened last month, Kelvin underwent three minor surgeries in one go. I mentioned a number of times that Kelvin has glue ear that affected his speech a great deal. He took a course of antibiotics which helped a little but the persistent fluid didn’t leave his middle ears (yes, he’s got the condition in both ears).

His ENT knows we were reluctant to have the surgery and he suggested we could wait until late summer to see whether the fluid will subside then. When he reported no change in the level of fluid, we scheduled the grommet insertion. Then he also suggested we okay a submucousal diathermy (SMD) and an adenoidectomy.

They all sound ominous and of course we hesitated but the ENT assured us that these were routine procedures here in the UK & almost always done when they have glue ear cases. The grommet insertion is literally inserting tiny grommets in both ear drums. These tubes will let air flow into Kelvin’s middle ears. Most scary, what if the drums are perforated? What if the grommets fall in? or fall off? We prepared a list of questions that filled a legal paper. The ENT and the anaesthesiologist were both very welcoming (one thing that I have yet to encounter when I deal with specialists as an NHS patient! There they’re in a hurry to go & be rid of you.) .

I had SMD by NHS before so we knew what to expect. Basically they’re going to “scrape” the nasal passages to allow him to breathe properly.

And the adenoidectomy will ease his snoring. According to the ENT, the snoring problem and the breathing problems were all caused by the glue ear. I can try to explain but I’m not a medical person. But as you know the nasal cavity leads to the mouth, ear and nose so you can imagine when one area is blocked and not functioning, the others are easily affected & are forced to compensate.

Aside from losing most of the sounds in his ears (thus not hearing properly), Kelvin also tended to snore loudly. And the most obvious symptom was he’s always holding on to his breath, sometimes he doesn’t seem to breathe. The last is called apnea.

Anyway, we prepared Kelvin (as much as we could) & told him what to expect. We prayed. We tried to relax. We brought a number of toys. The hospital staff in the BUPA hospital were fantastic and brought even more toys & games.

But as soon as we left Kelvin in the theatre, tears just started to drop. I couldn’t get his slumped figure out of my head (the anaesthesist played with him & made him breathe in sleeping gas). I felt weak, hubby wasn’t speaking & I didn’t know what he was thinking. We prayed in Kelvin’s assigned room. We tried to be calm. After less than 40 minutes we were told he was out & doing well.

When we got to the Recovery Room, he was very, very upset. I laid down in the bed, hugging him, trying to calm him down & assure him that everything will be okay, that we were there. They wheeled us in his room but he still wouldn’t settle. I knew he wouldn’t sleep, he wanted the emergency access (butterfly) taken out of his foot. The head nurse concurred and after 2-3 minutes he was asleep.

I knew he wasn’t hurt. It was waking up in a strange room with strange people that got to him. I just held my tongue instead of telling them off for not calling us sooner so we could be there when he woke. It was done & he was safe.

When Kelvin woke up after 2 hours, he was his old self - smiling, playful, cheeky self. The head nurse, Jo, gave him some ice lollies then ice cream (recommended for his throat). He was so happy to have so much fruit juice and not be told off for drinking them in one go. He ate his lunch and played some more.

waiting @ the hospital lobby

before his trip to the theatre

after his post-surgery nap

the brave boy enjoying all his goodies

one very relieved mum

asking me to remove his name tag

Dr Kelvin treating Daddy before he’d let Dad treat him!

His anaesthesist, then Jo from the ward, and then his ENT all called the following week asking how the little one’s doing. We were told to use ear putty to cover his ears while in the shower. Then after 4 weeks, the ENT gave him two-thumbs up. Everything’s healed properly. Now we notice he doesn’t hold his breath, he doesn’t snore like his dad, and he doesn’t scratch his ears anymore! In fact, he doesn’t produce as much ear wax as before. We’re going to see his ENT in 6 months to have a proper hearing test to assess his progress & hearing level.

I’m really glad that we decided to keep BUPA. It was reassuring to be surrounded by people who seemed really concern about their patient. Everyone made us feel safe. Jo was an angel, she’s a true nurse always checking on Kelvin and going above & beyond her duties. In fact, she took it upon herself to save us some dough by bringing us lunch & tea so we wouldn’t be charge for it! She advised us about the take home meds (not covered by BUPA) so that we don’t buy excessive amount.

I really think on that day Kelvin’s Guardian Angels were working full time to make sure everything goes smoothly. We’re hoping now that his hearing and speech catch-up with his age.

As I mentioned before, Kelvin’s school break allowed us time to see more of London and spend time together. If you read my article in PMN you’ll remember I mentioned I took Kelvin to see the dinos in the Natural History Museum. Those are subjects that my son never tires of. In fact, he has a plastic container of toy dino’s (definitely bigger that Harry’s bucket!).

Perhaps you’d like to see what Kelvin and his Kuya PJ saw and did? I used a slideshow & endeavoured to put meaningful tags on them. Here are some highlights anyway:

NHM has an Earth section where they feature the minerals, events etc having to do with our planet. What’s new was PINATUBO. It is part of their updated exhibit for the volcanic activities on Earth.

PJ, a normally quiet guy suddenly called out “Tita, Pilipinas o!” It was really an interesting exhibit. They showed news reel and videos of the eruption, the lava flow and the aftermath. They even created a diorama of the “ghost towns” complete with the ash fall.

NHM’s latest free attraction was the interactive learning centre. We almost missed it if not for Kelvin’s wandering feet. We went to the basement where people have the entire space to eat their packed food, and veering to the left which I remember as a mini-courtyard, turned out to be the best place in the Museum.

Kids & adults were allowed to get up close and personal with specimens. There were tools to measure them or perhaps look at them closely like magnifying glass & microscopes & even cameras that project to a screen! Then you can access a dB where you can learn more about what you’re looking at.

I was truly amazed that Kelvin seemed to know how to use everything! The guide (there are so many friendly staff that as soon as you enter, one of them will immediately approach you) told us once what we can do in the place & Kelvin nodded & headed to the rows of cabinets. He picked one with insects & proceeded to use the camera. He attempted to use the microscopes but the eyepieces were still too high. I tried to lift him, but that’s not going to last, my arms will break.

The place even have dried anaconda skin that we can roll & unroll. Kuya PJ & Kelvin tried on a shark jaw. They played with a stuffed sea turtle. We looked at ant colonies. And Kelvin saw his first human skeleton (plastic only) - and insisted it’s a dinosaur! Well who can blame him, all the bones he saw on the upper floor were dinosaurs’.

What really caught the two boys’ attention were the pools of water with living organisms in them. I think we stayed in that section for at least 15minutes, the two just huddled, head down, looking at these tiny creatures (there were cards on the side to tell you what they are).

The only downside of the trip was during lunchtime when Kelvin wanted to eat some crisps because Kuya PJ had one. The thing is he already has one, but he wanted PJ’s… ayayay. Kulang na lang magpakarga sa Kuya nya! I have a feeling he would trade me for his Kuya.

Anyway, after the Museum, I brought them to the Tower of London. We didn’t go in, it was already late & besides there was a fee ‘no! It was enough just to walk around the area, have the two run around (actually Kelvin did the running & shouting) while I sit in the shade with a cool breeze.

Before we dropped PJ home we stopped by McDonald’s. Everybody was happy and satisfied.

After visiting Anette & Josh, Kelvin’s remaining holiday was still packed with fun activities. I planned to really enjoy my two-week break with him to the max. One of our regular haunts in August was Kidspace in Romford. Together with his Pinoy friends, we spent days jumping, crawling, sweating and pigging out.

Kidspace is really perfect for kids with boundless energy. We celebrated Kelvin’s second birthday there & even the parents enjoyed themselves. There is a special section for babies. There is a football area, a mini-racing track, a wall climbing section, and a sky trail. During busy times, the place is just buzzing with energy, it’s hard not to get infected with the laughing and friendly shouting. The “Thunderball City” is the centre of activity where kids (and adults) can “hit” each other with soft balls. There is a huge cannon that blasts balls everywhere, there are “machine guns” from 3-levels where you can target people above & below. There is a timed-net that showers everyone with balls. The City is also connected to the entire place (huge), from top to bottom, via huge slides of different structures, and climbing frames.

If I were to spend every single day in that place I wouldn’t need to diet! Unfortunately, the place serves yummy food, too! During Kelvin’s 2nd birthday party we booked everyone for a “make your own pizza” theme party. It was really super. Then they provided the adults with finger foods which turned out to be organic breads and dips. It was truly unforgettable. I have to scour my files at home to search for some pictures & put them up here.

When Kelvin was younger he’d resist every attempt to leave the place. But in August because his ate and kuya’s were there, he’s happy to go anywhere. He was even happy to leave the play area & eat! Unbelievable.

It was unfortunate that Daddy had to work. He missed out on so many things (more posts to follow promise) during the school break. After a month, he’s still muttering about booking leaves next year. I felt bad for him but I felt too good to really care. I’m not callous, I just felt it was my chance to really bond & give my son the time of his life after being a half-half mum to him. You know working full-time even if I say we have quality time during weekends, it’s still guilt-inducing not to spend every minute of the day with my growing son.

I am also so happy and very fortunate that our new Filipino friends’ kids are very accommodating with my toddler. Hubby & I just love seeing him enjoy his time with the bigger kids. He feels part of a clique now. It’s a great bargaining chip, too. We can get Kelvin to do almost anything as long as we say we’re going to see his Kuya or Ate.

I forget the number of times I have read the importance of external support & influence on children as they grow. The dread I used to feel about moving away from most of our initial Filipino community has been replaced with relief & gratitude. If none of these guys move away, I’m confident that making Kelvin more aware of his Filipino roots will be easier. Plus, he and I got friends for life.

Needless to say though, we have started teasing Sherry that either Kelvin or PJ can court her daughter Rana. But Ate Nimfa insists that Kelvin is too young, so that leaves PJ room. Yes, it was my fault the teasing started but Ate Nimfa’s comeback sent all of us reeling.

I leave you with these pictures from our play time. Expect more posts about what Kelvin was up to during his 2-week school break!

Dear friend,

Nung weekend para kong may flu dahil sa severe symptoms ng hay fever. Di ako makakilos, even combing my hair was a huge effort as my scalp felt really tender. Then the limited breathing. Maaawa ka sa akin, I was breathing through my mouth for 2 days!!! There were times I really felt like dying. I felt guilty too that I couldn’t play with Kelvin properly. Talagang telly-time lang sya. Friday night I planned on taking him to the town fair and even to the cinema, I didn’t count on my “enemy” arriving on Saturday morning. KAINIS.

This morning when I was about to leave for work, Joel said Kelvin has temp last night. I felt my stomach lurch. If Kelvin is not better this evening that will mean one of us will have to take a leave of absence. And that thought made me feel worse because ideally when Kelvin has a temp, we let him stay at home for 2 days. But if we keep on doing that & he gets fever at least once a month, that would mean our work-attendance will be blatantly pockmarked.

Nakakaloka.

I really hope Kelvin recovers today. I blame the stupid weather… Come on sky, where’s our Summer sun & warmth?!

As for me, it looks like I will have to wait a little longer for the hay fever vaccine to become available in the UK. Crap.

So how was your weekend again?

Lovingly yours,
me

I was offline for 5 days and I missed out on a lot of things. But first things first, THANKS TO EVERYONE who cheered me on my birthday. THANKS FOR your kind words & warm hugs & your very welcome presence.

Hubby & I were planning my weekend celebration for almost a month. No, it’s not big but we needed to notify our guests a month in advance so they could book their holidays. It was supposed to be a BBQ-cum-swimming party but rain hasn’t stopped in Blighty for nearly 3 weeks now. In fact, a number of towns in the countryside were flooded & some of the residents are refugees up to now. Unbelievable. One “victim” said the situation was not ala-Third World but more like “Fifth World’s”.

Then Tony Blair finally resigned & now Gordon Brown reigns supreme, well next to the Queen anyway. Lo & behold, we haven’t finished speculating what Mr Spin is going to do and two car bombs were found in Central London. They were filled with LPGs and nails. When I heard about the nails, I briefly remembered UP fratmen’s homemade-pillbox bombs.

After the “party” (more like chikahang walang humpay), we heard about the failed car bomb attack in Glasgow! Thankfully no one was hurt except the effing drivers. One of them came out while he was burning I’m not clear on the story that followed, but wasn’t he supposed to die in the carnage? Pictures I saw were of him dutifully standing still while being hosed down with water. I know I digress from the issue, but I can’t help it.

The other driver is in critical condition & is being guarded in a hospital. I hope they both survive so we can get as much information from them as possible. So far 8 people have been arrested. It is disconcerting though that all of them worked/works for the NHS! Now NHS is trying to defend the reason they hire qualified foreigners to mitigate the staff shortage. Come on people! Just beef up the security procedures in personnel recruitment, end of story. The media or whoever should not demand more justification, we already know NHS is in deep shit at is.

So there. Three big things happening while I was offline. Oh and yeah the PMN news! Gees I’m so far behind I missed the big push. In fact I’ve yet to read the posts & bloghop. The spirit is willing but the timing is weak.

The reason I was briefly incommunicado: The auntie left us on Tuesday (26 June) & my son fell sick on Wednesday! Hubby stayed home the first day, I took the Thursday & Friday shifts. Thankfully he was better on Saturday. His sinus was so congested he actually told me his head hurts (by pointing to his forehead & saying “hurt”! Poor guy. His fever went yo-yo, his appetite was gone & like Sheila Marie’s Lucho, he lost a lot of weight! And it’s only been 4 days. Thank God he’s all hungry hippo now.

Because I’ve got to catch up on work, too, I haven’t had the chance to visit your blogs or reply to your comments yet. But I will this weekend or sooner, promise. Blogging is so addicting, it’s like I’m aware I haven’t read about your life for a while & I miss it! EEECCKK.

So thanks again for dropping-by & I will hover over to your sites soon.