Good Doc v Bad Doc

After my birth, Mum and Dad took me to 4 different doctors as they were not too sure about how they were. 2 of them are 5 minutes walk from our flat so Mum and Dad settled on them.

The first 3 times, they tried the more expensive Doc (Bad Doc already!) and I was not feeling it. The nurses were too busy for me and when I entered the Bad Doc's room, it gave me a surgery-friendly type of feeling rather than a kid-friendly. Bad Doc started by questioning the regular stuff and lifted my tee to put her cold stethoscope on my chest and throughout this, I would be crying! Crying continued when Bad Doc put the cold stethoscope on my back for few more seconds. Yes, the tears were still pouring when Bad Doc put the lolly-stick (without the lolly) in my mouth and Mum was just silently praying for the check-up to end soon. Bad Doc prescribed antibiotics and other 3 packets of pills and she prescribed antibiotics at every visit!

Guess Mum was not feeling it either so she started taking me to the second doc (Good Doc). Warm lovely smiles of the nurses made me smile! Good Doc's room felt more kid-friendly and he knew how to distract me when I start frowning on the sight of the cold stethoscope. The nurse would call out my name with thunderous claps which made me look at her and I didn't even notice Good Doc had finished examining my ears! The best part of the visit for me was handing out stickers to the kids and the best part for Mum and Dad was the cheaper bill.

Do you know which Doc are we visiting these days? Here's a clue: Oh, what a difference a Good Doctor makes!

WW: My Second Birthday Cake

WW: WW after 5 months!

WW people - I've missed you and your lovely comments. Don't I look all grown up since my last WW post? Mum has been extra busy so she wasn't able to post regularly but if you would like a quick and regular update then please join me on Facebook (link on the side-bar).

~Happy WW!~

Quick Update

Time for a quick update after 5 months of the vanishing act (apologies!):

~ I got more teeth but the upper ones look a bit zigzagged and I blame it on my "pacifier/dummy" habit! Blame Mum please as I'm too little to be blamed for anything!
~ We went to Seoul for our second family trip and we just loved it! Surprisingly, it is more kid-friendly than Hong Kong so we totally recommend Seoul for family holidays. We were there for few days but we managed to do most of the things recommended online. I heard that people don't tend to go to Korea much because of the limited English spoken by Koreans but we were fine as Mum knew exactly where to go and what to do. Organised much? 

~ I turned 2 years old on June 19th and potty training was easy as A-B-C! One day, the potty was brought out and Dad pointed towards it saying "If you feel like peeing or pooping then you sit and do your business here, ok?". He took my diaper off and I went and did my business on it. First try and I succeeded. Mum and Dad have it easy with me, I tell you!

~ My first word was "Hiiiii!" and second word is "Bubble". Second word was probably "Wow" but I say it in random times so "Bubble" it is.

~ I'm fascinated with cars/buses/trams/trains/ambulances/vans/...(you catch my drift!) and I'm slowly gathering these motors and they are taking over the TV cabinet. I'll post a photo one of these days.

~ I have a Facebook account and I will probably be more active there than here so please add me to get updated.

WW: V-Day Special

V-card for Dad from Mum and I

Dad's beautiful gift for Mum but where's mine?

WW: Chinese New Year Attire

Maclaren Techno XT (2010)

I changed 3 strollers (Graco, Capella and umbrella stroller with looney tunes character) till Mum and Dad got me the Maclaren Techno XT (2010 edition) and it is superbly fantastic. I love to sleep a lot so the reclining feature made Mum and Dad's decision very easy. Hope this post will help other parents to decide when it comes to buying a good and reliable stroller!

Pros of Maclaren Techno XT:

• Seat can be half/fully reclined.
• The leg-pad can be brought upwards so I can rest my legs/feet in a straight position rather than having them dangled while sleeping.
• Two main switches to push for a quick fold-up before getting in a bus/cab. It takes Mum less than 5 seconds to fold it up.
• For taller parents, the handle bar can be adjusted to a higher level.
• The sunproof canopy can be extended to protect half of my body and not just the head like in other Maclaren strollers.
• It came with a free rain cover (hurrah!) and Mum and Dad uses the rain cover not only to protect me from the heavy rain but also to protect me from windy weather as we live near the sea.
• Sturdy lock on the wheels.
• The lining on the stroller and the wheels have fluorescent strips which makes it easy to be spotted by traffic on dark days.
• A small storage net under the stroller which Mum uses to keep her keys, mobile phone, purse and scarf.
• A good hollow long space to fit atleast four 8oz bottles at the back of the stroller.
• The five point harness is very easy to use and the lock is the worst best as I can't open it. (boo!)
• Comfy enough to nap for a good 5-6 hours straight or maybe it's just me who can sleep anywhere, anytime!

The only con of this "umbrella" stroller is that it is a bit heavy for Mum to carry the folded stroller but a woman simply can't have everything, can she now?

[This review is done for the love of this stroller and not for advertisement (not that Maclaren needs advertising!).]

WW: 3 Expressions in 3 Seconds

Big Brother is watching you!

Nope, Mum and Dad haven't gotten me a small brother/sister but the title refers to a nanny-cam. Mum was against it but Dad persuaded her as you just don't know what's going on at home when they are at work. Better be safe than sorry!

Some people might disagree on us having a nanny-cam at home but it's just for Dad's peace of mind. Hong Kong does not have daycare centres so some of us with working parents are left at home with live-in nannies. There are stories of nannies feeding pee to babies and other horrible stories but we can't judge all apples by one bad apple so trust is the most important requirement but how do we know who to trust and whom not to trust?

I am not speaking yet so I wouldn't know how to tell them if the nanny does something she is not supposed to. Mum only agreed to have the nanny-cam on the terms that it is put away as soon as I understand what is going on around the flat. She thinks that we should trust the nanny enough to hire her but Dad is just being Dad.

WW: Sail away and find Serenity

Back till...

...next time and since we're here now, just wanted to quickly inform and apologise that Mum had 2 exams and 3 assignments in Dec and Jan hence the lack of love on this blog. Mum and Dad have also ventured into restaurant business so that is keeping them way way way busy! I can't complain much as I am not talking yet.

When I went for my 18 month's check-up, the nurse worried Mum saying that I seem slow on my speech and mental growth. Mum said that she understands what I want through my actions so she is not too worried which made the nurse gasp frown. Mum said that she heard boys talk later than girls and I hardly throw a tantrum so maybe that's why I am not that responsive as I am supposed to be...guess Mum wanted the nurse to be responsive too but she was furiously scribbling notes on her note-pad with a frown! She gently put down on her note-pad, turned her frown into a fake smile and told Mum that she will schedule me with a doctor next.

Most readers know that we live in Hong Kong but we aren't Chinese so the laidback attitude of Mum is not cutting it, apparently! Most readers must have read/heard about the controversial Amy Chua aka "Tiger Mother" by now and guess that's what that nurse wanted Mum to think about - about being a Tiger Mother! She's more of a mieeoowww than a grrrrowwwl so as people say "let sleeping cats lie!"

WW: Mesmerised

WW: All Aboard!

WW: Early Education

WW: Just Dance

Walks on Sundays

I like going out a lot (I must have taken that from Mum) so when we go to the playground, I walk everywhere except towards the exits and when Mum directs me to the exit, I do a U-turn and head back to the slides/swings. Mum takes me back to the exit acting as if she can't hear me whining. In between the exit and our flat, she lets me walk on the pedestrian path but some adults walk past me so fast that they knock me down. In Hong Kong, most people are in a hurry to get somewhere and if that means getting there by knocking down a toddler then so be it! Wait till I grow up!!

We reach our flat's main gate and I try to quickly do another U-turn to the pedestrian path but Mum leads me back to the main gate grabbing my hand. The lift door opens but I want it to close fast enough so that I can walk around the lobby for few more minutes. Another lift door opens and I get carried till we reach the flat. While Mum gets busy fiddling with the lock, I head back to the lift but this time the lift doors don't open and I get led back in the flat.

Door is closed till Dad comes home and I follow him everywhere like his tail shadow till he gets my hint. Dad gets ready to take me out...again! YAY!! Mum doesn't say much to my second walk of the day because  that way she can have atleast half an hour to herself. Imagine how fast she'd get fed up if she was a stay-at-home mum - she'd definitely be a bad one!

WW: Stop Callin', Stop Callin'. I Don't Wanna Talk Anymore.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Change!

A change is difficult to make - be it good or bad. I have been forced trying to shift from drinking water from a bottle to a straw cup but the sipping through a straw just makes me smile and I end up spilling the water out. Mum bought a waterproof bib with pockets (<---- click on the link to check out the SuperBib) from Eugene Club in Central mainly because Helper was complaining about the amount of tees and bibs that she had to change in a day (I thought "cleaning up" was a part of her job description?). This bib is perfect for spilling/spitting toddlers! More so for those who likes to spill out those gooey sticky nasty liquid medicines. Let the mess begin (if Helper lets me, that is.....)!

A change in safety and appearance - putting safety corners on the table did not impress Dad because the table looked ugly with them on but better safe than sorry...errrr...hmmm...they did not stay there for too long as I have enough power to rip them off (eat your veggies, kids!) and these things are supposed to be "baby-proof"? I should invent "toddler-proof" when I'm a bit bigger and can talk about marketing stuff.

A change to my dummy/pacifier - Mum likes to get pacifiers with cool prints but yesterday, the choices were limited so she got me one with a panda face on it. Big mistake as it was NOT Avent's! OK, I am not a spoilt brat but if you give me Avent pacifier since I opened my eyes to this polluted wonderful world then I expect Avent till....whenever I am ready to stop taking the pacifier! The panda-faced pacifier does look cute but it's not Avent. I took it to bed lastnight but couldn't sleep for a good half an hour so Mum changed it to Avent pacifier and off I went to my dreamland full of Avent products.

Next change coming up is "Toothbrushing". You'd think Mum would be too busy to notice about my things but she keeps coming up with these ideas of changes for me. What about the changes I want or do not want? You can see it coming if I'd my way. "Yes, I'd want a New Mum for a change! Thanks very much!"

WW: Say A Lil Prayer

What were you saying?

Lo and Behold! A video of me finally walking. Can you see Dad oh-so-proud at the back? You can hear Mum encouraging me with her babyishly annoying voice. No need to see the specialist anymore. *YAY*