Cranky Do-Do

I’m not talking about the extinct bird, but my five-month-old Rinaldo. It’s one of many nicknames that I give him. Others are ri-do-do, naldo, cooling boy, etc..

But more of that later. Lately, Rinaldo has been really cranky. Really. When left unattended for a slightly an extended period, he would go into a bout of screaming and crying. At first, we thought he was just seeking attention of mommy, because he would carry on crying when someone held him up, until my wife took over.

But now, even in his mommy’s arms, he would continue crying and screaming. No soothing could calm him down. We even tried the water method on him. Nothing helps. Only when he is latched to mommy, then he starts calming down. Yet it does not help always.

We tried to search online for blogs and forums for babies around showing similar symptoms. The closest so far is he might be having reflux, which means the burning of the esophagus by the stomach acids, by the act of lying flat face-down soon after milk breastfeeding. The second guess is he might be teething. Only a visit to the baby doctor would tell. Hope it’s nothing serious.

My wife is coping in her best capacities, while I rope in as much as possible. It’s time to make up for missing out helping for 18 days while I was in South Africa. Time to get busy!

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My Boots De-commissioned

 

Thank you, my trusty army boots, for seeing me through my BMT, OCS, Jungle Survival Training, time in unit, the past 3 ICT’s, and Overseas Live Firing Exercise! It has been a good 12 years in which you protected my feet from the elements of nature and accidental bumps and scratches.

It’s time for you to retire at the crux of the glory, the Live Firing Exercise, it would serve a good memory for us.

I will miss you. Have a good one. Cheers!

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end of training rest and relax

finally the end of our exercise!! it had been lots of rushing and waiting, but it was all worth it as we have accomplished our mission.. that’s the bottom line.. we have worked hard, so we also played hard..
over the weekend, we headed down to two locations: one for shopping, one for sightseeing..

1. Hermanus

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Hermanus was a 1.5hours coach ride from our hotel.. one of the seafront towns in the south of Africa, it is famous for whale watching as a holiday destination.. the oceanic scene is fantastic, with strong waves crashing constantly against the weather-worn rocks.. even at noon, with sun scorching down the cloudless sky, it’s still very chilly with the sea breeze..

finally i got to do some shopping, mostly clothes from Ackermans for my kiddo, the prices there are very competitive.. i got 3 pieces of clothes on sale for R43, which converts to less than S$10!! it’s coming winter there, so summer clothing are on sale..

also, i got to satisfy my craving for some pizzas!!
watch the slideshow below..

2. Agulhas

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after a time-pressed trip to Hermanus, we headed off to Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of South Africa.. it took us over 2 hours to reach there as the coach had to head back to Bredasdorp before turning to right to Cape Agulhas.. from the drop-off point, we still had to routemarch for another 1,050 meters before reaching the point.. it is the point where cold Atlantic ocean meets the warm Indian ocean..

my handphone’s batteries had gone flat due to excessive use on coach, so no pictures for this location.. my apologises.. looking at the vast and endless ocean ahead, i can’t help but to realize that i am indeed very minute in comparison.. that the nature force is something not to be reckoned with, as i could comprehend from the recent Japan earthquake and tsunami.. and how we should cherish everything and everyday we are breathing..

on a lighter note, 2 more days before reunion with my family, and especially mr buddy Rinaldo!! daddy’s coming home!!

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Goodbye Grandma Loo

Our Grandma Loo said goodbye to us, and the world last Thursday evening.

She passed away in the hospital, where she was sent to after going into a coma due to a fall. She had intended to visit the toilet, while the maid was attending to matters, when she fell and knocked on her head. Hard. She later complained of headache and wished to rest. That’s when she fell into a coma. The MRI scan revealed a skull fracture and blood clot, and the doctor advised against a surgery because of the high risk involved due to her age. She is 83 this year.

Everyone were recalled to pay her a visit, albeit the last one if condition would deteriorate. And it did. Her vitals went south drastically after we left. And moments later, she was pronounced deceased.

Everyone is sad to see her leave, but I’m sure a small part of her is hoping to leave, having to battle illnesses in her advanced age. It would be an escape.

At three past eighty, she has lived a fulfilling life. I’m sure. Through thick and thin, she has managed to raise six sons and three daughters, whom majority went on to start their own families. She was there to witness her children producing their own offsprings. She was present for those grandchildren who got married, and delivered her great-grandchildren. She had been there all.

Would there be regrets? Definitely, it would be hard to argue against it. Only she knows it. But we all have our time on this plane, and her time is up, perhaps just a tad too early. And it could also be that time has already been extended for her, from the previous illness that brought her to National University Hospital. So I’m thankful for everyday she’s with us.
Goodbye Grandma Loo, wherever you are. You stay forever in our hearts, and mine too. Godspeed, in your next journey.
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t-shirts from korea

t-shirts from korea

the two t-shirts that i’ve ordered on gmarket has finally arrived, but a few days later than i have anticipated.. i have wanted to wear them during my trip back to malaysia to visit my in-laws, but think i ordered them a tad too late.. one of it was meant for my brother-in-law..

i don’t know when would i see him again, but at least i can pass it to my mom-in-law, who is in town, and whenever he goes back to his hometown, and can get it from her..

the cutting is nice, the material soft.. but i think size L fits more comfortably than the M.. and it’s not very expensive either!! S$9.90 for each t-shirt, with a S$2.50 shipping fee.. and they are from korea, not that far, so i save on the shipping fee..

guess i can wear them for my friend’s housewarming this coming saturday.. cheers and have a happy chinese new year!!

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The Push

  Time: around 12pm.
  Just when I felt like the contractions were never going to end, the nurse finally said: “The baby’s coming.”
  I was like: “Finally.”
  The nurse readied the structure which would hold yumei’s legs for ease of delivery. Then she gave instructions to us, or to me more specifically: “When the contraction comes, breathe in, close the mouth, and PUSH, like how you would when you’re having constipation.    
  “Husband, hold her head up and forward, and count to ten. Then relax, and catch your breath.
  But I didn’t see Dr Ang, my gynae, anywhere. I thought he was not going to make it or something.
  Before I could think anymore, the nurse interrupted: “Get ready.” And so she took a deep breath, and really pushed. She made the sound a bodybuilder would when cleaning a heavy set. I counted loudly. We repeated for three rounds, and the nurse said rest and wait for the next one.
  Second one came, and we repeated the breathe-in-push-count-breathe-out sequences. The nurse said: “Good, good. I can almost see the hair now.” I peeked and asked: “Where?” She came over and opened yumei’s and there he was! Just about 3cm in, I could see part of his head, covered with a layer of I-don’t-know-what. I told my wife: “I can see him! Just a bit more!”
  Each push made baby closer to the opening. Even when the nurse stepped out of the room, and the contraction came, yumei would said: “I’m going to push.” And so we repeated the sequence ourselves. I checked a couple of time, I didn’t need the nurse to pull open, I could see his head. But he was still in mommy. And our gynae was still not in sight.
  When the nurse came in, I enquired: “Is Dr Ang coming? Or he couldn’t make it?” I thought later, what an odd question to ask at that moment. She replied: “Oh, he’s outside already.” And then he came in, and said: “Wait ah, I need to use the toilet.” Yes, our gynae’d got a stomachache. How hilarious.
  He came back, settled down, and said: “No more resting. We’re going to push until the baby comes out. Before he gets infected by bateria.”
  We pushed again, changed breath, and pushed. Part of the head is out now. The doctor did an injection at her groin area, cut open her a little wider, and put the suction cup on our little one. Little Rinaldo was going to be sucked out, with a little push from mommy.
  At the next push, I heard his cries. The clear, crisp cries of our little one. Yep, he has been delivered. At 12:55pm. I couldn’t see how he came out because Dr Ang put a cloth over her legs, blocking my view.
  Thus the delivery process has completed. The fruit of 39 weeks of labour. Announcing the arrival of Rinaldo Loo.
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Morning Part II

  What followed was the most enduring period of the labour. Even now when I think back, I would rather it was me lying down there on the labour bed.
  The contractions became more frequent, with intervals about three to four minutes apart. And the pain became unbearable. On the night before, the nurse recommended injecting painkiller if the pain became too much for her. But she opted out of it, saying that she was okay.
  Not for the morning ones. She started inhaling the gas – the name I have now forgotten, but which my aunt said was morphine – each time the contractions came. The inhalation eased the pain, but the side effect was that she would become giddy and nauseous. Indeed, yumei started losing focus, little by little, sometimes drifting into slight unconsciousness, but when the next one came, she shot back into consciousness, and crying for the gas.
  Soon, inhalation alone didn’t do much of a help anymore, and the nurse recommended a jab of painkiller. A short call to het sister affirmed that decision.
  All these happened between the gynae’s “arming” ,which was around 7am, and the jab at 8:30am. The opening was around 5 to 6 cm, still fat from the ideal 10cm for a smooth delivery.
  The painkiller kicked in about a slow hour later about 9:30am, but seriously, the effect was not that great.
  She then went into a conscious state where she didn’t really know what was happening around her, but still could response. Only after a short moment. When she was inhaling, her eyes were like those who have seen something frightening – like a ghost or the taxes – wide opened, and shifting rapidly.
  Sometimes she would drift into semi-comatose state, at which I would ask her to focus her attention on me. Kept telling her to breathe in through the nose and out via the mouth.
  The process went on for about four hours. Four long and endurng hours. I kept talking to mom and baby: telling baby to come out faster because nanny was waiting outsidealready; telling mom that the moment was coming soon. But seriously, I didn’t know how long more. I just hoped it would end as soon as possible.
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Morning Part I

  The nurses moved us to the Delivery Room around 6:30am. I thought yumei is delivering soon. Not quite.
  Our gynae came around 7:30am, and was surprised that yumei’s down under is not fully opened yet, and the contractions were about 10mins apart. Sounded like she was having slight complications to me.
  Then the gynae carried on and said to the nurse that he was going to “arm” yumei or something. What followed next could be second most excruxiating moment for her.
  The gynae inserted something a white rod into yumei’s and she just cried out. The gynae systemetically ignored her cries and carried on his “arming”, which was twisting and turning and digging. Blood and stuff flowed out.
  Looked bad. And really painful. Because yumei held onto my hand so tight that it almost broke, and she just kept on crying out, and the tears flowed like running water. I would later know that he helped to break the “water.”
  He later hooked her up on a drip which would induce contractions.
  ..to be continued.

The Wee Hours

  Since eleven o’lock the previous night, our rest had been interrupted by intermitten contractions.
  Sometimes they came one after another, and sometimes far from each other. But they just kept coming.
  Yumei prefers to stand with legs akimbo and hands on the wall during these periods, the pain is better relieved that way, she said. While I massaged her lower back, easing the ache.
  There was once I even fell asleep while massaging, standing!!
  Almost six now, hopefully baby would see the light by eight, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
  Now, getting some winks.
  A+

Interlude

  Now yumei is resting in the labour ward, me sitting beside her.
  Our gynae came earlier and checked on her. According to him, baby should see us around 7 or 8am in the morning, if good, or 1 or 2pm. That’s like at least 7 more hours of contractions!! poor darling.
  The nurse recommended her to sleep if possible for the “battle” ahead.
  Me? Ensuring she stays comfortable during the contractions. Throughout the night. Good thing they have free flow of coffee for me.
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