Daen Get Gastroenteritis

Knocked out from too much vomiting.

Two weeks after Vera's stomach infection, Daen gets it too. It seems viruses that cause Gastroenteritis, or an infection of the intestines, such as the Rotavirus, can remain in stools for up to a month after they recover. Daen could have caught the bug.

Gastroenteritis is characterised by Fever (Vera yes, Daen no), persistent Vomiting (Daen yes, Vera no), and persistent Diarrhea (both). It seems different people get different permutations of symptoms. I am VERY glad Vera escaped the vomiting.

The difference in the outcome: Daen's lost 400g, but Vera, thanks to tube feeding and lack of exercise when sick, put on 400g instead!

Bye Bye Milk Teeth, Hello New Teeth

"No splints please, it's my past-time!"

Three of Vera's front milk teeth went shaky and came off. She is coming to 5. It is probably speeded up by her biting down on her index finger all day long.

"Where did my teeth go?"

Due to her small jaw, her teeth are crowded together and misaligned. I don't know how 3 big teeth are going to fit in that tiny space.

Losing teeth and having new ones break through the gums seem to be causing increased salivation for Vera. She chokes more often on her saliva. We hope this is a temporary issue.

Meanwhile, school's out. And we have Physiotherapy "homework" to do with Vera. Mummy better not get lazy or forget about that!

Daen Plays with Vera

"Now what's this guy gonna do to me now?"

"Not funny bro..."

Customised Feet

Getting a mold of her feet for the new customised AFOs. They will give more support to her feet while standing.

Mold created using plaster of paris. What an ingenious material.

Vera will be getting her first pair of customised AFOs. We will see in about a month's time how they look like on her and if they will improve her standing time.

Meanwhile, chubby is happy to sit around. She can sit by herself for up to 10 minutes now.

In The Blink of an Eye

In the blink of an eye, Christmas is upon us. 2012 goes down in our book as the year of drama, second only to the year Vera was born in 2008. As they say, life is cyclical, so 2012 was peak No. 2.

September will be the month to remember (or forget). When we learnt of Daen's Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) diagnosis, and Vera's Epilepsy diagnosis. Not to mention my dear 92-year-old granny having a mild stroke.

As we roll into November, Daen is on medication for his JIA, weekly jabs (MTX) at the hospital for an indefinite period of time, and Vera is on seizure medication (Epilim) for at least 2 years ie till 2014. She has stabilised on the medication and is not as sleepy as when she first started on it. But it has affected how perky she is overall. Less smiles, less motion, less energy. But we'll take it if it means No More Staring At the Ceiling And Jerky Hands and Stiff Legs.

Granny loves to spend time with Vera so the long weekend was a good opportunity to have her stay over. Like a child, she enjoys being brought out. So although it was quite an operation - my helper and I brought the 3 of them to IKEA: to create memories with old mama and chea chea Vera for Daen.

Tree decorated with toys at IKEA. The sign says "Cute, cuddly and doing a great job." Which sums up my two babies. 

Tree

This picture on the internet spoke right to me.

This tree is who I am.

This tree perched on a rough, barren, mountainous outcrop. Steady at the base, but weathered and bent in odd angles at the top. Yet, signs of life burst forth, the tiny leaves show. In the waning light, you wonder if the gaping hole betrays an emptiness inside. And that little bird? That's Vera, the little 燕子 or "yen" zi (sparrow) that will grow wings and take flight some day.