10 weeks

From noob to semi-pro in 10 weeks. I am in the process of teaching practice. 1 week down, 9 to go.

I remind myself that I need to be fully committed and passionate to get the best out of the experience. I am fortunate to have great resources and people to learn from, the rest is what I make of it!

First sleep-talk (like daddy like son)

Just heard Dominic utter his first sleep-talk. He said something like "so loud, it's so loud". Then he said "must change... must change..." I peeped in and found him lying in bed with eyes open, but he wasn't fully awake. Cuddled him a little then he rolled over and slept. Daddy has a habit of half-waking and talking nonsensical stuff or asking nonsensical questions, and I guess D inherited this quirk. Another sign that my boy is growing up, he's no longer a baby, soon he'll no longer need me as much anymore. All the more to cuddle him now!

Dom's first virus from school

Unfortunately, Dominic is down with flu. He's had it since last Thursday, it's been five days already. He's getting better but recovery is slower than what I'm used to... I suspect it's a virus he caught from a classmate in school. We expected such thing happening when he starts school but it's still difficult for everyone when it happens. It's some kind of kiddy super flu bug - almost the whole family at in-laws at here at home are infected! My nose is totally blocked and I have micro-teaching tomorrow! Hope Dom gets better soon and he doesn't develop a cough instead! :(

My son goes to school!!

Dominic is finally, officially, going to school! He is a school-going tot!

We registered last Friday 7 January at a kindergarten near home. First day was officially this Monday 10 January. Today is day 4 of school. What an adventure it has been!

Day 1

Mommy accompanied D all the way today. He was super excited about taking the school bus, couldn't wait for the bus to arrive at grandma's void deck. When he saw the bus approach he gave a loud yell! Wow so drama and funny. He enjoyed the bus ride.

Stepped into school. Had berakfast, then class. D didn't participate fully in the activities, but joined in in his own way, a little apart, a little together. We're happy enough with that. Seemed to enjoy himself, no fuss at all.

He allowed the teacher to change his diaper. Mummy bluffed him that we could go home after changing diaper. Big mistake! He refused to re-enter class and cried! FInally managed to settle down by reading with me. Then in a blink it was home time and we took the bus home. And that concludes the first day! Quite successful I think.

Nicholas and the others.


Day 2

Grandma says to let D go by himself today and let the teachers handle it. So Mommy accompanied D on the bus to school. Then while he was taking his temperature, I sneaked off! I heard D say "Where's Mommy?" But the teachers were really attentive, carried him in and paid attention to him.

Mommy became the crazy lurker outside school, in the RAIN! Lingered on outside school walls and peeped through the hole, eyes open ears open to catch if he was fussing. No noise at all! I was so impressed! Then I sneaked in and tried peeping at him. He did great! Caught him washing his hands, then in class joining in the activities. I was so impressed! Finally went home.

The next step for Dominic

This morning husband and I went to the kindy to check out the place. Decided it was OK and enrolled D. He will be attending Pre-Nursery starting Monday! Our boy has grown up!

We brought D along to get a feel of the place this morning. He was in time to watch the kids have breakfast. One extremely cute and sociable little boy named N came up to talk to us. Then D gave me a hug, and N promptly joined in for a group hug! D was stunned and pushed N away. N was so good natured he didn't even take offence, just smiled. N looks to be potentially quite a live-wire - if D overcomes his shyness I think they'll be great partners-in-crime!

My main concern for pre-school is that D will not enjoy it. When I pop in to peek at the lessons being conducted in the various classrooms, it seems the children are all sitting and listening to teacher. How will D stay still?? Even during Pre-N breakfast, the children were quite well behaved and did not require any restraint from the teachers. I expect D will be the super-active and rebellious one of the group. I hope that the programme is not too structured, else D will not enjoy it, leading to behaviourial problems and then we will have to reconsider school!

I'm trying to keep an optimistic mindset about this. Ironically I have to miss two days of my school to attend D's school. But his needs override mine of course.

I don't think D really knows what's going on haha. Let's hope this works out well and D grows to be more independent and learns to love school!

Musings

D and I share the same love of lazing in bed. We enjoy lying in bed after waking up, just rolling around, and he'd hug me, give me kisses and nuzzles, and talk to me.

Sometimes we'd just look into each other's eyes. And I wonder what sort of person would he grow up to be?

Rebirth

Mummy has been in a new job, new school(s) and new vocation since March this year. It has been an exciting, gruelling, crazy time! New faces, new friends, new skills and new challenges.

Right now I'm almost half-way through school. Assignments and deadlines are plenty, I'm still surviving. I try not to panic, and I try to pace myself. It's a long journey ahead, no point burning out now.

I'm enjoying Dominic so much now. He's a handful but such a cutie! The house is full of his singing and chatting. He can really sing and dance now. He'd sing his favourite songs, his nursery rhymes. He'd dance along to the DVDs or the rhymes. Not pitch perfect but perfect to mummy's ears :) He's an amazingly fast learner. He loves buses, trains, vehicles, books and puzzles. He can reason and use logic, so we're dealing with a little boy now, no longer a baby. He's so funny! He does something funny and new everyday. The other evening he watched a VCD and saw a seal moving/flopping across the beach. Then he got down on his tummy and wiggled about, and bopped his head! Hilarious!

Dominic throws a tantrum because of a clash of wills, or when he wants something he can't get. So we really need a new bag of tricks to distract or reason with him. He currently attends a Saturday music class which he really enjoys.

The next step is school. Wonder how that'll go?

My favourite time with Dominic is when we cuddle, or just spend time lying in bed, chatting about the day, or about things like music class. He likes to sit in my lap to read, laze, chat, or sprawl across my lap to play his buses on the floor. I'm his cushioned chair! I also love it when he hugs me and nuzzles my face and neck. Lately he has taken to kissing me on my lips! What a darling boy!

Our first stress-free meal!

This Sunday morning, husband, Dom and I went to Centerpoint to get him some puzzles. We first went to Macdonald's for breakfast. It was a milestone because we had our first stress-free meal! We sat at a table, Dom sat next to me on the bench-seat, and we could eat comfortably while Dom ate hashbrowns. He finished 1.5 pieces of it! And stole some lemon tea from husband. What a lovely breakfast. No fuss, no tantrums.

Then we went to the supermarket for a quick stop. And finally bought some puzzles from the Robinsons sale at the atrium.

We were most impressed that we could have a proper meal with Dominic! It helped that it was a familiar brand although place is new, familiar food (hashbrown), and I think he preferred sitting with us on the same seats. It was more cmofortable and relaxing, compared to being restricted in a baby chair. I hope we'll have more of these family meals!

Lessons from teambonding

This morning I attended a teambonding session for work. It was enjoyable. Some reflections:

I am ashamed to say I don't have much faith in people and tend to give up on them too quickly. This is something I really want to change. This hit me when my teammate was trying to teach another two how to play their part of a relay game. When I suggested a change of people because I was worried they couldn't do it, the guy gestured to wait. And he patiently taught them how to do it by coming up with a count-and-throw technique. Finally they got it and were great at it! Instead of writing people off, I should try to figure out how to teach them to get things right first, give people a chance and benefit of doubt, and be more patient with them!

Our fearless leader was another guy I was inspired by. He was really upbeat and enthusiastic, which kept morale up. He was also bold, and steadily and readily led us, throwing himself into the role. I really appreciated his effort and all the shouting, and he did really well. At the end of the day I think he was well-liked and everyone supported him. I think it shows that if you put yourself out there and threw yourself whole-heartedly into a role, leadership or not, people recognize the effort and respond accordingly. So, one creates the type of reception by the people around him. It doesn't just happen without a reason.

All in all, it was a rewarding session and I have much to learn and relearn.

The End of a phase

Today marks the last day of my contract teaching. I am just about to start my student life!

It was an interesting, memorable two terms and I have learnt and seen a lot. There is definitely much more to learn!