School Vacation 2010 - Month of July

Family dinner in Japengo Celebrating last day of school. Congratulations Vivian for job well done in year 2!


Party! Party!
First week of vacation Vivian attended a swimming birthday party of her classmate at their house.


2nd week of vacation , playtime with Amira at our house.


Started her Year 2 scrapbook


Cleaning up her closet.


Looking forward for August - 2nd month of vacation!

LV: 2nd month

On her 2nd month Vivian was baptized (top picture: V wearing her baptismal dress) in Philippines. Their birth weight doubled at this time. Leon (bottom picture) can make baby sounds - coos and goos, lift his head and closing and opening his hands while looking at them just as I remember with Vivian

BSM YR2 Famous People Day

June 22nd was Famous People Day in school for year 2. In preparation, the school sent a letter weeks before the event. As part of the home school initiative, parents were encouraged to help their children and children should take the lead in doing this project.
Vivian immediately told me that she wanted to be Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Lamp. We worked on her presentation based on research thru internet and put together a costume from her closet. It was an educational bonding time with my daughter and it came up just the way she planned it with a bit of help from mum.

Here is Vivian's presentation she wrote on her own.

LV: 1st month

V (left) weighed about 10lbs and got her ears pierced. Leon (right) is now 12.5 lbs. Their umbilical stumps fell off around this time. During the first month of L, all the memories of the 'difficulties' we had during V's time came flooding back. The coos and smiles of L made up for all of it though and we remember how much we enjoyed V during this time too.

Leon's first month

YR2 French Assembly

Bonjour!

June 13 at about 740am we watched year 2's French Assembly in the main hall. This school year, it was decided to start teaching French to this batch of year 2 students once a week as before to year 3. The show lasted an hour as the children showed how much they enjoyed learning French.

Our babies, Our LV

I was thinking of posting updates on Leon's milestones and firsts. I started browsing his new born pictures and it brought back memories of Vivian's baby pictures. Scanning through all of them I was caught up putting their baby pictures together and came up with an idea to blog them both growing up from birth until she (V) became a toddler, as he (L)becomes one at the same time!

One day old


One week old


Our babies when they were newborn. V in white (left) was born in Philippines at two in the afternoon, she was about 5.7lbs and L in blue (right) was born in Oman at almost two in the morning and weighs 7.3lbs. Welcome to the world LV!

and then, we were four.

May 19th 1:52am 39 weeks & 4 days, 3310 grams, 52 cms.
Leon Gregory

Welcome our latest addition to the gang. Our bundle of joy. Our baby boy. Bumping our count to four. A year of ups and downs, anxieties and doubts. It was well worth the journey because of our precious gift.

Last 18th, wife calls me around 9am at the office and tells me we need to come in and see her OB (some minor bleeding again). I pick her up and we go to the Muscat Private Hospital. After half an hour on the doppler, OB tells us everything's ok, nothing really to worry about and she's not in labor BUT... wifey will be admitted and labor will be induced. So I run home, get the gear and swing back in time for admission. Labor is induced half past noon. Along with our dear Vivian, we patiently wait on mom. I picked her up from BSM and tell her what's happening - she cries all the way to the hospital.

No epidural and no twilight, Thess endures more than 13 hrs of labor and kept strong entire time. As soon as Leon was placed on top of Thess chest, all the strain and pain went away (she said). Feeling was indescribable. Unbelievably blessed. Extremely happy both mom and baby are perfectly fine.

I'd like to think our angel in heaven had a hand in things as well...thanks for looking out for Leon.

Independence

Sometime start of the school year '09, as we take the usual drive to school in the morning, the little girl says to me , 'daddy can you just drop me off at the drop off lane?'. I say no, I have to take you inside and make sure your ok, your still too young but eventually, I'll let you, don't worry.

Fast forward to term 3, about two weeks in, we were running late that morning and parking was full already. I figured it was time. So, I tell her I'll drop her off at the lane and that she should take care going in. Her eyes pop up with glee; gets herself and her things ready; comes down from the car; gives me a kiss and walks off to the gate all on her own. Watching her walk off, I feel a tear inside my chest. As I drive past the gate she came in, I see her stop mid-stride, half-turn and give me flying kiss and a wave. oh my-not-so-little girl...

Dubai Conference

Had a short networking conference in Dubai, The Palace Old Town, a stone's throw away from Dubai Mall. The mag-ina came along to do some final baby shopping. Since the little girl was coming from a school break and still resting from the surgery, we were able to manage the schedule. Gorging on buffets and pining for good restaurants was also a major factor.

We were able to meet up (finally!) with an old friend from Manila. Jen had been in Dubai for some time now but only hooked up this visit. It was a great evening - see you again hopefully soon J!

of adenoids and tonsils

December of last year, after a quick bout with a throat infection, we were advised by the little girl's pedia at Wellcare to consult an ENT of theirs regarding her nasal and throat airways. The ENT gave the little girl a peep through the nose (which was uncomfortable enough to make her cry) and throat. The verdict was her adenoids and tonsils were enlarged (apparently common for kids her age) and that they both had to be removed. Generally, we had noticed she had trouble breathing particularly during the evening sleep. The procedure would clear her airways and give her a better way of life.

Surgical removal was done with general anesthesia, with a procedure time of about 30m-1hr and recovery time was about two to three weeks. At that time, we decided to not rush into it... it was general anesthesia after all. We spent time researching and understanding the whole thing and how to be prepared for the procedure particularly the recovery period. We also took her for a second opinion - same message.

We took advantage of the long term break after term 2. So, thursday morning of April 1 - day after the last of the term, she was admitted into Muscat Private. They were prelim checkups and meetings in the days leading up to that day but all went well and she was cleared for the procedure. She went into the theater with her mom (just until she fell asleep). I saw the ENT surgeon after about an hour and he said everything went very well and she was recovering nicely. He brought me to her and showed me - she was sleeping and breathing through her nose quite calmly, as opposed to her usual thru the mouth - that there was a the big difference. She woke up in the post-op room with me beside her, still quite groggy from the anesthesia and pain killers. Came back to room after a short while and from time to time she would wake, visibly irritated by the feeling of her throat but otherwise doing ok.

She was cleared and we were home in the evening that very same day. She's on a strict soft diet... and for anyone who knows our little girl, that's no small thing. Even though it was a very very difficult time for her, she was a definite trooper. We prepared her on what to expect after the surgery, so she knew and I guess that helped because she kept herself in good spirits and was very obedient (more so than usual). It was hard on us seeing her like that - struggling because she really (really really) wanted to eat and she was sooo hungry and in pain. A single gulp of water that went down the wrong would make her cry in pain.

Things got better after the first week and she wanted to be more adventurous with her food but kept things slow going even though her doctor cleared her already. All in all the whole experience for her went very well. What she had suffered through for a few weeks was well worth it. A better way of life.