We started the Year of the Goat with red. Red spots on Meimei’s hand!! I was washing her hands after breakfast and suddenly saw the spots! AHHHHHHHH…!
Since most clinics were not open on this public holiday, we headed to Changi General Hospital A&E… and of course, the doctor just confirmed it’s the dreaded HFMD.. boo hoo. We were not sure whether to let the two brothers continue with the CNY visit to their grandparents, but after checking that the younger cousins would not be there, Daddy brought them over while I stayed home with Meimei. We decided to send the boys over every morning in order to segregate them from Meimei as much as possible.
Seemed like a great arrangement.. Then Didi came home the next day with spots too! So, for the next three days, both Didi and Meimei remained home with me while Kor Kor continued to go over to the grandparents’.
So where’s the silver lining?? The first day after Meimei and I came home from A&E, I put her to bed, and realised I was sooooo tired. Yes, I was sick too. Not HFMD cos I did not have any spots/ulcers, no fever either, just fatigue and a cough which had lasted a couple of weeks. Home with only one child, this time I did something which I failed to do before Didi and Meimei were born – I slept when the baby slept. It’s the same house, and I am a SAHM just like I was when I only had Kor Kor – but now, I have learnt to give myself a break, let it go (housework, whatever), truly relax when I can. Really can’t remember what on earth I was so busy with when I was a mother of one!
The first silver lining is that I got a good rest over the two days when it was just Meimei and me. Truth is, I cut many corners those two days 😛 Since I knew she would not eat a proper balanced meal anyway (not even when she is feeling 100% healthy!), why bother to cook a full meal?? So I just cooked her an omelette since eggs are her favorite food, and she always finished the entire portion. Me? I was happy with bread and instant noodles since it meant I didn’t have to cook.
For the three days that Didi joined us, it was a bit more challenging since he and Meimei would get into disputes and I had to cook proper meals for him. But still, when the two siblings were not fighting &/or crying, they had so much fun playing together. I think Meimei was quite bored after two days of just me haha.
At first I thought I would not miss Kor Kor. In general, I feel very assured when I go out without the kids as long as Daddy is with them. But by Day 4, I really missed Kor Kor quite a bit! So after Day 5, we decided to keep him at home. Not just because I missed him la, but because we saw that the younger two’s symptoms were quite mild (they were hyperactive monkeys like usual), and I read that children above five years old were not as prone to HFMD. We did not really segregate the kids at home – only reminded Kor Kor not to kiss or hug the younger two and not to eat their food, and let the boys sleep in separate rooms.
The third silver lining as all three kids were at home? Since we could not go out anyway, not even to the neighbourhood playground, we had so much free time at home! No need to rush the kids off for their nap, or rush them off anywhere. I also managed to get in a lot of reading to the kids. The kids could play to their hearts’ content! (Kor Kor is going through a Lego craze.)
I am really glad that Kor Kor managed to subdue the HFMD monster and that the younger two did not suffer too much. The time we had at home was a good breather for us all. Next up, time to make up for all the lost outdoors hours!! And I really can’t wait to celebrate CNY 2016!!
Stay At Home Mum of Three 