My Girls' Trip to Bangkok with One Child - Part 3

As you've read from Part 1 and Part 2, you could see that Emmett and I endured flight delays. Twice!

2 hours delayed when we depart to Bangkok and blardy 6 hours delayed when returning to Kuala Lumpur FOL. We're supposed to reach Bangkok around 8pm local time and I wanted to walk around exploring the place we stay for some much craved local food but unfortunately we only manage to touch down around 11pm local time. I didn't even get to take my in-flight meal cause Emmett was exhausted and still not feeling well then, so he was crying almost 60% of the time sigh. And can you imagine being stranded at the airport for 6 blardy hours!? Some more Don Muang airport is nothing like KLIA or KLIA 2. There's no restaurant or cafe to sit around and wait, no live entertainment, no Family Mart, nothing! This flight delay made me appreciate our airports a lot more now.

To be fair, the flight delays were due to the bad weather in KL as it was raining heavily. While I appreciate that they're doing it due to safety precautions but honestly, all those time spent on waiting could be put into doing something more productive, like eating good and cheap Thailand street food wtf.

Food is another issue for Emmett. If you've been to Bangkok, or any part of Thailand, you'd know that most of the food there are just not suitable for kids. They're either spicy, sourish or too sweet. Besides that, Bangkok is just basically not baby/ toddler friendly.

Joanne and Peggy with a chairless Emmett taking a wefie at a roadside stall while I erm went to buy more food lol.

I understand if there's no baby chair at food stalls on the street. But not even in a well-known shopping plaza's food court? There was also a restaurant that we visited that provides high chair, literally. That high chair, though, has no food tray and the openings on the sides are wide enough for a toddler to slip through and fall.

This is the said high chair. I had to hold on to him with one hand while eating with another. Motherhood is the mother in training to be a multitasking master wtf.

The glamorous reality of motherhood wtf.

So how did Emmett and I survive it all?

Baby-wearing & Breastfeeding.

I know I've said this too many times but baby-wearing and breastfeeding are life-savers for mothers (and babies).

By baby-wearing Emmett, I got to do a looooot of things.

I can start our day early even though the little one was still sleepy. 

走错路 under the hot sun wtf.

I can commute around in LRT (oh and climb up flights of stairs to reach the station).

Have our checklist checked without compromising his nap time.

Shop till we drop, literally. 

Selfie happily before knowing that we would be stranded at the airport for 6 farking hours.

And as for his food, well, he's either eating something non-spicy and non-sourish, sanwiches from 7evelen or got his tummy filled by visiting the breastaurant.

Said breastaurant a.k.a. walking-food-vending-machine lol.

With 2 kids now, I really cannot stress enough how baby-wearing and breastfeeding have helped me to survive it all while raising them. I mean, I know I can still enjoy my time in Bangkok even if I bring a stroller or bottle feeding Emmett. It's just that I know that it will take extra effort to get things done and be on the move.

That's the end of my posts for this remarkable Bangkok trip. Thanks again, Peggy and Joanne, for allowing me to tag along. And most importantly, thank you hubby, for agreeing to take care of Charlotte and allowing me to make this trip happened.

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My Girls' Trip to Bangkok with One Child - Part 2 (FOOD!)

Read Part 1 HERE.

This trip to Bangkok consists of 3 girls (and an infant lol) flying in from 3 different airports at 3 different time.

I flew in first. Peggy was the next to reach (she arrived around mid night) and then Joanne flew in from Singapore the next day. I think this sounds amazing enough haha.

But we all have two purposes in common - to eat and to shop. 

There's no itinerary specifically planned out for this trip but Imma share what are some of the food that I'm glad we had.

1. Nhong Rim Klong (ร้าน หน่องริมคลอง)

Nhong Rim Klong - Thai Food By A Canal

Nhong Rim Klong (ร้าน หน่องริมคลอง) is located about 50 meters from the corner of Ekkamai and Soi 21, almost all the way to Petchaburi, rather than Sukhumvit.

The street food stall sits literally over the top of the canal — the kitchen is perched on the bridge, and the tables of seating run down the left side of the street food stall.

We had pad kee mao crab, tom yum seafood, salted fish fried rice and crab omelet. 

pad kee mao crab

tom yum seafood

salted fish fried rice

crab omelet

As an egg lover, needless to say, my favourite of all is the crab omelet. It is an absolute must-have when you are here. Generous chunks of crab meat were hidden in this thick, fluffy omelette that was fried to a nice golden-brown on the outside, and yet was still moist and spongy inside.

This picture doesn't do any justice but still, look at that gorgeous!

We're glad to be there early before the crowd builds up. When we left, there was already a queue by the roadside under the hot sun. You've been warned.

Address: Ekkamai Soi 21, Khlong Tan Nuea, Kate Wathana, Bangkok, Thailand

Phone: +66 86 044 9478

Opening Hours: Mondays to Saturdays: 8.30am to 4pm, closed on Sundays.

2. After You Dessert Cafe

This. Is something you should never ever missed if you have a sweet tooth like me.

We saved this for the last day but Joanne was not feeling well so she went back to our Airbnb after we had our breakfast together. So it was just me and Peggy and I die die must eat before leaving Bangkok cauase... HELLO!? Must understand what all the hype is about kan!?

Anyway, as I said, since we just had our breakfast, not knowing if we can really finish everything so we ordered their signature honey toast and Hojicha kakigori in baby size. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much and I thought it would be something similar to our own KAKIGŌRI.

But I was so wrong. It is nothing similar to it. This is way way waaaaaaayyyy better than I expected.

Camera eats first. Always.

The toast was buttery, soft and aromatic. And the hojicha kakigori was soooooo fine and smooth it melts in your mouth! I don't really enjoy shaved ice that has that crunch so this is totally my kind of kakigori. I wished I'd ordered the regular size cause I could totally finish it up. I would even order the Thai Tea kakigori if time (and my stomach) would allow.

The cream on top of the kakigori looks so cute!

There are a lot of branches around Bangkok. You can click HERE to find out more. You're welcome.


3. Inter Restaurant

A friend of ours who's currently working there brought us to this place where it was previously full of local diners only. But now as they're getting more famous, it's now one of the check-in places for tourist. And we're one of them hahahaha.

Green Curry & Tom Yum Kung

Deep fried chicken wings

Deep fried chicken skin

Pad Thai

I had my green curry craving fixed here. My second favorite dish would be the deep fried chicken skin. It's sinfully tasty. 

Find out more HERE.

4. Som Tam Nua

It was our (official) first meal in Bangkok. We went there after she had 还愿 and walked many 冤枉路. So whatever was put on the table was irresistible.

Fried chicken wings, mango salad and Tomsep Kadook On Moo soup

Ordered the rice for Emmett but....

Emmett tertidur

Some more I was seated in a chair without back support yum gong!

He woke up after we're almost done with our food so ok la I got to put down my burden him in a high chair and felt less guilty cause I got to stuff some food in his little tummy hahahaha.

Address: 392/14 Soi Siam Square 5, Rama 1 Road, Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 22 51 4880

5. Peggy and Joanne went to Jeh O Chula for this ↓

Picture taken from the internet

I was not there cause I have mom duty I didn't want to jeopardize Emmett's bed time as he was just recovering from flu and cough. They went there around 10pm and if I'm not mistaken, they queued for about 1.5 hours (you've been warned again!). They said that they would do it again so I guess that tells how good the food is. Ok la to be fair, they did da bao 香肠肉干 for me and it was nice after reheating it in the microwave the next morning so I considered this checked lol.

Address: 113/1 Thanon Charat Mueang, Rong Mueang, ( opposite to Chula soi 16) Bangkok

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We also went to Peace 和 oriental teahouse and Cafe Bora Thailand. But they can't beat After You so I'm not gonna mention much about them. Click on the links to find out more if you're really interested. Of course, we had street food like Pla Pao (Roasted fish), mango sticky rice, pork sausage and etc. I don't think I need to specifically introduce. Just find one on the street that you 对眼缘 will do ;)

Pla Pau out side of Platinum Mall

That's all! It's 2.30am as I'm typing this and my stomach is drumming.
I don't understand why I'm doing this to myself.

Part 3 will be How I survived it all with a kid! 

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My Girls' Trip to Bangkok with One Child - Part 1

I have to be honest, I've been longing for the day to be free from breastfeeding and go on a vacation without the kids. I mean, I've been breastfeeding for 42 months and counting. I know there are people who've been breastfed for 10 years cause erm they have 4 kids (or more!) but I'm pretty sure I'm good with just 2. For good.

To be fair, I breastfed Charlotte for almost 3 years, and I don't think Emmett is ready to wean off yet. So since breastfeeding is not ending anytime soon, I don't mind going on a vacation and still breastfeeding lol wth am I talking about.

Anyway, it was in March this year when I went to Redang for Peggy's surprise proposal, a mutual friend, Joanne, told me about their trip to Bangkok in November. I buay paiseh-ly asked if I could tag along. I'm pretty sure my face looked like this.

Of course they said yes hahaha.

Initially I wanted to bring both kids along cause mom guilt wtf. To cut the long story short, in the end it was just me and Emmett against all the farking delayed flights. 

We ALMOST couldn't make it for the trip because Emmett's flu was back and he has a difficult time breathing and sleeping the night before. I rush him to the doctor first thing in the morning and boy I was furious. Trust me when I say that I was in so much anger thinking that we might not be able to make it cause I SO need my time away to re-charge.Thankfully after a round of neb, he was breathing much better. Doctor also gave us the green light to go and reminded me to pack all the medication just in case. 

Emmett and I while waiting at the airport.

And so we made it! The flight delayed for 2 hours plus due to the bad weather and Emmett just just kept crying and whining and vomiting 70% of the time because he was still not feeling well but WE SURVIVED! We reached Don Meung airport around 11pm (supposedly 8pm local time). 

After we reached our Airbnb, I quickly got both of us wash down and ready for bed. Emmett slept through the night and I got to rest well, too.

Stay tuned for Part 2. 

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Emmett Has Bronchiolitis

As some of you have known, Emmett was admitted to hospital on Tuesday night because he has bronchiolitis.

I'm not sure when it all started but I'll give you an honest account of what happened here.

He's been having runny nose and cough with phlegm for quite some time already. I thought it's common as his sister, Charlotte, who's a school-goer, could sometimes be heard coughing with phlegm. She loves her brother and would sometimes play with him and kiss him on the cheeks. I've been trying my very best to tell her not to kiss Emmett on the lips since day 1 and so far she's been obedient. So Emmett's flu and coughing was not bothering at all as he's been cheerful all the while.

It started to be a lil unusual last Saturday mid night. It usually takes me around 5 to 10 minutes to put him back to sleep when he's up for mid night feed. But that Friday night, he woke up crying and screaming. I couldn't pacify him by breastfeeding him or shushing. It took me around 50 minutes to make him go back to sleep. I felt he had a lil temperature but I dust it off and went back to sleep cause I had to wake up at 4am to catch a plane. I brought him with me.

He was awake most of the time when I thought he would be catching up on his sleep in the carrier. When we arrived at our destination, his runny nose and coughing became more severe. Soon in the afternoon, his temperature was higher. I kept trying to breastfeed him but to avail. Even if I successfully had him latch on, it was only a good 5 minutes or lesser. My boobs were sore and hard, and that's how I know he's not drinking well.

Took him to see a doctor in the evening and true enough, he was having a fever and his temperature was 38°C. Gave him some paracetamol to bring his temperature down and he slept almost throughout the night. He did woke up a few times crying in discomfort yet refused to be nursed.

We went back on Sunday in the evening. The next day, I took the day off to bring him to the paediatrician. He was still having high fever. Doctor suggested him to be on the nebulizer twice, 4 hourly. He felt better but the fever still comes and goes. So the doctor told me to take another day off to bring him back for another round of treatment the next day.

And I did. We came back the next day and he was on the nebulizer twice again. He did felt better but his symptoms were still there -  shortness of breath, fever, cough with phlegm, flu and lethargic.

Pic: He was lethargic and sleeping most of the time since we came back from our trip.

The doctor ran a blood test and nose swap. The result showed that he has respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, also known as human pneumovirus). In other words, he has bronchiolitis.

So doctor suggested to get him admitted immediately so that he can be on the nebulizer 4 hourly and get a physio therapist to perform percussion to help clear the phlegm.

Reluctant but I know it's for his own good. And for the first time ever, I am so so so SO glad to have bought him a medical card.

We got ourselves admitted at 10.30pm cause there was no available ward earlier. It's a single bedded ward as the doctor said he needs to be away from other patients as his condition is not so good.

Right after we've settled down, the nurse came to give him some paracetamol for his fever. And then there was the 4 hourly neb throughout the night and day.

The physio therapist performs percussion on him once a day. Basically, he wraps Emmett up in a burrito, then uses his 3 fingers to tap on his chest and back. Emmett needs to fast for at least 2 hours before every physio session.

It's our second day in the hospital and Emmett is responding very well to  the treatment. And it's obvious cause he's now more awake and energetic, almost back to his own self. I say almost because Charlotte is not around so he's not squeaking like usual lol. The doctor advised to stay one more day as there's still shortness of breath. It's better to have him carefully taken care of  so as to not have secondary infection. Ok lo, you say like that, ok lo lol.

One more night and we'll be out of the hospital tomorrow. Get well soon ok cheeky boy!

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I gathered some FAQ about Bronchiolitis as follow:

What causes bronchitis in babies?
RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis. RSV usually strikes children by the age of 2, but is most common in babies less than 1 year of age. This contagious and dangerous viral infection produces inflammation, mucus, and swelling in the airways.

Can you catch bronchitis from someone?
It's usually not contagious, so you typically can't get it from another person or pass it onto someone else. People with this condition often have a phlegmy cough, but even if you are in close contact with them when they are coughing, if the illness is not caused by infection, you won't catch it.

Signs and symptoms of RSV bronchiolitis.
For children with bronchiolitis, after developing a runny nose and cough, over the next few days, the cough will worsen and may become tight sounding and your child may develop other RSV symptoms, including fever, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.

(ps/ From this table, Emmett was already in a severe condition when we came back from our trip.)

What is the bronchiolitis treatment in babies?
There is no cure for bronchiolitis, so treatment is aimed at the symptoms (eg, difficulty breathing, fever). Treatment at home usually includes making sure the child drinks enough and saline nose drops (with bulb suctioning for infants).To avoid the infection spreading to other children, take your child out of nursery or day care and keep them at home until their symptoms have improved.

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Priorities

I have a strong urge to pen this down so here it goes.

I have the privilege of taking up a part-time job in a company that has my best interest at heart. So even though I am a part-timer, they also signed me up and included me in a coaching program they are having for everyone in the company. Which I am deeply grateful for.

I had a second session with the coach just a few days ago and the main subject that we talked about were my career goal and how to achieve it.

Throughout the session, it was clear to me that I have the passion and the desire to move to another level or at least try to do something that is out of my comfort zone.

What's stopping you? She asked.
What's your obstacle now?

I paused, and thought really hard about it.

I'm afraid that the new job might not allow me to finish work early so that I can pick up Charlotte when she finishes school at 4pm.
I'm afraid that I cannot find another loving and reliable nanny for Emmett.
I'm afraid that the new job might take up a lot of my time that I will not get to spend enough time with them.
I'm afraid of missing out every little milestone they achieve.

So, your kids are holding you back? She asked again.

I thought about it again and I said, they are not holding me back.
They are my motivation to thrive harder.
They are not my obstacles.
They are my priorities.

As the words came out of my mouth, it's like an epiphany to me as well.

I am slowing myself down and holding myself back because I now have different priorities- my kids!
Traveling can wait.
Career can wait.
But time with them are so limited as they're only young for such a short while.
Watching them grow and hitting every little milestone give me a sense of joy no words can ever explain. And they need me now, more than ever. If I can't be there for them now, then when?

Soon, they won't run over to plant big kisses on my lips.
They won't spend time having dinner with me.
They won't be calling "Mummy, mummy!" tirelessly.
Soon, they won't be mine, but someone's else's husband or wife.
And then, I won't be their priority anymore.

Let me tell you a little story that has me feeling guilty since it happened.

Charlotte has a habit of sleep-talking.
Few days ago, she hit me in the middle of the night. She hit me 4 times. And every time as she hit, she was crying out "No carry Emmett!". 4 times.

I turned to hug her tight. And she went back to sleep. The room was dark. But as I brush her cheeks, it felt wet. So was mine.

I am doing my very best to be there for both of them and to battle this mom-guilt constantly. But somehow I'm always at the losing end.

Realizing that now my priorities are them gives me a new perspective in life. That sometimes, some things can wait.

Cooking can wait.
House-cleaning can wait.
Laundry can wait.
Washing the dishes can wait.
Scrolling on social medias can wait.

A crying baby and a toddler that stands patiently outside of the kitchen waiting for a hug?
Don't wait. Attend to them first.

I love you both. Very very much.

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