The Son was ill, He loves biting Daddy

They are not related, but SunshineKitten was ill on Thursday and Friday, and he also gets high from chewing on Daddy's finger.

The little boy had been coughing on and off for a few days and could not sleep on Thursday night. Daddy and Mummy (mostly Mummy) had to carry him in their arms before he was comfortable enough to doze off. He kept crying all the time because he was not able to breathe properly through his blocked nose. We took leave on Friday morning with the intention of bringing him to the paediatrician, but he appeared to have more or less recovered. What symptoms are there for the doc to see? Then he threw up a lot of phlegm just before I was about to go off to work. A frightening amount of phlegm. What's a little infant like him doing with so much phlegm in his tiny body?! We went to work anyway, trusting that he is able to breathe much better now.

Colleagues advised to bring him to the PD anyway, citing how infants his age develop bronchitis and asthma very easily. We rushed to a famed PD at Ang Mo Kio after work that night. The taxi driver shared the scares he's had with his son years ago. It seems that parents are destined to suffer for the sake of their offspring. From the way people tell us, we have the impression that it is an immutable law of nature. We spent over $120 to be told that he would recover by himself. We were given some medicine, which we had not yet opened because he really looked tonnes better, kicking and chewing vigorously, as he always does. On the other hand, if we had tried to save the money and it happened that he developed some illness that is more serious, we would feel terribly guity.

The other news is that he is now able to recognise his favourite people and is starting to wail when carried by unfamiliar people. His poor second aunt (who has lavished him with toys) was heart-broken when he was frightened by her. His happy daddy discovered that the little boy is delighted to have something to chew on, even if it is a finger attached to the hand of his daddy. The vigourous chewing meant that he is teething, and it is possible to feel them under the gums when you get your finger chewed on. Poor mummy, when the boy is unwilling to suckle. He is quite capable of chewing on her nipple when he is not in the mood to suck... Oh and he gave his daddy a very wet and sloppy kiss, or was that just drooling all over another surface? He was smiling so happily when he did that, but give him something to chew and drool over, and you will find him smiling.

This little boy has turned out to be the laughter in the lives of the extended family. We laugh with him when he is happy, and we lose sleep with him when he is ill.