Conversations with my sons

At the shopping mall car park 

Me: Bryant, do you want to sit in the stroller or walk?
Bryant : mummy carry


On the way home from school

Joshua : Mummy, did ah ma (paternal grandma) go to the hospital to give birth to a baby?
Me : yes she did
Joshua : where is her baby now? She doesn’t want it? She gave it to people?
Me : Josh, her baby is all grown up now
Joshua : so where is the baby?
Me : Josh ar...... Didn't mummy teach you that daddy 's mummy is your ah ma? Ah ma is the mother and your daddy dearest is the son. Her baby is your daddy!
Joshua : (thinks for a while).....    Hmnn, so I am right. She doesn't want her baby.
Me: huh?
Joshua : she doesn't want her baby!! She gave her baby to us, mummy.

B self feeding.

Bryant likes to feed himself. At times he would get angry if I don't give him the spoon to feed himself. I prefer him eating finger food by himself but not wet messy food like porridge or cereal. However, I just close one eye and give in to him as I know it is good for him to develop his motor skills.

He also prefers our food, thanks to his beloved brother who introduced him to tasty food, as compared to his bland toddler food. In the picture above, he was eating my lunch, my bolognese beef wrap and he really liked it a lot.

He can get really cheeky during mealtimes. After he has spilled water on the table (many times on purpose), he would say 'wet' and gesture for the cloth or tissue to wipe his mess.

When he is not creating a mess, he would request for books by pointing to the bookcase and saying 'book'. His favourites are the Nursery Rhymes and Noah 's Ark. He can play Pat-a-cake round after round. And he can correctly tell us the sound that these 3 animals make, the duck, the sheep and the cow. I am so proud of his love for books and pray that this will continue.

PE open lesson

Today was PE open lesson in Joshua's school. Parents were invited to stand in during the class. 

First, they played a warm up game known as Stuck Mud. It looked really fun. It was something like tag actually, but with some more exciting features. 

Here is J running during the game. 

Next was gymnastics. Here is J rolling down at one of the stations. 

And the balancing station. Instead of obediently balancing the bean bag while walking on the elevated platform, Joshua and his friend Frederick was fooling around. Boys will be boys. 

We ended by doing the Hokey Pokey with the kids. 

Happenings in Joshua's school

Couple of weeks ago, parents were invited for Chinese open lessons. We sat through the 30 minute Chinese lesson and had a rough idea of what our kids learn. It was a good opportunity for me to observe how Joshua behaves in class........(he wasn't paying attention all the time, haha) and also to gauge the level of Chinese taught.

Here is a picture of Joshua and his classmates. They were waiting for the Chinese teacher to arrive. Pictured below is their class teacher. 

Chinese lesson. The kids took turns performing for the parents to see. They sang a Chinese song with actions. 

And a week later, it was Pirate day in school. Children and teachers were encouraged to dress up as pirates. As Josh had outgrown his pirate costume, I borrowed one from a friend. Here he is, with his parrot :) Behind him is the assistant teacher. 

Little pirates having a discussion.....hehe.

H F M D

Yup, both my boys got it. Bryant had a mild fever last Monday, followed by Joshua on Tuesday. I thought it was just the usual Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. Actually I brought Bryant to see the paed on Monday. I was told that his throat was red, but as it was still very early, no ulcer had surfaced yet. I only suspected HFMD after checking Joshua's throat on Thursday night after he complained of sore throat the whole day. I saw ulcers in his throat and upon checking his body, found some spots on his inner thighs. The next day, he had a red spot on his wrist. 

As for Bryant, I only managed to check him on Friday morning. No chance of checking his throat so I focused on his body and limbs. Found a blister on his big toe. So off we went to the paed who confirmed that both boys have HFMD and are to be quarantined till Tuesday. I felt really guilty as Josh had been going to school. He only had a mild fever on Tuesday afternoon and was all good after that. Thus, I packed him off to school on Wednesday. Being responsible, I informed the school and apologised for not suspecting anything earlier. Thank God there were no further cases of HFMD in school.....or else I'd feel even worse. 

Blister on the big toe. 

Unfortunately for me, my dear hubby was down with a high fever, body aches and sore throat on Friday and Saturday. And my maid had similar symptoms to my hubby on Saturday. Did they contract HFMD from the boys? I have no idea. They had no blisters on their bodies. My maid saw a doctor who said it was tonsilities though........ But seems such a coincidence that all of them are down with different viruses at the same time. Thank God I was spared. 

Generally my boys coped very well. Perhaps it was because theirs was a mild strain. Their only discomfort was being quarantined. It was easier for Josh than for Bryant. At least he could entertain himself with toys and tv. On the other hand, Bryant kept wanting to go out. He kept bringing his shoes to the door and cried when we carried him away. So I had to rack my brains and think of ways to entertain him. For eg, playing under the covers. That kept them happy and occupied for quite a long time. Hehe.

And some artwork on the face......hehe.

Both boys were all good by the end of their quarantined period. Blisters dried up. I even checked Joshua's throat again and was relieved to see no more ulcer. =)

We were all grinning from ear to ear when the boys finally stepped out of the house.........Freedom, yay!!!

B talks

He is such a cute chatterbox. In this picture, he took Joshua's pants and tried to aim his legs into the pants opening. I had a good laugh looking at his attempts. I then decided to let him wear it, just for laughs.

At 14 months, these are the words that B can say.

Mama
Dada
Koko
Back (meaning put back)
Ba-bai (meaning goodbye)
Arg (meaning hug)
Top (meaning stop)
No no
Pop pop (meaning he wants to play the Balloons Popping app on ipad)
Baba (meaning bubbles)

Besides all these words, he babbles a lot throughout the day. Cuteness to the max. And I am treasuring every moment of it.

Disciplining Bryant

B can be really naughty at times...........For example:

1) Hitting / punching his brother (no prize for guessing where he learnt that from);

2) Crying and stomping his feet on the ground when his demands are not met; and

3) Attempting to climb out of the high chair most of the time (very dangerous, now we need to request for high chairs with safety belts whenever we dine outside).

So, I had to discipline him. Sometimes, I beat his little hand, and sometimes I put him in the naughty corner. He seems to understand the naughty corner concept, maybe from observing his brother. He would stand there most of the time. Rarely would he escape.

Parenting is not easy. I feel it is easier to discipline and punish when they are older, as they have the ability to understand and question you. At this tender toddler age, I sometimes wonder if Bryant knows what he is being punished for.

Bryant's antics

Our cute toddler never fails to make us laugh everyday. He discovers and learns new things very quickly. Children at this age really absorb things at lightning speed. It is really awesome but scary at the same time as we as adults have to be careful in our actions and words. 

I was feeding B halfway when there was a notification on my phone. Thinking it was a phone call, he put one hand to his ear and started babbling away.

Monkey see monkey do. J loves the PSY Gangnam song and would always sing and dance when the song is played. B also knows how to do the Gangnam hand action. 

Oh oh.......where is the dish cover????

Introducing him to Mickey in preparation for our Hong Kong holiday. 

'Mmuuuuuuuacks!'

Lol.....I laughed when I saw this. Sometimes when I am carrying B, I just use my big toe to turn on the switch as I do not want to hurt my back. My little cheeky decided that he also wants to do the same.

Our Music Studio

After a two month hiatus of not attending any classes, we signed Bryant up for music classes in January. I have been wanting to sign him up much earlier but the timing of the classes have always clashed with his lunch and nap time. However, now that he is older, he is a bit more flexible so I quickly booked him in for a lunch time class.

Our Music Studio, which was previously known as Kindermusik is located at Tanglin Mall.

Here are some snapshots of Bryant during the class. It is a parent accompanied 45 minute class.

Playing with the metallophone. 

Tap tap tap........

Beat the drum, rum pum pum.........

Colorful parachute.

Just like his older brother, Bryant enjoys the class a lot. He would attempt to sing most of the time. And he also doesn't sit still on our laps. He prefers to wander around and observe other kiddos.

Morning conversation with Josh

J: Mummy, I think we need one girl, then we will be complete.
Me: huh?  What do you mean one girl?
J: I need to have a baby sister!!! You have a baby in your tummy. You become pregnant, u know!
Me: oh? U sure? Then u will have 2 babies......
J: yes, I can take care of them
Me: you go tell your daddy
J: no, it is a secret
Me: cannot be a secret from daddy........ Only daddy can make mummy pregnant.
J: how???
Me: ask your daddy

Sibling love

I am so thankful that my boys love each other a lot. Even though Joshie may be rough at times, he loves his little brother to bits. Of course there are numerous times when he snatches a toy from Bryant, hits him etc etc but he is still a very loving and protective brother.

Bryant has also been very cheeky lately. He snatches toys from Josh and hits him too...... But each time he sees Josh, his face lights up. He would smile and laugh happily. Josh is the only one in the family who can make Bryant giggle uncontrollably. 

Thus it is so difficult to separate them when one is sick. They hug and kiss many times a day. I have to repeatedly remind and warn Josh not to hug and kiss Bryant. It is really very heartwarming and I pray that they will always remain loving and protective towards each other. 

Some CNY snapshots

Posing together with the paternal grandparents on the 1st day of the Snake year. Every year, we go to church on the 1st day of CNY, followed by visiting a stream of relatives. By the time we arrive home, it is dinner time. 

Day 2 of the Snake year. Back to mummy's hometown, in Ipoh. Josh playing with fireworks in front of maternal grandparents house.

Next door neighbour's open house on Day 7. Josh posing with the lion head. He enjoyed the lion dance but started trembling when the 'lion' came over to offer him an orange. 

Hubby and I took turns closing B's ears. B seemed ok with the lion dance, but then he was not standing very near them.

The 13 month old

That is his trademark cheeky smile.

At 13 months, he is 76cm tall and 11kg in weight. Much smaller than koko.

He has been very vocal in the past one month. Talking a lot. And without us prompting anymore. He automatically waves and says 'ba bai' when he knows it is time to go out. And he has started kissing too. His flying kiss is no longer just an action of placing his palm over his mouth. Now he kisses his palm before thrusting his hand forward again.

Not limited to flying kiss. He can also kiss mummy, daddy and koko. He seems to prefer kissing our lips than our cheeks though.

Another cute thing that he does is waggling his index finger and saying 'no no'. He knows what he can or cannot do. When he goes near the forbidden stuff, he will waggle his finger and say 'no no'. However, curiosity usually overtakes obedience, so we still have to reaffirm our 'no no' and carry him away from whatever is forbidden.

During the recent Chinese New Year celebration, we taught him to clasp his hands together and do the 'gong xi gong xi' action. He learnt pretty fast and soon managed to say 'gong' as well.

Joshie is delighted that his brother has also started saying 'ko ko'. Bryant doesn't say it very loudly yet though. It is really cute to hear him say 'ko ko' when we wait for Joshie dismissal from school.

Oh..... And this little boy loves dogs. He is not afraid of our neighbour 's big dog too. He would point to it, saying' dog'.

It is really amazing how quickly babies learn.

The walking baby

The day after he turned one, my little B turned from a crawling baby to a walking baby. He just started walking longer distances. It was so cute to see his two little legs toddling away in the playground. And he's been trying to walk really fast, to keep up with the older kids. 

Well done, little B. 

Here are two snapshots of my walking baby. 

The baby is 1

My dearest Bryant,

You are 1 today.

The little baby of the family is growing up. Not much a baby anymore as you are progressing to your toddler stage. In fact, you have started toddling around about a month ago. What started as a wobbly step forward has progressed to 6-7 drunken steps :-), I know you still prefer to crawl as you can move around much faster. But don't your knees hurt, my dear?

Today, your daddy is not around to celebrate with you as he is working very hard overseas. Nevertheless, he misses you dearly and wishes he can plant a kiss on your cute puffy cheeks. To make up for your daddy's absence, mummy has arranged for a few close friends to celebrate with you. As soon as you wake up from your nap, we would be going downstairs to meet them. Mummy's friend has baked 63 mini birthday cupcakes, which have been arranged to spell your name. Your beloved koko is looking forward to blowing your candle (again)!

My dear baby boy. I know I have said it many times, but you are really cute! Cute, cute, cute. An overload of cuteness.

You are trying to talk. You babble a lot. All sorts of sounds come out of your little mouth. Your trademark is 'tekoi tekoi tekoi', thanks to your daddy who just simply babbled some baby language to you and it just stuck to your tongue. When you were 10 months plus, you started saying 'ba bai' when told to wave goodbye. And you have been calling 'ma ma', countless times. That is so sweet to my ears, my dear boy. And when you want to call someone or attract attention, you would say 'ah daaaaaaa' loudly. You say 'ba ba' many times too, but unlike 'ma ma', it is not directed at your father.

You love to point. With your cute little index finger. I am still trying to teach you to point to your head, tummy, eyes, nose, ears, mouth correctly but you don't seem to want to pay attention. Or mummy is a real bad teacher :-D

And you love to press buttons. You itchy little index finger is always pressing the forbidden switch, trying to switch on/off the electric point pad. Not to mention pressing the buttons on the table fan in your room.

Just like your brother, you love books. Your current favourites are 'lift the flap' books. I like to sit and watch your little fingers trying to lift the flap. This is something I really treasure as I know this valuable moments will soon pass. Books can occupy you for a longer time than toys and I am really proud of that. I hope your love for books continue to grow.

You love your big brother a lot. You will smile and laugh when you see him. Even though he can be rough to you, you love him nonetheless. And you have learnt to fend for yourself during your fights. Sometimes when koko doesn't bother you, you 'stir up trouble' by starting to hit him. You are a real naughty and cheeky one. No wonder koko calls you 'my cheeky baby'.

So my dear boy, mummy wishes you a Happy Birthday. My prayer is that our good Lord continue to bless and protect you. Keeping you safe all the time. And may happiness, health and the favour of the Lord always be upon you.

Mummy, daddy and koko love you dearly. And so do your grandparents, uncle and aunt.

With love,
Mummy

His first day at big school

Since we are neither Singaporeans nor PRs, chances of our boys getting into a local school of our choice is very slim. Thus, we enrolled Joshie in international school in 2010, and Bryant was subsequently enrolled two months ago. Wait any longer and Bryant would have been on wait list. I know, Bryant was hardly 1 when we registered him. 

I had a prep talk with J about big school, and gave him a lot of assurance that all will be fine. It helped that a few of his playschool friends had also started international school in the past few months so I could use them as examples to motivate him. 

His big school had also organized a 1 hour orientation in November so he was quite familiar with the classroom environment. 

This is my firstborn on his first day. We were on our way to school. I could tell he was excited, yet a little nervous. 

His classroom. Parents were not allowed to stay, even though it was their first day. We were asked to keep our goodbyes simple. Joshie teared a bit but I gave him a hug and reassured him I would return very soon. Luckily there were a lot of toys to distract him. 

Dismissal time. I was so glad to see a happy happy face. Even happier when my son said 'I like big school, mummy. School was fun'.