Surprise, surprise!

Whilst I was putting the kids to bed last night, this conversation ensued.

Nat : Mama, since my birthday is coming, you can start preparing for my surprise birthday party. Please pretend to forget ok?

Me: ??? Are we celebrating your birthday?

Nat : Of course we are! But pretend you forgot and don't tell me anything. You can just arrange everything and gather the people and then surprise me.

It's november 21st. Aunty Gi told me it's coming soon.

A few minutes later, she asks about the kids at the orphanage (where we celebrated hers and Adam's birthday 2 years ago) and said she wanted to visit them.

I then asked if she'd like to celebrate her birthday there and she said yes. 

Aww... Can my little princess get any sweeter?

Later that night, I related to the story to Hubby. His response? "Ok loh.. Throw her a party loh..." 

Hmmm... How easy is it for a girl to twirl her daddy around her little finger? And she didn't even have to say a word to him!

Incorrigible

About a month ago, Adam was punished for refusing to keep his toys and retaliating by beating Hubby.

Hubby put him in a corner and after about 6 chances, he still refused to apologise. We made him stay there while we went about our nightly getting-ready-for-bed routine.

Later, the 3 of us were on the bed. Hubby was browsing through a magazine while Nat and I took turns reading a Dr Seuss book. Occasionally, we caught him looking enviably at us but his demeanour was still la-di-da. He started singing and making car noises.

After 15 minutes, he decided he had had enough. Said "Sorry Papa, sorry Mama". Hubby and I let him out of the corner and he happily kept his toys, climbed up to bed and settled to sleep.

This boy....

Idolising Adam

My son has an admirer. A few weeks into his term in school, we found out that there was this girl from the 4-yr old class who took a liking to Adam and would sit down with him while waiting to be picked up after school. For some reason, she adores him and seems to enjoy mothering him.

We didn't know her name initially but only learnt it recently when we found out Tiffany was the only one in school who had contracted HFM from Adam (who had caught it from his cousin). Hmm... makes you wonder what the 2 kids had been getting up to, eh? I did feel quite bad that he had passed it on even though we stopped him from attending school the moment we realised he had it. If she got it as bad as Adam did, the poor girl would have suffered a lot indeed.

However, that didn't stop her from hanging around him after they both recovered and went back to school. Apparently, she waits for him each day at school and leads him around by the hand. Adam just goes along for the ride, oblivious to how amusing it all looks.

Being the parents that we are, Hubby and I started asking him who Tiffany was and if she was pretty. As you would expect, a 2-year old boy wouldn't have a clue about romantic notions nor that his parents were teasing him. Of course I had to go and plant words like "girl friend" in his head. So now, if you ask him who Tiffany was, his answer would be "ger pren". *chuckles!*

One day, Hubby decided to check out this "babysitter" for himself. The moment Tiffany saw Hubby coming into the school building, she let go of Adam's hand and dashed out of sight. Was she feeling the slightest bit of embarassment? Or was it guilt? We will never know. Hubby even caught it on video but all I could see from that 2-second clip was this rather tall girl running away from the scene and Adam standing clueless in the background.

If you ask me, I think it's quite amazing that a girl that age can be so capable of these emotions. How advanced are children these days anyway?

Come to think of it, I have had "guardian angels" like Tiffany before. One of my Standard 6 classmates used to be quite fond of me and would wait around for me all the time. She would allow me to copy her homework and would even queue up at the canteen to get me my bowl of noodles on a daily basis. It's a pity I am no longer in touch with her.

Well, I guess it's Adam's fortune too to have Tiffany around. Can't complain, can I? And if I ever need a babysitter, all I have to do is make contact with her parents.

Coyote Ugly

As I've mentioned before, Nat doesn't have very fancy footwork but one day, I asked her to do a sexy dance for me and this is what she came up with.

Mind Your Language

Nat now attends once a week Mandarin playschool and after each class, she brings back a flashcard containing a new word they had learned for the day. When I remember and if I'm not too lazy, I will use those cards on her and in the process try to learn some characters myself.

One evening last week, we were relaxing in the living room after dinner when I caught her talking to her stuffed toy penguin, strategically positioned on the coffee table so that it was almost at her eye level. She had gotten hold of some passport photos of Hubby, herself and mine and were flashing them at the penguin. With every photo, she would look at the penguin in the eyes and ask "Who's that?", then proceeded to answer the question herself and finally saying "Very good!" while patting the little penguin on the head.

Hubby and I wished we had captured it on video but were too busy rolling around in laughter to do so.

Nat facts

I've been wanting to write about Nat and her developments for such a long time so some of these are probably more than 6 months outdated.

1. Despite being quite tomboyish in her actions, she's actually a rather "girlie" girl who loves playing dress up and adores handbags & high-heel shoes in particular. Also parades and poses shamelessly in front of mirrors while doing hair-flicks with her non-existent mane.


2. Appreciates retail therapy. Nat's ecstatic when we go shopping and will scream in delight when she sees the logo for Giant, Tesco or IKEA. (Take note PR personnel. My daughter will endorse for a fee).

3. Has a good sense of direction. She seems to know where we're heading and could even point out the club where we brought her swimming one time.

4. Quite a polyglot. Already bilingual and understands Hokkien when MIL speaks to her. Currently she's learning Mandarin from playschool too.

5. Karaoke-queen material (take note, Chim Chim and Aunties Siau Yen & Aileen!). Probably ABBA's biggest young fan and can sing all the songs from the Mamma Mia soundtrack. I rarely buy toys for her but I did get her an amplifying microphone from ELC and let's say it was a worthwhile investment. But while she's been able to hold a tune from a young age, I can't say she has fancy footwork.

6. Has high standards of hygiene. Can't stand fingers being dirty after she's eaten and won't go in dirty or smelly public toilets. She once ordered MIL to move out of her way when she was blocking her exit after taking a whiff of an offensive-smelling loo. Even when she was much younger and not yet toilet-trained, she would refuse to sit in her soiled diapers.

7. Has extremely keen olfactory senses and can pick up the aroma of durians (which she loves) from a mile away. It's no wonder I was so sensitive to smells when I was pregnant with her.

8. Loves food way too much. We have caught her stealing food so many times from the kitchen counter, using a stool or chair when she thinks no one is looking. She can also snack non-stop which is a big worry for me. Even likes bitter, strong-tasting and pungent stuff like chilli sauce, bittergourd and raw onions!

Stealing cupcakes from the larder

9. Still sucks her thumb to sleep and if there's someone beside her, she will either play with that person's ears or armpits (yes, you read right) with the other hand. The thumb-sucking is most likely to blame for her bunny teeth and overbite. I do hope she grows out of it before her permanent set of teeth come out.

10. Extremely good at mimicking others. We really have to watch our words and actions when around her.

11. Loves a good pampering. She used to ask Su for leg massages before her afternoon naps and loves it when I clean her ears with a cotton bud. It's the only time she will lie still for anything!

12. A softie at heart. Once I was watching a movie that made me cry and the next thing I knew, my t-shirt was wet with her tears and she was looking up at me and sobbing. It was not the movie that brought her to tears but she was empathising with my sadness. I felt so touched!

13. Very expressive and has a wonderful array of funny faces. Just looking at her antics makes the whole household laugh. I always look forward to her greeting me at the door upon my return from work. She'll run and fling herself at me without abandon till I'm sometimes bowled over if my feet are not properly grounded.

14. Bossy and likes correcting others. Hubby says no prizes for guessing where she got that from.

15. Politically correct. Every night without fail, Hubby would ask her if she wanted to sleep with him. One night she said "No" and when he asked why, she replied "Papa busuk"! Then after a pause, she continued "Papa's baju busuk".

16. Sociable and independent. She just blends in at school and at parties and likes to join bigger groups when at the park. Sadly, the bigger kids usually won't want to play with a young stranger, which is why I pray she will get on well with her younger sibling when the time comes.

17. A total TV addict!

Her usual pose in front of the idiot box

To our darling Nat, if you ever read this in future, know that that you bring such joy into the lives of those around you and that Papa and Mama love you with all our heart!

New terms of endearment

About two weeks ago, Nat started interchanging the term "Ma Ma" for "Mummy" when talking to me. I'm guessing that this stems from the Western influence on telly to her mixing around with other kids who call their mothers "Mummy". Talk about societal and peer pressure at a young age!

Then again, she does sometimes tries to be cheeky and refer to her elders (my mum, PIL, etc.) by what Hubby and I call them and gets a kick out of us correcting her.

Be it "Ma Ma" or "Mummy", it's still the sweetest sound to me.

Dictionary of Natspeak

This is an introduction to Natspeak, a language still in its infancy and rather similar to English and Bahasa Melayu with elements of French (due to its lack of the H consonant sound).

ats - hat
bebena - ribena
bubberbye - butterfly
bibbit - biscuits
but tith - brush teeth
bwead - bread
chee chee & belak - No. 1 and No. 2
dog - dog, horse, deer, moose, cow or any like 4-legged mammal
ebeben - aeroplane
eberday - happy birthday
kangkyu - thank you
kecko - Tesco or any shopping mall
momore - no more
ohm - home
parry - sorry
peace - please
pecks - spectacles
penanas - Petronas
pipit - armpit
tahn - sun
tares - stars
terter / Bob - water. Naturally, Bob's (as in Bob the Builder) the vessel that the water normally comes in
wower - flower

Stay tuned for updates to this ever-evolving language.

Educating Nat

Mum bought Nat a set of flashcards last week and here we are, taking her through a 5-card session. Although they normally do not require a response from the child, Nat started mimicking us (or rather, trying her darndest to) so we encouraged her on by clapping and cheering. She still babbles on in her own language although of late I've noticed she's more inclined to repeat words after me. More often than not, her enunciation is not all that clear. But it is cute.

Hubby and I have been careful to not overdo the flashcards at the risk of boring her. How we're going to get through 120 cards before that happens is beyond me.

Kena Con

I love this video simply 'cause it shows the innocence of babes.

Big girl now

This pic was taken about a week ago and while she still lacks hair, it struck me that she has matured quite a bit in her looks. She's now 18 months old. Sigh... time sure flies!

The Night I Scared My Daughter Out of Her Wits

It started out as just another ordinary bedtime routine for Nat. She was frolicking about on the bed with the lights down low. I left her to tire herself out and went into the bathroom for my face-cleansing ritual. I had just purchased a new face pack from the pharmacy so decided to try that out too.

After applying the neem and turmeric concoction, I thought of chatting with Nat whilst allowing it to set in. Upon emerging from the bathroom, I was met with a look of sheer terror from Nat. Tears instantly sprang from her eyes and she started screaming and crying hysterically. I kept telling her "It's Mama, it's Mama!" but my cries fell on deaf ears as she retreated from me with every advance I made. The thought that my masked face would scare her really hadn't crossed my mind at all before that!

It was a good half a minute before she let me take hold of her and only calmed down when I sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". All that time, I was feeling so bad for traumatising her so I knew I had to show her that it was really me underneath the gunk lest she develops an unfounded fear of the dark or being left alone in the room. I could have easily gone to wash the mask off and then come back with a clean face but what if she couldn't make the connection and thought that a dark-faced stranger had come to attack her in my absence? So instead, I took her into the bathroom with me (looking in the mirror, even I had a slight shock at the 'Orang Minyak' gazing back at me, so scary was my reflection), sat her down on the closed toilet bowl and made her watch me remove the mask.

Mid-wash, she appeared to have already gotten over the big scare she had and was fiddling with the toilet flush (yes, her attention span is short indeed!) but it still didn't relieve me of the guilt. The guilt that I've been feeling till today. Mama's so sorry, my dear darling!

Gold digger

Sadly, my little princess has discovered the crude habit of picking her nose, from where, I can only wonder. Not only does she do it in public, she revels in sharing her findings with others too. Yikes!

Goodbye 2007. Hello 2008.

It's hard to believe I haven't been blogging for a month now. Where has all the time gone?
For one, we've been busy playing with and watching out for Nat who started to walk 2 weeks back and is now into mimicking us. A lot. She really wears me out these days. But since she's so entertaining and funny, I don't mind.

Physical development-wise, she has trimmed down (paunch notwithstanding) and shot up a bit due to her restlessness. She's a real "kaypohchee" (busybody) walking back and forth and going into nooks and crannies where she's not supposed to, so her weight has remained stable at 9.5kgs. She also sprouted pre-molars about a month ago, much to my surprise (don't they only come out much later?), so she now has a set of 10 teeth!

The past few weeks, we've been out a lot and taking her with us too so she's been sleeping less than she usually does and we noticed she has developed eyebags! She definitely inherited that from Hubby as I've not been known to have any.

As for her babbling, she can now say certain words with utmost clarity, the most noteworthy being "papa", "kakak" (elder sister), "bear bear" and "nen nen" (breast, read : milk vessel). Only in very rare occasions do you hear her say "mama" or "mommy" and when she does, it delights me no end. She can also say "dai dai" when she actually means to say "kai kai" which is babyspeak for going out, after which she will rush to the doorway to put on her sandals.

We have also realised what a vainpot Nat is as she loves adorning herself in jewellery and carrying handbags. She also loves pretending to be on the phone (I can imagine us getting exorbitant phone bills in the future) with whatever she can get her hands on. She doesn't seem to mind having things put on her head either as you will see in the next few photos.

Little Gypsy princess

Reindeer with shiny forehead

With her new 2-piece and Barbie sunnies

Carrying Val's handbag and walking around

Anyway, I digress. It's hard to keep your focus when your life revolves around this little person who depends on you for everything (not that I would rather do anything else). I'm sure all you mommies will agree.

2007 has been a fruitful year for us indeed. I have watched my infant grow into a charming toddler. We have gone through a few tribulations on the family front but all's well that ends well. Truth be told, Hubby and I are extremely fortunate. God has blessed us in abundance and we couldn't ask for more.

The last few months have been particularly "happening" as we have put down a booking deposit for a new family car, been house-hunting and have just recently bought a new house (ready in 2009) and just got the keys to an office suite which we hope to rent out very soon. Needless to say, all of this will weigh down our finances significantly so we are learning to be more austere and not succumb to instant gratification. I've been wanting to go on a holiday for a long time (SY & YL, I do envy you guys!) but looks like we will have to make do with the offhand trips to Ipoh, Melaka or Penang for a while.

The only thing I regret this year is letting my gym and yoga routine of 4 years go to waste. I probably have the fitness level of a cabbage now but no way could I wake up at 6am like I did in those pre-baby days. Not when my sleep gets disrupted at least 2 times a night just so that I could feed, pump or soothe night terrors. So is going back to the gym on my list of New Year's resolutions? Nah... I think I'll pass...

My friends, here's a toast to an even more fulfilling and memorable year ahead for all of us. May we always be in the company of loved ones, enjoy robust health, have the opportunity to pursue our interests and succeed in them, treat others with kindness and sincerity and lastly not forget to stop and smell the roses. Cheers!

Through the barricades

Hubby and I thought we didn't have to worry about putting up a safety gate since the house isn't all that big and Su's there all day to watch over Nat. But it turns out, she's too fond of going all the way up to get to chest of drawers where her clothes are kept and pulling everything out of them! Again, her sneakiness factor ranks high as she'll only climb up when Su's not watching 'cos she thinks she's napping or something.

We decided we couldn't take any chances and so I got the First Few Years hands-free safety gate which was on sale at Robinsons. Had to get 2 extra extensions too! In case you're wondering, no, it's not an optical illusion. Had to slant it a bit otherwise whoever comes down the stairs would not be able to step on the pedal to release the catch.

"Eh, what's this? Oh, just a door. Never mind, I'll get it open in no time."

"Papa, what's wrong with this door? I've been pushing and pulling but the latch doesn't work!"

"Fine! Ignore me... I'll just slip myself in between the bars..."

"Help! I'm not as slim as I thought I was..."

My daughter, the pole dancer

This used to be my playground

Put Nat on the slide for the first time a couple of weeks back and she was not very impressed with it at the start. The sticky girl actually managed to hold a pose like this right in the middle of the slide.


See how she hangs on for dear life when her dad lets her go in this video....

Sneaky things...

Babies are a clever lot, smarter than most adults give them credit for, and very powerful indeed.

They are capable of reducing their grown-up mothers to tears the moment we set eyes on them. They also have the uncanny ability to really grow on you the longer you get acquainted with them. Mine is no different.

Before this, I never would have thought I would allow my child to sneak into our conjugal bed on a nightly basis. Unlike many breastfeeding mums, I wasn't fond of nursing lying down. I couldn't seem to get comfortable hence I would feed Nat sitting up and then promptly put her back into her cot. Hubby also wasn't into the idea of co-sleeping as he often tosses around heavily and was worried he would land on Nat and reduce her to a pile of mush without realising.

Since her bout of illness however, Nat seems to have wormed her way into our bed and I didn't even see it coming. This has now become a habit with her starting to wail at around 2-3am followed by me, way too tired to carry or pat her back to sleep, picking her up and plopping her in the middle of our bed. She will then scream for about 5 seconds before finding her right thumb to suck and stroke my face with her left hand till she falls contentedly back to sleep between her 2 biggest fans. Only after her night-time feed will I put her back into her crib.

Now that she's bigger, I actually enjoy having her next to me where I can just turn and give her kisses and cuddles as I like. So you see... not only can they get you to do things without you realising it, they can even make you like doing it! Clever or not???

Moo-Moo Cow

Nat in her Moo-Moo Cow outfit (comes with cute little panties in the same black-and-white print), courtesy of her Por Por. It's rare that one finds clothes for baby girls in black and white but I thought this one was really cute. After almost a year of being her dairy cow, I now have my own little Friesian calf.

Frowning calf, wondering why we're taking her away from this farm

"I love car rides"

"Moooo...."

Ice Lolly Face

My little girl is rather greedy. Whenever she sees me eating, she will make her way over and move her lips tantalisingly. If that doesn't work, she'll gulp her saliva and that usually gets her a small nibble of what we're having, provided it's baby-safe and not too tasty (lest she gets used to yummy-tasting stuff and refuses her bland porridge).

A few weeks ago, we let her try New Zealand All Naturals Berry Sorbet. Watch how she comes back for more despite finding the taste weird.