redcrayon

Emo...

Received this in Pup's school communication file.

It's a school withdrawal form. Yet another reminder that he'll be leaving the comfort and security of the Cove soon.

Pup: Mummy...Which date will we choose?
Me: 31 December.
Pup: Yeah! That's the later date, right? Most of my friends want to choose the later date too, you know.
Me: Really? Why?
Pup: Because then they can stay longer.
Me: How about you? Why do you want 31 December?
Pup: Because I also want to stay longet and if I choose December it means I can celebrate my birthday with my friends. My birthday is in November right?
Me: Yup. Can I give you a big hug?
Pup walks over and I give him a big squeeze.
Me: Are you going to miss your friends when you leave Caterpillar's Cove?

Pup silently nods, and I tighten my squeeze.

Little Miss Hoarder

LQ loves to hoard.

During reading time, she grabs on to 3 or 4 books while making me read one. During play time, she scatters toys all around her while hanging to at least one in her hand. During her morning and night milk feeds, she needs to hold at least two other empty water bottles while struggling to balance her milk bottle...It's quite a feat and quite a sight to behold, and it never fails to make me smile.

She's one funny little girl.

One Day

Pup was exceptionally well-behaved today. There was no tantrum, no mean words or behavior towards the sister, and he readily obliged with almost all our requests.

The Daddy and I seized the opportunity and heaped praises on him on our way home. I could tell that he was pleased.

Back home, while bathing him...

Pup: Mummy, I've been very good today.
Me: Yes, you've been really good today. I'm so proud of you, you've been so positive and helpful.
Pup: Yes...because you told me to be good for a day. So I'm good today!

I was puzzled, then I had a flashback to Mother's Day morning...

Me: Lele, can u be a good boy just for a day. Just for one day, Mummy would like to not have to raise my voice at you. I know you can do it, you're a good boy. Just for one day, today, please?

Back to bathroom...

Pup: I'm good today right?
Me: Yes, you been great. But not just one day right? You can be good for many more days, right? How did it feel today being good? Did you like it?
Pup: Yes!
Me: Why?
Pup: Because I didn't get scolded by anyone.
Me: Isn't that great? I bet Ms Fidah and Yu Laoshi are really proud of you too. And your friends will all like to play with you.
Pup: Yes!

I was surprised and really touched by the fact that Pup took my words to heart. True, it took him three days before he acted on it. But he remembered and he tried. So proud of our little boy. :)

Mother's Day Confession

Today marks my 5th Mother's Day. I remember how surreally happy I felt on my first Mother's Day...I also remember how at ease I felt being a mummy then.

Ironically, half a decade into motherhood, I'm finding that I'm getting increasingly less certain of my mummy skills.

In the past few months or so, I find that I've been nagging and scolding the children, especially Pup, much more than in the past. I've been losing my patience with Pup almost on a daily basis; I've been raising my voice at him and speaking to him negatively; I've also whacked him, often out of anger (and I know it is totally wrong, because I've lost control...).

Today, Pup proudly presented me with the many Mother's Day presents that he painstakingly made for me in school. I was touched...I silently promised myself that no matter what, today I'llI keep my cool with him, just for the day. I also enlisted Pup to help me out on this mission. All he needed to do was to 'behave'.

As the day wore on, my 'cool' wore out. I finally lost it at Fox when Pup persisted on chasing the sister around the shop, fighting her with the shop's clothes hangers, egging her to run through the racks of clothes and refusing to listen to the Daddy's repeated request for him to 'stop'. I scolded. The Daddy gave him a time out. Pup stood at the entrance of the shop, and defiantly wiped off a tear that threatened to roll down his cheeks. My heart tightened but I hardened it. He needed that, I told myself.

Back home, I lost my cool again when I saw Pup, who said he wanted to try to nap, attempting to rouse LQ who was in deep sleep. While I did not scold him, I gave him my coldest and most admonishing stare. He avoided my stare by burying his head in the pillow.

The rest of Mother's Day went pretty ok until bed time. Pup demanded that I must sleep beside him instead of LQ and was very unhappy when the sister rolled onto his bed as it was cooler there (he was sleeping on our bed so it shouldn't have mattered...). He then tried to nudge the sister out of his bed. That was the last straw. I stood up and left the room. From the kitchen, I could hear his loud sobbing and pleading for someone to sleep with him, in the midst of all these was the Daddy's frustrated voice asking him to calm down. It was way past the two kids' bed time...

I went back to the room, yet again scolded Pup, but lay down beside him so that he could fall asleep faster. While his sobs subsided and his breathing evened out to a soft snore, I found mysel crying in the dark. What have I done? What happened to positive parenting? What happened to being the kids' best friend? How did I end up becoming the kind of mother that I hate most...?

Kodak Moment

Took this on a Sunday morning at Jurong SAFRA club, before the kids' weekly gym class.

Heart melt moment... ;)

I hope, with all my might, that despite their daily squabbles, they will become best friends and be ready lend an ear, a shoulder to each other...

G is for Ge...Ge...Ge...Great!

Pup was making strange muttering sounds as he pottered around the living room after dinner.

Then, he suddenly turned to me and with a glint in his eyes announced "I can make the G sound! Ge Ge Ge Get!".

I couldn't believe my ears! I had to ask him to repeat it just to make sure that he real got the Ge sound. And he did. Get. Give. Got. Green. Glass. He pronounced them so naturally, it sounded as if he'd always been pronouncing them that way.

The fact is, before today, Pup had not been able to make the Ge sound. He has been having problems enunciating words with the Ge, Ke, Sh sounds.

We visited a speech therapist about a year ago as we were concerned with his inability to make those sounds. We were told that his speech development was indeed delayed but that it was a common issue especially for boys. Apparently, it was because his tongue and cheek muscles were not strong enough yet (thus the baby cheeks). But the problem would usually be resolved by the age of 8. We could choose to intervene by signing him up for speech therapy courses or we could just leave it to resolve naturally which was what the therapist recommended. While still concerned, we took faith in the therapist's recommendation and chose to let nature take its course.

However, as his entry to primary school looms near, I can't help but worry about his inability to articulate certain words properly. What if the other children make fun of him? What if the teachers dismiss him as a slow learner just because they can't understand him? What if he starts hating school because of all these?

His breakthrough tonight therefore is a tremendous relief for me.

When asked how he did it, he said it just came out when he was making sounds in school after lunch. I guess maybe his muscles have finally firmed up. ;p

As if afraid of losing his new found skill, Pup went on mumbling the Ge sound the whole night. And he brimmed with pride every time he managed to enunciate a G-word.

Keeping my fingers crossed that he can conquer the Ke and Sh sounds soon too.

 

What Do I Want to Be

As part of themed-learning, Pup's class has been looking at different occupations. He and his classmates were also asked to think about what they want to be when they grow up. 

Pup chose scientist.

His reply to why he chose it: because 4 other children also wanted to be scientists...haha.

I remember having to write about "What I Want to Be" throughout my schooling years, starting from a Chinese composition when I was in Primary 3. As I didn't have any clue, I think I just chose "teacher" as it was the easiest.

As a kid, I guess I didn't really have any burning ambitions. All I wanted to do was to finish my homework and watch cartoon and play. The closest I had to an ambition was in Secondary 4 when I wrote that I wanted to be a psychologist in the school year book. 

Even then, eventually, whatever job I landed in was not so much a result of careful career planning but pure serendipity.  I guess, as a grown-up, I didn't have any burning ambitions either...

Looking back, perhaps I should have planned more...

Hm, perhaps I should sign Pup up for science classes now...? :p

The Many Faces by LQ

Compared to the brother, LQ seems much less keen on scribbling and doodling. In fact, she doesn't seem to like anything that requires her to sit still at the study table. At least that's what it seems when she's home with us.

All attempts to get her to draw or write something had ended with the little cheeky monkey making a quick squiggle which she then proudly (and loudly) announced to be a house, car, elephant, seal and so on and so forth. So we, as positive and encouraging parents have no choice but to praise her for her efforts and well, great imagination. Her 'artistic energy' thus all expended, she'll then happily bound off to play with other toys.

So, we were recently pleasantly surprised when she started making more legible prints and doodles. She's starting to draw faces, and has become rather adept at placing the eyes, nose and mouth at the right spots. She has also begun to attach meanings to her drawings.

Just a couple of days ago, she asked me to draw bear's bug blue house (from Bear and The Big Blue House). On the house, she etched a dark patch on the top right hand corner which she said were Bear and Ojo. Then, she proceeded to draw Luna (the kind-faced moon in the show who always comes on to sing the Goodbye Song with Bear). Few days later, Pup dragged us into the study to show us several faces that LQ drew which supposedly expressed different emotions.

We realized that unlike Pup whose first drawings were mushroom, trees or inanimate objects (violins, cars etc), LQ likes faces and always have a story behind the drawings. Guess their drawings are a reflection of their personalities...:)

Lombok

To Lombok. We'll be back soon.

Gone are the days of traveling light... :p

Just the Two of Us

While both LQ and Pup adore their cousin Jiejie Jojo, LQ shows it much more generously than the brother.

Last Sunday, Jiejie Jojo came to visit the kids after a week of hard work at school (EXAMS!). LQ was delighted but Pup decided he didn't want any company for the evening and rejected Jiejie's invitation to go out for dinner.

So, the boys (Pup and the Daddy) stayed home and we (Er Yi, Jiejie, LQ and me) went off to explore the newly-opened Rochester Mall. 

I guess it was just as well. We returned home to a decidedly cheerier Pup (as the Daddy put it "he just really wanted to stay home...), and the two girls had a fantastic time in each other's company. :)