Toys

I didnt have many toys when I was young. One of the most expensive toys I had is Lego which cost RM100++ 20 years back. Sis. and I took care of it and made sure we didnt lose any pcs (a few are missing) or break them. Just for the record, we love our other toys too.

My parents had kept Lego in their store until recently when my dad thought it is time to pass it on to Jerilyn. He passed the box to me last Saturday and Jerilyn has been having fun building bicycle, see-saw, swing and robot. 3 days later, the most dreaded thing happened. She broke 1 of the pcs. I was fuming inside. But to my own surprise, my reaction was much milder than I thought. I only gave her a piece of my mind and that's it. [Since the maid left, my temper does not go flaring so easily]. She tried to defend herself with accusing tone; saying that she doesnt know how to remove the pcs and that it's difficult to pull them away. Hmm.... so, it has become my fault?

More about Js'

# POTTY TRAINING(Part 3)
We should be happy that Jesslyn is toilet trained.[Yes, we are]. However, this doesnt come without inconveniences.Can you guess what is the inconvenience?
Imagine your, less than 2yo child, pestering incessantly for toilet - "Mummy, shee shee. Daddy, shee shee" in a quiet, almost romantic dining place. What would you do? At first, we tried to ignore her but she was getting louder and louder and also stood up in her high chair. I asked hubby to take her to the car as we had a potty in case of emergency. They went and returned but there was no shee shee. Most probably by the time we took her pleas seriously, she had relieved herself in the diapers. :-p

# SONGS

In addtion to the list of songs I posted a few weeks back, Jesslyn is also confident with these songs.

1. London Bridge
2. Row, Row, Row the Boat
3. Three Blind Mice (She can only sing 3 Blind Mice, See how they run)
4. Polly Put the Kettle on (She misses the word 'Kettle' tho)

# PRONUNCIATION & LANGUAGE
My dad always complain that Jerilyn cannot pronunce the 'l' and 'r' properly. Her 'play' sounds more like 'pay'. 'Jesslyn' becomes 'Jessyn' and what is worse is her name which consists of both 'l' and 'r' - instead of 'Jerilyn Goh Kai Lin', it's 'Jerrlyn Goh Kai Yin'. I feel that it's a temporary problem and most children will grow out of it. Dont they? But, sis thinks that she may bring this to adulthood. Will she?
I give her the benefit of doubt because she is learning a few languages and dialect. Her 1st language is English and she masters Malay language quite well. Other than that, she learns Teo Chew from her granny and also tries to communicate with her cousins in Mandarin. My aunts advise my dad to teach her Hakka dialect but my dad is not keen. He thinks that she is already learning too many languages for her age.

Life after Maid

1 week after the maid has gone, life has been good if not great. Good because there is nothing for me to get upset about and most importantly, I dont have to see her face. Yes, I hate her.
Anyway, on Monday and Tuesday, my dad was in charge of Jesslyn and MIL took care of Jerilyn. I was on leave on Wednesday & today(Friday). Hubby was on leave yesterday.
On Wednesday, I started my day at 830am and throughout the day, I was on my feet except the times when I had to burn dvd for my dad and facebooking. I changed my kids to day clothes, fed them, did the laundry, washed the dishes and did all sorts of cleaning. I swept 4 times and mopped twice. This excludes the numerous wipings I had to do cuz of the sticky, oily, dusty, dirty surfaces. I really wonder how others manage their house chores or am I suffering from obsession with cleanliness?
P/S I had to empty the potty about 20times too in a day!

Potty Training (Part 2)

Exactly 1 week after Jesslyn said No to diapers, I can proudly say that she 90% trained for daytime. Over the past 3 days, there has been NO accidents at all and I dont even have to ask her if she needs a wee. She herself will go to the potty whenever she has the need. As if knowing that it is 'not right' to wee in her pants, the moment she has the urge, she quickly throttles to the potty. Sometimes, there is no wee at all.
She didnt need the diapers during nap times too for the past 2 afternoons.
I believe it wont be long before she can go without diapers at night.
Jesslyn is 20m11d old.

Falling in Love

At 1 time, the mention of 'doctor' gave Jerilyn the shivers and taking medicine was more like taking poison to her. We could not persuade, bribe or threaten her. However, now, she has fallen in love with doctors and medicine.
She asks for medicine with just a cough. She even asks for medicine although she is perfectly fine. If she thinks she is unwell, she wants to see the doctor. How peculiar!

Some of you may be wondering what happens after the miracles on the 4th(Wednesday). She has been diaper free for 3 consecutive days (whenever I am home). I had to work in the morning so I couldnt tell what happened. But, I made sure she didnt wear her napkins since I reached home at 1pm on Thursday and Friday. On those 2 days, about 20%-30% of the number of peeing times ended up on the floor. Other than asking her frequently(about 1-2hours after the last pee), she herself is quite conscious with her urge to pee. She herself will go to the potty and sit on it every once in a while. Probably she has the urge but she could not tell her bladder to release. So, she ends up sitting, getting up, walking around it and sitting on it again repeatedly. Though Jerilyn was potty trained around the same age, but I'm still stunned at Jesslyn's readiness for potty training. It happened overnight from nothing to volunteering continuously to use the potty. She could hold her bladder too from announcing her urge to taking her shorts and walking to the potty which may take 10secs.

Potty Training @ 20months

Just a few days back, I was lamenting how much longer Jeslyn has to depend on pampers.
But, yesterday 'miracles' happened. It started with this:
1. I was getting her ready for bath time and as usual, she wanted to sit on the toilet bowl. I put her on it and to my surprise, she wee in it. It was the 2nd time she wee in the toilet bowl.
2. After bathing, we put in her napkin and about half an hour, she said "Shee2", pulling down her shorts. Very quickly I put her in the potty and to my surprise, she did it again on the potty. I was surprised she could control her bladder until she sat on it. Moreover, normally, she said "Shee2" AFTER she has wee-ed.
3. Only then, the maid told me that in the morning, Jesslyn said "Boo2" to her and the maid had enough time to put her in the toilet bowl(in grandma's house) before she did her thing.
4. Before bedtime, Jesslyn said the magic word again and did her thing at the right place!!!
Wasnt that a miracle?!

Short Conversation wt Jesslyn

Daddy has a habit of miss-calling me after work(so that I can estimate his return). Sometimes, Jesslyn would take the call but it is always cancelled before she could answer it. Few nights back, she answered the call again but this time, she accidentally called the house phone. Excitedly, she put down my handphone to pick up the other call. She said "Hello?" and waited a few seconds. Realising there was nobody on the other line, she replaced the receiver and quipped "I dont know?" Probably she was telling us that there was no 1 on the other line. She has an interesting slang which you can hear in the video above. Pay attention from the beginning.

Jesslyn shows her proficiency in the English language by using new words and 3word sentences everyday. She can also answer some questions in BM. The questions she understands include "Makan apa?" & "Anak siapa?" She herself can use about 20BM words which include habis, minum, apa?, makan, tidur, masak, tutup, duduk etc... However, very soon, the 2 have to start learning Cambodian as this maid is returning to Indonesia in 2 weeks time. I am really worried how they can communicate with a Cambodian who I heard are mostly English illiterate although their resume say otherwise. Mostly importantly, she must love kids and have patience. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

My Point

Meal times with my 2 kids can be tiresome at times but a breeze at other times esp when it comes to their favourite food or when they are in good mood.
1 of our favourite eating outlets is My Point in Ipoh Garden because (for unknown reason) Jerilyn always finishes the spaghetti served. Mind you, its not a kid's meal. If you ask her to choose between spaghetti or MacDonalds, she would say Spaghetti. To give you an idea how much she eats, I took a photo of it yesterday.


Before - Spaghetti that fits the King









After - She took all the spaghetti (small portion was given to Jesslyn) except for the pcs of chicken.




Other than this plate of spaghetti, she also took some mushroom soup, 2 slices of bread, half cup of mango juice and a cup of ice-cream for desert.
My 2 kids have always been quite independent. This includes eating. All we did is cut the spaghetti into chewable size for Jerilyn and holding the bowl for Jesslyn to scope her soup. She is quite clumsy at holding cutlery upright. She tends to tilt it until the contents spill over. The other patrons were so amazed with their independence and cute eagerness in eating. Some comments I overheard were:

• 3-y-o nowadays are so clever in feeding themselves and can eat so much. Even eat more than me.

• Look at the baby. Scoping the soup herself and enjoying every spoon.

Yup. They enjoyed their meal to the last bite.

Js' at 1y6m old

Singing @ 19months

I am trying to upload 1 of the songs that Jesslyn sang but it does take a while to upload anything. Sigh... So, before I share any videos, it's better for me to write it down before the news become stale news. Some of the songs that Jesslyn could sing (not whole) include:
a) Baa Baa Black Sheep
baa baa black sheep, have oo... wool, yhes sir... .. full...master..for the dame... boy...down the lane
b) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
c) Hickory Dickory Dock
d) Old MacDonald
ey,yay,ey,yay,oo.. moo moo here, moo moo there... ey,yay,ey,yay,oo
e) Incy Wincy Spider
f) I Love You - Barney Theme Song
g) Humpty Dumpty
* Before I could post this, the video was finnaly uploaded. Yeah!

Welcome to Blogspot

Although I created this account with blogspot in 2008 but I never took the initiative to explore the features. I found it quite confusing and mind-boggling. Therefore, I had been stuck with spaces for a few years. However, recently, I am quite fed up with the errors and problems that I encounter in spaces. Firstly, I cannot access my website without having to sign into hotmail first. Secondly, I cannot upload photos since June. (Imagine not having able to share photos of my beauties!!!) Thirdly, I cannot stay login for long. Every other minute, I am asked to login again.
So, today, I give blogspot a try again and find that it isnt very difficult to create a blog at all. In fact, it is much more fun to play with as compared to spaces.
Hooray!! No more hassles.

Paper Origami

"Mummy, look at this. My flower". All ready in the vase.

Paper butterfly

Whistle

My Discovery

At 19m16d, Jesslyn
1. wee-ed for the 1st time in the toilet bowl. I was so ecstactic I screamed for my hubby to watch. He exclaimed that I was too excited I could be scaring Jesslyn.
A few days back, I blogged about having difficulty in training Jesslyn to use potty. I wondered what did I do or didnt do with Jesslyn that made her slow in potty training. After that, I exchanged experiences with colleagues and friends and realised that it isnt abnormal for Jesslyn to still wear pampers. It was Jerilyn who is quick in ceasing dependence on pampers (at 24 months). It looks like I still have to invest on pampers for quite some time.
2. used a few more new words intelligently.

• she said "heavy, heavy" as she carried her chair around.
• she used "pull down" when the wrapper was in the way to the wafer. She wanted me to pull down the wrapper.
• she played with the paper frog that I folded and said "Froggy, jump jump. Froggy, jump jump."
• answered in Teochew "Hao Chak"(Delicious) when her granny asked about the coke she was sipping.
• she said "brush your teeth" at pics of toothpaste and toothbrush and "kick the ball" at the relevant pic.
• she said "share Mei2" and passed the apple to her sister.

As for Jerilyn, other than her brilliant imagination, (today, she stood in the toodler's chair and galloped in it[horse]) she could recognise and spell about 40+words. She doesnt like writing. Everytime she writes, she only writes 4-8times before she becomes lazy and starts diverting my attention. She needs to be guided when it comes to studying.
Overall, they have a pretty good relationship except the times when they fight for something. Jerilyn always snatches from Jesslyn and this makes Jesslyn a complainer and defensive. Whenever Jerilyn touches her, Jesslyn would move away. Now, before Jerilyn could take anything from her, she would hold it tight to her chest and come running to me for rescue. However, Jesslyn still 'adores' her sister. She loves to copy her sister's every action, every move. Jerilyn sings, Jesslyn imitates, Jerilyn screams, Jesslyn screams louder. Jerilyn complains of pain on the hand, Jesslyn does the same. Jerilyn rolls on the floor, Jesslyn follows. I attribute Jesslyn's extensive vocabulary and communication skills to parroting Jerilyn. As a result, this boosts Jerilyn's confidence as not only Jesslyn copies her moves, Jesslyn also laughs like crazy at Jerilyn's funny actions.

Trained and to be Trained

It is so difficult to potty train Jesslyn. Til this very day (she is 19m now), she hasnt wee-ed a drop in the potty. She loves to sit, get up and sit on it again just for fun but no pee. On the bright side, she can poo in it once in a while. Unlike Jerilyn who was already day trained at 20 months and do not need pampers at night by 24months, I wonder how much more damage Jesslyn will cause on the environment before she stops wearing pampers.

Jerilyn has learned to put on and remove her t-shirt herself recently. You see, our normal bath time routine is Jerilyn leaves the shower first while I finish bathing Jesslyn. Recently, by the time we go out, Jerilyn proudly announces "Mummy. You see! I wear myself." As for differentiatin front and back, I taught her to look at the label. Labels should be at the back. So, she seldom have problems separating back from the front. Her only problem is she is not sure which is front or back when the shirt is stuck at her neck.

Jesslyn's extensive vocab

I mentioned that Jesslyn is more vocal as compared to Jerilyn at the same age. She can use up to 3 words in her sentences at 1y6m. Here are some of Jesslyn's common phrases and lines:
What's this?
Which one? (when she is frustrated)
I don't want.
Who draw/write this?
You see?!
Oh NO!!! (putting her palms on her forehead)
Ready? Get set... Go! (as she tosses the ball to you)
Watch this pleaseeee. (passing her vcd of choice)
Yati, wash/cuci bottle.
Mummy, go up.
Mei2(which is actually Jie2), upstairs. Mei2, oi-oi (sleeping).
Beat mosquitoe/cockroach (Sometimes, she comes to you with a squashed insect on her finger.)
Wear pampers, sit down, come here, read books, see you, kick the ball, drink water etc...
The one Mandarin word which is their favourite is Bu Yao. She doesnt like to be touched.... BuYao. She doesnt like the tv programme... BuYao. She rejects food... BuYao. In short, they dont say No to sth they dont like but BuYao.
She has no problem repeating after you in any language ie English, Mandarin, BM or even Teochew.

Sigh! Just when I want to stop writing, I hear another tear. Jesslyn tore another page from their collection. What to do with these kids? Ban them from reading?

Confused Jesslyn

Jesslyn communicate better as compared to Jerilyn at the same age. jesslyn is able to understand and answer some WH- questions as I have mentioned in my blog months ago. However, she is confused when it comes to identifying pictures. For example, she may say cat when she sees a tiger or dog. She says fish (non-specific) when she sees dolphin or any other similar sea creatures. She sees a bear in many animals. She also calls Jerilyn; Mei-Mei at times.
Jesslyn is also a copycat. She follows exactly what her sister does. Sit, jump, play, talk, kick etc.. just like Jerilyn. Even when Jerilyn complains about itchy hand, Jesslyn immediately does the same. Being a copycat is alright. It's part of growing up after all. However, little does she know her limits and she tries to do dangerous things beyond her limits. For example, climbing the sofa from the back, skipping down the stairs, doing somersaults on the bed and walking on 1 chair to another. This is my little Jesslyn.

A minute vs A night

Jerilyn is not one of those who just toss and turn in bed til she falls asleep. She wanders in the dark til she is bored and tired. Then, toss and turn on the bed til she sleeps. Yesterday, she was doing the same thing. Nonchalantly, I said to her, "If you are naughty, I will kick you out of the room." There was a minute of silence. Then, she opened the room door, ready to leave. As it was pitch-dark, I was afraid she might fall down the stairs. I asked quickly "Where are you going?". She answered sarcastically "You said I go out?" I replied "I was just kidding." Again, she persisted "You said I go out?" I couldnt persuade her to return to bed. She closed the door to our amusement.
What it seems like a minute later, she opened the door and announced "It's 7o'clock. Wake up. Wake up." like a cock-a-doodle-doo. At first, we pretended not to hear her or should I say, I was too puzzled with what she said I didnt know what to say. She repeated "It's 7o'clock already. It's time to wake up." After that, we concluded that she must have imagined spending 1 whole night outside the room (tho it was no more than a minute) and pretended that it was daylight when she came back. We were pleasantly amused with her creativity and laughed at her smart remarks. I told her it's not yet 7o'clock and it's time to sleep to which she replied "ok".

Cunning Girl

I can imagine how rebellious Jerilyn will turn out to be when she grows up. Now, she is quite defiant at times. She just know how to irritate you.
For example, she says 20 with a smirk even though its a 10. No wonder my mother said Jerilyn is sly (look) like a fox even when Jerilyn was only a day old in the hospital.
On some nights, she says "Good night Kai Lin(which is me)" and insists that I say "Good night Mummy(which is her)"
Other examples include insisting Ah Yee is Mummy and me - Ah Yee.
Many events and cute quotes that I wish to jot down but time flies and I have a memory like a sieve.

Rock-a-Bye Baby

It's very rare I can record a full video like this. They would usually want to be the cameraman instead of being the actor.
This is 1 of the few I have. Enjoy!
Next task is to record Jesslyn singing.

Am I a Housewife material?

I am in a dilemma.
My maid is leaving in 2 months time. Yet, I still cant decide if I should employ another maid or be a homemaker myself. If I were to continue working, I would feel bad leaving my kids behind at the mercy of a stranger. I wish to spend all(well not all) my time with my children. This is the time they need us the most. However, I doubt I can stay home 247; being a mother, a wife and a maid. After having the convenience of a maid for almost 2 years, I dread lifting my fingers on housechores. It's also stressful to be in the same house with 2 hyperactive toddlers, not for 1 week or 1 month but as long as they are in the house with me.
Sigh! Should I leave it to the coin to decide for me?

Experience at the Cinema

We took the kids to the cinema for the 1st time yesterday. Since Jerilyn has a collection of Shrek characters (thanks to McDonald's business idea), we thought Jerilyn could relate more with this movie. I was very excited about the 'adventure'. I remembered my childhood movie experience at the cinema was a disaster. My parents took me to the cinema for the 1st time when I was around 5yo. I was so scared of the big screen that I covered my eye with a kuaci packet. I could only cover 1 of my eye as the packet was that big of a size only. haha.... I remember switching the packet from left to right and back to left again. The movie was in black and white. According to my mum, I was making so much noise(probably crying) during the show that they had to give up watching halfway through the movie. They hadnt watch any movie since. Pity my parents.
Anyway, we bought 3 tickets (RM12 for adult and RM7 for kid). CH purposely chose side seats where there are only 4 seats. His rationale is most likely the 4th seat would be empty cuz Ipohians arent freaky to watch a movie alone on a Saturday night. So, we were all set for the movie, with sweaters, lollipops, popcorn and sodas to keep the kids occupied.
True enough, the 4th seat wasnt taken. The kids were sandwiched between us. I missed the good ol' days when we cuddled in each others arms. Now, we have to extend our arms as much as possible to pass the popcorn. Jesslyn sinked and relaxed in her seat. Jerilyn was slightly tensed. All was well until the bunch of ogres appreared. Jerilyn couldnt take it anymore and became restless. CH took her out and never returned. On the other hand, Jesslyn was oblivious to what's going on and enjoyed finishing the popcorn more than the movie. The 2 of us watched the movie til the end when all of a sudden, she cried. Thank God it was already the end. We left and met up with Jerilyn who apparently spent the time in those gaming centre.
Thats my 1st experience in my cinema with the kids

First Keyed Word

This was exactly what Jerilyn typed at my Yahoo Messenger window when all of a sudden, she thought of Po2.
pppppppppoppopppppp
She said "How to spell Po2? P-O-P-O" I thought she was just spelling it out orally, not realising she also keyed the letters until I returned to the window.
I am not sure what she understands about Po2's death but she talks about Po2 everyday. She'll voice out when she sees something that belonged to Po2. She often talks about our experiences with Po2 as if to remind herself not to forget her. Jerilyn would say "Go to Po2's house." and not Gong2's house. If she accidentally says Gong2, she would correct herself.

Portrait

"Mummy. Look at this! Look at this!" I wasnt sure what I was looking at so I asked "What is this?" She said in a high pitch, dont you know tone "Mummy lor."
Although it didnt look anything like me but I am proud that she has the sense to draw the hair, the face, the body and the limbs. She is an even better artist than me. Til now, if I were to draw, I am only capable of drawing stick portraits.

More Updates

Jesslyn's some bad habits, which I find quite embarassing if she does it in public. One of the bad habits is sniffing our finger(s) when she tries to sleep. Very rarely she can fall asleep without clutching our finger(s) and sniffing it. It looks like she is sniffing some kind of drug. Yikes! What a view! She also uses our hands to caress her face. Cute isnt it?
I have started encouraging her to use the potty but it hasnt been very successful. She will sit on the potty at her own free will (still wearing her napkin) and say "Shee Shee" but nothing comes out of it. As compared to Jerilyn, I am not very kiasu about potty training.

I dont know if it is a coincidence or I am being over-conscious. The English exam paper that I marked recently was about coping with the death of a father. It reminds me of my mum. I borrowed a Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul book from the library yesterday. The 1st chapter is about missing the husband who had passed away. Again, it seems to relate to mum. Is there a message behind it?
Jerilyn is quite sensitive to certain words nowadays. When she hears or sees Jesus, hospitals, Po2 and churches, this is what she says "Mummy, you dont cry ar, pls ar."

Do your children use your words against you? When Jerily is angry, she uses what I said to her on me. All the disciplining backfired. She thinks she can do or say what you say. Probably all those freedom of choice and action I instilled in her have more or less influenced her. If she is angry, she says "Mummy (do something). I beat you." or "You go out." or "You sleep with Ginger." etc... Do you face the same problem?

With regards to my mum, Jerilyn talks about her everyday. Its weird that when at my dad's place, Jerilyn doenst ask for Po2 but whenever she goes to church, she would ask me "Where is Po2?" When she sees Po2's photo, she would ask me to call my mum and says "Mummy, dont cry ar." She still thinks that my mum would return 1 day. Yesterday when she saw my tearful eyes, she said "Dont cry Mummy. Everyday cry cry cry. Why you cry?" I told her that I miss my mum and I want to see her. Her reply was "Po2 not sick. She come here. She stay in the next room. Then, we say Goodnight. Sleep tight". Jesslyn, on the other hand, just calls out Po2 out of the blue, meaning she could be lying down when she suddenly jolts up and calls "Po-Po".

Jerilyn has learned to sing the whole of some new songs Humpty Dumpty, Hickory Dickory Dock, Happy Birthday (in Mandarin) and 2 mandarin nursery rhymes. In fact, Jesslyn too can pick up 2/4words from each line. Sometimes Jesslyn is even faster than the song.

Jesslyn's Milestones

1. Weans Night Feeds - 2.5months. I would like to make a correction here. She doesnt need any feeding between 11pm to 5am. Is 5am feed consider as night feed?2. Turns her body, holding her bottle while feeding, watches her fingers as if admiring them - 5months
3. Good hand control: Grasps and plays wt toys, arcs her body backward wanting to free herself, giggles while watching tv, lunges forward if she wants u to carry - 5.5months
4. Kicks vigorously. does pushups. eats solid(her 1st food is cereal, which is the easiest to prepare) - 6months
5. Stands on 4 limbs, moves around by slithering, sits up independently for a few minutes - 6.5months
6. Reacts to the word 'Bye', eats other solid food like bread crumbs and taufoo - 7.5months
7. Pulls herself up to standing position - 8months.
8. Climbs the stairs(4steps), understands bye2 and clap hands, plays 'tim chong chong' - 9months
9. Climbs full flight of stairs, dances to music, imitates sounds like 'yah', 'bah', 'che(jie)', walks a few steps with support, plays peek-a-boo, scribbles, weight 9.1kg,, height 74cm - 9.5months
10. Says "Daddy" clearly(She calls me Daddy too). Imitates animal sounds, has 8 teeth - 10.5months
11. Stands independently for >5secs, puts objects into containers - 11months
12. Runs(3-5 steps) to a target(it was food) - 11.5months.
13. Weighs 9.4kg at 76cm tall, walks 7-10 steps independently, climbs <6 steps up and down the stairs on her soles, added vocabulary, says Thank you automatically - 12months
14. Calls grandparents, calls Mummy(its her fav word now) - 13months
15. Drinks from straw, follows simple instructions "Close the door" "Put it down", "Keep it" climbs the sofa and tables - 15months14. Walks up & down the whole flight of stairs independently, goes up and down her 'car' and pushes it back and forth, gives orders to the maid "Yati, nan-nan", says 2 to 10 - 16months

To save time, it's easier to add Jerilyn's recent development (3y3m old) here: She could push herself up and down the toilet bowl., meaning she can do her toilet business totally on her own. She has started to write by following the lines and dots. She knows how to control the mouse.

New Life

Normally, people mourn and grieve for the deceased but often neglect and forget those who are living.
Thus, this time, I would like to dedicate this to my dad. One month after my mum had gone, we are putting life back in to our life; with some adjustments. My dad is coping quite well with his new life. When I said new life, I mean

• having to take meals alone (I passed by Simee kopitiam 1 fine day and saw Daddy reading newspapers while having a drink there. It hurts to see him alone when it used to be a pair)
• not having Mummy to nag at
• not having Mummy to complain to when he has a mosquitoe bite or a backache
• not having Mummy to share stories with. He cant share with me as I dont know many of their old acquaintances
• having to babysit his grandchildren alone(with the help of a stranger; the maid)
• not having Mummy to share and laugh together esp about their mischievous grandchildren
  It is cruel to take a loved one away from you but it is even more cruel for the dead to leave someone you love behind to suffer the pain and loneliness. Looking at his eyes, I know tears of goodbye must have hung in his heart. We dont really pour our hearts out but there is an understanding. Nevertheless, my dad is still blessed with 2 granddaughters who occupy half of his day and make him laugh and fret at the same time.
  We Miss You so much, Mummy!

Updates

It has been ages since I updated about my kids. Where shall I begin?
Let's talk about Jerilyn first. Over the months, she has learned to cycle the tricycle and oh! She just learned to use the mouse (device) yesterday. There is truth in 'Do not underestimate a child's abilities'. I never thought a toddler as young as 3yo can control a mouse. I mean.... when was the first time I touched a mouse? I have forgotten how techno savvy children nowadays are. I only held and guided her hand for a while before she could manoeuvre the mouse herself. This afternoon, she was playing shape & pattern games on the computer. In terms of reading development, she can spell and recognize a handful of words. She can count to 20 but she cant read some of the numbers.In terms of behaviour, she has picked up some bad behaviour. [There are many praise-worthy behaviours too but just like the media, good news is not interesting. So, let's skip that]. For eg, if she doesnt like it when you reprimand her or limits her freedom, she says "You dont talk to me. You go to hospital/work." to me. To Daddy, she says "Daddy, you go to Singapore." She can be very unreasonable when moody. She learns to warn her sister like the way we warn her. For instance, "Mei2, dont cry. You go outside." She confronts with her arms on the waist, "Mummy, why you scold Kai Lin?" "Why you throw this?"She also knows how to hurt you the most. That is by calling me 'Ah Yee' and my sister 'Mummy'. She would look at me slyly and call me me 'Ah Yee'; point at a photo of my sister and said "This is Mummy."
As for Jesslyn, I am sure you have heard that being the 2nd has an advantage over the 1st child. They have the upper hand of getting the experience earlier than the elder. They also learn through observation and parroting. These are some of the things Jesslyn can do and understand much earlier than Jerilyn.
She can count. You say 1, she says 2,3,4,5...9,10.. 12,13.
She can sing/hum Twinkle, Twinkle. She has no problem humming songs together with the television prog, her tone perfect.
To play certain car toys, you have to pull and let go so that the car moves forward, right? That's what she does. Jerilyn didnt understand 'letting go'.
She bends her head low (like the Japanese bow) when I turn on the shower, expecting her hair to get wet. I didnt teach her this. I still wonder where she learns it from. Her sister still struggles when I wash her hair.
She can imitate difficult words and short phrases very closely. For eg "I love you" "beautiful" "Jerilyn". She is cute when she says "Huh?" if she cant get what you said. She will repeat it many times til she can grasp the word and repeat after you.
She can answer simple questions such as "Where is ...?" Her immediate response is "There!", arm stretched out & index finger pointing even though the thing is nowhere to be found. "What is your name?" "Wei Wei." She understands Yes/No questions & For instance "Have you ...?" "Do you want ...?" "Are you...?"
Other than that, she can now walk up and down the stairs with the rails as support at 15.5months. Some of her favourite words are"Bu Yau ar" (She speaks Manglish)"Go Go Go" "Bau Bau" "Oi Oi"
Character wise, Jesslyn has better PR and more confidence. When she talks, she is loud and clear. Sometimes I find her a bit brash. She must have loved exhilarating adventures such as roller-coaster. She purposely stands at the edge of the bed or sofa and yells "Wouw... Wouw... Wouw". She pretends that she is falling. She doesnt cry like Jerilyn when she wakes up from her nap. If you beat her for being naughty, she stares at you and smiles cannily as if nothing happened.
Jesslyn is as 'wai siek' (gluttonous appetite) as her sister. She can eat even the hardest food ie 'ubi kentang'. She wont let you eat in peace if she is not given a share. In fact, I have to make sure that my house is never short of snacks to fulfil their big appetites. My sister can give a testimony on this. Like Jerilyn, she wants to feed herself too. When feeding her, she has to be given a spoon too so that she can feed herself at the same time. You cant solely feed her cuz she would rather not eat.

The Demise of a Mother

This is my umpteenth time trying to blog this but I still find it difficult to express how I really feel. There is not a day passed by which I dont think of her. The feelings of sorrow, guilt, regret, blame, hate and especially how much I miss her. There are many 'If only I ..." moments. Though her demise was expected but knowing that I wont see her again is the most excruciating experience ever. Knowing that she cant see my children grow(bringing Js to school in their little uniforms) is the saddest for me. Realising that she hasnt returned to JB for years and wont be able to anymore is my biggest regret.
My mum had been a pillar of strength and wisdom in my family. Now that she is gone, no one updates me with the latest news: which company has bankrupt, which company has bought over another, who is Jimmy Choo, what is Bernard Chandran's latest venture, what has Francis Yeoh bought lately. No one says "You dont have my genes when it comes to dressing." No one tells me "Do something to your (messy) hair." Less one advises me "Dont lose your temper on your children." When I was at my dad's today, I stared at the sofa that mum used to laze on. That was her favourite spot; reading the newspapers and playing sudoku. Now, it is just an empty, cold sofa. No more does it look familiar. In fact, it is foreign to me. I miss the familiar sight of her sitting with her legs crossed, her bifocals hanging loose on her nose, newspapers on her hands while her eyes focused on the television.
Since my mum joins God 2 weeks ago. Jerilyn talks about Po-po everyday. On one hand, she says "Po-Po with Jesus Christ", on the other, she still believes that Po-Po will return to stay with us. She would say "Po-Po stay here. Then, Po-Po sit on the chair. Mummy push." Sometimes, she thinks that Po-Po is still in the hospital. SHe tells the maid "Po-Po sakit, hospital." When she spots something which belonged to my mother, she says "Po-Po de" When she goes to my dad's house, she asks to be carried to have a closer look at my mum's photo. Jesslyn too calls out to Po-Po everytime she sees her photo. I hope they will always remember mum somewhere in their little hearts.
I cant undo the wrongs or do what is already too late but I will compensate by bringing up her grandchildren the way that will make her proud.
We love you always, Mummy.

Additional Member in the Family

Let me see. I havent written for almost 2 months. Have been extremely busy lately. In actual fact, I did not have the mood to blog. I had nothing to write about. I didnt have the mood to write. CNY was quiet and sombre although I am joyful that my sister(with her husband) have returned to celebrate it with us. This CNY, I dont have photos to share because my camera had broken down just when I needed it most. My daughters were looking like princesses (though they didnt act like 1) in those lacy dresses my sis bought. However, my camera works like magic now. I dont know what happened but on CNY 15th, I turned it on and voila! I started shooting pics of my daughters with my sis. Yes.... Juliana is still here. She has been back for 7 weeks and will return to Australia soon.
So, what makes me write again? DOG! I dont like dogs. I am the only person who hates dogs in the family. Although my family had brought up 2 dogs in my life but for unknown reason, I never like them. Anyway, one day, my sis and husband(dog lovers) found a labrador lying next to my car. The moment they opened my car door, it was claimed that the dog jumped into my car and they insisted that the dog and I are what the Chinese called 'yau yuen'. So, they insisted that I keep the labrador, a golden retriever. They took the golden retriever back to my..actually my dad's house. They claimed that Labradors are good for children's development.
Jerilyn is only as tall as the dog so she definitely jumps when the dog comes close. However, it didnt take long before Jerilyn went near the dog and tamed it; stroking its fur and ordering the dog to sit or 'come here'. Jesslyn screamed and tried to climb on me when the dog to her. The kids looked frighten but they enjoyed the screaming and playing. Later, we asked Jerilyn to give the dog a name and she came up with GINGER. We are pleasantly surprised with that name. 'Ginger' is perfect this dog. Dont you agree? Not only is the name most appropriate for the dog, its also gives the dog a class on its own. I usually hear human names on dogs which are not creative at all. I, myself am not creative. All of us couldnt think of a name. That was why we asked Jerilyn to name the dog. For this reason, I dont have the heart to give the dog away. Maybe it is good for my kids. I want my children to be animal lovers, unlike me. The picture below is taken from the internet. I havent got time to take a photo of Ginger yet.