Baby

My kids are very fond of their Ah Yee's baby even before the baby is born.
Especially Jesslyn. Every few days, she would ask me questions pertaining to Ah Yee and her baby. For example:

1. Has the baby has come out.
2. Has the doctor take the baby out from Ah Yee's stomach? (She pulled up her blouse to show her tummy). Is it painful when the doctor take the baby out?
3. Why the baby is not out yet?
   
4. Why the baby doesn't want to come out?
   
5. Has Ah Yee left the hospital? (as if Ah Yee has delivered)
6. Mummy, I want to give this(potty, book, doll, dress) to the baby in case she don't have it.
   

Her consistent concern surprises me; like an acquaintance concern. It's not like she sees her Ah Yee. She doesn't know anyone who is pregnant. She definitely doesn't have experience. So, how does she know all these stuff? Why is it so important to her? Beats me.

Nevertheless, I am happy that my girls love their cousin so much.

Enrolment in School

I was at in dilemma for months, choosing between Ave Maria Convent school and Poi Lam school. My first choice is AMC. On the other hand, Poi Lam is not even in my 'My Wish' list.
Many misunderstood me for wanting Jerilyn to go to an 'A' school because it's, well, an 'A' school. No! That's not my purpose. The school's academic achievement is besides the point. I know anywhere Jerilyn goes, she would do well academically, unless of course the school doesn't teach at all. My purpose of wanting to enrol her into AMC is because of opportunities. More exposure to various activities such as cheer-leading. Moreover, students there are less naughty and many come from decent family background. To me, who a kid mix with is very important in shaping a young mind. They are vulnerable to influences especially bad influences. I don't want them to come back with vulgar words or crude habits.
However, I face a huge obstacle which is transportation. Our house is about 13km away from the school and there is no one to fetch the little girl EVERYDAY at PEAK hours. Therefore, we have no choice but to enrol her into Poi Lam school, which is only 5 minutes walk from my house. It's a new building, which means that my girl can enjoy all the new facilities here (1plus point). The school is shifting to this new building next year so by the time my girl joins the school in 2014, everything should be settled down. Forget about the reasons why I don't want her here as it's a sensitive issue.
I spoke to 2 ladies who were ex-AMC. One of them has school-going kids and both the kids are sent to a school near her house. The ladies opined that going to a smaller school (tho Poi Lam isn't small) in fact gives the kid more opportunities to join activities. In schools like AMC, they only pick 'The Best of The Best'.
I enrolled her into Poi Lam on 2 March, the second day schools open for registration. She was numbered 45. I saw that its enrollment has dropped over the past 2 years because the parents are willing to send their kids from town to this side of the city. This is another plus point. Small classes will do the students justice. They get personal attention from their teachers as opposed to classrooms with 40-50 children.

Little Pianist (Part 2)

I have recorded two videos of Jerilyn playing the piano.

#1 shows Jerilyn playing three songs without the help of books. Can you figure out what are the songs?


#2 shows Jerilyn singing while playing a song. She has just started doing this recently. I encouraged her to sing and play because she is not very good with timing. I figured that singing some of the known nursery rhymes might help with her timing. It doesn't help with all the songs but I am pleased that she could read the 'lyrics' and play simultaneously. It's not like she sings Mary Had a Little Lamb or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. An unfamiliar song like this looks like a piece of cake to her.

Little Pianist

I never expected Jerilyn to love playing the piano because she always gives me the 'I am rough, rugged, impatient, therefore, I don't play piano' impression. She is also quite tone-deaf. However, I still introduced piano to her a year ago. We started with the birthday song.

Today, she hasn't played like a pro yet, but she plays with passion. Averagely, she plays 30 minutes daily without supervision and during each session, she spends between 5-15 minutes. I don't have to remind her to practise. She, herself has the initiative and interest. What really amazes me is she plays from page to page repeatedly. For example, she starts with page 10 today and she plays from page to page til the last page(pg 50). It could be tomorrow or day after. After that, she flips back to the first few pages and start all over again; playing from page to page til the last page. She is still playing the beginner's book I bought her. Other than this book, she has completed another book for beginners, given by her cousin.

I am not rushing her into Book 2. I have learned a lesson thru a colleague's story. My colleague was complaining to me that her daughter doesn't like to play piano so much so that the teacher complains to her every week. She has been playing the piano for more than 5 years but she is only in 2nd grade. She plays the same piece every week because she couldn't play it (well). At that moment, it struck me that I need to give my daughter time to practise each piece moderately well before introducing a new piece. I used to introduce a new song practically every other day, ignoring her ability to cope. I was too ambitious. In my time, I learned a new piece every other WEEK. Instead of giving Jerilyn week(s), I gave her only DAY(s) which was unfair to her. I must have gotten mixed up between weeks and days! :p

However, I believe an early start benefits a kid tremendously in the long run. A good foundation makes it easier for the kids to catch up later on.

Sore Neck

Jerilyn complained of having a sore neck while writing at her desk. At first, I thought she was giving excuses not to write. Then, she explained that she was talking to Ah Yee for too much. I didn't understand her 'til she added that she was also playing the pinball game for too long. I realised then that she was talking about a sore neck because of using the computer for too long. Nowadays, she loves exchanging messages with her Ah Yee in yahoo messenger although there is nothing much in the content as she takes quite long to form a sentence. She has trouble locating the letters on the keyboard. Anyway, the position or the height is unsuitable, thus, causing sore neck. I, myself have the same problem occasionally since my second job with Hovid Pharmacy. I told this to my dad.

My dad, in turn, told my aunts. Unfortunately, he told them not to believe her. :-(
He should sit in front of the pc with one hand on the mouse for an hour. He would understand then.

1st Essay

The above is Jerilyn's first essay of about 50words. I suggested most of the sentences and I helped to spell some big words. What I am sure of is I didn't suggest the last sentence. I asked her why she only mentioned Ah Yee and Yee Cheong but not us. The Gong Gong part was added later. She said that this is because we (Mummy & Daddy) are here with her but Ah Yee and Yee Cheong are far away.

She wanted me to send this essay to Ah Yee. She was so serious that she folded the letter inserted into the envelope. Maybe I should send to Ah Yee, shouldn't I?

Jesslyn's Reading Ability @3y2m

At 3y2m old, Jesslyn is able to read Peter and Jane Step 1. I tried introducing Step 2 but after the first page, she loses interest. She complains that there are too many words. Although it won't be difficult for her to learn as the author introduced words one at a time, the sheer number and smaller size of words just made her close the book. Other than Peter and Jane, she can read certain repetitive instructions from workbooks such as colour the picture, circle the answer. She can recognise words from father to sister, gender, simple 2-3 letter words and this and that.

She can't read Chinese at all. She can barely speak the language. Even though she uses them, she doesn't understand the meaning. She speaks for the sake of speaking. For example, she repeatedly said "Ni Hai Shi Wo" (in Mandarin) one day although no one had done anything to her. Obviously, she learnt in from school. Today, she came back with "Mummy, what is He Dour Dour Sui" . She often says "Wo Bu Shi, Ni Shi" for fun.

On the other hand, she is good with colouring and Mathematics. She doesn't need to count one-by-one to get total 3. She counts faster than her sister too. On the downside, being too confident and too fast causes her to miscalculate sometimes.

Weight

Jerilyn - 18kg @ 5y 1m old
Jesslyn - 14kg @ 3y2m old

Jesslyn's Masterpiece

This must be Jesslyn's first proper drawing and my first record of her drawings. She is 3y2m old. Unlike Jerilyn, Jesslyn seldom draws. In fact, she drew this because she saw Jerilyn herself was drawing.
Jesslyn called them two little monsters.
Monsters, they are.

Teacher's Comments

I never had a chance to discuss about the kids with the previous kindergarten but over here, the principal welcomes any questions from the parents. She knows her students like the back of her hand and shows interest in her students.

As I paid this month's fees, I took the opportunity to gather information from her. The first thing she asked me was "Did Jerilyn say anything?" I replied that she loves school. She then, 'complained' that Jerilyn is over-confident. I was speechless. The principal continued that Jerilyn said "Teacher, this is too easy. Can you give a something more difficult?" while teaching Odds and Evens. Upon hearing that, she tested Jerilyn by pointing to 27. She said Jerilyn couldn't answer and kept quiet after that. She quickly signalled that she might have hurt the girl. I was surprise that Jerilyn was daring enough to show-off to her teachers. I thought she only shows off at home.

As for Jesslyn, she likes to watch or observe others. She is rather shy. Another surprise because I thought Jesslyn would have opened up after 2 months here. She is usually tight-lipped at the beginning but once she is comfortable with the people and the environment, she is super chatty. At home, she is the big bully. She never gives in and possessive. She is more mischievous than her sister. Probably, arrogant and unfriendly are more suitable for her.

Let's see what the principal has to say next month.

Compare and Contrast

After studying at Montessori for two months, I notice that the lessons are done at a slower pace as compared to the previous kindergarten. Although I am more comfortable with fast pace (being a kiasu parent), I like the effort put in by the management for having their own printed exercises in addition to the books. Their lessons are more organised where they make sure each student has a strong foundation from tracing lines to colouring in 1 direction (4yo). Easy Mandarin words are taught instead of teaching by themes (old school). The disadvantage of teaching by themes is some words are just incomprehensible for young kids. Imagine, for someone who is new to Mandarin, learning Chinese characters of about 10 strokes is almost impossible.

Jerilyn's passion for Montessori has not subsided. Every once in a while, she would say that she loves school. I hope her passion continues til she joins other institutions. I chose Montessori because of their teaching method which is more learner-centred and focus on building character and confidence. If the child has passion to study and enjoys school, the school has succeeded. However, our system instills fear in them. So, I hope these 2 years in Montessori will do them good.

Not that I encourage her to say the below but here are some comments from her:

• Mummy, the two Indian girls don't know how to read. They are so *silly.
  
• Mummy, do you know why the teacher teaches the easy stuff again? Because some children do not know.
• The lessons are boring. I have nothing to do in the school.
  

* I forbid them from calling anyone Stupid.

Forgery

This Montessori has a habit of getting parent's signature after each test. Apparently, after the first test, Jerilyn forgot to get our signature. I was already in bed. Daddy told me the next day that Jerilyn came down after 12am to get his signature. You see, he was still working at that hour.

Today, she came back with with flying colours for spelling test. She asked for my signature, while I was busy sweeping. The next moment, I saw a head on the line where parent's signature was suppose to go.


This reminds me of my own wrongdoing when I was only Standard 2. [who am i kidding? Daughter is only 5yo]. I forged my mum's signature in my report card because I forgot to get her signature and when the teacher asked, I was too afraid to admit that it was me who signed. Well, it didn't do me any good as I was punished anyway. I had to move all my belongings including my table and chair to the corridor. The rest of that day was spent at the corridor. I remembered the hot breeze blowing the pages from my book and tussled my hair. I held my tears but deep inside, it was really hurtful and frightening. That day was one my worst days in school and the most embarrassing. Based on the severity of the punishment, imitating my mum's signature must be the naughtiest thing that I ever did in school.

I wonder, IF I told teacher the truth, what would the outcome be?

Gift or Theft?

Day 1
Today, Jerilyn came home with a secret. I didn't know what it was until hours later. Why was it a secret? It's because she showed Jesslyn the 'secret' but hid it from me.
Later that night, she told me that Ryan, a friend, gave her a pen and showed it to me. She praised him 'pan-nai' (pandai) because he befriended her. I wasn't very pleased because I don't like the idea of her taking things from her friends, with or without their permission. You see, a couple of days earlier, she came home with a hair clip which she picked up from the floor and today this. I warned her that day not to pick and claim ownership of things she sees on the floor. Now, she came back with things claimed to be given by friends.
She proudly said that the boy asked "Are you happy?" (for giving her the pen). Oh ya! You should see her face. She was on cloud 9. He also said that his mummy won't be angry if he gives a way his pen. Well, his mummy isn't but this mummy is!!!

Day 2
Jerilyn told me that her teacher asked her to return the pen to the boy. The teacher said something about having to ask the boy's mummy's permission before taking/giving the pen. I am not happy again.... Now, it looks like we are stealing from others. Excuse me, but the pen was given to my daughter. I didn't make an official complaint but I warned her not to take anything from others anymore. End of story!

Random

One fine day, Jesslyn was playing Lego while Jerilyn played Scrabble. At one time, Jesslyn dropped a piece and out of kindness, Jerilyn bent her body to pick up that piece, which was just at her foot. Jesslyn shouted "Hey, don't take. It's not your problem. It's my problem." She was screaming as if Jerilyn was snatching her toy away. This is how serious her level of possessiveness.

Jerilyn was telling about a girl who likes to pull people's hair and beat them. Jerilyn is one of the victims. I asked her if the girl has any friends and she said No. Jesslyn was quick to add "Like me lor. I don't have any friends."

Out of curiosity, I asked if my girls play or talk to each other in school. Jerilyn replied Yes. She said that when they meet at the dining area, Jesslyn would nod her head and smile at her. I think they handle this very maturely. How sweet.

UNO game

The girls must have a game of UNO everyday for the past week. As a result, both can 'sort of' play the game. Of course, they do make mistakes occasionally. Through this game, we identified some characteristics in the girls.

Jerilyn:
She is slow and takes time in discarding her card. She will decide when it comes to her turn. She pays more attention in arranging her cards than the cards on the table. Instead of playing seriously, she enjoys making monkey faces and getting all too excited about the whole idea of playing.

Jesslyn:
She is quick in making decision. Too quick, we feel. The moment she has discarded a card, she picks another card from her stack and ready to throw it. She is the one who tells her sis to be quick and she doesn't understand the fact that the pattern may change when her turn comes. She concentrates on the cards on the table more than Jerilyn.

Mini Orchestra

I recently stuck the letter stickers on the keys for Jesslyn. However, she has no interest in learning the proper way.

Tattoo

'I don love you'.
That's what on Jesslyn's head. How surprised I was when I wet her hair during a shower. I asked her who wrote it. Of course, she said Jie2. I asked Jerilyn why. She answered "to make her face beautiful."

Careful with words

Kids have a unique way of making the adults speechless. For example, I complimented Jerilyn today although she didn't exactly play very well with the piano piece. I said "That's very good. You have improved, Jerilyn." Jesslyn said immediately "How come Jie2 has improved already?" I replied "Because she can play better." Not satisfied, Jesslyn continued "But, I thought you said she she is not very good yesterday?"

My mood changes like the weather and so are my principles or instructions. I was busy when Jesslyn wanted to open a bottle of soft drink and I told her 'No'. After half an hour, I felt exhausted and needed a reward for myself. I opened the bottle and shared it with them. Jesslyn asked "Eh? I thought you said don't open, and now you said yes?" [Speechless]

When I bathed Jesslyn, I poured shampoo onto her palm. Jesslyn asked "Is this body shampoo or hair shampoo?" (her hands were about to touch her hair). Good question.

Sometimes, it is best not to know the source(the culprit), but find the solution or emphasize that the mistake should not recur. This is so because when the girls realise that I am not happy with their behaviour, they would start pointing fingers at one another. Jesslyn would say "It's not me. It's Jie2. Jie2 who's the one who did it" and vice versa. I would like to point out that I did not ask or even utter a word. The look on my face prompted them to blame each other. Therefore, now, I don't ask "Who did it?" that often.

* It's more difficult to teach Jesslyn about Sharing and Giving. She was watching youtube while Jerilyn was playing the piano. Naturally, Jerilyn wanted to watch too but Jesslyn pushed her away and commanded her to continue playing her piano.

CNY

CNY mood has been declining over the years. Less firecrackers, less gamble, less noise, less everything except cars. My first day is quite fruitful. Gathered with family members from both sides of the family. My girls have a whale of a time and get closer to their cousins.

Anti-social?

It's 23rd January today. Finally have the time and mood to write about this.
So, are my kids anti-social or rather, is my Jesslyn anti-social? Not exactly. I use this term because her teacher told me that she needs social development. In terms of studies, she has no problem catching up with other kids (as she is a December baby). However, her teacher commented that she doesn't like to study in groups. If the teacher teaches her individually, she is fine. She doesn't like to play with other kids too.
I was quite taken aback as this is exactly what I had in my mind the day before this conversation took place. I was worried that Jesslyn cannot mix with other kids. She is self-centred and pampered like a princess at home. She doesn't like sharing. She likes to be the centre of attention. Thus, I know that she won't be able to play with others unless they treat her like a princess.
I told her about her teacher's comment (she doesn't want to study in groups) and asked her why. She said that she wants the teacher to teach her only.

1210

I was clearing my photo folder for more space when I bumped into this photo. I tried and tried to recall what was the joke. I remembered posting it on Facebook but I don't have the record here in blogger. I gave up thinking about it as the more I think, the more I have less chances of remembering.

Only a few hours later, when I showered, it suddenly came to me.
I asked Jerilyn to write from 1 to 10 and she showed me this 1210.

I must jot it down before I forget again.

Feedback

After their first day at Montessori on Tuesday, Jerilyn succumbed to fever, which means she hasn't been attending classes since Day 2. To my surprise, Jesslyn is willing to stay in school when the principal requested my dad to take Jerilyn home. According to my dad, she did look slightly unhappy being left behind. She waved goodbye unwillingly. At least, she didn't cry her heart out.

Here is the feedback from Ms Ling, the principal.
Day 1: Jesslyn is fast (in counting). She can count up and down.(Yup. She knows counting backwards since 2months ago) However, she is confused in writing certain numbers eg 5, 2. (What the teacher meant was she writes certain numbers in the opposite direction).
Day 4: Jesslyn has low attention span. She likes to play with apparatus but doesn't like to sit and listen. For December baby , she is fast. She can read a few words. Jerilyn is good. She is very steady.

Below is the feedback from my girls:
Day 1: Both said that they are very happy there. They like it there.
Day 2: Jesslyn could tell me what she did that day which Jerilyn couldn't do although she was near 4yo when she started schooling. She demonstrated how she danced and told us that the teacher held her hands and twirled around. When she wrote number '2' that night, it is clearer that normal. Apparently, she practised in school as well.
Day 3: Jesslyn applied her knowledge from Montessori when she read to me 'OFF' from one of her toys. She showed off "Mummy, see 'OFF'. I can read OFF." She was also humming one of the tunes she learnt there. (I wonder why/how teacher teaches this word during the 1st week).
Day 4: (Morning, when I sent her to school) Mummy, I don't want to go to Montessori. (Why) because I don't like it. (Afternoon, after school) Ms Ling commented that she isn't very happy today. When I asked her, she denied "No. I am happy." The topic 'OFF' was brought up and she explained that she taught Opposites. (Ahh... my question is answered).

I was pleasantly surprised that Jesslyn could adapt and apply what she learns in school the very same day at home. In conclusion, I am satisfied with Ms Ling's sensitivity towards her students' needs and capabilities. This is what I have been looking for and I found it. Each student has a different learning style and pace and it is important that teachers are aware to it. I am sure my girls will benefit from her.

* Although Jerilyn had only have 1 day of lesson in Montessori, she shows great interest to study there as she was quite depressed when she was sent back home due to fever.

Bottle Free

All this while, feeding from bottle had never been an issue for me. I don't mind if they have to use the bottle 'til.... well, older. Did I mention that I hate cleaning up the mess they make while drinking from cups?

Anyway, as Jesslyn had ulcer on her tongue last month which caused difficulty in drinking from bottle, she refused to drink. She sipped from cup 'til she got better and started to drink from bottle again. I wanted to stop her from using the bottle. Unfortunately, she wasn't drinking much water from the cup, thus I had to revert back to bottle.

As for Jerilyn, there is no trouble in weaning the bottle. It wasn't a plan thing but since Jesslyn didn't use, naturally, I didn't give Jerilyn too. So, for 3 full days, Jerilyn didn't use the bottle. I even threw away her bottle on the 4th day. However, that very same day, I had to work and she had fever. That gave Gong2 excuse to open another new bottle for her. He complained to Jerilyn that I like to throw things. Sigh!! So, now, with him, she uses the bottle but with me, she uses the cup. If I were to tell him, he would say 2 things:

1. she doesn't drink much with cup.
2. she is still young, thus, she has the license to drink from bottle.

I did ask her why didn't she tell Gong2 that she can drink from cup. She said that she did tell him but he wasn't listening. :-(

Token of Appreciation

The above are little gifts for Jerilyn's teachers at Rainbow Kidz Childcare.

We had no idea what to buy. Daddy came home early from work on Wednesday night(28/12/2011) to shop for gifts at Parkson Grand. Daddy and I were busy finding for the right presents but these little musketeers were busy scouting presents for themselves esp Jerilyn. Jerilyn was pointing at all the unsuitable gifts like doraemon piggy bank, decorative hour glass, clocks, stationery etc.... As the time was running out (the shops were about the close), we settled for these cute pegs which we both like from the very beginning.

That's not the end. We went home and taught Jerilyn what to write and how to write. As she had to write 8 sets of cards, it wasn't an easy task. Daddy was in charge of writing on the small little bubble speech (as you can see from the picture above). We spent more than an hour to complete writing until Jesslyn dozed off. It was already more than 11pm. The reason why we spent more time than we should is because Jerilyn was giving us different and more names that came up to more than 8. We didn't buy enough thus we had to sacrifice 1 teacher; the teacher that she doesn't like. I asked her many times if she was sure she didn't want to give that teacher and she was 100% sure. Moreover, she wasn't sure of the spelling eg teacher Koo or teacher Khoo.

Oh! The teachers retuned her thoughtful gestures by giving her a card and daisy duck key-chain. Let me see when can I take a photo of it and upload.

Jesslyn's 1st Day @ Montessori

Jesslyn started schooling today, together with Jerilyn. This time around, there isn't as much anxiety as it was last year with Jerilyn. For 2 reasons, 1st, Jesslyn is quite a sociable person, so she can adapt easily. 2nd, she is not alone unlike Jerilyn who had to go to a strange place all by herself. Of course, having had the first experience, I know what to expect this time.

This time, I had the opportunity to linger longer at the montessori. I watched as the teachers urshered the kids to their respective classrooms. It was quite chaotic with children wandering around aimlessly. Teachers themselves looked unsure with what to do. A few parents were also seen waiting for their turn to have a word with the principal. I stood far away from my girls, away from their sight so that when it was time for me to go, they won't make a scene. As it is the first day, the children were given toys to play with, including my girls. Two of them were sitted together on the floor. They looked kind of bored. They were more interested with what was going on with another two boys who were playing with the guidance of a malay teacher. They are newbies in this montessori. I wasn't happy with the teacher who ignored my kids who were showing interest with what they were doing. The teacher should have invited the girls to construct whatever it was together. When it comes to my girls, I am more out-spoken. So, I got a teacher's attention and told her what I thought. She went over to my girls and talked to them. I think she asked the girls to join the boys. However, shouldn't she talk to the teacher instead? Anyway, I went home shortly after talking to the principal.

Spent 3 long hours spring-cleaning the house. I couldn't wait to hear about their first day at school. Picked them up at 12pm with grandpa. The principal commented that Jesslyn is quick in learning. She can count up and down (as in 1-10 and backwards). They have also tested her writing and commented that she was writing 'terbalik' for certain numbers.

So, in conclusiong, do they like the new learning environment? It's a big YES from Jerilyn and Jesslyn.

Phew!!!

2012 First Joke

The below is my first New Year joke:

I permed my hair this afternoon and Jerilyn likes my highlight. This is the first time she compliments my hairdo. Later in the evening, I scolded Jesslyn for being mischievous and this was what Jerilyn had to say "You are so beautiful, still want to scold people." This shut me up.

Hot & Cold

I am sure you would have watched this video in Facebook.

I am so proud of my girl. I didn't expect her to dance so well. I mean , it's full of omph! There is so much power in her dance. Before the dance, hubby and I were quite anxious. Although my girl has always shown potential in dancing, many questions were on our minds. Would she have stage fright? Would she be robotic and dance like a puppet? Would she forget her steps and stand like a statue? Imagine the glaring spot lights and the hundreds of pair of eyes on her!

After that night, I am confident that my girl will have lots of opportunities on the stage in the future. She will always stand out in a crowd and make me proud.

On that day, she was sent to kindy in the morning as requested by the kindy. I was worried that she would freak out for spending the whole day in the kindy. You see, she had been asking me many times if we would fetch her from school after the dance. She hadn't been left with the kindy for the whole day before and the idea didn't please her. She was worried that we might just dump her there. So, we didn't see her the whole day 'til the dance. There were 10 different dances and hers was one of the fastest paced from the beginning til the end.

Jesslyn @ 3yo

Jesslyn... Jesslyn... Jesslyn....

There is so much to talk about 'til I don't know where to start. Let's start with what she can do and can't do @3:

1. she definitely stopped using pacifier and nappies since 2. The only thing she hasn't been weaned is her bottle. The reason is drinking from cups give me the extra work, which I don't need.
   
2. she puts on clothes herself but she needs help when it comes to zipping the back and buttoning her pants.
   
3. she uses the toilet herself. Yup. From settling herself on the bowl to flushing it. She may forget to flush sometimes or worse, doesn't wipe after a big business. No, don't get me wrong. We don't allow her to wipe herself for we know she couldn't have done a good job wiping. The problem is she doesn't inform us after a big business until we see it in the bowl.
4. she can write and colour. She stops often when colouring and she would pass me the pencil to colour. I think it's because her fingers are tired as she tends to press the pencil very hard onto the paper til you can see marks at the back of it.
   
5. she can recite 'San Chee Ching' and multiplications of 2, 3 and 5 in Mandarin.
   
6. she can read about thirty 2 to 3 letter words but it's not consistent. However, if you are English illiterate, she will fool you by looking at the words, narrate the story slowly and steadily as if she is really reading from the book.
   
7. she can't recognise colours.
   
8. she can talk and talking is her expertise. She gives very fast, cheeky answers. She is (a) pampered - does not accept 'No' for an answer. (b) cheeky - has excuses for everything she does (c) confident - speaks so loud and firm that you just give up arguing with her. Here are some conversations I can recall:
   

• She forgot where she put her bag and pointed to her. She answered "Eh? I thought I put it here?"
• She was interested with who was that on tv and asked "Mummy, who is he? I couldn't recognise him."
• Daddy didn't allow her to bring her Sesame Street umbrella during an outing and she immediately answered "Hey, it will rain afterwards!"
• We were on our way to my in-laws for dinner yesterday. She said "I want to go to Tesco." I said "Ok... when we are free." "I am free now, Mummy."
• She wanted to eat chocolate. I said "No. Daddy will scold if you eat." She said "Where got? (Manglish) Daddy is not here."
• If I scold her, she complains to her Daddy the moment she sees him and vice versa.
• I seldom beat her. One day, I was so pissed off I beat her while teaching and the next day she negotiated with me before we started our lesson. She said "Mummy, don't beat me ar? Don't beat me and Jie2."
• 
  

* What's that dot for? It's in case I can recall any other memorable quotations.

heart to heart talk

Being a typical kiasu, Malaysian mother, I am stern when it comes to studies. Whenever I teach the girls, esp Jerilyn, something possesses me and I am not myself anymore.

So, as usual, things turned ugly. Coincidentally, it's time for bed thus, I sent them to bed and did some mopping. When I went into the room, Jerilyn was weeping on the bed.

Jesslyn: Say sorry Jie2. Jie2 is so sad. Say sorry Jie2.
Me: (Puzzled) Who? Me or Jie?
Jesslyn: You. (pointed at me)

I was amazed by her persistence and maturity in handling this. I apologised to Jerilyn, kissed her and continued my mopping. Outside the room, I could hear Jerilyn sobbing even louder. I was about to open the door but I heard this:

Jesslyn: Huh? I can't hear you.
Jerilyn: (Mumble in between sobs)
Jesslyn: You don't want Mummy ar?
Jerilyn: (Mumble, mumble)
Jesslyn: I can't hear you. You don't want Mummy?
Jerilyn: I want Mummy to sleep with me.
Jesslyn: You want Mummy to sleep with you? Mummy is working already.

I opened the door after that and lied down next to Jerilyn. Jesslyn came and sandwiched me. After 5 short minutes, both of them dozed off.

It's so touching to hear them sharing a private moment together. So mature of them. I feel 10 years older. This is like a scene in the future - my girls have a heart to heart talk where mummy is not allowed to hear and I have to eavesdrop.

Jesslyn's 3rd Birthday

I am not one of those who would spend time brainstorming for a birthday celebration. For me, the best way to celebrate a birthday is to eat out and buy a cake. Hassle free.

Firstly, Daddy took the initiative to take a day off from work to accompany the birthday girl. Both of them went to McD for breakfast while Jerilyn and I routinely do what we had to do. They spent the rest of the morning at granny's place who gave her an angpow. Oh! My dad gave her an angpow too on the previous day. When I returned in the evening, we prepared for our simple yet satisfying outing.

The moment we climbed into the car, Jerilyn bugged me to get a cake immediately. Dad and I didn't give in to her whims and pleas. We headed for Momo Cafe in Greentown. The reason why we chose this place is because we have an expiring RM10 voucher and i don't want to waste it. We sat and ordered our favourites: Me-lamb chop, dad-fried rice and the girls-spaghetti. All come in sets. Nope. Not going to elaborate about food.










I was ready to forgo the cake if the girls didn't mention. Unfortunately, Jerilyn said it again the moment we stepped into the car. It looked like we couldn't escape from it.

At the bakery, I was scrutinizing the small cakes (approx 500gm) while Jerilyn was eyeing the big ones. I asked Jesslyn to choose one of the small ones. However, Jerilyn was fast to comment that they are too small. After a minute (which seemed like a long times esp the salesgirl was standing next to us) of negotiation, Jesslyn finally chose the choc cake. Jerilyn again gave her precious opinion. She wanted the fresh fruit cake. Since it was Jesslyn's big day, Daddy said it's Jesslyn's choice (only the small cakes pls). :) Jerilyn continued that the cakes are too small and that there is no space for candles. We confirmed our purchase. Surprisingly how kids can forgive and forget so easily. One moment she was complaining, the next, she was as happy as a clown. Both were skipping happily and sang the undue birthday song.

We cut the cake at Ah Mar's house as Daddy wished. By the time we reached home, it was almost 11pm. Below are the pictures:

Daddy and I only spent on the food. We didn't get her a gift or angpow. How unthoughtful of us. :p Most importantly, she has our blessings and love all year round. [excuse to make me feel better]. Ar... just remember - Ah Yee too gave a handsome angpow.