Unexpected Visitor

Jerilyn has a very close friend. Her name - Shirley Teh. When Jerilyn started schooling since Day 1, Shirley had captured my attention. She was the most outstanding student in that class. What did she do? Firstly, she was blinking continuously, I assumed she had an eye problem, wondering if it was contagious. Secondly, she was the most poorly clothed. In this era, you don't often see kids who wear old uniforms especially for Year 1. Her pinafore was quite faded. Thirdly, she was overly excited to play with her sister who was there during the orientation. It was obvious that they have very close relationship. Unlike the other kids, Shirley did not look shy or insecure being in a new environment.

1 year after that, she has become Jerilyn's close friend. Over the year, there have been many extraordinary stories about her which I still find a mystery. You see, I love to analyse people's actions and thoughts. I am quite accurate too at reading people. However, with this little girl. I can't. She is still a mystery to me.

Anyway, few days back, while I was watching my routine 7 o'clock Hong Kong dramas, I heard Jerilyn's name being called from the gate. It was Shirley. Her mother drove her here. Not sure if it's not purpose or pass by. By the way, she exchanged some words with the girls and left.

Yesterday, while bathing I heard her voice again. Screaming for Jerilyn at the top of her lungs. The girls had to dress at top speed or the whole neighbourhood would know Jerilyn's name. So, the girls ran as fast as their legs could carry them to welcome their friend while I quickly clothed myself.

I was surprised to see Shirley in my living room as I walked down the stairs. The mother? She had driven off. I am more surprised that a mother can trust her daughter's friends enough to just leave her at a stranger's door without even a "Hello". I would not allow my kids to her friends' house without exchanging a word or two with their parents.

The girls were very excited with their first visitor. Shirley is their first friend who came over to play (alone). Jesslyn, in particular, showed her around the house; from books to photos. Jesslyn even pointed to the air-cond on the wall. The three of them were chatting like there was no tomorrow. Shirley stayed for 2 hours before her mum picked her up.

I am happy if the girls' friends come over to play or study together once in a while. However, I wish that there are less surprises as we may have our programmes too.

Weight

Jerilyn - 25kg at 8yo. 

Jesslyn - 19kg at 6y2m old.

Extra Curricular Activities

Children nowadays are so pre-occupied with activities. I know many who have to attend tuition 5 days a week, even 7 days! On top of that, they go to different centres according to subjects. Not to mention the distance. The parents do not mind sending their kids kilometres away just so that they get the best tuition. Pity the parents who have to chaperon EVERY DAY!!!

As for myself, I already wishing that Jerilyn can get her own driving license as soon as possible. No. Not tuition but fetching them from school is enough to give me that thought. Other than that, I have to send them for piano classes and ballet lessons. On Tuesdays, Jess attend piano class. On Thursday nights, they have ballet lessons and Jerilyn has piano lessons on Saturdays. In comparison to other mothers, I am the lucky one. 

In school, the girls are quite active. They are both interested in badminton and arts. However, arts have to be sacrificed as they have recently joined Mathematical Olympiad classes. I encourage them to join activities to widen their social network and learn actively, not passively. 

Do they miss anything for not taking tuition? Maybe. I am sure they will do much better academically (if education is about As) if they were to have extra Mandarin lessons. In addition, imagine all the extra time I have for myself instead of nagging them to do extra work at home. The house will be more peaceful too. 

Sarcasm

As we have heard on many occasions, kids in the 21st century are not similar to what we were. Kids now are more out-spoken; they know what they want and they do as they like. No more are the kids who never question their parents or answer their parents back when reprimanded. We never demand. We merely accept.

For instance, Jesslyn is one of those who expects her wishes to be fulfilled or you will be condemned. She does not accept "No" for an answer. She always have her reasons for doing whatever it was. For example, "Jesslyn please share with your sister." Her answer could be "But I want to play with it." To her, that reason is good enough to get it her way. When something goes wrong, it is always not her fault. Anyone but her. For example, why didn't she do her homework? Her answer could be "Cause you did not ask me to." She uses threats if she did not get the attn she required. "Mummy, if you don't teach me I will simply do the work." She demands equal rights. "Mummy, why didn't you give me an angpow like Jie2? This is not fair."

Jerilyn, on the other hand, is a straight-forward person who doesn't play tricks. She is more understanding and tolerant of others. She doesn't demand unreasonably. She doesn't blame. She emphatises. Her only problem is she doesn't speak her mind enough. She is not expressive  as Jesslyn. This results in me not knowing what is on her mind sometimes.

I sometimes wonder why do I have such different kids. Do you feel the same?

Schooling Girls (Jerilyn)

It's unbelievable that this day has arrived - the day for me to write about the girls (both) going to school. The past 6 years have been a dream. Year after year past by without pausing to actually watch how they have grown from a baby into young ladies. So, back to the topic. In terms of attitude, both are very excited about school.

Jerilyn was more disciplined and serious about studying. In fact, she takes everything seriously. Listens attentively in class, follows instructions closely, never misses any homework. There were a couple of times she freaked out because she misplaced her books. She would start bawling over her missing books even before she searched for them. Her exaggerated anxiety annoyed me and it was useless explaining to her. She just simply concluded that her book was lost and she would be punished. In the whole year, she was punished once at the beginning of the school term. The teacher punished those who did not wrap their books. Four from her class were caned on the palm. That was her first experience of punishment and the last that year.

Teachers have regards of her. I have spoken to some of her teachers and all of them praised her for being responsible and pro-activeness. Her English teacher, Mdm Wong complimented her as she alerted the teacher about a mistake in the activity book. Her class teacher, Ms Khor commented that she concerns about what happens around the class. If other students misbehave, Jerilyn would alert the teacher. I was wondering if that was a compliment or otherwise. I mean, if I were her classmate, I would not want a friend who reports me to the teacher if I misbehave.

Academically, she had done very well considering she did not attend any extra classes a.k.a tuition classes. Out of 210 Std 1 students, she ranked 30 on average. Her average marks were between 93 and 95. I found that Mandarin determines one's ranking if two or more students obtain the same accumulated marks.

She joined two competitions last year. 1) English Recitation 2) Maths Competition. She did not get any prize in the English competition which I believe was due to her uninteresting voice. Jerilyn has quite a flat voice. However, she came in 1st in the Maths competition among her classmates of 30 students. She was proud to receive her first trophy which came with a cert. I also notice that nowadays, schools are very generous with trophies and many competitions.

This is the summary of Jerilyn's first year in school.  I may include more details when memory strikes. 

2 years Break

After 2 long years, here I am, figuring what to write and where to start. Let's start with what have I been doing during the past two years? Well, to summarise, I was stuck with postgraduate studies and thank God, I completed the course within the time-frame without any glitches. Officially graduated with Master in Education in August. Fortunately, the ceremony coincides with my dad's birthday so it was a double celebration.

So, what is next? PhD? Despite pressures from the management, I simply do not have the motivation to go on another step. During the past two years, I have lost some precious time to be with the kids and definitely lost lots of hair from the late nights to meet datelines. I am not going to spend another few years dropping more hair and sacrificing my girls until they are ready as well as I am.  

Kidzania Trip @ October 2012

Thanks to free tickets from a good friend, we went to Kidzania for only RM35. Without the tickets, it would cost us at least RM125 extra.

Kidzania is one of the newest craze in town, where kids have the opportunity to try out the various occupations under one roof. We chose a public holiday to try out this new place. It was a bad move. Being a new thing and public holiday, you can just imagine the crowd.

The first station was the bank. Kids have to cash in some money to play. Jesslyn was wailing as she queued at the counter. How embarassing.
After that, we were so overwhelmed by the crowd and tried to find a station where the queue wasn't that long. One of the stations was the court. We persuaded Jerilyn to experience the court atmosphere. Because of her age (5yo), the person-in-charge tested her language proficiency. She managed to pull it through. She went in with a few older girls, some in their teens. Each kid had to play a role  - judge, lawyer, the accused, prosecutor etc...


lined up at the police station.. but had to wait more than half an hour.
wanted to make choc at the choc factory but they are too young. all the intersting stations had long bee lines. so, we chose those with short or even no lines at all. :p

1st Enid Blyton book

Jerilyn's first Enid Blyton collection. I had a hard time choosing an interesting one from the vast collection. Finally, the word ENCHANTED caught my attention. I remember liking Enid Blyton's Enchanted books, so I settled for this.

Just like anything new, she loved it and read a few pages. I asked if she understands the story. She replied "No. But I can read."

Random

Jerilyn's 5y 2m old

Jesslyn's work - 3y 3m old

This is what happens when she wants independence and authority

trying out new pose

Not pretty

After experiencing a few occasions where people tease and play with Jesslyn, Jerilyn begins to feel conscious of how she looks. She tells me that she is not pretty. When I deny it, she says "I know. I am not pretty." She has always wanted to keep long hair, just like her friend. But how can she when she sweats so easily! Even the length now looks messy when she sweats.

naughty Jesslyn... in process

I picked up the girls as usual from school yesterday and as usual, I would ask something about their friends when I see one.

So, I asked about this girl who is about 3y. Jesslyn told me that the girl doesn't know how to talk and only baby talk. She was sarcastic enough to add "She bleh bleh bleh.. like an idiot girl." I was again stunned by her remark.

4y 10m old

Sharp tongue

23 August 2012
Jesslyn just threatened me. She came across a colourful page in her Maths book and insisted me to teach her although I know she is not ready for it. Example of sum was 11+4, 9+3.... So, I ignored her. She got impatient and threatened me "Teach me. Faster or else, I'll simply write."

Later that day, she rode on her car and invited Jerilyn to go to the pasar malam (imagination). Her sis happily agreed but she replied immediately, "but no space wo. You stay at home with mummy ok?"

25 August 2012
Jesslyn was looking for me and when she saw me, she said "Eh, I thought you were lost." I answered "No, I am not lost." Very cheekily, she replied "I said I THOUGHT you were lost. I thought...." It's hard to win this girl. Very sharp tongue.

Apology

Since months ago, Jesslyn knows to demand for an apology. I have never made a record of it. Today, I heard it again while trying to put them to sleep. While it's still fresh in my memory, here it goes.

Jerilyn did something, which Jesslyn thought had offended the baby (Jesslyn's Mr Bean bear) and Jesslyn demanded an apology.

Jesslyn: Jie2, say sorry to baby.
Jerilyn: Sorry baby. (Loud)
Jesslyn: No. It's too loud. Say sorry again to baby.
Jerilyn: Sorry baby. (Loud again)
Jesslyn: It's too loud. Say 'Sorry baby'(soft).
Jerilyn: Sorry baby. (Loud again).
..

This ordeal repeated several times I began to think they were enjoying it. I stopped them after that or else it would never end.

Jesslyn still sings lullaby to the bear and cradles it like her baby.  She calls her bear 'baby' and if the baby is naughty, she scolds it. If the baby is scared, she puts it against her chest and pats its back while telling it not to be scared. There was once she brought a pillow, blanket and bolster down to the living room so that the baby could sleep comfortably. Jesslyn is usually a messy person. She throws things around as if my house is a huge garbage bin. I am surprised that she would put her baby cozily with blanket and bolster. Hmm.. Should I get her a real baby doll to play with? 

Development (in progress)

What the kids can do.
Jerilyn (5y6m)

1. 'recognise' words just by spelling it out to her. Sometimes, I try to communicate with my husband with them knowing it. Nothing obscene, just about some forbidden food when they are sick. So, one day, I spelt out 'N-U-G-G-E-T' and she knew immediately what I was talking about.
2. can do addition below 20. for example 9+5. How do children learn to do addition and subtraction? She uses her fingers. I seen some draw dots on the paper. I used to teach her that way but somehow, she has the habit of adding with her fingers.

Jesslyn (3y6m):

1. spell her own name and Jerilyn's name
2. spell dog and cat orally. She doesn't know how to spell the whole word she has 
3. read Peter and Jane book4
4. play Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano by memory

Today, Jesslyn used a big word "Mummy, Jie2 DISTRACT me." I exclaimed "Wow! A big word." Jerilyn asked "Big word means the word is large?"

Racist

I don't know how but Jesslyn has always demonstrated discrimination towards the ugly, the blacks and the disadvantaged.

The first time she showed discrimination towards the ugly was about a year ago when she said this to her sister "eh! why your ugly face look so pretty today?"

The next incident was at a restaurant. She showed her displeasure seeing a down-syndrome baby boy "I don't like that boy." as she pointed at the boy.

After that, there were many other instances. For example, when Jerilyn was overly dressed, Jesslyn commented "Aiye, you look so Indian. I don't like it."

Today, the teacher took some photos of the kids at the Montessori. Jesslyn was reluctant to take photos with her own sister.  I asked her why. She answered "Because she is ugly."

I love to ask the girls about their schoolmates and Jesslyn loves to share her experiences in school. For a 3yo kid, she has quite distinct words to describe her friends. John is a naughty boy. Y is very beautiful. She likes to play with me. M is a quiet boy. They also talked about their teachers. Jesslyn said "I like teacher B but teacher B is black and brown."

first piano lesson

Date: July 3rd
Jerilyn's first official piano lesson went on pretty well. She was obedient. She paid full attention to the teacher. She showed nervousness as she did not look at the teacher (Ms Yap) when the teacher was explaining. She looked down at the keys instead. Other than that, she didn't show much response although the teacher posted the same question several times. She only managed to nod her head. She could play the pieces quite well. At the end, Ms Yap complimented "She understands very well and steady. Unlike some kids who tend to be restless and turn here and there. She is very 'Tong Xi'(knows stuff)."

Jesslyn wasn't bad herself. As it was the first time Jerilyn had her lesson, Jesslyn and I waited in the same room. Jesslyn was super quiet. She understands the seriousness of the event that she whispered with me. It was funny looking at her whisper and doing sign language.

Overdue posts

Finally, I can sit down and update my long overdue posts. I had to rush and make perfect my assignments til I haven't been updating my blog about the girls for ... let's see.... 2 months?
Just for memory sake, here are some of the quotes I want the girls to know when they grow up.

1. Although the girls don't come into contact with their Ah Yee much but the way they talk about Ah Yee sounds like they have frequent contact with her. For example when the girls fight over the ipad, Jesslyn sulkily said "I dont want to play your (mummy) ipad, I will play Ah Yee's ipad."
2. Jesslyn asked "Why Ah Yee never cry when the doctor take rachel out from Ah Yee's stomach?" [as if she was there when Ah Yee delivered her baby]
3. Jerilyn shows responsibility again when she said that she was late to return to her classroom after breakfast because she had to wait for Jesslyn to finish her breakfast. Jerilyn explained that if she didn't wait, Jesslyn would cry.
4. Sometimes, we encourage and boost the girls confidence by being ignorant. One night, Jerilyn explained something about how earthquakes work and Daddy asked "How do you know?" She answered "Of course I know." Daddy replied "But, I don't know." She answered smartly "Because some boys never use their brains."
5. Jerilyn was reading her knowledge book (she has interest with the solar system, the nature, science etc.) when she suddenly asked "Mummy, is ocean bigger or the sea bigger?" That caught me off-guard. 

On July 31st,
Jerilyn - 18.8kg
Jesslyn - 14.5kg

Piano Assessment

in June:
Since I started my Masters studies, I didn't have the time to teach Jerilyn piano. She was on her own. She hardly played her piano. Maybe once or twice a week. I realised that I could not let that habit continue so, I decided to enrol her into piano classes. At least, the classes will give her some sense of responsibility and she will practise at home.

I called the piano teacher and made an appointment for an assessment. The assessment was to determine which level should Jerilyn start her lessons. According to the teacher, children her age should start with sth called Mozart, which I wasn't very keen. I wanted her to play. So, there - the assessment. I was quite apprehensive about this assessment. What if she freaks out and doesn't play? What if she was so nervous that she makes mistake after mistake? What if the teacher isn't happy enough with her performance and insists that she starts with Mozart level? I was stress  and so was she.

When she first knew about the class, she cried. She didn't want to go. However, as the actual day drew nearer, she began to accept that she has to go. Still, she was restless the whole day. You see, the appointment was in the evening.

When it was time, we went and she played. She played very well. Better than her performances at home. So, the teacher said she can start with Pre-Grade 1 book 2, whatever that means. For half an hour lesson every week, the lessons cost RM60/month.

I went home feeling proud of my daughter. The teacher was impressed with her ability to read the notes without any theory lesson. Yah. I told her I haven't taught her any theory. There was another thing which I have forgotten. Let me think.

urgent post

Edited 6 August:
As the title said, it's urgent. Just to jot down some memorable quotes:

1. Jesslyn said sth smart in the car. I complimented that she has sharp eyes. Jerilyn said sth of the similar nature. I didn't say anything and she complained that I didn't praise her. So, I complimented her just the same way I complimented Jesslyn. She wasn't happy, she said "It's too late now."
2. Jerilyn told me yesterday that she promises me that she would be good and won't be noisy in school today. (No. I didn't say or do anything that prompted this). I just replied "ok". Today, after school, she remembered her promise. She told me she had been good and even added "as promised yesterday".

Breathing time

Jesslyn can read Peter and Jane book 3. Not sure if she can read book 4 tho.
She is quite unreasonable sometimes. If she has taken a sweet and i suggest to give 1 to jerilyn, she would say No. Don't finish it and give her reasons so that I don't give any to Jerilyn.
She is reading Peter and Jane now.  The sentence goes like this:
Peter is here.
Peter is here and Jane is here.
She asked "why is there no AND here?" pointing to the between the lines. In short, she is quite inquisitive too. Just like always, she reads, writes and colours faster than Jerilyn. I have photos of their colouring quality but... hmm.. when can I upload.
Things have been working like robots nowadays. Since I have started my Master education, all I think of is assignment, assignment and assignment. Luckily, datelines for 2 of the 3 assignments have been  postponed by 2-3 weeks. Only now, I can breathe and do my assignment with more gusto. Previously, it was all about meeting the dateline.
One day, Jerilyn came home from school and announced "Mummy, I plan to buy Lamborghini." I thought only my teenage students would have such dreams. Jerilyn explained that her friend, Ryan has one green Lamborghini. So, she wants one. I asked her, how big is it? "It's this big." putting up both her arms at half a foot's length.
Oh! Did I tell you about Jerilyn's jealousy? No. She is not jealous at home but away from home. While we were dining at a fancy restaurant, as usual, the waiters would play and touch Jesslyn's cheeks.... I think I have done this.
Let's go to the next. We were at a bridal shop to enquire about family portrait packages. The salesgirl was playing with Jesslyn and even had her on her lap, tickling her and made Jesslyn laughed. At first, Jerilyn only watched. Later she didn't look very happy and we all noticed that. The 2 salesgirls were discussing about it. 1 of them said "You have neglected the elder one. Look at her. She is not happy." (in Cantonese). The more they talked, the more Jerilyn was unhappy and finally, she broke down and cried. Daddy didn't even know what was going on. I don't understand why is she so 'touchy' as she doesn't portray such behaviour at home. She has never been jealous of Jesslyn at home. I carried her out of the studio and asked her what happened. Her reply was "I don't want to talk about it."

........

I  have been thinking.... what's a suitable title this time? I can't think of one. Maybe you can help.

When Jesslyn was born, she wasn't beautiful. In fact, she looked 'not pretty'. As she grows, she turns into a beautiful duckling. Hmm... maybe 'beautiful' is over-rated. Anyway, she does attract attention wherever she goes. Waiters especially would tease her, touches her cheeks and talks to her. She gets the attention because of her .... big round eyes? Friendly smile? cheeky look? China doll hair? I don't know. Maybe a mixture of the above. Jerilyn gets the attention because of her vivacious style. Overall, Jesslyn is the one who makes people stop.

Last Friday, we had an early Mother's Day celebration at Moven Peak's. This time, the special attention that she got was almost unbearable. The Bangladeshi touched her cheeks every time he came to our table. That was more than 5x. Daddy and I were so pissed off that Daddy told her loudly "Tell him not to touch you" when the waiter was within an audible distance. Jerilyn looked a bit offended and unhappy at first. Later, she asked "Mummy, why all the men like her?" To make her feel better, I answered "They know that you are tough and cannot be disturbed. So, the men dare not disturb you." I hope she does feel better after that and be proud of herself.

Trip to Petrosains

Petrosains KL - slideshow with music

Tooth Decay

For the past few days, tooth decay has been the main concern in my family. Daddy thinks that it's a crisis! So, who has tooth decay. Look at the picture below and take a guess.

After bathing the kids last Saturday, Daddy told me that Jesslyn has a hole in her tooth. The news was like a leaking bombshell (if bombs ever leak). He took photographs to show Jesslyn herself. Not only is there a hole, the two front teeth are brownish as you can see from the picture above. He threatened to bring her to the dentist. She said No. Otherwise, she had no feeling or showed any other reaction towards her decayed tooth. Daddy complained that Jesslyn took it too easy. I thought to myself "What does he expect from a 3yo kid who has never had her tooth checked  by a man in a white robe." The days after, we made her brushes her teeth twice a day. I wasn't strict with teeth brushing rule. Now, I am forced to. Coincidentally, hubs and I had our teeth scaled that very same morning. It was a 'teethy' day.

A Day at School

Paid the kids' school fees yesterday. As expected, the principal has lots to talk about. The first thing the principal said was "The two of them don't like dirt esp Jesslyn." Apparently, they did some outdoor painting and Jesslyn was careful with the paint. Yup! She doesn't like to touch paint with her bare hands.  At home, she only plays finger painting for 5minutes before she says she wants to wash her hands.


Next, the principal commented that Jerilyn has (too) high expectation from herself. The girl wants to be the first in class and cannot accept failure. The principal related one incident where she taught them insects. During the first few lessons, Jerilyn was quiet and didn't answer any questions posted by the teacher until later, when she was more sure, she started answering questions. According to the teacher, other kids gave answers although some were wrong. Her point is that it's alright to make mistakes.
My opinion: What's wrong with having expectations? Yes, Jerilym may be a bit tensed in case she gives the wrong answers but surely you don't want a kid who simply gives answers without thinking.

Thirdly, the principal asked me if I send Jerilyn to any classes because her colouring and painting skills are not good. She explained how Jerilyn used the brushes etc...
My opinion: So what if her painting and colouring skills are not perfect. It's not a matter of life and death. Like my sister asked "Does she want to be an artist?" Jerilyn has always shown more interest in science. I don't expect her to excel in every field although I hope she can be an all-rounder. I appreciate her concern but she doesn't have to make a big deal out of it.

Forth, it's about the girls schoolmates.
1. A boy named J. I mentioned that Jesslyn has been talking about this boy and she immediately said that the boy likes her. He tries to get her attention and always looks at her but my little girl doesn't like him. She avoids him and this frustrates the boy. The boy also told the teacher "... henn mei orrr...." with a love struck expression on his face.
2. A girl named MS. The principal said that her performance has dropped tremendously lately. The girl got '0' for a few spelling tests. She daydreams in class and doesn't do her homework. I was surprised because just 2 months ago, the principal said that this girl was her best student. At home, Jerilyn too told me a bit about the girl but I didn't believe her. I thought Jerilyn was just trying to put down her friend. Anyway, the reason behind the girl's poor performance is because she is addicted to Taiwanese, Korean Idol shows 'til she neglect her studies. She goes to bed late thus she couldn't concentrate in class. What is more surprising is the girl would comment "He is handsome" when she saw a (maybe handsome) Daddy comes to pick up a kid.

Situation 1
She came to me asking me to read her a story while I was already in bed. I said that I didn't have time to entertain her. She demanded "Say Sorry.". I didn't answer her. She firmly said "Mummy, say 'Sorry, I don't have time to entertain you'."

Situation 2
Jerilyn showed me some stickers her friend gave.I wasn't very happy. I told her not to take things from others. Jesslyn said "Mummy, I didnt take anything from my friends. Am I good?"

Situation 3
The girls and I love packing for holidays. This time, we plan to go to KL. Last Saturday, I told Jerilyn that we would pack on Sunday. I don't know how but at 7am the next day, she woke me up so that we could pack. I mean, every morning, we have to call them and shake them up for school and that's after 8. Does she have an alarm clock in her? I told her "Later. We have the whole day. Go back to sleep." She went back to bed only to bug me again after 5 minutes.
So, we have prepared 2 bags. Daddy suggested to use only 1 bag. Jerilyn answered him "It's happier to have 2 bags." (which I agree totally). Jerilyn definitely knows how to have fun more than Daddy.

Situation 4
We were in a car one day and Daddy & I were chatting when Jesslyn wanted us to change the radio to her favourite disc. We were so engrossed into our conversation that we ignored her. Actually, not only that. We hate it when she becomes bossy and doesn't take 'No' for an answer. After a while, she was quiet. When she became quiet... too quiet in fact, it was my turn to talk to her. I called her name. She said angrily "I don't want to talk to you. You two guys make me sad." We looked at each other. We wanted to laugh so much but if we laugh, the more irritated she would become. She would think that we are laughing at her.

Today, I scolded Jerilyn and she was sulking at a corner. Jesslyn joined her after that. When I called them, Jesslyn said "I don't want. You make Jie2 and I sad because you scold us." Sigh......

Situation 5
I was teaching Jesslyn to to fill in the crossword puzzle with colour words. Jerilyn was trying to be helpful by spelling out  'Yellow' for her but she was not very grateful. She asked "Did Mummy ask you to come? No right? Why did you come here? Go back there and do your work." Pity Jerilyn.

Luggage

Luggage.... Have I written about this? It's not exactly 'luggage' but what Jerilyn understands by luggage.


One day a few months back, she told me that her friends bring luggage to school. I didn't understand at first until she said that her friends pull their bags and their bags are pretty big. She added that she didn't want bags as big as that. I had a great laugh.

At the supermarket recently, those pretty pink disney bags attract my girls and they so wanted to bring home one each. They particularly like bags with wheels now especially Jesslyn. I gave excuses so they dont buy. I don't like the idea of them wheeling the bags in my bags and dirty my place. At least, not now.

Til then, they have to use bags without wheels.

Baby

Jesslyn calls this 'Baby'. She loves her (I presume it's a girl) very much, so much so that she has been talking to it since like ..... 2yo. Now, she also teaches the baby to read. Jesslyn would sit on the chair with the Baby on her lap and request me to teach the Baby. Moreover, Jesslyn herself would line-up her dolls in a row while she sits opposite them and asks the dolls to read. Sometimes, she insists that I feed it too while I feed the girls or do other very real stuff with her Baby.

All this is incomprehensible to me. I don't think I did that when I was her age. Neither did my sis. Jerilyn too doesn't talk to her dolls as if they were real. So, seeing Jesslyn treats her dolls like humans is quite 'refreshing.'

* Photo of the baby... later

Short Hair

"What am I combing? You see. So little hair. My hair is so short. I cannot comb my hair. It LOOKS LIKE I AM COMBING MY HEAD! Why am I combing my head?"
 [bang the bed with the comb] She was almost hysterical about the idea of not being able to comb her hair. There was once I threatened to bald her head when she looked so sweaty and untidy. She cried boo-hoo the moment she heard it.

What Jesslyn can do @ 3y4m old

These are what Jesslyn can do now:

1. spell her name as well as her sis's
2. read Peter & Jane up to Book 2. She can read pretty well actually.
3. identify and read all (the common) colours. However, she may get confused between black and brown
4. recite the suku kata without mistakes in 5 seconds eg B-A, B-I, B-O, B-U, B-E in a song like tune. You can give her any consonant and she would read them out like A, B, C. [I didn't know that she can recite the suku kata and suddenly, she is reciting all the suku kata from B to Y. Pretty impressive]

* Jesslyn is 95 cm and Jerilyn 108cm.

For the record, I am drilling Jerilyn with Mandarin. She has another 2 years before she joins Poi Lam where most of the subjects are conducted in Mandarin. I have never been so hardworking with learning Mandarin and I have to learn to like the language too. Sigh!