The Ladybug Class

Here's the class of the Ladybug. Caroline(4th from left) eats only plain rice and gets her nutrition from milk. Barnabas (to Peanut's left) seems to be Peanut's playmate - outgoing and confident kid, that one. He was 'perming' my hair with a toy hairdryer at our very first meeting. And the kiddo in the extreme left - I suspect that's Jarryd. Totally independent, he has his own idea on what to do in class - always wondering off and doing something different from the rest. Reminds me of the other boy in Peanut's ex-school. Girls, somehow, are more conforming, more eager to please. And Peanut - he is just one of the regular toddlers, at times shy, at times confident, at times cheeky, at times obliging, at times clingy, at times independent ... phew!

All about me

Here is a form which I had to complete to register Peanut for his play school:

All about me because I'm Special

The special name I call my mummy is: mama
The special name I call my daddy is: papa
My best friend's name is: Auntie Wati (domestic helper)
The things I do well are: listening to instructions, art & craft
The things I enjoy are: riding my motorbike, playing at the playground, story-telling before bedtime
My favourite food are: noodle, egg, cheese, yoghurt, fruits
But I dislike vegetable
My favourite toy / game is: train, ball, aeroplane
Songs I enjoy are: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rain Rain Go Away, Old McDonal
I have a pet, its name is Moogi (dog)
My worries and fears are: (left blank - couldn't think of any)
Other interesting things about me: I make my own milk. I enjoy cooking. I know the names of the different engines in Thomas the Train - Thomas, James, Percy, Gordon, Duncan, Bertie, Clarabel, Harold. I like to draw cockroaches.
My family would like me know more about (language, maths etc): loving and playing with my younger brother, Chenwei.

Happiness is ...

I was pleasantly surprised 2 weeks back when I returned home from work and discovered that SP could clap his hands. Before I became a parent, this would have been a strange statement for me. It's like urr, why should anyone be surprised? What's the big deal? But as a parent who has observed how her baby has developed his motor skills from day 1, when the bundle seems totally unaware of his digits, to discovering his fingers, learning to control his grasp, passing object from one hand to the other - each is a milestone and in all, a delightful journey of learning/discovery. I digressed.

Back to clapping. Initially, I thought the maid taught him. Afterall, my maid is superbly patient and has taught my elder son a couple of things - mastering shape sorting toys, numbers, songs. I was surprised (again) that he picked it up from watching a video with nursery rhymes and songs, in particular - When you're happy and you know it ... And he sure enjoys the song "Old McDonald" with all the animal sounds. It's a joy to watch how he interacts with the video - sometimes waving his hands, at other times rocking his body and even laughing. I remembered how we were religiously following kid experts' advice against exposing young children (less than 2) to TV/video watching when we were raising Peanut, making sure that he kept to 15mins at most in one session (and I believe that was when he was 15 m.o or so). The experts believe that TV/video watching kind of slow the mind and deprives the child of learning through human interactions/play. I suppose that is a general observation which does not apply to Sweet Potato. At the end, every child is unique. Oh, need I state the obvious? We are a lot more relaxed with the 2nd child.

Big Boss Small Boss

Here is a directive earnestly issued by Peanut to me on Sunday,"Next time, don't press lift, don't open door." You see, he is now tall enough to press the button for the lift and he is also able to open the heavy car door of our Volvo. That elicited a comment from my maid that he is the small boss. My response? No, he is the BIG boss because he is the boss's boss!

Having been subjected to all these assertions of self-independence from Peanut for several months and from SP for a few months, I have utterly amazed myself in that I still find it all so amusing. It takes tons of humour (patience is a given) when it comes to bringing up kids - it's THE way to keep your sanity. Someone tells me that your child is what you deserve. Well, I think she is absolutely right. Poor husband has to cope with a bossy wife and 2 bossy sons. Wonder what's his secret to keeping his sanity...

SP is another character. He'll be turning one in a week's time but he's sure slow at speech. His linguistic vocab is limited to "bao bao" (as in carry me) and "kor kor" (strange kid, can't call mama but can call his brother). I remembered distinctly how contented and elated I was when Peanut called me 'mama' at 8 m.o. But ah, SP has no problem communicating his wants and needs. Even as a 2.5 months old infant, he used to push the milk bottle away if he didn't want his milk - which was often because he wanted to be breastfed. And when he started on solids at 5 m.o, he would turn his head and shoved the spoon away when he had enough. If we didn't get the message, he would start to yell. When he needs to reach for something he can't get, he'll pull my hand towards the object. Crying is of course his best weapon of defence against Peanut's bullying. SP, however, is superb at his motor skills, he is able to twist and turn buttons/switches, climb up every stool, sofa, cupboard or any small ledge he can land his foot on, pulls and pushes at the tabs in the books and pick up the tiniest scrap of dirt using his thumb and forefingers in a pincer grasp. In short, hands-full.