Staying awake, staying awake

One fateful afternoon, Hubby-jr refused to nap even though he was tired. So when it came to dinner he could hardly keep his eyes open. We (hubby and I) were NOT happy and he knew it.

Uh-oh, I’m in serious trouble. I must stay awake, I must stay awake, I must stay awake. Thinketh my first born as he struggled to eat his dinner.

Can you see how he’s lifting his eyebrows in an effort to stay awake?

I almost choked trying not to laugh out loud. In which I failed miserably. NO, I did NOT choke but I did laugh out (very) loudly. After which I felt (guilty) sorry for my poor boy and rescued him by getting him to talk about his current favourite movie, Wall-E. It worked. He perked up almost instantly and was able to complete his dinner.

The near death punishment experience was not lost on him. He has napped faithfully (when he is tired) ever since. The End.

My Boy and A Balloon Pump

Put a boy, er… let me rephrase that as I really shouldn’t generalise…, put my boy and a pump together and what do we get?

A boy trying to pump his own tummy!

First he positioned it carefully into his belly button.

Next he… pumped and pumped and pumped! (I kid you not)

“What are you doing?” Asks my dear hubby.

“I am pumping my tummy until the tummy becomes a balloon!” 

It was simply hilarious. But now as I’m writing this, I am thinking… there may come a day, 30 or 40 years from now, where he’ll be doing the exact opposite. Trying NOT to let his tummy balloon!

My Son’s Haircut

BEFORE

This was taken a week before the haircut.

AFTER

This was taken yesterday, a day after the haircut.

DURING

And… yes, this was taken while my dear son was having his haircut!

The credit for this hilarious scene (which REALLY took place) goes to… me.

No prizes for guessing, yes, Hubby-jr hates haircuts. Every past session is a drama in itself. The reason? He has a “thing” with bits of hair falling on his face, especially his eyes. He usually flinches and lets out occasional whines, screams and whimpers throughout the haircut which all but lasts (at most) 30 minutes.

To reduce the “trauma” my father-in-law used to have to shield Hubby-jr’s eyes with his hands while my mother-in-law executes the haircut. (Yah, how many grown-ups does it take to cut my dear son’s hair?)

Anyway, on Monday we fixed him a haircut appointment with my in-laws. Before we even left for their house my son was a bundle of nerves. “Yeh-yeh (grandpa) will cover my eyes.” He said repeatedly, looking to me for some sort of assurance. “Yes! Yes!” I replied… repeatedly. It was getting on my nerves. Just then, I thought of… goggles! (He just started swimming lessons… which is another story…)

I looked at him and said, “how about wearing goggles? If you wear it then the hair will not get into your eyes.” To my amazement, he calmed significantly at the idea and said, “okay.”

I was quite pleased at that point to have thought of such a “brilliant” idea… until the haircut itself. Yes, it worked, he was quiet throughout even though he was still tense. BUT I hadn’t anticipated how ridiculously funny the whole thing looked. Thankfully it was a home haircut. I don’t think I can turn him into such a spectacle at a hairdresser/barber in a mall!

Oh well, hopefully he’ll outgrow the need for goggles or I’d just have to think up of another “brilliant” idea when that time comes. For now, its goggles and behind closed doors at my in-laws.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Add…

…Monkey Must Have Too and that’d aptly describe my no.2, Little Missy. She imitates just about everything her kor-kor (big brother) does and just about whatever kor-kor gets, she has to have it too (with the big exception of punishment!) It’s the common younger child syndrome isn’t it?

With Little Missy, its to the extent that she wants to take medication just because my older boy has to take antihistamines. His sensitive nose is acting up more often now with the utterly unpredictable weather fluctuating between scorching heat and thunderstorms.

“I wan medsen (medicine)! I wan medsen!”

“Okay dearie (if you insist), here…” and I feed her liquid Vitamin C (seize opportunities people, seize opportunities). Yes I confess I have been tempted at times to feed her drowsy antihistamines… sweet dreams sweetie… sleep longer yah?

Anyway, last Saturday, my poor son had a minor mishap on the escalator which left him with some nasty cuts on his knee. This “earned” Hubby-jr a pad on his knee held by first aid tape. In my effort to distract my son with happy thoughts I exclaimed, “Hey look, you have sticky tape on your knee!” (They’re at a sticky tape craze at the moment after watching the sticky tape episode of Dora a few dozen times). Next thing I heard was a not so little voice coming from a particular little person,

“I wan stiky tape! I wan stiky tape!”

Ask and ye shall receive…

My dearest hubby’s handiwork.

It Was Not Just A Dance

“Backward, Forward, Shuffle, Shuffle… get ready for Chinese Dance… next is Malay Dance… now the Indian Dance…”

My son showed me a dance routine he learnt in school the week leading to Singapore’s National Day (9 August). I was so amused and thrilled that he not only learnt it but he could actually perform it.

They were going to perform this mass dance on 8 Aug 08 as part of his kindergarten’s National Day Celebration.

So the day before, I checked with his class teacher if I could witness the celebration (there was no open invitation to parents). After getting her green light, I snuck to school that eventful morning after I sent him off to his school bus, Little Missy in tow.

I wanted to surprise him. (He has asked me on several occasions to pick him up from school.)

Upon arriving at his kindy I stationed ourselves right in front of a small group of parents at the place where they’d perform the mass dance. He beamed when he saw us. I was half afraid he would cry and want to stand with me (as he would have done so last year). But he didn’t. He just smiled and kept glancing our way every now and then.

I was so proud. My boy is maturing so well.

Then the dance began. And even though I could only see his head (thankfully he’s tall) bobbling in a mini sea of red and white (all the children were dressed in the national colours), I felt a lump in my throat. I had to hold back my tears.

I swear if you could see through me that moment, you’d see an explosion of sorts. I was exploding with pride. Drama huh? Well it is partly because he was just SO different last year. Last year he would’ve just stood still and not participate. So for me to see him taking part fully in something like this was just…

Never in a million years would I have expected myself to feel that way over a mass dance performed by a group of pre-schoolers (of course I only had eyes for my five year old).

But I did. I am mommy-fied.

Stay Love

Grace is one of the Christian values I feel deeply about, having experienced God’s grace in my life. Knowing that God loves me for who I am and not what I did or didn’t do. Knowing that nothing I do (or did) will shock Him into not loving me has lifted and freed me beyond words.

Therefore I strive to impart this to my kids. I try to reinforce as much as possible that I love them even when they are naughty or disobedient.

“When I am naughty, mommy doesn’t love me,” Hubby-jr said one day.

“No, I love you even when you are naughty. I’ll always love you. When you are naughty you make me angry but I still love you. I love you because you are my son; you are God’s gift to me.”

The first time I told him, he seemed a little confused. How can mommy be angry (scolding and punishing) and still love him? After reassuring him a few more times, he took me at my word and repeated what I said verbatim, “mommy loves me even when I’m naughty.”

He asked me several more times (when I had to punish him), “do you love me when I am naughty?” And I’d reassure him. At times I’d also add, “I have to punish you when you are naughty because I have to teach you and I want you to learn to be a good boy.”

The question stopped after a while (a month or so ago?) and I almost forgot all about it until last night.

I lost my cool when they fought over a toy. Yes one out of tons that they have! As I was tucking them into bed I saw their dejected faces and felt sorry. So I said, “Hey, its okay, mommy’s not angry anymore. I won’t stay angry with both of you for long.”

And before I could say anything more Hubby-jr face lit up and he piped “but mommy will stay love you.”

“Yes, I will love you always. Both of you.”

My five year old got it. Sniff.

Nintendo

Hubby and I love books and we spent quite sometime at Bras Basah that day. How on earth did we manage such a feat with two little kids in tow? Especially since Hubby-jr simply hates any kind of shopping.

He starts his chain of complaints the second I (or hubby) as much as glance at something. That never fails to drive me up the wall. So to avoid this we’ve resorted to:

a) NOT shop (I can’t avoid this ALL the time!)
b) Tell him to be quiet or else…
c) One of us brings him somewhere where he’ll be happy (i.e. toys section)… (but what if there is no “happy” section for him?)
d) Bring one of his toys along… (a toy car works but we’ve lost quite a few.)

THEN during our trip back to Malaysia we discovered a very effective on-the-go babysitter…

A little too effective?!

Yup, it’s the outdated Nintendo gameboy. We borrowed (permanently?) it from our sister-in-law (who has since upgraded to a PSP) as an “emergency weapon”. The emergency being our 5 year old going “out of control” restless on a 5-hour long bus ride back to Malaysia! Well the emergency never occurred (he was so well behaved) but hubby introduced it to him anyway.

Needless to say Hubby-jr took to it like fish to water. He is hooked.

Well it’s not too bad (yet?) as we’ve confined this activity to only weekends. He’s still attracted to other of his favourite activities even with the gameboy in hand. And who am to complain when it keeps him happy while we are happy shopping!

So is the Nintendo a friend or foe? A friend, I say (at least for now).

P/S: Hubby insists it helps with his hand eye coordination and helps him fit in socially… (yeeeah, oooookaay…)

Sometimes small and simple is good enough

1 Thomas & Friends Cake

2 Large Oishi Pizzas (and 12 yum-delicious chicken wings)

2 Close Friends (who’ve known each other since 4 months old) and their little siblings (that totals 5 children guests)

2 Mommy’s “motherhood” friends

That was what I whipped up in two days for my son, Hubby-jr, to celebrate his birthday. And that was all it took to make him a very happy boy.

My son is turning five tomorrow.

I was mulling for sometime in May as to what I should do for his birthday. Organising a birthday party on a weekend was one of the ideas I had. BUT when the holidays started (almost 2 weeks ago) I ditched the idea. You see, I was just plain too exhausted. It’s my first time winging a holiday with 2 kids without my parents (yup, they usually visit during the school hols). We (hubby and I) then decided to just bring him for a movie on his special day.

B-ut… then… just two days ago my friend asked if we’d be celebrating Hubby-jr’s birthday and that led me to ask my son what he wanted to do for his birthday. Would he prefer his friends coming over or going out to watch a movie? Without hesitation and with much excitement he chose the former. So I called his two “babyhood” friends’ mothers that evening. Next day I brought him to choose his cake. This morning I called for pizzas. And that was that, we had a mini birthday celebration.

It was great seeing him brimming with excitement in anticipation of his friends coming over for his birthday the last two days. To think he was once afraid of parties. He has really grown.

“Thank you mommy for preparing for my friends to come” he said after I spent some time in the morning getting the house and things in order.

“I really enjoyed my birthday (party) today,” smiling as he told his daddy over dinner.

And that was all it took for this mommy-fied woman to think and feel – it is all worth it. Being mommy-fied isn’t so bad after all. 

My Space

I never knew how precious this particular commodity is until I became mommyfied.

And I’m feeling so stripped of it now that it is the school holidays!!!

Help! I need space. S-P-A-C-E.

Oh yeah, I get “some”, here and there, but that’s NOT ENOUGH!

My dear speech delayed son has improved enough to want to chat incessantly. Yes I am thankful (thank you Lord) BUT… I need MY SPACE.

To curb cabin fever I’ve to schedule sporadic outings. Traveling and eating out with two young kids can be fun but unavoidably there are “those” times where it’s just nerve wrecking.  

On quieter non-outing days… yes, my two kids can and do play with each other so I don’t have to play with them… but after 15 minutes or so, one of them will come looking (or shouting) for me. They need mommy’s help or something or just my attention.

Little Missy naps for 2-3 hours (God bless her!) BUT almost 5 year old Hubby-jr may or may not. Thankfully I’ve trained him to stay in his room for an hour (if he can’t nap, he can read his books).

BUT people, that’s all I’m getting – ONE hour. Out of 11 hours (yes, hubby’s away daily for that many hours).

Can you now understand my dire need for space? Yes, S-P-A-C-E!!!

Just when will the d*mn holidays be over?!!

“I can do this. I can stay sane. I’ve survived a week already. Late next week we’ll be off to visit my parents in Malaysia. Hang in there mommyfied. It’s only a few days more…deep breaths. Take deep breaths. I can do this… I can…”

It’s Mine!

“It’s mine!”

That’s what I’ve been hearing a lot lately from both my kids. Yup, the usual siblings’ squabble.

It’s amazing isn’t it, how a (once upon a time, not too long ago, sorely neglected) toy’s appeal increases exponentially the very second one child picks it up and decides to play with it. Before you know it, the other child wants to play with it too. Yah, and just as suddenly, the toy that they were playing with earlier is no longer “current”.

The grass is just always greener on the other side.

Anyhoo, the tussle over toys isn’t new at all. It started way back. What’s new though is that now my son (almost 5, speech delay) can declare, “it’s mine!” (It used to be just, “No, Mei-Mei, No!”) And my two year old Little Missy can counter that with, “no, it’s mine!” (Hurray! Her speech development’s “normal”).

Of course the “it’s mine” goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…
Add this, “Mei-mei (sister), you play with this (another toy).”
And this “No!!” Scream!
Then back to, “it’s mine” banter.

It is quite a racket. It can and does drive me nuts. Yet at the same time…
It is so good to hear those two words come out of my son’s mouth (and my daughter’s).
It. Is. Good.