Things my kids say

Miss almost two: “You’re not funny daddy!” 

L says about her older sister, “姐姐 stepped on poo poo” when it was only some moss. 

Me: “ Did you do a poo poo L?”

Miss#2: “Maybe”

Me: Who farted?

Miss#2: JieJie

And upon grasping the concept of Potty training proceeds to tell me each time she’s been successful, “I’m so proud of you Mummy!”

Miss#2 wants her sister’s cup of water despite having been given her own. 

Daddy: that’s the same water.

Miss#2: I want that Same water.

Miss#2 also tries to imitate her sister by announcing the time in the morning to get me out of bed to make breakfast. She looks at the clock and looks at me declaring, “its 7,8,9,10 o clock Mummy”

She was sandwiched between me and her sister one night in a hug and Miss #2 didn’t like it one bit. “I not Ham, I am Baby!” Then when we repeated after her mockingly, she jokes, “I not Baby, I am ham. Eat me eat me!”enticing us to blow raspberries on her belly.

On a regular basis, “Where Daddy gone? What ya doing? Why? No Dahling. Don’t do that Dahling, remember?”

Miss FourY.O: “The teachers let us watch a documentary on jellyfish on TV today. Because they were too lazy to teach us.”

Also her when I greet her in the mornings trying to sneak a cuddle before her all-consuming sister wakes up: “ Don’t face me mummy. Turn ard and face L so that when she wakes up she can see your face and not cry.”

The older one says to the little one, “L can you do me a favour and put these books back”. I cut in and reminded her to say the magic word when she wants something done. “Oh, Abracadabra”

Walking past a cafe, she announces that place has no restrooms. I wondered how’d she know, to which she replies, there’s a sticker on the door that says Just Eat. And then demands to know if I am laughing at her or with her.

The two are chalk and cheese. Whilst one will wear her Melissa wellies as a fashion statement and would never dream of dirtying them in a muddy puddle, the other would not think twice about running into the largest muddiest Puddle with her sparkly gold shoes. She’d scream in mock tantrum when disallowed, “Life’s not fair!”

The older one loves reading and is mostly self taught, able to read books even from August 2019 with no pictures as long as she’s been told the story and now having started school she writes diligently and enjoys writing sentences by herself.

The younger one has developed a love for books too and I am well pleased. Something about this makes me feel they will be set for life because they will always be able to get information and never be bored if they can read and enjoy it.

I keep having to remind myself not to be too greedy. Two is just right and I may miss these days when they are both cute but at the same time, I will miss the days now in just a moment passed by. I already see their wills and I try to discipline them without breaking their individuality although that is hard given we were brought up to not be heard as children. I cannot seem to get the balance right. 

Yet, I am proud of them and remind myself that they are doing just right and that I will always be here to tirelessly guide them onto the right path.

Two cute to be

NB: I drafted this ages ago but never got around to publishing the draft.

We made it! She’s two and I’ve been back at work a year now. 

I thought she’d be terrible but surprisingly with us standing our ground, she’s starting to understand she cannot get her way and the tantrums subside into a tearful, “I’m sorry mummy” instead.

She knows more than I gave her credit for. She understands the words we speak in both English and sometimes Mandarin. Whilst not as creative at expressing herself, between her sister and I, we understand her quite well. She picks up on sound a lot better than her sister does and she can carry a tune better. Ah yes, she sings. Lots of singing and she shushes next too sometimes. She knows most of the classics, Horsey, Horsey, ABC, Wheels on the bus, Twinkle star, Baa Baa Sheep, speckled frogs, zoom zoom zoom, 5 little monkeys, old MacDonald, once I caught a fish alive. She can sit with the book of Nursery Rhymes and turn each page and sing a song in relation to the picture on the page. 

She is keen for us to read to her now as she begins to be curious about stories and what pictures mean. Whilst she doesn’t know her colours well, she can certainly name things well and proudly acclaims, ‘I made this’ or ‘I did it’

She plays Simon says really well, and enjoys drawing, adores Peppa Pig as well as play dough. She’s starting to like stickers and definitely can count to ten (plus backwards too I’ve been told). 

She loves jumping, swimming (which we don’t take her to enough) and dances by wiggling her bottom. With us she truly blossoms, but in public she observes for a very long time, too cautious to join in independently. She loves helping me in the kitchen, eggwashing, shelling peas, filling up pots with rice or pasta, spending time with me by her side or her by my side is a big must in her every waking (and sleeping) moment.

Yes, we still cosleep. She cannot let me go yet. Perhaps we don’t spend enough of our day together anymore and so it’s down to the nighttime snuggles. I forget to see the world through her eyes so much as I did with my firstborn.

But last week we taught her the art of trick and treating. Whilst she refused to don a costume, she got the hang of walking up the driveway with the other children and choosing a candy of choice from the bucket. We are still working on her saying thank you to strangers, but she gave one of them a high five after she scored a chocolate coin from the treasure chest at the haunted pirate ship.

After all that fun and candy counting, we settled as a family of four to watch the BATTERSEA Park fireworks display for Bonfire night. It was glorious to introduce my children to a firework display when their daddy and I have enjoyed so many with each other in the past 18 years. This was our first as a family of four. I am pleased that they loved it every bit as we adults do. Am thinking of making this our tradition now. 

At her two year old birthday she did a poo in her potty, and was frankly quite surprised it happened. She tries to copy her big sister but also gives as good as she gets. I am thankful that they play well together.

Dahling, I love you and I miss you the moment you aren’t in my arms. Something about you being my youngest and last makes me just want to keep you tiny for just a bit longer. Hope you don’t mind being my baby.