Aidan's first day at kindy

Today was Aidan's first day at kindy. We didn't intend to send him to kindy this year. We thought next year when he'd be 4 (though technically only 3 cos he was born in Dec 2005). Last month, the principal of the kindy Sean attends encouraged me to consider sending Aidan for their 3 year old programme (it's called Sparklets) as they had an intake in June. Aidan was really excited about "going to school with kor kor" as he puts it.

He was really stoned this morning when I gave him his "nan nan". He actually rolled over and continued sleeping after he finished. I told him it was time to go to school and he immediately struggled to get out of bed. He was still pretty stoned at the sink getting washed and ready. It was really quite comical, the Garfield eyes and all. Once in uniform however, he was all raring to go. He called out a cheerful "Bye Daddy! See you later!" as we left the room.

At the breakfast table, he looked at his bowl of Honey Stars and said in an exaggerated voice, "Honey Stars! Beautiful!"

In the car, he was excitedly chatting and even let out a "Yee-ha!". At one traffic light, he commanded me to "follow that back hoe!" Sean was contently listening to his favourite playlist from the backseat.

When I pulled up at school, he asked in a small voice, "Can I bring Bear-Bear?" Now, I've prepared him beforehand that he can't bring his "Bear-Bear" and "Leon the Lion" to school. I reminded him and he quietly placed the Bear on his car seat and walked into the school, all excited. Teacher Michelle could not help but smile as he walked in...he looked so cute in uniform.

I was there throughout the assembly. Aidan was excitedly checking out the whole place (read: not participating in the assembly but wandering around). Just as the assembly was ending, he dashed into Sean's classroom. Teacher Betty told me it's ok, it's his first day and that they'll be able to handle him. So I snuck out and hid outside at the school porch.

Assembly ended and the students "choo-choo trained" to their classes. I could hear Aidan loud and clear - he doesn't like to "choo-choo train" because he doesn't like others hanging on to his shoulders - "Wei!" , "Go away!" , "That's not fair!" and "Where's mummy?"

They got him seated with the rest and proceeded to hand out the snacks. I could hear him asking for me and he sounded upset. I peeped and he was looking around for me, looking teary eyed and pouting. *sigh* My heart went out to him. My little boy looking so small and lost. Teacher assured him "mummy will be here soon". I left then. All in all, I hung around for about 45 min and he hadn't cried.

He was excitedly waiting to go to the playground with Sean when I arrived at dismissal. I asked Teacher Michelle how he fared. She smiled and told me that he cried after a while. "I want mummy! I want mummy now!" She carried him and he stopped crying. Put him down but he wanted to be carried. He told her, "My leg pain" (his typical excuse to be carried). Teacher asked him where and he pointed to some scar on his leg. He stopped crying for me when he was kept busy with things to do but would cry once the activity ended. Overall, teacher said he was very good.

Once in the car, he hugged Bear-Bear and was quiet for awhile before starting to chatter. But he dozed off halfway home. I could not wake him and laid him on the sofa.

Just now, preparing for bed, he was again excitedly stating "I go school again with kor kor!"


Aidan at the playground after school.


Tadika Permata Pintar's newest student - KO on the sofa at home!

Vege Tales!

A few minutes ago, Aidan was on my mum's lap, "helping" to "kopek sayur". My mum pointed at the veg and asked him, "What's this?" (meaning what vegetable is this?). His answer: Vege Tales! haha!

Mangoes vs Bananas

Sean used to love bananas. We used to joke that he'd go bananas at the sight of one. Unfortunately, his taste in food is changing. He used to eat all veggies and fruits but now he picks at the veggies and seem to like only certain fruits.

Anyway, one day, I was extolling the qualities of the humble banana to him. That it's got potassium...gives energy...brain boost...good for breakfast, etc. He listened without a word. Was quiet for a few seconds after and then he said....

"Mummy, you know ar....mangoes are very good. When you eat the mango and then you go to the playground ar, it helps you kick the ball better!"

What?! I never saw that coming! Of course it's his way of telling me that he loves mangoes and that I can't get him to eat bananas for breakfast.

Kindy secrets

Last week, Sean & I were at his kindy playground. He was the only kid there. The rest were nearby and a few were watching him with envy (kids are only allowed at the playground if they're accompanied by a parent).

Suddenly, the two 6 year old girls who sometimes talk to him called him over. "Sean! Come! We have a secret to tell you!" They seemed excited. Sean dutifully walked over. They cupped their hands near their mouths and started telling him the secret. All I heard was, "Tell your mummy, she's...."

Secret told, they eagerly watched him to see if he'd come and tell it to me. He didn't. Just went back to playing. Of course I was curious to know the secret.

I asked Sean, "What did your friends tell you?"
Sean: Dunno.
Me: Didn't you hear what they said?
Sean: Dunno.

*sigh* The kid was totally not bothered! So like a boy to not get the whole "secret" thing! Aaarrrgghhhhhh! Curiosity kills the cat they say and at that moment, I felt like swiping claws at a nearby tree in frustration.

Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!

Yup. That's the title of Sean & Aidan's current fav book. It's simple but fun because they can "participate in the reading" by yelling "No!" whenever the pigeon pleads for a chance to drive the bus.


Bedtime stories just got more interesting. :)

Spiderman, Spiderman

Sean's favourite pair of pajamas is his "Spiderman one". Aidan wanted one too but we didn't get it till a few weeks later. That night, I laid out both pairs on the bed. I wanted to see if they'd notice. Aidan walked in, saw the pajamas and handed it to Sean, thinking that it was Sean's. Sean noticed that there were TWO pairs. And the commotion started. They were happeeee! Couldn't wait to put it on. And of course I couldn't wait to take the camera out.


Managed to get them to sit still long enough for these shots.


Even super heroes need to refuel.


Kyle XY Jr? Aidan & I checking out the snapshots.

For the first time

Aidan said it for the very first time today. Curled up next to me. With Bear-Bear in his arms. With a cheeky smile. And his manja voice.

"I love mummy."

:)

Little pray-ers

Sean & Aidan say a prayer, well, several prayers to be exact, before they sleep. They say a prayer for each other, one for mummy & one for daddy. Jason or I will say the prayers and they repeat after us.

Aidan will pray in the most manja voice. It just seems that when he prays, his voice becomes more manja than usual. It's so cute. And he knows not to repeat when we pray for him. He'd just have this cheeky-shy-smile on his face instead.

Anyway, a few nights ago, I was leading the prayer "session" and part of it went something like this....

Me: Please provide for our needs.
Sean: Please provide for our knees and legs.
Me: What?
Sean: Legs, mummy. Knees and legs.

Haha! I was so tickled but I had to control myself and not laugh. I explained that I'd said "needs" and not "knees." Of course Sean wanted to know what "needs" is and I had to explain. We usually keep our prayers short and use the simplest of words but I'd forgotten.

Aidan?! Kindergarten?!!!

What?! Aidan? Go to kindy next year? That was my reaction when my sis-in-law mentioned it. Jason started to explain that Aidan's 2 years old and if we want to send him to kindy when he's 4, that's 2 years away, when it dawned on us.....

Aidan was born on 19 December 2005. That means, he's considered 3 years old this year even though he just celebrated his second birthday less than 3 months ago. That means...yeah, he's eligible for kindy next year. Nooooooooooo! He's still such a baby! Well, he may not be la, to be honest but in my eyes, he still is. I'm just adapting to the whole Sean-at-kindy thing. This is too much to fathom. Ha. *sigh*

Sean goes to kindy

So, the time came for Sean to go to kindy. I couldn't believe it. Still can't. I mean, I miss the little, cute, smiley baby he was and the precocious, irresistable toddler he became but now he's a pre-schooler?! I hide in my "baby-Sean" memories and pretend I've never heard of that word (pre-schooler) but alas, I couldn't put it off much longer; my lanky 3+ year old (well, he's 4 this year but his birthday's in April and so in keeping with my theme of denial, I prefer to be notoriously accurate and say that he's 3+) son is ready for kindergarten.

We decided to send him to Tadika Permata Pintar (TPP). It's far - 25 minutes drive and expensive as it's using the Fungates system but we felt it would be worth it because Fungates also places an emphasis on character building.

3 January 2008 - Sean's first day at kindy. I woke him really early and to my surprise, he didn't make a fuss but was really excited. He wasn't jumping-around-excited but quiet-excited. I, on the other hand, was nervous. I was wondering how to help him adapt to kindy. Specifically, how to be on his own for the very first time in his life. TPP allowed parents to be with their kids for the first week only. So, I decided that I'd encourage him to make friends and try to distance myself bit by bit. But Sean stuck to me like glue.

We were early, in fact, he was the very first of his class to arrive. Teacher brought him to a round table and gave him building blocks to play with. Smart woman! Soon, other 4 year olds arrived (and they all look like 3 or 4 year olds where Sean was confused for a 5 year old. Turned out, he's the tallest in his class.) and were also given toys to play with. I tried to encourage Sean to talk to them but he didn't want to. I left it at that and just sat by him and started taking photos.

This is the first photo I took. Yeah, awesome isn't it? The first photo of his first day at school and he's showing off his glorious gums in an almighty yawn! heh heh!


In the next photo, he pulled a cheeky pose.


Sean's kindy hours are 8.15am-11.45am but the kindy worked towards it slowly. The first week, kindy ended at 10.00am. Next week at 10.30am and so on. It was easy going the first few days. More activities than actual lessons, to ease the kids into the routines of the class. Sean stuck by me the entire time. It was rather embarassing because by day 2, most mums had left leaving only 3 of us mums-with-sticky-kids....surrounded by crying kids! ha!

I decided to leave Sean on his own on day 5. I informed the teachers on day 4 and they were ready. Teacher Betty walked him into the school and I took off without Sean knowing. Boy, it was kinda difficult! I felt bad for sneaking off and was worried that he'd be difficult to handle. I almost cried. *sigh* Yeah, I'm a softie.

I was greeted by a very loud "Mummeeee!" when I arrived to pick him up. He was so happy to see me he ran to hug me and he wasn't angry with me for leaving him because....the teachers had told him I went for breakfast and was caught in a traffic jam. Huh?! Well, I wasn't entirely comfortable with that fib but I let it pass. The teachers told me he cried very loudly but not for too long. They gave him a sticker when he stopped crying. He proudly showed me the stickers he received for good behaviour.

All in all, he cried for 3 days. You could've knocked me over with a feather - I was that shocked! I was bracing myself for a week or two of tears and fears but Sean proved me wrong. I was so proud of him!

Now, I'm happy to see that he's slowly but surely making friends. And get this, whenever I go to pick him up after kindy, there'll definitely be more than one little voice yelling, "bye-bye Sean!" including one or two 6 year old girls! I have no idea how that came about! He'd proudly show me the stickers he'd collected for good behaviour. He'd pasted them on his hand but after a few days of "ouch-es" cos they hurt when he peels them off, he wised up and pasted them on his uniform instead.

Here are more photos taken during those first few days....


Sean in class. They were given a bean bag each and the teacher was encouraging them to be creative and imagine it was a boat, elephant, etc and then they'd sing an action song.


Snack time. At TPP, that means biscuits and fruit. Yup, fruit. Teachers would encourage the kids to eat the fruits by rewarding them with stickers.


The very best part of kindergarten - the playground! Sean was quite taken with these rings the first two weeks but he grew tired of them cos he was rather tall for it to be comfortable.


This is Sean's all-time favourite (though I can't see why). It's just an enclosure of sorts. This yellow-tee uniform is for Fridays - activity day. Mon-Thu, it's the light blue and pink uniform.


Sean gets some ideas from a 6 year old kid. The boy can do a full sumersault on those rings!

More kindy stories later!

Funk

2008 is only an hour and a half old and I'm already in a funk. Actually, I've been in a funk for some time. Started sometime in October 2007, I think. Can one really put a finger on these things? Anyway, I had a difficult batch of students then and I was feeling discouraged. And I began to dread going to work. Still feel pretty moodless about work.

And then there was the accident. Yeah, I was in an accident on 27 November. Some stupid biker ran a red light and smashed into my car. Didn't pay a dime for the damages. That really got me upset. Still upset. Yeah, I should get over it but I'm not even trying. That's bad, I know.

I've not been in good health either. Toothaches, mysterious earaches, bloating, weird joint pains, hairloss, etc. Maybe my sleep debt has reached it's limit and my body can't take much more.

It feels like I'm just breathing, going through the motions but powerless to affect the things around me but everything and everyone around me have the power to affect me. I feel helpless. And tired. So very tired. Physically, emotionally spent.

What a way to start the new year.

Reminisce

I grew up in a kampung. Wooden houses with attap roofs. We, kids of the kampung would spend most of our days outdoors. There were trees to climb, chickens and ducks to chase, places to explore.

I remember my favourite tree to climb. It wasn't very high and had broad, wide spread branches. At the base of the tree is a soft "landing" patch - it's actually sawdust thrown there frequently and over time it became a nice soft patch for us to land on. The tree was behind the saw millers house, hence the sawdust. He'd pile up the sawed up planks beside his house and we used to hide there with our toy guns, waiting to "fire" at our friends.

There was this little pond behind someone's house. We used to chase the ducks who swam there. And then it was off to play more hide and seek or just run around the "padang" nearby.

There were no traditional Malay houses in my kampung but there were some not too far away and I think I've been in one before. Anyway, I've always been intrigued by the unique structure and wouldn't mind checking one out again.

Unfortunately, kids these days don't have the luxury of such experiences. It's become too dangerous to play outside or go exploring. And we've been invaded by concrete jungles. To explore nature, we'd probably have to pay to explore the zoo or butterfly farm, etc. Luckily for Sean and Aidan, there's a kampung nearby and we go to a warung there for breakfast sometimes. There are lots of chickens, ducks, cats, and all sorts of trees to see.

My parents love to teach Sean and Aidan about nature and when they go for walks through this kampung and the surrounding oil palm estate, they'll bring back rubber seeds or an oil palm kernel or two. Once on the way to the beach, they stopped by a "sawah padi" to show the boys "where rice came from".

So....what do kids do these days? A whole thriving industry has emerged to help parents with that question (and to lighten their pockets too!). Toys are so "canggih manggih" these days and arts and crafts are all the rage. I tried arts & crafts with my boys recently. I taught them how to make a letter holder using paper plates. They had such fun and hung it up proudly for mummy and daddy to "post letters to". And post we did. I opted for cute notes and stick figure drawings (hey, art ain't my strong point!) while Jason took the easy way out and printed photos of him and the boys and dropped that into their letter holders.

Yeah, if you put your mind and energy to it, there's lots kids can do these days...indoors. As for me, whenever I pass a small kampung road, I can't resist the urge to explore. But most of the time I don't, unless Jason's with me. The world really isn't what it used to be. *sigh*

Cancer

Someone said to me, "Cancer is like the common cold these days." She's right. The dreaded disease is common these days and its taking lives "like nobody's business".

Early this month, a family friend went home to be with the Lord. She had cancer. Last week, another family friend died of cancer. I lost my beloved "kung-kung" (grandpa) and my dad lost his brother within few months of each other in 2005 - both died of lung cancer.

It makes me mad and it makes me sad. And also scared. Tales of how painful it is and the thought of how it tears one from loved ones scares the hell out of me. And there's no cure. Doctors can't figure out what makes a cell mutate and turn cancerous. The best bet is early detection and treatment they say. And they say that science is progressing all the time and they are working furiously for a cure. But nothing in this world is ever 100% sure or foolproof. The only hope we have is Jesus.

So, yeah, I hate cancer. And I pray it will never take me or anymore of my loved ones in its claws of death.

Confessions of a bookworm

I have a thing for the written word. I just love to read. Even labels on skincare, makeup or toiletries that I buy. Of course I love books. I come from a family of bookworms. We have to sneak books into my home. Dad or my brothers would bring a book home by hiding it in their bag but the rest of us know something's up when they disappear for sometime (to read la). Then, they'll hide the book so that we can't find it and we'll try to find it and read it when they're not around. Many a time there were exclamations of, "Who took my book?!" There'll be innocent expressions all around and giggles when the culprit was unmasked. And then the quest to get the book back begins. Threats fly and forgotten I.O.U.s or misbehaviour dregded up all in the valiant quest for the book. It's fun! It's unique to us and we treasure it.

Of course we'll all fight to be the next in line to read the book. Since I became a mum, I've been unfairly pushed to the last spot on the waiting list by my brothers. Imagine that! They all say the same thing - that I take "forever" to read a book so I might as well be last. Oh, the insult! I remind them that I used to be a fast reader (why, I finished SHOGUN in one day! Of course, I had a headache after that.) and that now I have kids to care for and housework to do so I don't have the luxury of curling up with a book anytime I want to. But I've resigned myself to my spot on the list. *sigh* Mum doesn't get involved in all these because she doesn't read the type of books we read but she laughs at our "book-battles".

When I was in primary school, I started reading the Encyclopedia of Britannica. I found the stories and articles fascinating. I can still remember a lot of what I read in those volumes. Strange that I cannot remember what I read in school books! haha! *sigh*

I raise Sean and Aidan to love books too. My dad - ambitious man - started a shapes & colors book with Sean when he was just 4 months old! I read to him before his naps & bedtime and from about a year old onwards, he'd refuse to sleep unless I read his favourite books to him, several times. Now, both boys would grab a book before bed and when they wake and harrass us to read to them. They have quite a collection of books between them. Many of the books are about trucks/machines since Sean is crazy about them and Aidan has followed in his footsteps. In my family, Sean is regarded as the authority on trucks. He knows the names of almost every truck/machine on the road and even the names of most of the parts. And they've got the cutest Bible ever (a gift from my bro, Daniel). It's a Toddler's Bible - very short interpretations of Bible stories and very, very cute illustrations.

Is it natural for people who love to read to want to write? I've dreamed of writing for a living but I don't think I'm good enough. Thinking of taking a writing course if I can find the time and the money. Who knows? I may see my name in print some day.

STORAGE!

A place for everything & everything in its place.

I wish!

*sigh*

Darkness overtakes the earth

The recent Nurin tragedy. The many unsolved cases of children brutally murdered. The 2 siblings who saw their mum murdered. They were only 4 and 6 years old and had just lost their father a few months ago (he committed suicide).

I can't breathe. My heart aches. My mind begs to go numb. I get nightmares. All this mindless, evil, violence. The pain the victims suffered. All the pain it leaves behind. Lives forever damaged.

I am afraid for my kids. My precious boys. I am afraid for everyone I love.

God help us all.

Father & Son Talk

I don't know how other fathers talk to their 3+ year olds but a couple of hours ago, this conversation between Jason (who was tired) and Sean took place while they were playing.

Jason: Daddy can't think la.
Sean: Why?
Jason: Brain jam already.
Sean: Oh....battery weak already la!

Now, is that the kinda conversation you'd hear in any Malaysian home? Sometimes I think we may be a little weird. Whatever. As I've said before, kids say the darnest things!

How to escape nap time....

Sean & Aidan have a bed each. On either side of our bed. It's hard enough getting them to take their afternoon naps - they'd want to play instead - separate beds is a must. Last Friday, Sean came up with a bright idea - "Aidan! Come & sleep beside me!" - no doubt a new scheme of his to escape nap time.

Sure enough, the two of them giggled and wiggled and did not sleep. Jason & I were cross, of course and scolded them but they did look so cute together that we got the camera and took a few shots.

I see....

We bought Aidan a pair of sunglasses recently. He'd been trying to grab Sean's, so it was time he had his own. Of course, he was so taken by it. He put it on and didn't want to take it off. One night, I was bringing him home and he still had the sunglasses on. I asked him, "Can you see anything ar? So dark."

He replied, "I see....dark."

Aidan's just begun to talk not many months ago and his vocabulary and grasp of English is improving by the day. So, I was really amused that he understood what I said and replied the way he did.

Sean was pleased that Aidan has his own sunglasses. I caught them standing in front of the TV (it was not switched on), admiring their reflection. haha!


Cool dudes!

Fish Leg?

I was having dinner with Aidan beside me. He looked over and saw a fried fish on my plate. He happily pointed to the fish & said "Fish, fish". Then he pointed to the tail and said something I didn't quite catch. He repeated the word and pointed to his leg. Then it hit me! He said, "Leg". Not knowing that it's called a "tail", he pointed to the fish's tail and said, "leg!" haha! So cute.