Almost two

Oh where did the time fly... guess I'd be thinking this every year for some years to come!  Jo Ern turning one was a big deal to me, and now it's another year on and she's turning two. Sighh. Well, I used to think one-year-olds were the cutest, now I think two-year-olds are pretty darn cute too. Heh. Mainly coz two-year-olds TALK and that's really something!

I love it when I come home and she calls out "Hello Mum-meee" from the door. 
And when she reports to me, "Papa drink Mummy a-ter" when hubby sneaks a swig from my drink
And when she is looking for something and asks herself, "Where Ern put?"

Hello!

It's not easy deciphering some of what she says. Like at bedtime she'd play with my watch, then say "Aki ten" and put the watch round her squeaky monkey. I know 'aki' is 'monkey' but what is 'ten'?? Last night I finally got it... it is the monkey's turn to wear the watch!! Aha!!

I want...

She's proving to be a determined/stubborn one. All-too-common conversation:


JE: I want drink a-gurt (Vitagen and such)
Me: No more yogurt already
JE: I want drink a-gurt
Me: No more already, mummy need to buy
JE: I want drink a-gurt
Me: Mummy buy later ok?
JE: I want drink a-gurt... waaaa

*sweats* She does understand the reasons (sometimes it's meal time, or already had one that day) but she wants what she wants!

Feeding her is still tough. Last Sunday hubby and I went out for dinner by ourselves and I only managed to get her to eat TWO teaspoons of food. Further attempts were met by "No!" and "No wan!"  Luckily she normally eats fine at home. The maid does the best job of feeding - though Jo Ern is getting wise to the distractions of "look got spider! See dog come already! Wahh there got fly!" with food quickly being pushed into her mouth. Hehe. Gotta be creative... this morning nothing worked. So I thought might as well let her go walk outside.  Oats still refused. Then she wanted to change shoes, and the maid cleverly fed her ALL her oats during the process! This would be so stressful if I were rushing for work and had to feed her myself.  I definitely need a maid for a few years more.

Now if it were snacks, Jo Ern can eat by herself fine.  And ask for more. But she doesn't like cakes, muffins, pancakes or anything with such textures.

This one naissss

This one NOT NAISSS!!  Phooooi!

What else... toilet training isn't progressing much. Maybe need to wait a while more before she's ready.

My firstborn is going to be two years old... wow.

Camera-shy

Not easy taking photos of Jo Ern these days.  She gets excited upon seeing the camera, but only because she wants to LOOK at photos already taken.  If I try to take photos of her, she'll be jumping away trying to grab the camera, photos would turn out blur and mainly of her hands!  So I try taking photos when she's occupied with some activity...

I know Mummy's there with the camera...

Still there... cannot look that way

STILL there... pretend to focus on my food

Aiyoo.. *smack head*.  There are other shots from this session but she studiously refused to look at the camera even once!

Bookworm

Read book!

Jo Ern loves books.  Way before she could walk or talk, my mum would say "Jo Ern bring that book here, Ah Mah read to you" and she would crawl over pushing the book. Once, she woke up real early, sat up in bed and grabbed a book. Then there she sat there half-asleep in the semi-dark with the book open in front of her. Luckily she agreed to return to sleep when I told her, "it's too dark to read, oi-oi some more ok?" Heh.

Before we turn off the lights at night, she will request to 'read book!' first.  And when she has her meals, she must have either a book or a toy in front of her.  You can't randomly give her one either, she will choose.  :)  And often halfway through, the book needs to be changed.

Eat must read book

The good thing is she almost always accepts offers to read books.  Even when she's in a bad mood, screaming for the iPad or showing some temper... ask her 'want to read book?' and the answer will be 'read book'!  Hehe... this trait is from me.  Hubby will always pick the TV over a book.

More verbal already

Chit Papa eat big pawn

She's stringing words together now.  Used to be single-syllable:
Bit - rabbit
Purh - octopus

Then more:
Abbit - rabbit
Oppersh - octopus

Double words:
Appa chim - diaper cream
Drink ah-ter - drink water
Ah kout chert - take out shirt
Papa, no!

More words:
I want chee - I want to see
Chit Papa chair - sit on Papa's chair
Wear Mummy chock - wear Mummy's socks
Papa terb Ern - Papa is disturbing me!
Papa go way! - Papa go away!

And more now:
Papa terb Ern eat rice - complaining when hubby annoys her during meals
Mummy pao-pao Ern chee Papa - Mummy, carry me up to the window so I can see if Papa is back

She sings too:
Apparrr.. to yooooo....Ah Kong - happy birthday Ah Kong (clap clap)
Apparrr... to yoooo... Mummy - happy birthday to Mummy (blow blow, clap clap)

Hahaha... that's about the only song she can 'sing', but it takes her a while to cycle through all the family members!  Song and actions picked up during sing-along sessions with my mum.  :-)

Jo Ern goes shopping

Yesterday was my birthday and we loitered at Cold Storage. :)  I seriously prefer being at a supermarket than shopping for clothing/shoes/accessories etc!  Well hubby also took me for a good breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper so I have nothing to complain about. Also had dinner with my whole family on Saturday.

Back to Cold Storage. Halfway round, Jo Ern saw a shopping basket on the floor.  She placed the ball and balloon she was holding into that basket. To my amusement she started to drag the basket along by one handle.  She then stopped at random places along the aisles, taking down items for a closer look and either putting it into her basket or back onto the shelf.  Like she was doing shopping for real!  Photos would have looked better if I'd left all her chosen items in the basket... but good citizen that I was, I wanted to put stuff back on the correct shelf.  :)

Now shall I get this brand of 'bak kut teh'?

Definitely need a loaf of bread

When she got to some strawberry Hello Panda biscuits, she muttered "More! More!" and piled loads of boxes into her basket.  I was laughing away so hard.  I haven't given her any Hello Panda to eat yet so probably she just liked the packaging.

Let's see... what else to buy?

We went to Daiso after that and when next thing I knew, she was walking around with a box of clingfilm under her armpit.  I removed that and next, she had a box of sauce bottles cradled in the crook of her arm.  These items were obviously selected for size rather than nature!  Aiyo this little one. She's good at observing and copying what people do.

JE @ 1y11m

Little girl

Funny how thinking of Jo Ern lifts up my mood.  I go through life at the office focused on colleagues/clients, work demands and deadlines, moving from consulting office to project room to boardroom to user departments. Then at some random point, I'd suddenly remember I have this little daughter and immediately, I am happy.

Tadpole-shaped eyes (like mine, but luckily bigger hehe) and rosebud mouth... this is MY little girl!

Who, although my cutie pie, err... sometimes demands extra attention

Don't like.... Waaaaaaa!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

I kinda like how she just lets loose. No holding back, heh.

No little girls were harmed in the making of this post... no matter how pitiful this one looks.  :)  If I remember correctly, she wanted to look at pictures in the camera instead of taking new ones.  Bawling is her weapon of choice if she doesn't get what she wants!