JE on Sharing

My SIL gave JE a small box of chocolates. This morning, I gave her one to eat at my parents' place since she was already full from breakfast. Then I thought of sending one for cousin Jensen as well.

Me: Want to bring one for Jensen?
JE: No. Jo Ern eat ALL.
ME: Then when Jo Ern eat the chocolate, Jensen want how?
JE: Jensen want chocolate, Jensen go Ah Kim (i.e. Jensen's mummy)

Hehehe... she has been bringing chocolate bears over to share with Jensen and cousin Erin. But this box of chocolate is small and therefore precious!

Continue conversation...

Me: Jo Ern eat that time, Jensen cry how?
JE: (think a while) Jo Ern eat at home.

And happily chomped down 2 pieces before leaving the house.

OK la, problem solved. :)

Some things are too good to share...

Err.. smile?

For once, JE asked to take a photo. Normally she wants to SEE photos rather than TAKE them.  She posed with the plant and smiled. Err... sort of.

This is always the smile for the camera:

Smile already... take photo!

Smile nicely already... take photo!

 I prefer her normal, unposed smiles!

Lalalala

Drum-drum-drum!

Giving balloons

Many-many balloons for me

JE had 5 balloons from our mall-crawls last weekend. While I was taking photos of her with them, the two older girls from our neighbour appeared at our gate. They were interested in her balloons. It was interesting. They were speaking in Malay - Banyaknya belon! Mana dapat? Saya suka yang ini! Saya pulak suka yang ini! (So many balloons! Where did you get them? I like this one! I like that one!) I was amused that JE talked to them too.  But she spoke her 'own' language - Mummy and Papa and Jo Ern go chop, take bear-yoon, many many bear-yoon. Quite sure that neither party understood the other!

Encounter with balloon-wanting girls

The girls played with the balloons through the gate. I knew they wanted them, but I feared JE might be unwilling to part with any. They were at the gate for some time. Eventually I handed them one each and they went away.

JE wanted to wait for the girls to come and return the balloons. That obviously wasn't going to happen! I was worried she would cry when she realised that. I kept telling her, 'Girls got ONE each. Jo Ern got TWO!' Luckily she was ok and agreed to go back inside our house.

Still got two for me

That's how the world works - people TAKE from you, few GIVE. I just want to shelter my little girl for now!

(Note: In case anyone is counting and coming up with one balloon short, it burst during the exchange at the gate)

Sisters

JE is generally a good big sis. She looks for SE upon waking up. She runs to get a fresh diaper, wipes and diaper cream (balancing them on her little arms to bring everything in one go) when SE does a poo-poo. When she notices SE doesn't have a blanket, she goes for a nappy and puts it around SE. At night when she distributes glow-in-the-dark stars before turning off the light, SE always gets one. I think she's going to enjoy having a little sis once SE is bigger.

Jo Ern and Su Ern

(Pic taken before JE's fall... I feel a pang when I see her smooth chin here)

But I do have to be careful leaving them alone. JE likes to jump and roll around. At this age she is rather clumsy - have to make sure she doesn't fall onto poor SE.

Also... the 2.5 yo sometimes plays with her baby sis in her own way. Once, I saw a piece of cellophane tape on SE's forehead - no prizes for guessing who stuck it there! Last week I caught the action on camera. SE was fast asleep on our bed. When she started whimpering, I just thought she'd woken up. Then I went over and saw this...

Zzzzzz

Made perpetrator come and take a pic! Note that culprit has a matching sticker on her own pants. :)

Heheheeeee... cho funny

Little Prima donna

My new maid Annie is doting on Su Ern. She'd run to SE at her first whimper. She's carrying SE a lot, singing to her, rocking her to sleep, clapping and talking/cooing to her too. And little SE is lapping it all up! In fact, she transformed into a prima donna in ONE day! She screams indignantly the moment you try to put her down.

Where's Aunty? I want to be carried. And I need some entertainment

I sleep now after being carried, with rocking and singing. 

Good times are here! Heh heh heh

I'm worried that SE is getting used to this top-notch treatment! Annie is good but she's only temp for a month as my selected maid isn't available yet. She has indicated that she won't be staying - after working in childless households for a decade, must be a culture shock dealing with noisy kids. Will see how things go.

Toilet training

(This post on toilet training is overdue by 2 months... had to give way for more urgent matters!)

For JE, development of skills doesn't follow a smooth curve. There would be no signs she can do something, then suddenly she'll make A LOT of progress. This happened when she started to creep, then crawl, walk and talk. Toilet training is following the same pattern - from showing no signs of readiness, suddenly she was able to notify the need to pee/poo almost all the time. And she would take her pants and diapers off by herself too!

Ahem... a little privacy for me please Mummy?

The curve for this particular skill isn't going straight though. She's back to doing her business in the diaper at the moment. Have to be patient, especially now that we're transitioning to a new maid.

My jottings Sept 2012

1. I restarted work on 18 July after maternity leave. That morning, I heard that my new assignment was to start the very next day. Rats, was hoping to relax for a while! Fortunately delays occurred and that project has yet to start. After a month of not doing much, I was assigned to help out on another project. It has been 2 weeks and I'm needed maybe 30% of the day. Heh. Enjoying the easy life and hoping this continues.

The little girl

2. Breastfeeding SE is going fine. From experience I know how to express a little more. No more let-down problems and obsessed counting of EBM ounces! I'm only worried that finding the time to express would be tough on a time-stressed project. I HAVE resolved to take things easier. JE was exclusively on breastmilk for 15 months. After that started supplementing with formula. Turned off the 'tap' when she was 1.5 yo, mainly as I got pregnant with SE and it became painful to nurse. I want Su Ern to benefit from breastmilk too but if I cannot pump at work, I will supplement with formula without fretting (much).

3. My schedule is super-packed again. Before driving to work I have to prep dinner, nurse SE, get her milk in correct portions ready for her day, sterilise and get breast pump/bottles ready for MY day. Work ends at 6pm. If traffic is not too bad, I reach home slightly before 7pm. Then I rush to cook rice and cut vegetables, go pump for half an hour, come out again to cook the meat dish. Rush upstairs to shower and then come down to cook the vegetables. Luckily hubby often gets caught in traffic and arrives with kids+maid about 7.45-8pm. Some days I'm late and hubby is early and I literally RUN trying to get dinner ready.

4. It happened with JE and now again with SE. When baby is just 3 months old, boom, my period returns! Aiksss. Can't I have more time without this hassle??  Breastfeeding moms shouldn't start so soon! OK la this is a minor rant. Although I'm not having any more babies, what matters is my reproductive system worked the two times I wanted it to.

5. What else...I'm actually below my pre-pregnancy weight now. Err how come my tummy is still big?? Can't quite fit into my pre-pregnancy work pants yet!

The big girl (pic taken before her fall)

6. On to more recent events, just had a weekend without a maid. Arggh we absolutely need one at the mo! At her age, JE will often drop and spill things. While I clean up one mess, she's off creating another. She also climbs up and down and needs constant supervision. She wants/needs attention whether she's eating, playing, poo-ing, bathing... ok that's basically ALL THE TIME except when she's sleeping! SE somehow will scream for attention right when things are extra busy. And of course she needs feeding every 2 hours or so. Our new maid starts work tomorrow, hopefully she will work out well.