This one costs $12.99. Maybe I should have bought it? Opening and closing the door switches the cargo inside! It’s on sale ‘cos it’s a Christmas toy

There was once an event at Grandma’s church. I think Grandma had to volunteer at this event, and Caitlin, her uncle and I were left in the hall waiting for her to join us. It was a rather big crowd there too. Caitlin must have been only about 3 or younger then. I think she hadn’t even started pre-school yet then.

We were seated on a long flowerbox or something. Soon after an older girl, perhaps 5 years old, came to the flowerbox near us. She took out a colouring book and colour pencils from her backpack and started colouring it. Caitlin, being always curious of other kids at that age, was watching this older girl. The girl knew it, and I guess she was also showing off her wares.

Caitlin started getting bored, and we weren’t prepared for this long wait- could have brought some toy or something to occupy her (I didn’t have an iPhone of games then either). So I went to the car to retrieve my small notepad and a pen; thought to teach her how to master holding a pen or even start writing. I really did not have anything for her.

She started doodling in it. Up and down strokes. It was quite pathetic really, given the situation we were in at the hall bored out of our minds, and the girl near us enjoying herself in full view of Caitlin, with her up-down strokes of blue ink in a small pocket-shirt sized lined notepad.

“That’s not nice” said the girl about Caitlin’s doodling. Caitlin was stumped, perhaps even hurt. For a 3 year old she didn’t know how to react. She just looked at me.

I guess this was also my first incident of someone else teasing my child, even if it’s verbal.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“I am 5 years old”, she said, without looking up from her colouring.

“Well, my daughter is only 3, and she can already hold a pencil properly. Could you do that when you were 3 years old?”

She didn’t answer me.

“No, I didn’t think you could.”

Back in the days when I was away from home during overseas studies, we would rely solely on this almost A4-sized paper that was folded 3 times over and licked to seal.

Then when I was at uni, I was astonished that this thing called electronic mail that lecturers used to share notes, was able to go beyond the campus’ gateway and into my sister’s work inbox in Singapore.

Of course in between there was phone calls to chat, usually kept very short because of the costs of the call.

Texting was only available after my graduation and returning to Malaysia, and ICQ much later after that.

These days, we have this thing called Skype and Yahoo messenger where not only could we chat over voice, we could also see each other; and if this Daddee has his way (soon?), maybe this thing called Facetime as well

So anyway, Daddee is away from home. Caitlin knew full well days before my departure what the implications are; something I will come back to another time. But after almost a week away and video-chatting nearly everyday, I sincerely hope the kids are coping with my absence. They are staying with their grandparents who, with all due respect, are not as energetic as I am insofar as bringing them out to the parks, goofing around with them outside or on the floor, role playing with their toys, taking them for a swim.

In the video-chats Caitlin does save her comments for the day to share them with me. She would, albeit only very short and unfocused, share with me some thoughts or activities, or questions from something from her day- which I thought is nice. But she would naturally also ask when we’d be together again… In all, I still think that this is better than nothing at all, or at least what it used to be with me. Then again this is a 6 year old who can’t write well yet to correspond any other way.

Caleb would come on too sometimes, but most times he is more fascinated with seeing himself on the monitor and make faces just to see what it looked like on screen. He knows I am there, and we exchange greetings too, but that is really all we- I, can do for him at this stage.

So, I think they are coping okay for now; I wouldn’t say they are coping “well”.

At least from my perspective…

You are inquisitive:
You see things and you tell me you see them. Every single thing.

And then you go Right Daddee? Right?

You are like Mummee- independent, and OCD:
You wanna try things yourself, and you wanna do it your way. That is why if whatever you are attempting is being done wrong, we will never get out of there.

You are also sly:
You still pee in your pants; likely from being too lazy to stop whatever fun activity you are doing at the moment to go pee. And when you are caught, you change the subject hoping that your trouble with the adults will go away. Of course it won’t, and so you run away. Literally.

But above all, all these traits are better than you being the opposite of them!

Happy Birthday buddy!

With a change in job, the usual modem-dongle that I use from home is now rightfully returned to Hot Mummee’s now-ex employment Thus explaining my hiatus from blogging.

Surely you didn’t expect me to blog from the office?

Will try and find opportunities for more updates here; including Caleb’s birthday tomorrow!

She’s finished pre-school, started primary school orientation, dropped like 4 (or 5?) milk teeth already with 2 adult bottom teeth in place, outgrown new-ish jeans that we had only bought about 6 months ago, the same with shoes, starting to tell funny jokes and can laugh at herself now instead of being too worried about being laughed at.

About 3 weeks ago, I had told it to her face “NO MORE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR YOU”. She had told a lie, and in the process got her brother into deep trouble. We had just come back from her school friend’s party at one of the kids’ gyms, and had almost put down a deposit for her’s.

I was very much looking forward to this good-time with and for her. She was really looking forward to having her current school friends as well as last year’s friends (who are now in standard 1, different school) at the party, to play with and catch up with them- she is still off-and-on telling me she misses one or two of them. However, at the abovementioned party I didn’t see them doing alot of catching up though…

I am hoping that this punishment is sticking to her head. So far I think she remembers; because she has been “compromising” by asking if we could still have some kinda party at home.

We will; and I had wanted to anyway. My mum just called saying we’ll do something this weekend See, it is also Caitlin’s 2 aunties’ birthdays too; 3 consecutive days for the girls (my sister, and my sister-inlaw).

Perhaps we will do something tomorrow itself first. Despite all that I would like to do for my kids, I am still feeling that it’s not enough for their childhood memories…

This was from Caitlin’s doctor’s set

This morning in the car ride she’s reminded me that a couple of her teeth now feel wobbly..

I am happy that she is growing, but at the same time I don’t want her to!

Caitlin complained she can no longer see herself in the mirror when she brushes her teeth.

I have moved it higher now.

They grow so fast….

Yes, I know this is overdue, so overdue that the fortnight of Chinese New Year celebrations are already over.

Just thought I’d share this lovely photo of my two lovely kids.

Grandma bought these outfits for them- trust her (and her taste) to find these treasures. The kids wore these on the first day of the new year. Never mind that Hot Mummee took forever to get them ready and was therefore late coming downstairs to greet and wish everyone- they looked fantastic and everyone ooh and ahh-ed.

Taking these shots of them wasn’t easy. As you can tell it’s not that easy telling a 2 year old boy to stand still, look this way, and smile, while at the same time telling his jie-jie to hold that pose and smile too, waiting for that opportune time of him.

During the few days we were at my parents’ house, one of the nearby neighbours had a lion dance come bless their new house. As this was already Day something-or-other, we weren’t dressed in our best (anymore); in fact it was still rather early in the morning and, well, my hair was still in a mess. Not to let the chance pass, I grabbed the kids and got into the car to search for the origin of the drumbeats.

It was just around the bend. There were scores of other neighbours already, keen to get a good angle of the performance. It was also rather sunny, but I insisted the kids get exposed to this once-a-year cultural performance. I grabbed a brollie and the kids, and started finding a good spot on the road, in the sun. The host auntie owner-of-the-house saw us, “Come! Come inside and watch! It’s okay!” And so we did. It was good timing too cos the crew was just about to start (I don’t know what I heard earlier then- must have been a rehearsal…?)

I found a corner of their living room to stand, a spot where we shouldn’t be blocking the dancing. I was holding Caleb, while Caitlin was beside my left thigh. Caleb hasn’t seen one of these before, being only 2 years old; while Caitlin should be alright.

The dancing started. The opposite of what I was expecting happened. Caleb was staring wide-eyed at the whole thing, poker-faced reactionless, taking in the whole noise of the drums and cymbals and the strange looking creature. Caitlin however was cowering, left thigh, right thigh, face buried in thigh.

Then the big event came. The 10-foot long firecracker was lit. Since it was rather crowded and we were boxed-in where we stood, I used my opposite hand to close Caleb’s far-side ear and pushed his near-side ear against my cheek, covering them from the loud popping of the firecrackers; we were after all only about 20 feet from it. They didn’t flinch, and in fact I think they enjoyed the suspense of it, hearing it and seeing it pop, red paper sprayed into the air by bright flashes.

When it was over, the owner-auntie came and gave all the children ang pau’s, mine included

I have said before that I envy Caleb’s head-shape: Cos this Daddee can never pull off getting a crew cut like this and still look “normal”, instead, likely to even get a chuckle from people at first sight.

This shot was taken under 30min of him having it cut. As you can guess, it was in a major shopping centre. Here we are taking some snaps of the Chinese New Year decor.

Despite minor protests from Hot Mummee, I stand by my decision for this crew cut… And no, this is not a sign of things to come, insofar as fathers imposing their wishes onto their kids! IT’S ONLY A HAIRCUT!

Well actually she made it; I only drew the lines for her to copy the letters from a real one

As one of the *good examples of Caitlin as the jie-jie is setting, Caleb has also taken an interest in doodling too. No that anything he’s “drawn” makes sense, but at least he’s getting the hang of holding a pencil.

Gotta watch him though, I have once caught him putting and chewing a red color pencil in his mouth. I had to warn the others in the house in case they Caleb has a bloody mouth! But I was pretty crossed with him.

*There are quite many which are bad examples set by the older sister, by the way.

But just like Daddee being innocently ignorant about its proper description, Caitlin was referring to her new pair of shoes as the “up down shoes”.

Now you gotta really sit down and think about how she could possibly come up with a name like that. I did, yet still couldn’t work it out; where for a while we were both frustrated that we didn’t know what she was referring to.

Until I sat her down and asked her what up-down shoes.

And she went and got it to show me.

“Why did you call it the ‘up-down shoes’?”

She pointed to the heel. “See Daddee; up?” and pointed to the toe “Down”.