Preparing Jeremy for the new arrival ......

Explaining to a three year old that mummy is having a baby even in the simplest terms is no easy task. However, he is beginning to sense changes taking place due to the arrival of the newest member in the family. For example, he asked why mummy can't carry him anymore and how he has to now rely more on daddy for that. Why I need to buy new baby pillows and etc... I have even asked him to share his toys with the baby but he refuses and promptly ask me to keep them when the topic of sharing toys with his sibling came up. To help Jeremy ease into his role as a big brother and accept a younger sibling for company and support, I have sought out several books for myself and him to read. I thought I could also share this with the many mommies who are also eagerly anticipating their 2nd or 3rd bambinos in the Year of the Ox.

The Everything Parent's Guide To Raising Siblings: Tips to Eliminate Rivalry, Avoid Favoritism, And Keep the Peace

I found this book by chance in MPH while I was browsing through some books on baby names. I must confess that I haven't finished reading the book but I admit that it is full of helpful tips on how to build a strong lasting sibling relationship whereby they can turn to each other for help or support in times of need. As you know what they say ... blood is always thicker than water. Also, it gave some helpful hints for parents on how to manage and balance the delicate relationship with the arrival of a younger sibling who could be seen to be competing directly with the older child for the parents' affections and attention. The last thing we need is to provoke jealousy and sibling rivalry in Jeremy. No doubt the younger sibling will demand quite fair bit of attention from the adults given the physical needs of an infant and toddler in the initial years and who could not even do 90% of what his/her older and more independent brother can do. However, based on the recommendations provided in the book, Brain and I will need to consciously involve him as well in the process of caring for the younger sibling. For eg, he will also now carry on the role of mommy's little helper like fetching the diapers and etc for the baby as well as playing and interacting with the baby. This is not only to make him feel important but rather we hope that such actions will help him to bond with the newcomer. Additionally, other adults who come to see, visit, care or play with the baby such as grandparents and aunts/uncles would also need to do their part in ensuring that Jeremy doesn't feel left out. They would need to consciously greet and interact with him first before tending to the younger child. In a way, we are helping or demonstrating to Jeremy that we are not playing favourites and that he is treated equally to his younger sibling. This is not an easy task especially when we parents will always have to keep working on this even until they reach adulthood. Sure, there will be bickering, shouting, door slamming, accusations thrown at each other, tantrums, tears and etc as they grow older. But at the end of the day, we hope that despite all these, the two siblings will learn to love, respect and support each other as no man is an island.

What to Expect When Mummy's Having A Baby by Heidi Murkoff

I found this book at Kinokuniya, KLCC when we were both browsing for books in the children's section. The illustrations and explanations were simple enough for Jeremy to understand .... or so I thought. The entire book is narrated by Angus the dog and I felt it was a bit too descriptive as it essentially explained the entire process including the part of about the birds and bees. Fancy trying to explain what an ovum is to a three year old or even a seven year old for that matter!.... I felt that part was unnecessary so I would usually skip that particular page when I read it to Jeremy. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be very much interested in the book or the pictures and found my reading terribly boring... Till today, he doens't really seek out that particular book for me to read. He is happy for me to read to him, books by Roger Hargreaves or even Richard Scarry but not this one. So it is back to Mr Greedy, Mr Tall, Mr Bounce and the whole Mr Men Gang for now.

Well he does know one little fact now though - that mommy's ballooning tummy is due to the fact that there is a baby inside there now...

Jeremy's favourite brands

As the saying goes, " You gotta start that when they are young". Modern advertisement and commercialisation strategy actually do have an impact on young kids nowadays. Even Jeremy at this age is able to identify brands that will probably have a lasting impression as he progresses with his journey in life. So what I have done here is to list down some of his favourite brands over the past one year.


1. Disney

No one can beat Disney's influence on young kids. With the influence of Playhouse Disney, Mickey Mouse and gang more often than not are the ones first recognised by toddlers all over the world. As for Jeremy, with reinforcement from his trip to HK Disneyland last year, Disney is probably most recognised brand in the eyes of the 3 year old Jeremy.



2. BMW

Jeremy can recognise a BMW from miles away. I probably attribute to the fact that BMW's new and old do have some distinctive features like the kidney grilles and long bonnet shapes that make them easily identifiable.

Let's hope that Jeremy does not have only one car preference when he grows up !



3. Petronas

This is all because he fell down and cut himself while we stopped at the Karak Petronas station a couple of months back (We were on the way to Tanjung Jara). Until now, everytime he sees a Petronas station, he will remind us 'Yang Shan fell down in Green petrol station ah'.



4. AmBank Group

Tan Sri Azman Hashim should be fairly pleased if he hears this. The logo on top of the Amcorp Mall is such an icon. Everytime we drive past PJ along the Federal Highway, Jeremy will get 'ecstatic' and adjust himself inside the car to ensure he gets a perfect view of the AmBank logo ! Sometimes, when he is at my inlaw's place, he will try to coax his grandpa to take a short drive for him to look at the AmBank logo. bizarre.....bizarre indeed.



5. Happy Cow cheese

I really could not anticipate this one. Somehow to Jeremy its Happy Cow is the 'mother of all cheese' - just like Colgate being synonymous to toothpaste

Everytime he goes to supermarket, Jeremy can spot the Happy Cow cheese tucked in the corner. He will then point to it and look into my eyes and say' Yang Shan likes Happy Cow cheese ah. Mommy please buy cheese'

Jeremy's 3rd Birthday

Just as when I wanted to update the blog. Baby Centre UK 'dropped' me a message in my Lotus Notes and it is worded as follows:

"Congratulations — your little one is now three! More fun is in store for you now that he's no longer a baby. He's probably already holding his own in conversations, running and jumping like an athlete and he will soon write his full name. He's developing more sophisticated social skills and knows how to take turns or join in with others. Before you know it, He'll be cracking jokes, (usually the same joke several times a day for days on end), remembering entire songs and even reading. Although He'll soon be saying goodbye to toddlerhood, rest assured that life won't be boring with him around."

Yes, Jeremy is indeed no longer a baby. He certainly can hold his own in conversations. He has the ability to ask challenging logical question and likewise able to respond to questions posed to him. He also demonstrated simple likes and dislikes. He continues to adore Mickey Mouse cartoons and love Little Einstein and Nemo. On the contrary, he seems to manifest a distaste for 'The Incredibles', 'Mulan' and 'Banana in Pyjamas'. On food, he continues to build his passion for pizzas but ice cream seems to have dropped off from his favourite list, something I do not expect for kiddies.

Jumping like an athlete and writing his full name perhaps is still a distance away. As mentioned before, jumping seems to be a difficult task for Jeremy. While alphabets are easy stuff for him, writing the alphabets what more full name perhaps is something we are prepared to wait awhile.

Cracking jokes however can be considered a hallmark for Jeremy. It was only a day or two ago when he accompanied mommy to the gynae for the monthly pregnancy checkup, when he spoke at the top of his voice pointing to a boy in the distance : " Wah, botak head !" and laughed ! The boy actually heard the remark, and walked closer and responded : "I like botak head what".

Well, at three year old, it is indeed a milestone as Jeremy moves out from toddlerhood to the world of yet another exciting phase - The Age of the Preschoolers.

Anyway, the diary of what happened during his birthday today and detailed as follows:

1. Woke up at 930am
2. At 10, went to the Siamese buddhist temple in PJ to pray.
3. At 11, birthday cake cutting session. This year, mommy ordered a Lightning McQueen cake for lil Jeremy
4. At 12, had his lunch and followed mommy and daddy to do grocery shopping
5. 3-6, afternoon nap
6. 7-9, accompanied mommy and daddy to Porto Romano for dinner. Dinner of course includes Jeremy's favourite food - PIZZA

Pictures will be uploaded shortly

Finale to the Age of the Toddler - 35-36 months

Interesting milestones

1. Knows boys from girls
2. Can handle jigsaw puzzles up to 30 pieces
3. Ability to communicate his discomfort to the mother - Once he told the mother 'There is something wrong with my back side' (cos his buttock was itchy)
4. Loves the camera.
5. Attempts to read and understand the sense of time

BUT (a) still not good at jumping (b) Toilet training progress is SLOW









The next few months will be challenging as we prepare him for the new addition aka the sibling. Pinky got him a book about siblings but he doesn't like it very much. We can sense his jealousy especially when we ask him to share his toys with the new baby. He was very reluctant to do so and ask for the toys to be kept. Also he likes to watch all the Mr Bean episodes except the one where Mr Bean had to watch over a baby in the pram... Anyway, hopefully, he will learn to love the sibling when he/she arrives :-P

Coming Soon......

Pinky's Thots will be renamed Pinky's Tots... so stay tuned.....