Many faces of Alicia

Jeremy - The New Look

Finally, after 6 years, Jeremy is now spotted with a new look hairstyle; somewhat a 'design' that is more acceptable of a primary school boy.

I guess a RM15 investment on the mummy's hair salon seems to be working.

BEFORE



AFTER

Jeremy the 6 year old

Jeremy celebrated his 6th birthday with relative quietness and privacy. Much of the celebrations happened in the pre-school premise. I must say he has developed rapidly over the past one year in terms of physical and mental well being.

Here are some of the expected developments for a 6 year old:

• Six-year-olds have longer attention spans and continue to prefer structured activities to more open-ended experiences. They enjoy taking on new roles and responsibilities, but still require much direction from adults and frequently ask questions to ensure that they are completing tasks the right way.
  BRAIN : I must say Jeremy does have longer attention span. He can watched and complete a movie without disruption (if he likes the show). However, he does not necessarily ask questions to ensure he is 'completing tasks' the right way. An example, is that he does not always follow the coach's instructions during swimming lessons!
• The language skills of six-year-olds become increasingly sophisticated throughout the year. Their vocabularies rapidly increase, and their language moves beyond communication to provide a foundation for learning, including the development of independent reading skills. In general, their pronunciation of words is clear and they use complex grammatical forms accurately.
  BRAIN : Jeremy seems to be good in language skills. English is strong in him and based on the teacher's feedback, he has demonstrated strong affiliation for the Mandarin language, although he mentioned that he would not speak in Mandarin at home as its for school only ! What a reason to give !. I really hope he can pick up dialect as well like Hokkien so that he can appreciate his heritage better in future. That would be one of my 2013 resolution!
  
• In first grade, children transform into true readers. They apply their knowledge of how print works and practice strategies to decode unfamiliar words. They learn to read aloud with fluency, accuracy and understanding. They read a variety of texts for pleasure (e.g., stories, informational texts, poems) and draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies to understand and enjoy texts. Children this age write stories, notes and descriptions. Most are able to develop an idea beyond a sentence and will add some details to help describe or explain things in their world. They enjoy sharing their writing with others.
  BRAIN : Reading again is not a problem for him. Jeremy seems to have developed interest in reading books to acquire knowledge. We were initially concerned with his reading skills at the beginning of the year, but thanks to my in-laws whom have actually put him on a 'grilling' program and since then reading skills have improved tremendously.
• In mathematics, six-year-olds can typically count up to "200" and count backwards from "20." They understand the concept of "odd" and "even" numbers and can represent numbers on a number line or with written words. They use increasingly more sophisticated strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. They also count the sides of shapes to identify them and can combine shapes to create a new one. Six-year-olds can also give and follow directions for moving around a room or on a map.
  BRAIN : An Achilles Heel for little Jeremy. Despite putting him in Kumon classes, he seems easily distracted when dealing with math. An area to watch indeed.
  
• Scientific discovery for children this age is affected by their tendency to straddle the world between make-believe and reality. Six-year-olds might continue to give animals human characteristics, such as suggesting what a worm might be thinking, or that a butterfly has eye lashes. Gentle encouragement to look closely at worms and butterflies will help children to describe more objectively what they observe. Science experiences for this age group should continue to immerse children in first-hand investigation of the world around them, so they can continue to build a reservoir of experiences from which they can begin to draw as their thinking becomes more sophisticated.
  BRAIN : He has developed curiosity in this area. He enjoys listening to grandpa on how rainbow is formed, how onions and trees can grow or how caterpillars can develop into beautiful butterflies.
• Six-year-olds continue to enjoy moving in a variety of ways. Although far from proficient in motor skills, this does little to dampen their enthusiasm for trying out new activities and sports. They are able to run in various pathways and directions and can manipulate their bodies by jumping and landing, rolling and transferring their weight from feet to hands to feet. Their hand- and foot-eye coordination is still developing, so skills like throwing, catching, kicking and striking are still emerging. With the right equipment, however, and a skillful partner, their motor skills continue to improve. Note: During this period of development, children's actual skill levels will vary based on their amount of physical activity. Sedentary children will not mature as quickly as those who participate in activities like dance lessons, team sports or backyard play.
  BRAIN : Swimming is the flavour of the year for Jeremy. Since full training a couple of months back. Now he can float and swim fairly well save for some improvement in strokes. 
  
  An investment in Bukit Kiara is indeed worth the money.
  
  

Milestone of a Rat Race

When Jeremy first enrolled for the entrance test, I was worried sick as we were informed that 150 boys and girls are taking the test and they are accepting only 102. The little ones were put in the main exam hall which I thought it was daunting for 6 year olds. Several of them cried as they were expecting to go up to the exam halls without parents' escort.

 Nevertheless, Jeremy had no problem with that and he even waved goodbye to us as he proceeded confidently to the exam hall. As expected, the moment the test is over, mommy has been interrogating him whether he knows the answer. All he said was ok ! At first we did not believe him and after several rounds of interrogation by mom and grandparents, he finally said: " I told you its ok as the teacher said not too bad after looking at my test papers" " Hey I was very seious OK !" He must be frustrated by the persistent questioning! LOL Anyway, after 3 weeks the results finally out and he actually got in ! Hence, he had his first taste of the rat race that is heading his way ! A milestone indeed.

Quotable quotes from a 5 year old boy

"Let's teach Baby Alicia baby nonsense"

"I want children rights"

Mummy - If you want to go Australia, you have to eat vegetables.
Jeremy - No, Logan also does not take vegetables (Note: Logan is a aussie boy in his kindergarden)

"Mummy, please don't pack my food when we go on trips as I can eat at the hotel for free!"

"I want Optimus Prime birthday cake for my six year old birthday"

"My kindergarden is boring as there is no canteen."

- Jeremy enjoying himself at Sepang

Jeremy and baby sister Alicia sitting in buggy while holidaying in Phuket

Jeremy the beach boy - Siray Bay Phuket

Jeremy and baby sister sitting near the hotel plunge pool

18 month old Alicia

Log book on Alicia for the last six months:

Myth #1 - Gals are less mobile and easier to manage physically - On the contrary, she has been relatively very strong and moves around a lot. It was quite a handful to just watch over her. In addition, she has no fear for darkness nor height. These are words definitely not in her 'volcabulary' !

Myth #2 - Those born in the Year of the Ox is demure - Again, does not seem to be true. She would not hesitate to express her dissatisfaction by shaking her head OR scream to record her displeasure. Even as she commenced her travelling journeys to Penang, East Coast and Singapore, she is not 'easily occupied'. Emptying her mother's handbag is her favourite pastime in the car.

Some other characteristics exhibited during the last six months:

Seems to like music notably oldies - She will shake her head and move her body to the tunes played on radio notably those music from the 70s era.

Adventurous in food - I predict she would not accept her daily routine oat based meal by the age of 2. Her favourite at the moment is still bread.

Competitive - Compete with Jeremy for mummy's attention. This is however not a surprise

Education rat race begins for Jeremy

Apparently, I was advised to queue up to apply on behalf of Jeremy the school of choice tomorrow. As long as its a Chinese primary school, the queue is expected to be long. This is so even though the school is so called not 'elite'.

Application is also very strict, in order for the school to verify that you live near the school, one needs to bring some utility bills to show you really lives at the address you declare.

To me, I attribute this phenomenon to the failure of our education system. Other than private schools, the Chinese schools seem to be the only alternative if we want the child to have a sound foundation as they position themselves at the starting line of a long marathon rat race.



Jeremy enjoying himself at a cousin's party. Soon the rat race will begin for him. Too fast,...its just too fast.

Managing a 4 year old

Well, its the age of the pre-schooler, its also an age of discovery for him as he gets to converse more with parents and exposed to other kids in the kindergarden. Its also definitely, an age when he experiments with defiance and testing the boundaries of discipline. Hence, parenting in my mind has moved to the next phase when the once baby boy hits 4 year old.Having said, I found this in the net which I thought was useful and hit right in the nail on how we dealt with Baby (Oops no longer baby!!) J

Here are 5 quick tips to help you improve deal with 4 year old behavior.

1) Always acknowledge what your child is saying. If you try to distract your child from whatever is on their mind without first acknowledging them, they will see right through you. But if you first repeat what they are saying, you'll "enter their world" and calm them down before any fights begin.

2) When your child is acting in a way that you do not like, make sure you tell him or her what you DO want, rather than telling them what you don't want. In other words, speak in positive terms. "I want you to come over here" is better than "stop going over there". Or "keep your hands to yourself" is better than "stop hitting your little sister". This goes for pretty much anything you communicate to your child.

3) Stay calm when you discipline your child. If you show your anger and frustration, your 4 year old will know he or she has pushed your hot buttons. You'll have more success with discipline if you keep your cool. You can be unemotional when implementing punishment.

4) Never apologize when implementing punishment. If you stay unemotional and act with calmness, you simply follow up on a threatened punishment with a simple explanation of what your child did (after being asked to behave differently) and you explain that the punishment is because of the behavior/action. No apologies necessary here.

5) Feel comfortable following through. If you make a threat such as, "If you don't get over here right now I'm not taking you to Grandma's tomorrow", then you better be prepared to actually follow through. Therefore, maybe you need to consider what is a realistic punishment and what is not. Keep a short list of realistic punishments on the tip of your tongue, and make sure at least one of these can be used when you are not at home. Get your children in the habit of understanding that you are someone who acts, not just talks.

Anyway, here are some memorable pictures to complement the new milestone in growing up and of course parenting:


Celebrating Jeremy's 4 year old birthday at home. This time cake is baked at home.


Trying to be photogenic. One of many new expressions in recent times


Enjoying his birthday party in school with Buzz Lightyear cake and baby sis as company as well


Another pose. Already know how to pose for camera.


Taken in a public beach along Telok Bahang Penang

Alicia - 3 and 4 months old

Went for checkup and injection shots yesterday. Key statistics:

Weight - 7.1kg

Length - 69cm

Key highlights for the period:

- Made the first trip out of Klang Valley. Went to Frasers Hill on a day trip. Her baptism to travelling - A regular pastime for the family

- Growth spurts

- Showing resembles to daddy (hehehehe)

Some pictures:

Jeremy - 3 1/2 years

It has been quite a journey now that Jeremy reaches the stage when he starts his pre-school days. Here are some of the pictures indicating that he has 'grown up' and move on to the 'BOYS' league.



"Don't I look cool in my pre-school uniform"



" Hey u there, stop taking the pictures !"



"Aw,.....do I have to take a pic with my sister?"



"Me and my new friend from Australia, James"



"Let's go let's go, what are we waiting for?"

Alicia's full moon celebration - 28 November 2009

It has been a simple event restricted to immediate family. Some selected pictures:



Alicia with her first head band



Big brother Jeremy giving little sister some 'sense of security'



Jeremy trying to learn to 'rock' Baby Alicia

Jeremy the Pre Schooler: 37-39 months

Yes, my son is no longer a baby although he still cries once in a while when he wants to throw tantrums.

I can see that he continues to develop more sophisticated social skills over the past three months. Before we knew it, he already start to crack jokes. He can deliberately hide the Astro Channel control and ask Mommy, 'where is the remote control? Yang Shan has sharp eyes and can find for you.'

He was fascinated with the Eiffel Tower after watching Ratatouille and has been pestering us since on a trip to Paris.

A sign of him no longer a toddler is that he does not necessarily take our words as gospel truth (Kids these days!). One evening, we took him for a car ride around the Twin Towers; he asked whether we can go in and we told him that the tower is already closed and hence no one can go in. His immediate response is 'where is the door'. It seems he wants to confirm whether thats the case ie no one can go in.

Motor skills remain somewhat behind; still fearful of water.

Anyway, some pics taken over the past 90 days:



Jeremy enjoying himself in the nursery we sent him to



Jeremy being patriotic during Merdeka Day



Listening intently to Mommy (or is it the TV !??)



Trying to put his ears to Daddy's floorstanding speaker. He now realises the music comes from this 'box' in the living room.

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

The era of 'why' has arrived - The top 5 questions

Just to log down the top 5 interesting questions Jeremy has put forth as he gets more inquisitive and sociable.

1. Why is the Twin Tower look like pencil? - He loves the Twin Tower; will want to go pass the Twin Tower given every opportunity. Somehow, he managed to see that the towers do look like pencils.

2. Why AmBank light not repaired? - Its the logo on top of Amcorp Mall. He looks out for the logo everytime we bring him back from my in-laws place in PJ

3. Why we need tickets to go up the airplane? - He has been hassling me to 'go up' the airplane. So I told him we need tickets to take the plane and henceforth the question!

4. Why toast different from bread? - Somehow he thought they are the same. Maybe they are except for the texture !

5. Why is the Zam-Bak cover round round like motor wheel? - Oh Man! How to explain and respond to such question !!

Jeremy - 31 and 32 months

Height : TBA
Weight : TBA
Favourite TV show : Mickey in Playhouse Disney and Little Einstein
Lousiest TV show : Tiny Planet and Monster Inc ! (He will run away from the screen and insist we switch channel)
Favourite game : Playing 'tent' in the room (Blanket is the alternative to real canvas one !)
Favourite food : Prunes (the ultimate fruit), pizza (the ultimate meal) and ice cream (the ultimate dessert)
Lousiest food : Banana and papaya (fruits), vegetables
Favourite book : anything on Cars and Mr Man series


Key milestones

Ability to converse in simple sentences
Beginning to feel uncomfortable with the child seat in the car. He prefers the car without child seat.
Still unable to jump with two legs !
Learn to dance to the tune of music
Knows that a picture has been taken. He would now pose but after each shot, he will run over and insist on seeing the picture on the camera