17 September, Kate turns 8

17 September. This date is very special, because it is the day that I birthed my first baby. Eight years ago on this date. OMG. Eight. Years. Already.


So... we usually always celebrate it with K, like her party last year, in 2015, her epic Elsa-themed birthday party when she turned 5, 4, 3 (we still have that bear), her special narnee-turned-up-at-her-party party, and her special 1.


This year, we downsized the party because we already informed her that Japan was part of her birthday treat; but we still planned small stuff for her special day. It lasted a whole weekend as we did small stuff with her from Friday through to Sunday (actual day).


Coincidentally, she had no school the Friday before her birthday so I brought her along with me to work.

Getting coffee with my lovely

This meant that she wasn't cooped up at home, I got to spend extra time with her; she managed some work and had some play time making new friends with other children who happened to be in the office on this non-school day too.

She requested for dinner at Haidilao, so I made arrangements for us to eat there on this Friday evening. While the children were not very interested in the food, the girl had her wish obliged with the crew singing her a birthday song loudly.

The Seahs celebrate K turning 8

Keeping in line with tradition of eating with the family, we decided to keep it simple and let her have whatever she wanted. No surprise she opted for junk food. It was a nice effort everyone made to turn up on this Saturday; and it was made special because (1) I scored some party hats - hah (2) we all indulged in eating fast food voluntarily (shudder) (3) everyone rocked up.

For posterity's sake, let it be known that it was the first time I tried the nasi lemak burger which is the current craze at McD.  

No birthday is complete without cake

On the actual day of K's birthday (Sunday), she spent most of the day with the grandparents. It happened to be moving day and it was pretty hectic. I barely saw her all day as she was playing/whatever with my mom, and one special moment worth mentioning was when Mom brought both kids over to our home unannounced. It was a surprise to see them amidst the busy day and the kids had a chance to take a walk-through (they ran) the mostly-vacant house. It was void of any furniture and it was quite a difference from how we lived in it.


It was only in the evening, finally, that our family was altogether over dinner; and a highlight was us bringing out a birthday cake for her. I am quite particular like that; that a birthday must be celebrated with cake.

Birthday cake for the birthday girl

While it was only our family at dinner, I made it a point to invite Godpa (on holiday in Amsterdam on this day) and the siblings (the sister + her busband were at Formula 1) to join in the birthday song and it warmed my heart to have people loving her from near and afar; bothering to sing those simple but meaningful celebratory words to this little girl that they have all watched grow up. As both my phones were used for facetime, I did not manage to capture the special moment, but my heart is full remembering that moment.


What a journey these 8 years have been; clicking the past 7 birthday celebrations definitely made me feel so blessed that I had enjoyed such precious years with this child.


Dear baby Kate, no matter how old you are, you will always be my baby. It can be challenging growing up, I know - for both you and me; but let's remember that we are both learning and growing each day and I will always love you no matter what.


I know it's not always fun for you, but let's remember that it's all to equip you with skills on this long road called life. You have definitely grown to become a witty, sometimes snarky girl; you have an infectious laughter and your arms and legs are so lanky I'm surprised you don't trip over yourself more. You have a beautiful button nose that I truly adore and your teeth are so big, I cannot wait to watch you grow into them. You are sweet and sensitive and you can be mature and so understanding that it breaks my heart at how soft you are inside.


Let's continue holding hands no matter how old you get, I hope you will always tell me silly stories no matter what age you are.


I love you baby girl.


Love forever, Mommy

Yoga progress - mini yogi series

Just after I posted my recent yoga progress post, this little yogi surprised everyone (herself included) and did this new backbend!

Bending backwards my little flexi yogi

She was so thrilled to have done it and to see her face light up was amazing. I felt so proud and happy for her!

Letters to & from my firstborn

We started this book, where we'll write to each other. It's special because right now, the firstborn can pretty much write sentences and express herself, compared to the boy who's still at the cusp of learning to read.


I love this book of us, and wish we'd have more heart to do more; but some is better than none, I say!


In the latest entry from last week, this little girl was feeling particularly challenged due to a bad hair day. Oh, the woes a 7+yo goes through due to hair pains. -super rolls eye- but hey. Worries one feels is still a worry and I should not judge (but it's so harrrrd esp when we are late for school/something and the whining is incessant about hair?!)

Temper management

So, in this entry, she expresses her pains of her hair and her frustrations, as well as how she better managed it because she went to take a shower. There is also a tiny part about how annoying her little brother is. Ha!


Learning journey on temper management is so important and little wins are so super, duper important!


I am so proud of her!

This exasperates and amuses me simultaneously

What does? My child does. So, K is the sweetest girl. She is a princess (fussy), and also very sweet and loving. However, her attitude is generally very bochap. She isn't flustered over most stuff, she is not time-sensitive and that's part of the reason why I struggled with her when primary school started. It took her a while to adjust to the routine of school, and I needed to remind myself that she was only a child and needed time to calibrate.


This year, she's gotten off to a good start and I am so proud of her achievements. She has been getting 100% for all her school's weekly spelling since January! This is such a big difference when she struggled to cope last year; and I'll say it again, I am so proud of my girl.


I am not a tiger mom, but there is a 'but' here.


K still isn't bothered by things like filing, or keeping things neat. And that's why, this picture is a perfect encapsulation of the situation with her right now.

10/10 - full marks! - on a totally crumpled and (this takes the cake)
torn paper. There is a 'see me' the teacher wrote, as the teacher
wanted to know why the paper was in .. such a state. Ha!

And for the record, as I was working late that evening, I had to write down a list of questions for her in case I forgot by the next morning.

She brought nail polish to school?!

Ah, interesting daily anecdotes... my sweet little ladida girl.

Achievement unlocked - the girl can cycle too!

After learning that her brother can cycle, this little girl had been grumpy, citing "it's not fair" that he got to try/master the skill and not her. The husband pulled his weight, squeezing in time to make this happen before he left for an overseas work stint and I am so proud of the girl.

Look at that beaming pride!

Whee!

So, while I wasn't there to witness her lesson, the husband gave me feedback that she did even better than the boy. Now, the boy picked up the skill within minutes, so to know that she did better truly blew my mind. Wow!


So thankful that the husband made time for this, and am so proud of my girl to have picked up this skill. Since then, she's been cycling and seems to be doing really well. The boy doesn't do so well on this taller bike, so we gotta find something more suitable for him to practise.


So proud of my little beings! -insert muscular emoji-

A lovely Saturday

The son had chicken pox. He's in the clear now (yay!) but last Saturday, in a bid to quarantine him, we ended up having just the firstborn, an afternoon free from classes and a craving for haidilao that needed to be satisfied.


What happened was an extremely lovely, leisurely, indulgent and lazy Saturday. The husband made reservations to make lunch happen, and after some work with the girl, we commuted to town to meet the husband (who had sent the boy to the doc's and MIL's).


Lunch was lovely - we ate till we had dumplings coming out from our nostrils -  and I thank the husband for being so generous to share his craving with us so that we all get full tummies and hearts.


Post-lunch, we had no agenda at all; and ended up walking around with little aim. The beauty of this was that we ended up walking into a lovely piece of history where my old school sat; seeing some lovely architecture that we wouldn't normally admire and some nice pictures to capture this lovely Saturday.

Swinging fun

The man and the little girl - so much love

The girl enjoyed the time together too, feeling special that she was the only child for the afternoon. I hope that the husband and I can do this with each child more, as the attention and love devoted to one child feels different from when both are together.

Thankful, as always, for time spent with loved ones.

Growing

One of her front tooth is growing!

Mornings with this big girl

The year truly feels real when there are 6am wake-up calls to start the day.
It's even more real when the all-familiar strains hit home - homework, packing, routine (oh the amount of nagging), scheduling (I have a master excel - yes, excel to document and lay down the timings and routines per day!) and situations that arise (bad traffic = K was late on day 1, oops; tantrums when a child is tired from lack of sleep; lying about use of pocket money - oh boy...)
I wish to stay positive though, so here's listing the great stuff:

1. It's so much easier to get onto a routine that pre-existed.
Even though there was a break, the fact that we had done it before made going back a lot easier. K's pretty much on auto-pilot which is such a relief!

2. K and I have a nice time together in the mornings.
True, we have grumpy moments (did I mention the nagging already?!) but through my personal experience of being able to go to work with my mother, I learn that just being able to see each other and spend time together amidst our long work-days is such a blessing.

3. K shares funny tales.
Sometimes, I get a glimpse of what goes on in her little head - such moments are rare, because the time we have together is mostly used for mundane but necessary things like homework, eating, routine... being idle on the way with her allows for a small window of nothingness, which actually is so much more than that.

4. K and I get to hold hands.
This may sound pretty small and silly, but I love holding hands with the children. To feel their little hand in mine, to be able to reach out and give a cuddle, to have them reach out to hold mine - it's so simple, yet loving.

5. Being a less needy parent/ grooming a more independent child.
When we first started on this routine, I walked every single step alongside K. I'd drop her off at the last possible spot before psycho loving parents are disallowed to stalk walk with their child. At K's request, we started to say our goodbye's a little further from school and so in Q4 last year, we said goodbye outside the school compound. This year, the girl requested for an even further goodbye spot and I agreed. I spy on her until she goes out of sight and (to my utmost exasperation),  she still doesn't always turn around to wave goodbye! Haha!

My big baby

After I send her off, I head to do my own thing. Am trying to get back to the work-out regime, and hopefully will get my engines running smoothly in no time.
Hello, 2017!

A treat for K

Mommy's elf duties after the children go to sleep

It has been an eventful year for K, because Primary 1. It marks such a significant milestone for all of us, and after the enormous amount of stress I put myself through - logistics, routine, scheduling, tween attitudes, extra classes, tuition, feedback sessions, homework, school-bag packing, performances... the list is endless! - it is now time to enjoy the down-time because, school holidays. Everyone say HOORAY!


I decided to give K a treat for all the pains and lessons we have gone through together, also because she did perform pretty well. Her year end report book showed pretty decent grads and I cannot say how relieved and proud I am of her. While I try not to be too conscious of grades, it is the attitude that I hope she carries through for the best way forward.

Discovering her present the next morning

Tearing the gift open

Counting down to Christmas

It makes me so happy to see her appreciative of the gift. It is the first time I am exposing her to the idea of an advent calendar, and I must say I have mis-judged my girl. I had thought she will be too impatient to open up the boxes a day at a time, and that she will cave and open them all/more than one a day. So far, it's been a week and she has been patient. I must remind myself not to judge her so quickly! Each day, she opens up the mystery box and shows me what she got. It's also amazing watching her role play with the little characters with her brother.


Ahh, what lovely sights to behold.


Well done, my sweet child. You have been amazing, and despite our pains and trials for the year, you have emerged pretty unscathed, I think. Good luck to us next year and hopefully, it will be better. I know we can do it!

Performing Arts Day - the end of Primary 1

As part of a holistic education, K's school encourages arts and performances beyond academics. The school is pretty good at gymnastics and ballet, and in the past few months, K has come home telling us about her 'ballet classes' during PE... which is part of the lead-up to performing for the school's 'Arts Day'.

Primary 1 Arts Day 2016

It's pretty cool, and I appreciate the efforts that the teachers put in for rehearsals and training the children. It's performed by levels (I know that P2 has their own, not sure if this is the case all the way up to P6), and each class performs 3 segments.


Through this performance, I learn (unsurprisingly) that K loves to perform. She likes to dance and be on stage (while acting coy that she's terrified - and while I do think she gets nervous, I think she loves the limelight/attention and performance adrenaline!). She comes back with tales of how her rehearsals went, how she is annoyed by friends who 'XX went the wrong way and it will ruin everything!', and how much she enjoys practising and is yet worried 'Mommy, I cannot do this u'noe' - then proceeds to launch into the segment, self-practising.

I pulled in 2 supporters to join me at the performance

First performance, English speech & drama - The Candy Man
(terrible pic I know, K is in brown in the middle row, 2nd from the left)

2nd performance, Chinese speech & drama - here, she is a firefly.
(Pic taken by another parent who obviously grabbed a better spot than me)

Paying attention

3rd and last performance - ballet.
This is the finale and that's K right in the middle!

As a parent, I just felt thrilled to see my girl on stage, but more importantly, know that she enjoyed herself. I also felt proud that she revelled in performing, it's a great experience to be on stage and many lessons she can take out - from the hard work that needs to be put in at rehearsals, the discipline to learn and master the acts... and the lovely pay-out and sense of fulfilment. I'm glad that she's being exposed to it all.


And with this performance, she ends the school year on a high. We received her report book and she did pretty well. I am proud of her grades, and while there are definitely areas of improvement (namely, instances like this), I think we all fared pretty fine for the year. It's been a year of learning for all of us, in terms of juggling new challenges, routines and ready or not, here comes Primary 2!

Scatter brain K

This is the last week of school for my Primary School daughter. Yesterday evening, we got into a little squabble about her filing.


So, I have been really quite bochap relaxed about how she packs her stuff. In this year, I remember we did a mid-year spring-cleaning where we attempted to pack her things after we bought a shelf just for her. I've then relied on verbally asking if she's packing her bag/materials... and I do notice that things seem to be messy in her drawer but I did not actively check on it.


Last Saturday, it was a day with no activity and I requested that K packed her whole set of drawers. I told her to pack everything properly and neatly because it's nearly the end of the school year and we need to be clear to know where everything is, so we can make way for new materials coming in for Primary 2. She spent the morning stacking papers about her room and I did not check, I just let her run this activity because, well, it's her things, right?

Yesterday night, I happened to look into her bag (I tend to do that occasionally to pick out sweet wrappers, crushed worksheets, loose stationery, check through her books, take out the damp umbrella...) and what do I find? Loose worksheets crushed (not filed into file, just stuffed into bag), and some junk which really riled me up!


It made me so mad that she had not attended to the task properly when time had been set aside to do it. I was mad that she does not care enough to bother. I was mad that it is already the last week of the school year and she is still this haphazard?!



Situation last night

I dished out punishment (no e-time for the whole week!) and set her to work right there and then to clear her worksheets - properly this time.


Sigh. What do I do with this child of mine?! Patience... is key. On this note, I am pretty ready to say 'Goodbye Primary 1!'

Yoga fun with my baby girl

Last Saturday evening, we had no activities planned. The girl was restless and I was feeling lethargic and needing some exercise (none for that day - opted for a movie date with the husband instead). So when the husband brought the son out for a haircut, I had an idea of doing some stretching yoga with the daughter.


I took the phone out and started googling for images of 'mother and child'... boom. Found plenty!



Referencing images

We successfully tried many, many poses

It was pretty fun! I broke out in a bit of sweat from moving about and stretching parts of the body where I needed it, the girl had fun (and so did I), and most of all, we giggled and had fun together. Win win win!

Anecdotes of J and K

Masterpiece by J
The other evening, we were on the subject of bookmarks and J decided to draw something for me. 'I make a bookmark for you, Mommy' he said.

So, we are holding hands and that (in pink) is a shooting star. He also delighted in writing
my name, and paper-stamping out the star/ribbon shapes.

If you notice, the above piece of paper has a cut-out. The reason why there is a cut out is because he was not happy with something he wrote, and was throwing a fit. In a bid to damage control, I suggested that he remove the supposedly offensive mistake. Then, as if he changed his mind/ had another idea, he picked it up and continued to draw on it; then handed it to me as another bookmark.

I am actually using this. It's quite handy!

Writing by K
K received a card for her birthday from the insurance company. She had been looking forward to a meal at Swensens' with the voucher she received, and we ought to bring her soon. Anyhow, I spotted this the other evening and it made me laugh.

It is me! I am the birthday girl. Me me me!

Truly, she was such a happy child on her birthday and we chatted about her favourite moments of the day, and unsurprisingly, she cited the hours she spent when her friends were around to play with her. She questioned me of my favourite moments and before I could answer, she said, 'I know! It's after my friends left and when all the adults were sitting around, right?' (Such a clever one, this girl)


Instead of lying to her, I said, 'Yes darling, that was one of my favourite parts, because I could relax and hang out with the family. But the other favourite part was watching you and seeing how happy you are. When you are happy, it makes me very happy too.'


Ahh, sometimes they are so sweet and know so much, don't they?

Pleased as punch

Someone received a badge yesterday! This is akin to a 'promotion'.
K has been sharing how her friends received badges for additional responsibilities at school; and this has been a subject that the husband and I had discussed over several occasions. We are aware that she yearns for the accolade, but we are also aware that she may be facing some challenges in coping at school which was why she had not received any additional responsibilities.


It makes our heart ache to observe her disappointment, yet it is such indeed reality and we can only encourage her to do better. This is a real slice of hard parenting that sometimes, we need to step back and allow things to settle/pan out for themselves.


Things took a turn yesterday when this little one bubbled with happiness when she received a badge!

The confidence booster in the shape of a rectangle badge

It's heartening to see that she knows that she now has more responsibility, plus she is also definitely enjoying the role (obvious from how she proudly displays the badge!). It also made me happy to hear her say 'I'm going to do well so that I can continue to be AV monitress until next year!' - she understands the concept that the badge/duties will be taken away if she does not perform well.


A short exchange with her school teacher reinforced what we had observed for ourselves; that her progress in school has improved and thus, it's the right time to give her more responsibility.


Dear Kate, it is more painful for us to see your disappointment than you can imagine.


Such is life, and I hope you learn this tough lesson that you need to work hard for what you want and in this case, I'm so happy that you are progressing well at school to be able to slowly, in your own pace, do more.


It may not be as quick as you desire, given your impatient nature, but it's taken you three quarters of the year for school and routine to become more settled and balanced; so let's not rush too much into everything. Doing small/some things well is way better than doing more and underperform.


It truly pleases me to no end that you achieved this badge of small honour and I know you will do better, once you settle in even better at school.


Loving you forever and always supportive no matter what,
Mommy

LEGO art

Sighted in the office pantry

LEGO by M and K

At the last visit to the office, K had a friend (M, who is a year older) who accompanied her for the afternoon. They played together, and also did some drawings and posted their art proudly in the pantry for all to see.

'Seeing' my child at work makes me happy :)

Kate turns 7

We had been planning this day for weeks. This little one knew that she wanted a party with some friends and the husband and I obliged by arranging for a playdate with a small group of friends. The night before, she was happily reminding us that 'it is 17 September tomorrow!'
The day rolled along and in our half-asleep state (while the kids were already bouncing off the walls, as usual), we hugged our firstborn and wished her HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Our morning routine was business as usual, and we all met at home after lunch. K was visibly excited and couldn't wait to head to the club to meet her friends.

Waiting for her guests to arrive

She was impatient (obviously, minutes felt wayyyy too long) and started bouncing off the walls, asking every few moments 'what time is it?' Finally, after half hour, we gathered most of the children and started to play.

Most of the little ones

The sister and I deliberated if we ought to play some games, and I think despite our lukewarm efforts, we didn't have to worry too much as the children were not too focused on quality it seems. They gamely played along, and we cut our losses by cutting down the number of games played - especially since I was barely audible with my croaky voice.

Simple games



Simple games - special mention to the sister for getting these balloons!
(In hindsight, we could have just used the damn balls at the gym!)

Playing catch

The highlight - water play!

JUMP!

Party food

Happy Birthday K

My beautiful child

With her little friends

It was past 7 by the time most of her little friends left, and I am thankful for the patience for my family who came by to just hang around. Family support is so helpful when there are situations, or just to shower love and I am extremely thankful because my family is truly super awesome. As my kids continue to grow up, I must say we are looking forward to more mini ones - looks to the brother and sister!

With the loving grandparents

Missing the busyB

PRECIOUS

Dear baby K,


No matter how old you become, you will always be my special baby. A parent will truly understand this statement, regardless of how cliché it sounds. A firstborn will always be a firstborn as you introduce so may 'firsts'.


You have brought change to my life (and your Papa's), teaching us responsibility, growing pains, laughter, unconditional love. You brought awareness of many matters - observing traditions, leading through behaviour, sensitivity... the list of lessons is endless. This year has been pretty significant, with the start of primary school and I know that you have struggled through as much as I have; but we shall not give up because this is just another phase of life that we will soldier on and we shall become stronger and better as we do so side-by-side.


You have matured and laugh at jokes that your little brother makes alongside us adults, as you understand that he is the baby now and is less aware. You become more territorial as you begin to treasure your own space. You are growing up and learning to deal with responsibility that comes with school in terms of managing money, making new friends, learning new routines and cope with the awe that comes with the 'big world' as you are the littlest in this 'big children school'. I only hope that you learn within these hopefully safe environment, as the school we have picked for you is one that will allow you to thrive.


There are so many wishes I have for you, and I hope that we will always be able to talk to each other about things big and small, so that I never stop adding to this list of wishes I have for you and I, as we both learn on this journey. This year, you become the bogay child with your toothy, dimpled grin and I marvel at how beautiful you are, how mischievous and sensitive you are, and how blessed I am that you are my baby.


Happy birthday, my child. I love you beyond purple balloons, to the US of A and right back to your little bogay smile.

May you continue to soar to greatness

Lantern-making with Godpa

It has become a tradition where the Godpa owns an annual event with the children. It started two years ago, when I handed him the task of working on a lantern-making craft project with K. Last year, I requested that he helps - not one, both two kids - because both of them were in the same school, and so he did. (Sadly, I could not find any pics that documented the lantern of 2015).


This year, the end result is definitely the best - you know what they say, practise makes perfect!

Minions!

Lit-up minions

It's nice to have something for the children to have, even if it's this one project every year. They get to spend time together, and this year, I ended up taking a nap while they were working at this craft - ahhh, how nice!

Throwback - 4 years ago

I absolutely adore the (relatively) new feature that FB launched. It prompts you of memories on the same date x-years ago, and I make it a point to flick through memories daily.


It reminds me of what I did (I usually have a clear flashback - proof of memory still not failing entirely), of how the kids looked before (this is totally endearing yet scary - they always look adorable but how quickly they have grown!), and it's always nice to have a chuckle. 

This popped up on my feed today

Look at my little baby princess... she's so much more grown up now. She has lost her baby fat (no more YY), and her arms and face are so much more adult-like now than 4 years ago. Her hair is a constant though - messy!


Feeling all warm and fuzzy as I think back of all her baby-like antics, and also looking forward to celebrating her 7th birthday very soon.