I'm a good Mummy

I was praising Gabriel for sitting nicely in his car seat one day. And this was how he responded.


G: My a good boy. (He uses My instead of I quite often when referring to himself)

M: Yes.. Look, Daddy is also wearing his seat belt. Is he a good boy too?

G: No, not a good boy. Daddy is a good daddy.

M: Hmmm.. if Keke wears his seat belt, is he a good boy?

G: Yes, he is a good boy.

M: What about Shannon?

G: Shannon is a good girl.

M: OK... is Mummy a good girl too?

G: No, not a good girl. Mummy is a good mummy.

M: (scratching head) Is Aunty Celest a good girl then?

G: No, not a good girl. Aunty Celest is a good Aunty Celest.

M: (LOL)

I think Kong Kong is a good Kong Kong and Mama is a good Mama as well, for wearing seat belts. :)

Mummy's Birthday

Happy Birthday Mummy!

It was Mummy's birthday on 24th December, yesterday.

Daddy and I bought Mummy some earrings and we sure hope she will wear them!

In the evening, Uncle Alex, Aunty Gina, Elizabeth and Bernardette came over to join our family in surprising Mummy with a nice Walnut Carrot Cake (a.k.a. Chye Tow Kway according to Uncle Alex)...

Happy Birthday Mummy! I hope you have a great year ahead!

I love you!

Ho ho ho..

Merry Christmas!! May all your dreams and wishes you have come true!

It's a moo..

Storytime with Kung Kung 2 nights ago.

KK: What animal is this? (pointing to a cow)

G: It's a moo.

KK: A moo? What is a moo?

G: A cow.

I slapped my head but Kung Kung said to send this to Readers' Digest to earn some money. :)

'Tis a season to be tired...

Christmas is one of the most tiring time for me, physically and mentally. Shopping and shopping for things to eventually be given away.. don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about giving but more of shopping. I'm not a person who can shop for hours and enjoy it. When I need to buy something, I go, grab and pay. I'm not really the kind to browse and browse from shop to shop. So Christmas shopping is quite a challenge for me, not just the shopping but also the thinking of what to get for this person and that person.

I've just gotten back from a tedious shopping trip which is not that long by most people's standards, about 4 hours. I will need the whole year to recharge and get ready for Christmas 2008.

Hope you have a great Christmas this year!

Frustration

I get really upset and angry whenever Gabriel misbehaves. He cannot fully vocalise his needs and wants when it comes to playing with his cousins. So, whenever something he doesn't like happens, he hits or pushes. It can be anything from a toy being snatched away from him to not wanting to share. It can also be triggered when one sibling cousin hits the other, then he will go the "rescue", either defending one or hitting the other. It drives me crazy as I shout at him most of the time, from telling him "no" to this and that, to isolating him from his cousins whenever he misbehaves.

I need some quiet time, so we go back to our own home at Bedok half the week for me to recuperate and maintain my sanity and also for him to have some quiet moments by himself. He is really an angel when we're back there.

Somehow when we go back to his Mama's house the rest of the week, he's at his worst. He starts screaming, chasing, jumping off cushions and chairs, throwing toys, hitting and pushing. My blood pressure shoots sky high and no wonder my hormones are going haywire. Imagine if I have to scream at him the whole time everyday. I will go mad! And I will probably opt to go back to work as soon as my leave ends... that will be another blog entry that I've been postponing. I've been told many times that it's part of growing up and also being a BOY! Truth be told, it is really difficult being a good parent especially when different household rules apply under the same roof.

Ultimately, we can tell that Gabriel is simply trying to get into his cousins' circle of friendship, toys, affection and the like. He tries his best to follow anything his elder cousins do. Gabriel will try to copy and follow everything. Imagine crawling on the floor going "goo goo".. and having all three on their knees crawling around and lying down pretending to be babies. Or speaking some foreign tongue and making fun of it like, "Hello Poo Poo" when he sees me. And the next thing you know, Gabriel does that the whole week.

Daddy : "The wheels of the bus go..."
Gabriel : "Poo Poo Poooooo .... Poo Poo Pooooo.... Poo Poo Pooooo...."

or

Gabriel (singing) : "Our Father in Heaven, holy be your Poo Poooo..."

Frustrating....

Where are Shannon and Keke?

That's the question I get everyday from Gabriel. It can range from about 10 times a day to 10 times in 10 minutes. On certain days this question does get on my nerves. My answer is normally that they are at Mama's house or they are at Edelweiss or they went out. Then I will get a non-stop "I want to go with them/to Mama's house/Edelweiss". To prevent losing my temper, these days I have resorted to saying I don't know.

How can I do to minimise this attachment? He wants to be wherever they are. Hopefully he will realise one day that they are separate individuals and that they do not always belong together.

Until then.... "Where Shannon and Keke??"

Just being Gabriel...

Last evening, as I was trying to put on his clothes for him..

Gabriel: Where are we going, Mummy?
Mummy: We are going to meet your Godma and Godpa.
Gabriel: Where?
Mummy: We are going to their house.

He hurriedly turned to his Kung-Kung and asked "Kong-Kong, want to go with me to Godma and Godpa house?" :)

He's a very considerate boy as he sensed his Kong Kong was going to have dinner alone as Mama was out dancing.