Jaden's Comprehension of Words

I read an article yesterday saying that it is possible for babies/toddlers to read words even before they can recognise alphabets or numbers. This rapid development of the brain happens from birth till 2 years of age and all parents should seize this window of opportunity to communicate and read regularly to their children. Hmm...the more I read the article, the more guilty I become. Excuses like 'where got time lah...lazy lah....full-time working mum lah...' crop up. But it was interesting to note that during his research and video presentation, infants/toddlers were able to point to different parts of their body after reading cards (e.g. nose, ears) flashed before them.

Yet other researchers were saying that babies could sign language even before they could talk. I do not doubt a baby's ability but all these cost money and more importantly, TIME. Would you go the extra mile to give your child a headstart in life? All these programs claim to increase IQ lah, read better lah, blablabla.....

Hmm...Jaden has been allowed to progress at his own speed and I was thrilled that he can understand simple instructions such as:

1) 'Jaden comb your hair' and Jaden will use his fingers to comb the hair

2) 'Jaden wipe your mouth' and Jaden will reach for a wash cloth, hanging on the chair, to wipe his mouth

3) 'Jaden clap your hands' and Jaden will put his hands together

4) 'Jaden brush your teeth' and Jaden will hold an imaginary toothbrush to brush his teeth

5) 'Jaden say bye-bye' and he'll sob.... :p

Home Reno

Well, we've finally started our home renovation - last Saturday.

It was a VERY long process, but thankfully, work has begun. Special thanks to 9 Uncle for all the assistance.

Contractor has told us that he can get it done in 2 months, but I have given him a 2 and 1/2 for safety (although I'm not telling him that lah!). More of our own buffer. But that should give us enough time to move in by Mid Sept.

It'll be exciting, and wonderfully, our new home somehow coincides with the development of the DUMC Dream Center!! The Dream Center was supposed to be ready around May - and we were supposed to move in around May. HAHAHA... now the church is expecting that our first worship celebration can take place in Week 1 Sept. And we should be moving house not long after that.

An update on the work-in-progress, our contractor is pretty quick. He has hacked down all the bathrooms, the dry kitchen and has also opened up the windows when I went there today.

Here are some pics I took this morning while on the way to work. (notice the upstairs windows have all been hacked out - we are enlarging them)

Jaden after bath

I've to admit that I was looking for photos for my scrap and some older photos of Jaden are just too cute :p

Ryan has grown up!

We had dinner at Mid Valley on Sunday and after dinner, we went for 'furniture and fittings' window shopping. Our new house renovation work has just started and we're looking to move in by September 2007. So, we really have to start looking for new furnitures, else we'll end up sleeping on the floor!

Ryan, as usual, was running about and trying out the new sofa sets. Jaden, on the other hand, refused to be carried and insisted to walk. Wherever he walked, he called 'Pa' loudly, as though the whole shop belonged to him...aiyo...

By the time we finished window shopping, it was quite late. It was time for 'nen nen'/milk for both boys. Ryan sat in the pram while the maid carried Jaden. Papa had to go and pay for parking ticket. So when we reached the car, I carried Ryan. During the car journey, Jaden cried and cried dunno-for-what-reason. Maybe jealous that I'm carrying koko. But anyhow, I reasoned with Ryan and asked him whether it was ok for mama to carry dee-dee 'cos dee-dee was crying and needed mama. To my surprise, he willingly went behind to the maid with his milk bottle in the mouth. He's a big koko already and a good boy indeed! :)

The two boys were fast asleep when we reached home. LOL!

Scrappy Mama

I've always love scrapbooks and have gone to the extend of making and paying RM95 for Ryan's first scrap photobook back in 2005. Now that digital scrapbook software is so freely available, hmm... I'll think twice before going back to pixart again :p However, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with pixart then for coming out with such product - high-quality paper and book binding.

I've tried my hand in making my first digital scrap and....

Happenings...

Jaden had his chicken pox jab last Thursday and it hurts my heart to see the lil boy crying out in pain when the super-long needle entered his left thigh. But thankfully, Jaden returned to his normal self after a short while...phew! And maybe because of the pox virus in his body, the lil fella gained extra energy and courage to take his first independent steps! Jaden is slower than Ryan in terms of walking but I'm not particularly concerned as walking earlier also means more bumps in the head and occasional blood from the lips, as what happened to Ryan :(

Jaden before his jab

Jaden's weight is more on track now (9.5kg) and height (78.5cm). Maybe the vitamins helped to increase his appetite but not sure. Aunty Meli said his appetite is still the same. In fact, his appetite was so bad yesterday that he ate very little (also because he's having flu at the moment). He refused to take the apple cereal in the morning (something that he really liked normally), macaroni cheese in the afternoon (just a few spoonfull) and chicken soup noodle at night. However, he loved the Japanese yoghurt I made for him.

Ryan, on the other hand, is such a joy to feed. He opens his mouth big-big whenever I feed him during our outings. He loves noodles (especially Hokkien mee) and fried rice and of course, nuggets and fries (but papa and mama don't bring him often to McD or BK). Although he eats a lot, he will never be a 'fat boy' cos he's ever so energetic. We have to actually bring him to an open space (shopping complex or playground) regularly to let the Action Boy run about so that he can release his 'energy'.

Ryan has also learned to be friends with clowns. During koko Ryan Yap's 5th birthday, Ryan Yuen was initially terrified of the clown when the clown arrived at the house but slowly he became friends with Uncle Clown and participated in the games.

Tagged : 7 Random Things About Ryan and Jaden

I've been tagged by Etcetera~Mommy who wants to know more about Ryan and Jaden.

1. When Ryan was younger, he loves to eat and he really can eat a lot - 1 big plate of porridge, equivalent to the portion of an adult. Look at his fat tummy :)

2. Jaden's favourite word is 'Pa' and when mama say 'Go see papa now', his eyes will light up and he'll stop whatever he's doing (including when I'm bf him), to go look for papa. But papa can only carry him for a while after which he'll want mama to carry him again. Hmm...possessive or what?

3. Ryan is a super play-ster. He can play with his favourite Thomas n frens toys from morning till night and he'll be holding his favourite toy for the day as he falls asleep. He'll wail the next morning if he doesn't find the same toy next to him.

4. Jaden's skin is really soft and silky. I believe it was the bird's nest that I ate during pregnancy.

5. Ryan is known as a little terror in church. He's a very friendly boy and will say 'Hi' to any strangers. However, the downside of him is that he can be quite rough when playing with other kids.

6. Jaden is also a terror in-making. He secretly screams for joy when he's able to hit his brother when Ryan is busy playing.

7. Ryan's favourite phrase is 'Oh I see, I see...' (saying it in a tone just like an adult) when he thinks he understands something, but in actual fact - not really...

Ok, am done with this tag. I'm not sure who to tag tho' cos I don't have many fansee :p Anyway, will tag:

Nicole - A friend who's currently holidaying in EU...how nice :). 7 random things about yourself, other than those I've already known

Genting Trip Pictures

Genting Day Trip

Ku cheh is due to return back to London late tonight so papa decided to bring the family, plus grand-mamah (Ryan still cannot pronounce mama and mamah properly, so mama distinguish by using the term grand-mamah) for a day-trip to Genting. It took papa and mama a while to figure out how to fit everyone into one car without compromising on the safety of the children. It sure helps to have a 7-seater car once the family size grows :) In the end, mama had to carry Jaden while Ryan sat in his 'special' seat - only for a little while until the maid decided to give in to the notty boy's request to carry him. Hmm...I always wonder how parents in this world make sure their kids stay in the car seat??? How how how??? Anyway, the 2 boys fell into ZZzzzzz land during the ride up, which really helps, else they'll be fidgeting a lot in the car.

After lunch, we went to the outdoor theme park. Papa purchased 5 adult tickets and did not buy any tickets for the boys since it was written on the notice board that tickets are required for kids aged 3-12. When we reached the entrance, the lady refused to let Ryan in saying that he is above 90cm. We were like 'Whaaaaattttt????' Where is it written that a tall child should be penalised and required to purchase a ticket even when he is below 3?' Anyway, we refused to buy a ticket and barged in. Haha .... no lah. Papa also mentioned that he'll be taking the matter up with Genting Operation's Head to let him know about the stupidity of the policy :p

Ryan and Jaden had a wonderful time up there, pics to follow tomorrow since mama forgot to bring the USB cable to download the pics from camera. They had rides on the monorail, dinasour boat, ferris wheel, bumble bee train and antique car.

By the time we decided to go home about 5.30pm, it suddenly began to rain...phew!

After dinner at GohTong Jaya, papa drove home slowly as it was pouring cats and dogs. Some of the roads were flooded as well. Thank God we arrived safely home :)

Aquaria

Ryan loves underwater sea creatures especially sharks and where better place to bring him than Aquaria! So, papa and mama took leave to bring him and Jaden there today since it's still school holiday and there are various activities lined up, such as turtle feeding session, shark feeding session and mermaid show. Ryan still enjoy free entrance (below 3 years old), so better utilise this privilege before he turns 3 next month; plus mama has corporate rate, so anyone wants to go there, give me a call :)

Some pictures of the excursion:

During the turtle feeding session however, papa had a terrible experience when a cowfish (fish at the top of the left-most pix) came to attack his finger. A girl working there was kind enough to bring cream and plaster for papa.

Ok, now I've been instructed by papa to google whether the cowfish is poisonous or not...ciow!

Books for Ryan and Jaden

For the last few days, I've been surfing the Internet for good books to be added to the boys' current library. I try to read books to them, as much as I could (but sometimes lazy oso lah) before they go to sleep.

I like this particular website which offers award-winning books at lower prices (at least when I compared them to Borders or MPH). And now they're having a Member's Appreciation Sale, so more discount. I'm rather thrilled with my purchases and I can't wait for the books to arrive next week, hopefully :)

Below are my purchases and the books' award(s):

1. Harold and the Purple Crayon - 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know

2. Madeline's Book Collection

• Madeline's Rescue (Caldecott Award 1954)
• Madeline (Caldecott Honor Book)
• Madeline in London
• Madeline and the Bad Hat

3. The Smartest Giant in Town - 2003 Red House Children's Book Award

4. The Gruffalo - 1999 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award, 2000 Nottingham/Experian Children's Book award, 2000 Blue Peter Best Book To Read Aloud award

5. Julius the Baby of the World - An ALA Notable Book, A Horn Book Fanfare Book, An ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

6. Where the Wild Things Are - Winner of the Caldecott Medal (1964), 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know

7. Officer Buckle and Gloria - Winner of the Caldecott Medal (1996)

8. Monique Felix Wordless Book - Bratislava Golden Apple Award and the Octogone Prize from the International Center of Children's Literature in France

Ok, mama will read more to Ryan and Jaden at nite :)

iTunes

Finally made use of my iTunes account last night. This song has been running through my head for a few days and I just NEEDED to buy it :)
We were in Canaan Land last Sunday and I couldn't find the CD there...
So last night - re-activated my iTunes (re-installed Windows recently..... a tedious procedure, to put it mildly) and BOUGHT IT.

Here it is - God is Great by Hillsongs (Marty Simpson)
All creation cries to You
Worship in Spirit and in truth
Glory to the Faithful One
Jesus Christ, Gods son

All creation gives You praise
You alone are truly great
You alone are God who reigns
For eternity

God is great and His praise
Fills the earth, fills the heavens
And Your name will be praised
Through all the world

God is great, sing His praise
All the earth, all the heavens
Cause were living for the glory
Of Your name

Glory of Your name
All to You, oh God, we bring
Jesus teach us how to live
Let your fire burn in us
That all may hear
And all may see

Holy is the Lord
The whole earth sings
The whole earth sings

HAHA... I've probably listened to it more than 20 times already since last night :)

Weekend of Parties!

Ryan and Jaden were invited to Ashley's 1st birthday party on Saturday, 2nd June. As usual, Ryan enjoyed himself tremendously, running together with the other boys, watching fishes swimming in the pond, playing bubbles and occasionally 'fight' for things. Ryan is a very strong-willed child and sometimes as parents, we find it rather difficult to discipline him. Papa said that he'll be the disciplinarian in the house (although he can be quite inconsistent at times especially with regards to Ryan's bedtime). Well, papa was the one who chose Ryan's name at the point of baby's gender checkup at Dr Wong's when mama was 18 weeks pregnant then. Ryan which means 'Little King' really behaves as one :P

Jaden, on the other hand, is more reserved. He refused to be carried by anyone else, except papa, mama and the maids. An attempt by Aunty Siew Ling to carry the lil' fella was successful, albeit a short while, when he saw papa mama at a distance.

Papa mama also brought the boys to The First Few Years to check out the booster seat for Ryan. We could not decide on the seat because: (a) we wanted to check out other stores for comparibility of price and models (b) we're not sure whether the boys would sit on their 'special' seats (c) the 2 bulky seats would take up a lot of space in the car

Anyway, Jaden enjoyed himself in the playpen at the shop:

And later at the playground:

It was ku-cheh's birthday yesterday and we had steamboat. Ryan and Jaden love the fish ball so much, they had so many and I lost count in the numbers they took.

Below a photo of papa and Jaden together on the car at grand-mamah house.

Jaden's 1st Birthday photos