Rave Reports!

I have been an exceptionally good boy at school for the past 2 weeks.

Aunty Shirley and the other teachers are very happy with my progress and heap praises to whoever picks me up from school. Everyone at home is very pleased with me.

But Yi Po, Po Po and Sam Yi Po said I have picked up some "naughty" habits from school too, like rolling on the floor, and climbing onto tables and chairs. Mommy said it's good for my gross motor development - just as long as I don't hurt myself.

The other day, I decided to try my Chinese with Daddy and Mommy.

So I sang, "Un-cle lao fu, Un-cle lao fu, pao te quai, pao te quai, i ke mei you yen zing, i ke mei you er tuo, zen xi quai" You can imagine how surprised Daddy and Mommy were. Daddy said it's not "un-cle" but "san ke". Well, I do try my best, you know. I can count from 1 to 10 in Chinese, and say out some shapes in Chinese too. Mommy doesn't know Chinese, so Daddy corrects me when I pronounce the words wrongly. Daddy and Mommy are contemplating to send me for daily Chinese classes (from 1 to 2 pm) but it will be inconvenient for them to pick me up at 2pm, and they'll also need to add dailly luncheon to my school fees. They will have to fork out an extra RM 450 per month (Chinese classes RM 300 & daily luncheon RM 150)to my school fees. So I think the idea of taking up extra Chinese classes is shelved at the moment.....

Here are my rave reports:-

6 - 10 April'09
Bryan has improved on his attitude. He hardly pushes other children lately. His attention span has improved. He enjoyed himself and was very creative during Jumbo Block activitiy. He claimed that he built a house.

HFM outbreak. There will be no water and sand play. Our school is taking precaution. We are checking and washing the children's hands and feet daily when they come to school. Would appreciate if you could do so before sending your child to school.

From the report, it would seem as if I have an attitude problem huh.

I don't. Honest. Oh, did you know that I slapped Aunty Shirley's face during my first day of school? She told Mommy that she was restraining me from playing a toy, and that I retaliated by slapping her back. They used to say that I play a little rough and aggressively. But I'm a little boy after all. They can't expect me to be sugar and spice and everything nice right?

13 ~ 17 April'09
Bryan did not cry this week. He does his work well and listens to instructions.
Well done. Keep it up!

What a good boy I have been at school! I hope they won't expect me to do something new and scary like poo-poo in the potty. After all, I have been following their instructions to wee-wee in the potty at school.

Mommy said I seemed to have grown taller these days. I'm around 98 ~ 99 cm in height and 16.2 Kg in weight. According to the growth chart (for boys), I'm on the 90 ~ 95 percentile for both height and weight, meaning 90 ~ 95% of boys my age are either my height or shorter than me, and of my weight or weigh less than me. So I'm on the big side. They say I take after Daddy. Mommy says I'm like Thumper in the Walt Disney "Bambi" cartoon, who used to be a chubby bunny then grew bigger and taller into a skinny hare. Doesn't sound like a compliment huh. Here are my latest photos - don't I look like a little boy?

Oh by the way, Daddy got a Sony Handycam and recorded lots and lots of film rolls of me.

But Daddy says it takes time to transfer and convert the files, so I'm waiting for Daddy to do that before I attach the movie clips here. Can't wait!

Sayonara!

Mommy heard from one of the teachers at school that my playschool mate, Eugenie has left and returned to her own country. So there are 8 of us in our class now.


Here, let me show you my classmates. This photo was taken during Chinese New Year celebrations - we didn't have class the whole day. Yippee! Don't you think we look so cute in our traditional costumes? Since we're the "babies" in the school, we were placed in the front row.




(Left to right): Swetha, Chauntel, Karin, Josiah, me (Yi Po and Po Po said I looked like a little Emperor especially with my hands placed on my laps), Joel, Eugenie, Mikhail and Nicole.


Of course, I could have told Mommy that Eugenie was no longer attending class, but she didn't ask me.....

Sometimes, we have small farewell parties for those who are leaving school, and I bring back some momentos from my friends. Recently my friend Marin, left for Japan. She'll turn 5 years old this November, but Mommy has known her from birth so she's feeling a little sad. Marin is the daughter of Mommy's boss, and each year I get invited to her birthday parties.

This is me with Marin at the hospital when Mommy & Daddy brought me along to visit Marin's newborn sister, Keika.



Another Japanese girl, Risa who was in the 3-4 yrs old class, has left our playschool this April. Mommy said her boss told her that Risa changed playschool to a Japanese playschool which is operated by Japan Club.



Even though Marin and Risa are not in my class, I shall miss them. But I'll miss Eugenie most coz' we used to be "pushing" buddies. I used to enjoy seeing the shocked look on Mommy's face when I tell her "push Eugenie"

Sayonara Marin-chan. Sayonara Risa-chan. Sayonara Eugenie.

Kung Kung's birthday!

Last Saturday, we celebrated Kung Kung's birthday.

Kung Kung turned 66 years old but according to Mommy's friend, who sometimes sees Kung Kung waiting in the car outside my playschool, he looks younger than his age! Must remind Mommy to tell Kung Kung about this - he will be very pleased!

On the way to the Chinese restaurant, we dropped by Great Eastern Mall and got a small cake from Strudels for Kung Kung. Mommy asked the girl for 6 big candles and 6 small candles, but only realised the girl had packed 1 big candle and 6 small candles when we were nearing the Chinese restaurant. Silly Mommy.

Usually we will go to Noble House for the birthday celebrations of Kung Kung, Yi Po and Po Po, but this time Mommy suggested that we should try some other Chinese fine dining restaurant instead. Mommy made reservations at Flower Drum Fine Dining Cuisine and Royal China Restaurant (both under Tai Thong group) but decided on Flower Drum since she didn't get the faxed menu from Royal China Restaurant. Plus she said the lady who picked up the phone and made the reservation wasn't very nice...... Oh, in case you didn't know, my family is crazy about karaoke singing. Yi Po said maybe due to the economy slowdown and "ching ming" season, we were very lucky to get a nice big private room (with bathroom attached) coz' some places like Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant will only allocate private room if our menu is over RM1K. Which is a lot of money. Hmmm...I wonder if they know that RM1K can buy three big sets of Lego-Duplo.

This is our dinner menu - we had ordered Set C for 6 pax.

And some photos of the yummy dishes - my favorite was the first dish (egg white cooked with crab meat)! Sam Yi Po (3rd grandaunt) said she will try that out during her next trip to KL.

There are no photos of the fish dish, the prawn dish and noodles dish. I guess Daddy must have been busy at the karaoke machine helping Sam Yi Po to choose the Chinese songs when those dishes were served.

Here's me playing with my magnetic board toy which Mommy allows me to bring for long dinners.



Oh, can you see the Earth Day band on my right hand? Daddy gave that to me. It's really cool. It will glow and turn green when I'm in dark places.... Of course, I will make sure either Daddy or Mommy is with me.

Everyone had a great time that night including me. Mommy said that's because I had a long nap in the afternoon and was in a fine mood. They all laughed when I told them "BRYAN WANNA SING" and took the mike.

This is me with Kung Kung.

Kung Kung loves me very much. When I was smaller, he used to carry me for walks to the swimming pool. On days when I'm not having my afternoon nap, he will take me for walks to Jalan Alor and we will share a bowl of ice kacang. He will have a piece of chocolate in his shirt pocket just for me. Mommy told me that Kung Kung is very proud of me and my accomplishments. This is what my Kung Kung wrote about me.

BRYAN'S GEMS AT 2 TO 2 1/2 YEARS OLD

1. Gordon (a.k.a Daddy): Bryan, don't play with Po Po's glasses.

Bryan: Spectacles.

2. Po Po: Use the gum to paste the pictures.

Bryan: Glue.

3. Kung Kung: Bryan, another word for wee-wee is "urinate".

Bryan: Shoo-shoo.

4. It was raining when Pauline (a.k.a Mommy) sent Bryan to nursery/school. As they entered the building, Bryan announced to those present, "It's raining, it's pouring".

5. Po Po was flipping through the picture cards and absent-mindedly said, "This is a zebra". Bryan interjected "Giraffe". Bryan was right.

6. Yi Po: Kung Kung is going to Seremban to play .....

Bryan: Mahjong.

7. As I was handling over the 4-ekor slips to Po Po, Bryan remarked, "Go (to) auntie, give money, buy numbers".

School days are here to stay!

Since I started playschool on January 5th, Mommy has been tracking my playschool attendance and see how well I've adjusted and dealt with the separation anxiety during my 3 hours there.

My playschool principal was telling Mommy & Daddy that there was one kid who cried for almost 9 months when the parents drop him at playschool. So Mommy writes down in her calendar whether I "cry" "cry a little" "didn't cry" every day when I attend playschool. Mommy was telling Daddy, Yi Po (grandaunt) and Po Po (grandmother) that I seem to fall sick every once a month. When I'm sick, I don't have to go to school. That's when I go straight to Yi Po's house directly from home. I love going to Yi Po's house - Yi Po and Po Po will bring me to have breakfast (and sometimes I get treats from the aunty selling bread, biscuits etc.) and we'll go and buy vegetables and meat from the vegetable aunty. I have lots of toys and things to do at Yi Po's house, and Yi Po and Po Po never scold me. Mommy say they overindulge me.

Mommy said once I've recovered from my mild flu, she will start me on Scotts Emulsion (the orange flavored one - not the plain one which is yuckky!) to boost my immune system. But she said I have to drink lots and lots of water to avoid from being too "heaty" if I start taking Scotts Emulsion. Doctor Patrick, my paediatrician says there is no such thing as "heaty" - you see, he's very Westernized in his treatment and diagnosis. Dehydration yes, heaty no.

Can you see my progress in school? I think I've improved a lot since my first weeks, don't you think so?

Oh, this is me in my school uniform.
On Mondays, I get to wear the orange and white T-shirt (which I like very much but it's only for one day though...). And the blue uniform (which comes with buttons - and I don't like buttons) from Tuesdays to Fridays. Daddy and Mommy say they are "clasps" but to me, they still look like buttons. I think they are pulling a quick one on me, but I try to be adorable in their eyes and repeat "clasps".

Every Saturday or Sunday, my Daddy will get a report via his Blackberry from the school principal on my development at school for that particular week. Mommy will get the report later as it will be sent to her office e-mail, and she gets to check her e-mails only on Mondays. Yi Po and Po Po will only get to read the report once Mommy has it printed out. And sometimes Mommy forgets to do so, and Yi Po and Po Po will only get to read the report much later. But I can do no wrong in the eyes of my Yi Po, Po Po and Kung Kung (my grandfather).

SCHOOL REPORTS

5 to 9 Jan'09: No report as this is orientation week. I'm happy playing with the slides, the toys and the teachers say I'm very independent because I hug and kiss and say bye-bye to Mommy when she leaves me there in the mornings.

12 to 16 Jan'09
Even though Bryan cries at school, he still participates in the activities. Give him some time and he will be fine. That's because everyone at school is a stranger to me, and they don't understand what I want. And 3 hours for a little boy like me is a very LOOONG time. Wanna go home. Wanna go Yi Po's house.

19 to 23 Jan'09

Bryan's adjusting very well at school. He participates in the school activities. He recognizes colors and numbers up to 5. As for alphabets, he mentions the alphabets and not by sound.

Please take note that our school will resume as normal on 3rd Feb'09. Chinese New Year party will be on 6th Feb'09. Kindly let your child wear Chinese New Year costume instead of school uniform. Gong Xi Fa Cai & Happy Holidays. Mommy allowed me to take brown doggy to school... he's my bestest bestest friend. Mommy says brown doggy has to take more baths nowadays since he's going to school. Yi Po and Po Po said I know all the numbers from 1 to 10, and all the alphabets (at least the capital ones) from A to Z. They didn't say anything about me not knowing phonics though. Mommy said phonics is a new concept and wasn't taught even during her time. It seems that if I know my phonics, I can read a word by pronouncing the letters without recognizing the word itself. Then from a word to a whole sentence. And very soon I can read a story all by myself. Isn't that cool?!

3 to 6 Feb'09
Bryan is able to recognize 1 to 10, phonics a,b,c,d,e and he participates in all the activities. Well done. At the moment, we will potty train him. Feel so strange and bare without my beloved diapers.

9 to 13 Feb'09
Bryan's concentration is short but he likes to learn. He's still quite rough with children at times. He seems to know his mistake as when he does it, he will say sorry immediately.
Har! Did you know that I was put on naughty chair even though I said sorry to my friend, Eugenie? Aunty Shirley (school principal) said Eugenie was also at fault for playing rough, so both of us sat on our naughty chairs and did our coloring.

16 to 20 Feb'09

Bryan has not been well this whole week. Therefore he is quite cranky at times during class activities. Down with flu again.... Accchoooo! Mommy said I must cover my mouth with my hand when I cough or sneeze.

23 to 27 Feb'09

Bryan's very moody lately. Nevertheless he still participates in the activities. We believe maybe because of the potty training. Wanna wear diapers. The other day, Mommy said to Yi Po, Po Po and Daddy that potty training is my biggest challenge and biggest achievement. She said I'm very stubborn coz' when she says "Babies wear..." I will say, "Underwear". Then she'll say, "No, babies wear diapers, and big boys wear..." I will finish the sentence "Diapers!!"

I'm quite good at saying, "Daddy wear underwear, Mommy wear underwear, Bryan wear DIAPERS! Bryan wanna wear DIAPERS!"

This is me on my potty at home. I have a similar potty at Yi Po's house.

Don't like potty....

2 to 6 March'09
Bryan joined in all the activities even though at times he's quite cranky. He is able to arrange the alphabets (a to f) in order during our magnetic alphabets activities. Well done.

Worksheet completed - colour picture with one object, trace and colour number 2, trace and color alphabet g. Yi Po and Po Po says I know all the alphabets from a to z, much earlier before I started school.

9 to 13 March'09

Bryan has slightly improved on his fine motor skill. He is able to control his strokes. Bryan is able to count solids by himself without assistance 1 to 20. Well done.

Our school holiday starts from 16 to 20 March. Happy Holidays and see you at school on 23 March. YIPPEEEE! No school. School close. Nobody at school. Hurray!

23 to 27 March'09
No report. Aunty Shirley seems busy nowadays. When they picked me up, both Yi Po & Mommy said didn't see Aunty Shirley for the entire week.

30 March to 3 April'09
Bryan starts crying at around 10:30 to 11:00 am for his mommy. Don't worry, he will get his comfort when we give him milk and wear his diapers for him and make him busy. He has shown some improvement on his attitude. Me? Adorable me with an attitude problem?! Aunty Shirley told Mommy that sometimes I will wee-wee in the potty at school but sometimes I will hold back. She said I will say "No water come out" or "Finished!" or "No more". She thinks l cry because I feel like wee-weeing and wants to wear my diapers to wee-wee in it. She said I will cry sometimes if I accidentally leak and wet my pants coz' I love to be clean. Loves my diapers coz' it won't leak and I feel dry all the time. Mommy says I have a long road ahead ......

Blast From The Past

This is me at birth.

Yesterday, Mommy was looking back at my baby photos and laughing with Daddy. They say I look like “Ah Pek” (old man) when I was younger. But she's rather upset and regrets that she did not record down my development milestones like when my first tooth came out, when I started calling “Daddy” instead of “Zizzy”, when I started taking medicine by the spoon (like a big boy that I am now) instead of from the syringe, when I started singing my first song, my first ride on the airplane etc.

She told me that memories are fleeting and that this is her little gift to me.
Mommy said one day, I can look back at these precious moments and if I’m lucky, if I’m really lucky, my memories will be triggered and bring me back to my toddler days.

So, a quick blast to the past of me at 6 mons, 12 mons, 18 mons, 24 mons and 30 mons.
I’m going to turn 31 mons soon.

Mommy's looking at some polls posted in a child development website and has answered some of the questions posted. I think she has forgotten most of my development milestones though....

(1) When did your baby start walking? Around 10 months old

(2) When did your baby start running? Hmmm... should be around 1 year old

(3) When did your baby roll over? Roll over to one side? Hmm... around 6 months old

(4) When did you first travel with your baby? 1.5 months old. First trip to Penang, to bring our confinement lady i.e. Granny home

(5) When did your baby sit up? Without support? Should be around 4-5 months old

(6) When did your baby smile for the first time? Around 5 days old... but according to the parenting books, he was smiling because passing out gas....

(7) When did your baby wave bye bye? Hmm....

(8) When did your baby first clap? Hmmmmmmm.....

(9) When did your baby say mama or dada? Definitely "zizzy" came before "mama" (which later became "mommy") Can't remember...

(10) When did your baby crawl? Around 8 months old

(11) When did your baby start sleeping through the night? Around 10.5 months old.

(12) When did you start feeding your baby solids? Maybe around 6 months old. Can't remember what kind of solids though. He used to like mashed sweet potato and bread pudding though.

(13) When did your baby first point? Hmmm...

(14) When did your baby first put objects into a container? Oh like into a shape sorter? Hmmmmm....

(15) When did your baby stand alone for the first time? Somewhere between 10 months to 1 year old....

(16) When did your baby cut his first tooth? Around 6 months old...

(17) When did your baby first pass objects from hand to hand? Hmmmmm.....

(18) When did your baby first sit in highchair and join the family meal? Maybe around 5-6 months old.... was sitting in Bumbo seat for a while, but managed to escape from Bumbo seat around 6-8 months old. Complete waste of $$

(19) When did your child say his first sentence? Somewhere between 2 - 2.5 years old, explosion of words.

(20) When did you start and finish potty training your child? Started in playschool 29 months old. Finish?? Sigh...long road ahead. He seems to like his diapers.

Oh, Mommy wants to add some other questions before she forgets.

(21) When did he first manage to pedal and propel his bike forward? 30 months old

(22) When did he first drink milk from cup? 30 months old

(23) When did he first complete singing a whole song? 28-30 months old

(24) When did he first complete jigsaw puzzle all by himself? 28-30 months old

(25) When did he first start reciting the months of the year? 30 months old

Oh well. She does try, you know.

Daddy said he will get a DVD handicam soon, to record all these precious moments before I turn from a loveable little boy to an impossible teenager.