52 mth - Complaining of aching legs 26 mth - Fake cries

Keath has this tendency to say that he has aching legs these days. Sometimes when he just walks for less than 5 min and he will say that his legs ache. When I ask where, he will point to the joint areas. Sometimes we are not sure if it is just him being lazy or is it really that the ache is real. Actually I also remb sis and I having this issue when we were young. Our dad will then massage our legs for us and it gets better or we just sleep it off and it is ok the next day. I will just monitor and see whether I should bring him to the doctor for this.

One good thing that has happened now is that Keath no longer wants to nap in the mall! Hahaha one day he just told us that it is troublesome to nap in the stroller in the mall (probably cos his legs are too long for him to sleep well in the stroller already) and he says that he wants to nap at home. Woo hoo! Good for the hubby. So when we now bring the two of them home for afternoon naps, they both just obediently go to sleep and would not fight it. Great that it is like an SOP for them already.

I no longer let Zeth sleep alone in the room now. So in the first half of the night, I will sleep with Keath. When Zeth cries in the middle of the night (for sure will happen 2-3 times a night), I will then move in to his room. I could consider putting the 2 boys in the same room but that would just mean that Zeth will disrupt Keath's good sleep. This should probably wait until Zeth outgrows the night wakings. Zeth also likes to do fake cries nowadays. He likes to whine mummy mummy and learn from keath to do fake cries just to get attention.

I have been on leave for 2 weeks and actually it is very shiok to have nothing much planned for the local leave. I brought them out to the zoo, bird park and very big bouncy castle when they had no school. Im very ok bringing them out myself. I find that I enjoy this bonding time that I have with them alone and knowing that I can do this myself. I went Christmas shopping, massage, facial, set up my new iPhone 11 Pro max and went out with my friends and family. Then spent the remaining time working. Yea, I loved how carefree the leave is even though there is work. It is at a slower pace and I can do it at my own time and target. Too fast and the leave is coming to an end now.

50 mth - Writes A-Z, 1-9, simple addition & subtraction 25 mth - Happy bd and always asking why

Keath is now able to write A to Z and all the numbers already. He is also able to do simple addition and subtraction (those that don't exceed 10). He's growing up way so fast, gg to be K1 next year already. His favourite game right now is snake and ladder. Think this game also helps him with addition cos sometimes he doesn't need to count box by box. Can just jump straight to the box where he is supposed to land.

Generally, he doesn't wake up at night already. Also won't fight naps now as it is a routine that we have put in place. He is also ok to start the night sleep routine when he sees that it is 9.30pm. Can read the clock and know what is supposed to happen at what time now.

I have been busy with work lately and there was once I came back at 7.30pm and he said, mummy why are you so early today? Haha oops, I'm so glad that I have mil at home who can help me take care of them while I need to go home later. We came back from cruise earlier on this week and both of them fell sick. I brought them to the doctor separately and on both occasions, the doctor commented that they are very obedient and cooperative. I feel so proud of them. Agree that they are generally Guai kids and they listen. Feeling very blessed to have them in my life.

Zeth is beginning to ask the why question for everything that he sees. There is no end to the why questions cos he replies everything with a why. He has a more easy going personality than kor kor, also someone who gives way to his bigger brother most of the time. He knows what will piss off his brother and will seldom do it as he knows it will irritate keath. He loves singing and jumping over objects and is very stable in doing so now. Active, but in a balanced way. Somehow I feel that as compared to Keath, I spend less time teaching him things. He learns more from our interactions with Keath rather than dedicated time spent teaching him.

Zeth celebrates his 2 year old birthday already! Again, I celebrated with them in school myself as the hub was not free. It's ok la, I can order the cake, pack the goodie bag and celebrate with them. They also didn't think that it was odd that daddy couldn't join. I thought that zeth is a sociable and lively kid in class. But when I went to school for the celebration, he was surprisingly shy! He looked super shy when we sang the birthday song for him and refused to blow the candles. Looks like a super obedient student in class also. In Sep, there was also a School excursion to watch a musical. I went along with them and was glad to be part of their school activities. Looking forward to more that the school plans!
My two lovely kids.

49 mth - Loves to express his love for me 23 mth - Recognising car brands

Keath is getting sweeter by the day. He will say very sweet things that cause me to melt~~ For example:
- I was getting dressed for work and he was on the bed drinking his milk. After i'm dressed up, he told me 'Mummy, 你很美.' =D
- Then a few days later, same scenario, he told me 'Mummy, 你很美 all day.' =D wah, level up!
- I was scoping soup for him when we were having dinner outside one day. He suddenly told me 'Mummy, 你太美了！' wa at that point, im like your child really looks at you and appreciates whatever you do for him. your every action is being watched by him and it is really important to him~
- I was showing the husband the photo of my colleagues and asking him which female colleagues are pretty. So he pointed to colleague A and B. I then showed the same photo to Keath and asked him the same question. He answered 'Mummy'. Waaa, now you know who your husband looks at and who your son looks at!
- He notices when i am in new clothes. He will say 'Mummy, 这件新的啊？很美，我很喜欢.' He is such an observant kid.
- I am someone who is not stingy with the 'I love you' to the 2 kids. I always say it to them. In return, i hear a lot of this back from them and it warms my heart. Keath will say things like 'Mummy, 我太爱你了' or '我最喜欢你了‘。Very very sweet. Zeth will say 'Good night, i love you' every night. Or just randomly says i love you, hug. And proceeds to hug me. Feeling lots of love from the 2 kids!

Zeth's speech is improving exponentially now. He now knows how to say many things and we usually understand what he is trying to express. He can also sing many songs now! Though it is not accurate, the tone is right and he knows some words. Some songs include twinkle twinkle little star (eng and chi), happy birthday, ABC, row your boat, baa baa black sheep, finger family, wheels on the bus (with action), monkey jumping on the bed, 泥娃娃，两只老虎，london bridge etc.

And he recognises many of the car brands now. Both brothers like cars and learn really fast. Think Zeth knows more at a younger age cos he is exposed at a younger age. He now recognises and is able to say these brands: Mercs, BMW, Audi, Toyota, Nissan, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Honda, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Mini Cooper, Hyundai! Isnt it amazing, he's not yet 2!

This month, parents in law travelled to china for a week and i took leave to take care of them. Cos zeth had fever on 1 day, i had fever on another day and the school was closed for 2 days! But it was ok, they were very obedient with me alone taking care of them. On the days the school was closed, i brought them to the bird park with bing and boon! They were so amazed with me bringing 2 kids out alone as they brought 1 kid out with their spouse/helper. One highlight was the wagon that i rented at the bird park. I pulled them up and down the slope at the bird park and it was very xiong pulling a 32kg load! A very good exercise. I also brought them out to the playground to fill their days up with fun activities! Enjoyed the mother son bonding time.

48 mth - Happy 4th birthday Keath 22 mth - Wont take no for an answer

It has been a long time since i have written something. It has been a busy busy period. Work has been peaking and i could finally have sometime after clearing up work over the long weekend. Our first born has already grown up to be a 4-year old. No longer a baby. He is a good boy. A very obedient boy who doesnt cross boundaries. He usually does what we and the teachers say. You wouldnt be able to catch him doing smth that is forbidden or running around anyohow. We wouldnt have a problem with him being picky with his food, refusing his nap/bedtime, refusing medicine, refusing to go school, hitting his brother etc. We are so blessed to have him as our child ^_^

UNLESS, it is with his brother hahaha. When the 2 boys are together, it is mostly madness. They would usually want to fight for the same toy/ object. The only solution out is to buy 2 of the same kind. Zeth is the type who would cry/ push/ hit/ bite Keath when he wants the thing that Keath refuses to give. Keath will be the type who will stand there and let the little brother bully and come crying/complaining to us after that to get the pity vote. And then when we scold Zeth for fighting Keath, Zeth will also start crying. And both cry together. Both would not take no for an answer. The peace at home will only come when the 2 of them are not playing together or when they are on screen (even then will also fight cos the things that they want to see are different).

Keath's self assessment of self worth is high. In the children's mind, everything is good and well. Like when i ask him do you like your outfit our your classmates' ones, he will always say his. Ask him whether or not he is good in this and that, he will say yes. Everything to them is so purely going well, very nice. He is also starting to show analysis skill. There was once i tried to trick him in wanting him to pass the toy to Zeth as they are fighting. There are 2 toy cars, one white and another yellow. Both wanted the yellow one. So i told him, give did the yellow one as he is wearing a yellow shirt. Then Keath replied me, but im not wearing a white shirt! Hahahha oops, he noticed and he argued back already.

For Keath's 4th birthday, i took leave and accompanied him to USS myself. Enjoyed the mother son bonding time and the dedicated love given to him. He enjoyed his time at USS. His first time there, while he didnt dare to take roller coasters, we spent the time taking other rides. Even though we had to queue for at least 30 mins for each ride, he just obediently waited with me. But the next time we go, will definitely get the express ticket. Weather was very good to us that day. It is not hot at all, it's all meant to be :) Also celebrated his birthday in school. Again i did it with him alone as Alv was not free :(. Also had another birthday party with Eugene and Dior, with mil and my mum. Hope he feels blessed and loved by everyone.

This period, we also brought Keath to watch the NDP! We got the balloted ticket using Zeth's IC but didnt bring him along as we didnt think he would be able to sit still throughout the 3 hour show. Keath really enjoyed the NDP! He liked the planes, red lions, fireworks, padang wave, waving of flags etc. Will definitely hope that we get tickets again next time for Keath.

Keath also did his first public performance in July! There is a song and dance performance with his friends at one of the CC event at Teban. They did 2 songs. Keath could remb the dance steps even without the teacher's demo. So proud of him cos when i looked at the steps, i'm like nope, i cant dance. Keath was quite natural in doing it and he enjoyed it a lot. I realised that he is quite a right brain person. He likes to create different building models with the magnet pieces that we bought. And everyday he comes up with a different model. I'm so amazed with the creativity that he shows!

I also brought the 2 of them out to Jurong Lake Gardens myself when Alv had to work on sat morning. Really enjoying the limited mother son time that i could get over the weekends. Zeth is growing up quickly. He is becoming so good in his speech, surprising us with the way he expresses himself every other day. Not only in the vocabulary, but also the tone that he uses to express what he wants. He is also into cars like his brother! As of now, he recognises car models like BMW, Mercs, Toyota and Audi. It is amazing how their little brains are like a big sponge!

45mth - Understanding korkor 19mth - Stops crying when going to school

I would say that the jealousy part of Keath is no longer present. What used to be a whiney boy whenever i need to be with Zeth has fortunately disappeared. I used to ask him if he feels sad when i carry or feed didi and he will say yes. Now when i ask the same questions, he says no. :):) He loves his little brother and I guess is used to life with him around. The things that we do with didi is what he sees everyday and institutionalized to be normal. So for example, i need to accompany zeth to sleep every night before i accompany him to sleep. He will wait patiently for zeth to sleep before he gets a piece of me. No disturbing, no knocking, very well behaved :)

When i asked Keath who is his favourite persons, he gives me this rank order:
1. Didi
2. Mummy
3. Keath
4. Mil
5. Daddy
6. Fil
7. My mum
8. My dad
9. No more already

I was sooo touched to know that Didi is his favourite person. Even though i lost to didi, i am so glad that he places his brother above all of us. Hope you 2 become the best of friends and live your life to the fullest with each other in company. I am also so surprised that he remembers to love himself as number 3! As adults, we are often so critical of ourselves and we beat ourselves up. We need to learn from a little boy who would remember to love himself! Daddy is number 5, understandably. He does not have any other people in mind after number 8. Mummy, ah pa, you all made it into the ranking list too :) A child's words are the most genuine and yes, i can understand how he came up with this rank order!

Keath has also grown up. He can hold a pen in a perfect tripod position. We bought him a pair of pororo assisted chopsticks and he could hold it really well. Ends up loving to eat noodles nowadays so that he can use the chopsticks hahaha. This month he became really addicted to peppa pig. Everyday can on youtube and watch peppa pig, the same episodes. Yes, he can navigate around the smart tv. Kids these days.

Keath's teacher told me that he has a few nicknames in school - handsome boy, Keath Korean, Korean boy. But he doesnt understand why they call him korean. Cos they find him handsome. Must have been a good boy in his past life to get his good looks. But hubby will always say got looks no good as he's such a moody and grumpy boy. Hahah, aiya, everyone is not perfect in many ways. His personality is born like that.

Zeth got used to school really quickly! After the 2 weeks break from school, he was back for 1.5 weeks before he stopped crying! That was only 2.5 weeks of crying as compared to Keath's 5 months hahaha. The teachers say that he has adapted very well. When they turn on the music, he becomes the one who is the most high! Yes, he's sensitive to music. Always dance when he hears music! So cute. The teachers say that when they are unhappy, just look at Zeth and they will become happy already. He exudes joy and all the positivities in life! =D

He has discovered how to scream these days and you can hear him shrek. He is also trying to sing songs nowadays. But of cos he cant and can only sing the last word of each phrase =p He is saying more and more things. Instead of one or two word nouns, he can piece words together e.g. Mummy's leg. Zeth has also learnt how to jump! He can jump now, though not very stable and high yet. Jumps here and there everyday, very happy. Very curious, ask about anything that he sees, and keeps repeating the same questions. Just have to be very patient, but how not to when you look at that lovely and innocent face. Hahaha, just a mother who is obsessed with her 2 boys =D

44months - Kpo comments 18months - Hfmd

Aiya, Zeth went to school for only 3 hours for 5 days and he brought back the hfmd! There are 7 kids in his class and 4 of them got it. And he also passed the virus to Keath and I. Our first experience with hfmd actually. Keath hadnt gotten it all these while. It could also be that he generally doesnt put his hands in his mouth since young. Now i learn, hfmd starts with a fever. Our fever lasted for 1-2 days and thereafter, ulcers formed at the back of our throat. This strain of virus doesnt form spots at our palms or soles. Zeth has spots on his legs (not itchy) but Keath and i dont have. The commonality is ulcers, but it is not all over the mouth, only at the back of the throat. I would say that we are fortunate cos it does not seem like the most serious case of hfmd that we have seen or heard. The kids dont really want to eat or drink during the first few days of the onset of the illness, but other than that, they are still ok. Zeth is definitely more chill than Keath. Keath would cry and whine about the ulcers but Zeth doesnt complain out loud. He just keeps drooling and putting his fingers into his mouth. Cant be more blessed than a chiller baby :D As for me, it was bad during the time when i had 40 degrees fever and had to wake up more than 10 times combined in the night when the 2 of them took turns to wake up due to the ulcers. But other than that, the ulcers are bearable for me. We each had one week of mc and i took this chance to spend more time with them. The funny thing is that Keath actually wants to go back to school! He prefers going to school than staying at home now.

So after going to school for one week, Zeth will default tell you that he doesnt want to go to school when you ask him. However, every morning, he will still let you dress him in uniform and he still happily walks to school with his korkor. Only that he cries when he reaches the school. He will still cry on off during lesson time but not when he is left alone to play with the toys in school and in large group setting. He eats independently (of cos with lots of food on the floor and on him) and cries like hell during shower time. He loves the water at home though. His teacher will ask Keath to come accompany Zeth whenever he cries uncontrollably. Will let him go back to school soon and see how he is like thereafter! I hope he will be fine soon as the teacher took a video of him happily dancing in school to the baby shark song.

Zeth this month knows how to take tissue to wipe his nose or anywhere that is wet. You can also rely on him to throw rubbish into the dustbin. He likes to imitate us coughing or sneezing now and also understands the concept of guilt when he does smth wrong. He will look guilty and it is sooo adorable hahaa. There is a change in his sleeping habit now that he has started school. He no longer is able to sleep alone in his cot as he seems afraid to be alone now. He refuses to sleep and in the end, i have to sleep beside him on the mattress before transferring him into this cot. While it is more time consuming, i think he also deserves the love and attention that we give korkor every night. But it is definitely more disruptive for my own sleep. I will adhoc sleep in different rooms at during times of the night. Zeth is able to pronounce mummy daddy very clearly now. He is also super sticky to me. So before he goes to sleep (takes about 20-30min), he would talk to himself and it is sooo cute to hear him say mummy~ daddy~ korkor~ didi when he toss and turn. It gives you the warmth that actually these are the people that matter to him and would be smth that he says out loud when tossing and turning. Children are the most genuine creatures around. I love how he likes to sleep right beside me and wake up and go back to sleep upon seeing that i am still beside him. Muacks little baby.

Keath on the other hand has grown up to be so observant and full of comments already! I was wearing this new dress to work that day and he asked, mummy, is this dress new? I replied yes and asked if it was nice. He said yes nice, i like. Waaa so sweet of him! (daddy also doesnt notices when i wear new dresses lor) And then there was also another day when he asked mummy why you wear this dress, not nice. Hahaha, so many comments leh this small boy. Then there was this day when i bought a new handphone cover and he also commented that i chose a ugly design. Okok i hope you become a fashionista when you grow up!

Have i told you that Keath likes to kiss me and say wo xi huan ni? It's like what young teenagers in puppy love would say right? Haha, so when Keath does that, daddy would say that he loves him too. And Keath would roll his eyes at daddy. hahahaha i asked Keath why does he not say he loves daddy and kiss daddy, is it because it is odd? Keath says yes. Haha, nvm la daddy, let me take the kisses on your behalf! Keath has also grown up to be cooperative now. He no longer is jealous of Zeth like he was when he was younger already. Whenever it is time for Zeth to sleep and i have to spend some time alone with him, Keath is ok to wait like it is part of the routine everyday. I feel so blessed with these 2 kids in my life!

43 months - Stage speech 17 months - Always looking for korkor

Very busy nowadays, no time to update this space! Hahah, not as disciplined to keep this updated as regularly already. This year, Keath's school is building up their confidence. There is a dedicated time where the students have to go on stage to do a speech on a particular topic using a microphone. Of course, they will ask us to help them prepare at home before going. But wow, there is such a thing for a 3-4 year old child nowadays. So when we asked how did Keath do, the teacher said that he did surprisingly well! He was not nervous and was able to speak in proper and complete sentences. I was still thinking that he would be nervous and all but he was not. I also asked if he was scared and he answered me immediately without thinking that he was not, which meant he really was not. Very proud of you Keath!

Keath is also a compassionate and sweet child. I just went for a wisdom tooth extraction and i told him that i was in pain. He sayang me and says that it will make the pain go away. Awww i melted when he said that. And when i wanted to go out of the room to tell mil smth, he said he will help me do it as i will be painful if i walked out. This sweet, sensitive and sentimental boy. Keath can also tailor the way he speaks and pronounce with different people. Haha, so mil will pronounce some words her way and when Keath talks to her, he pronounces it the way she does. And when he says the exact same word to us, he pronounces it the way we do. He knows that our version is the correct one but somehow, he will just want to blend in with mil instead of correcting her. Again, i would say that it is his sensitive personality :)

We also brought him to the carnival at Marina Bay last weekend. I must say that he has become more daring! Rides that he was afraid one year ago, he no longer is afraid now and enjoys it! While we could see that he was scared for some of the rides, he told us that he wasnt scared and would want to take the ride again. Good that he has become more daring! This means that we are off to a good start by bringing him to amusement parks already. But one thing is, Zeth is still below 90cm. He cant take any rides. Probably when he turns 2, we can start going to USS, legoland and travel to other amusement parks in the other countries already :)

As for Zeth, this is the last month whereby he will be a stay at home kid. Going to school on 1 April already, meaning that he would have turned 18 months by then! :( So sad that time is passing by so quickly. I no longer have babies, they are toddlers now. The last round when Keath was 16 months, i was already preggy with Zeth. Heheh, but now no more. Dont have the courage to handle 3. Zeth is very mischievous. He likes to give you the naughty face and is consciously being naughty sometimes now. Whenever he doesnt get his way, he will lay on his tummy on the floor, including when he is outside in a mall. Keath wouldnt do this last time, he will just cry. But Zeth doesnt care about the dirty floor, he will just lie there (and get up quickly after we leave him there). Naugthy or not!

He can say many 1 word syllabus and we basically know what he means when he says smth. He can take a piece of tissue to wipe his mouth after he eats and likes feeding himself (making a mess in the process). Whenever we ask him to go to bed, he will ask what about korkor and we will have to bluff him that korkor is also gg to bed. Korkor is also very cooperative. During Zeth's bedtime at 8ish pm, Keath will also go into the room and off his lights so that Zeth will go to sleep. We will turn on the lights after Zeth goes into his bedroom. hahaha kenna tricked. And when Zeth wakes up in the middle of the night, he will ask whether korkor is up. When he wakes up in the morning, he again will ask for korkor and if korkor is up, he will not want to drink his morning milk. Will want to play! So basically korkor has to hide in times like this when we want didi to sleep and drink milk XD

And nowadays it's so hard to bring Zeth out for a walk. He refuses to let us hold his hand or be carried or sit in a stroller. He basically only wants to hold korkor's hand and the 2 of them will walk off tangent. Or he will be naughty and squat down after walking for a while, causing the 2 of them to fall together. Naughty boy ar Zeth.