A birthday letter from a friend

Dear Alice,

As of today you have spent 33 years on this planet. I know you totally don’t feel like you’re thirty three and I'm here to tell you that it's perfectly normal. I also know that you're very confused as to why you still feel like you're in your mid twenties. Again, this is not unusual. I don't think anyone out there can give you a straight answer as to how a 33 year old should feel or behave.

I wouldn't say that you're in denial cos that means you're pretending that you're not aging. You don't deny your age. In fact, you concede to the physical changes caused by aging. So what's wrong with you? Well, the thing is, your emotional maturity doesn’t match your chronological age. I believe a lot of women suffer from this. Those species from Mars are even worse. They refuse to act their age until they are nearly 60.

Despite not having sufficient emotional maturity, you seem to be doing fine so far. You're married to a man who adores you. You have two wonderful kids who amuse you, a loving and supportive famiy,  loyal friends who'd help when you need them and this blog which helped forge so many virtual friendships. What else could you possibly want? Okay, so maybe you don't have that fancy schmancy walk-in wardrobe you've always dreamed of but that can wait. You just got to be patient. For now, you should count your blessings and thank God for everything.

To be honest with you, I think you still have a lot to improve. One of them is to  learn how to relax and go with the flow. I know you're uptight about your paper work every day, so much so that it impedes your ability to function in society. Like, when you meet new people at a barbecue party and they ask you "So what are you studying?" you'd give them a long chronological report of your research. You'd get so engrossed in explaining how some of your samples almost screwed up Study 2 that you don't notice the look of disdain on their faces. Stop it okay. Not everyone likes to hear about your thesis. Next time, just say hi and talk about the weather. That always works.

The second thing I'd like to point out is your habit to procrastinate. As your friend, I'm begging you to kill this habit once and for all. Seriously. You'd get so much writing done if you'd just stop wasting your time doing other stuff or watching that silly drama called Pretty Little Liars. Come on la, you're not even the target audience. The only reason you watch that show is because you love its wardobe. My advice: don't dilly dally anymore. There's no time like now.

My third advice is don't fret over the small stuff.  One thing you should learn is to pick your battles with the kids. Before reacting, assess the situation and then decide whether it's worth getting mad or not.  For example,

Situation A: Alden doodles on the wall using unwashable crayons. Red crayons. The verdict? Petty. Don't get mad. Just walk away and let your husband deal with it.

Situation B: Alden empties a bottle of eucalyptus oil by pouring it all over the soft toys and then he takes your lipstick and smears it on the doll's face. What do you do?

Shout.

At the top of your lungs.

Although daily babysitting isn't a bed of roses, you should enjoy the wondeful time you have with Alden and Alva. The kids will never be this age again. Before long, Alva won't be able to fit herself into that tiny toy box anymore. When Alden turns 13, you will never hear him say "Wanna lie down on your tummy mummy." When they both enter their teen years, you'll never get to play hide and seek with them anymore. Cherish these adorable moments for they will become wonderful memories in the future.

I know at the moment you feel as if time just whizzes by and that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything. As I said before, relax. Some things are beyond your control and if you can't get it done, never mind. Don't let  it bother you. Eventually, all will be well.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Happy birthday my dear.


Yours truly,

That little voice in your head

The Princess Who Rocks My World

Dearest Alva

Six weeks ago, I took out your old photos taken on the morning of 26 June 2009. Looking at these pictures, I ended up reminiscing the moments we spent at the hospital, minutes after you were born. What I remember most was watching you  sleep on my chest with your belly against me, looking so tiny and adorably fragile. I was so in awe of you.

That was 25 months and 12 days ago. It's crazy how time flies huh?

Anyway, shortly after your birthday, I discovered that “The Terrible Twos” theory doesn't exist. I have braced myself for the horror to happen but it never did. Instead of turning into one of those scary toddlers in Super Nanny,  you  have continued to behave like an angel. You don't throw tantrums or yell or run amok in shopping malls. Alden does all that.

From the day you were born, you've always been a perfect baby who does everything by the book. You turned over at 6 months, crawled at 8 months and started walking when you turned 1. Your best achievement so far is your speech. You started saying words like Mama, Dada, Yes, No, Car, There, Nenen and many more at 11 months. Now at two, your vocabulary size has multiplied.

8 months old

Apart from answering questions and voicing out your thoughts, you can easily carry out a simple conversation. This one transpired a few weeks ago when the two of us were spending time together.

Alva: Mummy....

Mummy: Yes?

Alva: You put-put? (put-put= fart/ farted)

Mummy: NO!! Not me.

Alva: Eee..SMELLY! Mummy put-put!! (smiling)

Mummy: Ok la..ok la...mummy put-put. Hehehe.

Alva: You naughty girl! Say kius me mummy! Say kius me!

Mummy: Excuse me.

Too bad Alden wasn't there to take the blame.

You know, whenever we go out together, people would ask me how old you are and whether you could talk. I like this a lot cos I get the chance to show people what an awesome baby you are. Unfortunately, you never help me on this. It is as though you resent the idea of mummy showing off. You never respond to questions and you're always silent when I ask you to talk. Why Alva? Why?? Do you know that because of your silence, no one ever believes me?

We should really work on your PR skills.

Talking about skills, I noticed that you have a keen interest in drawing. Everyday, you'd sit for at least 30 minutes to sketch on your doodling board. Objects you enjoy sketching include grapes, banana, spiders, apples and circles. You have actually drawn heaps of stuff but those are the only ones I recognised. Apart from sketching, your other hobbies include playing with make-up, singing, watching me do the laundry and pretending to read out loud.

That's your version of a banana

Your relationship with your brother has also improved. Yes. There are still lots of fights between you two but at the end of the day, you'd kiss and make up. Because you spend most of your time with him, you like to mimic every little thing he does. In fact, you learned most of your new motor skills from him. You know, stuff like table-climbing, pillow-fighting, drumming,  hair-pulling and jumping off couch. Thanks to these the hands-on tutorials, you have become more independent and you are now able to defend yourself from Alden. At times, you can even make him cry.

Unlike your brother, who is very picky with food, you consume anything I give you. You eat prawns, chicken, beef, noodles, hinava, rice, lamb, pasta, curry etc. There is no limit to what you can eat. Because of your flexibility, I have no trouble feeding you. It's really a blessing cos I don't think I can handle two picky eaters at the same time.

In terms of personality, you are very maternal and caring. I remember having gastric attack a few weeks ago and was curled up on the couch in pain. When you saw me, you came to caress my forehead and said “Pain mummy?”. That was really sweet. At such a young age, you can sense when I’m angry, happy or sad. This caring trait of yours will come in handy when you become a plastic surgeon in the future. I'm not pressuring you or anything. I'm just thinking what's best for you :)

You and I share a special bond together. The way you open up to me is amazing and I think your dad is a bit envious of our relationship. You always favour me over him. For e.g. you’d give me kisses without being asked to and you’d continue doing it until I kiss you back. Your dad gets a different treatment. You only kiss him when he begs you to. I know you adore me more than him but try not to be so obvious okay?

So. What's my favourite part of the day when it comes to you?

It is seeing you wake up in the morning all happy and excited. You'll say Morning mummy!! Yay! Look, sunny day!! Vava want nenen!! When I do give you nenen, you'd smile your biggest smile and give me a warm cuddle. The feeling I get when we cuddle is like eating a mouthful of banana-chocolate cake from Secret Recipe. I get a rush of endorphins in my head and a feeling of euphoria akin to having a retail therapy. It is an awesome, awesome feeling. It is when we cuddle that I see what's important in my life and why I do the things I do.

You don't know it yet, but you have the power to bring out the best in me.

 

What else can I say? You are everything I ever wished for in a daughter: Angelic, smart, adorable, bubbly, kind and loving. I am truly blessed to have you.

Love,

Mummy

The Kid Who Rocks My World

* A delayed birthday post for Alden 

Dearest Alden

It is hard to believe that you are 5 years old. The years have gone by so quickly that I get worried thinking about the day you'll leave the house. Though we all know it's going to be a long time before that happens, I have already made plans for the future. Before you get married, your dad and I intend to get you a house just next to ours so mommy can see you EVERY day.  Wouldn't that be awesome?! Well, if that doesn't happen, you can always stay with us okay? Think about it Alden. You'll get free food and accomodation!

This year marks a big milestone for you because it's the year you start school. I was feeling quite emotional when you graduated from preschool cos it seems just like yesterday we had that first visit to Te Ao Tamariki. Back then, you were only 2 and you could barely say your name.  Look at you now. You're all grown up and full of ideas. 

In 2009

Alden & Thomas

Graduation Day

Lately, you've shown a keen interest in playing the Alphabet games on the computer. You know the sounds of all the letters and you're starting to learn how to spell. You love spelling your name but you always miss out the N in ALDEN. I get frustrated when this happens but your dad tells me not to worry. He said in time, you'll get it right.

As a brother to little Alva, you have learned to become more loving and caring. Yes, from time to time, you still pull her hair, punch her nose and make her life miserable. But at least now, you have developed a strong sense of need to have her close. The moment you wake up, you'll ask "Where's Vava?" and the moment you get home from school, you'll shout "Vava!!! I'm home!" She has become a big part of your life and it makes me happy to see how well you two get along. 

You are very creative  and the way you see things amazes me everyday. You see the couch as a sailing boat, the hanger as your fishing rod and the chair as your cockpit. You're really good at playing make-believe cos your imagination is limitless. Having said that, I don’t fancy our role-playing games Alden. You always make me play the same role over and over again and to be frank, I'm sick of playing Dora.

When you're not forcing me to role-play, you enjoy mimicking action scenes from your favourite movies like Cars, Fast & Furious 4 and Bolt. You're good at selecting cars that best resemble the ones from the films and you love to mimic bits of dialogue from the movies. I have no idea why you need to watch them a gazillion times a day but it really drives me nuts. Now that grandma's here, I'm spared from the torture.  

Your personality hasn't changed a bit. You are still very passionate, loving and cheeky. The cheekiest thing you did this year occurred in the first week of April. We were having dinner on a Friday night when you suddenly got the urge to poo. Since all of us were occupied, you took it upon yourself to get the potty from the bathroom. You said you wanted to watch TV and poo at the same time so we let you. After a few minutes, grandma decided to check on you. That’s when she got the shock of her life. In just 5 minutes, you had managed to smear your poop all over the carpet in front of the TV. Like Play-Doh. Needless to say, it was a poostrostophe. As a punishment, daddy gave you a time out and made you promise not to do it again.

The next morning, (yes, this ain’t over) grandma smelt something fishy. She said “macam ada lagi taik den-den tertinggal ni tau”. Driven by the distinctive smell, grandma and I turned the living room upside down in search of your poo. After 10 minutes of crawling and smelling, we found it under one of the couches. You recognized it immediately. "Popo! That's Alden's poo!! Un-ner the chair!" When grandma finally picked up the poo, you patted her shoulder and said "Good job Popo".

Yeah. That was unforgettable.

Aside from poos, you have also played with shoes....

and make up...

and headphones

and many other stuff for which I have no proof to show. Things like my liptick, eyeliner, planner, old handphone and the keyboard of my old laptop which you spilt water on.  

The cheeky things you do infuriate me at times but they are also the reasons why I have so many funny moments at home. I know there will come a point when you'll start maturing, break your voice, have one of those wet dreams and grow a beard. When that happens, you will have lost your cheekiness and you'll have turned into a fine young man. I am not sure whether you’ll still hang out with me then, or want cuddles but I’ll be there just in case you need them.

My favourite part of the day is picking you up from school and seeing your eyes light up when you see me. You'd turn to Mrs. Waterman and say "Look!! That's my mummy!! Mummy Alice!". I love the way you run to me, wrap your arms around my leg and say lovingly, "miss you mummy". It's the best feeling ever and I'm going to cherish it while it lasts.

No matter how big you get, you'll always be my baby.

Love

Mummy 

A New Ride

I got my driver's license the day I turned 19. That was about 6 years ago yesterday. OK. That's a lie. Add another 7 years to that. What? You're confused? Oh well. Never mind. Age is just a number and I hate numbers and this post isn't going to be about numbers.

So anyway. Back to the story. On the day I earned my driver's license, everything just fell into place. I passed the theoretical test, I nailed the slopes test and I excelled in the parking test. Everything was a breeze except for the road test. What happened? Well, the car stalled twice during the test cos I was sloppy with the clutch and the accelerator. But because it was my birthday, I got really lucky and was given this super nice tester. He said "Jangan panic Alice...Palan palan". And surprise surprise, my final score for the road test was 19/20! Even with mati enjin :) 

Although I had a license, I was not allowed to drive cos my dad said I wasn't ready. It was only safe for me to drive on kampung roads. Period. That was so frustrating. Three years later, I graduated and was posted to a suburban school in Papar. My dad realized that I couldn't possibly walk from KK to Papar so he bought me a pre-loved Suzuki Jeep. It was ancient alright but I so adored it, simply because it was mine. All mine.

After two months, the Suzuki broke down. The journey from KK to Papar was too much for the old engine so my dad had no choice but to sell the car. I was a bit annoyed when he did cos I was back to being chauffered-driven to school. Suddenly I was 12 again.

Shortly after this bleak period, my dad bought me a more reliable car. It was a metallic-blue, Proton Saga sedan. I was extremely ecstatic when I got it cos it was way newer than the Suzuki and much easier to drive. The Proton served me well for a few years but after sometime, it started giving me heaps of problems. I'd like to tell you the problems I had with it, but I can't come up with the right term. The only thing I could remember is the timing belt. So anyway, I sold the car and moved on.

My next car was an Atos - small and economical. This Atos was special because a month after I had it, the registration number 2650 came out in the lottery - first prize! We bought two tickets, so that was equivalent to RM5000. A sweet win, wouldn't you say? Anyway,  a month after winning the 4D, llittle Alden was born. The date? 26 May 2006 (26/5). His weight? 2.65 kg. Big coincidence eh? I thought it was cool.

In September 2008, I had to sell the Atos cos I was leaving for NZ. It wasn't easy getting rid of it but I managed to sort it out just in the nick of time. When we got to Christchurch, we bought this red Toyota Camry station wagon for $1800.00. That's right. A thousand eight hundred ONLY.

This car has been problem-free since the day we bought it but it does have a couple of minus points. It doesn't have an air-conditioner, it's absorbers are all worn out and something in the engine needs to be fixed. 

You know where this is going right? Yep. That's right. We sold the car. 

And then we went car hunting. There were so many nice, cheap ones in the market and  we went to more than 10 car dealers along Moorhouse Avenue itself.

BMW anyone?

 I like this one but it's a two-seater

 Nissan Maxima 2004 - $8000 plus only

 If I were single, I would have bought this - $5990 only!

 and this one's $6990!

 A classic - The Jaguar is only $6999

It was hard choosing one that you really like cos there were so many to choose from. But in the end, I finally decided on something more practical for the family and one that is affordable.

I chose this. Another Camry but a newer one.

And that's my biggest birthday present ever :)

Yes, I'm in denial

 Happy Weekend everyone :)

The Girl Who Rocks My World

Dearest Alva,

A year ago today, you came into the world. It was one of the happiest days of my life and I remember it so vividly as if it happened yesterday. Now before you roll your eyes and say "Come on mom, you said the same thing to Alden.." let me assure you I'm doing this for a good reason. It's my way of displaying fairness and equality in my affection. And writing a letter which closely resembles the one written for your brother is my clever way of doing that. It has nothing to do with my lack of creativity, okay?

Now where was I? Oh yes. The day you were born. The procedure was similar to the one I had for Alden's delivery so I was quite relaxed. Your dad was beside me looking all happy and excited, camera in hand. I told myself, "Be cool. No panicking this time!" and that's what I managed to do - the first 10 minutes. I don't know what got into me but as they started getting ready for the surgery, I got scared. The whir of the medical equipment on the operating table made me visualise how they were going to slice me open. So I panicked. I remember asking for the happy-gas but the nurses said NO. That completely disturbed my state of mind and freaked me out. OMG! OMG! No happy-gas? Matilah!!Your dad tried to calm me down by saying something nice but it didn't work. Then the anesthetist decided to try her mojo on me by saying "Is that your natural eye colour? They're beautiful!". I answered her with a curt "No". But she didn't give up and went on talking bout my lovely eyes or rather, my lenses. After a minute, I forgot all about the gas. I think this is what people call psychology.

So. Back to the story. After  I recovered from anxiety attack, the doctors sliced me open and gave me a little push on the abdomen. I know this sounds disgusting, but I could hear a gooey, slippery, wet sound when they pulled  you out from my womb (like something from Aliens 3). Soon afterward, I heard the sound of you crying - you were terrified to see the light! I got a glimpse of your face and said to your dad, "Eee...she looks like you". It's not that I wasn't happy. I was just erm, surprised. The nurses then took you to the cleaning table where they had you measured, cleaned and examined. To your dad's delight, they let him play doctor and gave him the privilege to cut your umbilical cord. It was your dad's proudest moment. After the cutting ceremony, the midwife wrapped you in a towel and put you on my chest for the skin-to-skin bonding. That's when we met  and fell in love with each other Alva :)

 

Today, you're a big bundle of joy. Twelve months old and officially a toddler. It's just amazing how much you've grown over the last couple of months. You were 2.6 kg when you were born. Now? You're 9kg! Amazing huh? In terms of physical development, you are right on par with other babies your age. You can stand unaided for more than five seconds and you have mastered the skills of baby-walker maneuvering. I reckon in less than a month, you'll be able to run.

Because of the vast development in your physical abilities, you've started to become more independent too. You like to do stuff on your own like brushing your teeth, (more like sucking the toothbrush), feeding yourself and drinking from the sipper bottle.

Unfortunately, at such a young age, you have experienced the negative effects of sibling rivalry. When I'm not looking, Alden tends to do some nasty stuff to you like slapping your face, grabbing your toy and biting your fingers. When this happens, you'd cry for mercy and these huge ginormous tears would trickle down your cheeks. A very pitiful sight. Because of the constant bullying, you are now very anxious around Alden and the slightest intimidation would send you scurrying like a rabbit. But it's no biggie. According to the book:  IT IS NORMAL. It's only temporary and your brother will grow out of it when he turns..I don't know, 18? By then you would've toughen up and gotten used to his bullying. Don't worry, your dad and I are working on this.

What do you like to play? Well. It's not like you have much of a choice since most of the toys you see are boy-oriented. Having said that, I have noticed that you have a deep interest in Alden's train sets. You love stacking up the train tracks and wooden blocks on the floor and watch them fall. This constantly upsets your brother because by doing so, you end up destroying his little Sodor town. To overcome this constant battle between you and your brother, your dad and I will get  you more girly toys okay? For the time being, you can play with mommy's makeup.

What will you be when you grow up? Will you be pretty? Will you be rich? I know you'll definitely be beautiful cos in my eyes, you are perfect (I'm biased of course). It's the rich part that I'm not sure of. This is why I'm encouraging you to venture into the field of cosmetic surgery or a career related to health and beauty. That's where you get the big bucks. Ask your brother, he'll agree with me. I mean I'm not forcing you or anything. I'm just thinking what's best for you. For us. After all, you do seem to like cosmetic stuff. This is a good sign. Think about it Alva.

In terms speech development, you are doing superb. You say mmmmm when you see food and da when you see daddy. You pick up a car when I say car and you give me wet kisses when I say kiss. There are a few more words that you've come to understand but I don't think it's necessary to list them all out. Let's just say, your development is normal and mommy's doing a great job at teaching you. Hehe. We'll keep on working on other more important words like mommy okay?

In terms of socialisation, you are quite the social butterfly. You love smiling, laughing and baby-talking all the time. According to the  carers at daycare,  you are very friendly with other tots and you are by far one of the most well-behaved babies in the centre. You no longer cry when I leave you and even blow me kisses when I say goodbye. You've settled quite well and mommy's so proud of you!

Before you were born, I was really anxious about having you cos your brother has such a unique personality. So unique that it eats up 100% of my energy everyday. Because of this, I wasn't sure whether I could cope with two highly-unique babies at the same time. But a week after you were born, I realised that you are so different from your brother. You're easier to handle and you're more settled at night. Thank God for that. Because of your mild-temperament, I am able to bring you to the office 3 times a week and have you sit  there quietly while I work.  I know you hate it when strangers come in and pinch your cheeks or when some aunty tries to amuse you by talking your language. Believe me, I know how torturous it is. But darling,  for the time being, it's the only way we can make things work. Next time, we'll lock the door and do stuff that you enjoy doing okay? I Promise.

As I've said before, I'm not a perfect mommy yet. I'm still striving to be one and thanks to you, I've  learnt a  lot about mommyhood over the last 12 months.  It means watching a cartoon 1000 times, going  to the office wearing stained pantyhose and cleaning poop 24/7. At the same time, it also means unconditional love, unselfishness and getting heaps of cuddles and kisses at the end of a long, hard day. The cuddles make everything worthwhile. 

 

I think I've said it all Goliva. You are mommy's precious princess and second biggest achievement. Happy Birthday.


Love

Mommy 

The Boy Who Rocks My World

Dearest Alden,

Four years ago today, you came into the world.  It was one of the happiest moments in my life and I remember it so vividly as if it happened yesterday. Before I go all touchy-feely talking about how much you've grown over the years, I'd like to tell you what happened moments before you were born. Rest assured, I'm not going to talk about the gory details, so there is no need to feel sick. Unless of course, you decide to watch the  whole footage shot by Daddy.

Back to the story. It was 7.45 a.m. and there I was lying anxiously on the operating table, waiting to be slaughtered by Dr. R. At that time, your dad was not allowed to enter yet cos the doctors  needed to get me sorted out first, so naturally I was feeling kind of miserable. At 8.00 a.m. the anesthetist came to inject the anesthetic into my spinal cord. It felt like the sting of an ant's bite at first but as the needle went deeper, it felt more like a cold dagger piercing into my back - so nyilu. Since Dr. R warned me not to move, I was very obedient and remained still during the whole ordeal. After being anesthetized, I lay on my back and waited for the slaughtering to begin. At this point, the anesthetic started to take effect and I could feel my legs going numb.  After awhile, I felt paralysed from the waist down and let me tell you, it was the yuckiest feeling ever.

To make myself feel better, I tried lifting my right leg, but only managed to lift it half way before it fell limply on my side. I panicked. I tried lifting it again but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. It felt so damn heavy! I kept thinking CAN'T-MOVE-MY-LEGS!!! ARGH!!! CANT-MOVE-HELP! Doctors started noticing my effort and ordered me to be still. But NO. I didnt want to be still cos I wanted to move my legs! So I started flipping my hands like a madwoman, thinking that that could help move my legs. The OT started to get a bit chaotic cos I wouldn't stop flipping like a half-dead fish so Dr R. got the nurses to hold me, and tried to calm me down. Then your dad came in and started holding my hands, telling me to calm down. I wasn't listening of course. I told Dr. R "I change my mind. I don't want spinal! I want GA!". Dr. R said cannot change my mind tiba tiba. I felt like scratching his face at that time. Then my BP skyrocketed - 160/ 110 and that was the final straw. Dr. R. ended my suffering by putting an oxygen mask on my face and that's when everything changed dramatically. I suddenly felt happy and calm. Then Dr. R did his thing - some incisions, some pushing and shoving and then you were out Alden! You were all wet, gooey and so tiny. And that's how mommy saw you the first time we met.

Today, you're all grown up. A big boy, a preschooler and most of all, a big brother to little Alva. I know you still feel miserable having her around cos you hate sharing stuff with her - parents, toys, TV, etc. but I  am certain that in time you will learn to love her. Apart from being a bully brother at home, you're everything a mother could ever want. You're affectionate, loving and very dramatic. If you hear a siren, you'd feign surprise and say "oh gosh!" in the most dramatic manner. If we watch a scary cartoon like Scooby Doo, you'd be shaking and gasping when you see the ghost. And if you find something funny to laugh about, you'd be rolling on the floor, saying "so pani (funny)" repeatedly. What can I say? You're such a character.

In terms of speech development, I must say you have improved tremendously. You can now get your message across 90% of the time and you can even carry out a short conversation with 3-word sentences. I'm so proud of you! Sure, most of the time only mommy can understand you but that's because I'm a good listener  and I really pay attention to what you're saying. Others should try to be a better listener when talking to you.

In terms of interest, you still love trains and cars. Your favourite cartoon is Thomas the tank engine but you're still loyal to the Little Einsteins. You can play with your wooden train set all day and  I  just love watching you play because you get so focused and serious. Your attention to detail especially in setting up the train tracks and the way your little hands work on the small parts give me the impression that you will have a career in the medical field. Like becoming a specialist or something. I am hoping you'd become a plastic surgeon so that you could earn a lot of money and help people. That way, you could give mommy regular treatments in your clinic - botox, lasers, IPLs - all for free. Think about this Alden.

Another thing I have noticed about you is your ability in making decisions for yourself and others. You have started to pick your own clothes to school and sometimes you even tell me what to wear. Your taste is  often impeccable.Last Sunday, you chose your own birthday cake and everybody commented how yummy it was.  Great choice! And of course when it comes to what food to eat, you know exactly what you want -it's either corn soup or chicken soup. You are less picky than you were 6 months ago so I guess I should be thankful for that. We'll continue working on your positive eating habits and try to get you to eat more healthy food. It sounds easy but in reality, it's not. But we'll keep on trying.

Birthday party at Teo Ao Tamariki

 Having you has taught me a lot about motherhood - it's a challenging journey but  it's highly gratifying.  I know I'm not a perfect mommy yet. At this stage, it's quite difficult for me to strike a balance between studying and being a mommy. And because of this, I sometimes get sloppy when it comes to your school preparation. Like  when I get so busy thinking about my thesis, I forget to put diapers in your bag and you'd end up coming home with school diapers and training pants. And if I forget to put some shoes on you , you'd end up wearing the school's gumboots all day. And sometimes your socks don't match cos the other pair is lost in the washing machine, but that's okay cos you're always wearing jeans anyway, so no one would notice. But I promise you, that will never happen again. Pinky swear!

I think I've said it all Alden. You are mommy's pride and joy and biggest achievement ever. Happy Birthday.



Love

Mommy