First Dry Night

Bryan was fully potty trained including nights not long after he turned 2. I did not expect him to be so “independent” as we only started potty training after he turned 2. So our potty training period was actually very short.

I thought Bryan was an exception and he was considered very advance. So I do not expect the same from Dylan.

Dylan started to sleep without diapers last week at school. And through the recent long weekend, his afternoon naps were dry too. *great job Dylan*

And this morning, he woke up with a dry diaper too! Hubb was very surprised when he changed him this morning as his diaper was so light! He thought that I had just changed his diaper.

Is this an indication that he will also be “fast” like his gege? I don’t know but we are not going to pressure him. He is not even 2 yet! I am already very proud of the fact that he can stay dry through afternoon naps and that we can take him kai-kai diaperless, so anything more is a BIG BONUS!

Sleepy heads….

When it’s time to sleep at night, they will be tumbling every where, taking out never ending books to read, wrestle, climb behind and under the mattress.. everything but go to sleep.

When it is time to wake up in the morning, they will….

Sometimes it is so hard to wake them up. Not even with the curtains drawn away and hubb and I chatting away..LOUDLY.

Kids oh kids….

New Hairstyle

Gong gong complained that Bryan and Dylan’s hair is too long already, so we took the boys to the hair saloon on the way home.

I watched over Dylan while hubb watched over Bryan when he had his hair cut. I know that hubb just told the hair dresser to trim the sides, nothing major.

But as she worked on Bryan’s hair, she suggested cut here, cut there because, this place is too thick, that area is too tall. Hubb just went with her suggestions and allowed her to work on Bryan’s hair as she please.

Bryan is now very cooperative at the hair saloon, and the lady really could have her way in experimenting with the cut that fits Bryan’s face. Furthermore, Bryan’s hair was quite long already, so she could basically cut anyway that she wanted to cut.

Finally, she settled in a look that “she” is satisfied. Of course, she also keep asking us if we are ok and happy with the new look, that is very different from Bryan’s old haircut.

BEFORE

AFTER

Hubb likes the new hairstyle more..says Bryan looks more “yeng” (stylish). Besides, he have been complaining that Bryan’s old hairstyle is soooo “soh chai.”

I think the new hairstyle is definitely more stylish..but I also miss his innocent mushroom looking hairstyle….Awww..my boy is growing up….

p/s: Dylan also had his hair cut. But his hair is so thin, there’s nothing much the hairdresser could do. Just trim the ends nia… Besides, he is still not as cooperative as his gege yet.

Songkran Party

When I find out that I am pregnant with Dylan, I was a bit worried as their age gap was only slight above 2. I was worried that I will not be able to handle 2 boys.

Now I am glad that their age gap is so close, as they really play very well with each other. Last weekend, we let them out of the house to play on the porch, while I prepared lunch.

It started with bubbles play, then some cooking play with water…and then it turned out to a full fledge water play!

And all these while, what is mommy & daddy doing?

Mommy = Cooking in the kitchen
Daddy = Watching tv at the living room while keeping an eye on them (of course)

I think that they are so lucky to have each other. No matter how much we love them as parents, we can’t play with them as “crazy” as a sibling can. And no cousins or friends can spend as much time with them as a sibling can too! And me and hubby are glad to have some extra time to ourselves since the boys have each other.

Can’t wait for them to grow up and watch how their bond continues to grow deeper. I think they are going to be a great brother and friend to each other!

Where’s my brother?

Yesterday, in the middle of the night, Bryan woke me up
Bryan: MOMMY! Didi is GONE! *I can see panic in his face*

Dylan is a very “mobile” sleeper lately, and he has wedged himself so close to me that I had to sleep sideways to give him more room. And Bryan could not see Dylan because Dylan was too close to me.

Me: Nah…Didi is here la…

Bryan: Oh * Goes back to sleep*

That’s how close both the brothers are. They will look for each other before they sleep and first thing when they wake up. Correction :- First thing when they wake up is MOMMY. Second thing is their gege or didi.

Well Done Dylan!

Previously, Dylan will cry when i drop him off at school, it it were anyone else other than Ms S who greet him at the gate.

But for the last 2 weeks, Dylan would happily wave bye bye to me no matter who it was at the gate.

I do not dare to blog about this at first, coz scared pantang..but since it has been 2 weeks…I think it is safe to conclude that he is really settled into school.

And yesterday, i was greeted with another good news when i picked him up from school.

He had been diaperless through his afternoon nap and no wee-wee in bed too! It was the first time that the teacher let him nap without diapers and we are happy that it was a successful one too.

Well done Dylan! Keep it up!

Funny stuffs

Funny things the boys said on the drive back home yesterday night.

Scene #1: Both boys were making a lot of noise at the back of the car.
Me: Aiyoooo…both of you are so noisy.
Daddy: Later the police come and catch both of you.
Bryan: If the police come, I will take the gun and PONG the police
Me: Do you have a gun? No gun, how to PONG the police.
Bryan: Mommy, can you buy plastic gun for me. And put batteries inside so that I can PONG the police

Scene #2: Carpenter’s Close to You starts playing on the stereo
Bryan: Hey, that is my concert song. *Starts singing*
Me & hubb: *Ignores Bryan and continue talking*
Dylan: Hey. QUIET! QUIET! QUIET!
Me: *Oops, din’t know Bryan got fansee and supporter already!*

Life Sciences

Bryan loves butterflies. Everyone who know him knows that.

He’s got lots of books on butterflies – fiction + nonfiction, English, Malay, Chinese. He can name the different parts and lifecycles of butterflies. He can even tell you the difference between a moth and a butterfly, and spot one from the other.

So whenever there are any caterpillars at my mom or my aunt’s house, they will keep the caterpillar for him. Wait for it to turn into a chrysalis (pupa) and transform to a butterfly.

The first few times we kept the caterpillars, he refused to let the butterflies fly away. We will either keep the butterflies in empty aquarium, net laundry basket or a big box with  a netting over it. We will also put some fresh flowers for the butterfy. But butterflies have short life span and don’t survive well in captivity. So they normally die after a few days.

I keep telling Bryan that he must let the butterflies go. That the butterflies are miserable because they misses their friends. But he answered, “If I let them go, then I cannot see them anymore already lo. I want the butterfly die. Then cannot fly away already lo”

*Faints* I was thinking “OH NO! I gotta do something about this.”

So I continued to brainwash him about how precious life is, that everything has a right to live, to be free and to be happy.

On the third time, it was at my mom’s house. Bryan was very excited when he saw that the butterfly had transformed when he came back from school.

So I started my “brainwashing” again.

Bryan: Mommy look. This is a Malayan Mormon butterfly. Same like the one at Butterfly farm one hor?
Me: Yes. Bryan. You can look at the butterflies for a while. Then after that you have to let the butterfly go.
Bryan: But, but I want to see the butterfly for long long time. If I let it go, then I cannot see oredi..you know.
Me: Yes, but the butterfly wants to go home. Back to Butterfly Farm. If I keep you in a room and don’t let you go home. Will you be happy?
Bryan: No. *Think*
Bryan: Why the butterfly don want to fly one?
(Of course la..not much place to fly mah. Only a box)
Me: Because the butterfly is sad. Not happy. It misses its friends.
Bryan: It misses the bee, the grasshopper, the beetle, the stick bug hor?
Me: Yes.
Bryan: *Think* Think* I think I will let the butterfly go.
Me: *Grinning happily*
Bryan: But but I want to see a while first. Wait until I finish dinner ok.

After dinner. He gladly proclaimed that he is ready to let the butterfly go. Dylan, him and my parents took the box outside the house and let the butterfly go. The butterfly was quite lifeless in the box but as soon as it was out, flutters quickly away and fly really high.

Bryan: Mommy, the butterfly is soooo happy to fly out. It can fly SOOOOOO high you know. Now I cannot see the butterfly already. I think the butterfly fly back to butterfly farm already.

2 weeks ago, my aunt found 2 caterpillars on her plant again.

So I took both the caterpillars with some stalks of her plant so that the caterpillar can continue feeding on it. Mana tau, by the next morning, the plant habis kena sapu. I had to go to the market and shop for sommo “food” for the caterpillar. Caterpillars only feed on specific plants depending on the species. Coincidentally, this species feeds on curry leaves.

But after a day, the caterpillars turned into chrysalis.

After about a week, I thought it will be nice for Bryan to take the chrysalis to school for show & tell. And the school can keep it there until it turns to a butterfly, and it should not be long now. I called his principle and told her the idea. She was very excited about the idea. I told her that I will let Bryan bring the chrysalis on Monday just in case the butterfly decided to come out during the weekend.

Unfortunately, the butterflies really decided to come out on the weekend. One on Saturday morning and the other on Sunday morning.

This time, I no longer had any trouble asking Bryan to let the butterflies go.

Jump posing for the camera

Getting a last look at the butterfly

Fly away to freedom

On one of the days, we were so happy when the butterfly flutters to my neighbor’s plants and start feeding on the nectar there for a long time. It gave Bryan and Dylan a chance for them to look at it longer.

Posing with the freed butterfly

I think being able to let go and move on is such an important skill/ value to have in life. And I am very happy to see that my little boy has learnt to be kind to other living things and to let go of the things he loved so dearly. I am so proud of you Bryan.

P/s: To reinforce this value in him, I told his teachers at school to praise him for his kindness too.