The King if not more...

Reese is really the King of the house. In the above picture, a typical evening at my mother's place. Reese was being fed by Kakak and my dad making sure he drinks water (holding the water bottle) while Rascal King watched Little Einstein! So pampered!!

My little rascal king has turned two and half (30 months) today. The past month was tough dealing with him and it still is! My guess he is almost at the peak of his terrible two stage. He wants things his way and his timing. Oh well, at least I am not the only mother going through this! Hehehe.... so I somewhat feels better. What is horrible three like I wonder....

So what to report for this month? mmmm.... everything is progressing from physical to mental.

Major changes is he is harder to control and causes my blood to constantly boiling!
He is less of a picky eater now and willing to take more rice and dishes.
He can read. :)
He can sing and recite rhymes, poems and jingles.
He is more creative in his play.
He is taller and heavier.
His tantrum is getting worse.
He has got quite a temper too.
He only go for the softer approach.
He also knows who to bully.
Very talkative and always make up or modify songs, rhymes, poems and jingles to his own liking.

That's it for this month.

Mummy, Daddy go away!

Last Sunday we took Reese to MidValley. He was as usual happy and ran around going from one place to the other. Then while in Jusco, daddy got some tokens for Reese to play and forcefully we put him in a moving 'police car' ride (I know, we shouldn't force him..lesson learned). He cried and screamed and kicked. At the end of the ride, I carried him and tried to calm him down and that was when he said he wants daddy go far away, he kept saying that while we took him out of Jusco. Daddy played along and went to hide and when in view, Reese protested again and wanted Daddy to go away.

When we were outside Jusco, I told him it's not right to shoo his daddy away and then he demanded that we both go away, he was jumping, crying, screaming at the top of his lungs for us to go away... everyone was staring and some laughing. We decided to walk away and hide and hope that he will be afraid, we were so wrong... the moment we came out of hiding, he screamed and cried and wanted us to go away.... the drama lasted about 10 to 15 minutes in full view of the public. At the end, we just walk away and hide and guess what Reese did? He stopped crying and happily walk alone towards Toy 'R' Us and constantly looking back to make sure we are no where in sight! Crazy I tell you. He went in to the toy shop and happily played with the toys for a good 20 minutes without feeling afraid. Both hubby and I were like some 'dungus' watching him from behind some toys making sure he didn't see us. After 20 minutes... I can't take it anymore... I think if given a choice, Reese will be happy playing until they close shop! So I went to say hello and we kissed and made up.

Oh boy.... my son is really at the height of his terrible two stage... wonder when it will end....mmmm....

Reese can read!

YES!!! YES!!!!

Reese can read.... did some phonics with him and for the first time, I actually make an effort to draw and do some pasting of words on the board for Reese to learn... I thought it would take a week or so for him to read but he surprised me by being able to read the words! I am so excited and happy.... :)

This morning after updating my blog, I decided to do some actual work with Reese on his reading. So I did some preparation and the first thing when Reese woke up... I show him the white board with the work I prepared. Did a little warm up and then Reese was able to recognize the words!! Tomorrow going to prepare another set of words.... we did 'at' 3 letter words today.

So so happy.... my son can read just before he turns 2.5 years old.... yippie...

Read Aloud: Mike Mulligan and More

This treasury consist of 4 wonderful stories by Virginia Lee Burton with themes that honor a simple way of life and celebrate heroes who endure through determination and by adapting to change.

I will be introducing this book to Reese this week and he will get to learn a few new things regarding construction and certain vehicles and work machine...

Science lesson for this week

Human Body

This week I am going to introduce Flip-Flap Body Book by Usborne to Reese. Since we made a trip to the dentist last week, it's about time to teach him about his body!

This book is actually a compilation of the following books:
- What happens to your food? (Hope to start on this..but will see what Reese is interested 1st)
- How do your senses work?
- How are babies made?

Hope this book will keep my little scientist entertained! Will think of a craft to do for this.

Space and Solar System

I will also be doing a little bit more on space with Reese this week. Perhaps tell him a little bit more about each planet? Do a craft base on space? Ah... maybe make a planet? Last week he learned about the types of moon; crescent moon, half moon, full moon... and he also learn about asteroids and meteoroids.... I like the space theme cause mummy is also learning with him. :)

Will be doing some online research and print some nice pictures of planets and gather some simple facts to teach Reese. This is going to be a fun week.

Earth Hour

On Friday I kept reminding myself that we should do our bit to support Earth Hour...and when the day and time came, I was busy getting Reese to sleep and forgot all about it!!! Aarrrggg.... only when I was blog hopping did I remember... Gosh...why am I so forgetful!

Oh well, I will try my best to do it next year....

Sorry earth...

Hugs and Poo Poo

I love it when it's poo poo time for Reese. I know... I know.... you hear it right. Let me explain. Reese is never an affectionate child where he will come and kiss or hug you willingly. So usually I have to ask for it and half the time I don't get what I wanted.

Now that Reese can sit and poo poo in the toilet, I will usually hold him while squatting or kneeling on the floor. I started to give him hugs and pats while singing or humming a song so that he can relax and poo..... Reese actually likes it and will really lean on me and hugs me and just be close to me while he does his business. I love it. It's one of those time that I can get real hugs and it's a wonderful feeling. I must say, that I usually have to hold my breath because it stinks! Hahaha... a little crazy but seriously... I love it when Reese leans on me and gives me hugs....

I hope as he grows older, he will give me more hugs and kisses. For now, I just have to get them during poo poo time!

Reese's favourite rhymes, poems and jingles

Whenever he feels like it, he will recite the following with great speed and accuracy.... he just loves them!

I see the moon,
and the moon sees me,
God bless the moon,
and God bless me. (His current favourite)

Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony,
Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it Macaroni.

Engine, engine number nine,
Running on Chicago line,
If she's polished, how she'll shine, (At times he doesn't recite this line)
Engine, engine number nine.

Star bright, star light,
First star I've seen tonight.
Wish I may, wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight. (Reese will usually recite up to the second line)

There were two blackbirds
Sitting on a hill,
The one named "Jack"
And the other named "Jill"
Fly away, Jack,
Fly away Jill,
Come again, Jack,
Come again, Jill.

Here is the church, here is the steeple,
Open the door and see all the people.
Here are the singers going upstairs,
And here is the minister saying his prayers. (Reese can't recite the last line yet)

Here is the bee-hive,
Where are the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
They are coming out now,
They are all alive.
One! Two! Three! Four! Five! (Reese loves to play this finger game and all the tickling that comes with it!)

He is attempting to recite a tongue twister... Peter Piper pick a pack of pickled pepper..... :)

Mannerism

I have been following a homeschool forum on a topic concerning children's mannerism and behaviour in public. There are a few parents who ranted on the agressive behaviour of children they met in public and how irresponsible their parents were for not reprimanding their children for being rude. There are cases of children spatting and kicking strangers. The blame naturally fell on the parents but is it entirely parents fault that these children became rude and aggressive?

We live in a modern society where the way we raise our children is so different from the olden days. Children are more respected and given more freedom to express themselves and they can voice out their dislike. Naturally their behaviour and mannerism are different. Children now have a mind of their own and more vocal. Children being children, sometimes they do not know how to differentiate between what is proper and what is not or what is being polite and what is not.

Here is a scenario: Do you force a child to greet someone when the child doesn't want to or too shy or scared to do so? Scold the child because of that? For those who are understanding fine but for some they will call your child rude! In time, when the child is older they will learn to greet others, no?

Sad to say we also teach our children to beware of strangers and do not talk to them simply because our world is no longer safe and there are many crazy or should I use the word monstrous people out there. Why? we don't even give money to beggers and tell our children not to take pity on them because they may not be real at the same time we teach out children we should give to the needy! ah... children get confused :)

It is the job of the parents to teach them. Some children are very teachable and some not so. As parents, it's our duty to make sure our children behave appropriately in public. Easier said than done isn't it? I have seen how some parents struggle to control their children in public and came to a point that they just let it be because they have no more energy or just too frustrated! I pity them. It's also sad that some parents think that they are so perfect because their children always behave well in public that they have a right to think that all children should be that way! They are just lucky to have children that listen and obey. There are of course parents who couldn't care less. They just let their children behave the way they want and that is irresponsible.

For many families, one income is not sufficient to raise a family in comfort or for some to survive. Therefore both parents have to work and many children are placed at childcare centres and babysitters. No matter how great they are, it's different and many a time, children are left to play or watch TV on their own. Nothing compares to caring for your own child. That's the sacrify that parents have to make. They do not have a choice.

So tough huh?

Whenever we are in public, we will make sure Reese behave appropriately and try to get Reese to greet others but most of the time he will refuse to greet so we greet on his behalf. When he misbehave in public, no matter how tiring and frustrated we will make sure he doesn't offend others but for some people apparently that is not good enough. They will give you stares and funny looks. I get this once in a while at playgroup too!

So what do you think?

So much changes

At four weeks old

At 29 months and 17 days old

What a journey so far! It's really not easy to raise a child but I love every moment of it. Well, 99% of the time. Reese has been very difficult lately. Terrible two I guess! :) He will not want to go change, brush his teeth or even letting us take off his diaper!

Whenever it's time for these things, he will hop on to the bed and hide at the far end or will run/jump on the bed making it so hard to catch him! When we do catch him, he will scream and whine and kick..... then the crying and tantrum.... hai... it is so tough these days... he just want to do things at his own timing. As long as we do not force him into anything.. he is an angel. How? I was so frustrated last evening that I smack his thigh once (so ashamed and guilty). I have vowed not to use force but my anger and frustration took over me. I have been shouting and yelling alot at Reese. I really don't know what to do. It's getting hard to control him. Hopefully it's only a phase.

Learning about Space

Reese loves Rocket ( Little Eiesteins). Daddy taught him a little bit about how Rocket can fly high up in the sky and goes to space to planet Jupiter!! :)

Last week with his new Picture Dictionary, he learned about space, planets and satelite.

Science Lesson

1. He now knows all 9 planets by name

2. He can tell you which is the biggest and the smallest planet in space

3. He knows we live on earth

4. He knows the sun is very hot and he calls it a blazing sun!

5. He knows what a satellite looks like

6. He knows what is an astronaut

Field Trip- A Visit to a Child Friendly Dentist

Last weekend I received an sms from the playgroup coordinator saying that we will be visiting a child friendly dentist. I was so excited because we have yet to bring Reese to a dentist for a checkup!! And I didn't want Reese to have a bad experience at the dentist.

I was impressed with what I saw and heard today. This dentist we visited was very child friendly. The moment you enter you will be greeted with a bucket of toys and simple and yet modern interior. In the dental room it's even better, there is a TV mounted on the ceiling with Disney channel on. On the ceiling right above the dental chair, was a collage of pictures and cartoon characters. There are even a few butterflies and dragon flies on the ceiling. Very nice. Next, about Mr. Dentist. He is a very nice soft spoken man who knows how to entertain kids! Got a few good tips on the care of a child's teeth and also the services that he offers. One of them was to let the child come and visit him, be familiar with the surrounding and tools he uses and he won't charge you a dime! Nice huh?

The kids had alot of fun at the dental clinic. They were shown how to brush their teeth, get a chance to sit on the 'rocket chair' going up and down, get to suck water out of a paper cup, getting a feel of the mist and even making a glove balloon!

At the end of the visit, each child was given a present (toothpaste, Oral-B toothbrush, colour pencils and a poster/activity sheet.

Reese enjoyed his visit but was also distracted by the Little Einstein on TV at the dental clinic. :)

Waiting to greet the dentist

Nice collage on the ceiling, there are even butterflies and dragonflies

The children taking turns to brush teeth

Ah, presents for everyone.. Reese is in the middle checking out his present

Reese gets to try the 'rocket chair' but he got distracted by Little Einstein on TV!

After playgroup, Reese kept asking to return to the dental clinic. He now knows what a dentist does! Brush teeth... hahaha...

First Ice Cream in a cone!

We tried giving Reese ice cream many months ago and he disliked it. We reintroduce ice cream to him about a month ago. He had a little. He liked it. Tonight at my mom's place after dinner, he was given a cone of ice cream (courtesy of Yeye). He learned how to lick an ice cream cone! :) and slowly he ate everything from ice cream to the last bit of wafer. :) This is going to be a rare treat... don't want him to eat too much sweet stuff!

Are you a Pop-Up Book Fan?

A few months ago, hubby bought a very nice pop-up book (Journey To The Moon) for Reese. He bought it at Borders. It was in their Bargain Corner. It was Rm39.90 or maybe slightly less. I can't remember.

What I want to point out is that the pop-ups are really nice and it's 3D! well, almost. We have yet to let Reese enjoy this book because he might destroy it! :) Still waiting for the right time to introduce the book to him. We know he will love it.

I would recommend this book for some imaginative play. Y It's not much of a reading material though. You have to see the real thing to appreciate it. It's really nice.

You can turn the fans (Is that what you call it?) and the plane is 3D

The jeep is 3D and also the jungle

The rocket and planet Saturn are 3D and you can spin the spaceship!

Shopping

I love the weekends. It's the time where I get to spent it with Reese and Daddy Reese. We will go out for food, enjoy some shopping (usually window shopping) and simply relax at home.

Yesterday was no difference but...

We didn't buy Reese anything!! It's rare. Hahaha....

Instead, hubby bought me Lego the creator series. One that I have been eying for a super long time. Then I told hubby, if you buy that for me you will also have to buy something for yourself! So while I took care of Reese, he went and got himself 2 shirts and 3/4 pants from Quicksilver.

I am having so much fun building my dream house!

Although Reese didn't get anything he did ate Baskin Robbins ice cream with cookies and for the first time, he used the public toilet! I am so proud of him. He wee and poo in the children's toilet. Thank God it was superbly clean. It sure was an experience. :)

Then later in the evening, we had dinner at an open air hawker centre. Reese was really good and we had a more normal hawker meal like we used to before Reese was born! After dinner we went to Ikano and there was a Popular book fair. I bought Reese a Little Eisteins My First Picture Dictionary. So at the end of the day Reese did get something. :)

Nice pictures with relevant topics. A good book to build vocabulary

Reading:Phonics

Ah..... I am really blessed with a child that learns easily. Maybe my dream of Reese reading at two and half might be a reality! :)

I started to teach Reese alphabets when he was about 16 months by flashing cards and sometimes watching starfall.com. By 18 months he knows all his 26 alphabets both upper and lower case.

Then I taught him to associate things that begins with a certain alphabets. This was done off and on in a very informal way. Like when we are in the car passing by a certain thing that he knows and I will tell him that so and so begins with so and so letter. Soon he understood the concept and started to associate things to letters on his own.

About 2 months (Reese was 28 months) back I casually introduced phonics sound to Reese. I did it in the car most of the time while traveling to and from my mother's place. This activity lasted for 5 minutes and no more. In less than 2 weeks later, my boy mastered all the sounds of the 26 alphabets.

Then just 2 weeks ago, again casually I introduced 2 letters combination sound. While driving home one evening, I told him that a-t is 'at' sound and continued on with 'ag, ab, ad, am, an, ap'. I repeated another 2 times and Reese repeated after me. The next day I tested him and Wow! he remembered and so I introduced the 'i' combination. In one week, he did all the 'a' , 'i', 'o' letter combination. This was mostly done verbally.

I am proud to say that as of yesterday he knew all vowel combination except 'e' because I didn't want him confused with 'a'. When I tested him visually, surprisingly he has no problem telling me the sounds. He is a clever boy.

Now I am quite confident that he might be able to read 3 letter words by the end of this month or early next month. It will depend on whether I want to spend sometime teaching him that or not... hehehe... abit lazy.

**If you think I might be pushing my son to read at such a tender age, I want to reassure you that I am not. Reese has a very good memory and he learns very fast. I have never done any formal learning with him. The discovery of him learning so quickly were all through informal play and he enjoys every moment of it.

Art Attack

Another fun activity that kept Reese busy for a good half hour! Reese likes to do painting. He started with a brush then his fingers and eventually the entire palm. :)

Full concentration

Paint my hand mummy!

Full hand prints

The master piece

Reese taught me!

All these while, what Reese watches on TV is controlled. He only watches cartoons that we think is appropriate for him. We never subscribe cartoon channels on Astro. About 2 months ago, we decided to add documentary channels. Reese took an interest in Animal planet channel and about 2 weeks ago, while he was watching a program on a group of small animals that I have seen before but didn't know what they were called (my general knowledge sucks). So I casually asked hubby and before he could answer, my son said "Meerkats, Meerkats". I looked at Reese and thought he was talking nonsense and I asked hubby and he didn't know either. So we continued watching the program and true enough those little creatures were called Meerkats! Hahaha... my son is smarter than us!

Ever since then, almost everyday for an hour, he will watch the program on Meerkats. He will tell you what they did like digging tunnels, fighting and running very fast. He was so engrossed in them.

Reese also learned another type of animal, Gibbons. He knew they are from the monkey family. TV if used appropriately is actually good for children in my opinion. We will continue to control the contents of what Reese watches.

An afternoon of fun

We had a bit of spontaneous fun this afternoon. The weather was perfect. Since I had no classes in the afternoon, I decided to take Reese for some bubble fun and plant watering. So off with went with his current favourite toy, his toy trolley! We brought along a watering can and a bottle of bubble solution.

Reese was all excited. First we played with bubbles, Reese chased, burst, kicked and simply ran through the bubbles! He loved it very much. Next we watered some plants in the garden. Reese got to fill up the watering can with tap water and then he slowly walked toward the plants and flowers to water them. He did this for about 6 to 7 times. At the same time enjoying chasing some birds and butterflies.

It was a solid 45 minutes to an hour of simple fun. Very satisfying.

Photos taken with my mobile phone:

Toy trolley, bubble solution and watering can

On his way for some fun... see how strong he is, carrying his trolley up the steps

Chasing after the bubbles (bubbles were gone by the time I took the picture)

Filling up the watering can with tap water

Walking toward the plants and taking care not to spill the water

Reese loves to water plants and flowers these days

Picked up some 'Pinang' fruit on the ground and Reese calls them green peas...

Food that fills the tummy and nourishes the body and mind!

I am happy to say that Reese is eating more variety of food these days. He is still picky with food but definitely knows how to go for the best! :)

It's alot easier for me to plan his weekly meals as he is more open to try new food. I try to give him home cooked food as much as I can and outside food is limited to weekends only. His food is still cooked exclusively every day or for some food like his favourite mushroom soup will be done weekly and store in the freezer.

My son is now 17kgs and he is almost two and half years old. He has a very solid body and a nice round tummy. :)

Food he takes on a week day:

Breakfast

1. Cereal (Honey stars/Honey coated corn flakes/ Honey oats corn flakes) with banana and milk.

2. Cream crackers (4 to 5 pieces) dipped in Milo followed by fruits

3. Two pieces of toast with butter and Milo/fresh milk followed by fruits

4. A cheese stick and digestive biscuits (2 pieces) with fresh milk followed by fruits

5. Yogurt (Imported children yogurt only) and fruits

Main Meals for Lunch and Dinner

1. Peanut butter and banana sandwich and fresh milk

2. Mee suah/mee hun soup(ikan bilis/chicken stock) with an egg, chicken pieces, shredded carrot and cabbage

3. Fried Dorry fish finger (lightly marinated with salt) and then dipped into egg and flour mixture and fruit

4. Chicken and potato in oyster sauce dish with rice

5. Cream sauce pasta with tomatoes and ham/bacon

6. Turkey ham sandwich and fruit

7. Creamy mushroom soup (with blended broccoli, carrot, potato and fish) with a piece of toast

8. Roast chicken and potatoes with herbs and lemon

9. Fish porridge (Once is a while only because he doesn't really like it now)

10. Fried chicken drumstick and thigh and fruits.

11. Some Chinese soup that he takes with his main meal includes lotus soup, old melon soup, 'sai yong choi' soup, white carrot soup and abc soup.

12. Macaroni and Cheese (with broccoli and ham)

Snack Time

1. Fruits

2. Yakult/Vitagen/Chocolate milk/Fruit juice

3. Cheese sticks

4. Once in a while some biscuits

Fruits that Reese takes - Papayas, bananas, fragrant pears, oranges, mangoes, grapes, water melons, apples and tangerines.

Meals for the weekend (usually eat out at least for 1 meal a day)

1. Fish ball noodles

2. Pork noodles

3. Fish and Chips (Fish and Co or Manhattan Fish Market) / Chicken fingers (Fridays or Chilis)

4. Mushroom soup or any other cream base soup

5. Bah Kut Teh :)

6. Creamy Pasta

7. Mash potatoes from KFC

8. Fried Chicken from KFC

9. French fries from McD

10. If we go for steamboat, Reese will take noodles with fish fillet and soup

Reese doesn't take any dessert like ice-cream or cakes. He doesn't really like them and we do not give him any junk food like Twisties or chips. So far everyday he will take at least 2 to 3 different types of fruits with his meals which are filled with protein, carbo, fiber and lots of minerals and vitamins.

Reese loves his food with taste and herbs. Dislike bland stuff.

As a mother and wife, I will cook anything for my boy and hubby. It's always a joy to watch them eat healthily and happily.

I am sorry....

This morning while helping Reese to put on his shoes, he looked at me and said this:

"Mummy, I wanna, wanna mummy, say sorry mummy"

He said it in a very serious and soft voice.

Ah..... I was surprised and immediately melted. Come to think of it, today I was more patient with him and he also behaved very well. My son is such a sweet boy. :)

I also realised that when it comes to Reese, we cannot force him into doing anything, at least not immediately. If we talk to him nicely and give him some time, he will most of the time obey. Ah... just need to be more patient. I should have been patient that morning and not shout at him and punish him by putting him in the room. My son needs the softer approach. I am kinda guilty now. Hehehe....

A Singing Star Emerging

My boy started singing alot since a few days ago but it's always out of tune. :)
I mentioned that he knew alot of nursery rhymes and also lyrics to many songs but never sings them? Well, he started singing them lately. I caught him on video singing Head and Shoulders for the first time while Kakak showered him yesterday afternoon. He never sang it before. It's hilarious. He sang a few songs in the video. I had to call him Quency and Leo to get him to sing! Must watch!

A Broken Fragile Heart

"I want mummy to go away"
"Mummy go far far away"
"I want the mummy go far away"

These were my son's words this morning. He was angry with me because I put him in the room as punishment for being naughty. It hurts to hear these from my son. I never prepare myself for such hurting words so when he said them this morning, I was nearly going to break down and cry. He is not even two and half years old yet! I guess I over reacted. It is normal for kids to say hurtful things or the truth of the moment? Yes?

I know it's all part of growing up. I know he was angry with me and what he said he meant it at least during those tense moments. I was so hurt that I left him in the bedroom and went out and pretended to cry. I did that for a good 5 minutes and he didn't seem to care! In fact he was rolling on the bed talking to himself and singing too! ggggrrrr.... my son still has no emotion! Oh well, that will come eventually. So what did I do after that? I just sat in the living room and waited for him to come out. When he did, I pretended to be sad and not look up at him. He can't be bothered. Arrggg.... after a good half hour, he asked for milk! So I made his milk and told him that we have to go Poh poh's house and he can have his milk in the car. I had to give in else we will be at home the whole day. *sigh*

In the car, I was all quiet and refused to entertain him and I think he knew I was angry. I stopped by a fruiterer and bought some fruits for him and offered him a grape but I told him he has to 'Sayang' mummy first. and he took my hands in his and kissed them. He gave me a big smile and I just melted and gave him the grape.

I forsee that in the future, I will give in to alot to this little rascal more than anyone else. When was the first time your child hurts you emotionally?

More books

I think it was 2 weeks ago we bought Reese a Little Einsteins picture storybook. Ever since then, he will 'read' the book over and over again. Every day first thing in the morning after he woke up and before he goes to bed. He is crazy over Little Einsteins!

So yesterday I went to Borders and got him another 3 Little Einsteins picture storybooks. I wanted more but that is all they have. My boy was soooo happy when he saw the three new books. We read the books together and did some of the things asked by the Little Einsteins and I tell you, Reese totally enjoyed the reading session with me. I did too. He kept wanting me to repeat the stories and now I can understand why it's so tiring to read again and again and at some point you just have to reject the child's request! :)

This was taken at 6am this morning!

(What was he saying in the video? Answer: Calling the names of the Little Einsteins and Rocket and he said Blast Off!)

Reese 'reading' his book and also sang twinkle twinkle little star for the Little Einsteins! First time captured on video. :)

Warehouse Sale - Books

I missed out on many warehouse sale for books the past two years. I used to go and hunt for some good books at a bargain. Yesterday I had the opportunity to do go to the MPH warehouse sale and it happened to be close by at Bangsar Village II. So during lunch break, I went to check it out. It was quite disappointing. After an hour or so I only managed to find some books for Reese. Condition of the books were ok. Very dusty though. I went home with a pair of black palms!

I got Reese two big books of stickers with beautiful pictures of vehicles, animals, shapes and others. Then got him some pre-readers, a beautifully illustrated storybook about a mole, American rhymes and jingles, story book about a farmer and what he does and a sticker storybook.

If you are looking for some readers, they have a wide selection at only RM5 per book. It's cheap. Books for toddlers very limited. As for children, mmm... not much choice either except the readers and some Disney theme books. You really have to dig deep into piles and piles of books. Not that fun. The sale is until 17th of March I think.

Eats like an adult

Last Monday we went to Itallianies (Mid Valley,Gardens) to have brunch with my family. Reese's small grand aunt "belanja". Reese ate like an adult! He had masala mushroom soup and classic carbonara. He nearly finished the entire plate of pasta! Some photos taken with my mobile phone camera.

Playing while waiting for the rest of the family to come

See how naughty he looks?

Enjoying his Little Eisteins on PSP

Daddy entertaining him

Toilet Training... almost there...

*SMILES*

We are almost there. Reese is no longer afraid of sitting on the toilet bowl to poo. Big achievement since last week. He is now comfortable doing it there and poo at ease. Phew!

He still pees on the floor aimlessly. Hehehe.... now I still need to figure that out. Thinking of introducing the stool and teach him how to pee into the toilet bowl. Once that is successful and he doesn't dirty his legs then we can try going out without diapers and give the public toilets a shot. Not sure how we are going to tackle that but it's going to be challenging! I can imagine timing his pee and poo time so that when we are at the shopping mall, we will have ample time to dash him to the toilet! :) Anyway... when we make reach that stage, will blog about it then.

Right now, I am happy with Reese's progress. We no longer have to keep reminding him to poo or pee and accidents hardly occurs. So happy now.

My Cheeky Boy

We didn't take many pictures of Reese the past month. Below was taken this evening at The Curve. See how cheeky he was!

Toys and Space Management

Ah, over the past 2 years, Reese has accumulated alot of toys that I am finding trouble storing them properly. We used to put all his toys in boxes. You know, just dump everything into the big boxes. It starts to take up more and more floor space! And another big problem. Reese is not the type that will pour everything out in the box and play. He just takes whatever that is on the top of the box. So alot of his toys are just buried in the boxes and hardly touched. After much consideration, we went to IKEA today and bought this nice little shelf-drawers thingy. We separated the smaller toys into different boxes and Reese can now easily slide them out and pick up whatever he wants. It actually save us some floor space. Damage? About RM230 plus for 4 bins and the shelf. We also bought another shelf (much cheaper) to be used at my mother's place. He has almost the same amount of toys at my mom's place. This boy is really lucky!

So much neater now, I forgot to take a picture before this makeover!

My little Ticketing Machine

Whenever we go to the playgroup, Reese and another boy will pick up the small board books and insert it through a little slit which was suppose to be a pretend ATM machine. He loves doing it. He also enjoys taking tickets whenever I pay for a parking ticket.

Then I had an idea of making a ticketing machine for him to play with but I was too lazy and tired. About 1 week ago, while browsing some toys I saw a wooden mail box! I nearly bought it but the price is a little ridiculous. It was RM110 or something. It's just a small wooden mail box.

So I made up my mind, that I am going to make one for Reese. So on Friday night, I started making the mail box which later became a ticketing machine instead. It has two slits. One big and one small. Then later I added a small coin holding compartment. It took me a few hours to get it done while chatting online with some friends. Thank God for multitasking!
Let the pictures do the talking. What do you think of it?

The table was a mess, I was also doing some phonic flash cards

My very own hand made ticketing machine. I wanted to add more things but lazy

The key pad was raised so it felt more real and can you see the coin container just below the smaller slit.

Reese played with it for over an hour and he likes going inside the box and look through the slit

It could be better but I am happy because my boy loves it!

It's time consuming but I managed to save over a RM100 and most of all, it's the satisfaction and the joy of seeing Reese enjoying his new toy.