Mini Milestones : Jasmine's 54th month

It is true when someone say, when your kids grow up, while they can be more independent in doing things for themselves, but there will be more important needs like social / emotional that requires more work from parents. I am feeling that for Jasmine at this season, I feel that I am on a constant struggle to keep up with my own to do list. I had planned to write the blog post for the month no later than 30 days after, but I have been dragging it till 60 days! Quality has definitely dropped because after 60 days, it is so hard to write good ones just cause I have forgotten most of them, like I felt I missed out some key pictures, or key stories that I forgot to document down in my Evernote. The worse is I dont even know what I was trying to write in the Evernote. Like it just couldn't ring a bell to a certain memory. :(

All these struggles shile still having to consider to connect with Jasmine more, be her first point of contact whenever she's unhappy or angry.. I want to teach her to be a girl with great characters and attitude, yet strong and firm, not easily swayed or hurt. All these takes lots of investment, its not the same as changing diapers or bathing or feeding them food. It's a whole new level. 

So I am taking a step back to review myself, and decided that this month blog that I've been doing without fail for 4.5 years, has to come to some sort of close, so that I can free myself to focus on the more important things now. 

So this episode i.e. 54th month of Jasmine's mini milestone, will be the last one I am going to write. I feel so sad and emotional as I think about stopping, because will I ask myself when I read these at 80 years old, how did Jasmine grow up after 4.5 years old? Like because it goes undocumented, I may forget all. I am still toyying with the idea of still doing some updates, but in a much lesser effort way. 

Right now every month I do 2 posts, one for Jasper and one for Jasmine. I felt the need to be fair to Jasper, so I did the same updates for him. Now his will continue, and I am thinking maybe I will incorporate Jasmine's update into his. Because they do almost the same thing at home everyday. 90% of the time in the same pictures too. So that's a small step to reduce the admin work I had put on myself. And then we shall see how I can move from here. I am definitely going to miss reading just about my precious girl in a single post. But I must acknowledge that she is growing up and we have much more to tackle together now. For Year 2018, I am determined that she must start attending swim classes and if it is possible, I would attend adult class that happens at the same time too. It will be our mother and daughter project this year. :) She will be attending a new school next year, getting use to new friends, new teachers, new school is not small thing, so I hope I will be there with the strong foundation of relationship, to be of the right mother support to her. :)

Here goes our last but not least post :-

First hand stand, assisted by Ah Yi.

Bringing dress up to a new level ! She is also like hanging dresses on hooks in kitchen randomly, so I am planning to create a dress up corner in her room for real. :)

One day she said her ears was itchy, I cleared it with cotton bud and after that she complained that she couldn't hear properly. :(  We prayed and then she went to bed, still unhappy. But the next day she said it was better and stop complaining. Thank God.

Swimming again. This time they dressed up themselves while I was still out. Look at the inside out swim cap. She put on goggles for Jasper and they applied sunblock lotion for each other. 

3K swimming pool, this is more shallow and it was quite windy that day.

I put on extra swimwear on her but she still started to cough after this swim.

Hot milo, bath and then snacks.

Her drawing. :)  This is a woman with many babies!

I told her to learn to sleep on her own, in her own space so that she can be given the high bed. :) She's quite excited about it.

She wanted to take a picture with Teacher Pei Pei. This selfie was taken by her.

And again.

And taken by me!

Bicycle bells! From daiso. She's asked for bell for some time, so glad I could make it happen.

5th Feb, she joined me to read bible at 7am, she was up early. We read a few times Psalm 23. at least 3 times. By the 3rd time she could say it out on her own the final few verses with the finger on head (fear no evil, presence of my enemies). She could memorise the whole book about a year ago and now because she stopped saying it, she has forgotten but not all. Need to read with her more!

She said she was not sleepy and came to our room. We have done all the bedtime routine but she often said she couldn't sleep. We really think she's ready to do away with afternoon nap. Anyway she told bedtime story to daddy (about Zach wants to be leader in LL and that she is the leader of girls).
After Joshua fell asleep, she played with pillows on our bed. When I was tidying up the clothes, she followed me about. When I lied down, and browsing zalora dresses, she joined too! It's so fun to have a daughter... she told me which dress she likes and so on. :) And of course we take some selfies before lights out!

Decathlon - she liked this bike but didn't know that I was helping her with it, she said she could cycle. Haha.

Expose to badminton. :)

Huge goggles.

In the house, she starts to help us to line the rubbish bins!!! I am so surprised!
All by herself... no one taught her or asked her to. She just opens the cabinet under the sink to look for plastic bag and put it over the empty bin. So for this, I give her sticker on the chore chart!!

Science experiment at home - create volcano with white vinegar and baking soda. 

Baking soda in.

Now prepare the vinegar. Dyed it red with food colouring.

Pour!

Look at their facial expression!! It's worth it. :)

Make another one, green colour this time.

Pour!

Also I made her do an art for Zach's birthday present.

Jasper did one and she did one.

All done and coloured.

Final product!

Uniform photo in front of LL playground. :)  The girl with the peppa pig bag.

We went to Mr DIY to get Jasper a truck as poo poo training reward. In the Mr DIY she saw dolls that she likes, esp one that looks like Elsa. She said she wants it. Joshua said, if she finish all the 60 stickers, we will buy. But she stopped talking about it ever since.

Then we went to look for a good specs for Joshua, and they went wild trying out specs. Haha.

7th Feb, she said she's not sleepy again. Before this she said she has blocked nose and so I let her rest against my chest. She said to me that "Dora scolded everyone like a teacher and a mummy. Teacher Ming Ling put her on time out. Dora was angry and cried." Then she said "You know? Today I cried in school?" I asked why? "Because teacher scold me." Which teacher? "Teacher Celina." WHy? "Because I didn't listen in class, I look left look right look up and look down." So after that teacher asked her whether she is able to write the words. She was trying to say the words - heart, liver, stomach, lungss.... and paused for so long... there was 1 more... she couldn't remember. So I guessed is it kidney? She said yes. :) I love this kind of conversation with my girl. :)

After this I thought she will sleep but still came over to our room and said she wants our air con, and slept on our bed.

Zach's birthday party at Trampoline park! She jumped a lot a lot a lot... until Joshua is worried she will start coughing.

We met Wei Wong parents, his mum said that when Wei Wong was as new as Jasmine in 4yo class, Wei Wong cries everyday and Jasmine comforted him that your mummy will come soon. :) Yep, my girl!

Julia said to me Zach wanted Jasmine at his party. He is allowed only 10 guests and he picked Jasmine. Thanks dear Zach!!

Wearing same hush puppies t-shirt like daddy!

Bedtime milk.

She has been sneezing with a bit of bloody mucus, Joshua took her to see Dr Leo and doctor say it is normal for children.

This is when I was meeting Rae Ling before she migrates to Melbourne.

Her first time eating ice cream since last September. Too bad she didn't like the mango ice cream. I picked wrong flavour sorry Jasmine.

Pretend to be teacher. Told Joshua he cannot get up from the student chair even when she goes to the toilet. 

6am at train station, going to Alor Setar for CNY.

5 hours long train ride. Ate some bread and snacks.

She slept for a while on daddy's lap.

Was playing with Jasper, balloons and tried to do workbook but didn't last long. 

Finally arrived.

First nap on a very dirty and sticky mattress sheet, thank God she peed on it haha. 

Had some pink toys to play with.

Went for a walk in the evening.

Saw the drain that Joshua fell into before when he was young.

Then we walked further to the river, where Joshua taught them to throw stones into the river.

She was scolded by Daniel when she started to eat before Jasper finish praying for the food. She cried, of course!! I really wonder if Daniel has the right to scold my kids at all? 

In the car, they just put on seat belts.

Helped sweep leaves at the front porch. 

She is so detailed that she even go behind the gate to pick up the leaves in the corner. 

Yam seng during dinner. 

CNY Day 1 - family photo.

They played on this stool even at night, and Jasper accidentally swing the new puzzle board over her face and cut about 2mm away from her eye balls. There were bleeding and we applied some medicine. I really think we should ice it but the chiams said no need. Whatever. I told her not to rub her eyes, showed her using my phone selfie camera that the part under her eye is read and swollen. I explained to her if the scratch was on her eye ball we would have to rush her to the hospital.
So this is a lesson, when we say stop playing, they should stop.

So before bed, I iced her and it reduced the swelling a lot. And I used warm water to wipe her face and I say except for her right eye. After that she went to ask daddy to teach her the word "except". 

Evening walk.

To the paddy field.

The bridge narrow and only enough for a bike to ride through.

Finally we took the plane home.

See the scar under her eye?
She said when she returned to school only Timmy asked her what happened to her eye. 

That same day we went to the ss15 playground and here she stood high up singing the Frozen song, pretending this is her palace. 

And this good jeje pushes jasper on the swing happily.

Weather is so hot I had to tie her hair like this so she wont be all sticky and sweaty all over the face. 

She writes letters to Ah Ma Jiu Jiu and Jiu Ma. :)

Water painting session in the house! :) Need to do more but I really sometimes just fear the mess. But we did twice this month, not bad!

She uses the word "even" in her sentence wrongly but very very cute.
Eg. "yes teacher Nalini is very fierce, EVEN fierce!" 
"Yes I am strong, EVEN strong!" 
She is asking us more English questions like "what does SOON mean?" 

She got flicked by me for screaming when fighting with Jasper. Immediately cried.

Her recent habit when she can't sleep is to read 4-5 books, and she insisted that I read to her. I really read until I felt like I was going to lose my voice.

One night, Joshua was bathing her and she couldn't turn on the water tap that Joshua has tightened. She said "I need to eat more. I want to be fat Jasmine" (in order to turn on the water tap) It is so funny!

Midnight when she comes over, she woke up me to not put Jasper in the middle of our bed, she whispered "I will crash him" 

Acts Conference Saturday, I was very sad to see the VA girls doesn't want to play with her even after she told Kara she wants to play with her. :(  Bad girlss!! But eventually she plays with Zach, they pretend they are in a bus. Lisa and Jasper also joined them.

Jasper plays with Zyon and Ezra.

Anniversary Sunday, there were helium balloons!

We dressed her in the Hush Puppies Cardigan and I really like how it turned out. Too bad didn't have a nicer photo taken.

We took back 5 helium balloons.
2 were released into the sky.
2 more were inhaled by daddy and Ah Yi who then sings in cartoon voices. :)

We bought this water bottle from Alor Setar's Toyrus for RM40 - because I promised her last year that I will get a new water bottle for her. This is the same one as Alycia's. She loved it!

She is starting to speak more and more like an adult, "NO lah!" on a high notes. 

Anne said one day Jasmine told her that she learnt about private parts in school - that it is between their legs, boys cannot look & touch the girl's one, vice versa. But when Ah Yi bathing them she kept looking and touching Jasper's kuku bird. -_-

She showed me different sort of jumps, with legs up, jump and turn to the back etc. I asked who taught her these, she said "my brains". Hahahaha.

Teacher said one day she fought over toys with Izzy and teacher spanked her.

28th Feb, picked vegetables, 90% of them.

She rocked the old cucumber like a baby. :)

See how the uncle cut the chickens into small pieces.

Phewwwww! I am so sleepy now.. it's 12am in Miami. I took the opportunity of my 9 days trip to San Francisco and Miami, to complete off all the backlog blog posts and then I should be comin home strong and precise and refreshed when I tackle the one about March 2018 and onwards.
Hopefully!!!! This job is really tough. Each post takes at least 4 hours believe it or not!