Saying Goodbyes

In less than 2 days' time, we will be flying off to Singapore for 7 weeks!! Previously, I would be really excited to go back to Singapore. But this time round, I actually feel sad to be away from "home" for so long - 7 weeks! 

After more than 3 years of living in Sydney, we have pretty much settled in to the lifestyle here, made several close friends, and enjoyed the fruit of the land. It is truly with mixed feelings that I pack my bags to go off for 7 weeks. 

Both Janelle and Janine have to miss 2 weeks of school, and on top of that, they will never go back to their schools as both of them will be at Pacific Hills Christian School next year. Tomorrow (Thursday) marks the last day of school for both of them. 

Janelle has been at Kellyville Public School for 1 year and has settled in so nicely and made close friends. I myself have made good friends who are parents of Janelle's classmates. I will really miss the fun-loving and close community in this school!

Janine has been at Kidzville (her childcare centre) for 3 whole years! Considering that she has not even turned 4 yet, that's three-quarters of her life spent at Kidzville! The staff and teachers have been absolutely amazing - showering her with such love and care that I just have to salute them! 

I guess the hard part about saying goodbye is the fact that both girls are leaving good environments where close relationships have been forged. But I believe that they're moving on to an even better environment in PHCS! We just have to embrace this new season in life with open arms :)

Here are the thank-you cards that the girls made for their teachers:

Update from Josiah

Hi my name is Josiah and I'm turning 14 months old. Since I started walking a couple of weeks ago, I now absolutely love walking around and exploring my surroundings. Mummy reckons that I clock up a few kilometres each day just walking around the house! It is no wonder that I am not putting on much weight. And no surprises that I am really quite slight in stature since I take after my mummy's size!

My favourite toys are balls, balloons, wheels, and anything round. I love playing with older children and adults, and "separation anxiety" is not in my vocabulary. On the contrary, I amfriendly towards new people (perhaps a little too friendly for my mummy's liking). I eat anything and everything (including sand, toys and other stuff that I can get my mouth to), and I can eat as much as, if not more, than my 6-year-old sister. 

To my mummy's dismay, I dislike shopping! But then again, I am a little man and which man likes shopping anyway? Whenever I am unhappy about something, I show my displeasure byblowing bubbles with my mouth. I have a very big voice and can shout out loud too.

If there were three words to describe me, it would be cheerful, cheeky and charming. Often you would see me with a big cheeky grin on my face, and I have a hearty and delightful laughter that gets triggered off at the slightest thing. I am cheeky and love to play. My idea of play includes crumpling up my sisters' beautiful drawings, chewing on my sisters' colour pencils and markers, and pulling my sisters' long tresses. I am not sure how such a cheeky boy like me can appear charming to others, but it does seem that everyone who meets me is charmed by me. 

Here is a picture of me taken at Collaroy beach yesterday - showing off my big pearlies.

One year on...

Josiah is now 1 year old and as the saying goes "time waits for no man", I truly feel that time has indeed whizzed us by! Yet looking back at the past year since Josiah was born, I see that we have so much to give thanks for and so many changes have actually taken place!

1) Sleep

No more musical beds. For some time (perhaps some months?), we have been blessed with the luxury of SLEEP! Sleep has returned - somewhat miraculously - to our family! We have all 3 kids in bed and sleeping through the night most of the time. Occasionally we do find one of the girls in bed with us by morning, but at least it's not too common an occurrence anymore! 

2) Maturing

Josiah has grown so much in the past few months and matured so much in terms of his mannerisms and actions. A few weeks short of his first birthday, he decided he was a big boy and weaned himself off breastmilk just like that - no warning, nothing! Thankfully he is taking well to formula milk now. He still cannot talk much but he can point to what he wants! Balls, round objects (like oranges, mandarins, etc), balloons and huge teddy bears are his ultimate delight! He is still a fantastic eater and sleeper, which we are extremely thankful for 

3) Schools

This will be the last year that Janelle will be in Kellyville Public School, and also the last year that Janine will be in Kidzville (after spending 3 years there!). From next year onwards, both girls will be starting school in Pacific Hills Christian School - with Janine starting Preparatory and Janelle starting Year 1. I do feel sad that both girls are moving on but I suppose the fact that both girls are so nonchalant and unaffected by the impending move alleviates the sadness! Also, we are looking forward to a wonderful school 'career' in Pacific Hills as it is a truly fantastic school! 

4) Siblings

It is such a delight to see how well the 3 Js get along with each other and I must say this is truly an answered prayer. Janelle and Janine play so well together that they can entertain themselves the whole day at home just role-playing mums and dads, chit-chatting, playing pretend games, etc. Whenever Janine is home with me on Mondays and Fridays, she cannot wait to pick jie-jie up from school just so she can play with her. Josiah is at an age where he is taking an interest in what his sisters do and attempts to play with them too! Janine never allows Josiah to escape without smothering him with kisses and cuddles, and loves to play with Josiah. Janelle is the ever-caring older sister to Josiah and always helps to keep a watchful eye on him, ensuring that he does not end up eating uncapped markers, colour pencils, etc, that are left lying around. With two adoring sisters to an adorable boy, we can only give thanks to God for these blessings in our lives!

Most Beautiful

Conversation with 3-year-old Janine after she overheard me telling her sister Janelle that she is beautiful.

Janine (pouting): "What about me?? Am I beautiful??"

Me: "Of course! You are most beautiful to me! Both jie-jie and you are beautiful!"

Janine (smiling): "Jie-jie is most beautiful, and I am most beautiful, but not Joie! Because Joie is most beautiful to Aunty Alice!!"

Such profound yet true words from my little girl! It is true that my girls will always remain most beautiful in my eyes - as will Joie be most beautiful in Alice's eyes. Seems like beauty does indeed lie in the eye of the beholder! 

In the same way, I am reminded that we as children of God are highly favoured, greatly loved, and beautifully and wonderfully made! Our Father in heaven looks down on us - His children - with great love and favour. How blessed are we!  

Josiah - 11 months old

Gosh where has the time gone?? Josiah is already 11 months old and in fact, we'll be having an early 1st birthday celebration for him this Sunday as his Grandpa would still be here in Sydney to celebrate with us!

Josiah is getting cuter and cuter (in our biased opinion as parents) and he has changed so much in the past 2 months! He has learnt to clap his hands, raise his arms to praise the Lord, play peek-a-boo, tease and play with us, etc. I think in terms of the social aspect, a baby really expresses so much more from 9 months onwards. It is absolutely delightful to see how excited Josiah gets at the sight of his 2 sisters, and equally delightful to see how Janelle and Janine simply love playing with Josiah and showering him with cuddles and kisses. 

Josiah has also started showing his discontentment by crying and whinging when he is caged up - whether in his playpen, high chair, or car seat. Gone are those days of him being an unprotesting and quiet baby!

Today, Josiah has learnt how to stand without any support and he was so excited about it that he actually stood up and clapped his hands as though applauding his own effort! Such an amusing sight to behold :) 

It is really interesting to see how different boys and girls are. Right from a young age, Josiah was already fascinated by wheels, balls, and cars. Basically anything that is round attracts his attention! And I must say he is a good climber. He climbs on top of everything and anything. He's already mastered climbing up our staircase, much to my horror! And when we discipline him by scolding him or smacking his thigh, he actually turns to us and gives us a BIG GRIN and laughs as though it's a joke! Is this a "boy-thing"?? The same treatment given to any of my 2 girls would have yielded a repentant cry and inconsolable sobbing, but to Josiah he just laughs as though it's funny. Hmm...

That aside, Josiah has 3 teeth that have sprouted out. See if you can spot the single upper tooth that makes him look like a little "Ah-Beng". I'm admiring this one-toothed smile of his as the other upper tooth is emerging soon!   

Of Castles and Princesses

As we were driving past a majestic-looking Sikh temple (or perhaps it is an Indian mosque) along Parklea markets....

Janelle (gushing with excitement): "Look, Mummy!! It's a CASTLE!!"

Me (grinning): "Oh? Is it?"

Janelle: "And do you know who lives in there?"

Me (puzzled): "No. So who lives there??"

Janelle: "Princess Jasmine!!"

I burst out with laughter but so as not to dampen Janelle's excitement, I decided not to correct her. Nothing wrong with children having their own little fantasies about things! 

Josiah - 9 months old

Josiah is already 9 months old and still as cheerful and good-natured as ever! These are some of the interesting things he can do:-

1) Climb up the staircase! (most dreaded milestone for a baby to reach, because it means we cannot leave him on his own already...)

2) Cruise while holding on to furniture

3) Vocabulary: 

"teh-teh" (meaning jie-jie refering to his older sister)

"daa", "dee", "ba", "aahhh!"

Unfortunately, despite my many attempts to teach him the word "Mummy", he is nowhere near saying the word "ma" yet!

4) Absolutely detests water. Even baby fruit juice does not entice him at all. He now refuses to play with his water bottle (let alone drink from it) because once he sees the water bottle, he associates it with plain-tasting water. 

5) Eats a gigantic bowl of porridge for lunch and dinner. In fact, I am pretty sure the amount of food he eats is bigger than the size of his stomach! Wonder how can a tiny baby eat so much?!

We are thankful for him being such a good and endearing baby, who does not mind anyone carrying him at all. I suppose that's the difference between girls and boys - girls tend to be more sensitive about such things! 

Does Jesus Live in Your Heart?

"Does Jesus live in your heart?" is the question that Janine has been asking me since a couple of weeks ago. 

Today I had the great privilege of leading my 3-year-old to say the sinner's prayer and invite Jesus into her life. After taking some time to explain what it means to have Jesus live in her heart (ie. doing and saying things that will make Jesus happy, sharing toys, being kind to others, etc etc), she prayed this simple prayer with me:

"Dear Jesus, I invite You to come into my heart. Thank You for dying on the cross for me. Thank You for forgiving me of all the bad things I have done. Help me to do and say things that will make You happy. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen!"

After praying, I then asked her: "Where will you go to when you die?". Janine excitedly answered: "Heaven!!". 

It was a divine moment in the midst of daily hustle and bustle. One would think that such a moment would be sacred and take place in a church setting or something like that, but with young kids it is probably as impromptu or as unexpected as can be. In fact, this simple prayer took place at our dining table just after I had fed Josiah his lunch and he had done a poop. But he was still sitting in his highchair, happy to watch us pray and talk. 

Straight after that, we went to give Josiah his bath and as I was doing so, I reminded Janine that there are so many beautiful angels in heaven dancing and singing because they are so happy that she invited Jesus to live in her heart. (my version of Luke 15:10 - "...rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents")

I am so reminded of this verse:

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 19:14, ESV)

Funny Episodes

Episode 1

As we were driving past McDonald's....

Janine (excitedly): Look Mummy! MacDonald's!

Me: Oh yes. Do you like McDonald's?

Janine: Hmmm....Yes!

           And I like the pigs, the chickens, and all the animals in the farm!

Me: ?!?!

After-thoughts: Glad that Janine has got this 'McDonald's-innocence'. To think she associated McDonald's with "Old MacDonald had a Farm"!

Episode 2:

After Josiah regurgitated some milk....

Janine: Eeewww! Yucky! 

*pause*

(pointing to Josiah): Di-di is yucky! 

(pointing to herself): And I am yummy!

(pointing to me): And you are Mummy!

After-thoughts: Never knew that Janine could conjure up such an interesting rhyme.

Episode 3:

I was downstairs and the girls were upstairs in their room when the garbage truck came by to collect our garbage. Both Janelle and Janine then came downstairs to look for me and this conversation took place right in front of me...

Janine (to Janelle) in a loud voice: Jie-jie, don't tell mummy that the rubbish truck came to take our rubbish, okay?

Me (trying to suppress my laughter): haha!

Janelle (to me): Mummy, mei-mei said don't tell you that the rubbish truck came to take our rubbish.

Me: Hahahahahaaa!!

After-thoughts: Both my girls are so silly!!

Josiah - 7 months old

It seems that with each month that goes by, our little boy just gets cuter and cuter! I suppose that's the beauty of parenthood - that your child always seems cute in your eyes

Crawling
Josiah has started crawling efficiently around the house and so we have barricaded the kitchen entrance from the living room. However he has also learnt to crawl round the other side of the living room to get to the kitchen so there is no way to prevent him from entering the kitchen :( Another downside of Josiah learning to crawl is that he deposits his regurgitate or puke all over different parts of the carpet!

Eating
Josiah eats really well and enjoys most foods! He still dislikes water or juice and spits it all out. Very smart boy indeed! He has also tasted some forbidden foods like chocolate - from an easter chocolate egg that was left lying around by one of our girls. Apparently Josiah managed to find the chocolate egg, peel off the foil wrapper and munch on the chocolate while we left him unattended for a minute!

Standing
He can now pull himself to stand and each morning, we open his room door to find him standing in his cot with a big wide grin on his face :)

Communicating
Josiah can really communicate more now through his expressions and blabber and actions. It is so endearing to see him "appealing" to me to put him to bed, or to feed him milk, or to carry him!! Thankfully he is still very contented to allow others to carry him and is a very cheerful little boy

Josiah and his Avocado

Josiah dislikes avocado (just like his daddy) so he spits it all out in a very cute fashion! I wonder who taught babies to be so smart as to do this?!

Josiah - 6 months old

Josiah is now 6 months old and we have started him on solids 1 week ago! He's eating really well now and enjoys his food! Janelle simply LOVES to feed him too!

At 6 months of age, Josiah is 67cm long and 7.3kg. He has been turning over both ways (ie. front-to-back and vice versa) and can roll all round the living room now! Recently, he has also learned to "crawl" (or rather, wriggle) backwards, which is pretty amusing. He can also sit up more steadily now, though still not completely stable.

He can babble "daa daaa deee" so it sounds like "daddy" - to Royston's ultimate delight! He has also been putting everything in his mouth and chewing on things, but still has no teeth yet. 

Josiah is still ever-so-cheerful and good-natured and charms everyone - especially us!

Why 5-years-old is such a charming age

This conversation took place when 5-year-old Janelle found out that I had to stay home to take care of the 3 of them, while Royston went out with a friend to another friend's house at 8pm for a time of fun and fellowship.

Janelle: "Mummy, you can go out too. You can leave us at home and go out."

Me: "Then who will take care of you all and put you all to bed??"

Janelle (earnestly): "Me! I will put mei-mei and di-di to bed. I will help mei-mei brush her teeth, and when she's gone to the toilet I'll clean her bottom for her. Then I'll put on her nappy and read her a story and we'll go to bed."

Me: "Really?? Then how about di-di?"

Janelle: "Yes I'll put di-di to bed too!"

*pause*

"But if he's hungry, I'll feed him cow's milk!"

Me: ???!!?!?!

Janelle (still thinking out loud): "Oh, but I don't know how to switch on the alarm."

(because we turn on the house alarm every night before we go to bed)

Awwww....I thought that was awfully sweet of Janelle to make such an offer. I was honestly very tempted to take up the offer so that I could go out! And she was serious about taking care of her siblings so that she could free me to go out!! Gosh, such a child-like simplistic view of life. Perhaps that's what I need 

Big School Updates

And so it has been 3 weeks since Janelle has started school. 

We are all settling nicely into routine, and both Janelle and myself have made several new friends! Janelle's new friends are her classmates, while my new friends are her classmates' mummies as we see each other twice a day when we drop them off at school and pick them up after school. Janelle is enjoying her new school, new environment, and new friends. We are very thankful for the smooth transition!

On Mondays and Fridays, Janine goes with me to school to send/pick Janelle. It is very heartwarming to see how Janine gives such sweet cuddles and kisses to Janelle when it's time to say goodbye, and rushes to the classroom door the moment it opens to be the first to receive Janelle when school has ended! Janine will stand right in front of the classroom door, waiting for her jie-jie to come out and give her excited smiles and a big cuddle. Awww....so sweet! 

One recent funny episode that happened was this conversation between Janelle and myself, after I discovered she came home from school with a 50-cent coin:

Me: Where did you get this coin from??

Janelle (smiling): Isabel gave it to me! :)

Me: You'll need to return this to Isabel tomorrow because it is not right for you to take money from other people....(blah blah blah...I went on to explain why it is not right to take money from others)

Janelle (innocently): But the canteen gave this coin to Isabel!

Well, it turns out that Isabel bought something worth $1 from the canteen and she paid using a $2-coin, so she got back two 50-cent coins for change and decided she did not need two similar coins so she gave one to Janelle! And Janelle's logic was that it was the canteen who gave Isabel the coins so by right, the coin does not belong to Isabel but to the canteen!

It was a futile attempt explaining to Janelle why the coin should be returned to Isabel and not to the canteen! Yet it was really hilarious to see the innocent minds of 5-year-olds 

Chinese New Year 2011

This is the time of the year where we all start to miss home and our family and friends! It is very quiet over here for CNY - no celebrations and no holiday. It is back to work / school as usual for everyone. 

We had a sumptuous reunion dinner celebration at the Ngas' residence last night, but it was a mixture of emotions as we watched the news where people in Cairns were fearing for their lives as they awaited the arrival of Cyclone Yasi (the biggest cyclone to hit Australia ever) which struck at midnight. Though destruction was widespread, thankfully there seems to be no news of any casualties. I believe it is the intervention of prayer that preserved the lives of the people! Praise God for that!

Whilst we can imagine our families all gathering at different one's houses in Singapore and feasting, over here it is a school/work day as per normal. All I could do to create some CNY atmosphere was to give our children an ang pow each and dress them up in red. Then after the girls went off to school, I made Josiah take some silly pictures with ang pows and oranges. Of course all he did was to put everything in his mouth - ang pow included! Hmmm wonder what it tastes like?!

Janelle's First Day at Big School

Janelle started Kindergarten in Kellyville Public School today! She was happy to wear her new school uniform and pose for the camera 

Just before I said goodbye to her at school, the teacher handed Janelle a flower and asked Janelle to give it to me as a "goodbye present". Attached to the flower was a little card with a note, and also a piece of cotton ball, tissue (for wiping tears), and a Tetley teabag! This was what was written on the note:

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Here is a little gift for you as you leave your child with us on the first day of school.

As you hold the cotton ball in your hand, the softness will help you to remember the gentle spirit of your child. After you've gone home and dried your tears, make yourself a hot cup of tea. Put up your feet and relax. Remember that together we can work for your child to be the best that they can be.

All the very best to your family from Mr Bowman and the P&C Committee at Kellyville Public School.

We would also like to invite you to attend the first Parents & Citizens Meeting on the 8th of February at 7:30pm.

Kindergarten 2011

I thought this was a very sweet gift from the school to the parents! Many of the children starting kindergarten came to school today with their whole family - both mum and dad, grandpa, grandma, and siblings included! It is indeed a big thing to see your child off to big school! 

Thus begins a new chapter in Janelle's life (and mine)....

School Readiness

Everyone has been asking me whether is Janelle ready for school, and how she feels about starting kindergarten next Tuesday, etc. In fact, way before Janelle reached schooling age, we have been hearing about school readiness programmes, and about certain markers to see whether your child is ready for school, and so on. Suffice to say, there are tonnes of information and assistance to get your child ready for school. But I think what no one prepared us for is the school readiness programme for the parents of the child! 

As a mother of a child who is starting big school, I feel extremely unprepared for my daughter to start school! It is not just the physical preparation (eg. school uniforms, packing of daily lunches, school bag, etc) that bothers me, but rather it is the emotional aspect of it all that is getting to me. 

It is this sudden realisation that my baby whom I nursed in my arms is now so big that she is actually starting school! She will always be the baby in my eyes, and I simply cannot imagine her "leaving the nest" and starting school 5 days a week! The thought of it just opens a floodgate of tears. I think I must be crazy. I never hear of parents being so upset that their child is starting school! 

The best part about it all is, Janelle remains totally nonchalant about starting big school! Whenever we ask her how she feels about starting school, she just shrugs it off - no excitement, no fear, no nothing! And on the other hand, it is me (the mum) who's worried sick (but pretending to be nonchalant in front of her) and trying to come to terms with this sense of loss that I feel. Such irony! I think the correct question people should be asking is, "How are you feeling about Janelle starting school?" rather than "How does Janelle feel about starting school?"!

I guess this is all part of the growth process. It is a matter of time that babies grow up and eventually become adults. Whilst we may experience "growing pains", we can only take heart that growth is for the betterment of the child! I can only entrust my child into God's loving hands, knowing that even as she takes this first step of flying away from the nest, she is always under the shelter of His wings 

Letter to Janine - 3 years old

Dear Janine,

You are now 3 years old and have been such a delightful little girl! We are so blessed by your hearty and contagious laughter and your affectionate personality. You simply love to cuddle and kiss us, and I know physical touch is your number one love language! 

I love the way you are an open book and so easy to read! One look at you, and I can tell what you are thinking or how you are feeling. There are no secrets in you :) When you are happy, you will be beaming and laughing, and when you are upset, you will cry very loud with no volume control whatsoever! You say the funniest things and are extremely fun to be with!

I am thankful that you get along so well with Janelle and bring so much joy to the family :) Janelle absolutely dotes on you as her mei-mei, and protects you so fiercely too. You are truly so blessed to have Janelle as your jie-jie. And you have surpassed my expectations of you as an er-jie to Josiah! I am so glad that you have received him with such warmth, and keep smothering him with your kisses and cuddles! 

One thing that I still worry about you is this - that you are not the most careful person on earth. You love to run and "cheong" and always seem to sustain some form of injury, like a bruise, cut, scratch, bump, etc. Your legs are filled with 'wounds' from all your playing and running and tumbling. There is never a moment that your legs are "blemish-free", ie. without any wounds. I still hope that you will grow up to be more cautious and careful! 

Still, regardless of which, you will always be the special baby in my heart!

Love you very much,

Mummy

Letter to Janelle - 5 years old

Dear Janelle,

I can't believe you have turned 5 years old and are starting Big School in a few weeks' time! People have often told me that once your child starts school, time just flies by and before you know it, they would have entered adulthood already. I cannot help but be filled with a sense of 'loss' as we celebrate your 5th birthday knowing that you are entering into this new journey of your life as a kindergarten kid! 

It didn't seem like too long ago that I carried you in my arms home from the hospital after you were born! I still have fond memories of you as a newborn and how enchanted your daddy and I were by your mere presence :) I know that even though you may grow older and bigger, you will still always be my baby in my eyes!

This past year has been a year of maturing for you. You seem to have grown up suddenly and become more mature. More of your personality is also showing now that you've turned 5. Previously when you were still a baby, you were very sociable and cheerful. I think you have since blossomed into a melancholic little girl - one who amazes me with your flair for organization and tidiness. Needless to say, you grasp numbers with barely any difficulty and even Mrs Eldershaw (your Prep teacher in Pacific Hills) said you were "advanced in numbers and counting". 

You are still shy in meeting and greeting new people, and tend to be quiet - so much so that at times I do worry about what's going on in your mind because without any probing, you will not say anything! Yet you are willing to greet the teachers in PCHS by "Auntie xx" or "Uncle xx" simply because Daddy has instructed you to do so. The staff at PCHS have been very blessed by your politeness and warmth.

Many a times, you put me to shame by your generosity and kindness. You have a very soft spot for the underprivileged and will always want to participate in any social service or giving that is organized by your school. When your school encouraged every one to prepare a Christmas box to be filled with good stuff and given away to the children in Africa, you excitedly went ahead to put the best toys and gifts into the box. I am so proud of you!

You have been of such good help to me when Josiah was born. I am so impressed that you would anticipate my needs with regards to baby care and take the initiative to help me with it! Things like getting ready the nappy sack for me to change Josiah's dirty diaper, preparing the wet wipes for me, or rocking Josiah in his portacot so that he can settle to sleep, etc, make me so thankful that you are my firstborn. When I see how you simply adore Josiah and would willingly spend time with him, talking to him, cooing to him, singing for him, etc, my heart is greatly warmed. I am blessed with such a sensible and delightful little girl!

I feel worried for you as you start kindy in Kellyville Public School - not because of anything but because of your tender-heartedness, I am afraid you will get bullied or taken advantage of. I can only entrust you into God's loving hands and know that when my eye is not on you, God's eye will always be upon you, and He looks upon you with His special favour because you are a beloved child of God. 

Love you always,

Mummy

Josiah - 4 months old

It's official. 

Josiah is on the 35th percentile in terms of his size. At 4.5 months old, he weighs 6.67kg and is 62.5cm long. The doctor said he is nicely proportionate in terms of his weight, length and head circumference and insists he's not small, maybe just small-er. 

I still need time to get used to this because Janelle and Janine had both been bigger babies! Maybe Josiah takes after my size....hmm....not sure whether this is good considering he's a boy! Anyway, we are thankful for a healthy, bouncy baby boy who has brought so much joy to us and the girls 

He started flipping (front to back) at 3 months old and this has caused lots of angst because he cannot flip back! So he will end up crying for help (in the middle of the night) and I have to wake up just to flip him back so he can settle to sleep again. 

Josiah is now much more responsive and loves to smile at people. The words "daddy" and "no" tend to make him laugh and chuckle, so much so that Janelle has been saying "daddy" and "no" to Josiah just to make him laugh! At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Josiah grows up thinking his name is "daddy" and learning how to say "no" as his first word! 

Janelle is 5 and Janine is 3!

Janelle turned 5 years old yesterday! I just can't believe how time has flown by! Whenever I meet people who tell me they are parents of a 5-year-old, in my mind I'd be thinking that they're quite old to have a 5-year-old kid, and to think that now it's actually my turn to be a parent of a 5-year-old!

We had a nice and simple celebration yesterday by taking Janelle out to shop for her birthday present (she bought 2 little dolls) followed by lunch at Pancakes on the Rocks (Westmead branch). Our dear friends came over at night to celebrate Janelle's birthday with her! I am thankful for such a beautiful girl who at times puts us to shame with her kindheartedness and generosity 

Janine has recently turned 3 and she is still ever so cheerful and bubbly. We enjoy her endless chatter and funny comments. I believe if she wants to look for a job in future, perhaps she should consider being a commentator! I am thankful that as the middle child, she has got such an bright and outgoing personality - to make sure she does not get neglected!