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!