As S Heard It: CruciFived

My second daughter is quite a verbose toddler, if there is such a thing. Between 8-9 months, she said one of her earliest words (which caught me, my husband, the yaya and our pediatrecian by surprise) - "elmo." Our doctor was trying to distract her with a dancing Elmo, and she asked, "Who is this, Shobe?" To which S answered - very clearly - "Ewmo." Whoa. She started speaking her first few words before she turned one, which is normal. A few months after she turned one, she started talking in 2-3 word phrases. By the time she was two, she was speaking in full sentences just like the little person that she is. Being the competive mom that I am (aren't we all? Even just a teeny weeny bit? Come on....) I am led to believe (by my and my husband's illusions) that she's quite advanced. 

I actually think that she is verbose because she has a keen sense of hearing. She has a knack for repeating phrases, songs and rhymes from memory, after hearing them a few times. However, given that her vocabulary is limited - she usually has to just rely on the what the word "sounds" like to repeat it. One time, she said she wanted "frangled eggs." She refers to a bath as "baff," and she refers to her "thumb" as her "fumb." (Darn that soft 'th' sound!) And so, this often makes for some very interesting conversations.

As Easter approached, and I knew K had been learning about Jesus dying on the cross in school, I mentioned that it was soon Easter. That opens up the question of what is Easter - and so I talk about Jesus rising from the dead, after he was crucified. K knows about crucifixion since she had been quizzing me on the Ways of the Cross posted around the church hall. And here comes Little Miss Bionic Ears....

Me: Yes... It's almost Easter and on Good Friday, Jesus is crucified.

K: Why Mommy?

Me: Jesus was crucified on the cross, he dies to save us from our sins. But don't worry, because he is alive... he rose up after 3 days.

S: Yeah, like Achi, Mommy.

Me: Like who?

S: Like K! She's five! And Jesus is five, too, right?

Owwwkay. That's how stories are made. I hope you and your families have a meaningful Easter celebration. For me, it's a break that I've been looking forward to for sometime. My four month hiatus from blogging has not been without its own stories... and after exactly 4 months, I hope to get my groove back,

Don't forget to pay your taxes! It's April 15!

A Second Opinion: The second child's view

My second child started forming her opinions at a very young age. This makes for very interesting conversations between her and her sister. The older sister has much stronger views, and is less swayed, hence her failed requests (to me) usually end in tears. On one particular occasion when I (again) would not give in to the big sister's demands:

Big sis: booohoo... I want this....

Me: No, K, I told you not everything you want you can get.

Little sis: It's ok, K. Don't cry.

Big sis: boohoo....

Little sis: Don't cry K, Santa Claus is coming to town.

Yes, go get it from Santa, why don't you? :) 

Seeing the World: Kinkakuji, Kyoto

This photo was taken by me, on my iPhone. I love it because it feels like I was the only one there at that time, basking in the quiet dignity of the Golden Pavilion. In reality, there were about 100 or so tourists there, all timing when they can jump into the view for their own souvenir "i've been here" shot.
I've seen pictures of Kinkakuji while I was researching online for our trip. They all look like this - and I always thought that it's because they were professional photographers, who could have the place booked to themselves.
This is what makes Kyoto beautiful - the temples, the gardens, the trees and the greenery all stand in their full, regal glory, oblivious to the people in awe of them.

Read about Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) here.

K's Point of View: High up there

K has been learning about different kinds of transportation in toddler class. Hence, I've been pointing out cars, trains, buses, motorcycles, etc. to her. On a recent car trip out - the MRT passed in front of us so I pointed it out to her.

Me: Look K, it's a train!

K: Wow.

Me: Would you like to ride the train?

K: No.

Me: Why? It's nice and fast...

K: (Looking up at the rails) It's high up there eh! I can't go up.

Mommy forgot to show her the stairs.