You wouldn't play the game with me!

I found myself at home surround by all three children yesterday evening and my attention was focused on playing with little Benedict. I placed my palms over both my eyes and asked him, "Ben, where are you? I can't see you?". Usually he would drop everything and come scurrying towards me to move my hands away. He would then give me a big smile coupled with a chuckle.

Little did I notice (what was I wondering at that point of time?), Christa (3+ yrs) had been trying to get my attention and was pushing her way through to pull my hands too. She did that several times and didn't get any response from me.

After a few repeats of the 'game', I looked up and Christa started giving a heart-felt cry. I broke her heart and was partial. She didn't need anymore proof that I 'loved' her sibling more than her. I thought, "What did I do? Why didn't I notice her earlier? Was I such a bummer?".

It did take more than a little hug to soothen the stinging hurt. It was then that I had a heart-to-heart talk to let her know that she was also greatly loved, just as God would love His children. Finally, I had to let her sleep with me although Clarissa (5+ yrs) usually shares that part of the bed with us. Now, was I hoodwinked by the tears or just responding as it should be? At least, she knows everyone gets the same amount of 'TLC' at home. Mommy too!

Little Ben is catching up

Just as we were getting worried (since Grandma reminds us that Ben was a bit slow at speaking and responding) that Benedict was having difficulty vocalising and responding to us, we found that he actually knows what we are telling him to do. He gets up fairly quickly to drop his diapers into the basket when Mommy says, "Ben, throw". This morning he set his feeding bottle on the table when I told him to do so.

Ever since we've been spending a little more time with the children they've been good! And behaving like angels! Now, let's see whether we could get him to speak some English rather than Indonesian!

Kakak! Kakak!

Two nights ago, I came to bed quite late after doing some work on the laptop for my lectures. Little Benedict was disturbed in his sleep and turning from side to side. Was I shocked when he called out, "Kakak! Kakak!" instead of Mommy or Daddy. He repeated it several times and I quickly took him up in my arms to comfort him. He took a peek at me and laid his head on my left shoulder. I placed him on our bed and spent a few minutes patting him on his back softly.

He did not take much notice afterwards and slept soundly as he snuggled against my pillow and bolster. I tip-toed out and went ahead to shower half wondering whether Mommy and I spend enough time with our children. Maybe work isn't so important and family is. The children need more attention.

Neglecting my children!

It's been a really busy week running all over getting suppliers to deliver on time, chasing the contractor to rectify the renovations and scurrying for spare cash so that I can start business on time. Both Clarissa and Christa starts with reports of 'who hit who' and 'what little Benedict did' every night when they greet us at the door. Benedict would run in between his sisters to make sure he gets a chance to give say a big 'Dadd-eeee!' and refuses to let go of the door railings afterwards.

After taking a shower and having dinner, all of us would go to the master bedroom for a short get-together. Mom and I would give them a hug and tuck each child in their beds soon after.

Cheongsum sisters at Chinese New Year!

Mommy had a way with getting the girls up and excited early in the morning yesterday. They had to dress up in a shiny silk dress enhanced with fine embroidery called Cheongsum(and the guys just went along in their shirts and long pants. What happened to the guy's costumes?).

Christa wanted the slim pink coloured dress but Mommy insisted that she couldn't fit into it. She inherited her cousin's pink-orange dress which made her look just as pretty. Both of them had a tinge of lipstick and they were smiling with glee.

I've added 4 photos to show the mood for just before we set off to visit our family members to wish them a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Loosing my wallet

Fancy waking up to find that your wallet is missing. The exact same thing happened a few days ago triggering panic. I had a situation where I did not have my ID card, driving license, cash, ATM cards and credit cards. Mommy had already gone to work and I was left at home. I somehow got to my office with the car running with the fuel warning signal on (I forgot to refill earlier). I was determined to go through the day without any further distractions and even thought of skipping lunch.

My day started with me calling all the banks to block my ATM and credit cards (that's how I lost most of my credit cards at one go!). I finally decided to cancel the credit cards and stick with one. Anyway, Citibank was kind enough not to charge me the RM50 fee for replacing my card because I was a long time customer.

Little did I suspect, one of my girls placed my wallet in the laundry basket with the other clean clothes. I was relieved that my important documents were intact and I did not need to make a police report. What will they be up to next?

Teething attacks at delicate curtains!

It didn't occur to me that Mommy was telling me the truth when she called me during lunch time to tell me that our living room curtains were torn. According to reliable sources (our domestic helper), Christa (3+ yrs) sank her incissors into the semi-transparent fabric and ripped the centre apart. But I was going to ask, "how on earth did she climb to that height?". As it has occurred, Clarissa then followed suit tearing the centre curtain at a higher height (but still at a height which they couldn't reach). Did they do it while standing on chairs to gain the additional 2 feet?

When I saw the damage to the white curtains, the expression on my face turned ugly (because I saw the girls tremble with fear). Little did I know that Mommy had already given them a nice scolding and some spanking earlier. Just like what Jojo Strus would say on MixFM, I decided to look at the positive side of things. I thought they deserved more attention and then probably they would not be doing so much mischief. What do you think?