Girl Interrupted

Maybe now that you can talk a lot better, you always want to be part of our conversation. But not boring conversation like office politics, of course. So when mummy talks to daddy, you often go "Dont want Mummy talk to Daddy.." A few times, we would make fun of you by saying " NO, dont want Mummy talk to Phoebe." After a while, you got so fed-up and you said "No, this one!!! as you pointed angrily at Daddy. I know this sounds really rude and we often chide you for doing that but secretly, we find it quite funny coming from a toddler :-)

Feathered friends

Stand Tall

By the time you skimp through all these entries, it is probably apparent to you who is the better writer here. Daddy has always been a wordsmith and Mummy remembers how he would carry a pocket dictionary with him whenever he went out, together with his Time magazine. And how his wedding speech left some guests to tears. But that's besides the point. The topic which mummy is trying to broach here is how in life, and most often than not, you may not end up in a career where your strength lies. However, in the process of carving your niche or to prove your worth, do remember to stand tall and don't forget to love thy self.

p/s: Here's a picture of you and Daddy at the National Museum when we went for the Mozart for Toddlers workshop. Behind you is David.

Where's the contrast?

Here's a lovely picture of you showing your best smile. It was taken by Auntie Sereen when we met them for lunch on Saturday. I remembered earlier in the day when we were at the sony shop, the video camera there captured a picture of you and Mummy on their LCD monitor. And daddy dearest commented that you look exceptionally good next to me due to the contrast!!! Arrgh.....

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Dearest Phoebe, over the long weekend, Daddy was conspicuously absent on the last day. Daddy had to be back in my old office with Uncle Tong Huay (Baby Xavier's Daddy) to wrap up some old business. Yes, Daddy was out and about for about four years with Uncle Tong Huay, racing to find the end of the rainbow.
You were most likely conceived in the thick of the Daddy's and Uncle Tong Huay's venture, when we were still struggling to find our footing. Your impending arrival was probably one of the main reasons why Daddy had to give up chasing the rainbow. The business was launched but there was no pot of gold; hence, the running of the business was left to Uncle Tong Huay who has been holding the fort alone ever since.
As we sat back and reminise about the good ole gung-ho days, I realise that whatever we have achieved was not only due to our hard work, we also had a lot of family support. Daddy had a lot of encouragement from Mummy, Ye-ye and Nai-nai. Never once did they enquire about the pot of gold, the only words that left their lips were "Are you coping well?"
There is a Western saying that goes "Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants" and to Daddy, it means that whatever we achieve is never based on one's solo effort, it is always with the help of others, especially those who care for you. Phoebe, I hope in the future, you would be standing tall but do remember to look down and see whose shoulders you are standing on.
Be good and smile pretty, Daddy dearest.

My achievement

There are numerous blogs about other toddlers' achievements. Mummy often read in awe how some kids are so advanced in their cognitive and motor skills. Your achievement, to daddy and mummy, is to have join us in this world into this family unit, residing in our humble abode exactly after ten months of gestation and almost ten hours of labour. During those ten hours, mummy recalled daddy's reluctance to share how your heart beat went down during those moments of distress so as not to add more pressure to mummy. You were a real fighter then. And now, as we see you growing everyday, to us, is a major achievement.

Loving you for who you are

Last Saturday after the Trio class, mummy could not help but share her worries with Daddy. Mummy wondered why you could not sit still like the other two tots in the class. Mummy also wondered why were you so impatient and demanding during the class compared to the others. Daddy comforted mummy by saying that at least we do not air brush your 'flaws' and are constantly trying to see how we can improve your social skills and be a better behaved girl. Guess this is all part and parcel of parenting. The easiest route to take is to tell ourselves you will grow out of it. We could have chosen to ignore it. Everyday is a challenge and every other day, there is a new worry. Having said that, you are still our dearest.