We were in Ikea last Sunday, and I just grabbed one of the soft toy, a dog, available from the kids section and placed it in the pram for Zaria to play with. When Zaria fell asleep, Zara took over the dog and started cuddling it, talking to it, stroking it.

At the check out counter, I said we’ll return the dog back to Ikea. Zara went, “Maah-meeEEEE. I really like it.” So I got it for her. RM39, not to expensive, ok la.

She immediately named the dog Fifi, claiming Fifi to be her ‘child’.

Now, she watches TV with Fifi, sleeps cuddling Fifi, she reminds me to bring Fifi along when I go pick her up from school. Zaria tails Zara calling after Fifi, “Fee Feet” but only gets to cuddle Fifi when Zara is at school and not watching when Zara is feeling generous.

The other day, Zara said in the car cuddling Fifi, “You know, mummy, I’m the luckiest person. Only I have Fifi. Nobody else have.”

Remember Mr Blue? He has been cast aside to make way for Fifi. “Mr Blue’s skin is so rough now.” That’s her excuse. She still lets Mr Blue sleeps with her on the bed, but only Fifi is in her arms.

My chilli padi Zaria is getting ‘spicier’.

Coming to 15 months, she’s learnt how to 争宠 or ‘fight for attention’.
If either of us we were reading to Zara, she will come with her book, squeeze for a space on our lap with her buttocks, and then say, “Book book.”

Although we trained her to sit in a car seat since birth, she still complains and wants to wiggle herself out (and most times she succeeds); possibly because both Zara and I sit at the back.

At meal times, we have to use a linen cloth to strap her up on her highchair (we never had to do that with Zara). When we don’t, she will get out of the high chair, and try to get on to the dining table (and mess the dishes up) or just stand on the high chair giving us the victory grin.

When she gets hold of the house key, she’ll try to reach for the key hole chanting, “Go Go Go..”, probably planning for an escape.

We call her the great Houdini.

She’s rather stubborn and no matter how many times we’d told her not to touch the rubbish bin, she still likes to put her hands in the bin and then exclaimed, “Tir-ty” (dirty).

On speech development, she is picking up words like a hungry sponge.

She now knows how to ‘complain’ when Zara snatched things away from her by screaming. When I ask what happened, she’ll point to Zara and say, “Che-che.. fight.”

She also knows how to relate experience in her simple English.
Once there was a thunderstorm and Zara was crying because she’s very scared of thunder. I went down and asked what happened, Zaria pointed to Zara and said, “Che-che.. (thun)der. *patted her own chest* Scared scared… Kai Kai (cry cry).”

She answers “Za-yah” when we ask her “What’s your name?”.
She answers “Za-wah” when we ask her “What’s jiejie’s name?”

When we go out, she’ll go to the shoe rack and picks up her shoes, claiming “Za-yah‘s“. And then point to Zara’s shoes and says, “Che-che‘s“, and then to mine and says, “Mummy‘s“

When she has snot in her nose, she’ll be telling us, “Nose.. wet, wet… dab dab (as in use tissue to dab)”.

She’s a sweet girl who hugs my leg and not let me get back to work; calls Jelly sweetly “Auntieeeee” when she wants something and nobody is entertaining her; most of all, she’s Daddy’s girl. Always happy to see Daddy, and always calling him, “Daddy.. Daddy..”

Just for the record, she’s 77cm tall and weigh 8.2Kg. And her lower left molar has sprouted, making her teeth count to increase to 9 teeth.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Have you heard of this saying before?

Two incidents we had with Zara which reminded me of this.

1st
I wanted to show Zara how a real Queen and Princess look like on movie, so I showed her the beginning part of Elizabeth, The Golden Age. When it got to the part where this fellow was about to have his tongue pulled out, I stopped the movie and told her that’s all she could watch. She said she wanted more. I refused, and told her they were too violent. She insisted, so I told her again the rest was too ‘scary’ and only adults can watch,
She said, “Next time when you old already, got scarry show, I don’t want to watch with you also. Then you cannot watch also.” o.O”

2nd
Both Zaria and Zara were fussing at the dining table, one spitting out her porridge, the other climbing on to different chairs and not eating.
Daddy said, “I think huh, both my daughters so yai-yai (Chinese : naughty), I better go and buy a cane already. Who don’t want to eat properly, I’ll whack her with the cane.”
Zara’s reply, “Daddy, you don’t buy the cane huh? If you buy the cane, next time you old already you naughty I also buy cane and whack you.” o.O”

I wasn’t in one of my better moods because the day was long.
Daddy wasn’t home and I had to handle the 2 girls.

While reading to Zara, I tried to get her to read the words meant for toddlers on each page. A three words phase like A Big Nose, or A Big Mouth. Tried as I may, she wasn’t able to read them, even after I’d done the phonics part for her.

I blew my top and started raising my voice, telling her she wasn’t paying attention, nor was she trying. Our conversation went something like this.
I don’t know mummy
Zara, try. Bbbbb-ih-guh, you join the sounds and say it quickly what do you get?
I don’t know mummy
Bbbbb-ih-guh, B-I-G. BIG! Big what? *pointing to the picture of the nose*
I don’t know mummy *looking at my face*
*shouted*ZARA! LOOK AT THE BOOK, NOT AT MY FACE. I DON’T HAVE WORDS ON MY FACE!
*started crying*Mummy, don’t do like that mummy. I’m scared of you mummy.
READ! WHAT DOES THE WORDS SAY? (why was I pushing her so hard?)
*said this softly*Daddy never read like that mummy.
WAIT FOR YOUR DADDY TO COME BACK AND GO ASK YOUR DADDY TO READ TO YOU THEN. (why on earth did I say this?)
*sobbed*Mummy, I want you to read mummy.
THEN TRY TO READ THE WORDS
…

Boy, this went on for the whole reading session. You can imagine how my blood was boiling, and how upset Zara got.

When I cooled down later, I asked myself why I did what I did? I told her I was really sorry, and she hugged me and sobbed. I promised her and myself that I will try not to do this any more.

I’m not proud of what I did, actually I feel rotten. I’m writing this not to clear my concious but really I want to  record my promise to Zara and myself, and hope this will never happen again.

I’m so sorry Zara.

After my Japan trip, I’d been attempting to try to prepare some dishes with Japanese flavour at home.

Every weekend, we’ve been having salad with Japanese style dressing.
Sauce : 1 tbs teriyaki sauce, 1 tbs soya sauce, 1 tbs sesame oil, 1 tbs Udo’s oil blend, 1 tbs lime juice, 1 tbs toasted sesame

Yakitori – grilled chicken or Japanese Satay as Zara calls them.
Seasoning : salt, pepper and Mirin; or teriyaki sauce

Zucchini with miso paste
Sauce : Miso paste and ground toasted sesame.

When we have these, the girls will be happily having their Mac and Cheese.

I sing a lot to the girls, sometimes giving instructions in songs (which I made up the lyrics), sometimes just songs to sooth them, to entertain them, to teach them.

E.g.
Before bed time, I may sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars, or Barney’s I Love You.
To get them to bath, especially Zara, I’ll sing (a silly song and tune I created), “Your hair so smelly smelly, It’ll kill all the buggies. Quickly go washy washy, to get rid of the smelly.”
Or we’ll have Jackie Cheung’s karaoke at home.

The girls grew up with songs, and hence their minds are filled with songs too.

When Zaria sees a moon (the real thing or in the book), she’ll point to it and say, “Moon”.
Then she’ll ‘sing’ “Ke Ke… Star”; her version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars.

When Zaria sees a rainbow, she’ll point to it and say, “(Rain)bow”., looks at me “Uh.. Uh”.; and waits for me to sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Zaria after a bath. (This has got nothing to do with this topic but I really like this photo.)

Zara is constantly entertaining us or herself with song singing throughout the whole day. Sometimes at the most inappropriate time as well, like during dinner time, she’ll sing with her mouth full or takes forever to finish because she’s singing more than eating.

She also likes to create her own tune and lyrics to reply to me, like e.g. “No, no, no, I don’t want to eat this one” when a vege she dislikes is offered to her.

Yesterday I made some pan cakes for breakfast, and got Zara to help me. While helping she sang a new song I never heard before,
Mix the pan cake
Stir the pan cake
Pour it in a pan
Turn the pan cake
Toss the pan cake
Catch it if you can.
(She said she learnt that from school)

So if you are in this neighbourhood, you’ll know which house is mine with all the melodic singing coming from. 🙂

Since Zara started school beginning of the year, the girls have been infected with all kinds of viruses.
Zaria gets fever almost every fortnightly.
Zara gets cough, runny nose frequently.
Both girls have their first course of antibiotic this year. *sigh*
The girls have never looked so dirty before, there’s always snot on their faces, and dried booger in their noses.

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It’s school holidays and Zara is home whole day.
This morning we have this conversation,
Zara : Mummy, you going to work today?
Me : Yes. Mummy will be working at home.
Zara : Mummy, don’t work today. You play with me.
Me : No, Mummy must work, or else, will have no money to buy food.
Zara : You use my money loh mummy.
Me : You have money meh?
Zara : You use my money from my ang pow. Then you no need to work loh.
(if only it was that simple).

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Zaria is pointing at things and naming them, or some times asking us to name them.
She’ll point to an object (mainly from books), “(What is) This?” and turn to look at us to wait for an answer.

The other day, she pointed to a picture of a computer on a book and said, “(compu)Ter.” and started tapping the picture with her fingers from both hands mimicking typing.  (She must have seen me typing in mine and connected the two.) 😛

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My uncle met Zaria for the first time and wanted to carry her. Zaria waved her index finger and said, “No No.” And then patted her chest, indicating she’s afraid of him.

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Had a conversation with Zara the other day about milk.
Zara : Milk comes from cow
Me : Yes. Which part of cow gives out milk?
Zara : Milk comes from the breast
Me : Yup. Girl cow or boy cow have breast?
Zara : Girl cow. But I’m a small girl. I only have nipple, I don’t have breast. Mummy have breast, so mummy got milk. Daddy also only have nipple, so Daddy don’t have milk.
Never knew we can differentiate nipple and breast in that way. 😛

Every morning when both girls wake up, they will look towards each others’ beds to check the present of the other.
If Zara found Zaria not in bed, she would ask, “Where’s Zaria?”
If Zaria found Zara not in bed, she would call, “Che-che! Che-che!” or “Zah-wah! Zah-wah!”

When Zaria roamed too far away from me in the park, and Zara saw it, she will come over and tell me, “Mummy, you follow meimei, after bad people catch her.”

Zara entertains Zaria with her songs, funny jigs or action, making Zaria giggle and laugh.
Zara watches TV over Zaria while watching TV, when the adults are busy, shouting, “Mummy, Zara climbing upstairs!” or “Mummy, Zaria got stuck in the potty chair.” etc whenever Zaria does some dangerous stunts or gets into trouble.

I saw Zara pushing Zaria in the toy shopping cart the other day, one happy to be pushed, the other happy to be pushing.

I saw Zaria combing through Zara’s hair with her fingers very gently when Zara was asleep.

Once, Zara woke up from her nap from a nightmare and she was wailing. Zaria went to the tissue box, tore out a tissue, and started dabbing Zara’s face.

Although they sometimes fight (snatching things from one another), Zara and Zaria are getting along wonderfully and it’s definitely making both Daddy and I happy.

On Saturday, it was Daddy’s birthday. Zara asked for some baloons for herself but I said no, because there were already 2 I pumped up for her in the house the day before.
As an excuse, she said, “It’s Daddy’s birthday, we need to have some more baloons!” o.O

Daddy bathed her and dressed her up. I checked with her later if Daddy applied her lotion for her or combed her hair.
She said, “Nope….” and then asked, “Do you think my Daddy is stupid?” o.O

We were in a DVD shop, and we didn’t realise there was a table laid with those XXX films, with naked bodies sprawled on the cover.
Zara came over and pointed to that table, “Mummy, why got shows like this one? Children can watch or not?” o.O”

Zara can do most things by herself, or play on her own, so most evenings, I concentrate more on Zaria, and spend more time with Zaria.
When Zara falls down, even though it’s a smallest fall, she’ll come to me, “Mummy, I fall down and hurt myself you know? Can you sayang (Malay : stroke) me or not?”
And then one day, Zara reminded me to spend equal amount of time with her. I was reading to Zaria, and Zara stood in front of me and said, “Can I play with my mummy now?” o.O”

She asked me where her soft toy lamb is, since I don’t know where it was and didn’t bother checking, I just mumbled it must be down stairs. She immediately pointed at me and said, “Mummy, you don’t tell lies huh? You hiding my lamb behind you. o.O” In deed, the lamb was actually behind me.

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I’m actually a very impatient mum, and I snapped at Zara quite frequently. Unconciously, Zara says things like these when I got angry, and reminds me of my shortcomings :
“Mummy, I love you, you know or not, but sometimes you always scold me.”
“Mummy, why are you so upset?”
“Mummy, don’t be angry, it’s a small matter.” o.O”

Zara, mummy is really working on this, ok?