Shern & Khye's Piano Recital 2018

So both my kids had been learning piano since they were 4+ yo.
Shern is now 9 so he has been learning it for about 5 years now. And Khye for about 1+ years.

Just last weekend, their teacher held a Student Recital for all of his students. Nothing big but just among the parents. They had been practising for it for a few months.
I think it was a great opportunity for them to be able to perform in front of a crowd.
To be disciplined and to practise their pieces regularly. And to be able to perform in front of so many people.
And the crowd was not very small either. I think there was be about 60 to 80 ppl.

It was Khye's 2nd piano performance. His first performance was about a year ago.
Khye was in the first session this time. In fact, he was the first one to perform for that afternoon session.

Khye playing Pretty Bouquet @ 5yo - 12 Aug 2018

This was Khye's performance - Pretty Bouquet.
He played good and was confident and I was very proud of him.

Shern had done a few performances as he has been with this teacher for about 5 years now.
His first ever performance was when he was 4+ years old and I also blogged about his love for playing the piano earlier this year.

He had been enjoying learning the song he chose, although towards the end I still needed to nag him to practise playing the song as the recital date got nearer. 

But in the end he played well, although there were some mistakes here and there. 

I am still very, very proud of him. Not only because he did well in the recital, but because he learnt a lot through it. The hours of practising throughout (though he practised only "minutes" every day! :P) and also seeing it with his own eyes how practising makes him play better.

Shern Playing Souvenirs D'Enfance (Childhood Memories) @ 9yo - 12 Aug 2018

This was Shern's performance on that evening - Souvenirs D'Enfance (Childhood Memories)

And above all, I want to thank their teacher for being one of the best piano teacher I've ever known. For being stern yet really nice. And for instilling their love in playing. 

Thank you very much.

Shern Learning & Enjoying the Piano @ 8yo

Shern has been learning the piano since he was 4yo. He is 8+yo now and so it has been 4+ years.
He has come a long way. From his First Mini Piano Recital to his first ever Yamaha Junior Music Course (JMC) Exams 2 years ago.

Yes, this was Shern about 2 1/2 years ago when he was 6yo.

 

16 October 2015

One thing though, he has always loved going for classes, even now.

I'm sure friends play a very important role there, as he made many good friends in his Yamaha class. 

But the teacher's role is even more important.

I personally believe that having a great teacher plays a very important part in nurturing the child's interests in a subject(s). 

Thus, I am so blessed that both Shern and Khye have such a dedicated and great piano teacher. 

His teacher is great in teaching the syllabus, and also to throw in certain songs of their interests.

Eg: Besides the usual Yamaha syllabus, he teaches them to play Xmas songs during Xmas, CNY songs during CNY, Beauty & the Beast song when it was a hit in the cinema, etc.

This makes learning fun and not just restricted to play the syllabus only.

His teacher is also great in maintaining class order, ensuring discipline and yet is a really fun teacher. 

He often gave them class parties and the most recent one was because they just finished their JXC exams. 

And also to reward them, they each got a Shaker pencil with their names engraved in it. All out of his own pocket money!

With his teacher's influence, Shern loves Richard Clayderman's songs and so he started learning to play on his own.

I tried printing out the notes for him but then they got a bit too tough for his level. And so he tried to learn through watching Youtube videos.

He learned a little and was ecstatic he could play his favourite songs. This spurred him on..

What I'm proud of is standing by and watching how his interest in piano grew.

And to see him having the interest to want to learn how to play a song. To see him working hard learning how to play it.

And then his teacher stepped in and taught him properly on using the correct fingering and correcting his mistakes. And then with the correct guidance, he is learning faster than on his own.

And so this is Shern attempting and still learning how to play the song. 

Still lotsa hiccups and mistakes but then he is learning.

Enjoy listening to him learning how to play. I recorded him while he was practising...

This short video clip was taken about a month ago.

One day I hope he can play the whole song properly for me to enjoy.....

And I really have to thank his teacher for instilling his love for music. 

Thank you teacher. Thank you for making them love making music. 

Family Photoshoot When Khye Turned One - Part 2: Shern

September 2013 - Shern @ 4 years 3 mths

This is Family Photoshoot When Khye Turned One - Part 2: Shern (click here for Part 1: Khye)

Shern is now a big boy at 4 yrs 3 mths. But his favourite is still trains.
Sure he has other favourites as well such as pirates and mickey mouse, but nothing can beat his favourite trains. He loves trains so much it scares me sometimes. He even prays to God at night asking Him to let him dream about trains. How about that?

Haha, so it is inevitable that some of the photos of him are with his favourite trains.

Shern can be such a charming boy when he is in the right mood,
He has such a natural smile and laughs so widely and easily when he is happy.

Look at his expression here. Priceless.

I like that Karen captured Shern's many different expressions. This is one of them. Shern having a moment of 'sigh, I'm so tired' kinda expression.

Shern with Daddy.
Do they look alike? Many say they do.

And this is Shern having some fun with Daddy.

And then is time for Shern and Mummy.
Love our smiles.

Stay tuned again for Part 3: Four In The Family.

Photo Credits - Karen Sim from The K Studio

Family Photoshoot - Part 2: Shern

14 March 2013 @ 3 years 9 mths

This is Family Photoshoot - Part 2: Shern. (Pls click for Part 1: Khye)

As I said, Shern joined us for the photoshoot this time. He was 3 yrs 9 mths then.
I allowed Shern to bring his favourite train along to the studio to keep him occupied while waiting. But then Karen decided to just let him enjoy what he likes most, and just photograph him like that, which is great.

So this is a photo of Shern playing with his trains on the floor. He went spinning his body round and round with it, just like what he always does at home.

I was glad he was in a good mood that day. Or should I say that Aunty Karen knows how to entertain kids. Yes, Shern was pretty excited and happy about Aunty Karen's toys room. So we got plenty of smiles from my big boy.

Love this spontaneous shot of Shern.

And Shern was being funny with this big cowboy hat. It covers his whole face, and he found that hilarious.

These 2 shots of Shern with Daddy which I love.

p/s - Tune in for Family Photoshoot - Part 3: Family of Four coming up very soon in the next blog post. ;)
Click here for Family Photoshoot - Part 1: Khye

Yiu-Shern - 39 Months

This is my big boy at 3 years & 3 mths old, cheeky as ever.

22 September 2012 - 3 years & 3 mths old

Growth

He has not been growing any heavier much these days. We stand on our home weighing scale every night before sleep, and he is about 14kg.
But he has grown so much taller. We have this free height measurement sticker that we stick on our wall and I measure Shern's height from time to time. The last i measured him, he was about 97cm tall! He is shooting up well so far.


Playschool

Shern has been loving school, though he never really talk to me about what he does in school. Everytime I ask him 'What did you do in school today?', his answer would be 'play toys'. Haha. But anyway, my aim was to let him learn through play, so is ok. After all, Shern is only 3yo. I plan to let him have all the childhood he can have!

Since I'm in confinement now, hubby has been preparing Shern for school every day. I'm so proud of both of them. Proud of hubby because he could handle him, and proud of Shern coz he behaves very well.


Eating

Shern has been eating quite well. His new favourite is fried rice. I can put in french beans n carrots (chopped into small pieces) and yet he still eats them. Then Shern would declare to everyone proudly that he iseating his vege! Haha
And of course he still loves his eggs or any black sauce (tau ewe bak sauce). And one hawker food he likes is beehoon koay chiap. This hawker food is not easily found in Penang. But whenever we frequent the stall in Kuching Lane, Shern loves it. It's about the only hawker food he really fancies.\\


Big Brother

Shern is promoted to Bog Brother title after Khye is born. Shern has not yet really grasp the significance of having a baby at home yet, because for now during confinement period, Shern is in my mum's house.
But whenever he sees baby Khye, he would pat him to sleep, and also asks that he carries baby. There was even several times he sang to Khye, and I am amused to see that he uses a soft, whisper-y voice when he sings to Khye!


This is what Shern did when I told him to smile to the camera. Then I asked him to smile again with his eyes open. It seems that whenever he smiles big, he needs to close his eyes! Hehe.

22 September 2012

Yiu-Shern - 37 Months

It has been a few months since I last updated Shern's development milestones. So here it is...

29 July 2012 - 37 months (photo by Win Win)

Birthday
In a blink of an eye, my little baby is no more a baby. Some says 3yo is still called toddler. Some says is preschooler. Anyhow, all I know is that my little boy is no more a baby.
He celebrated his 3yo birthday 3 times last month. Once at home on his real day, 2nd time a mini party at home with relatives, and the 3rd time in his playschool with his fiends.


Playschool
Shern started going to playschool consistently after his initial crying episode. He is now enjoying school and could name me a few of his friends' names in school.
But then he is such a dawdle every morning before playschool. He dawdles his way through breakfast and changing into his school uniform. Maybe because he doesn't know how to read the time/clock yet, so the mummy is the only one getting all 'kin cheong', but he is all lackadaisical because he doesn't even know he is late!


Potty Training
Shern is now fully potty-trained, as in pee and poo, but only during the day. From his playschool, he learned to say this every time he wants to pee:
                "Mummy, may I go to the toilet please"
                Then I must answer "Yes, you may"
Very polite and nice.

But the problem is everytime I need to go to the toilet I need to say this too:
                 "Yiu-Shern, may I go to the toilet please"
                Then he will answer "Yes, you may"


Weight
Shern is very small-sized. His grandma calls him cili padi. He only weighs 13.5kg. His weight lingers around this for more than half a year or so already.
For me is OK as long as he eats and he is healthy. I have been underweight all my life too ;)


Pacifier
This is a thing I have a headache with. I don't know how to wean him off the pacifier. As of now, he only takes his pacifier when he sleeps or in the car, and not at other times. But if I allow, he would have sucked his pacifier the whole day.
I introduced the pacifier to him when he was a few months old because if I don't, he would be stuck to my boobs 24/7. I believe if I didn't, he would be stuck to my boobs even until now.
And now I can't wean him off the pacifier completely. How?



Speech
Shern's speech is very good. He uses words I don't even know he knows. Such as 'Thomas is a silly engine'. And when he plays with his train in the hse, he will shout 'All aboard'!
I guess he learns it from the DVD or youtube.


Food
These 2 months, Shern has turned into a muslim or something. He doesn't take meat. No pork or chicken. hahaha. Luckily he still takes fish n prawns and his favourite is fish balls and eggs.
He can eat fishballs and eggs with rice every day and he will be so happy!


Tantrums
Shern has his 'naik gila' episodes. About once a week, I think. Because of a small matter, he sometimes throws a gigantic tantrum and cries and whines for so long, that he doesn't even know what he wants anymore.
This is the time when Shern test my patience. Sometimes I do talk to him patiently, when he gets too much, a spank on his leg or hand is what he gets.

Yiu-Shern - 32 Months

This post is almost 4 months overdue. :)

26 January 2012 - 32 months

Pediatrician Visit
Shern's growth measurement:
Age - 32 month @ 9 February 2012
Weight - 13.0 kg
It has been almost 4 months since Shern's last jab. This time we brought Shern to see Dr. Chiah for his 3rd Japanese Encephalitis (JE) jab. After this, no more jabs 'til Shern turns 5yo!
Shern as usual was very happy to see Dr. Chiah. He likes to go inside the room and play with the toys on the table. He is also someone who loves medicine so no problem whenever go see doctor.

Shern's weight lingers around the same weight, just a kg heavier compared to a few months ago. Shern is a small-sized kid. Well, I don't mind. I have been underweight all my life and I feel just fine.

Shern's Immunisation Schedule and Record Card

I captured this Immunisation Schedule and Record Card of Shern here so that if I somehow lose it, I still have all the records of his jabs. This card is getting rather shabby, with dog-ears here on all corners of the card. So I feel it is much safer I upload this in my blog. :)


Grolier
                                             
                                                                             1 February 2012


We bought this expensive Grolier education set (see top photo) for Shern when he was just a tiny baby. It was an impulse buy really. Lesson learnt: never, ever buy anything on impulse!
But I am glad Shern is now able to use it. He is rather quite interested in it. And I think Shern is quite clever to be able to mix and match the pictures according to the colours and such.
Wow, I am proud of my son!


School
This is also the month which I started Shern on playschool, which went quite well initially, but failed after a few days. It was only after a month plus later which I restarted Shern on playschool again.


Food
Shern has been eating well, with 2 big meals a day and lotsa snacks. Everything is his palate, except for fruits and veges. Veges very common not on the 'like list' for kids, but fruits....me too is as astounded as u!


Speech
Shern's speech is improving every month, with him expressing himself better. He can tell me if a person is feeling sad or happy or even angry by looking at their faces. And he can even tell me if he is feeling cold or hot.
And what I find is good that if he is in pain, he can now express it to me.
He says 'Shern-shern pain-pain in the stomach!'


Visiting Ah Hoe Chek
We have been visiting my school bus Ah Hoe Chek & Ah-Ee since 2009 and it has been a yearly affair. This year Ah Ee was not around but we all had a good time catching up with Ah Hoe Chek. Shern was very happy because now Ah Hoe Chek has a grandson around Shern's age and there were loads of toys for Shern to play around!

26 January 2012

Yiu-Shern - 29 Months

9 November 2011

Food

The above 2 photos are proof that Shern really loves to eat sushi rice. He really loves them and could gobble up 4-5 pcs of those easy-peasy.

Shern likes to eat rice too, as in the normal rice we cook at home. He likes it with sauce. And usually I will throw in small pieces of fish or meat(which he calls bak-bak). Vege he is not so keen, but if in small pieces and he doesn't notice much then is ok.

Haircut

This is the first haircut that he didn't end up having a crew cut. So no more spiky hair for Shern from then onwards. No more botak Shern.

House Monitor

Shern has become the house monitor. He would be the one who said these to us:

'Pho-pho, please don't out your leg on the table'

'Mummy, please wear shoes' - when we are in the car

'Daddy, please wear clothes' - when hubby wants to take of his shirt to cool himself

These are the things we asked him to do. So in return, he now checks on us.

Now we must all really do what we say, coz there is a monitor in the house now! :)

South Africa

Yes, this is the month which Shern flew off earlier with my Pho-pho, Kong-kong & Yee-pho to Cape Town, South Africa. And he spent the whole 6 weeks there, which I joined them later.

So since he flew off beginning of the month, there is not much updates of him in Penang. Most of the updates are of him in South Africa.

There, Shern loves the house there, where there is a huge garden and a swimming pool. He plays ball in the garden often and he loves the 2 dogs there.

Wen yee-yee and Ian Yee-cheung love him to bits. They couldn't stop pampering him, buying him treats often. And Wen yee-yee was looking for places to bring him there so that he would be happy. But overall, he loves it in Cape Town, because of the wide spaces for him to run about and also the cool weather.

Yiu-Shern - 28 Months

1 October 2011

Car Seat and Stroller
Shern has been an absolute angel in these until now. He sits in his toddler car seat with his seat belt on every time in his daddy's car. And he would asks for his stroller every time we go out. Isn't that amazing? I could hardly believe it myself too.

Potty Training
We have started potty training Shern again, slowly. Now whenever he is doing his poo (I will know when he is doing his big business), I will bring the potty to him. Then I will also bring him his toy cars, telling him he can sit in the potty to poo while playing with his cars. He seems ok with it.
Well, this is the first step. Will think of the next time soon. ;P

Speech
Shern's speech is growing really, really well. He can now voice out different emotions, telling me that 'car-car is sad' whenever he sees a droopy mouth in the cartoon or books.
He also name me many types of animals, which he learns from books, such as 'meerkat' and '

Food
His love towards sushi is still ongoing. He would gobble down 4-5 sushi rice, no problem at all. And he particularly likes Sakae Sushi because of the kiddy meals which are served on very interesting plates such as car, plane, etc.
The photo above was taken at Edo Ichi, one of our favourite Japanese restaurant.

And he is still avoiding fruits. Don't ask me why. One look at any fruits and he runs away.
And he being the MPPP of the house, weird I think. I mean, fruits are sweet and kids are supposed to like them right?

Toys
I now declare my son being a wheels freak. He just loves anything with wheels. Cars, trains, trucks, tractor, he knows them all.
I am convinced he is going to be a wheel expert in the future, maybe owning a Michelin Tyre shop or something.

Shern can tell me most of the cars on the road, be it a Dump Truck, Cement truck, Jeep, Van, Bus, Tractor. He amazes even his own mum, me!

Recent Things
Nothing much happen besides the ordinary happened this month.
Only having tried Candy Floss for his first time and wearing those spectacles that makes him looked so geeky!

Yiu-Shern - 27 Months

25 September 2011

This is also another backdated post. My son is actually almost 29 months now but I am still updating his 27 months post. Oh well, better late than never!

Pacifier
Good news. He is no longer so attached to his pacifier. He still takes it but only when he naps or sleeps in the room. He no longer asks or whines for it when he is in the living room playing his toy cars or watching the telly.

Once a while he does, he will say "Shern-Shern ai teat teat".
And then he will answer himself "Teat-teat only in the room".
Sometimes he would run to the room and suck the pacifier for 5 seconds and then take it out again and then run out of the room. Talk about addiction!
But most of the time, he would just ignored it and continue with his play.

Looks like another battle won - I finally won The Battle of the Pacifier! :)


Drawing
He received a pre-loved Fisher Price Doodle Pro from his cousins and he has been loving it. He then learns how to draw, but usually ended up us drawing him what he requests:
"mummy, draw car"
"mummy, draw big train"
"mummy, draw Yiu-Shern"
"mummy, draw Thomas"

But what I like is that he learns shapes using the shape stamps. He now knows what is a 'circle', 'square' and a 'triangle', thanks to Min-yee.
He uses the circle stamp to "chop" as the wheels of the cars and trains drawn. And uses the square stamp to "chop" as the windows.


Speech
Broadens his vocabulary and he could say words such as 'remote control car', 'automatic door', 'slippery' and many other words with long syllable.
And the thing is, he not only says it but he can really understands what each words mean.
I'm really amazed!


Food
He has taken a liking to eating sushi. When I said sushi, it means Shern likes the block of rice without the topping. Haha. He could eat up to 4-5 pieces of sushi rice at one sitting. Just the sushi rice with a plate of sweet sauce for him to dip and he is happy to let mummy eat in peace! So we have been visiting Sushi King, Sakae Sushi and Edo Ichi quite often when we do dine out. :)

At home, he still eats the same thing. Breakfast usually varies. Sometimes noodles from the market, or bread with half-boiled egg, etc. Rice for lunch and dinner and a lot of snacks in between. Snacks such as milo with biscuit, cereals, Yakult, etc.


Milk
Sure to have a bottle of 6-7oz of milk whenever he wakes up in the morning and before he goes to bed at night. Then sometimes another bottle of milk before or after he naps in the afternoon. That is about all. So his milk intake is about 14-20 oz per day.


Sleep
Sleeps about 10-12 hours though the night, usually about 10pm-8am. Naps about 2-3 hours from 1-4pm.


Stroller
Shern is now ok to sit in his stroller. Actually, he loves sitting in his stroller nowadays. Usually I will ask him, "Shern wants to sit in the stroller or want to walk?". Stroller is always his choice. Either he likes it or he is too lazy to walk.
So nowadays we seldom carry him. He is getting too heavy to be carried.


Recent Things
It was a good month for Shern, with a visit to the Logos Hope, having fun in the garden on a rainy afternoon, going to the Youth Park playground quite often, went up to Penang Hill, and many others.

Yiu-Shern - 26 Months

This post is way outdated, hidden in my draft for almost 3 months.

22 August 2011

Cuti-Cuti Penang
August was the month where Popo, Kong-kong & Yee-Pho went to Singapore for a week. And since Min was still working at that time, left the 3 of us at home whenever Peter gets off work.
I decided to take a break ourselves and break off from our normal routine, so that was the beginning of our daily dose of Cuti-cuti Penang.

We went to many places in Penang, such as CTY Aquarium, Teluk-Bahang Fisherman Jetty, Adventure Zone, Mega Kiddies World, Ferry Ride, Penang Bird Park, Penang Hill, Youth Park, Teluk Bahang Dam, etc.

I then realized Penang has so many places to visit even with a toddler in tow. And many of these places are free. It makes me more happy because Shern was so happy. I'm sure Shern thought he was on holidays too when Popo, Kong-kong & Yee-pho were not around.


Shern in Car Seat
It was also the starting of me re-introducing the car seat to Shern. I wrote all about the Battle of the Car Seat about a few weeks ago.


Reciting from 1 to 10
Shern learnt how to recite from 1 to 10, thanks to the ad '10 Reasons You Should Choose Thai Airways' on Astro. Well, at least there are some benefits in letting your kids watch ads on tv. :)


Speech
His speech development continues to astonish even me. He learns new words so fast that we could not even afford to mumble any bad words like 'shit'. The other day he started to say 'oh my god' in exactly the same tone I said it. He imitated it so damn well he started to scare me.

He can now recites Nursery Rhymes, in sentences now and not just the last words.
Current favourite is Jack & Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Pussy Cat Pussy Cat, Little Jack Horner and Wee Willy Winkie.


Books
His current favourites are 'The Little Engine That Could' and 'Nursery Rhymes'.
He even adores a Cars themed Lego brochure we got from Toys 'R' Us, asking me to "read" the brochure to him again and again and pointing to Lightning McQueen, Mater and Finn McMissile. Toys R Us would be very happy to know that their brochures has very long lifespan in my house!


Food
Shern is really the MPPP of the house. He eats everything, including char koay teow and hokkien mee. Even this means one mouthful of char koay teow and one sip of water. He is not afraid of spicy.

But luckily, he eats rice quite readily too. But he is not too fond of porridge nowadays. Just like me I guess. And of course his favourites are Yakult and Vitagen.

But when it comes to fruits, he stays far far away. It is really weird you know. Once he sees it, he automatically knows they are fruits and he won't even go near them. Be it apples, oranges, watermelons, kiwis, bananas, etc. Sometimes he tries them when we tried to make them sound so delicious, but usually he spits them out. Fruits are sweet, why doesn't he like them?


Sleep
He now sleeps from around 10pm to 8.30am every night. No waking up for feeds as usual. Still pees in his diapers. There are the occasional dreams where he laughs while sleeping or even talks when he sleeps. All I need it to just pat him and he continues his sleep.

Gone are the days where we need to carry him to sleep (phew!). Really so glad because he weighs a ton now. Ok, not a ton but feels like a ton. All he needs is someone to accompany him to sleep. Drinks 6-7oz of milk. And then he will tosses and turns in bed, and also puts his head on my stomach and all over me, until he falls asleep, which is usually in 15 minutes.


Potty Training
This one fails big time. Screams his head off when he sees the potty. Starts fighting with me about me taking off his diapers and asking me to wear back for him. Cries and wails until his poop disappeared. Sigh.

Now his usual is he hides when he does his big business. When you suddenly hear silence in the house, you will find Shern hiding in a corner doing his big business. And if we go near him, he will asks us to go away. Big business done when he finally comes out from his corner. Sigh.

Yiu-Shern - 25 Months

2 August 2011 @ 25 Months

Potty
Don't be deceived by the photo above. The photo shows that Shern is sitting on his potty. But actually, he was just posing while seating on his potty.
No, Shern is not yet potty-trained. I don't think he would be for the time being. He simply can't sit still long enough for him to poo. And if I bring him the potty while he is poo-ing, his poo would just simply vanished. He somehow 'sucked' the poo back and would refuse to poo while in the potty.
Sigh. I guess I fail in this potty training session. So forget it. For the time being at least. I am as stressed as him.


Speech
The most significant improvement these days is his speech development. It's really amazing that his speech improved so much. To think that I was worrying about him being a late talker just a few months ago, with him only calling 'mummy' and 'daddy' at 20 months. And now Shern is already speaking in sentences, although in short sentences most of the time.

Sometimes he can manage pretty long sentences too, like the sentence about flying, and can also made himself be understood.

"Cannot touch fire, can burn leg, burn hand" - whenever he sees fire
"This car cannot talk, only Spencer can talk" - he has this Spencer train which can talk if button pressed
"Mummy talk to aunty, cannot ar" - he doesn't want me to talk to my friend
"Only pho-pho house got cartoon" - knowing that he can only watch cartoon (tv) in pho-pho's house.

So you can see I am pretty much amazed by the sudden leap in his speech development.

I also sent an email to Miss Evelyn Oh at Pacific Speech Therapist to update her about my son's speech development, and also to thank her for the guidance she gave me months ago.


Toys
Nothing changed. He is still very much into his toy cars, zooming them everywhere in the house. On the table, on the floor, on walls, etc. And most of the time, he has one car in his hands even when we are going out.

But like I mentioned, he likes his wooden loop-y toy and I've recently trying to get him interested in playing his blocks. So far, all he is interested in is knocking them down. Sometimes he would stack 3-4 pieces and then he would knock them down for sure.


Books
One thing I am very grateful for. Shern loves books. He couldn't get enough of them. He reads any books as long as I read them in an interesting manner, and of course it helps when the books have colourful illustrations. Sometimes I am rather wary when I hear Shern says "mummy, read book", because he would say it again once I am done.
"mummy, read book again". Yes, he knows how to use the word 'again'.

Most of his books I bought from Leo Bookstore. Most of them second-hand which costs me about RM3-8 each. Very good bargain as they are still in good condition and many of them are hardcover imported books.


Pacifier
He is not that addicted to his pacifier anymore. He still asks for it, but not so addicted anymore. And I recently noticed that when he is at home, he seldom asks for it. He knows that the pacifier is only when he sleeps and is in the bedroom.
But when he is in pho-pho's house, he somehow whines for it whenever he thinks of it. And sometimes he gets it.

I read this quote somewhere which says "children are spoilt because no one will spank grandma". I find it so true. :)


Walking
Bringing Shern out sometimes is such a chore. Because most of the time, he refuses to walk. And he refuses to sit in his stroller.
Nowadays since he can understand us more, I tell him "mummy cannot carry you because you are too heavy. My hand hurts". He looked at me as if he understands and then he would turn over to hubby and says "daddy carry". Wahhh....


Food
Shern somehow prefers noodles over rice. He eats rice too of course, but if you let him spot any of us having noodles, he would say "ai mee-mee".

Shern also likes cheese and yogurt, which is fine to me. And these days, he prefers Vitagen over Yakult. He calls it "purple" because he likes the grape flavoured Vitagen.

And his favourite snack recently is "milo with biscuit" - Hup Seng biscuit dipped into Milo drinks, and "bread with egg-egg" - bread dipped into half-boiled egg.

Last time I do not know how to make half-boiled egg without the 'Half-boiled Egg Cooker thingy'. You know, the yellow plastic tupperware which you put your eggs in. And when the water finished dripping, then your half-boiled eggs are ready.
As my house don't have one, I learned to make half-boiled eggs manually, which is by doing the timing myself.

Method: Bring water in a pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the fire. Put your eggs in (cold from the fridge) and time it for 3 minutes or slightly a few seconds more if you prefer a less runny yolk.

I am now a half-boiled egg expert. :P


Recent Things
Overall, Shern had a good month, as he always do. He went to KL and Lumut, ate satays and siput like a pro, swooshed down the giant slides in Adventure Zone, and even managed to get a huge swollen bruise on his forehead.
What a month!

Yiu-Shern - 24 Months

6 June 2011 @ 24 Months

Toys
Shern is still very much into his toy vehicles. He can name most of the vehicles on the road: car, taxi, tractor, lorry, cement truck, fire engine truck, ambulance, police car, and even cranes on construction sites.
His vehicles collection is growing rather too rapidly that we don't have much space for them!

And needless to say, he knows almost all of the vehicles of Thomas and Friends. He can tell you which is Thomas, James, Annie and Clarabel, Harold, Duck, etc. And he can also differentiate between Thomas, Edward and Gordon. All three of them are blue in colour but he knows which is which by looking at their facial expressions. All of us at home and are in awe of him for this.

Physical Strength
Shern is getting really strong. When he kicks, he can kick real hard. And he can jump now as opposed to a few months ago when jump to him means tip-toe-ing his feet!

Speech
Speech-wise he is doing really well now. Although he is a late talker, calling mummy and daddy only at 20 months, his speech development is growing at a rapid rate now. Once he found that he could roll his tongue, he has been following what we are talking.

Me: Hey, Peter, don't be siao.
Shern: Don't be siao.
Me: ooopss...

Yeah, we have to really watch what we are saying. Shern is listening to every single word we say and parrot-ing us!

And he is now able to join words to try to form sentences. Talk about rapid speech development! Of course he dropped all the 'is', 'are', 'with' etc. But he can really make himself understood.

While we were sitting as passenger behind the car, the car jolted due to a road bump.
Shern: Daddy drive scared-scared.
(he is trying to tell us, daddy driving made him scared)

It was hilarious really!

Food
Shern is like the MPPP of the house. He wants to eat what we are eating. And that includes hokkien mee and char koay teow. Yes, he is not afraid of chilli. After slurping them, he will say 'a bit spicy' and then drink his water. And after that he will say 'aiiii', which means he wants more!

Of course, hokkien mee and char koay teow is not his main meal. He just slurps a little of what we give him. He has his own bowl of non-spicy rice or noodles.
I am not the particular mum that makes sure my son eats only wholemeal bread or brown rice and nothing else. Of course they are good stuff and I'll be real happy if he eats them. But just that I don't mind Shern slurping a few mouthful of sinful stuff such as char koay teow.
After all, Shern is already eating all my homemade bakes. Those are already sinful stuff right?

But I put my stand on some food. No sweets for Shern (unless my MIL gives him some once a week when he goes to visit) and no soft drinks!

And one thing though, you can't catch Shern near any fruits. For some reason, he has now decided that fruits are not for him. He spits out whatever fruits I gave him, be it apple, grapes, oranges, peaches, bananas, watermelon. Sigh. Lucky for me, he poos alright. Actually, he poos 2-3 times a day!

Milk
Shern drinks 5-6oz of Anmum Essential 3+ every morning when he opens his eyes. And then once or twice during the day, usually before or after nap. And another 5-6oz before he sleeps. And no, he doesn't drink any milk in the middle of the night (thank goodness).

And when we go out, I don't take with me formula powder, hot water, bottle, etc if it is just the mall or somewhere just a few hours. Maybe because he eats everything, so it is usually no problem to find food for him outside, usually bread or rice or just noodles. He gobbles everything.

I only lug out the formula powder, hot water, bottle with me if we go out the whole day (very seldom) or if we go to MIL's house.

Shopping
Shern loves going kai-kai. He loves to sit car, because it means going out. But to our exasperation, at malls, Shern refused to walk most of the time. When we try to put him down, he will lift up his legs quickly and say 'mai walk'!

And he will not sit in the stroller. One mistake we made, we did not bring him out often when he was young, thus he was not associated with the stroller well. When we did, he was already more alert and clever and refused to sit in the stroller!

On rare occasions, in order to persuade him to walk, we gave him a hat in Forever 21 and he had a good time playing with the hat!

12 June 2011 (photo taken using iPhone)

Character
Shern is really naughty nowadays. He purposely disobey us and does what we tell him not to do. So that was the reason I bought a cane at the Chowrasta Market 2 weeks ago. I have not used it yet, but I know someday I will.

I am not someone who is fond of using the cane to discipline my child. Me, myself was not caned often during young. But Shern really is testing my patience. He can be real obstinate at times. And I am already considered a very patient person. I always try my best to persuade him and explain things to him, rather than force him. Well, we'll see how long 'til I use the cane.

Sharing
Shern does not know how to share. He thinks that sharing means one-way; him lending his things to other people. He cannot understand that people can lend him their things too.

And maybe he got scared during his birthday party because without giving him notice and time, he suddenly has got to share his toys with so many other kids. So now, he has a phobia on the word 'share'. He always replies with 'mai share'.
But if I dont use the word 'share' but instead I say 'can mummy play with it?' (instead of can share this with mummy?'), he is ok with it!
So I really have got to teach him about sharing.

Sleep
Shern now sleep at around 9.30pm or 10.00pm to about 8.00-8.30am, which is about 10 hours+ of a good night sleep. We don't have to carry him to sleep anymore, but just need one of us to lie down next to him until he falls asleep. He will usually toss and turn until he falls asleep, which is usually 5-15 minutes later.

And now, he usually sleeps through the night.


(To read more about Shern's development milestone, please click here.)

Yiu-Shern - 21 Months

20 March 2011 @ 21 Month

Speech
There is actually not much obvious development in just a month. The most obvious being that Shern is improving on his speech. He can speak more words by the day.
And to hear him sing Justin Bieber's 'Baby Baby Baby Oh' is really awesome. That is the most words he can manage for now - Baby Baby Oh - 3 words in a row.

Playing Using His Hands
Nowadays, I find that he is interested in playing toys which requires handling of his hands, such as stacking. But he is not so interested in stacking his blocks. He is more interested in stacking other stuff, household stuff he could get hands on like empty tins, etc.

And he is also more interested in playing with the wooden loop-y toy (see photo above) I bought for him more than a year ago. This is an educational toy which helps him on hand and eye coordination and creativity. Although he played with this since a year ago, Shern now has more steady hands and is able to loop the beads through the loops really well now.

Pacifier
One thing though, he is now very very addicted to his pacifier. He used to only suck it when he wants to sleep, but in recent months, he asks for his pacifier even when he is awake. This is bad because he tends to salivate more when it is in his mouth. And he is also into biting it often. And Avent Pacifiers don't come cheap. So now I buy him cheap pacifiers. I'm thinking of weaning him off pacifiers soon.

Little Imitator
Shern learns things very fast. And he is now coming to an age where he tries to imitate us in everything we do.
Like I was using my teeth to bite the paper I was holding as I was tying my hair with both hands, Shern immediately took the paper from my mouth and he put it into his mouth. I was like..'Oops'.
And there was once where I used my foot to move his toy car aside so that people couldn't trip over it, Shern then followed me and used his foot to move his car too. Another 'Oops'.

Visit to the Paediatrician
This time we brought him to the paed for two reasons. One, is for his 2nd JE jab. Two, is because of his flu. He has been having a prolonged case of flu about a month ago after we came back from Phuket. Only two weeks after he was well, he came down wit the flu again.

Dr. Chiah said it must be a different virus. Anyhow, I feel that I am becoming more of a home-paed myself for Shern as I now know all the names of the common medicine like Piriton, Polaramine, Paracetamol, Mucosolvan, etc. :)

Shern's growth measurement:
Age - 21 month @ 25 March 2011
Weight - 11.0 kg

This visit shows no weight gain from last month. It is considered a very good weight with his flu and all. And we did not measure his height that day. Next month, we will do so.

Taking Shern to visit the paed is very pleasant now. He is happy when I tell him 'we go see doctor' and he would say 'aiii...' Shern likes to play with the toys on Dr. Chiah's table. And he does not make a fuss when doc uses his stethoscope on him, and even opens his mouth for doctor to see his throat.
And the visit always ends with Shern saying 'bye' to Dr. Chiah, waving his hands and giving him a flying kiss!

Yiu-Shern - 20 Months

14 February 2011 - McD in Jungceylon, Phuket

Shern has many 'Firsts' this month. First time flying. First time going to the beach. First time going to a playground. First time saying 'mami' and 'dy'.
His experiences and exposure to new things are getting more and more.

Because of CNY and our family trip to Phuket, we had to postpone his 20th month visit to the paed.

This time around was to take his first JE jab. This is an optional jab and is only compulsary for children resident in the state of Sarawak (according to the govt list). But since his paed recommended it, we chose to take it.

Shern was being angelic during the visit. He did not fuss when doctor was using his stethoscope to listen to his lungs since Shern had a little cough. He also did not make a sound when doctor used a tongue compressor to see his throat. I was surprised. Shern was just busy playing with the toys on doctor's table.

Since shern was no more a baby, he was no more required to sit on the baby weighing scale. Shern being a big boy was asked to stand on the normal weighing scale.

Shern's growth measurement:
Age - 20 month @ 25 February 2011
Weight - 11.0 kg
Length/Height - 85 cm


Physical Strength
I noticed that Shern's hands and legs are getting stronger. He can heave himself up easily and I see him climbing up the dining chairs and sofas more often.
I also see him climbing up stairs with more ease (with my help) compared to last time.

Speech
These last two weeks we see vast improvement on his speech. Besides saying 'Mami' and 'Dadi', he can now say more words as days go by. Things like:
- wou wou (dog)
- miao miao (cat)
- mumm mumm (food)
- ann kee (cranky the crane)
- lowee (lorry)
- bai (bye)
- pho pho (pho-pho / grandma)
- yee yee (yee-yee)
- ba (bus)

This is a really big improvement on his speech. Before this, being a late-talker, he refused to say anything other than a few words. So now I am very happy.

Milk
Shern is not a big fan of formula milk. He drinks alright but he doesnt really ask for it. We have to initiate to give to him. He drinks 5-6oz in the morning when he wakes up. And another 5-6oz before he sleeps at night. In the afternoon, sometimes, he will drink another 5-6oz after his afternoon nap. But not all the time.

I tried changing other formula brands, just in case he doesn't like Anmum Essential, but it was even worse. He refused to drink them. So I'm sticking to Anmum Essential Step 3 as he still drinks them and he does not have any constipation problem.

Food
Nowadays, we seldom cook special food for him. He just eats whatever we eat, provided that there must be at least a dish of non-spicy food that he can eat. However, he loves soup. He would finish the whole bowl of food and sometimes the rice in it is untouched.

As for snacks, he loves Sun Maid Raisins. And he loves Yakult/Vitagen.
He used to like biscuits too, but nowadays he stops fancying them.

Character
I think he gets more and more naughty as he grows. He now throws tantrums quite often. Or he would whine the whole hour without reasons. And sometimes he throws his toys or push you away when we tried to talk to him. Scolding and beating on his hands do not seem to work. Talking to him about it does not seem to be working too.

I think I need to do something about disciplining him.

Sleep
He sleeps better now, sometimes sleeping through the night without any problems. And even if he does wake up in the middle of the night, he would whimper/sob for me and if I am next to him, he would just put his head on my tummy or touched me with his hands and he would continue to sleep back.

And no, he does not wake up in the middle of the night for milk. Last feeding was 5-6oz of milk before he sleeps.

Playing Peekaboo @ 19 months

Shern was in the mood to play peekaboo with me last night.
So he hid his face on my tummy, then slowly, he peeked out from there and when he could see my face, he smiled and laughed and was so tickled by it.

It was quite funny to see the way he did it. He was all smiles and giggles.
Just a simple thing and he was so happy.

Let's have a look at him, shall we? :)

Shern Playing Peekaboo - 8 January 2011

Visit to the Paed - 18 Months

11 December 2010

Took Shern to see Dr. Chiah for his 18-month-old booster jab.
We waited for more than an hour this time and Shern was getting restless. But the moment we went inside the paed room, he was excited to see all the toys on the doctor's table.

I knew from experience that I have to ask Dr. Chiah all questions and concerns before his jab, because once Shern started howling, we would have to leave immediately.

And that was when I told Dr. Chiah about my concerns with Shern's speech. Up until now, Shern could only say 'mumm-mumm' and 'aii.....' clearly and consistently. But I also told the doc that he could understand us by showing various actions and pointing at things.
Doc says this shows that Shern's hearing is fine and he can process things with his mind. But then he may be having some speech-language delay.

He said that this is still not the worry stage yet as Shern is only 18 months old. But early intervention is good to see what we as parents can help the child. I could see his point and he then referred us to a Speech Therapist outside of GMC.

Then it was time for the booster jab. Distracting Shern with toys, Shern did not even cry! He did whimper a little but it was over so soon that he forgot all about it. He was really a good boy!
After hearing from a friend that this jab could lead to fever and uneasiness to the child, I asked Dr. Chiah about it. He said that the percentage of getting a fever with this jab is not high - only 1 in 20. (This is a low percentage because his earlier jab percentage was 1 in 5).

Shern then fell asleep in the car on the way back home. And during the car ride, I was thinking and toiling the idea of early intervention. Then I knew I was determined to do all I can in helping Shern. But first, I want to learn all about speech-language delay. And the best way to learn is 'thru google.

Oh, thank goodness for the invention of search engines!

Yiu-Shern - 17 Months

This is Shern at 17 months, with his too-long, uneven, spiky hair.

Actually, these photos were taken when he was having mild food poisoning, which I found out so many days later from his paed. He was having loose stools and even vomitted once. And he completely lost his appetite.

Well, I thought it was just another teething stint. I did not know because he was just about as active as ever.

4 December 2010

Playing with his toys with his yee-yee-s who came over to stay due to the school break...

Rummaging their Uno cards...

Watching youtube videos with them...

He went about still active and all.

But looking at his photos now, he did seem to have lost some weight, my poor baby.

His appetite is back since yesterday. And not so frequent tools.
Guess the RM90 paed fee was well worth the money! :)