Daddy stays up late each night reviewing for an exam:
Pia: Daddy, why do you always work late at night?
Daddy: I'm not working, I'm...doing my assignments.
Pia: So that we will have more money?
Daddy: Yes
Pia: If we have plenty of money we can buy many things, even expensive things?
Daddy: (hesitation) ... yes ...
Pia: And you can buy expensive gifts?
Daddy: Yes...
Pia: Daddy...
Daddy: Yes, Pia?
Pia: I want you and Mommy to be rich.
* * *
Another day, another round of assignments for the children. Pia is really really incensed:
Pia: Daddy, if you give me another assignment I will leave you in a snake farm!
* * *
To hone their academic skills (or at least prevent rust from taking hold), we try to give Dominic and Pia 'assignments' everyday.
Pia tries different approaches to escape from having to do these pesky assignments. These days, she uses threats.
A few weeks before Christmas:
Pia: (in a sing-song) Daddy, you - are - going - to - lose - all - of - your - gifts
Daddy: Why?
Pia: BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS GIVING ME ASSIGNMENTS!!!
* * *
We give Dominic and Pia 'assignments' everyday, to improve their reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. While Dominic is ambivalent towards them, Pia detests these assignments and tries different ways to avoid having to do them. Lately she has been resorting to threats.
Resignedly accepting today's assignment:
Pia: (serious) Daddy, when I finish this assignment I will also give you a very hard assignment!
* * *
The primary school year ended mid-December. Dominic has finished Grade 1 with acceptable grades, and will move on to Grade 2 next year, with the resolution to do better.
The school sent back a bagful of stuff that he had been using in his class: crayons, pencils, a CD of their PowerPoint composition, a calculator, and half a dozen partly-used scrapbooks.
One of the scrapbooks was used for his science class. The entry on one page caught our eyes:
HYPOTHESIS: My plant will grow big.
On the same page was a photo of Dominic smiling and holding a flower pot.
The next few pages, with photos, chronicled the life of his bean plant over several weeks, how it started growing, then started limping and finally, the last page had:
CONCLUSION: I am wrong. My plant is dead.
* * *
Pia folds a paper sword from newspapers and hands it to Daddy:
Pia: Here Daddy, take this. I will make another sword for Mommy. Then you can fight each other.
* * *
Sammy has learned sing on cue and might one day, not very soon, join Australian Idol.
Anyone: Old MacDonald had a farm...
Sammy: Eeya!
We are working on the rest of the syllables.
* * *
Pia holding a stuffed toy duck, and jumping up and down in bed:
Pia: I... am... Duck Vader... I... am... Duck Vader... I... am... Duck Vader...
* * *
Pia has a little brown and white fluffy stuffed toy puppy that she brings to bed each night. She won't sleep without it.
We realized we didn't know whether she had named the 'puppy':
Daddy: Does your puppy have a name?
Pia: Yes
Daddy: What's his name?
Pia: His name is Darth Vader.
She grabs another stuffed toy, a yellow chick.
Pia: And this is Darth Chickee.
* * *
Pia is learning to read with Dr. Seuss books.
And each night, before they go to sleep, we read Old Testament stories to Dominic and Pia. Last night we also watched 'The Prince of Egypt'
Pia puts two and two together and comes up with a question that, despite two thousand years of Christian writing, no mystic or Doctor of the Church thought to write a treatise about:
Pia: Daddy, is Moses' staff more powerful than the Cat in the Hat?
* * *
A day after we bought her her unicorn stuffed doll, which we made extra-clear was reserved for Christmas, Pia started changing her mind.
Walking into the kitchen while Daddy was eating...
Pia: Daddy! That toy you bought me yesterday is not for Christmas. It's are for playing right now. You thought it's for Christmas, but it's not. I should play with it now.
Daddy: Oh no, it's for Christmas.
* * *
After finding out that people eat goats...
Pia: What about horses? Do people eat horses? (her favorite animal)
Daddy: Some people eat horsemeat
Pia: But not us. (Right, Daddy? Right?)
Daddy: Yes, not us.
Silence.
Pia: Is it yummy?
* * *
Pia just finished showing off how she can read 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'
Pia: Why did the troll say he wants to eat the goats?
Daddy: Because he was hungry.
Pia: Trolls eat goats?
Daddy: Yes
Pia: How about mans? (humans)
Daddy: Yes, we eat goat.
A brief silence, as innocence meets stark reality
Pia: (In a hush) Eew
* * *
We used to have a thick ream of blank A4 paper. The children use it for drawing and for all sorts of paper craft. But the paper's almost all gone now.
Pia: Daddy, why don't we have any more blank paper?
Daddy: (wasn't aware we had run out) Why? Don't we have any more blank paper?
Pia: (suddenly angry) Daddy! Don't ask me, I'm asking you! Why don't we have any more blank paper?
Daddy: I know you're asking me.
Pia: But you are repeating what I say!
Daddy: (confused) I wasn't repeating. You asked me why we had no more blank paper. I asked you, 'Why? Don't we have any more blank paper?'
Pia: But they're the same words
And she was right. Same words, different punctuation.
* * *
At the clothes section of the department store. Pia gazed at the dozen mannequins spread across the section and surrounding us.
Pia: (in a disappointed voice) Daddy, why aren't the statues moving?
* * *
We went to a department store to buy toys for the children's Christmas presents. Dominic and Pia and Sammy were with us, so any notion of buying things in secret was out of the question. We just decided to let them pick out one toy each.
The children went through the toy section store, picking one toy then replacing it with another, and then another, and then another.
Pia's choices were a revelation. She always picked toy horses each time. Eventually picked out a stuffed toy unicorn, half as big as she was.
Daddy: Listen, we are buying these toys for Christmas ok? You cannot play with them yet. You will open them for Christmas.
Pia: (arms around the stuffed toy she will be getting for Christmas) Daddy, you should wrap this toy when I am eating in the kitchen so that I will not know what it is.
Daddy: (ok...) Good idea. But you must promise not to look when we are wrapping that unicorn ok? Otherwise, you will know what's inside.
Pia: I promise.
Daddy: And you must not peek.
Pia: I won't.
* * *
Dominic: Pia, I'm Darth Vader.
Pia: You're not him. Darth Vader doesn't drink juice.
* * *
Pia: Daddy, why is Dark Vader dark?
Daddy: It's not 'Dark Vader', it's 'Darth Vader'. Say 'Darth'
Pia: Dark
Daddy: No, not 'dark', say 'Darth'
Pia: Dar...dar...darth...Darthy the Dinosaur. He's Dorothy the Dinosaur!
* * *
Dominic has picked up an unsettling expression from school. He goes: "What the?" each time a new challenge presents itself while he played a game on the computer.
T'is a befuddlement.
What do we do with him and his new expression? On the one hand, none of the expression's variants lead to anything good. But on the other hand, he does a full stop after the second word, and there's nothing wrong with the phrase as it is.
So what the...do we do?
* * *
Daddy calls home from the office.
Pia: (picks up the phone) Hello Daddy!
Daddy: Hello Pia, can I talk to Mommy?
Pia: She's not here.
Daddy: Where is she?
Pia: Mommy left us. She's not coming back.
Daddy: (??)
Dominic: (takes the phone from Pia) She's outside hanging clothes.
* * *
Dominic and Pia often don't respond the first time you call them. This gives us grief because everything takes three times more effort -- you have to call them three times at least.
Sometimes it gets tiresome:
Daddy: (angry) Dominic! Pia! Mommy has been calling you two several times! Didn't you hear Mommy calling? Why didn't you come?!
Pia: Because we're stupid.
* * *
We read stories from the Old Testament to the children, and they become sensitive to what people in olden times didn't know how to make. Things like cars, computers, airplanes, etc.
Tonight's story was about Jericho's walls, which crumbled after the Israelites blew their trumpets against it.
Dominic: (in the upper bunk) I think that's not true.
Daddy: Why not?
Dominic: Because people in the old times didn't know how to make trumpets.
Daddy: Well, yes they did. They knew how to make things from metal. Of course, they didn't know how to make electrical things.
Pia: (in the lower bunk) Like electric fans?
Daddy: Yes they didn't have electric fans.
Pia: What did they use when it's warm?
To illustrate, Daddy grabbed the nearest thing around -- an inch-thick book -- and fanned himself with it.
Daddy: If they wanted to keep cool, they fanned themselves like this.
Pia: They used a book?
* * *
They've been showing all the episodes of Star Wars on TV, one per Saturday. Dominic and Pia have discovered this series and are slowly being 'turned' and drawn in.
We watched "Return of the Jedi" this weekend. Naturally, some of the story's complicated twists and turns were beyond their comprehension:
Pia: Daddy, why is Luke Darth Vader's son?
Daddy: Because Darth Vader is his father.
Pia: Why is Darth Vader his father?
* * *
Pia: (pointing to the emperor) Is he bad?
Daddy: Yes, he's very bad
Pia: Who?
* * *
Dominic: Is Jabba the Hotdog dead?
* * *
Sammy has an old habit. He likes to put his left thumb into his mouth and suck on it. He's had this habit since he was born.
Now he has a new habit.
After he poops in his diapers, he like to insert his left hand inside his messed up diapers and feel what's inside.
Habit 1 and habit 2 tend to combine and we have to be always on the alert.
* * *
Pia and Mommy borrowed a cartoon movie DVD from the library. It's about Scooby Doo and the Gang in Egypt trying to solve a mystery while being chased by a Mummy.
While checking out the DVD at the library, Pia asked Mommy what the title was, and Mommy read it to her: 'Scooby Doo in Where's My Mummy?"
Later at home, after dinner...
Pia: Mommy, I'm finished eating. Can I watch "Scooby Doo and the Mother"?
* * *
We're trying to teach Sammy to say new words, but each time he pretends that he's unable to learn new words. Instead of repeating the word we're teaching him, he will say: 'pahpah', and then grin.
He enjoys it when we groan at his 'inability' to learn a new word.
Daddy: Sammy, say 'A' (as in A-B-C)
Sammy: (grinning) Pahpah!
Mommy: Say 'Mama'
Sammy: Pahpah!
Dominic: Say 'car'
Sammy: Pahpah!
Pia: Say 'Sammy'
Sammy: Pahpah!
* * *
Reading about the Exodus to the children -- we were at the story where God gave the commandments to Moses. One of the commandments was 'Do not take the Lord's name in vain'.
Trying to come up with a child-friendly version of this commandment...
Daddy: "... do not use God's name for fun"
Pia: Like an electric fan?
* * *
People have wondered why Australians turned out speaking the way they do. Why do the Ozzies mumble their sentences? Why do they not enunciate their words clearly, like the Americans and Canadians do? After all, the Aussies, like the Americans, are sons of the same English fathers (and Scots, and Irish, and Italians). What happened?
Received wisdom is that it's because of the flies.
Australia in summer is a land ridden with aggressive, moisture-seeking, super-sized flies who like to gang up on people.
Woe to you when you are walking with both hands holding your shopping bags, defenseless and unable to wave them off, for that's when they try the hardest to insert themselves into your mouth, your nostrils, your ears, with such tenacity you will want to give up and cry. They will buzz around you for kilometers.
These are not the flies of other countries. Those leave you alone and even steer clear of people.
People simply had to learn to speak without opening their mouths.
And that's the truth. Or the most interesting explanation anyway.
* * *
At Mass:
The song's lyrics went something like this:
"...if you eat this bread and drink this wine you will not thirst..."
Pia: (in a solid voice, sings her own version) "...if you eat this bread and drink this wine you will not toast..."
Think about it.
* * *
Dominic, Pia, and Daddy went to see Myer's Christmas Parade. It's an annual parade organized by Myer Department Store. I guess it's equivalent to Macy's Christmas Parade in the US.
Before the parade began people handed out red balloons to all the kids. All the balloons looked the same and there was no way to distinguish one from the other (that the balloons were identical is central to this story).
When the parade finished, we started walking toward the train station. As we walked, more and more people started leaving the parade as well.
Daddy, afraid that the kids might lose the balloons, took both balloons and held it. It soon became crowded, and Daddy noticed that one of the balloons had fallen off its stick. There was no way to go back for it as the crowd didn't allow any mobility except forward:
Daddy : (to the children) Oh no, one of the balloons fell off!
Pia: (quickly doing the math: 2 children + 1 balloon = one child with no balloon, staked her claim). Daddy! You lost Dominic's balloon! Now Dominic has no balloon. How can Dominic find another balloon!?!?
* * *
Spring has sprung, as they say here, to mean that spring has arrived. It's still spring for a few more weeks, and then it will start to say goodbye, giving way to summer.
During daytime it already feels like spring has gone. The days are longer, and very very sunny. You can almost still get a sunburn at 7pm.
These sunny days easily make Pia thirsty. One hot day, while walking with Mommy to school to pick up Dominic:
Pia: Mommy, I'm thirsty.
Mommy: Didn't you bring your water bottle?
Pia: No, you should bring it.
Mommy: Why should I bring it? It's your water bottle. Next time, you should remember to bring to bring your water bottle.
Pia: I did remember.
Mommy: So where is it?
Pia: Mommy, I remembered to bring it, but you should bring it!
* * *+
It was drizzling after Mass. Since we walk home from church, we had to loiter a bit, and wait for the rain to stop.
As we were chatting with one of the parishioners, the parish priest appeared. We introduced the children. The priest, who had thick eyeglasses and apparently bad eyesight, looked intently at Dominic's shirt. "Kill Jesuits?", he said, "is that what the shirt says?".
Daddy knelt down, and took a closer look at Dominic's shirt, "No, it says 'Kids Jeans!'"
* * *
At church during collection. As is our custom, we handed some coins to Dominic and to Pia to drop into the collection bag.
When the collector passed by, Dominic went through the routine: with his fist closed, he lowers his hand into the bag, drops the coins, then pulls out his hand.
There didn't seem to be the usual plinking of the coins, but we didn't give much thought about it.
Toward the latter part of the Mass, we saw Dominic playing with coins. Coins which looked suspiciously like those he was supposed to have dropped.
Sticky fingers.
Admonishment came swiftly.
* * *
We told Pia that, before she can go out to play, she had to pick up her toys and put them away in the toy boxes. So she picked up the toys and placed them in their boxes.
But Sammy was also in the room. He starts rummaging through the toy box, pulling out toys and scattering them.
When Pia saw what Sammy was doing:
Pia: Daddy, Sammy is uncleaning!
* * *
Another normal workday. Stepping outside the door, Daddy waved goodbye to Mommy and Pia:
Mommy: Have a nice day!
Daddy: You too!
Pia: Bye-bye Daddy, see you tomorrow!
Tomorrow?!?!
* * *
We brought the kids to a shoe shop in the city. Pia tries on a shoe Mommy picked for her:
Daddy: How do you like it Pia?
Pia: It's a livadivbig
Daddy: It's a what?!?
Pia: It's a liva-div-big!
Daddy: Oh....you mean it's a little bit too big?
Pia: Yes.
* * *
Sammy stank with the unmistakable smell that says this baby's diapers were fully loaded and he needed to be cleaned.
Daddy picked Sammy up and laid him on the bed, not noticing that some of Sammy's poopoo had already been squished out from the back edge of his diapers.
The bed sheet was smeared. Both Yuck and Eww aptly describe the mess.
When Pia saw what happened, she delivers her lecture and extracts an oath:
Pia: Daddy, next time, before you lay Sammy down on the bed, you must check if he has poopoo first!
Daddy: Yes, I know.
Pia: DO YOU PROMISE?
* * *
Sammy's official first word is.....BA!
We have been telling him "bad!" far too many times. If he puts his thumb into his mouth, Mommy cries, "Sammy, no! Bad!". If he slips his slippers into his mouth, Daddy reminds him, "No! Bad!".
So now, when he tries to reach for the table lamp, and we say 'No!', he will complete it with 'BA!'
* * *
For several months Pia had been reminding us that she didn't want to be called Pia anymore. Instead, she wanted us to call her Sophia (her real name).
If we made the mistake of calling her 'Pia', she would shout back: "DON'T CALL ME PIA!"
Still, we kept on forgetting. In part because we have called her Pia since she was a baby. And partly because it's hard to take a 5-year old seriously.
Nevertheless she remained insistent. Until something happened at home one day and changed her mind.
Her assignment that day was to write out her name ten times, a task which proved challenging. She endeavoured to write "Sophia" properly, but kept making the same mistakes. She'd get the 'P' written in upper case and forget the 'i', so that 'Sophia' came out as 'SoPha'.
After an hour of trying, she came to a Eureka moment -- "Pia" is shorter and easier to write than Sophia.
Pia: "Mommy, I want you to call me Pia. My name is Pia, so I will write Pia ten times."
* * *
To prepare her for school, we make Pia practice writing out her full name. She does it well enough, except that she forgets the 'i' in Sophia.
Mommy: (teasing Pia) Pia, come here. Look at what you wrote. You forgot the 'i' in Sophia, so your name sounds like sofa.
Pia: MY NAME IS NOT SOFA!
* * *
Ever since Daddy started his new job, Pia has been escaping her previously daily assignments (math, reading, writing).
One night, Daddy and Pia were in the kitchen, Daddy had just finished his supper and checking how Pia's day went:
Daddy: Pia, did you help Mommy take care of Sammy?
Pia: (proud) Yes.
Daddy: Good girl. Did you go to Domu's school with Mommy to pick him up?
Pia: Yes.
Daddy: Did you do any assignment today?
Pia: (fear...is she going to be given an assignment?) Daddy! I don't want you to talk about that!
* * *
Sunday night, Dominic complained that his knees were cold. Monday morning, he was running a 39.8 degree fever, feeling very weak, and throwing up. There was no way he can go to school so he stayed home.
The 39.8 fever had us worried. A warm shower and paracetamol quickly brought the fever down to 39.75 (this 21st century medicine sucks)
After reading online that fever is the body's way of fighting infection, that a fever up to 39.9 is beneficial, we calmed down a little.
By noon he was complaining of a painful headache. Some headaches are simply bothersome, but his is painful. Then he started throwing up. Anything that went down came back up. For lunch he had water crackers and water, which he expelled as well.
Pia asked "Why is Domu vomiting?". Because he has flu. A very bad flu.
Late in the day we bought him some electrolyte-based drinks (similar to Gatorade), on the idea that this will help keep him from dehydrating. We frown on soft drinks, so they get a chance to drink them only around once a year. He seemed to really enjoy the new drink.
By Tuesday, Pia also started to complain of pain in her tummy, and a headache. We took her temperature. It was 39.8. Now they were both sick.
The she wailed out in panic.
* * *
Pia is playing pretend...something. Maybe she's playing as an airline stewardess, but it's hard to be sure:
Pia: Ladies and gentlemen, please fatten your seatbelts.
* * *
At the playground. A sunny day, around 10:30am
Daddy: (pointing to a shadow of a pole) Dominic, Pia, come, look at this. Why is this part of the ground darker than the surrounding?
Pia: It's a shadow. Because the sun doesn't shine there.
Daddy: I'll place this rock just inside the shadow, and we'll come back in a few minutes. You'll see that the shadow has moved.
After 10 minutes...
Daddy: Come, look at the stone and the shadow
Dominic: Wow, the stone is outside the shadow. How did that happen? I think it's because the sun moves.
Pia: (does something with her fingers and then casts its shadow on the ground) Look, a bunny!
* * *
Dominic's school organized a mini concert and held it at a real theatre. All 300 students of the school took part in half a dozen musical presentations.
Dominic had two roles. First, in his grade level's song and dance gig, he played the role of a 'Wallabee', hopping and jumping and singing across the stage.
He also participated in the finale, where all 300 school children got up on stage to sing one last song. Dominic was in the front row with all the other grade 1 students. This row was lined up across the entire stage, from the left edge to the right.
As the children sang the final song -- the 80's hit "We are the world" -- they waved their outstretched hands and swayed left and right to the melody, moving as one.
Almost.
Everyone else was facing front toward the audience, except for Dominic, who was in the front row staring straight up at the ceiling, focused on a spot almost directly on top of him.
He was staring mesmerized at a flashing disco orb. It attracted him so much he was absently going through the motions of waving and swaying and singing, completely unconcerned about the hundreds of adults seated in front of him.
* * *
Walking home one day. Mommy, Pia, and Sammy were about 15 meters ahead. Dominic saw a spider on a lamppost. In the land of the poisonous spiders, this is only his 2nd time to see a spider.
Dominic: (shouting hard) Mommy! Come quick! Look! A spider!
Pia: (turns around and runs back towards Dominic) Trap the air! To the rescue!"
Too tired to ask what she means.
* * *
Dominic is sick, and has been throwing up everything he takes in:
Pia: Daddy, why is Dominic vomiting?
Daddy: Because he's sick
Pia: Why is he sick?
Daddy: He has some bad germs in his stomach
Pia: Why does he have bad germs in his stomach?
Daddy: They got into his stomach
Pia: How?
Daddy: Maybe he ate something bad
Pia: How did the bad germs get in?
Daddy: Through his mouth
Pia: DADDY! YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION!
Daddy: What's your question?
Pia: How did the bad germs get in?
Daddy: He ate something bad
Pia: What did he eat?
Daddy: We don't know, we think maybe he ate too much candy, or maybe he ate bad potatoes. But we're not sure.
Pia: YOU'RE NOT THINKING!
* * *
Pia's questions can sometimes tax our pitiful brains. While watching Aladdin:
Pia: "Daddy, why can the genie fly because he has wings?"
Daddy: (busy, and not sure if what was given was a question or a sentence)...Huh?...Yes.
Pia: DADDY! YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION!
* * *
One day...
Pia: (a plastic wicker basket over her head) Daddy, what do I look like?
Daddy: I don't know. What?
Pia: I'm a firegirl
Daddy: (hasn't heard of this superhero) Firegirl? What powers does she have? Can she turn into flames?
Pia: DAHDEE....No, I have no power!
Daddy: What can you do?
Pia: I fight fires
Daddy: Oh...I girl fireman?
Pia: Yes! A firegirl.
* * *
Pia and Mommy were watching a movie about a town plagued by a killer shark. Pia likes to ask questions while watching:
Pia: Why are the people running and shouting?
Mommy: Because there's a man eating shark.
Pia: Why does the man like to eat sharks?
* * *
Sammy is now able to balance himself while standing up. We just need to position him in an upright position, and then we can let go. He'll keep himself upright and standing until he gets tired and then he'll plop himself down.
He's still unable to stand up by himself from a sitting position.
He's also now able to take a couple of steps before falling forward. He gets giddy each time we coax him to 'come here'. And we catch him before he falls.
To help him practice walking, initially we used a technique were one person stands behind him, hold each hand of his hands and then ask him to walk. The one behind walks as well. Sammy likes that a lot and he'll walk to every room in the apartment.
We've discovered though that while this technique helps him practice his goose stepping, it does teach to to walk with his upper half well forward of his lower half. He looks like an ambling Tower of Pisa. We don't think he'll progress quickly that way.
So we've switched to just holding him in one hand and walking by his side. He enjoys that even more, as it challenges both his steps and his balancing.
We think he'll soon be walking by himself. Certainly by end of next month.
* * *
Pia picks up expressions from her TV watching. She tries to use them herself. Sometimes she gets the expressions right, sometimes she doesn't.
One day she was playing with toy plates and dishes, pretending to wash them:
Pia: There, after I wash these plates, they will be s<inaudible>ky clean.
Daddy: What's that you said?
Pia: I SAID, THEY WILL BE SPOOKY CLEAN!
* * *
It's Pia's job to set the table for lunch each day. Almost every day she attempts to escape this responsibility.
Mommy: (from the kitchen) Piahhhh...set the table please, we will eat soon.
Pia: Mommy, it's not my job.
Daddy: Pia...come on now, we talked about this. What's you job: To...set...the...
Pia: To set the...
Daddy: Set the what?
Pia: My job is to set the clock!
* * *
After dinner, Pia runs to the living room to play with her doll.
Mommy: (calling out from the kitchen) Pia, brush your teeth.
No response.
Mommy: Pia, brush your teeth
Pia: (playing doctor with her doll) MAAAHMEE...I'm a doctor!
Daddy: (??) Pia, go brush your teeth
Pia: Doctors don't brush their teeth.
Daddy: Yes they do.
Pia: But they don't brush their teeth while there are sick people in the hospital.
* * *
Pia caught a cold from Sammy, who caught it from Dominic, who brought it home from school.
The runny nose bothers Pia, so Mommy told her to drink lots of water so she'll get better.
So she pours water in her tumbler and drank. After drinking:
Pia: Mommy, I already drank lots of water
Mommy: Good.
Pia: But why does my cold still not go away?
* * *
The children weren't accustomed to having their own bedroom when we first moved in to our apartment. They'd ask Mommy to stay with them and read stories to them until they fell asleep. They also want the bedroom door kept open.
Dominic was especially problematic. For the first few months, it was especially bad when he had to get up at the middle of the night to pee. He's scared of getting out of bed in the dark.
First he'd moan. Then he'd groan. Until his moaning and groaning turned so loud that his Daddy or Mommy had to get up and lead him to the toilet.
After months we've had enough and we decided he has to learn to go by himself. So we made up our minds to ignore his midnight howling.
So he'd moan long and hard. Then he'd groan. Then he'd howl like a wolf cub. That'd go on for about 10 minutes. Until finally, when he can no longer hold it in, he'll rush down his bunk bed, run into the toilet, relieve himself, switch the toilet light off, then run as fast as he can back to bed before any 'ghosts' can catch him. All that time he'd be grunting and growling, incensed at his inconsiderate parents who unknown to him, are giggling in the dark.
* * *
We went to the zoo. While watching the snow leopard, Pia started dancing and making funny faces at the leopard:
Pia: (singing loudly) Hello Mr. Leopard, you cannot eat me, nyah-nyah-nyanyanyah. You cannot eat me, wa wa wawawa.
Daddy: (teasing, and pointing to a spot among the plants behind Pia). Pia, the leopard can get out of the cage through here. It's open.
Pia: (sudden flash of white fear, softly) O.....K....I....won't....sing...it...anymore.
* * *
Prior to coming to Australia, we read that the Aussies are crazy about their sports. After a few months living here, it has become clear that not only was that statement true, but also that 'crazy' was a carefully chosen adjective.
Among their sports, it seems Footy is one of the kings.
Footy is their football, a game which has little resemblance to soccer. To this untrained eye, it looks like American football on planet Mad Max (we don't use helmets and shoulder guards -- they tend to splinter and crack open during play)
Walking around the neighbourhood one day we came upon three boys, aged 8, 5, and 2 playing with a footy 'ball'. The 2 year old looked like he just learned to walk this morning, and was already raring to play footy with a ball half his size.
"Dominic!" yelled out the 8-year old.
Daddy: (surprised, to Dominic) Do you know him?
Dominic: No.
Daddy: How come he knows your name?
Dominic: He's in my school.
Boy: Dominic, what's your footy team?
It's just taken for granted that everyone, including 6 year olds, has a footy team.
* * *
After the children finish their daily assignments (usually math equations), we go through their answers, marking each with an X or a check. Pia goes ballistic each time an X is made in any of her answers, as she gets teased by her elder brother and is thus under pressure to always get her answers right. (Not that Dominic always get his answers right the first time)
One day, Pia finishes her assignment and submits it to Mommy:
Mommy: (checking each answer). This is right...this is right... this is wrong...
Pia: (Groan). Mommy! NO MISTAKES ALLOWED!
* * *
At Mass, during collection. Pia has the coins in her hand, and is waiting for the collector to pass by. Pia recalls previous admonitions to drop her donation discreetly.
In hushed, almost conspiratorial tones:
Pia: I will not show them what I put in the bag.
Daddy: Good, that's how to do it.
Pia: Why must I not show people what I put in?
Daddy: Because that's how it's done.
Pia: What will the people do if they see what I put in?
* * *
Dominic had just come home from school and still in his uniform, positioned himself in front of the TV. Showing was some kind of non-famous superhero cartoons.
One at a time, the characters in the show introduced themselves as a superhero: "I am X, master of stone" (something like that)
Mommy: Dominic, change your clothes now!
Dominic starts changing while still in front of the TV. He takes his pants off...
Pia: (pointing to Dominic) And here's the superhero with smelly panty!
* * *
Dominic likes to explain how things work. Which is fine, except that he tends to teach you things you already know, so his lectures can be a bit tedious. The telltale sign of a new lecture is his opening remark, "Look...'
One hectic day, Dominic approaches Daddy...
Dominic: Daddy, look...
Daddy: (groan, here's another lecture) I'm busy right now...
Dominic: (picks up the optical mouse and points to the red light underneath, where the ball is on older models) Look at this red light.
Daddy: (sigh) Yes, what about it?
Dominic: Look, if I point it at my hand, you can see the red light.
Daddy: (Duh) Yes, it's called reflection.
Dominic: But when I point it to here (the computer's LCD screen), you can't see the red light.
Daddy: (Astonished) You're right. That's pretty amazing.
And it was amazingly. And the reluctant student spent several minutes more playing with the mouse's light, impressed at what the professor discovered. Somehow the LCD screen absorbs the red light and doesn't reflect it back.
* * *
Pia likes to walk on the floor with only her socks on. She keeps misplacing her slippers though, and it's driving Mommy crazy.
Time to eat but Pia can't enter the kitchen without slippers:
Mommy: Where's your slippers again?
Pia: I don't know where they are...
Mommy: It's because you don't always wear your slippers, that's why you always lose them. You must always wear your slippers!
Pia: But Mommy...how can we sleep with our slippers on?
* * *
Re-runs of The Simpsons is on TV every day at 6pm. Both Pia and Dominic love the show and watch it as often as they can. But we have dinner at 5:30 so if they don't eat fast enough, they won't be able to watch.
Most of the time they miss much of the show because of their own dawdling at dinner. Pia, especially, can take up to two hours to finish her food.
One day while starting to sit down for dinner Pia comes ups with a plan:
Pia: (shouting, to catch everyone's attention) Here's how not to miss the Simpsons! Step one! Eat your food quickly and do not play while eating.
Daddy: Good. What's step two?
Pia: Step two, watch the Simpsons!
Duh.
* * *
This post rated P21 : 21 years old and above
"I have a clean fok", said Dominic after washing his fork which had fallen off the dining table.
We had been letting his mispronunciations pass, but this sounded too funny. (We even blogged about his missing 'r' almost exactly one year ago: here)
Daddy: It's forrrrrk. Say fork.
Dominic : Fok
Daddy: No, "Fork"
Dominic :Fohk (a hint of r coming out)
Daddy: Forrrrrrk;
Dominic: Fohhhhhhk.
We weally need to pwactice him.
* * *
Mommy's back is painful, and asks Dominic and Pia to help her with Sammy:
Mommy: Dominic, Pia, can you look after Sammy?
Pia: My pleasure, Mommy!
That's a new expression for her, almost certainly picked up from watching TV, and is a welcome contrast to her other replies, like 'I got too much work' or 'No thanks'
* * *
A few weeks ago we introduced Dominic to what 'antonyms', 'synonyms', and 'homonyms' are, and he's fascinated by the concept.
Since then, every time he discovers a new pair of antonyms, or synonyms, or homonyms, he'd walk up to us and say something like, 'Daddy I know a homonym -- three like the number 3, and tree the plant'.
One day:
Dominic: Daddy, what's the opposite of house?
Daddy: (No clue) What?
Dominic: (joking) An upside down house, or an un-house.
* * *
Pia's birthday is coming up, and she's getting both excited and anxious.
Pia: Mommy, will you give me a gift on my birthday?
Mommy: Of course!
Pia: Yoohoo! Praise the mother!
(She's been using that expression quite a bit after watching
The Ant Bully
* * *
Pia: (in a muffled voice, from inside the toilet) Sammy looks like an owl.
Daddy: (in the kitchen, didn't quite hear clearly) What did you say?
Pia: Sammy looks like an owl
Daddy: (to Mommy) ??
Mommy: Like an owl
Daddy: (to Pia) Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: (something indistinct) !
Daddy: (going over to Pia) Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: Stop it!
Daddy: ??? Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: Dahdee...Sammy is not like an owl. He's a baby.
Daddy: But you said he's like an owl
Pia: I didn't say Sammy is like an owl
Daddy: What did you say?
Pia: (pointing to the window, outside of which are birds cawing) I said "That sounds like an owl"
* * *
Dominic wants to play knock knock jokes with Pia. Pia hasn't a clue how the game goes.
Take 1:
Dominic: Pia, knock knock
Pia: (gestures opening the door) Come in
Dominic: No, Pia, you say 'who's there'
Take 2:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: I already opened the door
Dominic: No, You should say 'who's there
Take 3:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who is it?
Dominic: You should say 'who's there'
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: Welcome, come in.
Dominic: No
Take 4:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: What is atch?
Dominic: No, you should say 'Atch who?'
Take 5:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: Who is atch?
Dominic: No! It's 'Atch who'
Take 6:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's out there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: What's that?
Dominic wisely gives up and plays something else.
* * *
An overexcited Dominic was telling an imaginary story. Speaking rapidly, he would collapse now and then, giggling at (one surmises) funny turns in the story. Unfortunately no one could follow what he was saying, and the story is progressing to...nowhere:
Pia: (leaning close to Daddy's ear) Look Daddy, Dominic is being silly.
Daddy: Should we bring him to a doctor?
Pia: Yes
Daddy: Yeah, I think he's gone crazy
Pia: I think he's running out of gas
* * *
Dominic learns about the 'knock knock' routine in school. He tries it out while on the way home:
Dominic: Knock knock!
Daddy: Who's there?
Dominic: Smash
Daddy: Smash who?
Dominic: I will smash you!
(First attempt at knock knocks. A long way to go)
* * *
"Is this the fastest car of ever?", asked Dominic.
He has this peculiar expression: "of ever", which he uses to mean "ever". "This is the biggest house of ever!"
Daddy: You don't need to say "of". Just say "ever"
Dominic: (tries out the new phrasing) The fastest car...ever.
Doesn't like it.
Dominic: (glum) But I like 'of'. Don't tell me I cannot say 'of'.
Daddy: Ok.
* * *
Pia peeps into the kitchen:
Pia: Daddy, can you enjoy me and Sammy?
Daddy: (??) What did you say?
Pia: Can you enjoy me and Sammy?
Daddy: What do you mean 'enjoy'?
Pia: Come play here with us.
Daddy: Oh, the word is 'join'. Come 'join' us.
* * *
"Stop calling me Pia!", screamed Pia. "I don't want you to call me Pia!"
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: I just don't want you to call me Pia.
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: There's no why!
Daddy: (poor attempt at humor) Should we call you....turkey?
Pia: No!
Daddy: Don't you like your name?
Pia: I like...but I don't want you to call my name when you're angry.
It seems we've been calling out her name using a stern voice far too many times. But she doesn't respond until the seventh call, so what can you do?
* * *
Pia has taken to drawing animals. She copies them from a drawing book that teaches how to draw farm animals. She's very motivated and getting quite good.
Showing her latest drawings to Daddy:
Pia: Look Daddy!
Daddy: That's a nice horse. You should draw the legs like this...
Pia: (grabs the drawing) I want to learn by myself. I don't need any teach!
* * *
Pia has a set time for reading every day. Outside that time she is usually at play. Hell hath no fury than Pia bothered at play.
While browsing through Pia's older (and simpler) reading material:
Daddy: Pia, come here and look at your old reading lessons. See how you knew so much fewer words then? Can you still read these?
Pia: (approaches and starts reading ) "May..I..come..
Suddenly she realizes that she's 'reading' during play time!
Pia: Hey! (and runs away)
* * *
Morning rush hour.
Pia was spreading peanut butter on her bread in extreme slow motion. Daddy gets impatient, grabs the butter knife from Pia, quickly spreads butter on his bread, then hands back the knife to Pia:
Daddy: Thank you.
Pia: Daddy, don't say thank you to yourself.
Daddy: I was saying 'thank you' to you.
Pia: But I didn't give you the knife. You took it from me.
* * *
Dominic: I know a homonym: 'cross', which means 'angry', and Cross, where Jesus died.
Daddy: That's right. Where is Jesus now?
Dominic: In heaven.
Daddy: And he can see everything. If you do something bad, he's not happy. If you do something good, he's happy.
Dominic: What if I do something that's half-good and half-bad?
* * *
On the way to school:
Dominic: Is the earth moving fast?
Daddy: Yes...(mental calculation...25,000 miles at the equator in 24 hours)...very fast. We are moving faster than most planes fly.
Dominic: Why don't we fall off?
Daddy: Because we stick to the earth. If you look at the earth from space, people in Australia are standing upside down.
Dominic: (makes a fist and points East) and people here stand like this (horizontal).
Daddy: And people in the North stand upright.
Dominic: People in the North just turn around and around on their feet when the earth spins?
Daddy: I guess. That's how it works. And if you jump, the earth under you will move and you land on a different part of the earth
Dominic: If we jump here, when we land we can be already in school.
Daddy: Or you may smash into a moving building.
Dominic: Or smash into the tram.
Daddy: Don't forget, the earth moves around the sun.
Dominic: So when we jump, when we land, the earth is no longer under us so we fall in outer space.
Daddy: Right. The earth has already moved around the sun.
Dominic: Wow.
* * *
Pia seems to think she's in rehab, or on probation, or something:
One day a lady with a big dog walked past us. Pia looked with interest at the dog:
Pia: Daddy, when I start becoming a good girl, will you find me a dog?
* * *
We discovered that at lunchtime he plays with his best friend in the school's sandbox. The sand mixes with sweat from his feet and turns his socks from cloud white to mud black.
To stop this daily delivery of dirty socks once and for all, Mommy told Dominic that he can no longer play in the sandbox.
One day, coming home from school...
Mommy: "Dominic, did you play in the sandbox today?"
Dominic: No
Mommy: Very good! Where did you play with your best friend?
Dominic: I didn't play with him.
Mommy: Why not?
Dominic: I told him you said I cannot play with him anymore.
* * *
Dominic's normal morning routine upon reaching school is to go to the toilet to wee-wee, wash his hands, then go to his classroom.
One morning as we neared the toilet...
Daddy: (going through the daily motions) Ok, go to pee, then go to your classroom.
Dominic: (stiff as a rock)
Daddy: (louder voice) Go to pee now!
Dominic: (face turning red, groaning) Daaadeee....
Daddy: What's wrong?
Dominic: (boiling red) Don't..tell..me..to..pee.
Daddy: ??
Then looking around, the reason became clear. A pretty little girl was loitering nearby. Our little Romeo who has only just recently graduated from 'wee-wee' to 'pee' is now embarrassed at being told to pee within earshot of pretty girls.
My days as a 'cool' Dad are numbered.
* * *
On the way to the supermarket after church.
Daddy is pushing Sammy's stroller. Pia is at the right and holding on to the stroller, her feet just a couple of inches away from Daddy. Daddy almost stepped on Pia's foot.
Daddy: Watch out! Don't walk too close to me.
Mommy: Pia, come over to this side.
Pia: (will say anything not to obey) I can't...I will break my leg.
* * *
The city-sized behemoth ship Titanic easily slipped into the ocean bottom.
Meanwhile, the vitamin C tablet that Dominic has to swallow just won't go in.
He'd drink glass after glass after glass of water, and the capsule would still manage to float to safety and stay in his mouth. It would melt a little but still manage to hang on.
Finally, after many many tries, he just decided to bite the capsule, chew the tablet (it tastes like very bitter lemon anyhow), and wash his mouth with water.
So that's how it goes every morning. Younger Pia easily swallows exactly the same tablet, while Dominic chews his.
* * *
Lunchtime again. Still Pia's job to set the table for lunch despite her daily attempts to evade it:
Mommy: (in the kitchen) Pia, set the table now.
Pia: (shouting from the bedroom) I can't!
Mommy: Why not?
Pia: I have a lot of work to do!
...and proceeds to play with her toys.
* * *
Term vacation is over. It's back to school again.
During the term break, while thinking of ways to help Dominic with his writing, we hatched a sneaky plan.
We decided that, before the school re-starts, we will practice him on writing about the most likely topic they will write on on the first day of school. It was very easy to guess the topic. No doubt it would be: "What I Did on My Vacation"
So we made him write on that topic one day ahead, and he did very well on the practice writing. We were confident he wouldn't do so badly when the teacher asks them to write about it.
When Dominic came home from school, our first question was:
Daddy: Did the teacher ask you to write?
Dominic: Yes.
Daddy: Did she ask you to write about what you did on your vacation?
Dominic: No.
Daddy: (surprised) Hmm...
Dominic: I wrote about the planets.
Daddy: Oh? Did she say you can write about anything?
Dominic: Yes. She said write about anything...anything we did when there was no school.
* * *
Dominic and Pia are playing in the living room. We want them to play in the bedroom where Sammy is:
Daddy: Dominic! Pia! Come into the bedroom and play here. And keep an eye on Sammy while you play.
Pia turned quiet and appeared to be looking at empty space a foot from the tip of her nose.
Pia: Daddy...how can I watch Sammy with one eye and look at my toys with the other eye?
* * *
"Yes boss," said Mommy, in response to Sammy's insistent crying, a sign that he really wants to go to sleep now.
Pia hadn't heard of the word 'boss' before:
Pia: "What's a boss?"
Mommy: Ask Daddy.
Daddy: (trying to explain) Hmm...for people who work, a boss is someone who tells you what to do, just like for students, your teacher is your boss.
Pia: Someone who tells us what to do?
Daddy: Yes
Pia: They tell you what to do, like: "Finish your food!"
* * *
Domu is bugging Pia by echoing everything she says using a robot intonation. Pia is getting pretty annoyed:
Pia: DADDY! Domu is copying what I say!!!!
Dominic: Daddy..Pia..Is...Copying...What...I...Say.
Pia: STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dominic: Stop...It.
Pia: You're not a robot!
Dominic: You're...Not...A...Robot.
Pia: You're not a robot! Robots aren't smelly! No robot is smelly!
* * *
The best way to improve your writing is to write, say the experts.
Dominic's grade in writing lags behind his grades in other subjects. According to his teacher this is mostly because he doesn't write much of anything when she asks the students to write. He writes one, two, or three sentences at the most.
We decided to help Dominic improve his skills and confidence by making him write short 'essays' every other day. And we demanded that each essay be at least ten sentences long.
We gave him the freedom to pick his topic, but if he can't think of one we help by suggesting some.
Here's his first essay,unedited (including reference to grandchildren we didn't know we had):
When I swim
When I swimed in the swimming pool. I played in the swimming pool. When I went with my children to the deap water. I, jumped in the deap water. I went up the swimming pool. I did it two more times. then I hanged on the monkey bars. then I went back on the water. where I started swimming. then I went up.
* * *
Pia approaches Mommy...
Pia: (innocently) Mommy, what is 15 minus 8?
Mommy: (too smart to be fooled). Ah-hah! You're trying to get me to do the assignment Daddy gave you. Do your assignment yourself!
Pia: (slinks back to her desk) Ohhhkey...
We give the children 'assignments' everyday, to help Dominic keep up his grades in school and to prepare Pia for school. But Pia is known to try and get help from wherever she can.
* * *
Ever since Sammy started crawling, we have had to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't go near baby-unfriendly spots, like near things that can potentially tip over or objects that he might scatter about.
If he approaches such spots, Daddy or Mommy will shout: "Sammy, no!", and shake our head. He will normally stop, listen, and then continue on, requiring us to pick him up and re-orient him to another direction.
One day we observed him crawling to one of the forbidden spots. Suddenly he stopped, shook his head left and right, as if reminding himself this is a no-go zone, and then change course.
* * *
When we had our daughter, we may have had visions of her being a fine little girl who likes pretty clothes and behaves with princess-like poise. Like what the children's poem says about little girls -- sugar and spice and everything nice.
At the dinner table we spy her spooning pumpkin soup into her mouth, then looking up at the ceiling while noisily gurgling each mouthful of the soup.
Where did our princess go?
* * *
Pia is starting to find it annoying that she has to help around the house. She's coming up with various (ineffective) excuses.
It's lunchtime again. Pia's job is to set the table for lunch:
Mommy: Pia, set the table now.
Pia: (playing with her toys) Mahmeeee.....I'm not you messenger boy!
Daddy and Mommy: (giggle)
Pia: That's NOT funny!
* * *
Sammy is crying and looking for attention.
Mommy is busy. Daddy is busy. Dominic is in school. Pia is playing with her toys:
Mommy: Pia, can you help me take care of Sammy?
Pia: No, thanks.
* * *
Dominic acquired the ability to read words that he hasn't seen before. He doesn't know what those words mean of course, but he can pronounce them, if not correctly, then with an educated guess.
It has to do with the way they teach reading at his school. It seems they are taught to remember how various letter combinations sound like, so that when he sees those letter combinations, he knows how to sound them out.
This approach works for reading, but not for writing.
We asked him to write a few sentences and we were aghast to discover that he also writes words by sounding them out. Thus, 'castle' gets written down as 'cassel' or 'cassle'. Even words that he has known for years get written down phonetically: 'becos' (because), 'hause' (house), there (their), clowd (cloud), etc.
We will have to fix this.
* * *
Dusk time. We were walking to the grocery and the moon was following us.
Dominic was staring up at the full moon. This is the same moon that Pia caused to follow her.
Dominic noticed that the moon seemed to be following us:
Dominic: (joking) Daddy, when we go inside the grocery, is the moon going to follow us inside?
* * *
Pia picks up expressions from her TV watching. Sometimes she hears them right, sometimes not quite so right.
One time Pia was in the kitchen. She wants to get out but Daddy was blocking her way:
Pia: Hey Daddy, I want to get out.
Daddy: Oh, sorry, am I blocking your way?
Pia: Yes, get away from my way.
(Get out of my way?)
* * *
Pia is playing with her toys in the bedroom. It's almost time for lunch. It's her job to set the table for lunch:
Mommy: (in the kitchen) Pia, set the table.
Pia: (no response)
Mommy: Pia, come on now. Set the table.
Pia: (no response)
Daddy: (angry tone) Pia! Are you going to set the table?
Pia: (from inside the bedroom) I AM ! ...but I cannot.
... and then she goes on playing.
* * *
In his quest to get his hands on some money, Dominic once considered being a bounty hunter.
His second idea sounds just as promising:
Dominic: Daddy, if my teeth falls out and I put in under my pillow it will become money?
Daddy: (not sure if he will bust the myth and end the child's innocence or tell a lie to prolong the childhood) Who told you that?
Dominic: Nobody. I just know (that's his standard reply)
Daddy: (not committing to either position) Some say if you put your tooth under the bed, the tooth fairy will come in and get your tooth and pay you for it.
Dominic: (touches one of his teeth) Hmm...
* * *
Pia's reading practice at home:
Daddy: (points to the word WE) What's this word?
Pia: Me!
Daddy: Nope
Pia: (thinks it's the accent that's wrong, so tries the Australian accent) Meih?
* * *
Sammy has recently discovered something sticking out between his legs.
Ever since this discovery, he has been performing a status check each time we remove his soiled diapers.
Because he's lying down when we take the diapers off, he cannot do a visual, so he'll move his hand to the area, and check that his thing is still there. This his preflight check.
Then we carry him to the bathroom and wash his behind. Before we put in clean diapers, he does another check. That's his post-flight check.
Dominic plans to one day build a rocket to the sun and Sammy is training to be the pilot. These pre- and post- flight checks are part of his training.
* * *
We were having cucumbers at lunch. The children aren't familiar with this veggie:
Pia: (pointing) What's that?
Daddy: Cucumbers
Pia: Cucubers
Daddy: No, cucumber
Pia: Cumcumber
Daddy: No, Cu-cum-ber
Pia: (starts singing a children's song) Cucumberra sits in the old gum tree....
(Original lyrics: Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree...)
* * *
Dominic: "I am people of the week"
Daddy: (understanding what he meant) How do you know?
Dominic: My classmates told me
Every week, one student from each class is nominated as student of the week and the student receives an award for some meritorious behaviour. It was Dominic's turn, for 'persevering in his writing'.
* * *
We let the children attend a children's group during Mass one Sunday.
The teacher read the story of John the Baptist and then asked some questions. Since most of the children were older than Pia, and the teacher had an Australian accent, we were curious if Pia could keep up.
So after Mass we asked her:
Daddy: Pia, did you like going to that school?
Pia: Yes.
Daddy: Do you want to go back?
Pia: Yes. I like the teacher.
Daddy: Do you understand what the teacher was saying?
Pia: Yes. ... But I don't know what the words mean.
* * *
Dominic is a sigurista.
That's someone who doesn't like to play if he won't win, doesn't like to try something new, and doesn't like to reply if he doesn't know the answer.
Daddy: (wanting to test if Dominic already knows the names of his classmates) Let's see how many classmate's names you know.
Dominic: (quiet)
Daddy: Hello?
Dominic: Do you mean I should tell you the number or tell you the names and you will count?
* * *
Up until about a year ago, Dominic had the habit of sneezing without turning his face away. It was an especially gruesome habit when sneezes while talking to someone.
One second he's talking to you and the next ... ACHOOOPLKT! ... you just had someone sneeze point blank into your face.
Without missing a beat he'll continue to talk as if what he did was as normal as blinking.
Meanwhile, you patiently dry off your face.
* * *
You notice him looking at you with rapt attention. You fall for it.
That little gap between his two front teeth makes him all the more endearing. If there is a face of baby-like innocence, surely Sammy's cannot be far from it.
You make baby talk and you inch your face closer. Perhaps to kiss him. Perhaps to smell him. Perhaps both.
His grin widens and his eyes twinkle with excitement. He adores you as much as you adore him.
It is when your face is less than a foot away that the open-fisted right hook comes. BAM! This 11-month old baby has just slugged you. And it's a pretty firm one too. One that's made eyeglasses fly off.
You are still surprised when the second right hook comes.
His grin is now wider. You've made his day.
* * *
Dominic loves folding paper planes.
We borrow books about paper plane folding and books about origami for him, and he devours them night and day. He must have folded over 50 different kinds of planes, not counting those he made up himself:
Daddy: Hey, maybe when you grow up you want to build airplanes.
Dominic: (intrigued) Oh...wow...that's too difficult. I need to be fourteen years old to do that.
* * *
Dominic and Pia screaming and very noisy while playing inside:
Mommy: (wanting some quiet) Ssssshhhhh!
Pia: (in whispers) Quiet Dominic, there's a wolf.
* * *
Pia's reading is constantly improving. Sometimes slowly, sometimes a little faster. She just passed her in house test conducted by her teacher (Daddy) and assessed by the principal (Mommy). She can read the following words and phrases:
in, come, quiet, queue, girl, you, boy, am, good night, Mummy, Daddy, good morning, how, fine, no, not, yes, Paul, Pia, Dominic, Sammy, can, read, chair, keep, thank, stand, this, what, is car, see, table, flower, tree, book, look, picture, keep, please, auntie, uncle, thank you, close, door, open, goodbye, my, name, we, are, friends, Merry Christmas, sit, down, up, stand, and her current favorite phrase: good grief.
Dominic seems to be a regular customer of the school's first aid clinic.
One day after Pia cut her lower lip by biting the plastic leg of a toy cart, Dominic came home from school with a bloodied lower lip.
He and two classmates were playing and running when he crashed into a table. That's his version of the story.
* * *
Pia cried a suppressed "Ungghh!" and then went over to the sofa and sat down. She was holding a dismantled leg of a toy plastic food cart.
Daddy: What's wrong?
Pia: Nothing
Daddy: (wanting to take a look) Can you come here?
Pia comes over. She has blood on her lower lip and on the wrist of her shirt, apparently from wiping blood from her lip.
Daddy: Why is there blood on your lips? You cut your lip! How did that happen?
Pia: (showing the leg of the toy cart) I bit this.
Daddy: (??) Why did you bite it?
Pia: I don't know.
* * *
Pia was spinning around, making herself dizzy when she took one round too many and suddenly...BLAG! Down she goes on the floor, rolling under the computer table:
Daddy: (concerned) Are you hurt?
Pia: (using Australian accent on the last word) Yes. But not so much. I'm just dei-zei
Sometimes we dread the collection time during Mass.
One the one hand, we want the children to learn about and acquire the habit of giving donations. On the other hand, we worry what the children will do each time.
Last Sunday, as the collector approached, Mommy hurriedly grabbed some coins from her purse and passed it on to Dominic to drop into the collection bag.
The way normal people give their donation is by slightly lowering their closed hand into the bag and letting go of the donation.
But normal seems to be not for us.
Dominic approached the man with the bag, then lifted his hand five inches from the top of the bag, then started letting go of the coins one by one, pausing in between each coin: plink. plink. plink. plink. plink.
* * *
The magic only works if you really believe.
If Sammy doesn't want to eat and he doesn't want to open his mouth to accept food, how can you make him open his mouth?
Ask Pia to say 'Open Sesame'. Like magic, Sammy will obediently open his mouth.
It doesn't work if Daddy says it. It sometimes works if Mommy says it. But Pia has a 100% batting average.
She doesn't even have to shout the words out. Even if she's across the room and barely audible, just uttering those magic words is enough to make Sammy contentedly open his mouth and accept the spoon.
* * *
Pia hasn't learned to tell time yet. All she knows about hours is that at 3 o' clock, school is out and it's time to pick up her brother.
It's also time for her to persuade us to bring her along to school for the pickup. Being too young for school, she spends her days inside the house. Understandably, she is excited every time there's a chance to get out.
So when we decided to spend the afternoon at the nearby playground, she readied herself very quickly, putting on her outdoor clothes and jacket.
After getting dressed, she noticed that, not only was the rest of the family not yet ready, they did not even seem to be in a hurry.
So she pointed to the wall clock and called out: "Mommy! Hurry up, it's already ten dollars!"
* * *
Taken a few years ago in front of City Hall, in Hong Kong. In front of the City Hall is the harbour and the original Star Ferry pier (which they tore down and moved to another location just after we left).
Although there are days when Sammy doesn't want to open his mouth to eat, there are other days when he really wants to eat.
When that happens, you have to keep up with him. You cannot feed him while doing something else. You have to keep putting food in his mouth, while he keeps on chewing and swallowing as fast as he can.
If you get distracted and fail to put food in his mouth the moment he opens it, he'll bang his hands on his high-chair. Or he'll tug at your sleeve. Or he'll make noises: MMM! MMM! MMM!
But if you keep up with his pace, he'll eat happily, swinging both his legs and flapping his hands while eating.
* * *
The swat is the most irritating technique that Sammy has come up with to block our attempts to feed him when when he doesn't feel like eating.
He has another technique, which is far less irritating and far less messy -- his faked convulsions.
He performs this fake convulsion by shaking his head left to right as vigorously as he physically can, to the point we sometimes wonder if his head will fall off. And while shaking his head, he has his eyes rolled up, so that almost only the whites are visible.
* * *
Late one afternoon the moon was already up. Pia was playing outside while waiting for the rest of the family to come out for a walk.
Pia noticed that the moon seemed to be following her. She stared up at it, took three steps to the left, and saw that it 'moved' in the same direction. She took three steps to the right, and the moon again 'followed'.
Pia: Look Daddy, the moon is following me where I go!
Daddy: Why is that, do you think?
Pia: Because I'm powerful.
* * *
