Isaac's Two! Mummy has her say!

Isaac's 2 years old already! Today - 6th August 2009! Time really flies, can't believe 2 years ago today, I was in hospital, gave birth to Isaac at 7.15am in the morning.

We still remember the sleepless nights of the first few months. The tiring, tiring first few months when it was all poop and boobs, and especially when Isaac got colicky at about 7pm everyday... gosh... After the 6th month, things were more or less at steady state. And things got much easier the older Isaac got.

By the time he was about 12, 13 months, when he could walk, things were much much easier... He's a joy to come home to everyday (well, he always was :p). And we always look forward to weekends when we can spend the whole day with him, bringing him out, or just staying home. Even if we "stay home", we'd go downstairs for walks, sometimes cycling, play games, watch movies at home. We always have a blast.

But it IS tiring to look after a kid though. I don't think it's Isaac per se - it's just that accompanying a kid this age - who has boundless energy - is quite a feat to do along, for a long period of time.

Most weekends, both hubbs and I are not working, and we would be with Isaac all day. It helps that there are two of us, coz... it's just easier and less tiring. But if one of us were not around, we both feel that it's very tiring! *shiong* man!!! hahahaa I don't really know how to explain it coz it ain't obvious. But think most parents might share the same sentiments.

And all of a sudden, before Isaac's 2 years old! :) He's a big boy now. And he can 'do' many things. And say many things!

He's talking a lot now, and would often mimic whatever we say to him. But it's still cute and not irritating at all, coz we know he's mimicking us to hear what it sounds like if he says it. He mimics what he hears - so words in a song that he can catch, he'd say. Or if he listens to the adults talking to each other, he'd mimic words he hears too.

Almost all words, he can pronounce perfectly. I say he CAN, and not that he WOULD all the time. Case in point: FISH. He used to say the word Fish very well. When we see fishes, and pictures of fishes, and when he wanted to eat fish. Then suddenly one day, he started saying "shish" instead of "fish" ?!?!?! What the fish?!?! I kept correcting him, but he flashes me a cheeky grin and continues to say "shish". And so Dr Seuss' "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" becomes "One Shish, Two Shish, Red Shish, Blue Shish!" sighz.

Isaac takes to me correcting his pronunciation, quite well. Meaning, he doesn't seem to mind it, and he would say the word again, correctly pronounced, after I correct him. (Unlike hubbs who gives me The Look, when I correct him.) I am very conscious and would insist that Isaac pronounces his Ts and Ks at the end of the word. Like CaT, TalK, etc...He is very good, and always mimics me right.

Sometimes of course, he has the usual lazy Singaporean tongue. Like his "dun wan!" (don't want". He's very good at saying dun wan. Dun wan shirt, dun wan pants, dun wan diapers, dun wan touch (although I have managed to correct him such that he sometimes remembers to say 'dun touch' now), dun wan eat, dun wan water. hahaha... no, he's not really difficult with food and clothes, just occassionally, like most kids are. Oh best, "dun wan cut hair" - coz he's very afraid of the shaver that I use to cut his hair. Which kinda explains why his hair is so long now.

Isaac's 'dun touch' is quite legendary. He's very... particular - or as we say in Teochew dialect - very "goh tuck" - he doesn't like relative strangers (people whom he is not familiar with) to touch him. He can serially go:" Dun touch hair, dun touch shirt, dun touch pants, dun touch diapers!" when people pat his head, touch his shoulder or his thigh, or pat his bottom, respectively.

And our favourite, and our relatives' (who are all Teochew) favourite is when he says "mai tang!" which is Teochew for "don't touch!". It's hilarious to hear a boy his age say it, so amusing in fact, that my relatives kept on 'touching' him (irritating him in the process!) in order to hear him say "mai tang!" hahhaa... Will definitely try to get this on video.

Yes, he's apparently learnt to say quite a bit of Teochew as well. But hubbs and I hardly get to hear it, coz we've been very successful with our language programme so far. If you recall, hubbs will only speak with Isaac in Chinese, and I in English, and we managed to convince my mother-in-law to speak to Isaac only in Teochew. Thus, Isaac only speaks to us in those respective languages i.e. to me in English, hubbs in Chinese, and my MIL in Teochew.

Isaac, now at 2, has also learnt the concept that when one steps out of sight, the person doesn't 'disappear'. Thus, he has learnt not to cry, when we go to the loo, or go and bathe - he understands that "Papa is bathing" and not that his Papa has gone away.

In the mornings, when I drop Isaac off at my in laws place before I go to work. I used to have to sneak away. And he would cry when he realises that I am gone. But now, he knows and understands that hubbs and I have to be away, that we have to "go to work". In fact, his current way of dealing with it, is to ignore me when I tell him "Isaac, Mummy has to go to work now, okay? bye bye..." He doesn't even turn around to say Bye to me. Makes me kinda sad, in a way. But I guess that's his way of dealing with it.

okay, I was going to upload pix and videos along with this post taken on 6th August 2009, but it's kinda taking a long time. so here comes this post first :) stay tuned!