Happy 3rd Birthday!

Happy birthday, B! Boxing Day marks the your 3rd birthday. 舅妈 is amazed at how quick you have grown! Just 3 years ago, you were born in the hospital that 舅妈 works in. If not because it is Boxing Day (and I was not working that day), I could have been the first to meet you other than your parents. In the end, your 大舅and I (I was not your 舅妈 yet) visited you together, as 大舅 happened to be in Singapore at that time.

Our relationship grew much more after I officially became your 舅妈 which was around the time that daddy and mummy brought you over and lived here. Now that you are 3, it still feels like you are still 2. I think it is because you are always a baby in my eyes. The truth is that you have grown so much... At the mention of Singapore, you told me "I was born in Singapore" and I told you that I was born there too! :)

In the past year, you have learnt lots of words and speak a lot. But you have your moods - sometimes you just put on a straight face, look down and not say a single word, other times you will be so happy to greet me 舅妈 and immediately want to play with me and you will talk and talk non-stop. Seeing you smile at the end of a work day or a stressful and busy day, and when you want my attention, really made my day!

Now that you are 3, you have really grown to be a girl with your own personality and you know what you like and do not like. This is the first time I see you so skillfully tear open your birthday pressie wrapper. Well, who does not like pressies anyway? :) Your face lit up so brightly when you saw the pressie I have for you.

You kinda did not like us singing birthday song to you. Maybe you were shy? But we were all very happy to finally see you able to blow out the candles, which you also did it only after mummy's coaxing and encouragement. You have never wanted to blow the candles when we asked you to, at all family birthday celebrations. Now you finally did :) We were so proud of you!

I thought it was very sweet when you handed out the cupcake to everyone in the family, some of us said "thank you, I love you", and your response was "love you too". That was so sweet! I nearly teared... I have not heard you said that. I expected you to respond (repeat after and say) "I love you" and not a "love you too". You know how much we all love you right?

The other day, you insisted to want to come over to our place and play with 大舅, even though you were tired. On the way home, you fell asleep in the car. Usually when that happens and I carry you out of the car, you will continue to sleep but this time, you choose to be awake and want to play! Your poor 大舅 don't know how to play with you after a while and he is tired and want to sleep. To you, going to bed and sleeping is a play game itself because you have a blanket to play! So in the end, we all took a nap and you slept for 1 hour. Your energy level went down after that and I was the one who played with you eventually...

At this period of time, blankets are your best friends. With a blanket, your imaginations run wild and could think of how to play with the blanket. You would invite us into your room, sit on your mattress (which is on the floor now instead of on the bed). That is the 'aeroplane'. With the blanket wrapped around the lower half of your body, that is your way of indicating that you are ready to fly the aeroplane and off we go... to Singapore (you would say)! You love all sorts of blankets to cover and play with even though it is summer now and it is hot! We gave you a sleeping bag blanket for Christmas and we were glad you loved it :) I am waiting to see what else you can imagine from playing with blankets.

Yesterday, you came over again and we made some waffles together. You were so happy the whole time, spoke so much and kept asking me "why...? and why... (that)?" This was the longest period of time that you were in such a good mood whilst you are alone with me. But well, it was quite a treat for you - getting to eat ice cream, make heart-shaped waffles for your first time, eat the waffles with maple syrup (what you refer to as honey), get to play with the toys in my 'special box',  and the puzzle set that you remembered from the last time you came. I think I was tired out by you asking me all the whys :p Now I have learnt to ask you back a WHY question so that you will stop asking me WHY at the slightest thing you can think of.

It was funny to learn that Aunty S is gonna hold a birthday party for N just because N wants you to be at his birthday party (Aunty S was not really gonna have a party for N this year)! N really likes to play with you now, surprisingly, because both of you used to not play with each other, even when I brought you to his house for a play date. I suppose it was partly due to your language barriers, since N understood more Cantonese then, while English and Mandarin are what you understand. Now, N knows a lot more English and who knows, he can teach you more canto in future, because after all, you are a cantonese! Because of all your whys questions, I explained to you the concept of husband and getting married, which I think you are still trying to understand. Anyhow, mummy and I agreed that N would be your preferred choice of "who would you marry"... at least for now. Maybe I will tell this 'secret' on your wedding day :p

B, 舅妈 is looking forward to see you grow up and learning and growin to know Jesus and love God. I am proud of you that you are more sharing of your possessions now than previously. Even though you have a sister and a cousin in the family, do know that you are still our beloved 1st child of the family :)