Chinese New Year - Outbound Journey

We drove down Heathrow Terminal 5 on Thursday. The flight was 16.35pm. we set off around 8.30am. It didn't seem that long for 4 hours driving. We booked valet parking and checked in online beforehand, so actually we ended up too early at the airport. Luckily Heathrow Terminal 5 have soft play area for toddlers, which kept Daniel occupied until boarding. While Daniel was playing on the mat, there was a 3-year old little girl came along, she was keen to play with Daniel, but Daniel just ignored her and run away. The little girl speaks German. After chatting with her mum, i knew they live Cape Town, German is the girl's first language. Her mum hope that she could speak more English. After a while, I saw two little persons watching the big air plans taking-off / landing side by side in front of the curtain wall together. Also, i saw the little girl's mum took a booster seat in her pushchair to take on the air plan, then I started to get a bit worry about how Daniel going to be seated on the air plan as he is smaller than that girl. But it turned out that Daniel sat on an adult seat just fine. We booked 3 seats next to the window, Daniel sat the middle one. Daniel did well for 9 hours flight on the outbound journey. He enjoyed the children meal (fish +mashed potato) we prebooked for him, played his bus toy and had a few hours sleep. we lift the chair arms so he could lie down with head rest on my lap.

We had to wake up Daniel after the BA flight landed at Beijing Terminal 3 10am local time (2am British time) the following day. Lucky Daniel didnt cry for losing sleep and we didn't loose any luggage despite of the fact that Daniel's name was appeared on the lost luggage list. After border control, reclaiming the luggage, exchanging the currency, we bought the internal flight tickets to Kunming for 16.oopm. after another 3 hours domestic flight and one hour delay, we finally arrived Kunming 21.00pm on Friday night. Total two days on the journey!

Love and limit

Just as I was thinking that Daniel had behaved very well since December, he threw three major tantrums today, one in public.

Daniel was so looking forward to go the playgroup this morning as they shut for Christmas. Today is the first day when they re-started. At start Daniel was so happy that he engaged in playing so intensely. He played kitchen for a while and moved on to a plastic playhouse, i was talking to Joane, Daniel wanted me to watch him 'Ma watching you (me)... Ma watching you...'. Following his order I squatted down but was still talking to Joane. Daniel screamed 'Don't like ma talking... Don't like Ma talking...' A little girl walked into the playhouse, Daniel immediately protested:'It's baby's house...' and looked my way hoping I do something about it. I told him:' share it... it's every one's' Daniel said' Don't like every one's...' Daniel abandoned the playhouse and moved on to a toy lawn mower and i continued to talk to Joane , Daniel suddenly burst into tears and cried so loud for no reason, i went to pick him up trying to cuddle him only to realized that it was too late, he was so worked-up, he was sobbing 'Don't want ma cuddle... don't want ma cuddle... Ma standing there...' i put him down and stood where he pointed, he cried even louder. In the hindsight now when I am writing this , I think I should give him the full attention straight away, he probably just want me to do pretend play with him.

The afternoon one was at home and it was a major tantrum. Daniel cried so hysterically in the rage, because i refused to give him his dummy. I have to physically restrain him in case he hurt himself. He cried so long but I was just holding him tight in my arm. i was torn by the two ideas: should I just give in, I know I could just give him his dummy, the storm will go quickly, but i scared that if i do, am i sending a message to him that tantrum always works; On the other hand i was torn to see Daniel in such a state, a state seemingly like being in torture. I love Daniel more than anything else. In the back of my mind, I can hear a voice say' is it worthy it?'It's so hard to get the balance right in such a situation

26 month old and Pretend Play

Last Thursday morning when I drop Daniel off at nursery, nursery staff asked me what Daniel's interests at home, they have registered Daniel's interests at nursery is 1)Role Play; 2) reading books; 3)Sand play... there must be something else but I didn't remember as I was in the rush to go to work. They explained that children might have different interests at home, so i quickly summarised a few Daniel's interests at home for their record:1)singing, Daniel is quite into the music, nursery rhythms. he likes to sing; 2) hopping and dance, bouncing in bed; 3) Books, which was coincided with his interests at nursery. I was going to say Daniel's first interest at the moment is BUS RIDE because this was the first thing pop in my mind, but i dint think they will take him out for a bus ride, so I decided to save this one to myself. While i was driving to the work that morning i thought through their question and the answers they came up with, i concluded the same answers for Daniel. Actually I should have said that Daniel's first interest at home is Pretend Play as well, which is the same as when he is in the nursery.Two and three year old like to practice talking, by talking to themselves. Daniel likes talking, he chat chat chat chat... non stop. Most of time he was pretending things. He likes to pretend 'going to work':

Daniel was pedaling his bike, 'I (am) going to work... give me a kiss...bye...bye...' he pedaled, pedaled, came to kiss me and Terry then pedaled away. ' don't forget your sandwich', he came back pretending to ask for money, I pretended to give some money. he said 'don't drop it...'

'going to the gym', 'going on the bus';'going shopping'; 'going the tent' are also Daniel's favorite things to pretend. actually while I am tying this he is pretending that he was Makapaka, who is peddling his bike to go under the 'tunnel'(table). I really like to offer encouragement and suggestions when Daniel is engaging in pretend play through my part of pretend conversation /play because pretend play helps him understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to reenact a story or organize play.

No more boucing in the bed! (for tonight)

Daniel really doesn't mind cold at all! It was -5 C yesterday, he played long time in the garden with his garden toys. We haven't been to garden for a while since the winter came. But yesterday Daniel kept ask me ' going the garden..gong the garden..' when he saw the snow outside. I let him out, he went straight to his little burrow, emptied the water and ice in there and started to pester me to push him while he sitting on his trekker. Terry got out the sledge we bought for Daniel last year on the ski trip from our garage. Daniel didn't enjoy it much last year when in France, but yesterday he certainly enjoyed the sledge ride very much while me and Terry took in turn towing him. he played the snow, when he started to play gravel like he used to do during summer, he realised he can't play with gloves on. he took his gloves off and handed to me. He played for nearly an hour outdoor ignoring my request to put gloves on, in the end i have to remove him from garden to go indoor despite he threw the biggest tantrum screaming 'going the garden... going the garden...' with legs kicking in the air. Originally I didn't mind he play in the garden as I have the intention to let Daniel play outdoor at least an hour or so every day as Long as the weather allows. but yesterday was really cold and his hands were frozen and gone red, he just doesn't mind cold at all. He is so willful and strong-minded .

Today is my first day back to work. It took me 10 minutes to scrape the snow and ice on the car in the morning. Danie helped me scraped the snow in the car as well. Daniel was all right this morning going nursery, he wasn't upset, instead, he was quite excited told me 'mummy, get shoes on... go nursery... see friends...' I said ' who are you going to see?' ' Bradley... Cohen... Amy... Jess...'

This afternoon Terry picked up Daniel a bit earlier from nursery to go to the Travel Clinic for Daniel's injection. We are taking Daniel to China to see my parents next week. When I back home from work, I asked Daniel:

'Have you seen doctor?'

'Yes...'

'What did doctor say?'

'No more bouncing in the bed!'

The last one is really funny as it is from a nursery rhythm. Daniel was so tired first day back to 'school' that he fell fast asleep on the high chair. I put him straight in bed. it was really 'No more bouncing in the bed' for tonight. Bouncing on the bed is one of Daniel's new bed time routine.

Daniel, Benji and weekend...

We took Daniel to see his sisters and grandparents in south after Christmas. Five-hours car journey down, five-hours journey back, Daniel behaved very well. He is always good at long car journey as long as his favourite nursery rhythms CD was on. This time was even better, he was signing along the Jingle Bell at the back of the car:

'Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle all the way...' stop, 'Hi...' he continued ' what a fun (it) is to ride on an one-horse open sleigh, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle all the way... what a fun is to ride on an one-horse open sleigh...' I would very pleased that he can sing to this length, but he continued:
'Dashing through the snow... on the one horse open sleigh... all the field we go... laugh and play...bell and bow tie ring... make spirit bright... what fun is to ride on the one horse open sleigh...'

We stayed hotel for one night at Southampton, picked up Charlotte and Hannah the following morning and drove they three to their grandparents' house for a two day visit. Daniel used to be a bit scared of nanny and granddad as he didn't get to see them much. He used to cry when they try to cuddle him, but this time I felt he is really connected to them and I was very pleased. he rushed in the house called 'Nanny... Granddad...' He followed nanny around house. He said 'I go see nanny ...' then dragged me from upstairs lounge to the downstairs one where nanny and granddad was. He played well with Charlotte and Hannah and he let them hold his hands to swing him when we walked down the beach.

The other thing made Daniel's little break so exciting was playing with Benji, nanny's dog. i didn't realize that Daniel loves dog so much until I saw he play with Benji. Daniel showed great interest on him this time than any other visits in the past. Benji always sleep on the sofa, Daniel went to stroke Benji straight away when he saw him this time, he talked to him , which looked so natural and when Benji got up and chased him, Daniel run away fast with laugh and thrill then went back to stroke him again... Daniel said 'Benji smelly... Benji smelly... let him out...' He liked to see Benji run to the garden to get the fox, which made him giggle...