Cookies

It's snack time and Nicole is jumping up and down trying to get the cookie jar from the top of the pantry shelf. I smiled and helped her take her favourite digestive biscuit. She's going to have it with her favourite tea (decaf) and milk.

"Hmm, okay, you're going to have a biscuit, mummy," she said.
"No, thank you Nicole, you take it, I'm fine."
"Oh come on, mummy, you must have one."
"I'm fine, baby, honestly. You have one."
"But there's only one left!", she said.
"It's okay, it's for you, babe," I said.

Then it occurred to me and I said, "So... there was only one biscuit left and you actually offered it to me?"
"Yes," she said.
"Awww.... that's so sweet of you, baby, thank you," I had a lump in my throat.
She was silent for a second and then...
"Well,... actually I already took three and there was one left," she said.

I raised my eyebrows and she had this big grin on her face.
Love her to bits!!

Chat

We now live in Oz - in Bunbury, WA; and Nicole's best friend Keisha, just moved to Esperance, south of WA. They have been keeping in contact by phone, chatting. Here's one excerpt of the one-sided phone conversation that I heard:

N: No, I just woke up.... no, nothing really, just at home, watching Justice Crew videos..
K: ....
N: So, what did you have for breakfast today? ..oh, okay... I'm having toast, egg, salmon and avocado... yeah, healthy stuff ( :-) )
K:...
N:.. Me and my mum are going to phone some halls to arrange for my birthday party.... mm, I don't know yet when...
K:...
N:...I don't know, it's Wednesday here today... ( :-) )
K:....
N:...oh yes, I have Claudine... oh, you mean Claudine's sister? The one who wants to be a writer?
K:....
N: Oh, did you know that MacKenzie cancelled her talent show audition? Really!.... (for those who are not familiar with the names, they are discussing about the Monster High characters, their favorite dolls... :-) )
K:....
N:... yeah, I really should finish my breakfast now (looking at mummy's raised eyebrows... she's been a long time on the phone)
K:...
N: okay,... bye....

Please don't answer back..

These days Nicole will have an answer to almost everything. When it's time for her revision, I ask her to read from a book (first readers) then she will say, "mummy, I'm too tired," although she was not tired three seconds ago when she was watching her DVD. Then I would say, "Come on, Nicole, reading is the most important thing to learn. If you can't read, you can't do anything. I didn't have TV or DVD when I was your age." To which she says (innocently, without any malice), "Well, you should have bought one."
I ask her not answer back. I said, "When mummy asks you to do something, I don't want to repeat twice, three times, Nicole. Just please do what mummy says. I love you and I always want the best for you. Please don't answer back." Then after telling her that, one time I asked her, "Nicole, what do you want for breakfast?" Silence. "Nicole? Did you hear me?" Then she looked at me with a genuine confusion "But you told me not to answer back?" oh, bless her cotton socks....
"Mummy, I have this funny feeling.... I think I'm bored" that's one of her favourite phrases now. And I would say, "No, Nicole, you're tired. It's past your bedtime now, go to bed. Nite-nite."

A Big Girl

I have to keep on reminding myself that Nicole is a big girl. I am so used to calling her "baby", "babe". At times she will say, "I AM NOT A BABY". So from now on, it has to be "big girl". However, sometimes I hug her tight and say, "You will always be my baby, won't you, Nicole?" She says, "When I grow older like you, will you become a baby like me, mummy?"
No, kiddo, I'll still be older than you.....

Omelette

Deciding to live in a different country is not easy. Coming from the family-oriented community in the East to the more individual-oriented life in the West must be a shock to many. Having accustomed to living a good life with all its perks, i.e., family, siblings, maid servants, driver and then switch to 'do-everything-yourself' kind of life is tough.
Imagine that I never had any idea of what working in the kitchen entails. Did not have a clue of any single herb or spices. I probably could boil an egg, but that was about it. The thought of how different kinds of food could be served on the dining table was a far-flung mystery to me. I mean, how on earth could you mix spices to get different flavours? Must be magic....
But ten years of living abroad has taught me the one thing that I used to consider as an enigma. I am by no means a competent cook. I look up recipes from books, internet, friends, etc. But I have the satisfaction now that whatever I cook, at least if not too spicy, both my darling daughter and husband will just devour it.
So it was this morning, I prepared a beautiful, fluffy omelette, filled with smoked salmon and served with roasted cherry tomatoes-on-the-vine and a slice of brown toast. Not so much of a haute cuisine, but it was delicious and healthy. But most of all, there is the satisfaction that I know what I am feeding my lovely family as I made it myself.

Imagination

Nicole is full of imagination. She likes to 'invent' things. She invents songs, dances, sentences, phrases, etc.

Now the routine is mummy reads her a new story at bedtime and the next night, she will be the one reading it back to mummy (obviously by looking at the pictures). So the story one night was 'Good Knight, Sleep Tight'. On one page, the king was desperate as the baby princess did not stop crying, so he said, "Give that pillow to the child or I'll go BANANAS!!..." Nicole seemed to be so amused by the expression of 'go bananas'. She knew now that it meant to go crazy.
Come the next night, she read the story back to mummy. She was very good and spot on with the story. On that particular page, she said, "Give that pillow to the child or I'll go CARROTS!!.. (??!!@@??)"
Obviously she remembered it had something to do with a fruit, so smilingly I said, "No baby, it's not carrots, it is bananas.." We both had a good laugh..

Her latest song now always starts with, 'If you want to sing like me.....' of course with body swaying left and right, hand gestures and expressions like a pop star.
So the song goes..'If you want to sing like me...you have to practice a lot... (she noticed a glass of water on the table)... you have to drink a lot .... (remembering what mummy asked her to do after a bath) you must wipe yourself dry after taking a bath...(remembering mummy said try to think of nice things before going to bed to get nice dreams).... you mustn't get bad dreams... if you want to sing with me.....'
'If you want to sing like me... you must practice with your heart... (eyes closed and face tilted upwards expressively and hand on heart)... you must sing nicely.... or people will say Boo....Boo...Boo... (this obviously remembering a disappointed audience on a TV programme)..'
and the song goes on and on and on.... mentioning whatever is in her sight and whatever she remembers at that time.

After cooking pasta, cauliflower and cheese for her dinner, I put her plate on the table for it to cool down. She gingerly stuck her finger and tasted it, "Mmm, yummy, mummy. You made it yesterday and again and again..." (??) "I haven't made this for ages, babe.."
"I love it mummy."
"Thank you, Nicole," I said graciously.
"I love you too..." awww, isn't she sweet?
"I love you more, Nicole.."
"I know.." by this time her attention was already grasped by Scooby Doo.
Oh, okay then.

"Mummy, you forgot to bring my milk!"
"Oh yes," I reached for the glass of milk on the kitchen counter.
"Err.. what about my orange?" she pointed to the bowl of fruit that was to be her snack with the milk.
"Oh, dearie me..., mummy is so forgetful, Nicole," I said.
"Yes..." she gave a chuckle.
"That's what happens when you get old, Nicole, you become forgetful."
"Well, I am not old," she said. "I am new." (???)
"No, baby, you are young," I corrected.
"I am young AND new," she insisted.
"Okay," by this time I was wise enough not to argue.

She will pretend painting faces by scrutinizing mummy's face and making strokes on the wall - like an artist making a real life painting. When asked, 'Who showed you how to do that, Nicole?' She will give an 'exasperated' sigh (oh mummy, must you ask?? kind of sigh) 'It is from my imagination, mummy...'

Funny girl

Nicole loves to sing. If not the songs that she knows already, she will 'invent' a new song. With all the festivity up to Christmas, it was Christmas songs everywhere. On TV, in the supermarket, on the radio, everywhere.
One night as she was ready to go to bed, eyes half closed, feeling sleepy, she still managed to sing. But it went like this, "We wish you a sleepy Christmas, we wish you a sleepy Christmas, and a Happy New Year.. oh yeaahhh..."
I couldn't stop myself from laughing. She started smiling and then laughed with me. She sang it again and again.
And I was back to square one trying to wind her down before bedtime. Again.

"Ayo, Nicole mandi dulu..." I tried to speak Indonesian to Nicole as much as possible.
"Mummy, why are you speaking Spanish?" she asked (Daddy speaks Spanish).
"No, baby, I'm talking Indonesian to you, that's my language".
"Okay,... mummy,.. asppaher kdeehoo donk abulfa adkielm...."
And I burst out laughing at her ingenuity.
"Mummy, don't laugh when I am speaking Spanish.." she was still trying to be serious, but soon both of us were laughing our heads off.

We are now introducing the rewards chart to Nicole. So if she does what she's asked to do and does it nicely, she gets a star. If she eats in the dining room instead of in the living room watching TV, she'll get a star.
The first day we introduced this system, we asked if she understood and my husband said, "Well, since you have been nice, I'll give you a star now to start."
She was so excited to see the red star on the board.
Then she turned to me, smiled and said very sweetly, "Mummy, I always like to play seesaw with you.."
I tried to see where her thoughts led, "Of course, sweetheart, I like that too, but the playground is frozen now. Next time, ok?"
"It's only a pretend seesaw, mummy.."
"Oh, okay then, let's pretend"
Then she ran to her daddy and said, "Daddy, I spoke nicely to mummy."
My husband said, "Well done, okay... another star."
Now she had two stars on the board.
Then (again), she turned to me, smiled and said sweetly, "Mummy,.. I really like to play hide and seek with you..."
By this time both my husband and I were roaring with laughter. Apparently she understood the reward system too well.