When Maya was born I was really nervous about handling her because of her tiny-ness. 1.5 months later, she is a hefty little girl with rolls and rolls of baby fat.
Today I noticed that she was wearing the same outfit she wore for the video I took when she was only 6 days old. Here are the two videos side by side.. compare the difference!!
Taken reverse chronologically, you'd think this was a weightwatchers ad! I don't actually know how much Maya weighs right now, but I'm guessing around 10-11 pounds - in other words double her birth weight. Her dimples are not as prominent as before, but they are still there and I hope to see them more often once she learns how to laugh!
Today Gong-gong and I dropped off Magnus for his first "full" day of pre-school; meaning 8:30am to 1pm. All morning, during breakfast and on the way to school, Magnus declared that he did not want to go to school, but eventually gave in to all my demands on him without a tantrum. He did, however, ask to be carried by Gong-gong instead of me on the way to school, in a last minute bid perhaps to escape his fate.
We dropped him off at his classroom door and he scrunched up his face and started to cry, but we said goodbye and left. On our way out I snapped a couple of pictures of the outdoor playspace as seen from inside:
A large sand pit:
A little wading pool. You can see an outdoor play area in behind:
A section of their very cute fencing:
I refrained from taken any pictures inside the school because I didn't want to get any people in the shots.
It is now 9am and I already miss Magnus! I hope he makes some good friends today, and will one day soon beg to be taken to school instead of away from it.
Talking about Maya: Gina: (whispering) What is Maya doing? Magnus: (whispering) Sleeping Gina: (whispering) That's right. Magnus: NOW WE HAVE TO BE QUIIIIIIIET Maya: ooooowAAAAAAA!
Commenting on this picture:
Magnus: He don't want Po-po to sit on your chair!!! Gina: I don't want... Magnus: I don't want Po-po to sit on your chair
Still struggling with his name: Gina: Hi Magis! Magnus: It not Magis, it Magis!!!
He knows he is naughty: Gina: Magnus! What did mommy say about touching Mommy's green Aveeno bottle? Magnus: Oh no you don't! <as he continues to reach for the bottle>
Sibling rivalry surfaces: Magnus: Don't want Mommy to take care of Maya! Want Gong-gong to take care of Maya!
More references to TV: Gina: This is a picture of 9 rattles. Magnus: Just like Baby Huffington has a rattle!
Correcting Gong-gong: Gong gong: Let's go to the tatootatoo mall! Magnus: It not duba mall, it Ibn Battuta mall!
Misunderstood by Gong gong (one of many many examples): Magnus: Want to go to Daddy's old car! Gong gong: OK, you want to go to the Toyota?
Magnus' second day at school seemed a little smoother. The CCTV monitor was conveniently offline, so we couldn't observe anything remotely, but the drop off, pick up, and teacher report indicated improvement.
Gong-gong and I dropped him off a little early again. I warned him about school the day before, and the morning of, and he did not show any distress until we were pretty much at the door of the school. Even then, he did not cry until I said goodbye at the door of his classroom. His teacher suggested that I come in to the class with him briefly to help him settle (we were the first to arrive). Since I was coming into class with him, he calmed down right away. The first thing I saw was that Magnus has his own cubby hole with his name on it. In his cubby hole we store a change of clothes, some sunscreen, diapers, wipes, and his backpack. I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper - there is an adorable miniature sink which he enjoying using to wash his hands. Back in the classroom I help Magnus play with the paints. The classroom has a lot of activities, I was very happy with what I saw. The teacher mentioned that they might do some dress up and play pretend, and I mentioned to her that Magnus doesn't like stuffed animals.
Two other children came into the classroom at this point, and they were throwing spectacular tantrums. I picked this time to leave and Magnus starting crying to come with me, and I gave him a kiss and a goodbye and reassurance that we were coming back before leaving.
Two hours later, Gong-gong and Po-po went to pick up Magnus. They said that when they got there, he was happily eating the snack I had packed for him. The teacher said that after crying that one time, he was fairly settled for the rest of the class. She also said that she asked him what his grandfather's name was, and he didn't answer her. (I had introduced my dad to her as gong-gong and I told her it was the chinese way to say grandpa, but as Magnus was crying at the time, she probably misheard and thought that was his name).
Magnus is chattering so much these days that he invariably gives us verbal gems. I've forgotten so many already but here are a few I can remember off the top of my head:
Attempting to teach Magnus to count beyond twenty: Magnus: Twenty eight, twenty nine, twenty ten!
On the elevator at the Dubai Mall: Gina: We're going to level 2 Magnus: Actually we're going to G Gina: No, actually, we're going to level 2, PLEASE DON'T PRESS THE 'G' BUTTON!
Struggling with pronunciation of his own name: Kendrick: Hi Maggit! Magnus: It not Maggit, It Magis! Kendrick: Hi Maaaagnooooooosh! Magnus: It not Maaaaagnooooosh, it Magis!
Magnus spies snow peas on the dining table: Magnus: It's magic! (he is referring to the magic beans in the jack and the beanstalk episode of Max & Ruby)
Struggling with grammar: Magnus: He running! Gina: I'm running. Magnus: I'm running!
Imitating TV (Caillou): Magnus: Where <item he is searching for>? Nope! Not it. Nope! Not it. Wait a minute, I think I see it!
Making obscure references: Magnus: The spoon is easy but the fork is really harder
Exhibiting a flair for connecting concepts: Gina: He doesn't like that piece because it has ginger on it, it's probably too spicy Magnus: Maybe Magis can have some ginger ale!
Last week the entire household, with the exception of Magnus, was eagerly anticipating Magnus' first day at pre-school. His first day has definitely been memorable. My heart aches for all the tears shed but I am really happy he is having this experience and I look forward to watching him adapt to pre-school in the coming weeks.
Magnus' pre-school is a brand new nursery less than five minutes away. When I toured the premises (still under construction) I was really impressed with what I saw and heard and I signed him up right away. Magnus also reacted really positively to the environment - playing with the toys and the sensory equipment, jumping into one the chairs and starting a drawing, etc.
Because the nursery is so new, all the students in Magnus' class are new, and there is a big "settling" period going on this first week. The first day lasted only 1 hour with a reduced class of 8 children. Gong-gong and I dropped off Magnus and his backpack at the door of his class a little bit early, at 9:20am. Magnus had been briefed by myself that he would be in school without Mommy or Gong-gong, but I didn't know it actually registered with him until I saw him desperately yanking me away from the classroom and begging to go home. His teacher asked that we leave him with her and not to go into the classroom at all, so after calming him down briefly with a gummy bear, we left to the tune of Magnus' shrieks.
Here's how the day went from my point of view:
9:20am - Dropped off Magnus crying. I hung around the reception waiting for the CCTV to be fixed so that I could see what was happening in the classroom. Gong-gong went to move the car and to wait outside.
9:38am - The nursery director went to check on the classes for us and came back to let me know that Magnus had settled in. Only one child in the class was crying, another little boy. I left the nursery to explore the neighbourhood with Gong-gong. We found an elevator that led to a convenient drop off point. We also checked out the local stores.
10:10am - I returned to the reception area to find that the CCTV was partially fixed. I could see the inside of the classroom but on a really really small part of the monitor. I saw all the children sitting in a circle with the teacher and her 3 helpers. One child, a boy, got up and started walking to the door. The teacher went to fetch him and carried him back to the circle. Was it Magnus? I think so, but it was so far away I couldn't be sure.
10:15am - The children were being moved around the classroom. It was apparent the teacher wanted the in the back of the class (closest to the CCTV camera). They started with the four girls. I then saw Magnus and another boy come to the back, and then the boy next to Magnus started to cry. Magnus did not stay in the back of the class, I saw him move to the front corner and then he disappeared from my view.
10:25am - Gong-gong comes into reception, we watch for Magnus a bit but we don't see him. I agree to wait outside closer to the car and let Gong-gong pick up Magnus, as the plan next week is for Gong-gong to pick him up alone. I find a bench outside and wait.
10:30am - Gong-gong goes to the classroom. Inside, Magnus is sitting in the corner with his blue handkerchief (I put one in his backpack just in case) and is quietly choking back sobs. When he sees Gong-gong he runs to him and continues catching his breath the way people do after a hard spell of crying. The teacher tells Gong-gong that Magnus had settled in well until another child started crying, at that point Magnus started crying too and sat himself in the corner for the rest of the class.
10:35am - Gong-gong, carrying Magnus, reach my bench and Magnus is still catching his breath. He is happy to see me but it takes a few more minutes for him to 100% calm down. By the time he gets in the car he seems to be back to normal. We try to quiz him a bit about school, but the only things he talks about are his teacher's name, the fact that he wanted Mommy to come back but had to go to work, and that Gong-gong came to pick him up. (Later I get him to confirm that his teacher helped him open his backpack, and other little things, but we still have not got a lot of information out him!!)
10:50am - We arrive back home and Magnus tells Po-po the three things about school I mentioned above. Just recalling the day's events makes his breath catch again. It was both cute and heart breaking at the same time!
His next class is the day after tomorrow, and will be two hours long. His third class will be 2.5 hours long, and then next week he will be doing the full 5.5 hours, 3 days a week.
Here are some pictures on his first day:
Magnus' backpack, a present from AuntieT (sorry I had to remove the googly eyes)
Liking his bag after googly eyes removal:
Contemplating the name sewn in the back:
How Pre-school marked him:
Relaxing with Maya after a tough first day:
This is a video I made where I tried to capture Magnus catching his breath while talking about school. By this time, however, the trauma had passed (that's a good thing). Also, I had to prop up the camera and did not realize how out of focus it was! Anyways, you can hear Magnus talking a bit about his first day:
Maya and Magnus had back to back check ups today, and I'm happy to report that they are both growing nicely. Maya has grown so quickly that the doctor actually suggested that I can space out her feedings a little more to give myself a break, particularly when she is asking for food every hour!
Both kids were weighed with their clothes (and shoes) on, but as it was a warm 27C today, they were lightly dressed!
