GARGANTUAN steps

Sunday, December 08, 2024

letters to a daughter - two ta two two ta two

My dearest Elizabeth~

Happy 2nd birthday to you! This second year has really flown by (it seems to be a recurring theme every birthday) and you've definitely changed a lot! First of all, you now have a full head of hair after your first year in the wilderness. Mama can finally do various things with it, mostly just tying it up or putting a hair band. It still isn't long enough to braid but I think we will soon get there. You still haven't had a formal haircut yet (although mama did attempt to trim your fringe) so what you have on your head has been there since birth! 

You've also most definitely grown taller, and you're a really chatty girl who can be quite bossy at times. You will sure let people know what you want ('Papa, go away, I want mama put bed'), and if not, you'll scream your head off to get your point across. You're definitely quite girly in the sense that you like to wear 'pretty dresses' and very affectionate too, insisting on giving people hugs and kisses before going home, or before going to bed. I think what has really shone through, especially in the second half of the year, is your independent streak, whether insisting on putting on your shoes by yourself, or hunting for your swimming costume on Sunday mornings when Daniel has his swimming lessons, and insisting on going down with him. 

You've achieved quite a few milestones in the last year, one of them being walking on your own two feet. Papa and mama thought you would start walking independently even earlier than your two older brothers, but you did not do so until you were thirteen and a half months old. Yes, you were furniture-walking and all, but that last hurdle of walking without support took a while. But amazingly, you decided to just go from sit to stand without any support and start walking, whereas most other children will pull themselves up using some furniture and start walking. I suspect you must have been doing some secret training to have just gone from sit to stand and then walk! Still, it was a good effort. You also started going to school this year but more on that later. 

On your first birthday last year, we celebrated by going to The Artground at Goodman Arts Centre, which is some kind of a sensory indoor playground. For you, I think you just enjoy being around the company of family, and though there wasn't exactly much for you to play with, you still had a good time with your brothers. As always, we typically have three birthday celebrations for our kids when it comes around - one for just the immediate family, then one with the Gians and then one with the Tings. 


All smiles on the morning of your 1st birthday!
Mama says you are a smiley, pretty girl - I can't agree more, though you had so little hair back then. You should see how you look like now in the penultimate photo of this letter.


Surveying The Artground


Your first birthday cake


A special birthday cake the next day - with a girl and her bunny on top. You too, like your brothers,  have a 臭臭, or a toy to hug and comfort you to bed at night. Your is a white bunny, and she or he will probably be here to stay, considering that Nathan is 7 and he still hugs Tommy to bed at night.

Once you reached 18 months old, you started school at Little Sparks, which is a pre-school very near Dunbar. You were, not surprisingly, bawling your eyes out and crying your lungs out on the first day of school, since they didn't let parents into the classroom. Both your mama and 婆婆 were particularly worried about not being around, but it all worked out fine in the end. You settled well into your class, and seem to have picked up quite a few adult-like gestures from school, such as placing your hands on your hips! At the recent parents-teacher meeting, which your mama attended, she was told that you could voice what you want and when mama tried to find out what it was that you were saying, it apparently was 'Is 婆婆 here yet?' Haha! Sadly, we'll be taking you out of Little Sparks at the end of the year, and instead, you'll be going to school together with Daniel and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Pre-School. I am sure you'll enjoy it as much, if not more. 


Trying out your new school uniform 


In the arms of your teacher on the first day of school - I believe that might Ms Emma


The wheels on the bus!
One of your favourite pick-me-up songs


Class photo with your classmates and teachers

We went for a few trips in the last year, and the first one was right after you had turned one, flying off to Bali. Unfortunately, you were probably too young to fully appreciate the trip, but you got to see and feed some animals at the Bali Safari. We were mostly concerned with making sure that you had adequate sleep throughout the day, and you did pretty well for the entire trip, or at least from what I seem to recall.


You were quite a handful on the flight, refusing to sit down, and creating a fuss when forced to, especially during take off and landing.


Family photo with the elephant after breakfast


On a safari ride with the entire travel gang


Papa feeding you to the tiger


You feeding the giraffe


Family photo at Bali Safari
I hope to be back there again, especially when you and Daniel are a little older to appreciate the park more fully!

During the June holidays, we made a short trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia because Nathan has been nagging us to bring him to see the Twin Towers. And so, we made our first trip out of the country without any additional family support, and we survived, more or less. It was quite a memorable trip because we all got to go to the top of the Twin Towers, and also visited Farm in the City on the last day, which is a mini-zoo, though Nathan fell sick on that day and he felt pretty wretched most of the time. Thankfully the rest of us survived the trip without any other major hiccups. 


With your older brothers at Petaling Street, which is a food cum shopping street


On the 86th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers


Mama's favourite video of you! And mine too!
You really can be quite cute.


Family photo in front of the Twin Towers


At Farm in the City


Feeding the bunnies
Mama had to carry you all throughout because Nathan was being pushed about in your pram

In September, to celebrate 公公's 70th birthday, we made a weekend trip to Johor, though you probably won't recall much because for you and me, it was mostly spent sleeping in our accommodation! And also being stuck at causeway jam.


Dinner celebrating 公公's birthday

Here are a few photos of you and with those closest to you, so that you can savour these memories when you grow up, and remember who kept you close to their heart.


Celebrating Mother's Day at Kallang Riverside Park


Family photo with the Tings - 舅舅 was back as well from London with his girlfriend


The annual Chinese New Year picture with 爷爷 and 奶奶 and their grandchildren


Being carried by kor kor Raphael


Christmas celebrations at grand aunty Lucy's house - with kor kor Raphael and Gwyneth (uncle Boon's daughter) in the picture


And with the latest addition to the Gian family - Graham (uncle Boon's son)


Celebrating your 1st birthday at Duku with your cousins, uncles and aunties from the Gian family

Here are important photos of you and your older brothers, who love you so very much! They are most protective of you, and thus far, never fail to give in to you. In return, you never fail to want to give them a goodnight hug and kiss every night before you go to bed, hunting them down like a tiger hunting down its prey. They take turns to try and get you to eat your food or drink your milk (mostly Nathan), or laugh and run up and down the house with you (mostly Daniel). They do take your toys from you though, and you've also begun to protect your territory (especially anything orange, which is your favourite colour) with that loud voice of yours!


Decked out in CNY clothes - no matching dragon dress for you because it is supposedly not appropriate for a girl


Just laughing about and having fun with Daniel over nothing 


Building a structure at the National Gallery Singapore


Exploring the new Thomson-East Coast Line with a stop just outside Ola


Celebrating National Day in matching outfits


Exploring the Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City


Posing at the newly opened Bidadari Park


Exploring Bird Paradise in matching outfits from Barcelona that papa bought for you all

Here are a few photos with papa, mama, and the family. Just to remind us how much you've grown over the year, and how much joy you bring to our lives.


With papa on your birthday


With mama at Gardens by the Bay


Celebrating Mother's Day by climbing trees


Celebrating Father's Day by lounging around


Exploring Geylang Serai at Nathan's behest


Customary Yan family Chinese New Year photo

Here we come to a few photos or videos of you, and the many weird and wonderful things that you were up to. You are quite photogenic, I must admit! And you aren't exactly camera shy, always willing to make a pose. I believe it is mama who has taught you all these various poses, whether it is the Korean heart using your fingers, or big ones using your arms above your head, or posing a cute smile with two fingers place on your cheeks. I must say, they never fail to melt my heart. You are Daddy's girl indeed.


Getting you to drink milk (or eat your food) can be quite agonizing at times, and we have to come up with various methods to try and get you to eat or drink. Here's one where we made you wear a Black Panther mask


Laughing heartily with your bus toy


Insisting on playing the piano
I'm sure you'll be just like your brothers and be as musically talented as them


You love bags - here you are carrying three of them


Swimming is definitely the one activity that never fails to get you out of the house


Here's an odd one of you kissing yourself - I'm not sure why but you kept at it for a few weeks!


Your first steps 
As I've mentioned, you just decided to stand up on your own two feet independently and get going


Petting uncle Boon's dog
I don't think you nor Daniel are quite dog lovers like your papa or Nathan. But maybe that will change


Waking in up in your own barf
There was a fortnight where you, Daniel and Nathan took turns to catch a gastric bug and went through more than half a dozen bedsheets in a night! It was a truly wretched time for us all. I still get nightmares about this, with the endless bedsheets I had to change for nights in a row. Gastric bugs are the worse


Here's a funny video made by 姨姨


Reading out loud your bedtime prayers
(Which you insist on having a video of it taken every night)


One of many photos of your cute poses


Here's another with cute pony tails 


All ready for N1 at SHHK


Getting all of us in tickles with your version of NDP songs


Nailing it for the camera

Meanwhile, you'll be starting your third year of life, which means you'll be in the phase of your terrible twos! The title of this letter is actually the song you keep requesting for papa and mama to play for you every time you're in the car, screaming and shouting till you get your way. It's called 'I've Got the Rhythm' and those words, 'to-ta-to-to-ta', are literally the beginning of the song. Here's hoping you remain the happy, healthy girl (and yes, you've been discharged from seeing the Infectious Diseases doctor for your congenital CMV), and may you always continue to bring a smile to those around you. Always remember that papa, mama, Nathan and Daniel all love you very much, together with the larger family that surrounds you. You are such a blessing to us all.


Happy 2nd birthday, Elizabeth!


posted by Gabriel Yan at 12:00 AM 0 comments