Yx can't nap when nainai snores

Funny quips between my mom and wyx4:

On usual weekday afternoons, Yx takes an afternoon nap and either my dad/mom would lie beside her. It's the only way Yx will fall asleep. So Yx shared with us that on some afternoons, she was unable to nap because nai nai snores very loudly.

She complained to nainai, "Don't snore!"

Nainai retorted, "我要snore才可以breathe, 我是 old lady!"

1 min superstar 2nd place

Amidst the 100% WFH arrangement to cope with the Covid-19 outbreak, my company was concerned that staff were going crazy cooped up indoors, or feeling alone and dejected from the lack of mingling with our usual lunch kakis/team mates.

One of the activities they organised was a 1-minute Superstar challenge - to encourage staff to showcase talents, and encourage participation from family too.

The initial window period for submission was 2 weeks. However, due to a lack of participation, it was extended not twice, but thrice. That's how passive and unsporting the staff are... me included. Then the organiser XY texted me personally and asked me to participate. I was quite sian at first. Like, no mood to do anything leh. But we brainstormed and when I tried playing some songs at home with the ukulele, wyx4 was eager to join in and her interest spurred me on!

Submitted a short clip of us playing 细水长流, me on the uke while she played percussion (a baby shaker actually but it worked!).

Surprisingly we got 2nd place ($100) hehe! Timely money to buy some milk powder and groceries =)

Yx's comic

Recently, Yx is very much into drawing.

She will sit at her table, grab a pen and quietly doodle.

A few days ago, she came up with a few sequential drawings of her family and herself, they seem almost to form a comic of a morning routine. I love the fact that she draws happy faces of everyone and that she's integrated her baby sis into her perspective :)

Description of the drawings, as explained by artist Yx herself:
1) Yx and meimei waking up in the morning
2) Morning toilet routine
3) Yx makes milk for her sister
4) Yx carries her sister to choose what clothes to change into
5) Yx and sister entering their parents' room, who are still asleep
6) Sister lying on the sofa, and Yx peering over the back of the sofa
7) Playing in the living room.

Bedtime routine with Yx

22 Mar, Sunday.

For the longest time now, we developed a bedtime routine for Yx. It comprises brushing teeth, washing feet, changing into pyjamas and reading of books. Wifey and I take turns to do it, while the other will carry out Ye's set of bedtime routine in the living room. Yesterday, I had the luxury to do bedtime routine with our darling first-born. After completing it, Yx asked for my company to sleep with her. Wifey usually does this, but yesterday wifey relented to Yx's request.

 I turned off the lights. I was beat and I closed my eyes in a bid to sleep. Yx didn't have her usual afternoon nap that day. Despite the room being dark and it being late at 10.30pm, Yx was as perky. And talkative.

"Papa, do you know this that this that.... (I forgot what she said)."

I acknowledged, "Mmm."

A few seconds later, Yx went, "Papa?"

I didn't reply cos it was time to wind down and I didn't want to engage her in any conversation? She called out "Papa?" again.

I replied curtly, "Ya?" 

She went on to comment about sth (which I have now forgotten). As soon as she finished, I said, "Okay it's time to sleep."

And now, she was ready to sleep. After finishing up a typical female's quota of 10,000 words a day. "Good night, silly papa," she said.

"Mmm, good night," my lips murmured, on the edge of falling asleep.

"Good night, funny papa."

"Good night, noisy Ying Xi."

Promptly, she turned onto her right side, hugged the bolster and went into slumber.

Amusing drawing by wyx

Yx is recently into drawing and writing. Very much. She would grab a marker and paper and sit down at her table, fully engrossed in letting her creative juices flow. She also learnt how to write words by referring to her books.

Love how randomly funny her drawings are. Sometimes she draws us and/or her friends. Sometimes she draws cars. Sometimes she writes random words in erroneous spellings. Presenting an example:

At the top right: Bob and Larry, from her favourite DVD cartoon 'VeggieTales' (below image from google). She drew them from her memory.

Centre left: Herself (labelled), with a red face. Wifey asked why her face was like that, and Yx replied it was because she was angry that mama wanted her to eat potato. You can see a chicken hand (apparently mama's hand) holding a round thing (potato). LOLOLOL this kid!

Some other drawings:

That's YE laying on my lap

Yx waking up papa, but she is sad because papa asked for 1 more min.

Guess who's YX's current favourite person?

Last week spontaneously, Yx wanted to write a card to her papa. She sat down, grabbed a pen and paper and wrote these as she asked her mama how to spell each word along the way, letter by letter:

It says: "I love Papa because Papa make me funny and jokes and I want grow up like Papa".

You can also spot her hand-drawn pics of her family, all 4 of us, "PAPA MAMA AND YINGXI AND MEIMEI", and a "YAY".

An unsolicited gift done up all free-hand and without guidance, absolutely sincere and without any inhibition. Sweet TTM. Love you my darling.

In fact, Yx has also been asking for my company more - be it going to the playground, accompany her play toys or bedtime routine. She also says she wants to pick up the exact CCAs that her papa did i.e. swimming (she hates swimming btw), chinese orchestra and ukulele the last. Don't know how this phase will last, imma treasure the bond we share. :)

Yx loves pizza

Yx absolutely loves pizza! If we walk past Pizza Hut or Saizeriya during meal time, she would be pestering for pizza and/or gratin. Cheese lover.

I asked her which was her fav pizza. She replied, "The one which has sticker sticker." HAHA. Can u guess which she was referring to?

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The rare occasion when I surprised her by picking her up from after school :)