Athan is turning two next month. Where did the time go?
He is a very delightful little fellow who loves to talk. He talks non-stop about anything and everything he sees. He *sings* when we sing to him and he copies all the actions too. Very funny. He loves to eat. He eats most food, especially rice, pasta, noodles and soup. He likes cheese and yogurt too. He eats vegetables and loves carrot and broccoli. He is not a fruit-eater though. He does eat fruit, but he is very selective. He only eats apple, pear, orange and banana. It is very difficult to get him to try new fruit.
He is very easy going. I can leave him to play by himself while I catch up on some housework. He is happy to play by himself as long as he knows where I am. He has taken to playing blocks, thanks to Calvin. He likes to carry a backpack and pretend to go shopping. He likes to push his toy bus on the floor and pretend to be the driver. He knows how to amuse himself when he is on his own without his brother.
He is quick tempered and throws tantrums whenever does not get his way. He is still very loud. The good thing is he gets over his tantrums very quickly and easily– most of the time. He can be rolling on the floor and the next minute he is up and smiling again. The way to deal with him is to ignore him. Of course there are times when his tantrums last longer and louder. I usually give him a time-out in his cot. He screams and screams until I go in and get him. Before I let him out of his cot, I will tell him to calm down and try to explain what he did wrong in the shortest possible way. I will get him to say “sorry” and not to repeat that behaviour again. He will nod his head in return as if he has understood me. This method seems to work so far on him.
He now shares a room with Calvin. The boys are very used to having each other at sleep time now. They don’t usually go to sleep immediately after we have tucked them in bed and left the room. They will have a chat and occasionally we can hear some laughter. There are occasions when it takes up to an hour for them to settle. We have caught them playing in the room numerous times. They exchange blankets, make funny faces at each other, put the blanket over their heads and pretend to be monsters etc etc. Boys …. And then. When they hear our footsteps nearing their bedroom door, they quickly get back into their beds and pretend to be sleeping! Calvin could have gotten away with it, but Mr Athan gives everything away. He will be laughing away and he even smile at us with his most innocent look. He probably thinks it is a game. We could not stop laughing at them, especially me.
He is starting childcare very soon, as soon as next week. I have to admit that I am reluctant to put him through childcare. I wish I can take care of him full-time myself. Unfortunately, the current situation at our home does not allow that. Oh well, I’ve got to think positive. It will be a new routine for this little boy as well as for our family. I do pray that he can settle well into the centre and new routine. I will have to deal with the separation anxieties and all the crying that comes with it. It is going to be very difficult for me. We’ll see how things go next week. Pray for me.
He still suffers from eczema. It flares up during hot days. He gets dry and red patches around his elbows, back of his knees, behind his neck, around his ankles and around his wrists. He doesn’t scratch much at the affected areas, thank God. We try to moisturize him throughout the day. It helps.
Not sure if swimming at the pool is another cause of his eczema, but this boy absolutely loves to be in water. He thinks he is having a great big bath! Last week was his third lesson of this term, and I have to say he behaved much better. He listened to instructions better and participated better. Thank God. He has no problems putting his face in water and has no fear when asked to jump into the water. I am more fearful than him! I am also very grateful to the instructor for being so patient and kind towards us when Athan was cranky during his first 2 lessons. She is very good at making each lesson fun. The children loves it.
The above picture shows a tired boy sucking his thumb and resting on his father’s shoulder.  That’s Athan. He likes to rest on Robin’s shoulder like that when he is tired or upset. He is still quite attached to his father, I would say. Robin can be very strict with Athan when the boy plays up, but he can be equally silly when he plays with Athan. One of their favourite activities is going to the beach together, just the 2 of them. It’s great to see Robin putting in time and effort to spend time with Athan. The boy needs it.
Thank God for blessing us with Athan.