Ciku & her animal sounds book

Last night i came home and Ciku asked me to go through this book with her. I was so proud of the fact that she knew quite a few of the animals that i had tears in my eyes! It's such a milestone, because when i first bought the book she wasnt interested in the animals at all. Now she can tell me that the owl is a "bard", a chick is a "dak" and a lion is a dog! Besides those words, and inventing her own for mouse and another animal, she knows everything else!

At bedtime she requested Topsy and Tim and the little lost rabbit (i think that's what it's called), and there was a section at the end which is great, the create your own story bit. I cant wait for the day when she's old enough to tell me stories based on the pictures she sees!

Mummy's indulgent ways

I am an indulgent mother. I can't help it, i want Ciku to have a great childhood with all the necessary play things! But i must add that since i dont have a money tree growing in my garden, im always on the look out for the best bargains! Amongst my many purchases, one of the fabbest ones have been the Radio Flyer 2700 Pathfinder Wagon!

I remember my American neighbour having one of these and we used to have lots of fun playing with it. In the 80s the wagons were simple metal wagons...nothing fancy like this one.

Next on my radar is a sandbox...im not sure whether malaysian kids grew up with this or not, but it's a staple in the west! I spent most of my childhood playing in them, and i wouldnt want amy to miss out on it.

Shopping with a toddler

This is what happens when you go shopping with a toddler!

Cultivating a love for books

Being an avid reader, nothing would please me more than having children that love books as much as i do. From the time Ciku was around 9 months old i have been reading children's books to her, waiting for the day when she'd be able to sit still to absorb and enjoy the story. I created a habit of making "story time" a fun activity before milk n bed, by sitting her next to me and holding the book infront of her.

The first book i started reading to her was a collection of 6 bedtime stories by Ladybird. I chose Goldilocks because of the illustrations of the bears. We rarely made it to the end of the story when she'd start getting fidgetty, and a couple of times she tore the pages!

After that i brought out the boardbook, Olivia learns to count, and we'd count to 10 every night. One day i found an adorable book called Hondo and Fabian, which had been a firm favourite for the past 2 months. It has now been relegated to non existence with the arrival of the Topsy and Tim series because she likes looking at the illustrations at the back of the front and back covers.

Ciku has books all over the house (bookshelfs upstairs, downstairs, in the bedroom and on her study table), so she has access to books any time. That reminds me of the house i used to enjoy visiting. The gentleman loved reading too, and he had books literally everywhere, next to the sofa, under and on the coffee table...it's my ideal home really...a home overflowing with great reads!

Ciku's ever growing vocabulary

Cikus now 16 months old and her vocabulary includes the following words:

1) dog
2) book
3) duck
4) bird - "bard"
5) plane
6) car
7) door
8) please - "peeesh"
9) thank you - "tat you"
10 Mummy - "ma"
11) Daddy - "daddeeee"
12) oma
13) opa
14) water - 'woh ta"
15) rice - "raish"
16) pasta
17) socks - "ock"
18) shoes
19) moo for cow
20) work - "ork"