Back!

Wow! I cannot believe time passes so quickly that it has been slightly over a year since my below post. Originally I knew I was always going to post again but I guessed I have been too occupied with other things and after a while I actually questioned myself if I want to pick it up again. During this period of ‘absence’ I have been receiving some encouraging comments and feedback and what tipped the scale for me was the comment from Celine. I received an email on my phone totally out of the blue a couple of weeks back and to my surprise it was from a reader who left a comment in my blog. It was a pleasant surprise so I thought I should give it another go.

Besides getting comments and emails directly from readers I have also received some invites to write advertorials for products and services on my blog. Funny thing is these people never followed up after the initial contact has been made. I remembered I was invited to bring my kids to spend a couple of hours at a certain enrichment centre and all I have to do was to write about their experience in my blog. Phone calls were made and I was told they will check with the boss (who invited me) to firm up a date and time but that was it. There was also an online magazine that contacted me and again no follow up was made after the initial contact. Maybe the problem lies with me personally. I knew I should not have asked for $2 per word.

Much has progressed and changed this past year, for starters we now have an additional maid to help care for the 3 monkeys. She was handpicked by the Mrs and interviewed by Ani. In order to ensure that the 2 maids can work together we let Ani played a significant role in the selection process and we took the advice of the agency to employ a fresh maid for 2 experienced maids may not like working together under one house hold. We wanted to ensure the new maid wasn’t bullied so we told Ani upfront that should this new maid quits due to unfair treatment from her then we will not be hiring an assistance anymore.

I am happy to say that since Anah joined us back in October last year we have not had any problem with the two of them. She being new is generally slower but overall she is nice to the kids and the kids take to her too so we are happy.

The other major change is both the Mrs and I have moved from our previous jobs and it is also due to this new job that I was very tied up. I was travelling on an almost monthly basis. Now that things have settled and I am onto a certain routine I will try my hands at blogging again.

Enough about us for I know you readers are not here to find out more about us. You want to know what has been going on with the children.

For starters Isaac is now in Nursery 2 and is more talkative and cheekier then ever if that is possible. He is at the stage where he is asking all the why’s and the where’s which is very hard for me to answer sometimes. Take “where” for example, on the way to pick the Mrs from work Isaac asked where were we going and I responded by telling him we were going to mummy’s office to pick her up. His next question was where and I told him the name of the building and he followed up with “but where is it daddy?” I tried explaining the location but as a 3yr old he wouldn’t know the difference of course and hence the entire journey I was bombarded with “where”.

The twins are now in childcare and the weird thing is it is cheaper to enrol them for full day then half day. This is after the government subsidy of course. It is a very good pricing strategy by these centres if you ask me.

Anyway I was never in favour of placing the twins there for the entire day for I want the 3 of them to spend more time together. If they are placed there for most of the day then Isaac will have very little time with his siblings.

The two of them are enjoying themselves very much at the childcare and they are picking up new words and songs in both Mandarin and English which is good.

Thankfully amongst the 3 kids only Luke give us the “Terrible Two’s” for he is really demanding and cranky when he did not get his way. He will throw tantrum by screaming and kicking and he will not let up. He is getting better because we understand each other more but he is still the hardest to compromise.

Hayley is very interesting for on one hand she is the easiest to compromise but on the other hand she is also the fiercest amongst the 3 of them. Due she is easily pacified she ended up having to give in the most. At times when the 3 of them all wanted a certain toy for example, Hayley will most likely be the one who sacrifices for she is usually fine if she can get another toy. The trick is we must ask her nicely. If her brothers snatched her toys she will go after them with her mouth wide open to bite them. Some of you have seen the below picture on my Facebook but here it is again for those who missed it.

I am very happy that we have Hayley for the behaviour and character between the boys and her is really very different. I am thrilled to be given the chance to be a father to both genders. I will share with you my experience in the future posts.

Survived!!

We survived!! Yes we managed to pull through the two weeks without Ani! Although it was a little challenging but I am proud to announce that everyone got by without any major problem.

One of my earlier concerns was how Isaac will react to Ani missing. Will he be asking for her constantly? As he sleeps with Ani every night will he cry for her for the whole two weeks? In the end I am pleased that all my concerns and worries were unfounded. Not only did Isaac adapt excellently, he never once asks for Ani during bedtime.

There were a couple of occasions when he would ask where was Ani and he seemed satisfied with our reply that Ani went home. We are not sure if he understands by ‘home’ we meant her own home in Indonesia or he thought she was at our home waiting for him. Sometimes he will forget that Ani is not around and he will run out of our room calling out to her for sweets, biscuits or Milo. He never kick up any fuss when we said she went home so long as we got what he wanted for him.

As for the twins they are too young to really notice her missing. Perhaps they are only too happy to be seeing their dad more each day for this dad showered them each morning. Naturally I like to think that was the case.

These two weeks would not have been so smooth if we did not get the support from my parents and my sister’s maid. All of them chipped in whenever they could and since the Mrs and I could not be there all the time we are really grateful for that.

Here is a picture of all the kids having their milk around 5pm.

In the morning I need help feeding the twins and putting them to sleep for I had to run out to pick Isaac from school. We will have the Mrs back each afternoon which was great for the most challenging part of the day was between 3 to 8pm. This period is when all 3 of them will be up and about and they are really a handful.

After this experience we truly appreciate Ani more for we now understand much better what she has to go through on a daily basis.

Take a look at my bruises (different legs) from handling the kids.

Not only that I actually developed sore throat towards the end of the two weeks from the constant screaming and shouting at the kids. So much so that Isaac can mimick after me now. Some of my favourite phases are:

Don’t run!

Too near! (when the kids stood right in front of the TV)

Children come! (this is what Isaac will say these days whenever he calls for his siblings)

Come in! (whenever he ventured out to the balcony and play with the broom and pebbles)

We actually asked Ani to make sure she drinks honey water regularly since her return. God knows she needs it.

Another challenging aspect of caring for the kids are the 2 weekends. We cannot stay at home for we will certainly be driven mad so we need to plan outings that included my parents. Thankfully being the doting grandparents that they are they gracefully accepted overtime ‘work’ and went out with us.

Below are videos and pictures that we captured during our outings which include Marina Square, West Coast Park and Terminal 3.

Here is a video of Hayley smelling a flower which was given to her. One fine day we brought the twins to the Botanic Gardens for a morning picnic after dropping Isaac off in school. A nice lady taking a liking to the twins gave Hayley a flower and she surprised us all by holding it to her nose and took a sniff at it. Who taught her that?!?!?!

Here is a video of Luke falling asleep at Marina Square and we were trying very hard to prevent him from sleeping. The reason was because it was almost 7pm and we were worried if he slept then he will not be able to sleep when we got home.

For the record we failed and he had a good nap in the car but thankfully it was only a rather short one which did not really disrupt his bedtime when we got home.

Below are pictures that we took of Isaac having fun at West Coast Park. Unfortunately his siblings could not join him for they are too young and more importantly Hayley’s dislike of the sand.

This was taken at Terminal 3. See how small Isaac is standing next to the XC60.

Notice how Hayley will spread her legs to prevent from touching the sand?

After these two weeks the Mrs really felt sorry for what Ani has to go through each day and in all fairness she did not sign up for this in the beginning so we are now considering employing another maid but that is a topic I will save for later.

Helpless

How time flies for Ani has recently finished her contract with us and has signed another 2 year deal with a pay increment. We are happy that she has decided to stay for she certainly didn’t sign up to take care of 3 babies in the beginning. When she arrived we only had Isaac but along the way you can say that her workload has increased by 3 folds. So deep down the Mrs and I were a little concerned that she may want to see her contract out and look for something perhaps a little less hectic.

So she will be heading home for her well deserved 2 weeks break and unlike her we are certainly not looking forward to it at all. Over the 2 years we are spoilt by her for we need not have to worry about preparing the kids and packing the necessary stuffs whenever we plan to go out. All we had to do was inform her of our plans and give her about half an hour and we will be good to go.

Changing the kids is the easy part hence we do it ourselves. It is the huge bags that we bring out that are very challenging. You cannot imagine the different kinds of stuffs that she packs in there in anticipation of the kids (well mainly Isaac’s) demand. Some examples besides the necessities such as milk powder, diapers, change of clothes, hot water etc; are sweets like the gummy bears, biscuits, packets Milo as well as this yogurt drink and some other stuffs that I cannot think of now. All I know is whenever Isaac demanded for something more often than not she will have it in those big bags. When the twins get really cranky in the car she will also have the right snacks to pacify them.

Now with her gone for 2 weeks, I believe we will be at a lost to a certain degree and won’t be surprised that we will miss out on an item or two.

There are other issues as well. Since we learned that the Mrs was pregnant with the twins Isaac has been sleeping with Ani for obvious reason. Now we are taking turns to put him to sleep each night. The really good thing here is he doesn’t have to be put to bed by Ani which means we can do it but we need to know his bedtime habits too.

Originally the Mrs wanted to take a 2 week break from work so the both of us can try and take care of them ourselves but her boss wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. Then the alternative was to look for a part-time babysitter to help out at my parents’ place every day until our return after work. The Mrs went to the various forums to search for recommended nannies and agencies. We actually interviewed a couple of them even. The cost for this arrangement will maybe set us back by about one grand easy. Not too many nannies are too keen to take up the position as well once they learned that we have 3 kids even though we promised them that my parents and to a certain extend I will be there to help out. We assured them that they will not be the only one to take care of all 3 of them at any one time but they are still worried and I can also understand why. One agency was even crazy (or stupid) enough to propose charging us 3 times the cost for having 3 babies to which we responded wouldn’t it make more sense then for us to hire 3 nannies?!?! For the company’s sake I seriously hope she is not the owner.

In the end after much thinking, planning and discussion with my parents we have decided against hiring outside help. One thing is my parents are not too crazy about the idea of having a stranger over at their place and more importantly the kids may not take to her at all.

So here’s the plan. I will send Isaac and the Mrs to school and work every morning and I will then head back to my parents’ place to bath and feed the twins. My parents and I will take care of them until the Mrs come home from work around 2pm. Her boss has compromised with her taking half day everyday for the 2 weeks. In between I will also be going to pick Isaac from school. Since I am working from home and my work allows me certain flexibility I will arrange for my appointments and meetings to the late afternoon when the Mrs can take over from me.

On paper it certainly looked very doable but I know we (the Mrs and I) will probably be in for some shock when the time comes. I truly believe that this little experience will make us appreciate more what Ani and my parents have to do on a daily basis.

It will certainly be a very tiring 2 weeks for we have to wake up much earlier to get Isaac changed, fed and dressed for school. We will also have to feed the twins before leaving the house. Putting them to sleep will not be so easy as well for currently we take one kid each at night but this will not be possible then.

Planning on what to do and where to bring them during the weekends will also not be easy. We definitely cannot stay at home the entire weekend with the kids for we, the parents will probably go mad. However to bring them out will require much work, planning and execution. To care for all 3 kids who are now running (Isaac), walking briskly (Luke) and unsteadily (Hayley) will be tough. The twins are at the stage where they do not want to be carried or be left sitting in the stroller. They will be repeating “walk walk” non-stop and struggling.

If you would like to volunteer your time in helping or have any suggestions at all you know how to reach me.

Lessons!!

As most of you know parenthood is new to the Mrs and I hence there are many lessons to be learnt. Although we have 3 kids but as their age difference is small our experience is really limited to how we handled Isaac. However as we all know every child is special and unique in their own way handling them requires very different technique.

Recently we learnt 2 very important lessons and those of you who are on Facebook with me will probably know of it by now.

The most important one is: Never trust your thermometer 100%.

We are very blessed in that up until about 3 weeks ago we have never had to bring any of our children to the emergency ward of any hospital. We usually let them ride out their sickness and until they turn 1 we abstain from administering any form of medication. Like our PD always says, medicines really just remove the symptoms but it is not the cure. Even when they have fever we will sponge them and watch their mood before we decide whether or not to administer medicine. Watching their mood and appetite is the key thing.

About 3 weeks ago Isaac had fever and Ani was taking his temperature every few hourly and since he is already past 2 years old we are more relaxed on giving him medicine. Unfortunately his fever never really quite subsided and in fact got higher. In the evening when we got home from work the readings were around 39 degree with the highest for that day being 39.5. We could also tell that he is not his usually cheerful self although he wasn’t cranky just a little more “manja” then usual.

We decided to bring him to KK emergency ward and we were shocked that the readings the nurse doctor took was around 40.5 degree because we brought our own thermometer and along the way and while waiting for our turn we were frequently taking his temperature and it never passed the 40 degree mark.

Now the weird thing here was when I took my temperature with our own and then with theirs the readings match. But when it comes to Isaac the difference is about 2 degrees.

After the entire episode I went down to the manufacturer and got them to check the thermometer for me they advise me that sometimes even a faulty one can take accurate readings up to about 38 degree but anything higher it won’t be accurate anymore.

When they checked the thermometer they found out that the area around the sensor was dirty and a little rusty. That was the cause for the inaccurate readings and after cleaning it thoroughly it worked fine and readings above 40 degree was measured accurately as well.

Looking back it was a rather scary experience for this meant that Isaac was probably at about 41.5 degree at one time for the highest recorded was 39.5.

I hope you learn from our experience and get another thermometer to be kept at home and should the reading be above 38 degree then have a second reading with the spare one just to be sure.

Now on a lighter side of things, I learnt another lesson and this time it was thanks to Luke.

The funny lesson: Always cover the toilet bowl!

The children have a habit of using our iPhones to play and watch the many Apps that we got for them. In fact Isaac is so good with it he knows how to launch the YouTube and look for his favourite videos. This by the way was learnt all on his own. Before he turned 1 he already know how to slide to unlock the phone and he could do it upside down as well.

Anyway back to Luke. One morning as I was washing up in the bathroom the twins were just walking around messing things up in the wardrobe area. After a while they were trying to come into the bathroom with me. I used my leg to block Hayley from coming in while the door was half closed but little did I know Luke has silently open the door and walked in. Next I heard him say “Throw!” and before I knew it I heard something dropped into the toilet bowl and to my horror it was the Mrs’s iPhone.

I shouted “Oh No!!” and the Mrs came running in thinking that one of the twins had hurt themselves. When she saw Luke in the bathroom she thought what happened to him and carried him right away. I honestly believed that my instant reaction saved him for when the Mrs learned that he is fine then everything else is secondary including her iPhone. Plus I knew she wanted to change it long ago due to the many scratches and teeth marks but as it was in perfect operational condition she cannot have it changed.

Now I know many of you readers are iPhone owners and in case you’re not aware, when under warranty your Telco will replace your iPhone free if the problem is not caused by water. In our case where clearly it is due to water then the cost will be S$350 when under warranty.

Fortunately SingTel decided to replace mine for free and it was due to my monthly bill otherwise we all know who will be paying for the replacement.............Luke!

Updates!

Wow! I believe this is the longest period for not updating this blog. I think I really need to put in more effort before all you remaining readers disappear as well. There is however a very good reason for not updating this time and that is due to some changes at the work front. Due to a change of company I have been very busy with all the usual handover and getting things ready for the new environment.

My new role as a consultant allow me to work a lot from home. Since this is a one man show for now so my work hours are very flexible which means I can take care of more household and children stuffs. Take fetching Isaac home from school for example, I certainly have been doing more of that lately. Running around brining Ani for her medical, collecting free diapers and exchanging shoes for the right size are examples of things on my “to-do” list.

Below is a video clip of Isaac (1st kid on the right with a pink toy hanging from his bag) being led from his class to the pickup point. This is how it is done on a daily basis when they move to and from their classes. The children are made to stand two by two and there is this ropewith rings in the middle for them to hold onto.

Before you all get excited and think that I am now a part-time SAHD I should clarify that the children are still going to their grandparents as usual. Not sure about your kids but I will not be able to do much work with them around for the moment they see me fire up the laptop they will all come running and stumbling (the twins) over much like moths being drawn to the flame. They will want to hammer away on the keyboard or poke at the LCD screen. Besides, I am still going out on an almost daily basis for my customers’ visits.

There are certainly new developments since my last post about the Mrs going away for her Japan trip. Isaac I believed has entered the much talked about “Terrible Two” stage but personally I think either he is the mild type or what we read about were much exaggerated. I would like to think that for Isaac’s case it is the former rather than the latter. He is much more vocal these days especially about the things that he doesn’t want so it is not uncommon to hear him say “No!”, “I don’t want” and “我不要”. It is rather fun teasing and irritating him sometimes but insisting “Yes” and “要” only to wait for his repeated response. I know it is probably not right but surely a parent can have some fun at his kids' expense right?

His behaviour seems to rubbing off on Luke for he is also saying “No” whenever he doesn’t want something and if we insist he will actually say “don’t want” although it is not that clear.

Since attending Nursery Isaac’s vocabulary has expanded by leaps and bounds. We can hear new words or phrases coming out of him on an almost daily basis. Some of the most recent ones are:

- Daddy come
- Daddy follow me
- Step by step
- See, cute baby

The twins are now walking about unassisted and my biggest fear is they may fall off our bed. They like to climb onto our bed and walk about but as they are still not that steady and strong they may just topple and fall off the bed. Although our bed is rather low, we recently changed it with them in mind, we’re still weary of the damage such a fall can bring.

Seeing the twins walking side by side unsteadily is rather amusing so I will try and find a chance to capture it on video and post it here so be sure to check back here. I only noticed they look rather amusing last Saturday when they insisted on getting on the floor during dinner at this famous steamboat place near Golden Mile. They were so insistent that even though we did not have shoes for them we let them walked about bare footed. We pick a quieter walkway of course. They were wearing rather matching outfits that day and it made them look rather cute.

Oh I have always wanted to mention that toddlers are similar to zombies that we see in movies. Like the zombies these toddlers are always trying to put your finger in their mouths to bite. If you are carrying them you have to beware that they may just take a chunk off your shoulders too (just experienced that last evening with Hayley). Even when it comes to walking they stumble around with their arms bent and raised in front of them just like the zombies too. If you don’t believe me grab the nearest toddler next to you and observe. A little make-up will greatly enhance the effect too.

We have found a family activity that we will be sticking to almost every Sunday except when it rains and that is to bring them to the pool. I like bringing them to the Singapore Poly Guild House pool for there is a very shallow part for the twins to walk and crawl on. At first the twins did not enjoy the water much and it required about half an hour for them to like being in the water but these days they have no problem soaking in it. Isaac especially is loving it. I enjoyed it so much that I went out to get some water gun for us while my dad contributed the rubber duckies for the twins.

Here are some pictures of the kids having fun!

His trademark cheeky smile!

This is the reason why we are heading back every weekend.

Isaac and his water gun.

See how happy he is!


Of all the 3 kids Luke takes to water the best.

The twins and their rubber duckies!

Anyone looking for housekeeper? Cute right?

Volunteers?

In the past before we were parents the Mrs would bring her parents to nearby countries for short vacations every once in a while. She was always guilty that she was unable to spend more time with them so she will take them to short getaways while they are still mobile.

Ever since we became parents she has stopped this practice due to obvious reason but I know deep down she would very much like to continue. It is not easy trying to be a wife, mother and good daughter at the same time.

The past two years have not been very nice as we witnessed the passing of our friends’ parents. Friends who are actually about the same age as us which means their parents are probably around the same age as our parents as well. Early this year we learned of another friend whose mum was diagnosed with cancer and it was at the advanced stage already. Instead of opting to go through the chemo therapy she decided to live out her remaining days happy and she started off by visiting Japan first.

I believed that incident triggered something within the Mrs and she discussed with me if it is alright for her to bring her folks for a holiday. What started out to be a trip to Taiwan has now morphed into a trip to see the cherry blossom in Japan. So come this Saturday she will bring her parents to Hokkaido for a week. There will only be the three of them so it is not exactly a holiday for the Mrs for she will be taking care of the old folks but I believe seeing them enjoy themselves is reward enough.

So starting this weekend it will be just Ani and I taking care of the three kids. There are minimum changes in the day since I have always been involved in preparing the kids to go to their grandparents place and Isaac to school. Small changes are instead of having the Mrs bring Isaac to the teachers at his school I will have to part my car and run in. Rest of the days will be pretty same-o same-o for they will be at my parents place until I come back for them in the early evening.

Without the Mrs I can be home earlier actually which is not necessary a good thing. This automatically means I will be bringing them home earlier also and once home Ani will proceed with her daily chores of cleaning up the place and it will be them versus me for about 2 to 3 hours before they turn in.

Hmmmm….. maybe I should get Ani to deprive them their afternoon naps so they will retire earlier in the evening. Muhahahahaha!!!! Just kidding Darling.

Honestly I am not at all worried about sending Isaac to school on my own or tackling them alone in the evening. Ani has proven to be of great help and my kids are nice to us for they all sleep by 9pm which leaves me with a lot of ‘me’ time. With the Mrs in Japan I think it is time to buy another one or two Xbox game. Woohoo!!!

Where I need help my readers are what to do and where to go this weekend. Usually with the Mrs around it is already not easy bringing the 3 of them out. Somehow we always managed but with only Ani and I, going out is not such a good idea at all.

Recently I noticed we are attracting a lot of stares and attention whenever we eat out. The fact that the waiters have to remove 3 normal chairs and replace them with 3 highchairs will already arouse people’s curiosity. When they see us walking in and taking our seats I can almost sense their stares and gossips. They will discuss amongst themselves if all 3 kids are ours and seeing the twins they will have more questions; if they’re twins and the age gap between Isaac and the twins. Once they determined that they are all ours you can definitely sense their astonishment. “I wonder how they cope” and “What were they thinking” are probably the general sentiment.

Back to the dining table, Isaac will be demanding to feed himself and will want this and that before he decides it is time to explore the restaurant. The twins will usually be good and quiet so long as we continue to stuff food in their mouths. Come to think of it maybe their mouths are too full to make any noise. However even they have their off days sometime and with the 3 of them behaving the way they do these people are probably taking pity on us.

With the Mrs away I can assure you that we will not be eating out and if we do it will surely involve my parents. My main concern is what to do with them in the day? Where can I bring them to burn off their energy? Places like Polliwogs are no good because while Isaac can enjoy with me chasing after him Ani will be left to watch after the twins alone.

Staying at home the entire weekend is also a terrible idea for tackling them for 2 to 3 hours is tiring enough I can’t imagine having to manage them for so many hours. They will still stick to their daily nap routine but it still leaves us with a good 4 to 5 hours of activities to keep them occupied.

My bro, Mike was kind enough to invite us to hang around with him and his family this weekend for he said they can help us take care of the twins. Now that is a friend indeed.

So now the question is do I have another good friend in you my readers? Any volunteers to help babysit this weekend?

Favourite

From the moment we brought the twins home we were asked time and again if we have a favourite amongst the 3 kids. Who do we prefer more? Frankly speaking I did question if I will ever have a favourite since it is only human to like something or someone more than others.

There were some concerns from Isaac’s Godma and Grandma that he may be neglected now that he has 2 younger siblings and I am still not sure if we managed to dismiss their unfounded concern after so many months.

My mum’s love and favouritism shown towards Isaac is still unmatched. Everyone can tell that Isaac is clearly her favourite grandchild. We have to monitor though in case things get out of hand. An example happened the other day when Isaac snatched Hayley’s toy causing her to cry and my mum immediately gave another toy to Hayley to try and pacify her. When I saw this I corrected her and returned the original toy to Hayley and told Isaac off. I explained to my mum that Hayley should not have to settle for another toy just because Isaac wanted the first one.

Don’t get me wrong though for Isaac is not the bully at home. He loves his siblings and is ever ready to kiss, hug and sayang them. It is just that when it comes to sharing toys he is not quite there yet. The twins do not fare any better as well and this is an area that we are monitoring and working on. Isaac is still a toddler after all so sometimes he doesn’t understand the full extend of the things that he should not do.

I made him a promise when we know he will be a ‘big’ brother at a young age that he will not miss out on anything from being a toddler. I have always reframed from imposing the responsibilities of an elder brother on him. He is still a big baby to me and he knows that. When I ask him where is daddy’s big baby, he will point to his own head and say “nai”. I want him to grow up at his own pace without having to worry about being a big brother to the twins. Perhaps in another couple of years then he will take on the role gradually.

When the twins were younger they were not showing much of their personalities and characters so there wasn’t much to compare between the 3 children. Some of you readers may not agree to us comparing but I like to think that it is a very natural thing to do. We compare things like the stages of motor skills development to how fast their teeth grow, to their speech development and of course their character and temper. We even compare how much milk they take and at what pace too. The way they sleep and at what time they sleep and how long their nap last.

Now that the twins are a little older the comparison is getting more interesting because their personalities are beginning to show. Take Hayley for example. She has always been the quiet and demure one while Luke is always very demanding and Isaac is well ……… Isaac. Then we begin to wonder if there is any truth to the theory that having more than one hair whorl means a person is “naughtier”. You see, 妹妹 is the only one in the family with 2 hair whorls. But the theory may have some truth after all for these days 妹妹 is certainly no push over. When her brothers take her toys she will scream at them and will try and get them back. Very often her scream is way louder and we can see from her face just how angry they made her. I can already see this girl standing toe to toe against any boy bully in her life.

I have also heard stories that being the middle child in the family is not good. They are often neglected and they grow up aloof and weird in some cases. I personally do not have this experience because people around me are either the eldest or youngest. I don’t believe I have too many friends who are the middle child. So any input from you guys will be helpful.

Note: By Input I do not mean scare so please do not scare us for in case you forgot we have a middle child in Luke! Thank you!

With Luke nicknamed “Blur” didn’t really help the matter too. In his defense he is actually much better now. He smiles a lot more and has many expressions as well but just not in front of the camera. I have posted the below clip to support my case and to help him get rid of that nickname.

Now back to age old question of whether or not we have a favourite all I can say is that an experiment I conducted not too long ago probably summed it all up for us.

Back in September the Mrs and I went to Hong Kong for a short getaway without the kids and I remembered wondering out loud to the Mrs if we could find out who we miss more during the trip. I guess I thought if we know who we miss more then that will probably mean we favour that child more. Frankly I am a little surprised but very pleased with the outcome.